Muslim Countries Interfere with West's Freedom of Expression: They Want Fitna Banned!
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The ambassadors of 26 Islamic countries want the Netherlands to investigate whether the film Fitna made by Dutch right-wing populist MP Geert Wilders can be banned. They asked Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen whether it is possible to start legal proceedings against the anti-Islam film. The meeting at the ministry in The Hague was attended by ambassadors of countries including Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Mr Verhagen told the 26 ambassadors he was pleased that responses from the Muslim world up to now had been moderate. He said the public prosecutor was investigating whether any offence had been committed, and the Dutch government clearly distanced itself from the film.

At the same time he called on the ambassadors to ensure Dutch citizens and organisations abroad were protected. "Let's keep heads cool and relations warm," he added. "We know about the concerns and feelings about this film among the international Muslim community, but hurt feelings must never be an excuse for aggression and threats."

"Christian terrorist"

In Indonesia, a few dozen demonstrators protested against Geert Wilders' film outside the Dutch embassy. They waved banners reading "Holland go to Hell" and "Kill Geert Wilders", threw eggs and bottles of water at the building and chanted anti-Dutch slogans. One protestor called on Muslims around the world to kill Mr Wilders, calling him a "Christian terrorist". IslamicCountries Want Dutch to Ban Wilders’ Movie >>> By Sebastiaan Gottlieb | 31-03-2008-03-31

Mark Alexander

Maxime Maximizes His Dhimmitude!
ASHARQ ALAWSAT: A Member of Parliament for an opposition party that represents a small proportion of Dutch voters has made a critical film about the Koran, a book that is sacred to roughly 1.2 billion Muslims. The announcement of this film was for months the cause of considerable disquiet and discussion in the Netherlands and the rest of the world. On Thursday 27 March the film was released on the internet. It shows images of atrocities and blames them on Islam and the Koran.

Let me begin by emphasising that these views do not in any way reflect the perspective or policy of the Dutch government. The Dutch government condemns terrorist attacks, whether they are committed in the name of Islam or other religions or for any other motive. Terror must never be a means to pursue any goal. But Islam must not be equated with the commission of atrocities. The vast majority of Muslims condemn extremism and violence, of which many Muslims are also the victims. The Dutch government emphatically dissociates itself from this film because of its invidious generalisations and its polarising effect.

Islam has a clearly visible place in Dutch society. There are more than 800,000 people in the Netherlands with roots in the Islamic world, about 5.3% of our population. In recent decades, Islam in all its diversity has had many opportunities to flourish as a religion within the limits of the law. Islamic institutions, associations, media and schools have become familiar features of our country. Over 450 mosques have been built on Dutch soil. This development reflects the well-established Dutch tradition of religious tolerance. Muslims make a major contribution to dialogue within Dutch society, notably through their participation in consultative bodies. Two members of the Dutch government have roots in the Islamic world: Ahmed Aboutaleb, State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment, and Nebahat Albayrak, State Secretary for Justice. I mention these facts to show that in general, Muslims in the Netherlands work together well and live in harmony with non-Muslims. The Dutch government is heartened by the balanced initial responses to the film’s release from Muslim organisations in the Netherlands.

There is no point in trying to disguise the fact that contact with other cultures, customs and faiths is exacerbating tensions. On the contrary, it is good to discuss these tensions openly and frankly. The question is, however: how should we deal with these tensions? How can we bridge the differences? The Alliance of Civilisations, an initiative of the Turkish and Spanish governments, provides governments and civil society organisations with a forum to search together for constructive responses. I warmly welcome this initiative. That is why the Netherlands has since the outset been one of the countries that support the Alliance in principle and practice. This film has the opposite aim: instead of offering a constructive response to the challenges we face today, it is spreading fear and turning different groups against each other.

We should condemn not religions, but rather people and groups who abuse religion to achieve their ends through violence. Islam is not the problem. Muslims, Christians and people with other convictions can coexist in complete harmony. The problem is not religion, but the abuse of religion to spread hatred and intolerance. No Room for "Fitna" >>> By Maxime Verhagen | 30. 3. 08

Mark Alexander

Geert Wilders’ Film Has Been Released: Fitna the Movie - Its Message: Islam Must Be Defeated!

Original Dutch Version

As the movie has been removed from Live Leak, you can view the movie HERE.

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Islam in Fast Demise
In Africa Alone Everyday, 16,000 Muslims Leave Islam
FAITHFREEDOM.ORG: Hitler said if a lie is repeated often enough and long enough, it would come to be perceived as truth. One such lie often repeated is “Islam is the fastest growing religion”.

