The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Terrorism: Al-Qaeda No.2 Unimpressed by Obama
Ayman Al-Zawahiri. Photo: GoogleImages
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL (AKI): Dubai - Barack Obama's election as US president has failed to lift America's status in the Muslim and Arab world, and is a victory for Al-Qaeda, according to a new audio message allegedly from the terror network's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The video was posted on key jihadist websites on Monday.
The authenticity of the tape is yet to be verified. The purported message is in Arabic and, unlike previous ones, contains no English subtitles. The message is edited with extracts from recent Arabic TV interviews with Arab political analysts.
"In our view, America is still the country that kills Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. It is the country that steals our assets and occupies our lands, and which props up thieving and corrupt Arab regimes.
"The Islamic nation has opted to revive Islam and refuses to give in to oppression. Killing or capturing people casts the US in an even worse light. The US airstrikes in Pakistan pour oil on the flames and will lead to further defeats for that country," al-Zawahiri says.
Obama's election was actually a political triumph for Al-Qaeda and the result of US defeat in Iraq, the message says.
"Obama's victory is nothing more than the recognition by the American people that (former president George W.) Bush's policies had failed, and that the administration was lying when it claimed to have defeated the mujadeen (holy warriors)," al-Zawahiri says. >>> | Monday, April 20, 2009
Women in Somali City Must Cover Up or Go to Jail
CNN: Women in Somalia's third-largest city, Baidoa, have been ordered to wear Islamic dress starting this week or face jail time, according to a resident and Somali media reports.
The order -- issued last week by Al-Shabaab, the radical Islamist militia that controls the city -- also warns business owners to close their shops during daily prayers, or they will be temporarily shut down, a local journalist said.
The militia has ordered women to cover their bodies and heads from view, according to a resident of Baidoa who did not want to be identified for security reasons. The clothing must be black, red or white, and women in the impoverished city are concerned that they will not be able to purchase clothing that conforms to the order, the resident said.
He said women would be jailed if they violated the order after it goes into effect Tuesday. Somalia's Shabelle Media, quoting an Al-Shabaab spokesman, said they would spend 12 hours in jail. >>> CNN's Ben Brumfield and journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report | Monday, April 20, 2009
Ahmadinejad: Israel Will Disappear From Map (June 2008)
Iran's Ahmadinejad on Holocaust
Netanyahu Vows Not to Allow Second Holocaust
Yom Hashoah. Images: GoogleImages
ASSOCIATED PRESS: JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday not to allow Holocaust deniers to carry out a second Holocaust against the Jewish people.
Speaking at the ceremony marking Israel's annual memorial day for the 6 million Jews killed by Nazis and their collaborators during World War II, Netanyahu also described a U.N. anti-racism conference under way in Geneva as an anti-Israel event.
The hawkish prime minister, who took office about three weeks ago, criticized the president of Switzerland for meeting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the conference. Netanyahu called Ahmadinejad a Holocaust denier who wants to perpetrate another massacre of Jews.
"We will not allow the Holocaust deniers to carry out another Holocaust against the Jewish people. This is the supreme duty of the state of Israel. This is my supreme duty as prime minister of Israel," Netanyahu said. >>> By Mark Lavie | Monday, April 20, 2009
Britain and EU Diplomats Walk Out as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Calls Israel 'Racist'
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain and other European Union countries have walked out of a United Nations conference after Iran's president attacked Israel as the "most cruel and racist regime".
A protester with a wig is led away by UN security as he tried to interrupt the speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at the UN Racism conference. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad smiled as European diplomats left in protest over his opening address to a controversial UN summit to fight racism.
President Ahmadinejad, speaking as Israelis prepares to commemorate the Holocaust on Tuesday, described Jews and Israel's creation as the "ugly face" of a Western conspiracy.
"They sent migrants from Europe, the United States in order to establish a racist government in the occupied Palestine," he said.
"The word Zionism personifies racism that falsely resorts to religion and abuses religious sentiments to hide their hatred and ugly faces."
EU diplomats launched a walk out when Mr Ahmadinejad claimed that the "pretext of Jewish suffering", a reference to the Holocaust, had been used to create Israel.
The United States, Israel, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand boycotted the conference because of fears that Mr Ahmadinejad would use the event to equate Zionism with racism.
British and other EU officials had attended the conference but walked out after Iran's leader launched into an attack on Western support Israel's "totally racist" policy in Gaza. >>> By Bruno Waterfield | Monday, April 20, 2009
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – Nile Gardiner: Durban II: Gordon Brown's Cowardly Decision Not to Boycott
It is rare when continental European partners such as Germany show a bit of backbone on the world stage. This weekend, Angela Merkel joined the leaders of the United States, Israel, Australia, Italy and Holland in boycotting the Durban Review Conference in Geneva. In contrast, Gordon Brown's government has decided to participate, even though the event is being graced by the presence of Iranian despot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who believes in wiping a fellow UN member off the face of the earth. The whole farce is organized by a steering committee led by major human rights violators such as Libya, Russia, Cuba and Iran. Comment here >>> Nile Gardiner | Monday, April 20, 2009
BBC: Walkout at Iran Leader's Speech
Diplomats have walked out of a speech by the Iranian president at a UN anti-racism conference after he described Israel as a "racist government".
Two protesters, wearing coloured wigs, disrupted the beginning of the speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - followed by the Western walkout.
Others enthusiastically clapped as Mr Ahmadinejad continued his address.
France said it was a "hate speech". A number of other Western countries have boycotted the conference altogether.
The walkout is a public relations disaster for the United Nations, which had hoped the conference would be a shining example of what the UN is supposed to do best - uniting to combat injustice in the world, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva. >>> | Monday, April 20, 2009
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Iran's President Slams Israel, Prompts Walkouts
GENEVA -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the Holocaust as a "pretext" for aggression against Palestinians, prompting European diplomats to walk out of a speech disrupted by jeering protesters in rainbow wigs tossing red clown noses at the hardline leader.
Mr. Ahmadinejad was the first government official to take the floor at a U.N. racism conference opening on the eve of Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day. Two protesters in clown costumes tossed soft red objects at Mr. Ahmadinejad as he recited a Muslim prayer to begin his speech.
A Jewish student group from France later took credit for causing the disturbance, saying members threw clown noses to "symbolize the mascarade that this conference represents."
Mr. Ahmadinejad restarted his talk and delivered a speech that lasted more than a half-hour, saying the United States and Europe had helped establish Israel after World War II and victimize Palestinians "under the pretext of Jewish suffering."
That prompted a walkout by some 40 diplomats from Britain and France and other European countries that had threatened to leave the conference if it descended into anti-Semitism or other rhetoric harshly critical of Israel, which marred the U.N.'s last racism gathering eight years ago in South Africa.
The United States and eight other Western countries were already boycotting the event because of concerns about its fairness. Mr. Ahmadinejad went on to accuse Israel of being the "most cruel and racist regime." >>> Associated Press | Monday, April 20, 2009
WELT ONLINE: Antirassismus-Konferenz: Der erwartete Eklat des Mahmud Ahmadinedschad
Der erste Tag der Antirassismus-Konferenz in Genf hat im Schatten mehrerer Boykotts begonnen – und ist im Eklat geendet. Als Irans Präsident Ahmadinedschad seine Rede für anti-israelische Tiraden nutzte, verließen mehrere EU-Delegierte den Raum. Die Verstimmungen gehen jedoch weit über Europa hinaus.
Wahrscheinlich hätten die Tänzer die Stimmung bessern sollen. Die südafrikanische Regierung, 2001 Gastgeberin der ersten Antirassismus-Konferenz in Durban, hatte sie nach Genf geschickt: Frauen in Saris, Männer mit Buschkronen aus Glasperlen. Sie hüpften und klatschten vor dem Podium, auf dem Ban Ki-moon saß. Doch mehr als ein müdes Lächeln konnten die Spezialisten für „interkulturelle Tanzfusion“ dem UN-Generalsekretär nicht abringen.
Die „Durban II“ genannte Konferenz begann heute im Schatten des Boykotts durch mehrere westliche Staaten – und sie endete im Eklat um die Rede des iranischen Staatspräsidenten Mahmud Ahmadinedschad. Neben Ländern wie Israel, Kanada oder den USA blieb erstmals auch Deutschland einer UN-Konferenz fern.
