Quakers to Perform Gay Wedding Ceremonies
THE INDEPENDENT: A religious denomination today reignited debate on same-sex unions after agreeing to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples.

The Quaker church, also known as the Religious Society of Friends, already offers religious blessings to couples in civil partnerships.

But today, at its yearly meeting, held at the University of York, the church opted to extend this to same-sex weddings.

Quakers will ask the Government to change the law, which does not recognise gay marriage, to allow Quaker registering officers to register same-sex partnerships in the same way as marriages.

Michael Hutchinson, of Quakers in Britain, said: "Many of our meetings have told us that there are homosexual couples who consider themselves to be married and believe this is as much a testimony of divine grace as a heterosexual marriage.

"They miss the public recognition of this in a religious ceremony."

During this week's meeting, Quakers spoke about their personal experiences of committed relationships, agreeing that "whereas there was a clear, visible path to celebration and recognition for opposite sex couples" the same was not always true for those in same-sex relationships, a minute released by the church said.

It said: "This open sharing of personal experience has moved us and added to our clear sense that, 22 years after the prospect was first raised... we are being led to treat same-sex committed relationships in the same way as opposite-sex marriages, reaffirming our central insight that marriage is the Lord's work and we are but witnesses.

"The question of legal recognition by the state is secondary."

All those present at today's meeting, numbering around 1200, agreed to take steps to revise relevant parts of Quaker faith and practice in order to treat same-sex marriages in the same way as more traditional unions. >>> Celia Paul, Press Association | Friday, July 31, 2009

Police Use Batons and Tear Gas at Neda Soltan Ceremony
TIMES ONLINE: It was meant to be a solemn religious ceremony in a cemetery where countless Islamic revolutionaries and martyrs are buried. Instead, the security forces turned the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery near Tehran into a battlefield yesterday, attacking hundreds of mourners with batons and teargas and driving opposition leaders away before they could even offer their prayers.

The occasion was the end of the 40-day mourning period for Neda Soltan, the student who became an icon of the opposition movement when she was killed in one of the protests after the disputed re-election of President Ahmadinejad.

It was marked not by prayers and readings from the Koran but by the desecration of the cemetery and, on the streets of the capital, battles between the regime’s forces and thousands of defiant Iranians who have refused to abandon their dreams of freedom.

As darkness fell the clashes continued. Observers said that the demonstrators were becoming increasingly fearless and that other protests held recently had been broken up much faster. “They are holding their own. They’re taking the beatings in their stride,” said one witness.

Tyres and rubbish skips burnt on the pavements, the air reeked of teargas and there were reports of gunfire. Many were arrested and the Basij smashed the windows of cars whose drivers supported the protesters by hooting.

The demonstrators, however, had once again made their point: seven weeks after the election, and despite their brutal tactics and mass arrests, the security forces have conspicuously failed to crush the opposition.

“We’re here to show that we’re here to stay. We are a fact the Government has to face,” said Ahmad, a shopkeeper. Maryam, an office worker, said: “We’re out here to show our hatred. You keep hearing about what they did to people in these prisons and all you feel is anger and disgust.”

The inauguration of Mr Ahmadinejad, which is due to take place on Wednesday, will lead to more demonstrations. Mir Hossein Mousavi, his defeated challenger, is expected to build on the opposition’s unexpected momentum by starting a broad political movement to fight for justice and democracy. >>> Martin Fletcher | Friday, July 31, 2009

Security forces, protesters face off in Iran

Iran Security Forces Retreat as Huge Numbers of Mourners Gather at Cemetery
LOS ANGELES TIMES: As many as tens of thousands of protesters meet at the grave of Neda Agha-Soltan, whose shooting death was videotaped. Meanwhile, the first group of protesters arrested in the unrest heads to trial.

Reporting from Tehran and Beirut -- Thousands and possibly tens of thousands of mourners, many of them black-clad young women carrying roses, overwhelmed security forces today at Tehran's largest cemetery to gather around the grave of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman whose videotaped shooting at a June 20 demonstration stunned the world.

Amateur video apparently taken at Behesht Zahra cemetery and quickly uploaded to the Internet shows a sea of mourners moving through the cemetery chanting slogans.

"Death to the dictator," chanted those in one long procession, kicking up a storm of dust as they walked. "Neda is not dead. This government is dead."

Afterward, the crowds began to gather in front of central Tehran's Grand Mossala mosque, defying authorities who had prohibited the use of the site. Protesters chanted slogans as they rode the subway to the venue, setting the stage for more clashes as dusk approached.

Uniformed security forces initially clashed violently today with some of the mourners, supporters and leaders of the opposition, who were there to protest and grieve for those killed in recent unrest. Unsuccessful presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi attempted to attend the graveside ceremony marking the religiously significant 40th day since the death of Agha-Soltan and others killed in the fighting.

"Oh, Hossein! Mir-Hossein," the mourners chanted in support of him. >>> Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim | Thursday, July 30, 2009

Opinion: It's No Longer Islam vs. Non-Islam in Iran
TORONTO STAR: It is clear that Iran is going through its worst internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Less obvious but more significant is this: Islam is no longer the dividing line between the proponents and opponents of the theocratic regime in Tehran.

The trend has been in the making for a decade. But it has manifested itself clearly during the crisis roiling the country since the contested results of the June 12 presidential election. If the trend holds, it would constitute the biggest political, religious and social change in the history of the Islamic republic.

The new battle line divides those in the regime who continue cracking heads to hang onto power and those who, in varying degrees, want the rule of law, human rights, greater personal freedoms and an end to Iran's international isolation.

The latter include Islamists and non-Islamists alike, and those in the regime and not. They are led, for the most part, by women and the young in Iran and in the diaspora.

This was evident in Saturday's rallies in Toronto and more than 50 cities around the world calling for reforms in Iran, said Sima Zerehi, 31, editor of the English part of the Toronto Farsi weekly Shahrvand. >>> Haroon Siddiqui | Thursday, July 30, 2009

Burka-Verbot: Viel Lärm um nichts?
DIE PRESSE: Studie relativiert die Debatte: Nur 400 Frauen verschleiern sich in Frankreich völlig. Die UMP warnt vor der Tendenz der Statistik.

PARIS. Seit Wochen diskutieren französische Parlamentarier, ob die völlige Verschleierung muslimischer Frauen in Frankreich verboten werden soll. Sogar eine parlamentarische Kommission wurde eingesetzt, um gesetzliche Maßnahmen gegen das Tragen von Burka und Niqab zu prüfen.

Nun liefert das Innenministerium mit der Publikation einer Zahl, welche die meisten überrascht, zusätzliche Nahrung für die Debatte. Einer bezüglich der Methodik nicht genauer beschriebenen Zählung des (normalerweise dank Nachrichtendienste gut informierten) Ministeriums nach gebe es heute in Frankreich genau 367 Frauen, die sich durch Burka oder Niqab völlig verschleiern.

In der Mehrzahl soll es sich um jüngere Frauen handeln, die kürzlich zum Islam konvertierten oder mit ihrem Auftreten provozieren wollten. Wenn es also im ganzen Land weniger als 400 sind, werde womöglich mit der ausgiebig in den in- und ausländischen Medien kommentierten Debatte doch viel Lärm um (fast) nichts gemacht, geben nun einige Zeitungen zu bedenken. Auch der Rektor der Großen Moschee von Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, meint, die laut Behörden wirklich geringe Zahl von Burkas beweise nur, dass kein Anlass bestehe, eine landesweite Debatte zu dieser Frage zu lancieren. >>> Rudolf Balmer, DiePresse | Donnerstag, 30. Juli 2009

LE MONDE: La loi et la burqa

Le phénomène est si marginal que la direction centrale du renseignement intérieur (DCRI) s'est risquée - au risque de faire sourire - à l'évaluer à l'unité près : selon sa note en date du 8 juillet, dont Le Monde a eu connaissance, 367 femmes en France - soit, en moyenne, une sur près de 90 000 - porteraient la burqa ou le niqab, ce vêtement long et sombre qui voile entièrement le corps et le visage de certaines musulmanes.

Sans le chiffrer aussi précisément, la sous-direction de l'information générale (SDRI) confirme, dans une note rédigée une semaine plus tôt, qu'il s'agit là d'un "phénomène ultraminoritaire".

