Le prince héritier de Bahreïn n'ira pas au mariage de William
L’EXPRESS.fr: Le cheikh Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa, prince héritier de Bahreïn, a annoncé qu'il ne se rendrait pas au mariage du prince William et de Kate Middleton, le 29 avril à Londres, en raison de la persistance de troubles intérieurs dans le petit royaume du Golfe.

Critiquant la répression des manifestations antigouvernementales par les forces de sécurité, des militants des droits de l'homme avaient exhorté la famille royale britannique à annuler l'invitation adressée au prince héritier.

Le gouvernement britannique a aussi engagé les autorités de Bahreïn à respecter les droits de l'homme et à enquêter sur des informations faisant état de morts en détention, de tortures et de privations de soins médicaux. Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | Par Reuters | Dimanche 24 Avril 2011

Mariage de William: Un invité annonce qu'il ne viendra pas
JEANMARCMORANDINI.COM: Face au tollé suscité par sa venue, le prince héritier du royaume de Bahreïn, qui faisait partie des 1900 invités au mariage du prince William et de Kate Middleton, a finalement fait savoir qu'il ne viendrait pas, a annoncé aujourd'hui le palais de Buckingham.

La monarchie pétrolière au pouvoir à Manama a expliqué qu'elle ne souhaitait pas que la visite du prince Salman ben Hamad al-Khalifa vienne ternir le mariage royal en raison des troubles au Bahreïn. Continuez à lire et réagir à cet article » | Lundi 25 Avril 2011

Bahrain in the Shadow of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United States
CNN: There are disturbing accounts from major human rights organizations about abuses in Bahrain and the systematic state violence that has been unleashed on the opposition movement against the monarchy of the Al-Khalifa family.

And yet Bahrain has not become the story because the movement for social justice, government accountability and independence is being violently suppressed, but because of wider strategic calculations that bind the fate of the island to the future of regional politics.

There are at least three strategic issues at stake when it comes to the political present and future of the country. First, Bahrain hosts a major naval base for the U.S. fifth fleet, and the ruling Al-Khalifa family has been a trusted ally of the United States for several decades.

Yet Bahrain's rulers have not taken advantage of the security guarantees provided by successive U.S. governments in order to open up the political system or to sponsor a rather more equitable social and economic order.

According to the constitution of Bahrain the king appoints all members of the upper house of the parliament, while the lower house was voted into office in 2010.

But this has not lead to real political representation of the majority Shia population or to a system of wealth distribution that is equitable. In fact, Bahrain continues to be one of the few hereditary monarchies of the world.

In the absence of a strong legitimacy of the state, systematic violence has functioned as a short cut to safeguard the regime. Hence, the current crackdown, which has not drawn much criticism from the United States and the European Union, who were/are by far louder about the situation in Libya (and indeed about anything that happens in Iran). » | Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Special to CNN | Monday, April 25, 2011

Editor's note: Arshin Adib-Moghaddam is University Lecturer in Comparative and International Politics at SOAS, University of London. He is the author of "Iran in World Politics: the Question of the Islamic Republic," and his most recent book, "A metahistory of the clash of civilizations: Us and them beyond Orientalism" has just been published by Columbia University Press and Hurst.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Arshin Adib-Moghaddam.

Hundreds of Prisoners Escape Afghan Jail

Verbunden »

Building Frequented by Gadhafi Hit

Liens en relation avec cette vidéo »

Unklare Mission - Was die Bundespolizei in Saudi-Arabien treibt

Alice Schwarzer - Islam ist undemokratisch

Haßprediger reisen nach Deutschland
Hassprediger reisen unbehelligt nach Deutschland
Immer wieder reisen sogenannte Hassprediger aus arabischen Ländern völlig unbehelligt in die Bundesrepublik ein und tragen hier zur Radikalisierung junger Muslime bei. (Fakt vom 06. Dezember 2010)

Deutsche Konvertiten zum Islam
Aus der Sendung 'ML Mona Lisa' vom 13.12.2009

The Struggle of Pakistan's Christians
CARING: Christians in today's Pakistan (2% of the population) have paid a high price for being in the minority. In Islamabad, the capital, a community of 5,000 of them live in extreme poverty, literally walled-off from the rest of society.

Libyan Government Spokesman: If We're Attacked, We've to Attack Back

Inside Story: Battle for Misurata
Located in western Libya, Misurata has become the most dramatic battleground in the country's uprising which began in February.



But there has been confusion - while Colonel Muammer Gadaffi's forces announced a withdrawl from the city on Friday, they have continued to bombard the city. 



Inside Story discusses with guests: Faraj Najem, a Libyan author and historian; Mohammed Ali Abdallah, the deputy secretary general of the National Front for Salvation of Libya; and Hesham Jaber, a military analyst.



This episode of Inside Story aired on Sunday, April 24, 2011.

Al Jazeera Cameraman 'Interrogated' about Network
Sami al-Hajj was working as an Al Jazeera cameraman when he was arrested in late 2001 and sent to Guantanamo Bay.



One file in the newly released trove of leaked US military documents shows that al-Hajj, held at Guantanamo for six years, was detained partly in order to be interrogated about the news network.



He speaks to Al Jazeera's Nick Clark about the documents.

Victory for Sarrazin: Firebrand Politician Can Remain a Social Democrat
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Thilo Sarrazin, the German Social Democrat who attracted attention last year with his controversial book claiming that immigrants to Germany were dumbing down the country, will not be booted out of the party. He apologized on Thursday and the case against him was quickly abandoned.

After a mere five hours of debate, Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) formally withdrew a petition on Thursday to revoke party membership for firebrand politician Thilo Sarrazin, a former board member of Germany's central bank who drew widespread criticism for his extremely critical descriptions of Muslim immigrants in a bestselling book.

In an announcement that came surprisingly early, an arbitration committee of a local Berlin district chapter of the SPD -- which had been hearing petitions submitted from officials at the local, state and federal chapters of the party -- said all the requests for Sarrazin's exclusion from the Social Democrats had been withdrawn. The decision came after Sarrazin issued a statement in which he said it had not been his intention with his book to "discriminate against groups, particularly migrants." This was the second failed attempt in two years to ban Sarrazin from the center-left party.