Ban Ki-moon kritisierte das in seiner Eröffnungsrede. „Ich bedauere zutiefst, dass einige sich entschlossen haben, beiseite zu treten“, sagte der UN-Generalsekretär. „Wir träumen davon, in eine neue Richtung zu gehen, jedoch bleiben zu viele von uns in der Vergangenheit verstrickt. Wir sprechen davon, eine neue Einheit zu finden, wie es die Zeit verlangt, aber wir bleiben schwach und gespalten.“ Gerade in Zeiten der Wirtschaftskrise, sei es wichtig gegen Rassismus zu kämpfen – in all seinen Formen, auch Antisemitismus und Islamophobie. Ahmadinedschads Eklat >>> Von Stefanie Bolzen und Elisalex Henckel | Montag, 20. April 2009
DIEPRESSE: Eklat von Ahmadinejad bei Rassismuskonferenz
Bei der Rede des iranischen Präsidenten verließen die Vertreter aller EU-Staaten, so auch Österreichs, den Saal. Ahmadinejad nützte den Auftritt in Genf erneut für seine berüchtigten antiisraelischen Tiraden.
WIEN/GENF. „Ich bin zutiefst enttäuscht.“ Diese bitteren Worte packte UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon in seine Eröffnungsrede vor der Antirassismuskonferenz in Genf. Grund für die Klage: Eine Reihe wichtiger Staaten boykottiert das UN-Treffen, das bis Freitag dauern soll. Kanada und Israel hatten schon vor Längerem klargestellt, keinesfalls teilzunehmen. Und bis Montagmorgen sagten dann auch die USA, Australien, die Niederlande, Italien, Polen und Deutschland ab.
Diese Länder fürchten, die UN-Antirassismuskonferenz könne wie schon 2001 im südafrikanischen Durban in ein antiisraelisches Spektakel abgleiten. Damals wollten eine Reihe arabischer und islamischen Staaten die Gleichsetzung von Zionismus mit Rassismus durchsetzen. Die USA und Israel verließen das Treffen.
Österreich nimmt an der Nachfolgekonferenz in Genf teil – jedoch so wie Frankreich, Großbritannien und andere EU-Staaten nur auf Beamtenebene. Es wird durch Österreichs Botschafter in Genf, Christian Strohal, vertreten sein. Für den Fall, dass die Konferenz kippen sollte, behalte man sich „entsprechende Schritte“ vor, heißt es aus dem Außenministerium auf Anfrage der „Presse“. Diese Schritte würden in Abstimmung mit den anderen teilnehmenden EU-Staaten gesetzt. >>> Wieland Schneider (Die Presse) | Montag, 20. April 2009
LE FIGARO: Nouvelle provocation d'Ahmadinejad à Genève
Le président iranien a déclaré que le gouvernement israélien était raciste, devant la conférence de l'ONU consacrée au sujet, provoquant le départ des diplomates européens et la condamnation de Ban-Ki-Moon.
Des diplomates quittant la salle, des manifestants avec des perruques multicolores et des nez rouge de clown qui crient «raciste, raciste» (voir la vidéo), les sièges désertés des Etats-Unis, de l'Australie et des autres pays qui ont boycotté le sommet ... Lundi, l'intervention de Mahmoud Ahmadinejad devant la conférence de l'ONU sur le racisme qui s'est ouverte le jour même aura été mouvementée. Toute cette agitation n'aura pas empêché le président iranien d'accuser Israël d'être le «régime le plus cruel et le plus raciste».Il a critiqué la création de l'État hébreu après 1945. «Après la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, ils (les Alliés, ndlr) ont eu recours à l'agression militaire pour priver de terres une nation entière sous le prétexte de la souffrance juive», a expliqué Ahmadinejad devant un parterre de diplomates. «Ils ont envoyé des migrants d'Europe, des Etats-Unis et du monde de l'Holocauste pour établir un gouvernement raciste en Palestine occupée», a-t-il affirmé. >>> Jérôme Bouin (lefigaro.fr) Avec AFP et AP | Lundi 20 Avril 2009
L’EXPRESS.fr: La France s'indigne du discours d'Ahmadinejad
Dans son discours à la conférence contre le racisme "Durban II", Mahmoud Ahmadinejad s'en est violemment pris à l'Etat d'Israël. La délégation française, qui avait pourtat mis en garde le président iranien, a quitté la salle et Nicolas Sarkozy condamne "ce discours de haine"..
Le discours prononcé par le président iranien constitue "un appel intolérable à la haine raciste" et "il bafoue les idéaux et les valeurs inscrites dans la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'Homme", a déclaré le président Nicolas Sarkozy dans un communiqué.
Le chef de l'Etat, "qui avait déjà rejeté des propos inacceptables tenus en d'autres circonstances par le président iranien, condamne totalement ce discours de haine, poursuit le texte. [M. Sarkozy] appelle à une réaction d'une extrême fermeté de l'Union européenne".
Bernard Kouchner a affirmé de son côté qu'"aucun compromis n'est possible" face aux déclarations anti-israéliennes du président iranien. Ce dernier a critiqué la création d'Israël après 1945, l'assimilant à un "gouvernement raciste", lors de son discours lundi devant les participants à la Conférence de l'ONU sur le racisme à Genève.
"J'ai indiqué très clairement que la France ne tolèrerait pas que quiconque prenne la Conférence en otage et s'en serve comme d'une tribune pour tenir des propos haineux, a souligné le ministre des Affaires étrangères. Je souhaite que ce geste de protestation suscite une prise de conscience au sein de la communauté internationale: la protection des droits de l'Homme et la lutte contre toutes les formes de racisme sont trop importantes pour que les nations ne s'unissent pas contre tous les discours de haine, contre tous les dévoiements". >>> Par LEXPRESS.fr | Lundi 20 Avril 2009
Iranian President Says Reporter Must Get Full Appeal
THE TELEGRAPH: Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has offered a potential olive branch to the United States over the spying conviction of an Iranian-American journalist by urging a full defence be allowed at her appeal.
His surprisingly moderate statement came a day after Tehran announced conviction of Roxana Saberi, 31, a dual American and Iranian citizen, and an eight-year jail sentence.
In a move that could be an overture to President Barack Obama, Mr Ahmadinejad instructed chief Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi to ensure that "suspects be given all their rights to defend themselves" against the charges.
Mr Obama did not respond directly to Mr Ahmadinejad, who could also have been positioning himself internally against the hard-line Iranian judiciary, but made emollient comments about Miss Saberi's case at a press conference in Trinidad.
"Obviously I'm gravely concerned with her safety and well being," he said. "We are working to make sure that she is properly treated and to get information about the disposition of her case.
"She is an American citizen and I have complete confidence that she was not engaging in any sort espionage. She is an Iranian-American who was interested in the country which her family came from and it is appropriate for her to be treated as such and be released." >>> By Toby Harnden in Washington | Sunday, April 19, 2009
Hardliners Win Northern Cyprus Election
BBC: Turkish Cypriot nationalists have swept to victory in a parliamentary election in northern Cyprus that could hamper peace talks with Greek Cypriots.
The right-wing National Unity Party (UBP), which favours closer links with Turkey rather than EU membership, has won 44% of the vote.
That leaves the ruling Republican Turkish Party (CTP) of leader Mehmet Ali Talat with only 29%. Mr Talat retains his position, but his hands will now be tied at peace talks.
Cypriot problem
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded the island in response to an attempt by Greek Cypriots to make it part of Greece.
Frustration at the slow progress of talks aimed at reuniting the island appears to have been a key element in this latest poll, the BBC's Tabitha Morgan reports from Cyprus.
When Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Talat began talks with the Greek Cypriot leader, President Dimitris Christofias, over a year ago, he predicted a deal within months.
As part of the package, the breakaway Turkish Cypriot republic - which is only recognised by Turkey - would have gained automatic membership of the EU.
None of this has happened.
Two-state solution
The leader of the nationalist UBP party, Dervis Eroglu, has said he will be pressing for international recognition for the breakaway state.
The UBP wants the island to remain divided and has its sights on a two-state model. >>> | Sunday, April 19, 2009
Boykott: Deutschland sagt Anti-Rassismus-Konferenz ab
WELT ONLINE: Deutschland boykottiert erstmals eine Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen. Die Bundesregierung befürchtet wie andere westliche Staaten, dass die Konferenz von islamischen Ländern für propagandistische Attacken gegen Israel missbraucht werden könnte. Dazu gibt Irans Präsident auch allen Anlass.
Irans Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad traf den Schweizer Präsidenten Hans-Rudolf Merz. Bild dank der Welt
Die Bundesregierung hat ihre Teilnahme an der umstrittenen Antirassismus-Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen in Genf abgesagt. Bundesaußenminister Frank-Walter Steinmeier hatte sich am Abend in einer Telefonkonferenz nochmals mit anderen EU-Kollegen abgestimmt. Danach fiel die Entscheidung.