Ces deux premières évaluations officielles viennent éclairer d'un jour nouveau le débat qui a brusquement surgi dans notre pays, au printemps, après que 65 députés de droite et de gauche eurent envisagé de créer une commission d'enquête sur ce sujet. Voire de légiférer. Séance tenante, chacun a été invité à décider de l'opportunité d'interdire un phénomène dont personne ne connaissait l'ampleur. Evitant de se prononcer sur ce point, Nicolas Sarkozy s'est quand même senti obligé d'évoquer la question lors de son discours devant le Congrès, le 22 juin. "Je veux le dire solennellement : la burqa n'est pas la bienvenue sur le territoire de la République française", avait alors déclaré le chef de l'Etat, tout en précisant qu'il ne s'agissait pas là d'un "problème religieux". >>> | Mercredi 29 Juillet 2009

Les Iraniens osent contester la suprématie de Khamenei
Un expatrié iranien brandit des caricatures de l'ayatollah Khamenei et de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, lors d'une manifestation organisée à Tokyo, le 25 juillet dernier. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Traditionnellement épargné, le numéro un du pouvoir se retrouve sous un déluge de critiques. Inédit, ce mécontentement affiché reflète la crise de légitimité d'un système qui a maintenu Ahmadinejad à sa tête envers et contre tout.

Le massage se lit entre les lignes. Mais il est sans concession. Dans les pages du journal Aftab, le «guide de la révolution islamique» n'est plus «suprême ». Cela fait presque deux semaines, déjà, que le quotidien réformiste écorche discrètement le titre d'Ali Khamenei, numéro un du régime, en omettant volontairement d'ajouter cet adjectif sacré - et obligatoire. Si l'affront est passible de sévères représailles, le mur de la peur est tombé. «Khamenei se pensait intouchable. Depuis le début de la crise postélectorale, sa légitimité n'a jamais été autant contestée», relève un journaliste iranien.

L'élection du 12 juin dernier a changé la donne. En soutenant explicitement Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, dont l'élection reste vivement contestée, Ali Khamenei a perdu son traditionnel statut d'arbitre. «Pendant vingt ans, il a cultivé une image de guide magnanime, qui reste au-dessus des querelles politiques. Cette fois-ci, il a choisi ouvertement son clan», analyse Karim Sadjadpour, spécialiste de l'Iran à la Fondation Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Quand il hérite du pouvoir suprême, à la mort de l'imam Khomeyni, père de la révolution islamique, en 1989, Ali Khamenei ne dispose ni du charisme, ni du prestige de son prédécesseur. Simple hodjatoleslam (clerc de rang intermédiaire dans la hiérarchie religieuse), il est précipitamment promu ayatollah - un titre indispensable à sa nomination - avant d'accéder au poste le plus puissant du pays. Selon la Constitution en vigueur, ses pouvoirs sont quasi illimités. Il contrôle les principaux leviers de l'État, la justice, l'armée, les gardiens de la révolution. C'est lui, aussi, qui nomme directement le chef de la radiotélévision. Mais il doit également composer avec des personnalités élues par le peuple : les députés du Parlement, le président de la République, et à partir de 1999, les représentants des conseils municipaux. Au fil des années, ces derniers ouvrent le débat à des thèmes pro-démocratiques. >>> Thierry Oberlé | Mercredi 29 Juillet 2009

Gesundheitsreform: "Blaue Hunde" machen Obama das Leben schwer
WELT ONLINE: Dass bei der Reform des US-Gesundheitswesens nicht alles so läuft, wie es Präsident Obama gerne hätte, liegt nicht nur an den Republikanern. Konservative Demokraten, genannt „blaue Hunde", setzten zahlreiche Änderungen an dem Reformwerk durch. Der linke Flügel der Demokraten schäumt vor Wut.

Sie nennen sich die „Koalition der Blauen Hunde“: 52 Kongressabgeordnete aus ländlichen Wahlkreisen meist in den Südstaaten, die sich am rechten, konservativen Rand der Demokratischen Partei sammeln.

Seit Wochen verbellen die „Blue Dogs“ mit viel Lärm Präsident Barack Obama und Nancy Pelosi, die Fraktionschefin, um ihren Protest gegen angebliche Verschwendungssucht bei Obamas großer Reform der Gesundheitsversorgung anzumelden.

Die „Hunde“ verlangen Haushaltsdisziplin, so viel Gesetz wie nötig, so wenig Staat wie möglich, sie sind von den Republikanern kaum zu unterscheiden.

Pelosi und die Linksliberalen ihrer Partei hassen ihr Gekläffe – „Blue Dogs“ seien anständige Demokraten, die im Würgegriff der Linken blau angelaufen seien, lautet die Legende ihres Kampfnamens. Aber der Präsident braucht ihre Stimmen.

Am Mittwochabend errangen die „Blue Dogs“ einen Sieg: Die erste mögliche Abstimmung des Repräsentantenhauses über die Reform wird auf die zweite Septemberwoche nach Ende der Parlamentsferien verschoben.

Und das ist nicht alles, was die „Blue Dogs“ für ihr Versprechen einer vorläufigen Beißzurückhaltung ausgehandelt haben: 100 Milliarden Dollar Einsparungen in dem Paket, das ursprünglich auf eine Billion Dollar über zehn Jahre veranschlagt war, dazu eine Schwächung der sogenannten „public option“, der ersten freiwilligen staatlichen Krankenversicherung in der US-Geschichte. >>> Von Uwe Schmitt | Donnerstag, 30. Juli 2009

Adrian Hamilton: Miliband's Failure as Foreign Secretary
THE INDEPENDENT: Little wonder that foreign leaders see him as jejune while officals despair of him

Is David Miliband the most lightweight Foreign Secretary since the War? Admittedly there's strong competition for the post. From Jack Straw backwards, the history of British post-war politics has been peppered with foreign secretaries who've loved the travel and prancing about at summits but lacked the grasp of foreign circumstances and British interests to do an effective job.

Yet Miliband, in office for just over two years, has been particularly weak, even by the standards of Straw, in the extent to which he has managed to sound the wrong note at the wrong time. Whether it was making Russia's invasion of Georgia into the equivalent of the German invasion of Poland at the moment the EU was trying a more nuanced stance, issuing virtual fatwas against the Sudanese and Zimbabwean presidents to absolutely no effect whatsoever, or in adopting a continuously patronising tone towards our Continental allies, Miliband seems to have an innate ability to misjudge the situation and Britain's role in it.

Even in his intervention earlier this week on Afghanistan, Miliband got it wrong, declaring a willingness to talk to the "moderate Taliban" as if it was a new policy when it has been a US mantra for the last six months and going on to lecture the Afghan government as to how to treat their insurgents as if it was Britain's right to direct the country's internal politics. Little wonder that most foreign governments seem to regard him as jejune while some of his own officials despair of him. >>> Adrian Hamilton | Thursday, July 30, 22009

Iranian Police Beat Up Mourners at Ceremony for Neda Soltan
TIMES ONLINE: Baton-wielding Iranian riot police arrested mourners and drove away opposition leaders as they tried to stage a ceremony in a Tehran cemetery to commemorate protesters killed in anti-government demonstrations last month.

Ignoring Islamic customs and traditions, the security forces beat and detained many of the 2000-odd people who came to mark the end of the 40-day mourning period at the grave of Neda Soltan, the young student who has become an icon of the opposition movement.

When Mir Hossein Mousavi, the movement’s leader, arrived at the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery on the baking plains south of the capital, he was mobbed by supporters who chanted “Mousavi we support you” and “Death to the Dictator”.

Foreign journalists are banned from Iran, but witnesses said the former prime minister managed to leave his car and walk up to Ms Soltan’s grave before the police stopped him. “Mousavi was however not allowed to recite the Koran verses said at such occasions and he was immediately surrounded by anti-riot police who led him to his car,” said one.

The police then had to push back a large crowd gathered around Mr Mousavi’s vehicle so he could leave.

Later Mehdi Karoubi, another defeated presidential candidate, arrived. Witnesses said he was swiftly surrounded by police. Mourners pelted the security forces with stones and shouted “Today is a mourning day.” >>> Martin Fletcher | Thursday, July 30, 2009

Listen to BBC audio: A mother’s anguish >>> | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

’United for Neda’

Asian Man Who Called Policemen 'White Redneck Hooligans' Is Guilty of Racism
THE TELEGRAPH: An Asian man who called police officers "white redneck hooligans" has been found guilty of making racist remarks.

Hassan Butt, 29, also accused officers of acting "like the Gestapo" and asked them: "Why are you treating me like a Paki?"

