Egypt Gripped by Rising Muslim-Christian Tensions
Hundreds of Egyptian Muslims protesting against what they allege are abuses by Egypt's Coptic Church. Photograph: TIME
TIME: Around 200 men flooded out of the al-Qa'id Ibrahim mosque into the midday sunlight following the Friday afternoon prayers in Alexandria. They held up banners before the hundreds of black-clad riot police who were there to greet them, and immediately began to chant. "Shenouda is the enemy of God," they yelled, referring to Pope Shenouda III, the head of the Coptic Church, Egypt's largest religious minority. "Shenouda is an infidel ... State security, where is your Islam? Why did you leave the criminals alone?"

Much of the rage expressed by the members of the hard-line Salafi sect of Islam stems from one woman. Not much is known about Camilia Shehata, a priest's wife from Upper Egypt, whose story (or lack thereof) has gripped the Middle East's most populous nation since the summer, sparking waves of angry protests and emotional editorials. Shehata disappeared from her home for several days in July after having reportedly converted to Islam — some say in an effort to get a divorce, which is not permitted by the Coptic Church. At first, the Christians protested — accusing Muslims of kidnapping a Christian and forcing her to convert. When she re-emerged, it was the Muslims' turn. Many now believe Shehata was forcibly returned to her home and the Coptic Church by state authorities, only to become sequestered against her will within the confines of a monastery.

"We do not know anything except that she was married to a priest and she ran away from that marriage. Everything else is just rumors, and that is the problem," says Amr Khafagy, the editor in chief of the independent al-Shorouq newspaper, which has run four stories and an editorial about Shehata. "The government never said the absolute truth and the church never said the absolute truth. And the media blew these rumors out of proportion."

It's not the first time a Christian has converted to Islam, but conversion has long been a sensitive issue in a state where Copts worry about rising Muslim religiosity and Muslims increasingly see Copts as existing outside the law. It is also one of the first times the state has interfered in an individual's conversion, claims Rafiq Habib, a Coptic intellectual. If they hadn't, he says, this never would have gotten so out of hand. "From the public perspective, it was a sign that the role of the church and the position of the Copts has changed in the last years — that they have become allies of the state and allies of the President."

Wafaa Constantine, who was also the wife of a priest, reportedly converted to Islam in 2004 and wound up in a monastery as well. Neither woman has appeared in public since their returns to the church, and the Salafi protests of late have invoked both names. "Today we hold a standoff to free our sister hostages from the church," explained one of the protesters, Atef Wael. "Whenever a sister converts to Islam, they keep her in the church and they torture her to make her appear before the media saying that she is a Christian, not a Muslim." Other protesters outside the mosque on Friday and in recent weeks have displayed pictures of women they allege are Shehata, Constantine and others held captive by the church. Some sobbed as they chanted slogans comparing their struggle to the Crusades. >>> Abigail Hauslohner, Alexandria | Monday, November 08, 2010

Brutality in Egypt Prompts Facebook/Twitter/YouTube Protest

Security Increased Around Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Security around Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the French first lady, has been "drastically" beefed up following al-Qaeda warnings that France is a priority terrorist target.

Last week, Osama bin Laden issued a threat to kill French nationals for their government's support of the war in Afghanistan and a ban on the full Islamic veil.

Shortly afterwards, Greek police intercepted a booby-trapped parcel bomb addressed to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

According to the Pure People website, security services have received "credible intelligence" that the threat to the President but also his wife has increased.

The website said: "There is no question of the couple ever going out without an armed escort. Details of all their movements are being kept secret until the very last moment. Their schedule is randomly changed and family and friends informed at the at the latest possible moment." >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, November 08, 2010

Radical Yemeni Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki Calls for Killing of Americans
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A US-born radical Yemeni cleric has called for the killing of Americans in a new video message posted on radical web sites on Monday.

Anwar al-Awlaki said Americans are from the "party of devils" and so don't require any special religious permission to kill.

In the 23-minute Arabic language message entitled "Make it known and clear to mankind," al-Awlaki said it was "either them or us". He also called all Arab and Yemeni leaders "corrupt" and said it was time for religious scholars to take charge.

"Kings, emirs, and presidents are not now qualified to lead the nation, or even a flock of sheep," he said. "If the leaders are corrupt, the scholars have the responsibility to lead the nation." >>> | Monday, November 08, 2010

Gegen den Islam in Deutschland und Europa!

FRANKFURT-LIVE.COM: Regierungswechsel wird begrüßt: Die Deutschen sehen den Islam nicht als Bestandteil Deutschlands >>> | Montag, 08. November 2010

Spanien: Kussdemo gegen Papstbesuch
WELT ONLINE: Mehrere schwule Pärchen haben in Barcelona gegen den Papst-Besuch von Benedikt XVI. und die Diskriminierung von Schwulen demonstriert

Zum Video >>>

Hispanic Muslims (Musulmanes) in Puerto Rico / Latino Embracing Islam in Puerto Rico

Obama on Trade with India

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Visite du Pape en Espagne – Benoît XVI appelle à protéger la famille, union "d'un homme et d'une femme"
"L'amour généreux et indissoluble d'un homme et d'une femme est le cadre efficace et le fondement de la vie humaine", a souligné le pape dans son homélie, lors de la messe solennelle de consécration de la Sagrada Familia. Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Le pape Benoît XVI a consacré dimanche la basilique de la Sagrada Familia à Barcelone, chef-d'oeuvre de Gaudi, symbole des valeurs traditionnelles de la famille qu'il a défendues en dénonçant le mariage homosexuel et l'avortement. Peu avant, Benoît XVI avait été accueilli sur le chemin de la Sagrada Familia aux cris de "pédophile", "va-t-en" par 200 homosexuels s'embrassant à pleine bouche pour dénoncer les "discriminations" dont ils se disent victimes.



Au deuxième jour de sa visite en Espagne, un pays qui a légalisé le mariage homosexuel et libéralisé l'avortement, où la laïcité gagne du terrain, le pape, dans son homélie, a défendu la famille comme union "indissoluble d'un homme et d'une femme". Il a dénoncé l'avortement, dont la libéralisation cette année est l'une des réformes phares du gouvernement socialiste de José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, en rappelant que l'Église "s'oppose à toute forme de négation de la vie". >>> Source AFP | Dimanche 07 Novembre 2010

Archbishop of Canterbury Warns of Forced Jobs 'Despair'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Government plans to force the long-term unemployed to do unpaid manual labour could drive vulnerable people into a ''downward spiral of uncertainty, even despair'', the Archbishop of Canterbury warned.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will lead the closing session at Davos. Photo: The Sunday Telegraph
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith will this week unveil plans for four-week programmes of compulsory community work doing jobs like litter-picking or gardening for jobless people deemed to have lost the work ethic.

