Emirati Court Clears Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahayan of Torture
TIMES ONLINE: An Emirati court on Sunday today cleared the president’s brother of charges of torturing an Afghan despite video footage of the incident.

The court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) acquitted Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahayan "after establishing he was not responsible" for the torture of the Afghan merchant in 2004, lawyer Habib al-Mulla said.

Five co-defendants, including two Americans, were found guilty, his lawyer said.

“The court accepted our defence that the sheikh was under the influence of drugs (medicine) that left him unaware of his actions,” he said.

Allegations against the sheikh emerged after US network ABC aired the video in April that appears to show him beating a man with whips, electric cattle prods and a wooden plank with protruding nails.

Assisted by others, Sheikh Issa is seen to pour salt in the man’s wounds and run over him with a sports utility vehicle.

The victim needed months of hospital care following the incident. He was reportedly an Afghan trader who lost a consignment of grain worth $5,000.

The lawyer told the court that one of the sheikh’s co-defendants was responsible for Sheikh Issa’s medications and had drugged him, then videotaped the incident and tried to blackmail him.

The court in the oasis city of Al-Ain ordered two co-defendants to pay a interim compensation of 10,000 dirhams ($2,724) to the victim, who can file a new lawsuit to claim full compensation.

The two US defendants of Lebanese origin, brothers Ghassan and Bassam Nabulsi, were sentenced to five years in jail each in absentia for having drugged the sheikh. >>> Times Online | Sunday, January 10, 2010

Calipers On The Genitals - Princely Style


Related:

UAE Detains ‘Torture Tape’ Sheikh >>> | Monday, May 18, 2009

Michael Jackson: Earth Song

Lionel Richie & Diana Ross: Endless Love

Britons Are Suspicious Towards Muslims, Study Finds
THE TELEGRAPH: The British public are concerned at the rise of Islam in the UK and fear that the country is deeply divided along religious lines, according to a major survey.

The Finsbury Park Mosque, London. Photo: The Telegraph
Is there any wonder? Who the hell wanted religious diversity anyway? Whoever thought up the idea must have been a naïve idiot! Muslims certainly don’t want diversity. In their eyes, everyone must submit to Allah, and call Muhammad the seal of prophets. What fools we have been to swallow this BS! There is but one possible result of this experiment: Bloodshed on the streets of the United Kingdom! – © Mark

More than half the population would be strongly opposed to a mosque being built in their neighbourhood, the study found.

A large proportion of the country believes that the multicultural experiment has failed, with 52 per cent considering that Britain is deeply divided along religious lines and 45 per cent saying that religious diversity has had a negative impact.

Only a quarter of Britons feel positive towards Muslims, while more than a third report feeling “cool” towards them.

The findings, to be published later this month in the respected British Social Attitudes Survey, show that far greater opposition to Islam than to any other faith and reveal that most people are willing to limit freedom of speech in an attempt to silence religious extremists.

David Voas, professor of population studies at Manchester University, who analysed the data, said that people were becoming intolerant towards all religions because of “the degree to which Islam is perceived as a threat to social cohesion”.

He said: “Muslims deserve to be the focus of policy on social cohesion, because no other group elicits so much disquiet.”

The “size and visibility” of Islamic communities has led to serious concerns about their impact on British society, Prof Voas concludes.

“This apparent threat to national identity (or even, some fear, to security) reduces the willingness to accommodate free expression.

“Opinion is divided, and many people remain tolerant of unpopular speech as well as distinctive dress and religious behaviour, but a large segment of the British population is unhappy about these subcultures.” >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, January 09, 2010

United Kingdom: Islam Ousting Christianity from School Assembly
THE TELEGRAPH: Almost 100,000 pupils are being taught in schools which have dropped Christian assemblies in favour of Islamic or multi-faith worship.

Children from Oaklands Preparatory school praying in assembly, Manchester, Britain – 1981. Photograph: The Telegraph
If we Brits put up with this, we’ve got to be stupid! – © Mark
More than 230 schools have applied to councils for exemption from the legal requirement to hold a daily act of collective worship of a "wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character".

In some of these schools, Islamic assemblies are held instead, with readings from the Koran. Other schools run secular or multi-faith assemblies where Christianity is avoided or relegated to just one example of a faith among many.

Religious organisations said Christianity in schools was being marginalised and accused schools of failing children.

"The worst thing of all that schools can do, whether they have a determination or not, is a multi-faith mish mash," said Colin Hart, the director of the Christian Institute.

"The British Social Attitudes survey found that 69 per cent of parents backed daily prayers in schools. Yet Christianity in schools is being marginalised. Parents do not want assemblies to be either secular or a confusing amalgam of faiths. Look at the massive number of parents of other faiths who apply to Church schools. They don't like the secularism that is pervading community schools."

The scale of the opt-out can be revealed for the first time after 105 councils in England responded to a Freedom of Information request from The Sunday Telegraph. More than 230 schools have ditched Christian assemblies >>> Julie Henry, Education Correspondent | Saturday, January 09, 2010

The Winter of '47: I've Borrowed a Balaclava Helmet from Fred to Wear in Bed!
THE TELEGRAPH: This winter seems bad but the freeze of 1947, the worst in living memory, tested the resolve of war-weary Britons to the limit,

The big freeze: Derbyshire bus stuck in a snow drift. Photograph: The Telegraph
On the morning of Thursday, January 23, 1947, the front page of The Daily Telegraph made deeply depressing reading. "Bread Ration May Be Cut" read the main headline. "Less Bacon and Home Meat. Beer Supplies to be Halved Immediately". After years of shortages and austerity, this was the last thing Britain's weary people wanted to hear. But it was another small headline, hidden further down the page, that was to prove more significant. "Snow Falls in London" it said, and in those four short words, many readers had their first glimpse of Britain's worst winter of the 20th century.

The cruellest cold snap in modern history could not have come at a worse time. In January 1947 Britain was exhausted after the long, valiant but ruinously expensive struggle to defeat the Nazis. The shelves were bare, the Treasury coffers were empty and the coal stocks were perilously low. On New Year's Day the mines had come into public ownership, joining the railways, road haulage and utilities in the Labour government's nationalised empire. But with the country already beset by shortages and strikes, the economy was dangerously close to collapse. And when the snow came down, life in Clement Attlee's New Jerusalem ground to a halt.

In just a few days, so much snow fell on Britain that this week's freak weather looks like a mere dusting. By the end of January, hundreds of remote Northern farms and villages were cut off by 20-foot snowdrifts, while a bitter 12-hour blizzard off the south coast brought shipping to a complete standstill. In Essex, the drifts were 14 feet deep; in Surrey and Middlesex, millions of commuters stayed at home. The railway network collapsed completely, and by January 29 the temperature in London – minus 9C – was the lowest for half a century, made worse by protracted power cuts. "Freeze up continues," one Brixton woman wrote in her diary. "Thermometer has been at freezing point all day. Waste pipe in the bathroom and the geyser frozen … Even colder the forecast for tonight, so I've borrowed a balaclava helmet from Fred to wear in bed!" >>> Dominic Sandbrook | Saturday, January 09, 2010

Detroit Bomber 'Singing Like a Canary' Before Arrest
Obama must be a complete fool to insist on treating this disgusting character as an ordinary criminal; further, Americans have done themselves a complete disservice to elect this greenhorn President into office. – © Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama is under fire over claims that the Christmas Day underwear bomber was "singing like a canary" until he was treated as an ordinary criminal and advised of his right to silence.

The chance to secure crucial information about al-Qaeda operations in Yemen was lost because the Obama administration decided to charge and prosecute Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as an ordinary criminal, critics say. He is said to have reduced his co-operation with FBI interrogators on the advice of his government-appointed defence counsel.

The potential significance became chillingly clear this weekend when it was reported that shortly after his detention, he boasted that 20 more young Muslim men were being prepared for similar murderous missions in the Yemen.

The lawyer for the 23-year-old Nigerian entered a formal not guilty plea on Friday to charges that he tried to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on December 25 – even though he reportedly admitted earlier that he was trained and supplied with the explosives sewn into his underwear by al-Qaeda in the Arab state.

