Pakistani Peace Deal Gives New Clout to Taliban Rebels
Map courtesy of The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: MINGORA, Pakistan -- Thousands of Islamist militants are pouring into Pakistan's Swat Valley and setting up training camps here, quickly making it one of the main bases for Taliban fighters and raising their threat to the government in the wake of a controversial peace deal.

President Asif Ali Zardari effectively ratified the government's deal with the Taliban Monday by signing a bill that imposes Islamic law in Swat, a key plank of the accord, hours after legislators overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging it. Pakistani officials have touted the deal, reached in February, as a way to restore peaceful order in the bloodied region -- which lies just a few hours' drive from the capital -- and halt the Taliban's advance.

Yet a visit to the Taliban-controlled valley here found mounting evidence that the deal already is strengthening the militants as a base for war. U.S. officials contend the pact has given the Taliban and its allies in al Qaeda and other Islamist groups an advantage in their long-running battle against Pakistan's military.

The number of militants in the valley swelled in the months before the deal with the Taliban was struck, and they continue to move in, say Pakistani and U.S. officials. They now estimate there are between 6,000 and 8,000 fighters in Swat, nearly double the number at the end of last year.

Taliban leaders here make no secret of their ultimate aim. "Our objective is to drive out Americans and their lackeys" from Pakistan and Afghanistan, said Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the group, in an interview here. "They are not Muslims and we have to throw them out."

Militant training camps are springing up across the valley's thickly forested mountainsides. "Young men with no prospect of employment and lack of education facilities are joining the militants," said Abdur Rehman, a schoolteacher in Swat. >>> By Zahid Hussain and Matthew Rosenberg | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Blair Incorporated
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair is the most highly paid speaker on the planet, and his wife is not doing too badly, either.

Mr and Mrs Blair have banked close to £18 million since leaving 10 Downing Street. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
As Tony Blair soaked up the applause of an adoring Filipino audience at the end of his latest paid speaking engagement last month, a startling statistic must surely have popped into his head. In the space of just 30 minutes, Mr Blair had earned £183,000 – the same as his salary as prime minister.

Put another way, he earned £6,000 per minute for addressing a 2,000-strong audience in Manila, making him far and away the highest-paid public speaker on the planet.

And the lectures, where Mr Blair delivers such pearls of wisdom as "politics really matters, but a lot of what goes on is not great", are only a small part of his vast earnings, which could very well net him a staggering £80 million by the time he reaches retirement age in 10 years' time.

Welcome to Blair Incorporated, a money-making machine like no other in the history of former political leaders.

No other retired statesman, not even Mr Blair's old buddy Bill Clinton, has made so much cash so quickly after leaving office.

Between them, Mr Blair and his wife Cherie have banked close to £18 million in the two years since they moved out of Downing Street, with no sign of any let-up in their earning power.

Such is the demand for Mr Blair's services on the international speaking circuit that there is a two-year waiting list for bookings, and Max Markson, the colourful Australian PR man who has worked with the likes of Nelson Mandela and Mr Clinton, described him as "one of the biggest stars in the world".

Mr Blair, 55, is certainly acting the part. He has assembled a global empire with its headquarters in a smart four-storey office in Grosvenor Square and outlying offices in America, Africa and the Middle East. >>> By Gordon Rayner | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Islam and the West
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End to Travel and Money Ban as Barack Obama Opens Up to Cuba
Mr Obama indicated that he was willing to engage with the Communist regime. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: President Obama yesterday loosened the American embargo against Cuba by lifting curbs on family travel and money transfers, as well as allowing US telecommunications companies to operate on the island for the first time in almost half a century.

The announcement, made only days before Mr Obama travels to Trinidad for a Summit of the Americas, represents a significant crack in the hardline policy adopted by Washington since the Communist revolution in Cuba in 1959.

Although the US trade embargo has been left largely intact, the White House indicated that it would consider further measures including the introduction of direct commercial flights if Havana responded by expanding democratic rights.

“President Obama has directed that a series of steps be taken to reach out to the Cuban people to support their desire to enjoy basic human rights and to freely determine their country’s future,” Robert Gibbs, a spokesman for the White House said. >>> Tom Baldwin in Washington | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

One Great American Guy: One Great American Hero
Captain Richard Phillips. Photo courtesy of the Daily Express
And the heroes known as The Navy Seals >>>

President Obama's Half-brother Denied Entry to Britain
THE TELEGRAPH: One of President Obama's half-brothers was denied entry to Britain because he had been accused of sexual assault on a previous visit.

Barack Obama with his half-brother Samson. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Samson Obama was travelling from Kenya to his half-brother's presidential inauguration ceremony in January when he tried to enter the country at East Midlands Airport for a short break but he was stopped by immigration officers.

Using biometric tests, they discovered that he was linked to a serious crime in Britain last November, according to the News of the World.

At the time Samson, who runs a mobile phone shop outside Nairobi, was arrested by Thames Valley Police in Berkshire for an alleged attempted sexual assault on a group of teenage girls. He was not charged.

However, his details were stored on the Home Office's new biometric database.

The White House was informed, according to the News of the World.

A Home Office source told the newspaper: "This was obviously an extremely sensitive issue when it was flashed up by the database.

"But the system is designed to flag up people who have come to the attention of the police in the UK and are then trying to return."

He was refused a visa and flew on to the United States on a connecting flight.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "We consider all visa applications based on their merits.

"We will oppose the entry of individuals to the UK where we believe their presence is not conducive to the public good. >>> | Sunday, April 12, 2009

Right’s Rage at Overbearing Obama
TIMESONLINE: The torrent of ideas flowing out of the White House is raising hackles across the US

Photo of Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of The Telegraph
A CONSERVATIVE talk show host claims Barack Obama’s policies amount to dousing the American public with petrol and lighting a match. A top adviser to George W Bush calls the vice-president a liar. And a congressman says there are 17 “socialists” in the House of Representatives.

The political invective is turning ugly after the promise of hope and change. Some say it is Obama’s fault for his hyperactivist style of government. Others say it is time the Republicans realised they lost.

The meaning of “Obamaism” – yes, he already has his own “ism” – is being hotly debated. Is it style or substance? The hype about his cool has been overtaken by the realisation on both sides of the divide that Obama meant what he said on the campaign trail about being a transformational president.

In his first three months in office, his administration has put forward a $3.5 trillion budget, produced a rescue plan for banks and bailed out the car industry and is promising a green energy “revolution”, universal healthcare, school reform and an overhaul of immigration.

That’s not counting foreign policy after a week of European summits, dubbed the Obama “apology tour” after he called America “arrogant”, and topped off with a row over whether the president bowed ingratiatingly to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the G20 meeting in London.

There have been diplomatic overtures to Iran, the announcement of a “surge” in Afghani-stan and a demand for $83 billion in supplementary funding for the two wars, including Iraq, which will no longer be known as the “war on terror” but still upsets the left.

On top of it all, Obama turned salesman last week, urging homeowners to refinance their mortgages at the favourable new low interest rates. >>> Sarah Baxter in Washington | Sunday, April 12, 2009

Vatican Blocks Caroline Kennedy Appointment as US Ambassador
THE TELEGRAPH: The Vatican has blocked the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador, according to reports.

Caroline Kennedy blocked by the Vatican. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Vatican sources told Il Giornale that their support for abortion disqualified Ms Kennedy and other Roman Catholics President Barack Obama had been seeking to appoint.

Mr Obama was reportedly seeking to reward John F Kennedy's daughter, who publicly gave her support to his election bid. She had been poised to replace Hillary Clinton as New York senator, but dropped out amid criticism that she lacked enough experience for the job. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Saturday, April 11, 2009

Muslim to Run BBC’s Religion and Ethics Department
THE TELEGRAPH: I’m sure Mr Ahmed is a good and devout man - but he is not up to the job, argues George Pitcher.

