Ratlosigkeit im Bundeshaus: Uneinheitliche Konsequenzen aus dem Ja zum Minarettverbot
NZZ ONLINE: Nach dem Ja zur Minarettinitiative herrscht im Parlament Uneinigkeit darüber, ob spezifischere Spezialgesetze gegen Muslime zu erlassen seien.

Das Bundeshaus der Schweiz. Bild: NZZ Online
Am Tag nach der Annahme der Minarettinitiative herrschte unter den Parlamentariern insofern Einigkeit, als es dem Souverän kaum bloss um den Bau von Türmen gegangen sein könne. Doch auf die Fragen, wie die Annahme zu interpretieren sei und welche Konsequenzen die Politik daraus zu ziehen habe, fielen die ersten Antworten aus Bundesbern uneinheitlich aus.

Während aus links-grünen Kreisen eine strengere Praxis für die Ungültigkeitserklärung von Initiativen gefordert wird, ist für die SVP prioritär, dass das Minarettverbot konsequent umgesetzt wird. Auch die SVP weiss, dass die Bestimmung die in der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention (EMRK) verbriefte Religionsfreiheit verletzt und Rekurse an den Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte absehbar sind. Dieser könnte die Verletzung der EMRK nur feststellen, doch dürfte die Schweiz unter politischen Druck kommen. Diesem gelte es zu widerstehen, auch ein Rauswurf aus dem Europarat sei in Kauf zu nehmen, erklärt SVP-Nationalrat Ulrich Schlüer. Demgegenüber verlangt der Zuger CVP-Nationalrat Gerhard Pfister von der SVP, dass sie im Fall eines Verdikts aus Strassburg den Rechtsstaat ebenso respektiere, wie sie dies von den Muslimen fordere. >>> nn, Bern | Montag, 30. November 2009

Iran: Five British Sailors Seized after Straying into Iranian Waters
THE TELEGRAPH: Five British sailors are being held captive in Iran after they strayed into the country’s territorial waters on their way to an international yacht race.

And what should we do with the Iranians? But we won’t. We are far, far too soft these days. – © Mark

Sam Usher, Olly Smith, Luke Porter and Oliver Young were aboard the Kingdom of Bahrain. Photo: The Telegraph
The Britons were part of the nine-strong crew of the Kingdom of Bahrain, a racing yacht, which was apprehended by the Iranian navy on Wednesday.

It is thought the boat, which carried a satellite tracker, may have drifted into Iranian waters after its propeller was damaged.

The newly refitted vessel was making its way from Bahrain to Dubai for a 350-mile race to Muscat, which began on Thursday.

When the yacht failed to arrive, expatriate yachting enthusiasts assumed that it had turned back because of technical problems but the Foreign Office disclosed last night that the crew had been taken captive by an Iranian patrol vessel on Wednesday.

It is understood that they were taken to Iran where they were said to be safe and well. Their families have been kept informed.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said that British diplomats had been in close touch with Iranian officials and hoped to resolve the matter “swiftly”.

The incident has echoes of the capture in 2007 of 15 Royal Navy sailors and Marines who were seized during a routine inspection of a merchant ship. The incident lead to a prolonged diplomatic stand-off.

Iran claimed that the British sailors were in its territorial waters but the MoD said they were in Iraqi waters.

The names of the captured sailors have not been confirmed, but sources said those on board were Sam Usher, Olly Smith, Luke Porter, Oliver Young and David Bloomer, a Bahrain Radio presenter who was planning to give regular updates through the race. >>> Duncan Gardham and Richard Spencer | Monday, November 30, 2009

THE GUARDIAN: Iran threatens 'hard measures' against seized British yachtsmen: Presidential aide says serious actions will be taken if men intercepted by Iranian navy had 'evil intentions' >>> James Meikle and Matthew Weaver | Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Minarets : tollé en France après le référendum suisse
LE FIGARO: RÉACTIONS - «Expression d'intolérance», «décision inquiétante» ... À l'exception du Front National, les responsables politiques et religieux français déplorent le résultat du vote suisse interdisant les minarets.

Au lendemain de l'annonce du résultat du référendum par lequel les Suisses ont décidé d'interdire la construction de nouveaux minarets chez eux, plusieurs responsables politiques s'élèvent pour déplorer l'intolérance sur laquelle ce scrutin lèverait le voile.

La Rapporteur spéciale de l'ONU pour la liberté de religion s'est montrée aujourd'hui «profondément inquiète» et elle a insisté sur le fait que le Comité des droits de l'homme a récemment prévenu la Suisse qu'une telle décision est contraire aux obligations de la Suisse en vertu du droit international dans le domaine des droits de l'homme.

En France, le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Bernard Kouchner, s'est déclaré lundi «un peu scandalisé». «J'espère que les Suisses reviendront sur cette décision assez vite», a-t-il ajouté parlant d'une «expression d'intolérance». La construction de minarets «n'est pas grand chose. Est-ce que c'est une offense dans un pays de montagnes qu'il y ait une construction un peu plus élevée ?», a aussi demandé le ministre.

Son collègue du gouvernement, Hervé Morin, ministre de la Défense, a estimé «gênant» que le référendum devienne «un facteur de populisme». «Il y a d'abord un problème de forme parce que ce sont des questions compliquées qui n'appellent pas une réponse simple», a expliqué le président du Nouveau Centre. Pour le ministre, qui s'exprimait sur la situation en France, l'architecture des mosquées doit notamment être «compatible avec celle des collectivités». Quant au ministre de l'Immigration, Eric Besson, il s'est déclaré préoccupé par ce vote car il donne le sentiment de «stigmatiser l'islam» et a demandé d'éviter ce type de débats, qui relève «de l'urbanisme,» en France.

Au PS, le porte-parole Benoît Hamon a déploré «une décision inquiétante». Ce vote est «assez significatif de cette tentation à se recroqueviller, à se replier sur soi et à faire de l'étranger, en l'occurrence le musulman, le bouc-émissaire de tous les maux des sociétés occidentales», a affirmé l'ex-député européen qui a accusé Nicolas Sarkozy d'introduire le même type de questions en France avec le débat sur l'identité nationale. Selon lui, si l'on posait aux Français la même question qu'aux Suisses, «le résultat serait différent parce que nous avons, nous, une tradition d'intégration des populations musulmanes beaucoup plus grande» que ce pays. Marine Le Pen se réjouit du vote helvétique >>> J.B. (lefigaro.fr) Avec AFP et AP | Lundi 30 Novembre 2009

International Anger at Swiss Mosque Minaret Ban

Vote anti-minarets : Après le vote, la facture diplomatique
LE TEMPS: Arrivée en début de matinée à Bruxelles pour un conseil des ministres de la Justice et des Affaires intérieures de l’UE, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf a reconnu l’impact négatif de cette votation

Après le choc, le fossé et la facture diplomatique. Arrivée en début de matinée à Bruxelles pour assister au conseil mixte (avec la Norvège, le Liechtenstein et l’Islande) de la réunion des ministres de la Justice et des Affaires intérieures de l’Union européenne, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf a très vite fait face à une salve de questions: «Ma priorité sera d’expliquer que cette votation n’est pas contre la liberté de religion, mais contre les minarets dans les lieux de culte» a commenté la conseillère fédérale au micro de la Radio suisse romande avant d’entamer sa réunion avec ses homologues européens. Tout en admettant l’évidence: «Ce résultat n’est pas un signe très bon pour la Suisse. Il me faudra expliquer que l’on respecte la liberté de la foi». >>> Richard Werly, Bruxelles | Lundi 30 Novembre 2009

LE TEMPS: Minarets : A l’étranger, des réactions contrastées: En Europe c’est la couleur politique qui dicte les réactions à l’interdiction de construire de nouveaux minarets, votée dimanche par les Suisses. La droite dure est généralement satisfaite, quand les sociaux-démocrates dénoncent ostracisme et provocation >>> Le Temps avec agences | Lundi 30 Novembre 2009

Dutch Call for Anti-minaret Referendum
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Dutch MP Geert Wilders' Freedom Party has said it wants a referendum on the building of minarets similar to the one held in Switzerland on Sunday . Mr Wilders expects the Dutch to ban new minarets just like a 57.5 percent majority of Swiss did.

The referendum result is hailed as a breakthrough by the opposition MP. "It's the first time that people in Europe have stood up to a form of Islamisation."

Other xenophobic nationalist parties in Europe are taking a similar line to the Netherlands' Freedom Party. Mario Borghezio, a Euro-MP for Italy's Northern League (Lega Nord) called for a referendum in Italy, saying "The flag of a courageous Switzerland which wants to remain Christian is flying over a near-Islamised Europe."
 


