Neues Ehegesetz: Afghanische Frauen protestieren gegen Sexpflicht
WELT ONLINE: Rund 200 Frauen haben für Änderungen am afghanischen Ehegesetz für Schiiten demonstriert, das Frauen nur unter bestimmten Bedingungen erlaubt, Geschlechtsverkehr mit dem Ehemann abzulehnen. Sie wurden von 1000 Gegendemonstranten, darunter 300 Frauen, angegriffen. Die meisten sind Anhänger eines schiitischen Geistlichen.

In Afghanistan sind rund 200 Frauen auf die Straße gegangen, um gegen das umstrittene neue Ehegesetz zu demonstrieren. Bild dank der Welt
Im Streit um das afghanische Ehegesetz für Schiiten ist es in Kabul zu Zusammenstößen zwischen Befürwortern und Gegnerinnen gekommen. Eine Gruppe von 200 Demonstrantinnen wurde am Mittwoch von mehr als 1000 Unterstützern des geplanten Gesetzes umstellt. Vereinzelt seien Steine auf die Frauen geworfen worden, berichtete ein dpa-Reporter. Die Demonstrantinnen seien als „Abtrünnige und Sklaven der Christen“ beschimpft worden. Kritiker werten das Gesetz als Freibrief für Vergewaltigung in der Ehe. Nach heftigen internationalen Protesten legte Präsident Hamid Karsai das von ihm bereits unterzeichnete Gesetz zunächst auf Eis. >>> dpa/tsch | Mittwoch, 15. April 2009

TIMESONLINE: Women Protesters against 'Marital Rape' Law Spat On and Stoned in Kabul

Women protesting in Kabul against a controversial new law were pelted with stones, jostled and spat on today as they held what is believed to be the first public demonstration calling for equal rights for women in recent Afghan history.

The protest by about 200 women called for amendment of the controversial Shia Family Law, passed last month by the Afghan Parliament, and enforcement of article 22 of the Afghan constitution, which gives equal rights to men and women.

It provoked a furious reaction from local men and a mob quickly surrounded the protesters amid violent scenes close to the Parliament building.

The new law, which applies to the 15 per cent of the population who are Shia Muslim, has drawn widespread international condemnation since it was passed in March. President Obama called it abhorrent after leaked drafts of the law showed it apparently legalised marital rape and child marriage and reintroduced restrictions on women that were notorious under the Taleban period of rule.

The Afghan Government has since announced a review of the legislation, which has yet to come into force. Political opponents of the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, have suggested that the law was passed by as a sop to powerful Shia religious parties ahead of the country's presidential elections in August.

Carrying banners that proclaimed “We want dignity in the law” and “Islam is justice”, the small all-woman march was initially matched by a peaceful counter-demonstration of 300 or so female religious students from the Khatam-ul-Nabieen Shiite University in Kabul. The university is attached to the Khatam Al-Nabi Mosque, a huge building constructed with Iranian backing and overseen by Mohammad Asif Mohseni, a leading Shia cleric who has strongly backed the new law. >>> Tom Coghlan in Kabul | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Some Sugar from Obama before Tea Parties
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: AS US taxpayers rush to meet the April 15 deadline to lodge their tax returns, and President Barack Obama talks up the economy, thousands of citizens will hold tea parties throughout the nation to protest the Administration's big-spending economic policies.

Organisers expect there will be at least 600 such events in towns and cities throughout the nation and are forecasting tens of thousands will attend some of the larger ones in major cities such as Chicago.

The tea party theme is a nod to the Boston Tea Party of 1773 when outraged colonists threw tea into the harbour to protest the tax on it imposed by their English overlords. It is regarded as the spark that ignited the American Revolutionary War. >>> Anne Davies Herald Correspondent in Washington | Thursday, April 16, 2009

Critiqué, Tariq Ramadan continue son travail à Rotterdam
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ISLAM | La mairie soutient l'intellectuel genevois, après que des médias néerlandais lui aient prêté des propos homophobes. «Sortis de leur contexte», précise l'intéressé.

Photo: Google Images
La ville de Rotterdam a annoncé mercredi qu'elle poursuivait sa collaboration avec l'intellectuel genevois controversé Tariq Ramadan, conseiller de la mairie depuis 2007. Son poste était remis en question après des propos homophobes qui lui avaient été attribués par les médias néerlandais.