"He was singing like a canary, then we charged him in civilian proceedings, he got a lawyer and shut up," Slade Gorton, a member of the 9/11 Commission that investigated the Sept 2001 terror attacks on the US, told The Sunday Telegraph.

"I find it incomprehensible that this administration is treating terrorism as a law enforcement issue. The president has finally said that we are at war with al-Qaeda. Well, if this is a war, then Abdulmutallab should be treated as a combatant not a criminal." >>> Philip Sherwell in New York | Saturday, January 09, 2010

Jihadists Groom Children in the UK under 10
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Police have identified children as young as seven being groomed for terrorism, with some expressing a wish to become suicide bombers.

Up to 10 primary school pupils, aged between seven and 10, have been placed on a government outreach programme for individuals considered at risk of being radicalised and turning to violence.

Some have taken inspiration from jihadi websites or after viewing extremist material in Islamic bookshops.

One child was referred to the programme by his teacher after writing on a school book: “I want to be a suicide bomber.”

Other youngsters were identified by their parents after suddenly adopting traditional Muslim dress or espousing extremist views.

At least 228 people, mostly teenagers and young men aged 15-24, have been referred to the anti-terrorism Channel project after being singled out as “potentially vulnerable to violent extremism”. >>> Marie Woolf, Whitehall Editor | Sunday, January 10, 2010

Don’t you just love that stupid-looking woolly cap? Photo: Mail Online
War March Fanatic Anjem Choudary Runs Secret Sharia ‘Weddings’
MAIL ONLINE: The Muslim extremist planning a march through Wootton Bassett runs a secret sharia court where he marries hundreds of couples – then tells them not to register their weddings.

Anjem Choudary tells them that registering their marriages is forbidden in Islam, as it would be recognition of British law.

But critics said he was leaving women open to abuse, as they could not go to a normal court to escape a violent husband or win their share in a divorce.

Mr Choudary’s Islam 4 UK group wants to carry 500 coffins through the Wiltshire town to remember Afghans killed by Britain and America.

He styles himself the judge of the UK Sharia Court and principal lecturer of the London School of Sharia and has claimed that he runs a network of Islamic courts in London, Luton, Birmingham, Derby and Leicester.

He claims that he has married more than 1,800 couples across Britain in less than ten years and conducted hundreds of divorces. >>> Abdul Taher | Saturday, January 09, 2010

Besuch im Nahen Osten: Guido Westerwelle treibt Handel im Morgenland
WELT ONLINE: Auf seiner bislang längsten Auslandsreise, die ihn von der Türkei über Saudi-Arabien und Katar auch in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate führt, wirbt Guido Westerwelle vor allen für eine Vertiefung der Handelsbeziehungen. Sogar der saudische König Abdullah empfing den deutschen Außenminister.

Bundesaußenminister Guido Westerwelle und der saudische Finanzminister Ibrahim al-Assaf. (Der Finanzminister von Saudi Arabien fühlt sich sicher gebauchpinselt! – Mark)
Es war die wohl heikelste Mission, die der deutsche Außenminister in seiner noch jungen Amtszeit zu bestehen hatte. Nicht politisch, die Beziehungen zu Saudi-Arabien gelten als freundschaftlich. Dass Guido Westerwelle dennoch mit einem mulmigen Gefühl nach Riad gereist war, lag an seinem persönlichen Hintergrund: Der FDP-Politiker lebt daheim mit einem Mann zusammen. Und in dem islamischen Gottesstaat ist Homosexualität mit Sanktionen belegt, die von Peitschenhieben über Haft bis zur Todesstrafe reichen.

Doch die Königsfamilie Al-Saud, die dem Land ihren Namen gab, weiß zwischen dem Privatleben ihrer Gäste und den Staatsgeschäften zu unterscheiden. Westerwelle wurde von den Prinzen in den Ämtern des Außen- und Finanzministers mit ausgesuchter Höflichkeit begrüßt. Als besonders freundliche Geste durfte der deutsche Chefdiplomat die Ehre eines Empfangs durch König Abdullah werten, der ursprünglich nicht im Protokoll vorgesehen war. >>> Von Thorsten Jungholt | Samstag, 09. Januar 2010

Les minorités chrétiennes subissent la montée de l’islam radical
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: OPPRESSION | Après une attaque meurtrière contre la communauté copte en Egypte, trois églises ont été prises pour cible hier en Malaisie. Les violences à l’encontre des communautés chrétiennes s’intensifient.

Carte du Moyen-Orient, d'Asie et d’Afrique du Nord. Crédits carte : Tribune de Genève
Mercredi soir, une fusillade visant la communauté chrétienne en Haute-Egypte faisait sept morts, dont six parmi les fidèles venus assister à la messe de Noël copte. Plus tôt dans la journée, d’importantes forces de police investissaient la paroisse de Dông Chiêm, au Vietnam, blessant plusieurs croyants qui tentaient de protéger une croix de la destruction. Hier, trois églises étaient la cible de bombes incendiaires en Malaisie, où le débat autour de l’utilisation du mot «Allah» par les non-musulmans fait rage. En Asie, comme au Moyen-Orient et dans certains pays d’Afrique, les violences à l’encontre des communautés chrétiennes s’intensifient.
Aucune religion n’échappe aux discriminations, mais selon un rapport de l’organisation Aide à l’Eglise en détresse (AED), un organisme international reconnu par le Vatican, plus des trois quarts des exactions dans le monde concerneraient des chrétiens. Ce que confirme l’index des persécutions chrétiennes 2010 publié en début de semaine par l’ONG Portes Ouvertes, présente en Suisse. >>> Yannick Van Der Schueren | Samedi 09 Janvier 2010

UE : Allemagne et Espagne rassurent une Turquie sans illusions
LE TEMPS: Ankara déplore la lenteur du processus d’adhésion. Le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Guido Westerwelle, a réaffirmé cette semaine lors de sa première visite à Ankara que son pays n’était pas opposé à l’avenir européen de la Turquie

Non, l’Allemagne n’est pas opposée à l’avenir européen de la Turquie. Le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Guido Westerwelle, est venu le confirmer lors de sa première visite officielle en Turquie depuis son entrée en fonction en octobre. «Je vais être très clair, a-t-il déclaré jeudi au côté de son homologue Ahmet Davutoglu. Ce sur quoi l’Union européenne et la Turquie se sont mises d’accord tient toujours, et cela s’applique au gouvernement allemand. Je m’y engage.»

Pragmatisme

Il a ainsi confirmé la poursuite de la politique menée ces dernières années par Berlin, et cela malgré le changement de coalition intervenu en septembre. Le chef des libéraux allemands (FDP) Guido Wester­welle est en effet davantage ouvert à la candidature turque que ne le sont la chancelière Angela Merkel et sa formation chrétienne démocrate (CDU-CSU), ouvertement hostile à l’entrée d’un pays de 72 millions d’habitants à majorité musulmane. Le FDP, plus pragmatique, souhaite poursuivre la politique menée jusqu’à présent et respecter les engagements pris. Dans l’accord de coalition rédigé par les partenaires gouvernementaux, ces divergences ont abouti à une formulation prudente qui confirme l’objectif d’une «adhésion» mais non automatique. Ambiguë aux yeux des Turcs, cette position a toutefois le mérite de ne pas leur être trop hostile. >>> Delphine Nerbollier | Samedi 09 Janvier 2010

Weiterer Brandanschlag auf Kirche in Malaysia: Brandsätze verfehlen Fenster einer Kirche - Zeichen für wachsende Spannungen
NZZ ONLINE: In Kuala Lumpur hat es am Samstag offenbar einen weiteren Brandanschlag auf eine Kirche gegeben. Laut Angaben eines Bischofs haben zwei Brandsätze die Fenster des Gotteshauses aber verfehlt. Am Freitag sind in der Hauptstadt Malaysias Brandanschläge auf drei Kirchen verübt worden.