His Cabinet colleague Danny Alexander today said the Work Activity placements would be used as a ''sanction'' against benefit claimants who fail to take advantage of available support to find employment.

But the proposal came under fire from Labour and the unions, with the TUC warning that it would harm jobless people's prospects of finding paid work and would undercut the employment of existing manual labourers.

Asked about the proposed scheme, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, told BBC WM Radio: ''People who are struggling to find work and struggling to find a secure future are, I think, driven further into a sort of downward spiral of uncertainty, even despair, when the pressure is on in this way.''

Under Mr Duncan Smith's plans, job advisers will be able to direct jobseekers who they believe would ''benefit from experiencing the habits and routines of working life'' to undertake a 30-hour-a-week work placement.

Postings are likely to be provided by charities or councils and will be designed to offer the jobseeker the opportunity to gain work discipline and skills while benefiting their local community. They will be required to continue seeking permanent work while on a placement.

Anyone refusing to take part or failing to turn up on time could have their £65-a-week Jobseekers Allowance stopped for at least three months. >>> | Sunday, November 07, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Work-shy will be 'pushed' into working for free by welfare revolution: People who do not try hard enough to find a job will be forced to work for free or lose their benefits, the Government will announce this week. >>> Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, November 06, 2010

Sven Lau - Integration

EZP MuslimTube

Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain: Episode 1

Schweizer entdecken Allah (Sonja und Walter)

”Islam wird die Schweiz erobern” – Dawa in den Schweizer Alpen!

EZP MuslimTube

Ofsted Praises Islamic Schools Which Oppose Western Lifestyle
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ofsted and the Charity Commission are today accused of "whitewashing" hardline Islamic schools which are helping to radicalise a new generation of young British Muslims.

Among the schools directly inspected by Ofsted was the Madani Girls' School, a private Islamic school in London's East End. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has established that the education watchdog has published positive reports praising Muslim schools for their contribution to community cohesion — even in the case of a school which openly states that Muslims “oppose the lifestyle of the West”.

The Ofsted inspector responsible for many of the reports, Michele Messaoudi, has been accused of having links to radical Islamist organisations.

This newspaper can reveal that another recent Ofsted inspector, Akram Khan-Cheema, is the chief executive of a radical Muslim educational foundation, IBERR.

Its website describes Islamic schools as “one of the most important factors which protect Muslim children from the onslaught of Euro-centrism, homosexuality, racism, and secular traditions”.

Ofsted has also passed the inspection of dozens of Muslim schools to a new private “faith schools watchdog”, the Bridge Schools Inspectorate, which is co-controlled by Islamic schools’ own lobbying and trade body, the Association of Muslim Schools.

The Bridge Schools Inspectorate allows Muslim head teachers to inspect each other’s schools.

Among the schools directly inspected by Ofsted was the Madani Girls’ School, a private Islamic school in London’s East End.

Its Ofsted report, written by Mrs Messaoudi, said it made pupils “aware of their future role as proactive young British Muslim women” and left them “well-prepared for life in a multicultural society”.

However, the Madani Girls’ School’s own website openly states: “If we oppose the lifestyle of the West, then it does not seem sensible that the teachers and the system which represents that lifestyle should educate our children.”

It says that under western education “our children will distance themselves from Islam until there is nothing left but their beautiful names”. >>> Andrew Gilligan | Saturday, November 06, 2010

Gay Bishop Gene Robinson Announces Plan to Retire Early
THE GUARDIAN: Long-running controversy, including death threats, "takes its toll" on Right Rev Gene Robinson who plans to call it day seven years ahead of schedule

US Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the church's first openly gay bishop, is to retire early. Photograph: The Guardian
An openly gay bishop whose appointment split the Anglican church is to resign, saying the last seven years had "taken their toll" on him, his family and his flock.

The Right Rev Gene Robinson, of New Hampshire, revealed his plans yesterday, at at annual diocesan meeting. He will be 65 when he steps down, seven years below the retirement age.

He told the convention that being in the eye of the storm had proved too much.

He said: "Death threats, and the now-worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop, have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark, who has faithfully stood with me every minute of the last seven years, and in some ways, you.

"While I believe that these attitudes, mostly outside the diocese, have not distracted me from my service to you, I would be less than honest if I didn't say that they have certainly added a burden and certain anxiety to my episcopate."

He said he would continue his work with the "unchurched" and "dechurched" on college campuses and public forums, showing no intention of retiring from public life. >>> Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent | Sunday, November 07, 2010

Suu Kyi Too Hot for Asia's Most Brutal Regime to Handle
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Burma's political heroine has spent 15 of the past 20 years under arrest. Now, as the country goes to the polls, her fate hangs in the balance

She is by some stretch the most abused political heroine alive today. She has been confined to her crumbling family home in Rangoon for more than 15 of the past 20 years. Her two sons, Alex and Kim, have for many years been barred from visiting her – Kim, now 33, is in Bangkok trying to get a visa so he can see his mother for the first time in 10 years. The last wish of her gravely ill husband, Michael Aris – to die in her arms – was brutally snubbed.

But in one week's time all that could be in the past and Aung San Suu Kyi could walk through the rusty iron gates of 54 University Avenue, Rangoon, a free woman again.

Or will she? >>> Peter Popham | Sunday, November 07, 2010

Belgischer Erzbischof bekommt Torte ins Gesicht
WELT ONLINE: Erzbischof André Léonards Ansichten über Pädophilie, Homosexuelle und Aids sind umstritten. Dafür bekam er jetzt die Quittung.

Der umstrittene Erzbischof André Léonard. Bild: Welt Online
In Belgien ist Medienberichten zufolge Erzbischof André Léonard eine kleine Torte ins Gesicht geschlagen worden. Der Vorfall ereignete sich bereits am Montag. Ein am Samstag im Internet veröffentlichtes Video zeigt, wie ein junger Mann sich dem Kleriker während einer Messe zu Allerheiligen nähert und ihm die Torte ins Gesicht schlägt.

