Friday, April 13, 2012


Umstrittene Koran-Verteilung: Salafisten bedrohen kritische Journalisten

SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Wir wissen, wo du wohnst" - mit diesen Worten hat eine Salafistengruppe via YouTube Journalisten in Deutschland bedroht. Diese hatten über die Kampagne "Lies!" berichtet, bei der 25 Millionen Koran-Exemplare an Nichtmuslime verteilt werden sollen. Hinter der Aktion stecken Islamisten aus NRW.

Hamburg - Sie verteilen den Koran und hetzen gegen Journalisten, die kritisch darüber berichten. In einem vierminütigen YouTube-Video, das eine salafistische Gruppe ins Internet stellte, sind Reporter der "Frankfurter Rundschau" und des "Tagesspiegels" bedroht worden. Inzwischen wurde das Video von der Internetplattform genommen.

"Wir besitzen eine Menge an Daten von dir, zum Beispiel wissen wir, wo du wohnst, wir kennen deinen (Fußball-)Verein, wir besitzen deine Mobilfunknummer", sagt nach Angaben der "Welt" eine Computerstimme in dem Kurzfilm. Dazu sollen private Fotos und Informationen der Autoren gezeigt worden sein. Die Macher des Films drohten mit der Offenlegung weiterer Namen vor Journalisten, die kritisch über die Salafistengruppe berichteten. » | syd/dpa/dapd | Donnerstag, 12. April 2012

WELT ONLINE: Islamisten bedrohen deutsche Journalisten: Ein Hassvideo gegen namentlich genannte Journalisten alarmiert die Sicherheitsbehörden. Journalisten, die kritisch über die bundesweite Koran-Verteilug der Salafisten berichten, sind unerwünscht. » | WON | Mittwoch, 11. April 2012

Verwandt »

The Draw of Limb Amputations, Beheadings, Stonings to Death? Islam's Popularity Growing among Predominantly Catholic Austria

PRESS TV: The Central European Country of Austria is home to a population of just over 8 million people… Its history is rooted in Christianity, and indeed, it is a predominantly Catholic country… figures however are putting the growing islamic population at just over half-a-million since 2010… And it raises the question: what is the appeal of Islam, in a Central European Country, whose main religion is Christianity…?

Ms. Bagajati represents a growing number of people worldwide who are finding comfort in the teachings of Islam; leaving behind the world they are familiar with… Many have stated that they are disillusioned, and indeed abuse scandals in the Catholic church has played a major part in the exodus of members… so admits, Catholic Priest, Father Michael Prüller. (+ video) » | Thursday, April 12, 2012

New Dark Age Alert! Press TV - Islam and Life - Why Are People Converting to Islam? (December 31, 2009)


Terror Group Wants Somalia Rid of Christians

CBN.COM: SOMALIA -- Somalia's Islamist terror group al Shabab wants to rid the Muslim country of all Christians and is specifically targeting Christian converts from Islam.

Al Shabab recently joined with al Qaeda and wants Sharia law implemented in the country.

An al Shabab video that swept the Internet in September 2008 shows the brutal beheading of 25-year-old aid worker Mansour Mohammed. His crime? Mohammed converted to Christianity in 2005. Blindfolded, Tortured » | Gary Lane | CBN News Sr. International Correspondent | Thursday, April 12, 2012


Euro 2012: Anti-Semitic Football Merchandise On Sale in Poland

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Football merchandise bearing anti-Semitic slogans and calling for attacks on visiting fans is on sale in Poland just weeks before hundreds of thousands of football fans descend on the country for the 2012 European championships.

At one outlet in the shadow of the stadium belonging to Widzew Lodz, one of Poland's biggest clubs, fans can buy scarves and stickers with the motto "Jews forbidden" and T-shirts with slogans extolling violence against Poland's opponents in the tournament the Czech Republic and Greece.

"Burn the Czechs" and "Beat the Greeks" read some of the shirts while another calls for "no mercy" to be shown to "visitors".

An employee at the shop is quoted by the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza as saying the shop stocked the materials "because they sell well and they're in demand".

Anti-racism campaigners also claim "To My Kibice", a popular fan magazine sold in high-street shops, often carries advertisements for racist and xenophobic material. » | Matthew Day, Warsaw | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Islamic Scholar Condemns Gay Marriage in Nigeria

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE: AN Islamic scholar, (Alhaji) Abideen Olaiya, has condemned the proposed gay marriage in the country, saying that it is Unislamic [sic], satanic, evil and ungodly act which shows the end time of the earth.

Olaiya who was a guest lecturer at the Walimot Nikah between Sister Nafisat Opeyemi Abdul-Rasaq and Barrister Qasim Hussain Odedeji, the Amir, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Osogbo branch, Osun State, made this known while delivering his lecture entitled "Challenges of Marriage In our society [sic].”

He maintained that it was the right of men and women to marry each other Islamically on this planet, stressing that it was legal and right in Islam for a man with necessary powers to marry more than one wife.

According to him, only men endowed by Allah with sexual, intelligent and financial power were allowed by Islam to marry more than one wife, urging the Muslim men with the enumerated powers to marry more than one wife. » | Friday, April 13, 2012

Tariq Ramadan appelle les musulmans à la «résistance»

LE FIGARO: Devant 40.000 fidèles réunis par l'UOIF au Bourget, l'intellectuel n'a pas ménagé ses critiques contre le gouvernement et a appelé les musulmans «à ne pas répondre aux attaques» mais à cultiver leur identité «française et musulmane».

Il demande à ne pas être applaudi. Orateur brillant, Tariq Ramadan a tenu en haleine et sans notes, samedi soir au Bourget, plusieurs dizaines de milliers de musulmans venus assister au 29e congrès de l'Union des organisations islamiques de France (UOIF). Il en était l'invité vedette depuis que le gouvernement avait interdit la venue de six prédicateurs pour leurs propos explicitement antisémites. Il en était aussi l'invité controversé, car le ministre de l'Intérieur, Claude Guéant, a publiquement regretté, vendredi, qu'il soit maintenu à l'affiche, lui reprochant d'avoir défendu un «moratoire sur la lapidation des femmes».