Inmitten wachsender Spannungen zwischen Christen und Muslimen in Malaysia ist am Samstag ein Brandanschlag auf eine vierte Kirche in der Hauptstadt Kuala Lumpur verübt worden. >>> ap | Samstag, 09. Januar 2010

Flugzeug-Attentat: Abdulmutallab war nur der Erste
ZEIT ONLINE: Der knapp vereitelte Anschlag von Detroit sollte nicht der einzige bleiben. Der Flugzeugbomber behauptet, 20 weitere Muslime seien in Jemen dafür geschult worden.

Der gescheiterte Flugzeugbomber von Detroit hat seinen Ermittlern von weiteren geplanten Anschlägen berichtet. Wie Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab nach Berichten des Senders CBS News gestand, seien noch 20 weitere Muslime im Jemen für Anschläge nach demselben Muster trainiert worden. Der britische Geheimdienst habe diese Aussagen bestätigt.



Auch als Konsequenz daraus hätten die US-Flugsicherheitsbehörden am vergangenen Wochenende zusätzliche Kontrollmaßnahmen für Flugreisende in die USA erlassen. Seitdem werden sämtliche Passagiere aus 14 besonders terrorverdächtigen Ländern beim Einchecken abgetastet und ihr Handgepäck wird durchsucht. Auf dieser Roten Liste des US-Außenministeriums stehen unter anderem verschiedene arabische Länder sowie Nigeria, das Heimatland von Abdulmutallab. >>> Zeit Online, dap, Reuters | Samstag, 09. Januar 2010

Police Quell Immigrant Riots in Italy
THE TELEGRAPH: Police reinforcements were urgently sent to southern Italy after African migrant workers armed with rocks and metal poles fought pitch battles with locals in a protest over appalling living conditions and alleged racism.

A group of immigrants living in Rosarno, take part in a protest demonstration in Rosarno, Italy. Photo: The Telegraph
Nearly 70 people, including 30 immigrants, 19 policemen and 17 Italians were injured in the clashes, which started on Thursday after two Africans – from Togo and Nigeria – were shot at with air rifles by locals.

The shooting set off two nights of rioting in the town of Rosarno in the southern Calabria region, with immigrants saying they were sick of being treated like "animals", living in squalid conditions and being paid rock bottom wages for picking fruit and vegetables.

On Thursday, hundreds of immigrants, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, staged an angry demonstration against the shooting, setting fire to cars and rubbish bins, smashing shop windows and throwing rocks at police.

They carried placards which read "We are not animals" and "Italians are racist".

Locals retaliated on Friday, beating immigrants with iron bars and trying to run them over with cars and, in one case, a bulldozer. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Saturday, January 09, 2010

Italie : Révolte immigrée en Calabre
Crédits photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Des centaines d’Africains ont protesté violemment contre l’exploitation dont ils font l’objet dans cette région gangrenée par la mafia. Jeudi soir, les affrontements ont fait 34 blessés, dont 18 policiers

Victimes d’exploitation, de vexations et de provocations, des centaines d’immigrés africains, le plus souvent clandestins, ont provoqué depuis jeudi une véritable émeute dans la petite ville calabraise de Rosarno, au sud de l’Italie. Vivant depuis des années des conditions d’habitat et d’hygiène terribles, travaillant dans les champs d’agrumes jusqu’à quatorze heures par jour pour une vingtaine d’euros, ils ont bloqué et saccagé une partie de la commune et se sont très violemment affrontés aux forces de l’ordre, après avoir été une nouvelle fois l’objet d’intimidations. Arme à air comprimé >>> Eric Jozsef | Samedi 09 Janvier 2010

Iran Opposition Leader Mehdi Karoubi Escapes Mob Bullets After Mourning Victims
TIMES ONLINE: Iran’s most outspoken opposition leader has had a narrow escape after his car was hit by bullets as he fled from a mob of government supporters.

Mehdi Karroubi’s armoured car was hit at least twice as it pulled away from the angry crowd, breaking the front and back windows. Mr Karroubi was unhurt.

The shooting was an ominous development in the seven months of internal strife that have engulfed Iran since the hotly disputed presidential election in June that handed victory to President Ahmadinejad.

Mr Karroubi, 72, has been attacked with bricks and teargas before but never with bullets, and in recent days the regime has sharply increased its efforts to crush a resurgent opposition. It has fired on demonstrators and staged rallies that have demanded the execution of Mr Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, the other leader of the so-called Green Movement. >>> Martin Fletcher | Friday, January 08, 2010

Video Shows CIA Suicide Bomber Saying Act Was Revenge
THE TELEGRAPH: The Jordanian doctor who killed seven CIA employees in a suicide attack in Afghanistan said in a video released on Saturday that the act was revenge for the killing of the Pakistani Taliban leader.



Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi appeared next to the new leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsoud, and explained how the "emigrants" – Muslim jihadists from abroad – were given shelter by the Pakistani Taliban and so should exact revenge for US attacks.

In August, Baitullah Mehsoud, the supreme commander of the Pakistani Taliban was killed by a CIA missile strike.

"We will never forget the blood of our emir Baitullah Mehsoud, We will always demand revenge for him inside America and outside," he said, addressing the "enemies of God" and Jordanian intelligence. "It is an obligation of the emigrants who were welcomed by the emir."

Al-Balawi, wearing traditional Afghan dress, spoke in Arabic during the minute-and-a-half video.

The IntelCenter, a US-based group monitoring extremist sites, said the video was released by the Pakistani branch of the Taliban. >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Saturday, January 09, 2010

Positive Thinking Making Us Miserable, Says Author
THE TELEGRAPH: The modern "tyranny" of positive thinking is to blame for society's ills and was the true cause of the financial crisis, according to a new book by author Barbara Ehrenreich.

Author Barbara Ehrenreich. Photo: The Telegraph
She said the belief that everything will turn out all right in the end if we remain optimistic and upbeat is "delusional".

What began as a 19th-century "quack theory" has become the dominant mode of thinking in the United States, she argues, influencing everything from global business decisions to the treatment of cancer patients.

Ehrenreich's book, Smile Or Die: How Positive Thinking Fooled America and the World, sets out to demolish the "distinctive American ideology of positive thinking".

Speaking ahead of the book's publication in Britain next week, Ehrenreich said: "Delusion is always dangerous and the big example I would give of that is the 2008 financial meltdown. There are many things that fed into that.

"Many, many people got way over their heads in debt – ordinary people. And in what frame of mind do you assume large amounts of debt? Well, a positive frame of mind. You think that you're not going to get sick, your car's not going to break down, you're not going to lose your job and you're going to be able to pay it off.

"Mostly, though, I blame the top levels of corporate culture which, by the middle of this decade, were completely in a bubble of mandatory optimism and positive thinking."

Ehrenreich referred to the "cult-like atmosphere of high-fives" at Countrywide, the mortgage lender which became one of the biggest casualties of the subprime crisis, and claimed that executives who sounded warnings of impending financial disaster at Lehman Brothers were dismissed as "negative" thinkers.

"Corporate America had gone into this bubble of denial where bad things could never happen," she said. >>> Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor | Saturday, January 09, 2010

EU-Beitritt der Türkei: CSU will Westerwelle zügeln
ZEIT ONLINE: Nächster Konflikt zwischen CSU und FDP: Die CSU fordert, Westerwelle solle den Türken keine falschen Hoffnungen auf einen EU-Beitritt machen. Der verbittet sich das.

Bundesaußenminister Guido Westerwelle und der türkische Staatsminister für Europa, Egemen Bagis in Istanbul. Bild: Zeit Online
Der seit Tagen andauernde Zwist zwischen CSU und FDP hat nun auch die Außenpolitik erreicht. Bundesaußenminister Guido Westerwelle (FDP) hat die Kritik der CSU an seiner Türkeipolitik "kleinkariert" genannt. Es sei wichtig, dass die sich weiter in Richtung EU orientiere, sagte er zum Abschluss seines Türkeibesuchs in Istanbul. Dies läge nicht nur im politischen, sondern auch im wirtschaftlichen Interesse Deutschlands, weil die Perspektiven tausender deutscher Firmen davon abhingen. Das Thema eigne sich nicht für "kleinkarierte Scharmützel zwischen den Parteien". Westerwelle forderte, man solle "etwas mehr an Deutschland denken und etwas weniger an die parteipolitischen Interessen".

