Breivik Wants Death Penalty or Acquittal
ASSOCIATED PRESS: OSLO, Norway — Norway's prison terms are "pathetic," mass killer Anders Behring Breivik declared Wednesday in court, claiming the death penalty or a full acquittal were the "only logical outcomes" for his massacre of 77 people.

The right-wing fanatic said he doesn't fear death and that militant nationalists in Europe have a lot to learn from al-Qaida, including their methods and glorification of martyrdom.

"If I had feared death I would not have dared to carry out this operation," he said, referring to his July 22 attacks — a bombing in downtown Oslo that killed eight people and a shooting massacre at a youth camp outside the Norwegian capital that killed 69.

Breivik's comments, on the third day of his terror trial, came as he was pressed to give details on the anti-Muslim militant group he claims to belong to but which prosecutors say doesn't exist as he describes. Several unrelated groups claim part of that "Knights Templar" name.

The 33-year-old Norwegian acknowledged that his supposed crusader network is "not an organization in a conventional sense" but insisted that it is for real.

"It is not in my interest to shed light on details that could lead to arrests," he said refusing to comment on the group's alleged other members.

The issue is of key importance in determining Breivik's sanity, and whether he's sent to prison or compulsory psychiatric care for the bomb-and-shooting massacre that shocked Norway.

If found sane, Breivik could face a maximum 21-year prison sentence or an alternate custody arrangement that would keep him locked up as long as he is considered a menace to society. If declared insane he would be committed to psychiatric care for as long as he's considered ill.

"I view 21 years in prison as a pathetic sentence," Breivik said.

Asked by the prosecutor if he would rather have received a death penalty — which does not exist in current Norwegian law — he said that made sense. » | Karl Ritter, Associated Press | Wednesday, April 18, 2012


Related »

Appell an syrische Diktatoren-Gattin: "Liebe Asma, stoppe Deinen Mann"
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Es ist eine dramatische Videobotschaft an die Frau des Tyrannen: Diplomaten-Gattinnen appellieren an Asma al-Assad, gegen das Morden in Syrien aufzubegehren. Die gebürtige Britin aber fiel bisher eher als schönes Gesicht der Diktatur auf.


Es beginnt mit einem Bild wie aus dem Modekatalog. Eine 36-Jährige, große Sonnenbrille, ebenmäßig gepudertes Gesicht, edle Klamotte. "Liebe Asma", steht darunter, "einigen Frauen geht es um Stil". Schnitt. Es folgt ein verwackeltes Handy-Video, eine Frau mit Baby auf dem Arm, Angst im Blick. "Und einigen Frauen geht es um ihr Volk." So lautet der Untertitel. Schnitt.

Dann wieder Asma, den Blick in die Ferne, weit unter ihr die Stadt. "Manche Frauen kämpfen um ihr Image." Schnitt. Wilde Szenerie, ein Mädchen läuft durchs Bild, sucht Deckung: "Und manche kämpfen um ihr Überleben." Es folgen Bilder blutverschmierter, verletzter, sterbender Kinder. Kontraste, die den Zuschauer erschaudern lassen: Hier die Hochglanzaufnahmen von Asma al-Assad, der Frau des Diktators. Und dort die verwackelten Bilder ihrer Landsleute, auf die Syriens Machthaber Baschar al-Assad schießen lässt. Seit nunmehr einem Jahr. » | Von Sebastian Fischer, Washington | Dienstag, 17. April 2012

Radical Islamists Taking Over French Suburbs, Le Pen Says
REUTERS.COM: Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen accused France's government on Thursday of surrendering poor suburbs to Islamic radicals and demanded more focus on the nation's security failings just weeks before a presidential election.

Le Pen, third in opinion polls, was speaking in the wake of the killing of three Jewish children, a rabbi and three soldiers in Toulouse. Their suspected killer, Mohamed Merah, a French citizen with Algerian origins, was killed in a hail of bullets on Thursday in a police siege.

"The government is scared," said Le Pen, who took the reins of France's anti-immigrant National Front party from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen last year.

"I've been saying this for 10 years. Entire districts are in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists and I say it again today the danger is underestimated," she told France Info radio.

"The reality dawning on the French people is that social and civil peace has been bought in a number of districts and that price is the development of (fundamentalist) networks," she said, estimating there were thousands of Islamic militants in France. » | Brian Love | Thursday, March 22, 2012

AP Interview: Le Pen Defends Anti-Islam Fight
FOX NEWS: NANTERRE, France – France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen says there's no shame in fighting so-called Islamization and insists it won't breed a mass killer like the Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik.

Le Pen said in an interview on Wednesday with The Associated Press that Islam is taking over French neighborhoods and fighting its spread must not stop "out of fear of a crazy man." » | Associated Press | Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Muslim Businessman Angers Wealthy Villagers with Plans for 50ft-high Islamic Mausoleum Close to His Luxury Farmhouse

MAIL ONLINE: A wealthy businessman has outraged neighbours in an upmarket village by planning to build a 50ft-high Islamic tomb.

Sajid Ghaffar, 31, has applied for planning permission for the memorial in honour of his father Abdul, who is buried on his land in the village of Lisvane, near Cardiff.

But neighbours say the domed shrine - the height of three double-decker buses - will be a huge blot on the landscape in the affluent village.

The village’s well-known residents include former Chelsea footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, while Baywatch star David Hasselhoff was rumoured to be househunting in the leafy village. Property tycoon Peter Thomas, who is worth £225m according to the last Sunday Times Rich List lives just half a mile away.

