Decline and Fall of the BBC Empire
THE TELEGRAPH: The BBC is crumbling under the weight of its own monolithic structure, and suffering from the extravagances of its self-indulgent leaders, writes Gill Hornby.

Who can begrudge the groaning pension pot of the BBC's Alan Yentob? Not many serious cultural figures, scions of the arts establishment, would be willing to dress up in a toga for a bit of publicity. Surely that's worth a million or two straight off?

Yet somehow, the news that the BBC's arts supremo has a pension pot worth £6.3 million if bought as an annuity on the open market to cushion his retirement, after a life spent working for the corporation, has caused an outcry. Admittedly, the fact that this comes after another dispute over his expenses in 2004 (he was cleared), the revelations that the BBC paid for a large party at his country home (business contacts were present), and that he had not exactly been present at interviews for a documentary (look, he's a busy man, OK?) does not help his case. But that doesn't matter, because that case has been made for him by the corporation's director-general, Mark Thompson.

Thompson, whose own pension pot is valued at a mere £3.2 million, has stressed time and again that the BBC has to pay competitive salaries to compete in a competitive market. Otherwise, he fears, there will be a "talent drain" from his corporation. So, of course Yentob needs an annual salary of £325,000, with all the perks and the long-term securities that come with it. There aren't many little bearded men out there capable of making the sort of programmes that we have all enjoyed from his Imagine series. If the BBC doesn't pay for long documentaries about Werner Herzog, surrealism and the "mysterious, offbeat, sexually charged world" of the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, then… hang on, who would snap him up, exactly?

If you look around, the answer is simple: nobody. The director-general may not have noticed, but commercial television in Britain is in a state of collapse at the moment. His talk of a "talent drain" began in defence of Jonathan Ross's ludicrous pay deal of £18 million over three years, which was, of course, negotiated well before he disgraced himself in the Andrew Sachs fiasco. Back then, Thompson's argument might have had some substance. But now, unless Ross fancies being a judge on The X Factor, he has no option but to stay put at the BBC. And unless Yentob would like to employ his wealth of cultural knowledge in the production of Britain's Got Talent – plenty of surrealism there for him to play with – he's better off where he is, too.

Also, if the corporation is so keen on hanging on to its talent, it is rather curious that it throws such fabulous parties for that talent when it leaves. The cost of sending off John Birt, the former director-general, is estimated at £150,000. Stories about £100 bottles of champagne for celebrities and £400 cakes are never going to go down well with those scrimping to pay for their licence fees. And it is simply not good enough for Thompson to defend it all by comparing the BBC to the commercial sector. It is not the commercial sector. The commercial sector is a tough place to work: you have to fight your corner and earn your ratings, or you're finished. It is completely market-reactive out there, whereas the BBC is the cushiest outpost left in the media world. >>> Gill Hornby | Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Björn Borg Gay Commercial

Anti-Dhimmitude! Three Jailed for Arson Attack over Muhammad Bride Novel
THE GUARDIAN: Muslim trio who attacked publisher's home days before release of The Jewel of Medina each get four and a half years in prison

Three Muslim men were jailed today for an arson attack on the home of the publisher of a novel about Aisha, the child bride of the prophet Muhammad.

The trio poured diesel on the front door of the house in Islington, north London, and set it on fire. The attack in September last year took place days before Martin Rynja's company, Gibson Square, was scheduled to publish The Jewel of Medina, by the American author Sherry Jones.

Ali Beheshti, 41, and Abrar Mirza, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit arson, while 30-year-old Abbas Taj was convicted of the same offence at Croydon crown court in May. Today, Mrs Justice Rafferty, sitting at London's Royal Courts of Justice, sentenced each of them to four and a half years in jail.

Andrew Hall QC, representing Beheshti, said in mitigation that it was "an act of protest born of the publication of a book felt by him and other Muslims to be disrespectful, provocative and offensive".

The judge said: "If you chose to live in this country, you live by its rules. There is no such thing as a la carte citizenship and, in your case, there is no such thing as a la carte obedience to the law." >>> Peter Walker | Tuesday, July 07, 2009

HS from The Times
TIMES ONLINE: Wearing my niqab is a choice freely made, for spiritual reasons

I put on my niqab, my face veil, each day before I leave the house, without a second thought. I drape it over my face, tie the ribbons at the back and adjust the opening over my eyes to make sure my peripheral vision is not affected.

Had I a full-length mirror next to the front door, I would be able to see what others see: a woman of average height and build, covered in several layers of fabric, a niqab, a jilbab, sometimes an abayah, sometimes all black, other times blue or brown. A Muslim woman in 'full veil'. A niqabi.

But is that truly how people see me? When I walk through the park with my little ones in tow, when I reverse my car into a parking space, when I browse the shelves in the frozen section, when I ask how to best cook asparagus at a market stall, what do people see? An oppressed woman? A nameless, voiceless individual? A criminal?

Well, if Mr Sarkozy and others like him have their way, I suppose I will be a criminal, won't I? Never mind that "it's a free country"; never mind that I made this choice from my own free will, as did the vast majority of covered women of my generation; never mind that I am, in every other respect, an upstanding citizen who works hard as a mother, author and magazine publisher, spends responsibly, recycles and tries to eat seasonally and buy local produce!

Yes, I cover my face, but I am still of this society. And, as crazy as it might sound, I am human, a human being with my own thoughts, feelings and opinions. I refuse to allow those who cannot know my reality to paint me as a cardboard cut-out, an oppressed, submissive, silenced relic of the Dark Ages. I am not a stereotype and, God willing, I never will be.

But where are those who will listen? At the end of the day, Muslim women have been saying for years that the hijab et al are not oppressive, that we cover as an act of faith, that this is a bonafide spiritual lifestyle choice. But the debate rages on, ironically, largely to the exclusion of the women who actually do cover their faces.

The focus on the niqab is, in my opinion, utterly misplaced. Don't the French have anything better to do than tell Muslim women how to dress? Don't our societies have bigger problems than a relative handful of women choosing to cover their faces out of religious conviction? The "burka issue" has become a red herring: there are issues that Muslim women face that are more pressing, more wide-reaching and, essentially, more relevant than whether or not they should be covering with a niqab, burqa or hijab. Niqabi, interrupted >>> Naima B. Robert | Friday, June 26, 2009

Sharia Law in the United Kingdom

Archbishop or Archdhimmi? Sharia Law in UK Is 'Unavoidable'

Papst will Krise durch Regulierung überwinden: Enzyklika «Caritas in veritate» in Rom vorgestellt
NZZ Online: Am Tag vor dem G-8-Gipfel in Aquila hat Papst Benedikt XVI. seine dritte Enzyklika vorgestellt. Das Oberhaupt der römisch-katholischen Kirche mahnt darin die Regierungen, die nationalen Ökonomien stärker zu regulieren, um die weltweite Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise zu überwinden

Benedikt XVI. hat ungezügeltem Kapitalismus und unregulierten Marktkräften eine Absage erteilt. In der am Dienstag veröffentlichten Sozialenzyklika «Caritas in veritate» (Liebe in Wahrheit) fordert der Papst die Ausrichtung wirtschaftlichen Handelns an ethischen Zielen.