Steinmeier hatte schon am Samstag mit seinen Kollegen aus Frankreich, Großbritannien, Schweden, Dänemark, Spanien, Tschechien und den Niederlanden telefoniert, um eine einheitliche Linie zu finden. Dabei wurde ein weiteres Gespräch für Sonntagabend vereinbart.
Damit ist es das erste Mal, dass Deutschland eine Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen boykottiert. Bei der Veranstaltung, die am Montag in Genf eröffnet wird, wird auch der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad erwartet. Die Bundesregierung befürchtet ebenso wie andere westliche Staaten, dass die Konferenz von islamischen Ländern für propagandistische Attacken gegen Israel missbraucht werden könnte.
Israel hat seine Teilnahme an der Konferenz abgesagt und die Tagung als „tragische Farce“ bezeichnet. Außenamtssprecher Jossy Levy sagte, zwar diene die Konferenz offiziell dem Kampf gegen den Rassismus, zugleich aber sei ein Holocaust-Leugner eingeladen.
Auch Australien, Kanada, die Niederlande und die USA hatten wegen eines umstrittenen Entwurfs für die Abschlusserklärung abgesagt. >>> AP/AFP/cl | Sonntag, 19. April 2009
LEFIGARO.fr: La France ira à la conférence de l'ONU sur le racisme
D'autres pays occidentaux ont déjà fait savoir qu'ils boycottaient cette Conférence de l'ONU dite de Durban II, notamment les Etats-Unis. Ces pays craignent des débordements de la part du président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
« Défendre son point de vue sur les droits de l'homme ». C'est la raison pour laquelle la France participera à la Conférence de l'ONU sur le racisme qui s'ouvre lundi à Genève, a indiqué dimanche une source proche de l'Elysée. L'Allemagne, en revanche, a annoncé dimanche soir qu'elle ne serait pas présente à Genève.
Les Etats-Unis ont eux aussi décidé de boycotter cette conférence. Le président Barack Obama s'est cependant engagé à collaborer avec les Nations unies dans la lutte contre le racisme. Israël et le Canada ont, quant à eux, fait savoir de longue date qu'ils ne seraient pas présents. L'Italie leur avait emboîté le pas début mars. >>> L.D. (Lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Dimanche 19 Avril 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
USA boykottieren Antirassismuskonferenz in Genf
TAGESANZEIGER: Die USA haben ihre Teilnahme an der Antirassismus-Konferenz der Uno in Genf endgültig abgesagt.
Das Abschlussdokument, auf das sich Diplomaten am Freitag geeinigt hatten, sei nicht akzeptabel, sagte ein Sprecher des US- Aussenministeriums am Samstag.
Die USA hatten zunächst an vorbereitenden Sitzungen teilgenommen und entsprachen damit der Ankündigung von Präsident Barack Obama, verstärkt auf Diplomatie und Zusammenarbeit mit den Vereinten Nationen setzen zu wollen.
Nun habe sich aber gezeigt, dass die Bedenken der USA in dem Abschlussdokument nicht ausreichend berücksichtigt worden seien, sagte der Sprecher. «Deshalb werden die USA an der Konferenz zur Besprechung dieses Dokuments nicht teilnehmen.» >>> bru/sda | Sonntag, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Church of England Bishop Accused of Trying to Set Up Rival Church
THE TELEGRAPH: One of the Church of England's leading bishops has been accused of setting up a rival church by another senior Anglican clergyman.
The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali has been accused of trying to set up rival church. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
The Very Rev Colin Slee, the liberal Dean of Southwark has publicly attacked the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, and said that he was one of three bishops whose position was now "open to some debate".
The Dean's broadside, delivered in the introduction to the annual report for Southwark Cathedral, will infuriate evangelical supporters of the Bishop, 59, and further widen the gulf between the traditional and liberal wings of the church. >>> By Chris Hastings | Saturday, April 18, 2009
Revealed: Government Helpline Tells Children 'Cannabis Is Safer than Alcohol'
Absurd and disgraceful! How low will this dreadful government stoop? - Mark
THE TELEGRAPH: Children calling the Government's drugs helpline are being told that cannabis is safer than alcohol and that ecstasy will not damage their health, an investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has found.
Advisers manning the “Frank” helpline are informing callers they believed to be children as young as 13 that alcohol is a “much more powerful drug than cannabis” and that using the illegal drug recreationally is not harmful because it “doesn’t get you that high”.
Callers are also being told that taking ecstasy will not lead to long-term damage and that if they are in doubt, to “just take half a pill and if you are handling that OK, you can take the other half.”
They are even being told that they would be able to smoke a cannabis joint, on top of ecstasy, with no ill-effects.
The advice, given to reporters who rang the helpline posing as young people, has alarmed anti-drugs campaigners who branded it “scandalous” and “irresponsible.”
Health experts have condemned the advice given to children as “frankly appalling”, “factually incorrect” and “worryingly cavalier”. >>> By Julie Henry, David Barrett and Alex Ralph | Saturday, April 18, 2009
Iraqi Gay Men Face 'Lives of Hell'
BBC: Grainy footage taken on a mobile phone and widely distributed around Baghdad shows a terrified young Iraqi boy cowering and whimpering as men with a stick force him to strip, revealing women's underwear beneath his dishdasha (Arab robe).
Mobile footage of gay men being abused is being widely circulated in Iraq. Photo courtesy of the BBC
"Why are you dressed as a girl?" roars one of the men, brandishing his stick as the youth removes his brassiere.
The sobbing boy, who appears to be about 12, tries to explain that his family made him do it to earn money, as they have no other source of income.
The scene, apparently filmed in a police post, reinforced reports of a campaign against gay men in Iraq which activists say has claimed the lives of more than 60 since December.
In the latest manifestation of the campaign, posters have appeared on walls in the poor Shia suburb of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad, listing alleged homosexuals by name and threatening to kill them. Those named have gone underground, while gay men throughout the city and in some other parts of the country also live in fear. >>> By Jim Muir, BBC News, Baghdad | Saturday, April 18, 2009
Un groupe de combattants islamistes en mars, à Mogadiscio. Photo grace au Figaro
LEFIGARO.fr: La loi coranique a été votée à l'unanimité par le Parlement de transition, suite à l'accord de cessez-le-feu entre le gouvernement et les groupes islamistes radicaux.
«Nous avons un gouvernement islamique». Le Parlement de transition somalien a approuvé samedi à l'unanimité à Mogadiscio le projet de loi du gouvernement instaurant la loi coranique (charia) dans le pays, en guerre civile depuis 1991. «Il y a avait 340 membres du Parlement présents à la session et ils ont voté à l'unanimité pour l'instauration de la charia en Somalie», a indiqué le vice-président de l'Assemblée. La charia était réclamée par les insurgés islamistes actuellement opposés aux autorités. >>> Lefigaro.fr avec AFP | Samedi 18 Avril 2009
REUTERS: Somali MPs Vote to Establish Sharia Law
MOGADISHU - Somali members of parliament voted unanimously on Saturday to implement sharia law across the country in a move aimed at undermining hardline Islamist rebels who have been waging a two-year insurgency.
The approval by parliament had been expected since March 10, when the cabinet appointed by new President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed also voted to establish sharia, or Islamic, law.
Experts say Ahmed's move undermines guerrillas who have been fighting the government and questioning his Islamic credentials. It will also please wealthy potential donors in Gulf nations.
Osman Elimi Boqore, the deputy speaker of parliament, said 343 MPs attended Saturday's session.
Damascene Perversion: Syria's Underwear Sellers Peddle Sex and Seduction
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Maid's costumes, musicial negligee and remote-controlled underpants: You'd be surprised what you can find in a Damascus market. Syrian underwear is now so famous that it is exported throughout the Middle East -- and Palestinian women, reportedly, have the wildest taste.
Syrian underwear has become famous throughout the Middle East for its audacity. "Ever since people started going to Internet cafes and seeing what the rest of the world is wearing, demand has completely changed," says underwear merchant Abdullah Hayek. Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
It's the "latest thing," Abdullah Hayek says, holding the garment up. It's an almost non-existent bra and thong, which consists of strings and a tiny triangle. It's made, not of fabric, but of sugar fondant, which has been rolled out until it is wafer-thin, held together with elastic cords.
"This allows the husband to nibble the underwear off of his wife's body," explains Hayek. The garment, which costs the equivalent of about €3 ($3.9), is available in a selection of flavors, including pineapple, apple, honey, chocolate and mango. "I probably sell 15 of them a day," said Hayek.