However, 66 residents have signed a petition objecting to the architect-designed memorial mausoleum, known as a ‘mizaar’. Read on and comment » | Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik Attacks Inspired by Serbian Nationalists, Court Hears
THE GUARDIAN: Gunman says he aspired to 'crusader' mentality of Serbs during Nato bombing of Kosovo as he is questioned on Knights Templar


Last summer's attacks on Norway were inspired by "Serb nationalists",Anders Behring Breivik has told a court in Olso as he attempted to distance himself from the "old school" of rightwing extremism propagated by the Nazis.

Giving evidence for a second day in his trial, the 33-year-old was questioned about the philosophy behind his deadly acts and the Knights Templar (KT) network of anti-Islamists he claims to have co-founded in London in 2002.

"As regards the identity [of KT]," he said on Wednesday, "the essence was to try to distance oneself sufficiently from national socialism because it was quite blood-stained. We felt it completely essential to do so. For the extreme right to be ever be able to prevail in Europe in the future, one had to distance oneself from the old school ideology. One would chose a new identity."

He added that this identity "was, in a way, imported from Serbia". The Serbs who fought and died during the Nato bombing of Kosovo in 1999 had a "crusader" mentality to which he aspired, he said.

Questioned about his path to radicalisation, Breivik said the bombing of Serbs was "the straw that broke the camel's back" for militant nationalist like himself. » | Helen Pidd in Oslo | Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Related »

Norway’s Breivik Obstinate as Prosecution Probes Militant Links
BLOOMBERG: Anders Behring Breivik, charged with killing 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last July, today rebuffed intense questioning about his militant links as prosecutors tried to prove that such networks don’t exist.

“Your intention is to try and sow doubt about whether the network exists,” the 33-year-old Norwegian said in court in Oslo today. “That is the purpose right? I hope that you will try to ridicule me less.”

Breivik, an Oslo native, killed 69 people at a Labor Party youth camp on the island of Utoeya and detonated a car bomb by the prime minister’s office, taking eight lives. He has been indicted on two terror charges as well as murder and if deemed sane may be sentenced to detention for a maximum of 21 years with the possibility of extensions.

“I don’t wish to discuss that,” Breivik repeated today as the prosecution questioned him on the validity of claims that he made his militant connections online, before travelling to Liberia to meet a Serbian national for information and training, and later to London to become part of a militant group.

“The police do not trust my statement,” Breivik said. “‘They do not think that there is a Serb. They do not think there is a person who was my English contact.” » | Kristin Myers | Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Related »

Remorseless and Baffling, Breivik's Testimony Leaves Norway No Wiser

THE GUARDIAN: Gunman boasts of killing 77 young people on Utøya, calling it a 'spectacular political attack' and says 'I would do it again'

Tuesday was the day Norwegians hoped they might begin to understand how Anders Behring Breivik became the worst mass murderer in the country's recent history.

Almost nine months after killing 77 people in three brutal hours, Breivik took to the stand at Oslo central criminal court to describe what he called "the most sophisticated and spectacular political attack committed in Europe since the second world war".

Just when it seemed he was taking responsibility for his actions, or showing a hint of remorse, Breivik would deliver a callous endnote. "I know it is gruesome what I have done and I know that I have caused an incredible amount of pain to thousands of people," he said at one point, before adding: "But it was necessary." And: "I would do it again."

In a pre-prepared statement, which the court allowed him to read out for more than an hour – a highly unusual concession granted only because he refused to give evidence at all otherwise – he insisted it was "goodness, not evil" that had prompted him to act in order to prevent a "major civil war".

The persona that emerged during day two of Breivik's 10-week trial was a rambling, repetitive obsessive, fixated on a threat he never truly managed to articulate, but which involved "cultural Marxists", whom he claimed had destroyed Norway by using it as "a dumping ground for the surplus births of the third world".

Norwegians would be a minority in their own capital city within five to 10 years, he said, and he blamed liberal politicians for bringing about Norway's demise by allowing immigration as well as "feminism, quotas … transforming the church, schools". » | Helen Pidd in Oslo | Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Related »

Abu Qatada Arrested
Hate preacher Abu Qatada can be deported, Home Secretary says: Hate preacher Abu Qatada can be deported to Jordan after the Government received assurances from the Jordanian government about his treatment, Home Secretary Theresa May said today. » | Hannah Furness | Tuesday, April 17, 2012


Theresa May deserves praise for her tenacity: The Home Secretary should be congratulated for her determination to kick out Abu Qatada. » | Telegraph View | Tuesday, April 17, 2012

TELEGRAPH BLOGS – ED WEST: Abu Qatada is a microcosm of everything that's wrong with Britain's dimwitted immigration and welfare systems » | Ed West | Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Related »

Stakelbeck on Terror: Why Are Our Elites Failing Us in the Battle Against Islamic Jihadists?
It's the first rule of war: know your enemy. Yet the U.S. government refuses to use terms like "jihadists" or "radical Islamists" to describe the terrorists who attack us.

Stakelbeck’s new report examines how America's "elites" in government, academia, and the mainstream media are misleading the American people about the threat we face--and endangering our national security as a result.
CBN.COM: Elites Failing America in Battle against Terrorism » | Erick Stakelbeck | CBN News Terrorism Analyst | Monday, April 16, 2012

Breivik défend sa "purification ethnique"
LE POINT: Au deuxième jour de son procès, le tueur a tenté de s'expliquer sur ses actes devant la justice norvégienne.

Au deuxième jour de son procès, mardi, Anders Behring Breivik, l'extrémiste de droite qui reconnaît avoir tué 77 personnes l'an dernier en Norvège, devait s'expliquer devant le tribunal d'Oslo. Voici l'essentiel de ses déclarations : » | Le Point.fr | mardi 17 avril 2012

Liens en relation avec ceci »

Zweiter Prozesstag in Oslo: Breivik verhöhnt seine Opfer
Er hing an seinem wirren Manuskript, lobte das Zwickauer Terrortrio und beschwerte sich, die Medien würden ihn als feige darstellen. Anders Breivik hat vor dem Gericht sein Massaker verteidigt.

