H’wood Snubs Muslim Stone

NEW YORK POST: Sean Stone, son of controversial director Oliver Stone, converted to Islam in Iran last week and says he’s already experiencing a Hollywood backlash.

The ceremony was held in Isfahan, where he is researching a documentary. He now goes by the name of Sean Christopher Ali Stone.

He told Page Six: “I’ve already experienced the reverse of anti-Semitism, having people within the film industry express a reluctance to work with me now that I have said a simple prayer, ‘There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his messenger.’ I am sure I have [bleeped] off some powerful people.” Speaking over dinner at Barrio 47, Sean told us, “Having read the Koran and having been around the Islamic culture, especially in Iran, I do believe that Mohammed is a prophet of the same god worshipped by other religions.

“I am of a Jewish bloodline, a baptized Christian who accepts Christ’s teachings, the Jewish Old Testament and the Holy Koran. I believe there is one God, whether called Allah or Jehovah or whatever you wish to name him. He creates all peoples and religions. I consider myself a Jewish Christian Muslim.

“What I am trying to do is open up a dialogue about religion. There is such Islamophobia in the West. Islam is not a religion of violence any more than Judaism or Christianity is.” Read on and comment » | Monday, February 20, 2012

Islamic Awareness Week at Portsmouth
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH STUDENTS’ UNION: If you read any newspaper it is likely the words associated with the Muslim religion are Extremism, Terrorism, or maybe just Kebabs.

As students, you owe it to yourselves to learn, experience and educate one another about the different faiths and ways of life that are becoming more and more prominent in our society, particularly on campus.

This is why I am so happy to see the Islamic Society of Portsmouth SU introduce Islamic Awareness Week!

Through a variety of different events including a range of lectures, exhibitions and sporting activities it seems as if the Islamic Society of Portsmouth SU have made it their personal mission to spread the true message of Islam on our campus.

This will include a talk on the power of intention, (sincerity in faith)the need for God and even a debate. However, the two topics that have really caught my eye is firstly, the speech that will be given by the world famous Yvonne Ridley. Mrs Ridley will talk about her journey from a ‘Western’ Feminist to becoming ‘Muslim’ Feminist. This lecture tackles the clash of cultures between Islam and the west dealing with many of the misunderstood concepts in the religion including the portrayal of women. » | Godfrey Atuahene Junior | Thursday, February 23, 2012

How Muslims are spreading the word about Islam on our university campuses. At this rate, the West will be Islamized in no time. That ‘New Dark Age’ is dawning faster than one might have thought! – © Mark

Syrian Leaders Listed by UN for Crimes Against Humanity
THE GUARDIAN: Panel of UN experts says senior Syrian officials, including, it is claimed, President Assad, could face investigation

The United Nations has drawn up a list of the most senior officials in the Syrian regime, including, it is claimed, President Bashar al-Assad himself, who it says should be investigated for ordering "crimes against humanity" and other gross human rights violations.

The sealed report prepared by the UN-appointed independent international commission of inquiry on Syria has been handed over to the UN high commissioner for human rights.

While it accuses both parties to the conflict of torture and extra-judicial executions, it says that the opposition's rights violations are in no way "comparable in scale and organisation" to the abuses being carried out by the Assad regime, which have led to thousands of deaths. » | Peter Beaumont | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Remembering Marie Colvin

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Arizona Debate: The GOP Candidates in One Word

'If We Sit Back, We Will Pay a Price': David Cameron Issues Warning on Somalia
David Cameron opened a major conference on the future of Somalia, warning that "if the rest of us just sit back and look on, we will pay a price for doing so", as Britain pledged an extra £51 million in aid.

Read the article here | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Kevin Rudd May Be Loathed by Colleagues, But Australians Love Him
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia's leadership crisis has exposed a paralysing dilemma that the ruling Labour party has never been able to resolve: its path to success lies with a leader, Kevin Rudd, who is deeply loathed by his colleagues.


For all his jarring quirks and transparently feigned "blokey-ness", Mr Rudd appears to have connected with the Australian public, while Julia Gillard – with her workaday manner – has not.

For most of his time as prime minister, Mr Rudd enjoyed soaring public approval ratings which kept at bay his party colleagues, who largely regarded him as a selfish and egotistical autocrat. When his polls finally dipped, the party swooped – and Ms Gillard deposed of him in a sudden coup in 2010.

The caucus virtually unanimously backed Ms Gillard – prompting Mr Rudd to resign rather than face the ignominy of a ballot – and seemed to believe it had shaken off a tyrant. The public, however, was surprised to discover that a small group of little-known power brokers had orchestrated the demise of a prime minister they had elected in a landslide. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Syria: French Journalist Appeals for Evacuation
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Edith Bouvier, a French reporter for Le Figaro, has appealed for urgent medical attention and asked to be evacuated quickly from the Syrian flashpoint city of Homs.

Her appeal came as the Syrian information minister claimed the governor of Homs had been told to try to evacuate Western journalists killed or wounded in the besieged Baba Amr district, following the deaths of Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik.

Adnan Mahmum, the information minister told the AFP news agency: "For humanitarian reasons, and although they entered the country without a permit to go to an area controlled by terrorists, the governor of Homs has been told to exert every effort possible to evacuate the journalists."

Veteran Sunday Times reporter Colvin and French photojournalist Remi Ochlik, with the IP3 Press agency, were killed on Wednesday when a rocket hit a makeshift media centre in the rebel district.

Ms Bouvier, a reporter for French daily Le Figaro and Sunday Times photographer Paul Conroy were wounded.

Syrian rebels posted a video on YouTube today in which she said she needed urgent medical attention and asked to be evacuated quickly.

"My leg is broken at the level of the femur, along its length and also horizontally. I need to be operated upon as soon as possible," said Bouvier, who appeared calm and coherent, even occasionally smiling weakly.

"The doctors here have treated me very well, as much as they are able, but their are not able to undertaken surgical procedures," she said.

