Spanish Royal Family Plunged into Crisis as Princess Cristina Is Dragged into Corruption Case
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of Spain’s King Juan Carlos, has been named a suspect in a far-reaching corruption probe centring on her husband, dealing a huge blow to the prestige of the Spanish royal family.


The 47-year old princess, who is seventh in line to the Spanish throne, has been ordered to testify on April 27 at a court in Palma de Mallorca on suspicion of influence peddling, judicial sources said.

She will face accusations that she cooperated in the business dealings of her husband Inaki Urdangarin while he was head of the not-for-profit Noos Institute, through which he is alleged to have embezzled 6 million euros of public funds.

She was a member of the board of the Noos Institute between 2004-2006, through which Urdangarin won public contracts to stage sporting and tourism events. She also co-owned one of the private companies which her husband allegedly used to divert funds.

The Duke of Palma had sought to protect his wife, insisting in statements to the court that she had been involved in name only and had no knowledge of day to day dealings of his companies.

But emails released to the court by his estranged business partner Diego Torres, who is also accused of embezzlement and money laundering, purportedly showed that she had been regularly consulted.

Investigating Judge Jose Castro, who had previously rejected prosecution requests to indict Princess Cristina, said Wednesday that fresh evidence suggested that she was aware that her husband used her name and status in dealings from which they both benefitted.

He said that she would have to be questioned for the probe to be complete and to show that “justice treats all equally”. » | Agence France-Presse in Madrid | Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Underground World: Palatial Platforms on Moscow Metro
BBC: The Moscow Metro is used by millions of Russian commuters every day - but is often described as an underground art museum.

Steve Rosenberg looks at some of the ornate stations, meets the people who keep the network running smoothly, and reveals some of the more unusual practices that go on underground. Watch BBC video » | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

In France and Germany's Eyes, David Cameron Is Already Yesterday's Man
THE GUARDIAN: Snubbed by Hollande and Merkel, the PM is seen as having little chance of being in power in 2015 to force a rewrite of Britain's EU status


Angela Merkel and François Hollande have rejected David Cameron's invitation. He wanted them to take part in a government survey assessing the impact of European Union laws and regulations on the UK and other member states. The prime minister shouldn't be surprised by the snub – he had already been warned, notably by the Polish foreign minister speaking in Oxford last year, that there would be no encouragement from Europe for those in London who want Britain left isolated on the fringes of the EU.

Lest the British government be encouraged to play on any perceived differences between Berlin and Paris, the two most powerful EU heads of government co-ordinated their response very closely. The survey itself – an initiative of the Foreign Office launched in 2012 – is a lengthy and bland questionnaire designed to identify areas of policy where there might be public support for Britain pulling out of existing EU commitments.

The survey is one part of a carefully orchestrated campaign designed to lead up to a possible referendum on EU membership, to be held towards the end of 2017. This, of course, will be well after the next general election and is designed to follow on what London expects will be a major new EU constitutional treaty to give the Euro area sweeping new powers.

The prime minister's strategy therefore depends on him successfully clearing three critical hurdles. First: survive as leader of the Conservative party up to the general election. Second: win the next UK election with a clear overall Tory majority. Third: trade demands for the UK to be given a special semi-detached status in the EU in return for not blocking a new treaty for euro-area economic and political union. » | John Palmer | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Verwandt »

Unzufriedene britische Konservative: Cameron verliert das Vertrauen seiner Parteigenossen

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Bei den britischen Konservativen nimmt die Unzufriedenheit mit Parteiführer Cameron zu. Viele Tories geben die Wahlen im Jahre 2015 bereits verloren. Zweck und Richtung der Partei sind für viele nicht erkennbar.

Die britischen Konservativen haben den Glauben an ihre Wiederwahl in zwei Jahren verloren. Der Rückstand gegenüber Labour bei Meinungsumfragen liegt seit einem Jahr bei etwa 10 Prozentpunkten; der Zuspruch für die Tories liegt noch bei knapp 30 Prozent. Laut einer Umfrage der einflussreichen Plattform Conservative Home unter Mitgliedern glauben nur noch 7 Prozent an den Gewinn einer Mehrheit bei der Parlamentswahl im Mai 2015. Den Tories fehlten 2010 20 Sitze zu einer Mehrheit, weshalb sie die ungeliebte Koalition mit den Liberaldemokraten eingehen mussten. Der Milliardär, Parteispender, Wahlforscher und konservative Lord Michael Ashcroft hat der Partei auf Grundlage äusserst aufwendiger Umfragen Mitte März den Verlust von 93 Sitzen an Labour vorausgesagt, fänden die Wahlen jetzt statt. Labour zöge mit einer Mehrheit von 367 der 650 Sitze in die Regierung ein. » | Peter Rásonyi, London | Dienstag, 02. April 2013

Hijab Brought Me to Islam: Jessica
MUSLIM MIRROR: Jessica Rhodes is a 21 year old female from Norwich, UK who works as a telesales consultant and is also a student. She was a Pagan before reverting to Islam a month ago.

She was born in 1991 and was adopted in 1993. Grew up in a small seaside town on the south east coast of England, she went to university at 19 to study for a degree in Music and she hopes to do postgraduate qualifications in counselling starting September 2013.

