Update on Our Hero in Amsterdam – “Geert Akbar”! Geert Wilders: 'I want Muslim Fanatic to Speak in My Defence'
TIMES ONLINE: Geert Wilders, the Dutch far-Right MP, has demanded that his race hate trial should hear evidence from the fanatic who used the Koran to justify killing the director of an anti-Islamic film.

It marked an incendiary opening to the landmark case that has divided the Netherlands over the limits of freedom. Mr Wilders, 46, who is accused of incitement and discrimination, asked for 18 witnesses to be called in his defence, including Mohammed Bouyeri, the man who stabbed and shot Theo Van Gogh in an Amsterdam street in 2004.

The Van Gogh murder left a deep scar on the national conscience. It helped to change the mood of tolerance of Islam, and boosted Mr Wilders’s popularity.

Mr Wilders, whose Party for Freedom came second in the European elections last summer, faces a 70-page charge sheet covering five counts of breaking Dutch law in more than 100 public statements — for example, by likening the Koran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf and calling for an end to the “Islamic invasion”. He could be fined or jailed if convicted.

The alleged offences include Mr Wilders’s film Fitna, which shows images of 9/11 and beheadings interspersed with verses from the Koran. It ends with a clip of the controversial Danish cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

At the opening day of the trial the prosecution objected to the request to hear from Bouyeri, and the panel of four judges adjourned until February 3 to consider which witnesses to call. “This case is about more than Mr Wilders,” Bram Moszkowicz, his lawyer, told the court. “It touches us all. It is such an important and principled question that could have far-reaching consequences.”

Mr Moszkowicz argued that the witnesses Mr Wilders wanted to call would prove that what he said was not simply inoffensive but true. He suggested that Bouyeri, a dual Moroccan-Dutch national, would be key to the case because he was a fervent Muslim who carried a Koran during his trial and defended his crime by claiming that Islam permitted violence against unbelievers. >>> David Charter in Amsterdam | Thursday, January 21, 2010

Republicans Take Some Bold Steps to Exit the Dark Ages
THE TELEGRAPH: Senator John McCain has been forced to issue a statement clarifying his position on gay marriage after his wife Cindy and daughter Meghan posed for campaign posters.

Cindy and Meghan McCain, posed for photos endorsing pro-gay marriage forces in California.

Mrs McCain appears with silver duct tape across her mouth and "NOH8" written on one cheek. The photo was posted on Wednesday on the NOH8 campaign's website.

The homosexual rights group opposes Proposition 8 - the ballot measure passed by Californian voters in 2008 which bans same-sex marriage.

Cindy McCain contacted NOH8 and offered to pose for the photo endorsement, the website said.

John McCain's office said in a statement that the Arizona senator an 2008 Republican presidential candidate respects the views of members of his family but remains opposed to gay marriage. John McCain's Wife Cindy Becomes Poster Girl for Same-sex Marriage >>> | Thursday, January 21, 2010

Meghan McCain on Twitter >>>

Pat Condell: Thank God for Andy Choudary

Hate Speech or Free Speech? Geert Wilders on Trial

A Stupid Bitch by Any Other Name – Harriet Harman! Harriet Harman Puts Class at Heart of Election Battle
If this is so, then what the hell has the Labour Party been doing all these years? It's the Labour Party which has reduced this once great nation to scrubberdom! – © Mark

THE GUARDIAN: Labour deputy leader to make inequality a key dividing line with Conservatives

Harriet Harman's speech is designed to put fight against inequality at heart of election campaign. Photograph: The Guardian
Harriet Harman will reopen the politically explosive debate over class tomorrowby insisting that it remains the single biggest factor in determining individual achievement.

In a speech designed to put the fight against inequality at the heart of the general election campaign, the Labour deputy leader will unveil a new "inequality bible" which admits that the government has merely slowed the trend in rising inequality despite more than 12 years in office.

The 420-page report, commissioned by the government, has been written by a panel chaired by Professor John Hills.
In her speech, Harman will say the report, to be published next week, makes uncomfortable reading for Labour, and sets out home truths about the scale of the challenge.

But she will also seek to create dividing lines with the Tories by arguing that the evidence shows socio-economic background, not parental warmth, is the main determinant of an individual's success.

The report's findings are politically sensitive since they may revive accusations – furiously denied by Gordon Brown – that Labour is embarking on a "class war". >>> Patrick Wintour and Amelia Gentleman | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Runaway Girl, 17, Who Converted from Islam to Christianity Will Be Allowed to Live Away from Muslim Parents
MAIL ONLINE: A runaway teenage girl who converted from Islam to Christianity has reached a court settlement that allows her to live away from her Muslim parents.

Rifqa Bary, 17, will stay in a foster home under state custody in Columbus, America, until she turns 18 in August.

Bary's attorney read a statement in Franklin County Juvenile Court, saying that the girl and her parents love and respect each other and will try to resolve their differences through counselling.

Bary ran away in July, saying she feared her father Mohamed would harm or kill her for leaving Islam.

She fled to the Florida home of married pastors Blake and Beverly Lorenz, whom she had contacted on Facebook.

After staying with them for two weeks, she was eventually moved into foster care. >>> Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, January 21, 2010

New Dark Age Alert! Geert Wilders' Warning to America

HT: Eleanor >>>

First Day in Wilders Trial
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: The trial of the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, began this Wednesday.

The lead judge of the court started off by addressing Geert Wilders, leader of the populist PVV party, directly. The judge said that while the media might have portrayed his case as foregone, his court “would not cast judgment before the last word has been spoken”.

It is quite uncommon for judges to reassure their suspects that they will receive a fair trial. But it seems little in the case against Wilders will be business as usual. On Wednesday morning, hundreds of Wilders’ sympathizers were gathered outside the Amsterdam courtroom where Wilders was on trial for group slander and inciting discrimination and violence. A large number of Wilder’s statements to the media and his anti-Islam film Fitna will be presented as evidence. A comparison Wilders drew between the Koran and Hitler’s Mein Kampf is one of his remarks now under legal scrutiny.

Witnesses to be called

The hearing on Wednesday was formal in nature, establishing a general schedule for the trial. The defence and prosecution will be presenting their cases later this year. The first outlines of the case became clear on Wednesday however. The court will have to decide who can be called as a witness by Thursday. Wilders has said he feels that Islam should be on trial instead of him. In an attempt to prove that Islam provokes evil, he wants to call Theo van Gogh’s murderer, Mohammed B., as a witness. He also hopes to call a number of Dutch scholars who have voiced criticism of Islam in the past. The court might limit or expand the scope of the trial by allowing or barring certain witnesses.

Wednesday’s formal hearing kicked off with a number of preliminary motions in which the defence argued why Wilders should not be tried in the first place. His lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, named several. He argued that Wilders should not be tried in Amsterdam, but in The Hague, where he lives. Moszkowicz also argued that the scope of the charges against Wilders had been extended unjustly when the public prosecutor chose to try him for inciting hatred against non-western migrant communities and Moroccans. The prosecution had not yet responded when this article was written. Already convicted? >>> Merel Thie | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Dancing in the Street at Victory for ‘Sexiest Man’ Scott Brown
TIMES ONLINE: Scott Brown, a previously obscure state legislator, lawyer and former male model, became the new star of the Republican Party yesterday, with some members suggesting that he should now aim for the White House.

The father of two delivered what he called a “voter bomb” to take the seat held by Edward Kennedy, the Democratic “Lion of the Senate” for 47 years — and by his brother John F. Kennedy before that.