Aaqil Ahmed is apparently telling friends that the BBC job is his for the taking. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
We’ll soon know whether the BBC takes religion seriously, when it appoints a new head of commissioning for its re-structured Religion & Ethics Department. Director-general Mark Thompson, a Roman Catholic, claims that religion is important to him and to the corporation, but it’s difficult to guess in what state of mind he left his meeting with Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth Palace last month. Evidently, Dr Williams had expressed concern that the BBC, our state broadcaster, should not downplay or marginalise Christianity, our state religion.

Mr Thompson is a thoughtful man, so one hopes he took the Archbishop’s admonitions to heart. Or he may have taken the view that no prelate was going to dictate the BBC’s religious policy to him and the silly old fool needed to be taught a lesson.

If his state of mind tended towards the latter, then what better way to achieve that objective than to make sure that a Muslim was appointed, in the name of “diversity”, to the new role? The post may not directly be within his gift, but the director-general could surely pull a few strings.

Aaqil Ahmed, a Muslim and commissioning editor for religion at Channel 4, is apparently telling friends that the BBC job is his for the taking. He is tipped as a favourite, though whether the tipping is coming from him or other people is unclear. The appointment should have been wrapped up by now, but the interviews have been delayed a couple of weeks, such perhaps are the sensitivities attached to this issue. Why Aaqil Ahmed Shouldn't Run the BBC's Religion & Ethics Department >>> George Pitcher | Sunday, April 12, 2009

Warning that Pakistan Is in Danger of Collapse within Months
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: PAKISTAN could collapse within months, one of the more influential counter-insurgency voices in Washington says.

The warning comes as the US scrambles to redeploy its military forces and diplomats in an attempt to stem rising violence and anarchy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We have to face the fact that if Pakistan collapses it will dwarf anything we have seen so far in whatever we're calling the war on terror now," said David Kilcullen, a former Australian Army officer who was a specialist adviser for the Bush administration and is now a consultant to the Obama White House.

"You just can't say that you're not going to worry about al-Qaeda taking control of Pakistan and its nukes," he said. >>> Paul McGeough | Monday, April 13, 2009

Iran Recognized as a Threat to Religious Freedom
MISSION NETWORK NEWS: Iran ― As of January, the U.S. State Department declared eight countries to be seriously violating religious freedoms. According to USA Today, the list includes Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, Eritrea, Uzbekistan, Myanmar and Sudan.

The list looks similar to the Open Doors World Watch List for 2009, which lists countries where Christianity is most threatened.

This list also includes North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran in its top three for Christian persecutors.

The situation for Iranians is growing particularly disconcerting. The country has strict laws about the fate of those who convert from Islam. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran "has said that he will eliminate Christianity from Iran," says Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs. "That's a promise that he has made, so he's doing everything in his power to act against the church."

Threats to religious freedom include a provisional law passed last year to make a mandatory death penalty law for any male who converts from Islam. Females found guilty of apostasy can look forward to a life sentence in prison.

This is the current fate of two women who were arrested in March for being "anti government activists;" but the highest criminal behavior these women have been engaged in is following after Jesus Christ. They are now being held in a prison known for its poor treatment of women, and they are both very ill. >>> MNN | Monday, April 13, 2009

Fitna

Hijab, Niqab, Nothing

YOUTUBE: Take Off Your Hijab

US $ Ads Mushroom in British Newspapers
Recently, I have noticed many ads for products and services in British newspapers priced in US dollars. Has anyone else noticed them? And is anyone else as perplexed as I am over this phenomenon? Is there a covert operation underway to undermine the pound sterling and for the UK to adopt the US currency?

Just some of the advertisements I have noticed in recent days are from such companies as Netflix, Maytag, TimeLife, HR Bloc, RateMarketplace, Domino’s Pizza, and Hewlett Packard.

Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

Our World: Iran's Western Enablers
THE JERUSALEM POST: Egypt's recent actions against Hizbullah operatives are a watershed event for understanding the nature of the threat that Iran constitutes for both regional and global security. For many Israelis, Egypt's actions came as a surprise. For years this country has been appealing to Egypt to take action against Hizbullah operatives in its territory. With minor exceptions, it has refused. Believing that its operatives threatened only us, the Mubarak regime preferred to turn a blind eye.

Then too, now seems a strange time for Egypt to be proving Israel correct. Senior ministers in the new Netanyahu government have for years been outspoken critics of Egypt for its refusal to act against Hizbullah and for its support for the Hizbullah/Iran-sponsored Hamas terror group. By going after Hizbullah now, Egypt is legitimizing both their criticism and the Netanyahu government itself. This in turn seems to go against Egypt's basic interest of weakening Israel politically in general, and weakening rightist Israeli governments in particular.

But none of this seemed to interest Egyptian officials last week when they announced the arrest of 49 Hizbullah operatives and pointed a finger at Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah and his bosses in Teheran, openly accusing them of seeking to undermine Egypt's national security.

The question is what caused Egypt to suddenly act? It appears that two things are motivating the Mubarak regime. First, there is the nature of the Hizbullah network it uncovered. According to the Egyptian Justice Ministry's statements, the arrested operatives were not confining their operations to weapons smuggling to Gaza. They were also targeting Egypt.

The Egyptian state prosecution alleges that while operating as Iranian agents, they were scouting targets along the Suez Canal. That is, they were planning strategic strikes against Egypt's economic lifeline.

The second aspect of the network that clearly concerned Egyptian authorities was what it showed about the breadth of cooperation between the regime's primary opponent - the Muslim Brotherhood - and the Iranian regime. Forty-one of the suspects arrested are Egyptian citizens, apparently aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. This alignment is signaled by two things. First, many of them have hired Muslim Brotherhood activist Muntaser al-Zayat as their defense attorney. And second, Muslim Brotherhood spokesmen have decried the arrests.

For instance, in an interview with Gulf News last Thursday, Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Issam el-Erian defended Hizbullah (and Iran) against his own government, claiming that Nasrallah and the Iranian ayatollahs are right to accuse President Hosni Mubarak of being little more than an Israeli stooge.

In his words, "The Egyptian government must redraw its national security policies to include Israeli threats against Arab counties like Syria and Lebanon and to consider threats against Palestinians by Israelis as a threat against its national security."

In a nutshell then, both the Hizbullah network's targets and its relationship to Egypt's Sunni Islamist opposition expose clearly the danger the Iranian regime constitutes to Egypt. Iran seeks to undermine and defeat opponents throughout the world through both direct military/terrorist/sabotage operations and through ideological subversion. It is the confluence of both of these aspects of Iran's revolutionary ambitions that forced Egypt to act now, regardless of the impact of its actions on the political fortunes of the Netanyahu government. And it is not a bit surprising that Egypt was forced to act at such a politically inopportune time. >>> By Caroline Glick | Monday, April 13, 2009

Pakistan Deal Enshrines Sharia Law
Women wearing burqas in North West Frontier Province. Photo courtesy of CNN
CNN: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari signed into law Monday a peace deal for the nation's violence-plagued Swat Valley, according to a presidential spokesman.

The deal implements Islamic law, or sharia, in the Swat Valley region of North West Frontier Province.

Last week, pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Mohammad announced he was pulling out of a peace deal for Swat Valley, saying the government was not serious about implementing Islamic law, or sharia, in the region.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday the peace deal remained intact.

Mohammad brokered a cease-fire in February between the Pakistani government and his son-in-law, Maulana Fazlullah, who commands the Taliban in Swat Valley.

Although details of the deal were not immediately available, it was understood that the area will come under the Taliban's strict interpretation of sharia. >>> | Monday, April 13, 2009

Organization of Islamic Conference Upholds Sharia and Human Rights: Largest Muslim Organisation Aims for New Human Rights Commission
AL ARIBIYA NEWS CHANNEL: CAIRO – A bloc of Islamic states accused of undermining human rights standards set by the United Nations have taken matters into their own hands and set out to establish their own independent human rights commission Sunday
The Organization of Islamic Conference, a 57-nation bloc of Muslim nations and the largest organization after the U.N., met yesterday at its headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to establish an independent OIC human rights commission.