"I need a ceasefire and a medically-equipped vehicle, or at least one in good condition, that can get me to the Lebanese border so that I can be treated in the shortest possible time," she said, lying on a sofa under a blanket. »


LE FIGARO: Blessée à Homs, la journaliste française appelle à l'aide : Édith Bouvier, la collaboratrice du Figaro qui a été blessée aux jambes dans les bombardements de Homs mercredi demande «au plus vite» un cessez-le-feu pour pouvoir être opérée. » | Par lefigaro.fr | jeudi 23 février 2012

Labour Suspends MP Over ‘Assault’

SHROPSHIRE STAR: Labour MP Eric Joyce has been suspended from the party following allegations of an assault in a House of Commons bar on Wednesday night.

Mr Joyce remains MP for Falkirk, but cannot take the Labour whip in the Commons until the completion of a police investigation into the affair.

Scotland Yard confirmed that officers detained a man in his 50s after being called to reports of an incident at a bar within the Palace of Westminster at around 10.50pm. He was taken into custody at a central London police station.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “This is an extremely serious incident. We have suspended Eric Joyce pending the results of the police investigation.” » | Thursday, February 23, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: MP Eric Joyce arrested and suspended from Labour party over House of Commons brawl: Eric Joyce, the Labour MP for Falkirk, has been arrested by police and suspended from the Labour Party allegedly headbutting another MP in a row over chairs in a bar of the House of Commons. » | Donna Bowater, and Matthew Holehouse | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Net Migration Rose in Coalition's First Year Despite Pledge to Cut It
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Net migration rose in the first year following the election despite the Government’s pledge to cut the figure significantly.

Official figures show that the number of people coming to live in Britain for more than a year, minus those who moved abroad, stood at 250,000 in the year to June 2011. This represents a rise on the figure of 235,000 for the year to June 2010, just after the Coalition came to power.

Fewer people are emigrating while increasing numbers continue to settle here, in particular students from Commonwealth countries in Africa and on the Indian subcontinent.

The number of National Insurance numbers given to foreign-born workers rose by 11 per cent, which is likely to fuel fears that immigration is worsening unemployment figures.

Meanwhile the number of asylum seekers from troubled countries including Libya and Iran rose by 11 per cent and the number of people being deported fell sharply.

It also provides more evidence that ministers will struggle to fulfil their pledge to cut net migration to “tens of thousands” by 2015. » | Martin Beckford, Home Affairs Editor | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Obama Apologizes to Karzai for Quran Burning

USA TODAY – THE OVAL: President Obama has sent a letter to Afghanistan counterpart Hamid Karzai apologizing for a recent incident of Quran burning at a U.S. airbase there.

"I wish to express my deep regret for the reported incident," Obama wrote in the letter delivered to Karzai today, and released by the Afghanistan government. "I extend to you and the Afghan people my sincere apologies."

"The error was inadvertent," the letter added. "I assure you that we will take the appropriate steps to avoid any recurrence, to include holding accountable those responsible."

The burning incident triggered anti-U.S. riots that have killed at least 14 people, including two American soldiers. » | David Jackson | USA TODAY | Thursday, February 23, 2012

Obama Faith Re-emerges as Campaign Issue

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Agenda for the Dark Ages: GOP Frontrunner Rick Santorum's 5 Most Extremist Themes

ALTER NET: If Santorum gets to bear the standard for the GOP, the party moves even further to the right. Here's a taste of what's on that plate.

It says quite a lot about the state of the Republican Party that the right-wing extremist Rick Santorum -- a politician so despised by his own Pennsylvania constituents that he lost his U.S. Senate seat by an 18-point margin -- is now the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination. And not by a little, I might add -- by 10 points, according to that latest national tracking poll by Gallup.

As increasing numbers of people identify themselves as independent voters -- independent of the major political parties, that is -- the essence of the Republican Party has distilled into a toxic brew of resentment, prejudice, anti-intellectualism and misogyny. In truth, the party has been headed this way for a long time, but the election of Barack Obama -- a moderately liberal African American man with an African-Islamic name -- offered the perfect catalyst for the alchemists of the right to convert their everyday potion of pique into something far more fortified.

Enter Rick Santorum, a presidential candidate regarded as little more than a joke a mere month ago. Santorum presents himself as everything Obama is not, and represents the opposite of everything those anti-Obama right-wing tropes, the lies both whispered and shouted, purport the president to be. There are liberals who relish the possibility of a Santorum nomination; at the Daily Kos, founder Markos Moulitsas is urging liberals to vote for Santorum in open primaries, on the reasonably sound theory that Santorum is too crazy to win the presidency. Perhaps.

"The longer this GOP primary drags on, the better the numbers for Team Blue," Markos writes. Fair enough, but is it good for America? If Santorum gets to bear the standard for the GOP, the party moves even further to the right from where it is now. Difficult to imagine, I know. But sooner or later the Republican Party wins big, when voters tire of the Democrats, or the Democrats screw up in a major way. And then, we'll all be ruled by the Santorum agenda, or something like it. Here's a taste of what's on that plate, based on Santorum's own extremist claims. » | Adele M. Stan | AlterNet | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Marie Colvin: Farewell to a Great Journalist and a Dear Friend
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – CON COUGHLIN: Marie Colvin, who has been killed in the Syrian city of Homs, was without doubt one of the finest foreign correspondents of her generation, and also one of the most fearless. In the 25 years or so years that I have known Marie she was invariably to be found on the front line of the world's most dangerous conflicts, laughing off the very real risks she faced as though it was just another day in the office. Beirut, Gaza, Iraq, the Balkans, Sri Lanka – wherever there was trouble, you could guarantee that Marie would be in the thick of it. » | Con Coughlin | Wednesday, February 22, 2012



Read the short article here | Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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Hosni Moubarak connaîtra son sort le 2 juin
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: L'ancien président égyptien, 83 ans, est accusé d'être impliqué dans la mort de manifestants durant la révolte contre son régime il y a un an, et de corruption. L'accusation a requis la peine capitale.