Mr Brown, 50, triumphed in what is viewed as America’s most liberal state, provoking speculation that he could try for the Republican nomination for the presidency. But he told a Boston press conference: “To think about something higher ... I’m just honoured to be in this position.

“If you would have told me growing up — a guy whose mum was on welfare and whose parents had marital problems and I had some issues growing up — that a guy from Wrentham would be standing here and going to Washington, are you kidding me? It’s overwhelming.”

Rapturous supporters saw him as a symbol of Republican resurgence after the crushing defeat in 2008 that put Barack Obama in the White House and gave the Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor and Republican presidential contender, said that it could be a model for elsewhere: “This shows the American people are rejecting the arrogance of ‘Obama-ism’ — the idea that the government knows best.” >>> James Bone in Boston | Thursday, January 21, 2010

L'Assemblée nationale va demander l'interdiction de la burqa en France
Une femme portant le voile intégral, qui dissimule le corps et le visage, à Marseille en juin 2009. Crédits photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: L'Assemblée nationale va demander officiellement que le port du voile intégral soit "prohibé sur le territoire de la République", selon un projet de proposition de résolution de la mission parlementaire.

L'Assemblée "affirme que le voile intégral est contraire aux valeurs de la République que sont la liberté, la fraternité et la dignité de la personne humaine", et "demande que cette pratique soit prohibée sur le territoire de la République", selon ce texte qui sera finalisé la semaine prochaine, lors de la remise des conclusions de la mission parlementaire sur le port du voile intégral. >>> LeMonde.fr avec AFP | Mercredi 20 Janvier 2010

Burqa : «l'interdiction sera absolue dans les lieux publics»
André Gerin, député maire communiste de Vénissieux. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: La mission parlementaire présidée par André Gerin va rendre son rapport le 26 janvier. Elle va demander, dans une proposition de résolution, que le port du voile intégral soit «prohibé sur le territoire de la République».

LE FIGARO. À titre personnel, êtes-vous favorable à une loi pour interdire le port de la burqa en France ?

André GERIN. Sur le principe, bien sûr. D'ailleurs, au sein de la mission parlementaire, personne n'est opposé à cette idée. Le problème, c'est le contenu de la loi, qui doit être élaborée de façon pluraliste, en prenant le temps nécessaire. J'espère que nous obtiendrons un point de vue partagé par toutes les sensibilités de l'Assemblée nationale.

Que pensez-vous de la proposition de loi portée par Jean-François Copé, qui préconise l'interdiction du voile intégral dans tout l'espace public ?

Sur la méthode, je considère que Jean-François Copé confond vitesse et précipitation et qu'il se comporte comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine. Je note que le président du groupe UMP ne faisait pas partie des 58 députés signataires, en majorité UMP, d'une demande de création, en juin 2009, d'une commission d'enquête sur le sujet. Sur le fond, s'il s'agit vraiment d'une contribution, je la mettrai dans le dossier des travaux de la mission parlementaire. Mais le problème de l'espace public, c'est-à-dire la rue, est très délicat. Cela dépasse complètement la question du voile intégral en tant que tel.

Quel pourrait être le cadre d'une loi susceptible de recueillir un consensus ?

Il faut prendre en compte les notions d'ordre public, de dignité de la femme, de relations avec autrui. Pour être efficace, cette loi doit aller dans le sens de la libération des femmes contraintes. Car se couvrir le visage, ce n'est pas un vêtement, c'est un linceul, ce qui signifie la négation de l'identité, de la personnalité. Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec Martine Aubry quand elle dit que cela ne doit pas être une loi de circonstance. Il faut traiter aussi le problème des talibans français, qui obligent ces femmes mineures ou majeures à être voilées. Je désigne par le terme de taliban le mari, le grand frère, la famille, voire le quartier, car il y a une sorte de charia dans certains quartiers. Et le voile intégral, c'est la partie visible de cette marée noire de l'intégrisme fondamentalisme. >>> Propos recueillis par Sophie Huet | Mercredi 20 Janvier 2010

Insanity! Muslim Police in Denial! Muslim Police Say Islam Not to Blame for Terror Attacks
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslim police officers have rebelled openly against the Government’s anti-terrorism strategy, warning that it is an “affront to British values” which threatens to trigger ethnic unrest.

The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) claimed that ministers were wrong to blame Islam for being the “driver” behind recent terrorist attacks.

Far-Right extremists were a more dangerous threat to national security, it said.

The officers told MPs that Muslims were being “stigmatised” by the Government’s attempts to tackle terrorism, which was adding to “hatred” against entire communities.

In the official intervention, the association said the Government’s anti-terrorism policies could not “continue unchecked”.

The comments, made in a seven-page memorandum to a parliamentary committee investigating extremism, are embarrassing for Gordon Brown.

They indicated that Muslim officers may be reluctant to take part in “hearts and minds” anti-terrorism campaigns.

The organisation, which represents more than 2,000 officers, was previously publicly backed by Mr Brown. The Prime Minister said the association was crucial to bridge the historic divide between Muslims and the police.

There have been growing concerns about the radicalisation of Muslims in Britain. The failed Detroit bombing on Christmas Day was carried out by an al-Qaeda-inspired extremist who had studied in London.

The Daily Telegraph disclosed last week that American intelligence agencies believed that Britain had the greatest number of Islamic extremists of any Western country.

It is thought to be the first time that the Muslim association, which was founded in 2007, has criticised government policy. >>> Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Tariq Ramadan n’est plus interdit d’entrée aux Etats-Unis
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: LEVÉE D'INTERDICTION | L’intellectuel genevois Tariq Ramadan a fait savoir hier qu’il n’était plus interdit d’entrée aux Etats-Unis. L’American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a confirmé dans un communiqué que la secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton avait signé des ordres qui mettent fin à l’interdiction.

L’intellectuel genevois Tariq Ramadan a fait savoir hier qu’il n’était plus interdit d’entrée aux Etats-Unis. L’American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a confirmé dans un communiqué que la secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton avait signé des ordres qui mettent fin à l’interdiction.

L’ACLU, une association américaine de défense des libertés civiles, a défendu la cause de Ramadan, interdit de territoire américain pour liens présumés avec le terrorisme. >>> ats | Mercredi 20 Janvier 2010

Republikanischer Sieg in Massachusetts: Ein Mr. Brown verändert Amerika
ZEIT ONLINE: Der Republikaner Scott Brown erobert den Senatssitz von Ted Kennedy und kippt die Machtverhältnisse in Washington. Für Obama wird das Regieren viel schwerer. Von Josef Joffe

Brown ist ein Allerweltsnamen in Amerika; jetzt klingt er wie "Gottseibeiuns" im Weißen Haus. Dieser Brown, mit Vornamen Scott, hat am Dienstag einen wichtigen Senatssitz in Massachusetts gewonnen und damit die Vorherrschaft der Demokraten in diesem "exklusivsten Club der Welt" gebrochen.

Brown war bis vor ein paar Tagen ein kaum bekannter Staats-Senator im Lande der Kennedys. Jetzt hat er die Machtverhältnisse im Senat, wenn nicht gar in Washington überhaupt umgestülpt – mit der magischen Zahl "41": So viele Senatoren haben die Republikaner nun nach seinem vor zwei Wochen noch für unmöglich gehaltenen Sieg. Damit fehlt den Demokraten just die eine Stimme, die sie brauchen, um einen "Filibuster" der Opposition abzuwürgen. Der Filibuster ist die Dauerrede, die verhindert, dass es zur Abstimmung kommt, die Republikaner können damit nun jedes Gesetz blockieren.