The Hamidiyeh souk in Damascus is without doubt one of the best markets in the Arab world. Naturally you can find carpets, inlaid crafts and Oriental kitsch being hawked to tourists within the maze of alleyways. But the majority of customers are Syrian. They push through the souk by the thousands, buying washing powder in one alley and dishes in another -- and, at the intersection where the lingerie merchants sit, they buy sexy underwear. >>> By Ulrike Putz in Damascus | Friday, April 17, 2009
US Journalist Receives Eight-year Sentence for Spying
Roxana Saberi in happier times. Photo: GoogleImages
TIMESONLINE: AN American journalist has been jailed for eight years after an Iranian court convicted her of spying.
The trial of Roxana Saberi, 31, lasted just five days and took place behind closed doors.
Saberi, a freelance reporter for the BBC and America’s National Public Radio, was arrested in January initially for not carrying the correct press credentials. She was then accused of passing classified information to US intelligence services and taken to Tehran’s Evin jail.
The United States say the charges of espionage are baseless and have demanded her immediate release, while fellow journalists have set up an internet campaign to highlight her plight.
A former Miss North Dakota, Saberi, who has an Iranian father and Japanese mother, moved to Iran six years ago. The 31-year-old is a citizen of both the United States and Iran, but Tehran does not recognise dual nationality status. >>> Robin Henry | Saturday, April 18, 2009
Roxana Saberi, une Irano-américaine qui travaillait pour la BBC à Téhéran, a été condamnée à huit ans de prison ferme pour espionnage. Un verdict annoncé samedi que dénonce Hillary Clinton, qui se bat depuis un mois pour faire libérer la journaliste. L'affaire menace les efforts de l'Iran et des Etats-Unis qui tentent ces derniers mois de renouer leurs relations diplomatiques.
Les appels d'Hillary Clinton, la secrétaire d'Etat, n'auront rien changé: la journaliste irano-américaine Roxana Saberi a été condamnée à huit ans de prison à Téhéran pour espionnage au profit des Etats-Unis, a-t-on appris samedi auprès de son avocat, Me Abdolsamad Khorramshahi. Ce dernier a annoncé que sa cliente fera appel. Cette jeune femme de 31 ans, qui travaillait depuis six ans pour la BBC et la radio publique américaine NPR, avait été arrêtée en janvier dernier et aussitôt incarcérée sur le site d'Evin, la prison réservée aux détenus politiques.
Son procès s'est déroulé en une seule journée, lundi dernier, à huis clos devant le tribunal révolutionnaire de Téhéran. Une durée inhabituellement brève. Le verdict, qui devait tomber dans quelques semaines selon le porte-parole du ministère iranien de la Justice, a également été rendu bien plus vite que prévu. >>> Par G.V. (avec Reuters), LeJDD.fr Samedi 18 Avril 2009
Simon Heffer: The Home Secretary Is a Walking Disaster
THE TELEGRAPH: The preposterous Jacqui Smith is a disgrace to the office of Home Secretary.
The indescribable Jacqui Smith. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
I know that people like me are supposed to write newspaper columns because we have a certain command of the English tongue. However, there are times when even the most experienced of us is forced to struggle. How, after all, can one describe Jacqui Smith, our Home Secretary? The adjectives come thick and fast, but all seem insufficient to describe this ambulant catastrophe. Preposterous, corrupt, dim, incompetent, sleazy, incapable: none of them is quite the job.
Miss Smith began by looking corrupt, when it was revealed that she was occupying a room at her sister's house and charging for it as her main residence. She then looked sleazy, dim and preposterous when it emerged that her husband, incarcerated at what was allegedly her second residence, was watching porn films and charging them to the taxpayer. Incompetence and incapability can now be added to the charge sheet following her role in the raiding of the office of Damian Green, a Conservative MP and the party's immigration spokesman: and perhaps one other adjective too – disgraceful. >>> By Simon Heffer | Saturday, April 18, 2009
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Iran Is 'Guarantor' of Mid East Security
THE TELEGRAPH: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that Iran is the 'guarantor' of security in the Middle East as his armed forces paraded in Tehran.
Iranian snipers in full camouflage take part in the Army Day parade in Tehran. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Speaking on Iran's Army Day, which featured a parade in the capital including the arresting sight of snipers turned out in full camouflage, Mr Ahmadinejad claimed: "Iran's armed forces are the guarantor of security in the region.
"Today the Iranian nation, with its religious armed forces, is ready to have a wide role in world management and to establish security based on justice across the world.
"The world should know that Iran is a nation of ideals and supports peace and security based on justice for all nations." >>> By The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff and Agencies in Tehran | Saturday, April 18, 2009
Protest gegen Verhaftung von Regierungskritikern in Ankara: Tausende Demonstranten ziehen zum Atatürk-Mausoleum
NZZ Online: Mit einem Marsch zum Mausoleum von Mustafa Kemal Atatürk haben tausende Menschen in Ankara gegen die Festnahme von säkular orientierten Regierungskritikern protestiert.
Die Demonstranten, überwiegend Studenten und Akademiker, schwenkten türkische Flaggen und skandierten: «Die Türkei ist säkular und wird es bleiben.» Dabei beriefen sie sich auf Atatürk, der 1923 den modernen türkischen Staat mit ausdrücklich weltlicher Ausrichtung gründete. An der Kundgebung nahmen mehr als 5000 Menschen teil. >>> ap | Samstag, 18. April 2009
Analyse: Mit Charme allein kommt Obama nicht weiter
WELT ONLINE: Barack Obamas Politik der ausgestreckten Hand hat ihm selbst bei Amerika-Gegnern wie Iran oder Kuba Sympathien eingebracht. Doch echte Ergebnisse bleiben aus. Nun folgt Phase zwei: Obama muss Zähne zeigen, wenn er seine Freundlichkeit nicht als Schwäche verstanden sehen will.
Obama macht sich viele Freunde, doch der Staat, der seinen Namen wert ist, hat weder Freunde noch Feinde - nur Interessen. Bild dank der Welt
Vor Barack Obamas ausgestreckter Hand ist niemand sicher. Ob Russland, Iran, Kuba, Venezuela und ganz Südamerika: Wer sich nicht schnell genug in die Büsche schlägt, wird mit Aufmerksamkeit überschüttet, vom erfrischenden Lächeln Obamas umgarnt, mit Handschlag getätschelt, mithilfe amerikanischer Selbstkritik versöhnt oder sonst wie in den obamaschen Wohlfühl-Kosmos eingemeindet.
Es fällt einem kaum ein Land ein, das noch nicht Objekt dieser schnellsten globalen Charmeoffensive der Geschichte war. Bis auf Nordkorea vielleicht, das mit Raketentests und Ausstieg aus den Atomgesprächen um Obamas Aufmerksamkeit buhlt und noch nicht erhört wurde. Diese Macho-Anmache aus Pjöngjang war offenbar selbst dem Prinzen der Herzen zu derb, um positiv beschieden zu werden.
Am Ende der Amtszeit von George W. Bush schwärmten Emissäre amerikanischer Think Tanks in die Welt aus um zu erfragen, wie ein neuer Präsident die Beziehungen und das Image der USA aufpolieren könnte. Das Ergebnis diverser Studien war nicht sonderlich überraschend: Je mehr Distanz der neue zum alten Präsidenten legt, desto besser. Und das ist Obama wahrlich gelungen. Wenn selbst ein Amerikahasser wie Venezuelas Präsident Hugo Chávez in Obamas Ohr säuselt „Ich möchte Dein Freund sein“, dann ist klar: Die Hypnose hat funktioniert. Die Frage ist, wie lange sie hält. >>> Von Clemens Wergin | Samstag, 18. April 2009
Obama Offers Cuba 'New Beginning'
BBC: President Barack Obama has said the US seeks a "new beginning" with Cuba and an "equal partnership" with all the nations of the Americas.
Mr Obama was addressing Latin American and Caribbean leaders at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.
The summit follows a historic thaw in relations between the US and Cuba.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed an offer for talks from Cuban President Raul Castro, saying the old US policy had failed.
New beginning
"The US seeks a new beginning with Cuba," Mr Obama told leaders gathered in Port of Spain.
"I know there is a longer journey that must be travelled to overcome decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day." >>> | Saturday, April 18, 2009
REUTERS: KABUL - Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents say the incoming NATO chief is the "major enemy" of Muslims for defending the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad when prime minister of Denmark.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Danish premier until earlier this month, is due in August to become secretary general of NATO, which leads a 56,000-strong international force fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The publication of the cartoons in a Danish newspaper in 2006 led to riots across the Muslim world, including bloody protests in Afghanistan in which several people were killed. Rasmussen had defended the publication of the cartoons on the grounds of free speech and refused to apologize to Muslim countries.
