La princesse saoudienne qui défend la cause des femmes
LE FIGARO: Rencontre exclusive avec la fille préférée du roi Abdallah, et son atout pour faire bouger la société.

Elle avait précisé : pas de photo. Pour sa première interview à un journal occidental, Son Altesse royale la princesse Adelah bint Abdallah sait jusqu'où elle peut s'aventurer. Si des présentatrices au visage découvert apparaissent quotidiennement sur les chaînes saoudiennes, la fille préférée du roi Abdallah ne peut se permettre de transgresser les «traditions familiales» même si elle n'y verrait personnellement aucun inconvénient. Elle a pourtant accepté, pour la première fois, de recevoir un journaliste en tête à tête, et chez elle. C'est déjà un grand pas, dans un pays où l'on peut condamner une femme au fouet pour s'être simplement trouvée en compagnie d'un homme étranger à sa famille.

La princesse accueille simplement le visiteur dans sa maison de Riyad, une vaste villa que l'on ne saurait qualifier de palais. Pas de protocole. Adelah bint Abdallah, une grande et jolie femme, tend la main en souriant au seuil d'un salon aux meubles modernes, métal et cuir. Elle porte une jupe longue en cuir noir, une veste courte en velours vert sur un chemisier de soie grège, un foulard en fine mousseline posé sur les cheveux. «Je le mets quand je suis en représentation officielle», explique-t-elle. On est loin du niqab, la tenue noire couvrant entièrement le visage, courante dans les rues saoudiennes.

En plein accord avec son père, Adelah bint Abdallah s'est créé une mission bien à elle dans la famille royale, faire avancer la cause des femmes dans un pays encore très traditionnel. L'establishment religieux ne voit pas cela d'un très bon œil. Mais avec la légitimité de son rang et l'appui personnel de son père, la princesse se sent libre d'exprimer des convictions qui pourront sans doute choquer plus d'un religieux, sans parler des islamistes locaux.

Le voile complet ? En Arabie saoudite comme en France, il devrait s'agir d'un choix personnel. La mixité, déjà en vigueur dans les hôpitaux, où des femmes médecins traitent des patients masculins, et vice-versa ? Elle devrait être étendue à toute la société. L'âge du mariage ? Il faut fixer un minimum, dit la princesse, qui prend spontanément la défense de la «fillette de Boureïda», une histoire qui divise les Saoudiens, celle d'une gamine de 12 ans qui a épousé un homme de 80 ans (lire encadré). 50 % des diplômés sont des filles >>> D’envoyé spécial du Figaro à Riyad, Pierre Prier | Mercredi 10 Février 2010

LE FIGARO: «Nombre de lois doivent être changées» : INTERVIEW - Dans son premier entrerien avec un journal occidental, la fille du roi Abdallah évoque ses «combats» pour faire bouger la société saoudienne. >>> Propos recueillis à Riyad par Pierre Prier | Mardi 09 Février 2010

When the Moors Ruled in Europe

Waafa Sultan: Muhammad Could Not Have Been a Prophet

Man Claims Fiancee Hid Beard Under Niqab
GULF NEWS: An Arab ambassador said he decided to call off his wedding immediately after he discovered that his wife-to-be, who wears a niqab, was bearded and cross-eyed.

Dubai: An Arab ambassador said he decided to call off his wedding immediately after he discovered that his wife-to-be, who wears a niqab, was bearded and cross-eyed.

The ambassador claimed that the bride's mother deceived his mother, when she went to see his Gulf national wife-to-be, by showing her pictures of the bride's sister.

The Arab man, who also holds the title of minister plenipotentiary, claimed to a Sharia court judge in Dubai that the bride's family showed his mother photos of the bride's sister and not the woman he was going to marry.

Sources close to the case told Gulf News that the groom only saw the woman a few times. He did not realise that she had a beard because she wore the niqab the few times he met her, added the source.

"Every time the couple met, the bride would do her best not to reveal her entire face. After the ambassador and the woman, who is a physician, signed the marriage contract, the groom was sitting with the bride… he claimed to the Sharia court officials that when he wanted to kiss his wife-to-be, he discovered that she was bearded and cross-eyed as well," claimed the source.

The ambassador then decided to call off the wedding party and lodged a divorce claim alleging that he was tricked by his parents-in-law and incurred emotional and moral damage.

In his lawsuit, the groom also asked the bride to repay him his Dh500,000, the amount which he claimed he spent on jewellery, clothes and gifts. >>> Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

France's Hardline Immigration Minister Accused of Planning to Convert to Islam to Marry His Young Muslim Girlfriend
MAIL ONLINE: France's hardline immigration minister Eric Besson is threatening to sue over hotly denied claims he is about to convert to Islam to marry his young Muslim girlfriend.

The rumours, reported on French news website Bakchich Info, come as the 51-year-old spearheads a campaign against alien religions and cultures swamping his country.

He has already called for the Muslim burkha to be banned, and wants potential immigrants to take French tests and swear allegiance to the Republic.

This particularly applies to those arriving from Muslim countries who do not share the same values as France’s predominantly Roman Catholic population.

Divorced Mr Besson has admitted that he currently lives with a Paris art school student who is the great-granddaughter of Wassila Bourguiba, the wife of the former Tunisian president, Habib Bourguiba.

The father-of-three's younger lover was named as Yasmine Tordjman, who is in her 20s.

Before Christmas he travelled to the north African country to meet Ms Tordjman's mother, prompting speculation that he would re-marry in June.

Islam does not allow mixed marriages, meaning the minister would have to convert from Catholicism to Islam.

But Besson has now released an official statement stating that he ‘deplores having to deny a conversion to a religion which I otherwise respect, I am very attached to the secular character of our Republic.’ >>> Peter Allen | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Iran Steps Up Security Before Islamic Revolution Rally
THE GUARDIAN: Tehran sentences another activist to death and several others are arrested ahead of national day demonstrations

Large numbers of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have been deployed across Tehran, claim opposition sources, before tomorrow's anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Photo: The Guardian
Iranian security forces are deploying in strength in Tehran and across the country to head off what opposition supporters hope will be massive protests to mark tomorrow's anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

New arrests were announced today after another death sentence was handed down for a convicted "rioter" and large numbers of Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia arrived in the capital from outlying areas, opposition sources reported.

Official preparations to deal with the latest bout of internal unrest coincide with mounting international tensions after Barack Obama accused Iran on Tuesday of trying to build a nuclear weapon and warned it would face new sanctions within weeks.
The regime has repeatedly accused opposition supporters of serving foreign interests. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Church Concern Over Religious Broadcast Hours
THE INDEPENDENT: The Church of England today voted to express "deep concern" about a reduction in religious broadcasting across British television - but drew back from singling out the BBC for criticism.

Members of the Church of England's national assembly, the General Synod, overwhelmingly backed a motion criticising a decline in religious programming.

But they rejected an attempt to narrow the focus of criticism to the BBC after a series of speakers urged the Church to do more to communicate its message.

One member of the General Synod said putting the BBC "on the naughty step" would not help encourage better coverage of religious affairs.