The head of the arbitration committee, Sybille Uken, said a "constructive, respectful, serious and intense discussion" had been carried about by those involved in the case. "We have agreed not to allow the SPD to be divided," she said. Andrea Nahles, the national party's secretary general who led the proceedings against Sarrazin, refused to comment on the decision to drop the case, as did Sarrazin. » | dsl -- with wires | Friday, April 22, 2011

Massenausbruch in Afghanistan: Hunderte Taliban fliehen aus Gefängnis
STERN.DE: Spektakulärer Ausbruch in Kandahar: Hunderte Taliban sind aus einem Gefängnis in der afghanischen Krisenprovinz geflohen. Die Männer entkamen durch einen Tunnel.

Bei einem spektakulären Gefängnisausbruch in der südafghanischen Stadt Kandahar ist bis zu 540 Taliban-Kämpfern die Flucht gelungen. Die Gefangenen entkamen durch einen etwa 320 Meter langen Tunnel, wie die örtlichen Behörden am Montag mitteilten. Ein General sprach von 475 geflohenen Gefangenen, "darunter Taliban". Ein Sprecher der Aufständischen erklärte, Taliban-Truppen hätten 540 Häftlingen die Flucht ermöglicht. Darunter seien gut 100 Kommandeure, beim Rest handele es sich um Kämpfer. » | ben/DPA | Montag, 25. April 2011

L'Otan frappe le bureau de Kadhafi à Tripoli
LE POINT: Les forces du colonel continuent de bombarder la ville de Misrata.

Les forces de l'Otan ont détruit, tôt lundi, un bâtiment de la résidence de Bab al-Aziziyah de Muammar Kadhafi, à Tripoli, une attaque qualifiée par un responsable du gouvernement de tentative d'assassinat du colonel libyen. Les pompiers s'employaient toujours à éteindre les flammes s'échappant du bâtiment détruit lorsque des journalistes ont été conduits sur place quelques heures après l'attaque.

Selon un responsable chargé de la presse, qui a requis l'anonymat, Kadhafi utilisait ce bâtiment comme bureau pour des réunions ministérielles. Quarante-cinq personnes ont été blessées, dont quinze grièvement, et des personnes sont portées disparues, a ajouté ce responsable, qualifiant l'attaque de tentative d'assassinat de Kadhafi. Il n'était pas possible de confirmer ce bilan de source indépendante. Trois puissantes explosions ont secoué Tripoli dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi. À la suite de cette série d'explosions, trois chaînes d'État, la télévision libyenne, Jamahiriyah et Shabaiyah, ont interrompu leur diffusion pendant une demi-heure avant de reprendre leur programmation. » | Source Reuters | Lundi 25 Avril 2011

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Gaddafis Residenz getroffen: Bei massiven Luftangriffen auf die libysche Hauptstadt Tripolis haben Raketen der Nato auch das Büro von Machthaber Gaddafi getroffen. Die Aufständischen in Libyen kündigten an, die Erdölproduktion derzeit nicht weiter steigern zu können. Daraufhin stieg der Ölpreis an den asiatischen Märkten. » | FAZ.NET | Montag, 25. April 2011

FAZ: Fotogalerie »

Cardinal Keith O'Brien Warns of Threat from 'Aggressive Secularism'
THE GUARDIAN: Leader of the Catholic church in Scotland says Christianity is being marginalised as PM invites churchmen to Downing Street

The leader of the Catholic church in Scotland has used his Easter address to attack "aggressive secularism", suggesting there were "those who would indeed try to destroy our Christian heritage and culture and take God from the public square".

He made the address as David Cameron publicly endorsed the "enormous contribution" of Christian values to Britain, days before he welcomes senior churchmen to Downing Street for an Easter celebration.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, who is known for his outspoken views, eschewed traditional Easter themes of resurrection and hope and instead set his sights firmly on the "marginalisation" of Christianity in the UK.

He told the congregation at St Mary's Cathedral; "Christians must be united in their common awareness of the enemies of the Christian faith in our country, of the power that they are at present exerting, and the need for us to be aware of that right to equality which so many others cry out for."

His homily included instances where Christians had fallen foul of equality legislation, preventing discrimination against gay people, and swiftly drew fire from groups campaigning against religious privilege in public life. » | Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Nigeria's Gay Church Is Reborn amid a Climate of Fear
THE GUARDIAN: House of Rainbow church offers underground prayer and preaching to Christians ostracised by rampant homophobia

When Ade's aunt learned he was gay, the then 16-year-old Nigerian was made to go through an exorcism to expel "the demon of homosexuality".

"The priest came to the house with candles, holy water and anointing oils. I had to kneel down, holding candles in my hands," recalls Ade, now 25, as he sits in a cafe in Lagos. He does not wish to reveal his full name. "He kept shouting 'Come out! Come out! Come out!' in a fevered voice … I was allowed to go back to church after that but I had to pretend to be straight."

In a country where homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in prison, it is no surprise that many of Ade's friends – those who, like him, are both gay and religious – stay away from church altogether for fear of being outed.

However, an alternative could soon be at hand. Ade is helping to resurrect a religious refuge for himself and his friends. He is part of the team restarting House of Rainbow, the country's only gay church, which was forced to close in 2008 after a witch-hunt stirred by exposés in local newspapers.

The Rev Rowland Jide Macaulay, the gay minister who founded the church, is leading the comeback even though he remains in self-imposed exile in London.

"Religion is a backbone to life in Nigeria, so we all want to go to church," he says. "But we don't want to lie to God about who we are." » | Shyamantha Asokan in Lagos | Sunday, April 24, 2011

WikiLeaks: Guantanamo Bay Terrorist Secrets Revealed
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Guantanamo Bay has been used to incarcerate dozens of terrorists who have admitted plotting terrifying attacks against the West – while imprisoning more than 150 totally innocent people, top-secret files disclose.

Al-Qaeda terrorists have threatened to unleash a “nuclear hellstorm” on the West if Osama Bin Laden is caught or assassinated, according to documents to be released by the WikiLeaks website, which contain details the interrogations of more than 700 Guantanamo detainees.

However, the shocking human cost of obtaining this intelligence is also exposed with dozens of innocent people sent to Guantanamo – and hundreds of low-level foot-soldiers being held for years and probably tortured before being assessed as of little significance.