Despite the fact that Muslims by virtue of being poor and uneducated are much more reproductive than others, Islam as a religion is not growing but dying fast.

More and more Muslims are discovering that the violence evinced by some of their coreligionists is not an aberration but is inspired by the teachings of the Quran and the examples set by its author. Muslims are becoming disillusioned with Islam. They find out that the mechanistic ritual of praying five times per day, reciting verses that they do not understand and indeed mean nothing, getting up at taxing hours of the morning and abstaining from food and water until the sunset are not means to becoming more spiritual but are instruments to control their mind. These enlightened Muslims no more heed to the fear mongering verses of the Quran that threaten to burn them and roast them in the fires of hell if they dare to think and question the validity of that book.

Every day thousands of Muslim intellectuals are leaving Islam. They find Islam inconsistent with science, logics, human rights and ethics. Millions of Iranians already have left Islam. The enlightened Muslims of other nationalities are not far behind. This is the beginning of a mass exodus from Islam. It is a movement that is already in motion and nothing can stop it.

However the exodus from Islam is not reserved to the intellectuals but also the average Muslims are finding that Islam is not the way to God but to ignorance, poverty and wars. They are leaving Islam to embrace other religions especially the Christianity. Islam in Fast Demise >>> By Ali Sina

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CNN Offers to Air Fitna

Down with Network Solutions! Don’t use them! Avoid them! Boycott them! Let the company go down the tubes! It doesn’t stand up for free speech. Enough said!

Hat tip: Klein Verzet

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Islam Not Mentioned in Wilders’ English Cash Appeal
DUTCHNEWS NL: The anti-immigration MP Geert Wilders has published a request for political donations from international supporters but does not mention his controversial stance on immigration or Islam in the English-language version.

Wilders, who plans to release his short anti-Islam film Fitna before April 1, placed the appeal for cash on his private website www.geertwilders.nl, rather than on the website of his party, the PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid/Freedom Party).



In the Dutch version, Wilders says that he is involved in 'a battle against the Islamisation of the Netherlands and mass immigration' and points out that six out of 10 Dutch people think large-scale immigration is 'the biggest mistake in our history'.



In his English-language appeal, however, Wilders asks his 'international friends' for support in 'a battle for the survival of freedom'. The words Islam and immigration do not appear, nor does he mention his film. Islam Not Mentioned in Wilders' English Cash Appeal >>> | Thursday 27 March 2008

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Vatican Baptism No Good, Says Muslim Scholar
Photo of Arif Ali Nayed courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A Muslim scholar involved in high-level dialogue with the Vatican has denounced the Pope's baptism on Saturday of a prominent Italian Muslim convert.

Aref Ali Nayed, the head of Jordan's Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, called the baptism of journalist Magdi Allam a deliberate and provocative act.

The Vatican has not yet commented, but its official newspaper said the gesture aimed to promote religious freedom.

The Pope traditionally baptises adult converts to Catholicism on Easter eve.

Mr Allam's invitation to the ceremony, which took place in St Peter's Basilica, was however kept secret by the Vatican, until just before the Easter vigil mass.

The Egyptian-born Italian TV and newspaper commentator has been an outspoken critic of Islamist militancy and a strong supporter of Israel.

He says such controversial views and his conversion to Christianity have provoked threats on his life, and he is now protected by a police escort. Muslim Scholar Denounces Muslim Baptism >>>

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Sarkozy: We Are Stronger Together
BBC: President Nicolas Sarkozy has said France and Britain have "never been so close", during an historic address to both houses of the UK Parliament.

He said he wanted a new Franco-British "brotherhood", saying that what brought Britain and France together was "stronger than what separates us".

His country would "never forget" what British people did to "free France" during the world wars, he said.

Peers and MPs gave him a standing ovation following the speech in French.

Mr Sarkozy said France and Britain were stronger side by side, and the world admired the UK's "courage". Sarkozy: We Are Stronger Together >>>

WACH BBC VIDEO:
Excerpts of Sarkozy’s Speech to UK Parliament

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Sarkozy’s Visit to Britain

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What the French Are Saying About “President Bling-Bling” and Carla
Watch HERE
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No Legal Grounds to Ban Wilders' Film
DUTCHNEWS.NL: Dutch foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen says the cabinet has no plans to ask the courts to ban the controversial film due to be released this month by anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, reports ANP news service on Wednesday.