Das Oberhaupt der römisch-katholischen Kirche mahnt die Regierungen, die nationalen Ökonomien stärker zu regulieren, um die weltweite Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise zu überwinden und ihre Wiederholung zu vermeiden. Die Krise wie auch die Globalisierung sollten als Chance genutzt werden, eine Welt in Gerechtigkeit und Solidarität zu bauen. >>> sda/dpa/Reuters/ap | Dienstag, 07. Juli 2009

«Caritas in veritate»:

In English >>>

En français >>>

Barack Obama Tells Russia to Respect Borders

THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama tells Russia to respect borders of Georgia and Ukraine: US President Barack Obama has told Russia's leaders they must respect the sovereignty of their neighbours Georgia and Ukraine in a major speech in Moscow >>> | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff and Agencies | Tuesday, July 07, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Obama to Russia: stop Iranian nuclear weapon and US will scrap missile defence >>> Tony Halpin in Moscow | Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Obama’s ‘Transparent’ Presidency Not Looking Quite So Transparent Anymore

Hat tip: Always On Watch >>>

Obama Urges End to U.S.-Russia Strains
REUTERS: NOVO OGARYOVO, Russia - Visiting U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday praised Russia's most powerful politician, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, as the two leaders met for the first time, saying there was an excellent opportunity to improve U.S.-Russia relations.

Visibly awkward, the two men exchanged pleasantries at the start of a meeting at Putin's forest residence outside Moscow overshadowed by Obama's criticism of Putin last week in a pre-trip interview as a man with one foot stuck in the past.

"I am aware of not only the extraordinary work that you've done on behalf of the Russian people in your previous role as prime minis-, uh, as president, but in your current role as prime minister," Obama said.

Putin, looking down and mostly avoiding eye contact with Obama, said there had been periods of greyish mood and confrontation in U.S.-Russia relations but added:

"We link hopes for development of our relationship with your name." >>> Jeff Mason, (Writing by Michael Stott; editing by Jon Boyle) | Tuesday, July 07, 2009

LE MONDE: Barack Obama appelle à la fin de l'antagonisme entre les Etats-Unis et la Russie

Dans un grand discours devant les étudiants de la Nouvelle Ecole économique de Moscou sur les relations américano-russes, le président Barack Obama affirme, mardi 7 juillet, que les Etats-Unis veulent une Russie "forte, pacifique et prospère".

Dans ce discours présentant sa vision des futures relations entre les deux pays aux relations compliquées, M. Obama a exposé la multitude des intérêts communs et des domaines de coopération possible."Ces défis réclament un partenariat mondial, et ce partenariat sera plus fort si la Russie occupe le rang de grande puissance qui doit être le sien", a-t-il dit. Il a opposé cette vision à celle du vingtième siècle, dans laquelle "les Etats-Unis et la Russie [étaient] voués à être des antagonistes", ou celle du dix-neuvième siècle, dans laquelle ils étaient condamnés "à rivaliser pour des sphères d'influence et où les grandes puissances [devaient] forger des blocs concurrents pour se contre-balancer l'un l'autre". "Malheureusement, on a parfois l'impression que les vieux présupposés doivent prévaloir, une conception de l'exercice du pouvoir enracinée dans le passé plutôt que le présent", a-t-il déploré. Mais "le temps où des empires pouvaient manipuler des Etats souverains comme les pièces d'un jeu d'échec sont révolus", a-t-il dit. >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | Mardi 07 Juillet 2009

WELT ONLINE: Ende des Misstrauens: Obama will von Putin Abschied von Kaltem Krieg

Barack Obama hat am zweiten Tag seines Russland-Besuchs in einer Grundsatzrede zur Überwindung des gegenseitigen Misstrauens beider Länder aufgerufen. „Amerika wünscht sich ein starkes, friedliches und wohlhabendes Russland", sagte der US-Präsident. Trotzdem stellte Obama auch klare Forderungen an Premier Putin.

Wenn die alten Klassenfeinde Amerika und Russland aufeinandertreffen, ist viel von Ideologie die Rede. So auch beim ersten Besuch von US-Präsident Barack Obama beim russischen Premierminister Wladimir Putin.

Allein versuchte Obama von den alten Streitereien der Vergangenheit Abstand zu nehmen. Stattdessen sprach er Russland indirekt eine größere Rolle in der internationalen Gemeinschaft zu. Er forderte das Land auf, gemeinsam mit den USA Verantwortung im Kampf gegen die Ausbreitung nuklearer Waffen und bei der Lösung der Weltwirtschaftskrise zu übernehmen. Die Welt brauche Russland als eine moderne Großmacht, die vom Denken in alten Kategorien des Kalten Krieges Abschied nehme, betonte Obama in seiner mit Spannung erwarteten Grundsatzrede vor der „Neuen Ökonomischen Schule“ in Moskau. „Amerika wünscht sich ein starkes, friedliches und wohlhabendes Russland“, sagte Obama. >>> AP/dpa/AFP/Reuters/cn | Dienstag, 07. Juli 2009

In England, Girls Vulnerable to Islamic Law
BRUSSELS JOURNAL: In March of last year a severely autistic man with the mental age of three married a woman in Bangladesh, via the telephone. Three of Britain’s most senior judges intervened, ruling the marriage could not be legal under English law, as the man was unable to give his consent.

This marriage, said Lord Justice Thorpe, was “sufficiently offensive to the conscience of the English court that the court should refuse to recognise it and should refuse to give effect to the law of Bangladesh and sharia law.”

Only six months later, sharia courts that had formerly operated illegally in Britain were reclassified as “tribunals” under the Arbitration Act, allowing them to pass effectively legally binding judgments in many civil matters.

However, with sharia law incompatible with English law and modern human rights norms, concerns were rightly raised that the sharia court system in Britain would grow into a parallel legal system. The disparity between English and sharia law was highlighted only a month later, as the House of Lords passed judgment in the case of a Lebanese woman who had claimed the right to remain in the UK with her son. An earlier Lebanese court decision, under sharia law, meant that, despite a history of abuse, her former husband would get automatic custody of the child when he turned seven.

Lord Hope of Craighead observed that under the sharia judgment, “[…] there is a real risk of a flagrant denial of their article 8 rights [of the European Convention on Human Rights] if the appellant and her child were to be returned to Lebanon.” Lord Bingham of Cornhill added, rather triumphantly, that her case was supported “[…] by JUSTICE and Liberty.”

Justice and liberty, Lord Cornhill appeared to say, are not supported by sharia. Not even in civil cases. For, in sharia, the rights of the man supersede the rights of the woman and children, Muslims are privileged over non-Muslims, and – where sharia is the dominant or sole form of law – cruel punishments, including death by stoning, hanging, etc., are meted out for adultery, homosexuality, apostasy, etc.

Although it has generally been thought that five sharia courts were operating in Britain, just over a week ago Civitas revealed that there are now at least 85 sharia courts operating across the country.

Troublingly, Civitas says that some sharia rulings it looked at, “[…] advise illegal actions and others that transgress human rights standards as they are applied by British courts,” and that, “[…] for many Muslims, sharia courts are in practice part of an institutionalised atmosphere of intimidation, backed by the ultimate sanction of a death threat.” >>> A. Millar | Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Tote Ägypterin: Islamisten fordern Vergeltung für Mord im Gericht
WELT ONLINE: Der Mord an der Apothekerin Marwa S. (32) im Dresdner Landgericht empört Muslime weltweit. In arabischen Medien wird offen Kritik an Deutschland geäußert. In den einschlägigen Internetforen drohen Islamisten mit Vergeltung: "Das Blut unserer Schwester Marwa wird nicht umsonst geflossen sein."

Marwas Vater trauert am Sarg. Bild: Welt Online
Am Anfang stand ein Beleidigungsfall. Doch dann geschah ein Aufsehen erregender Mord, der nun in vielen muslimischen Ländern emotionale Reaktionen hervorruft und von gewaltbereiten Islamisten für ihre Zwecke instrumentalisiert wird.