The Daily Telegraph, along with other newspapers including The Washington Post, today exposes America’s own analysis of almost ten years of controversial interrogations on the world’s most dangerous terrorists. This newspaper has been shown thousands of pages of top-secret files obtained by the WikiLeaks website.

The disclosures are set to spark intense debate around the world about the establishment of Guantanamo Bay in the months after 9/11 – which has enabled the US to collect vital intelligence from senior Al Qaeda commanders but sparked fury in the middle east and Europe over the treatment of detainees. » | Christopher Hope, Robert Winnett, Holly Watt and Heidi Blake | Monday, April 25, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Guantánamo files lift lid on world's most controversial prison » | David Leigh, James Ball, Ian Cobain and Jason Burke | Monday, April 25, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: What are the Guantánamo Bay files? Understanding the prisoner dossiers: David Leigh, the Guardian's investigations editor, explains the files and how in key cases they expose official lies » | David Leigh | Monday, April 25, 2011

Yemen Protesters Reject US-backed Transition
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Yemen's protest movement on Sunday insisted on the quick exit of President Ali Abdullah Saleh after his ruling party accepted a Gulf plan for him to quit in 30 days in a move hailed by Washington.

The United States had urged a peaceful transition after Mr Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) party said late on Saturday it accepted a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plan under which he would quit following months of protests.

However, Mr Saleh himself said any change of regime can only be through "ballot boxes and referendums," and said he could not give into [sic] a "coup".

"You call on me from the US and Europe to hand over power," Mr Saleh told BBC in an interview. "Who shall I hand it over to. Those who are trying to make a coup? No. We will do it through ballot boxes and referendums."

He accused the West of supporting his opponents whom he said were backed by al-Qaeda.

The opposition Peaceful Change Revolution issued a statement reiterating its rejection of the Gulf plan and demanded that Mr Saleh be prosecuted, contrary to the GCC proposal which calls for immunity.

"The committee ... utterly rejects any initiative that would not stipulate the departure of Saleh and his family (from power) and putting him and his staff on trial," it said. » | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Libya: Western Leaders Call for Nato to Target Gaddafi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Senior western leaders called for Nato to adopt an assassination policy against Col Muammar Gaddafi to salvage the bombing campaign in Libya from a descent into stalemate.

The calls came as Col Gaddafi was reported to have strengthened his grip on power by repatriating billions of dollars in overseas assets that should have been frozen by UN sanctions.

On Sunday, there was growing pressure on Coalition forces to directly target Col Gaddafi with military strikes.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican member of the Senate Armed Services committee, said that the quickest way to end the emerging stalemate was to "cut the head of the snake off". He said: "The people around Gaddafi need to wake up every day wondering, 'Will this be my last?'

Senator John McCain, who visited Libya at the weekend, also said that the Libyan dictator should be targeted but argued that it was more important to increase American firepower over Libya. He said: "It's pretty obvious to me that the US has got to play a greater role on the air power side. Our Nato allies neither have the assets, nor frankly the will - there's only six countries of the 28 in Nato that are actively engaged in this situation."

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, also on Sunday refused to rule out using remote-controlled American drones to assassinate Col Gaddafi. Mr Hague said "who and what is a legitimate target depends on their behaviour." However, he denied that there was a stalemate in Libya and ruled out proposals to partition the country. » | Toby Harnden, Washington and Robert Winnett | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Church Blocks Reforms Over Royal Marriages
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Church of England has blocked a Government move to scrap a centuries-old law which prevents members of the Royal family from marrying Roman Catholics, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, began work towards repealing the 1701 Act of Settlement, under which heirs to the throne must renounce their claim on marrying a Roman Catholic, in order to introduce full equality between the faiths.

Talks were held with the Anglican Church as part of wider discussions on constitutional reform, which come under his remit as Deputy Prime Minister.

The reforms have also led to steps being made towards securing the agreement of the Commonwealth to end the common law principle of male primogeniture, under which the younger sons of royalty have precedence over their older sisters.

However, the plan to abolish the Act of Settlement was quietly shelved after the Church raised significant objections centring on the British sovereign’s dual role as Supreme Governor.

Church leaders expressed concern that if a future heir to the throne married a Roman Catholic, their children would be required by canon law to be brought up in that faith.

This would result in the constitutionally problematic situation whereby the Supreme Governor of the Church of England was a Roman Catholic, and so ultimately answerable to a separate sovereign leader, the Pope, and the Vatican.

There is no similar prohibition on the Royal family marrying members of other faiths such as Islam and Judaism, or those who are openly agnostic or atheist. » | Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Utah Church Offers Free Korans in Easter Gesture
REUTERS: A Utah church is giving away free copies of the Koran in an Easter season ecumenical riposte to the recent burning of the Islamic holy book by a controversial Florida pastor.

The Wasatch Presbyterian Church has ordered 50 copies of the Koran to be distributed at a local bookstore starting on Monday.

"We're not promoting Islam, we're not saying the Koran is the Bible," said Scott Dalgarno, the church's pastor. "We're just saying that if people are curious, if they want their consciences informed on this issue ... then let them pick up a copy on us and read it and decide for themselves what to think."

Dalgarno says each Koran, which the world's nearly 1.6 billion Muslims believe is God's final testament, will have a bookmark insert that reads: "This book was donated by the leaders of Wasatch Presbyterian Church who are not afraid of truth wherever it can be found."

He said the giveaway was a response to Terry Jones, the leader of a fringe, fundamentalist church in Gainesville, Florida. » | James Nelson | SALT LAKE CITY | Friday, April 22, 2011

EXAMINER.COM: SLC Presbyterians provide free copies of Islam’s holy book: SALT LAKE CITY - The Wasatch Presbyterian Church is buying dozens of copies of the Quran and giving them away in the hope of bridging the gap created by extremists last March. » | Alison Peek, Salt Lake City Political Buzz Examiner | Sunday, April 24, 2011

William et Kate: coup de foudre à Buckingham

Heiliges Feuer in Jerusalem
Die orthodoxen Christen in Jerusalem haben sich in der Grabeskirche versammelt, um das Heilige Feuer zu sehen, welches jedes Jahr an Karsamstag entzündet wird

Syria: President Bashar al-Assad Faces Indictment by the International Criminal Court
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: President Bashar al-Assad faces indictment by the International Criminal Court as Western leaders were told on Sunday that the Syrian leader could be held to account for the deaths of 120 anti-government protesters.