Switzerland is home to 6 million Christians and 400,000 Muslims. There are currently 200 mosques in the Alpine country, but only four minarets. >>> | Monday, November 30, 2009

Swiss Vote to Ban Minarets

Von der islamischen Blickwinkel: Stellungnahme zur Annahme der Minarettverbotsinitiative
Bild: VAM
VERBAND AARGAUER MUSLIME: Die islamischen Nationalverbände in der Schweiz bedauern die Annahme der Minarettverbotsinitiative zutiefst. Den Initianten ist leider gelungen mit ihrer verzerrenden Propaganda, Ängste bei einer Mehrheit der Stimmenden zu mobilisieren, welche nichts mit dem Islam in der Schweiz zu tun haben.

Die hier lebenden Muslime bekennen sich zur Schweizer Verfassung und Rechtsordnung. Umso grösser ist ihr Befremden, dass nun ihre Verfassungsrechte verletzt werden sollen. Das Verbot, ihre Gotteshäuser mit einem Minarett zu schmücken, verstösst unter anderem gegen das Grundrecht der Religionsfreiheit.

Den Initianten dieses Minarettverbots ging es vom Anfang an und in erster Linie nicht um das symbolische sakrale Bauwerk. Sie haben in der Abstimmungskampagne alles daran getan, um den Islam mit Gerüchten und Halbwahrheiten, in dem sie Schreckensbilder aus dem Ausland in ein Licht stellten, das gar nichts mit dem realen Leben der muslimischen Familie in der Schweiz zu tun hat. Durch die Initiative haben viele Muslime das Gefühl, dass ihr Glaube und ihre Daseinsberechtigung in der Schweiz infrage gestellt wurden. Das hat bei ihnen Sorgen und Ängste ausgelöst, die nun durch das Abstimmungsergebnis noch verstärkt worden sind. Die negativen gesellschaftlichen und juristischen Auswirkungen können heute noch nicht abgeschätzt werden.

Die muslimischen Verbände stehen trotz allem zur Schweiz und ihren Institutionen. Dankbar nehmen sie zur Kenntnis, dass der Bundesrat, das Parlament, die meisten Parteien und unsere Schwesterreligionen Judentum und Christentum sich für das Grundrecht der Religionsfreiheit und den Schutz der Minderheit eingesetzt und die Minarettverbotsinitiative abgelehnt haben. Sie und wir wissen, dass eine Ausgrenzung der Muslime dem gesellschaftlichen Frieden und dem Zusammenleben der vielfältigen Kulturen der Schweiz nicht dient.

Die muslimischen Verbände erkennen auch, dass nun ihre Verantwortung noch gewachsen ist, auf legitime Befürchtungen in der Schweizer Bevölkerung einzugehen und zu antworten. Wir müssen unsere Öffentlichkeitsarbeit verstärken, um Missverständnissen und Vorurteilen über den Islam und die Muslime zu begegnen. Wir laden darum alle Kreise ein, bei anstehenden Problemen gemeinsam mit uns nach konstruktiven Lösungen zu suchen. Unser Anliegen ist es, ein friedliches Zusammenleben zu fördern im Respekt voreinander und entsprechend der menschlichen Würde. [Quelle: VAM]

Stellungnahme Zur Volksabstimmung «Gegen den Bau von Minaretten» vom 29. November 2009
Baden, 29. November 2009

VERBAND AARGAUER MUSLIME (VAM): Mit grosser Enttäuschung nehmen wir zur Kenntnis, dass die Anti-Minarett-Initiative vom Schweizer Stimmvolk deutlich angenommen wurde. Es ist nun leider eine Tatsache, dass die Musliminnen und Muslime in der Schweiz als einzige Religionsgemeinschaft mit einem Sonderverbot bedacht werden, und das erst noch in der Bundesverfassung.

Die Musliminnen und Muslime im Aargau möchten aber auch all jenen Stimmbürgerinnen und Stimmbürgern, welche sich trotz aller Unbill von Seiten der Initiativ-Befürworter an der Urne zu Religionsfreiheit und –frieden bekannt haben, ganz herzlich danken. Auch sie bekennen sich zur Religionsfreiheit und dem Schweizer Rechtstaat und wollen einen positiven Beitrag für ein friedliches Miteinander leisten.

Obwohl sich nun eine gewisse Enttäuschung unter den Musliminnen und Muslimen breit machen wird, möchten wir an dieser Stelle betonen, dass wir uns der Probleme bewusst sind, welche die Integration ethnischer und religiöser Minderheiten mit sich bringt und möchten daher unsere Bereitschaft bekräftigen, mit allen interessierten Kreisen die vorhandenen Probleme ernsthaft zu diskutieren und gemeinsam Lösungen zu suchen.

Wir hoffen, dass die Initiativ-Befürworter auch ernsthaft daran interessiert sind, die Probleme zu lösen und daher auf dieses Angebot eingehen und nicht mit weiteren Verbotsinitiativen zur Marginalisierung der Musliminnen und Muslime beitragen werden.

Mit freundlichen Grüssen

Hamit Daran

Sekretär und Pressesprecher VAM
[Quelle: VAM]

Islam.ch >>>

The Man Who Smuggled Himself into Auschwitz
More than a million people died in Auschwitz. Photo: BBC
BBC: When millions would have done anything to get out, one remarkable British soldier smuggled himself into Auschwitz to witness the horror so he could tell others the truth.

Denis Avey is a remarkable man by any measure. A courageous and determined soldier in World War II, he was captured by the Germans and imprisoned in a camp connected to the Germans' largest concentration camp, Auschwitz.

But his actions while in the camp - which he has never spoken about until now - are truly extraordinary. When millions would have done anything to get out, Mr Avey repeatedly smuggled himself into the camp.

Now 91 and living in Derbyshire, he says he wanted to witness what was going on inside and find out the truth about the gas chambers, so he could tell others. He knows he took "a hell of a chance".

"When you think about it in today's environment it is ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous," he says.

"You wouldn't think anyone would think or do that, but that is how I was. I had red hair and a temperament to match. Nothing would stop me."

He arranged to swap for one night at a time with a Jewish inmate he had come to trust. He exchanged his uniform for the filthy, stripy garments the man had to wear. For the Auschwitz inmate it meant valuable food and rest in the British camp, while for Denis it was a chance to gather facts on the inside. >>> Rob Broomby | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Mystery Tribute Channel to Saddam Hussein Launched
BBC: A television channel dedicated to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has appeared on Arab satellite networks.

Its launch came on the third anniversary, on the Islamic calendar, of the former president's execution.

It is not clear who is behind the channel which broadcasts the speeches, images and even poetry of Saddam Hussein, backed with patriotic music.

It is broadcast from outside Iraq and some analysts suspect his former political supporters of bankrolling it.

Saddam Hussein's family and some exiled members of the Baath party he once headed have denied any connection to it.

The Associated Press news agency said it contacted a man called Mohammed Jarboua who claimed to be the channel's chairman, in the Syrian capital Damascus. However, his claim can not be verified. 'Glorification of a tyrant' >>> | Monday, November 30, 2009

Les sociétés européennes crispées face à l'enracinement de l'islam
LE MONDE: Frontalement, les Suisses ont répondu, dimanche 29 novembre, à des questions qui taraudent, à des degrés divers, l'ensemble des pays européens. L'islam est-il compatible avec les sociétés européennes ? Peut-il devenir un élément des identités nationales qui ont forgé le continent ?

En approuvant l'interdiction de construire des minarets, les Suisses ont répondu "non" et il n'est pas certain que d'autres, à leur place, auraient voté différemment. Car même si c'est "l'islamisme" qu'ils prétendent combattre, c'est en réalité la présence même de l'islam sur des terres chrétiennes que les groupes politiques les plus actifs mettent en question.

Le parti flamand d'extrême droite, en Belgique, et le Parti pour la liberté, aux Pays-Bas, ne s'y sont pas trompés : dès dimanche, leurs responsables ont annoncé leur intention de déposer des propositions visant à interdire la construction de minarets. Il s'agit, pour le député flamand Filip Dewinter, de donner aux musulmans un "signal qu'ils doivent s'adapter à notre manière de vivre et non l'inverse".

En France, la vice-présidente du Front national, Marine Le Pen, ne dit pas autre chose. Se félicitant du vote suisse, elle a demandé aux "élites de cesser de nier les aspirations et les craintes des peuples européens, qui rejettent les signes ostentatoires des groupes politico-religieux musulmans, souvent à la limite de la provocation".

"Signes ostentatoires" : le mot est lâché. Car si l'image de l'islam, dégradée par la violence de l'actualité internationale depuis une décennie, explique en partie les soupçons d'extrémisme accolés aux musulmans à travers le monde, elle ne suffit pas à justifier le rejet de l'islam en Europe. C'est indéniablement la visibilité des musulmans, qui, dans les sociétés européennes, pose problème. >>> Stéphanie Le Bars | Lundi 30 Novembre 2009

As the Swiss Say No to Minarets, I Vote We Have Many More Referendums
THE TELEGRAPH: Why is making decisions for the nation a right of the government and not one of the people, asks Melanie McDonagh.