Le verdict dans le procès de Hosni Moubarak est fixé au 2 juin, a déclaré le président de la cour pénale chargée de juger l'ancien président égyptien, Ahmed Refaat.

Les peines des autres accusés seront également annoncées à cette date. » | afp/Newsnet | mercredi 22 février 2012

David Cameron and No 10 Are Losing Their Grip on the Reins of Power

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A worrying sense of drift in key policies on health, education and economy is damaging the Prime Minister’s authority.

As David Cameron took yet another battering in the Commons this week over his Government’s health reforms, his mind may have gone back to a moment a few months after he arrived in No 10.

Signs of unease over plans for the reorganisation of the health service were emerging and the PM called Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary. Mr Lansley was away, so two special advisers were invited to Downing Street to give Mr Cameron a five-minute briefing on the reforms. The pair struggled vainly – for much longer than five minutes – to encapsulate the Lansley scheme. As the door closed behind them the PM turned to Steve Hilton, his strategy guru, and said grimly: “We’re f–––ed.”

As a former public relations man, he recognised that if those closest to it could not give him a succinct account of the flagship health policy then it would be nigh on impossible to sell it to the voters. So it is proving. Yet insiders say that the battles over health reform are part of a greater problem. They fear that there is a hole at the very heart of government, that No 10 itself lacks overall direction, that it is losing clout in Whitehall (though it’s not as bad as things became under Gordon Brown).

There are unfavourable comparisons between Tony Blair’s Downing Street and that of David Cameron, particularly when it comes to the calibre of people around the PM. As one senior official put it: “Cameron has brought a welcome return to Cabinet government and nobody wants to go back to the days under Labour when we had sofa government and all decisions were on the basis of 'Tony says…’ But the centre has lost too much clout.” » | Sue Cameron | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The problem for Cameron is that he came to power through his sheer determination to be prime minister, regardless. I dare say he felt that being prime minister was his birthright. Unfortunately, however, he appears to have given far more consideration to getting the job than he has to what he was going to do once he got it. In a few words, he is not a politician of conviction as Mrs. Thatcher was. Love Maggie or hate her, no-one can deny that she knew exactly where she wanted to get, she knew exactly where she wanted to take the country. And Cameron? Where exactly does he want to take the country? Fact is, he himself probably doesn't even know.

It must also be said that, to his detriment, Cameron is not a strong man. His weakness is written all over his face. In addition, I think many people would agree with me when I say that he is not a natural politician either.

Kudos was always more important to Cameron than policy. Moreover, what does he actually know about the country he is trying to lead? Has he got any idea what life is like for Mr. & Mrs. Average in the street?

Mrs. Thatcher, by contrast, as the daughter of a grocer, had to pull herself up by the bootstraps, and pull herself up by the bootstraps she did, by sheer dint of her determination, perseverance, grit and personality. Alas, Cameron is no male version of Mrs. Thatcher. – © Mark

This comment appears here, too.

Abortion Investigation: Doctors Filmed Agreeing Illegal Abortions 'No Questions Asked'
Women are being granted illegal abortions by doctors based on the sex of their unborn baby, an undercover investigation by The Daily Telegraph reveals.

Read the article here | Claire Newell, and Holly Watt | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Tunisie : légalisation de la consommation de la zatla ?
INVESTIR EN TUNISIE: Les pratiques étranges ne cessent d’augmenter dans la Tunisie poste-révolutionnaire. Après le phénomène du djihadisme, du salafisme, du 6ème Califat, de l’excision… une manifestation a été annoncée pour la dépénalisation de la consommation du cannabis ou zatla en Tunisie.

Zatla, cette drogue douce tant convoitée par quelques Tunisiens, qui se sont mobilisés pour lancer un événement afin de faire légaliser son usage. « Tous unis pour la légalisation du cannabis », c’est le slogan levé, samedi 18 février 2012, devant l’Assemblée nationale constituante, au Bardo.

Plus de 4000 personnes se sont réunis, ont tous répondu présents à «Legalize it», appel à manifestation lancé via des pages d'événements créées sur Facebook. Les fumeurs de joints veulent visiblement sortir de la clandestinité. » | M.Kh | mardi 21 février 2012

«Ich komme aus einem links-grünen Elternhaus»

BASLER ZEITUNG: Mit seinem Islamischen Zentralrat sorgt Nicolas Blancho ständig für negative Schlagzeilen. Im Interview erklärt der IZRS-Präsident, weshalb die Schweiz weder islamische Schulen noch die Fatwa fürchten muss.

Wie stellen Sie sich die ideale muslimische Gesellschaft in der Schweiz vor?
Nicolas Blancho: Es geht uns nicht um die Formulierung einer idealen Gesellschaft, sondern darum, dass Muslime in der Schweiz das gleiche Ansehen und dieselben Rechte geniessen wie alle anderen Gruppierungen.

Wo werden Muslime diskriminiert?
Ein Beispiel sind muslimische Lehrerinnen. Wenn sie ein Kopftuch tragen, haben sie fast keine Chance, einen Job zu finden. Oder das Verhalten der Stadt Bülach. Man kündete uns willkürlich und unter fadenscheinigen Argumenten den bereits abgeschlossenen Mietvertrag für die Stadthalle. Dies nur, weil wir dort eine islamische Veranstaltung planten.

Nun sind Sie damit auch in der Aargauer Gemeinde Spreitenbach abgeblitzt. Was tun Sie?
Aktuell stehen noch zwei weitere Optionen zur Diskussion. Genauere Angaben können erst morgen Nachmittag gemacht werden.