An influential body of international judges and lawyers called for Mr Assad and his lieutenants to be held to account for Easter weekend attacks in which troops and militamen fire on civilians.

"Those ordering and carrying out these attacks, including those firing live rounds into crowds, must be held criminally accountable," the International Committee of Jurists (ICJ) said in a statement.

As opposition supporters continued to bury dead comrades on Sunday, four more were reported to have been killed.

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, warned all Britons in Syria that the scale of violence was so grave they should leave immediately or risk not being able to leave "at all" as the turmoil worsened.

Western governments were coming under growing scrutiny for their divergent policies towards Libya and Syria, where more than 300 people have been shot dead since unrest began five weeks ago.

Critics complained that while the West has been comparatively quick to go to the aid of the Libyan people, Syrians struggling against one of the Middle East's most repressive regimes had largely been abandoned to their fate. "The international community has failed so far to protect the people of Syria from wide-scale human rights violations," Wilder Taylor, the ICJ's secretary-general, said.

Syria has deployed many of the same tactics used by Col Gaddafi in Libya, with unarmed protesters facing live fire by both the security forces and loyalist militiamen and snipers.

But many Western officials have been reluctant to criticise Mr Assad too harshly, even though his regime has long been treated as a near pariah. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Bashar al-Assad is a brutal dictator who should be brought to justice. He is a man with a smiling face but an iron fist. Pursue him for the brutality he has visited upon his own innoocent people.

It is high time that the USA, UK, and the rest of the West stopped pursuing hypocritical foreign policies all for the sake of oil. It is high time that we in the West had more ethical foreign policies, and paid the ultimate price if that indeed need be. Westerners will never be liked in the Arab, oil-producing world whilst we pursue these nonsensical, hypocritical policies for our own ends. Little wonder the Arabs in the street despise Americans in particular, and Westerners in general! What use is it to try and “win hearts and minds” with initiatives whilst innocent people are dying in their hundreds, nay thousands?

Innocent Muslims have suffered enough! Never will there be peace in the world whilst hypocrisy rules supreme. Never!

How can it make sense to talk the talk, but not walk the walk? How can it make sense to talk up democracy for one oppressed people, but at the same time ignore repression and brutality in countries like Bahrain and Syria? We fight on the side of rebels in Libya, yet ignore the plight of Bahrainis and Syrians. Go figure! Talk about inconsistency! There you have it! – © Mark

Monarchy Still Broadly Relevant, Britons Say
THE GUARDIAN: Support for royals remains constant but royal wedding greeted by tolerant scepticism, Guardian/ICM poll finds

Britain is a nation made up of moderate monarchists and reluctant republicans, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today.

More people are looking forward to an extra day off work than watching the royal wedding – but support for the monarchy has nonetheless climbed notably since the crisis following Princess Diana's death. The country is in no mood for a revolution.

The poll shows a large majority think the monarchy is still relevant to national life, makes Britain more respected around the world and is better than any alternative. But there seems to be tolerant scepticism rather than royalist hysteria around the wedding itself. » | Julian Glover | Sunday, April 24, 2011

THE OBSERVER: Royal Wedding: Enjoy the day - but the monarchy's out of date: As William and Kate wed, a liberal democracy has no need to treat dissent as tantamount to treason » | Editorial | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Das richtige Benehmen am englischen Königshof

Royal Wedding: Bahrain's Crown Prince Not to Attend
BBC: The Crown Prince of Bahrain has said he will not attend Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding on Friday because of ongoing unrest in the Gulf kingdom.

Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa said it was with "deep regret" that he had reached his "considered decision".

He said he had hoped the situation in Bahrain would have improved so he could attend and not "overshadow" the event.

Human rights campaigners had petitioned against his attendance because of his government's treatment of protesters.

Bahrain, a normally placid Arabian peninsula, has been the focus of ongoing violent clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces.

'Political proxy'

Scores of people have been killed and the government has announced a state of emergency, calling in Saudi troops to keep order.

The recent clashes began in February after police fired on protesters, killing seven people.

The Crown Prince wrote to the Prince of Wales to explain his decision, expressing his "wholehearted apologies". » | Sunday, April 24, 2011

THE GUARDIAN: Royal wedding invitation to crown prince of Bahrain draws criticism: Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa is standing by his government's crackdown – and is due at Friday's royal wedding » | Paul Gallagher | Saturday, April 23, 2011

Foreign Office Strongly Urges Britons to Leave Syria
BBC: British citizens are being urged to leave Syria unless they have a "pressing need to remain" there, following weeks of unrest.

The Foreign Office "strongly advises" Britons to leave because of the "rapid deterioration" in law and order.

It says the British Embassy may not be able to provide normal consular assistance if the situation worsens.

At least 100 people have died in the last two days of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

'Better way'

The Foreign Office advised British nationals to leave the country while commercial airlines were still flying.

Earlier this week, the UK advised Britons to consider leaving Syria but has now stepped up the warning. It also advises against all travel to the country. » | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Polémique Schengen : des Tunisiens de Lampedusa sont en France
LE POINT: La plupart des migrants bloqués depuis des semaines à la frontière française peuvent désormais la franchir. Rencontre avec l'un d'entre eux.

Le rendez-vous est pris dans l'arrière-cour d'un bar miteux de Villeurbanne, aux portes de Lyon. "Pas de photo", demande-t-il d'emblée, une cigarette à la bouche, en se retournant pour vérifier que personne ne nous suit. Naofel préfère rester discret. Mais une fois à l'abri des regards, son visage s'illumine. "Je suis content", lâche-t-il en soupirant, un immense sourire aux lèvres.

