Thursday, May 21, 2015

Le guide suprême refuse l'inspection de sites

L'ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Iran – Le guide suprême Ali Khamenei a exclu mercredi l'inspection de sites militaires de Téhéran et l'interrogation de scientifiques iraniens.

Cette déclaration survient alors que l'Iran est en pleines négociations avec les grandes puissances sur un accord nucléaire qui doit être finalisé avant fin juin.

«Nous avons déjà dit que nous ne permettrons aucune inspection des sites militaires de la part des étrangers (...). Ils disent aussi qu'il faut autoriser des interviews avec les scientifiques nucléaires. C'est de l'interrogatoire», a déclaré l'ayatollah Khamenei qui s'exprimait lors d'une cérémonie de remise de diplômes à des cadets militaires.

Il a assuré qu'aucun «gouvernement intelligent» ne permettrait une telle chose et qu'il fallait résister «face à ces demandes excessives». Les autres pays «cachent l'identité même de leurs scientifiques nucléaires», a-t-il ajouté. » | mercredi 20 mai 2015

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Palmyra: IS Threat to 'Venice of the Sands'

Palmyra is one of the best-known ancient sites in the world
BBC AMERICA: Palmyra is in danger. As Islamic State fighters clash with Syrian government forces around the historic site, it is worth considering what the loss of this wonder, dubbed the "Venice of the Sands", would mean for the world's cultural heritage.

Palmyra is the last place anyone would expect to find a forest of stone columns and arches. Travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries were repeatedly astonished by what they saw: a vast field of ruins in the middle of the Syrian desert, roughly half-way between the Mediterranean coast and the valley of the River Euphrates.

For anyone visiting, however, the key reason for the site's prosperity is immediately apparent: ancient Palmyra sits at the edge of an oasis of date palms and gardens.

It was as a watering place on a trade route from the east that Palmyra's story begins, and the very name Palmyra refers to the date palms that still dominate the area (the origin of its Semitic name, Tadmor, is less certain; a derivation from tamar - date palm - is favoured). » | By Prof Kevin Butcher *, Warwick University | Friday, May 15, 2015

* Kevin Butcher is a Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick and a specialist in the Roman Near East. He is author of Roman Syria and the Near East (2003).

Islamic State 'Enters Town Next to Syria's Palmyra'

Rising out of the Syrian desert, Palmyra contains the
monumental ruins of a great city
BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants are reported to have seized a third of the Syrian town next to Palmyra, one of the the Middle East's greatest archaeological sites.

Activists said IS had overrun much of the north of Tadmur after fierce clashes with government forces.

Syria's head of antiquities said the world had a responsibility to save Palmyra, a Unesco World Heritage site.

Hundreds of statues had been moved to safety, but large monuments could not be moved, Maamoun Abdul Karim warned.

IS militants have ransacked and demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including Hatra and Nimrud, leading to fears that it might attempt to damage or destroy Palmyra. » | Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Almost a Third of School Pupils Believe 'Muslims Are Taking Over Our Country', Study Claims


THE INDEPENDENT: Charity sent questionnaires to just under 6,000 pupils across England

Almost a third of schoolchildren believe that Muslims are “taking over our country” according to the largest study of its kind carried out in the UK.

A survey of almost 6,000 children aged 10 to 16 across England found that negative attitudes towards migrants and Muslims were widespread among school pupils. » | Rose Ytroup Buchanan | Tuesday, May 19, 2015

'A Crime Is a Crime Is a Crime': Tony Abbott Warns No Mercy for Remorseful Jihadis


THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Remorseful jihadis who have joined Islamic State but want to return home will be welcomed back only to a jail cell, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned.

Three Australians who have joined Islamic State in Syria or Iraq are in talks with the government about potentially returning home.

Officials are suspicious about whether the trio is genuinely reformed and the immediate danger they could pose for embassy staff in the event they were assisted in coming back to Australia.

Mr Abbott said the men would be "arrested, prosecuted and jailed" should they return home, because they could easily "become a terrorist in Australia".

"A crime is a crime is a crime," Mr Abbott said. » | Latika Bourke, Marissa Calligeros | Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Aldi Apologises after Black Pudding Is Incorrectly Labelled as Halal-certified

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Muslim customers were left fuming by the blunder that saw supposedly halal black pudding being sold containing pig blood and skins

A supermarket chain has apologised after a black pudding product was incorrectly labelled as halal-certified.