Wie wollen Sie mehr Anerkennung für Muslime erreichen?
Mit sehr viel Aufklärungsarbeit. Wir müssen unsere Positionen einbringen und dafür gerade stehen. Wir haben unterschiedliche Wertvorstellungen und Positionen. Das ändert aber nichts daran, dass wir im selben Staat leben und unter dem Dach der hier gültigen Rechtsordnung zusammenfinden müssen. » | Von Andrea Sommer | Donnerstag, 16. Februar 2012

Islamische Republik Iran: Hinrichtung von Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani steht unmittelbar bevor
KATOLISCHES: (Teheran) Der wegen Glaubenswechsel im Iran zum Tode verurteilte Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani soll in den nächsten Tagen hingerichtet werden, so die Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte (IGFM). Das Zentralgefängnis von Rasht, in welchem Nadarkhani einsitzt, sei von Justizbehörden angewiesen worden, die baldige Ausführung des Befehls vorzubereiten. Nadarkhani war am 22. September 2010 wegen „Verbreitung nichtislamischer Lehre“ und „Abfall vom islamischen Glauben“ zum Tode durch den Strang verurteilt worden. Noch am 20. Dezember 2011 war das Gericht angewiesen worden, für mindestens ein Jahr ausschließlich daran zu arbeiten, Nadarkhani zum Islam zurückzubringen.

Der Iran scheint sich von der internationalen Welle der Empörung nicht beeindrucken zu lassen. Auch von ihm ratifizierte völkerrechtlich bindende Abkommen lassen ihn kalt: Glaubwürdige Quellen berichten von der imminenten Hinrichtung des Pastors. Sollte das Todesurteil tatsächlich vollstreckt werden, wäre dies „nicht nur die erste Hinrichtung mit der offiziellen Begründung ‚Abfall vom Islam‘ sondern auch ein Schritt in das dunkle Mittelalter“, so Martin Lessenthin, Sprecher des Vorstands der IGFM. Bisher wurden im Iran immer wieder Menschen hingerichtet, auch ohne Hinrichtungsbefehl und ohne daß die Familie verständigt wäre. Auch der Familie von Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani wurde ein solcher nicht übergeben. » | PM/Linus Schneider | Mittwoch, 22. Februar 2012

Rev. Graham: Obama Seen as ‘Son of Islam’

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Read the MSNBC article and comment here | Becky Bratu, msnbc.com | Tuesday, February 21, 2012
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"Caliphate Conference" Seeks to Islamize Europe, U.S.
RIGHT SIDE NEWS: The explicit aim of the Istanbul Process -- currently backed by the Obama administration -- is to make it an international crime to criticize Islam.

A Muslim fundamentalist group is organizing a conference focused on turning Austria and other European countries into Islamic states.

The "Caliphate Conference 2012" will be held on March 10 in the Austrian town of Vösendorf, situated just south of Vienna.

The main theme of the event will be "The Caliphate: The State Model of the Future." The conference is being organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir [Party of Liberation], a pan-Islamic extremist group that seeks to establish a global Islamic state, or caliphate, ruled by Islamic Sharia law.

Hizb ut-Tahrir -- which is banned in many countries, including Germany, but is free to operate in Austria -- is virulently opposed to Western capitalism and democracy and seeks to extend the future caliphate to Europe and the United States.

According to a promotional video (in German) for the conference, "the Islamic Caliphate is the only social and political system that has the right solutions to the political, social and economic problems of humanity." » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, February 21, 2012


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Oliver Stone’s Son: The Jewish Christian Muslim

FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: In the midst of all the important news stories competing for my attention lately, I found myself distracted the other day by what, at first blush at least, seemed a decidedly trivial one. Apparently there exists someone by the name of Sean Stone. He is twenty-seven years old, and is the son of Oliver Stone, the famous film director, writer, and outspoken fan of Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and other charismatic totalitarians. Coincidentally, Sean Stone has also appeared in twelve of his father’s own movies, which means he is obviously an exceedingly talented young actor.

Sean was born with the middle name of Christopher, which means “bearer of Christ.” He has now, however, changed his name to Sean Ali Stone, because he has converted to Islam. In what seems a nod to family tradition, he did not just convert to Islam, he did it in a country run by the kind of tyrants his dad loves, namely Iran.

Young Sean explains his new faith in good old-fashioned addled-celebrity style. On the one hand: “I have said a simple prayer, ‘There is no God but God, and Mohammed is his messenger.’” On the other:

“I am of a Jewish bloodline, a baptized Christian who accepts Christ’s teachings, the Jewish Old Testament and the Holy Koran. I believe there is one God, whether called Allah or Jehovah or whatever you wish to name him. He creates all peoples and religions. I consider myself a Jewish Christian Muslim.” It will be diverting to see how young Mr. Stone’s new Muslim friends will respond to his theological insights.

It is also worth noting that Sean’s conversion, according to him, followed hard upon his reading of the Koran. He claims to have learned from his study of that volume that “Islam is not a religion of violence any more than Judaism or Christianity is.” He must somehow have missed the many passages in the book that vilify those who, like him, have a “Jewish bloodline.” Continue reading and comment » | Bruce Bawer | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bruce Bawer is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center and the author of “While Europe Slept” and “Surrender.” His new Harper Collins e-book, "The New Quislings," about the Norwegian Left's exploitation of the July 22 mass murders in Norway, is now available.

Related »

Iranian Festival Honors Sean Ali Stone

TEHRAN TIMES: TEHRAN -- The son of U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone, Sean, who has converted to Islam and chosen the name Ali in Iran, was honored Thursday during a side section program at the 30th Fajr International Film Festival.

The honoring ceremony took place at Tehran’s Azadi Cinema with Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hosseini, Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Javad Shamaqdari and secretary of the festival Mohammad Khazaei attending.

Stone converted to Islam at the office of Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Nasseri Dowlatabadi in the city of Isfahan last week.

On receiving his award, Stone expressed his thanks to Iranians and hoped to make joint films to help improve relations between Iran and the United States, the Persian service of ISNA reported on Friday.

He also explained about his reasons for accepting Islam and said that as a student of history, he had studied different religions and it was because of his personal interest that he chose Islam; adding that actually, it was Islam that had invited him. » | RM/YAW | Friday, February 17, 2012

Related »

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd Resigns

THE GUARDIAN: Announcement comes amid speculation that he plans to seize power from the prime minister, Julia Gillard

The Australian foreign minister has resigned amid an ongoing leadership row, saying he could not continue in his role without the support of the country's prime minister, Julia Gillard.