Butt, who once admitted having claimed he was a terrorist to make money from the media, was convicted of committing a racially aggravated public order offence by District Judge Diana Baker at Manchester Magistrates Court.

He made the remarks after police arrested his brother, dentist Omer Butt, in a row over parking.

Butt turned up at the scene on Parr Lane, Unsworth, Greater Manchester, at 11.30am on October 21 last year, shortly after his brother was taken away by police.

Pc Christian Allanson overheard Butt say loudly into his mobile phone: "'I'm just here with these white redneck hooligans'."

He told the court Butt also said: "'Where's my brother, you're not the Gestapo'."

Pc Allanson said: "I felt very offended by this comment. I felt it was clearly a comment made towards myself and the other officers present due to the fact we were white police officers. I believe it was a very offensive comment. >>> | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

More Dutch Muslims Are Skipping the Mosque
NRC HANDELSBLAD INT'L: Churches in the Netherlands have been emptying out for some time, but a new study shows that mosque attendance too is declining.

The number of Dutch Muslims who go to mosque at least once a month has dropped by 12 percent from 47 percent ten years ago to 35 percent today.

That is the conclusion of a report, Religion at the beginning of the 21st century, published on Wednesday by the Dutch statistics office CBS. The report is a follow-up to a 2001 study about religion in the Netherlands in the 20th century. It also shows that - contrary to popular belief - the number of Muslims in the Netherlands has not grown in the past few years.

According to the latest statistics there were about 825,000 Muslims living in the Netherlands in the 2007-2008 period. Over the last four years the number of Muslims has remained more or less the same. About 45 percent of all non-Western immigrants in the Netherlands are Muslim. Compared to 1999, Islam has grown from 3 to 4 percent of believers.

The decline in mosque attendance is part of a general trend in the Netherlands. A 2006 report by the Wetenschappelijke Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid (Scientific council for government policy) already noted that church attendance was down, even as people were still describing themselves as believers. >>> News Staff | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Carla's Draconian Diet Blamed for Sarkozy's Collapse
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: French President Nicholas Sarkozy has been warned by friends to give up rigorous exercise and a "severe" new diet after his collapse while jogging raised questions about his wife's influence.

Mr Sarkozy, 54, left the Val-de-Grace military hospital in Paris on Monday after being kept in overnight under cardiological observation, a day after he suffered a dizzy spell and fell to the ground while running at his weekend retreat in Versailles.

He emerged smiling and holding hands with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who has supposedly orchestrated her husband's health makeover in recent months.

While heat and overwork were blamed for the incident on Sunday, questions remained over his condition. The Elysee Palace said he would take a few days of "relative" rest and denied that his faintness was in any way linked to heart problems.

He had suffered a "vasovagal episode" - a drop in heart rate and blood pressure - following "sustained effort during hot weather, without loss of consciousness, in the context of fatigue linked to a heavy workload", aides said.

However, Frederic Lefebvre, the spokesman for Mr Sarkozy's UMP party, cast doubt on that explanation by saying that the President had suffered a "cardiac incident".

Friends blamed a draconian diet that involved eating only small amounts and ruled out chocolate, cheese and puddings, supposedly undertaken by Mr Sarkozy in an attempt to become as svelte and fit as his model-turned-singer wife, who is 13 years his junior.

Patrick Balkany, an MP and close friend, said: "He's on a diet because he's always a little bit too heavy ... let's say he doesn't want to be overweight."

Mr Balkany added: "Recently the President has looked very honed. He looks more like a Tour de France rider than a president."

The first lady, whom he married last year, is credited with overseeing a "metamorphosis" of her husband as part of his bid to run for a second term in 2012. >>> | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Muslims Seeking Greater Influence
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Effort puts resumes of top candidates in White House hands

In a bid to get more Muslim Americans working in the Obama administration, a book with resumes of 45 of the nation's most qualified—Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted—has been submitted to the White House.



The effort, driven by community leaders and others, including Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), was bumped up two weeks ahead of schedule because White House officials heard about the venture, said J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association who sifted through more than 300 names.



"It was mostly under the radar," Williams said. "We thought it would put [the president] in a precarious position. We didn't know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."



The effort aims to get the administration focused on Muslim Americans, a group that has at times felt like a pariah. During the campaign, Obama's staff prevented Muslim women wearing head scarves from being photographed behind him, in one of many incidents that left Muslim Americans feeling slighted by the candidate.

Now, Muslim Americans—who according to a recent study overwhelmingly backed Obama in the November election—have been carefully watching the administration's every step.



Most expressed disappointment with Obama's initial silence during Israel's offensive in Gaza. They've been encouraged by the video message the president issued recently to the Iranian people on the eve of the Persian holiday of Nowruz, and they want more diplomacy with Syria and Iran. They've been troubled by FBI admissions of sending what activists call "agents provocateurs" into mosques, and the bureau's break in ties with Muslim American organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations. >>> Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune reporter | Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Turning Tide in Europe as Islam Gains Ground
NEW YORK TIMES: Christopher Caldwell’s “Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West” is a hot book presented under a cool, scholarly title. To observe that Mr. Caldwell’s rhetoric is “hot” is not to say that it is aggrieved or unruly. On the contrary, Mr. Caldwell, a senior editor at The Weekly Standard and a columnist for The Financial Times, compiles his arguments patiently, twig by twig, and mostly with lucidity and intellectual grace and even wit.

But they are arguments one is not used to hearing put so baldly, at least from the West’s leading political journalists. Primary among them are these: Through decades of mass immigration to Europe’s hospitable cities and because of a strong disinclination to assimilate, Muslims are changing the face of Europe, perhaps decisively. These Muslim immigrants are not so much enhancing European culture as they are supplanting it. The products of an adversarial culture, these immigrants and their religion, Islam, are “patiently conquering Europe’s cities, street by street.”

Mr. Caldwell is a vivid writer, and like an action-movie hero he walks calmly away from his own detonations while fire swirls behind him. “Imagine that the West, at the height of the Cold War, had received a mass inflow of immigrants from Communist countries who were ambivalent about which side they supported,” he writes. “Something similar is taking place now.”

Muslim cultures “have historically been Europe’s enemies, its overlords, or its underlings,” he deposes. “Europe is wagering that attitudes handed down over the centuries, on both sides, have disappeared, or can be made to disappear. That is probably not a wise wager.” >>> Dwight Gardner | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

What's It Like Being a Gay Muslim?
THE GUARDIAN: EastEnders' current romantic storyline featuring a gay Muslim character has caused a stir. But what is it really like to be gay within Britain's Muslim communities?

Pav Akhtar is not usually a fan of soaps. But the 30-year-old local councillor and Unison worker has been paying special attention since EastEnders introduced its first gay Muslim character. Akhtar, the chair of Imaan, an organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Muslims, advised the BBC on the storyline in the hope that the character of Syed Masood would help tackle the double discrimination of homophobia and Islamophobia that many gay Muslims face.

The Muslim theologian Amanullah De Sondy said recently that the vast majority of Muslims were "deeply homophobic", and a survey carried out this summer among British Muslims reported that 0% of those questioned thought homosexuality was "morally acceptable". Yet, so far, the taboo-busting EastEnders storyline has not sparked the expected deluge of complaints – in fact, the soap's first gay Muslim kiss attracted a healthy 7.9 million viewers. But what is it like being gay and Muslim in the UK today? >>> Homa Khaleeli | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

How To Be a 'Good' Taliban[i] – 2009 Rules and Regulations
THE TELEGRAPH: Suicide attacks: “Should only be used on high and important targets. A brave son of Islam should not be used for lower and useless targets. Governors, district chiefs and line commanders and every member of the Mujahideen must do their best to avoid civilian deaths, civilian injuries and damage to civilian property. Great care must be taken.”

Prisoners: “Whenever any official, soldier, contractor or worker of the slave government is captured, these prisoners cannot be attacked or harmed. If the prisoner is a director, commander or district chief or higher, the decision on whether to harm, kill, release or forgive them is only made by the Imam.” >>> Dean Nelson, South Asia Editor | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Au Maroc, le roi gouverne
Une volonté de modernisation, mais des décisions prises sans y associer le Parlement... et encore moins la population. Photo : L’Express
L’EXPRESS.fr: Il y a dix ans, Mohammed VI accédait au trône. Souverain moderne, il a fait de son régime l'un des plus ouverts du monde arabe. Mais pas une démocratie pour autant...