The Swiss have spoken and, oh dear, the government isn't best pleased. Against all the approved advice, from churches, politicians and business, the people have voted to ban minarets.

The outcome of yesterday's referendum was entirely unexpected, given that Swiss manufacturers, pallid at the thought of Abu Dhabi saying no to Swatches, had lobbied vigorously against a ban. The government wasn't keen on reprisals from excitable Islamists. But notwithstanding all the high-level advice, the people were having none of it.

Actually, the notion of building minarets in Switzerland is pretty redundant. They couldn't be used to call the faithful to prayer because noise regulations, this being Switzerland, don't permit it. Small Islamic communities all over Switzerland just wanted to make their presence felt. On the skyline.

It was interesting, the nature of the coalition against the minarets. The campaign was led by the populist Swiss People's Party, but it was supported, unexpectedly, by Swiss feminists because they have issues with Islam's treatment of women. And – who knows – because of the phallic shape of the structures concerned. In fact, the most notable thing about the poll was that, in favour of the ban, women outnumbered men.

Personally, I blame the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan. The opponents of minarets hardly needed to make an argument; all they needed to do was quote, out of context, his pronouncement that minarets are the bayonets of Islam and the job was done. Nice one, Mr E.

Actually, I felt rather cheered when I heard that the Swiss had voted as they did, for the simple and sufficient reason that I like it when people don't do what they're told by politicians. I was ecstatic when the Danes voted against the Nice Treaty; I felt a kind of subversive thrill when Ireland turned against the Lisbon Treaty, though it did vote the approved way second time round.

Referendums are brilliant, precisely because they give people a chance to consider what everyone says they ought to think and do, and then do just what they want anyway. It's the nearest we get nowadays to the full-on democracy of Athens, unless you count reality television.

The sad thing, of course, is that it couldn't happen here. Whenever anyone suggests having more referendums, politicians say, in a grand way: nope, we are a parliamentary democracy. Finis. >>> Melanie McDonagh | Monday, November 30, 2009

Meinung aus Berlin: Sieg der Angst
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Damit hatte kaum jemand gerechnet. Die Schweizer haben sich in ihrer Mehrheit dafür ausgesprochen, den Bau von Minaretten zu verbieten - und dies, obwohl die Regierung, alle großen Parteien außer der rechtspopulistischen SVP, die beiden Landeskirchen, die jüdische Gemeinde, die Gewerkschaften und die Unternehmer sich einmütig gegen ein Verbot ausgesprochen hatten. Es ist eine herbe Niederlage für die Regierung, und das Parlament scheint nicht mehr jene zu vertreten, die es gewählt haben.

Doch um Religion ging es nur vordergründig. Nichts zeigt dies deutlicher als ein Satz auf der Website der Volksinitiative "Für ein Verbot von Minaretten". Wörtlich heißt es dort: "Wer Minarette baut, will hier bleiben." Genau so ist es. Und man darf den Initiatoren im Umkehrschluss getrost unterstellen: Sie wollen, dass die Muslime gehen. Und wenn man sie schon nicht abschieben kann, dann sollen sie wenigstens Bürger zweiter Klasse sein - mit weniger Rechten als Christen. Ein Verstoß gegen das verfassungsmäßige Diskriminierungsverbot.

Aber es geht nicht um Muslime, sondern um Ausländer generell. Sprüche wie "Keine Steuergelder für Koranschulen!" oder "Das Minarett ist die Speerspitze der Scharia" kaschieren dies bloß. Islam und Terror scheinen seit dem 11. September 2001 wesensverwandt. Deshalb eignet sich der Muslim als Sündenbock. In der Schweiz macht der Anteil der Immigranten an der Gesamtbevölkerung inzwischen 21 Prozent aus. Die Ängste vor "Überfremdung" sind da, man muss sie ernst nehmen. Just das aber tun Rechtspopulisten nicht. Wer landesweit Plakate klebt, auf denen neben einer tief verschleierten Frau Minarette als Raketen dargestellt werden, schürt die Ängste, spielt mit ihnen, instrumentalisiert sie für andere Zwecke und behindert eine sachliche Diskussion objektiv vorhandener Probleme. Wer insinuiert, dem Unternehmerverband gehe es nur um die Absatzmärkte in der islamischen Welt, und gleichzeitig weiß, dass die Schweiz die Ausländer braucht, um die Wirtschaft am Laufen zu halten und die Renten zu sichern, betreibt billigen Populismus. >>> Thomas Schmid | Montag, 30. November 2009

BNP: Switzerland Takes Stand against Islamic Colonisation >>>

Minarett-Verbot schlägt hohe Wellen
WIENER ZEITUNG: Überraschung, Unverständnis und Enttäuschung in arabischen Medien / Deutsche Muslime bedauerten das Minarett-Verbot in der Schweiz

Bern. Das Verbot von Minaretten in der Schweiz hat die islamische Welt überrascht und schockiert. Gewalttätige Reaktionen sind jedoch nach Ansicht von Babacar Ba, Botschafter der Organisation der islamischen Konferenz (OCI), nicht zu erwarten.

Die Schweizer Regierung habe klar gegen die Initiative Stellung genommen. Das Ansehen der Schweiz in den islamischen Ländern leide aber, sagte Ba am Sonntagabend der Nachrichtenagentur SDA.

Und den Fundamentalisten könnte das Abstimmungsergebnis neue Türen öffnen. Die OCI appelliere deshalb an die Wachsamkeit. Die Schweizer Muslime könnten sich bedroht fühlen. Eine Diskussion über die Rolle der Muslime in der Schweiz sei deshalb nötig.

"Die Schweiz hat nicht rassistisch abgestimmt. Es war wohl vielmehr blanker Egoismus und die Sorge, dass jemand des Volkes Ruhe stören könnte", sagte Anouar Abou Eisheh, Rechtsprofessor an der Al-Quds-Universität in Ost-Jerusalem. Das Abstimmungergebnis liefere den muslimischen Extremisten Argumente für ihren Kampf gegen den Westen. Für sie sei der Entscheid eine frontale Attacke gegen den Islam und seine Symbole. Er hoffe, dass das Beispiel in Europa nicht Schule mache.

Auch deutsche Muslime bedauerten das Minarett-Verbot in der Schweiz. Für den Vorsitzenden der Türkischen Gemeinde in Deutschland zeigt das Ja, dass die europäischen Gesellschaften noch nicht ganz reif für die Einwanderung seien. Gleichzeitig äußerte er grundsätzliche Zweifel, ob derartige Abstimmungen über religiöse Fragen überhaupt organisiert werden sollten. Über Religionsfreiheit könne ebenso wenig abgestimmt werden wie über Meinungsfreiheit. >>> APA | Montag, 30. November 2009

Kommt jetzt die grosse Islam-Debatte?
BLICK.ch: Minarett? Nein danke! Klare Abstimmung, unklare Folgen. Polit-Bern reibt sich die Augen.

Die beiden Väter der siegreichen Initiative: Die SVP-Nationalräte Ulrich Schlüer und Walter Wobmann schütteln sich die Hand. Bild: Blick.ch
Paukenschlag zum ersten Advent: Mit unerwartet deutlichen 57,5 Prozent haben die Schweizer der Initiative «Gegen den Bau von Minaretten» zugestimmt – gegen die Empfehlung von Parlament, Bundesrat, aller Parteien ausser der SVP und den Kirchen.

«Das Verbot ist direkt anwendbar und tritt ab sofort in Kraft», erklärte Justizministerin Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Alle Minarette, die heute noch keine rechtskräftige Bewilligung hätten, dürften nicht mehr gebaut werden.

«Das Verbot widerspricht der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention», warnt aber Widmer-Schlumpf. Ein Bauverbot könne deshalb an den Europäischen Menschenrechtshof weitergezogen werden. Erhält die Beschwerde recht, gibt es laut Widmer-Schlumpf nur zwei Möglichkeiten: «Das Verbot müsste erneut vors Volk, oder wir müssten aus dem Europarat austreten.»

Die Väter der Initiative beeindruckt Widmer-Schlumpf damit wenig: «Wir erwarten, dass die Regierung jetzt nicht via ausländische Gerichte das Resultat hintertreibt.» Sie freuen sich über das «fantastische Resultat» >>> Von Nicole Freudiger, Simon Spengler und Hannes Heldstab | Montag, 30. November 2009

BLICK.ch: Kommentar von Blick-Politik-Chef Clemens Studer: Minarette waren nicht das Problem >>> | Montag, 30. November 2009

Walter Wobmann: Ihr Volksvertreter im Bundeshaus >>>

TIMES ONLINE: Balderdash from The Times >>>

My COMMENT on The Times leader, which, of course, will not be printed!