Les encourageant à ne pas céder à la «réaction», Tariq Ramadan a plutôt appelé les musulmans qui l'écoutaient - hommes d'un côté, femmes, toutes voilées, de l'autre et des milliers de fidèles debout au fond - à une forme subtile de «résistance». «Je vous remercie d'avoir tenu bon, a-t-il lancé, malgré les pressions et les accusations.» Car «c'est aussi l'honneur de la France d'accueillir cette rencontre». Décochant cette première critique: «On ne peut pas se prévaloir de Voltaire pendant quatre ans et l'oublier à deux semaines de l'élection», invitant à «ne pas confondre la France avec ceux qui la représentent».

L'intellectuel suisse, petit-fils de Hassan al-Banna [en anglais], fondateur en 1928 des Frères musulmans en Égypte, a alors accusé le gouvernement de faire de la «surenchère» et de la «diversion» vis-à-vis de la «vraie crise économique», en misant, selon un «stratagème», sur les questions «de sécurité» qui sont pourtant «trop sérieuses pour être mises en scène». Posant en particulier la question du bilan pour les banlieues: «Qu'est ce qui a été fait depuis les émeutes de la banlieue en 2005 pour répondre au mal-être, pas de travail, pas d'habitat?» Ou critiquant, sur le plan européen cette fois, le traitement «comme des animaux» des «charters de clandestins». » | Par Jean-Marie Guénois | dimanche 08 avril 2012

Propaganda: Verfassungschutz warnt vor Koran-Verteilung der Salafisten

BERLINER MORGENPOST: Die Gratis-Koran-Aktion radikal-islamischer Salafisten sorgt weiter für Empörung. Verfassungsschützer sehen Gefahren.

Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz hat vor der Verteilung von Millionen Koran-Exemplaren durch radikal-islamische Salafisten gewarnt. "Koran-Verteilung ist das falsche Stichwort", sagte Behördensprecher Bodo W. Becker dem "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" (Freitag). „Es geht hier um salafistische Propaganda und die Rekrutierung von Anhängern. Der Koran ist nur ein Vehikel.“

Salafisten stellten Grundelemente der freiheitlichen Demokratie in Frage, betonte Becker. "Dazu kommt noch die ambivalente Positionierung gegenüber Gewalt." Der Sprecher zitierte Verfassungsschutz-Präsident Heinz Fromm aus dem vorigen Sommer: "Nicht jeder Salafist ist ein Terrorist; aber jeder uns bekannte Terrorist war irgendwann einmal in salafistischen Zusammenhängen unterwegs" – dieser Satz habe weiterhin Gültigkeit. » | Quelle: dpa/dapd/nbo | Freitag, 13. April 2012

LE MONDE: En Allemagne, des distributions de corans inquiètent la classe politique : La distribution du Coran en Allemagne par un groupe salafiste, branche radicale de l'islam, suscite l'inquiétude de la classe politique, qui dénonçait, jeudi 12 avril, une exploitation du livre sacré à des fins extrémistes. ¶ Cette initiative lancée il y a déjà plusieurs mois par un groupe autoproclamé "La vraie religion" vise à écouler 25 millions d'exemplaires en allemand du livre saint de l'islam en Allemagne, en Suisse et en Autriche. Quelque deux cent cinquante mille ont déjà été distribués. » | Le Monde.fr avec AFP | jeudi 12 avril 2012

Worldview: Egypt Brotherhood's Mission

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Last week, a Muslim Brotherhood delegation from Egypt came to Washington to convince skeptics that Islam and democracy can coexist.

The question of what Islamist political parties will do after they take power is central to the Mideast's future. Such parties have won elections in Tunisia and Egypt, and look likely to take power in Libya and, ultimately, in Syria.

Egypt, with its large population and peace treaty with Israel, is the crucial test case.

The visiting Egyptians, all members of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, were clearly on a mission: to portray themselves as moderates, who embrace pluralism and democracy - and are open for business. They spoke good English, had Western degrees, and stressed their party's tolerance of minority views and religions.

This skeptic remains unconvinced. » | Trudy Rubin, Inquirer Opinion Columnist | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Thursday, April 12, 2012


EDL Leader Forced to Deny Praising Anders Breivik

THE INDEPENDENT: EDL leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has been forced to deny supporting mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik after he was quoted praising the man who killed 77 people in a Norwegian newspaper.

In an interview conducted in his home town of Luton, Mr Yaxley-Lennon called Breivik “smart” and said the murders he carried out would have been easier to justify if they had been perpetrated against Muslims.

“The [Breivik’s] blogs are full of facts. You can not yell at people because they tell the truth. You may find the truth hurts, but it is still the truth. I read the blogs themselves – they contain facts about Islam.”

In the interview with the Dagbladet newspaper, Mr Yaxley-Lennon, who also goes by the name “Tommy Robinson”, added: “Yes, it would been easier to justify it [if the crime were committed against Muslims], but he would only have been swept aside as the one that killed Muslims because he did not like Islam. Whether you like it or not, that guy was pretty smart...What he did is despicable, but he managed to make people curious.” » | Kevin Rawlinson | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Anti-gay Adverts on London Buses Blocked by Boris Johnson

THE GUARDIAN: Mayor steps in to stop London buses carrying Christian group's 'offensive' ads that claim therapy can stop people being gay

Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor, has pulled an "offensive" Christian campaign advertising "gay conversion" which was due to appear on London's buses next week.

Revelations that adverts asserting the power of therapy to change the sexual orientation of gay people were due to be driven around the capital came as Johnson, who is seeking re-election in May, was due to appear at a mayoral hustings organised by the gay campaigning group Stonewall on Saturday.

The mayor immediately put the wheels in motion to halt the campaign after being alerted to the plans by the Guardian, and made clear that such advertising had no place in a tolerant city.

A clearly angered Johnson said: "London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses." » | Hélène Mulholland | Thursday, April 12, 2012

US Election 2012: Mitt Romney's Wife Ann Thrown into Centre of Women Debate

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mitt Romney's wife Ann was hurled to the centre of the presidential election, when she was criticised by a Democratic operative for having "never worked a day in her life."