In an article posted on the Taliban's website (http://alemarah1.org/english/), the insurgent group said Rasmussen's appointment would "further strengthen the faith of the Muslims" to fight against NATO and would lead to "intensification of war" in Afghanistan.
"The major enemy of Islam's Prophet...has become the secretary general of NATO," said the undated article. >>> Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by David Fox | Thursday, April 16, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Driving for Reform – March 16, 2008
UN-Konferenz gegen Rassismus auf der Kippe
SUEDDEUTSCHE.DE: Deutschland und andere Staaten schließen Boykott der Anti-Rassismus-Konferenz nicht aus, die EU lädt Lukaschenko ein, Abchasien kündigt ein Militärmanöver an.
Die umstrittene Anti-Rassismus-Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen (UN) in Genf steht kurz vor dem geplanten Beginn immer noch auf der Kippe. Deutschland hielt sich - wie zahlreiche andere Staaten - die endgültige Entscheidung über Teilnahme oder Boykott am Freitag weiterhin offen.
Hinter den Kulissen wurde intensiv über die Formulierungen für die offizielle Konferenz-Erklärung verhandelt. Das Treffen soll an diesem Montag beginnen. Der Westen fürchtet, dass es von Staaten wie dem Iran als Bühne für anti-israelische Parolen genutzt werden könnte. >>> dpa | Freitag, 17. April 2009
LOS ANGELES TIMES: UN Anti-racism Conference Prepares for Likely High Tensions over Israel, Religion
GENEVA (AP) — Concerns are high that next week's United Nations anti-racism conference may descend into contentious debate over Israel that marred the last such gathering eight years ago.
Already, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — who has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and denied the Holocaust — plans to speak Monday as the conference opens.
The United States and the European Union had not decided Friday whether to attend the meeting or boycott it over Islamic nations' demands to condemn Israel and call for a ban on defaming religion. Israel and Canada have said they won't attend over concerns about a possible repeat of verbal attacks on the Jewish state.
"We have made clear ... that we cannot tolerate it if this anti-racism conference is turned into an accusatory event, a one-sided event against the state of Israel," said Thomas Steg, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Many Muslim nations want curbs to free speech to prevent insults to Islam they say have proliferated since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Riots erupted across the Muslim world after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2005.
The five-day meeting in Geneva is designed to review progress in fighting racism since the United Nations' first such conference eight years ago in South Africa.
That meeting, which ended four days before 9/11, was dominated by quarrels over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery. The United States and Israel walked out midway through the conference over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism — the movement to establish a Jewish state in the Holy Land — to racism.
Those references were removed from the final declaration, though it did cite "the plight of the Palestinians" as an issue.
Many of the 2001 issues — such as criticism of Israel — now are re-emerging.
Direct references to Israel and to defamation of religion have been dropped from the draft document for this year's conference, but there is pressure from Muslim countries to reinsert them. >>> Eliane Engeler, Associated Press Writer | Friday, April 17, 2009
Afghanistan: No Sex, No Food!
Afghan cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Asef Mohseni claimed the law he devised did not condone marital rape. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAILOnline: A new Afghan law that has drawn Western condemnation for restricting women's rights does not allow marital rape as its critics claim, but lets men refuse to feed wives who deny them sex, the cleric behind it says.
Ayatollah Mohammed Asef Mohseni's Shi'ite personal status law sparked controversy abroad because of a provision that 'a wife is obliged to fulfil the sexual desires of her husband'.
This was read by some as an open door to marital rape, and together with clauses restricting women's freedom of movement denounced as reminiscent of harsh Taliban-era rules.
The law has been criticised by Western leaders with troops fighting in Afghanistan, including U.S. President Barack Obama, who called it 'abhorrent'.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, who signed the law last month, has since put it under review.
But Mohseni said the law - which only applies to the 15 percent of Afghans who are Shi'a muslims - has been misinterpreted by critics.
Its sexual clauses aimed only to ensure men's sexual needs were met within marriage, because Islam prohibited them seeking satisfaction with other women.
'Why should a man and woman get married if there is no need for a sexual relationship? Then they are like brother and sister,' he told Reuters in an interview in his recently built central Kabul mosque and university complex.
'A man and wife can negotiate how often it is reasonable to sleep together, based on his sex drive, and a woman has a right to refuse if she has a good reason,' said the bearded cleric.
'It should not be compulsory for the wife to say yes all the time, because some men have more sexual desires than others,' he said, adding that husbands should never force themselves on their wives and the law does not sanction that.
But women do have a duty to meet their husband's needs.
LE MONDE: Les Etats-Unis veulent nouer un "nouveau partenariat" avec l'Amérique latine, parler "avec" elle, et non plus "pour" elle, "écouter, échanger, consulter", d'égal à égal, et non plus "dicter" ses choix, "apprendre d'elle" aussi, afin de poursuivre ensemble des objectifs communs.
Ces bouts de petites phrases, glanés dans les discours récents du vice-président américain Joe Biden, résument l'esprit dans lequel Barack Obama participe, du vendredi 17 avril au dimanche 19 avril, à Trinité-et-Tobago au 5e Sommet des Amériques, qui rassemble 34 pays du continent. Humilité, dialogue, coresponsabilité, désir de comprendre. Il s'agit, dans cette région comme ailleurs, de rompre avec l'unilatéralisme, réel ou supposé, de l'administration Bush et de désarmer l'antiaméricanisme qu'elle laisse en héritage. Barack Obama tend la main à l'Amérique latine >>> PORT OF SPAIN (TRINITÉ-ET-TOBAGO) ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL | Jeudi 16 Avril 2009
Obama will eine moderne Bahn für die USA: 13 Milliarden Dollar für Hochgeschwindigkeitszüge angekündigt
NZZ Online: Der amerikanische Präsident Obama hat sich am Donnerstag nachdrücklich dafür ausgesprochen, ein Schienennetz für Hochgeschwindigkeitszüge aufzubauen. Die USA könnten es sich nicht länger leisten, auf eine umfassende Modernisierung der Bahn zu verzichten.
Obama fuhr im Zug zu seiner Inauguration von Chicago nach Washington. Bild dank der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung
Der amerikanische Präsident Barack Obama will mit 13 Milliarden Dollar ein neues Netz schneller Bahnverbindungen in den USA schaffen. Insgesamt sollten zehn Korridore für Hochgeschwindigkeitszüge geschaffen werden, kündigte Obama am Donnerstag in Washington an. «Längst überfällig» >>> sda/afp | Donnerstag, April 16, 2009
Barack Obama Reveals George Bush's 'Torture' Techniques
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama has disclosed the controversial CIA interrogation techniques of the Bush administration, including the threat of stinging insects, simulated drowning and depriving prisoners of sleep for up to 180 hours.
Leg shackles on the floor at at the U.S. Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Photo: The Telegraph
The US government released four memos written by the Justice Department in 2002 and 2005 to provide legal cover for methods that have been widely criticised as torture and which the new president has already disowned.
They exposed in graphic detail how 28 al-Qaeda suspects were questioned at CIA secret prisons, revealing the use of forced nudity, facial and abdominal slaps and the use of confined space and "stress positions".
They considered locking suspects in a box with an insect which they claimed was a stinging insect. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Thursday, April 16, 2009
Speaking Truth to Muslim Power
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Obama does no favors to Islam by ignoring its internal debates.
Muslimatoon. Photo: The Wall Street Journal
'The United States is not at war with Islam and will never be. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."
So spoke President Barack Hussein Obama in Turkey last week. Following in the footsteps of the Bush administration, Mr. Obama wants to avoid labeling our enemy in religious terms. References to "Islamic terrorism," "Islamic radicalism," or "Islamic extremism" aren't in his speeches. "Jihad," too, has been banished from the official lexicon.
But if one visits the religious bookstores near Istanbul's Covered Bazaar, or mosque libraries of Turkish immigrants in Rotterdam, Brussels or Frankfurt, one can still find a cornucopia of radical Islamist literature. Go into the bookstores of Arab and Pakistani immigrant communities in Europe, or into the literary markets of the Arab world and the Indian subcontinent, and you'll find an even richer collection of militant Islamism.
Al Qaeda is certainly not a mainstream Muslim group -- if it were, we would have had far more terrorist attacks since 9/11. But the ideology that produced al Qaeda isn't a rivulet in contemporary Muslim thought. It is a wide and deep river. The Obama administration does both Muslims and non-Muslims an enormous disservice by pretending otherwise.