Bislang verfügten die Demokraten mithilfe von zwei Unabhängigen über die notwendige Stimmenzahl von 60 Senatoren. Diese Supermehrheit ist nun dahin.

Aber die Sache hat auch noch eine hochsymbolische Seite. Dieser Brown hat den Sitz des verstorbenen Ted Kennedy erobert, den dieser mehr als ein halbes Jahrhundert innehatte. Der Patriarch des Clans und Bruder von John F. Kennedy war der Großwesir des linken Lagers in der Demokratischen Partei, der Mentor Obamas und praktisch der Erfinder der leidenschaftlich umkämpften Gesundheitsreform, die nun noch weiter verwässert werden wird. >>> Josef Joffe | Mittwoch, 20. Januar 2010

Why Do I Get the Feeling That Keith Olbermann Dislikes Scott Brown?

Saudi 'Sorcerer' Who Raped 100 Sentenced to Death
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi man who reportedly raped more than 100 women after posing as a spell-caster to lure them into his clutches has been sentenced to death, Saudi media reported on Wednesday.

The "Qatif sorcerer" was originally sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, but after more victims came forth the sentence was changed to execution, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

The man, whose name was not given, terrified women around the eastern city of Qatif for several years.

He first drew them in by saying he could cast love spells, but then surreptitiously filmed their meeting and used his work for extortion and to rape them, according to Arab News.

Authorities found hidden cameras and some 200 videotapes and 180 computer disks with footage of his victims in his home, Arab News reported.

He may have tricked as many as 350 women, according to Al-Riyadh. >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Qatif Rapist Sentenced to Death
ARABS NEWS: QATIF: A man dubbed the Qatif rapist has been sentenced to death for raping over 100 women and blackmailing many of his victims by recording the attacks on video.

The Qatif General Court passed the death sentence on the man who is accused of luring women saying he could perform black magic. The ruling has been passed to the Supreme Court for ratification.

The court originally sentenced the man to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes one year ago. The ruling was, however, appealed by the prosecution, Al-Yaum newspaper reported. It added that the crimes took place four years ago.

The man’s family has objected to the sentence, saying the victims are anonymous and that their names have not been mentioned in the case filed against him. The family says this is not in accordance with the law and that the victims should not be given anonymity. >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Protesters Back Dutch Anti-Islam Figure at Trial


Geert Wilders in Dutch Court Over Anti-Islam Comments
THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders, a popular anti-Islamic politician, went on trial in Amsterdam on Wednesday, charged with inciting hatred against Muslims in a case seen as a test of Dutch tolerance and free speech.

Mr Wilders sparked outrage with his 2008 film "Fitna", which compared Islam to Nazism, and his repeated calls for the Koran to be banned on the same basis as Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

His Freedom Party is leading the opinion polls in the Netherlands and came second in European elections last June.

"I remain combative and still convinced that this political process will only lead to an acquittal," said Mr Wilders.

"It is surreal that I sit in a courtroom, in a criminal court. I never had any idea this would happen." >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Fitna the Movie

New Dark Age Alert! Hero on Trial in the Netherlands
TIMES ONLINE: The Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders was greeted with applause from the public gallery as he faced court for the first day of his landmark trial on charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims.

Mr Wilders, 46, sat impassively as his lawyer argued that the leader of the Freedom Party, which made big gains at last summer's European elections, had made his critical remarks about Islam in his role as an elected Member of Parliament.

Bram Moszkowicz said that Mr Wilders had a mandate to speak out against what he saw as the Islamisation of the Netherlands and argued that he had not discriminated against a specific national group, saving his attacks for the ideology of political Islam.

Around 200 supporters of Mr Wilders had travelled from as far as Cologne in Germany to hold up placards declaring that free speech was under assault by Islam and by the politically correct. The case is being watched as a test of the limits of political tolerance in the Netherlands after years of relaxed immigration policies which have seen the Musim population rise to around 1 million out of 16 million.

"This case is about more than Mr Wilders," Mr Moszkowicz told Amsterdam District Court this morning. "It touches us all. It is such an important and principled question that could have far-reaching consequences."

Mr Wilders faces a 70-page charge sheet covering five counts of breaking Dutch law on incitement and discriminiation against Muslims in more than 100 public statements, for example by likenening the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and calling for an end to the "Islamic invasion."

The alleged offences include Mr Wilders' film Fitna, which shows images of 9/11 and beheadings interspersed with verses from the Koran. It ends with a the controverisal Danish cartoon of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban. Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders on trial for anti-Muslim stance >>> David Charter in Amsterdam | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Islam-Gegner Wilders in den Niederlanden vor Gericht: Alle Anschuldigungen beim Prozessauftakt bestritten
NZZ ONLINE: Zu Beginn seines Prozesses wegen angeblicher Anstachelung zum Hass gegen Muslime hat der niederländische Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders alle Vorwürfe der Volksverhetzung zurückgewiesen.

Die ihm zur Last gelegten kritischen Äusserungen über Muslime, den Koran und den Islam seien «ein substanzieller Beitrag zur öffentlichen Debatte» und keineswegs strafbar, erklärte Wilders Abraham Moszkowicz vor Gericht in Amsterdam.

Der Gründer und Chef der Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) habe seine Islam-Kritik zudem stets in seiner Eigenschaft als Abgeordneter des niederländischen Parlaments vorgebracht und müsse daher Immunität geniessen. Gerichtsgebäude abgeriegelt >>> sda/dpa | Mittwoch, 20. Januar 2010

MEIN KOMMENTAR: So nervös sind wir des Islams wegen in Europa geworden, daß harmlose Kommentare wie dieser, aus Angst, werden nicht mehr gedruckt:

In Europa ist es so weit gekommen, daß wir nicht mehr aussprechen dürfen, was für ein Gefahr für unsere Zivilisation und unsere Freiheit Islam ist. Erstaunlich! Blödsinnig! Dumm! Wir begehen Selbstmord! – © Mark

GOP Victory Upends Senate: Brown Claims Massachusetts Seat, Throws Health Revamp Into Doubt; Democrats Reel


THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BOSTON—A little-known Republican shook up the balance of power in Washington by winning a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, a result that imperils President Barack Obama's top legislative priorities and points to trouble for his party in this year's elections.

With 99% of the vote counted, Republican Scott Brown was leading his opponent, Massachusetts' Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley, 52% to 47%, according to the Associated Press, which declared Mr. Brown the winner.

The Brown victory forces the White House and congressional leaders to decide how—or whether—to salvage their long-sought health-care overhaul. Rushing the bill after losing Massachusetts carries political risks. So does letting it collapse. >>> Greg Hitt and Peter Wallsten | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful
MAIL ONLINE: A 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to 90 lashes and two months' prison in Saudi Arabia after she took a mobile phone to school.

A court ordered the girl to be flogged in front of her classmates following an assault on the school principal, according to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan.

After the assault she was discovered to have concealed a mobile phone, breaking strict Saudi regulations banning the use of camera-equipped phones in girls' schools.

Al-Watan said a court in the northeastern Gulf port of Jubail had sentenced the girl to 90 lashes inside her school, followed by two months' detention.

The punishment is harsher than tha dished out to some robbers and looters. Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes after she took a mobile phone to school >>> Mike Theodoulou | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Erich Segal, the Academic Who Wrote Love Story, Dies at 72
TIMES ONLINE: “What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. That she was brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me.”

So began Love Story, by Erich Segal, who has died at the age of 72.

A short, emotionally direct novel about a rich Harvard student who falls for a working-class beauty despite the disapproval of his family, Love Story captivated its readers as readily as it reduced them to tears.