Nigel Holmes, a former BBC radio producer from Great Corby, near Carlisle, told the meeting in London that over the past 20 years the total output of general programme channels on BBC television had doubled.

But the hours of religious broadcasting on television were fewer and generally scheduled at less accessible times, he told the Synod.

"A fortnight ago the BBC announced that it was commissioning research with a view to improving the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people," he said.

"Perhaps it could do the same for those who proclaim a faith and particularly for younger people for whom nothing spiritual is to be found either on television or on the radio." >>> Martha Linden, Press Association | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Hirsi Ali Criticises Western 'Appeasement' of Islam
AFP: JAIPUR, India — Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born former Dutch lawmaker threatened with death for her outspoken criticism of Islam, on Sunday accused the world's liberal democracies of appeasing radical Muslims.

Hirsi Ali, who since 2004 has lived under constant guard against death threats from Islamic extremists, made her accusation during an unannounced appearance at the Jaipur Literary Festival in India.

Speaking to a packed audience, Hirsi Ali said fear of offending Muslims and the wider Islamic world meant Islam had been largely exempted in Europe and the United States from the critical scrutiny applied to other religions.

"In the West, people are frigidly stuck in an attitude of self-doubt," fearful of Muslim radicals but also worried of being seen as anti-Muslim and thus betraying their own liberal traditions, Hirsi Ali said.

"This appeasement has made the public space in these countries a lot less safe," she added. >>> AFP | Sunday, January 24, 2010

Fine Words Butter No Parsnips
THE TELEGRAPH: Michelle Obama has unveiled her campaign against childhood obesity in the US, saying that it is a problem that concerns her both as first lady and as a mother.

Michelle Obama launches her 'Let's Move' campaign in a bid to help combat childhood obesity. Photograph: The Telegraph
Mrs Obama said that the campaign was designed to encourage people to live healthier lives, but admitted that she herself was not immune to the temptations of junk food.

"I love burgers and fries. And I love ice cream and cake. And so do most kids," she said.

But, she added: "We're not talking about a lifestyle that excludes all that.

"The question is how do we help people balance that out so that they're not facing life-threatening, preventable illnesses, but they're enjoying their food, they're eating their vegetables, they're doing their running and walking and playing and still have time to get a good, fun meal in every once in a while."

One in three American children is overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other illnesses.

Billions of dollars are spent every year treating obesity-related conditions.

"None of us wants this future for our kids," Mrs Obama said at the White House.

"We have to act, so let's move." Michelle Obama launches obesity campaign and admits weakness for junk food >>> | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

France President Sarkozy Drops National Identity Debate
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: France President Nicolas Sarkozy had sought to use a national identity debate to heal social rifts and propel himself to victory in the polls. But three months on, the debate has been dropped and Sarkozy's standing harmed.

Paris – The French Elysee is quietly dropping one of its more cherished and controversial projects – a "national identity" debate that went haywire almost immediately and threatens to harm President Nicolas Sarkozy in crucial elections this March.

According to a French ruling party script set last November, the nation would discuss on the Internet, then in town halls and cities, enduring French values like liberty, equality, and fraternity, and the Gallic genius behind the works of Hugo and Camus.

The conversation would lead to agreement on what it means to be French, at a time when immigration anxieties are high and just a few years after rioting in poor, immigrant-dominated neighborhoods around Paris shook the nation.

By early February, the plan went, President Sarkozy would give a triumphal speech bringing it all together in time for the French to vote.

Instead, the debate became a lightning rod for fears of immigration and Islam, a format for extreme-right ranting, and was ridiculed by media – at a time when conservative French lawmakers were also pushing a law to ban the burqa, or full-length Muslim veil, in France, which may happen this spring.

Now Sarkozy’s speech is no longer scheduled, and Prime Minister Francoise Fillon yesterday ended the public debate by announcing small new patriotic rules: French flags will fly on schools, the 1789 declaration of the rights of man will be posted in every classroom – and a commission that will study it all further. >>> Robert Marquand. Staff writer | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

This Disgusting Government! The Disgusting Face of the Labour Party!
THE TELEGRAPH: The Government has been accused of pursuing a secret policy of encouraging mass immigration for its own political ends.

The release of a previously unseen document suggested that Labour’s migration policy over the past decade had been aimed not just at meeting the country’s economic needs, but also the Government’s “social objectives”.

The paper said migration would “enhance economic growth” and made clear that trying to halt or reverse it could be “economically damaging”. But it also stated that immigration had general “benefits” and that a new policy framework was needed to “maximise” the contribution of migration to the Government’s wider social aims.

The Government has always denied that social engineering played a part in its migration policy.

However, the paper, which was written in 2000 at a time when immigration began to increase dramatically, said controls were contrary to its policy objectives and could lead to “social exclusion”.

Last night, the Conservatives demanded an independent inquiry into the issue. It was alleged that the document showed that Labour had overseen a deliberate open-door ­policy on immigration to boost multi-culturalism.

Voting trends indicate that migrants and their descendants are much more likely to vote Labour. Labour's 'secret plan' to lure migrants >>> Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

How Labour Threw Open Doors to Mass Migration in Secret Plot to Make a Multicultural UK
MAIL ONLINE: Labour threw open the doors to mass migration in a deliberate policy to change the social make-up of the UK, secret papers suggest.

A draft report from the Cabinet Office shows that ministers wanted to ‘maximise the contribution’ of migrants to their ‘social objectives’.

The number of foreigners allowed in the UK increased by as much as 50 per cent in the wake of the report, written in 2000.

Labour has always justified immigration on economic grounds and denied it was using it to foster multiculturalism.

But suspicions of a secret agenda rose when Andrew Neather, a former government adviser and speech writer for Tony Blair, Jack Straw and David Blunkett, said the aim of Labour’s immigration strategy was to ‘rub the Right’s nose in diversity and render their arguments out of date’. >>> James Slack | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Obama Speaks, Iranians Quiver
BBC: US President Barack Obama has said the US and its allies are developing a "significant regime of sanctions" against Iran for its nuclear programme.

He said the international community was unified over Iran's "misbehaviour".

Speaking in Washington, he said despite Tehran's denials, it was clear Iran was working to build nuclear weapons. Obama vows 'significant' sanctions against Iran >>> | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Protesters Attack Italy's Embassy in Iran
THE JERUSALEM POST: Teheran summons Italian envoy; protests also held outside French, Dutch embassies.

About 100 Iranians protested Tuesday in front of the Italian embassy in Teheran, shouting "Death to Italy, Death to Berlusconi, " Italy's foreign minister said. Protests were also held outside the French and Dutch embassies.

The protests came a week after Premier Silvio Berlusconi announced — in Israel — that Italy was scaling back its economic dealings with Iran and wanted tighter sanctions against the Teheran leadership. Italy has long been Teheran's biggest trading partner in the EU.

Television footage of the protests shown on Sky TG 24 showed protesters throwing stones and eggs at the Italian embassy. Foreign Ministry officials said none of the protesters managed to get inside and that police intervened.