Eklemeddin İhsanoğlu, the OIC Secretary-General, stressed in a statement Monday that "human rights and man’s dignity are an integral part of Islam and core components of Islamic culture and heritage.” >>> | Monday, April 13, 2009

Iran: Two Christian Women Imprisoned
COMPASS DIRECT NEWS: Held with no legal counsel for over a month, they suffer illness in notorious prison.

LOS ANGELES – Accused of “acting against state security” and “taking part in illegal gatherings,” two Iranian Christian women have been held in a Tehran prison for over a month in a crowded cell with no access to legal representation.

Amnesty International, in an appeal for urgent action last week, reported that authorities have made the accusations known but have imprisoned the women without filing official charges. The organization called on Iranian authorities to release them and expressed concern for their health.

Maryam Rostampour, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad, 30, who were active in church activities and distributing Bibles according to Amnesty’s appeal, were arrested on March 5. They are being held in the detention center of Evin Prison, a facility that has drawn criticism for its human rights violations and executions in recent years. Amnesty’s appeal included a call to urge Iranian officials to ensure that the women are not being tortured.

Based on a telephone conversation between Esmaeilabad and a third party on March 28, Amnesty reported that Esmaeilabad said both are suffering from infection and high fever and had not received adequate medical care. The women continue to be detained in an overcrowded cell with 27 other women. Amnesty said they “may be prisoners of conscience, detained solely on account of their religious beliefs.”

The women are allowed a one-minute call each day and a weekly visit from family. Authorities have informed their family members that the women are accused of “acting against state security” and “taking part in illegal gatherings,” according to the report, and that they would be released after payment of a $400,000 bail. The families have presented the title deeds of their homes as bail but are still waiting for approval from the judge.

Initially the Ministry of Intelligence summoned one of the women, and then took her to the apartment the two shared. There they were officially arrested, and authorities confiscated computers, books and Bibles. The two women were interrogated and held at different police stations.

On March 18 they appeared before Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran and subsequently transferred to Evin Prison, said the report.

Even if the women are released on bail, they still have to stand trial. Accusations have not included “apostasy,” or leaving Islam, though investigations are ongoing. It is not known whether the women are converts from Islam.

Last September the Iranian Parliament approved review of a new penal code calling for a mandatory death sentence for “apostates.” Under current law death sentences for apostasy have been issued only under judicial interpretations of sharia (Islamic law).

Under the new penal code, male “apostates” would be executed, while females would receive life sentences. The new code was sent to Iran’s most influential body, the Guardian Council, which is expected to rule on it. The council is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and approved by Parliament. This council has the power to veto any bill it deems inconsistent with the constitution and Islamic law.

Converts to Christianity in Iran risk harassment, arrest and attack from authorities even though Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution grants that individual beliefs are private and no one can be “molested or taken to task” for holding them. Iran has also signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

“This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching,” the covenant states.

The last Iranian Christian convert from Islam executed by the Iranian government was Hossein Soodmand in 1990. He was accused of working as “an American spy.” Since then at least six Protestant pastors have been assassinated by unknown killers. [Source: Compass Direct News] | Copyright © 2009 Compass Direct News | Monday, April 13, 2009

CAIR: Fla. House GOP Leader Linked to Anti-Islam Hate Fest
PR NEWSWIRE: Rep. Hasner asked to disassociate himself from 'Islamophobes and Muslim-bashers'

WASHINGTON: The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the leader of that state's House Republicans to disassociate himself from an upcoming anti-Islam conference backed by a "motley collection of Islamophobes and Muslim-bashers."

CAIR said Rep. Adam Hasner is on the "host committee" for the April 27 conference in Delray Beach, Fla., featuring Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders. Wilders was recently denied entry to Britain because of his extreme anti-Muslim views, including urging that the Quran, Islam's revealed text, be banned. >>> | Monday, April 13, 2009

German Bishop Links Nazi Crimes to Atheism
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In an Easter sermon that has drawn widespread criticism, the Catholic bishop of Augsburg has linked the crimes committed under Nazi and Communist regimes to atheism. Atheist groups have reacted with fury and accuse the cleric of rewriting history.

Bishop Walter Mixa: "A society without God is hell on earth." Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
A Catholic German bishop has come under fire for his remarks condemning atheists. In a sermon given on Easter Sunday, the bishop of Augsburg, Walter Mixa, warned of rising atheism in Germany. "Wherever God is denied or fought against, there people and their dignity will soon be denied and held in disregard," he said in the sermon. He also said that "a society without God is hell on earth" and quoted the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky: "If God does not exist, everything is permitted."

Most controversially, he linked the Nazi and Communist crimes to atheism. "In the last century, the godless regimes of Nazism and Communism, with their penal camps, their secret police and their mass murder, proved in a terrible way the inhumanity of atheism in practice." Christians and the Church were always the subject of "special persecution" under these systems, he said.

However, critics accuse Mixa of rewriting history. The bishop's claim that humanity automatically arises from religious faith is "totally untenable," Rudolf Ladwig, president of the Germany-based International League of Non-Religious and Atheists (IBKA), told SPIEGEL ONLINE. Mixa's words are part of a "long-term strategy by the Church to exculpate, in a historically inaccurate way, the history of its own institution as relates to fascism." >>> By Markus Becker | Monday, April 13, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Shariah Bankers: West Ready for Faith-based Alternative
THE WASHINGTON POST: SINGAPORE | Backers of Shariah-compliant finance see an opportunity for expansion amid the global economic downturn, and some Western banks are welcoming this growing source of new business.

"Islamic bankers should do some missionary work in the Western world to promote the concept of Shariah banking, for which many in the West are more than ready now," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the World Islamic Economic Forum last month in Jakarta.

Such statements have given rise to fears that Shariah finance is a stalking horse for hidden political or religious aims. Shariah finance is an extension of Islamic law, pushing a faith-based alternative to Western banking.

Key Islamists who advise Shariah financial houses have called for full Shariah law to be adopted in Western countries and, in some cases, have made statements supporting terrorist groups.

Shariah finance means institutions and norms that fit with Islamic law. Fully compliant Islamic financial institutions are prohibited from interest payments and require transactions to be backed by tangible assets.

Speculation and hedge funds are off limits — ditto for anything connected to porn, gambling, alcohol or pork. Shariah finance targets Muslims who want to avoid what are deemed "un-Islamic" Western banks or financial practices, and appeals to clients' faith as well as their bottom line. >>> By Simon Roughneen | Monday, April 13, 2009

U.S. Leaning toward Taking Part in Durban 2 Summit
HAARETZ: Senior U.S. officials in Washington and New York are leaning in favor of participating in the "Durban 2" UN-sponsored anti-racism conference scheduled to take place on April 20 in Geneva, diplomatic sources said on Sunday.

The diplomats, who share a close working relationship with the American delegation to the United Nations, informed leading Jewish officials in New York that Washington has increasingly become convinced of the need to dispatch representatives to the conference.

Israel plans on boycotting the conference for fear that it will turn into a platform for singling out Jerusalem for criticism over its policies in the Palestinian territories.

Leading figures in the organized American Jewish community have been lobbying Western ambassadors and European diplomats in the UN to dissuade their governments from participating in the Geneva summit.

A senior Jewish activist who took part in some of the discussions with Western diplomats told Haaretz that he would not be the least surprised if the U.S. indeed decides to send an official delegation. The official said that while the U.S. pledged it would not participate, it was not an adamant opposition.