The book was America’s bestselling novel in 1970, quickly becoming a film that topped the box-office lists in 1971 and introduced the world to the motto: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” Segal, the son of a Brooklyn rabbi, was a young Yale Classics professor at the time and he remained in academia despite the success of Love Story. Students that he tutored included George W. Bush and Al Gore. Segal later moved to Britain, where he was a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. >>> Chris Smyth and Mary Bowers | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Republicans Take Ted Kennedy's Seat in Massachusetts in Historic Upset
TIMES ONLINE: Republicans scored an historic victory overnight that put President Barack Obama's agenda in jeopardy exactly a year after he took power - and could kill health-care reform.

A little-known Republican state legislator came from a 30-percentage point deficit to win Edward Kennedy's old seat in the US Senate in Massachusetts in what appeared to be a massive protest vote against the party that controls both chambers of Congress and the White House.

"This is a huge wake-up call for the Democrats, for the Obama Administration and the country. America is fed up of the arrogance coming from Washington," said Andy Card, White House chief of staff in the George W. Bush Administration.

Democrats were reeling from the by-election defeat, which deprived them of the 60-seat "super-majority" that allows them to overcome Republican filibusters in the 100-member US Senate.

Scott Brown, a lawyer, military officer and former male model, has promised to use his Senate vote to defeat the Democrats' health-care reform, which was on the brink of passage after decades of trying.

Democrats pledged to try to ram through health-care reform despite the loss, but they risk a popular backlash if they do so.
Yesterday’s vote was seen as a referendum on Mr Obama's presidency and his signature initiative, health-care reform. >>> James Bone in Boston | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Dwindling US influence reduces expectations of Obama to year of words >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Republican victory in Massachusetts delivers Obama's first defeat: A little-known Republican senator whose previous claim to fame was posing nude in a women's magazine nearly 30 years ago, has delivered Barack Obama's first defeat of his presidency.

Scott Brown took the seat of Massachusetts in the by-election - or special election, as it is known in America - forced by Ted Kennedy's death in August of brain cancer.

For weeks, Scott Brown has been the underdog as he faced off against Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley in the race for the US Senate.

But last night Mr Brown, who portrays himself as 'an ordinary, pick-up truck driving guy', took his place after Ms Coakley conceded in what had been considered a Democratic stronghold. >>> Mail Foreign Service | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Hot or wot? Scott Brown in Cosmopolitan thirty years ago. Photo: Mail Online

THE INDEPENDENT: Republicans' leading man was a Cosmo centrefold >>> David Usborne, US Editor | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Scott Brown Says Massachusetts Result Shows Voter Anger
BBC: The shock Republican winner of a Senate election in the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts has said he tapped into mounting aggravation among voters.

Scott Brown's victory is a serious setback to President Barack Obama's key domestic agenda on reforming healthcare and passing a climate change bill.

The result stunned Democrats and means Republicans now have enough Senate votes to impede the president's plans.

Mr Brown will be Massachusetts' first Republican senator since 1972.

The BBC's Paul Adams, in Boston, says it is a humiliating defeat for the Democrats, and a deeply unwelcome anniversary present for President Obama exactly one year after his inauguration.

He adds that it is one of the biggest political upsets in years - in a seat held for almost half a century by Edward Kennedy, a Democratic Party colossus, who died last year.

Senator-elect Brown told NBC's Today show he did not think the vote was a referendum on President Obama's first year in power.

He said it was a sign of voter disenchantment over partisan gridlock in Washington.

Mr Brown, 50, also said voters had "enjoyed the message" he pushed while campaigning, including his criticism of Mr Obama's healthcare plans. >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010



TELEGRAPH PICTURE GALLERY: Scott Brown defeats Democrat to become Senator of Massachusetts >>>

Nepal 'to Stage Gay Weddings on Everest'
THE TELEGRAPH: Nepal is set to stage same-sex weddings on Mount Everest as part of a bid to promote the country as the homosexual tourism capital of Asia.

Nepal's homosexual community, which is led by Asia's only openly gay member of parliament, will next month host a tourism conference to explore how to attract wealthy gay visitors to boost the country's war-ravaged economy.

The country's new constitution will legalise homosexual marriage in May this year, when "Pink Mountain" will begin offering luxury honeymoon and wedding packages.

Sunil Babu Pant, a Communist legislator and leader of the country's homosexual rights movement, has launched a travel company dedicated to promoting the former Hindu kingdom to gay tourists in an effort to tap the so-called "Pink Pound" and dollar.

The company will offer elephant-back bridal processions, Everest base camp ceremonies and weddings in remote Tibetan enclaves in the Himalayan republic. >>> Dean Nelson in New Delhi | Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Westergaard Wants to Meet His Would-be Killer
BBC: Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard says he wants to meet the man accused of trying to kill him.

Mr Westergaard has been the target of at least three murder plots after drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban. He was attacked in his home on New Year's Day.

After spending two weeks in a safe house, he has now returned home.

Malcolm Brabant reports. Watch BBC video >>> | Tuesday, January 19, 2010

BBC: What the Muhammad cartoons portray: Twelve caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in 2005 had a huge impact around the world, with riots in many Muslim countries the following year causing deaths and destruction - so what do the drawings actually say? >>> | Saturday, January 02, 2010

Lion's Den: Why I Stand with Geert Wilders
THE JERUSALEM POST: Who is the most important European alive today? I nominate the Dutch politician Geert Wilders. I do so because he is best placed to deal with the Islamic challenge facing the continent. He has the potential to emerge as a world-historical figure.

That Islamic challenge consists of two components: on the one hand, an indigenous population's withering Christian faith, inadequate birthrate and cultural diffidence, and on the other an influx of devout, prolific and culturally assertive Muslim immigrants. This fast-moving situation raises profound questions about Europe: Will it retain its historic civilization or become a majority-Muslim continent living under Islamic law (Shari'a)?

Wilders, 46, founder and head of the Party for Freedom (PVV), is the unrivaled leader of those Europeans who wish to retain their historic identity. That's because he and the PVV differ from most of Europe's other nationalist, anti-immigrant parties.

Wilders, 46, founder and head of the Party for Freedom (PVV), is the unrivaled leader of those Europeans who wish to retain their historic identity. That's because he and the PVV differ from most of Europe's other nationalist, anti-immigrant parties.

The PVV is libertarian and mainstream conservative, without roots in neo-Fascism, nativism, conspiricism, anti-Semitism or other forms of extremism. (Wilders publicly emulates Ronald Reagan.) Indicative of this moderation is Wilders's long-standing affection for Israel that includes two years' residence in the Jewish state, dozens of visits and his advocating the transfer of the Dutch embassy to Jerusalem.

In addition, Wilders is a charismatic, savvy, principled and outspoken leader who has rapidly become the most dynamic political force in the Netherlands. While he opines on the full range of topics, Islam and Muslims constitute his signature issue. Overcoming the tendency of Dutch politicians to play it safe, he calls Muhammad a devil and demands that Muslims "tear out half of the Koran if they wish to stay in the Netherlands." More broadly, he sees Islam itself as the problem, not just a virulent version of it called Islamism.

Finally, the PVV benefits from the fact that, uniquely in Europe, the Dutch are receptive to a non-nativist rejection of Shari'a. This first became apparent a decade ago, when Pim Fortuyn, a left-leaning, former communist, homosexual professor, began arguing that his values and lifestyle were irrevocably threatened by Shari'a. Fortuyn anticipated Wilders in founding his own political party and calling for a halt to Muslim immigration to the Netherlands. Following Fortuyn's 2002 assassination by a leftist, Wilders effectively inherited his mantle and his constituency. >>> Daniel Pipes | Tuesday, January 19, 2010

I Don’t Have to Thank the British Taxpayer; My Benefits Belong to Allah!
The British taxpayer should withdraw all benefits paid to Mr Choudary. Then we’ll see how much Allah will pay him! The last time I checked, Allah didn’t deal in money or benefits! – © Mark

MAIL ONLINE: Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has claimed he is proud to receive £25,000 a year in benefits from the British taxpayer because the money 'belongs to Allah'.