Frattini told the Senate that the protest was "hostile" and that the group tried to assault the building. >>> Associated Press | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Manifestation d'Iraniens devant l'ambassade d'Italie à Téhéran
LA PRESSE CANADIENNE: ROME/TEHERAN — Aux cris de "Mort à l'Italie, mort à Berlusconi", une centaine d'Iraniens ont manifesté mardi devant l'ambassade d'Italie à Téhéran, selon le ministre italien des Affaires étrangères. Des actions de protestation ont également eu lieu devant les missions diplomatiques de France et des Pays-Bas.

Les rassemblements ont été organisés une semaine après l'annonce par le président du Conseil Silvio Berlusconi d'une révision à la baisse des relations commerciales entre son pays et l'Iran.

A l'occasion d'un déplacement en Israël, le chef du gouvernement italien a également souhaité un durcissement des sanctions contre le régime de Téhéran. L'Italie est depuis longtemps le plus important partenaire commercial de l'Iran au sein de l'Union européenne.

La chaîne Sky TV 24 a diffusé des images montrant des protestataires qui jetaient des pierres et des oeufs sur l'ambassade d'Italie. Des responsables du ministère des Affaires étrangères ont déclaré qu'aucun des manifestants n'avait réussi à s'introduire dans le bâtiment et que la police était intervenue.

Le chef de la diplomatie italienne Franco Frattini a déclaré au Sénat que cette manifestation était "hostile" et que le groupe avait tenté d'attaquer le bâtiment. >>> | Mardi 09 Février 2010

Iraner greifen italienische Botschaft an
DIE PRESSE: Hunderte Mitglieder der regierungsnahen Bassiji-Miliz haben vor der italienische Botschaft in Teheran protestiert. Sie riefen "Tod Italien" und "Tod Berlusconi".

In Teheran haben am Dienstag vor den Botschaften Italiens, Deutschlands, Frankreichs und der Niederlande Dmonstrationen stattgefunden. Dutzende Milizionäre versuchten, die italienische Botschaft des Landes anzugreifen. Rund Hundert Mitglieder der regierungsnahen Bassiji hätten das Gebäude mit Steinen beworfen sowie "Tod Italien" und "Tod Berlusconi" gerufen, sagte Italiens Außenminister Franco Frattini. Die iranische Polizei sei eingeschritten, um Schlimmeres zu verhindern.

Italien ist traditionell einer der wichtigsten europäischen Handelspartner der Islamischen Republik. Doch die engen Beziehungen Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconis zu Israel und der wachsende Druck im Atomstreit haben zu einem Einbruch der italienischen Investitionen im Iran geführt. Vergangene Woche hatte Berlusconi bei einem Besuch in Jerusalem die Unterstützung für Israel betont und "wirksame Sanktionen" gegen den Iran wegen dessen Atomprogramm verlangt. Zudem kündigte er an, die Wirtschaftsbeziehungen mit dem Iran einzuschränken. >>> Ag. | Dienstag, 09. Februar 2010

Converting to Christianity, Converting to Islam

Saudi Arabia Defends Al-Qaeda Rehabilitation Scheme
THE TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia says it will not give up a controversial rehabilitation programme for Islamist radicals heavily criticised in the US after former inmates set up an al-Qaeda cell in neighbouring Yemen.

One former Guantanamo Bay inmate who went through the programme, which features "positive thinking" classes, art therapy and video games, is now deputy leader of Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula, the cell behind the Christmas Day "underwear bombing" in an airliner over Detroit.

Four others from the same group of Guantanamo inmates handed over to the Saudis in November 2007 are among more than a dozen inmates who have returned to terrorism, including one who was shot dead while wearing a suicide vest under a burka last year.

But senior officials including an Interior Ministry general and the cleric and psychologists responsible for overseeing the programme's "religious re-indoctrination" courses told The Daily Telegraph it had been an overall success.

"We are confident in our system," said General Mansur al-Turki. "Part of that is the rehabilitation programme, and when we say that we are considering one thing - the results we are getting. We are not giving up because a few people decided to go back and share al-Qaeda activities." >>> Richard Spencer in Riyadh | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

General Synod: Church of England Exodus Feared Unless Women Bishops Plans Changed
THE TELEGRAPH: Conservative clergy have warned of a mass exodus from the Church of England and a sharp drop in its income unless divisive plans for the introduction of women bishops are changed.

On the first day of the gathering of the Church’s governing body, the General Synod, Anglo-Catholics claimed that “large numbers” would leave for Rome if their demands for concessions are not met.

Meanwhile 50 serving priests belonging to Reform, the evangelical group, signed an open letter saying that the situation could force them to cut off funding for dioceses and spend their money on training new vicars outside the Church instead.

The established church, which introduced women to the priesthood in 1994, is committed to ordaining female bishops as well but the process has been held up by the entrenched positions of both supporters and opponents of the historic move.

Liberals argue that women should be introduced to the episcopate on the same basis and with the same powers as men, otherwise an unfair two-tier system will develop.

However conservatives claim they were assured back when women priests were introduced that provisions would be made for them, similar to the “flying bishops” that currently cater for parishes that cannot accept the oversight of female vicars, when the next step was taken.

They want either an entirely new “men-only” province that could cover the whole of England, or extra junior bishops in dioceses who had not ordained women bishops and who would be answerable only to an Archbishop. >>> Martin Beckford | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Rowan Williams Issues 'Profound Apology' to Gay Christians
TIMES ONLINE: The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a “profound apology” to the lesbian and gay Christian community today.
In a powerful address to the General Synod, Dr Rowan Williams warned that any schism within the Church would represent a betrayal of God’s mission.

But he made clear that he regretted recent rhetoric in which he has sought to mollify the fears of the traditionalist wing of the church.

The Archbishop is from the Church’s liberal wing and a man who once espoused equal rights for gays within the Church. More recently he has adopted a conservative line for the sake of Church unity.

Today he said: “There are ways of speaking about the question that seem to ignore these human realities or to undervalue them.

“I have been criticised for doing just this and I am profoundly sorry for the carelessness that could give such an impression.”
Addressing the even more contentious debate over gay ordinations — something which threatens to split the Church farther [sic] with the expected consecration in May of Canon Mary Glasspool, a lesbian, as a bishop in Los Angeles — Dr Williams said it had not been helped by those who ignored the fact that many worshippers were gay, as well as many “sacrificial and exemplary priests”.

He made it clear that there was blame on all sides of the argument that has brought the Church to the brink of splitting. He pleaded for Anglicans angry over gays and women bishops to cease fighting, admitting that he and other bishops might have to settle for a two-tier communion. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Prize Comment of the Day:

Why is 'God' so concerned with what men do with their willies? There must be hundreds of issues more deserving of attention in the world today than this. Too many men in dresses getting hot under the collar.

Surely a religion where you are encouraged to worship a naked man (and his dad) should be a haven for the gay community. I can't believe the church doesn't need the bodies on a Sunday either.

I think I might get burnt at the stake now. – Gaberdine Dog, [Source: TimesOnline/Page 3 of comments]

What Is Sharia?
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Extract – Also meaning "path" in Arabic, sharia guides all aspects of Muslim life including daily routines, familial and religious obligations, and financial dealings. It is derived primarily from the Quran and the Sunna--the sayings, practices, and teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. Precedents and analogy applied by Muslim scholars are used to address new issues. The consensus of the Muslim community also plays a role in defining this theological manual.