Dozens of human rights groups and activists in the United States have petitioned President Barack Obama to rethink his decision to boycott the conference, expected by many countries to be used as a forum for criticizing Israel. >>> By Shlomo Shamir and Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondents Sunday, April 12, 2009

Pakistani Taliban Begin Imposing Rule in New Area
REUTERS: ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Taliban are imposing their rule in a Pakistani mountain valley they took over last week, spreading fear in the area only 100 km (60 miles) from the capital, police and residents said on Monday.

Surging militant violence across Pakistan and the spread of Taliban influence through the northwest are reviving concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed U.S. ally.

Pakistan is crucial to U.S. efforts to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan but the government has been unable to check militant attacks in its cities let alone stop insurgents crossing into Afghanistan from border strongholds to battle Western forces. >>> By Zeeshan Haider | Monday, April 13, 2009

Piraten drohen mit Vergeltung: "Werden US-Bürger verfolgen"
DIE PRESSE: Fortan hätten Amerikaner "kein Mitleid zu erwarten", sagt ein somalischer Piratenchef. Bei der gewaltsamen Befreiung des Kapitäns Richard Phillips hatten die USA drei Piraten erschossen.

Die Befreiung des von Piraten vor Somalia entführten US-Kapitäns könnte nach Einschätzung von US-Vizeadmiral Bill Gortney zu einer Eskalation der Gewalt in der Region führen. Bei der Befreiungsaktion wurden drei Piraten von Scharfschützen getötet, ein vierter wurde gefangen genommen.

Die Seeräuber hielten Kapitän Richard Phillips in einem Rettungsboot fest. Der Tod der Piraten werde vermutlich Folgen haben, sagte der Befehlshaber des Zentralkommandos der US-Marine am Sonntag bei einer Pressekonferenz in Washington. >>> Ag/Red | Montag, 13. April 2009

Scènes de violence à Bangkok
leJDD.fr: La situation s'est encore un peu plus tendue ce lundi à Bangkok, capitale de la Thaïlande. Pour avoir bravé l'état d'urgence décrété la veille, les manifestants anti-gouvernementaux ont été chargés par les forces de l'ordre. Près de 80 personnes ont été blessées, dont quatre par balles. Le Premier ministre du pays, Abhisit Vejjajiva, a démenti toute rumeur de coup d'Etat.

"Nous ne partirons pas. Nous voulons une vraie démocratie." A Bangkok, 20 000 "chemises rouges" bravent les interdits. Malgré le couvre-feu instauré la veille par le gouvernement de coalition, en place depuis le mois de décembre dernier à l'issue, déjà, d'une séquence insurrectionnelle dans le pays, les manifestants thaïlandais sont bien décidés à poursuivre leur occupation du pavé. Quitte à se heurter aux forces de l'ordre, comme ce fut le cas ce lundi. En fin de matinée, le bilan de cette charge, dressé par le directeur du centre médical de la ville, faisait état d'au moins 77 blessés, dont 19 pris en charge par les hôpitaux. Plus inquiétant, quatre personnes auraient été touchées par des balles - deux civils et deux militaires - donnant une idée de l'extrême tension qui règne toujours dans la capitale thaïlandaise. >>> Par N.M (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Lundi 13 Avril 2009

leJDD.fr:
Bangkok en état d'urgence >>> Par Marie-Lys LUBRANO (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Dimanche 12 Avril 2009

Pakistani 'Terror Plot Suspects' to Be Deported rather than Charged
Most of the Pakistani men arrested last week in an anti-terrorist operation will be deported rather than charged, senior counter-terrorism sources told The Times last night.

Officials in London and Islamabad said that Britain had begun seeking assurances about how the men would be treated if they were returned to Pakistan. “The British wanted to be reassured that if some of these men were deported they would not face torture,” an informed source in Pakistan said.

One of the 12 men detained, an 18-year-old, has been freed from anti-terrorist detention and is in the custody of immigration officials.

Investigators are concerned that they have not found any firm evidence linking the men to terrorist attack plans. A source close to the inquiry said: “There is already talk of coming up empty-handed and there is terrible infighting between the different forces involved.” >>> Sean O’Neill, Zahid Hussain and Michael Evans | Monday, April 13, 2009

Iraqi Leaders 'Ignoring Murder of Homosexuals'
THE TELEGRAPH: Iraq's leaders have been accused of ignoring a wave of violence against homosexual men.

In recent weeks, 25 young men and boys have been killed in the country and gay rights groups claim the government has given tacit support to the death squads by staying silent on the crimes.

The lack of action by the authorities has prompted Amnesty International to the Iraqi President, Nouri al-Maliki, demanding "urgent and concerted action" by his government to stop the killings, according to the Independent.

The majority of the deadly attacks have taken place in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, controlled by ultra-conservative Shia militia.

The bodies of four gay men, each bearing a sign with the Arabic word for "pervert" on their chests, were discovered in Sadr City three weeks ago. No arrests have been made.

Amnesty said the murders appeared to have been committed by militiamen and relatives of the victims, who had been incited by religious leaders who condemned 'deviancy'. >>> | Monday, April 13, 2009

THE INDEPENDENT: Iraqi Leaders Attacked over Spate of Homophobic Murders

Dozens of young men and boys killed by death squads in Baghdad

Baghdad, scene of attacks on homosexuals. Ali Hili, a spokesman for gay men in Iraq says: 'It is impossible to be gay and out. It is the most difficult thing to be in the country'. Photo courtesy of The Independent
Iraqi leaders are accused of turning a blind eye to a spate of murders of homosexuals after 25 young men and boys were killed in recent weeks.

Gay groups claim the Iraqi government is giving tacit support to the death squads targeting young homosexuals who venture outdoors.

In an unusual move, Amnesty International will today write to the Iraqi President, Nouri al-Maliki, demanding "urgent and concerted action" by his government to stop the killings. Amnesty said the murders appear to have been carried out by militiamen and relatives of the victims, after being incited by religious leaders. Homosexuality has always been taboo in the country, but a surge of killings followed religious leaders' sermons condemning "deviancy".

The violence came after the improved security situation briefly encouraged some gay men to start meeting discreetly in public. This led to furious condemnation from clerics who have called for homosexuality – which can lead to a prison sentence of seven years – to be eradicated from Iraqi society.

Most of the killings have taken place in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, controlled by ultra-conservative Shi'ite militia. Murders have also been reported in Basra, Najaf and Karbala.

The bodies of four gay men, each bearing a sign with the Arabic word for "pervert" on their chests, were discovered in Sadr City three weeks ago. Following the discovery of another two corpses six days later, an unnamed official in the city told Reuters: "They were sexual deviants. Their tribes killed them to restore their family honour." >>> By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor | Monday, April 13, 2009

YOUTUBE: Gay Life, Gay Death in Iraq

Happy Easter! Happy Passover!
Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
Wishing all my visitors a happy celebration.

Shia Crowds Decry US Role in Iraq
BBC: Tens of thousands of supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr have rallied against the US presence in Iraq, six years after Saddam Hussein's fall.

Protesters in Baghdad's Firdos Square carried pictures of the cleric and chanted slogans denouncing what they called the occupation of Iraq.

Six years ago, US troops reached the square and helped Iraqis pull down a statue of their former leader there.

US combat troops are due to pull out from Iraq's cities by the end of June.

Under a recent agreement, they are expected to remain elsewhere in the country until the end of August 2010.

Moqtada Sadr has repeatedly called for a complete and immediate US withdrawal from Iraq.

Protesters carrying Iraqi flags chanted slogans such as "No, no America - Yes, yes Iraq" as they thronged the streets and burned an effigy of former US President George W Bush.

"God, unite us, return our riches, free the prisoners from the prisons, return sovereignty to our country ... make our country free from the occupier, and prevent the occupier from stealing our oil," an aide to Mr Sadr read, as part of a message from the radical cleric.