Der Außenminister hatte dem Land zugesichert, der Beitrittsprozess werde wie mit der EU vereinbart ergebnisoffen gestaltet. "Darauf gebe ich Ihnen mein Wort", sagte der FDP-Chef am Donnerstag.

Die CSU will die deutsche Haltung zu einem EU-Beitritt der Türkei nun zum Thema in der Koalition machen. CSU-Generalsekretär Alexander Dobrindt sagte der ARD, dass es bei dieser Frage in erster Linie um die Interessen Deutschlands und der Europäischen Union gehen müsse. Es sei ein Gebot der Fairness, der Türkei zu vermitteln, "dass wir die Überzeugung haben, dass eine Vollmitgliedschaft der Türkei zur Europäischen Union nicht möglich ist". Auch der Parlamentarische Geschäftsführer der CSU-Landesgruppe, Stefan Müller, bekräftigte die Ablehnung einer türkischen EU-Vollmitgliedschaft. "Darüber wird auch in der Koalition zu verhandeln sein", sagte er im WDR. Westerwelle müsse wissen, "dass er, wenn er in der Türkei ist, dort nicht Erwartungen wecken kann, die er am Ende vielleicht nicht einhalten kann". >>> Zeit Online, dpa, Reuters, AFP | Freitag, 08. Januar 2010

Radicalisme : "Les imams intégristes sont marginaux"
L’EXPRESS.fr: Un imam intégriste de Seine-Saint-Denis a été expulsé de France jeudi. Franck Frégosi, directeur de recherche au CNRS, revient sur la place de l'imam en France.

Ali Ibrahim el-Soudany, un Egyptien né en 1973, exerçait les fonctions d'imam depuis plusieurs mois dans des mosquées de l'est parisien. Dans ses prêches, le religieux, qualifié d'individu dangereux" par Brice Hortefeux et lié à l'islamisme radical, s'en prenait vivement à l'occident et faisait l'apologie du djihad, selon des sources proches du dossier. Il était l'objet d'une surveillance particulière depuis 2008. >>> Par Sylvain Morvan | Vendredi 08 Janvier 2010

Norwegian Newspaper Reprints Prophet Mohammed Cartoons
THE TELEGRAPH: The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten has reproduced the controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

They were used to illustrate an article about Kurt Westergaard, the Danish cartoonist whose home was broken into by an Islamist armed with an axe a week ago.

It printed six out of the 12 drawings that infuriated Muslims around the world when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten first published them in 2005.

Several of the drawings were seen as linking Islam and its revered prophet to terrorism and suicide bombings, with Westergaard's cartoon showing him wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb. >>> | Friday, January 08, 2010

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons

Menschenrechte: Das bedrohte Leben Homosexueller in Nahost
DEUTSCHE WELLE: Entgegen geltendem Völkerrecht werden Rechte von Homosexuellen vielerorts auf der Welt verletzt. In einigen Ländern droht sogar die Todesstrafe. Ein heikles Thema für Außenminister Westerwelle bei seiner Nahost-Reise.

Eine Bestandsaufnahme der miserablen Situation Homosexueller findet sich in einem Antrag vom 6.Mai 2009 an den Bundestag mit dem Titel: "Die Menschenrechte von Lesben, Schwulen, Bisexuellen und Transgendern in Deutschland und weltweit schützen". Antragsteller damals: Dr. Guido Westerwelle und die Fraktion der FDP. Das Parlament, so heißt es in dem Entwurf, solle die Bundesregierung auffordern, sich verstärkt gegen die Diskriminierung einzusetzen. Unter anderem solle die Bundesregierung "bei den Ländern, in denen Lesben, Schwulen, Bisexuellen aufgrund ihrer gelebten sexuellen Orientierung Strafen oder gar die Verhängung der Todesstrafe drohen, für deren Abschaffung eintreten".

Der Antrag wurde im Juni 2009 von CDU/CSU und SPD, der seinerzeit regierenden großen Koalition, gegen die Stimmen von FDP, Grünen und Linken abgeschmettert. Ob der jetzige Bundesaußenminister Westerwelle nun seinem damaligen Antrag folgt und das Thema im Verlauf der Nahost-Reise anspricht?

Todesstrafe in Saudi-Arabien

In der Türkei ist Homosexualität nicht verboten. Sich öffentlich zu seiner Homosexualität zu bekennen, ist trotzdem äußerst heikel, vor allem in den traditionellen Milieus abseits der großen Städte. Homosexualität, vor allem die unter Männern, passt weder in das religiös-fundamentalistische Weltbild von Anhängern der Regierungspartei AKP noch in das der türkischen Nationalisten. >>> Autor: Michael Gessat / Redaktion: Michael Borgers | Donnerstag, 07. Januar 2010

Attentat auf Karikaturisten: Mohammeds wahres Gesicht ist schwer zu ertragen
WELT ONLINE: Nach dem Attentat auf den Mohammed-Karikaturisten Kurt Westergaard wird wieder über die Grenzen der Satire gestritten. Dabei vergessen viele, um wen es hier eigentlich geht, beklagt der Philosoph Daniele Dell’Agli. Schließlich startete Mohammed seine Karriere als Karawanenräuber und Mörder.

Das Werk eines unbekannten Künstlers zeigt den Propheten Mohammed mit seiner Frau. Bild: Welt Online
Der schwelende Streit um die dänischen Mohammed-Karikaturen glimmt nach dem Attentat gegen ihren Zeichner Westergaard wieder auf, und alle Beteiligten tun so, als ob sie nicht wüssten, warum.

Die einen, moslemische Verbandssprecher und islamophile Europäer, machen nach wie vor verletzte religiöse Gefühle geltend, die je nachdem mit verbaler Empörung oder mit gewaltsamen Aktionen geschützt bzw. geahndet werden müssen; die anderen machen das Grundrecht auf Meinungsfreiheit geltend, das sie je nachdem für unantastbar oder für begrenzt – in Ausnahmefällen – suspendierbar erklären.

Alle sind sich jedoch darin einig, dass die Mohammed-Karikaturen deswegen Anstoß erregen, weil ihre Darstellung der Gestalt des Propheten nicht gerecht wird. Die einen nennen das Verleumdung, die anderen Satire.

Nun gibt es zwar viele Definitionen von Satire, doch keine, die den Tatbestand der Unwahrheit oder der Lüge beinhaltet; stets wird konzediert, dass satirische Darstellungen allenfalls übertreiben, um – in polemischer oder unterhaltender Absicht (beides schließt sich nur in Deutschland aus) – den Wahrheitskern eines Skandals oder eines im übrigen allgemein bekannten Missstands zu verdeutlichen.

Mehr noch: Die allgemeine Bekanntheit des jeweiligen historischen, politischen oder biografischen Hintergrunds ist sogar Voraussetzung für die satirische Absicht, sie würde sonst wirkungslos verpuffen. Worauf zielt die satirische Attacke in diesem Fall?

Ganz einfach darauf, dass der Begründer des Islam seine Karriere als Karawanenräuber und Mörder begonnen und als Herrscher von Medina Attentate auf politische Gegner sowie den Genozid an den dort ansässigen jüdischen Stämmen befohlen hat. Das sind historisch auch unter moslemischen Gelehrten unstrittige Tatsachen, die mindestens jedem Gebildeten der Nordhemisphäre hinlänglich bekannt sind. >>> Daniele Dell’Agli* | Freitag, 08. Januar 2010

*Daniele Dell’Agli ist Philosoph und Literaturwissenschaftler in Berlin.

Vol d'Auschwitz : un ex-leader nazi suédois impliqué
L'Allemagne nazie a exterminé de 1940 à 1945 à Auschwitz-Birkenau environ 1,1 million de personnes, dont un million de juifs. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: L'homme assure avoir agi comme simple intermédiaire dans le vol de l'inscription «Arbeit macht frei» de l'ancien camp d'extermination. Selon lui, une personne était prête à verser plusieurs millions d'euros pour l'acquérir.