Kevin Rudd announced his resignation during an early morning news conference in Washington, where he is on official business. The announcement came amid continuing speculation that he planned to seize power from Gillard.

Gillard came to power in an internal Labor party coup in which Rudd was ousted in June 2010. She became only the third Australian prime minister since the second world war [sic] to gain power in this way, and secured a minority government in a subsequent election. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The King of Cool Crooning Sings ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ During White-House Concert

Read the Time article here | Lauren Daniels Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Michael Bloomberg Defends NYPD Surveillance on Muslims

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, has defended the city's police officers after they were found to have launched covert surveillance operations on Muslim student groups, businesses and mosques.

Mayor Bloomberg said that the New York Police Department had a duty to "keep this country safe" after the force was criticised for mounting surveillance operations beyond the city's borders, even compiling dossiers on Muslims in other states.

Universities including the prestigious Yale and Columbia have protested about the operations, which included officers tailing a group of students on a white water rafting trip.

Muslim residents in the neighbouring state of New Jersey, and the Long Island counties of Nassau and Suffolk, where undercover operations were carried out, have also questioned why the NYPD was investigating outside of the city limits.

But Mayor Bloomberg defended the police, saying: "We have to keep this country safe.
"The police department goes where there are allegations. That's what you'd expect them to do. That's what you'd want them to do. Remind yourself when you turn out the light tonight." Read on and comment » | Rosa Prince, New York | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Cristina Kirchner Told to Leave Falkland Islanders Alone, by Argentina's Intellectuals
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cristina Kirchner has been warned to leave Falkland Islanders to decide their own future as Argentina's president faced a backlash from a group of the South American country's leading thinkers.

Last week, Sean Penn, the Hollywood actor, appeared with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to criticise British actions over the disputed archipelago.

But a group of Argentina's leading intellectuals, historians, journalists, constitutional experts and politicians have published an open letter calling on their own government to rethink policy towards the islands they call the Malvinas branding it "crazy" and "absurd".

The 17 signatories accused Mrs Kirchner's government of "harassing" the Falklands population of 3,000, who overwhelmingly want the islands to remain a British Overseas Territory.

The group said Argentina must respect the islanders' right to self-determination and give up its policy of trying to force Britain into negotiating sovereignty.

"It is truly absurd and crazy to force a government and sovereignty on people who do not want it," commented Fernando Iglesias, a former congressman who co-authored the document. » | Fiona Govan | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Marie Colvin Killed: Syrian Forces Had Pledged to Kill 'Any Journalist Who Set Foot on Syrian Soil'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian forces murdered journalist Marie Colvin after pledging to kill "any journalist who set foot on Syrian soil", it has emerged.

The 55-year-old Sunday Times reporter was killed alongside French photographer Remi Ochlik, 28, in a rocket attack on the besieged city of Homs this morning.

Now communication between Syrian Army officers intercepted by Lebanese intelligence staff has revealed that direct orders were issued to target the makeshift press centre in which Colvin had been broadcasting.

If journalists were successfully killed, then the Syrians were told to make out that they had died accidentally in firefights with terrorist groups, the radio traffic revealed.

Just before she died, Colvin had appeared on numerous international broadcast networks including the BBC and CNN to accuse Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad's forces of [â] murder'.

Jean-Pierre Perrin, a journalist for the Paris-based Liberation newspaper who was with Colvin in Homs last week, claimed they had been told that the Syrian Army was "deliberately" going to shell their centre.

Mr Perrin said: "A few days ago we were advised to leave the city urgently and we were told: 'If they (the Syrian Army) find you they will kill you'.

"I then left the city with the journalist from the Sunday Times but then she wanted to go back when she saw that the major offensive had not yet taken place." » | Nabila Ramdani, Peter Allen in Paris | Wednesday, February 22, 2012


THE SUN: Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin killed in Syria: Reporter and French photographer Remi Ochlik die during shelling » | Staff Reporter | Wednesday, February 22, 2012


THE TIMES: Sunday Times journalist killed in Syria: The Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin — an American who became one of Fleet Street’s most courageous war reporters — has been killed covering the conflict in Syria. Colvin, 55, died this morning in the besieged city of Homs together with a French photographer,… | Philippe Naughton and Laura Pitel | Wednesday, February 22, 2012 [£]

Afghanistan: US Embassy on Lockdown as Koran Burning Protests Continue for Second Day
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Eight demonstrators were killed and 30 wounded across Afghanistan as violent protests erupted for a second day following the inadvertent burning of Korans in main American airbase north of Kabul.


Police and security guards fired into a crowd gathering on the eastern outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, leaving at least three with gunshot wounds witnesses said.

Volleys fired over the protestors heads as they massed near Camp Phoenix, a military base on the main eastern road into the city, failed to dent the crowd’s strong anti-Western anger and protestors said they would march to the city centre.

Police said they had burned shops and cars and smashing windows as they progressed.
Embassies in Kabul locked their gates and forbade staff from leaving as they braced for violence.

Protest paralysed the eastern city of Jalalabad and a doctor at one hospital said it had admitted ten wounded. A doctor said he had seen one young man shot dead in Jalalabad. » | Ben Farmer, Kabul | Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Isn’t this the kind of mayhem we in the West can expect in the future, as the Muslim population grows and grows? Isn’t it true to say that Western politicians have endangered our way of life and our peace in their quest to make our societies multi-cultural? And aren’t the politicians endangering our peace, tranquility, and way of life by their very cowardice to address the problems here at home? Imagine what life will be like in Europe when the indigenous population is outnumbered?– © Mark

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Endgültiges Aus für Garzón
Prominenter spanischer Richter des Amtes enthoben
NZZ ONLINE: Der prominente spanische Richter Baltasar Garzón ist am Montag des Amtes enthoben worden. Vor knapp zwei Wochen war gegen ihn bereits ein 11-jähriges Berufsverbot erlassen worden. Garzón ist durch seine Ermittlungen zu den Gräueltaten während der Franco-Zeit bekannt geworden.