Theologically, Muslims are neither fragile nor frivolous. They have not become suicide bombers because non-Muslims have said something unkind; they have not refrained from becoming holy warriors because Westerners avoided the word "Islamic" in describing Osama bin Laden and his allies. Having an American president who had a Muslim father, carries the name of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, and wants to engage the Muslim world in a spirit of "mutual respect" isn't a "game changer." This hypothesis trivializes Islamic history and the continuing appeal of religious militancy.
Above all else, we need to understand clearly our enemies -- to try to understand them as they see themselves, and to see them as devout nonviolent Muslims do. To not talk about Islam when analyzing al Qaeda is like talking about the Crusades without mentioning Christianity. To devise a hearts-and-minds counterterrorist policy for the Islamic world without openly talking about faith is counterproductive. We -- the West -- are the unrivalled agent of change in the Middle East. Modern Islamic history -- including the Bush years -- ought to tell us that questions non-Muslims pose can provoke healthy discussions. >>> By Reuel Marc Gerecht* | Thursday, April 16, 2009
* Mr. Gerecht, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Efforts to Continue for Enforcement of Islam: Maulana Aziz
Maulana Abdul Aziz. Photo: Google Images
THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS (Pakistan): ISLAMABAD: Maulana Abdul Aziz was greeted by hundreds of cheering people at the Red Mosque here on Thursday night.
Earlier in the day, he was freed by the Supreme Court on bail.
Speaking to Geo News, he said that a brutal operation was launched against them in the Red Mosque. He said: “Our struggle was for a noble cause to implement Islam across the country for which efforts would continue.”
To a question, he denied that he was released as a result of any deal. But admitted that a deal was offered to him which he rejected.
Responding to another question, Maulana Aziz said that he considers suicide attacks in the country as unjustified. However, he added that such attacks against Kufaar were correct.
Maulana Abdul Aziz is due to lead the Friday prayers in Lal Masjid tomorrow. [Source: The International News (Pakistan)] | Thursday, April 16, 2009
Les cercles de l'Autriche ultra
Les Burschenschaften pratiquent des rituels elitists. Photo: L’Express
L’EXPRESS.fr: A Vienne et dans les grandes villes, une soixantaine de corporations pangermanistes, discrètes mais influentes, réunissent les partisans d'une idéologie aux accents néonazis. Et forment les cadres de l'extrême droite.
Heinz-Christian Strache, la nouvelle star de la politique autrichienne, est un orateur souriant et talentueux, qui bat des records de popularité auprès des jeunes. Mais il participe aussi, en toute discrétion, à des rituels initiatiques conduits dans des clubs élitistes et racistes...
Tribun populiste et eurosceptique, il aime se montrer dans les discothèques et sur les plateaux de télévision. Mais il adhère aussi à une corporation opaque, Vandalia Wien, pour l'honneur de laquelle il s'est battu en duel il y a cinq ans. La devise de ce club un peu particulier constitue, en soi, une forme de programme: "Allemand, uni, fidèle et sans crainte".
Le poids des corporations
Se définir comme un Allemand et vouloir devenir chancelier autrichien? Le paradoxe était déjà assumé par Jörg Haider, l'ex-leader charismatique de l'extrême droite locale, mort en octobre 2008 dans un accident de voiture.
Dans ce pays alpin, quand on veut faire carrière "chez les bleus", c'est-à-dire au sein du FPÖ (Parti autrichien de la liberté), mieux vaut faire allégeance à l'une des quelque 60 corporations pangermanistes toujours en activité, les Burschenschaften (au sens littéral, des "congrégations de jeunes hommes").
Dans le monde germanique du début du xixe siècle, les membres des premières corporations estudiantines, qui furent à la base des révolutions nationalistes de 1848, étaient unis par la haine de la France napoléonienne et des juifs, alors émancipés par l'envahisseur. Près de deux cents ans plus tard, ces clubs très privés aux doux noms mythologiques - Brixia à Innsbruck, Olympia à Vienne - restent, de fait, interdits aux femmes et aux juifs. >>> Par Blaise Gauquelin | Jeudi 16 Avril 2009
Bibeltreue und Homosexualität: Evangelikale wollen Schwule jetzt "heilen"
WELT ONLINE: "Psychotherapie und Seelsorge" – der Titel einer Marburger Konferenz klingt harmlos. Dass Grüne, Junge Liberale und Schwulengruppen gegen das Treffen von Theologen und Psychologen Sturm laufen, liegt an zwei Referenten. Ihnen wird vorgeworfen, sie wollten Schwule therapieren.
Längst Normalität: Ein schwules Paar in Berlin. Bild dank der Welt
In Marburg haben sich 1529 schon Luther und Zwingli gezankt, und nun sorgt eine weitere christliche Tagung dort für Streit. Dieses Mal geht es um Homosexualität. Vom 20. bis zum 24. Mai soll in Räumen – nicht in der Trägerschaft – der Stadt Marburg und der Philipps-Universität der "6. Internationale Kongress für Psychotherapie und Seelsorge" stattfinden, dem ein Bündnis aus Grünen, Jungen Liberalen und Schwulengruppen "Sexismus, Homophobie und Fundamentalismus" vorwirft. Und der Fraktionsgeschäftsführer der Grünen im Bundestag, Volker Beck, fürchtet, in Marburg könnten "Lesben und Schwule als defizitär, krank, therapiebedürftig oder sündhaft" dargestellt werden.
Der Protest richtet sich nicht gegen den Kongress – auf dem Theologen und Psychologen über christliche Identität reden –, sondern gegen einzelne Referenten. Denen wird vorgeworfen, sie hielten Homosexualität für heilbar, wollten Schwule therapieren und zu bibelgemäßer Sexualität bewegen.
Einer ist Markus Hoffmann, Leiter der Gruppe „Wüstenstrom“, der seine Wandlung vom Schwulen zum Heterosexuellen als Reifung und Befreiung darstellt: „Meine Identität war gereift, genügend positive Selbst- und Objektrepräsentanzen waren entstanden und damit wurde für mich die Homosexualität als Ich-Stütze überflüssig, heterosexuelle Gefühle konnten hervortreten.“ Bei „Wüstenstrom“ berät er Männer, die an ihrer Neigung leiden. >>> Von Matthias Kamann | Donnerstag, 16. April 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
World Agenda: Nicolas Sarkozy Puts Barack Obama in the Doghouse
TIMESONLINE: Why the master of America's new First Mutt is no longer in good odour with President Sarkozy
France has been cooing along with everyone else over the arrival of Bo Obama at the White House, but the master of America's new First Dog is no longer in good odour with President Sarkozy.
Mr Sarkozy is pouring cold water on President Obama's efforts to recast American leadership on the world stage, depicting them as unoriginal, unsubstantial and overrated. Behind leaks and briefings from the Elysée Palace lies Mr Sarkozy's irritation at the rock-star welcome that Europe gave Mr Obama on his Europan [sic] tour earlier this month.
The American President's call "to free the world of the menace of a nuclear nightmare" was hot air, Mr Sarkozy's diplomatic staff told him in a report. "It was rhetoric – not a speech on American security policy but an export model aimed at improving the image of the United States," they said. Most of Mr Obama's proposals had already been made by the Bush administration and Washington was dragging its feet on disarmament and treaties against nuclear proliferation, the leaked report said.
Personal pique and French politics are also behind the souring of Mr Sarkozy's self-promoted honeymoon with the United States. On the personal side, the French President is needled by the adulation for an unproven US leader whose stardom has eclipsed what he sees as his established record as a world troubleshooter. "The President is annoyed by what he sees as the naivety and the herd mentality of the media," said a journalist who is privy to Elysée thinking. >>> Charles Bremner | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
TIMESONLINE: Sarkozy Snipes at 'Dim' Spanish PM and 'Weak' Obama
The US President is weak, the Spanish leader is dim, the German Chancellor is clinging on to France’s coat-tails and the head of the European Commission is irrelevant.
That, at any rate, is the world according to President Sarkozy, who has spent the week airing his unvarnished opinions of Barack Obama and an array of international politicians — abruptly ending France’s honeymoon with the US and needling Washington on several strategic issues.
In the latest in a stream of accounts from the Élysée Palace, Mr Sarkozy was quoted yesterday as telling an all-party group of MPs that Mr Obama was inexperienced and indecisive. “Obama has a subtle mind, very clever and very charismatic,” the French President said. “But he was elected two months ago and had never run a ministry. There are a certain number of things on which he has no position. And he is not always up to standard on decision-making and efficiency.”