‘We looked at the possibilities and there are none,’ Verhagen is quoted as saying. His comments follow a call by former Dutch foreign affairs minister Hans van den Broek, now a leading government advisor, who has called on the cabinet to take the issue to court. No Legal Grounds to Ban Wilders' Film >>> | Wednesday 26 March 2008

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Nicolas Sarkozy Calls for 'Franco-British Brotherhood' as State Visit Begins
Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: President Nicolas Sarkozy called for the start of a new "Franco-British brotherhood" today, as he arrived on the first state visit to Britain by a French President for 12 years.

In an interview, Mr Sarkozy said that it was time to reinvent the cross-Channel relationship from the strategic co-operation enshrined in the entente cordiale to become one of genuine closeness and "hand-in-glove" warmth.

The French President touched down at Heathrow Airport with his wife, Carla Bruni, where the couple were greeted on the tarmac by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at 11.25am. They then travelled in convoy to Windsor, where they were met by the Queen and travelled together in a state carriage procession to Windsor Castle.

Launching a charm offensive designed to realign French foreign policy, Mr Sarkozy told the BBC via a translator: "Whoever the British leader may be he will need others, other Europeans.

"And how can we do without your strong economy, your language which is the most spoken language throughout the world — do without your defence, which is the most significant in Europe? I want a new Franco-British brotherhood."

The moves to warm the relationship between Britain and France come after years of gradual decline in relations under the leadership of Jacques Chirac, who focused overwhelmingly on building a close relationship with Germany. Relations between France, Britain and the United States reached their lowest point for decades in 2003, when Mr Chirac openly opposed and derided the Iraq War.

Mr Sarkozy has made no secret of his pro-American leanings and has vowed to realign French foreign policy.

The French President added that he wanted Britain and France to work "hand in glove", and pointed to his role in closing down the controversial Sangatte immigrant camp while French Home Affairs Minister. Nicolas Sarkozy calls for 'Franco-British brotherhood' as state visit begins >>> By David Byers

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Wafa Sultan: Target of Jihad
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: Wafa Sultan appeared on Al-Jazeera again earlier this month, and the shock waves are still reverberating throughout the Islamic world. The day after her appearance Al-Jazeera issued a public apology for her “offensive” remarks, but did not specify what exactly she said that was so terrible. Last week, however, the influential Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi was not so circumspect. Qaradawi, whom Saudi-funded academic John Esposito has praised as a “reformist,” in 2006 exhorted Muslims to fight against Israel by invoking the notorious genocidal hadith in which Muhammad says that on the Day of Judgment “even the stones and the trees will speak, with or without words, and say: ‘Oh servant of Allah, oh Muslim, there’s a Jew behind me, come and kill him.’” But now he has directed his rage against Sultan, a fifty-year-old Syrian-American psychologist: “She said unbearable, ghastly things that made my hair stand on end.” Specifically, “she had the audacity to publicly curse Allah, His Prophet, the Koran, the history of Islam, and the Islamic nation.” He repeated that she “leveled accusations against Islam and the Muslims, and cursed Allah, His Prophet, the Islamic nation, the shari’a, and the Islamic faith and culture.”

These are serious charges, and Qaradawi states them in terms that his jihadist minions will understand as meaning that she must be killed. Given that Qaradawi has justified suicide attacks against Israeli civilians and American soldiers in Iraq, it is clear that he has no distaste for violence, and thus law enforcement officials should take his latest fulminations against Wafa Sultan very seriously indeed. Target of Jihad >>> By Robert Spencer

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”Defame” Islam, Get Sued

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Saudis Keep On Sh****** Their Nest
Isn’t it about time we told these sand-people where to get off? Isn’t it about time we told them to NAFF OFF?

THE GUARDIAN: British Muslims today accused Saudi Arabia of exporting extremist interpretations of the Qur'an, during a conference designed to improve understanding between Islam and the west.

The criticism came as the first international survey on the subject found that people in most countries believed relations between the two civilisations to be deteriorating.

The Symposium on Muslim Communities in Europe, organised by the World Economic Forum, brought together archbishops, imams, rabbis and other religious leaders in central London.

The exchange of views focused on how distrust between the two cultures could be overcome by examining religious and other differences.

Two prominent British Muslims, Ed Husain, the author of the memoir The Islamist, and Tim Winter, a divinity lecturer at Cambridge University, expressed alarm at the influence of Saudi-financed literature.

Such writings described Christians as "idol worshippers" and advocated an "extremist, Wahabi, puritanical" version of Islam, Winter said. European Islam, he maintained, was becoming a "vicarious playground" in a broader "war of ideas".