Muslim customers at Aldi were left fuming by the blunder that saw supposedly halal black pudding being sold containing pig blood and skins, the Mirror reported. Pork is forbidden in Islam.

"This is absolutely outrageous and I am deeply offended by this," Manahil Khan told the Mirror.

"I am pretty sure many others of the Muslim community are also very offended by this.

"It is demoralising and goes against one's religious morals and scripture.... and I speak on behalf of every Muslim and human that does not deserve to be misled by any sort of false claim of halal food or lies about what we consume."

Manufacturer Punjab Pakora, based in Ayr, apologised for the incident, saying it was a printing mistake which had now been rectified, as did Aldi. Read on and comment » | Agency | Monday, May 18, 2015

Monday, May 18, 2015

Saudi Arabia a 'Prime Target' for Islamic State


Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led coalition battling the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria.

However there has long been concern that ultra-conservative Saudi theologians foster the ideology that fuels such Islamist extremism. Barbara Plett Usher reports.


Why Saudi Arabia Has Lost Faith in the US

Gulf leaders perceive the Americans to be naive when
it comes to Iran
BBC AMERICA: One key sentence in President Barack Obama's press conference at Camp David last week clearly illustrates the gulf between Washington and its allies on the Arabian Peninsula when it comes to Iran.

"We gave [our allies] our best analysis of the enormous needs that Iran has internally and the commitment that Iran has made to its people in terms of shoring up its economy and improving economic growth," said President Obama, when asked about concerns that Iran would use the money from sanctions relief for nefarious aims in the region.

He added that "most of the destabilising activity that Iran engages in is low-tech, low-cost activity".

It was just as well that Mr Obama gave the press conference on his own. The Gulf leaders had just departed after a full day of talks at the Maryland retreat or they would have had a hard time resisting a collective eye roll at what they perceive to be American naivety about Tehran.

As it pursues a nuclear deal with Iran, Washington has been trying hard not to adhere to the positions, fears and sometimes paranoia of Arab countries vis-à-vis Iran.

At Camp David, the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council received assurances that Washington had their backs, with pledges about more military cooperation and hardware. But nothing can bridge what are essentially opposing world views.

Riyadh has accepted that there is little it can do about stopping a nuclear deal, but it's gearing up to push back more forcefully against its arch-nemesis, as Tehran boasts of a new Persian empire with influence over four capitals: Beirut, Baghdad, Damascus and Sanaa. » | Kim Ghattas, BBC News, Washington | Monday, May 18, 2015

«Homeschooling» - Privatschule für kleine Leute


Mütter oder Väter, die ihre Kinder zu Hause unterrichten, machen «Homeschooling». In der Schweiz ist dieses nicht einheitlich geregelt. Als besonders liberal bei der Zulassung von Heimunterricht gelten die Kantone Bern, Aargau und Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Im Appenzellerland hat sich die Zahl der Kinder, die daheim zur Schule gehen, vervielfacht.

Schwule Ehen im katholischen Irland


Die homosexuelle soll der heterosexuellen Ehe gleichgestellt werden: Über drei Millionen Bürgerinnen und Bürger der Republik Irland sind am 22. Mai aufgerufen, über diesen Verfassungszusatz abzustimmen. Meinungsumfragen verheissen der Reform einen klaren Durchbruch.

Anjem Choudary: Bill O’Reilly Defiles Islam


BREITBART.COM: (THE UNITED WEST) According to UK Imam Anjem Choudary, Bill O’Reilly has defiled Islam by displaying the image of the Islamic Prophet Isa (Jesus) in his movie and Killing Jesus. Choudary stated, “The depiction of Mohammad, Moses, or Isa requires the death penalty.” » | Breitbart TV | Thursday, May 07, 2015

French Mayor Suspended after Calling for Islam to Be Banned

THE INDEPENDENT: Robert Chardon tweeted the extreme view as part of a discussion with former president Nicolas Sarkozy

A French mayor has been suspended from his party after calling for the country to ban Islam.

Robert Chardon, the UMP mayor of Venelles in southern France, tweeted: “The Muslim religion must be banned in France” and added that anyone practising the religion must be “immediately escorted to the border”.