Dix ans après son accession au trône, le 23 juillet 1999, on sait assez peu de chose de Mohammed VI et de l'idée qu'il se fait de son métier de roi. S'il lui arrive parfois de se prêter en famille à une séance de photos pour un magazine, le souverain marocain n'accorde que très rarement des interviews à la presse.

Si l'on en croit Ali Amar, qui fut à la fin des années 1990 l'un des fondateurs du Journal - un hebdomadaire dont la liberté de ton avait symbolisé à l'époque l'ouverture du régime - et vient de publier un livre féroce (1), Mohammed VI serait un roi "épicurien". Il aime, écrit-il, la fête et la musique, les grosses cylindrées et le jet-ski, côtoyer les stars du show-biz et dévaler les pistes de Courchevel ou d'ailleurs entouré de sa bande de copains. On sait aussi que le successeur de Hassan II prend facilement la mouche et qu'il apprécie peu l'impertinence.

Désormais, la presse enquête et les Marocains manifestent

Dès les premiers mois qui ont suivi son accession au trône, Mohammed VI a montré qu'il entendait poursuivre et amplifier la politique d'ouverture amorcée par son père au cours des dernières années de son règne. Malgré les saisies occasionnelles et les amendes parfois exorbitantes, il y a aujourd'hui au Maroc une presse indépendante qui enquête, commente, critique et défend vigoureusement sa liberté.

Au-delà du petit monde des médias, les Marocains n'hésitent plus à manifester et les associations portent des combats longtemps tabous. Le souverain a aussi eu l'intelligence d'accepter un retour sur les "années de plomb", qui s'est traduit non seulement par l'indemnisation des victimes, mais aussi par un véritable travail de mémoire sur les violations des droits de l'homme commises sous le règne de son père. Soucieux de moderniser la société, il a fait adopter un nouveau Code de la famille. La plus belle réforme du règne institue l'égalité, dans le couple, entre le mari et la femme. >>> Par Dominique Lagarde | Jeudi 16 Juillet 2009, mis à jour Jeudi 27 Juillet 2009

Gipfel in Washington: USA und China wollen gemeinsam Klima schützen
WELT ONLINE: Die zwei größten Umweltverschmutzer der Welt wollen beim Klimaschutz und der Förderung sauberer Energie zusammenarbeiten. Die USA und China planen auch bei der Bewältigung der Finanzkrise und bei internationalen Konflikten eine engere Kooperation. Vertraglich wurden allerdings keine Abmachungen fixiert.

Nach zweitägigen Beratungen haben sich ranghohe Vertreter der USA und Chinas um ein Bild der Harmonie bemüht. Bei der Bewältigung von Finanzkrise und internationalen Konflikte sowie beim Klimaschutz wollen die beiden Staaten enger zusammenarbeiten. Konkrete Abmachungen wurden bei den vertraulichen Zusammenkünften nicht getroffen. US-Außenministerin Hillary Clinton räumte zum Abschluss der Gespräche in Washington ein, dass es in vielen Bereichen weiterhin Differenzen gebe, so etwa beim Thema Menschenrechte. >>> dpa/AP/fas | Mittwoch, 29. Juli 2009

Arabie saoudite: le prince héritier Sultan veut rentrer au pays
LE FIGARO – BLOG: Intrigues pour la succession. Le prince Sultan, héritier du trône d’Arabie saoudite, souhaite hâter son retour à Riyadh au plus tard en septembre, selon des confidences qu’il aurait faites récemment à des visiteurs arabes.

Agé d’au moins 82 ans, Sultan est toujours en convalescence à Agadir au Maroc, où son demi-frère, le roi Abdallah, est venu lui rendre visite en fin de semaine dernière. Ministre de la Défense depuis plus de vingt-cinq ans, le prince Sultan souffre d’un grave cancer au colon.

Son absence depuis des mois du paysage politique saoudien ouvre l’appétit de ceux qui tiennent à préserver ses prérogatives en cas de décès, notamment en matière de contrats d’armements passés avec l’étranger. Parmi ceux-ci: son fils, Khaled Ben Sultan, le vice-ministre de la Défense, qui préparerait le retour de son père au pays à l’occasion du prochain ramadan, à partir du 23 août.

Sultan et les siens s’inquiètent des places qui leur seraient réservées au retour du prince héritier. Ces dernières semaines, en effet, le roi Abdallah aurait mis la dernière main à une série de nominations stratégiques, en concertation avec le prince Nayef, le ministre de l’Intérieur, qui devrait succéder à Sultan, au poste de prince héritier.

Ces désignations concernent les services de renseignements (General intelligence), le Conseil national de sécurité, la Garde nationale et l’armée. Mais le roi souhaiterait attendre le retour de Sultan pour les annoncer officiellement.

En raison du retour anticipé de Sultan en Arabie, le roi Abdallah serait même amené à reporter son voyage aux Etats-Unis, après le ramadan, fin septembre. >>> Par Georges Malbrunot | Mardi 28 Juillet 2009

White House, Hawaii Again Try to Deal with Questions about Obama's Birth
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Officials point to proof that the president is a naturally born U.S. citizen. Yet even 'if I had some DNA,' the disbelievers wouldn't be satisfied, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says.

Reporting from Washington - It is the Internet rumor that has been discredited but will not die: President Obama is not a naturally born U.S. citizen and therefore constitutionally is not qualified to serve.



This week, months after the allegations first cropped up on the Web and talk radio, the White House and Hawaii officials addressed the rumor -- with the state's health director saying that she had reviewed the records in question and found that they verified Obama was born in Hawaii.



At the same time, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, there probably was nothing that would quiet the disbelievers.



"If I had some DNA, it wouldn't assuage those that don't believe he was born here," Gibbs told reporters Monday. "But I have news for them and for all of us: The president was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the 50th state of the greatest country on the face of the Earth. He's a citizen." >>> Mark Silva | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Iran Hard-liners Warn Ahmadinejad He Could Be Deposed
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The warning over the president's defiance highlights the rift among Iran's conservatives. Meanwhile, the government says Mousavi supporters can't gather at a mosque Thursday to honor protest victims.

Reporting from Beirut -- Political hard-liners warned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday that he could be deposed like past Iranian leaders if he continued to defy the country's supreme religious leader.

The implied threat was the latest evidence of the rift within Iran's conservative camp and could serve to further sap the authority of a president already considered illegitimate by reformists.

The Islamic Society of Engineers, a political group close to parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, warned in an open letter to Ahmadinejad that he could suffer the same fate as Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, who was deposed in 1953 in a CIA-backed coup with the acquiescence of the clergy.

The letter also cites the experience of President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, who was ousted in 1981 and fled the country after he fell out with the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Both leaders had been elected by huge margins.

"It seems you want to be the sole speaker and do not want to hear other voices," the group's letter says, noting that recent actions by Ahmadinejad have frustrated his own supporters. "Therefore it is our duty to convey to you the voice of the people." >>> Borzou Daragahi | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

BBC: Ahmadinejad Riles Powerful Allies

President Ahmadinejad has been criticised by some unexpected quarters. Photo: BBC
With the row over Iran's disputed election still bitterly dividing the country, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is now in a new dispute with fellow conservatives.

It is an argument every bit as heated as the election row, and potentially even more damaging to the president.

Just over a month after the election, Mr Ahmadinejad provoked fury amongst his fellow conservatives by promoting one of his vice-presidents, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, to the post of first vice-president.

The job would make him the president's second in command, the man who would take over if Mr Ahmadinejad was run over by a Tehran bus.

As Mr Ahmadinejad must have known it would, the appointment infuriated conservatives.

Mr Mashaie had already angered the establishment by suggesting that Iran was friends with the Israeli people, even though he shared the Islamic Republic's hatred of the state of Israel. >>> By Jon Leyne, BBC News | Monday, July 27, 2009

Khamenei ordnet Schließung von Gefängnis an
DIE PRESSE: Der Ayatollah verfügt, dass es zu keiner "Ungerechtigkeit" gegen die Demonstranten kommen darf. Erster Schritt: Die Schließung eines Gefängnisses angeordnet, in dem auch oppositionelle Demonstranten inhaftiert sind.

Irans geistliches Oberhaupt Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hat die Schließung des Gefängnisses Kahrizak im Süden Teherans angeordnet, in dem auch oppositionelle Demonstranten inhaftiert sind. In der Haftanstalt würden die nötigen Standards hinsichtlich der Rechte der Gefangenen nicht eingehalten, begründete der Vorsitzende des Nationalen Sicherheitsrats, Said Jalili, nach Angaben des staatlichen Senders Press TV vom Dienstag die Anordnung.