The row began when Hilary Rosen, a strategist who has worked for a number of high-profile Democrats, criticised Mr Romney for using his wife, a stay-at-home mother of five sons, as a surrogate to connect with female voters.

"You have Mitt Romney running around the country saying, well, my wife tells me what women really care about is economic issues," She said on CNN.

"Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life."

Mrs Romney's popularity as a mother and a cancer survivor far outstrips her husband's and within minutes Republicans took to Twitter to hit back at Ms Rosen, criticising her for marginalising women who decided not to go into the workplace. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Thursday, April 12, 2012

My comment:

Hilary Rosen clearly hasn’t got her priorities straight. She also knows nothing about the work of a stay-at-home mum. Ann Romney chose to stay at home because she could afford to do so. That she did so is to be applauded. She had the courage to go against the tide of feminism. Would that more women could afford to stay at home, would that more women had the commitment to their children to choose a hard alternative to going out into the workplace and earning lots of money. Ann Romney placed the welfare of her children over her own ambition and achievement. How unselfish is that?

Judging by the crisis in child-rearing both that side of the Pond and this, it’s a great pity that more women who have husbands who can afford to allow them to be full-time mothers don’t choose that option. It would free up jobs in the workplace for unemployed fathers and allow mothers to give their children the informal education at home that children today so need. As the Australians would say: Good on ya, Ann!
– © Mark


This comment also appears here

Mel Gibson Accused of Fresh Anti-Semitic Outburst

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mel Gibson has been accused of making fresh anti-semitic comments by a Hollywood screenwriter who claims his film about biblical Jewish hero Judah Maccabee was put on hold because he "hates Jews".

Joe Eszterhas, known for his work on "Basic Instinct", wrote a nine-page letter claiming the actor said the holocaust was "mostly a lot of horse----" and that he was "happy" John Lennon was shot. His letter was published in full on The Wrap, a film industry website. "I've come to the conclusion that the reason you won't make The Maccabees is the ugliest possible one. You hate Jews," Eszterhas wrote.

The letter came after studio Warner Bros shelved Eszterhas' film "The Maccabees", a historical drama about 2nd-century Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee, which Gibson was to direct.

Eszterhas wrote: "You continually called Jews 'Hebes' and 'oven-dodgers' and 'Jewboys.' It seemed that most times when we discussed someone, you asked 'He's a Hebe, isn't he?'"

The Jewish community had voiced disapproval over Gibson's involvement with the film. In 2006 the actor and filmmaker was arrested for drink driving and an anti-Semitic outburst. He was also criticised for the negative portrayal of Jewish people in his 2004 film "Passion of the Christ". Read on and comment » | Lauren Gambino | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Australia's Most Senior Catholic Archbishop Sparks Outrage after Saying Jews Are 'Intellectually and Morally Inferior'

MAIL ONLINE: Australia's most senior-ranked Catholic official has risked an international backlash by claiming that Jews are 'intellectually and morally inferior'.

Cardinal George Pell said 'the little Jewish people' were shepherds who lacked intellectual development during a debate with atheist Richard Dawkins.

He went on to claim that Germans had suffered more than the Jews during the horrors of the holocaust in the Second World War.

The remarks came during a televised debate with Dawkins on Australian TV in which the pair became locked in a heated discussion on religion and evolution.

'I've got a great admiration for the Jews but we don't need to exaggerate their contribution in their early days,' Cardinal Pell said during the debate on ABC television.

'They weren't intellectually the equal of [the Egyptians or Persians] – intellectually, morally ... The poor – the little Jewish people, they were originally shepherds. They were stuck. They're still stuck between these great powers.'

Cardinal Pell said Jews had been stuck between the Egyptians and Babylonians, and that this reflected their intellectual development. He said this included Jesus.

The religious leader went on to suggest that Jews had not suffered as much as the German people during and after the holocaust.

Asked why god permitted the Holocaust to occur, he said it was a 'terrible mystery' why the Germans had been subsequently 'punished'. Read on and comment » | Rick Dewsbury | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Cameron Praises Indonesia as Model of Democracy and Islam

THE DAILY STAR (LEBANON): JAKARTA: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday held up Indonesia as a model for nations in transition after the Arab Spring, praising its moderate Islam and its transformation from dictatorship.

He said democracy must not be undermined in the name of Islam in Egypt, and called on the world to oppose Syria's President Bashar Assad.

"If Indonesia can succeed, it can lead the world in showing how democracy can offer an alternative to the dead-end choice of dictatorship or extremism," Cameron told students at Jakarta's Al Azhar Islamic university.

He said extremists were trying to turn Islam into a "closed and warped ideology" opposed to democracy.

"What Indonesia shows is that in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, it is possible to reject this extremist threat and prove that democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other."

Cameron praised Indonesia's success in cracking down on major terror networks in the past decade since bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 claimed 202 lives, including 28 Britons.

While the country has struggled to quell attacks by Islamic extremists, the vast majority of Indonesia's population of 240 million people practice a moderate form of Islam. » | AFP | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Related »
Saif Gaddafi 'Wants to Be Tried in Libya'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the imprisoned son of the former Libyan dictator, has aligned himself with the new government by declaring his opposition to extradition to face war crimes charges in The Hague.

International Criminal Court investigators who met with Saif Gaddafi at a mountaintop detention centre south of Tripoli earlier this month said that he had expressed a preference to be tried in his own country, even if he faced the death penalty.

The ICC also confirmed that Gaddafi had suffered torture and abuse after he was captured last November.

The comments appear to have been made under duress with a government official sitting in on the discussion. Even so, the stakes for Gaddafi could not be higher. Deportation for an ICC trial would remove threat of a death sentence even if he was convinced of all counts in the war crimes trials. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Argentina to Invade Falklands after 30th Anniversary Furore Dies Down, Commander Warns

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In one of the starkest warnings over the islands’ future sovereignty Major Gen Julian Thompson said once the reinforced garrison and naval presence disappears at the end of this year Buenos Aires will look to repeat its 1982 action.