Rarely have I ever read an article, still less a leader, which is based on such woeful ignorance. The writer misunderstands the nature of Islam and equally disturbingly misunderstands the nature of democracy too.

The Swiss enjoy democratic rights that other Europeans could only dream of, and that is because of their direct democracy. Their direct democracy allows the Swiss to call for a referendum on any issue if enough signatures can be collected from Swiss citizens. (200,000?).

In this case, enough signatures could be collected; and the referendum was held. The Swiss voted on it, and this is the result. The people have spoken. Basta!

It's no use talking up democracy then decrying it when the people give you an answer which you don't want to hear.

I know Switzerland very well indeed. I have lived there for many years. I also know Schwyzertüütsch and German (and French), so I know something about the mentality of the people. Let me assure you that minarets do not sit comfortably in Switzerland, no more than Islam does. Yet, in fairness to the Swiss, Muslims have been welcomed. But clearly there are limits. The minaret is one such limit.

If Muslims continue to live in Switzerland in peace and tranquility, I feel sure there will be no problems. But the Swiss have done what all other Western politicians should have done long ago: They have said you are welcome to work here, as long as you abide by our rules. How can sensible people argue with that? – © Mark

TIMES ONLINE: More Balderdash from The Times >>>

Here’s my comment which probably won’t get printed:

This article is nothing but balderdash. Hatred of the Swiss. Contempt for democracy. Shame on the 'The Times' for printing such rubbish! – © Mark

VOA: Kouchner Talks Krap on Swiss Referendum >>>

THE TELEGRAPH: Tosh! This Time from The Telegraph: What can Muslims teach the Swiss about tolerance? Churches are totally banned in Saudi Arabia! The Swiss haven’t banned mosques, just minarets. As for the Vatican… it had better remain silent, for there will be no Vatican if Islam gets too strong in Europe >>> | Monday, November 30, 2009

Nick Griffin to Attend Copenhagen Summit

La droite dure jubile : Au tour des Autrichiens de vouloir interdire les minarets
20MINUTES.ch: Plusieurs partis européens de droite ou d'extrême-droite ont salué dimanche l'acceptation en Suisse de l'initiative contre les minarets.

Ils y voient une victoire contre «l'islamisme radical» et contre les «élites» qui éludent le problème, ainsi qu'un exemple pour leurs propres pays.

L'extrême-droite autrichienne est satisfaite. Le chef du Parti de la liberté (FPÖ), Heinz-Christian Strache, a salué «un signal clair contre l'islamisme radical».

Un avis partagé par le BZÖ, le parti de feu Jörg Haider. Le vote des Suisses «confirme» une décision similaire prise il y a deux ans par la Carinthie, s'est félicité le gouverneur de ce Land alpestre, Gerhard Dörfler (BZÖ). La liberté de religion ne doit pas permettre «que des édifices non chrétiens (...) soient bâtis», a-t-il dit.

Le secrétaire général du BZÖ, Martin Strulz, veut désormais que la loi sur l'aménagement du territoire soit adaptée pour interdire la construction de minarets dans toute l'Autriche. A ses yeux, l'acceptation de l'initiative helvétique montre «très clairement» que la population ne veut pas des minarets.

De nombreuses réactions positives sont également provenues d'Italie. «Même la patiente Suisse s'est fatiguée de l'expansion de l'immigration et de l'islam», a dit Maurizio Gasparri, président du groupe du Peuple de la Liberté (PDL, le parti de Silvio Berlusconi) au Sénat italien.

«En Italie aussi, nous devons continuer la politique de rigueur. Nous en avons pleinement le droit», a ajouté M. Gasparri, issu du parti post-fasciste Alliance nationale.

La croix comme étendard

Même son de cloche chez le ministre italien de la simplification administrative, Roberto Calderoli, membre du parti populiste et xénophobe de la Ligue du Nord. «De la Suisse nous parvient un signal clair: oui aux clochers, non aux minarets», a-t-il déclaré à l'agence ANSA.

Selon lui, ce choix montre «d'une part le respect de la liberté religieuse et d'autre part la nécessité aux aspects politiques et à la propagande liés à l'islam». «C'est une chose à laquelle nous devrions réfléchir nous aussi», a ajouté M. Calderoli, qui s'était signalé lors de la crise des caricatures de Mahomet en arborant des T-shirts reproduisant un de ces dessins.

Son collègue de parti Roberto Castelli, sénateur et vice-ministre des infrastructures, va plus loin, en demandant que la croix soit désormais ajoutée sur le drapeau italien. L'UMP s'interroge >>> ats | Dimanche 29 Novembre 2009

Anti-Dhimmitude in Switzerland! Swiss Voters Back Ban on Minarets
With this one referendum, the Swiss have shown more spunk than the rest of the West put together! Bravo! – © Mark
BBC: Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show.

More than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the ban.

The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation.

The government opposed the ban, saying it would harm Switzerland's image, particularly in the Muslim world.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Bern, says the surprise result is very bad news for the Swiss government which also fears unrest among the Muslim community.

Our correspondent says voters worried about rising immigration - and with it the rise of Islam - have ignored the government's advice.

"The Federal Council (government) respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted," said the government in a statement, quoted by the AFP news agency.

Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said the result reflected fear of Islamic fundamentalism.

"These concerns have to be taken seriously. However, the Federal Council takes the view that a ban on the construction of new minarets is not a feasible means of countering extremist tendencies," she said.

She sought to reassure Swiss Muslims, saying the decision was "not a rejection of the Muslim community, religion or culture".

Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims and has just four minarets.

After Christianity, Islam is the most widespread religion in Switzerland, but it remains relatively hidden.

There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning applications for new minarets are almost always refused.

Supporters of a ban claimed that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system - Sharia law - which are incompatible with Swiss democracy. >>> | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Votations Fédérales : La construction de minarets interdite en Suisse
20MINUTES.ch: Des minarets ne pourront plus être érigés en Suisse. L'initiative populaire «contre la construction de minarets» a été clairement acceptée dimanche, ce qui constitue une surprise.

«On faisait confiance à la lucidité du peuple suisse, c'est une énorme déception», a déclaré Youssef Ibram, imam du centre culturel islamique du Petit-Saconnex (GE). Photo : 20Minutes.ch
Près de six votants sur dix et ont appuyé le texte. Celui-ci était perçu par les opposants comme une menace pour la paix religieuse en Suisse.


L'initiative antiminarets était donnée perdante par les sondages. Elle a pourtant clairement passé la rampe: une majorité de 57,5% des votants (1.534.054 personnes) ont dit «oui» et seuls quatre cantons s'y sont opposés, à savoir Genève (59,7% de «non»), Vaud (53,1%), Bâle-Ville (51,6%) et Neuchâtel (50,8%). En Suisse romande, les cantons du Valais, de Fribourg et du Jura ont approuvé l'initiative par respectivement 58,0%, 55,9% et 51,2%. Le Tessin a dit «oui» à 68,1%, Berne à 60,7% et Zurich à 51,8%. La participation s'est élevée à 53,4%.

Lancée par des membres de l'Union démocratique du centre (UDC) et de l'Union démocratique fédérale (UDF), l'initiative «contre la construction de minarets» avait été déposée en juillet 2008 avec plus de 113.000 signatures valables. Demandant d'inscrire dans la Constitution fédérale la phrase «la construction de minarets est interdite», elle requerrait la double majorité du peuple et des cantons. L'UDC était le seul parti gouvernemental à recommander le «oui». «Islamisation sournoise» >>> ap | Dimanche 29 Novembre 2009

Die Schweiz verbietet den Bau von Minaretten: Deutliche Zustimmung zur Volksinitiative
NZZ ONLINE: In der Schweiz wird der Bau von Minaretten künftig per Verfassungsartikel verboten. Das Stimmvolk hat eine entsprechende Volksinitiative angenommen. Die Zustimmung fiel überraschend hoch aus und beträgt 57,5 Prozent.

In der Schweiz wird der Bau von Minaretten verboten. Das Stimmvolk hat der Anti-Minarett-Initiative aus Kreisen der SVP und der EDU wider Erwarten zugestimmt, und zwar deutlich: 57 Prozent der Stimmenden sagten Ja. Bei der letzten Umfrage von Mitte November hatten sich lediglich 37 Prozent der Befragten für die Initiative ausgesprochen. Mit ihrer umstrittenen Kampagne gelang es den Befürwortern offenbar, in der letzten Phase des Abstimmungskampfes viele Unentschlossene für sich zu gewinnen. >>> sda | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

Referendum in Svizzera, sì a proposta stop minareti
REUTERS ITALIA: GINEVRA - Gli elettori svizzeri hanno approvato oggi la proposta della destra di vietare la costruzione di nuovi minareti, in un risultato sorprendente destinato a creare imbarazzo al governo neutrale della Svizzera.

