Monday, May 13, 2013


Der Bling-Bling-Ajatollah


SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ein Gehalt ist für Irans Ajatollah nicht vorgesehen, aber er steht Kraft seines Amtes religiösen Stiftungen vor, die immense Vermögen verwalten. Dabei gehen die frommen Investoren recht ruppig vor - wie ein BMW-Importeur erzählt, der im Namen des Revolutionsführers enteignet wurde.

Großajatollah Ali Chamenei gibt sich gern als bescheidener Mann. Regelmäßig zeichnen Irans staatliche Medien von ihm das Bild eines Mannes, der von Spenden lebt. So arm sei er, dass er sich immer wieder Geld von Freunden borgen muss, heißt es da.

Tatsächlich sehen IransGesetze für den obersten Revolutionsführer kein Gehalt vor. Doch dafür steht der Ajatollah einigen von Irans wichtigsten Wirtschaftsinstitutionen vor - religiösen Stiftungen, deren Vermögen inzwischen auf Milliarden angewachsen sind. Und weil sie dem Obersten Revolutionsführer unterstellt sind, bleiben sie von Steuern befreit.

Die Stiftungen des Ajatollahs besitzen Beteiligungen überall dort, wo man sich hochlukrative Investitionen verspricht: vom Immobilienmarkt über die Telekommunikationsindustrie bis zum Autohandel.

Nur selten gibt es für Außenstehende Einblicke in diese komplexe Wirtschaftwelt Irans. Nun beschreibt der Unternehmer Ali Nurijani in einem Interview mit der iranischen Nachrichtenseite Fararu, wie Geschäfte mit Irans oberstem Investor ablaufen. » | ras | Montag, 13. Mai 2013

Saudi Jails Lebanese Who Helped Woman Convert to Christianity

AL AKHBAR ENGLISH: A Saudi court jailed a Lebanese man for six years and sentenced him to 300 lashes after convicting him of encouraging a Saudi woman to convert to Christianity, Saudi dailies reported Sunday.

The same court sentenced a Saudi man convicted in the same case to two years in prison and 200 lashes for having helped the young woman flee the ultra-conservative, US-backed Sunni kingdom, local daily Al-Watan said.

A court delivered the verdict in Khobar in the kingdom's east, where the woman and the two accused worked for an insurance company.

The July 2012 case caused a stir in Saudi Arabia, which applies a strict version of Sharia that stipulates Muslims who convert to another religion must be sentenced to death. » | AFP | Sunday, May 12, 2013

HT: Robert @ Jihad Watch »

Bibi's Sweet Dreams

YNET NEWS: Op-ed: While public is being hit with new tax hikes, Israel's royal couple does as it pleases

We thought nothing could surprise us when it came to the Netanyahus' personal conduct. Well, we were wrong. It turns out that King Bibi and Queen Sara can do as they please.

Even a five-hour flight in first class seems too much for them. Our president, who will celebrate his 90th birthday next month, spent 11 hours flying to South Korea without any special demands. But after all, he is just the president. Bibi is a king. And in a monarchy, when the king and queen get on a plane – it's priceless.

Their royal highnesses' bedchamber cost the Israeli public, which has just been hit with new tax hikes, half a million shekels. Have they no shame? What was the prime minister thinking when he was presented with the bill for his five hours of sleep? NIS 100,000 per hour. That's what people must mean when they say sweet dreams. » | Sima Kadmon | Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sunday, May 12, 2013


Piers Morgan Interviews Sean Ali Stone (February 2012)

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

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

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



Stateless Citizens: Americans Renounce Citizenship Over 'Unfair' Taxation & Policies

While taxes are often seen as the price to pay for living in a civilized society, many believe the amount people have to stamp up is not distributed fairly.


Spanish Prelate Fears 'Mutual Hatred' Over Euro Crisis

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Catholic Primate of Spain has called for a profound shift in Europe's debt crisis policy to avert social collapse, warning that soaring unemployment in Spain and across southern Europe has become "very dangerous".

"We have to change direction, otherwise this is going to bring down whole political systems," said Braulio Rodriguez, the Archbishop of Toledo.

"It is very dangerous. Unemployment has reached tremendous levels and austerity cuts don't seem to be producing results," he told The Telegraph.

"There is deep unease across the whole society, and it is not just in Spain. We have to give people some hope or this is going to foment conflict and mutual hatred."

Europe's Catholic bishops have been careful not to stray into the political debate or criticise EU economic strategy but the Archbishop said the current course is untenable.