Es geht um den Tod der Apothekerin Marwa S. (32) im Dresdner Landgericht. Islamisten nutzen die Bluttat, um Aggressionen gegen die Deutschen zu schüren. In den Dschihad-Internetforen der Terrororganisation al-Qaida werden Meldungen wie „Mord an einer Muslima in deutschem Gerichtssaal“ oder „Deutscher Extremist tötet ägyptische Frau“ dahingehend kommentiert, dass der deutsche Rechtsstaat die muslimische Frau nicht ausreichend vor ihrem Mörder geschützt habe. In einschlägigen Videos wird gar zur Vergeltung aufgerufen.

Solche Meldungen und Kommentare bleiben in der arabische Welt nicht wirkungslos. Dies zeigte sich in der ägyptischen Stadt Alexandria. Mehr als 1000 Menschen schlossen sich dem Trauerzug für die Getötete an, der dann aber schnell den Charakter einer Protestdemonstration trug. Einige der Trauergäste riefen „Nieder mit Deutschland!“ und „Wir wollen Vergeltung“. >>> Von G. Lachmann und F. Flade | Montag, 06. Juli 2009

Egypt Mourns 'Headscarf Martyr'
BBC: The body of a Muslim woman, killed in a German courtroom by a man convicted of insulting her religion, has been taken back to her native Egypt for burial.

Marwa Sherbini is being hailed as the shahida, or martyr, of the Hijab. Photo: BBC
Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed 18 times by Axel W, who is now under arrest in Dresden for suspected murder.

Husband Elwi Okaz is also in a critical condition in hospital, after being injured as he tried to save his wife.

Ms Sherbini had sued her killer after he called her a "terrorist" because of her headscarf.

The case has attracted much attention in Egypt and the Muslim world.

German prosecutors have said the 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims. >>> | Monday, July 06, 2009

French Anger as Iran Holds Woman
BBC: France has demanded the release of a French academic who it says has been detained in Iran since 1 July, accused of spying.

The French foreign ministry condemned the arrest of the unnamed woman and said the allegations of spying did not stand up to examination.

The French news agency AFP says the woman is an academic in Isfahan.

She had been in Iran for five months, and was arrested at Tehran airport as she was about to depart for Beirut.

"We call on the Iranian authorities to free our compatriot immediately and allow her to leave Iran for France," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said the Iranian ambassador in Paris had been summoned for an explanation. >>> | Monday, July 06, 2009

Sarkozy und Brown beim Thema Iran einig: Bilaterale Gespräche in Evian
NZZ Online: Die Regierungen von Frankreich und Grossbritannien vertreten eine ähnlich Haltung gegenüber Iran. Teheran hatte London zuletzt vehement kritisiert und Grossbritannien vorgeworfen, die Proteste im Iran nach der umstrittenen Präsidentenwahl gezielt anzufachen.

Der französische Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy und der britische Premierminister Gordon Brown haben Geschlossenheit im Konflikt mit Iran betont.

«Das iranische Regime muss sich darüber im klaren sein, dass wir zusammen mit unseren europäischen Partnern handeln werden», sagte Brown nach bilateralen Gesprächen in Evian am Genfer See. Sarkozy betonte, Grossbritannien könne in dieser Frage auf die «totale Solidarität» Frankreichs zählen. >>> ap | Montag, 06. Juli 2009

Iran : des médecins dénoncent la terreur dans les hôpitaux
LE FIGARO: De passage à Paris, ils dénoncent le climat de terreur qui sévit dans les hôpitaux où ont été transportés, ces dernières semaines, les blessés des manifestations anti-Ahmadinejad.

Ils en ont trop vu. Par peur de représailles, ils ont gardé le silence. Mais de passage en France pour quelques jours, ils veulent briser le mur de la peur. À tout prix. «À Téhéran, nous sommes les témoins impuissants de véritables crimes contre l'humanité», s'insurge un des deux médecins iraniens, rencontrés ce week-end à Paris, et qui préfère garder l'anonymat pour des raisons de sécurité. «Depuis le début des manifestations anti-Ahmadinejad, dit-il, des miliciens et des agents de la sécurité en civil ont instauré une politique de la terreur dans les hôpitaux. Ils y mènent une traque sans merci contre les blessés.»«Tout a débuté le samedi 13 juin - le premier jour de la contestation contre les résultats de l'élection. Ils ont commencé à demander la liste des admis à la réception des hôpitaux qui étaient situés à proximité des manifestations», raconte le médecin. Objectif à peine voilé : «identifier les protestataires blessés, pour pouvoir ensuite les poursuivre en justice, en les accusant d'avoir perturbé l'ordre public», précise-t-il. >>> Delphine Minoui | Lundi 06 Juillet 2009

Justice, Islam-style!
MAIL Online: A barber has been publicly executed in Yemen after he was found guilty of raping and killing an 11-year-old boy who came to his shop for a haircut.

Pictures of the execution Monday in the capital of San'a showed hundreds of people gathered around as Yehya Hussein was killed.

The images showed the barber lying face down on a large piece of red cloth, his hands bound behind him, as Yemeni police official stood over him with what appeared to be a machine gun.

According to the news agency, SAB'A, the barber was arrested in December 2008 and confessed during a January trial to raping the boy inside his salon, killing him and cutting his body to pieces before dumping it outside San'a.

Elsewhere in the country, a court sentenced seven rebels from a Shia Muslim sect to be executed after convicting them of causing deaths in clashes with army in 2008.

Hundreds of people died in the conflict and thousands fled their homes in battles between government forces and the rebels in the north, which have raged on and off since 2004.

The state security court also jailed for terms of 12-15 years another five of the rebels accused of seeking to install Shi'ite Islamic rule in the country, which borders the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia. Justice Yemen-style: Paedophile who raped boy, 11, shot in the head in front of hundreds of spectators >>> | Monday, July 06, 2009

Iran's Defiant Alcohol Smugglers

Iran’s Cultural Revolution: On the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, Tehran Correspondent Jon Leyne, looks at the new cultural revolution in Iran >>> | Sunday, February 8, 2009

Nazanin on Sharia Law in Iran

Reverend Robert West Interview with BNPtv

L'Islam en France: Le rituel, les obligations, la prière

Wilders Makes Half of Dutch Muslims Want to Emigrate
EXPATICA: More than half of the people with Turkish and Moroccan backgrounds in the Netherlands say they would consider leaving the country due to the growing popularity of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders. A third say they would definitely like to emigrate.

The figures emerge from a survey by research bureau Motivaction for public service broadcaster NCRV’s current affairs programme Netwerk. The programme commissioned the survey in response to the success of Mr Wilders' rightwing Freedom Party in the recent European parliamentary elections. Since March this year, leading pollster Maurice de Hond's Peil.nl has measured support for the populist Freedom Party at more than 30 percent, which would theoretically make it the largest party in the Dutch parliament if there were an election.
 


Discrimination



Although three quarters of the Turkish and Moroccan Dutch people questioned in the Motivaction survey said they felt at home in the Netherlands, 57 percent said they now felt less comfortable in the country due to the growing popularity of the Freedom Party. Two out of five said they felt they were now discriminated against more often, and almost a quarter said they regularly experienced discrimination. Nearly three quarters said they thought Mr Wilders had intensified negative feelings towards Muslims among the Dutch public.


Nearly twenty percent said they agreed with Mr Wilders on some points and could appreciate why people would vote for him. However, half of the respondents said the growing support for Mr Wilders made them feel angry and disappointed, and 22 percent said he aroused feelings of fear and hatred. Ninety per cent said they thought a Wilders government would be a fiasco, and only 4 percent thought he would be able to offer any solutions to the country's problems.
 