Der prominenteste spanische Richter Baltasar Garzón darf seinen Beruf nicht mehr ausüben. Die zuständige Richterkommission in Madrid beschloss am Montag, den umstrittenen Richter seines Amtes zu entheben. » | sda/dpa | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

Obama Administration Is Infiltrated by, and Cooperating with, Radical Islamists throughout the World and in the USA
LIBERTY NEWS ONLINE: A note from Investigative Project on Terrorism Executive Director Steven Emerson: Please take the time to read this very important story written by a courageous Egyptian liberal intellectual about the Islamist and Muslim Brotherhood lobbies in Washington and the Obama Administration's secret collaboration with these pro-terrorist, anti-Western, anti-women, anti-American and anti-Semitic organizations. This is one of the most important articles I have read in years.

It was just revealed two days ago that FBI Director Mueller secretly met on February 8 at FBI headquarters with a coalition of groups including various Islamist and militant Arabic groups who in the past have defended Hamas and Hizballah and have also issued blatantly anti-Semitic statements. At this meeting, the FBI revealed that it had removed more than 1000 presentations and curricula on Islam from FBI offices around the country that was [sic] deemed "offensive."

The FBI did not reveal what criteria was used to determine why material was considered "offensive" but knowledgeable law enforcement sources have told the IPT that it was these radical groups who made that determination. Moreover, numerous FBI agents have confirmed that from now on, FBI headquarters has banned all FBI offices from inviting any counter-terrorist specialists who are considered "anti-Islam" by Muslim Brotherhood front groups. » | Essam Abdallah* | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

* Dr. Essam Abdallah is an Egyptian liberal intellectual who teaches at Ain Shams University and writes for the leading Arab liberal publication Elaph.

This article also appears here.

Al-Qa'ida Urges Jihad on Bashar al-Assad's Syrian Regime

THE AUSTRALIAN: AL-QA'IDA yesterday called for a jihad, or holy war, against the regime of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, adding an ominous new dimension to the worsening conflict.

The call raised fears that what is descending into a civil war will become a religious war.

"Don't depend on the West and Turkey, which had deals, mutual understanding and sharing with this regime for decades and only began to abandon it after they saw it faltering," said Ayman al-Zawahiri, who assumed the role of al-Qa'ida leader after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

"Don't depend on the Arab League and the corrupt governments who support it.

"Instead, depend on Allah alone and then on your sacrifices, resistance, and steadfastness."

Al-Zawahiri, in a recorded video message, said of the Syrian regime: "There is no treatment other than removal."

He urged Muslims in Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Jordan to join the effort.

The comments were immediately echoed by Sunni Muslim leaders in other countries. » | John Lyons, Middle East Correspondent | The Australian | Tuesday, February 14, 2012

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Former Jordanian MP Ahmad Uweidi Abadi Vehemently Criticizes King Abdallah and Queen Ranya Prior to His Arrest on Charges of High Treason

Franklin Graham: ‘Assume’ Obama Is Christian

Read the article here | Tim Mak | Politico | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Somalia: Islamist Militants Behead Another Christian Convert
INSPIRE MAGAZINE: Islamist militants in Somalia have beheaded a Christian relief worker – the third Christian to be killed in this way since September, reports Release International.

It has emerged that al-Shabaab militia murdered 26-year-old Zakaria Hussein Omar in January 2012 near the capital Mogadishu.

Zakaria worked for a Christian humanitarian organisation that had been banned by the Islamist extremists. He converted to Christianity from Islam seven years ago. A close friend who identified his body said Zakaria realised his life would be in danger if he continued in his work.

Al-Shabaab has vowed to rid the country of its Christian minority.

In September the terrorist group beheaded two other Christians, including a 17-year-old boy. They have publicly flogged and paraded other converts. » | Sources: Compass Direct, Assist, ICC, Operation World | Undated

Iran Raids House Church, Arrests Christians
BAPTIST PRESS: ISTANBUL (BP) -- Iranian authorities in early February arrested Christian converts from Islam while they were meeting for worship at a home in the southern city of Shiraz, according to sources.

Officials are holding the Christians at an unknown location, they told Compass Direct News.

The sources put the number of the arrested Christians, who belong to one of Iran's many underground house churches, at between six and 10. Authorities often detain, question and apply pressure on converts from Islam, viewing them as elements of Western propaganda set against the Iranian regime; as a result, the converts are forced to worship in secret.

The identity of only one of those arrested on Feb. 8, Mojtaba Hosseini, was known. Authorities arrested Hosseini in 2008 along with eight other Christian converts on charges of being Christians, according to Mohabat News.

"I guess they have been watching Hosseini since then," an Iranian Christian who requested anonymity told Compass.

Shiraz is not a particularly "religious" part of predominantly Shiite Islamic Iran, the Christian explained, but persecution against Christians in Iran stems from the government more than from local religious sentiment. The families of the victims have requested information about their whereabouts, but authorities have refused to provide it, according to Mohabat News. » | Staff/Compass Direct News | Monday, February 13, 2012

Sean Stone Converts to Islam in Iran

Read the transcript here | Bill O’Reilly | O’Reilly Factor | Monday, February 20, 2012
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”[My conversion] to Islam means I have accepted Mohammad…” »

Gloom Grips Qatar's Arab Riviera After Alcohol Ban

THE GUARDIAN: Unexplained prohibition reflects emirate's balancing act between religious puritanism and pursuit of modernity

There are car dealers on both sides of the road – Rolls-Royce on the right, Ferrari on the left – leading to the bridge over to the Pearl in this new district of Doha. Located on a man-made island to the north of Qatar's capital, a mixture of big houses with private beaches, 50-floor luxury hotels and marinas for the ultra-rich, the Arab Riviera, as its promoters have dubbed it, is the emirate's most recent folly.

But the sale of alcoholic beverages was banned on the island at the end of last year and gloom has gripped many residents. The managers of top-notch restaurants and boutiques complain sales have dropped by about half.