Khamenei habe die Schließung angeordnet, nachdem er über die dort herrschenden Zustände informiert worden sei, sagte Jalali. Mitglieder eines Sonderausschusses des Parlaments, der die Festnahmen im Zuge der Proteste nach den Präsidentenwahlen untersuchen soll, wollten am Dienstag das berüchtigte Evin-Gefängnis in Teheran besuchen. Dort werden nach Angaben von Menschenrechtlern und Oppositionellen Gefangene misshandelt, gefoltert und hingerichtet. >>> Ag | Dienstag, 28. Juli 2009

China: In Ürümqis Uiguren-Vierteln regiert die Angst
WELT ONLINE: Hunderte Menschen sind nach den Unruhen in der chinesischen Provinz Xinjiang festgenommen worden. Das Schicksal der zumeist uigurischen Männer ist ungewiss, ihnen drohen lange Haftstrafen. Die Uiguren in der Provinzhauptstadt Ürümqi leben ständig in Angst vor neuen Aktionen der Sicherheitskräfte. >>> Von Andrew Jacobs | Mittwoch, 29. Juli 2009

Uiguren: "Demonstrations-Teilnahme ist wie Selbstmord"
DIE PRESSE: Fast 10.000 Menschen seien "in einer Nacht verschwunden", sagt die im Exil lebende Uiguren-Führerin Rebiya Kadeer. Sie wirft China vor, für die blutigen Unruhen in der Provinz Xinjiang verantwortlich zu sein.

Die im Exil lebende Uiguren-Führerin Rebiya Kadeer hat China vorgeworfen, während der blutigen Unruhen in der Nordwest-Provinz Xinjiang tausende Menschen verschleppt zu haben. Fast 10.000 Menschen seien "in einer Nacht verschwunden", sagte die in den USA lebende Kadeer am Mittwoch in Japan auf einer Pressekonferenz: "Sollten sie tot sein, was ist mit ihnen geschehen?" Die chinesische Regierung versuche, die muslimische Minderheit der Uiguren "zu zerstören", sagte die 62-Jährige. >>> Ag | Mittwoch, 29. Juli 2009

Glenn Beck on Barack Obama

Israël et les Etats-Unis toujours en désaccord sur la colonisation
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: PROCHE-ORIENT | L’émissaire de Washington, George Mitchell, a rencontré hier à Jérusalem le premier ministre Netanyahou.

«Nous avons eu une rencontre très positive», a assuré hier l’envoyé spécial américain pour le Proche-Orient, George Mitchell, après ses entretiens à Jérusalem avec le premier ministre israélien, Benjamin Netanyahou. Mais rien n’y fait: le désaccord persiste sur la poursuite de la colonisation juive en Cisjordanie, y compris à Jérusalem-Est.

Mitchell exige un gel total, préalable indispensable à «une paix globale au Proche-Orient», incluant Israéliens, Palestiniens, Syriens et Libanais. Netanyahou, lui, affirme œuvrer à cet objectif, et pourrait envisager «un gel temporaire», mais espère en contrepartie «des gestes» de normalisation de la part des pays arabes. >>> Ouri Daniel | Mercredi 29 Juillet 2009

US Asks Arab Nations to Reach Out to Israel
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has asked Arab countries to make confidence-building gestures towards Israel in the hope that they could kick-start the peace process.

The White House has asked at least seven Arab countries to consider what they might do in return for an Israeli pledge to freeze construction of settlements in the West Bank.

The US administration is reaching out to moderate Arab countries in the region to inject some momentum into efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Jonathan Rynhold, a London-born expert in US-Israeli relations at Bar-Ilan University, said the White House was likely to have contacted Morocco, Bahrain, and other Gulf states.

The Americans are thought to be asking for the opening of trade offices, flight routes between the countries and cultural exchanges.

Mr Rynhold said: “It does serve as an umbrella strategically if the Palestinians want to move forward.” Washington hopes such moves will encourage Israel to reconsider their plans to continue construction for what officials term “the natural growth” of existing settlements.

But the efforts to reach out to the Arab countries are understood to have left administration officials frustrated so far. Most notably, Mr Obama left his recent visit to Saudi Arabia without any such promises in hand. George Mitchell, the US envoy to the Middle East, met Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on Tuesday in another attempt to end the deadlock between the countries over the issue. >>> Dina Kraft in Tel Aviv | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Woman in Sudan Faces Flogging for Wearing Trousers
THE TELEGRAPH: A Sudanese woman journalist is preparing to be flogged 40 times in Khartoum for wearing trousers, with 10 women already whipped for similar offences against Islamic law.

Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein. Photo: The Telegraph
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who writes for the left-wing Al-Sahafa newspaper and works for the media department of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, was arrested in Khartoum earlier this month after being caught wearing "indecent" clothes.

"I received a telephone call from the authorities saying I must appear at 10 am (7am GMT) on Wednesday in front of the judge," Hussein said.

"It is important that people know what is happening," Hussein said in an invitation to journalists to attend her court appearance and flogging.

"They will lash me 40 times, and also fine me 250 Sudanese pounds (100 dollars)."

Hussein said she was at a restaurant on July 3 when police came in and ordered 13 women wearing trousers to follow them to the police station. >>> | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Related:
Sudan Women ‘Lashed for Trousers’ >>> BBC | July 13, 2009

Sotomayor, «la voix de la diversité à la Cour suprême»
Sonia Sotomayor devient la première hispanique à siéger à la Cour suprême des Etats-Unis. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: INTERVIEW - Pour la première fois, une femme hispanique va devenir juge à la plus haute juridiction américaine. Le choix de Barack Obama ne remettra toutefois pas en cause l'équilibre de cette institution, comme l'explique Vincent Michelot, spécialiste de la Cour suprême.

Comme prévu, la commission judiciaire du Sénat américain a approuvé mardi la nomination de Sonia Sotomayor comme juge à la Cour suprême pour remplacer David Souter qui avait démissionné au printemps. Ce oui devrait être confirmé par le Sénat en séance plénière la semaine prochaine.

Sonia Sotomayor, dont les parents sont portoricains, sera la première juge d'origine hispanique à siéger à la Cour. Toutefois sa nomination, voulue par Barack Obama, ne bouleversera pas l'équilibre politique et idéologique de l'institution, comme l'explique Vincent Michelot, professeur à l'IEP de Lyon et auteur d'une thèse de doctorat intitulée «Les nominations à la Cour suprême des États-Unis (1937-1987) : aspects politiques»

LEFIGARO.FR - Est-ce que la nomination de Sonia Sotomayor va modifier l'équilibre politique au sein de la Cour suprême ?

VINCENT MICHELOT - Elle ne va en rien modifier l'équilibre idéologique de la Cour. Elle va remplacer David Souter, considéré comme le juge le plus progressiste et à gauche de l'institution. Il avait voté notamment en 1992 pour le maintien du droit des femmes à l'avortement. Le rapport de force au sein de la Cour va donc rester inchangé. A la veille de la démission de Souter, la composition de la Cour était la suivante (1) : quatre juges «libéraux», quatre magistrats conservateurs voire très conservateurs, ainsi qu'un conservateur modéré centriste «pivot» qui vote parfois avec les progressistes. La voix de ce dernier est décisive lorsque les décisions sont prises à cinq voix contre quatre. Des mauvaises langues disent même que Sonia Sotomayor serait moins progressiste que David Souter sur la question de l'équilibre des pouvoirs et devrait se montrer plus déférente vis-à-vis de l'exécutif. Or un des grands débats que va avoir à trancher la Cour suprême dans les années à venir va être la délimitation du pouvoir de l'exécutif, qui a beaucoup grandi sous George Bush après le 11 septembre. >>> Propos recueillis par Constance Jamet (lefigaro.fr) | Mercredi 29 Juillet 2009

Mike Castle on PeeBo's Birth Certificate

THE GUARDIAN:
Anti-Obama 'birther movement' gathers steam: Conspiracy theory returns with a vengeance as right wing questions Barack Obama's US citizenship >>> Chris McGreal in Washington | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Taliban Running School for Suicide Bombers
THE INDEPENDENT: Army discovers boys as young as nine brainwashed in Swat valley training camp

Pakistan said yesterday it had rescued 20 young boys who were among hundreds recruited by the Taliban and brainwashed into becoming suicide bombers at a secret indoctrination camp.