The survey asked respondents what they saw as the best strategy to counter Mr Wilders. Forty percent thought the best policy was simply to ignore the Freedom Party. Thirty-five percent favoured entering into debate with Mr Wilders and his supporters. Twenty five percent saw vociferous protest as the answer, and 11 percent wanted to see a Muslim political party established to represent their interests. >>> | Monday, July 06, 2009

Obama / Medvedev News Conference
Watch BBC live video: US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev hold a joint news conference after meeting to discuss relations between their countries and arms control issues >>>

Israel schweigt zu US-Äußerung über Angriff auf Iran
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Washington/Jerusalem - Die USA würden sich nach den Worten von Vizepräsident Joe Biden einem israelischen Militärangriff gegen den Iran nicht in den Weg stellen.

Die USA könnten «einer anderen souveränen Nation nicht diktieren, was sie tun und was sie nicht tun kann», sagte Biden dem US-Sender ABC. Nur die Israelis könnten bestimmen, ob sie durch das iranische Atomprogramm «existenziell bedroht sind».

Die israelische Regierung wollte die Äußerungen am Montag zunächst nicht kommentieren. Allerdings berichtete die Zeitung «Israel Hajom» unter Berufung auf einen namentlich nicht genannten Regierungsvertreter in Jerusalem, es gebe «geheime Absprachen zwischen Israel und der US-Regierung über die Optionen, die Israel in der Iran-Frage hat». Bidens Äußerungen seien ein Zeichen dafür, dass Washington angesichts der iranischen Raketentests und den Versuchen Teherans, einem Dialog auszuweichen, die Geduld verliere. «Die Worte Bidens zu diesem Zeitpunkt sollen den Iranern signalisieren, dass die US-Regierung die Nase voll hat und dass sie nicht ewig auf sie warten will.» >>> © dpa | Montag, 06. Juli 2009

Obama in Moskau: Beginn einer wunderbaren Freundschaft?
Video hier anschauen
STERN: Besuch in Moskau: Obama sucht die Nähe zu Russland

Zur Bildergalerie >>>

Berlin Fashion Week: Gute Figur gemacht
ZEIT ONLINEInternationaler, größer, prominenter: Berlin hat sich als Modemetropole etabliert

Geschafft: Berlin ist Deutschlands führende Modestadt. An mehreren Orten wurde in den vergangenen Tagen hart daran gearbeitet, den Status Quo zu untermauern. Die Bread and Butter vermeldet wie auch die anderen Messen für Fachbesucher, die angestrebte Marke von 80.000 Besuchern erreicht zu haben. Und die zweite große Messe Premium am Gleisdreieck war vor allem am zweiten Tag so gut besucht wie lange nicht mehr. >>> Von Grit Thönnissen | Montag, 06. Juli 2009

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mode für echte Diven: Guido Maria Kretschmer zeigt Glamour pur*
Video hier anschauen
* Und etwas Islamisches ist nirgendwo zu sehen! Total unauffindbar!

China Riots: 140 Killed and 816 Injured
THE TELEGRAPH: At least 140 people have been killed in rioting in the capital of China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Riots erupt in Muslim area of China
The government has blamed exiled Muslim separatists for the area's worst case of ethnic unrest in years.

Hundreds of rioters have been arrested, the official Xinhua news agency reported, after rock-throwing Uighurs took to the streets of the regional capital on Sunday, some burning and smashing vehicles and confronting ranks of anti-riot police.

Urumqi residents were unable to access the internet on Monday, several said. "The city is basically under martial law," accordinding to Yang Jin, a dried fruit merchant.

The unrest underscores the volatile ethnic tensions that have accompanied China's growing economic and political stake in its western frontiers. >>> | Monday, July 06, 2009

There's No Pride in Bashing Gays, Bishop
THE TELEGRAPH: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali's campaign against homosexuality worries George Pitcher.

If you're reading, Bishop Michael, I really didn't want to have another pop at you about your trenchant and sometimes bizarre views about what constitutes Christian truth. As to the rest of you reading this, I'm sorry if it looks as if whenever Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who retires as Bishop of Rochester in September, makes a public statement I launch an attack on him. Believe me, the routine is tiresome for me, too.

But his comments in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph, which he is expected to repeat today, that homosexuals should "repent and be changed" cannot pass unchallenged. Or rather, they should not go challenged only by homosexual rights campaigners, such as Peter Tatchell, who you would expect to be somewhat antipathetic to the expressed view.

Because Dr Nazir-Ali is wrong in the eyes of a broad swath of kind and tolerant people of differing sexualities, social mores and of the Christian faith, other faiths and no faith at all. Badly, badly wrong.

I say that I didn't want to have another fight with him because such fights polarise Anglicans, and we're at our best when we're talking. I went to a private lunch recently, to which Dr Nazir-Ali was also invited. He didn't show. The seat next to me went empty. I do hope he didn't bottle it; it's important that religious leaders don't just inhabit comfort zones with friends who share their views.

Dr Nazir-Ali's friends are the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Foca), who this week will try to get the Anglican schism over homosexuality going again, while denying that they are doing any such thing. Had he turned up to our lunch, I would have asked him why he and Foca are so convinced that they know the mind of God better than those who disagree with them and that their interpretation of scripture is with absolute certainty the one and only true one.

When I write about the Church and homosexuality, inevitably I receive messages that read simply "Romans 1:26-27" or "1 Corinthians 6:9", as if that settles something. We can argue scripture until we're at the pearly gates. But the essential difference between Dr Nazir-Ali and me is this: I accept, disappointing as I would find it in my fiery furnace, that he might be right. By contrast, he and his friends cannot accept that I might be right, claim that I can't be a proper Christian, and some of them go so far as to suggest that I'll burn in hell for all eternity.

And there's the real problem: it's an issue of intolerance. Anglicanism has long been characterised by a broad tolerance. But my tolerance of Dr Nazir-Ali and his friends, that they are Anglicans with whom I happen vehemently to disagree, doesn't seem to be reciprocated.

Dr Nazir-Ali is leaving his bishopric, it is said, to develop his ministry among persecuted Christians. That is admirable. Persecution of Christians is a very bad thing. But persecution of homosexuals is a pretty bad thing, too, as is persecution of any part of humanity, all of which he will agree is made in God's image. >>> George Pitcher | Monday, July 06, 2009

TELEGRAPH TV: Same-sex Marriage in Iowa

World's Oldest Bible Published in Full Online
THE TELEGRAPH: The world's oldest surviving Bible, which has been scattered around the globe for more than a century, has been published in full online.

Along with the Codex Vaticanus, the Codex Sinaiticus is considered the oldest known Bible in the world. Photo: The Telegraph
More than 800 surviving pages and fragments from the The Codex Sinaiticus, which was written in Greek on parchment leaves in the fourth century, have been reunited.

Last year The British Library put The Book of Psalms and St Mark's Gospel online, and now the remaining pages have been made free for public use for the first time.

Along with the Codex Vaticanus, the Codex Sinaiticus is considered the oldest known Bible in the world. Originally more than 1,460 pages long and measuring 16in by 14in, it was written by a number of hands around the time of Constantine the Great.

It offers different versions of the Scriptures from later editions of the Bible, notably in St Mark's Gospel which ends 12 verses before later versions, omitting the appearance of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

The reunification of the book is the culmination of a four-year collaboration between the British Library, Leipzig University Library in Germany, the Monastery of St Catherine in Mount Sinai, Egypt, and the National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, each of which hold different parts of the manuscript.