Einem Kirchenvertreter zufolge will Léonard keine Anzeige gegen unbekannt erstatten. Léonard steht in Belgien in der Kritik, nachdem er Verständnis für Priester geäußert hatte, die der Pädophilie beschuldigt wurden, und gesagt hatte, dass Aids die gerechte Strafe für Homosexuelle sei. >>> dapd/fp | Samstag, 06. November 2010

Monseigneur entarté!

Un Saoudien se convertit au Christianisme en direct TV

Ruba Qewar, revenue au Christ, enlève son hijab: رُبى قعوار

Top Charities Give £200,000 to Group Which Supported al-Qaeda Cleric
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The radical cleric accused of inspiring the cargo bomb plot has been backed by a prominent British campaign group which has financial support from leading charities.

Cageprisoners, a self-styled human rights organisation, has a long association with Anwar al-Awlaki, who was last week accused of being one of the figures behind the terrorist plot to blow up cargo planes which saw a powerful device defused at East Midlands Airport.

The Islamic preacher, based in Yemen, was invited to address two Cageprisoners' fundraising dinners via video link, one last year and one in 2008.

The group has now told its backers that it no longer supports the cleric and that it "disagreed" with him over "the killing of civilians".

But an examination of the Cageprisoners website last week suggested that its support for the cleric was as strong as ever.

Cageprisoners was set up to lobby on behalf of terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay and those monitored under control orders in the UK.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that it is being funded by the Joseph Rowntree Trust, a Quaker-run fund set up by the chocolate-maker and philanthropist a century ago, and The Roddick Foundation, a charity set up by the family of Anita Roddick, the Body Shop founder, after her death three years ago.

The Joseph Rowntree Trust is giving Cageprisoners £170,000 in donations over three years - with the latest payment due this month - and The Roddick Foundation another £25,000.

In its website, recently re-branded with some of the charities' cash, Cageprisoners carries more than 20 articles about al-Awlaki, describing him as an 'inspiration' and casting doubt on the evidence he is involved in terrorism. >>> Jason Lewis, Investigations Editor | Saturday, November 06, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Inside Yemen's al Qaeda heartland: In a special despatch, The Sunday Telegraph looks at the lawless Yemeni region that is the haunt of Anwar al Awlaki and other leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. >>> Tom Finn in Sana'a, Bill Lowther in Washington, Philip Sherwell and Colin Freeman | Saturday, November 06, 2010

Grösster Christus der Welt in Polen errichtet: Überdimensionierte Statue misst rund 40 Meter
Gross: Die Christus-Stuatue [sic] in Polen misst über 40 Meter. Bild: NZZ Online
NZZ ONLINE: Mit einem Tag Verspätung ist am Samstag in einer polnischen Kleinstadt eine gigantische Christus-Statue errichtet worden. Sie soll noch ein paar Meter höher sein als das berühmte Vorbild in Rio de Janeiro in Brasilien. >>> sda/afp | Samstag, 06. November 2010

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La construction de la plus haute statue du Christ est achevée: POLOGNE | Le «Cristo» de Rio de Janeiro est battu de trois mètres: érigé à Swiebodzin, dans l'ouest de la Pologne, le plus haut Christ du monde mesure 36 mètres. >>> ATS | Samedi 06 Novembre 2010

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Giant Jesus statue completed in Polish town: Workers in a small Polish town lifted the shoulders and arms onto a giant statue of Jesus Christ that its creators say will be the biggest in the world. >>> | Sunday, November 07, 2010

The West Is Turning Against Big Government - But What Comes Next?
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The struggle to curtail the social democratic state could have ugly consequences, says Janet Daley.

There seems to be only one political argument of interest left in the Western democracies: how “big” should the state be, and what are the proper limits of its responsibilities? Abstract as it may sound, this question has had a quite startling impact on the everyday experience – and voting habits – of people in the most advanced countries of the world.

In the United States, the electorate’s considered answer to it has humiliated a president and swept an extraordinary number of neophytes – whose primary attraction was their loathing of government power – into the most powerful legislature in history. In Britain, it has become the dominant theme (in fact, the raison d’être) of a coalition between a Left-of-centre party and a Right-of-centre one, which has managed to achieve a remarkable degree of agreement on the need to reduce – or, at least, to examine rigorously – the role of government intervention in all areas of social life.

The dominant economies of Europe, too, are going through quite momentous re-examinations of the post-war philosophy which accepted the state as an unquestionable source of benevolence and all-pervasive social justice. And this massive reassessment of the role of government has not come about simply because of the economic crisis, and the terrifying degree of sovereign debt which it produced. The governments of what were the richest countries in the world may be broke, but what is interesting is their response to this: the plan is not to make themselves rich enough once again to do all the things that they used to do, but to rethink the whole enterprise so that government never again finds itself so extravagantly overextended.

On this side of the Atlantic, there is now a broad understanding that the social democratic project itself is unsustainable: that it has grown wildly beyond the principles of its inception and that the consequences of this are not only unaffordable, but positively damaging to national life and character. The US, bizarrely, is running at least 10 years behind in this process, having elected a government which chose to embark on the social democratic experiment at precisely the moment when its Western European inventors were despairing of it, and desperately trying to find politically palatable ways of winding it down.

The American people – being made of rather different stuff and having historical roots which incline them to be distrustful of government in any form – immediately rejected the whole idea. But in Britain, too, among real people (as opposed to ideological androids) there is a general sense that governments – even when they are elected by a mass franchise – become out of touch and out of control, and that something essential to human dignity and potential is under threat from their overweening interference. Read on and comment >>> Janet Daley | Saturday, November 06, 2010

Ron Paul: No Weapons for Saudi Arabia!


RONPAUL.COM: This month the US Administration notified Congress that it intends to complete one of the largest arms sales in US history to one of the most repressive regimes on earth. Saudi Arabia has been given the green light by the administration to spend $60 billion on some 84 new F-15 aircraft, dozens of the latest helicopters, and other missiles, bombs, and high-tech military products from the US weapons industry.

Saudi Arabia, from where 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers came, is a family-run dictatorship, where there are no political parties, no independent press, and where any form of political dissent is met with the most severe punishment. We are told that we must occupy Afghanistan to encourage more rights for women, an issue on which the Saudi regime makes the Taliban look rather liberal by comparison. We are told that our increasingly aggressive policies toward Iran are justified by that country’s rigid Islamic laws and human-rights violations, while the even more repressive Islamic rule in Saudi Arabia is never mentioned.