The boys, some as young as nine, have revealed details of how they were induced to become part of the Taliban's army of jihad inside Pakistan and told their rescuers that more than 1,000 children may be undergoing training in the special camp in the Swat valley. Their discovery by the army as troops were sweeping through the valley conducting the final stages of a military offensive against the Taliban underscores the organisation's power over poor Pakistani communities and the extreme lengths Taliban commanders are willing to go to achieve their aims.

The rescued children were held at a training camp in the Charbagh area of the Swat valley, where their indoctrination programme reportedly lasted more than a month. Some were recovered as the army was carrying out "search and sweep" operations as part of the final stages of its military offensive in the valley, while others were handed over to the army by worried parents. >>> Omar Waraich in Islamabad | Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Clashes with Islamists Who Claim to Be Taleban Kill 150 in Nigeria
TIMES ONLINE: Radical Islamists, who claim to be linked to al-Qaeda, have killed more than 150 people in two days of violence in northern Nigeria, news agencies reported.

Residents in the state of Borno said that Islamic militants, loyal to an anti-Western preacher, burnt a police station, a church and a customs office early yesterday.

The attacks came after clashes in the neighbouring, mainly Muslim states of Bauchi and Yobe on Sunday.

The heavily armed sect, which calls itself Taleban, emerged in Nigeria in 2004. Although, it has never been clear if it has proper links to the Taleban in Afghanistan its leaders profess allegiance to and admiration of Osama bin Laden. >>> Jonathan Clayton | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Prison Looms for Aung San Suu Kyi as Burma Show Trial Draws to a Close
TIMES ONLINE: The Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is facing an almost certain criminal conviction and a sentence of up to five years in prison when a Rangoon court delivers its verdict at the end of this week, her defence team said yesterday.

Wrapping up her two-and-a-half-month trial, Ms Suu Kyi’s lawyers gave their reply to the prosecution’s final arguments in a court in Insein prison, Rangoon. She is accused of violating the terms of her lengthy house arrest by giving shelter to an eccentric American who entered the lakeside home where she has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention.

Speaking softly, Ms Suu Kyi stood and turned to diplomats attending the hearing and said: “I’m afraid the verdict will be painfully obvious.”

“She thanked us for trying to promote a just outcome,” said an Asian diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity. Only diplomats from the US, Japan, Singapore and Thailand were allowed to attend the last day of the trial.

Her lawyers held out little hope of an acquittal when the verdict is delivered. “We have a good chance according to the law but we cannot know what the court will decide because this is a political case,” said Nyan Win, a lawyer for Ms Suu Kyi and the spokesman for her party, the National League for Democracy. “I have never seen any defendant in a political case being set free. We have done our best and she is prepared for the worst.” >>> Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor | Wedmesday, July 29, 2009

Police Raid Home of Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's Personal Doctor
The raid on Dr Murray's home follows a similar search of his office. Photo: TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: Police and federal agents tonight searched the home of Michael Jackson's personal physician following reports that the authorities believe Dr Conrad Murray killed the pop star by administering a powerful anaesthetic drug.

Dr Murray is said to have given Jackson propofol through an intravenous drip the night before he died. The drug, also known as Diprivan, is used to induce unconsciousness in hospital patients before major surgery. Reports have said that it was found in Jackson’s home.

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that Jackson relied on propofol - marketed as Diprivan - like an alarm clock to help him sleep. A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to bed, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Dr Murray gave him the drug through an IV sometime after midnight, the official said.

Dr Murray, 51, has been a central character in the investigation from the outset - Jackson's family have long accused him of having a hand in his death. The raid on his gated residence in Las Vegas, apparently in search of medical records, comes a week after a search of his offices in Houston, Texas, by police. >>> Michael Harvey, San Francisco | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Fettleibigkeit kostet USA doppelt so viel wie vor zehn Jahren
TAGES ANZEIGER: Der Leibesumfang der Amerikaner wächst und wächst und wächst – und mit ihm die Belastung des Gesundheitswesens.

Nach einer jüngsten Studie der US-Regierung und der Forschungsgruppe RTI International liegen die medizinischen Ausgaben für fettleibige Menschen pro Kopf und Jahr bei rund 4800 Dollar.

Das sind 42 Prozent mehr als bei Normalgewichtigen. Hier liegen die Kosten bei rund 3400 Dollar. Insgesamt, so schätzen die Forscher, betragen die Therapiekosten von durch starkes Übergewicht geförderten Krankheiten wie Herzleiden und Diabetes jährlich nunmehr 147 Milliarden Dollar - doppelt so viel wie noch vor zehn Jahren. >>> se/sda | Dienstag, 28. Juli 2009

Thousands of Muslims Gather in London to Demand a Caliphate
Photo: BNP
BNP: Britain has revealed itself as the major Muslim invasion point for Europe with a rally of thousands of militant Muslims under the radical Hizb ut-Tahrir pan-Islamist party in London supporting Jihad and the creation of a caliphate in which non-Muslims will have no rights.

The rally — largely ignored by the controlled media out of a desire to hide the shocking truth from the British public — was organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, which is the UK variant of the globalist Islamist party. The conference was provocatively titled “The Struggle for ISLAM and the call for Khilafah.” (Khilafah is the word for caliphate.)

It was opened by Dr Abdul Wahid, Chairman of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain’s Executive Committee, who said, “using the issue of terrorism and extremism, Western governments have embarked on a campaign to prevent the Muslim world establishing an Islamic government, the Caliphate that will free the Muslim world from the terror and hegemony that has been brought upon it by the West.”

Dr Wahid said, “In this critical time, Muslims needed to hold onto Islamic values living in the West, and resist the attempts to reform Islam, and to support the call for the Islamic Khilafah in the Muslim world — to end decades of oppression, colonisation and dependency.”

“The growing call for Khilafah in the Muslim world is causing increasing anxiety in Western capitals. To thwart this call Western backed puppet rulers are doing everything to stop the political work of Hizb ut Tahrir. Despite all the torture and terror upon Hizb ut Tahrir members, the party’s work continues to grow and its call is now embraced by millions of Muslims all over the world,” the conference was told.

An official Hizb ut Tahrir press release stated: “The conference highlighted how the method to re-establish the Khilafah is based on the Life (Seerah) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), which clearly laid out a non-violent intellectual and political struggle to bring about change. Hizb ut-Tahrir has continued with this method for over 50 years and calls Muslims all over the world to this path for change.

“The conference concluded by emphasizing the key role the Muslim community in the West plays in terms of supporting the call for Khilafah in the Muslim world and carrying the Message of Islam to the wider non-Muslim society, breaking the stereotypes and presenting Islam with sound argument and good example.” >>> BNP News | Monday, July 27, 2009

Russian Navy UFO Records Say Aliens Love Oceans
RUSSIA TODAY: The Russian navy has declassified its records of encounters with unidentified objects technologically surpassing anything humanity ever built, reports Svobodnaya Pressa news website.

The records dating back to soviet times were compiled by a special navy group collecting reports of unexplained incidents delivered by submarines and military ships. The group was headed by deputy Navy commander Admiral Nikolay Smirnov, and the documents reveal numerous cases of possible UFO encounters, the website says.

Vladimir Azhazha, former navy officer and a famous Russian UFO researcher, says the materials are of great value.

“Fifty percent of UFO encounters are connected with oceans. Fifteen more – with lakes. So UFOs tend to stick to the water,” he said. >>> | Tuesday, July 21, 2009

PRAVDA:
UFO Phenomenon Was Strictly Tabooed in USSR >>> | Thursday, July 02, 2009

Iran 'Releases 140 Demonstrators'
BBC: About 140 Iranians detained during protests against last month's disputed election result have been released from Evin prison, officials say.

About 200 others, accused of more serious crimes, remain in the prison.

The release comes after Iran's supreme leader ordered the closure of another detention centre because it failed to "preserve the rights of detainees".

The unusual moves show how much pressure Iran's leaders are under over detainees, correspondents say.

Officials also announced on Tuesday that 30 people were killed in clashes between opposition supporters and police - up from a previously stated figure of about 20. >>> | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Jihad Academy in Fairfax County

YOU TUBE: Welcome to Faisal County


Welcome to Faisal County >>> Frank Gaffney, Jr. | July 13, 2009

La bombe grecque de l'immigration
En Grèce, les immigrés arrivent désormais du monde entier. Photo: L’Express.fr
L’EXPRESS.fr: Avec ses milliers d'îles et ses 16 000 kilomètres de frontières, la Grèce attire chaque année un flot croissant de clandestins. Débordée par l'ampleur du phénomène, Athènes appelle à l'aide l'Union européenne.