Sharia developed several hundred years after the Prophet Mohammed's death in 632 CE as the Islamic empire expanded to the edge of North Africa in the West and to China in the East. Since the Prophet Mohammed was considered the most pious of all believers, his life and ways became a model for all other Muslims and were collected by scholars into what is known as the hadith. As each locality tried to reconcile local customs and Islam, hadith literature grew and developed into distinct schools of Islamic thought: the Sunni schools, Hanbali, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi; and the Shiite school, Ja'fari. Named after the scholars that inspired them, they differ in the weight each applies to the sources from which sharia is derived, the Quran, hadith, Islamic scholars, and consensus of the community. The Hanbali school, known for following the most Orthodox form of Islam, is embraced in Saudi Arabia and by the Taliban. The Hanafi school, known for being the most liberal and the most focused on reason and analogy, is dominant among Sunnis in Central Asia, Egypt, Pakistan, India, China, Turkey, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. The Maliki school is dominant in North Africa and the Shafi'i school in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Yemen. Shia Muslims follow the Ja'fari school, most notably in Shia-dominant Iran. The distinctions have more impact on the legal systems in each country, however, than on individual Muslims, as many do not adhere to one school in their personal lives.

Controversy: Punishment and Equality under Sharia

Marriage and divorce are the most significant aspects of sharia, but criminal law is the most controversial. In sharia, there are categories of offenses: those that are prescribed a specific punishment in the Quran, known as hadd punishments, those that fall under a judge's discretion, and those resolved through a tit-for-tat measure (ie., blood money paid to the family of a murder victim). There are five hadd crimes: unlawful sexual intercourse (sex outside of marriage and adultery), false accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse, wine drinking (sometimes extended to include all alcohol drinking), theft, and highway robbery. Punishments for hadd offenses--flogging, stoning, amputation, exile, or execution--get a significant amount of media attention when they occur. >>> Lauren Vriens | Monday, March 23, 2009

Nucléaire : La Russie perd à son tour patience face à l'Iran
LE POINT: La Russie a sensiblement durci le ton mardi face à son allié iranien, condamnant sa décision d'enrichir de l'uranium sur son propre territoire et évoquant désormais ouvertement la possibilité de sanctions économiques contre Téhéran.

Traditionnellement alliée à l'Iran, pour qui elle construit la centrale nucléaire de Bouchehr et fournit le combustible nécessaire à son fonctionnement, la Russie a longtemps traîné les pieds pour de nouvelles sanctions, et cela bien que le conflit n'ait cessé de s'envenimer ces derniers mois. Mais l'annonce par le président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dimanche du démarrage de la production d'uranium hautement enrichi (20 %) par l'Iran, au nez et à la barbe des puissances occidentales, a visiblement été mal accueillie en Russie, où plusieurs hauts responsables ont vivement réagi. >>> AFP | Mardi 09 Février 2010

Israël appelle à des sanctions "paralysantes" et immédiates contre l'Iran
LE POINT: Le Premier ministre israélien Benyamin Netanyahou a appelé mardi la communauté internationale à prendre des "sanctions paralysantes" et immédiates contre l'Iran en raison de son programme nucléaire controversé.

"Je crois que ce qu'il faut à présent, c'est une action dure de la part de la communauté internationale", a déclaré Benyamin Netanyahou lors d'une rencontre à Jérusalem avec les ambassadeurs des pays de l'Union européenne. "Cela signifie non pas des sanctions modérées ou amoindries. Cela veut dire des sanctions paralysantes et ces sanctions doivent être appliquées immédiatement", a-t-il plaidé. "L'Iran est dans une course en avant pour produire des armes nucléaires avec un mépris impudent pour la communauté internationale. Celle-ci doit décider si elle veut sérieusement neutraliser cette menace pour Israël, pour la région et le monde entier", a ajouté le chef du gouvernement. "Il faut bien plus que des mots", a-t-il souligné. >>> AFP | Mardi 09 Février 2010

Iran to Produce Drones: Nuke Expansion Planned
SAUDI GAZETTE: TEHRAN - Iran said it will start making higher-grade reactor fuel on Tuesday and will add 10 uranium enrichment plants over the next year in a nuclear expansion sure to stoke tensions with the West.

Iranian defense minister also announced launch of two production lines to build unmanned aircraft with surveillance and attack capabilities.

It was also announced that Tehran would soon deploy a missile air defense system more powerful than the advanced Russian S-300 system it has ordered from Moscow in 2007 but has yet to receive. The state television quoted Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as saying the unmanned aircraft would be able to carry out surveillance as well as offensive tasks with high precision and a long range.

The two types of aircraft, or drones, are named Ra’d (thunder) and Nazir (herald), with the former possessing offensive capabilities. >>> Agencies | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Sweden: Muslim Man Wins Handshake Case
ONEINDIA: Stockholm – A Muslim man has won the discrimination case against Sweden’s unemployment agency, for kicking him out of the job training program, after he refused to shake hands with a woman. >>> OneIndia News | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Iranian Unity on Anniversary Will Deliver ‘Punch’ to Enemies, Says Supreme Leader
CNS NEWS: As the U.S. and European Union joined Monday in condemning “continuing human rights violations” by the Iranian government, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ratcheted up tensions ahead of Thursday’s anniversary of the Islamic revolution by vowing that the nation would deliver a “punch” to stun its enemies.

“Through its unity, the Iranian nation will by Allah’s favor stun the arrogant powers, including the U.S., Britain, and the Zionist regime on the 22nd of Bahman,” he said in a speech to air force personnel, using the Persian calendar date for February 11.

Khamenei’s remarks, in a speech to air force personnel, are the latest by top regime figures seeking to discredit opposition supporters ahead of the anniversary by accusing them of being agents or tools of hostile countries. >>> Patrick Goodenough, International Editor | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Sam Harris: The Clash Between Faith and Reason

Klatsch! The History Man and the Fatwa Girl
MAIL ONLINE: The internationally celebrated historian and TV presenter Niall Ferguson has broken up with his wife of 16 years after a string of adulterous affairs.

The 45-year-old Harvard professor has left former newspaper editor Susan Douglas, with whom he has three children, for his mistress, the Somalian-born feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Ms Hirsi Ali, 40, is a lawyer and former Dutch MP who wrote the script for a controversial film that criticised Islam and resulted in the assassination of its director. She is currently living under police protection in America.

Professor Ferguson, whose books, television programmes and work with financial hedge funds earn an estimated £5million a year, is understood to have been in a relationship with Ms Hirsi Ali since last summer.

Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal how Ferguson’s philandering behaviour – described by one confidante as ‘more akin to a Premiership footballer’s louche ways than an esteemed professor’s’ – wrecked his marriage to Ms Douglas, one of Tory leader David Cameron’s closest friends, a leading member of the Tory ‘A-list’ of potential parliamentary candidates and a former Fleet Street editor.

Ferguson, who also has high-level links to the Tory Party, with a seat on the board of the Right-wing think-tank the Centre for Policy Studies, has been seen with Ms Hirsi Ali at a number of high-profile events over recent months.