So why would the US government, which spends hundreds of billions of dollars yearly and maintains hundreds of bases overseas to push global democracy, approve a deal like this with such a regime? As Stockholm Institute scholar Pieter Wezeman told the Washington Post, “Of course it’s against Iran. Of course it’s against Yemen. You can read between the lines … but there are not any official statements about it.” Although the deal must be approved by Congress, there is little chance of any significant Congressional opposition for the above reason. >>>Ron Paul | Monday, November 01, 2010

Ron Paul >>>

HT: Individual >>>

Swedes in Shock at King Carl Gustaf Sex Scandal
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sweden has been shocked by revelations about their quietly dignified King.

Five months ago, the Swedish royal family was the toast of Europe. All eyes were trained on Stockholm as the glamorous Crown Princess Victoria wed her long-time boyfriend in a fairy-tale ceremony, and the world's press clamoured for a glimpse of the elegant Swedish royals and their regal guests.

Now the international media is again camped outside the gates of Stockholm's Drottningholm Palace – but this time for far less congratulatory reason.

Revelations last week that the King of Sweden once enjoyed romps in seedy nightclubs owned by shadowy underworld figures have eclipsed the sparkle of July's wedding. King Carl XVI Gustaf, the stern-looking, bespectacled monarch who is honorary chairman of the World Scout Foundation, has found himself thrust uncomfortably in the spotlight following the publication of an unflinching book, Carl XVI Gustaf – Den motvillige monarken (Carl XVI Gustaf – The reluctant monarch) which catalogues his past predilection for wild, alcohol-fuelled orgies and naked jacuzzi parties with models.

The book has caused uproar and dominated the country's media, leading to nationwide soul-searching about the 64-year-old King's role, reputation and right to privacy.

"Strip clubs, illegal clubs, rented ladies who are naked under their fur coats. Women were simply desserts, used as sweets to be served with the coffee," wrote Katrine Kielos in the daily Aftonbladet newspaper.

"The royal family has always been viewed as an august, fabulous family. But these allegations are so grave that our trust in them is seriously damaged," said Jenny Madestam, a political analyst. "The King is not even denying it."

Indeed, the King's bizarre press conference on Thursday – held in a forest after an elk hunt – only served to fan the flames of interest.

"I have spoken with my family and the Queen and we choose to turn the page and move forward because, as I understand, these are things that happened a long time ago," he said – standing in a field, still dressed in his wax jacket and hunting clothes, among a sea of camera crews and reporters.

His handling of the book's publication has shocked some observers.

"Now is the time for the King to be quiet and give no comments. Instead, he says yes to a press conference in the middle of the forest where anything can happen. It is like playing Russian roulette," said Paul Ronge, a PR expert, in the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper.

"His statement can be interpreted as a confession. It is beneath his dignity to even comment a gossip book about his private life. Now the plug is gone and the papers can print page after page with material from the book.

"For the royal court to handle the issue like kindergarten behaviour, without responsibility is very serious". >>> Harriet Alexander | Saturday, November 06, 2010

Walid Shoebat: Learn Islam in 10 Minutes

Deutschland steht in Gefahr! Warum sind Sie zum Islam konvertiert?

Eulogy to Reagan by Thatcher

Ronald Reagan’s Funeral

Europarat: Muslime werden stigmatisiert
DIE PRESSE: Der Menschenrechts-Experte des Europarats, Thomas Hammarberg, erkennt eine "wachsende Intoleranz" gegenüber Muslimen in Europa. Ursache dafür seien populistische Debatten in europäischen Ländern.

Der Menschenrechts-Beauftragte des Europarats hat die wachsende Intoleranz gegenüber Muslimen in Europa und die Stigmatisierung des Islam durch populistische Debatten in einigen europäischen Ländern verurteilt. Umfragen zeigten, dass Muslime und die islamische Kultur ein "schlechtes Bild" hätten und dieses zu Angst und Misstrauen führe, erklärte Thomas Hammarberg am Donnerstag in Straßburg. >>> APA | Freitag, 29. Oktober 2010

Pope Reflects on Life Under Nazi Rule As a Youth

Iran: And Not a Chador in Sight!

Ex-President George W. Bush Rips Wisdom of Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and John McCain to Friends
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: WASHINGTON - Two years of retirement haven't dulled George W. Bush's political zest - and President Obama and Sarah Palin are among his under-the-radar targets.

The 43rd President has told friends the ex-Alaska governor isn't qualified to be President and criticizes Arizona Sen. John McCain for putting Palin on the 2008 GOP ticket and handing her a national platform.

"Naming Palin makes Bush think less of McCain as a man," a Republican official familiar with Bush's thinking told the Daily News.

"He thinks McCain ran a lousy campaign with an unqualified running mate and destroyed any chance of winning by picking Palin."

As he prepares for the Tuesday launch of his memoir, "Decision Points," Bush scrupulously gives his successor a public pass - a statesmanlike stance urged by his father, President George H. W. Bush.

"I want my President to succeed because if my President succeeds my country succeeds, and I want my country to succeed," Bush typically says when asked about Obama.

"He won't call Obama by name but he won't trash him," a confidant noted, referring to Bush's comments in post-presidency speaking appearances, which have netted him millions, often at $100,000 or more a pop.

Still, he thinks Obama has failed as a President - a judgment supported by this week's robust Republican gains. >>> Thomas M. Defrank, Daily News Washington Bureau Chief | Friday, November 05, 2010

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Reiterates 9/11 Conspiracy, Accuses the West of Al-Hariri Assassination

Hamas In Their Own Voices

Benoît XVI appelle à revigorer les «racines chrétiennes» en Espagne
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: VISITE PAPALE | Le Pape a prononcé son discours devant le prince Felipe et son épouse Letizia, à Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. Il n'a pas fait allusion au mariage gay ni à l'assouplissement de la loi sur l'avortement, réformes adoptées par le gouvernement Zapatero.

Benoît reçu par le prince Felipe et son épouse Letizia. Photo : Tribune de Genève
Le pape Benoît XVI a appelé samedi à «donner une nouvelle vigueur aux racines chrétiennes» de l’Espagne, fortement laïcisée, et de l’Europe. Il s’exprimait à son arrivée à Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, dans le nord-ouest de l’Espagne, ville de pèlerinage mondialement connue.

«J’appelle l’Espagne et l’Europe à édifier leur présent et à projeter leur avenir à partir de la vérité authentique de l’homme», a déclaré Benoît XVI dans un discours prononcé devant le prince des Asturies Felipe et son épouse Letizia.