"The Vatican has always been an enthusiast for Europe, but a Europe of solidarity where we help each other, not a Europe of coal and steel. Whether this is possible depends on Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel," he said. » | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, in Toledo | Sunday, May 12, 2013

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain is officially insolvent: get your money out while you still can » | Jeremy Warner | Thursday, May 10, 2013

Fireworks: Bill Maher vs. Glenn Greenwald On Islam's History Of Violence & US Aggression

REAL CLEAR POLITICS: On the Friday broadcast of his HBO program Real Time, host Bill Maher spars with Glenn Greenwald over Islam's history of violence and if the United States is mostly responsible for it after decades of intervention in Muslim and Arab countries.

Maher, a fervent atheist, once again ripped Islam as a violent religion and defended Christianity and Judaism from such accusations during a heated argument with Greenwald.

"That religion goes back a 1,000 years before our revolution. So, I don't think we can take all the blame," Maher told Greenwald, who said the United States' aggression goes back several decades.

"It's that silly liberal view that all religions are alike because it makes you feel good," Maher added. (+ video) » | Saturday, May 11, 2013

WIKI: Glenn Greenwald »

Copt Charged with Killing Converted Muslim Wife Commits Suicide

AHRAM ONLINE: Copt who allegedly confessed to killing his wife out of fear she would kidnap their son after converting to Islam, throws himself off courthouse roof before questioning

A Christian-Coptic man in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Assiut committed suicide on Saturday by jumping off the fourth floor of the Assiut courthouse, where he was set to face questioning over the stabbing of his wife.

Romany Farhan Amir was charged with killing his wife, Habiba Shaaban (formerly known as Azza Walim) outside their son's school on Saturday, angered by her conversion to Islam months prior, Al Ahram Arabic news website reported. » | Ahram Online | Sunday, May 12, 2013
Kuwait: The Prince's Mysterious Conversion

VATICAN INSIDER: In an audio file posted on a Christian satellite TV channel, prince Abdullah al-Sabah declared his faith in Jesus Christ. Muslims have attacked him saying “he isn’t a member of the royal family”

According to reports, a Kuwaiti royal prince has become a follower of Jesus Christ. In an audio file posted with his name, he affirms that if he is killed because of a recording he made where he talks about his conversion, he firmly believes that he will meet Jesus Christ face-to-face. The news comes from Middle Eastern sources which state that al-Haqiqa – a Christian satellite TV channel in Arabic that transmits Christian religious programmes – broadcast an audio file attributed to the Kuwaiti prince, identified asAbdullah al-Sabah. The al-Sabahs are the royal family of Kuwait, a country rich in oil. The name Abdullah (servant of God) frequently appears in the Emir’s family tree.

In his audio file, Abdullah declared: “First of all, I fully agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of it, then I will appear before Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.” In this statement, the prince demonstrates his awareness of the fate in store for a martyr of the faith, according to Christian doctrine. The television channel stated that Abdullah is a member of the royal family, and that he recently renounced his faith in Islam and became a Christian, without specifying which particular branch of Christianity he had chosen. After stating his full name, the prince declared: “I will accept whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me towards the right path.”

In the audio file, Abdullah talks about the Islamic groups that are winning the elections in Egypt and declares: “Islamic communities have always wanted to attack in different parts of the world but God has preserved the world and still protects it. This is why we have recently seen disagreements appearing among Islamic groups who are now fighting with each other. They are about to divide further into different groups.”

Mohabat News, a Christian Iranian website which has been following the fate of Christian minorities in the Middle East closely and which has monitored Abdullah’s statement, confirms that this news was published briefly by Arabic news agencies and also by the Iranian state news agency. Some independent websites with Shiite leanings denied the reports and quoted another Kuwaiti prince, Azbi al-Sabah, who said: “There’s no one by that name in the Kuwaiti royal family.” In actual fact, the name Abdullah does not appear on the list of the 15 members of the royal family who rule this small, extremely wealthy country in different capacities: from the Sheikh down to Princess Nijirah al-Sabah, who testified in the US Congress under the assumed name of "Nurse Nayirah" on the humanitarian situation in the country after the invasion by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and just before the Gulf War. That isn’t to say that this high-profile convert is not hidden somewhere within the extended family, under a different name.