M. Ramadan "a, au sujet de l'homosexualité, un point de vue relativement conservateur", a reconnu Rik Grasshof, conseiller municipal à la Culture, lors d'une conférence de presse à Rotterdam. "Mais il a toujours été dans la même logique", a-t-il ajouté en présence de M. Ramadan, à savoir que "l'homosexualité est difficile à accepter en islam, mais le respect pour la personne prime" sur la religion. 
Voulant étouffer dans l'oeuf toute controverse, le conseil municipal a demandé une traduction assermentée de certains discours de M. Ramadan, reproduits fin mars dans De Gay Krant, un magazine pour homosexuels. >>> ATS/AFP | Mercredi 15 Avril 2009

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Dutch City Rules 'Euro Islam' Proponent Is not Homophobic

Rotterdam has exonerated Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan in an investigation over alleged homophobic and misogynistic statements he made in tapes aimed at immigrants. Holland's second largest city says it will retain him as an adviser to build bridges between its immigrant communities.

Last month, the Gay Krant, a newspaper for the homosexual community in the Netherlands, accused Tariq Ramadan of making homophobic and mysogenistic statements on tapes in Arabic destined for immigrant communities in Europe.

Ramadan, 46, a Swiss philosopher and theologist of Egyptian descent, was hired by the city of Rotterdam two years ago to "help lift the multicultural dialogue to a higher level". He dismissed the Gay Krant's accusations as slander.

The city of Rotterdam has since carried out its own investigation, the results of which were presented on Wednesday. The city had 54 Arabic-language cassette tapes translated and examined. According to council executive Rik Grasshof of the Green party GroenLinks, the Gay Krant's reporting was incomplete en [sic] inaccurate.

As a result, Ramadan's contract with the city will be extended for another two years, during which time he will lead public debates in an effort to bring the various communities in Rotterdam closer together. >>> By Mark Hoogstad | Thursday, April 16, 2009

Geldpolitik: Der Welt droht ein Krieg der Währungen
WELT ONLINE: Die Finanzkrise macht die Zentralbanken erfinderisch. Immer mehr Staaten setzen im Kampf um Wettbewerbsvorteile auf die Abwertung ihres Geldes – auf Kosten der Nachbarn. Ein Blick in die Geschichte zeigt: Wer die billigste Währung hat, kommt besser durch eine Krise und als erster aus ihr heraus.

Am Devisenmarkt sind bereits erste drastische Folgen des Abwertungswettlaufs zu erkennen. Die Währungen jener Staaten, deren Notenbanken eine unkonventionell aggressive Geldpolitik verfolgen, haben sich in den vergangenen Wochen gegenüber dem Euro deutlich verbilligt. Bild dank der Welt
Goh Chok Tong hat die Zeichen der Zeit verstanden. Der Chef von Singapurs Notenbank setzt alles daran, seinen heimischen Dollar zu schwächen. Denn der Stadtstaat steht vor dem schwersten Wirtschaftseinbruch seit seiner Unabhängigkeit vor 44 Jahren und kann jede konjunkturelle Unterstützung gebrauchen.

Weltweit ist die Währungsschlacht eröffnet. Die Finanzkrise macht die Zentralbanken erfinderisch. Mit Devisenmarktinterventionen, billionenschweren Anleihekäufen oder ultrabilligem Geld starten Notenbanken einen Feldzug für die heimische Konjunktur. Immer mehr Staaten setzen im Kampf um Wettbewerbsvorteile auf die Abwertung ihres Geldes. Ein Blick in die Geschichte offenbart: Wer im internationalen Vergleich die billigste Währung hat, kommt besser durch eine Wirtschaftskrise und auch als erster aus ihr heraus. Der Abwertungswettlauf bietet auch Chancen für Anleger. Devisenfonds haben zuletzt prächtig an den Verschiebungen der Wechselkurse verdient. Das beste Produkt liegt in diesem Jahr zweistellig im Plus. >>> Von Holger Zschäpitz | Mittwoch, 15. April 2009

Cuba: Open for Business
THE GUARDIAN: For the last 50 years, Cuba has struggled under a crippling US trade embargo. But this week President Obama eased sanctions on the island. Rory Carroll reports from Havana on what this will mean for ordinary Cubans

Photo: Google Images
They file into terminal 2 of José Martí international airport like any other ­tourists, wheeling and hauling luggage, checking mobile phones for reception, fumb­ling with passports. Navy blue passports, stamped with the image of a bald eagle with outstretched wings. American passports. ­History has yet to call time on half a century of enmity between the United States and Cuba, but these arrivals in jeans and sneakers are not awaiting a formal truce. A once forbidden island, they sense, is on the verge of opening up, and they are here to see it.

The trickle started a few weeks ago. ­Gum-chewing backpackers, middle-aged ­professionals, retirees, all bold enough to defy the US ­prohibition on spending money in Cuba, a de facto travel ban. Cubans half- jokingly call their new American visitors "los valientes", the brave ones, for carving a beachhead. Lenin, in a wry mood, might have called them a ­revolutionary vanguard. A more poetic soul would compare them to the first swallows of spring, harbingers of thaw.