The US President had underperformed on climate change when they met, Mr Sarkozy said, according to an account of the MP’s session in the newspaper Libération. “I told him, ‘I don’t think that you have quite understood what we are doing on carbon dioxide’.”
Mr Sarkozy was apparently irked by media reports that Mr Obama had saved the day in London by persuading President Hu of China to reach a compromise with France over tax havens. Mr Sarkozy’s version is that he shamed Mr Obama into action, telling him: “You were elected to build a new world. Tax havens are the embodiment of the old world.” >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Friday, April 17, 2009
L’EXPRESS: Sarkozy ironise sur l"obamania"
Nicolas Sarkozy relativise l'état de grâce dont bénéficie Barack Obama :"Les journalistes n'ont pas de mémoire! En 2000, George W. Bush était si populaire que Jacques Chirac s'était arrangé pour dîner avec lui avant même qu'il ne soit investi." Le président français, qui accueillera son homologue américain sur les plages de Normandie le 6 juin, pour le 65e anniversaire du Débarquement, ironise sur l'"obamania" des médias : "Je vais lui demander de marcher sur la Manche, et il va le faire, vous verrez..." [Source: L’Express] Jeudi 16 Avril 2009
Dutch Lawmaker to Make Sequel to Anti-Islamic Film
EURONEWS 24: THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A Dutch lawmaker is planning to make a sequel to the anti-Islamic film that sparked protests among Muslims around the world.
Geert Wilders said in an interview published Thursday in a Dutch newspaper that the film will likely come out next year.
He said it will not be a copy of Fitna, the film he released on the Internet last year that coupled images of terror attacks with verses from the Quran.
This is the next phase, Wilders said in the interview printed in De Telegraaf. >>> Mark of EuroNews 24 | Thursday, April 16, 2009
WELT ONLINE: Niederlande: Rechtspopulist Wilders plant neuen Anti-Islam-Film
WELT ONLINE: Der umstrittene niederländische Parlamentarier Geert Wilders plant für das nächste Jahr ein weiteres islamkritisches Video. Darin wolle er auf die Folgen einer Masseneinwanderung aus islamischen Ländern hinweisen und Problemlösungen aufzeigen. Für die Verwirklichung des Projekts sucht er noch Geldgeber.
Der holländische Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders hat mit der Ankündigung eines neuen Anti-Islam-Films Terrorismus-Bekämpfer alarmiert.
Politische Parteien und Muslim-Verbände in den Niederlanden reagierten hingegen zurückhaltend auf Wilders' Erklärung, er werde mit professioneller Hilfe aus den USA eine Fortsetzung seines vor einem Jahr heftig umstrittenen Internet-Films „Fitna“ produzieren. „Fitna 2“ werde die Folgen einer zunehmenden „Islamisierung“ des Westens deutlich machen.
Die Sicherheitsdienste prüften nun, welche Auswirkungen die Ankündigung möglicherweise für die Bedrohungssituation in den Niederlanden hat, erklärte ein Sprecher der Anti-Terrorismus-Behörde (NCTB). Dies sei die übliche Reaktion. Nach Einschätzung der Behörde war durch Wilders ersten Film die Gefahr von Anschlägen gewachsen.
Innenministerin Guusje ter Horst hatte Anfang April erklärt, die Bedrohungslage sei noch so ernst, dass die zweithöchste Alarmstufe „substanziell“ aufrechterhalten bleiben müsse. Sie verwies dabei auch auf den Afghanistan-Einsatz der niederländischen Streitkräfte. Deshalb sowie wegen mutmaßlicher Beleidigungen des Islam, unter anderem durch „Fitna“, blieben die Niederlande in den Augen von muslimischen Extremisten ein „legitimes Angriffsziel“. "Fitna 2" werde Anfang 2010 veröffentlicht, sagte Wilders der Zeitung „De Telegraaf“. „Ich habe dafür Hilfsangebote von Leuten aus New York und Hollywood, die schon Filme gemacht haben, die bei uns in den Kinos zu sehen waren“, fügte Wilders hinzu, ohne Namen zu nennen. >>> dpa/KNA/fsl | Donnerstag, 16. April 2009
Saudi Money Is Finite after All!
The history attached to Raffles Hotel may lure buyers at $450m. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: A byword for colonial grandeur, and a favourite watering hole of such literary luminaries as Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, Raffles Hotel, home to the Singapore Sling cocktail, has been put up for sale for up to $450 million (£300 million). Apparently, the hotel's owner, Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, is feeling the pinch.
The Times understands that Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, in which the Prince's Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) has a controlling stake, is seeking buyers for its remaining hotel assets, despite the depressed state of the property market, and it is understood he may even be prepared to sell his stake in the company itself.
Hotel industry sources believe that the Prince, dubbed the Warren Buffett of the Gulf, is looking at a range of disposals in response to the sharp fall in value of some of his biggest investments. KHC has seen a big drop in the value of its investments in companies including Songbird Estates, the majority owner of Canary Wharf, Euro Disney and News Corporation, parent company of The Times. Kingdom Hotel Investments, a small London-listed vehicle in which he has a 55 per cent stake, has lost more than two thirds of its value in the past 12 months. Raffles Hotel Put On Market as Prince Alwaleed Attempts to Stop Wealth Draining Away >>> Dominic Walsh | Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
President Obama, Spain and the Radical Left
FOX NEWS – Talking Points: The president says he wants to improve the USA's image in the world. So he must stand up against Spain, which wants to damage America.
The Spanish government will soon decide whether or not to formally investigate former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and other members of the Bush administration for human rights crimes.
Of course, this is an outrage, a transparent attempt to put the USA on trial and make us the villain in the terror war. It also diverts attention away from the true evil: Muslim fascist killers.
The Spanish president, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, is a far-left guy who has been soft on Iran and is inclined to line up against America on many issues.
It is time for President Obama to state his objection to Spain's intrusion, just as he stated he does not want a witch hunt against the Bush administration here in the USA. Mr. Obama should be forceful with Spain. His job is to protect Americans, even those who worked in the Bush administration. Silence is not an option here, Mr. President. >>> By Bill O’Reilly | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
La Corée du Nord ferme la porte à toute négociation
L’EXPRESS.fr: Plus question de négocier avec le Conseil de sécurité pour Pyongyang qui a décidé de rouvrir ses installations nucléaires désactivées. L'annonce a un goût de représailles après la condamnation par l'ONU du tir de fusée nord-coréen effectué début avril.
La Corée du Nord a annoncé mardi son retrait des négociations sur sa dénucléarisation et la reprise de son programme d'armement atomique en réaction à la condamnation par l'ONU de son récent tir de fusée. La Corée du Nord "rejette fermement" la décision du Conseil de sécurité, qualifiée d'"insulte insupportable" envers son peuple, selon un communiqué du ministère nord-coréen des Affaires étrangères diffusé par l'agence officielle KCNA.
"Les discussions à six (sur la dénucléarisation) n'ont plus lieu d'être. Nous ne participerons plus jamais à de telles discussions et ne nous estimerons n'être liés par aucune décision prise dans le cadre de ces discussions", a ajouté le ministère.
Le régime communiste "va renforcer sa force de dissuasion nucléaire pour assurer sa défense par tous les moyens", a ajouté le texte.
"Nous allons prendre des mesures pour rouvrir nos installations nucléaires désactivées (...) et retraiter des tubes de combustible nucléaire usagés provenant des réacteurs expérimentaux", a encore promis le régime.
Cette réaction de Pyongyang intervient après la condamnation lundi par le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU du tir de fusée controversé auquel la la Corée du Nord a récemment procédé. >>> Par LEXPRESS.fr | Mardi 14 Avril 2009
Medwedew spricht sich für Wohlstand und Bürgerrechte aus: Russlands Präsident gibt kremlkritischer Zeitung ein Interview
NZZ Online: Der russische Präsident Dmitri Medwedew hat ein Plädoyer für die Demokratie abgegeben. In einem ungewöhnlichen Schritt würdigte er zudem die Arbeit von Bürgerrechtlern in Russland.
Der russische Präsident Dmitri Medwedew setzt in der Medienpolitik und im Umgang mit der Zivilgesellschaft andere Massstäbe als sein Vorgänger. So veröffentlichte eine kremlkritische Zeitung ein Interview mit ihm, zudem traf er sich im Kreml mit Menschenrechtlern.