She has an amazing story of her reversion and how she got attracted to Islam. New York based lady Nazma Khan started a campaign known as ‘world hijab day’. The movement has been organised almost solely over social networking sites. It has attracted interest from Muslims and non-Muslims in more than 50 countries across the world. For many people, the hijab is a symbol of oppression and divisiveness. It’s a visible target that often bears the brunt of a larger debate about Islam in the West. World Hijab Day is designed to counteract these controversies. It encourages non-Muslim women (or even Muslim women who do not ordinarily wear one) to don the hijab and experience what it’s like to do so, as part of a bid to foster better understanding.

It was social networking that got Jessica Rhodes involved. Her friend Widyan Al Ubudy lives in Australia and asked her Facebook friends to participate. Jessica who was a non-Muslim decided to participate in the world hijab day. She says: “I took part in the first World Hijab Day and challenged myself to wear the hijab for a month. I then began reading the Quran and the words in the Quran seemed logical and clear, rather than in the Bible where they tend to waffle. I also did some research into Islam as a whole and felt that it was an inclusive religion that could give me the answers I was looking for”. Although her parents were little apprehensive, if it was a good idea or she may be attacked in the streets because of non-tolerance. » | Imaan Ali for Muslim Mirror | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Islam Europe’s Reality: Turkey’s EU Minister

HÜRRIYET DAILY NEWS: EU Minister Egemen Bağış says Islam is a reality for the EU and Europeans won’t get anywhere by burying their heads in the sand

Islam is a reality for the European Union and Europeans won’t get anywhere by burying their heads in the sand, EU Minister Egemen Bağış said yesterday.

“It is Islamophobia rather than Islam that is visible in France and across Europe,” Bağış said, referring to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s recent statement that Islam was “more visible” than before in France. “We know Ms. Le Pen’s statements on Turkey and our values but we don’t care too much.

Some 11 percent of the French population is Muslim and 8 to 9 percent of the population of EU member states are Muslim. This number will increase to 15 percent across Europe in 2030. Like a former German President said, Islam is a reality of the European Union. They won’t get anywhere by burying their heads in the sand,” Anatolia news agency quoted Bağış as saying. Wulff’s words in 2010 » | Hürriyet Daily News | Ankara | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Gaddafi's Daughter Thrown Out of Algeria After She 'Set Fire to Presidential Residence'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The late Muammar Gaddafi’s daughter was thrown out of her Algerian safe-house because she repeatedly set it on fire in fits of anger, officials have revealed.


Aisha Gaddafi, 37, has an arrest warrant against her name after fleeing Libya when her father was deposed and then killed two years ago after 42 years in power.

The western educated lawyer arrived in Algeria with other family members after her husband — an army general — was killed in the bombing raids which destroyed Gaddafi’s regime, leaving her as a single mother.

She was accorded a presidential residence in the south of the country.

Algeria’s ambassador to Libya confirmed last month that Col Gaddafi’s widow and three of his children including Aisha, had left Algeria “a long time ago” without giving further details.

It has now emerged that Algerian authorities lost patience with Miss Gaddafi, a onetime UN Goodwill Ambassador, after she kept vandalising furniture and attacking guards out of rage over her father’s fate.

“She ended up blaming Algeria for many of her problems, and also began starting fires in the house,” said a government source in Algiers.

“Shelves in the library went up in flames, as she regularly attacked army personnel looking after her safety.” The last straw was when the bleach blonde nicknamed the “Claudia Schiffer of North Africa” destroyed a portrait of Algerian president Abdul Aziz Bouteflika, local newspaper Ennahar reported.

For this sign of disrespect she was kicked out of the country, eventually finding asylum in Britain’s Gulf ally, Oman. » | Henry Samuel and Nabila Ramdani | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Queen Receives 16pc Increase in Funding
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen has received a “pay rise” of 16 per cent after London’s flourishing prime property market and wind farm developments drove the Crown Estate to record profits.


The grant the monarch receives each April from the Government increased from £31 million to £36.1 million.

The cash is used to fund the official duties of several members of the Royal family, pay staff and maintain the palaces.

The rise follows changes made by the Coalition as to how the taxpayer funds the monarchy.

George Osborne, the Chancellor, scrapped the Civil List, which financed the official duties of the Queen, and replaced it with a Sovereign Grant that is equal to 15 per cent of the Crown Estate's annual profits.

The Crown Estate, which owns property on behalf of the Queen, said profits rose to £240 million from £231 million in the year to March 31, 2012.

The record profits have been attributed to an increase in rents from retailers for its urban properties and an increase in income from the seabed it owns around the UK because of rents from new wind farm developments and construction companies paying for material such as sand. » | Victoria Ward | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Parallel Universe - North Korea (July 2007)

Saudi Arabia - Exporter & Financier Of Wahhabi Terrorism Around The World

'Wahhabi Clerics Prop Up House of Saud'

Britain & Wahhabism

Prove It! 200,000 Call on Iain Duncan Smith to Live on £53 a Week

THE INDEPENDENT: A petition calling on Iain Duncan Smith to demonstrate he can live on £53 per week passed 200,000 signatures today.

The Work and Pensions Secretary claimed yesterday he could get by on the curtailed budget if he “had to”.

The remark followed a challenge by market trader David Bennett on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

The online petition, hosted at www.change.org, said: “This petition calls on Iain Duncan Smith to live on this budget for at least one year. This would help realise the Conservative Party's current mantra that 'We are all in this together'.

“This would mean a 97 per cent reduction in his current income, which is £1,581.02 a week or £225 a day after tax.” Read on and comment » | Tim Sculthorpe | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Diplomacy, Obama and the Middle East
What are the real issues facing the region left unresolved by President Obama's visit?