“The Argentines could invade and seize the Falkland Islands again,” he said in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute, the respected military think tank.

The former Royal Marine disclosed that after the British Government was “alerted” by the Argentina president Cristina Kirchner “stoking the sovereignty fires” it discretely reinforced the Falklands garrison and naval presence.

This would make an invasion “highly unlikely” this year but “in a few years time however, when the fuss has died down, and the UK’s guard is lowered, an Argentine coup de main operation to take the airfield is perfectly attainable”. » | Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent | Thursday, April 12, 2012
London Metropolitan University Mulls Alcohol Ban for 'Conservative Muslim Students'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A London University may become the first in the country to ban alcohol from part of its campus to attract more Muslim students, its Vice Chancellor has said.

London Metropolitan University is considering banning the sale of alcohol from some parts of the campus because a "high percentage" of students consider drinking "immoral," Prof Malcolm Gillies said.

One-fifth of the University's students are Muslim, and of those the majority are women. It is an issue of "cultural sensitivity" to provide drink-free areas, Prof Gillies told a conference, adding he was "not a great fan of alchol on campus".

"It's a negative experience - in fact an immoral experience - for a high percentage of our students," he said.

He went on: "Many of our students do come from backgrounds where they actually look on [drinking] as a negative. And given that around our campuses you have at least half a dozen pubs within 200m, I can't see there is such a pressing reason to be cross-subsidising a student activity which is essentially the selling of alcohol." Read on and comment » | Matthew Holehouse | Thursday, April 12, 2012

My comment:

The Islamisation of the United Kingdom grows apace. How long will it be before the burqa will become mandatory so as not to offend the Muslims? This is a disgrace. Shame on Prof. Gillies! – © Mark
Cameron Calls on Islam to Embrace Democracy and Reject Extremism

THE GUARDIAN: • Major speech in Jakarta will praise example of Indonesia • 'Democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other' • Extremists are 'dangerous foe' to the whole world

Democracy and Islam can flourish together, David Cameron will declare on Thursday as he uses a landmark speech in Indonesia to tell the Muslim world that it can reject a "dead-end choice" between extremism and dictatorship.

In one of his most significant speeches on Islam, the prime minister will say that the world can defeat extremists, who are a "dangerous foe" on a par with supporters of slavery.

Cameron will hail the "extraordinary journey" undertaken by Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, since the end of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998 as an example of the "inspirational path" countries can follow.

"What Indonesia shows is that in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, it is possible to reject this extremist threat and prove that democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other," the prime minister will tell students at Al-Azhar University in Jakarta. "That's why what you are doing here is so important, because it gives heart to those around the world who are engaged in the same struggle." » | Nicholas Watt | Thursday, April 12, 2012

My comment:

David Cameron is doing what all politicians do these days: They deny the true nature of Islam. Like most politicians, David Cameron has neither studied Islam nor lived in a Muslim-majority country, yet he is sure of his facts, it seems: Islam is compatible with democracy.

This is wishful thinking. Islam at its core is undemocratic. And for many reasons. First among them is that Islam denies the separation of mosque and state, or religion and politics. The separation of the two is the sine qua non of a properly-functioning democracy.

Then there is the fact that democracies are ever-changing. New laws are made in response to changing circumstances, changing needs. Muslims believe in Allah’s law, Islamic law, Shari’ah law. Shari’ah law is based on the Qur’an and the Ahadith, or Hadiths – the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamic law is unchanging by definition. It would be heresy to change Allah's injunctions.

Living according to Shari’ah law is close to a Muslim’s heart. That’s why so many countries are in the process of introducing Islamic law after the Arab Spring, and it’s why Iraq introduced Shari’ah law at the first opportunity. Does David Cameron think that Shari’ah law is compatible with democracy then? Further, if Islam were really compatible with democracy, why has democracy not been the political norm for Islamic countries till now?

Since 9/11, all Western politicians have been in denial about the nature of Islam. They keep on repeating the same old canards, namely that Islam is really a ‘religion of peace’ and that extremists have got it wrong. In other words, the extremists misunderstand their own religion. Whereas, in actual fact, the extremists want what they consider to be pure Islam – Islam unadulterated by Western values. But this is something which our politicians cannot countenance, for were they to do so, they’d be forced to do something meaningful about it. That would take great strength and resolve. One could even say that it would bring the house of cards down, because ‘our house’ in the twenty-first century is built increasingly on the myth of multiculturalism. They’ve all bought into this, so they’ve got to try and make it work. One day, they might be forced to change course. God only knows what it will take to bring that about though! – © Mark


Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom » | Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

'The Holocaust Is German Family History': Book Urges Germans to Quiz Dying Nazi Generation

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German historian Moritz Pfeiffer asked his granddad what he did in World War II, and then fact-checked the testimony. His findings in a new book shed light on a dying generation that remains outwardly unrepentant, but is increasingly willing to break decades of silence on how, and why, it followed Hitler.

Germany has won praise for collectively confronting its Nazi past, but the subject has remained a taboo in millions of family homes -- with children and grandchildren declining to press their elders on what they did in the war.

At least 20 to 25 million Germans knew about the Holocaust while it was happening, according to conservative estimates, and some 10 million fought on the Eastern Front in a war of annihilation that targeted civilians from the start. That, says German historian Moritz Pfeiffer, makes the genocide and the crimes against humanity a part of family history.

Time is running out. The answer to how a cultured, civilized nation stooped so low lies in the minds of the dying Third Reich generation, many of whom are ready and willing to talk at the end of their lives, says Pfeiffer, 29, who has just completed an unprecedented research project based on his own family.

"The situation has changed radically compared with the decades immediately after the war," Pfeiffer, a historian at a museum on the SS at Wewelsburg Castle, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "The generation of eyewitnesses evidently wants to talk now, at least that's my impression. Towards the end of one's life the distance to the events is so great that people are ready to give testimony."