The extremist cleric was speaking hours after Home Secretary Alan Johnson banned Choudary's Islam4UK group, making it a criminal offence to be a member.

British-born Choudary provoked outrage earlier this month when he announced that 500 members of his group were considering marching through the Wiltshire market town carrying empty coffins to mark Muslims 'mercilessly murdered' in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 42-year-old cleric cancelled the protest on Sunday but yesterday showed no sign of curbing his fanatical rants, warning that the ban on his group would force young Muslims 'underground'.

Asked about receiving £25,000 in benefits, the trained lawyer said: 'I am not doing anything illegal. If we were living under the shariah there would be free food, clothing and shelter for all.

'Whether you are on benefits or not that does not mean you cannot propogate your ideas. I have always remained within the ambit of the law.

'The money belongs to Allah and if it is given you can take it. You don't lie and you don't cheat- that is what the prophet said.'

Choudary's bizarre defence of his benefits payments came just days after a group of Muslim extremists who screamed 'rapists' and 'murderers' at British soldiers escaped unpunished and claimed the state would pay their fines. My benefits belong to Allah: Hate preacher Choudary defends £25,000 a year payments from British taxpayers >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, January 13, 2010

France Gets Tough on the Burqah
MAIL ONLINE: Women who wear the burka in France should be banned from using public transport or receiving state handouts, a government spokesman has said.

The call came just one day after the head of President Nicolas Sarkozy's party, the UMP, said that Muslim women wearing full face veils should not be granted French nationality.

Now UMP party spokesman Frederic Lefebvre has demanded any woman breaking a proposed law making the garment illegal should be 'deprived of her rights'.

He said: 'When you don't respect your responsibilities, you should not have access to any benefits.

'The rights and responsibilities of citizens in France are important.

'When you ignore rules that make things illegal, like a ban on the burka, you have have some of your rights taken away, like the right to state benefits or using public transport.'

Ruling UMP party chief Xavier Bertrand said on Sunday that women who wear burkas and niqabs should not be allowed to acquire French citizenship.

He said: 'The full veil is simply a prison for women who wear it and will make no one believe a woman wearing it wants to integrate.'

President Sarkozy has branded Islamic face veils 'a sign of debasement that imprison women' and said they are not welcome in his country.

As the national debate raged on Islamic headwear, Sarkozy said last week he wants MPs to vote on a total ban on all full face veils in France. Ban women wearing the burka from benefits and public transport, demands French government spokesman >>> Ian Sparks | Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Islam4UK Boosted by Ban, Claims Leader
THE GUARDIAN: Controversial group says non-Muslims now want to join

The leader of a controversial Islamist organisation has boasted that the government's decision to ban it last week has boosted its popularity.

Anjem Choudary says his profile, and that of his group, Islam4UK, has soared as a result of the government's decision to proscribe it. "There's nothing like a government ban to make you popular," Choudary said.

The radical cleric, whose attempts to hold a march through the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett prompted concerns that it would lead to civil unrest, claims his group has been inundated with requests from non-Muslims who want to join. "They think the government has run over our liberties and are disgusted by its actions," he said.

Choudary, who receives around £25,000 a year in benefits and has referred to the 9/11 hijackers as "magnificent", says he has been asked to give talks at Trinity College, Cambridge, and Leeds University. He warned that the government's actions would not stop his supporters from speaking out. "If they want to arrest me there are many others," he said. "You can't silence people."

The home secretary, Alan Johnson, banned the Islamist group – and its parent organisation al-Muhajiroun – last Thursday. The decision followed a threat from Choudary to lead a march through Wootton Bassett which marks the return of every fallen serviceman repatriated to nearby RAF Lyneham and has come to symbolise the UK's respect for its war dead.

In the ensuing outcry, Johnson introduced new laws that will make membership of the two organisations a criminal offence, punishable by up to 10 years in jail. >>> Jamie Doward | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Muslims in 21st Century America: Warning from Europeans
NEWS WITH VIEWS: Part 18: Warnings from Europeans concerning onslaught of Islam

We Americans remain deaf, dumb and naive as to the onslaught of Islam in America. Because immigration ‘built’ this civilization, we think it remains wholesome, normal and needed. We think millions of immigrants stampeding into America share our values, our language and our excellence in education. We assume everyone enjoys spiritual and religious similarities that can only enhance America.

Up until 1965, that emotional paradigm ‘worked’ as 150,000 immigrants arrived annually from Europe. They couldn’t wait to speak English and couldn’t wait to become Americans. Most engaged a Christian spiritual foundation. We numbered a mere 194 million at that time.

But the late Senator Teddy Kennedy changed the dynamic in 1965 to include 1.2 to 1.5 million immigrants annually from over 150 countries. They piled into America while adding 100 million within 40 years. Hundreds of thousands of them, right out of the third world, had never seen a toilet, shower or lavatory. They lacked education. They enclaved and they remain entrenched in enclaves in major cities around the country.

Quite naturally, Americans flee such areas, which allows more enclaving with gross examples such as Detroit, Michigan.
Few Americans understand that out of the next 100 million people added to this country by 2035—a scant 25 years from now—over 70 million will be third world immigrants. If that doesn’t send a chill up your spine, you may be brain-dead, but still breathing.

When Muslims began migrating in huge numbers in 1990, they entrenched themselves in enclaves, and today, no matter how much you hear from the main stream media telling us how Muslim immigrants have successfully melded into the American mainstream—that cannot be farther from reality. One look at Detroit, Michigan; Freemont, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois and dozens of other cities see a growing separation of Muslims from Americans. To give you perspective, … >>> Frosty Wooldridge | Monday, January 18, 2010

Syria's Division of the Sexes
BBC: Women in Syria enjoy a measure of freedom unlike women in many other Arab countries. But as Lina Sinjab explains from Damascus, tradition and religion still have a huge influence on some of their lives.

Damascus is getting trendier these day[s]. As Syria opens up, western-style cafes and restaurants are mushrooming.

Men and women gather together, sipping coffee and smoking and in the evenings, bars are filled with liberal-minded Damascenes gathering over a bottle of wine or Arak, the local aniseed-flavoured spirit.

Nights out may start with a lively debate about politics and end up on the dance floor.

But as common as such scenes are these days in the capital, in much of the country they are not the norm.

Women in most parts of Syria still live lives dictated by tradition, religion, and family.

You have to look very carefully to uncover their stories, because they are so often hidden away in this rigid society.

Shiny dresses

Some women's lives, I think, are like Damascene houses, buildings that may look obscure and dull from the outside, but inside the wooden doors, there are beautiful courtyards with brimming fountains.

In the outskirts of Damascus, 21-year-old Zainab is getting married.

She did not meet her husband in a bar or a restaurant. In fact, she did not meet him at all before they were engaged.

Like many weddings, hers was arranged by her parents.

She is used to doing what she is told. Zainab is a schoolteacher. She works a full day and then takes on another job when she gets home, cooking and cleaning for the family.

The sharp division of the sexes here extends to the wedding party itself. I saw this for myself at Zainab's celebration. As I entered the hall, it was filled with women, their hands and heads uncovered.