Den Artikel hier lesen. | Von Swantje Dake, Oslo | Dienstag, 17. April 2012
Verwandt »

Breivik: «Ja, ich würde es jederzeit wieder tun.»
Im zweiten Prozesstag hat Anders Breivik seine Motive zum Attentat in Oslo dargelegt. Nach seinen eigenen Angaben hatte er den raffiniertesten und spektakulärsten Angriff in Europa seit dem zweiten Weltkrieg unternommen.

Verwandt »

Mass Murder Suspect Defends Actions

Related »

Bahrain’s Human Rights Problem

Bounty for President Obama?

Related »

Tobacco Companies to Challenge Australia Plain Packaging Legislation
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tobacco companies have begun a court challenge against Australia's plain packaging legislation in a test case that is being keenly watched in Britain and around the world.

Under laws that come into effect this December, Australia will become the world's first country to require cigarettes to be sold in drab olive packets with graphic health warnings and no logos. But the move has faced heavy resistance from giant tobacco companies which have flagged numerous challenges and are keen to avoid the adoption of similar measures in countries such as Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

In a High Court case that began today in Canberra before a full bench of seven judges, the world's largest tobacco companies are claiming the laws unlawfully extinguish the value of their trademarks without providing compensation.

Japan Tobacco International and British American Tobacco Australia argued they should be compensated for the loss of their trademarks. Philip Morris and Imperial Tobacco are likely to repeat the call. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Tuesday, April 07, 2012

Abu Qatada Arrested Pending New Extradition
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hate cleric Abu Qatada has been arrested and returned to custody pending a fresh attempt to deport him to Jordan.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is expected to tell MPs this afternoon that an agreement has been reached with Jordan to ensure his removal.

Assurances have been sought to allay fears by the European Court of Human Rights that he will face trial with evidence obtained by torture.

However, despite facing a fresh deportation order, Qatada’s lawyers will be able to launch a fresh legal challenge against his removal. » | Tom Whitehead, Security Editor | Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Next stop Jordan for hate cleric »

Norway Mass Killer Anders Behring Breivik Defends Massacre: "I Would Have Done It Again"

CBS NEWS: (AP) OSLO, Norway - Anders Behring Breivik on Tuesday defended his massacre of 77 people, insisting he would do it again and calling the bomb-and-shooting rampage the most "spectacular" attack by a nationalist militant since World War II.

Reading a prepared statement in court, the anti-Muslim extremist lashed out at Norwegian and European governments for embracing immigration and multiculturalism.

He claimed to be speaking as a commander of an "anti-communist" resistance movement and an anti-Islam militant group he called the Knights Templar. Prosecutors have said the group does not exist.

Maintaining he acted out of "goodness not evil" to prevent a wider civil war, Breivik vowed, "I would have done it again." » | AP | Tuesday, April 17, 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Breivik prahlt mit seinen Mordtaten: Der Massenmörder Anders Breivik hat sich vor Gericht der "spektakulärsten Attacke in Europa seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg" gerühmt. Damit scheint der Tenor seiner Aussage vorgegeben - laut seiner Verteidiger ist mit weiteren schockierenden Schilderungen zu rechnen. » | ulz/dapd/dpa | Dienstag, 17. April 2012

LE FIGARO: Anders Breivik : «Je le ferais de nouveau» : L'auteur du massacre de 77 personnes en juillet dernier en Norvège a justifié mardi ses actes, tout en demandant sa relaxe. » | Par lefigaro.fr | mardi 17 avril 2012

Related »

Norwegians Value Respecting Killer's Human Rights

Related »

Intimate Scenes to Be Banned from Egyptian Public TV
AGI.it: Cairo - A group of Islamic supervisors of the Egyptian Public Broadcaster will be in charge of removing 'immoral ' footage from films the network has in its archives. The ban will apply to scenes featuring hugging, kissing and belly dancing. As reported by the daily Kuwait al-Anba, which quotes sources from inside the Network, such a decision could bring about either the removal of important scenes from movies that are an integral part of Egypt's cinema or their complete ban from any TV programming. » | AGI | Tuesday, April 03, 2012

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Israeli Soldier Clubs Danish Protester with Rifle
THE GUARDIAN: Denmark demands explanation as video shows apparently unprovoked attack by IDF soldier on activist

Denmark has demanded an explanation from the Israeli government for video footage showing a senior Israeli army officer striking a Danish activist in the face with an M16 rifle, an act which has been sharply criticised by the Israeli prime minister, president and chief of staff.

In the video, Lt Col Shalom Eisner, deputy commander of the Jordan Valley territorial brigade, is clearly seen slamming his rifle into the face of Andreas Ias. There was no obvious reason for the assault in the clip, which was broadcast on Israeli television and posted on YouTube. The soldier was suspended by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) pending an investigation. (+ graphic video) » | Harriet Sherwood | Monday, April 16, 2012

America's Deadly Devotion to Guns
THE GUARDIAN – EXTRACTS: There are around 90 guns for every 100 Americans yet, despite 85 fatal shootings a day, the mighty US gun lobby is as powerful as ever. In the wake of Trayvon Martin's killing, Gary Younge reports on the country's deadly attachment to firearms

…

But America's relationship with guns is as deep and complex at home as it is perplexing abroad. The fact that most British police are not armed confounds even the most liberal here. And even though the nation is evenly split on whether there should be more gun control, every time there is a gun-related tragedy, whether it is the shootings in Arizona,Virgina Tech or any number of schools, the issue has been effectively removed from the electoral conversation. And at the centre of these apparent contradictions stands the NRA, once an organisation that represented the rights of hunters and sportsmen and now a major political player closely linked to the gun industry. "All the domestic controversies of the Americans at first appear to a stranger to be incomprehensible or puerile," suggested the 19th-century French chronicler Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America. "And he is at a loss whether to pity a people who take such arrant trifles in good earnest or to envy that happiness which enables a community to discuss them."