They hope that by bringing together the digitised pages online, the project will help scholars worldwide to research in depth the Greek text, which is fully transcribed and cross-referenced.

"The Codex Sinaiticus is one of the world's greatest written treasures," said Dr Scot McKendrick, Head of Western Manuscripts at the British Library. >>> Chris Irvine | Monday, July 06, 2009

Obama à Moscou pour progresser sur la voie du rapprochement avec Medvedev
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: MOSCOU | Les présidents américain et russe Barack Obama et Dmitri Medvedev devraient annoncer lundi à Moscou des progrès vers la limitation des armes nucléaires et un accord sur l'Afghanistan.

M. Obama est attendu ce lundi vers 13H20 locales (11h20 en Suisse) à Moscou pour un séjour destiné à relancer les relations avec un partenaire qui reste essentiel mais avec lequel les rapports se sont sévèrement dégradés sous la présidence Bush. Et des progrès vers le désarmement ainsi qu'un accord sur le ravitaillement de la mission afghane mettraient Américains et Russes sur la bonne voie.

Les deux gouvernements ont exprimé leur désir de relancer leurs relations, de remettre les compteurs à zéro selon l'expression de l'administration Obama, et paraissaient soucieux d'en faire la démonstration de lundi à mercredi, quand M. Obama passera avec M. Medvedev mais aussi le Premier ministre Vladimir Poutine plus de temps qu'aucun président américain depuis longtemps. >>> AFP | Lundi 06 Juillet 2009

NZZ Online: Obama in Moskau eingetroffen: Nachfolgeregelung der Start-Verträge auf der Agenda

Der amerikanische Präsident Obama ist am Montag zu seinem Staatsbesuch in Moskau eingetroffen. Im Laufe des Tages hat er zuerst ein privates und anschliessend ein offizielles Arbeitstreffen mit Präsident Medwedew.

Die beiden Präsidenten Obama und Medwedew haben bereits an einem Treffen in London am 1. April dieses Jahres betont, sie [sic] Beziehung der beiden Staaten substanzieller machen zu wollen. Dabei ist vor allem der Start-Vertrag (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) angesprochen, der im Dezember ausläuft. Dessen Nachfolge-Vereinbarung wird auch das zentrale Thema des offiziellen Treffens sein. >>> ii. | Montag, 06. Juli 2009

NZZ Online: Einigung auf weitere Abrüstungsschritte: Obama und Medwedew sollen Vereinbarung in Moskau unterzeichnen

Wenige Stunden vor der Ankunft des amerikanischen Präsidenten Barack Obama in Russland haben sich beide Länder auf eine Erklärung zu weiteren Abrüstungsschritten geeinigt. Dies sagte ein Sprecher des russischen Aussenministeriums am Montag in Moskau.

Das Dokument solle von Obama und Kremlchef Dmitri Medwedew unterzeichnet werden, wie die Agentur Interfax mitteilte. Zum Inhalt der Erklärung wurden keine Angaben gemacht. >>> sda/dpa | Montag, 06. Juli 2009

Obama reste déterminé à discuter avec l’Iran malgré la répression
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: TENSIONS | Barack Obama a assuré dimanche qu’il restait déterminé à engager des négociations directes avec l’Iran, malgré la répression de la contestation des résultats de la présidentielle dans la République islamique.

"Nous avons certains intérêts en matière de sécurité nationale à ce que l’Iran ne développe pas d’armes nucléaires, n’exporte pas le terrorisme et nous avons offert à l’Iran une voie pour rejoindre la communauté internationale." Dans une interview au New York Times (NYT), Barack Obama admet que des dirigeants de l’opposition iranienne ont été arrêtés ou intimidés mais a insisté sur le fait que la répression ne fermerait pas la porte aux négociations. >>> AFP | Lundi 06 Juillet 2009

Mousavi Labelled 'US Agent' as Iran Charges UK Official
THE OBSERVER: Reformist leader attacked by influential editor and embassy worker's lawyer predicts imminent trial

The stakes over Iran's disputed presidential election were raised dramatically yesterday, after a powerful regime hardliner denounced Mir Hossein Mousavi, the candidate officially declared to have lost, as an American agent and demanded that he undergo a public trial.

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of the influential Kayhan newspaper, said Mousavi had committed "terrible crimes", including "murdering innocent people, holding riots, co-operating with foreigners and acting as America's fifth column", in pursuing his claims that last month's re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged.

The accusations - in a newspaper editorial - were the most ferocious yet from regime insiders and may serve notice that preparations are under way to arrest Mousavi and his main allies. Several hundred known reformists and pro-Mousavi supporters have already been detained since the election. The editorial also singled out the reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami, who last week compared Ahmadinejad's re-election to a coup.

"An open court, in front of the people's eyes, must deal with the all the terrible crimes and clear betrayal committed by the main elements behind the recent unrest, including Mousavi and Khatami," Shariatmadari wrote. "Documents and undeniable evidence show that this mission was directed from the outside. All they did and said was in line with the instructions announced by American officials in the past."

The editorial carried added weight given Shariatmadari's position as confidant to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has declared the election result legitimate and called for protests to end. Shariatmadari has been called "the aggressive public face" of Khamenei, who appointed him to his current position.

His outburst fits with the regime's strategy of depicting the demonstrations against Ahmadinejad's re-election as orchestrated by foreign governments, including Britain. It came a day after a Khamenei ally, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of the Guardian Council, said at Friday prayers that Iranian employees of the British embassy in Tehran would be tried after they had "confessed" to helping to organise the protests. >>> Robert Tait | Sunday, July 05, 2009

Muslim Uighurs Riot as Ethnic Tensions Rise in Western China
THE GUARDIAN: Protests over deaths of workers turn violent as mobs burn buses and attack residents from minorities in western province

Three people were killed during rioting in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, as thousands of Muslim Uighurs took to the streets during the biggest display of ethnic unrest in recent memory.

The protesters smashed up buses, threw stones through shop windows and assaulted Han Chinese passers-by, according to a witness, who said the spark was the recent killing of Uighur migrant workers in Guangdong, southern China.

Xinhua, the state news agency, said those killed were "three ordinary people of the Han ethnic group." It did not say how they died.

Vehicles were set on fire and traffic guard rails overturned. Bloodied victims were rushed to hospital in the regional capital, Urumqi, as armed riot police moved in to restore order with tear gas, armoured vehicles and road blocks, according to a foreign student in Xinjiang.

A large section of Urumqi was shut off to vehicles tonight , with police manning roadblocks at the perimeter. Witnesses reported large numbers of armed officers inside the cordon. Mobile phone networks appeared to get cut off sporadically.

"There were big ethnic riots - there was a lot of fighting," said one Han resident. "It's not safe – you can't go anywhere near there. They've blocked it all off. You have to be careful." >>> Tania Branigan in Urumqi and Jonathan Watts in Beijing | Sunday, July 05, 2009

Federer ist wieder auf dem Tennis-Thron
TAGES ANZEIGER: Roger Federer eroberte in extremis den Wimbledon-Titel und die Nummer 1 zurück. Federer gewann den dramatischen Final gegen Andy Roddick 5:7, 7:6 (8:6), 7:6 (7:5), 3:6, 16:14.