"Immediately after the war, conversations about it between parents and children appear to have been impossible because it was all too fresh," Pfeiffer continued. "Now the problem is that no one is listening to that generation anymore. As a source of information, one's relatives are largely being ignored. But one day it will be too late." » | David Crossland | Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Fear of Honor Killings: Immigrants Flee Families to Find Themselves

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Hundreds of young female immigrants are hiding from their families in Germany after fleeing oppression, physical violence and even death threats. Charities and social workers help the women get new identities and build independent lives for themselves, but the risk of revenge from honor-obsessed relatives remains.

Bahar ran away early on a winter morning, one-and-a-half years after her mother was murdered. She helped her younger siblings get ready for school, and then she gave them a goodbye kiss on the forehead. Her uncle and her brothers were still sleeping. Bahar tiptoed out of the apartment in her socks, walked down the stairs and out the door. And then she ran for her life.

Today Bahar is 26 and likes to wear high-heeled shoes. She has chosen a popular café in a small city as a meeting point. She is wearing a modest amount of makeup, and her black hair is pulled back into a bun. She smiles tentatively and introduces herself, using the name in her new passport, which, for her protection, cannot be used in this article.

Bahar's family came to Germany from Iraq in 1996. They lived in the eastern city of Halle an der Saale for the first two years, in an apartment in a high-rise building with a dingy kitchen. Her father felt that most jobs were beneath him, beat his wife and "put out cigarettes on her skin," says Bahar. The father would sometimes disappear for months at a time. Bahar suspects that he was involved in criminal activities. "Everything was always peaceful without him. We even had a picnic in the park once," says Bahar. She took along some of the photos from that day when she ran away, but she can't bear to look at them, she says.

During those happy times, when she was alone with her six children, Bahar's mother came to the conclusion that she wanted to separate from her despotic husband. She went to the local town hall with Bahar to get information about German divorce law. When the father found out about it, he took a knife and locked himself in the bedroom with his wife on a summer night in 2003. Bahar holds up her hands to show us two scars: the evidence of her attempt to save her mother.

With the mother dead and the father sentenced to life in prison, an uncle took control of Bahar and her five siblings. He managed to make a caring and thoughtful impression on the youth welfare office, but it was deceptive. He used to turn up the music before he began beating the children. Bahar used makeup to hide the bruises. "I wasn't allowed to read books, and I couldn't even go out on the balcony anymore," she says. "Just cook, do the laundry and clean."

Bahar endured her life as a virtual slave for a year and a half. "Then I knew that I would either kill myself or leave." » | Antje Windmann | Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Egypt: The Other Homeland

Revealing a bygone era, we tell the story of Egypt's once-thriving Greek community.

Growing Calls for Cancelling of Bahrain Grand Prix

Formula One teams have been arriving in Shanghai, ahead of this week's Chinese Grand Prix. But the big issue for the sport is whether next week's Bahrain Grand Prix can go ahead. Al Jazeera's Lee Welling reports from London.

French Cabinet OKs New Anti-terrorism Measures

THE BOSTON GLOBE: PARIS—The conservative French government on Wednesday unveiled new counterterrorism measures to punish those who visit extremist websites or travel to weapons-training camps abroad, in the wake of deadly shootings by an suspected Islamic extremist in southern France last month.

The measures now go to Parliament, where it may face resistance from the Socialists, who say France's legal arsenal against terrorism is already strong enough and that the proposal is a campaign ploy to boost President Nicolas Sarkozy's chances at a second term.

Sarkozy's Cabinet gave its go-ahead to measures that would make it illegal to travel abroad to "indoctrination and weapons-training camps for terrorist ends" or to regularly visit websites that incite or praise deadly terrorism.

Sarkozy's government insists the measures are needed to fight the relatively new phenomenon of "lone wolf" terrorism by extremists who self-radicalize online via jihadist Web sites, and are hard for authorities to track. » | Sylvie Corbet | Associated Press | Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Indonesia Aceh Quake Triggers Indian Ocean Tsunami Alert

BBC: An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.6 has struck under the sea off Indonesia's northern Aceh province.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said a tsunami had been generated but its likely impact was not yet clear.

It advised national authorities across the Indian Ocean region to "take appropriate action".

The region is regularly hit by earthquakes. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people in Aceh.

One official quoted by Reuters said a 17cm (6.7in) tsunami had been generated and was heading for the coast of Aceh.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), which documents quakes worldwide, said the Aceh quake was centred 33km (20 miles) under the sea about 495km from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.

It was initially reported as 8.9 magnitude but was later revised down to 8.6 by the USGS. Strong aftershocks were also reported.

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta says there were reports of the ground shaking for up to five minutes. (+ video) » | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Indonesia Sets New Tsunami Warning as Aftershock Hits: BANGKOK — A powerful 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck more than 200 miles off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, spreading panic among residents and reviving memories of the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the same area. » | Thomas Fuller | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Indian Ocean on tsunami alert after quakes: Indian Ocean tsunami warning extended after strong aftershock off northern Indonesia's coast. » | Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Inside a Sharia Divorce Court

Sheikh Haithem Al-Haddad and Dr Suhaib Hasan of Britain's Sharia Council allow us rare and exclusive access to their deliberations on Islamic divorces

Watch the video here | Mona Mahmood and Richard Sprenger | Wednesday, April 09, 2011
New Wave of Well-off Pakistani Women Drawn to Conservative Islam

THE GUARDIAN: Wealthy, educated women are increasingly embracing the trend for religious inquiry and observance

All the women working in the information technology division of the Bank of Punjab's headquarters in the western Pakistani city of Lahore wear headscarves tightly wound around their cheeks and chin, framing their faces as they tap at their keyboards. A year or so ago not one covered their heads with the hijab.

"I was the first," says 28-year-old Shumaila, as she waited with some impatience in the city's iStore for her new £800 Apple MacBook to be loaded with the software she had ordered.

"I started reading the Qur'an properly and praying five times a day. No one made me wear the hijab. That would be impossible," she laughs brightly. "I showed the way to the other girls at work."

They are not alone. Though there are no statistics and most evidence is anecdotal, a new wave of interest in more conservative strands of Islam among wealthier and better educated women in Pakistan appears clear.