Iraqi Christian Leaders Trying to Restore Hope
Many of those who fled Iraq over the past decade are Christians. Now, the new leader of Iraq's largest Christian group is trying to stem the tide.

Hungary Criminalises Homeless Sleeping
Hungarian government takes steps against homeless by making sleeping rough a criminal offence.

Three Arrested in Bangladesh for Defaming Islam
ZEE NEWS: Dhaka: Three atheist bloggers in Bangladesh were today arrested here on charges of defaming Islam, as the government set up the country's first cyber crime tribunal to prevent exploitation of religion on the Internet.

The crackdown as well as the announcement came two days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged stern action against people found guilty of defaming Islam using the Internet.

"We are amending both the Right to Information Act and the Penal Code toughening punitive measures for hurting the people's religious sentiments," Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed told a press conference also joined by Home Minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir and two state ministers.

Ahmed said that the government constituted the tribunal appointing a judge in the capital while a process was underway to set up identical special courts at divisional cities including Chittagong.

He said a government committee comprising two Islamic scholars was constituted to identify websites which were either exploiting or defaming the religion. The committee had recommended the arrests of the three, who have been sent to seven days remand.

The trio, who were paraded in hand-cuffs at today's press conference, could face 10 years in jail if convicted under the country's cyber laws, which outlaw "defaming" a religion, deputy commissioner of Dhaka police Molla Nazrul Islam said. » | PTI | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Video of the Egyptian Satirist Arrested for ‘Belittling’ the President, ‘Insulting Islam’

Read The Washington Post article here | Max Fisher | Monday, April 01, 2013

"Islam's Flag Will Be Raised Above The White House"
A video recording from a recent Friday sermon in Egypt, where the imam swears to Allah several times that the flag of Islam will be raised above the White House of America. All Muslims need do is be patient and continue working towards this goal.

HT: Raymond @ Jihad Watch »

Ireland to Build One of Europe's Largest Mosques
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The Emir of Qatar, who has long cultivated an image as a pro-Western reformist, has vowed to "spare no effort" to spread Wahhabi Islam throughout Europe. Wahhabism — which not only discourages Muslim integration in the West but actively encourages jihad against non-Muslims — threatens to radicalize Muslim immigrants in Ireland.

City planners in the Irish capital, Dublin, have given the go-ahead for the construction of a sprawling mega-mosque complex that will cater to Ireland's burgeoning Muslim population.

The massive €40 million ($50 million) "Islamic Cultural Center" will be built on a six-acre site in Clongriffin, a new and as yet unfinished suburb at the northern edge of Dublin.

According to the Dublin City Council, which approved the project on March 7, the Clongriffin Mosque will consist of: (a) a three-story domed mosque and cultural center with towering minarets; (b) a two-story conference center including a reception foyer, conference room, restaurant, banquet hall, kitchens and ancillary accommodation; (c) a three-story 16-classroom primary school and a two-story 12-classroom secondary school; (d) a two-story fitness center with a gym, sauna, steam room and an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool; (e) a bookshop, library and mortuary; and (f) three four-story blocks of two-bedroom apartments with ground floor shops.

The Clongriffin Mosque will cater to some of the 30,000 Muslims living in Dublin, which is home to around 60% of the estimated 50,000 Muslims living in Ireland. » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Islam und Sex: Die arabische Lust in allen Details
DIE WELT: Shereen el Feki hat ein Buch über Sex in den arabischen Ländern geschrieben. Von der Ehe bis zur männlichen Prostitution verrät es dem Westen sämtliche Geheimnisse des islamischen Geschlechterlebens.

Im Frühjahr 2011 spürte der deutsche Schriftsteller Navid Kermani auf dem Tahrir-Platz in Kairo die revolutionäre "Zärtlichkeit der Massen". Nun wird fast täglich über sexuelle Übergriffe, Grabscher und Vergewaltigungen vom Ort der arabischen Freiheit berichtet. Die Journalistin und Immunologin Shereen el Feki, in Kanada aufgewachsene Tochter eines Ägypters und einer walisischen Mutter, ist in tausendundeinem Tag vom Tahrir-Platz aus durch Ägypten, dem Maghreb und Mittleren Osten gereist, um herauszufinden, ob und wie sich vor und nach dem Sturz der Despoten das Verhältnis der Männer und Frauen zueinander verhält und verändert hat. Es ist eine Anamnese des Zustands der Sexualität in der islamischen Welt, wie sie so bisher unbekannt war.

Der Titel des Buches von Shereen el Feki "Sex und die Zitadelle" bezieht sich auf die von Saladin 1176 gegen den Ansturm der Kreuzritter errichtete Festung, die über Kairo thront. Auf Seite 350 erklärt sie dieses Wortbild: "Was die Sexualität anlangt, so könne man meinen, die arabische Welt gleiche einer Zitadelle, einer uneinnehmbaren Festung, deren Außenmauer jeden erdenklichen Angriff auf die Bastion heterosexueller Ehe und Familie abwehrt."