The bride sat in her white dress at the centre of the stage. Around her all the young girls, in long shiny dresses, danced to music. They clearly envied the bride and hoped, one day, to be in her place.

It looked like fun, and yet there was a traditional purpose to the festivities. The smiles and shimmies of the women were intended to impress the mothers of potential future husbands.

I looked around me, astonished at how blatant this was. The rows of chairs were filled with older women.

Their eyes scanned the stage and their hands covered their mouths as they whispered to each other, discussing the young women as if they were goods in a shop window.

"That's the daughter of Abu Mahmoud, the neighbourhood shopkeeper," one old lady said.

"The family is reputable and they are devoted Muslims. I am sure my son will be happy to have her." >>> | Monday, January 18, 2010

Islamic Games Cancelled in Arab-Iran Row Over Persian Gulf Name
THE TELEGRAPH: The Islamic Solidarity Games, designed to strengthen ties among Muslim nations, have been cancelled after a dispute between Arab countries and Iran over the name of the waterway dividing them.

Arabs call the waterway the Arabian Gulf but Iranians insist it is the Persian Gulf. Photo: The Telegraph
The Saudi-based Islamic Solidarity Games Federation says they cancelled the sporting event, which were meant to be held in Tehran in the spring, after Iran put "Persian Gulf" on the logo.

Arabs call the waterway the Arabian Gulf and many were offended by references to its other common name. >>> | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Attitude from Brainwashed Convert to Islam

Sex in the Islamic World

Apostasy in Islam

Walking the Plank to a Dhimmi Nation – A U.N. Declaration of Religion?
RIGHT SIDE NEWS: United Nations Declaration of Religion?

A controversial resolution at the UN called "Defamation of Religion," ultimately aims to enforce recognition of Islam under the guise of racism and xenophobia. Even though sponsors of the resolution maintain it is for all religions, the wording says quite the opposite.

For starters, the title of the resolution substantiates disingenuousness, using the singular, "Religion" rather than the plural "Religions." Islam is the only religion that the resolution mentions by name, and sponsors of the U.N. Defamation of Religion view Islam as the only true religion. The Defamation of Religion resolution seeks to protect a totalitarian legal system-with mandatory beliefs and rituals-from question, debate, or critical inquiry worldwide. Using Orwellian vernacular to distort the true and expected definition of human rights and religious freedom, the Defamation of Religion resolution might more appropriately be titled

"The Declaration of Religion."

The totalitarian ideology of Islam only recognizes Shari'ah law, which violates the Constitution in several ways. Islamic Shari'ah Law violates the First Amendment granting freedom of speech and the press, and the separation of church and state. It violates the Fifth Amendment requirements for a grand jury and due process of law. It violates the Sixth Amendment granting legal council and an unbiased jury for criminal offenses. It violates the Eighth Amendment prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment. And finally, since rights in Islam are only relative to Shari'ah Law, it violates the tenth amendment guaranteeing that powers not delegated to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.

The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), a group of 57 Muslim majority nations, holds the largest voting bloc in the UN. The OIC Secretary General, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, is the one who congratulated Obama on his inauguration, and appealed for the new president's help to work out problems that face the Muslim world. In 1990, the OIC adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam at the nineteenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers on August 5, 1990 dictating that Islam is the only legitimate religion. >>> Written by Mary Christina Love | Saturday, January 16, 2010

Terrorismus: Deutsche Islamisten stützen al-Qaida im Jemen
WELT ONLINE: Eine Gruppe deutscher Islamisten, die sich "Deutsche Taliban Mudschaheddin" nennt, hat einen Solidaritätsaufruf für Extremisten im Jemen gestartet. Die "Soldaten Allahs" kämpften dort gegen "Feinde des Islams" und bräuchten Hilfe in Form von "Geld, Waffen und Soldaten", heißt es in dem Aufruf.

Eine deutsche Islamistengruppe im pakistanischen Waziristan hat zur Unterstützung der jemenitischen Terroristen aufgerufen. In der im Internet veröffentlichten Botschaft der „Deutschen Taliban Mudschaheddin“ heißt es: „In diesen Tagen werden wir Zeugen heftiger Auseinandersetzungen, auf dem muslimischen Boden Jemens, zwischen den Soldaten Allahs und den Feinden des Islam.“ Dies geschehe „aufgrund der Aggressoren der jemenitischen Regierung und ihrer Herren aus dem Weißen Haus in Washington und der Unterstützung der Koalitionskräfte der Kreuzritter.“ >>> Von Florian Flade | Sonntag, 17. Januar 2010

Irak : Tarek Aziz dans un "état sérieux" après une "attaque" cérébrale
LE POINT: L'ancien vice-Premier ministre irakien Tarek Aziz se trouve dans un "état sérieux" après avoir été victime une "attaque" et a été transféré dans un hôpital sur une base américaine en Irak, a affirmé dimanche à l'AFP son avocat, Badia Aref. "Il a eu une attaque vendredi et a été transféré dans un hôpital sur la base américaine de Balad", au nord de Bagdad, a affirmé depuis Amman M. Aref, sans pouvoir préciser s'il s'agissait d'une attaque cardiaque ou cérébrale. "Son état est sérieux", a-t-il ajouté.

Unique chrétien du cercle étroit des puissants de la dictature de Saddam Hussein, Tarek Aziz, né en 1936, s'est rendu aux troupes américaines fin avril 2003. Il est incarcéré dans une prison proche de Bagdad, malgré des appels de sa famille à sa libération pour raisons médicales. En mars 2009, il a été condamné une première fois par la justice, écopant de 15 ans de prison pour "crimes contre l'Humanité" dans l'affaire de l'exécution de 42 commerçants en 1992. En août, la Haute cour pénale d'Irak l'a en outre condamné à sept ans de prison pour son rôle dans les exactions contre les Kurdes de confession chiite dans les années 1980. [Source] AFP | Dimanche 17 Janvier 2010

Le pape Benoît XVI en visite à la synagogue de Rome
LE MONDE: Vingt-quatre ans après la visite historique qu'y avait effectuée son prédécesseur Jean Paul II, le pape Benoît XVI doit se rendre, dimanche 17 janvier, à la synagogue de Rome. La visite, prévue de longue date, intervient un mois après que Benoît XVI eut, une nouvelle fois, soulevé la colère d'une partie de la communauté juive mondiale en proclamant, le 19 décembre, les "vertus héroïques" du pape Pie XII. Cette étape a ouvert la voie à la possible béatification de ce pape controversé pour son attitude envers les juifs durant la seconde guerre mondiale.

La relance du processus de béatification, qui avait pris de court le monde catholique, avait été suspendue afin de ne pas envenimer les relations entre le Vatican et le monde juif mises à mal en janvier 2009 par la levée de l'excommunication d'un évêque négationniste, Richard Williamson. L'annonce de décembre a durant quelques jours laissé planer le doute sur la venue du pape à la synagogue. Le président des rabbins italiens a décidé de boycotter l'événement.

"Nous devons dire à la communauté juive ce que Pie XII a fait en faveur des juifs pendant la seconde guerre mondiale et qui n'est pas assez connu", a de son côté défendu le cardinal Walter Kasper, chargé au Vatican des relations avec les juifs. "Pie XII a suivi la volonté de Dieu telle qu'il la comprenait à cette époque, nous ne pouvons le juger avec la mentalité d'aujourd'hui." >>> Stéphanie Le Bars | Samedi 16 Janvier 2010

Jewish Leaders Confront Pope Over Vatican's Holocaust 'Silence'
THE TELEGRAPH: A Jewish leader told the Pope on Sunday that his controversial wartime predecessor, Pius XII, should have protested more forcefully against Jews being sent to the "ovens of Auschwitz".