The glacier in which the cold war remnant that is Cuba has been trapped may soon melt. Barack Obama this week lifted a broad set of sanctions that were designed to isolate the island. Cuban Americans, currently restricted on the amount of money then can send home and to one visit every three years, will be allowed to go as often as they wish and to send more money to relatives. Obama has also lifted restrictions on US telecommunications com­panies applying for licences to operate there, and on scheduled commercial flights to the island. Air travel is currently limited to charter flights from Miami, New York and Los Angeles for Cuban Americans with relatives on the island, and those with a special reason to visit, such as journalists.

The changes soften US policy but leave in place the economic embargo that John Kennedy imposed in 1962 - a ban on trade and investment designed to choke Fidel Castro's nascent ­revolutionary government. Over the decades the embargo was tightened and loosened, but the objective remained the same: topple Castro. It failed to do so. Cuba's ­economy staggered on and ­Castro strengthened his grip, but the embargo was maintained. >>> Rory Carroll | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Guardian Audio: The Guardian's Latin America correspondent Rory Carroll explains why Barack Obama has been able to sidestep Florida's powerful Cuban exiles in breaking down barriers between the two nations >>>

Iran Offers New Package to Break Nuclear Weapons Deadlock
THE GUARDIAN: Ahmadinejad speech seen as sign that Tehran is softening its approach to the west

Tehran is preparing new proposals to break the deadlock over its nuclear programme, the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said today in a sign of thawing relations with the west.

Avoiding his usual fiery rhetoric, Ahmadinejad said: "Today we are preparing a new package. Once it becomes ready, we will present that package. It is a package that constitutes peace and justice throughout the globe and also respects other nations' rights."

In an apparent reference to recent overtures from President Barack Obama, and a signal from Washington and Europe that they are prepared to make significant concessions to get Iran to restart nuclear negotiations, Ahmadinejad told a crowd of thousands in Kerman, south-eastern Iran, that circumstances had changed.

But the Iranian leader could not resist boasting that Iran's resistance and progress in nuclear technology had forced Washington to back down.

"You know well that today you are suffering from weaknesses. You have no choice. You can't make any progress through bullying policies," he said. "I advise you to change and correct your tone and respect other nations' rights." >>> Mark Tran and agencies | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Iran to Unveil Proposals to Break Nuclear Impasse

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's president said Wednesday he is willing to forget the past and build a new relationship with the U.S., adding that he is preparing a new package of proposals aimed at breaking the impasse with the West over his country's nuclear program.

The remarks by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to thousands in the southeastern city of Kerman took a conciliatory tone not usually heard in his speeches.

"The Iranian nation is a generous nation. It may forget the past and start a new era, but any country speaking on the basis of selfishness will get the same response the Iranian nation gave to Mr. Bush," Mr. Ahmadinejad said.

He spoke a day after the Obama administration said its immediate goal is to get Iran back to the negotiating table. Though the U.S. government declined to publicly discuss possible new strategies for dealing with Tehran on the nuclear issue, one senior official said they could involve allowing Iran to continue enriching uranium at its current level for some time.

That concession was agreed two years ago by the U.S. and five other powers -- Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. But they still want to wrest a commitment from Iran not to increase enrichment while arranging formal negotiations on a permanent nuclear agreement.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said "circumstances have changed" -- an apparent reference to President Barack Obama's election and Iran's own progress in its nuclear program since talks with the world powers last year.

He said Iran welcomes dialogue with the world powers provided that it is based on justice and respect, suggesting the West shouldn't try to force it to halt its uranium enrichment program. >>> Copyright © 2009 Associated Press | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Internet Privacy: Britain in the Dock
THE INDEPENDENT: 'Big Brother' state comes under fire as European Commission launches inquiry into secret surveillance of web users

Image: Google Images
Britain's failure to protect its citizens from secret surveillance on the internet is to be investigated by the European Commission.

The move will fuel claims that Britain is sliding towards a Big Brother state and could end with the Government being forced to defend its policy on internet privacy in front of judges in Europe.

The legal action is being brought over the use of controversial behavioural advertising services which were tested on BT's internet customers without their consent.

Yesterday, the EU said it wanted "clear consent" from internet users that their private data was being used to gather commercial information about their web shopping habits.

Under the programme, the UK-listed company Phorm has developed technology that allows internet service providers (ISPs) to track what their users are doing online. ISPs can then sell that information to media companies and advertisers, who can use it to place more relevant advertisements on websites the user subsequently visits. The EU has accused Britain of turning a blind eye to the growth in this kind of internet marketing.