Just two weeks ago they attended the Jaipur Literary Festival in India where they were photographed kissing in the opulent surroundings of the spectacular Diggi Palace.

Ms Hirsi Ali had been flown to the event secretly. She has been the subject of threats from Muslim extremists since writing the script for the movie Submission, which was critical of Islam. The history man and fatwa girl: How will David Cameron take news that think-tank guru Niall Ferguson has deserted wife Sue Douglas for Somali feminist? >>> Katie Nicholl, Miles Goslett and Caroline Graham | Sunday, February 07, 2010

'It's Tricky to Find Men When You're Living Under a Fatwa'

THE INDEPENDENT: Right-wing circles are transfixed by the relationship between Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the neoconservative historian Niall Ferguson

The Time Magazine gala held in New York's Lincoln Centre last May was always going to be a high-octane affair. Billed as a celebration of The 100 Most Influential People in the World, it was a chance for the globe's intellectual and political glitterati to rub shoulders while making small talk about geo-politics and contemporary literature.

But amid the mingling of eminent grey matter – guests included Barack Obama's speechwriter and Oprah Winfrey – there was also a crackling of mutual physical attraction between two glamorous invitees with a shared taste for conservative politics and speaking their minds.

Yesterday, the affair sparked that night between the British historian and television presenter Niall Ferguson and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born feminist whose criticism of Islam provoked a fatwa which has left her living under police protection since 2004, was revealed – along with the news that the millionaire academic is to divorce his wife of 16 years.

Friends of the 45-year-old Harvard professor, whose books, media activities and work in high finance have made him one of the world's most bankable intellectuals with an estimated income of £5m a year, confirmed that he has left the former Fleet Street editor Susan Douglas and their three children for Ms Hirsi Ali.

A close friend of the former editor of the Sunday Express said that the split was due to Professor Ferguson "conducting a private life in a manner more akin to that of a Premiership footballer than a professor". >>> Cahal Milmo and Luke Blackall | Monday, February 08, 2010

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Submission

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Urges Jihad
BBC: A Yemen-based offshoot of al-Qaeda has called on Muslims in the region to wage holy war against the US and its allies.

A purported audio statement by Said al-Shihri, deputy leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, warned "American and Crusader interests are everywhere".

"Attack them and eliminate as many enemies as you can," Mr Shihri urged.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has said it was behind a failed bomb attack on a US passenger jet as it flew into Detroit on Christmas Day.

A Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, has been charged with attempting to blow up the Northwest Airlines Airbus A330.

He has allegedly said AQAP operatives trained him in Yemen, equipped him with a powerful explosive device and told him what to do.

'Glorious invasion'

In an audio message posted on a jihadist website, Mr Shihri praised the "glorious invasion" by Mr Abdulmutallab and said it had been carried out in co-ordination with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

"We repeat what our Sheikh Osama said, that America will not dream of security until we live in security in Palestine," he said, referring to a purported audio statement issued by the Saudi militant leader last month.

Mr Shihri, a Saudi national who was released from the US military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in November 2007, urged Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula to "prepare and carry your weapons and to defend your religion and yourselves, and to join your mujahideen brothers".

"The Christians, the Jews and the treacherous apostate rulers have pounced on you," he said. "You have no other way out from this plight other than to wage jihad." >>> | Monday, February 08, 2010

VOICE OF AMERICA: Al-Qaida Threatens to Attack US Interests 'Everywhere' >>> | Monday, February 08, 2010

Yemen Qaeda Wants Red Sea Blocked, Website Says
REUTERS INDIA: DUBAI - The Yemen-based wing of al Qaeda, in a recording posted on the Internet on Monday, called on Somali insurgents to help gain control over a narrow strait at the mouth of the Red Sea to block U.S. shipments to Israel.

The wing's deputy leader, Saeed al-Shehri, urged Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist insurgents to help return the Bab al Mandab strait, which separates Yemen from the Horn of Africa, "to the lands of Islam".

"At such a time the Bab (al Mandab) will be closed and that will tighten the noose on the Jews (Israel), because through it America supports them by the Red Sea," Shehri said in the audio recording posted on a website often used by Islamist groups. >>> Editing by Michael Roddy | Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Terrorisme : Le no2 d'Al-Qaïda au Yémen menace d'attaquer «partout» les intérêts US
20 MINUTES ONLINE: Le numéro deux d'Al-Qaïda au Yémen a appelé ses partisans à attaquer «partout les intérêts américains et croisés».

Saïd al-Shihri a affirmé l'ambition du réseau de prendre le contrôle d'un détroit stratégique commandant l'entrée de la mer Rouge.

Dans un message audio mis en ligne lundi sur un site islamiste, Saïd al-Shihri, recherché par les autorités yéménites, exhorte les musulmans à «proclamer le jihad».

«Les intérêts américains et croisés se trouvent partout, et leurs agents se déplacent partout. Attaquez-les et éliminez autant d'ennemis que vous pouvez», lance le numéro deux d'Al-Qaïda dans la péninsule arabique (Aqpa).

Il accuse «les croisés et les sionistes» de mener «une invasion haineuse du Yémen» et appelle les tribus, très influentes et qui contrôlent de vastes régions échappant au contrôle du gouvernement, à «attaquer les agents qui complotent avec les croisés contre les musulmans». >>> ats/afp | Lundi 08 Février 2010

Al-Kaida ruft zu Anschlägen auf Saudi-Arabien und USA auf: Lebenszeichen des stellvertretenden Führers in Arabien
NZZ ONLINE: Der Ableger des Terrornetzwerks al-Kaida in Jemen hat zu Anschlägen gegen die saudiarabische Herrscherfamilie und gegen US-Einrichtungen in der Region aufgerufen.

Die am Montag im Internet verbreitete Audio-Botschaft der Kaida stammt von Said al-Jiri und ist das erste Lebenszeichen des stellvertretenden Führers der Kaida auf der Arabischen Halbinsel (AQAP) seit dem 24. Dezember. >>> ddp | Montag, 08. Februar 2010

Anjem Choudary: What Is the Khilafah (خلافة)?
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Dubai Skyscraper Burj Khalifa Closes to Public
Burj Khalifa: At 2,716 feet tall, the tower contains a hotel, apartments and offices. Photo: The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, has closed to the public due to technical problems just a month after it was formally opened.

The observation deck on the Dubai building's 124th floor, which had been open since the building was formally named on Jan 4, has been closed indefinitely because of unspecified technical problems.

At 2,716 feet tall, the tower contains a hotel, apartments and offices. The first occupants of the apartments were due to move in later this month.

But a statement from Emaar, the builders, said: "Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and sub-contractors and the public will be informed upon completion." >>> Richard Spencer in Dubai | Monday, February 08, 2010

Multicultural Britain! Sikh Schoolchildren Should Be Allowed Ceremonial Daggers, Says Britain's First Asian Judge
THE TELEGRAPH: Sikh schoolchildren should be allowed to wear their ceremonial daggers at all times in all public places, Britain's first Asian judge has said.

Sir Mota, who received a knighthood in the 2010 New Year Honours list, said he had worn his Kirpan without problems for up to 40 years. Photograph: The Telegraph
Sir Mota Singh QC spoke out after a number of Sikhs were refused entry to schools and other venues because they were wearing the Kirpan or other religious artefacts.