Il a cité les paroles prononcées en 1982 par son prédécesseur Jean Paul II lors d’un long périple en Espagne qui avait «exhorté le Vieux Continent à donner une nouvelle vigueur à ses racines chrétiennes». L’Espagne et l’Europe «ne doivent pas se préoccuper seulement des nécessités matérielles des hommes mais aussi de leurs besoins moraux et sociaux, spirituels et religieux», a indiqué le pape. >>> AFP | Samedi 06 Novembre 2010

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Les pèlerins se pressent à Compostelle pour accueillir le pape: ESPAGNE | Les pèlerins se pressaient vendredi dans la ville sainte espagnole de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, pour accueillir samedi Benoît XVI. Le pape pourrait aussi être accueilli par un "french kiss" géant d'homosexuels. >>> AFP | Vendredi 05 Novembre 2010

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Espagne: le pape poursuivra sa campagne contre l’avortement et le mariage gay: VISITE | Le pape Benoît XVI sera en visite samedi et dimanche en Espagne. Il compte y poursuivre sa campagne contre l’avortement et le mariage homosexuel, dans un pays à la pointe des réformes de la société. >>> AFP | Vendredi 05 Novembre 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Der Papst zu Besuch in Spanien eingetroffen: Katholoisches Kirchenoberhaupt spricht von antiklerikaler Haltung im Land >>> ddp | Samstag, 06. November 2010

BBC: Pope Benedict XVI sees 'aggressive secularism' in Spain: Pope Benedict XVI has warned of an "aggressive anti-clericalism" in Spain which he said was akin to that experienced during the 1930s. (With video) >>> | Saturday, November 06, 2010

Stakelbeck on Terror: ‘Eurabia’ Rising

FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS: Stakelbeck on Terror: Eurabia Rising >>> | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Barack Obama Is Doomed – Enter Mrs Clinton
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Despite the efforts of the US media to support St Barack, the Americans are having none of it, writes Simon Heffer.

Four days after the elections, the rage continues. If giving the Democrats a hiding was supposed to soothe the electorate, something has gone wrong. It – or rather the Democrat reaction to it – appears simply to have made things worse.

To the rest of the world, it might have seemed that President Obama’s press conference after the defeat was an admission of personal failure. But it wasn’t: what went wrong was the economy’s fault, he argued – and, by extension, it was the fault of the electorate for not seeing that. Despite the best efforts of the Leftist-dominated media here to support St Barack, the people are having none of it. The result is that his failure to go down on his knees and repent of his big-state, high-spending, pro-bureaucracy, unemployment-boosting policies has left the punters even more choleric than they were already. If he really does want to be a one-term president, he’s going exactly the right way about it.

The anger was further stoked by the President’s decision to leave yesterday on a long trip to India and the Far East. Although it is being sold here as some sort of trade mission – though he is likely to find that whatever America might want to sell in that region, the locals can make it just as well and at a small fraction of the cost – his departure is viewed as an escape from the line of fire.

He is also being heavily criticised for going to a country with a recent history of terrorist outrages, necessitating a security operation that is adding a further large chunk to his country’s national debt. As well as his taking 500 staff, 13 aircraft and four helicopters have already flown in a fleet of cars and communications equipment, and no fewer than 34 US warships are said to be hovering off the coast. Some of his critics here were already drawing comparisons with the court of Louis XVI just before the French Revolution, and this hasn’t helped. Read on and comment >>> Simon Heffer | Friday, November 05, 2010

Anwar al-Awlaki: A Message to the American People
رسالة إلى الشعب الأمريكي : أنور العولقي

MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE - ANWAR AL-AWLAKI
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A Warning to Osama bin Laden: Heed the Lesson of History!
Wann Arbeit nicht so frei macht!
Europe has been established on Judeo-Christian principles. Islam has played almost no part in it. This is an undeniable fact. Further, today, Islam is the antithesis of all Europe stands for: Europe is synonymous with liberal democracy; Islam, by contrast, is synonymous with backwardness and totalitarianism.

In the Twenties and Thirties in Germany, the Jews became the scapegoats of the Germans. Hitler rose to power in the Thirties and demonized them. He managed to convince his fellow Germans that they, the Jews, were the root of all evil in Germany. When in power, he set about his plan to exterminate them. The so-called ‘Final Solution’, die Endlösung, was put in place.

Concentration camps (Konzentrationslager) were set up in Germany, and in occupied countries such as Poland. Such concentration camps as Chelmno (Kulmhof), Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzek, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, Stutthof and Dachau were set up with one sole purpose: to exterminate the Jews.

This was racism in the raw!

Many today find it unbelievable that the Holocaust happened. Many Muslims, in particular, deny that these atrocities happened at all! But they did! That they did is well documented. This is historical fact. No sane person need spare a moment to deny any of it. If you are in any doubt, ask one of the survivors of those death camps! His testimony will be heart-rending indeed! It will show the depths to which man can sink.

This all happened in Europe little more than sixty years ago. Do you think this could not happen again? You would be mistaken if you do! History has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Human nature doesn’t change, as much as we would like to believe that it does. Circumstances change; human nature does not.

If it were to happen again, would the Jews be the ones to be persecuted? Probably not!

In those days, Jews were perceived as the bogeymen of Europe. These days, if any group of people is perceived as the bogeymen, if any group is perceived to threaten Europeans and their way of life, it is Muslims, not Jews. At the moment, there are far too few Jews in Europe to worry about their existence there. Muslims, on the other hand, live in Europe in millions; further, their numbers are growing apace. Today, these are the people Europeans worry about, not Jews.

Islam calls its adherents to live a very different way of life – a way of life quite alien to the way of life of Europeans. Many Europeans therefore feel quite naturally threatened by their growing existence in their midst, especially so because their politicians are too timid to stem Islam’s growth on European soil.

There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden has pushed the cause of Islam in the West. In fact, he has been hell-bent on making Europeans cower to the wishes of Muslims worldwide. European politicians, so far, have shown little will to resist his calls. Indeed, many would say that European politicians have been spineless and have shown little resolve to tackle the very urgent issues that face Europe today vis-à-vis Islam.

This spinelessness is very troubling. This lack of resolve is very troubling, too. Our politicians are appeasing Muslims. They are showing their weakness in the face of Muslims’ apparent strength. This weakness will not lead to any good place! When governments are perceived to be weak, politics is headed for a turn to extremism. We saw this recently in the United Kingdom, when the far right made substantial gains at the polls because of the perceived weakness of the Blair government.