El Feki beschreibt die Geschlechterbeziehungen dieser in sich und ihrer Kultur geschlossenen arabischen Welt, aber auch die Öffnungen in den Mauern, die sie auf Veränderung hoffen lässt. Aber wie inzwischen fast jeder "im Westen" ausgebildete Wissenschaftler, der über den Orient und die islamische Welt schreibt, will sie sich zunächst von der unterstellten Bevormundung Arabiens durch die koloniale Sicht distanzieren, um sich nicht dem "Orientalismus"-Vorwurf etwa eines Edward Saids auszusetzen. » | Von Necla Kelek | Dienstag, 02. April 2013

Sex und die Zitadelle: Liebesleben in der sich wandelnden arabischen Welt »

Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World »

Justiz hat Auslieferung von Austro-Islamist beantragt
DIE PRESSE: Der in der Türkei verhaftete Mohamed Mahmoud soll nach Österreich überstellt werden. In einem Video drohte er seinem Heimatland mit Terror.

Die Staatsanwaltschaft Wien hat die Auslieferung des Austro-Islamisten Mohamed Mahmoud beantragt. Das wurde am Dienstag bekannt. Der 27-jährige Mahmoud war vor zwei Wochen in der Türkei mit gefälschten libyschen Reisedokumenten aufgegriffen worden.

Der Antrag beim Landesgericht Wien auf Erwirkung der Auslieferung sei bereits am Freitag gestellt worden, sagte Staatsanwaltschafts-Sprecher Vecsey. Mahmoud werde "Beteiligung an einer terroristischen Vereinigung" vorgeworfen. Konkret gehe es um Aufrufe zum "Heiligen Krieg" im Internet. » | Red./APA | Dienstag, 02. April 2013

Birmanie: Treize morts dans l'incendie d'une école musulmane
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Un incendie s'est déclaré dans une école musulmane de Rangoun. La police parle d'un accident. Treize morts, dont des enfants, sont à déplorer

Treize personnes, dont des enfants, sont mortes mardi dans l'incendie d'une école musulmane de Rangoun, provoquant l'incrédulité et la colère d'habitants du quartier après les récentes violences religieuses, malgré les assurances de la police qu'il s'agissait d'un accident.

Le gouvernement a immédiatement appelé à ne pas croire les «rumeurs» circulant déjà sur internet alors les fortes tensions entre musulmans et bouddhistes, qui ont fait 43 morts en mars, étaient en voie d'apaisement.

«Treize personnes, surtout des enfants, ont été tuées» dans cet incendie qui s'est déclaré vers 3h du matin heure locale (21h30) dans le centre de l'ancienne capitale birmane, a déclaré un responsable de la police. «Nous pensons que l'incendie est dû à un court-circuit». » | afp/Newsnet | mardi 02 avril 2013

Saudi Man Who Paralysed His Best Friend in Knife Attack Faces Having His Spinal Cord Severed in 'Eye-for-an eye' Punishment
MAIL ONLINE: Ali Al-Khawahir was aged 14 when he stabbed his friend in the backbone / Ali has been imprisoned for 10 years, but must now pay 'blood money'

A Saudi man convicted of paralysing his best friend in a knife attack is being threatened with having his spinal cord cut in a tit-for-tat punishment.

The ultra-conservative desert Kingdom enforces Islamic law and on rare occasions issues punishments based on the ancient code of an ‘eye-for-an-eye’.

Ali Al-Khawahir was 14 years old when he stabbed his friend in the backbone and has been imprisoned for 10 years.

He has been told that he will be sentenced to being fully paralysed himself unless he pays the victim blood money in a form of compensation, reported the Saudi Gazette. Originally the victim requested 2 million Saudi Riyal - more than half a million U.S. dollars - but it was later reduced to 1 million.

His mother has begged people to contribute money to the fund.

'Ten years have passed with hundreds of sleepless nights. My hair has become grey at a young age because of my son’s problem.

'I have been frightened to death whenever I think about my son’s fate and that he will have to be paralyzed,' she said. Read on and comment » | Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Greece's Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Goes Global with Political Ambitions
THE GUARDIAN: Buoyed by its meteoric domestic success, the far right party is planning to expand 'wherever there are Greeks'


Emboldened by its meteoric rise in Greece, the far-right Golden Dawn party is spreading its tentacles abroad, amid fears it is acting on its pledge to "create cells in every corner of the world". The extremist group, which forged links with British neo-Nazis when it was founded in the 1980s, has begun opening offices in Germany, Australia, Canada and the US.

The international push follows successive polls that show Golden Dawn entrenching its position as Greece's third, and fastest growing, political force. First catapulted into parliament with 18 MPs last year, the ultra-nationalists captured 11.5% support in a recent survey conducted by polling company Public Issue.

The group – whose logo resembles the swastika and whose members are prone to give Nazi salutes – has gone from strength to strength, promoting itself as the only force willing to take on the "rotten establishment". Amid rumours of backing from wealthy shipowners, it has succeeded in opening party offices across Greece.

It is also concentrating on spreading internationally, with news last month that it had opened an office in Germany and planned to set up branches in Australia. The party's spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, said it had decided to establish cells "wherever there are Greeks".