Pius's "silence" at a time when hundreds of thousands of Jews were being rounded up across Europe and despatched to death camps was still hurtful, Riccardo Pacifici, the president of Rome's Jewish community, said as Pope Benedict XVI visited the city's synagogue for the first time.

The criticism was one of the bluntest comments made in public by a Jewish leader to a pope.

"The silence of Pius XII before the Shoah (Holocaust) still hurts because something should have been done," Mr Pacifici told the pontiff during an address to the synagogue, which lies in an area of central Rome still known as the Ghetto, where Jews were confined for centuries on the orders of the Vatican.

"Maybe it would not have stopped the death trains, but it would have sent a signal, a word of extreme comfort, of human solidarity, towards those brothers of ours transported to the ovens of Auschwitz," he said.

The Vatican had hoped that the synagogue visit would rebuild bridges with the Jewish world, after the German-born Benedict dismayed Jews by rehabilitating a Holocaust-denying British renegade bishop a year ago, and by advancing Pius further along the path to sainthood by recognising his "heroic virtues" last month.

The fact that Benedict is German and served during the war in the Hitler Youth – albeit against his will – makes Jewish sensitivities all the more acute.

The Vatican claims that Pius, who was Pope from 1939 to 1958, worked behind the scenes to save Jews and allowed thousands of refugees to hide in church institutions.

The Roman Catholic Church insists that he feared that criticising Hitler more strongly would have provoked even more severe persecution of the Jews. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Muslim Group Minhaj-ul-Quran Issues Fatwa Against Terrorists
The 600-page document, drawn up by Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, declares that attacks on innocent citizens are "absolutely against the teachings of Islam". Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: A leading Muslim organisation in Britain has issued a fatwa against suicide bombings and terrorism, declaring them un-Islamic.

Minhaj-ul-Quran, a Sufi organisation based in East London which advises the Government on how to combat radicalisation of Muslim youth, will launch the 600-page religious verdict tomorrow. It condemns the perpetrators of terrorist explosions and suicide bombings.

The document, written by Dr Muhammed Tahir-ul-Qadri, a former minister of Pakistan and friend of Benazir Bhutto, declares suicide bombings and terrorism as "totally un-Islamic". It is one of the most detailed and comprehensive documents of its kind to be published in Britain.

The fatwa, which was released in Pakistan last month, uses texts from the Koran and other Islamic writings to argue that attacks against innocent citizens are "absolutely against the teachings of Islam and that Islam does not permit such acts on any excuse, reason or pretext".

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri, who is based in Canada and has written more than 400 books on Islamic law, said: "All these acts are grave violations of human rights and constitute kufr, disbelief, under Islamic law." >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Even More Balls from Ed Balls! It’s Time Mr Balls Found His Balls!
Loophole: Girls studying at a Madrasah. Ed Balls is refusing to ban smacking in Islamic schools in Britain. Photograph: Mail Online
To look at these kids dressed like this in a British school is an affront to all that we stand for and hold dear! NO CHILD, even in Islam, needs to be dressed like this in a state of prepubescence. Not even in Saudi Arabia are children expected to dress like this before puberty. It's time for you to find your balls, Mr Balls! – © Mark

MAIL ONLINE: Schools Secretary Ed Balls has been accused of refusing to ban Islamic schools from smacking children for fear of upsetting Muslim 'sensitivities'.

Mr Balls was last week urged to close a legal loophole which gives teachers in Britain's estimated 1,600 schools associated with mosques the right to smack children - even though it is banned in other schools.

He refused, prompting claims that he is allowing an alleged 'culture of physical abuse' in some of the mosque schools - or madrasahs - go unchecked.

Smacking is banned in all State and private schools. However, it does not apply to madrasahs, where pupils usually study in the evenings or at weekends, because the ban exempts schools where children attend for less than 12.5 hours per week.

Lib Dem schools spokesman David Laws, who is spearheading the campaign to close the smacking loophole, said: 'The Government needs to legislate to protect children - not leave an opt-out simply because it fears some ethnic or religious backlash.'

He was supported by Labour MP Ann Cryer, who said it would be 'bonkers' if the Government did not act. She said: 'I suspect people are frightened of upsetting the sensitivities of certain members of the Muslim faith.'

A report just over a year ago warned that madrasah students had been slapped, punched and had their ears twisted.

Irfan Chishti, a former Government adviser on Islamic affairs, said that one madrasah student was 'picked up by one leg and spun around' while another pupil said a teacher was 'kicking in my head like a football'. Double standards row as Ed Balls refuses to ban smacking at mosque schools to avoid 'upsetting Muslim sensitivities' >>> Brendan Carlin | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Cock-up!
THE GUARDIAN: Health campaigners say the traditional manhood ritual, which carries HIV risks, should be replaced by operations in hospital

An edict by the king of the Zulus to bring back circumcision for thousands of teenage boys is causing alarm in South Africa, amid record numbers of deaths from the traditional manhood ritual.

On Tuesday, at a meeting called in Durban by the government of KwaZulu-Natal, traditional leaders in the province will outline how they wish to implement King Goodwill Zwelithini's decision to reintroduce circumcision 200 years after it was scrapped by King Shaka. But health officials working with South Africa's second largest tribe, the Xhosa – who never gave up the practice – say the move could put thousands of lives at risk. Thousands face agony or death after Zulu king's circumcision decree >>> Alex Duval Smith | Sunday, January 17, 2010

China-Reise: Westerwelles sanfte Kritik lässt Peking kalt
WELT ONLINE: Für den deutschen Außenminister nahm sich die Pekinger Führung viel Zeit. Mit freundlichem Gesicht hörte man sich von Guido Westerwelle dabei auch dezente Kritik an. Er folge dem Prinzip, „steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein", so Westerwelle. Doch Pekings Prioritäten liegen ganz woanders.

Gelächelt wird viel, doch die kritischen Äußerungen von Guido Westerwelle (l.) prallen an Wen Jiabao ab. Bild: Welt Online
Außenminister Guido Westerwelle feierte seinen erfolgreichen Antrittsbesuch bei Pekings Führung Freitagnacht mit einem späten Dinner im feudal-exklusiven „China-Club Beijing“. Das während der Qing-Dynastie erbaute kaiserliche Palais im Zentrum der Hauptstadt diente zu Zeiten Maos 35 Jahre lang als proletarisches Sichuan-Spezialitäten-Restaurant, wo auch Deng Xiaoping der chilischarfen Küche huldigte. Dann wurde der Hotpot in den neunziger Jahren von reichen Investoren zum Dritten im Bunde der vornehmen „China-Club Kette“ Hongkongs und Singapurs umgebaut und Mitglieder-Treff für 1600 auserwählte Neureiche der Gesellschaft.

Die bewegte Geschichte Chinas spiegelt sich im Wandel Klubs wieder. Es ist die angemessene Kulisse zum Nachdenken für Westerwelles Umgang mit der künftigen Weltmacht Chinas.

Der Liberale will dafür eine Anleihe bei der lange zurückliegenden Koalition von Willy Brandt und Walter Scheel machen und übernimmt ihr Motto vom „Wandel durch Handel“. Er glaube daran, so lautet Westerwelles Fazit zu seinem zweitägigen Chinabesuch, dass Deutschland eine „ebenso wertorientierte wie interessenorientierte“ Außenpolitik gegenüber Peking vertreten muss. Er stehe für eine Außenpolitik, die die „Wirtschaft fördern und bei der Frage der Menschenrechte nicht leise treten will.