C'est vrai qu'il est transfiguré depuis le parvis de cette gare de Vintimille, à la frontière italienne, où nous l'avions rencontré en début de semaine. Il était alors l'un de ces milliers de Tunisiens qui avaient fui leur pays après la chute de Ben Ali. Bloqué, comme tous les autres, à quelques kilomètres de l'eldorado français. Mais aujourd'hui tout cela appartient au passé. Après plusieurs jours de blocage de la part des autorités françaises, qui refusaient de reconnaître le permis de séjour délivré par les autorités italiennes comme suffisant pour circuler à travers l'espace Schengen, Naofel a réussi à passer en France. En toute légalité. S'il se cache, c'est que son titre de séjour ne lui donne pas le droit de travailler sur le territoire français. Mais il est bien la preuve que la frontière est désormais bel et bien ouverte aux migrants venus de Tunisie via l'Italie. » | D’envoyé spécial du Point à Lyon, Cyriel Martin | Dimanche 24, 2011

Unruhen in der arabischen Welt: Die Aufstände nehmen kein Ende
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Jemens Präsident Salih kündigt seinen Rücktritt an, in Libyen feiern die Rebellen die Befreiung Misratas - und in Syrien lässt das Regime Oppositionelle verhaften. Auch an Ostern geht der „Arabische Frühling“ weiter.

Nach sieben Wochen zermürbender Kämpfe haben sich die Soldaten des libyschen Machthabers Muammar Gaddafi aus der Rebellenbastion Misrata zurückgezogen. „Misrata ist frei, die Rebellen haben gewonnen“, sagte ein Sprecher der Aufständischen der Nachrichtenagentur Reuters. Die Gaddafi-Truppen seien auf der Flucht. Allerdings eroberten die Regierungssoldaten am Samstag im Gegenzug die Stadt Jafran im Westen des Landes. Mehr als einen Monat nach Beginn der westlichen Luftangriffe gibt es somit keine Anzeichen dafür, dass die Aufständischen den autokratischen Herrscher vertreiben können.

Auch im Jemen ist ein Ende des gewaltsamen Machtkampfs zwischen Präsident Ali Abdullah Salih und der jemenitischen Protestbewegung nicht in Sicht. Ein Sprecher des Präsidenten sagte am Samstag zwar, Salih habe einen Kompromissvorschlag der arabischen Golfstaaten akzeptiert, der seinen Rücktritt binnen 30 Tagen vorsieht. Viele halten das jedoch für eine Finte und Hinhaltetaktik.

Unterdessen stellte die syrische Führung in Damaskus die Massenproteste gegen das Regime als Angriff krimineller Banden auf die Sicherheitskräfte dar. Nachdem die Sicherheitskräfte am Samstag 14 Menschen erschossen hatten, die an Begräbnissen für zuvor getötete Demonstranten teilgenommen hatten, meldete die staatliche Nachrichtenagentur Sana am Sonntag, eine „bewaffnete kriminelle Bande“ habe am Samstag in der Provinz Daraa fünf Angehörige einer Armee-Einheit getötet. Die Soldaten hätten das Feuer erwidert und zwei der Angreifer erschossen. Andernorts in der Provinz sei ein „Mitglied einer kriminellen Bande“ getötet worden. » | Text: Reuters/dpa | Sonntag, 24. April 2011

Urbi et Orbi: To the City and the World this Easter
VATICAN RADIO: “Here, in this world of ours, the Easter alleluia still contrasts with the cries and laments that arise from so many painful situations: deprivation, hunger, disease, war, violence. Yet it was for this that Christ died and rose again! He died on account of sin, including ours today, he rose for the redemption of history, including our own. So my message today is intended for everyone, and, as a prophetic proclamation, it is intended especially for peoples and communities who are undergoing a time of suffering, that the Risen Christ may open up for them the path of freedom, justice and peace”.

This was the message that Pope Benedict XVI broadcast to the city of Rome and the world this Easter, in his traditional Urbi et Orbi address. The sun came out to shine shortly before the Pope appeared on the balcony of the central loggia, adding to the festive cheer of the tens of thousands who packed not only St Peter’s square, but the streets surrounding the Vatican basilica all the way to the Tiber river. Tremendous cheers arose as the red velvet curtains parted and pilgrims cries mingled with the military bands tattoo of the national anthems of Italy and the Holy See.

“In resurrectione tua, Christe, coeli et terra laetentur! In your resurrection, O Christ, let heaven and earth rejoice!” proclaimed Pope Benedict, “May the Land which was the first to be flooded by the light of the Risen One rejoice. May the splendour of Christ reach the peoples of the Middle East, so that the light of peace and of human dignity may overcome the darkness of division, hate and violence”. » | Sunday, 24, 2011

VATICAN RADIO: Full text Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi » | Sunday, April 24, 2011

leJDD.fr: La croyance en Dieu ne faiblit pas : A une semaine de la béatification de Jean-Paul II, son successeur Benoît XVI préside dimanche matin la messe solennelle de Pâques, place Saint-Pierre à Rome. » | A.F. - Le Journal du Dimanche | Samedi 23 Avril 2011

Papst verurteilt bei Ostermesse Hass und Gewalt
WELT ONLINE: Papst Benedikt XVI. hat zu Ostern zu einem Ende der Gewalt in Libyen und in der Elfenbeinküste aufgerufen. Zur Osterbotschaft kamen mehr als 100.000 Menschen.

Papst Benedikt XVI. hat in seiner Osterbotschaft Hass, Gewalt und Vertreibung in aller Welt verurteilt. "Im Himmel ist alles Friede und Freude. Aber auf Erden ist es leider nicht so“, sagte Benedikt am Ostersonntag auf dem festlich geschmückten Petersplatz in Rom vor zehntausenden Gläubigen. Das "österliche Halleluja“ stehe weltweit oft noch im Gegensatz zu „Elend, Hunger, Krankheit, Krieg und Gewalt.“ Die frohe Botschaft des auferstandenen Christus möge daher besonders diejenigen erreichen, die von einer Zeit des Leidens betroffen seien.