But guns in America are no trifling matter. There are approximately 90 guns for every 100 people in the US (a rate almost 15 times higher than England and Wales). More than 85 people a day are killed with guns and more than twice that number are injured with them. Gun murders are the leading cause of death among African Americans under the age of 44.

And the NRA is no joke. Claiming gun ownership as a civil liberty protected by the second amendment, it opposes virtually all gun control legislation. It claims more than 4 million members, has a budget of more than $300m and spent almost $3m last year – when there were no nationwide elections – on lobbying.

…

» | Gary Younge | Monday, April 16, 2012

Breivik Trial: Norway's Troubled Example to the World
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Yesterday's remarkable court proceedings were the start of a long and harrowing - but necessary – phase for Norway

In a variety of ways Norway offers a model of the kind of country that many would like Britain to emulate. On the left, there is envy for Norway's enduring social solidarity and its long commitment to international peacemaking. On the right, there is a wish for Britain to enjoy the semi-detached relationship with the European Union that Norwegians have always preferred. For their part, supporters of Scottish independence like to imagine themselves as a second Norway, a green northern European economy bankrolled by oil revenues.

Meanwhile, across the spectrum from left to right and north to south, there is no financially embattled European nation that does not envy Norway its resilient finances, with its billions in the bank and a state-owned investment fund that guarantees most Norwegians the kind of pensions that workers here can only dream of. If only we had planned for our futures the way Norwegians have done for theirs. Yesterday, the eyes of the world were once again glued to a very different and far from ideal side of Norway. » | Editorial | Monday, April 16, 2012

Related »

The Obama Deception

Breivik Cries in Court Watching His Own Propaganda Video
Anders Behring Breivik has wept in court as an anti-Islam propaganda video he created was played, but showed no emotion while the gruesome details of his victim's deaths were read or when CCTV footage of the blasts was played.

Related »

Australia: Gay Activists Kiss in front of Islamic fanatics at ‘2012 Global Atheist Convention’
”My partner Gregory and I decided to confront the fanatical Islamic protesters outside the 2012 Global Atheist Convention by kissing each other. The fanatical protesters chanted "Burn in hell" as we were showing our affection for each other. It was an extremely powerful and peaceful statement of love in the face of pure hate. Love will always conquer hate.”

GAY NEWS NETWORK: Gay Kiss at Atheist Convention: The Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne on the weekend attracted some 5,000 attendees to see speakers including Richard Dawkins, A.C. Grayling, Lawrence Krauss, Geoffrey Robertson and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. ¶ On Saturday, star attraction Richard Dawkins, speaking on the merits of religion, said Islam was “more evil” than Christianity in terms of its moral code. ¶ Self-described “infidel” Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who spoke before Dawkins on the rights of Muslim women, said Saudi Arabian women were protected from harm in the afterlife, "because it was impossible to go to hell twice”. ¶ Fiona Patten from the Australian Sex Party, which champions the rights of queer Australians, spoke on a panel about the dangers of allowing religion to interfere with politics. » | Andrew Shaw | Monday, April 16, 2012

Breivik gesteht Schuld nicht ein
Obwohl Breivik die Bluttat gestanden hat, sieht er sich als nicht schuldig. Im letzten Sommer hat Anders Breivik 77 junge Menschen getötet. Seit heute steht er in Oslo vor Gericht. Er ist angeklagt wegen Terrorismus und vorsätzlichen Mordes. Einschätzungen von SF-Sonderkorrespondent Erwin Schmid aus Oslo.

Verwandt »

Geständiger Massenmörder Breivik pocht auf Notwehr
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Oslo - Der mutmaßliche norwegische Massenmörder Anders Behring Breivik hat den Prozessauftakt am Montag zur Selbstinszenierung genutzt:

Er erklärte sich für nicht schuldig und berief sich auf Notwehr. "Ich gestehe die Taten, aber nicht die strafrechtliche Schuld", sagte der 33-jährige Rechtsextremist. Breiviks Bombenanschlag im Osloer Regierungsviertel und seine Jagd auf Jugendliche auf der Insel Utoya hatten im vergangenen Sommer 77 Menschen das Leben gekostet. Mit seinen Taten habe er Norwegen gegen Muslime verteidigt. Zu Beginn der Verhandlung reckte er in dem hoch gesicherten Gerichtssaal provokativ seinen rechten Arm mit geballter Faust zum Gruß in die Höhe. Im Zentrum des mit großem Interesse verfolgten Prozesses steht vor allem die Frage nach seiner Schuldfähigkeit.

Breivik erschien in einem schwarzen Anzug und einer locker gebundenen Krawatte in dem Osloer Gerichtssaal, der nur über Sicherheitsvorkehrungen wie an Flughäfen zu erreichen ist. Erst kurz bevor er Platz nahm, wurden ihm die Handschellen abgenommen. Gelegentlich unterdrückte Breivik, der seine Haare akkurat gescheitelt trug, ein Gähnen oder trank einen Schluck Wasser, als die Staatsanwältin die Anklagepunkte jedes einzelnen Mordes verlas. Sie schilderte die Panik und Todesangst der Jugendlichen, die Breivik auf der Ferieninsel gejagt und willkürlich niedergeschossen hatte. Einige Details des Massakers waren so drastisch, dass das norwegische Fernsehen die entsprechenden Worte ausblendete. » | Reuters | Montag, 16. April 2012

Verwandt »

Breivik refuse de reconnaître la justice norvégienne

REUTERS FRANCE: OSLO - Anders Behring Breivik a refusé de reconnaître l'autorité de la justice norvégienne lundi à l'ouverture de son procès pour le massacre de 77 personnes à Oslo et sur l'île d'Utoya le 22 juillet 2011.