"People have understood that Chrysi Avgi [Golden Dawn] tells the truth," he told a Greek-language paper in Melbourne. "In our immediate sights and aims is the creation of an office and local organisation in Melbourne. In fact, very soon a visit of MPs to Australia is planned." » | Helena Smith in Athens | Monday, April 01, 2013

EuroNews : Europeans – The Netherlands Debate on Islam

Fitna the Movie »

Bomb from Brussels: Cyprus Model May Guide Future Bank Bailouts

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Should the Cypriot bailout become a model for the future? The mere suggestion sent markets tumbling last week. But increasing numbers of European politicians would like to see bank shareholders and investors bear a greater share of crisis risk. The EU may be changing its strategy. By SPIEGEL Staff

Jeroen Dijsselbloem's original game plan was to just keep a low profile. When the 47-year-old Dutch finance minister became head of the Euro Group three months ago, the first thing he did was deactivate his Twitter account. In meetings of the finance ministers of the 17 euro-zone states, he let his counterparts do most of the talking. And whenever he appeared before reporters in Brussels afterwards, he would start with sentences like: "Maybe it's good, if I say something."

Dijsselbloem seemed determined to become the most boring of all the boring bureaucrats in Brussels -- until last Monday, that is, when he did something no one would have anticipated: He detonated a bomb. The way that large depositors and creditors were being drawn into the bailout of Cypriot banks, he said, could become a model for the entire euro zone. In future aid packages, he said, one must look into whether bank shareholders, bond holders and large depositors could participate so as to spare taxpayers from having to foot the bill. He was announcing nothing less than a 180 degree about face.

Cyprus as a model? Dijsselbloem had hardly finished his comments before international news agencies began registering its impacts. Markets around the world nosedived, the euro sank to a four-month low and EU leaders had to rush into damage-control mode, as did the man who triggered the storm himself. Dijsselbloem backtracked by saying that Cypriot banks were obviously "a special case." Germany's top-selling daily tabloid, Bild, scoffed that Dijsselbloem would get a new nickname in Brussels: "Dusselbloem," the rough equivalent of "Dimwit-bloem."

But the ridicule might prove premature. In reality, Dijsselbloem merely expressed something that many Europeans already think. Whether at the European Parliament or in several Continental capitals, many are saying that the time is ripe for the financial sector to assume a greater share of the costs for rescuing ailing banks. » | Martin Hesse, Michael Sauga, Cornelia Schmergal and Christoph Schult | Translate from the German by Josh Ward | Monday, April 01, 2013

Christians Celebrate Easter Sunday Across Holy Land
Christian worshippers gather on Sunday in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for Easter Sunday services.

Geert Wilders Party Now Polling at No. 1
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: A year ago, Islamists and their useful idiots were writing off Wilders as finished. The political crisis appeared to have shaken his PVV party and Islamists were gleefully claiming that Wilders was done. The future might belong to the more mainstream VVD party willing to compromise on the “big” issues.

But Wilders’ gamble has paid off and voters are turning his way once again. » | Daniel Greenfield | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Decoding Facial Hair in the Arab World

BBC: During the Mubarak-era, beards were a no-no in Egypt - but now they're back in fashion with a vengeance. In the Arab and Muslim world, facial hair signifies a lot more than personal style, writes Cairo-based journalist Ashraf Khalil.

A couple of years ago, I was with my parents in a mosque near Chicago. They introduced me to an old family friend - a lady who'd known me since I was a kid but hadn't seen me for years. She embraced my mother and shook hands with my father, but when she turned to me she stood about a foot away from me, didn't offer to shake my hand and instead sort of awkwardly waved.

My father asked her why she had been so distant and she said it was because of my beard. She assumed that my facial hair was symbolic of a deep Islamic religiousness and was afraid that if she offered her hand to shake, I wouldn't take it. My father, who knows exactly how non-religious I am, still LOVES to tell this story.

In the Arab and Muslim world, facial hair means far more than just style and grooming. It's a sociological signifier, a shorthand that often tells you who you're dealing with and what they're all about before they can even speak. There are a couple of different styles in play, and as a journalist you learn to develop a sort of internal chart.

In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood members generally tend to go with the full but well-groomed beard and moustache. However Salafists - the ultraconservative fundamentalist Muslims - like to let their beards grow long and wild, often leaving their upper lip clean-shaven as a nod to how the Prophet Mohammed wore his own beard 1,400 years ago.

Some within the Salafist camp take things an extra step and dye their beards with henna, producing a range of colours from maroon to bright pumpkin orange. » | Ashraf Khalil | Saturday, February 02, 2013

Inside Story: What Does the Future Hold for Egypt?
As the country's reserves fall and unemployment increases, we ask if it is tipping towards an economic breaking point.

Jordan's Democracy Experiment Appears to Fail
The Prime Minister of Jordan has spent three weeks consulting members of parliament, on who to include in his new cabinet.

Die Geschichte des rechten Terrors in Europa – Doku

Im Netz von Salafisten - Wie radikale Muslime junge Menschen verführen: Doku

Daredevil Saudi Arabian Craze of 'Sidewalk Skiing' Brings New Meaning to the Term 'Off-road' as Drivers Flip Car onto Just Two Wheels as Passengers Cling on Outside

MAIL ONLINE: Daredevil young men risk life, limb and licence with hair-raising stunts / Adrenaline junkies perform their 'dangerous driving' near city of Ha'il

Parallel parking is tricky enough for some motorists, but for others there is nothing more exhilarating than jumping behind the wheel and performing these death-defying stunts.

When it comes to such a hair-raising hobby, nothing stalls these adventurous youths in Saudi Arabia as they bring a whole new meaning to the term 'off road'.

The latest craze among young Saudi men is dubbed 'sidewalk skiing'. It involves a driver racing along before manouevring - most likely with the help of a ramp - the vehicle onto its side.

The daredevil group like nothing more than to step it up a gear when it comes to hitting the road near the northern city of Ha'il.