Eindringlich forderte Benedikt einen Stopp der Waffengewalt im libyschen Bürgerkrieg. „Mögen in Libyen die Diplomatie und der Dialog an die Stelle der Waffen treten“, forderte er. Mit Blick auf den Nahen Osten wünschte das katholische Kirchenoberhaupt, die Osterbotschaft von Frieden und Menschenwürde möge helfen, „die Finsternis der Teilung, des Hasses und der Gewalt“ zu überwinden. In der westafrikanischen Elfenbeinküste müsse „dringend ein Weg der Versöhnung und der Vergebung beschritten werden“, fügte er hinzu. » | KNA/dpa/ras | Sonntag, 24. April 2011

RADIO VATIKAN: Urbi et Orbi: Die Ansprache des Papstes » | Sonntag, 24. April 2011

RADIO VATICAN: L’homme n’est pas un produit accidentel de l’évolution : Au cours de la veillée pascale, samedi soir, Benoît XVI a affirmé avec force que l'homme n'est pas un produit accidentel de l'évolution ; la Raison divine est au commencement.
Entouré de trente concélébrants, le Pape a présidé la liturgie solennelle de la Veillée pascale, en la basilique Saint-Pierre, ce 23 avril, une célébration riche en symboles, rythmée par la bénédiction du feu, la procession, la liturgie de la parole, le rite baptismal et la liturgie eucharistique. » | Samedi 23 Avril 2011

رسالة البابا إلى المدينة والعالم لمناسبة عيد الفصح "في قيامتك، أيها المسيح، تبتهج السماء والأرض »

Iranian Viewpoint: Omanis Urge Reform While Saudis Denounce Bahrain Crackdown
Massive anti-government demonstrations took place in Oman and Saudi Arabia today. In Oman's southern port city of Salalah, thousands of demonstrators demanded better wages and jobs, saying the government's promised reforms are not enough. In Saudi Arabia's eastern city of Qatif, hundreds protested in solidarity with anti-government protestors in Bahrain, despite the ban on protests. They condemned the burning and destruction of Bahraini mosques by Saudi and Bahraini troops. Press TV reports:

Senior MP: Saudi Arabia Influenced by Power Illusions
FARS NEWS AGENCY: TEHRAN - A senior Iranian legislator blasted Saudi officials' recent provocative remarks against Tehran, and said the Saudi regime is under the illusion of having enough power to wage a war against Iran after it attacked the tiny Persian Gulf island of Bahrain through collaboration with the al-Khalifa regime.

"The Saudis are under illusion and they think that deployment of their forces in a tiny country like Bahrain and suppression of the defenseless people shows that they are powerful," Vice-Chairman of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Ebrahimi told FNA on Sunday.

Noting that Saudi Arabia could launch a military invasion of Bahrain through western assistance, Ebrahimi warned "they should rest assured that Iran's saber-rattling and power will make a burning hell for them". » | Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter! Joyeuses Pâques! Frohe Ostern! Buona Pasqua! ¡Felices Pascuas! Pasg Hapus!
With every good wish to you all. May your Easter be filled with joy and happiness. To those in the middle of their celebration of the Passover, I wish you all Joyous Pesach!
Easter (Pâques) 1968 – Marc Chagall (1887 – 1985). Image: Google Images

Embattled Yemeni President Agrees to Step Down
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Ali Abdullah Saleh, the embattled President of Yemen, has agreed to step down and hand power to his deputy in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled for 32 years, has faced months of protests from an opposition movement which has accused his government of corruption and of failing to tackle the country’s poverty.

He has agreed to a proposal from mediators from the six nation Gulf Cooperation Council to stand down and pave the way for a new president to be elected.

Under the draft agreement, Yemen’s parliament would grant Saleh legal protection from prosecution and the president would submit his resignation and hand power over to his vice president, who would call for new presidential elections.

Soltan al-Barakani, deputy secretary general of the ruling General People’s Congress said: “The GPC and its allies have accepted the GCC initiative in its entirety.”

The protest movement which has been demanding Saleh’s immediate departure said that it also accepted the latest draft of the deal but with reservations. » | Jasper Copping | Saturday, April 23, 2011

Insulted Greeks to Sue over German Magazine's Bailout 'Cheats' Claim
THE GUARDIAN: Six Greek citizens are suing a German magazine for its assertion that their country tricked its way into the eurozone

Insulted Greeks are suing a German magazine over a cover story showing the Greek goddess Aphrodite sticking up her middle finger and an article which called them the "cheats in the Euro family".

Six Greek citizens are taking action against journalists working for the weekly German magazine Focus, including the magazine's then editor-in-chief and publisher, Helmut Markwort.

"Will the Greeks make off with our money?" the magazine asked on its front cover last February.

Tapping into growing German fears of a Greek bailout at the height of the financial crisis, the article depicted a country swamped in debt which had cheated its way into the eurozone.

More than a year after the article appeared, a state prosecutor in Athens is now investigating the magazine for libel and insult, according to the German newspaper, Handelsblatt. » | Abby d'Arcy Hughes in Berlin | Thursday, April 21, 2011

Who am I as a Muslim - The Muslim Identity - Abdur Raheem McCarthy
Who am I as a Muslim - The Muslim Identity by Sheikh Abdur Raheem McCarthy.



Sheikh Abdur Raheem McCarthy went to the East to seek knowledge after he accepted Islam at the age of 18 in United States. He lives in Sudan and is a personal friend of sheikh Kamal el-Mekki. Among his references for acceptance into the University of Madinah was Sheikh bin Baz (r) whom he personally met in Saudi Arabia. He has studied under many great scholars in Sudan, and Saudi Arabia including Sheikh Jafar Idris and Sheikh Uthaymeen (r). This is his first visit back to the West after 15 years.

Royal Wedding: No Place for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Royal wedding has suffered its first major controversy after it was confirmed that neither Tony Blair nor Gordon Brown had been invited to Friday’s ceremony.

The former Labour prime ministers will not join the 1,900-strong congregation at Westminster Abbey despite it being a “semi-state” occasion that they had been widely expected to attend.

By contrast, both their Conservative predecessors, Sir John Major and Baroness Thatcher, received invitations. Lady Thatcher declined on health grounds although Sir John will be present when Prince William marries Kate Middleton.

A spokesman for St James’s Palace said Mr Blair and Mr Brown had not received invitations because neither were Knights of the Garter, unlike Sir John and Lady Thatcher.

However, Labour MPs said it was “surprising” and “odd” that the pair had apparently been snubbed on what was a “great British occasion”.

All surviving former prime ministers, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath and James Callaghan, attended the Prince of Wales’s marriage to Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981. » | patrick Hennessy and Roya Nikkhah | Saturday, April 23, 2011

High Taxes and Crime Blamed for Britons Leaving the Country
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: More than a third of wealthy British residents are considering leaving the country because of high taxes, the weather and crime.