L'agenzia di stampa elvetica Ats e altri media hanno detto che nel referendum circa il 57,5% degli elettori e 22 dei 26 cantoni hanno detto sì alla proposta avanzata dal partito di destra Swiss People Party (Svp).

In Svizzera sia il parlamento che il governo hanno respinto la proposta dicendo che viola la costituzione del Paese, la libertà di religione e la nota tradizione di tolleranza svizzera. Secondo il governo elvetico una modifica della costituzione per proibire la costruzione dei minareti potrebbe "fare il gioco dei gruppi estremisti". >>> | domenica 29 novembre 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: «Eine grosse Peinlichkeit»: Reaktionen auf das Minarett-Verbot >>> | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Minarett-Verbot liefert Ghadhafi neue Argumente gegen die Schweiz: Das Verbot von Minaretten in der Schweiz hat die islamische Welt überrascht und schockiert. Der Volksentscheid könnte politisch instrumentalisiert werden, wie ein Experte meint. >>> vin/sda/ap | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

NZZ ONLINE: «Gegen Minarette, nicht gegen eine Glaubensgemeinschaft» : Der Bundesrat zum Ausgang der drei eidgenössischen Volksabstimmungen >>> wab. Bern | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

NZZ ONLINE: Applaus vom rechten Rand Europas: Rechtsgerichtete Parteien feiern Ja zur Anti-Minarett-Initiative >>> sda | Sonntag, 29. Novembre 2009

NZZ ONLINE: Spontane Demonstrationen in Bern und Zürich: Einige hundert Personen äussern Unmut gegen Anti-Minarett-Initiative >>> sda | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

LE TEMPS: Votation Minarets : Les Suisses refusent massivement les minarets >>> Le Temps avec ATS | Dimanche 29 Novembre 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Switzerland risks Muslim backlash after minarets vote: Switzerland risked a Muslim backlash on Sunday after its citizens voted overwhelmingly to ban minarets on mosques. >>> Alexandra Williams in Geneva | Sunday, November 29, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Swiss voters 'back ban on building of minarets' >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Across U.S., Food Stamp Use Soars and Stigma Fades
A GROWING NEED FOR A PROGRAM ONCE SCORNED Greg Dawson and his wife, Sheila, of Martinsville, Ohio, help feed their family of seven with a $300 monthly food stamp benefit. Center and right, the food pantry in Lebanon, Ohio, where residents can also enroll in what is formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Photograph: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MARTINSVILLE, Ohio — With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children.

It has grown so rapidly in places so diverse that it is becoming nearly as ordinary as the groceries it buys. More than 36 million people use inconspicuous plastic cards for staples like milk, bread and cheese, swiping them at counters in blighted cities and in suburbs pocked with foreclosure signs.

Virtually all have incomes near or below the federal poverty line, but their eclectic ranks testify to the range of people struggling with basic needs. They include single mothers and married couples, the newly jobless and the chronically poor, longtime recipients of welfare checks and workers whose reduced hours or slender wages leave pantries bare. >>> Jason DeParle and Robert Gebeloff | Saturday, November 28, 2009

THE NEW YORK TIMES PHOTOGALLERY: Once Scorned, a Federal Program Grows to Feed the Struggling >>>

THE INDEPENDENT: Britain faces return to Victorian levels of poverty >>> Andrew Grice, Political Editor | Monday, November 30, 2009

Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi Linked to Libya’s Chemical Weapons
THE SUNDAY TIMES: THE man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing was implicated in the purchase and development of chemical weapons by Libya, according to documents produced by the American government.

The papers also claim that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed alMegrahi sought to buy 1,000 letter bombs from Greek arms dealers while working as a Libyan intelligence officer.

The documents, prepared by the US State Department, raise further questions about the wisdom of the Scottish government in releasing the convicted bomber on compassionate grounds in August.

The documents, written in 1992, were based on information gathered by the Central Intelligence Agency to bolster the case against Libya for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 which killed 270 people.

They claim that Megrahi’s “deep involvement in Libya’s most sensitive, high-priority procurement operations indicates that he enjoyed the fullest confidence of Libya’s leadership”. >>> Mark Macaskill | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Nicolas Sarkozy Hails EU Shake-up a Victory for France
THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy has reignited the row over the appointment of European Union commissioners by branding Britain “the big losers”.

The French President said the appointment of Baroness Ashton of Upholland as the EU’s new foreign policy chief was far less important than the elevation of Michel Barnier, France’s former agriculture minister, to the key financial post of commissioner for the internal market, which puts him in charge of supervising the City of London.

In provocative remarks which are certain to inflame tensions, Mr Sarkozy told Le Monde newspaper that the negotiations which resulted in Tony Blair being jettisoned and Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, being appointed the new EU president, were a “French victory”.

He said that Britain was against Mr Barnier’s appointment to the financial post, but that he got it through after persuading José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, to back the idea.

Mr Sarkozy said: “It’s the first time in 50 years that France has had this role. The English are the big losers in this business.”

The remarks, on the fringes of the Commonwealth Summit in Trinidad and Tobago, are particularly surprising because the French President had been expected to “reassure” the British about the intentions of Mr Barnier, who will play a big role in financial reform and regulation, an issue on which the British and the French have starkly differing views.

Mr Sarkozy has said he will visit London soon to calm worries in the City about a more regulatory French regime orchestrated by Paris.

But his comments to Le Monde will do little to put British minds at rest. >>> Melissa Kite and Kim Wilsher, in Paris | Saturday, November 28, 2009

LE MONDE: A la Commission, Michel Barnier défendra une économie plus régulée >>> Arnaud Leparmentier et Philippe Ricard | Samedi 28 Novembre 2009

Fumer tue votre garantie Apple
LE MONDE: Le tabagisme passif fait des ravages insoupçonnés. Le site Internet The Consumerist fait état de deux plaintes provenant d'utilisateurs de Mac qui se sont vus refuser des réparations pour cause de "contamination" à la nicotine de leur ordinateur. Les machines étaient bien sous garantie, mais celle-ci s'est révélée inopérante lorsque les clients se sont tournés vers le service après-vente d'Apple.

"J'ai acheté un iMac pour mon fils avec la garantie étendue Applecare. Il y a un mois, il a arrêté de fonctionner. Mon fils l'a apporté au centre de services Apple. Le technicien l'a informé que ça prendrait entre 48 et 72 heures. Cinq jours plus tard, toujours sans nouvelles, j'ai appelé. Ils m'ont informé que cet ordinateur ne pouvait pas être réparé car il était contaminé. Quand j'ai demandé une explication, on m'a dit que mon fils était un fumeur et que l'ordinateur était contaminé à cause de la fumée de cigarette, ce qui constitue un 'danger biologique potentiel'", raconte dans une lettre envoyée à The Consumerist l'un de ces consommateurs. >>> LeMonde.fr | Samedi 28 Novembre 2009

Women Lead Swiss in Vote to Ban Minarets
Photograph: The Sunday Times
THE SUNDAY TIMES: A right-wing campaign to outlaw minarets on mosques in a referendum being held in Switzerland today has received an unlikely boost from radical feminists arguing that the tower-like structures are “male power symbols” and reminders of Islam’s oppression of women.

A “stop the minarets” campaign has provoked ferment in the land of Heidi, where women are more likely than men to vote for the ban after warnings from prominent feminists that Islam threatens their rights.

Forget about tranquil Alpine scenery and cowbells: one of the most startling features of the referendum campaign has been a poster showing a menacing woman in a burqa beside minarets rising from the Swiss flag.

It seems to have struck a nerve in Langenthal, a small town near Bern where Muslims plan to put up a minaret next to their prayer room in a bleak former paint factory.

“If we give them a minaret, they’ll have us all wearing burqas,” said Julia Werner, a local housewife. “Before you know it, we’ll have sharia law and women being stoned to death in our streets. We won’t be Swiss any more.”

A spoof video game on the internet called Minaret Attack shows minarets popping up all over the idyllic Swiss countryside, after which a message proclaims: “Game over! Switzerland is covered in minarets. Vote to ban them on November 29.”

“It’s a dirty campaign,” said Mutalip Karaademi, an Albanian who leads Langenthal’s small Muslim community. “They’re trying to provoke us.”

A poll suggested the Swiss would narrowly reject a ban but the feminist involvement is having an effect: according to one poll, 39% of women were in favour of a ban, but only 31% of men.