Yesterday, the EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding, said: "I call on the UK authorities to change their national laws and ensure that national authorities are duly empowered and have proper sanctions at their disposal to enforce EU legislation." >>> By Nick Clark and Robert Verkaik | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

BBC Rebukes Its Middle East Correspondent Jeremy Bowen for Anti-Israel Comments
Ruling: Jeremy Bowen was today found by an editorial standards committee to have breached the BBC's guidelines on accuracy and impartiality. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
NAME: BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen breached the corporation's guidelines on accuracy and impartiality, an official report found today.

Complaints about two pieces by Bowen - one online and another on Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent - were ruled on by the BBC Trust's editorial standards committee.

Three references in the web article broke BBC rules on accuracy, the committee said.

They were the references to 'Zionism's innate instinct to push out the frontier'; Israel's 'defiance of everyone's interpretation of international law except its own'; and Israeli generals' sense they were dealing with 'unfinished business' left over from the 1948 war of independence.

The Radio 4 broadcast inaccurately claimed the US considered a particular Israeli settlement to be illegal, but had not breached impartiality rules, the report found.

Bowen used the online article, published on the BBC News website on June 4 2007, to put the present-day Israeli-Palestinian conflict in context by explaining the events of the 1967 Six Day War.

But the committee said the subject was very controversial and Bowen, the author of the 2003 book Six Days - How The 1967 War Shaped The Middle East, should have done more to make clear that there were other views on the matter.

Ruling that the article had breached the rules on impartiality, the committee said: 'Readers might come away from the article thinking that the interpretation offered was the only sensible view of the war.

'It was not necessary for equal space to be given to the other arguments, but... the existence of alternative theses should have been more clearly signposted.' >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Human Filth! Human Garbage!
MAIL Online: City bankers are set to pocket huge bonuses again, despite bringing the world economy to the brink of ruin.

Goldman Sachs yesterday promised thousands of staff - 5,500 of them in the UK - a 33 per cent pay boost after it returned to profit.

Other banks are expected to follow suit after benefiting from trillions of pounds in government bailouts.

Last night angry MPs condemned what they said was 'business as usual' for City fat cats. Goldman Sachs was accused of 'taking the mickey' out of taxpayers with such massive bonuses during a global recession.

The Wall Street bank, bailed-out with £6.7billion from the U.S. government only last October, has raised its bonus and pay pool for the first three months of this year by 17 per cent, to £3.1billion. Sachs of Gold: Six Months after Bailout Costing Billions, Greedy Bankers Reward Themselves with a NEW Round of Huge Bonuses >>> By Simon Duke and Olinka Koster | Wednesday, April 5, 2009

God’s Business: Islam in France
Part 1:


Part 2:


NB: There can never be a “European Islam”. To believe that there can be is to buy into a delusion. It is also dangerous to believe that a European Islam can be created. A Muslim’s belief system – Islam – is unifying; it cannot be fractionated. Indeed, Islam defies fractionation. Muslims – all Muslims – belong to the Ummah, or community of Muslims worldwide. The Ummah is ONE. – ©Mark

Survivors Remember Kristallnacht
Hedi (Politzer) Pope:


Johanna (Gerechter) Neumann:


Susan (Strauss) Taube:


Susan (Hilsenrath) Warsinger:


Inge (Berg) Katzenstein and Jill (Gisela Berg) Pauly:


United States Holocaust Memorial Museum >>>

Afghanistan: Taliban richten junges Liebespaar öffentlich hin
WELT ONLINE: Weil sie nicht miteinander verheiratet waren, haben Taliban im Südwesten Afghanistans eine 19-jährige Frau und ihren vier Jahre älteren Freund öffentlich hingerichtet. Ausgerechnet die Eltern des Mädchens lieferten das Paar an die Taliban aus. Erst vorgestern hatten diese eine Frauenrechtlerin ermordet.

Radikalislamische Taliban haben in der südwestafghanischen Provinz Nimros nach offiziellen Angaben ein unverheiratetes Liebespaar öffentlich hingerichtet. Provinzgouverneur Gholam Dastagir Asaad sagte am Dienstag, die 19-jährige Frau und der etwa 23 Jahre alte Mann seien von zu Hause weggelaufen, als ihre Eltern ihnen die Heirat verweigert hätten.