Roger Federer und sein Pokal: Zum sechsten Mal bereits ist er Champion von Wimbledon. Bild: NZZ.ch
Die Entscheidung fiel nach vier Stunden und 16 Minuten, als Andy Roddick am Ende seiner Kräfte angelangt war. Roger Federer nützte gleich seinen ersten Matchball. Federer realisierte im 37. Anlauf das erste Break des Nachmittags gegen Roddick. Federer schaffte den Aufschlag-Durchbruch nur, weil Roddick kaum mehr laufen konnte. Bei allen sechs Federer-Punkten im 77. Game produzierte Roddick vermeidbare Eigenfehler, weil er nicht mehr richtig zum Ball stand.

Roger Federer holte seinen sechsten Titel in Wimbledon auch auf glückhafte Art und Weise. Schon nach 80 Minuten drohte die Vorentscheidung gegen ihn zu fallen. Andy Roddick, der phantastisch aufspielte, führte mit einem Satz und im Tiebreak des zweiten Satzes bei eigenem Aufschlag 6:2. Doch Federer gewann sechs Punkte in Serie und schaffte den nicht mehr erwarteten Satzausgleich. Danach befand sich Federer lange im Vorteil. Doch im vierten Satz schaffte wieder Roddick ein Break und kämpfte sich so ins Spiel zurück. Im fünften Satz war während über anderthalb Stunden (95 Minuten) jeder Ausgang möglich, ehe Federer den Service-Durchbruch zum 16:14 schaffte. >>> si | Sonntag, 05. Juli 2009

Die USA stellen sich Israel nicht in den Weg: «Grünes Licht» für allfälligen Militärschlag gegen Irans Atomprogramm
NZZ Online: Die USA wollen «einem anderen souveränen Staat nicht sagen, was er zu tun hat». Mit diesen Worten begründet der amerikanische Vizepräsident Joe Biden die Haltung der USA, die sich einem allfälligen Militärschlag Israels gegen Iran nicht widersetzen würden.

Die USA würden sich einem israelischen Militärschlag gegen das iranische Atomprogramm nicht widersetzen. Das sagte der amerikanische Vizepräsident Joe Biden am Sonntag. Wenn Israel glaube, dass ein Militärschlag nötig sei, könnten die USA «einem anderen souveränen Staat nicht sagen, was er zu tun hat», sagte Biden dem Fernsehsender ABC. >>> ap | Sonntag, 05. Juli 2009

Wimbledon Men’s Final: Roger Federer v Andy Roddick
Watch the match live on BBC here >>>
Or, for those who cannot watch on the BBC iPlayer in their country, click on the following link to listen to the match live here >>>

Leading Clerics Defy Ayatollah on Disputed Iran Election
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CAIRO — The most important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment.

A statement by the group, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum, represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult — if not impossible.

“This crack in the clerical establishment, and the fact they are siding with the people and Moussavi, in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic,” said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University. “Remember, they are going against an election verified and sanctified by Khamenei.” >>> Michael Slackman and Nazila Fathi | Saturday, July 04, 2009

British Islamists Plot Against Pakistan
THE SUNDAY TIMES: British militants are pushing for the overthrow of the Pakistani state. Followers of the fundamentalist group Hizb ut-Tahrir have called for a “bloodless military coup” in Islamabad and the creation of the caliphate in which strict Islamic laws would be rigorously enforced.

Members of the group, which describes itself as the Liberation party in Britain but is banned in Pakistan, revealed last week that it had targeted the country as a base from which to spread Islamic rule across the world.

The Sunday Times has obtained the names of a dozen British Hizb ut-Tahrir activists based in Lahore and Karachi, or commuting between Britain and Pakistan. There are believed to be many more.

Tayyib Muqeem, an English teacher from Stoke-on-Trent, said he had moved to Lahore to convert Pakistanis to the movement.

At Lahore’s Superior College, where Muqeem has set up a Hizb ut-Tahrir student group, he said the organisation’s aim was to subject Muslim and western countries to Islamic rule under sharia law, “by force” if necessary.

In a caliphate, “every woman would have to cover up” and stoning to death for adultery and the chopping off of thieves’ hands would be the law, he said.

He added that Islamic rule would be spread through “indoctrination” and by “military means” if non-Muslim countries refused to bow to it. “Waging war” would be part of the caliphate’s foreign policy. >>> Nicola Smith in Lahore | July 04, 2009

Rauchverbot auf Türkisch
NZZ am Sonntag: In zwei Wochen tritt in der Türkei ein Rauchverbot in Cafés und Bars in Kraft. Es gilt auch für die Wasserpfeifen, die eben eine Renaissance erleben.

Griechenland hat den Schritt am 1. Juli gemacht; auch in der Türkei, wo 40 Prozent der Erwachsenen rauchen, gilt ab 19. Juli die letzte und schärfste Stufe eines Rauchverbots. Nach Spitälern und Sportstadien sollen nun Cafés und Bars rauchfrei werden. Das Anfang 2008 beschlossene Gesetz hat in der Türkei erstaunlich wenig Diskussionen ausgelöst. Zu reden gaben einzig die drakonischen Bussen. So sollen künftig etwa Wirte, die kein Schild «Rauchen verboten» aufhängen, umgerechnet 450 Euro zahlen müssen.

Die Sonne brennt an diesem Nachmittag heiss auf Istanbul, zu heiss, um mit der Wasserpfeife im Freien zu sitzen. Doch im vielbesuchten achteckigen Bau mit seinen hohen Wänden und seiner Kuppel wird es nie zu heiss. An den Wänden stehen Bänke, Tische und Hocker, an denen die Raucher mit ihren Wasserpfeifen sitzen. Stammkunden haben im Lokal ihre eigene Pfeife deponiert. Zu ihnen gehört der 40-jährige Teppichhändler Seyhmus. Er würde nie eine Zigarette anrühren. «Ich mag den milden Rauch und das Geräusch, wenn der Rauch durch das Wasser gezogen wird, das ist Harmonie», sagt er lächelnd.

Es gibt eine Reihe ungeschriebener Gesetze, die mit dem Pfeifenrauchen zusammenhängen. Es ist verpönt, sich in einem Raum, in dem Wasserpfeifen geraucht werden, eine Zigarette anzuzünden oder laut zu sprechen. Eine Pfeife kann von zwei Rauchern geteilt werden, doch nur, wenn jeder ein eigenes Mundstück gebraucht. Man gibt den Schlauch auch nicht von Hand zu Hand, sondern legt ihn behutsam auf den Tisch, von wo ihn der andere Raucher ebenso behutsam wieder aufnimmt. Alles geschieht mit orientalischer Gelassenheit. >>> Jan Keetman, Istanbul | Sonntag, 05. Juli 2009

How Sharia Courts Operate in the UK
MAIL ON SUNDAY: In a shabby converted sweetshop in Leyton, East London, a group of burka-clad Muslim women sit in a waiting room. They have an appointment with Dr Suhaib Hasan at his twice-weekly surgery.

The women look worried. There is no talking in the airless reception area - the only sound is a fan purring quietly in the corner as temperatures outside exceed 80F.

Inside, the atmosphere is just as stifling. There are no magazines, television or other diversions. The beige walls are bare except for a flow-chart depicting the process of securing a Muslim divorce, and a picture of Mecca.

This is no GP's surgery or Citizens Advice Bureau. Within these non-descript walls lies the nerve centre of sharia law in Britain, the headquarters of the Islamic Sharia Council, which oversees the growing number of Muslim courts operating in Britain.

For the first time, the Islamic Sharia Council has granted access to a newspaper to observe the entire sharia legal process in Britain. Over several weeks, I was allowed to witness the filing of complaints, individual testimony hearings and the monthly meeting of imams, or judges, where rulings are handed down.