Un ancien dirigeant nazi suédois de 34 ans, soupçonné par les enquêteurs d'avoir participé au vol le 18 décembre dernier de l'inscription «Arbeit macht frei» («Le travail rend libre») de l'ancien camp d'extermination nazi d'Auschwitz-Birkenau, a reconnu vendredi sa participation.

Anders Högström, qui a fondé et dirigé entre 1994 et 1999 le Front national-socialiste - le principal parti néonazi suédois - a raconté avoir agi comme simple intermédiaire dans le cadre de cette affaire. Selon ses dires, son rôle consistait seulement à chercher et à revendre l'inscription à un acheteur. >>> Flore Galaud (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Vendredi 08 Janvier 2010

Le parlement portugais autorise le mariage gay
LE FIGARO: Pour être définitivement adopté le projet de loi du gouvernement socialiste doit désormais passer entre les mains du chef de l'Etat, le conservateur Aníbal Cavaco Silva, qui dispose d'un droit de veto.

Un feu vert, mais pas encore une victoire pour les socialistes. Le Parlement a adopté vendredi en première lecture le projet de loi du gouvernement autorisant le mariage entre homosexuels, mais a rejeté en revanche les propositions de l'extrême gauche et des verts en faveur de l'adoption. Pour être définitivement validé, le texte doit désormais passer entre les mains d'une commission puis être ratifié par le président portugais, Aníbal Cavaco Silva.

Le projet de loi, défendu avec ferveur par le premier ministre José Socrates, a été voté par la quasi totalité des élus de gauche - majoritaires au parlement -, tandis que la droite a massivement voté contre. Il faut «réparer des décennies d'injustices faites aux homosexuels», à défendu le premier ministre à la tribune, rappelant que jusqu'en 1982, l'homosexualité était considérée comme un crime au Portugal. Un veto présidentiel possible >>> Flore Galaud (lefigaro.fr) | Vendredi 08 Janvier 2010

Portugal: Parliament Legalises Same-sex Marriage, But Not Adoption


Dark Age Alert! Gay Marriage Rejection Is a Disgrace
NJ.COM: What happened this week in the New Jersey state Senate was an absolute disgrace. There's no explanation for it that makes any sense. It never makes sense when elected officials sworn to uphold not only the Constitution, but the rights of each citizen to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness do just the opposite. >>> Steve Adubato, PhD | Friday, January 08, 2010

Same-sex Marriage Bill Defeated in New Jersey Senate Vote


New Jersey Senators Reject Same-sex "Marriage"


Portugals Parlament erlaubt Homo-Ehen
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Das Parlament hat zugestimmt, jetzt fehlt nur noch die Unterschrift des Präsidenten: Portugal steht kurz vor der Einführung der gleichgeschlechtlichen Ehe. Dennoch sind die Homosexuellenverbände nicht völlig zufrieden mit dem Gesetzentwurf.

Lissabon - Im streng katholischen Portugal hat das Parlament für die Einführung der Homosexuellenehe gestimmt. Die Abgeordneten nahmen den Gesetzentwurf der sozialistischen Regierung mit 125 zu 99 Stimmen an. Zuvor waren konservative Parteien mit einem Antrag gescheitert, über eine Eheschließung gleichgeschlechtlicher Partner in einer Volksabstimmung zu entscheiden.

Der Entwurf schließt allerdings aus, dass gleichgeschlechtliche Paare Kinder adoptieren können. Grüne und kleinere Linksparteien hatten versucht, homosexuellen Paaren auch dieses Recht einzuräumen.

Homosexuellenverbände merkten daher an, der Gesetzentwurf ginge nicht weit genug. Die Bewegung "Rosarote Panther" sprach wegen des Adoptionsverbots von einer "Ehe zweiter Klasse" und forderte ein Gesetz wie im benachbarten Spanien, wo die Homo-Ehe 2005 eingeführt wurde. Dort dürfen gleichgeschlechtliche Eheleute Kinder adoptieren. >>> hut/dpa/AP | Freitag, 08. Januar 2010

Cultural Sensitivity, Forced Marriages, Honour Killings, & Murder
TIMES ONLINE: Tulay Goren’s death won’t be the last so long as misplaced cultural sensitivity stops us acting against forced marriages

Twice, in the weeks before she was murdered by her father, Tulay Goren told the police that she feared for her life. And twice she was ignored. Mehmet Goren, who was convicted of murder yesterday, killed his 15-year-old daughter because she had fallen in love with an “unsuitable” older man. To Mehmet, the affair made her a “worthless commodity” who could not be married off for a £5,000 dowry. The authorities did nothing to protect her, even though the police became involved when her father attacked her boyfriend, and even though Mehmet demanded in front of police officers that his daughter take a virginity test. Only a decade after her murder in 1999 has justice been done.

“Honour killings” in Britain? Impossible. To many people the case of Tulay Goren will come as a shock, but not to me. I know from personal experience, and from working with victims, that such “honour” crimes are a huge social problem in this country. The shame is not just that it is happening on such a large scale, but that it is so often covered up for fear of upsetting cultural sensibilities. Serious crimes are being treated as a matter for diversity officers rather than for the police and the courts.

There are measures in place to help potential victims of honour crimes, but they are not being used to anything like the extent that they should be. In 2007 Parliament passed the Forced Marriage Act, which enables magistrates to issue protection orders to stop women and girls being married against their will. If necessary, victims, a third of whom are under 16, can be taken into care. Passports can be confiscated, and parents can be forced to reveal the whereabouts of daughters who have gone missing from school, most likely because they have been taken abroad to be coerced into marriage. According to a recent Home Affairs Select Committee report, 2,500 British girls have gone missing from schools and are believed to be at risk. It is not part of anyone’s culture to be abused >>> Jasvinder Sanghera | Friday, December 18, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Special protection orders save nine-year-olds from forced marriages >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Friday, January 08, 2010

Dark Age Alert! Malaysian Churches Attacked with Firebombs
THE GUARDIAN: Three churches in Kuala Lumpur attacked after court reverses ban on Christians using the word 'Allah' to mean 'God'

Muslims protest against a court decision that allows a Catholic newspaper to use the word 'Allah' to describe the Christian God in its Malay language editions. Photograph: The Guardian
Three Malaysian churches were attacked with firebombs, causing extensive damage to one, as Muslims pledged today to prevent Christians from using the word "Allah", escalating religious tensions in the multiracial country.

Many Malay Muslims, who make up 60% of the population, are incensed by a recent high court decision to overturn a ban on Roman Catholics using Allah as a translation for God in the Malay-language edition of their main newspaper, the Herald.

The government had said that Allah, an Arabic word that predates Islam, was exclusive to the faith. It refused to make an exception, even though the Herald's Malay edition is read only by Christian indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak.

At Friday prayers at two main mosques in downtown Kuala Lumpur, young worshippers carried banners and vowed to defend Islam.

"We will not allow the word Allah to be inscribed in your churches," one shouted into a loudspeaker at the Kampung Bahru mosque. About 50 other people carried posters reading "Heresy arises from words wrongly used" and "Allah is only for us".

"Islam is above all. Every citizen must respect that," said Ahmad Johari, who attended prayers at the National Mosque. "I hope the court will understand the feeling of the majority Muslims of Malaysia. We can fight to the death over this issue." >>> Associated Press | Friday, January 08, 2010

Un débat autour du mot «Allah» dégénère en Malaisie
Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Trois églises ont été détruites par des bombes vendredi, dans ce pays où la polémique enfle sur l'emploi du nom d'Allah pour désigner le dieu du christianisme.

Trois églises ont été la cible de bombes incendiaires vendredi en Malaisie, où le débat autour de l'utilisation du mot «Allah» par les non-musulmans fait rage, opposant la population malaise musulmane aux minorités d'origine chinoise et indienne, qui pratiquent notamment le christianisme.