L'extrémiste de droite, militant islamophobe, qui se définit comme un "templier" au service de la Norvège en lutte contre les périls du "multiculturalisme", entend rejeter sa culpabilité au cours des audiences qu'il espère utiliser comme tribune pour la défense de ses idées.

Il est arrivé sous bonne escorte dans la salle d'audience, affichant à plusieurs reprises un sourire suffisant lorsque les gardes lui ont retiré ses menottes, puis serrant le poing droit sur son coeur avant de tendre son bras en guise de salut.

"Je ne reconnais pas les tribunaux norvégiens. Vous avez reçu votre mandat de partis politiques qui soutiennent le multiculturalisme", a-t-il déclaré. "Je ne reconnais pas l'autorité de cette cour." » | Par Balazs Koranyi et Walter Gibbs | Reuters | Henri-Pierre André et Jean-Stéphane Brosse pour le service français | lundi 16 avril 2012

Liens en relation avec l’article »

Pat Condell: Telling the Truth about Islam
Pat Condell pulls no punches as he shares his opinions on the 'Truth about Islam'.

Jeremy Paxman in Amazement at EDL Leader Stephen Lennon (Tommy Robinson) Before Luton Demo
Newsnight 1st Feb 2011 Jeremy Paxman interviews Stephen Lennon (Tommy Robinson) before demo in his home town of Luton 5th Feb.

British Peer Lord Ahmed Suspended after 'Offering £10m Bounty on Barack Obama and George Bush'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A controversial British peer has been suspended from the Labour Party amid reports that he offered a £10 million bounty for the capture of President Barack Obama and his predecessor President George W Bush.

Lord Ahmed, 53, who in 1998 became the first Muslim life peer, was reported to have made the comments at a conference in Haripur in Pakistan.

A Labour Party spokesman said: "We have suspended Lord Ahmed pending investigation. If these comments are accurate we utterly condemn these remarks which are totally unacceptable."

According to Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper Lord Ahmed offered the bounty in response to a US action a week ago.

The US issued a $10 million reward for the capture of Pakistani militant leader Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, who it suspects of orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people died as terrorists stormed hotels and a train station.

The British peer reportedly said: "'If the US can announce a reward of $10 million for the (capture) of Hafiz Saeed, I can announce a bounty of £10 million (for the capture of) President Obama and his predecessor, George Bush." Lord Ahmed reportedly said he would arrange the bounty at any cost, even if he had to sell his own personal assets including his house. »

Norway Killer Admits Massacre, Claims Self-defense
ASSOCIATED PRESS: OSLO, Norway (AP) — A right-wing fanatic admitted Monday to unleashing a bomb-and-shooting massacre that killed 77 people in Norway but pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, saying he was acting in self-defense.

On the first day of his long-awaited trial, Anders Behring Breivik defiantly rejected the authority of the court as it sought to assign responsibility for the July 22 attacks that shocked Norway and jolted the image of terrorism in Europe.

Dressed in a dark suit and sporting a thin beard, Breivik smiled as a guard removed his handcuffs in the crowded court room. The 33-year-old then flashed a closed-fist salute, before shaking hands with prosecutors and court officials.

"I don't recognize Norwegian courts because you get your mandate from the Norwegian political parties who support multiculturalism," Breivik said in his first comments to the court.

Eight people were killed in Breivik's bombing of Oslo's government district and 69 others were slain in his shooting massacre at the left-leaning Labor Party's youth camp on Utoya island outside the capital.

"I admit to the acts, but not criminal guilt," he told the court, insisting he had acted in self-defense.

He remained stone-faced and motionless as prosecutors read the indictment on terror and murder charges, with descriptions of how each victim died, and when they explained how he prepared for the attacks.

But he suddenly became emotional when prosecutors showed an anti-Muslim video that he had posted on YouTube before the killing spree, wiping away tears with trembling hands. » | Karl Ritter | AP | Associated Press writers Bjoern H. Amland and Julia Gronnevet contributed to this report. | Monday, April 16, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik trial: indictment in full »

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Breivik beruft sich auf Notwehr: Mit überheblicher Miene sitzt der Angeklagte im Gericht: Zum Prozessauftakt gegen Anders Breivik hat die Staatsanwaltschaft den Werdegang des Attentäters nachgezeichnet - der beruft sich auf Notwehr. Als ein von ihm produzierter Film vorgeführt wurde, brach der Massenmörder in Tränen aus. » | ulz/siu | Montag, 16. April 2012


Related »

Norway's Mass Killer Anders Breivik Speaks at Start of Trial
Anders Breivik speaks at the beginning of his trial to say he does not recognise the Norweigan court. . Report by Sophie Foster.

Related »

Breivik Stands Trial Over Norway Killings
Anders Behring Breivik tells court he does not recognise its authority as trial begins over attacks that left 77 dead.

Read the article here | Source: Al Jazeera | Monday, April 16, 2012
Related »

Norwich Church Banned from Using Market Stall after Complaints about ‘Hate-related’ Leaflets
NORWICH EVENING NEWS 24: A church has been banned from using a market stall to hold its weekly outreach service following a complaint about “hate-motivated” leaflets published by the group.