In Kuwait the overwhelming majority of the population is Muslim (only 4% is Christian) and the country’s Constitution states: “Islam is the official religion of the country and Sharia is the main source for legislation.” » | Marco Tosatti | Rome | Monday, January 16, 2012

Related »

Kuwaiti Prince Abdullah Al-Sabah Converted to Christianity

CELEBRITY BUZZ: According to reports, a Kuwaiti royal prince has become a follower of Jesus Christ. In an audio file posted with his name, he affirms that if he is killed because of a recording he made where he talks about his conversion, he firmly believes that he will meet Jesus Christ face-to-face. The news comes from Middle Eastern sources which state that al-Haqiqa – a Christian satellite TV channel in Arabic that transmits Christian religious programmes – broadcast an audio file attributed to the Kuwaiti prince, identified as Abdullah al-Sabah. The al-Sabahs are the royal family of Kuwait, a country rich in oil. The name Abdullah (servant of God) frequently appears in the Emir’s family tree.

In his audio file, Abdullah declared: “First of all, I fully agree with the distribution of this audio file and I now declare that if they kill me because of it, then I will appear before Jesus Christ and be with him for all eternity.” In this statement, the prince demonstrates his awareness of the fate in store for a martyr of the faith, according to Christian doctrine. The television channel stated that Abdullah is a member of the royal family, and that he recently renounced his faith in Islam and became a Christian, without specifying which particular branch of Christianity he had chosen. After stating his full name, the prince declared: “I will accept whatever they do to me, because the truth in the Bible has guided me towards the right path.” » | Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Verwandt »

Oprah Winfrey Interviews the Kuwaiti Princess Zain As-Sabah


Prinz Abdallah Al-Sabah verlässt Islam: Liebe statt Scharia


Wir haben bereits Scharia in Deutschland - Vielweiberei in Berlin, bezahlt von Hartz IV


Ein deutscher Christ konvertierte vor 8 Jahren zum Islam


Noch einer ist gefallen! Oliver (18) nimmt den Islam an


Salafisten in Deutschland – Mit modernen Methoden zurück ins Mittelalter

ALSHARQ BLOG: Politik und Medien bauschen den Salafismus in Deutschland zu einem zentralen Problem der Gesellschaft auf. Dabei sind viele Fragen bislang offen geblieben: Warum ist die Bewegung seit einigen Jahren so erfolgreich? Und wie relevant ist das Thema tatsächlich für die Sicherheit in der Bundesrepublik?

Salafisten sollen Terrorgruppe gegründet haben“ – „Islamistischer Terror: Wie gefährlich sind Deutschlands Salafisten?“ – „Extremisten auf Mission: Klinik-Verband warnt vor Salafisten am Krankenbett“ – drei Überschriften, die allein in den vergangenen zwei Wochen in namhaften deutschen Medien zu lesen waren. Es scheint, als habe Deutschland ein Salafisten-Problem. In der Berichterstattung über Muslime in Deutschland nimmt der Salafismus mittlerweile breiten Raum ein; Bundesinnenminister Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU) möchte ihn nach eigenen Worten „bekämpfen“. Immer öfter werden „Salafisten“ und „Muslime“ gleichgesetzt. Da ist es auch nicht überraschend, dass nach einer aktuellen Studie der Bertelsmann-Stiftung 51 Prozent der Deutschen den Islam insgesamt eher als Bedrohung ansehen. Die Studie kommt zu dem Schluss, dass es „für die Einschätzung nicht-christlicher Religionen“ mit ausschlaggebend sei, „welches Bild von ihnen über die Medien verbreitet wird“. Das leuchtet ein – wer bei dem Stichwort „Islam in Deutschland“ an einen bärtigen Extremisten denkt, wird sich schwer tun, den Islam als Teil Deutschlands anzuerkennen.

Über dieser Angstmacherei gehen die entscheidenden Fragen freilich schnell unter: Wer sind die Salafisten überhaupt? Was wollen sie, wie arbeiten sie, und was macht sie letztlich so erfolgreich?

Der Begriff „Salafist“ leitet sich von dem arabischen „as-Salaf as-Salih“ ab, zu Deutsch „die frommen Altvorderen“. Gemeint sind damit die Muslime der ersten drei Generationen, d.h. vom Tod des Propheten Mohammed im Jahr 632 n. Chr. bis etwa zum Tod von Ahmad Ibn Hanbal im Jahr 855. In der Folgezeit ist nach Ansicht der Salafisten der Islam verfälscht worden durch innere Einflüsse wie Interpretationen, Neuerungen und Abspaltungen sowie durch äußere Einflüsse wie den Kontakt mit fremden Kulturen und Religionen. Die einzig zuverlässige heute verfügbare Quelle für den „wahren“ Islam und ein gottgefälliges Leben ist der Koran und die Überlieferungen über die Taten des Propheten und seiner Gefährten. Deren Leben wird zum Modell für eine neue muslimische Gemeinschaft erklärt.