Sir Mota, who received a knighthood in the 2010 New Year Honours list, said he had worn his Kirpan without problems for up to 40 years, in public buildings including Buckingham Palace.

"Not allowing someone who is baptised to wear a Kirpan is not right," Sir Mota told BBC Asian Network.

The sheathed scimitar, which is attached to a cloth belt and normally worn discreetly under clothes, is one of five "articles of faith" that baptised Sikhs must be carried [sic] at all times. The others are Kara (a steel bangle), Kesh (unshorn hair), Kanga (a comb) and Kacha (special underwear).

Last year, a 14-year-old Sikh boy was refused entry to the Compton School in Barnet after governors ruled his Kirpan was a health and safety risk.

The same year, a Sikh police officer won his case for discrimination against Greater Manchester Police after he was told to remove his turban during riot training.

And in 2008, 14-year-old Sarika Singh won a High Court case against Aberdare Girls' School in south Wales after it excluded her for breaking its "no jewellery" rule for wearing a Kara. The school was found guilty of indirect discrimination under race relations and equality laws. >>> Aislinn Laing | Monday, February 08, 2010

News You Can’t Believe*! Saudi Arabia Opens to Outsiders as It Looks to the Future
THE TELEGRAPH: Gulf nation is liberalising and the West needs to alter its outdated perceptions

The Kingdom Tower in Riyadh. Photo: The Telegraph
If anything sums up the mystery of Saudi Arabia, it is the story of two women who "mingled" with members of the opposite sex.

One was Khamisa Sawadi, a 75-year-old grandmother sentenced to 40 lashes for being found in the presence of a man who was not a blood relative. It was her late husband's nephew, and he had called at her house to deliver a loaf of bread.

The other was Aisha Natto, a businesswoman from Jeddah, who was to be seen the other day "mingling" quite openly with a large number of men: Saudis, other Arabs and Westerners. Many of the women around her were not even veiled.

The very same government that has refused to intervene on behalf of Mrs Sawadi was hosting the Global Competitiveness Forum at Riyadh's Four Seasons Hotel, where Dr Natto received an award as founder of one of the country's fastest growing businesses.

The forum is one of a string of initiatives by which Saudi Arabia is trying to change its reputation as an inward-looking, conservative – and men-only – state whose economic policies revolve around deploying its oil wealth in the interests of its ruling family. >>> Richard Spencer in Riyadh | Sunday, February 07, 2010

*They’ll be telling us next that we can go skinny dipping there!

Anjem Choudary: The Downfall of the Western Economy

A United Muslim World
Map of the Caliphate. Map: Khilafah.com
KHILAFAH (Caliphate): When one thinks of the Muslim world, it conjures up images of poverty, corruption and war. Many negative connotations exist about the state of the Muslim world which continues to occupy news space and newspapers. The global media tends to neglect the achievements of the Muslim world and the contributions it made to humanity. The Muslim world has a rich history of development and discovery, the results of which are being reaped today.

Over the last decade, the call for a united Islamic world i.e. the Khilafah has gained momentum and this momentum continues to grow. The possibility of a united Muslim world behind one ruler (Khaleefah) is something that the Muslim Ummah can achieve as this was achieved in the past and even western historians have testified to this fact. The Muslim lands currently posses:

• The Largest population in the world, 1.6 billion

• Largest army in the world

• Control of half of the world's oil and many other natural resources 

• Control key strategic naval straits (A third of the world's oil travels through the straits of Hormuz which is between Iran and UAE) and airspace

• Largest land mass 

• Nuclear weapons

The golden period of the Ummah saw many technological developments. Muslims utilised technology which Europe at that time could not even dream of. For example, some of the technology we take for granted today would not have existed if mathematical concepts such as algebra did not develop during the golden period of Islam. Computers which are used today would not have been possible if mathematical concepts such as algorithms did not exist. Many scholars such as Donald Routledge Hill express the view that Islam was the driving force behind the Muslim achievements while Robert Briffault even sees Islamic science as the foundation of modern science. >>> Amar Khan | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Anjem Choudary: Khilafah in the UK

Anjem Choudary: Sovereignty Belongs to None But Allah
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One Law for All Fundraiser: AC Grayling
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One Law for All Fundraiser: Maryam Namazie


Vs. Sharia
Sharia enforced dress code. Photo: Independent World Report
INDEPENDENT WORLD REPORT: Maryam Namazie — rights activist, commentator, broadcaster, and spokesperson for One Law for All — on resisting the misogynist, medieval and barbaric Islamic code. There is a world of difference between sexists and bigots who believe religion gives them the go ahead to think that gays are perverts and unveiled women whores and a state that puts those beliefs into laws, under which gays are executed and badly veiled women are fined, imprisoned or have acid thrown in their faces by Hezbollah and Basiji thugs.

Sharia. Just the word to me is like a kick in the stomach, particularly when I hear it being mentioned favourably. I know in this day and age of multiculturalism, it is not surprising to find tolerance for even the most intolerable of things, but, I still have to catch my breath when I hear the very word.

I suppose it is because I can not hear it without remembering sixteen-year-old Atefeh Rajabi hung for crimes against chastity; mother of three Maryam Ayoubi stoned to death for sex outside of marriage; Shirin Alam-Hoei who was sentenced to life in prison for enmity against God; and Neda Agha-Soltan who was shot dead at a June 2009 protest in Tehran, and whose twentieth birthday would have been on January 23, 2010.

Now, I know there are those who will say that these examples I give, or the many others we have come to know so well, are merely harsh interpretations of Sharia law — that Sharia law is misunderstood, and that it is not entirely medieval and draconian. But, one need only take a glance around the world to see the extent of its brutality.

To say it is misunderstood is merely an exercise in PR, which aims to make Sharia more palatable to a western audience and pave the way for its, at least partial, implementation in places like the United Kingdom. The Islamists have no time for such niceties when you are living under their rule.

Of course Sharia law rulings on divorce and child custody are not the same as its rulings on stoning and amputation. Yet, even in civil matters, a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s; she does not have the right to child custody after a prescribed age regardless of the child’s welfare. A woman has limited rights to divorce whereas men have unilateral rights to divorce. Men can marry up to four wives, and, in the Shia tradition, have as many temporary wives as they want as well. Women can not even sign their own marriage contract; a male guardian must sign it on their behalf and so on and so forth.

The misogyny behind a law that stones a woman to death, and one that denies her the right to divorce from a violent husband, is a matter of degree — the fundamentals are the same. In fact, the civil aspects of Sharia law are some of the pillars of women’s oppression and the reason why so many have fled their homes and sought refuge elsewhere.

Clearly, Sharia law is seen to be draconian because it is.