Sharia has been operating here, in parallel to the British legal system, since 1982. Work includes issuing fatwas - religious rulings on matters ranging from why Islam considers homosexuality a sin to why two women are equivalent to one male witness in an Islamic court.

The Islamic Sharia Council also rules on individual cases, primarily in matters of Muslim personal or civil law: divorce, marriage, inheritance and settlement of dowry payments are the most common.

However, in the course of my investigation, I discovered how sharia is being used informally within the Muslim community to tackle crime such as gang fights or stabbings, bypassing police and the British court system.

A few hardline leaders would like it to be taken even further. One told me that Britain should adopt sharia punishments such as stoning and the chopping off of hands to reduce violent crime.

There are 12 councils or courts operating in Britain under Dr Hasan's group, based in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Rotherham and Bradford. Scores more imams dispense justice through their own mosques.

A study last week by the thinktank Civitas claimed that there could be as many as 85 sharia courts in Britain, although Dr Hasan says most of these are not formal courts. But it is certainly a growing network.

In his courts, support staff interview plaintiffs and compile a case study. Judgments are delivered by senior imams at closed monthly meetings and are sent in writing to the concerned parties. Up to 7,000 cases have been handled so far.

The Islamic Sharia Council is listed as a charity but people seeking a divorce, or talaq, must fill in a form and pay a fee. For a man it is £100; for women, it is £250 because the imams say it takes more work to process a woman's application as her word has to be corroborated.

The literal meaning of sharia is 'source of water in the desert', meaning the source of all spiritual life for Muslims. This is not just a code of law, but a way of life.

In sharia-based societies, such as Saudi Arabia or the old Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, crimes against society are punished by beheadings, stoning to death and amputations. Women are kept in purdah and limited to child-rearing and caring for the home.

All Western influences, from alcohol, music, television and movies, are banned. It is a rigid prescription for Islamic life that seeks its guidance from the days of the Prophet in the 7th Century.

In Britain, sharia courts are permitted to rule only in civil cases, such as divorce and financial disputes. Until last year, these rulings depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims. But now, due to a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996, they are enforceable by county and high courts. Sharia law UK: Mail on Sunday gets exclusive access to a British Muslim court >>> Edna Fernandes | July 04, 2009

Edna Fernandes is author of Holy Warriors, published by Portobello Books at £8.99. To order your copy at £8.99 inc p&p, call The Review Bookstore on 0845 155 0713. www.ednafernandes.com

Saudis Give Nod to Israeli Raid on Iran
Map: Google Images
THE SUNDAY TIMES: The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.
The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.

“The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source said last week.

Although the countries have no formal diplomatic relations, an Israeli defence source confirmed that Mossad maintained “working relations” with the Saudis.

John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations who recently visited the Gulf, said it was “entirely logical” for the Israelis to use Saudi airspace.

Bolton, who has talked to several Arab leaders, added: “None of them would say anything about it publicly but they would certainly acquiesce in an overflight if the Israelis didn’t trumpet it as a big success.” >>> Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Sarah Baxter | Sunday, July 05, 2009

Iran's British Stooges Are Staring Right at You
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Zahra, an Iranian woman studying at an English university, is in a state of terror. Her husband, an activist in the cause of the defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, was arrested a fortnight ago, and has not been seen since. Zahra, whose eyes are lined in green, the colour of the country’s reformist opposition, told the BBC: “Why should he be in jail? What was wrong with what we did in Tehran? It was the basic right of all Iranians to take part in the election.” She went on: “They don’t let my husband call me . . . this is torture.”

It is torture for Zahra because she has a good idea of what is happening to her husband. The Iranian state media have been broadcasting a series of “confessions” by demonstrators against the alleged rigging of the presidential vote in favour of the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They all tend to say the same thing: “I admit that I demonstrated under the influence of the BBC, the Voice of America and other foreign media.”

Their identities are not discernible, because their faces have been obscured. The reason for this was made horribly clear by remarks in The Guardian from a shopkeeper friend of an 18-year-old who had been “questioned” by the Iranian security services: “You could tell straight away he had just been released. His face was bruised all over. His teeth were broken and he could hardly open his eyes . . . [Later] the doctor told me that he had suffered rupture of the rectum.”

The shopkeeper quoted his 18-year-old friend to the effect that he had not “confessed” despite several days of beating while being hung from a ceiling with his hands and feet tied together. At that point two men tore his clothes off while a third “did it” – that is, inflicted the assault that ruptured his rectum. He was raped several times in this way, in front of four other detainees, but continued to refuse to sign a confession along the lines suggested by his interrogators.

So when we hear Ayatollah Jannati, chief of the Guardian Council, say of arrested Iranian employees of the British embassy in Tehran, “Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions,” we should be only too aware of what will have been happening to some of Her Majesty’s servants. >>> Dominic Lawson | Sunday, July 05, 2009

Sarah Palin Says She Is Fed Up with Politics
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Sarah Palin, the failed 2008 vice-presidential candidate tipped to run for the White House in 2012, has told close friends she is “out of politics, period” after astounding the Republican party with a theatrical resignation as governor of Alaska.

Palin, 45, burst onto the national political scene less than a year ago as the “thriller from Wasilla” — a moose-hunting ice-hockey mom with five children including Trig, a Down’s syndrome baby — and electrified the party’s Christian conservative base as Senator John McCain’s running mate.

In a bizarre, erratic news conference outside her lakeside home on Friday, Palin held out the promise of a national role in politics when she said she hoped to “fight for all our children’s future from outside the governor’s office”.

Yesterday it emerged that she had told “very close friends” she had no intention of running for president. “She is fed up with politics. She doesn’t like her life. She feels that she needs to raise her family,” said Andrea Mitchell, an NBC News reporter who is married to Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve.

“She really does not want to run for higher office,” Mitchell added. “This is not a case where she is stepping down in order to clear the way for a presidential run.”

Palin’s sudden decision to resign caught some family members by surprise, as well as bewildered staff and supporters. “She didn’t even tell her brother,” said John Coale, a Washington lawyer and political consultant who is close to the governor. A spokeswoman for Palin said quitting the governorship was a “liberating feeling . . . she can’t get out of there fast enough”. >>> Sarah Baxter in Washington | Sunday, July 5, 2009

Change and Repent, Bishop Tells Gays
THE TELEGRAPH: A senior Church of England bishop has called on homosexuals to repent and "be changed" in comments that have infuriated equality campaigners.

The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, has defended traditional biblical teachings on homosexuality and said the Church should not be "rolled over by culture".

Dr Nazir-Ali spoke as tens of thousands of people, including Sarah Brown, the Prime Minister’s wife, joined the annual Pride London march to celebrate homosexual culture. A war of words broke out between Labour and the Conservatives over the issue of homosexuality last week after a minister accused the Tories of having a "deep strain of homophobia" running through the party.

The bishop’s controversial comments will reignite the battle over homosexuality in the Church of England ahead of what promises to be a divisive week for Anglicanism.

Tomorrow, a new coalition of evangelical and Anglo-Catholic parishes, backed by Dr Nazir-Ali, will get under way, which critics have claimed is an attempt to create a "church within the church".

The organisers said The Queen, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, had sent a message to the leaders of the movement saying she understood their concerns about the future of the Anglican Communion. Next weekend the General Synod of the Church of England is meeting at York University. The following week, the Episcopal Church in America is expected to endorse liturgies for single sex marriage and allow more homosexuals to be made bishops.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Dr Nazir-Ali said: "We want to uphold the traditional teaching of the Bible. We believe that God has revealed his purpose about how we are made.

"People who depart from this don’t share the same faith. They are acting in a way that is not normative according to what God has revealed in the Bible.

