The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Showing posts with label mosque construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mosque construction. Show all posts
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Italy: Muslims Thank Italian Bishops Leader for Backing Milan Mosque
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL: Milan - Italy's largest Muslim group has sent a message to Italy's highest ranking bishop to thank him for his organisation's support for a project to construct a mosque in Milan, the country's conservative business hub.
In the message to Angelo Bagnasco, who leads Italy's Bishops' Conference (CEI), the UCOII said: "We are relieved and immensely grateful for the position voiced by senior officials from the Italian Bishops' Conference in support of official places of worship for Muslims, an issue which nowadays has wrongly become a political hot potato."
"The brotherly solidarity of the great majority of Christians, which we have experienced at thousands of inter-faith gatherings and debates, has been strongly confirmed," the statement added.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday during the CEI's general assembly at the Vatican, CEI secretary-general Mariano Crociata said the Catholic Church backed "the right to freedom of worship and places of worship to exercise this fundamental right". » | AKI | Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Bloggingheads: Islamic Triumphalism?
Joshua Cohen, left, of Stanford University and James Pinkerton of Fox News debate the mosque near ground zero
Imam Criticized for NY Mosque Embarks on U.S. Speaking Tour
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Photo: Reuters
REUTERS: The New York imam whose proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque near "Ground Zero" has stirred opposition is embarking on a U.S. speaking tour where he intends to correct misperceptions about his aims.
"The sentiment around Muslims and Islam, about who we are and what we are about, is something that cannot wait and must be dealt with," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf said.
"We want to make it clear who we are and where we stand," he said. "We are part of this narrative for the worse, and we need to be part of it for the better."
But opponents say Rauf's debut in Detroit on Saturday before the Islamic Society of North America is indicative of his extremism, and his tour of universities and religious institutions amounts to blatant fund-raising for a widely condemned project. >>> Andrew Smith, Chicago | Thursday, January 13, 2011
Spain Goes on Mosque-Building Spree: Churches Forced to Close
HUDSON NEW YORK: The city of Barcelona, widely known as a European Mecca of anti-clerical postmodernism, has agreed to build an official mega-mosque with a capacity for thousands of Muslim worshipers. The new structure would rival the massive Islamic Cultural Center in Madrid, currently the biggest mosque in Spain. An official in the office of the Mayor of Barcelona says the objective is to increase the visibility of Muslims in Spain, as well as to promote the "common values between Islam and Europe."
The Barcelona mosque project is just one of dozens of new mosques that are in various stages of construction across Spain. Overall, there are now thirteen mega-mosques in Spain, and more than 1000 smaller mosques and prayer centers scattered across the country, the majority of which are located in Catalonia in northeastern Spain.
The Muslim building spree reflects the rising influence of Islam in Spain, where the Muslim population has jumped to an estimated 1.5 million in 2010, up from just 100,000 in 1990, thanks to massive immigration. The construction of new mosques comes at a time when municipalities linked to the Socialist Party have closed dozens of Christian churches across Spain by way of new zoning laws that several courts have now ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional. It also comes at a time of growing anti-Semitism in Spain.
The Barcelona mosque project was announced during a weeklong seminar titled " Muslims and European Values," jointly sponsored by the European Council of Moroccan Ulemas [Muslim religious scholars], based in Brussels, and the Union of Islamic Cultural Centers in Catalonia, based in Barcelona. A representative of the Barcelona mayor's office who attended the conference told the Madrid-based El País newspaper that the municipality would get involved in the mosque project because "although religion pertains to the private realm, this does not mean it does not have a public role." >>> Soeren Kern | Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Saudi King 'In Talks to Buy Disused New York Hospital to Move Mosque Away From Ground Zero'
MAIL ONLINE: The King of Saudi Arabia is said to be in talks with New York officials about a plan to move the controversial Ground Zero mosque to a disused medical centre.
Lawyer Dudley Gaffin claims King Abdullah is considering buying St Vincent's Medical Center in the West Village to build an Islamic cultural centre on the site.
Under the proposals, the hospital would also be saved with units shut when it filed for bankruptcy in April reopened, the New York Post reported.
Sources said that Mr Gaffin has come up with the plan in a bid to head off the Rudin Organization, which is trying to buy St Vincent's with a view to constructing luxury housing.
One community leader, who did not want to be identified, told the newspaper: 'He's asking what it would take to put in a bid.
'He says the king wants to do this as a PR move - to save the hospital and move the mosque away from the World Trade Center site.