"When we heard the news we thought it was the end of the world," says a waitress at the Mango Tree, a Thai restaurant where the bottles behind the bar have been replaced by water jugs. The foreigners who once turned up in droves on weekend evenings, filling the cafe terraces of this golden enclave, have taken refuge in the hotels at West Bay, the business quarter of Doha, where alcohol still flows freely.

"We'll die of boredom here," says the proprietor of a coffee stall. » | Benjamin Barthe | Guardian Weekly | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Afghanistan Erupts Over Koran 'Burning'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Furious protesters firing petrol bombs and slingshots have besieged the largest US-run military base in Afghanistan after reports that Nato troops had set fire to copies of the Koran.


The enraged crowd shouted "Death to Americans" and "Death to infidels" at guards at Bagram airbase, north of Kabul. The guards responded by firing rubber bullets on the crowd, said an AFP photographer, who was hit in the neck.

US helicopters fired flares to try to break up as many as 2,000 demonstrators who massed outside several gates to the base.

Hundreds of other people protested in the Afghan capital as security forces dispatched reinforcements in a bid to stop the demonstrations from spiralling out of control in the fiercely conservative Islamic country.

The US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, apologised and ordered an investigation into a report that troops "improperly disposed of a large number of Islamic religious materials which included Korans". » | Source: agencies | Tuesday, February 21, 2012


THE GUARDIAN: 'Qur'an burning' at Bagram base sparks protest – in pictures » | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

No 10 Sides with Gay Couples over Full Marriage
THE INDEPENDENT: Gay couples will finally win the right to marry, Downing Street insisted last night, despite an escalating campaign of opposition led by a former Archbishop of Canterbury and some Conservative MPs.

Lord Carey provoked an angry backlash from gay couples and campaigners as he denounced the move as a "hostile strike" on the traditional view of marriage. There will now be a furious battle ahead of this spring's Queen's Speech, in which proposals could be announced, with the aim of the first gay weddings taking place by 2015 at the latest.

Tory right-wingers gave their backing to a new pressure group, Coalition for Marriage, which accused the Government of having no mandate for the move – and claimed the public was on its side.

But Downing Street insisted that David Cameron remained determined to end the discrimination faced by homosexual couples. A senior source said: "Nothing has changed on this as far as he is concerned. He is very passionate about this subject – it is something that has defined him." » | Nigel Morris, Nick Clark, Andrew Grice and Terri Judd | Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Tony Blair Flies to Kazakhstan to Advise President

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair has flown to Kazakhstan to advise Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Kazakh president, for the first time since police in the west of the country shot dead at least 16 people during a riot two months ago.

A short note on the presidential website stated that Mr Blair discussed a speech Mr Nazarbayev was due to make on employment, industry and housing issues in the former Soviet state.

“I agree with your message and the large scale tasks which need to be put into practice” the Russian-language version of the presidential website quoted Mr Blair as saying.

“We’re ready to work and present to you recommendations on successfully implementing these tasks.”

For an £8 million a year fee, Mr Blair reportedly set up a group last year to advise Mr Nazarbayev.

Mr Blair’s spokesman has previously said that he is not profiting from the deal. The spokesman also said that Mr Blair’s only involvement had been to set up the group and that he was not personally advising Mr Nazarbayev.

In November, however, the presidential press service released a video of Mr Blair sitting at a table at Mr Nazarbayev’s right-hand side, looking like an aide. » | James Kilner, Almaty | Monday, February 20, 2012

A Country in Decay: Greece's Youth Pay Bitter Price for the Wisdom of Their Elders

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Greek youths will be victims for years to come thanks to the austerity being demanded in return for a 130 billion euro bail-out being hammered out. David Blair reports from Athens.

The knot of 100 black-clad protesters strode out under an anarchist banner through the heart of Athens, their cry simple as it was stark: "bread, education, freedom!"[.]

But for all the sound and fury passers-by barely seemed to notice their fist-waving presence. Ordinary Greeks, wearied by their country's all-consuming crisis, have become inured to demonstrations and the chosen slogan of Monday's march seemed almost quaint.

Greeks are bitterly aware that "bread, education and freedom" will be an empty dream for years to come, thanks to the austerity demanded by Eurozone finance ministers in return for a euros 130 billion bail-out being hammered out.

Athenians now live in a city where physical decay mirrors social malaise: traffic lights have broken down across the capital, either because demonstrators have smashed them or the state, which is sacking thousands of personnel, no longer troubles to fix them. City thoroughfares are stained with graffiti, shops are boarded-up and Stadiou street, scene of the last big protests, is lined with the blackened shells of burnt-out buildings.

Meanwhile, a pack of stray dogs roams the street beside the Parthenon, snarling at passers-by and running in demented pursuit of motorcyclists.

Greece had endured five consecutive years of recession even before the looming onset of this new round of deflation. Unemployment for those aged under 25 already stands at 48 per cent, having risen by more than a third since November 2010. Perhaps most stark of all is a national suicide rate that has doubled from 2.8 per 100,000 people in 2008, to about 6 last year. » | David Blair, Athens | Monday, February 20, 2012

Sternstunde Religion: Kirche und Homosexualität – Ein zwiespältiges Verhältnis (Von Sonntag, 03. Mai 2009)

Erzkonservativer Santorum in US-Vorwahlen klar vorn
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Nun werden die Karten neu gemischt: 36 Prozent der Republikaner wollen den streng-religiösen Rick Santorum als Präsidentschaftskandidaten. Er zieht Umfragen zufolge dem bisherigen Favoriten Mitt Romney eindeutig davon.

Einer landesweiten Gallup-Umfragezufolge will eine Mehrheit der Republikaner, dass der streng-religiöse Ex-Senator Santorum Barack Obama bei den Präsidentenwahlen im November herausfordert.