Tatiana, a teacher who had previously voted for the left, was quoted in a newspaper as saying she would vote for the minaret ban as she could “no longer bear being mistreated and terrorised by boys who believe women are worthless”. >>> Matthew Campbell | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Russie : Déraillement: l’attentat confirmé

LE TEMPS: Les enquêteurs russes ont confirmé samedi la thèse de l’attentat terroriste suite au déraillement dans la nuit du train de passagers Nevski Express reliant Moscou à Saint-Pétersbourg, qui a causé la mort d’au moins 26 personnes et peut-être 39 selon un autre bilan, toujours provisoire

«Il est bien question d’un attentat», a déclaré le porte-parole des enquêteurs du parquet fédéral à l’agence Interfax, Vladimir Markine. Cette thèse était déjà privilégiée par les autorités russes. »Le groupe d’enquêteurs du comité d’enquête du procureur de Russie a découvert et saisi les restes d’un engin explosif», a indiqué le comité d’enquête du parquet dans un communiqué.

«Selon les estimations des enquêteurs, les données préliminaires font état de l’explosion d’un engin artisanal d’une puissance équivalente à sept kilos de TNT», a déclaré, selon les agences russes, le chef du FSB Alexandre Bortnikov.

«Selon un bilan préliminaire, pas moins de 26 personnes ont été tuées et plus de 100 blessées», a indiqué le communiqué du parquet, précisant qu’«une hausse du nombre de victimes ne pouvait pas être exclue». Les précédents bilans, tous provisoires, oscillaient entre 25 et 39 morts, selon les sources.

Le PDG des chemins de fer russes, Vladimir Iakounine a remarqué que les circonstances du drame rappelaient un événement similaire trois ans plus tôt. «Le schéma de l’explosion ressemble beaucoup à l’incident qui s’est produit il y a trois ans», a-t-il dit en une apparente allusion à l’attentat à la bombe qui avait fait dérailler le même Nevski Express en août 2007, faisant 60 blessés.

Une enquête criminelle pour terrorisme a été ouverte, selon le parquet. >>> AFP | Samedi 28 Novembre 2009

Terroranschlag auf russischen Nachtexpress: Rettungskräfte gehen von rund 30 Todesopfern aus
NZZ ONLINE: Bei einem Anschlag auf einen voll besetzten Schnellzug im Nordwesten Russlands sind rund 30 Personen in den Tod gerissen worden. Der mit mehr als 600 Reisenden besetzte Zug von Moskau nach St. Petersburg entgleiste nach der Explosion einer Bombe auf den Schienen.

Das Zugunglück im Nordwesten Russlands mit mindestens 26 Toten geht nach Einschätzung der Ermittler auf einen Anschlag mit Sprengstoff zurück. Das meldete die Nachrichtenagentur Interfax am Samstag unter Berufung auf die Generalstaatsanwaltschaft. Der voll besetzte Newski Express war am Freitagabend zwischen Moskau und St. Petersburg unterwegs, als er nach Angaben des Inlandgeheimdienstes FSB durch die Explosion eines Sprengssatzes zum Entgleisen gebracht wurde.

Der selbst gebaute Sprengkörper habe eine Wucht von sieben Kilogramm TNT gehabt. Weitere Details nannte FSB-Chef Alexander Bortnikow bei einem Treffen mit Präsident Dmitri Medwedew nicht. Der Ermittlungsausschuss der Generalstaatsanwaltschaft erklärte, am Tatort in der Nähe der Ortschaft Uglowka seien «Teile eines Sprengsatzes gefunden und entfernt» worden. Nahe der Gleise am Tatort wurde laut Interfax auch ein Krater mit einem Meter Durchmesser entdeckt.

Augenzeugen hätten kurz vor dem Entgleisen der Waggons einen Knall gehört. Die Nachrichtenagentur RIA Nowosti zitierte eine andere Quelle, wonach möglicherweise ein Sprengsatz unter einem der Waggons angebracht war. Vier Wagen entgleist >>> sda/afp/dpa | Samstag, 28. November 2009

Terrorist Bomb Blast Is Blamed for Causing Russian Train Crash That Killed 26
THE TELEGRAPH: Russia's FSB intelligence service said a homemade terrorist bomb caused a packed Moscow-St Petersburg train travelling at 125 mph to derail, killing at least 26 people.

The statement ended speculation that the crash, which also injured nearly 100, may have been a tragic accident. It also raised the spectre of a fresh terror campaign in Russia's major towns and cities after five years of relative calm.

Alexander Bortnikov, the FSB chief, told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that a bomb equivalent to 15 lb of TNT had been planted beneath the busy route. But he did not say who may have been responsible or why anyone would have wanted to carry out such an attack.

Investigators said they had opened a large-scale terrorism investigation as detectives with sniffer dogs combed through wreckage strewn with charred personal effects looking for clues.

Suspicion will inevitably fall on Islamist radicals from Chechnya and Russia's volatile North Caucasus region. They have carried out spectacular attacks in the past which have killed hundreds of people, although nobody had claimed responsibility by late on Saturday.

The attack also will evoke memories of a deadly series of bombings earlier this decade that targeted the Moscow metro, public buses, and passenger airliners. >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Saturday, November 28, 2009

Aliens 'Already Exist on Earth', Bulgarian Scientists Claim
THE TELEGRAPH: Aliens from outer space are already among us on earth, say Bulgarian government scientists who claim they are already in contact with extraterrestrial life.

"Aliens are currently all around us, and are watching us all the time," Mr Filipov told Bulgarian media. Image: The Telegraph
Work on deciphering a complex set of symbols sent to them is underway, scientists from the country's Space Research Institute said.

They claim aliens are currently answering 30 questions posed to them.

Lachezar Filipov, deputy director of the Space Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, confirmed the research.

He said the centre's researchers were analysing 150 crop circles from around the world, which they believe answer the questions.

"Aliens are currently all around us, and are watching us all the time," Mr Filipov told Bulgarian media.

"They are not hostile towards us, rather, they want to help us but we have not grown enough in order to establish direct contact with them."

Mr Filipov said that even the seat of the Catholic church, the Vatican, had agreed that aliens existed. >>> | Thursday, November 26, 2009

Wishing Happy Christmas 'Could Be an Obscenity' Warns Bishop
THE TELEGRAPH: Wishing people a Happy Christmas could be seen as an "insult" or even an "obscenity" as not everyone is in a position to celebrate, a bishop has warned.

The Right Reverend Humphrey Southern, the Bishop of Repton, said it was a "hollow" greeting to make to those who were suffering.

People should not "simply make a cocoon of happiness for ourselves and our loved ones" at Christmas, he said.

Writing in the monthly Derby diocese newsletter, he said: "This is the 'Happy Christmas' month. Yet to many that greeting will be hollow, coming as an insult, or even an obscenity."

The bishop, 49, went on to ask: "What can 'Happy Christmas' mean in a family whose father has been killed in a military operation in Afghanistan that fewer and fewer people understand (still less support)?

"How do you wish 'Happy Christmas' to a community in the Indian Ocean who can probably count on the fingers of a couple of hands the number of Christmases they will see before their home disappears under water, victim to global warming?

"What could it possibly mean to the victim of bullying, ostracism or racial intimidation in your workplace or neighbourhoods or community?" >>> Stephen Adams | ay, November 27, 2009

Church of England Set to Lose a Tenth of Its Clergy in Five Years
TIMES ONLINE: The Church of England is facing the loss of as many as one in ten paid clergy in the next five years and internal documents seen by The Times admit that the traditional model of a vicar in every parish is over.

The credit crunch and a pension funding crisis have left dioceses facing massive restructuring programmes. Church statistics show that between 2000 and 2013 stipendiary or paid clergy numbers will have fallen by nearly a quarter.

According to figures on the Church of England website, there will be an 8.3 per cent decrease in paid clergy in the next four years, from 8,400 this year to 7,700 in to 2013. This represents a 22.5 per cent decrease since 2000. If this trend continues in just over 50 years there will be no full-time paid clergy left in Britain’s 13,000 parishes serving 16,000 churches.

Jobs will instead be filled by unpaid part-timers, giving rise to fears about the quality of parish ministry. Combined with a big reduction in churchgoing, the figures will add weight to the campaign for disestablishment. >>> Ruth Gledhill and Tim Glanfield | Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Sudan: Knee-length Skirts Are ‘Indecent’
MAIL ONLINE: A girl of 16 was given 50 lashes after a judge ruled her knee length skirt was indecent.

Silva Kashif was punished without her family being told after she was arrested while walking alone near her home in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Her mother, Jenty Doro, said: ‘I only heard about it after she was lashed. Later we all sat and cried.

‘She is just a young girl but the policeman pulled her along like she was a criminal. It was wrong.’

She said she would sue the police and the judge because her daughter is a Christian and underage.

The law states that under-18s should not be given lashes.

Doro said Khashif was taken to Kalatla court where she was convicted and punished by a female police officer in front of the judge.

'I only heard about it after she was lashed. Later we all sat and cried ... People have different religions and that should be taken into account' she said.