'He wants to show that Muslims can do good works.' Read on and comment >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Monday, December 20, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
EDL and UAF Protest
LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH: THE English Defence League is holding a demonstration in Preston today against a planned new mosque.
A counter-demonstration against the EDL, organised by Preston Trades Council and Unite Against Fascism, will take place at the same time.
Police say they will have a 'highly-visible police presence throughout the day' to try to avoid the flashpoints of trouble that have occurred at similar events elsewhere, including Bolton. >>> Paul Cockerton, Web editor | Saturday, November 27, 2010
Ground Zero Mosque Developers Apply for Federal Funding
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The developers of an Islamic community centre and mosque near Ground Zero in New York have applied for millions of dollars in public money from a post-September 11 reconstruction fund.
Interior view of the proposed Park51 community center and mosque. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Park 51 group has risked reigniting a debate over its project by requesting the grant, which is reported to total $5 million (£3.1 million), from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.
Its plan to build a base for local Muslims two blocks away from the World Trade Centre site is opposed by a majority of Americans, polls suggest, and has been criticised by high-profile Republican politicians.
President Barack Obama was also criticised after endorsing the project before backtracking and saying he had only meant that it was legally entitled to go ahead.
Sharif El-Gamal, the 15-storey project's lead developer, is now seeking public money through the Corporation's $17 million "community and cultural enhancement" programme. >>> Jon Swaine in New York | Tuesday, November 23, 2010
‘Ground Zero Mosque’ Outrage
FOX NEWS – LIVESHOTS: He wants your money. The developer of the so called "Ground Zero Mosque" is applying for federal taxpayer money to help him build the controversial and contentious project. The funds are designated to help lower Manhattan recover from the 9-11 terrorist attacks, which took place just around the corner from the proposed mosque and cultural center location.
Sharif El-Gamal, the head of SOHO Properties, says the money will be used for a variety of services for Park51, as the project is called.
In a statement, El-Gamal said he is, "…committed to exploring all sources of revenue and funding to build the community center," noting that the request for a reported $5 million would help provide "social service programs....such as domestic violence prevention, Arabic and other foreign language classes, programs and services for homeless veterans, two multi-cultural arts exhibits and immigration services."
El-Gamal did not specify exactly how much of the taxpayers' funds would be allocated to "build the community center."
"It's absolutely disgraceful," said an angry Congressman Peter King (R-NY) who is likely to be the new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Read on and comment >>> Eric Shawn | Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Federal Aid for 'Ground Zero Mosque'?
Park51 developers apply for $5 million federal grant
THE ECONOMIST: Middle Tennessee puts Islam on trial
A theological debate. Photograph: The Economist
IN NOVEMBER 2009 the Islamic Centre of Murfreesboro bought a parcel of land on which it planned to build a new mosque and community centre. The congregation had outgrown its current space in a small office building behind a surveying company and a car mechanic; on Fridays congregants pray outside on the pavement, and during holidays they have to rent a space elsewhere to fit everyone in.
In January “NOT WELCOME” was spray-painted on a sign placed on the site announcing it as the future home of the Islamic Centre of Murfreesboro. The sign was vandalised again in June, one week after a contentious county commission hearing at which a local pastor declared, “We have a duty to investigate anyone under the banner of Islam.” The same month a Republican candidate for Congress from Murfreesboro declared herself “opposed to the idea of an Islamic training centre being built in our community”. In August construction equipment at the site was set alight. >>> | Thursday, November 18, 2010
THE JERUSALEM POST – BLOG – ELWOOD MCQUAID: When concessions are the fruit of fear, the bullies always win.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, leader of the crusade to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, trashed his “moderate” pose when he disregarded millions of concerned Americans and declared that moving the proposed facility could cause a violent backlash from Muslim extremists and endanger national security.
Rauf told CNN, “The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack... Anger will explode in the Muslim world.” The fury, he said, could be worse than the violence that followed the publication of Danish cartoons of Muhammad in 2005.
No moderation here. Islamist muscle-tactics are now in full swing, threatening violence and retaliation and creating an air of intimidation that offers surrender as the only alternative to placing innocent lives in jeopardy.
And why not use fear as a weapon of choice? The publication of the cartoons of Muhammad by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark was used by radical Muslim clerics to foment extreme violence. Muslims rioted, burned embassies, and boycotted Danish goods. Many people died because Muslims claimed they had a right to commit murder and mayhem because their religious sensibilities were offended.