He also claimed Islam will be banned in France by 2027. » | Ben Tuffy | Sunday, May 17, 2015

Related »

Saudi Arabia Advertises for Eight New Executioners


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic kingdom advertises for eight new executioners amid sharp increase in number of death sentences

Saudi Arabia is advertising for eight new executioners, recruiting extra staff to carry out an increasing number of death sentences, usually done by public beheading.

No special qualifications are needed for the jobs whose main role is "executing a judgement of death" but also involve performing amputations on those convicted of lesser offences, the advert, posted on the civil service jobs portal, said. » | Reuters | Monday, May 18, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Steep rise in Saudi Arabia executions as 2015 tally reaches 45: The Gulf kingdom has executed 80 people annually since 2011, with 87 recorded in 2014 » | AFP | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Queen's Germany Trip Will Include Tour of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp

During her trip to the concentration and prisoner of war camps,
the Queen will lay a wreath at a memorial dedicated to Anne Frank.
THE GUARDIAN: British monarch to visit site, liberated by British troops 70 years ago, as part of four-day trip which will also involve a meeting with chancellor Angela Merkel

The Queen will visit the site of the Bergen-Belsen prisoner of war and concentration camps during her state visit to Germany, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The camps were liberated 70 years ago by British troops and the Queen will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh during her tour of the site, now a memorial to those who died at the hands of the Nazis. It will be a personal and reflective visit for the monarch and will be kept low-key.

British troops arrived at the site in northern Germany on 15 April, 1945 to find thousands of unburied bodies and severely ill prisoners who had been interned there.

Tens of thousands of prisoners from across Europe were killed at Bergen-Belsen or died following is liberation as a result of their treatment. » | Press Association | Sunday, May 17, 2015

Verwandt »

Royaler Reiseplan in Deutschland: So bekommen Sie ein Date mit der Queen

Queen Elizabeth und Prinz Philip: Vier Tage zu Besuch in Deutschland
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Staatsbankett, Sightseeing und viel Bürgernähe: Der Terminplan für die Deutschlandreise von Queen Elizabeth II. steht. In vier Tagen besucht die Monarchin drei Städte - und sucht noch Menschen, die sich mit ihr treffen wollen.

Deutschland bekommt wieder Besuch von einer Königin - und nun steht auch fest, wo Queen Elizabeth II. und Prinz Philip sich im Juni zeigen werden. Laut offiziellem Reiseplan bereisen die 89-Jährige und ihr vier Jahre älterer Ehemann drei Bundesländer in vier Tagen. Vom 23. bis 26. Juni kommen die beiden nach Berlin und nach Frankfurt am Main, sie besichtigen die KZ-Gedenkstätte Bergen-Belsen bei Celle und treffen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel sowie Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck.

"Das Programm ist so angelegt, dass möglichst viele Menschen Gelegenheit erhalten, die Königin zu sehen", versicherte der britische Botschafter Simon McDonald. Zuletzt hatte die Queen Deutschland 2004 besucht. » | brk/dpa | Montag, 18. Mai 2015

Islamic State 'Seizes Iraqi City of Ramadi'


BBC AMERICA: The Iraqi city of Ramadi has fallen to Islamic State (IS) after government forces abandoned their positions, officials say.

The police and military made a chaotic retreat after days of intense fighting.

But the US refused to confirm the capture, saying the situation was "fluid and contested" and it was too early to make "definitive statements".

Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar, and is just 70 miles (112km) west of Baghdad.

A statement purportedly from IS said its fighters had "purged the entire city". It said IS had taken the 8th Brigade army base, along with tanks and missile launchers left behind by troops.

A very well-placed source in the Anbar governor's office told the BBC Ramadi was now under the full control of Islamic State, and all government troops had withdrawn. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, May 17, 2015

Sunday, May 17, 2015

L'Europe divorcée sur le mariage homo


LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE: François Clemenceau, rédacteur en chef du service "International" du JDD, décrypte chaque semaine les photos de l'actualité mondiale ou de ses coulisses. Cette semaine, il revient sur le mariage gay, qui divise l'Europe.

Les Irlandais s’apprêtent à voter par référendum le 22 mai pour ou contre la légalisation du mariage homosexuel. Le oui est en tête dans les sondages, et s’il l’emporte, l’Irlande sera le 12ème pays membre de l’Union européenne à autoriser le mariage gay. Mais il reste encore une dizaine d’Etats réfractaires, et pas forcément pour des raisons religieuses.