Mr Sadr has not been seen in Iraq for several months and is believed to be in neighbouring Iran. >>> | Thursday, April 9, 2009

Watch BBC video: The BBC's Jim Muir joins Iraqi protesters on the streets of Baghdad >>>

New Dark Age Alert! The Free World Bars Free Speech
THE WASHINGTON POST: For years, the Western world has listened aghast to stories out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations of citizens being imprisoned or executed for questioning or offending Islam. Even the most seemingly minor infractions elicit draconian punishments. Late last year, two Afghan journalists were sentenced to prison for blasphemy because they translated the Koran into a Farsi dialect that Afghans can read. In Jordan, a poet was arrested for incorporating Koranic verses into his work. And last week, an Egyptian court banned a magazine for running a similar poem.

But now an equally troubling trend is developing in the West. Ever since 2006, when Muslims worldwide rioted over newspaper cartoons picturing the prophet Muhammad, Western countries, too, have been prosecuting more individuals for criticizing religion. The "Free World," it appears, may be losing faith in free speech.

Among the new blasphemers is legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot, who was convicted last June of "inciting religious hatred" for a letter she wrote in 2006 to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, saying that Muslims were ruining France. It was her fourth criminal citation for expressing intolerant views of Muslims and homosexuals. Other Western countries, including Canada and Britain, are also cracking down on religious critics.

Emblematic of the assault is the effort to pass an international ban on religious defamation supported by United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. Brockmann is a suspended Roman Catholic priest who served as Nicaragua's foreign minister in the 1980s under the Sandinista regime, the socialist government that had a penchant for crushing civil liberties before it was tossed out of power in 1990. Since then, Brockmann has literally embraced such free-speech-loving figures as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom he wrapped in a bear hug at the U.N. last year. >>> By Jonathan Turley* | Sunday, April 12, 2009

*Jonathan Turley is a law professor at George Washington University.

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>

Persian Beauty

YOUTUBE: The Most Beautiful Women in the World

Iran: Ahmadinedschads Kampf mit emanzipierten Frauen
WELT ONLINE: Dreißig Jahre nach der Islamischen Revolution hat Irans Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad seine Last mit der Emanzipation. Eine neue Frauen-Generation fordert ihre Rechte ein. Die Konsequenzen für ihren Befreiungskampf sind hart – 70 Frauenrechtsaktivistinnen sind in Haft.

Präsident Ahmadinedschad hat verfügt, dass die unter seinem Vorgänger immer kürzer gewordenen Tschadore wieder um eine Handbreite länger zu tragen sind. Bild dank der Welt
Sie rechnet jederzeit damit, dass es an der Tür klopft. Immer, wenn sie im Treppenhaus Schritte hört, denkt sie einen Augenblick lang: Jetzt ist es soweit. Rund 70 Frauenrechtsaktivistinnen sind derzeit in Haft. Auch Mansoureh Shojaee ist bereits mehrfach verhaftet worden. Die 50-Jährige sitzt in ihrer Wohnung im Zentrum von Teheran, eine schlanke, hochgewachsene Frau mit scharf geschnittenem Gesicht. "Ich habe keine Angst, aber ich warte darauf, dass sie kommen und mich mitnehmen“, sagt sie kühl.

Der stille Kampf der iranischen Feministinnen ist härter geworden. Einerseits geht der Staat mit zunehmender Schärfe gegen die Aktivistinnen vor, seitdem der konservative Hardliner Mahmud Ahmadinedschad Präsident ist. „Wir spüren den Druck viel heftiger“, sagt Shojaee. Ob sie sich von den Präsidentschaftswahlen im Juni eine Verbesserung verspricht? Sie winkt ab, sie hat nicht viel Vertrauen in die Politiker. Andererseits haben auch die Frauenrechtlerinnen den Einsatz erhöht: „Wir sind heute viel stärker und besser koordiniert als noch vor wenigen Jahren.“ >>> Von Gabriela M. Keller | Samstag, 11. April 2009

Iran : Du podium de Miss Dakota à la prison d'Evine
Photo de Roxana Saberi grâce aux Blogs du Figaro
LE FIGARO – Blog: Dans notre métier, il y a parfois des nouvelles plus difficiles que d'autres à annoncer. Surtout quand il s'agit de personnes en difficulté, que nous connaissons bien. Mercredi soir, je tombe sur cette dépêche d'actualité qui me fait tomber des nues : « Roxana Saberi, la journaliste irano-américaine arrêtée en Iran a officiellement été inculpée d'espionnage ».

En Iran, ce genre d'accusation coûte cher. Selon le code pénal iranien, l'espionnage est un crime passible de la peine de mort. Pour l'heure, l'audience de Roxana Saberi, arrêtée il y a presque deux mois, n'a pas encore eu lieu. D'après son avocat, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, qui n'a pas encore reçu l'acte du tribunal révolutionnaire, une date pourrait être fixée la semaine prochaine.

Mais on peut déjà imaginer qu'au terme de son procès, sa condamnation se transforme en de longs mois, voir années, de prison. En 2005, le skippeur français Stéphane Lherbier avait écopé de 15 mois de prison pour une accusation beaucoup moins lourde - celle d'être entré illégalement dans les eaux territoriales iraniennes...

Roxana s'est installée à Téhéran en 2003. La première fois que je l'ai croisé, c'était au mois de juillet de cette même année. La caméra collée à l'œil, elle était venue filmer les étudiants qui manifestaient dans la capitale iranienne. Née aux Etats-Unis, de mère japonaise et de père iranien, elle avait décidé de remonter le fil de ses origines et de s'installer à Téhéran, pour y travailler comme correspondante pour l'agence de presse vidéo américaine, Feature Story News. Je la comprends. Quatre ans plus tôt, c'est la même motivation qui m'avait poussé à poser, moi aussi, mes valises en Iran.

Dans le milieu très restreint des journalistes étrangers basés à Téhéran, on se croisait souvent. Roxana était de nature assez réservée, et l'humilité faisait partie de ses qualités. Elue Miss Dakota, aux Etats-Unis, alors qu'elle était étudiante, elle ne s'en ventait jamais. C'était une bosseuse, qui ne comptait pas ses heures de travail. Elle avait envie de réussir professionnellement, un point c'est tout. Et elle s'en donnait les moyens. Très sportive, elle ne manquait jamais ses rendez-vous au club de sport féminin de son quartier. Un jour, elle m'y avait emmené. J'avais été soufflée en la voyant courir pendant une heure sur le tapis roulant. De toute évidence, le sport était son défouloir, dans un pays où le travail de journaliste ressemble, bien souvent, à celui d'un funambule qui s'efforce de ne pas tomber du fil. >>> Par Delphine Minoui | Samedi 11 Avril 2009

Goldman Sachs Hires Law Firm to Shut Blogger's Site
THE TELEGRAPH: Goldman Sachs is attempting to shut down a dissident blogger who is extremely critical of the investment bank, its board members and its practices.

The bank has instructed Wall Street law firm Chadbourne & Parke to pursue blogger Mike Morgan, warning him in a recent cease-and-desist letter that he may face legal action if he does not close down his website.

Florida-based Mr Morgan began a blog entitled "Facts about Goldman Sachs" – the web address for which is goldmansachs666.com – just a few weeks ago.

In that time Mr Morgan, a registered investment adviser, has added a number of posts to the site, including one entitled "Does Goldman Sachs run the world?". However, many of the posts relate to other Wall Street firms and issues.

According to Chadbourne & Parke's letter, dated April 8, the bank is rattled because the site "violates several of Goldman Sachs' intellectual property rights" and also "implies a relationship" with the bank itself.