Khartoum is governed by Islamic sharia law. But although Miss Kashif is living there she is originally from the south of the country, which is not. Fifty lashes for the teenage girl who wore an 'indecent' knee length skirt in Sudan >>> | Saturday, November 28, 2009

La coupole islamique venue du ciel alsacien
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: REPORTAGE | Au moment où les Suisses votent pour ou contre les minarets, Strasbourg met sa Grande Mosquée sous toit. Et sans… minaret ! >>> Jean-Noël Cuénod à Strasbourg | Vendredi 27 Novembre 2009

L'AIEA condamne l'Iran pour son programme clandestin
LE FIGARO: La résolution adoptée vendredi reproche à Téhéran d'avoir dissimulé l'existence d'un autre site d'enrichissement d'uranium.

Les grandes puissances ont réussi à obtenir une condamnation sans nuances de l'Iran, vendredi à Vienne, au siège de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique (AIEA). Présentée par la France et les États-Unis, une résolution en huit points dénonçant les activités nucléaires clandestines de Téhéran sur le site de Fordo et demandant à l'agence d'en informer le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies a été adoptée par 25 voix sur les 35 que compte le Conseil des gouverneurs, l'organe exécutif de l'AIEA. Cuba, la Malaisie et le Venezuela, soutiens traditionnels de l'Iran, ont voté contre, tandis que le Brésil a préféré s'abstenir.

Cette résolution, qui traduit les «inquiétudes sérieuses» de l'AIEA à l'égard du site clandestin d'enrichissement d'uranium de Fordo, dont l'existence avait été révélée le 25 septembre, n'implique pas l'adoption de nouvelles sanctions internationales contre Téhéran.

Il faudra pour cela que le nouveau directeur général de l'AIEA, le Japonais Yukiya Amano, qui prendra ses fonctions mardi prochain, évoque cette impasse auprès du Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies, comme le lui enjoint la résolution. Il s'agirait alors de dégager un nouveau consensus à New York en faveur d'une telle mesure punitive à l'égard de Téhéran, qui toucherait cette fois à ses activités énergétiques et pourrait conduire à un blocus partiel de ses exportations de gaz et de pétrole non raffiné.

L'ambassadeur iranien auprès de l'AIEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, a aussitôt évoqué des «conséquences», tout en assurant que l'Iran «ne sortirait pas du traité de non-prolifération» (TNP). Moment charnière >>> De correspondant du Figaro à Vienne, Maurin Picard | Vendredi 27 Novembre 2009

The former St Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta, Cyprus, was converted into a mosque. It is now the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque. Photograph: Google Images
Vatican Condemns 'Immoral' Church Conversions
THE TELEGRAPH: The Vatican has expressed alarm over the "immoral" trend for churches to be converted into bars and nightclubs.

The head of the culture department, Archbishop Gianfranco Ravisi, cited a church in Hungary which was deconsecrated and sold off to become a strip club.

"It has now become a nightclub and a stripper performs her finale on the altar each evening," he said.

The archbishop, who is president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said dwindling numbers of worshippers meant some churches had to be sold or even demolished.

"Faced with falling number of worshippers, a phenomenon which we are also unfortunately witnessing in the centre of Rome, churches without any artistic value and which need significant work can be sold or destroyed," he said.

But he said dioceses should exercise "great caution" in ensuring that the buildings were not used for immoral purposes.

The Roman Catholic Church was offering no specific guidelines and each case should be carefully assessed on its own merits, he said. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Friday, November 27, 2009

Mein Kampf a Hit on Dhaka Streets
BBC: Booksellers touting their wares amid the heavy traffic in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, have discovered an unusual best-seller.

Adolf Hitler's autobiography manifesto Mein Kampf is selling as well as Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol.

The street vendors in Dhaka are found at every major road junction and intersection.

Most of the sellers are young boys and many compete with beggars to attract the attention of motorists.

Last week, Mein Kampf did unusually well because many bought the book to give it away as an Eid present. >>> Alastair Lawson, BBC News, Dhaka | Friday, November 27, 2009

Eid Al-Adha: Pilger steinigen den Teufel
20MINUTEN.ch: Rund drei Millionen muslimische Pilger aus aller Welt haben mit der symbolischen Steinigung des Teufels begonnen.

Tausende Pilger steinigen symbolisch den Teufel in Mekka. Bild: 20Minuten.ch
Dazu zogen sie in einem Wüstental vor den Toren Mekkas an drei Mauern vorbei, die sie mit Steinen bewarfen. Der erste Tag der Steinigung markiert auch den Beginn des Opferfestes, an dem Muslime in aller Welt Schafe und andere Tiere schlachten - in Erinnerung an Abrahams beinahe vollbrachtes Opfer seines Sohns. >>> ap | Freitag, 27. November 2009

HAMBURGER ABENDBLATT – FOTOGALERIE: >>>

Attention à tous les musulmans! Le zoo de Varsovie installe une cage à homme préhistorique
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: POLOGNE | Le jardin zoologique de Varsovie a inauguré une "cage à homme des cavernes" abritant un couple déguisé en humains préhistoriques, pour rappeler que "l'homme est aussi un animal".

Enfermés dans une ancienne cage à singes, vêtus de peaux d'animaux, un homme et une femme passent leurs journées à s'épouiller mutuellement, à veiller sur le feu et à observer attentivement les gens qui passent devant leur enclos.

Pour jouer ces rôles, la direction a fait appel à des volontaires, une jeune femme de 18 ans et un homme de 24 ans.

"Nos hommes des cavernes sont très calmes et gentils. Ils ne mordent pas. Ils sont anxieux de voir autant d'inconnus passer devant leur habitation", a expliqué à l'AFP Ewa Zbornikowska, vice-directrice du zoo de Varsovie. >>> AFP | Vendredi 27 Novembre 2009

Islamkritiker: Geert Wilders – Der fluchende Holländer
WELT ONLINE: Im Januar nächsten Jahres will der niederländische Abgeordnete, Parteichef und radikale Islamkritiker Geert Wilders die Türkei besuchen. Das ist eine wunderbare Gelegenheit für ihn und die islamisch geprägte türkische Regierungspartei AKP, ihre Popularitätswerte zu steigern, indem sie wüst übereinander herfallen.

Schimpft sich seinen Weg in die Türkei: Der Islamkritiker Geert Wilders. Bild: Welt Online
Anfang 2010 will der niederländische Islamkritiker Geert Wilders die Türkei besuchen. Für ihn und die islamisch geprägte türkische Regierungspartei AKP ist das eine wunderbare Gelegenheit, mühelos ihre Popularitätswerte zu steigern, indem sie wüst übereinander herfallen.

Die türkische Regierung betrachte „die Gedanken dieses Individuums“ als „rassistisch und inakzeptabel“, sagte Außenamtssprecher Burak Özügergin während einer Pressekonferenz. Obwohl noch keine Entscheidung gefallen sei, denn über eine derart politische Angelegenheit könne schließlich „nicht im Außenministerium entschieden“ werden. Darum erwäge man, Wilders die Einreise zu verweigern.

Er will als Mitglied einer Parlamentarierdelegation kommen, aber wer wird schon auf die Abgeordneten und ihre gemessenen Worte achten, wenn man über den provokativen Wilders berichten kann? Es sei „unfair für die guten Beziehungen beider Länder“, wenn Wilders’ Anwesenheit den Zweck des ganzen Besuchs verzerre. >>> Boris Kalnoky | Donnerstag, 26. November 2009

Liebesfest von zwei Brüdern in der Politik: Chávez und Ahmadinedschad!

Why do Arab Men Hold Hands?

Nose Jobs in Iran

Swiss to Vote on Mosque Minarets Ban
THE GUARDIAN: Minarets on mosques are 'symbol of political power' claims rightwing campaign denounced by opponents as racist

A minaret on the roof of a Turkish cultural centre in Wangen bei Olten, north-western Switzerland. Photograph: The Guardian
The Swiss are to decide this weekend whether to ban minarets on mosques, in what is in effect the first direct vote in a European country on Islam and the practices of Muslims.

The controversial referendum on Sunday, accompanied by a prohibition campaign denounced as racist and in violation of human rights, is the latest tussle in Europe over the limits of multiculturalism and immigrant lifestyles.

Pushed by anti-immigrant rightwing populists, it has triggered months of debate in a country that uses direct democracy for single-issue politics. The referendum has turned into much more than a vote on architecture and urban planning.

"The minaret has got nothing to do with religion. It's a symbol of political power, a prelude to the introduction of sharia law," argued Ulrich Schlüer, of the rightwing Swiss People's party, an architect of the campaign.

Two years ago the SPP became the strongest party in Switzerland, with an anti-immigrant election campaign that featured posters of three white sheep kicking a black sheep off a red and white Swiss flag. UN experts and human rights activists condemned the campaign as overtly racist.