C’est d’ailleurs intéressant de noter que parmi les premiers pays à avoir adopté le mariage homosexuel depuis 2001, certains abritent des populations à forte pratique religieuse. C’est le cas de l’Espagne en 2005 ou du Portugal en 2010. En France, en revanche, où la pratique religieuse est en baisse, il a fallu attendre 2013. Idem pour la Finlande qui a légalisé le mariage gay cette année et qui attendra 2017 pour sa mise en œuvre. » | François Clemenceau - leJDD.fr | samedi 16 mai 2015

A Palmyre, "la perte d'un trésor inestimable"

LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE: INTERVIEW - Cheikhmous Ali, docteur en archéologie du Proche-Orient ancien et fondateur de l’Association pour la protection de l’archéologie syrienne, s’alarme de la situation à Palmyre.

La cité antique de Palmyre, chef-d'œuvre archéologique miraculeusement préservé au cœur du désert syrien, sera-t-elle à son tour victime de la guerre civile qui déchire le pays depuis 2011? Samedi soir, les djihadistes du groupe État islamique, déjà auteurs de destructions de sites emblématiques comme Nimroud, Hatra ou ­Mossoul, auraient pris le contrôle du nord de la ville selon l'Observatoire syrien des Droits de l'homme. Dimanche, les forces armée du régime ont repoussé les djihadistes au nord de la ville. L'Unesco, qui a classé le site au patrimoine mondial de l'humanité en 1980, avait sonné l'alerte vendredi. En contact quotidien depuis la France avec ses correspondants à Palmyre, l'archéologue d'origine syrienne Cheikhmous Ali est consterné. » | Juliette Demey - Le Journal du Dimanche | dimanche 17 mai 2015

Charlie Hebdo Accused of Hypocrisy as It Suspends Journalist after Death Threats over Her Articles Attacking Islam

Charlie Hebdo columnist Zineb El Rhazoui, 33, (center) has
been suspended by the satirical magazine
DAILY MAIL: Charlie Hebdo columnist Zineb El Rhazoui, 33, has been suspended / She has received death threats for her articles attacking Islamic extremism / Thousands have accused magazine of 'hypocrisy' for not supporting writer / Mrs El Rhazoui 'shocked' by decision which comes months after attack

Satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been accused of hypocrisy after it suspended a journalist who has received death threats for her articles attacking Islamic extremism.

Zineb El Rhazoui, 33, was called to a preliminary dismissal hearing to remind her of her 'obligations' towards the French weekly following 'numerous incidents'.

The French-Moroccan columnist accused her employers of trying to 'punish her' for speaking out about the direction of the magazine four months after the jihadist attack which left 12 dead.

'I am shocked and appalled that a management that has received so much support after the January attacks could show so little support for one of its employees, who is under pressure like everyone in the team and has faced threats,' she told Le Monde.

'My husband lost his job and had to leave Morocco because the jihadists revealed his workplace. I am under threat and having to live with friends or in a hotel and the management is thinking of firing me. Bravo Charlie.'

The move has prompted outrage on social media with thousands calling the decision 'absurd' and bewildering'. Read on and comment » | Jenny Awford for MailOnline | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Islamists Warn of Backlash over Mohamed Morsi Death Sentence


THE OBSERVER: Muslim Brotherhood say prison break sentences are act of revenge by Egyptian regime as crackdown intensifies


Egyptian Islamists have warned that the world should brace itself for a backlash after the country’s first freely elected president, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, was given a provisional death sentence nearly two years after he was overthrown by the army following mass protests against his rule.

Morsi was among over 100 men sentenced to death on Saturday for allegedly escaping prison during the 2011 uprising that toppled Morsi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. Morsi and his colleagues were convicted of conspiring with Hamas, the Brotherhood’s Palestinian offshoot, whom judges decided had helped the prisoners leave jail in January 2011.

The sentence is provisional until the government’s most senior Islamic cleric gives his opinion. A final decision is due on 2 June. Even if the execution is upheld, analysts doubt that the Egyptian regime will follow through with such a provocative act. In a separate espionage case on Saturday, Morsi was sentenced to life in prison and, in a third case last month, to 20 years for incitement to violence. » | Patrick Kingsley in Cairo | Saturday, May 16, 2015