Unsurprisingly for a man who has conjoined the bank's name with the Number of the Beast – although he jokingly points out that 666 was also the S&P500's bear-market bottom – Mr Morgan is unlikely to go down without a fight. >>> By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent | Saturday, April 11, 2009

Moors Want Spain to Apologise after 400 Years
Flag of Andalusia courtesy of Google Images.
What Mr Keeley, the writer of this article, fails to point out is that Spain had been invaded and conquered by the Moors, and the Spaniards’ culture and way of life had been taken away from them by the marauding invaders. I see little need for Spaniards today to apologize for anything. This was not so much “ethnic cleansing” as winning back the country which rightfully belonged to them. – ©Mark

TIMESONLINE: It was the start of one of the earliest and most brutal episodes of ethnic cleansing in Europe, so Spain is, understandably perhaps, a little reluctant to mark the occasion.

Four hundred years ago today King Philip III signed an order to expel 300,000 Moriscos - or part-Muslims - who had converted from Islam to Christianity.

Over the next five years hundreds of the exiles died as they were forced from their homes in Spain to North Africa at the height of the Spanish Inquisition.

There are no plans to mark the date officially, although the occasion is being remembered in a series of exhibitions, conferences and public debates.

The anniversary comes days after José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish Prime Minister, met Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, in Istanbul to celebrate the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, which is intended to foster friendship between the West and the Islamic world.

Some Muslim writers and Spanish and Moroccan campaigners believe that Madrid should apologise for the wrongs committed during the 17th century. Juan Goytisolo, a Spanish novelist, said:

“Official and academic Spain retires into the fortress of cautious silence, which reveals obvious discomfort. The expulsion was the first European precedent ... of the European ethnic cleansings of the last century.” >>> Graham Keeley in Barcelona | Thursday, April 9, 2009

'Terror Plotters' Allowed to Stay Despite Visa Breaches
THE TELEGRAPH: At least two of the men suspected of being members of an alleged al-Qaeda cell had been allowed to stay in Britain despite allegedly breaching the conditions of their student visas, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

One man was stopped by immigration officials at Manchester Airport last week as he arrived from Pakistan, but was allowed to enter the country despite his visa documents being "all over the place", according to one source.

Another suspect was threatened with deportation after immigration officials discovered he was working as a security guard instead of studying, but he was nonetheless allowed to stay.

The revelations will intensify pressure on the Government to carry out a complete overhaul of the student visa system after it emerged that all but one of the 12 suspects being held on suspicion of plotting an "Easter spectacular" bombing campaign had come to the UK from Pakistan on student visas approved by the Home Office.

Patrick Mercer, the chairman of the parliamentary counter-terrorism subcommittee, described the UK Border Agency's failure to act as "a disgrace" and a "frightening" lapse of immigration controls. >>> By Duncan Gardham, Nigel Bunyan and Dean Nelson | Friday, April 10, 2009

The Church Must Stop Trivialising Easter
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
THE TELEGRAPH: Christians must keep their nerve: the Resurrection isn’t a metaphor, it’s a physical fact

Private Eye ran a cartoon some years ago of St Peter standing in front of Jesus's Cross and saying to the other Disciples: “It's time to put this behind us now and move on.” It was a satire not on Christian belief, but on politicians and counsellors, and their trivialising mantras. It depended on Jesus's death being not just an odd, forgettable event - and that it was His Resurrection, rather than a shoulder- shrugging desire to “move on”, that got the early Christians going.

Easter was the pilot project. What God did for Jesus that explosive morning is what He intends to do for the whole creation. We who live in the interval between Jesus's Resurrection and the final rescue and transformation of the whole world are called to be new-creation people here and now. That is the hidden meaning of the greatest festival Christians have.

This true meaning has remained hidden because the Church has trivialised it and the world has rubbished it. The Church has turned Jesus's Resurrection into a “happy ending” after the dark and messy story of Good Friday, often scaling it down so that “resurrection” becomes a fancy way of saying “He went to Heaven”. Easter then means: “There really is life after death”. The world shrugs its shoulders. We may or may not believe in life after death, but we reach that conclusion independently of Jesus, of odd stories about risen bodies and empty tombs.

But “resurrection” to 1st-century Jews wasn't about “going to Heaven”: it was about the physically dead being physically alive again. Some Jews (not all) believed that God would do this for all people in the end. Nobody, including Jesus's followers, was expecting one person to be bodily raised from the dead in the middle of history. The stories of the Resurrection are certainly not “wish-fulfilments” or the result of what dodgy social science calls “cognitive dissonance”. First-century Jews who followed would-be messiahs knew that if your leader got killed by the authorities, it meant you had backed the wrong man. You then had a choice: give up the revolution or get yourself a new leader. Going around saying that he'd been raised from the dead wasn't an option.

Unless he had been. Jesus of Nazareth was certainly dead by the Friday evening; Roman soldiers were professional killers and wouldn't have allowed a not-quite-dead rebel leader to stay that way for long. When the first Christians told the story of what happened next, they were not saying: “I think he's still with us in a spiritual sense” or “I think he's gone to heaven”. All these have been suggested by people who have lost their historical and theological nerve. >>> The Right Rev Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham | Saturday, April 11, 2009

Liberal Imam Wins Libel Claim against Muslim Newspaper
The institute that the imam founded preaches that women should not wear the niqab, or face-covering, and that men should not wear beards. Photo of beniqabbed Muslimah courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: A progressive Muslim imam from Oxford has won a libel action against a Muslim newspaper in what he claims is a "watershed moment" in the battle between liberal and extremist Muslims in Britain.

Dr Taj Hargey, who provoked controversy last year when he invited the first ever woman to lead and preach at Friday prayers in Britain, has been awarded a "substantial" five-figure sum in libel damages against the Muslim Weekly, which takes a conservative line on community issues.

In its latest edition, the newspaper urges the Government not to play a "divide and rule" policy over the Muslim Council of Britain. The Government has threatened to cut ties with the council after it refused to sack its deputy leader, Daud Abdullah, who signed a pro-Hamas declaration at a conference on Gaza in Istanbul.

Dr Hargey, who is originally from South Africa, describes himself as a "thorn in the side of the Muslim hierarchy" as a result of his liberal theology and his "integrationist, non-sexist views."

The Oxford institute he founded, the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford (Meco), preaches that women should not wear the niqab or face-covering and that men should not wear beards. He sanctions marriages of Muslim women to men of other faiths and promotes mixed congregations in mosques, where men and women are usually strictly segregated and women are sometimes not allowed at all. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Wednesday, April 8, 2009

THE MUSLIM WEEKLY: Apology to Dr Taj Hargey and MECO over Qadiani connections

The Muslim Weekly extends its sincerest apologies to Dr Taj Hargey and the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford (MECO) for publishing an article last week entitled: "Muslim scholars pull out of Qadiani conference", implicating Dr Hargey and MECO in having connections with the non-Muslim religion of Qadianism.


The Muslim Weekly unreservedly retracts the following accusations and assertions it has since learned were inaccurate and completely unfounded.


Dr Taj Hargey has never subscribed to, belonged to or been affiliated with any sect or minority group, religious or otherwise, be they Ahmadi, Qadiani, Lahori, etc. On the contrary, Dr Hargey has consistently and openly reiterated his unconditional belief in the absolute finality of prophethood in Islam and Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) as God's last prophet and final messenger. >>> The Muslim Weekly | April 10 – 16, 2009

As If We hadn’t Had Enough of the Blairs in Politics! Now Comes the Fossil Stepmother!
THE TELEGRAPH: Cherie Blair's stepmother, Steph Booth, is to stand for parliament.

Mrs Booth said it was 'a real honour' to be selected. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Mrs Booth, who is married to Mrs Blair's actor father Tony Booth, was selected as Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Calder Valley seat, in West Yorkshire, at a meeting on Thursday evening.

Mrs Booth said it was "a real honour" to be selected.

She said: "I am delighted that Labour Party members have chosen to put their faith in me.

"As we all know Calder Valley faces big challenges during the current economic difficulties. I will be working hard for everyone who lives here to make sure our communities get all the help they need."