It is perceived to be misogynist, medieval and barbaric because it is. >>> Posted by IWR | Monday, February 01, 2010

Brussels Today, Dublin Tomorrow

Anjem Choudary Sharia Courts Britain

This, Believe It or Not, Is an American Convert to Islam! Hamza Yusuf: The Dangers of Heedlessness

This Is the United Kingdom Today: Love of the Prophet Muhammad

Dubai Fashion Week for Men 2008

Zentralrat der Juden: Knoblauch tritt ab
Hat ihren Verzicht auf eine weitere Amtszeit erklärt: Charlotte Knobloch, Präsidentin des Zentralrats der Juden in Deutschland. Foto: Sueddeutsche.de
SUEDDEUTSCHE.de: Die Präsidentin des Zentralrats der Juden in Deutschland, Charlotte Knobloch, tritt nicht für eine zweite Amtszeit an. Ein Favorit für ihre Nachfolge steht bereits fest.

Die Präsidentin des Zentralrats der Juden in Deutschland, Charlotte Knobloch, verzichtet auf eine weitere Amtszeit. Das erklärte die 77-Jährige auf einer Direktoriumssitzung des Gremiums in Frankfurt am Main.

Knobloch sagte vor Journalisten, das Präsidium und das Direktorium hätten ihr "das volle und uneingeschränkte Vertrauen" ausgesprochen. Zuvor war spekuliert worden, dass Knobloch auf Druck aus den Gremien ihr Amt vorzeitig aufgeben würde. Die Zeit etwa berichtete diese Woche unter Berufung auf Zentralratskreise, die 77-Jährige reagiere mit ihrem Verzicht auf Kritik an ihrer Amtsführung im engeren Führungskreis des Zentralrats. >>> AP/dpa/hai/dmo | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Uni Pays for Banned Cleric to Preach Hate
SUNDAY EXPRESS: BANNED Muslim hate preacher Anjem Choudary has sparked outrage after he was flown to Ireland to spout his ­bigoted views to 250 university students.

Choudary’s Islam4UK group and its parent organisation al-Muhajiroun were banned last month by Home Secretary Alan Johnson under legislation to outlaw the glorification of terrorism.

However, the student law society of University College Dublin paid for him to fly over to be a guest speaker at a ­debate with the motion that ­women’s rights should trump religious doctrine. The society also paid for his hotel.

Father-of-four Choudary opposed the motion, saying Muslim women were not suppressed or subjugated.

“There is nothing like Islam to emancipate women from slavery and servitude to men, from the cosmetics industry, fashion and pornography and all the other ways in which man tries to dehumanise ­women,” he claimed.

Maryam Namazie, who proposed the motion, hit back saying women’s rights were being denied under Sharia law, citing a woman’s inability to sign her own marriage contract and that women can be stoned for being ­unfaithful. >>> James Murray | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Norman Tebbit – It's Time to Close the Door. Britain Must Move Towards a Policy of Zero Net Immigration
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: … Let me be open about where I stand. These islands are our islands. They do not belong to the political classes, the European Commission, the United Nations, nor the government of the day. We live here and it is we, the people, who have the absolute right to decide who may, and who may not, come here and upon what conditions they come.

That is probably enough to have me held under suspicion of racism and worse. But there is more to come.

Immigration can, and in the past often has, brought benefits to the host population and to the immigrants. I am not thinking just of the Huguenots, nor the Jewish refugees fleeing from Hitler’s national socialist persecution, nor the Poles, Czechs and Slovaks who played a critical if not decisive role in the Battle of Britain. More recently I have concluded that, although I was of the view that the Ugandan Asian refugees should have gone to India rather than come here, it is clear that they have been major contributors to the economy and society more generally.

Again, I have no problem with the recent wave of central European migrants. Overwhelmingly, they have come here to work. They mostly pay their taxes. Many will return home; those who stay will integrate into our society. I know few more British men than some of my old aircrew friends, Jasinski, Kryzanowski, Schermak, Gelbaur, Grzybowski, and more whose grandchildren are utterly British but bear their names with pride. Oh, and I had bettter declare an interest. I have employed quite a few central Europeans to care for my wife.

The characterisic that such immigrants have in common is at least an acceptance of our ways, and more often a sharing of the inheritance that has shaped our habits and culture here in this European offshore island. Read on and comment >>> Norman Tebbit | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Safe Seat for Conservatives’ First Muslim MP
MAIL ONLINE: A 40-year-old bus driver's son is poised to become the Tories' first Muslim MP after being selected for a safe Conservative seat yesterday.

Sajid Javid was chosen to succeed Bromsgrove Tory MP Julie Kirkbride - who has a 10,000 majority - after she was forced to announce she would not fight the seat at the next General Election following a scandal over her expenses.

English-born Mr Javid, who went to a state school and studied economics and politics at Exeter University, had a successful career as a banker. Bus Driver's Son Sajid Javid Set to Be Tories' First Muslim MP >>> | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Gay Marriage Puts Mexico City at Center of Debate
THE NEW YORK TIMES: MEXICO CITY — Angela Alfarache and Ivonne Cervantes met at a party 16 years ago and have been a couple ever since, filling their lives with books and writing and friends. After their daughter, Constanza, was born six years ago, they became a family.

Mexican law never saw it that way. Only Constanza’s biological mother — the pair will not say which one gave birth to her because, as they explain, they are both her mothers — is her legal parent. The law does not recognize the other mother.

In a few weeks, that will change. A new Mexico City law goes into effect March 4 that will allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children, propelling the city to the forefront of the global gay rights movement.

“We want society to change its chip that says there is only one kind of family,” said Ms. Alfarache.

But fierce opposition erupted almost as soon as the law was passed on Dec. 22. In his final homily of the year in Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera said, “Today the family is under attack in its essence by the equivalence of homosexual unions with marriage between a man and a woman.” Roman Catholic groups asked the conservative federal government to intervene.

President Felipe Calderón said the Constitution defined marriage as between a man and a woman, although legal experts disagree. His attorney general filed a challenge before the Supreme Court, arguing that the law violates a constitutional clause protecting the family. >>> Elisabeth Malkin | Saturday, February 06, 2010

Paris: Männer in Burka rauben Postfiliale aus
DIE PRESSE: Zwei mit Ganzkörperschleiern Maskierte erbeuteten unerkannt 4500 Euro. Erst als sie die Waffen zogen und Geld verlangten wurde offenbar, dass es sich nicht um Frauen handelt.

Äußerst ungewöhnlich getarnt haben zwei Männer in der Nähe von Paris eine Postfiliale überfallen. Statt ihr Gesicht mit der in Gangsterkreisen üblichen Sturmhaube zu verdecken, hüllten sich die Räuber komplett in muslimische Ganzkörperschleier. Erst als sie eine Waffe zogen, bemerkten viele der Postkunden, dass es sich bei den beiden Burka-Trägern nicht um muslimische Frauen handelte. >>> DiePresse.com | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Armed Robbers Disguised in Burkhas Carry Out £4,000 Raid
MAIL ONLINE: Armed robbers disguised in burkhas have escaped with thousands in cash after carrying out a post office raid in Paris.

The crime – which took place yesterday in the suburb of Athis Mons – comes following calls for the controversial garments to be banned.
 
President Nicolas Sarkozy himself has described them as a ‘security risk’, saying they provide the perfect cover for criminals or terrorists.

Now those fighting for the ban claim the robbery – which is the first of its kind in France – shows how useful the burkha is as a disguise.