A study by of 1,000 people with more than £250,000 in savings and investments found 35pc may move abroad because of high tax rates, while 44pc blamed the weather and 43pc want to avoid antisocial behaviour.

Recent changes in tax rules have proved controversial for many Britons, including a combination of the 50pc income tax rate on those earning more than £150,000, increases in national insurance and a reduction in personal allowances. » | Myra Butterworth, Personal Finance Correspondent | Saturday, April 23, 2011

Anti-BNP Protest Divides Muslims at Swansea Mosque
SOUTH WALES EVENING POST: MUSLIMS clashed outside a Swansea mosque over a demonstration against Koran burning.

Worshippers at the mosque accused the demonstrators, who came from outside the city, of being hot-headed publicity seekers who came to Swansea to cause trouble.

But the 20 or so demonstrators — a group called the Ummah of Muhammad — said it was wrong for Muslims to keep silent about any violation of their holy book, and unfurled banners urging Muslims to rise up against "the crusaders".

There were heated arguments outside the St Helen's Road mosque before police boxed the marchers in front of the nearby Rowlands Exchange and Mart store.

One of the protesters, Abu Abdul-Malik, of Cardiff, said the demonstration was about the burning of the Koran in America last month, and a similar alleged incident in Swansea.

BNP Assembly candidate Sion Owens, of Caerphilly Avenue, Bonymaen, Swansea, was charged with a public order offence earlier this month in connection with the incident. The case was subsequently dropped in Swansea Magistrates Court, but the prosecution said inquiries would continue.

Mr Abdul-Malik, 27, said: "We should not remain silent when the Koran is being desecrated. » | Richard Youle | Saturday, April 23, 2011

Syria Uprising: Snipers Fire from Rooftops on Funeral March
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: At least five people have been killed in Syrian funeral processions, a day after 80 protesters died in the country's bloodiest day of the uprising so far.


Snipers opened fire from rooftops as a funeral procession made its way to a cemetery, killing at least three mourners and wounding one in the Damascus suburb of Douma.

Tens of thousands of mourners marched in the procession, setting off from a mosque in the northern suburb to the cemetery.

Clerics in Damascus were heard using mosque loudspeakers to appeal on doctors to help anyone wounded in the attack.

Two other mourners were killed in southern Syria as they joined funeral cortèges headed for the town of Izra to bury scores of people killed on Friday by security forces, a human rights activist said.

"The security forces opened fire with live rounds at people who were heading from the Deraa region toward Izra to take part in the funerals," the activist said from the southern city of Deraa.

He identified them as Yasser Nseirat and Jamal Qanbar, while adding that several other people were wounded. » | Saturday, April23, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syria uprising: 'We will continue until the fall of the regime' – As President Assad follows the 'Bloody Good Friday' massacre with the shooting of funeral mourners, defiant Syrians vow to keep protesting. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Saturday, April 23, 2011

Indonesia: Islamic Militants 'Planned to Film Cathedral Bomb'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic militants involved in a plot to bomb an Indonesian cathedral ahead of Easter celebrations planned to film and broadcast the inferno.

Indonesian police said 19 suspects, who had planted bombs beneath a gas pipeline at the Christ Cathedral near Jakarta, were part of a new terrorist cell inspired by al-Qaeda. » | Friday, April 22, 2011

Listening Post - Bahrain: Below the Radar
On this week's show: Bahrain - a small kingdom cracking down on the media in a big way. Plus, a look at state media in post-revolution Egypt

Pastor Terry Jones Imprisoned to Prevent Detroit Koran Burning
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The US pastor whose burning of a Koran sparked deadly violence in Afghanistan was briefly jailed in a heavily Islamic suburb on Friday after a court banned his protest outside a mosque.

A local judge jailed Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida and his associate Wayne Sapp after a court found their planned protest outside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan, could lead to violence.

During his court appearance, Pastor Jones argued that the Koran "promotes terrorist activities around the world."

He also insisted that his right to protest against Islam was protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

"The First Amendment does us no good if it confines us to saying what is popular," he pointed out.

But Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad testified that his department had received information about serious threats made against Pastor Jones from local residents, and argued that his protest could lead to violence if allowed.

Prosecutor Robert Moran argued that the protest had nothing to do with the First Amendment and at stake were security and peace in the community. » | Saturday, April 23, 2011

Bahrain Accused of Systematic Attacks on Doctors
THE GUARDIAN: Medical workers targeted because they have evidence of security force atrocities, claims US-based human rights group

Bahraini authorities have conducted a systematic campaign of attacks and arrests against medical workers who treated injured protesters during months of unrest in the Gulf kingdom, according to a US-based medical group.

Physicians for Human Rights claims doctors and nurses have been targeted because they have "evidence of atrocities committed by the authorities, security forces and riot police" in the crackdown on Shia dissent in the Sunni-ruled island nation, which has been placed under martial law.

The report by the group is the second to accuse Bahrain's authorities of abuses in the medical system. Earlier this month, the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders called Bahrain's hospitals "places to be feared" and claimed officials were arresting protesters who sought treatment. » | Associated Press | Friday, April 22, 2011

Syrian Protesters Fired Upon
With the government severely restricting press freedoms, getting images and footage of protests in Syria has been difficult. 



Al Jazeera obtained this dramatic footage from one of Friday's demonstrations - this one in Harasta, where security forces appeared to open fire on protesters, just as they had done in several other cities and towns in a crackdown that claimed at least 75 lives.



Al Jazeera's Imran Khan reports.

Syria's Deadliest Day
Rights groups say nearly 90 protesters were killed on Friday, when Syria's security forces opened fire on crowds in several cities, killing at least two children

Islam in Europe. A Dutch Documentary

Order complete documentary on DVD »

BBC News: Europeans Converting to Islam

Liverpudlian and Former British Soldier Embraces Islam after Serving 12 Years in the Army

Law Expert Explains Sharia and Islam

This professor is naïve. With Islam growing apace in the US, with many Americans embracing that faith, the fear of sharia law should indeed be a worry for Americans. – © Mark

Very Worrying Dark Age Trends! Thousands Converting to Islam in Britain

Les musulmans égyptiens protestent contre la nomination d'un gouverneur chrétien
LE POINT: À Qéna, ville de Haute-Égypte, une partie de la population manifeste contre l'arrivée au pouvoir du général Emad Mikhaïl.