With the present political climate, one might be forgiven for concluding that Europeans are weak, and are therefore ripe for take-over. This would be a wrong conclusion to make, even though it appears that way. What has happened in Europe once, can happen again. Might it, perhaps, merely be a matter of time?

No sane person, no kind person, no sensible person would wish to see a repeat of the Holocaust in Europe. Those were extremely sad times indeed; they should never be repeated. But, to avoid them, we need to learn the lessons of history. Learn why they happened in the first place. Learn why they happened at all. Osama bin Laden and his cronies need to learn these lessons, too.

The root of harmony is tolerance. Today it is believed – erroneously in my opinion - that tolerance can be legislated for. It cannot be. When a people perceives that its way of life is under threat, these people become capable of any act of evil. Our politicians would be wise to realize that people have not become more tolerant, have not become more understanding, and nor have they grown weaker. Deep down, people are the same today as they have always been. They can be pushed so far; but they will be pushed no further!

As abhorrent as the names Treblinka, Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau sound to the modern ear, the atrocities committed in those camps could happen again. Make no mistake about it! Circumstances might have changed; but man has not changed his nature. Nor has he lost his appetite for evil deeds!

If something isn’t done about the Muslim problem in Europe in the near future, the names Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Dachau will not be far from the minds of many Europeans. What happened once can happen again. Osama bin Laden would be wise to take heed!

© Mark Alexander

All Rights Reserved

Originally posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 >>>

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Islamophobia Like 1930s Anti-Semitism: Islamic Forum Head
AFP: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Growing Islamophobia echoes the rise of anti-Semitism in the 1930s with US leaders resisting it but Europeans abetting the trend for political gain, the head of the world's largest Islamic group said.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said xenophobia directed at Muslim immigrants was taking hold, especially in Europe.

Vote-seeking politicians were advancing extremist groups behind the anti-Muslim sentiment.

"This issue has become a political agenda item," the Turkish head of the 58-member OIC told AFP in an interview, while stressing that Islam was also a European religion.

"What worries me is that political authorities or political parties, instead of stopping this, or fighting this, some of them are using this for their political ends, to gain more popular support in elections," he said.

"I'm afraid that we are going through a process like the beginning of the '30s of the last century, when an anti-Semitic agenda became politically a big issue (together with) the rise of fascism and Naziism .... I think now we are in the first stages of such a thing."

A "pandemic of Islam vilification" is rising steadily, he warned, as documented by the OIC's newly-established office to monitor Islamophobia around the globe. >>> Paul Handley (AFP) | Friday, November 05, 2010

Türkei will Islam an Schulen forcieren
DIE PRESSE: Nachdem das Kopftuchverbot an Universitäten de facto gefallen ist, nimmt die Regierung nun den Schulunterricht ins Visier. Die Schule solle Werte vermitteln, die auf dem „Glauben an Gott“ basieren.

[Istanbul] Bei Verfechtern einer laizistischen Türkei schrillten diese Woche wieder einmal die Alarmglocken: Diesmal ging es nicht um das Kopftuch an Universitäten, sondern um die Bedeutung des Islam an Schulen. Die soll steigen, wie Vorschlägen zu entnehmen ist, die der nationale Unterrichtsrat laut der Zeitung „Hürriyet“ diskutierte. Sie würden den Charakter des Unterrichts verändern.

So wurde vorgeschlagen, die Schule solle Werte vermitteln, die auf dem „Glauben an Gott“ basieren und dies in islamischer Terminologie. Angeblich wurde auch über die Möglichkeit getrennter Klassen für Buben und Mädchen diskutiert. Der Rat stimmte schließlich für eine Empfehlung, die sich nicht direkt auf die Religion bezieht, die Zahl der Schüler an religiösen Schulen aber erheblich erhöhen könnte. Im türkischen Schulsystem ist zwar Religionsunterricht als Pflichtfach per Verfassung vorgeschrieben. Alle Schüler außer Christen werden in sunnitischer Religion unterwiesen, ob ihre Eltern wollen oder nicht. >>> Jan Keetman | Donnerstag, 04. November 2010

Muslimischer Islamkritiker
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: «Kulturplatz»-Talk mit Politologe Hamed Abdel-Samad

Barack Obama Suffers Another Defeat as He Is Knocked Off Forbes Power Top Spot
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, has been named the most powerful person on Earth knocking Barack Obama off the top spot.

The annual list, compiled by Forbes, the business magazine, places David Cameron, the British prime minister, at seven, behind Angela Merkel, the German chancellor in the list of 68.

Forbes explained that those on the list had been chosen “because, in various ways, they bend the world to their will”.

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia came in third behind Mr Jintao and Mr Obama, while Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister was fourth, ahead of Dmitry Medvedev, who only came in at 12.

Pope Benedict XVI was in fifth place, while the rest of the top 10 was rounded off by Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, Sonia Gandhi, the Indian president, and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mr Gates finished ahead of Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, who was in 17th place.

The list, another blow to the US president, cited his party’s poor performance in the midterm elections. Read on and comment >>> | Friday, November 05, 2010

Hate Preacher Abu Hamza Wins Human Rights Bid to Stop British Government Stripping Him of UK Passport
MAIL ONLINE: Hate preacher Abu Hamza has won his appeal against the Government's attempts to strip him of his British passport, a special tribunal ruled today.

The radical cleric argued that such a move would render him 'stateless' as he had already been stripped of his Egyptian citizenship.

Delivering its 12-page ruling today, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) allowed his appeal.

The hook-handed cleric, who acquired a British passport through marriage, is serving seven years in maximum security Belmarsh Prison after being convicted for inciting murder and racial hatred in 2006.

The Home Office sort to remove the British citizenship he received in 1986 so he could be deported.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Mitting said: 'We are satisfied on balance of probabilities that if a deprivation order were to be made, the appellant (Hamza) would be made stateless.

'The conclusions which we have reached in the closed judgment supplement, but do not contradict, that conclusion.
'Accordingly, this appeal is allowed.'

But the 52-year-old used a high-powered team of legal eagles - funded by the taxpayer - to successfully argue his case.

A leading QC and team of lawyers all acted for Hamza, along with a special advocate appointed by the court.

Hamza's QC Ed Fitzgerald has represented clients including Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and the killer of James Bulger, Jon Venables.

Hamza claimed that he is no longer considered a citizen by Egypt, so taking away his UK nationality would leave him 'stateless' in contravention of Human Rights law. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, November 05, 2010

The Age of the Dollar Is Drawing to a Close
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Currency competition is the only way to fix the world economy, says Jeremy Warner.