Wandel durch Handel und kulturellen Austausch und nicht durch Gesprächsverweigerung“ sei das Prinzip, von dem er sich leiten lasse. „Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein.“ >>> Von Johnny Erling | Samstag, 16. Januar 2010

Elton John: Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Stevie Wonder: Part-time Lover

Church to Vote on Greater Rights for Partners of Gay Clergy
THE TELEGRAPH: The Church of England is poised to give greater recognition to homosexual clergy in relationships, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

A proposal to give the partners of gay priests some of the same rights that are awarded to priests' spouses is likely to spark a new row over homosexuality.

Bishops and senior clergy will debate at next month's General Synod whether the Church should provide same-sex couples with the same financial benefits as are awarded to married couples.

Traditionalists have expressed strong opposition to the move, which they claim would give official recognition to homosexual relationships.

They warn that affording equal treatment to heterosexual and homosexual couples would undermine the Church's teaching on marriage.

At present, the Church bars clergy from being in active gay relationships, although it bowed to pressure to allow them to enter civil partnerships on the condition that they are celibate.

Liberals believe that the motion, to be unveiled this week, could be a major breakthrough in securing rights for gay clergy.

It calls on the Archbishops' Council, chaired by Dr Rowan Williams, to introduce changes that would "provide for pension benefits to be paid to the surviving civil partners of deceased clergy on the same basis as they are currently paid to surviving spouses".

However, there are serious concerns over the effects that such a change would have on the Church's finances as well as on the thin hopes of maintaining unity in the Anglican Communion, which is deeply divided over the issue of homosexual clergy. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, January 16, 2010

New Dark Age Alert! Anjem Choudary: I’m Smiling Because Sharia Is Coming
THE SUNDAY TIMES: The radical Muslim who threatened to hold a march through Wootton Bassett is ready to defy the ban on his group and says a coup could make Britain an Islamic state

Anjem Choudary, leader of the banned group Islam4UK. Photograph: The Sunday Times. Read on >>> Camilla Long | Sunday, January 17, 2010

West Turns Africa into Gay Battlefield
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Western evangelists and gay rights groups are stoking Africa’s bitter rows over homosexuality, writes RW Johnson in Cape Town

Steven Monjeza (L) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga. Photo: The Sunday Times
The trial of a young male couple charged with unnatural practices and gross indecency after announcing their engagement in Malawi was adjourned last week when one of the accused collapsed in court while enduring jeers from the public gallery.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, was made to return with a mop to clean up his own vomit, even though he has malaria.

He and his boyfriend, Steven Monjeza, 26, have been held in Chichiri prison, Blantyre, for more than a week — in order, the judge says, to protect them from mob violence.

Chichiri has a reputation for overcrowding, disease and homosexual rape. The couple say they have been badly beaten and Peter Tatchell, the British gay activist, describes their conditions as appalling.

Such scenes will only increase the pressure from western human rights activists and donor countries on Malawi’s government to moderate its draconian anti-gay laws, for which the couple have provided a test case. They face up to 14 years in jail.

Following similar donor pressure, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda distanced himself from an anti-homosexuality bill before parliament in Kampala last week. Museveni appealed to MPs to “go slow” on the private member’s bill, which stipulates the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, including homosexual acts by HIV-positive men.

Museveni said he had come under pressure from Gordon Brown, Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada, and the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in a 45-minute phone call. He was also struck by the fact that a US protest rally had drawn 300,000 people, saying he would have great difficulty attracting such a crowd.

The two cases illustrate the way Africa is becoming a battleground over differing attitudes to homosexuality in the West. >>> RW Johnson in Cape Town. Additional reporting: Rosie Kinchen | Sunday, January 17, 2010

Burqa: Sarkozy prend position
leJDD.fr: Sur la question du voile, Nicolas Sarkozy a annoncé mercredi qu'il était pour une résolution, suivie, dans un second temps, d'une loi. De son côté, le président de la mission parlementaire sur le sujet, André Gérin, s'en prend à Jean-François Copé qui souhaite déposer une proposition de loi sans attendre les conclusions de la commission.

Nicolas Sarkozy a officialisé mercredi son point de vue sur la question du port de la burqa dans l'espace public français. Alors que les avis divergent au sein même de la majorité, le président s'est déclaré favorable à une résolution "sans ambiguïté", suivie d'un texte de loi, lors de ses vœux aux parlementaires. Réaffirmant que le "voile n'était pas le bienvenu en France", il a déclaré que le plus important était que "personne ne se sente stigmatisé".

"Il faudra ensuite tirer les conséquences de cette résolution, d'un point de vue législatif et réglementaire. Le Parlement aura alors à débattre d'un texte de loi adapté à la situation", a précisé Nicolas Sarkozy. Et le président – qui a appelé à un vote le plus large possible – a également fixé le calendrier: la loi comme la résolution ne devraient pas intervenir avant les élections régionales de mars prochain. "Je pense qu'il serait sage que nous réfléchissions et que nous décidions indépendamment des échéances électorales à venir. Ce ne sont jamais des périodes propices à la sérénité et au calme qui sont pourtant indispensables pour traiter de ces grandes questions de société", a estimé Nicolas Sarkozy. >>> ACh. D., leJDD.fr| Mercredi 13 Janvier 2010

Joe Brinkley’s Viewpoint: Clashing worlds - Europe and Islam
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Europe and the Islamic world are at war. It's a proxy conflict, fought in European capitals and on the Arab streets. But people are being killed.

Earlier this month, Islamic gunmen slaughtered six Christians as they left church in southern Egypt on Coptic Christmas Eve, setting off a week of retributive violence. This was just the latest incident in a cascading series of repressive and violent acts against Christians living in numerous Arab states, including the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Morocco, among other places.

Meantime, across Europe, government leaders are contemplating or enacting ever-more repressive rules on Muslim residents and citizens, who are carrying their lifestyles and grievances into unforgiving societies.

The most famous example: The Swiss electorate voted last month to ban the construction of new minarets. Then, early this month, a fiery Islamic cleric in England announced that he would organize a large protest march through the streets of a town near London that regularly honors passing hearses carrying British soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "personally appalled," and then on Tuesday Britain banned the group.

In both worlds, the conflicts result from misunderstanding and outright intolerance, fanned oftentimes by extremists**, like Geert Wilders, a Dutch member of parliament. He travels the Western world preaching an anti-Islamic screed. Wilders has hit a chord, and the transcript of one speech he gave in New York last year has gone viral, landing in millions of e-mail in-boxes and watched on YouTube nearly 1 million times.

Wilders likes to note that "it is not a coincidence that every terrorist act is based on this fascist book the Quran, this wrong ideology, and unfortunately has been done by people from the Islamic world. I don't believe that cultures are equal. I believe that our culture is much better than the retarded Islamic culture."

In England, meanwhile, Anjem Choudary, leader of the banned Islamic group, posted his view on his organization's Web site recently, saying the march (now canceled) would be in honor of "the real war dead who have been shunned by the Western media and general public as they were, and continue to be, horrifically murdered in the name of democracy and freedom: the innocent Muslim man, women and children."

An estimated 20 million Muslims now live in Europe. Many emigrated to take menial jobs that Europeans were no longer willing to do. The problem for Europeans is that these immigrants tend not to assimilate. They live in their own communities where some of their leaders enforce elements of Shariah law. >>> Joel Brinkley* | Saturday, January 16, 2010

*Joel Brinkley, a professor of journalism at Stanford University, is a former foreign correspondent for the New York Times.

**Joel Brinkley’s viewpoint.