Abou Georges, sexagénaire au poignet tatoué d'une croix, ne cache pas sa colère : "Nous avions bien raison de craindre la montée du fondamentalisme musulman. Voyez ce qui se passe à Qéna !" Depuis le samedi 16 avril, des milliers de manifestants se regroupent tous les jours dans les rues de cette ville de Haute-Égypte, à forte concentration chrétienne, pour dénoncer la nomination du nouveau gouverneur. Aux cris de "Notre province ne sera pas dirigée par un chrétien", ils s'insurgent contre le choix de l'exécutif, qui a attribué au général Emad Mikhaïl la fonction de gouverneur de Qéna. » | De correspondante du Point au Caire Denise Ammoun | Vendredi 22 Avril 2011

Der lächelnde Herr mit der eisernen Faust
Bachar al-Asads Regime geht unsanft mit seinen Gegnern um – Momentaufnahmen des syrischen Aufstandes
NZZ ONLINE: Noch vor fünf Wochen hätte kaum ein Experte Unruhen in Syrien für möglich gehalten. Das Land galt als stabilste Diktatur des Nahen Ostens. Mittlerweile aber erreichte die Revolution auch diese Festung. Was sie dem Volk bringen wird, ist indes schwer abzusehen.

«Frage: Welche syrische Region ist die sicherste? Antwort: Der von Israel besetzte Golan.» Während Damaskus noch zaghaft und zynisch über die Lage im Land witzelt, schreien es die Demonstranten in Banias und Daraa wutentbrannt heraus: «Ihr Feiglinge, schickt eure Truppen in den Golan», rufen dort Abertausende, die von den Panzerdivisionen des Asad-Regimes eingekesselt sind. » | Ibtissam Mouré | Donnerstag, 21. April 2011

France Threatens to 'Suspend' Schengen Treaty
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France has threatened to abandon European Union freedom of movement by “suspending” Europe’s Schengen Treaty due to an influx of Tunisian and Libyan migrants from Italy.

Italy has given up to 26,000 illegal migrants six-month residence permits, allowing them to travel freely in the border-free Schengen zone, which covers all EU countries except Britain and Ireland.

The decision to issue travel documents to the Tunisians and other Arab migrants has triggered a French warning over the 1995 treaty.

''It seems to us that we need to think about a mechanism that would allow us, when there is a systematic disruption at one of the EU’s external borders, to intervene with a temporary suspension for as long as the disruption lasts,” said an Elysée source. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Friday, April 22, 2011

Syria Cracks Down on Protests

A Growing Presence: American Converts to Islam
PATHEOS: With the number of Muslim converts on the rise, in the next century Islam is expected to be this nation's second most widely practiced religion.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Islamic faith has been its continued ability to attract new adherents. Such a tradition is rooted in the history of the religion, and facilitated its rapid spread from Arabia to the far reaches of Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Here in the United States, converts to Islam represent a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and account for close to one-third of this nation's 3 million Muslims. The vast majority, some 900,000 persons, are of African-American heritage, while the number of white and Hispanic converts is estimated at 75,000.

In terms of religion, converts to Islam come from many backgrounds, including Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism. By more closely examining the experience of Muslim converts, one can better understand the appeal and adaptability of the religion, as well as the future of the Muslim community in the United States. » | Uzra Zeya | Saturday, April 16, 2011

Secrets of the Arabian Nights
Richard E Grant explores the history of the Arabian Nights, visiting Paris and Cairo to find out whether they can help change the West's distorted image of the Arab world
Watch BBC video here

Syriens Machthaber Assad: Am Ende der Selbstgewissheit
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der syrische Präsident Baschar al Assad wähnte sich lange Zeit in Sicherheit vor den Umstürzen in der Region. Er macht die gleichen Fehler, die schon Ben Ali und Mubarak machten. Nun hat er nur noch Irans Präsidenten Mahmud Ahmadineschad an seiner Seite - ein Bündnis der Ausgegrenzten.

Die Selbstgewissheit des syrischen Staatspräsidenten Baschar al Assad, dass ihm die Proteste in seinem Land nichts anhaben können, weicht einer Ernüchterung. Als zu Beginn der Umwälzungen in der Region die Präsidenten Tunesiens und Ägyptens gestürzt wurden, hatte er sich damit gebrüstet, in jenen Ländern habe sich der Volkszorn an einer amerikahörigen Politik entzündet. Syrien sei dagegen immun, ihm werde dies nicht widerfahren. Schließlich sei Syrien unter den Assads ein standhafter Hort des Widerstands wider die Interessen Amerikas und Israels.

Die Wirklichkeit hat ihn eingeholt. Vieles, was sich in anderen arabischen Ländern ereignet hat, wiederholt sich nun in Syrien. Wie in Tunesien hat auch in Syrien die Provinz mehr Kraft, um sich gegen die Hauptstadt und den Polizeistaat zu erheben. In Tunesien war die Demütigung des jungen Gemüsehändlers Muhammad Bouazizi in einer Kleinstadt im Süden der Funke, in Syrien war es die Verhaftung von ein paar Jugendlichen in Daraa, ebenfalls einer Kleinstadt, die wegen eines politischen Graffito ins Gefängnis geworfen wurden. » | Von Rainer Hermann | Freitag, 22. April 2011

Bahrain Security Forces 'Tortured Patients'
THE INDEPENDENT: Bahrain’s security forces stole ambulances and posed as medics to round up injured protesters during a ferocious crackdown on unarmed demonstrators calling for reform of the monarchy, an investigation by a rights group reveals today.

The first major report on repression of the medical profession during the country’s crisis details how a doctor was abducted during an operation and injured patients lying in hospital were tortured and threatened with rape.

The investigation by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) followed a report by The Independent yesterday detailing threats faced by medical staff who treated victims of the repression. More than 30 medics have been taken away by security forces and have had little or no contact with their families.

The report said it found that security forces targeted Shia doctors in particular. The crackdown has created such a climate of fear that wounded people were too frightened to go to hospital to seek treatment. » | Patrick Cockburn | Friday, April 22, 2011