To describe it as 'dangerous driving' would be putting it mildly, with motorists who perform such stunts risking life and limb - not to mention their licence. » | Alex Gore | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Cardinal Timothy Dolan: Catholic Church’s Nature Means It Will be Out of Touch Sometimes

Watch More News Videos at ABC | Technology News | Celebrity News

Read ABC NEWS article here | Benjamin Bell | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Tristes Pâques pour les catholiques de Syrie
LE POINT: Le bourg chrétien d'Al-Ghassaniyé, qui comptait 10 000 habitants avant la guerre, est devenu une localité fantôme.


Célébration de Pâques à Damas en 2012. © AP/Bassem Tellawi
C'est un bourg chrétien situé à la limite de la province d'Idleb et de celle côtière de Lattaquié, dans le nord du pays. Al-Ghassaniyé comptait avant la guerre 10 000 habitants, dont une demi-douzaine de familles musulmanes. Il est devenu une localité fantôme où il ne reste plus que 15 personnes. Les festivités de Pâques, dans cette zone complètement dévastée par les violences, avaient un goût amer.

"Nous n'avons pu célébrer ni la Passion, ni la Crucifixion, nous n'osions pas quitter nos maisons", explique Giorgio, 88 ans, un des derniers habitants encore présents dans la localité dévastée par les bombardements. Vêtu d'un pantalon bleu et d'une veste beige, arborant le traditionnel foulard blanc tenu par un lacet noir, il s'est rendu quand même à l'église en ce dimanche pour célébrer Pâques aux côtés de quelques autres habitants, ainsi que quatre religieuses et deux prêtres. "Nous sommes un peuple de paix, pas de guerre. Nous voulons la paix pour le monde entier", affirme-t-il à l'AFP. Ses six enfants ont fui quand leurs maisons ont été détruites par les bombardements. » | Source AFP | dimanche 31 mars 2013

Accusé d'insultes à l'islam, un humoriste défie la justice égyptienne
LE POINT: Bassem Youssef a été entendu dimanche après avoir été accusé d'avoir insulté la religion. Il a tourné les juges en dérision, puis a été libéré sous caution.


Le parquet égyptien a entendu dimanche le célèbre animateur de télévision satirique Bassem Youssef, puis l'a libéré contre une caution de 15 000 livres (environ 1 700 euros), a annoncé une source judiciaire. L'humoriste avait fait l'objet de plaintes pour insultes à l'islam et au président issu des Frères musulmans Mohamed Morsi. Bassem Youssef, dont l'émission satirique Al-Bernameg ("L'émission"), inspirée du Daily Show américain de Jon Stewart, tourne en dérision les figures politiques du pays et n'épargne ni le président ni les Frères musulmans, a continué à se moquer des autorités lors de son arrivée au parquet.

Le cardiologue reconverti en humoriste s'est frayé un chemin à travers la foule de partisans venus le soutenir et de journalistes, avec sur la tête un chapeau démesuré, imitation d'un couvre-chef que M. Morsi a porté lors d'une visite au Pakistan mi-mars. Il a également continué à publier des commentaires ironiques sur son compte Twitter durant son interrogatoire. "Les officiers (de police) et les magistrats du parquet veulent se faire prendre en photo avec moi. Peut-être est-ce la raison pour laquelle j'ai été convoqué ?", a-t-il ainsi écrit. (+ vidéo) » | Source AFP | dimanche 31 mars 2013

Theologe Erwin Keller: Papst setzt neue Akzente

Papst wünscht der Welt Frieden

Santiago de Chile: Straßenproteste eskalieren
In der chilenischen Hauptstadt ist die Gewalt zwischen Studenten und der Polizei eskaliert. Die Demonstranten setzten Polizeifahrzeuge in Brand. Die Polizei setzte Tränengas ein.

“Hijab or Hell,” Say Egypt Salafists in Alexandria
BIKYA NEWS: Egyptian female students are now faced with threats of “going to Hell” if they continue to wear pants at an Alexandria university, north of Cairo, the New Women Foundation reported, citing a news article published by al-Youm al-Saba’a online website.

Female students were surprised to see threatening literature calling on them to abandon the “manly” look and go back to a more “Islamic way of dress.”

Although the majority of Egyptian women wear the head scarf, ultra-conservatives still complain about women’s attire and try, at every available chance, to limit women’s freedom in the country.

“Know women that it is either the hijab or Hell. Why do you refuse your God’s orders?” read one pamphlet. » | Manar Ammar | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Salafism On Rise in North Africa: Algeria Moves to Stem Imported Religious Ideas
MIDDLE EAST ONLINE: Algerian authorities give all-clear for union of imams to protect country's moderate form of Islam from teachings of hardline Salafists.

Algerian authorities have given the all-clear for a union of imams to protect the country's traditionally moderate form of Islam from the teachings of hardline Salafists whose influence is on the rise in North Africa.

The move comes two months after an Al-Qaeda-linked attack on a desert gas plant, where 37 foreign hostages were killed during a siege and army rescue operation, and amid fears of jihadist groups gaining ground in neighbouring Tunisia.

The union's "mission will be to defend the material and moral rights of the imams and to act as a bulwark against imported religious ideas, Salafist or other," its secretary general Sheikh Djelloul Hadjimi said.

The preacher of El Ouarthilani mosque, in the Telemly district of the capital Algiers, welcomes his followers over tea and dates, some of them seeking a fatwa, or religious edict, others asking for advice or material assistance.