It is part of a broader cultural and religious shift seen in the country over decades but which observers say has accelerated in the past 10 years.

"The other girls who were working with us left." Shumaila said. "They found the new environment a bit unfriendly."

One indication of the trend is the growing proportion of women within the conservative religious political organisation Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). Syed Munawar Hassan, the leader of JI in Pakistan, said that women made up an increasing proportion of the organisation's 6 million members and 30,000 organisers. "Our women's wing is doing very well," he said. "They are some of our best organisers." » | Jason Burke in Lahore | Monday, April 09, 2012

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

US Election 2012: Rick Santorum Drops Out of Race

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Rick Santorum dropped out of the US presidential race today, clearing the last remaining obstacle for Mitt Romney to seize the Republican nomination.

Trailing badly in the polls and facing the prospect of a humiliating defeat in his home state of Pennsylvania, Mr Santorum used Gettysburg, the site of the bloodiest battle of the American civil war, to announce his withdrawal.

"We made the decision to get into this race at our kitchen table against all the odds and we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race is over for me - and we will suspend our campaign effective today - we're not done fighting," he said.

While he used his brief appearance to attack President Barack Obama, the one-time candidate did not offer any endorsement of Mr Romney, who faces an open road to the Republican nomination.

The former Pennsylvania senator said he had "tried to be a witness" to the struggles of America's middle class and a voice for social conservatives.

"Even when they said we couldn't win, we were winning because we were touching hearts and raising issues that frankly a lot of people didn't want raised," he said. Read on and comment » | Raf Sanchez | Washington | Tuesday, April 10, 2012

My comment:

Rick Santorum is a handsome man who speaks eloquently. Pity is that he is too conservative, too religious, and too frozen in time. Were he to loosen up a little, and leave some of his ante-diluvian ideas behind him, he'd be a very serious contender for the White House. One can only wish him well even if one is relieved that he is out of the race. – © Mark

This comment also appears here



TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le républicain Rick Santorum jette l'éponge : Le candidat ultraconservateur suspend sa campagne pour l'investiture républicaine, laissant la voie libre au favori Mitt Romney pour devenir le candidat qui affrontera Barack Obama en novembre. » | AP/Newsnet | mardi 10 avril 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Santorum macht Weg für Romney frei: Das Rennen der Republikaner um den Herausforderer des amtierenden US-Präsidenten ist so gut wie entschieden. Rick Santorum verkündete am Dienstag seinen Rückzug. Jetzt wird Multimillionär Mitt Romney gegen Barack Obama antreten. » | aar/fab/Reuters/dpa/AP/AFP | Dienstag, 04. April 2012
Mitt Romney and the Mormon Factor

What is Mormonism and what would a Mormon in the White House mean for US politics and the world?


AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Read the article here » | People & Power reporter Bob Abeshouse | Thursday, April 05, 2012

WIKI: American exceptionalism »
A Muslim Finds the Catholic Faith … Through Geography and Theology

NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER: British soccer team owner and prominent philanthropist Ilyas Khan reflects on his conversion.

Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar was instrumental in helping Ilyas Khan, a British philanthropist and former Muslim, to become Catholic. But so too were many other distinctly Catholic influences, all amounting to a “pull” towards the faith rather than a “push” away from Islam.

Khan, a merchant banker by training and the owner of the Accrington Stanley soccer team, is also chairman of the prominent British charity Leonard Cheshire Disability — the largest organization in the world helping people with disabilities. In a revealing interview with Register Rome correspondent Edward Pentin, Khan explains in more detail what drew him to the Catholic Church. » | Edward Pentin | Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Iran Before Islam


THE ATLANTIC: Iran Before Islam: Challenging Stereotypes Through Art – A Smithsonian exhibition of ancient Iranian offers a different perspective on the country than what Westerners normally see. » | Jennie Rothenberg Gritz & Massoud Hayoun | Jennie Rothenberg Gritz is an Atlanticsenior editor. Massoud Hayoun writes for and produces The Atlantic's International channel | Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Norway Massacre Gunman Anders Behring Breivik 'Not Insane'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A new psychiatric examination has found that confessed Norway massacre killer Anders Behring Breivik is not criminally insane, contradicting an earlier assessment.

"The experts' main conclusion is that the accused, Anders Behring Breivik, is not considered to have been psychotic at the time of the actions on July 22, 2011," the Oslo district court said in a statement which reopens the debate on whether the self-confessed killer can be sent to prison.

"That means that he is considered criminally responsible at the time of the crime."

The new evaluation counters the findings of an initial probe that found Breivik was suffering from "paranoid schizophrenia," which meant he would most likely be sentenced to psychiatric care instead of prison. » | Tuesday, April 10, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik will tell a court he 'regrets not going further': Anders Behring Breivik, the far-Right extremist who killed 77 people in Norway last summer, will tell a court that he regrets “not going further, after a new psychiatric examination rule that he is not criminally insane. » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Tuesday, April 10, 2012


Verwandt »
Günter Grass persona non grata en Israël

LE FIGARO: Israël a annoncé dimanche une interdiction de territoire pour Günter Grass, après le tollé provoqué par la publication d'un poème dans lequel l'écrivain allemand accusait Israël et son arsenal atomique de menacer la paix mondiale.

"Le poème de Günter est une tentative d'attiser les flammes de la haine contre l'Etat d'Israël et contre le peuple israélien", affirme le ministre dans ce communiqué, trois jours après que gouvernement israélien a qualifié ce poème de "honteux" et "minable". "Si Günter veut continuer à disséminer ses oeuvres déformées et mensongères, je lui conseille de le faire depuis l'Iran, où il trouvera un public qui le soutient", a ajouté M. Yishaï. » | FP | dimanche 08 avril 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Grass Says Campaign Against Him 'Injurious': German Nobel laureate Günter Grass has taken to the airwaves to address the raging controversy surrounding his new poem, which is sharply critical of Israel. Yet the debate continues to broaden, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining the fray on Thursday. » | dsl – with wires reports | Thursday, April 05, 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: 'Israel's Government Has Reacted Absurdly': German politicians across the spectrum are criticizing Israel's travel ban on author Günter Grass after the publication of his controversial poem. Editorialists condemn the decision, and some are alarmed over what the development could mean for traditionally close ties between the two nations. » | Daryl Lindsey | Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Terror Suspects ‘Can Be Extradited’


Related »
Blessing: A Gay Mormon Film



Gay Mormon Films (ProText Films) »
David Cameron: Lib Dems Were Fully Aware of 'Snooping' Plans

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has hit back against Liberal Democrat critics of the new internet “snooping” laws, claiming Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne approved the controversial plans.