The Norwich Reformed Church held a weekly outreach bookstall from the Norwich City Council-owned site on Hay Hill, but has been informed it is no longer allowed to use the stall after the council received a complaint about literature on it. The complaint prompted a review of the materials produced by Reverend Alan Clifford, pastor of the church, and the council contacted police as materials, particularly the leaflet entitled Why not Islam, were considered to be hate-motivated. » | Peter Walsh | Saturday, April 14, 2012

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Norway Killer Breivik Refuses to Recognize Court
REUTERS.COM: The Norwegian anti-Islamic militant who massacred 77 people last summer arrived at an Oslo courthouse under armed guard on Monday, clenching his fist in a far-right salute and saying he did not recognize the authority of the judges.

Anders Behring Breivik, 33, has admitted setting off a car bomb that killed eight people at government headquarters in Oslo last July, then killing 69 in a shooting spree at a summer youth camp organized by the ruling Labour Party.

Breivik entered the court in handcuffs, which were taken off just before he was seated. He smirked several times as the cuffs were removed, put his right fist on his heart then extended his hand in salute.

"I do not recognize the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties which support multiculturalism," Breivik told the court. "I do not acknowledge the authority of the court."

The "lone wolf" killer intends to deny criminal guilt, saying he was defending Norway against multiculturalism and Islam. The trial is scheduled to last 10 weeks, during which the court must rule on both his guilt, and his sanity. » | Balazs Koranyi and Walter Gibbs | OSLO | Reporting by Oslo newsroom; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Giles Elgood | Monday, April 16, 2012

Saudis Ban Emo University Students
TIMESLIVE.CO.ZA: Saudi authorities have barred adherents of the emo subculture from attending the country's universities, local media reported Sunday.

Universities in the conservative Muslim kingdom have been ordered to ban students sporting emo clothing and hairstyles, after an official investigation concluded that this subculture is "improper and deviant," reported the newspaper Al Sharq.

The paper added that female students dressed in boyish styles were to be barred too. » | Sapa-dpa | Sunday, April 15, 2012

WIKI: Emo »

Surreality Check! Islam Is Key to Peace, Convention Concludes
KHALEEJ TIMES: Concluding three days of lectures and activities, the second edition of the Dubai International Peace Convention affirmed that Islam is the key to peace much sought after these days.

Altogether 150,000 people of different nationalities and religions attended the 16 lectures delivered by 12 scholars and spiritual gurus during the event.

The world congress, held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, is aimed to create a climate of intellectual cooperation and share the teachings of Islam in order to guide the world towards peace.

Dr Hamad Al Shaibani, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace, said the convention has been a wonderful platform for leading thinkers in the Muslim world to come together. ‘They have had a massive impact in raising awareness of our main objective, and we are delighted to have brought together different races and religions under one roof to create an interactive environment that perpetuates our vision of peace.’

‘Brotherhood in Islam’, the ‘status of women in Islam’, ‘Muhammad (PBUH) — the ambassador of peace’, ‘One world... One way... One God’, ‘action plan to achieve world peace’, the ‘role model for peace’, ‘how to build a peaceful family’, ‘the solutions for global crisis’, ‘peace in the light of the Holy Quran’, and ‘Peaceful coexistence... myth or reality’ were some of the issues spotlighted during the convention. » | Ahmed Shaaban | Sunday, April 15, 2012

My comment:

First, Islam disturbs world peace, which is one of today's greatest problems; second, Muslims gather for a huge convention stating that Islam is the solution to world peace. One really couldn't make this stuff up. One can only scratch one's head! The audacity of it all. – © Mark

USA: Tornadoes Leave Widespread Damage

North Korean Former Detainee Tells His Story
The world's eyes are on North Korea after its failed rocket launch, but some also want to keep the focus on Pyongyang's human rights record. Political detainees there are kept in secret camps. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports from Paris, France.

North Korean Leader Calls for 'Final Victory'
North Korea's new leader has delivered his first major public speech on the occasion of the centenary of its founder's birth, calling for a push to "final victory" at a mass military parade in the country's capital.

Kim Jong-un, the third Kim to rule North Korea, read monotonously from a script in Pyongyang's central square on Sunday after marching soldiers and sailors demonstrated the North's military power.

In a move that indicated Kim would stick to the "military-first" policies that have put North Korea on the verge of nuclear weapons capacity, he lauded his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il, as the "founder and the builder of our revolutionary armed forces".

Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Seoul, South Korea's capital.

German Farm to Sell Pigs Online
Social networks, internet dating and online shopping have all been successful web enterprises. Now a German pig farm is going the whole hog by providing a mix of all three. Nick Spicer explains.

Ägypten: Maher El Gohary & Mohamed Hegazy wollten ausreisen
Abtrünnigkeit wird mit dem Tod bestraft.

EUROPE NEWS: Interview with the former Muslims Maher al-Gohary (60) and his daughter Dina (17) who escaped from Egypt because of death penalty for conversion to Christianity. » | Weronika | Europe News | Sunday, April 15, 2012

HT: Baron Bodissey @ Gates of Vienna »

Coordinated Afghanistan Assaults Target Presidential Palace, Embassies

Read the article here | Mitra Mobasherat and Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Leading British Muslim Leader Faces War Crimes Charges in Bangladesh
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: One of Britain's most important Muslim leaders is to be charged with war crimes, investigators and officials have told The Sunday Telegraph

Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, director of Muslim spiritual care provision in the NHS, a trustee of the major British charity Muslim Aid and a central figure in setting up the Muslim Council of Britain, fiercely denies any involvement in a number of abductions and "disappearances" during Bangladesh's independence struggle in the 1970s.