L'affaire n'est pas récente, et puise ses racines en mai 2008, date à laquelle le haut conseil national de la fatwa avait ordonné que l'appelation «Allah» soit uniquement employée par les musulmans. Il avait en effet estimé qu'un tel usage de ce mot par des catholiques risquait de semer la confusion parmi les musulmans, présents à 60% dans le pays. >>> F.G. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Jeudi 08 Janvier 2010

British Woman 'Arrested in Dubai after Being Raped'
THE TELEGRAPH: A 23-year-old British woman on holiday in Dubai told police she had been raped, only to be arrested herself for having illegal sexual intercourse.

The woman, a Muslim of Pakistani descent, was celebrating her engagement to her 44-year-old boyfriend, and was allegedly attacked when she passed out in a hotel lavatory.

Despite approaching police about the attack, she was arrested after admitting to "illegal drinking" outside licensed premises as well as having sexual intercourse outside marriage. Her fiancé was also charged with the same offences.

The couple from London are now reportedly on bail and understood to be awaiting trial after having their passports confiscated. Should they be found guilty, they could face up to six years in jail.

The woman, who is said to have accepted her boyfriend's marriage proposal during a three-day break, admitted drinking too much alcohol as they celebrated at Dubai Marina's Address Hotel. The waiter, believed to be Syrian, is then said to have followed her into the toilets and raped her while she was in a state of semi-consciousness.

After her fiancé found out about the attack, they contacted police, but they were questioned about breaking the country's strict rules, which contain elements of Sharia law. >>> Chris Irvine | Friday, January 08, 2010

Have Sex, Be Healthy!
THE TELEGRAPH: Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to new research.

It shows men who indulge in regular lovemaking are up to 45 per cent less likely to develop life-threatening heart conditions than men who have sex once a month or less.

The study, of over 1,000 men, shows sex appears to have a protective effect on the male heart but did not examine whether women benefit too.

Now the American researchers who carried out the investigation are calling for doctors to screen men for sexual activity when assessing their risk of heart disease.

Every year, around 270,000 people in Britain suffer a heart attack, and coronary disease remains Britains biggest killer.

Although sex has long been regarded as good for physical and mental health, there has been little scientific evidence to show the full benefits that frequent intercourse can have on major illnesses such as heart disease.

In the latest study, scientists at the New England Research Institute in Massachusetts, tracked the sexual activity of men aged between 40 and 70 who were taking part in a long-term project called the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study, which began back in 1987.

At regular points over a 16-year period, each man was quizzed on how often they had sex and then checked for signs of heart disease.

Researchers took into account other risk factors, such as their age, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The results, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, showed men who made love at least twice a week were much less likely to have heart disease than those whose sexual encounters were limited to once a month or less. Having sex twice a week 'reduces chance of heart attack by half' >>> | Friday, January 08, 2010

Egyptian Christians Riot after Fatal Shooting
THE GUARDIAN: Churchgoers targeted after Coptic Christmas Eve mass in apparent payback for alleged rape of Muslim girl by Christian

Clashes between thousands of protesters and riot police shook Egypt today after six Coptic Christians were murdered, prompting some of the worst sectarian violence the country has seen.

The victims were gunned down in a drive-by shooting as they emerged from church in the early hours of this morning following a Coptic Christmas Eve mass. Egypt's interior ministry said it believed the attack, in the southern town of Naga Hammadi, 40 miles north of Luxor, was in revenge for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old Muslim girl by a Christian man last year. A Muslim security guard was also killed.

"It is all religious now," said the church's Bishop Kirollos. "This is a religious war, about how they can finish off the Christians in Egypt." >>> Jack Shenker in Cairo | Thursday, January 07, 2010

David Miliband Defies the Prime Minister by Assuring Iceland Its £2.3bn Debt Repayment Vote Will Not Affect EU Bid
MAIL ONLINE: David Miliband has assured Iceland that its president's decision to veto the repayment of billions of pounds owed to Britain will not affect its bid to join the EU.

The comments by the Foreign Secretary directly contradict those of Gordon Brown who has threatened serious consequences if the money does not enter Treasury coffers.

On Tuesday, Iceland's president Olafur Ragnar Grimsson called a referendum on a law to return £2.3billion owed to Britain to cover the bail-out of more than 200,000 savers in the collapsed online bank Icesave.

Icelandic voters are expected to reject the scheme.

Today Iceland's foreign minister said he had been assured by Mr Miliband that a presidential rejection of the so-called Icesave bill would not torpedo Iceland's EU bid. >>> Daniel Martin | Friday, Januar 08, 2010

Obama: "We Are at War"
CBS NEWS: President Obama Thursday afternoon publicly called for the intelligence community to do better in the wake of the Christmas Day bombing attempt. In the process, he offered a response to critics on the right who have complained that he has not used rhetoric indicating the seriousness of the situation.

"While passions and politics can often obscure the hard work before us, let's be clear about what this moment demands," the president said. "We are at war." >>> Brian Montopoli | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Le Vieux Lion Roars Again Among a Generation Hungry for Greatness
TIMES ONLINE: President Sarkozy may have cooled to Gordon Brown, but France has just fallen for the charms of another British leader — Sir Winston Churchill.

“Le Vieux Lion,” as the British leader was known, has found new popularity thanks to two bestselling books — a fresh translation of his Second World War memoirs and a prize-winning biography.

Enthusiasm for Churchill is being fed by new interest in the war era among a generation born since France preferred to forget the trauma of the Nazi occupation. Recent war documentaries, including a spectacular colour series on the France2 channel last autumn, have brought the period closer to modern France, said François Kersaudy, author of the new biography Winston Churchill.

“The younger generation knew very little about Churchill but they are beginning to discover him through the memoirs,” Mr Kersaudy told The Times. His book, which won the Grand Prix for political biography last year, depicts the Prime Minister as a towering figure in European history.

Admiration for Churchill reflected “nostalgia for great leaders when there seem to be so many small ones around,” Mr Kersaudy said. “There is special nostalgia for Churchill with his contempt for the opinion of the man in the street when present leaders are obsessed with opinion polls.” >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Friday, January 08, 2010

Boris Johnson's Ex-wife, 45, in Secret Marriage to Muslim Aged 23
MAIL ONLINE: The ex-wife of Boris Johnson has shocked her family by secretly marrying a 23-year-old Muslim, she announced on Thursday.

Allegra Mostyn-Owen even implied she would be content to be one of several of his wives. Since she is 45, she said she would be happy for her new husband to have children with a younger woman.

They would then live as an ‘extended family’ as sanctioned by the Prophet Mohammed ‘who said it was OK to marry up to four women’, she declared.

Miss Mostyn-Owen was the London Mayor’s first wife. They met when they were students at Oxford and married in 1987, aged 23, but divorced in 1993. She has no children.

She revealed how she stunned her family on Christmas Day by announcing her marriage to the Muslim man – whom she did not name because his Pakistani family ‘know nothing’ of what he has done.

Miss Mostyn-Owen is the only daughter of Italian writer Gaia Servadio and multimillionaire landowner and art historian William Mostyn-Owen.

Describing the scene at Christmas, she said: ‘My mum accused me of spoiling her Christmas and was sure I am heading for a nervous breakdown.

'My older brother also said he would be there for me when I had a breakdown. My father was very annoyed, saying he’d only tolerated “him” – the Muslim – because our relationship had kept me off the booze.

‘Nobody asked his name, whether we were happy, what our plans are and what his livelihood is.’

The society beauty and one-time Tatler cover girl revealed they had married in a mosque and then again in a register office. She said she had not converted to Islam. >>> Sam Greenhill and Tamara Cohen | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Obama im Gestrüpp der US-Geheimdienste: Amerikanischer Präsident will Bericht über Versagen von Detroit vorstellen
NZZ ONLINE: Der Druck auf Präsident Obama hat zugenommen. Nach dem Versagen der Geheimdienste im Fall des versuchten Attentats des Nigerianers Abdulmutallab auf ein amerikanisches Flugzeug wird vom Präsidenten erwartet, dass er Köpfe rollen lässt.