Husain also complained about "Saudi-sponsored" teaching at mosques encouraging Muslims to see themselves as a distinct political bloc with a "year-zero mindset".

Lord Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, said the 9/11 attacks had done severe damage to Muslim communities in the west.

"The terrorists were able to hijack far more than the planes used in 9/11, they in fact hijacked these whole communities," he said.
"They were able, at a stroke, to make them - and even worse their religion - seem a potential source of fear to others. Saudis Stoking UK Extremism, Conference Told >>>

BBC:
Saudis to Retrain 40,000 Clerics By Magdi Abdlehadi

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A Political Challenge to Political Islam: Maryam Namazie, Ex-Muslim, UK

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NUT goes NUTs and Fails to Find Its NUTs Over the Koran!
Image courtesy of Google Images
DAILY EXPRESS: STATE schools should be forced to open their doors to Islamic preachers teaching the Koran, the largest classroom union demanded yesterday.

The National Union of Teachers’ conference also said existing religious schools – almost all of them Christian – should have to admit pupils from other faiths.



The union’s general secretary Steve Sinnott said that allowing Muslim imams to preach in schools would be a way to reunite divided communities.



But the proposals prompted immediate outrage. Conservative Party backbencher Mark Pritchard said: “This is just further appeasement for Muslim militants.



“We should just follow the existing laws on religious education, which state that it should be of a predominantly Christian character. All this will do is further divide many communities that are already split on religious lines.”


Speaking as delegates met at the hard-Left-dominated union’s annual conference, Mr Sinnott admitted that his plan would amount to religious indoctrination inside taxpayer-backed schools rather than simple teaching of what different religions believe.



He said: “This is more than simple religious education, it’s religious instruction.”



The proposals include providing private Muslim prayer facilities in schools. But Mr Sinnott stressed that no pupils would be forced to have any religious instruction.



The union, however, also called for all daily religious assemblies, which by law are supposed to have a Christian character, to be abandoned. Fury Over Plan to Teach Koran in Schools >>> By Gabriel Milland

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Radio Show: The Weekly Gathering Storm Report
For those who couldn’t listen in to yesterday’s Weekly Gathering Storm Report Radio Show with Always and WC because of time constraints or simply because it was broadcast in your country at an inconvenient time, here’s a direct link to the show:

Walid Shoebat and Yours Truly as Guests of Always and WC
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Joyous News for Christianity; Great Disappointment for the “Religion of Peace”: Mass Exodus Out of Islam?
Icon of Jesus Christ courtesy of Google Images
TOWNHALL.COM: In church yesterday, as you celebrated Easter, did you notice anything—or anyone—unusual?

In churches all over the world, there were millions of people celebrating the resurrection of Christ, who were not there just a few years ago—because they were worshipping in a mosque instead.

It is thrilling evidence that God is doing a mighty work among Muslims.

According to the website Islam Watch, in Russia, some two million ethnic Muslims converted to Christianity last year. Ten thousand French Muslims converted, as did 35,000 Turkish Muslims. In India, approximately 10,000 people abandoned Islam for Christianity.

In his book Epicenter, author Joel Rosenberg details amazing stories of Muslims converting to Christianity. In Algeria, the birthplace of St. Augustine, more than 80,000 Muslims have turned to Christ in recent years. This, despite the stiff opposition from Islamic clerics who have passed laws banning evangelism.

In Morocco, newspaper articles openly worry that 25,000 to 40,000 Muslims have become followers of Christ in recent years.

The stories are even more amazing in the heart of the Middle East. In 1996, the Egyptian Bible Society sold just 3,000 video copies of the JESUS film. In the year 2000, they sold an incredible 600,000 copies. "They Want Jesus Instead": Why Muslims Convert >>> By Chuck Colson

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Brave Geert Wilders Gets Offer from Right-Wing Party in the Czech Republic to Host His Fitna Website
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Web site for an anti-Koran film being made by Dutch right-wing lawkmaker Geert Wilders was suspended over the weekend by its US hosting service. But a far-right party in the Czech Republic has offered to screen it if Wilders can't find another outlet.

A far-right political party in the Czech Republic has offered to show a Dutch lawmaker's anti-Koran film if it is banned in the Netherlands.

The offer came after a US Internet hosting service suspended on Saturday the Web site promoting "Fitna," the 15-minute film far-right politician Geert Wilders says he is making.

In the Netherlands, where Wilders leads the reactionary Freedom Party, the film has sparked demonstrations even before its release.

Thousands demonstrated in central Amsterdam against the film Saturday in a protest intended to show that Wilders does not represent the whole country.