Lediglich 28 Prozent unterstützen den Multimillionär und ehemaligen Gouverneur Romney. Damit habe Santorum erstmals einen eindeutigen Vorsprung, der ausserhalb statistischer Fehlermargen bei Umfragen liege, meinen Umfragexperten. » | dpa/gallch | Montag, 20. Februar 2012

Gay Marriage: David Cameron Faces Church Backlash Over 'Cultural Vandalism'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was accused of planning an “Orwellian” act of “cultural vandalism” by an alliance of bishops, Tory MPs and legal figures yesterday over his plans to allow homosexual couples to marry.

Mr Cameron, who has publicly pledged his support for gay marriage, is facing a growing backlash from within his own party over the proposal to redefine the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.

He is now facing the prospect of an open breach with prominent religious figures – just a week after leading Conservatives voiced their support for Christianity following a series of court rulings which reinforced the secularisation of Britain.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, yesterday joined Lord Brennan, the barrister and peer, to launch the “Coalition For Marriage”, a new cross-party campaign [to] designed derail the plans for homosexual marriage.

A clutch of Church of England bishops and other Christian groups have already pledged their support for the alliance which is seeking hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition to maintain the current definition of marriage.

Crucially, the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church yesterday threw its support behind the campaign, raising the prospect of support from the more than a million devout Catholics in England and Wales.

It is understood that leading bishops are considering issuing a pastoral letter to parishes across urging them to support the campaign. » | John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Monday, February 20, 2012

Europe Needs More Migration to Boost Growth, Says David Cameron and allies
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Workers should be able to get jobs abroad within Europe more easily as migration will help the economy, David Cameron has claimed.

In a joint letter with 11 other conservative leaders, the Prime Minister urges greater “labour mobility” within the European Union to help people move abroad to places with the best job opportunities.

Mr Cameron has claimed that mass immigration in Britain has led to “discomfort” and promised voters that he will bring immigration down to the “tens of thousands”.

Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers from Eastern Europe have settled in Britain since countries such as Poland joined the European Union.

However, Mr Cameron is now leading a coalition of countries claiming that Europe should have a “more integrated open labour market”.

The European leaders, including the prime ministers of Italy, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia, want migrants to settle where there are jobs amid high unemployment rates across the continent. Read on and comment » | Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent | Monday, February 20, 2012

My comment:

The longer Cameron is prime minister, the more disappointing he is. It is the prime minister's responsibility to foster a sound economy with sound economic principles. It is not his job to pass on the responsibility to create jobs to other countries. It may or may not have come to his attention that unemployment is high right across Europe. Shifting workers hither and yon will not solve any unemployment problems, and certainly will do little to foster economic growth.

I have direct experience of working in Europe. Not many countries in Europe are as open to foreign workers as is Britain. British workers migrating to Germany or France, for example, are likely to be employed in menial work unless they are able to speak the local language. But even if they are absolutely fluent in the local language (which very few British people are), they will find that they are discriminated against in one way or another.

So David Cameron is talking about something which his life's experience has given him little or no knowledge or experience of. It is becoming ever clearer to me that this prime minister is as mediocre as the last few. It is also becoming absolutely clear that he simply doesn't know what he is talking about. It behooves him to engage his brain before he allows his chin to wag. That will be better for him. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

British Muslims Hold onto Faith
ON ISLAM: CARDIFF – Muslims in the United Kingdom are actively practicing their faith and are passing on their religious teachings to their children at much higher rates than other religions, a new study has found.

“There is more involvement of Muslim young people in religious organizations,” says the study by the Cardiff University and cited by the BBC News Online on Tuesday, February 14.

“It is well known that there is considerable supplementary education for Muslim children such as the formal learning of the Qur'an in Arabic."

Studying the role of religion in the life of minority communities, the research, performed by Cardiff's School of Social Sciences and Center for the Study of Islam in the UK, found that Muslims are practicing their faith at higher rates than other religions.

It showed that 77% of adult Muslims in Britain actively practice the faith they were brought up in, compared with 29% of Christians and 65% of other religions.

It also found that 98% of Muslim children had the religion their parents were brought up in, compared to 62% of Christian children and 89% of other religions. » | OnIslam & News Agencies | Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sean Stone and Islam: What Is It about Religion and Hollywood?
GUARDIAN – SHORTCUTS BLOG: The director has become a Shiite Muslim. And Julia Roberts announced her conversion to Hinduism in 2010. Are stars more prone to religious conversions than the rest of us?

Religious belief is usually a private affair, but movie actors and directors are public figures, and this week there has been a resurgence of that notable phenomenon, the "Hollywood conversion". Sean Stone, the 27-year-old son of director Oliver Stone, has become a Shiite Muslim during a visit to Iran; he is working on a documentary about the 13th-century Persian Muslim poet and mystic Rumi. Liam Neeson, in Istanbul filming a sequel to his hit thriller Taken,, [sic] was quoted by the Sun as saying: "There are 4,000 mosques…[i]t really makes me think about becoming a Muslim." » | Posted by Peter Bradshaw | Wednesday, February 15, 2012

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Sean Stone after Converting to Islam


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Oliver Stone's Son Wants To Help US With Islam

SKY NEWS: The son of US filmmaker Oliver Stone has told Iranian media he hopes his conversion to Islam helps Americans to understand more about the faith.

Sean Stone, 27, became a Muslim last week in a ceremony in the Iranian city of Isfahan and has adopted the Islamic name Ali.

In the past, the documentary maker has spoken of his support for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country's nuclear programme.

Following Mr Stone's conversion, he told a news conference: "It's a mistake to believe that Islam is antagonistic towards Judaism and Christianity.

"What we need is to understand each other's beliefs and to establish dialogue."

Asked how his conversion would be reported in America, Mr Stone said he was not famous and it would have little effect on his life back home.

"The most important thing is I hope I can help Americans to understand the true nature of Islam," he said.

"I feel good when I enter a mosque. I believe there is only one God and with this view it is not important whether you are Muslim, Christian or Jewish."

Iranian media has widely covered Mr Stone's conversion and his Iran-friendly comments. » | Monday, February 20, 2012

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