In seinem ersten Interview mit der «Nowaja Gaseta» bekräftigte er den Willen zur weiteren Demokratisierung des Landes. Auf Dauer sei Wirtschaftswachstum kein Ersatz für das Mitspracherecht der Bürger. >>> sda/dpa/Reuters/afp | Mittwoch, 15. April 2009
The Hour – Irshad Manji: Osama Bin Laden's Worst Nightmare!
Blogger Convert to Christianity Released from Saudi Prison
ASIANEWS.it: Arrested for openly choosing Jesus, Saudi man is released after some months. He still cannot leave the country or appear in media, but many are surprised by the leniency. Under Sharia apostasy is punished by death.
Hamoud Saleh Al-Amri, Saudi convert to Christianity. Photo courtesy of AsiaNews
Riyadh – Hamoud Saleh Al-Amri, a 28 year-old Saudi national imprisoned in January for writing in his blog about his decision to convert to Christianity, was released by Saudi authorities at the end of March 2009 instead of being put death as an apostate as prescribed by Sharia. However, he has been banned from travelling outside Saudi Arabia or appearing in media, Middle East Concern, a Christian organisation specialising in Mideast affairs, reported.
According to Hamoud himself, who is back writing on his Christ for Saudi* blog, his release is due to pressure brought on Saudi authorities by the Cairo-based Arab Network for Human Rights Information, one of several rights groups that have campaigned for his release.
Hamoud was arrested on 13 January 2009 and detained at the Eleisha political prison in Riyadh. He had written in his blog of his decision to leave Islam to follow Jesus, and had also been critical of his country’s judicial system, highlighting widespread corruption and human rights abuses. >>> AsiaNews/MEC | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
*Hamoud's blogspot ( مسيحي سعودي ), Christ for Saudi, has been removed. Surprise! Surprise!
Scholar's Critique Spurs Ijara Islamic Bond
REUTERS: DUBAI - Since a revered Islamic scholar spoke out against some sukuk structures more than a year ago, issuers have refocused their attention on the ijara Islamic bond model, bankers said on Wednesday.
Some bankers have attributed last year's downturn in issuance of sukuk, the Islamic alternative to Islamic bonds, to comments by Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani that musharaka and mudaraba sukuk should not promise guaranteed returns.
Most Islamic bonds should be treated as equity instruments, said Usmani, chairman of the board of scholars at the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).
His February 2008 comments marked a shift for Muslims seeking fixed-income returns and, in the following months, coincided with a slowdown in the sukuk market as the global financial crisis deepened.
But bankers at the Reuters Islamic Finance Summit on Wednesday downplayed that link, saying the general slump in the global debt market was behind the drying up of sukuk, not a fear the structures failed to comply with the spirit of Islam.
"The sukuk market has shrunk as a direct result of the market conditions rather than an issue with the structures themselves," said Raphael de Ricaud, head of Islamic finance at Rothschild, an investment bank providing advisory services. >>> By Daliah Merzaban | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Analysis: Saudi Speeds Up Education Reform, Clerics Resist
REUTERS: RIYADH - Accused of promoting the religious radicalism that inspired the Sept. 11 attacks, Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to reform its school curriculum, but clerical opposition means change will be slow, analysts say.
King Abdullah appointed a new team to lead the education ministry this year in a surprise reshuffle in the conservative Islamic state, where reformers say promises of change when Abdullah took the throne in 2005 have amounted to little.
Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, a former intelligence official, took over as education minister with Faisal bin Muammar, who headed a body set up in 2003 to promote social and economic reforms, as his deputy.
"We have been calling for such changes for a long time," said Mohammed Youssef, a professor of education at King Abdulaziz University who wrote a book in 2004 on restructuring the Saudi education system.
The United States zeroed in on Saudi schools after it emerged that 15 of the 19 attackers who killed some 3,000 people there on Sept. 11, 2001 were Saudi. They acted in the name of an Islamist group, al Qaeda, headed by a Saudi, Osama bin Laden.
Foreign and Saudi critics said Saudi educational material permitted the killing of non-Muslims and promoted the idea of cleansing Muslim countries from Western cultural influences. >>> By Asmaa Alsharif | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Brazil's Author Paulo Coelho Talks About His Love for Islam
Photo: Google Images
BRAZZIL MAG: Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian writer who took the world stage with his thundering book The Alchemist, the source of inspiration for many around the world, told Syria's leading English-speaking magazine, Forward, his writings were influenced by the Sufi traditions of Islam.
Coelho made his debut in a Syrian media outlet last March, emphasizing his great admiration of Sufi figures, such as the famed Sufi dervish and love poet, Jelaluddin Rumi.
"Indeed, Sufism has inspired me a lot throughout my life and I refer to this tradition in some of my books such as The Alchemist and more recently The Zahir. Rumi is of course the first figure that springs to mind. His teachings and visions are incredibly subtle and clear," Coelho told Sami Moubayed, the Syrian political analyst and editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine.
Sufism, being the mystical order of Islam, is a natural part of Syrian life, with dervishes and Sufi Sheikhs from around the world considering Damascus as their spiritual center and homeland. >>> | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Obama: America Not Christian - But Islam Shaped It For The Better
RIGHT SIDE NEWS: The we-do-not-consider-ourselves-a-Christian-nation line in Obama's speech to the Turkish parliament reminds me of an old joke: The Lone Ranger and Tonto are surrounded by hostile Indians. The masked man turns to his faithful companion and asks: "What are we going to do now, Tonto?" His sidekick replies: "What you mean we, pale face?"
Like others on the left, Obama has an unfortunate habit of projecting his delusions onto the American people.
He was in Turkey as part of his recently concluded America-sucks tour, during which he pandered shamelessly to Euro Anti-Americanism. ("We've been arrogant and we promise not to torture terrorists ever again and to always listen to the ‘allies' who almost lost two World Wars the Cold War. And, have I said how sorry I am for Wounded Knee in the last 15 seconds?")
In the overwhelmingly Muslim country, Barack Hussein Obama, as he was introduced (now that the election's over, it's okay to use his middle name), declared the concept of "Christian America" a myth. >>> By Don Feder | Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Pakistan Sharia Law Infringes Rights, Democracy: US
AFP: WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday that an accord signed by Pakistan's president putting part of the country under Islamic law in a bid to combat the Taliban went against human rights and democracy.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that the Obama administration believed that "solutions involving security in Pakistan don't include less democracy and less human-rights.
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: At the same time President Obama was greeting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Europe last week, Dutch MP Geert Wilders was receiving standing ovations in California for expressing exactly the opposite message: do not bow down to Islam.
Wilders is on tour in various Western countries to raise the consciousness of politicians and the public on the advancement of Islam in Western societies. During his lectures, he urgently calls for stopping this progress in order to preserve our human rights such as freedom of speech, the equality of women and gays and other precious liberties. He was invited by the David Horowitz Freedom Center to speak in California for the first time.
Surrounded by an army of security comparable to that of his fellow countrywoman Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wilders gave the following message to his audiences: Islam is not a religion but a totalitarian ideology aiming for world domination and for the total submission of everyone who is non-Muslim. There is no freedom or egalitarianism or human rights in Islam. Islam is not peace, but violence. To illustrate this point, Wilders showed his film Fitna. In Fitna, Mr. Wilders compiles various verses of the Koran that call for Muslim domination, hatred and violence, as well as media footage showing death threats, terror attacks, executions and hate speech that are in line with these Koranic imperatives. It also demonstrates the small steps by which Sharia law is introduced in Western societies, such as Halal banking, Jihad lessons in elementary school, Muslims hindering doctors taking care of women, and certain imams legalizing violence against gays.
The statement Mr. Wilders makes in his film is that it is not poverty or Western oppression which is the main driver of Muslim intolerance, aggression and violence but Islam itself. >>> By Evelyn Markus | Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Muslim or European?
National Geographic: Saudi Women
Saudi Arabia to Regulate Young Girls' Marriages
GLOBEANDMAIL: RIYADH — Saudi Arabia plans to regulate the marriages of young girls, its justice minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday, after a court refused to nullify the marriage of an 8-year-old to a man 50 years her senior.
The Justice Ministry aims “to put an end to arbitrariness by parents and guardians in marrying off minor girls,” Justice Minister Mohamed al-Issa told al-Watan newspaper, partly owned by members of the royal family.
Saudi Arabia is a patriarchal society that applies an austere form of Sunni Islam that bans unrelated men and women from mixing and gives fathers the right to wed their sons and daughters to whoever they deem fit.
The minister's comments suggested the practice of marrying off young girls would not be abolished. The regulations will seek to “preserve the rights, fending off blights to end the negative aspects of underage girls' marriage,” he said. >>> Reuters | Tuesday, April 14, 2009