The move comes after sitting Labour MP Chris McCafferty, who has held the seat since 1997, announced last year she would be standing down.

Ms McCafferty said: "I would like to offer my personal endorsement to Steph Booth as the new Labour Party candidate for Calder Valley. Cherie Blair's Stepmother to Stand for Parliament >>> | Saturday, April 10, 2009

Französische Soldaten stürmen entführtes Segelschiff: Eine der Geiseln getötet - US-Marine umzingelt weiteres Piratenschiff
NZZ Online: Französische Soldaten haben im Golf von Aden ein von Piraten gekapertes Boot gestürmt. Dabei wurden mindestens eine Geisel und zwei der Piraten getötet. Drei Seeräuber seien gefangengenommen worden, teilte die französische Regierung mit. Der von Piraten entführte Kapitän eines andern Schiffes soll offenbar von der US-Marine befreit werden.

Das französische Segelboot mit vier Erwachsenen und einem Kind an Bord war am Samstag von Piraten gekapert worden. An Bord waren zwei Paare und der dreijährige Sohn eines der Paare.
Bei der Befreiungsaktion wurden vier Passagiere des Segelschiffs der «Tanit» befreit, auch das Kind. Die Überlebenden seien unversehrt, teilt das französischen Präsidialamt weiter mit. Zwei Piraten seien getötet, drei weitere gefangen genommen worden.

US-Marine will Kapitän befreien

Vor der Küste Somalias mehren sich derweil die Zeichen, dass die US-Marine einen Kapitän aus der Hand von Piraten befreien will. Seine Lage blieb am Freitag kritisch. Richard Phillips unternahm offenbar in der Nacht einen Fluchtversuch und sprang ins Wasser. Wie die US-Sender CNN und CBS berichteten, versuchte er schwimmend ein US-Kriegsschiff in der Nähe erreichen, wurde von den Piraten jedoch wieder eingefangen.

Auch für die vier Kidnapper wird die Lage ungemütlicher: Die US- Marine kreist sie immer enger ein. Am Freitag stiess die Fregatte «USS Halyburton» zum bereits vor Ort stationierten Zerstörer «USS Bainbridge», wie ein Sprecher des Verteidigungsministeriums sagte. >>> ap/sda | Freitag, 10. April 2009

LE FIGARO: Tanit : un otage français tué dans l'opération de libération

Retenus depuis samedi au large de la Somalie, les quatre autres otages du voilier français, dont l'enfant, ont été libérés par l'armée française. La France «a même proposé une rançon», annonce Hervé Morin.

Presque un an jour pour jour après l'attaque du Ponant, une nouvelle affaire de piraterie a trouvé son épilogue, vendredi. Six jours après la capture du «Tanit», un voilier français pris par des pirates somaliens dans le golfe d'Aden, l'armée française a lancé une opération pour libérer les cinq membres de l'équipage, quatre adultes et un enfant de 3 ans.

Au cours de cette opération, qui a permis de libérer quatre de ces plaisanciers, «un otage a malheureusement trouvé la mort», déplore l'Elysée. Selon Hervé Morin, la victime est le père du petit garçon, Florent Lemaçon. Lors d'une conférence de presse, le ministre de la Défense a précise que «l'on ne savait pas pour le moment» l'origine des tirs qui l'ont touché. Le chef d'état-major des armées, le général Jean-Louis Georgelin, a expliqué de son côté que l'otage avait été touché à l'intérieur du voilier, lors d'un échange de tirs alors que les forces françaises «descendaient dans le carré».

«Les quatre autres (otages), dont l'enfant, sont sains et saufs», a ajouté l'Elysée dans un communiqué. «Deux pirates ont été tués, les trois autres faits prisonniers.» >>> J.C. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP et AP | Vendredi 10 Avril 2009

Iran Hangs Three People over 2007 Mosque Bombing
REUTERS: TEHRAN - Iran executed on Friday three people convicted of being involved in the bombing of a mosque which killed 14 Iranians in the southern city of Shiraz in 2007, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Tehran had accused the United States of arming and training those behind the blast and said Britain and Israel were involved in the bombing, which also injured 200 people.

Washington and London deny Tehran's accusations. >>> Writing by Zahra Hosseinian; editing by Diana Abdallah | Friday, April 10, 2009

A Map of Faith in Malta
MALTATODAY.COM: Although Catholicism is the declared religion of 98% of the population, virtually every other form of religious faith is also represented in Malta. On the one hand we have the kaleidoscopic variety provided by the world’s most organized religion, in the world’s most Catholic country and on the other we have the kaleidoscope made of minute fragments of every other kind of faith. Beyond the confines of organised religion we find the faiths of atheism and that of Satanism. Beyond them still, the historical evidence of paganism in a wealth of temples remains hard to explain on a small group of islands which could not sustain a population of much more than 10,000 souls.

Catholicism

Catholicism is the established Church in Malta in terms of the Constitution. Claiming its origins in the conversion of the islanders by the Apostle Paul, it has certainly held political dominance since the coming of the Normans in 1090 although the idea of continuity from 60 AD is disputed. With the Alhambra Decree of 1492 expelling Jews and Moriscos from the dominions of the Aragonese Empire, Malta became, at least nominally, completely Catholic.


Leaping to the present day, Malta remains probably the most Catholic country in the world including the Vatican whose population hails from other jurisdictions none of which can compete with the cultural dominance which Catholicism enjoys in Malta. This fact produces an unchallenged Catholic reality and permits the articulation of every possible form of living one’s Catholic faith. >>> Harry Vassallo | Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Dutch TV Show Exonerates bin Laden
ABC NEWS (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): A Dutch TV jury has found Osama bin Laden not guilty of the September 11 attacks.

In the conclusion Wednesday night to the show Devil's Advocate on Dutch public broadcaster Nederland 2, the jury of two men and three women, along with the studio audience, ruled that there was no proof bin Laden was the mastermind behind the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in 2001.

The Netherlands, home to Big Brother creator Endemol, is known for being on the cutting edge of format-based television.

But even for Dutch standards, Devil's Advocate, from Amsterdam production house AVRO, pushes the envelope.

The show features star defence attorney Gerard Spong standing up for some of the world's worst criminals.

In the latest show, Spong was able to convince the jury that bin Laden's connection to September 11 was a product of "Western propaganda". >>> Reuters | Friday, April 10, 2009

Dutch Foreign Minister Lashes Out at Wilders
EXPATICA: Maxime Verhagen says Wilders is turning Netherlands into a country of "us against them”.

THE NETHERLANDS – Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has issued a stinging criticism of the Freedom Party's leader Geert Wilders. 



Speaking on Wednesday evening at the Movies that Matter festival in The Hague, Verhagen said Wilders used generalisations to sow discord and pit different groups of people against one another.



According to the minister, Wilders is forcing people to centre their identities on their religion – which is just one factor in their lives. He added that Wilders' remarks were dividing the Netherlands into a country and “us against them” and that he did not wish to live in such a land. >>> Radio Netherlands / Expatica | Friday, April 10, 2009

Les nouveaux riches are as les nouveaux riches do
Such wanton extravagance in the midst of a deep recession, the deepest since the 1930s, when most other people are hurting badly! Such poor taste! (No pun intended.) Such poor judgement! – Mark

MAIL Online: When you're the president of the United States, only the best pizza will do - even if that means flying a chef 860 miles.

Chris Sommers, 33, jetted into Washington from St Louis, Missouri, on Thursday with a suitcase of dough, cheese and pans to to prepare food for the Obamas and their staff.

He had apparently been handpicked after the President had tasted his pizzas on the campaign trail last autumn. Obamas Fly in Chef 860 Miles... Just to Make Pizza >>> By Mail Foreign Service | Saturday, April 10, 2009

Barack Obama: President Pantywaist - New Surrender Monkey on the Block
TELEGRAPH BLOG – Gerald Warner: President Barack Obama has recently completed the most successful foreign policy tour since Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. You name it, he blew it. What was his big deal economic programme that he was determined to drive through the G20 summit? Another massive stimulus package, globally funded and co-ordinated. Did he achieve it? Not so as you'd notice.