Dollar hegemony was itself a major cause of both the imbalances and the crisis. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Right from the start of the financial crisis, it was apparent that one of its biggest long-term casualties would be the mighty dollar, and with it, very possibly, American economic hegemony. The process would take time – possibly a decade or more – but the starting gun had been fired.

At next week's meeting in Seoul of the G20's leaders, there will be no last rites – this hopelessly unwieldy exercise in global government wouldn't recognise a corpse if stood before it in a coffin – but it seems clear that this tragedy is already approaching its denouement.

To understand why, you have to go back to the origins of the credit crunch, which lay in the giant trade and capital imbalances that have long ruled the world economy. Over the past 20 years, the globe has become divided in highly dangerous ways into surplus and deficit nations: those that produced a surplus of goods and savings, and those that borrowed the savings to buy the goods.

It's a strange, Alice in Wonderland world that sees one of the planet's richest economies borrowing from one of the poorest to pay for goods way beyond the reach of the people actually producing them. But that process, in effect, came to define the relationship between America and China. The resulting credit-fuelled glut in productive capacity was almost bound to end in a corrective global recession, even without the unsustainable real-estate bubble that the excess of savings also produced. And sure enough, that's exactly what happened.

When politicians see a problem, especially one on this scale, they feel obliged to regulate it. But so far, they've been unable to make headway. This is mainly because the surplus nations are jealous defenders of their essentially mercantilist economic models. Exporting to the deficit nations has served them well, and they are reluctant to change. >>> Jeremy Warner | Friday, November 05, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Doubts grow over wisdom of Ben Bernanke 'super-put': The early verdict is in on the US Federal Reserve's $600bn of fresh money through quantitative easing. Yields on 30-year Treasury bonds jumped 20 basis points to 4.07pc. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Thilo Sarrazin im «Club»
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Thilo Sarrazin, Autor des Bestsellers «Deutschland schafft sich ab», kommt mit seinen provokanten Analysen zur Migration nicht aus den Schlagzeilen. Sein Buch findet reissenden Absatz - auch in der Schweiz. Begeisterter Zuspruch breiter Bevölkerungskreise, aber auch harsche Kritik bestimmen die öffentliche Debatte. Wo hat Sarrazin Recht und: Treffen seine Aussagen auch auf die Schweiz zu?


Sarrazin Wants ‘Terms’ for Migrants to Live in Germany
HÜRRIYET DAILY NEWS: BERLIN – The former member of the German Central Bank’s executive board who sparked a fierce debate on immigration and integration issues with his controversial book has proposed “new conditions” for immigrants who want to live in the country. Those who force their daughters to wear headscarves or to marry their relatives have no place in Germany, Thilo Sarrazin said over the weekend.

Speaking to Germany’s Bild am Sonntag late last week, Sarrazin proposed severely limiting family reunification laws for immigrants, excluding the incorporation of immigrants’ children into the social welfare system.

“In my opinion, the option for relatives to follow an immigrant and be integrated into our social welfare system attracts the wrong kind of migrants,” he said, calling for the termination of social services for immigrants on a long-term basis or even permanently.

He also proposed removing Turkish or Arabic signs at public offices to “implement a whole new level of pressure on people to learn German.”

“The head of a household who speaks the German language but hinders his family from learning it has no business living in Germany. Those who prefer Turkish television programs to German, because they are on the war path with our language, have no business being in Germany,” he said. >>> Daily News with wires | Monday, November 01, 2010

Julian Assange: Wikileaks-Gründer erwägt Asyl-Antrag in der Schweiz
WELT ONLINE: Julian Assange sorgt sich um seine Sicherheit und fühlt sich vom Pentagon bedroht. In der Schweiz kündigte er nun neue Enthüllungen an.

Der Gründer der Internet-Enthüllungsplattform Wikileaks, Julian Assange, erwägt nach eigenen Angaben eine Niederlassung in der Schweiz. In einem Interview mit dem Schweizer Fernsehsender TSR antwortete er am Donnerstag auf die Frage, ob er samt seiner Website in die Schweiz ziehen wolle, dies sei eine „reale Möglichkeit“. Auf die Frage, ob er dort einen Antrag auf Asyl stellen könnte, sagte der Australier: „Das ist richtig. Wir überlegen, ob ich Asyl beantragen sollte.“ Wikileaks prüfe derzeit zudem die Möglichkeit der Gründung einer Stiftung, mit der die Website von der Schweiz aus agieren könne. Die Schweiz und Island seien die einzigen westlichen Länder, in denen sich Wikileaks sicher fühle.

Wikileaks hatte Ende Oktober weltweit Aufsehen erregt, als es fast 400.000 Geheimdokumente zum Irak-Krieg veröffentlichte. Aus ihnen geht unter anderem hervor, dass die US-Armee trotz ihres Wissens von Folterungen von Gefangenen durch irakische Sicherheitskräfte nicht einschritt. Die USA protestierten heftig gegen die „unverantwortliche“ Veröffentlichung der Geheimdokumente. Assange berichtete nach der Veröffentlichung, er sorge sich um seine Sicherheit. Auch in Genf sagte er, Wikileaks-Mitarbeiter und Menschen aus dem Umfeld der Plattform fühlten sich vom Pentagon „bedroht“. >>> AFP/tma | Friday, November 05, 2010

Pentagon Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg on Upcoming Iraq War Wikileaks Docs



Wikileaks Iraq War Diaries >>>

Billige Dollar: Schäuble – Die Fed bricht internationale Abmachung
WELT ONLINE: Die US-Notenbank will die Wirtschaft mit der Notenpresse ankurbeln. Finanzminister Schäuble übt daran nun ungewöhnlich scharfe Kritik.

Finanzminister Schäuble kündigt an, die "amerikanischen Freunde" auf dem G-20-Gipfel kritisch ansprechen zu wollen. Foto: Welt Online
Bundesfinanzminister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) hat die jüngste Maßnahme der US-Notenbank zur Ankurbelung der Wirtschaft als Bruch internationaler Abmachungen kritisiert. Die großen Wirtschaftsprobleme der USA seien mit noch mehr Schulden nicht zu lösen, sagte Schäuble am Donnerstagabend den ARD-„Tagesthemen“. „Das war übrigens gemeinsame Politik, der sich noch alle Industrieländer, auch die USA, beim G-20-Gipfel in Toronto (...) ausdrücklich verpflichtet haben.“

US-Notenbankchef Ben Bernanke verteidigte dagegen den geldpolitischen Kurs der Federal Reserve. Die US-Notenbank hatte verkündet, Staatsanleihen für 600 Milliarden Dollar zu kaufen. Nach den Worten Schäubles bereiten die USA der internationalen Finanzwelt damit zusätzliche Probleme. Experten fürchten eine ausufernde Inflation sowie eine Verschärfung der weltweiten Währungsungleichgewichte.