The editor of the Danish newspaper explained he commissioned the cartoons to respond to the self-censorship being imposed in Europe when dealing with issues related to Islam. In other words, he objected to the press being intimidated into silence. Islamic extremists justify their long list of atrocities as Sharia-compliant and therefore acceptable for striking fear in the hearts of “infidels.”
Extremist Muslim aspirations were made clear when Islamic cleric Anjem Choudary told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour in October, “We believe that one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House.” Those who dismiss his statement as the ranting of the radical fringe are not listening. His words echoed a pledge made by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat who vowed the Palestinian flag would eventually fly over the churches of Jerusalem.
These are not idle threats. They are the long-term goals of Islamists who want a global caliphate that will destroy Israel and reduce Western Christianity to humiliating subservience. >>> Elwood McQuaid | Friday, October 29, 2010
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Ground Zero Mosque Imam 'Gets Death Threats'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The wife of an imam planning an Islamic community centre and mosque near ground zero says she and her husband have received death threats.
Daisy Khan said yesterday that the lives of her and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf are "under threat." Police can't confirm the threats.
Khan was part of a discussion of Islam on ABC television's This Week news program. >>> | Sunday, October 03, 2010
B. Hussein Obama, America’s first Muslim president, talks nonsense! – Mark
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Imam Fears Moving NYC Mosque Could Inflame Tension
YAHOO! NEWS: NEW YORK – The imam behind a proposed Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero cautioned Wednesday that moving the facility could cause a violent backlash from Muslim extremists and endanger national security.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told CNN that the discourse surrounding the center has become so politicized that moving it could strengthen the ability of extremists abroad to recruit and wage attacks against Americans, including troops fighting in the Middle East.
"The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack," he said, but he added that he was open to the idea of moving the planned location of the center, currently two blocks north of the World Trade Center site.
"But if you don't do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world," he later said, predicting that the reaction could be more furious than the eruption of violence following the 2005 publication of Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, September 09, 2010
Outside Ground Zero Mosque: Opinions Pro & Con (September 5, 2010)
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Imam: Mosque Dispute Is About Muslim Relations in America
Bloomberg is not be trusted. Islam has no place in America. The Ground Zero mosque SHOULD NOT go ahead. – Mark
Geert Wilders Protests NYC Mosque
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Is America Anti-Islamic? 'Hostile Atmosphere' Goes Beyond Ground Zero Mosque, Claim 50 Muslim Groups
MAIL ONLINE: More than 50 leading Muslim groups have decried the hostile 'anti-Islamic' atmosphere they say is gripping America today.
Tension in New York over plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero are rising, especially as the ninth anniversary of 9/11 approaches.
But leaders of the Majlis Ash-Shura of Metropolitan New York, an Islamic leadership council that represents a broad spectrum of Muslims in the city, said the sentiment is growing beyond the mosque plans.
'The bigger issue and the broader issue is the issue of ethnic and religious hatred being spread by groups trying to stop the building of mosques and Islamic institutions across the country,' said Imam Al Amin Abdul Latif, president of the Majlis Ash-Shura.
He spoke at a demonstration on the steps of City Hall in New York today.
The group cited a suspicious fire that damaged construction equipment at the site of a future mosque in Tennessee that is being investigated by the FBI.
They also pointed to the successful opposition to the proposed conversion of a property owned by a Catholic Church into a mosque and community center on Staten Island, a New York City borough off the southern tip of Manhattan. Continue reading and comment >>> Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, September 02, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Controversial plans: Sharif el-Gamal is the developer behind the £65m Park51 centre near the site of the September 11 attacks, which will include a mosque. Photograph: Mail Online
Revealed: The criminal past behind developer who wants to build mosque at Ground Zero
MAIL ONLINE: The developer behind the planned Ground Zero mosque and Islamic cultural centre said it never occurred to him that building it near the site of the September 11 attacks would heighten tension.
Sharif El-Gamal, a muslim, told CBS News that it hadn't crossed his mind because 'I did not hold myself or my faith accountable for the tragedy' *.
He said the centre, which would include a health club, exhibition space and a September 11 memorial, should be 'universally known as a hub of culture, a hub of coexistence, a hub of bringing people together'.
El-Gamal leads a property investment firm that owns the lower Manhattan building where the $100 million (£65m) centre, known as Park51, would open.
The plans have led to a national discussion over freedom of religion and the sensitivities of the relatives of September 11 victims, with everyone from President Barack Obama to Miss USA weighing in. Read on and comment >>> Mail Foreign Service | Tuesday, August 31, 2010