"The Bible’s teaching shows that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way to express our sexual nature.

"We welcome homosexuals, we don’t want to exclude people, but we want them to repent and be changed." >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, July 04, 2009

En Iran, 20 pendaisons en un jour pour trafic de drogue
LIBÉRATION.fr: Le nombre des exécutions a augmenté ces dernières années, en Iran, en raison d'une campagne censée améliorer la sécurité. Au moins 161 personnes y auraient été exécutées depuis le début de l'année

Vingt personnes, condamnées pour trafic de drogue, ont été pendues en une seule journée, samedi, dans une prison près de Téhéran, a rapporté l'agence semi-officielle Fars.

Les exécutions ont eu lieu dans la matinée, au sein de la prison de Rajaie Shahr, située à Karaj, à une cinquantaine de kilomètres à l'ouest de Téhéran, selon l'agence. Agés de 35 à 48 ans, les condamnés auraient été arrêtés dans une période allant de cinq mois à un an avant leur pendaison.

Fars ajoute qu'ils avaient été interpellés en possession de plus de 700 kg de drogues, dont de l'héroïne, de la cocaïne et de l'opium.

L'Iran est le second pays au monde par le nombre d'exécutions derrière la Chine, selon l'organisation de défense des droits de l'Homme, Amnesty International, mais il est rare qu'autant de condamnés soient exécutés en une seule journée. Il faut remonter au 27 juillet 2008 pour trouver un chiffre plus important: à cette date, 29 personnes avaient été exécutées en Iran pour trafic de drogue, meurtre et viol, selon la télévision.

Les 20 pendaisons de samedi portent à au moins 161 le nombre de personnes exécutées en Iran depuis le début de l'année, selon un décompte de l'AFP effectué à partir de sources de presse. >>> AFP | Samedi 04 Juillet 2009

Barack Obama on Gay Marriage

YOU TUBE: Brian Williams Ask President Obama About Gay Marriage


YOU TUBE: Obama Biden Support No Same-sex Marriage

Weekly Address: On the 4th of July, Overcoming America’s Challenges

Tribute to Neda and All Other Brave Iranian Women

Indian Muslim Leaders Issue Declaration Against Taliban's Imposition of 'Jizia' (Islamic Poll Tax) on Pakistani Sikhs
MEMRI: After the Taliban militants recently ordered Sikhs in Pakistan's tribal region to pay Jizia (Islamic poll tax on non-Muslims), a number of Muslim leaders in India issued a declaration criticizing the militants for not following the true spirit of Islam.

"Imposition of … Jizia is Nothing More Than Extortion By an Armed and Lawless Gang Which Does Not Constitute a Sovereign Government or State"

"We, religious, political and community leaders of the Indian Muslims, are alarmed at the reports coming out of Pakistan's tribal areas about the Pakistani Taliban's kidnapping, extortion of huge amounts of money from their Sikh compatriots as Jizia, and demolition of the houses and shops of those who fail to pay the demanded sums.

"We would like to say that Jizia is a tax paid in an Islamic state for exemption from military service by healthy non-Muslim adults who are free to follow their vocations without restriction or fear, and that there is no other tax payable by them after paying this tax - unlike Muslims who have to pay various taxes including Zakat and who have to perform military service as well.

"Jizia was payable by non-Muslims only in lands conquered by Muslims, like Egypt, Syria and Iraq, but not in unconquered areas like Madina, where, during the time of the Holy Prophet, no Jizia was ever imposed on non-Muslim citizens, who enjoyed equal rights and duties under the Constitution of Madina. >>> Memri.org | Sunday, July 5, 2009

7/7 Ripple Effect: The “Documentary” which Blames “the British and Israeli Secret Services” for the 7/7 Bombings

Hat tip: JihadWatch >>>

'Jewish Ahmadinejad' Blogger Arrested
THE JERUSALEM POST: The Iranian blogger who claimed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots is being detained by the authorities after he was arrested along with 150 university students earlier this week, according to sources in Teheran.

Dr. Mehdi Khazali, who reportedly participated in several recent opposition demonstrations, was reportedly summoned to a special court convened for religious figures, detained and transferred to an unknown location.

The son of a prominent, conservative pro-Ahmadinejad ayatollah, Khazali wrote on his Web site earlier this year that the president - a Holocaust denier and relentless critic of Israel - was of partially Jewish origin, asserting that Ahmadinejad had changed his family name from Saburjian, and calling for the origins of the Saburjian family in the town of Aradan to be investigated.

The assertion featured in the bitter presidential election campaign, when rival reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi challenged Ahmadinejad in a live TV debate, reportedly stating: "My full name is Mehdi Karroubi. What is your full name?"

Ahmadinejad gave his full name, according to an Al-Arabiya TV report, but left out one surname which is said to indicate Jewish ancestry. >>> Sabina Amidi | Friday, July 03, 2009

Hat tip: JihadWatch >>>

Homophobic Harassment During Gay Pride

Diplomatischer Konflikt: EU plant Einreiseverbot für iranische Regimevertreter
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Europäische Gemeinschaft will Geschlossenheit demonstrieren: Alle 27 Mitgliedstaaten haben sich auf ein Stufenmodell geeinigt, mit dem Iran bewegt werden soll, Mitarbeiter der britischen Vertretung freizulassen. Ein gemeinsamer Abzug der EU-Botschafter aus Teheran bleibt allerdings umstritten.

Hamburg - Deutschland und die übrigen EU-Staaten planen neue Sanktionen, falls die iranische Regierung ihren Umgang mit Regimegegnern nicht ändert. Die Politischen Direktoren der EU-Staaten haben für die Vorgehensweise nach Informationen des SPIEGEL ein Stufenmodell vereinbart.

Zunächst wurden am Freitag die iranischen Botschafter in die Außenministerien der EU-Mitglieder einbestellt. Iran wurde aufgefordert, sofort zwei inhaftierte Mitarbeiter der britischen Botschaft freizulassen. Wenn der diplomatische Appell nicht fruchtet, will die EU ab nächster Woche Reisebeschränkungen vorbereiten. >>> cai/hen/dpa/Reuters/AFP | Samstag, 04 Juli 2009

Répression en Iran: les pays de l'UE haussent le ton
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: BRUXELLES | Les pays de l'Union européenne convoquent tous les ambassadeurs ou chargés d'affaires iraniens pour protester contre la détention d'employés locaux de l'ambassade britannique à Téhéran.

La décision a été arrêtée lors d'une réunion d'ambassadeurs des 27 pays de l'UE à Bruxelles. "Nous allons convoquer les ambassadeurs iraniens dans l'Union européenne et nous examinerons comment la situation va évoluer la semaine prochaine concernant le personnel local de l'ambassade britannique", a souligné une source proche de la présidence suédoise de l'UE.

Pour la suite, "on garde toutes les options ouvertes", a-t-elle ajouté, dans une allusion aux autres mesures actuellement à l'étude au sein de l'Union européenne.

Il s'agit d'une part de restrictions sur l'octroi de visas à certains dignitaires iraniens, et d'autre part du rappel temporaire des ambassadeurs de l'UE en Iran.

Dans l'immédiat, le message qui sera transmis aux ambassadeurs d'Iran en Europe est que les Européens "sont tous solidaires avec les Britanniques", que le maintien en détention de personnels locaux de l'ambassade du Royaume-uni à Téhéran est "inacceptable" et qu'il s'agit d'une mesure affectant "toute l'Union européenne" et pas seulement le Royaume-uni, a indiqué une autre source diplomatique européenne. >>> AFP | Vendredi 03 Juillet 2009