„Wir werden das auch in bilateralen Gesprächen, aber natürlich auch beim G-20-Gipfel in der kommenden Woche in Südkorea mit unseren amerikanischen Freunden kritisch ansprechen“, kündigte der Minister an. Die USA wollen mit dem umstrittenen Manöver die Kreditzinsen senken, um auf diese Weise die schleppende Nachfrage anzukurbeln. Die neue Milliardenstütze der US-Notenbank lässt Europas Währungshüter kalt. EZB-Präsident Jean-Claude Trichet stellte am Donnerstag klar, dass die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) an ihrem Kurs festhält und den Geldhahn allmählich zudrehen wird. >>> dpa/tma | Freitag, 05. November 2010

Berlusconi Faces Security Inquiry Over His Sex Life
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi faces an investigation by Italian MPs after officials expressed fears that the Italian prime minister’s alleged patronage of prostitutes had put national security at risk.

Mr Belusconi, 74, has been summoned to appear before a parliamentary security committee to “clarify” his security arrangements following the latest allegations about his private life. The secret services were reported to have told members of the committee that Mr Berlusconi’s lifestyle and his relations with escorts and starlets could endanger national security.

Massimo D’Alema, the president of the committee and a former Left-wing prime minister, said: “The secret services are entrusted with the security of the prime minister and we intend to return to this theme and consider it correct to hear what the prime minister has to say on the matter.”

Mr D’Alema said he felt sympathy for police who were “weary” of escorting young women in and out of Mr Berlusconi’s residences in Rome, Milan and Sardinia. The Italian leader was accused last week of instructing police in Milan to drop theft charges against a teenage Moroccan belly dancer who had attended one of his parties and of paying a prostitute, Nadia Macri’, €10,000 for intercourse at his villas in Sardinia and Milan. He has not denied either accusation. >>> Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, November 04, 2010

French Prime Minister Revolts Over Likely Dismissal
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France’s prime minister, François Fillon, has thrown a spanner into President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reshuffle plans with a revolt against his likely dismissal.

France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The French President’s aides let it be known last month that cabinet changes would likely see Mr Fillon’s replaced by Jean-Louis Borloo, the ecology minister whose dishevelled appearance has earned him the nickname of the “Serge Gainsbourg” of French politics - a nod to the often drunk and unshaven late French singer.

But the plan appears to have stirred Mr Fillon into open revolt against the appointment of his putative successor.

The two men have been engaged in an increasingly vitriolic duel with Mr Borloo accusing the prime minister of getting supporters to lob rhetorical “stink bombs” in his general direction.

Relations have turned so sour that when Mr Fillon offered to give his rival a lift in his prime ministerial jet back from a meeting in Biarritz in September, he received a text message saying: “Go screw yourself”.

Mired in the lowest approval ratings of any post-War French President, Mr Sarkozy is expected to announce a major reshuffle this month to breath new life into his mandate as he limbers up for re-election in 2012.

Among those on the way out is Bernard Kouchner, the foreign minister.

The co-architect of Mr Sarkozy’s electoral programme, Mr Fillon has seen his role sidelined in favour of a “hyper-President” who wields all the levers of power and micromanages policy. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Greece Mulls Militants Who Spit Defiance
Gerasimos Tsakalos, centre, has refused to co-operate with authorities. Photo: BBC
BBC: Wearing white bulletproof vests, the two young bearded men manhandled into Athens' main court spat and snarled at reporters and photographers in a calculated pique of defiance.

When quizzed by prosecutors, they refused to give their names or answer questions, claiming they were political prisoners.

But as they emerged from the court in the grip of masked, muscular, machine gun-carrying anti-terrorist police, the two suspects, Gerasimos Tsakalos, 24, and Panagiotis Argyros, 22, looked small and not particularly terrifying.

Perhaps bravado was better than quivering at the prospect of 25 years in jail for their alleged part in sending booby-trapped parcel bombs to President Nicholas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy as well as assorted embassies and EU institutions.

Terrorism experts are convinced that the two belong to a left-wing organisation called the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.

The group has been active since the Greek riots of December 2008, ignited by the fatal shooting of schoolboy Alexis Grigoropoulos by a policeman.

So just how dangerous are they?

Brady Kiesling, a former US diplomat in Athens and author of a book about November 17, Greece's most deadly guerrillas, could not be more contemptuous.

"They are politically irrelevant," he said. "Their message is smash the system. Basically, they are soft-hearted suburban kids who aren't really going to hurt anyone in the process, if they can help it."

Mr Kiesling dismissed their cluster of booby traps as "firecrackers".

But while the group may have caused little more than inconvenience and raised blood pressure across Europe, they have highlighted serious flaws in the air freight system by demonstrating how easy it is to smuggle explosive materials into the cargo holds of aircraft. >>> Malcolm Brabant, BBC News, Athens | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Radical Website Publishes MP 'Death List'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A website which influenced a young Muslim to stab an MP has posted dozens more MPs’ names on a 'death list’ with an exhortation to Muslims to follow her example.

Revolutionmuslim.com was named by Roshonara Choudhry in her police interviews as one of the sites which radicalised her. Choudhry was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday for attempting to murder the former Labour minister Stephen Timms.

The site praises her as a “mujaahidah,” or holy warrior, saying: “We ask Allah to keep her safe and secure, to hasten her release and to reward this heroine immensely.”

It published a list of all the MPs who voted for the Iraq war together with an instruction to Muslims to try to kill them, saying: “We ask Allaah for her action to inspire Muslims to raise the knife of Jihaad against those who voted for the countless rapes, murders, pillages, and torture of Muslim civilians as a direct consequence of their vote.”

It also appears to incite further attacks on Mr Timms, publishing details of his constituency surgery times and venues, and even a link which shows readers where they can buy a £15 kitchen knife, similar to the one used by Choudhry, from Tesco Direct.

The website adds: “If you want to track an MP, you can find out their personal website after typing their name in this website. In their personal website, you can usually find the time and location of their surgeries where you can encounter them in person.” >>> Andrew Gilligan | Thursday, November 04, 2010