Der für Innere Sicherheit zuständige Berater Präsident Obamas, John Brennan, hat seinem Chef am Donnerstag einen nicht sogleich veröffentlichten Bericht über die Schwächen der amerikanischen Terrorabwehr vorgelegt. Darin ging es um die Frage, warum der Nigerianer Abdulmutallab am Weihnachtstag mit einem Sprengsatz in der Unterhose in Amsterdam ein Flugzeug nach Detroit besteigen konnte, obwohl konkrete Warnungen über den Attentäter sowie Indizien für einen bevorstehenden Anschlag eingetroffen waren. Zuvor war er von Lagos nach Amsterdam geflogen.

Die mehr als ein Dutzend zivilen und militärischen Nachrichten- und Geheimdienste versagten bei der Aufgabe, die diversen bruchstückhaften Informationen – darunter Warnungen aus dem Munde des Vaters des Attentäters – miteinander zu verknüpfen. Dies geschah, obwohl nach den Attacken des 11. Septembers 2001 wegen genau solcher damals ans Licht getretenen Schwächen neue Institutionen geschaffen worden waren. Dazu zählen das Nationale Anti-Terror-Zentrum und ein Direktorat der nationalen Nachrichtendienste. >>> Beat Ammann, Washington | Donnerstag, 07. Januar 2010

Iranische Justiz verschärft Internet-Zensur: Liste mit strafbaren «Vergehen» veröffentlicht
NZZ ONLINE: Die Justiz in Iran hat eine Verschärfung der Zensur im Internet verfügt und dazu eine lange Liste mit strafbaren «Vergehen» veröffentlicht.

Wie iranische Zeitungen berichteten, sind laut der von einem «Expertenaussschuss» zusammengestellten Liste nunmehr alle Websites verboten, deren Inhalte gegen die «soziale Moral», «religiöse Werte» oder «die Sicherheit und den sozialen Frieden» verstossen oder die «regierungsfeindlich» sind.

Unter das Verbot fallen auch Internetseiten, die den Gründer der Islamischen Republik Iran, Ayatollah Khomeiny, oder den obersten Geistlichen Führer, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, beleidigen. Verboten sind ferner Inhalte, die gegen die Verfassung verstossen oder für «feindliche politische Gruppen» werben. >>> sda/afp | Donnerstag, 07. Januar 2010

Small Man, Big Balls! France Plans 'Google Tax' on Internet Searches
THE TELEGRAPH: France is planning a "Google tax" on internet search websites to raise money to plough into creative industries weakened by the digital revolution.

The proposal, outlined in a government-commissioned survey, has set the scene for a new Gallic run-in with Google – fast becoming the global internet behemoth the world loves to hate.

The levy on advertising revenue is the latest plank in France's drive to regulate the internet, which has seen it enact some of the world's toughest antipiracy legislation.

Besides Google, the tax would target other large operators in Europe such as Microsoft and Yahoo! whether or not their offices are in France. Google's European headquarters are in Ireland, but under the proposal, the operator would pay a levy every time a French internet user clicks on an advertising banner or sponsored link on its sites.

Guillaume Cerutti, one of the authors of the report said the tax would put an end to "enrichment without any limit or compensation".

Google – which this week extended its empire with the launch of Nexus One, its first mobile phone – has annual internet advertising revenues in France alone of £720 million, according to the report's authors. They want France's competition watchdog to investigate whether it is respecting monopoly rules on internet advertising.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has repeatedly cast himself as a defender of France's cultural heritage from digital predators. Last month, he pledged £700 million to digitise France's national literary treasures and stop them falling into Google's hands. "We are not going to be stripped of our heritage for the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is," he said. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Roman Polanski Asks to Be Sentenced in Absentia
THE TELEGRAPH: Roman Polanski has asked a judge to sentence him in his absence for having sex with a 13-year-old girl more than three decades ago.

The request came in a letter signed by the film director in Switzerland, where he is under house arrest, and was submitted to a judge in Los Angeles.

It said Polanski understood he had the right to be present at all legal proceedings, but added: "I request that judgment be pronounced against me in my absence."

The request followed a ruling last month by an appeal court in California which suggested Polanski would not serve any additional time in jail of he agreed to being sentenced in his absence.

However, prosecutors who have long sought to bring him back to Los Angeles, said they would oppose any attempt to sentence him until he turns up in court there.

At a hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday prosecutor David Walgren said Polanski should come back to California and not continue to fight the case "from the comfort of his Swiss chalet in the Alps." >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Un passager d’un vol Miami-Detroit voulait "tuer tous les juifs"
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: ARRESTATION | L’incident s’est produit alors que l’appareil s’apprêtait à décoller. L'individu a été arrêté.

Un homme qui s’apprêtait à effectuer mercredi soir un vol Miami-Detroit à bord d’un avion de la compagnie Northwest a été arrêté et placé en détention pour avoir notamment clamé qu’il voulait "tuer tous les juifs", a-t-on appris jeudi auprès de la police.

Mansor Mohammad Asad, 43 ans, originaire de l’Ohio (nord des Etats-Unis), "est en prison à Miami" et "devrait être inculpé", notamment pour menaces, conduite désordonnée et résistance à son arrestation, a indiqué Veronica Ferguson, porte-parole de la police du comté de Miami-Dade (Floride, sud-est). >>> AFP | Jeudi 07 Janvier 2010

Iran: Sous le voile de la terreur
Crédits photo : Paris Match
PARIS MATCH: A trois jours des manifestations de l'opposition, le régime iranien organise sa contre-manifestation et des milliers de personnes répondent à son appel dans les rues de Téhéran. La pression se fait de plus en plus forte sur les opposants. Chronique de la vie ordinaire à Téhéran par Violet-B, une jeune Iranienne.

Mercredi 30 décembre, je reçois un appel vers 5 heures du matin : « Aujourd’hui, entre 7 et 8 heures, aura lieu une cérémonie pour le neveu de Mir Hossein Moussavi [tué lors d’une manifestation trois jours plus tôt]. Si tu y vas, reste prudente. »

Quand j’arrive au cimetière Behesht Zahra, le plus grand d’Iran avec ses 400 hectares, il est truffé d’agents de sécurité. J’aperçois Moussavi, entouré de parents et d’amis, mais aussi de bassidjis qui photographient tous les gens présents. Tandis que je me voile le visage, un officier de police me glisse : « Si vous n’êtes pas de la famille, il vaut mieux que vous partiez. » Je demande pourquoi. Un homme en chemise noire et complet gris me répond que « la curiosité est un très vilain défaut »... Je m’en vais, troublée par ces étranges funérailles. >>> Violet-B Parsi, Paris Match | Jeudi 07 Janvier 2010

Türkei-Besuch von Westerwelle: Westerwelle fordert Türkei zu weiteren Reformen auf
ZEIT ONLINE: Während seines Türkei-Besuchs hat Außenminister Westerwelle eine EU-Mitgliedschaft des Landes nicht ausgeschlossen. Dafür müsse Ankara aber weitere Reformen umsetzen.

Als Auftakt seiner bislang längsten Auslandsreise äußerte sich Westerwelle als erster deutscher Außenminister in einer Rede vor den Auslandsbotschaftern, die in Ankara zu einer Konferenz zusammengekommen waren. Westerwelle hat die Türkei darin zu weiteren Reformen für eine Vollmitgliedschaft in der EU aufgefordert. "Wir alle wissen, dass Meinungs-, Presse- und Religionsfreiheit tragende Säulen unserer europäischen Wertegemeinschaft sind", sagte er. Das Reformwerk der Türkei auf ihrem Weg nach Europa sei "noch unvollendet". "Ich möchte Sie ermutigen, damit fortzufahren."