He says he is used to receiving people suffering from psychological afflictions, including young people who have tried to commit suicide.

But since the union was officially announced in mid-March, he has struggled to cope with his daily agenda and the phone hasn't stopped ringing.

Sheikh Hadjimi has said that the bulk of the union's work must be focused on Algiers, "where a large majority of the mosques are hostage to Salafist imams." » | Abdelhafid Daamache | ALGIERS | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Mr Hate Sneers at the Cops
Hours after cops say they can't nick him, Choudary tells cronies: Be proud to call yourself terrorist

THE SUN: COCKY hate cleric Anjem Choudary has laughed at British justice only days after cops said they were powerless to arrest him,

The hate preacher urged his cronies to “be proud” to be called terrorists as he sneered on a trip abroad funded by benefits - when he also urged followers to “rise up”.

It came hours after police here admitted they were powerless to arrest him for saying he wanted David Cameron dead and urging Muslims to rake in handouts to fund holy war.

Choudary, who claims £25,000 a year in welfare, launched his tirade on a secret trip to Finland.

In an angry rant he said followers should “follow the message” and refuse to compromise in their fight to impose Muslim law in the West. » | Matt Wilkinson | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Conservative Knives Out for George Osborne
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: George Osborne faces a whispering campaign at the highest levels of the Conservative Party over his competence and judgment.

The Chancellor has been personally blamed for the party’s misfortunes and poor opinion poll ratings, with senior figures warning that change is needed ahead of the general election.

There are renewed calls for Mr Osborne to give up his role coordinating the party’s campaigning, as fears mount of disastrous results in May’s English local elections.

Some critics are demanding that he should be replaced as Chancellor by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary. Such a move would be a dramatic shift for the Prime Minister, as Mr Osborne is his closest political ally.

One senior Conservative at the heart of the party, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Telegraph: “George is the problem.”

Concerns centre on what is perceived to be his failure to understand the middle classes, their values, and their economic struggle.

Most notably, critics highlighted how the last budget in effect penalised rather than helped stay-at-home mothers and did not introduce recognition for marriage in the tax system.

This came on top of changes to child benefit which also penalise single-earner households.

Senior critics within the party were also unhappy with his flagship measure to boost the housing market, a mortgage guarantee scheme. There have been warnings that it could create a housing bubble, rather than help economic growth. » | Patrick Hennessy | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Return of the Far Right: Greece's Financial Crisis Has Led to a Rise in Violent Attacks on Refugees
THE INDEPENDENT: John Carlin reports from Athens on the return of the far right.

An Afghan who fled his country, fearing a lynching, after converting from Islam to Christianity. A Syrian who bolted across the border after a bomb destroyed his home. A Sudanese man who ran for his life after soldiers murdered his father and raped his sisters.

All three have joined the rivers of refugees that flow, now as ever, from the most wretched corners of the earth, converging today on Athens, the most wretched capital in Western Europe. Pursuing the European dream, they have run aground in the swamp of Greek's economic crisis: undocumented, unwanted, despised, hungry and under constant threat of the sort of violence they imagined they had left behind at home.

The bad guys of this story are not hard to identify. The far-right Golden Dawn party (Chrysi Avgi in Greek) captures votes by using foreign migrants in the same way the Nazis used the Jews: as scapegoats for the frustrations, insecurities and hardships of today's Greek population. They blame Arabs, Asians and Africans (or 'subhumans' as they call them) for their country's dire lot. Accusing them of infecting Greeks with diseases and of turning the centre of Athens into a criminal jungle, young Golden Dawn militants hunt down foreigners in the streets, markets, parks and buses.

The good guys of this story are the NGO workers and Greek volunteers who endeavour to help the refugees. Their altruism is especially impressive: they are also suffering the consequences of the economic crisis, they all know fellow Greeks who are competing with the refugees for food in the bins of Athens. Workers at Médecins Sans Frontières, for example, report Greek people coming to them and asking: "Why don't you help us instead of them? Who invited them, anyway?".

Golden Dawn are the bad guys, but it is not hard to grasp why they are now the third biggest party in the country, well on their way to becoming the second. At a time of awful confusion and uncertainty, they offer simple solutions to complex problems. Linked to neo-Nazi groups in Germany, they have learnt the populist lessons of the Hitler era. They magnify the danger posed by refugees and present themselves as the only true defenders of the people. » | John Carlin | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Euro Crisis: After the Cyprus Bank Raid Fiasco, Germany Is Being Painted as the EU’s Chief Villain
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It’s easy to see why German taxpayers have had enough, argues Mats Persson. But the Cyprus bailout has ended with their government being painted as the EU’s chief villain - an accolade that should belong to the architects of the euro.


In the running blame-game that is the eurozone crisis, Germany has now emerged as the chief villain. In many parts of Europe, the country has been outright blamed for the Cypriot crisis, which saw Berlin demand that Cypriot depositors be taxed in return for a €10bn bailout.

A commentator in Spanish daily El País went the furthest. “Like Hitler,” he wrote, “German Chancellor Angela Merkel has declared war on the rest of Europe.”

The piece was quickly withdrawn but the damage had been done. In Britain, commentators across the political spectrum have lined up to criticise Germany. The New Statesman recently labelled Merkel “the biggest threat to global order and prosperity” - ahead of notorious dictators such as Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

Most comments have been far more level-headed but anti-Germany sentiments have reached levels not seen in a long time. Within Germany itself, however, the decision to tax Cypriot depositors continue to enjoy wide-ranging support, as does the wider austerity-driven approach to the crisis.