Le visage collé aux barreaux de leur dortoir, un groupe de migrants afghans tente de profiter des quelques rayons de soleil. Murs couverts de graffitis, poste de télévision cassé, lits de fortune: le camp de rétention de l'île grecque de Lesbos a tout d'un cachot. Sous le regard vide des détenus, les policiers vont et viennent, cachés derrière des masques de protection. Certains pensionnaires seraient porteurs de maladies comme la tuberculose ou l'hépatite C.

L'été dernier, ils étaient presque un millier à s'entasser dans ces hangars bétonnés, conçus pour abriter 400 personnes. Une surpopulation qui illustre l'incapacité de la Grèce à faire face à l'explosion récente du nombre de sans-papiers arrivant sur son territoire.

Le pays tente tant bien que mal de protéger ses frontières, qui sont aussi celles de l'Europe. Mais, avec ses milliers d'îlots et son littoral de 16 000 kilomètres, la côte grecque est très poreuse et la tâche semble vaine. >>> Par Anne-Laure Buffard, Chine Labbé, Solenn Poullennec | Samedi 11 Juillet, mis à jour Mardi 21 Juillet 2009

Malalai Joya Speaks Out Ahead of Afghan Elections
THE TELEGRAPH: Five assassination attempts have failed to silence "the bravest woman in Afghanistan" as she vows to continue to defend Afghans from oppression - whether from the Taliban or occupying forces.

Malalai Joya became Afghanistan's youngest Member of Parliament when she was elected aged just 27 to the 249-seat National Assembly in September 2005. She has been suspended since 2007 on charges of insulting the parliament.

Joya is in the UK to promote her new book, Raising My Voice, but also to deliver a message to Britain: "We do not accept foreign occupation - three times a British government have occupied my country faced with the opposition of my people."

"Foreign governments are wasting their money and their blood in Afghanistan by supporting Karzai. After this election, the result will be the same donkey, only with a new saddle." Read on and view video >>> | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Pope Angered and Disgusted by Offensive Scottish ‘Art’ Exhibition
MAIL ONLINE: The Pope has condemned a ' disgusting' taxpayer-funded exhibition in which visitors are urged to deface the Bible.

Visitors were offered pens by gallery bosses so they could scrawl comments on the text - leading to a host of puerile and obscene remarks.

Pope Benedict XVI believes the stunt would not have been contemplated with a copy of the Koran.

His anger over the show, organised by council-funded arts body Culture and Sport Glasgow, was expressed by a senior Vatican priest.

The adviser to the Pope said: 'It is disgusting and offensive. They would not think of doing it to the Koran.' Pope attacks Glasgow art gallery's invitation to vandalise a Bible >>> Graham Grant | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Islamisten: Sieben Terrorverdächtige in den USA angeklagt
WELT ONLINE: Einen Heiligen Krieg gegen Israel mit Mord, Entführung und Anschlägen hatten sich sieben Männer im US-Bundesstaat North Carolina vorgenommen. Dazu halfen sie, Geld für Terroroperationen zu sammeln und reisten sogar nach Tel Aviv. In der Nacht zum Dienstag wurden die Männer festgenommen.

Ein Bundesgericht im US-Staat North Carolina hat am Montag gegen sieben Männer Anklage wegen der Finanzierung und Beihilfe für Terroroperationen in Israel erhoben. Wie der US-Fernsehsender ABC in der Nacht zum Dienstag weiter berichtete, hatten sich die sechs US-Bürger und ein Immigrant im Alter zwischen 20 und 39 Jahren verschworen, einen gewaltsamen Heiligen Krieg mit Mord und Entführung zu führen.

Nach Angaben der Zeitung „Raleigh News & Observer“ soll die Gruppe, darunter ein Vater und seine zwei Söhne, geholfen haben, Geld zu sammeln und Trainingsmöglichkeiten für Freiwillige für Terroroperationen in Tel Aviv zur Verfügung gestellt haben.

Der Hauptverdächtige Daniel Boyd und einige seiner Komplizen sollen laut ABC im Juni 2007 nach Israel gefahren sein. Dort hätten sie vergeblich versucht, Terroraktivitäten zu unternehmen. Boyd habe im vergangenen Juli erfolgreich einen Rekruten ausgebildet und seine Reise in das Kosovo finanziert. >>> dpa/AP/ks | Dienstag, 28. Juli 2009

Video anschauen hier

NEWS & OBSERVER (RALEIGH): 7 Arrested in Terror Plot

Neighbors say the men they knew appeared friendly and unthreatening.

RALEIGH -- To those they lived among, seven men accused of an intricate terrorism plot lived simply, quietly and kindly.
To neighbors and friends, Daniel Boyd was a father who stopped his work at noon each day for prayer. Dylan Boyd, Daniel's son, was a college student at N.C. State University who until last year worked as a clinical services technician at WakeMed Raleigh Campus. Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan was a newlywed; his father owns a Raleigh car dealership.

To federal authorities, these men and four others plotted to kill themselves and others in the name of Islam. Their activities, tracked by FBI agents over three years and detailed in federal indictments released Monday, tell of an elaborate scheme hatched in a quiet Johnston County neighborhood and nondescript apartment complexes across Raleigh and Cary.

Those arrested Monday include Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, who was considered the ringleader of the group, and who fought with Afghan Muslims against the Soviets; Hysen Sherifi, 24; Anes Subasic, 33; Zakariya Boyd, 20, and Dylan Boyd, 22; Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22; and Ziyad Yaghi, a 21-year-old Cary High School graduate.

All but one of the defendants are American citizens. Sherifi, a native of Kosovo, is living in the United States legally.

All seven men are charged with conspiring to provide support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people abroad. Each is expected to have a detention hearing this week. Until then, they are being held without bond. They have not been appointed lawyers. Efforts to reach their families were unsuccessful Monday night.

Federal authorities stormed the men's homes Monday and arrested them. Hours later, they stood before a federal magistrate and learned they could spend the rest of their lives in prison if found guilty of the charges against them. At nightfall, federal agents continued to search their homes, taking several vans and dozens of agents to their quiet neighborhoods. >>> Mandy Locke, Yonat Shimron and Josh Shaffer - Staff Writers | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Dhimmitude Alert! The Weak, Fawning British Do It Again!
MAIL ONLINE: Women police officers are being issued with headscarves to wear when they visit a mosque.

They are expected to put the scarfs [sic] on shortly before they enter the mosque, in keeping with Islamic custom.

There are two versions - one matches the black of a police officer's uniform, while another goes with the blue uniforms worn by community support officers.

The headscarves are being given out by Avon and Somerset Police, and have the force's emblem sewn on.

They have already been given to seven officers, including Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Roberts, and eight community support officers who work with Muslim groups in the area.

Mrs Roberts said: 'It recognises and respects the cultural and religious practices of our communities. This is a very positive addition to the uniform and one which I'm sure will be a welcome item for many of our officers.'

The force said the scarves, which cost £13, can be used in other religious settings as a mark of respect - for instance to cover the shoulders of a non-uniformed officer in a church.

Islamic custom expects women to cover their head inside a place of worship.

During an official visit last year, the Queen wore a headscarf to tour the crypt and caverns of an historic Islamic shrine in Turkey.

Rashad Azami, Imam and director of the Bath Islamic Society, said: 'It is highly pleasing to see that Avon and Somerset Constabulary is introducing specially designed head coverings for female officers. Very PC police force issues its WPCs with Muslim headscarves complete with badge for mosque visits >>> James Slack, Home Affairs Editor | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

My comment on this story which the Mail Online has refused to print:

Year, 2050: Ha! Ha! Ha! By the grace of Allah and the weakness and stupidity of the British, we have taken the country over! Important announcement: Burqas will now be mandatory for all women, hijabs will no longer be adequate. Our sisters in Islam are warned that showing any hair in public is a very serious offence, punishable by a beating.

Londonistan, The Islamic Republic of Britain

MA

Queen Bypasses Bermuda’s Celebration of Four Centuries of Colonial History
TIMES ONLINE: The Queen is skipping today’s celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Britain’s oldest colony after a row with the island’s pro-independence leader.

Bermuda is commemorating the shipwreck on July 28, 1609, of the Sea Venture, the flagship of a fleet sent to resupply the Jamestown colony in America.

Sailors, including the crew of the visiting Royal Navy destroyer HMS Manchester, will re-enact the 150 settlers rowing ashore on what is now St Catherine’s Beach to start four centuries of continuous settlement of the mid-Atlantic island.