This time the SPP has plastered the country with posters showing the same flag as a base for several black minarets, portrayed as missiles, alongside a woman clad in a black burqa. Church leaders, the Jewish community and Muslim leaders have all opposed the campaign. The foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, warned that a vote in favour risked turning Switzerland into "a target for Islamic terrorism". The city of Basel and other towns have proscribed the incendiary posters.

Amnesty International said: "Freedom of religious belief is a basic human right and changing the Swiss constitution to ban the construction of minarets would clearly breach the rights of the country's Muslims."

UN human rights experts have said the proposed ban violates freedom of religion and liberty. The Swiss justice minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, has agreed, declaring that it would breach anti-discrimination laws and rights to free religious observance, raising the question of why the campaign has been allowed. >>> Ian Traynor, Europe editor | Thursday, November 26, 2009

Mandelson Shows Labour Is a Party Rotten with Decadence
MAIL ONLINE: The sumptuous home of financier Jacob Rothschild, Waddesdon Manor, has long been famed as one of Britain's most magnificent country houses.

But for all its splendour and beauty, the estate has this week been associated with an extraordinary weekend shooting party which symbolises the decadence, corruption and moral collapse of modern British socialism.

No novelist would have dared to invent such an occasion. The host was a leading member of the world's richest and most famous banking dynasty. The guests included the son of a bloodthirsty and oil-rich Arab dictator, and the discredited wife of a former British prime minister.

And totally at home in all this gilded opulence was the remarkable figure of Lord Mandelson, former Young Communist, far Left activist, major player in three successive Labour election victories and right-hand man to Gordon Brown.

One might have expected such a figure to have been repelled by so much opulence and wealth. Instead, Mandelson clearly revels in it. The drab lives of the hard-working men and women who placed their faith in Labour at three consecutive general elections hold no appeal to him.

Mandelson now only seems truly at home in grand country houses or on the yachts of billionaires such as his Russian oligarch friend Oleg Deripaska, whose guest he was during the summer of 2008.

The truth is that his attendance at a shooting party with Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi's son is a perfect parable of the decadent Left's embrace of everything it claims to despise.

Nor is Mandelson an exception. Practically every member of Tony Blair's Cabinet which took office in 1997 has since sold out to wealth and power.

Blair himself is a perfect example. Since leaving office, he has become a popular member of the international plutocracy; a consultant to an investment bank who has earned an estimated £15 million since leaving Downing Street.

While at No 10, Blair was shamefully attracted to extremely rich men. On one occasion, government policy was even changed after the tycoon Bernie Ecclestone donated £1 million to the Labour Party.

Peerages were for sale under his government, while his wife Cherie blatantly profiteered from her status of First Lady by accepting free gifts and discounts from retailers. >>> Peter Oborne | Friday, November 27, 2009

Dubai Tries to Stem Panic as Financial Crisis Shakes Investors Around World
THE GUARDIAN: FTSE 100 opens down 70 points before regaining ground / Japan's Nikkei closes down 3.2%; Hang Seng falls 5.3%

The Dubai financial crisis continued to send shares and commodities falling around the world this morning, despite efforts by the emirate's ruling family to calm the panic.

In London, the FTSE 100 tumbled by 70 points, or nearly 1.4%, to 5123 when trading began – but by 9.15am had erased nearly all of its losses. HSBC and Barclays were among the biggest fallers, along with mining companies.

There was also a bout of heavy selling in Asia. The Nikkei 225 closed 3.2% lower, with Japan's biggest banks leading the fallers. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell by 5.3%.

Major building firms in Asia also fell sharply, as traders anticipated that the Dubai building boom was over.

Predictions that Dubai could drag the world economy downwards again knocked $5.50 off the price of a barrel of oil, to $72.49.

Yesterday the FTSE 100 suffered its worst day's trading since March, falling by 170 points. This followed the news that Dubai World – the government-owned conglomerate that has led the dramatic growth in the Emirate – has asked to defer repaying some debts for six months.

It is still unclear whether Dubai World will default on its $80bn debts, which would be a major blow to the banking sector, or be bailed out by the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, the uncle of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, attempted to calm the situation last night. >>> Graeme Wearden | Friday, November 27, 2009

Pupils Suspended for 'Kick a Jew Day'
THE TELEGRAPH: Pupils at a school in Florida have been suspended after taking part in a "Kick a Jew Day".

Ten students at North Naples Middle School were sent home for a day after a girl told the head teacher that she believed she had been kicked for being Jewish, prompting further instances to come to light.

Florida passed strict anti-bullying laws last year and schools that do not do enough to stop it risk losing their state funding.

Margaret Jackson, the school's head teacher, has responded to the kicking incident by setting aside the first 20 minutes of each day to teaching students – aged 12 to 15 – about kindness, respect and ways of preventing bullying.

David Barkey of the Florida Anti-Defamation League said the organisation had been consulted over the incident. >>> Tom Leonard in New York | Thursday, November 26, 2009

Ed Balls Comes Out Fighting - for 'Racist' Islamic Schools
THE TELEGRAPH: A trustee of one of the schools which Ed Balls is defending has written in a Hizb ut Tahrir journal condemning the "corrupt western concepts of materialism and freedom," observes Andrew Gilligan.

We connoisseurs of Ed Balls, a small but happy band, know from experience that the moment he gets that complacent little smile playing round his lips is the time to set the video; the moment when Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is once more about to walk, unknowingly, into an open manhole.

Mr Balls has been having good sport with the Tories this week. On Newsnight on Wednesday, the little smile was in full operation as he expressed mock sympathy with their communities spokesman, Paul Goodman, for having to defend the "factual errors" and "irresponsible politics" of his leader, David Cameron, in the row over Islamic schools.

The Tories should have "checked their facts", he chided. Ofsted, he told Radio 4, "have satisfied themselves that there were not problems in these schools". The whole episode "casts real doubt on David Cameron's judgment", he said, sorrowfully.

Cameron had said that two schools run by members or activists of a thoroughly nasty extremist organisation, Hizb ut Tahrir, had been paid £113,000 of public money. The allegationcame from a story of mine in the Telegraph four weeks ago.

The central charge is perfectly true, thoroughly documented – and a scandal. But Cameron made some mistakes in the detail, sending the Westminster media chasing down one of their classic "process issue" cul-de-sacs (whether the schools were registered, and which particular part of the Whitehall cake this slice of cash had come from) and allowing Balls to launch his attack on Cameron. He clearly thought he'd scored a bullseye: one-nil to the forces of Gordon. >>> Andrew Gilligan | Friday, November 27, 2009

Though Liberals Moan and Lefties Sneer, We’ll Stop the Red Flag Flying Here
Che Guevara and red flags at a May Day parade by the Polish Communist Party in Warsaw six years ago. The proposed law will ban any display of communist symbols appearing ever again. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Down come the cheesy Che Guevara posters in student bedsits across the land. Off come the T-shirts wittily emblazoned with a hammer and sickle.

Twenty years after Eastern Europe toppled statues of Lenin, the Polish Government is about to finish the job by making it all but impossible to wave the red flag — even in jest.

Up to two years in jail await anyone glorifying communism according to an amendment to Article 256 of the Polish criminal code — the race-hate article — which is likely to come into force next year. The ban outlaws “the production, distribution, sale or possession ... in print, recordings or other means of fascist, communist or other symbols of totalitarianism”. So if you planned to sing the Internationale while marching down the centre of Warsaw to the old communist headquarters — now housing financial services companies — forget it.

The revised Bill has already passed the Polish Senate. President Kaczynski has to sign it into law by Monday and no one in Warsaw seriously believes that he will hesitate.

His twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of the opposition Law and Justice party, has made his view clear: “No symbol of communism has a right to exist in Poland because these are symbols of a genocidal system that should be compared to Nazism.” >>> Roger Boyes | Friday, November 27, 2009

Roman Polanski to Be Freed on Bail, Swiss Government Says
THE TELEGRAPH: Roman Polanski will be released on bail and placed under house arrest at his chalet in the Alps, the Swiss government has said.

The justice ministry said in a statement released on Thursday that Polanski will be transferred as soon as possible.

A Swiss court granted the film director his wish to be released on a bail of $4.5 million (£2.6m) and the government has decided not to challenge that decision.

"Polanski will be released from custody as soon as bail has been transferred, ID and travel documents have been lodged, and the electronic monitoring system has been installed and tested," the ministry said.

The bail, however, does not affect the justice ministry's pending decision on whether to extradite the 76-year-old director to the United States for having sex in Los Angeles in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

He pleaded guilty to having sex with the girl but fled the United States in 1978 before he was sentenced because he believed a judge might overrule a plea bargain and sentence him to 50 years in prison.

Acting on a US warrant, Swiss police detained Polanski on when he arrived at Zurich airport on September 26 to attend a film festival where he was to receive a special award. >>> | Thursday, November 26, 2009