Barack is not the first New World ingenue to discover that European leaders will load him with praise, struggle sycophantically to be photographed with him and outdo him in Utopian rhetoric. But when it comes to the critical moment of opening their wallets - suddenly it is flag-day in Aberdeen. Okay, put the G20 down to inexperience, beginner's nerves, what you will. Read on and comment here >>> Gerald Warner | Saturday, April 10, 2009

'The BNP Are Now a Bigger Threat Than Ever'
THE INDEPENDENT: Labour fears the far right will win its first European seats in June, Harriet Harman tells Andrew Grice

Labour is facing its biggest threat from the BNP, Harriet Harman admits today, as the party gears up to prevent the far right group from winning its first seats in nationwide elections this June for the European Parliament.

In an interview with The Independent Ms Harman, the Leader of the Commons, who is heading Labour's election effort in in her role as the party's chairman and deputy leader, said Labour was launching its biggest-ever campaign targeting the BNP. "It is a worry," she said. "Certainly they [the BNP] are a bigger threat than they have been before."

Labour fears the BNP could land two or three seats in the European elections, which are fought under a proportional representation (PR) system based on huge regional constituencies. Labour believes the BNP threat is greatest in the North West, where its leader, Nick Griffin, is a candidate; Yorkshire and the Humber and the East and West Midlands. >>> Andrew Grice | Friday, April 10, 2009

New Dark Age Alert! Obama, the Great Appeaser

Al-Qaeda Terror Plot to Bomb Easter Shoppers
THE TELEGRAPH: An al-Qaeda cell was days away from carrying out an "Easter spectacular" of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester, police believe.


Sources told The Daily Telegraph that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.

Some of the suspects were watched by MI5 agents as they filmed themselves outside the Trafford Centre on the edge of Manchester, the Arndale Centre in the city centre, and the nearby St Ann's Square.

Police were forced to round up the alleged plotters after they were overheard discussing dates, understood to include the Easter bank holiday, one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

"It could have been the next few days and they were talking about 10 days at the outside," one source said. "We had to act." Police are now engaged in a search for an alleged bomb factory, where explosives might have been assembled.

If such a plot was carried out, it would almost certainly have been Britain's worst terrorist attack, with the potential to cause more deaths than the suicide attacks of July 7, 2005, when 52 people were murdered. >>> By Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | Thursday, April 9, 2009

Iran's President Opens Door to Talks with US on Nuclear Programme
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has opened the door to talks with the US over his country's nuclear programme, declaring that Tehran wanted negotiations based on 'justice'.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at a ceremony after inaugurating the Fuel Manufacturing plant at the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility. Reuters photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Mr Ahmadinejad delivered a moderate message on Iran's annual "day of nuclear technology". The hardline leader, who rose to power on a tide of anti-American demagoguery, gave his first response to an invitation from the world's leading powers, including the US, to join a new round of talks.

"The Iranian nation has from the beginning been after logic and negotiations, but negotiations based on justice and complete respect for rights and regulations," he said during a speech in the city of Isfahan, where he opened a new nuclear plant.

The president added: "One-sided negotiations, conditional negotiations, negotiations in an atmosphere of threat are not something that any free person would accept."

But a few hours earlier, officials claimed that Iran is now operating 7,000 centrifuges inside its underground plant in Natanz. These machines are used to enrich uranium, a highly sensitive process which could be used to produce fuel for civilian power stations - or the essential material for a nuclear weapon. >>> By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor | Thursday, April 9, 2009

Tony Blair Should Just Be Quiet on Anything to Do with Church
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair was right to reform the laws on homosexuality but his hypocrisy is unbearable, says Andrew Pierce.

Mahatma Gandhi once said: "Hypocrisy and distortion are passing currents under the name of religion." Tony Blair, take note. First he declared that the Pope was wrong on homosexuality, then he had the temerity to suggest that the Roman Catholic church reorganise in the same way as the Labour Party did. So, cardinals, there you have it. Forget your Papal encyclicals: all you need is a red rose, some pledge cards, and a few soundbites to restore your church to its rightful place at the centre of the moral order.

What is Blair on? He must have been too busy counting the cash from his speaking engagements to notice that at the next election New Labour will be buried after 16 years and two leaders. I suspect that Pope Benedict XVI, the 265th Bishop of Rome, prefers the more solid foundations of the Vatican.

The Pope has described homosexuality as a "tendency ordered towards an intrinsic moral evil", which Blair takes issue with. But he has also said that "legislative action in favour of abortion is incompatible with participation in the Eucharist". On that topic Blair was silent, not least because, as PM, he failed to back a lower legal limit for abortion of 24 weeks, and presided over an NHS that terminated 200,000 pregnancies a year. >>> By Andrew Pierce | Thursday, April 9, 2009

Diana West: Obama Bows To No One, Unless You're a Saudi King
Obeisant Obama
TOWNHALL: Chances are good you haven't heard this one: that, while in Buckingham Palace last week, milling about with G-20 leaders, the current president of the United States bowed deeply at the waist, one knee bent, on meeting the current King, so-called, of Saudi Arabia, who did not bow back. Chances are even better you haven't seen the video.

That's because Big Media, from viewer-deprived networks to newspapers considering bailouts, have neither aired the video of the incident nor reported on it. ("The O'Reilly Factor" doesn't count.) Washington Post reporter Michael A. Fletcher's breezy dismissal of a reader's online query exemplifies media disinterest: "I'm not sure what the etiquette is for such greetings, but I'm sure the president was only trying to convey respect ... Remember some years ago when President Bush touched cheeks with and held the hand of a Saudi monarch during a visit to his Texas ranch? Another sign of respect. I would not make too much of it."
Well, I would. >>> By Diana West | Thursday, April 9, 2009

Prophet Muhammad Cartoon Goes on Sale in Denmark
ASSOCIATED PRESS: COPENHAGEN — A Danish press freedom group said Wednesday it is selling copies of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad that caused outrage across the Muslim World.

Some 1,000 printed reproductions of a drawing depicting the prophet wearing a bomb-shaped turban are being sold for 1,400 kroner ($250) each, said Lars Hedegaard, chairman of the Danish Free Press Society.

"All we are doing is starting a debate," Hedegaard said. "We are using our freedom of speech." >>> By Jan M. Olsen | Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The most famous cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, created by Kurt Westergaard.

Saudi Jihadi Divorces Wife by Text Message
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi man has set a legal precedent by divorcing his wife by text message.

The man was in Iraq when he sent the SMS informing her she was no longer his spouse. Saudi Man Divorces Wife by Text Message >>> | Thursday, April 9, 2009

Obama Plans Amnesty for 12m Illegal Immigrants
THE GUARDIAN: White House set to take on Republicans and union-backed Democrats to create 'orderly' immigration system

Barack Obama plans to grant citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants in an overhaul of US immigration policy, trying to succeed where George Bush failed, according to a report today.

The US president will broach the contentious issue next month, bringing congressional Democrats and Republicans together over the summer to discuss possible legislation for the autumn, the New York Times reported.

Obama will present his drive as "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system", the paper quoted Cecilia Munoz, deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs in the White House, as saying. Obama has identified energy and healthcare reform as his legislative priorities.

The timetable for immigration reform backs pledges made to Hispanic groups in the presidential campaign that immigration reform, including a plan to make legal status possible for an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, would be a priority in his first year. Hispanic voters turned out strongly for Obama at the election. Storm Brews as Barack Obama Embarks on Pledge to Grant Citizenship to Illegal Immigrants >>> Mark Tran | Thursday, April 9, 2009