He says the claims are "politically-motivated" and false.

However, Mohammad Abdul Hannan Khan, the chief investigator for the country's International Crimes Tribunal, said: "There is prima facie evidence of Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin being involved in a series of killings of intellectuals.

"We have made substantial progress in the case against him. There is no chance that he will not be indicted and prosecuted. We expect charges in June."

Mr Mueen-Uddin could face the death penalty if convicted. » | Andrew Gilligan, Dhaka | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Norway Killer Anders Behring Breivik Barred from Reading 'New Manifesto' in Court

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik has been banned from reading a "new manifesto" he has written when he stands to give testimony over the massacre in Norway, his lawyers have told The Daily Telegraph.

"He says he has written a presentation that will take an hour, and he wants to read that," Odd Gron, from Advokat Lippestad, told the Daily Telegraph. "But the court have sent signals to us in a meeting that they won't allow that."

Breivik handed a copy of the presentation, which runs to more than 8,000-words, to his lawyers when he met them on Friday night. His trial opens in an Oslo courtroom today and is expected to last ten weeks.

To aid him in his preparation, Breivik has been supplied with a computer, a political dictionary and a paper copy of the manifesto he sent out on the day he launched his massacre.

On July 22 last year, Breivik first set off a car bomb outside government buildings in Oslo, killing eight people, before travelling to the small island of Utoya [Utøya] northwest of the capital where he spent more than an hour methodically shooting and killing another 69 people, mostly teenagers.

He has admitted the killings, but plans to argue that he should be acquitted as he committed the act in self[-]defence. » | Richard Orange in Oslo | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Far-right Anti-Muslim Network On Rise Globally as Breivik Trial Opens
THE GUARDIAN: Report highlights UK role in the growth of groups that inspired Norway's mass murderer

The international network of counter-jihadist groups that inspired Anders Behring Breivik is growing in reach and influence, according to a report released on the eve of the Norwegian's trial.

Far-right organisations are becoming more cohesive as they forge alliances throughout Europe and the US, says the study, with 190 groups now identified as promoting an Islamophobic agenda.

This week Breivik will appear on trial in Oslo after confessing to the murder of 77 people in Norway last July, killings that he justified as part of a "war" between the west and Islamists.

The report, by anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, states that since the 33-year-old's killing spree, the counter-jihad movement – a network of foundations, bloggers, political activists and street gangs – has continued to proliferate.

Campaigners cite the formation three months ago of the Stop Islamization of Nations (Sion) group, designed to promote an umbrella network of counter-jihad groups across Europe and the US, as evidence of a global evolution.

An inaugural Sion summit is planned in New York this year to coincide with the anniversary of 9/11. Speakers are set to include Paul Weston, chairman of the anti-Islamic British Freedom Party (BFP), which recently announced a pact with the English Defence League. In the manifesto that Breivik published online 90 minutes before his attacks, he cited blog postings by Weston which discussed a "European civil war" between the west and Islam.

Researchers at Hope Not Hate name the UK as one of Europe's most active countries in terms of counter-jihad extremism, with 22 anti-Islamic groups currently operating.

In Europe as a whole, 133 organisations were named in the report, including seven in Norway, and another 47 in the US, where a network of neo-conservative, evangelical and conservative organisations attempts to spread "negative perceptions of Islam, Muslim minorities and Islamic culture". » | Mark Townsend, home affairs editor | Saturday, April 14, 2012

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal & Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel Interviewed on Charlie Rose, Bloomberg

HH Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel Keynote at Clinton Global Initiative Event (CGI) in New York
HH Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, Vice Chairwoman of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation that is chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulziz Alsaud, keynote at Clinton Global Initiative Event (CGI) in New York.

Princess Ameerah Interviewed by Piers Morgan (September 2011)
Watch the video here

Princess Ameerah Seeks to Improve Saudi Womens' Rights (September 2011)
Saudi Princess Ameerah Altaweel, the wife of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and vice chairman of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundations for Charity and Philanthropy, talks about her efforts to empower women and provide economic opportunity for them in Saudi Arabia. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "In Business” with Margaret Brennan." (Source: Bloomberg)

King Saud Drank Alcohol

Britain's Christians Are Being Vilified, Warns Lord Carey

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christians are being “persecuted” by courts and “driven underground” in the same way that homosexuals once were, a former Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

Lord Carey says worshippers are being “vilified” by the state, treated as “bigots” and sacked simply for expressing their beliefs.

The attack is part of a direct appeal to the European Court of Human Rights before a landmark case on religious freedom.

In a written submission seen by The Daily Telegraph, the former leader of more than 70 million Anglicans warns that the outward expression of traditional conservative Christian values has effectively been “banned” in Britain under a new “secular conformity of belief and conduct”.

His comments represent one of the strongest attacks on the impartiality of Britain’s judiciary from a religious leader.

He says Christians will face a “religious bar” to employment if rulings against wearing crosses and expressing their beliefs are not reversed.

Lord Carey argues that in “case after case” British courts have failed to protect Christian values. He urges European judges to correct the balance. Read on and comment » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, April 13, 2012

My comment:

Why are Christians persecuted for wearing a crucifix/cross in this country, while Muslim women can wear the hijab with impunity? Each and every supermarket in this country now seems to have its token hijab–wearing Muslimah, but the practising Christian employees lose their jobs for showing their faith.

Considering that Christianity is supposed to be the established religion of this country, with the Queen as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, it seems rather strange and unfathomable to me. Why is Islam given a pass whilst Christianity is not? – © Mark

This comment also appears here.