In a put-down to his Coalition partners, the Prime Minister said it was important to “remember” that some of the most senior Liberal Democrats in Government waived [sic] through the proposals.

Ministers insist the new laws will simply widen the current scope of powers to the internet, as police and intelligence agencies are already allowed to monitor phones, letters and emails. They dispute the idea that monitoring voice calls and other communications over the internet amounts to snooping.

But prominent Liberal Democrats have expressed outrage that the changes will allow the police to have greater power to track online communications, such as Facebook and Skype.

Last week, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, intervened to say he would block any intrusive new powers following a series of reports on the forthcoming legislation.

Tim Farron, the president of the Liberal Democrats, has even said the party is prepared to “kill” the plans, if the laws pose a “threat to a free and liberal society”. » | Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent | Tuesday, April 10, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg denies endorsing Coalition's 'snooping' plans: The Coalition has been shaken by a row as Nick Clegg denies claims by David Cameron that he had signed up to controversial internet surveillance plans. » | Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent | Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Extradition of Abu Hamza and Four Others for Terrorism Offences Can Go Ahead, European Court Rules

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Human rights judges have this morning ruled the Government can lawfully extradite radical preacher Abu Hamza to America to face terrorist charges.

The judges gave a final ruling on six extradition cases in a verdict which effectively passed judgment on whether America's treatment of terrorist suspects amounts to "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" in breach of the European human rights code.

They decided it would be lawful for five of the six to be jailed for the rest of their lives in a so-called 'super-max' prison.

The ruling stated that the five, including radical preacher Abu Hamza, would not be subject to "ill-treatment" at ADX Florence, a so-called 'super-max' prison. The court adjourned its decision on Haroon Rashid Aswat pending consideration of further complaints lodged by him.

The ruling granted the men the right to appeal to the court's Grand Chamber, meaning any extradition could be some time away.

Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "very pleased" by the ruling. » | Matthew Holehouse | Tuesday, April 10, 2012


France, Welcome No More?


Read the article here | Willy Bracciano | Friday, April 06, 2012
Imam Blesses Union of Gay Muslim Couple in France

AL ARABIYA NEWS: Two Muslim gay men, deeply in love, tied the knot in France with the blessing of an imam.

Ludovic Mohamed Zahed, a French man of Algerian origin, and his South African partner Qiyam al-Din, were reportedly married in accordance to the Sharia (Islamic law) in the presence of a Mauritian imam named Jamal who blessed their union on February 12, 2012, according to a report in Albawbaba on April 2.

The two were previously able to marry in South Africa under the country’s same sex marriage laws, which also permits gay couples to adopt but France does not recognize same sex unions.

Zahed shared his story with France 24 TV, telling the channel how he met Din last year at a convention on AIDS in South Africa.

“I was in the lecture hall when an imam, who incidentally is gay himself, introduced me to Din. We discovered we had a lot in common and a mutual admiration was cemented. I stayed on after the convention for two months, deciding to get married, since South African laws were more friendly [to same sex unions],” he said.

After the wedding that was organized by Din’s family, the couple decided to return to France and settle down in a Parisian suburb, hoping that the French government would recognize the legality of their marriage.

But the French authorities refused.

Zahed, who has his family’s blessings for the marriage, says that he faces more obstacles with the French law than discrimination from Muslims. » | Al Arabiya | Sunday, April 08, 2012
Gay Mormon Students Discuss Struggles With Suicide in 'It Gets Better' Video

ABC NEWS: Students at Mormon college Brigham Young University have released avideo about their experiences as homosexuals in a religious community that prohibits gay sex and marriage.

The video, called "It Gets Better at Brigham Young University," is part of the "It Gets Better" project, founded by columnist Dan Savage to prevent suicide among LGBT youth.

Erikka Beam, a recent BYU graduate in psychology, said that when she realized she was gay, she became depressed, started cutting classes, and was told by her bishop that she wasn't worthy to take the sacrament.

"I just felt, 'I'm not worthy. God clearly doesn't love me because he does not love gay people,'" she said in the video.

Beam also talked about her struggle with suicide.

"I just thought that I needed to just kill myself because the heartbreak of me dying would be less than the heartbreak my parents would experience if I came out to them," Beam said.

According to the video, 74 percent of LGBT students at BYU in Provo, Utah, have contemplated suicide, and 24 percent have attempted suicide.

"I thought that eventually maybe it would be better if I died," one male student said, "so I did everything I could to really be that perfect Mormon. I thought that was going to cure myself." » | Olivia Katrandjian | Sunday, April 08, 2012

"Schwulenpropaganda" : Politiker wüten in Russland gegen Homosexuelle

WELT ONLINE: Homosexuelle werden in Russland immer noch diskriminiert. Aktivisten kamen nun sogar ins Gefängnis. Westliche Stars wie Madonna und Rammstein könnten für "Unzucht" oder "Propaganda" bestraft werden.

Wer in Sankt Petersburg öffentlich über Homosexualität spricht, könnte bald dafür bestraft werden. Am Freitag und Samstag gab es in der zweitgrößten russischen Stadt erste Festnahmen für angebliche Verstöße gegen das Gesetz gegen die so genannten "Schwulenpropaganda".

Am Freitag wurden zwei junge Männer festgenommen, die ein Plakat mit der Aufschrift "Schwul sein ist normal" bei sich trugen. Die beiden Männer waren mit dem Plakat vor einem Jugendzentrum aufgetreten. Am Tag danach gingen etwa 40 Menschen auf die Straße, um gegen die Homophobie zu protestieren, zwei von ihnen landeten im Gefängnis.