Neither Queen Elizabeth II, the island’s sovereign, nor Ewart Brown, the elected pro-independence Premier, however, will be present for the celebrations.

The Queen was invited and had been considering a visit but decided to skip the festivities after Britain clashed with the island’s elected Government in June over its decision to resettle four former Guantánamo Bay prisoners without asking Britain’s permission.

The four Muslim ethnic Uighurs from China have been transferred to guest-worker housing and are learning English with a tutor. They are trying to get jobs but are all currently recovering from a bout of flu.

A Palace source said that the Queen had no immediate plans to visit Bermuda. >>> James Bone in New York | Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Barack Obama: US and China Will Shape 21st Century
THE TELEGRAPH: US President Barack Obama said the US and China will "shape the course of the 21st century" as he opened high-level talks in Washington.

To the satisfaction of the Chinese at talks designed to usher in a new era of friendship, "not confrontation", Mr Obama said that the ties between the two powers were "as important as any bilateral relationship in the world".

"That reality must underpin our partnership. That is the responsibility we bear," he said at the first meeting of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington.

In recognition of the importance of the two-day summit it has been described by analysts in the US as the "G2", after the G8 and G20 gatherings.

Mr Obama said he was under "no illusions that the United States and China will agree on every issue", but insisted closer co-operation on a range of challenges from lifting the global economy to nuclear proliferation and climate change was vital for the whole world.

In what appeared to be a co-ordinated new slogan, both Mr Obama and Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, who sent a message to the meeting, said they sought a "positive, constructive, and comprehensive relationship".

The talks are a revamped version of a meeting launched by George W Bush that focused solely on economic issues.

The new dialogue, to be held every year in alternate capitals, involves the US state department and Chinese foreign ministry and firmly underlines China's growing global footprint.

Beijing sent 150 officials to Washington for dozens of meetings with their US counterparts, bringing much of the capital to a virtual standstill.

The Chinese are still sensitive about their inferior status and pushed hard for Mr Obama to open the meeting, according to sources close to the administration, because "they are still looking for validation".

But the hosts were happy to pay tribute to China's ascendance and were optimistic about its ability to act as a responsible member of the global community.

Mr Obama and Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, made only brief reference to China's poor human rights record, which used to loom much larger in discussions. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, July 27, 2009

LE FIGARO: Obama propose un axe Pékin-Washington

Le président américain Barack Obama, lundi, lors de la première session de «dialogue stratégique et économique» entre les États-Unis et la Chine à Washington avec, de gauche à droite, le conseiller d'État chinois Dai Bingguo, le vice-premier ministre Wang Qishan et la secrétaire d'État américaine Hillary Clinton. Crédits photo : Le Figaro

Le président américain a plaidé lundi pour une coopération tous azimuts entre les deux pays.

Le président Obama a ouvert,lundi, deux jours de «dialogue stratégique et économique» entre les États-Unis et la Chine à Washington en rappelant que les relations entre les deux pays vont «façonner le vingt et unième siècle». Au menu de ces rencontres : ­­­l'économie, le réchauffement climatique, la prolifération et les menaces transnationales.

«Je crois que nous sommes sur le point de progresser sur quelques-unes des questions les plus importantes de notre temps», a dit le président américain, même s'il se dit «sans illusion» sur le fait que la Chine et les États-Unis pourraient être «d'accord sur tout».

Le ministre des Finances américain, Tim Geithner, s'était félicité de la réaction rapide des deux pays qui a permis d'«atténuer» les effets de la crise mais le dialogue à ce sujet reste crispé. Barack Obama souligne que «les choix effectués à l'intérieur de nos frontières ont un impact sur l'économie globale» et qu'en conséquence les États-Unis restent partisans d'une «forte coordination bilatérale et multilatérale».

Il évoque les points sur lesquels des avancées assureront un redressement solide : transparence et réforme réglementaire, libre-échange, un cycle de Doha «ambitieux et équilibré», réforme des institutions internationales pour donner à la Chine une place qui correspond à son rôle actuel. Barack Obama note que la Chine peut être «un immense marché» pour les États-Unis. Il ne parle pas directement du sujet qui fâchait déjà sous l'Administration Bush et qui continue à créer la tension ces jours-ci : la ­question des devises, sur laquelle on a connu Tim Geithner plus sanguin.

Le dialogue, limité aux questions économiques par l'Administration Bush, a été élargi pour forger une relation «complète» et refléter des priorités nouvelles pour les États-Unis, comme le réchauffement climatique. Les deux pays sont les plus grands consommateurs d'énergie et les plus grands pollueurs (ils produisent 42 % des gaz toxiques). Barack Obama espère qu'ils développeront ensemble les énergies propres pour un «redressement à faible taux de carbone». >>> Nathalie Mattheiem, à New York | Mardi 28 Juillet 2009

Ehud Barak Warns Iran of Possible Israeli Strike on Nuclear Facilities
TIMES ONLINE: With the US Defence Secretary standing at his side, Ehud Barak, Israel’s Defence Minister, today warned Iran that a military strike on its nuclear facilities was still an option.

“We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table. This is our policy. We mean it. We recommend to others to take the same position but we cannot dictate it to anyone,” Mr Barak said at a press conference with Robert Gates in Jerusalem.

The renewed threat of military action came a day after Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, told Iran that its pursuit of nuclear ambitions was “futile”. >>> James Hider in Jerusalem | Monday, July 27, 2009

Saudi Sex Boasts Man Apologises
BBC: A Saudi man who boasted about his sexual conquests on an Arabic TV station has tearfully apologised, as calls mounted for him to be punished.

Mazen Abdul Jawad talked about his sexual conquests, starting with a neighbour when he was 14, and how he picks up women in the kingdom.

Saudi media say officials are considering whether to charge him.

Pre-marital sex is illegal in Saudi Arabia and Mr Abdul Jawad could face imprisonment or flogging.

Discreet society

Saudi Arabia is not only the most conservative society in the Arab world, it is also the most discreet.

If people break its strict Islamic code they face punishment - lashes or imprisonment for drinking or non-marital sex.

These rules are flouted by locals as well as expatriates, but almost everyone who breaks the rules keeps quiet about it and hopes they won't be found out.

So it is unusual for a Saudi man to appear on TV freely discussing the ways in which he has transgressed the Saudi code. >>> Sebastian Usher, BBC News | Monday, July 27, 2009

lePOINT.fr: Arabie saoudite: Arrêté pour avoir vanté sa vie sexuelle à la télévision
Un Saoudien a été arrêté pour s'être vanté de sa vie sexuelle lors d'une émission télévisée, a rapporté jeudi le quotidien Arab News. Mazen Abdel Jawad de Jeddah (ouest) a été interpellé par les autorités après avoir participé la semaine dernière à l'émission "Ligne Rouge" de la chaîne satellitaire libanaise LBC, très suivie en Arabie saoudite. Durant l'émission, Jawad a expliqué avoir eu sa première expérience sexuelle à l'âge de 14 ans, avant de décrire dans les détails ses exploits sexuels ultérieurs. Il a ainsi expliqué comment il utilisait la fonction Bluetooth de son téléphone portable pour tenter d'entrer en contact avec des Saoudiennes disposant également de cette fonction technologique de radio à courte distance et obtenir des rendez-vous galants, dans un pays où la mixité est strictement interdite. Il a aussi fourni des recettes aphrodisiaques.

Son intervention télévisée a suscité une centaine de plaintes auprès des autorités judiciaires, ce qui a conduit à son arrestation, rapporte le journal, indiquant qu'il risque des poursuites pour vice et relations sexuelles avant le mariage. Il encourt une peine de prison ou la flagellation, toujours selon le journal. "L'émission présente des anomalies et des déviances sociales, qui sont inacceptables et immorales et qui doivent être punies selon la charia", la loi islamique, a commenté Ahmad Qasim Al-Ghamdi, directeur du bureau régional à La Mecque de la "Commission de promotion de la vertu et de prévention du vice", la puissante police religieuse du royaume.

En Arabie saoudite, pays ultraconservateur régi par une interprétation puritaine de l'islam, la loi impose une stricte séparation des sexes et interdit les rencontres entre femmes et hommes n'ayant pas de relation familiale. La police religieuse inspecte régulièrement les restaurants et autres lieux fréquentés par la jeunesse. [Source: LePoint.fr] | AFP | Jeudi 23 Juillet 2009