Paul Weston at the British Freedom Party Meeting

HT: Baron Bodissey @ Gates of Vienna »

Inside Story: Did Santorum Shift Republicans to the Right?
As Rick Santorum quits the Republican nomination race, we examine the legacy of his candidacy on the party.

The Oracles of Pennsylvania Avenue
A two-part series looking at three individuals and their 25-year, 24/7 peace vigil in front of the White House.

Bahraini Youth Vow 'Three Days of Rage' During Formula 1
The governing body of Formula 1 has confirmed that the Bahrain Grand Prix will continue as planned. Continued unrest and concerns about human rights violations had led to speculation that the race scheduled for April 22 would be called off. Ala'a Shehabi speaks to Al Jazeera from Manama about his conversation with Formula 1 Chief Bernie Ecclestone and the Bahraini youth who have promised "three days of rage" during the event.

Thousands in UK May Face Starvation
The UK is one of the world's richest countries, but poverty campaigners say thousands of people ther are in danger of starvation. They also say millions of tonnes of food are thrown away every year. Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from London.

Doubts Over Middle East Quartet's Rôle
The Middle East quartet - made up of representatives from the US, EU, UN and Russia - has called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work towards resuming direct negotiations, which stalled two years ago. Alan Fisher reports.

Danish Newspaper 'Massacre Plot' Trial Begins

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Four men plead not guilty to plotting to kill staff of Jyllands-Posten after it published cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

Four men on trial over a suspected plot to murder staff of a Danish newspaper that first published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have pleaded not guilty.

The men appeared in court on Friday in the Danish capital Copenhagen. The prosecution named them as Sahbi Ben Mohamed Zalouti, Munir Awad and Omar Abdalla Aboelazm, all Swedish citizens of Tunisian, Lebanese and Moroccan origin respectively.

The fourth man, Mounir Ben Mohamed Dhahri, a Tunisian national living in Sweden who pleaded guilty to arms possession, faces charges of "attempted terrorism".

Prosecutors say the four were plotting to "kill a large number of people" at the Jyllands-Posten daily's offices in Copenhagen when they were arrested on December 29, 2010.

Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons in 2005 of the Prophet Mohammed that Muslims believed were insulting, sparking violent and sometimes deadly protests around the world. » | Sources: Agencies | Friday, April 13, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik to Claim He Killed 77 People 'In Self-defence'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik will demand that he be acquitted when his trial begins next week, on the grounds that killed his 77 victims in self-defence.

The 33-year-old extremist has confessed to planting a bomb near government buildings in Oslo, and then driving to the island of Utoya where he systematically shot 69, mostly teenaged, victims.

But he has argued that his actions were "necessary" to prevent his country being overwhelmed by what he perceived as an imminent Islamic takeover.

"He is going to invoke self-defence," Geir Lippestad, his lawyer, confirmed in an interview with Norway's Dagbladet newspaper. "We of course understand that that will not succeed, but we are obliged to present his arguments." » | Richard Orange, Oslo | Friday, April 13, 2012

France: Here Comes the Whitewash
THE JERUSALEM POST: Murders in Toulouse should be wake-up call for France. A big story can draw attention to a broader social trend.

The murders in Toulouse should be a wake-up call for France. True, the attacks on Jews and French soldiers were three individual terror attacks perpetrated, perhaps, by one person. Yet they are among dozens of incidents that happen daily in French cities, in schools, and in all aspects of life. A big story like the Toulouse attack can draw attention to a broader, dangerous social trend. Or it can be treated as an isolated incident.

Nothing to see here; move along; go back to sleep.

In the past, the mass media could be expected to present a debate on this issue, but now, all too often, they give a monopoly to the white-washers and the apologists. Phase one is to present any terrorist as a right-winger, neo-Nazi, or opponent of left-wing policies.

If the terrorist is a Muslim, however, his own explanations – citing dominant interpretations of Islam and the goal of furthering an Islamist revolution – are ignored.

Instead, he or they are presented as confused, psychologically disturbed individuals; victims of discrimination; or, in short, anything other than ideologically motivated revolutionaries. » | Barry Rubin | Sunday, March 25, 2012

Salafists in the City: Free Koran Distributions Have Germany Concerned

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Salafist Muslims have been handing out free Korans across Germany in recent weeks. But the group's radicalism has many politicians concerned -- as does a recent video posted on YouTube that allegedly threatened journalists who wrote critical reports on the religious offensive.

At first glance, the project appears relatively harmless. A Muslim group in Germany has set as its goal the distribution of millions of free Korans, so that the holy book of Islam finds its place in "every household in Germany, Austria and Switzerland," as the project website (German language only) states.

For months -- though most noticeably during the recent Easter holidays -- followers of the Salafist imam Ibrahim Abou Nagie have been handing out copies at information stands in city centers across Germany. The group, which calls itself "The True Religion," claims that 300,000 copies have already been distributed.

Increasingly, though, skepticism of the project is mounting among leading politicians in Germany, not least because of Nagie's own radical interpretation of Islam. Indeed, last autumn Nagie was indicted for public incitement to commit criminal offenses and for disturbing the religious peace.

And on Thursday, daily Die Welt reports that a video made a brief appearance on YouTube this week apparently targeting journalists that reported critically on the Koran distribution project. "We now have detailed information on the monkeys and pigs who published false reports about the (Frankfurt Salafist group) DawaFFM and many other brothers and sisters," the video, which has since been taken down, intoned, according to Die Welt. "We possess a lot of information, for example, we know where you live, we know what football team you root for, we have your mobile phone numbers," it continues. The video names reporters from the dailies Frankfurter Rundschau and Tagesspiegel. Die Welt reports that the producer of the video has worked for Nagie in the past. » | cgh -- with wire reports | Thursday, April 12, 2012

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