What’s more, many Germans would echo the country’s justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, who called on the EU to “also display solidarity with us and defend the Germans against unjust accusations”. » | Mats Persson *, director of Open Europe | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Mats Persson is the director of Open Europe, an independent think tank that campaigns for EU reform.

'I Was Sexually Assaulted & Tortured to Extract False Confession' - Bahraini Medic
In Bahrain, 21 doctors have been cleared of involvement in illegal anti-government protests. The medics have spent more than a year and a half behind bars, for as they say treating injured demonstrators. Dozens of health workers along with opposition activists have been arrested and charged, since the uprising began more than two years ago. Doctor Fatima Haji faced similar charges to the acquitted medics, and she told RT what she had to go through during her confinement.

Gay Marriage: How Gay Marriage Won

TIME cover story photo
TIME: Eager to be eyewitnesses to history, people camped for days in the dismal cold, shivering in the slanting shadow of the Capitol dome, to claim tickets for the Supreme Court’s historic oral arguments on same-sex marriage. Some hoped that the Justices would extend marriage rights; others prayed that they would not. When at last the doors of the white marble temple swung open on March 26 for the first of two sessions devoted to the subject, the lucky ones found seats in time to hear Justice Anthony Kennedy — author of two important earlier decisions in favor of gay rights and likely a key vote this time as well — turn the tables on the attorney defending the traditionalist view. Charles Cooper was extolling heterosexual marriage as the best arrangement in which to raise children when Kennedy interjected: What about the roughly 40,000 children of gay and lesbian couples living in California? “They want their parents to have full recognition and full status,” Kennedy said. “The voice of those children is important in this case, don’t you think?” Nearly as ominous for the folks against change was the fact that Chief Justice John Roberts plunged into a discussion of simply dismissing the California case. That would let stand a lower-court ruling, and same-sex couples could add America’s most populous state to the growing list of jurisdictions where they can be lawfully hitched.

A court still stinging from controversies over Obamacare, campaign financing and the 2000 presidential election may be leery of removing an issue from voters’ control. Yet no matter what the Justices decide after withdrawing behind their velvet curtain, the courtroom debate — and the period leading up to it — made clear that we have all been eyewitnesses to history. In recent days, weeks and months, the verdict on same-sex marriage has been rendered by rapidly shifting public opinion and by the spectacle of swing-vote politicians scrambling to keep up with it. With stunning speed, a concept dismissed even by most gay-rights leaders just 20 years ago is now embraced by half or more of all Americans, with support among young voters running as high as 4 to 1. Beginning with the Netherlands in 2001, countries from Argentina to Belgium to Canada — along with nine states and the District of Columbia — have extended marriage rights to lesbian and gay couples. » | David von Drehle | Thursday, March 28, 2013

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

Pride and Prejudice: An Interactive Timeline of the Fight for Gay Rights » | TIME staff | Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Bosnian Serb Commander Jailed for War Crimes
Veselin Vlahović was known as the Monster of Grabavica. That was the area of Sarajevo that he terrorised during the war, from 1992 to 1995

N. Korea Severs Military Hotline with South
Pyongyang cuts off last direct communication link between two countries, and warns of "simmering nuclear war".

The Man Who Will Make the Pope's Chalice
Skilled artisans from Pope Francis's homeland, Argentina, are celebrating his election. Many have been commissioned to make beautiful objects.

Top US Court Weighs In On Gay Marriage Ban
The United States supreme court has heard for the second day final arguments for and against gay marriage.

Konflikt spitzt sich zu: Nordkorea verkündet Kriegszustand mit Südkorea
30.03.2013 - Neue Eskalation auf der koreanischen Halbinsel: das Regime in Pjöngjang erklärte am Samstag, das Land sei in den Kriegszustand mit Südkorea eingetreten. Jede Angelegenheit zwischen beiden Staaten würden ab sofort entsprechend behandelt, hieß es in einer von Staatsmedien verbreiteten Erklärung.

La Corée du Nord simule une attaque massive de Séoul

LE PARISIEN: La France demande à la Corée du Nord de «s'abstenir de toute provocation» » | samedi 30 mars 2013

Shroud of Turin to Be Shown on TV

Shroud of Turin website »

Franklin Graham: President Should Listen to Dennis Rodman

Wife of Imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini Speaks Out

Chris Kluwe: Risk in Being Openly Gay in NFL

Pilgrims Re-enact Passion of Christ in Jerusalem on Good Friday
A Christian pilgrim reenacts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ along the path where Jesus walked, now known as the "Via Dolorosa", or the "Way of Suffering", on Good Friday in Jerusalem's Old City.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Source: APTN | Good Friday | Friday, March 29, 2013

Queen Hands Out Maundy Money at ChristChurch Cathedral
The Queen distributes Maundy money to members of the congregation at the traditional Royal Maundy Service at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Source: PA | Maundy Thursday | Thursday, March 28, 2013

North Korea Enters 'State of War' Against South Korea
North Korea announced early on Saturday morning that it was entering a “state of war” against South Korea, hours after Kim Jong-un said he would “settle accounts” with Washington for threatening him with nuclear-capable stealth bombers.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Barney Henderson, and agencies | Saturday, March 30, 2013