The American Internet company, Network Solutions, released a statement Saturday saying it had suspended the promotional Web site until its sponsor could show the plans for the site did not violate the company's standards.

"Over the last month, Network Solutions received a number of complaints," read the statement. "We are still waiting to hear from our customer. In the interim, we have temporarily suspended the site."

The site formerly showed the film's title, "Fitna," the text "coming soon," and an image of a gilded Koran. Now it shows a note that the site is under investigation.

The Czech Republic's small National Party offered to release the film on the Internet using one of its servers, in a message posted Sunday on its Web site. Czech Party Offers to Show Anti-Islam Film >>>

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Beat Up Infidel Tourists, Says Radical Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir
RELIGION NEWS BLOG: Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has returned to his hardline rhetoric with a call for followers to beat up Western tourists and for young Muslims to die as martyrs.

In the sermon, organised by an Islamic youth organisation and delivered a few kilometres from the home village of convicted Bali bombers Amrozi and Mukhlas, Bashir likened tourists in Bali to “worms, snakes, maggots”, and specifically referred to the immorality of Australian infidels.

The address was caught on video by an Australian university student.

“The youth movement here must aspire to a martyrdom death,” said the cleric, who was convicted of conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, but was later cleared and released from prison.

“The young must be first at the front line - don’t hide at the back. You must be at the front, die as martyrs and all your sins will be forgiven. This is how to achieve forgiveness.”

Observers said the sermon’s content was a clear indication of what many terrorism academics have noted - that the accused spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah has been emboldened by his release from prison last year after serving 26 months for conspiracy in relation to the Bali blasts. Beat Up Infidel Tourists, Says Radical Cleric >>> By Natasha Robinson (From The Australian

Hat tip: Tammy Swofford

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A Happy and Blessed Easter to One and All!
”Easter chicks” courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
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About Hair and Things: Verily, Allah Knows Best!
KHALEEJ TIMES: I RECEIVED several e-mails in regards to my column last week. Specifically, some readers wanted to know more about hair removal in the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. There are several things that both men and women can and cannot do when it comes to removing the hair.

For women, it is permissible to remove hair from the face with the exception of the eyebrows. However, if the eyebrows are so long and bushy that they interfere with the eyesight then they can be trimmed. In the case of women who have a “uni-brow”, which means that the two eyebrows are connected in the middle, the part of the eyebrow that is connected right above the nose can be removed since it is not considered to be part of the eyebrow. Also, hair that grows abnormally on women (like beards and moustaches) falls under the category of permissible hair to remove. In Islam, women are forbidden from looking like men and vice versa.

As for men, it is not acceptable to remove hair from any part of the face. However, the moustache can be trimmed. Men are also forbidden from trimming or plucking the eyebrows. And it is part of the Sunnah for men to grow the beard long and trim the moustache short.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” (Bukhari,Muslim)

The mistake that many Muslim men make is to remove hair from their cheeks. It is a regular part of a haircut for men to ask the barber to use a method of hair removal called ‘threading’ to remove the hair from this area. It is forbidden to remove it because the hair on the cheeks is considered to be part of the beard.

Both men and women are instructed to remove the hair from the genitalia and armpit areas at least every 40 days The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Ten (actions) are part of the fitrah [natural inclinations of man]: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the miswak (tooth-stick), rinsing the nose with water, clipping the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubes and washing oneself with water after relieving one’s self.” How to Get About in Those Hairy Situations
 >>> By Sumayyah Meehan

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Speech Row Rocks Multi-Ethnic Canada
BBC: Canada is often thought of as a land of bland consensus and multicultural harmony - the last place where you would expect to see a religious minority up in arms, and journalists accusing the state of gagging freedom of speech.

Yet in recent months, these have become fixtures of the country's public debate.

The Canadian equivalent of Denmark's cartoonists, or the Netherlands' Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is the outspoken conservative columnist Mark Steyn.

In a 2006 article he used demographics to suggest that the West would succumb to Muslim domination.

The piece, entitled "The future belongs to Islam" and published by the Toronto magazine Maclean's, argued that Europe was "too enfeebled to resist its remorseless transformation into Eurabia".

Mr Steyn summarised the presumed global advantage of militant Islam with a stark equation: "Youth + Will = Disaster for whoever gets in your way."

To some, he had crossed the line between vigorous polemic and Islamophia.

The notion that Muslims should be feared by virtue of their numbers and purported militancy is "quite inflammatory", says Toronto law student Khurrum Awan. Speech Row Rocks Multi-Ethnic Canada >>> By Henri Astier

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