It took place at around 10.30am, when two robbers carrying pistols entered the main post office bank building in Athis Mons, which has a large immigrant Muslim community, mainly from North Africa.

Once inside they ordered a bank clerk to take out the equivalent of £4,000 in cash by pointing a pistol at him. After ten minutes they fled to a nearby car park and escaped. >>> Peter Allen | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Ils braquent la poste en burqa
lePARISIEN.fr: Deux hommes, dissimulés sous une burqa, ont braqué le bureau de poste d’Athis-Mons (Essonne) pour un butin de 4 500 € .

Si le braquage n’était pas très juteux, le costume était insolite. Hier matin, vers 10 h 30, deux personnes vêtues de burqa et de baskets se sont attaquées à un bureau de poste à Athis-Mons (Essonne). Les malfrats sont repartis avec un butin estimé à 4 500 €. « J’ai d’abord cru que c’étaient des femmes, raconte Sonia, un témoin de la scène.

Je les ai vus traverser la route. Ils étaient grands et baraqués. Et en les voyant courir sous leur burqa noire, avec leurs baskets, j’ai compris que c’étaient des hommes. » >>> Céline Carez et Florence Mereo | Dimanche 07 Février 2010

Iran will selbst Uran anreichern: Ahmadinejad brüskiert einmal mehr die Weltgemeinschaft
NZZ ONLINE: Neue Wende im Atomstreit zwischen dem Iran und dem Westen: Der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinejad hat entschieden, dass sein Land niedrig angereichertes Uran selber auf 20 Prozent bringt.

Das teilte Ahmadinejad am Sonntag in einer Ansprache mit, die vom Staatsfernsehen live übertragen wurde. Er habe Ali-Akbar Salehi, den Direktor der iranischen Atomenergie-Organisation, angewiesen, mit der Produktion zu beginnen, sagte Ahmadinejad.
Noch vor wenigen Tagen hatte der iranische Staatschef angedeutet, im Atomstreit einzulenken und einen Vertrag zum Uran-Austausch mit den Nuklearmächten abzuschliessen. >>> sda/afp | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Urananreicherung in Iran: Ahmadineschad trotzt allen Drohungen des Westens
Während die Sicherheitskonferenz in München zu Ende geht, spricht der iranische Präsident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Teheran bereits auf der Eröffnung einer Lasertechnik-Firma. Foto: Zeit Online
ZEIT ONLINE: Der iranische Präsident lässt ab sofort auf 20 Prozent angereichertes Uran produzieren. Guttenberg sprach also zurecht von einer ausgestreckten Hand, die ins Leere greife. >>> Josef Joffe | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Sarah Palin Talks of 'Revolution' at Tea Party Meeting
THE TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin tried to rally conservatives on Saturday night at a national convention of the "Tea Party" movement, taking aim at President Barack Obama on everything from big government to teleprompters.

"I believe in this movement ... America is ready for another revolution," said Palin, former Alaska governor and Republican John McCain's running mate in the 2008 election won by Obama.

The Nashville convention brought together hundreds of activists from the "Tea Party" group, which hopes to make a splash in the 2010 congressional elections and beyond.

The three-day event had been plagued by infighting, pullouts and criticism of tickets costing more than $500.

But the appearance of Palin, the darling of the US conservative movement, raised its profile and gave her a national platform to appeal directly to an emerging base for the Republican Party.

In a speech that made frequent appeals to patriotism and faith, Palin used the folksy, Washington-outsider rhetoric to lambaste Obama and his Democratic Party.

"How's that hope-y, change-y stuff working out for you?" she asked, mocking the slogans of hope and change that swept Obama's campaign into to the White House. >>> | Sunday, February 07, 2010

Sarah Palin Keynote Speech at National Tea Party Convention


THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Tea Party Activists Ponder How to Win Elections: NASHVILLE—Tea Party activists gathered in Tennessee this weekend grappled with a central question looming over the burgeoning political movement: Where does it go from here?

The early consensus suggests the those most associated with Tea-Party activism might change their focus from staging political rallies like the one held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. last September, to attempting to win elections. >>> Susan Davis | Saturday, February 06, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin: it 'would be absurd' not to consider White House bid: Sarah Palin on Sunday set her sights on the White House, saying it "would be absurd" not to consider running against Barack Obama in 2012. >>> Alex Spillius in Nashville | Sunday, February 07, 2010

LE TEMPS: États-Unis – Nouvelle révolution conservatrice en marche? : Des centaines d’Américains représentant les «vraies valeurs de l’Amérique» se réunissent ce week-end à Nashville où se tient la première convention nationale du «tea party» >>> Luis Lema | Samedi 06 Février 2010

Washington DC: Hundreds Gather for Snowball Fight

The Jewish Dilemma of Accepting Evangelical Support
HAARETZ: Israel may have become a punching bag for much of the world, but 50 million Americans back the Jewish state 100 percent, no ifs, buts or maybes.

As portrayed in the striking documentary "Waiting for Armageddon," these supporters are Christian Evangelicals who are neither rural hicks nor ranting fanatics.

What they hold in common is an unshakeable faith that every inch of Israel/Palestine belongs to the Jews. "They want the Muslims to be evicted by the Jews, the Jews to rebuild the Temple of Solomon and then Christ to return and trump everyone," one analyst explains in the film. >>> | Friday, February 05, 2010

Deutschland: Wirtschaftskrieg mit der Schweiz
20 MINUTEN ONLINE: Deutschland spürt empfindlich den Abgang von Fachkräften, die sich bevorzugt in der Schweiz niederlassen. Besonders die dauerhafte Auswanderung macht Sorgen. Jetzt will die Bundesregierung Gegensteuer geben.

Der deutsche Wirtschaftsminister Rainer Brüderle (FDP) kündigt in einem Interview mit der Zeitung «Sonntag» an, Deutschland werde eine «Rückholpolitik» starten, um Landsleute aus der Schweiz zurück zu gewinnen. «Wir verlieren Fachkräfte, Wissenschaftler und andere Topleute», sagt Brüderle. Man müsse sie «als Wachstumspole zurückgewinnen». Brain-Drain: Berlin will die Deutschen zurückholen >>> | Sonntag, 07. Februar 2010

Conférence de Munich : Guido Westerwelle préconise une armée européenne
20 MINUTES ONLINE: Le chef de la diplomatie allemande Guido Westerwelle s'est fixé comme «objectif à long terme» la «mise sur pied d'une armée européenne sous plein contrôle parlementaire».

Il s'exprimait samedi devant la 46e Conférence sur la sécurité de Munich.

«L'UE doit assumer son rôle politique en tant qu'acteur mondial» et «réagir de manière souple et rapide» aux crises internationales, a-t-il souligné. «Nous voulons une gestion de crise européenne forte», a martelé M. Westerwelle.

Selon lui, le traité de Lisbonne a «ouvert un nouveau chapitre» d'une Union européenne «plus démocratique et parlementaire», mais «ne constitue pas une fin mais un début».

«Ce traité dessine une politique de sécurité et de défense commune» et «le gouvernement fédéral (allemand) veut poursuivre sur cette voie», a-t-il insisté. >>> Samedi 06 Fébruar 2010