Seit dem 11. März gilt in Sankt Petersburg ein Gesetz, das Aufklärung über Homo- und Bisexualität unter Minderjährigen verbietet. Im Gesetzestext, der sehr schwammig formuliert ist, wird Homosexualität als "Päderastie" bezeichnet und im Prinzip der Pädophilie gleichgestellt. » | Von Julia Smirnova | Montag, 09. April 2012

Verwandt »
Neues Gutachten hält Breivik für zurechnungsfähig

WELT ONLINE: Der Attentäter Anders Behring Breivik kommt bei einer Verurteilung vielleicht doch nicht in die Psychiatrie. Ein neues Gutachten bescheinigt ihm, dass er geistig gesund und damit zurechnungsfähig sei.

Ein neues psychologisches Gutachten hält den norwegischen Attentäter Anders Behring Breivik doch für zurechnungsfähig. Behring Breivik sei geistig gesund, heißt es in der Untersuchung, die vor Gericht vorgelegt wurde. (+ Video) » | AFP/kami | Dienstag, 10. April 2012
Mindestens zehn Tote bei Selbstmordanschlag in Afghanistan

REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Herat - Im Westen Afghanistans hat sich ein Selbstmordattentäter in die Luft gesprengt und mindestens neun Menschen mit in den Tod gerissen.

Der Anschlag ereignete sich offiziellen Angaben zufolge am Dienstag in der bislang relativ friedlichen Provinz Herat an der Grenze zum Iran. Bei den Opfern handele es sich um sechs Zivilisten und drei Polizisten, sagte ein Sprecher des Provinzgouverneurs. » | Reuters | Dienstag, 10. April 2012
Une salle de prière musulmane incendiée à Ajaccio

REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - Une salle de prière fréquentée par la communauté musulmane a été partiellement détruite par un incendie d'origine criminelle dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi à Ajaccio [Anglais] (Corse-du-Sud), annonce le ministère de l'Intérieur. » | Marine Pennetier | Reuters | lundi 09 avril 2012
Chavez Accuses US of Trying to Topple Syria Leader

ARAB NEWS: CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is accusing the US government and its allies of provoking violence in Syria in an effort to topple its government. » | Associated Press | Published: Saturday, April 07, 2012, Updated: Monday, April 09, 2012
European Jewish Congress Fears 'Tsunami of Hate in Europe'

YNET NEWS: Brutal attack of Jewish man in Kiev prompts European Jewish Congress to urge EU leaders to 'act swiftly' to curb new wave of hate crimes against Jews

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) issued an urgent call for the Ukrainian government to spare no effort in capturing those responsible for the brutal attack on Aharon Alexander in Kiev, Sunday.

The EJC's Monday statement also urged all European governments to collaborate in curbing what the organization called the potential "tsunami of anti-Semitism in Europe."

Alexander, 25, was assaulted shortly after leaving a Kiev synagogue on Saturday night. The Jewish community in the Ukrainian capital denounced the attack as a hate crime. » | Aviel Magnezi | Monday, April 09, 2012

Monday, April 09, 2012

Fla. Pastor Terry Jones: Islam's Goal Is 'World Domination'

USA TODAY: DEARBORN, Mich. – Speaking Saturday in front of the biggest mosque in Michigan, the Florida pastor known for burning the Quran blasted Islam and called upon Americans to take back their country.

"Islam has one goal: That is world domination," said Pastor Terry Jones, wearing sunglasses, jeans and a faded black leather jacket. "It's time to stand up."

Holding signs in English and Arabic that read "I Will Not Submit," about 20 supporters cheered as Jones and his assistant spoke outside the Islamic Center of America. Framed by the mosque's minarets, Jones said he's concerned that the growth of the Muslim population in metro Detroit and the United States will lead to the oppression of non-Muslims.

"Muslims, no matter they go around the world … they push their agenda on the society," Jones said. "We must take back America." » | Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press | Monday, April 09, 2012
Islamic Police Hold Sway in Indonesia's Aceh

AFP: BANDA ACEH, Indonesia — In Indonesia's only province ruled by strict Islamic law, the sight of the "morals police" prompts women to quickly adjust their headscarves and male and female companions to move apart.

In Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island, it is the job of the 1,000-strong Wilayatul Hisbah, or Islamic police, to enforce sharia laws that mandate public modesty for women, and forbid unmarried couples from socialising.

In the capital Banda Aceh last week, a woman peeled away from her husband, reached for a scarf and quickly wrapped it around her head as a patrol approached; a petrified couple hopped on a motorcycle and fled.

But another pair hiding behind a large rock on the beach were not so lucky.

"Are you married?" roared a burly officer, wearing a khaki uniform and sporting a thick moustache, as he approached the cringing couple who shook their heads.

"This is unacceptable in Aceh, we have sharia laws here. Go along now, go home," he said, after examining their identity cards. » | Arlina Arshad (AFP) | Monday, April 09, 2012
Gunfire from Syria Hits Border Camp in Turkey

Syrian forces have fired across the border at protesters at a refugee camp in Turkey, wounding a Turkish translator and at least two Syrian refugees, in the first such attack since Turkey began sheltering thousands of refugees last summer, authorities said.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said Turkey immediately protested the incident to the Syrian charge d'affaires and asked that the fire be halted.

Turkish security forces were reinforced in the well-marked border area following the attack, state television reported.

Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught has this update from Antakya in southern Turkey.


Morocco Activists Target 'Rape Marriage Law'

Amina Filali was just 15 when she was allegedly raped, and was subsequently pressured by judges and - by some accounts - her own mother, to became the child bride of her rapist. A few months later Filali killed herself, reportedly because she was unable to endure ill-treatment from her husband. Filali's incident has brought the marriage of minors and the marriage of victims to their rapists to the fore. Now, activists in Morocco have staged a mock trial as part of their campaign to rid the 50-year-old "oppressive" article from the country's law books. Al Jazeera's Khadija Magardie reports.

Urbi et Orbi 2012