Als "Schlüssel" für Fortschritte in den Beitrittsverhandlungen bezeichnete Westerwelle die Zypern-Frage. Die Türkei müsse das sogenannte Ankara-Protokoll auch auf Zypern anwenden. Bisher weigert sich Ankara, die eigenen Häfen und Flughäfen auch für Schiffe und Flugzeuge aus Zypern zu öffnen. Begründet wird dies mit der Weigerung der EU, den seit 1974 von türkischen Truppen besetzten Nordteil der Insel als Staat anzuerkennen. >>> Zeit Online, dpa | Donnerstag, 07. Januar 2010

Signs of Enlightenment! France: Fines for Wearing the Burqah
MAIL ONLINE: Women who wear Islamic veils in public will be liable to a fine of more than £700 under strict new laws being formulated in France.

The amount could be doubled for Muslim men who force their wives or other female members of their family to cover their faces.

Jean-Francois Cope, president of Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling UMP Party in the French parliament, said the new legislation was intended to protect the 'dignity' and 'security' of women.

He is set to file the draft law in the National Assembly after Mr Sarkozy said veils are 'not welcome' as they intimidate and alienate non-Muslims, especially in a secular country like France.

'We want a ban in public areas,' said Mr Cope, making clear that the veil would not be allowed in public buildings, nor on the streets of France, as it encourages extremism.

Mr Cope said: 'The wearing of the burkha will be subject to a fine, probably of the 4th class, which is to say 750 euros.'

He said the fine would apply to 'all people on the public street whose face is entirely covered'. Women who wear burkhas and niqabs on the street in France face fines of more than £700 >>> Peter Allen | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Dark Age Alert! In Darkest Africa: Human Sacrifices on the Rise
THE TELEGRAPH: Witch doctors in Uganda have admitted their part in human sacrifice amid concerns that the practice is spreading in the African country.

One man said he had clients who had captured children and taken their blood and body parts to his shrine, while another confessed to killing at least 70 people including his own son.

The latter has now given up the ritual and is campaigning to stamp it out, according to BBC News.

The African country's government claimed human sacrifice was on the increase.

According to officials trying to tackle it, the crime is directly linked to rising levels of development and prosperity - and an increasing belief that witchcraft can help people get rich quickly. Human sacrifices 'on the rise in Uganda' as witch doctors admit to rituals >>> | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Islamization: Some People Are Too Dumb to Get It, Mr Pitcher!
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOGS: We Christians need to shape up apparently. Enough of this turning the other cheek, lovey-dovey self-sacrifice and expecting the meek to inherit the earth. We need a bit of moral fibre, ideological backbone and standing astride a broken piano sporting ammo belts and singing Rock of Ages would be nice too. We need some lead in the pencil and fire in the belly.

That seems to be the message from a couple of huge figures in the European Church this morning. According to Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Christians have been “too soft” and have let others “walk over them” to avoid upsetting other faiths. And Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop of Prague, says that “Europeans systematically empty the Christian content of their lives.”

Carey’s comments came after an all-party group of parliamentarians warned that failing to limit immigration could put “social harmony” at risk. Vlk is more explicit: “Unless Christians wake up, life may be Islamised.” He blames secularism rather than Muslims and I agree with that, though I believe that the so-called “threat” of Islamification is way over-stated and a knicker-wetting bogeyman invented by not very bright nationalists. How do we put some lead in the Christian pencil? >>> George Pitcher | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Christenverfolgung: Siebenfacher Mord vor ägyptischer Kirche
WELT ONLINE: Aus einem vorbei fahrenden Auto heraus haben mutmaßlich radikale Islamisten in Ägypten das Feuer auf eine Gruppe koptischer Christen eröffnet. Sie kamen aus einer Messe – die Kopten feiern Weihnachten am 7. Januar. Bei dem Anschlag starb auch ein muslimischer Wachmann, neun Menschen wurden verletzt.

Schenouda III., Papst von Alexandrien und Oberhaupt der koptisch-orthodoxen Kirche in Ägypten, beim Gebet in der koptischen Kathedrale in Kairo. Bild: Welt Online
Muslimische Fanatiker haben vor einer Kirche in Oberägypten sechs koptische Christen und einen muslimischen Wachmann erschossen. Neun weitere Menschen wurden verletzt, als drei Männer aus einem vorbeifahrenden Auto heraus das Feuer auf die Gläubigen eröffneten. Es war der folgenschwerste Angriff auf koptische Christen in Ägypten seit zehn Jahren. Die Angreifer hätten wenig später auch noch ein Kloster beschossen.

Bischof Kirollos von der oberägyptischen Diözese Nag Hammadi (Provinz Kena) sagte, er selbst sei vermutlich das eigentliche Ziel der Mörder gewesen. Der Kirchenmann erklärte, er sei am Abend gegen 23 Uhr nach der Messe zum orthodoxen Weihnachtsfest mit seinem Auto von der Kirche weggefahren. Er merkte, dass ihn ein Wagen verfolgte und kehrte um. Als er vor dem Hintereingang des Gotteshauses eintraf, schossen seine Verfolger auf eine Gruppe von Oberschülern, die vor dem Gebäude miteinander plauderten. Der Bischof erklärte, er habe die Messe aus Sicherheitsgründen früher als sonst abgehalten. >>> dpa/AFP/jay | Donnerstag, 07. Januar 2010

Attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt Leaves 7 Dead
Egyptian Coptic Orthodox members perform prayers at the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, 07 Jan 2010. Photograph: Voice of America
VOICE OF AMERICA: At least seven Coptic Christians were killed and another half dozen were wounded - many seriously - after a Thursday morning drive-by shooting after a Christmas midnight mass in Nag Hamadi in Upper Egypt.



Egypt's Coptic Christian community was celebrating midnight mass on Christmas Day, according to the Coptic calendar, when the shooter sprayed a large crowd in front of the church with a hail of gunfire. Many died on the spot. Others were taken to the hospital, in serious condition.



Eyewitnesses indicate the crossroads in front of the Virgin Mary Church in Nag Hamadi was crowded because of the Christmas ceremony. The shooter escaped during the chaos.

Nag Hamadi is 64 kilometers from the famous Temple of Luxor. It has been racked by sectarian violence since the alleged sexual assault of a Muslim girl by a Christian man, in November. 



Muslim residents of the town ransacked, burned and looted Christian homes and shops for five days after the alleged incident.



Said Sadek, professor of political sociology at the American University of Cairo, says that the region of Upper Egypt where Nag Hamadi is located has a tribal culture and that the crime, or violence, or even sex can often take on a sectarian nature. >>> Edward Yeranian, Cairo | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Muslim Group Files Complaint against College
BOSTON HERALD: A Muslim-American advocacy group filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over a Boston college’s policy that forbids face coverings, including traditional Islamic garb.

The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences banned face coverings last fall, citing security and the need to be able to match students with their mandatory photo IDs, and a college spokesman says the only two female Muslim students on campus who might be affected had no objection.

But Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American Islamic Relations, which filed the complaint, said, “Even though the policy refers to students it will clearly impact the staff and employees as well.” >>> O’Ryan Johnson | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Massachusetts College Bans Face Coverings, Muslims Outraged
DIGITAL JOURNAL: A Massachusetts college has banned students, faculty, and staff from wearing any kind of face covering, outraging some Muslim groups. The ban is believed to be the first of its kind at a U.S. college.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences told the Boston Globe yesterday that the ban was intended to protect the public safety on its three campuses. The prohibition includes such items as ski masks and scarves, and is not specifically aimed at the traditional Islamic burka.

“It’s no surprise that college safety has become a huge issue of importance in the past couple years,” said college spokesman Michael Ratty. “This is another measure that public safety [officials] wanted to implement to keep the campus safer.” >>> Martin Laine | Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Pharmacy School Bars Covering of the Face
THE BOSTON GLOBE: The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has banned students, faculty, and staff from covering their faces on its three campuses in an effort to ensure public safety, a college spokesman said yesterday.

But the new policy has drawn flak from a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, which wants the school to exempt Muslim women who veil their faces for religious reasons.

“It’s a very strange policy,’’ said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. “I don’t know where it came from. The only thing we can conclude is that it’s designed to specifically target Muslims.’’

Sarah Wunsch, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts, called the policy “puzzling and possibly illegal.’’ >>> Martin Finucane | Wednesday, January 6, 2010