Die Familie der Frau habe die beiden im Distrikt Khosh Rud aufgespürt und an die Taliban ausgeliefert, um über sie zu richten. In ihrem Dorf im Bezirk Chasch Rod hätten drei Mullahs sie dann zur örtlichen Moschee gebracht und mit einer Fatwa, einem islamischen Rechtsgutachten, zum Tode verurteilt, sagte der Gouverneur.
Die Extremisten haben sowohl den Jungen als auch das Mädchen durch Schüsse vor einer Ansammlung von Dorfbewohnern sinnlos getötet“, sagte Asaad. Er bezeichnete die am Vortag vollzogene Hinrichtung als eine Beleidigung für den Islam“. Einige Berichte deuteten darauf hin, dass die Familien des jungen Paares Verbindungen zu den Taliban hätten. Khosh Rud grenzt an Helmand an, die unsicherste Provinz in Afghanistan. >>> dpa/AFP/ks | Dienstag, 14. April 2009

Dhimmitude Alert! Lloyd's of London Eyes Islamic Reinsurance
Educating Islamic Bankers: Dubai International Financial Center plans to set up a board to encourage education in Islamic finance, an industry that is likely to grow by 15 to 20 percent this year despite the financial crisis.

The Executive Director of Islamic finance at the DIFC Nik Thani, speaking at the 2009 Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit in Dubai, says that with large conventional banks increasingly venturing into the Islamic arena, more educational and training resources are needed.

Thani says "this would be the minimum standard and from their we could build up to other things...including degrees in Islamic finance."

Speaker: Nik Thani, Islamic Finance Executive Director Dubai International Financial Center

Presenter: Ruben Ramirez, Dubai
REUTERS: LONDON - Lloyd's of London is setting up an Islamic re-insurance syndicate with a capacity of up to 200 million pounds to write Islamic compliant reinsurance globally, a PriceWaterhouseCoopers executive said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Khan, director for Islamic insurance, or takaful, at PwC, said the Lloyd's syndicate would include mainly financial institutions and to a lesser extent individual investors. It would become operational between the end of 2009 and the beginning of next year.

Financial consultant and accounting firm PwC is advising the financial group on the syndicate, he said at the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit in London.

Lloyd's of London was not immediately available to comment. >>> By Cecilia Valente | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

American Journalist Roxana Saberi Awaits Fate after Iran Spy Trial
Photo of Roxana Saberi courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: The jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was waiting to learn her fate today after her one-day trial on espionage charges at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.

She was tried on charges of “spying for foreigners... for America,“ Ali Reza Jamshidi, an Iranian government spokesman said, adding that a verdict was expected in two to three weeks. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Ms Saberi, 31, who was arrested in January after buying a bottle of wine and subsequently accused of working without press credentials, was charged last week with spying for the United States. An investigative judge involved in the case alleged that she had passed classified information to American intelligence services.

She “was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter”, Hassan Haddad, the chief deputy prosecutor said last week. “The evidence is mentioned in her case papers and she has accepted all the charges,” he added.

News of yesterday’s speedy trial came as a setback for American efforts to secure her release. They also dashed hope of rapprochement between the countries, raised by Tehran’s positive response to President Obama’s appeal for direct talks.

Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, expressed her “deep concern” for Ms Saberi’s safety and dismissed the charges against the reporter as baseless. She said it was unclear why the trial was moving at such fast pace, especially given the gravity of the charges.

Her parents visited her briefly today at the notorious Evin prison and said she appeared in reasonable health. “We met Roxana for a few minutes and she is doing well,” Reza Saberi, her father, said. “We are waiting for the judge to make a decision. It should come out in a week. There is always hope but we don’t know what will happen.” >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Zuma the Movie

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Islam and Freedom

Tide Turning for Same-sex Marriage
Image by Google Images
BRISBANE TIMES: A CULTURAL shift appears to be under way in the US in favour of same-sex marriages, with two landmark legal decisions this month and eight states set to vote on bills later this year.

Gay campaigners are celebrating a vote in the Vermont legislature last week and an earlier Iowa Supreme Court ruling, bringing to four the number of states where same-sex marriages are legal.

The mood contrasts with the despondency in November when the public in California ended a brief period in which same-sex marriages were allowed and voted for a definition of marriage as being only between a man and woman.

Evan Wolfson, the founder and executive director of the New York-based Freedom to Marry organisation, described the recent events as wonderful and said the public were beginning to see gay people in a different way.

The presidency of George Bush had been marked by social conservatism, often based on the agenda of the Christian right, he said. But the victory of Barack Obama in November had coincided with an apparent rejection of much of that agenda in favour of greater liberalisation.

"Eight years after the most polarising politics of Bush-Rove and orchestrated attacks on gay people, I think what happened in 2008 was the American people said they have had enough of divisiveness," Mr Wolfson said. >>> Agencies | Sunday, April 12, 2009

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