Die wichtigsten Prinzipien sind der sogenannte „Tawhid“ (die Einheit und Unteilbarkeit Gottes), die Anerkennung Gottes bzw. des Koran als oberster Autorität auch im politischen Bereich (und die damit einhergehende Ablehnung des säkularen Staates) sowie das Prinzip, dass nur Gott allein verehrt werden darf – Heiligenanbetung oder ähnliches gilt demzufolge als „Shirk“ (wörtl. „Beigesellung“, im Sinne von Polytheismus) und wird abgelehnt. Beispiele für gelebte Ausdrucksformen salafistischer Ideologie sind eine strikte Geschlechtertrennung sowie die Abgrenzung von der nicht-salafistischen Umwelt. Das Resultat ist ein dualistisches Weltbild: Hier die Gläubigen, dort die Ungläubigen. » | Von Bodo Straub | Mitarbeit: Christian Ebert und Floyd Mecklenburg | Sonntag, 12. Mai 2013

Why Islam’s Sharia Law Is the Biggest Threat to American Safety

THE WASHINGTON POST: WASHINGTON , May 10, 2013 – Former US Attorney General Mike Mukasey spoke recently at Temple Emanuel in Greensboro, North Carolina. “Isms all want to rid the world of something. Nazism wanted to rid the world of Jews. Communism wanted to rid the world of God. Islamism wants to rid the world of infidels - that is you,” said Mukasey.

Sharia (the “path) is Islamic law. According to most sources, including the Council on Foreign Relations, shariah is made up of rules that regulate every nook and cranny of life - worship, marriage and inheritance, criminal offenses, commerce and personal conduct. “It is derived primarily from the Quran and the Sunna—the sayings, practices, and teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.”

The bombings and shootings in the name of Islam, such as the Boston Marathon, Fort Hood, the “Underwear Bomber” and 911 are just one element of how sharia law calls Muslims to fight against those who do not accept their law.

Andrew McCarthy, former federal prosecutor and co-author of Shariah: The Threat To America: An Exercise In Competitive Analysis, wrote, “American elites still deal with sharia as just a religious system, when in fact it is as totalitarian a political program as ever were those of communism, fascism, national socialism, or Japanese imperialism.”

The Muslim holy book, the Quran, says that non-Muslims are “the most vile of created beings” (Q 98:6)

Omar Ahmad, co-founder/Board Chairman of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), in 1998 said publicly, “Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth.”

Islam’s sharia law is insinuating itself into our courtrooms, schools, prisons and every other aspect of society. The lever often used is one of discrimination against the precepts of shariah, while Christian and Jewish customs and laws remain.

America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. From those foundational principles, Jews and Christians predominantly built this nation’s entire infrastructure from hospitals, universities and charities to the industries that made life better for much of the world.

Islamic principles, defined by sharia law, are in absolute direct opposition to everything Americans believe regarding the law and civil society. » | Carla Garrison | Truth Be Told | Friday, May 10, 2013


Pope Proclaims First Saints, Says Christians Still Persecuted

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday proclaimed as saints some 800 Italians killed in the 15th century for refusing to convert to Islam, and said many Christians were still being persecuted for their faith.

The Vatican seemed at pains not to allow the first canonizations of Francis' two-month-old papacy to be interpreted as anti-Islamic, saying the deaths of the 'Otranto Marytrs' [sic] must be understood in their historical context.

The 800 were killed in 1480 in the siege of Otranto, on the southeastern Adriatic, by Ottoman Turks who sacked the city, killed its archbishop and told the citizens to surrender and convert.

When they refused, the Ottoman commanding officer ordered the execution of all men aged 15 or older, most by beheading.

"While we venerate the Otranto Martyrs, we ask God to sustain the many Christians who, today, in many parts of the world, right now, still suffer violence and give them the courage to be faithful and to respond to evil with good," Francis said before more than 70,000 people in St. Peter's Square.

He did not mention any countries, but the Vatican has expressed deep concern recently about the fate of Christians in parts of the Middle East, including Coptic Christians who have been caught up in sectarian strife in Egypt. » | Philip Pullella | Vatican City | Sunday, May 12, 2013

Saturday, May 11, 2013


Recession Is a Good Time to Exploit Cheap Labour, Says Cameron Aide

THE OBSERVER: Lord Young says low-wage conditions are a bonus for business, drawing a furious response from the TUC

The prime minister's adviser on enterprise has told the cabinet that the economic downturn is an excellent time for new businesses to boost profits and grow because labour is cheap, the Observer can reveal.

Lord Young, a cabinet minister under the late Baroness Thatcher, who is the only aide with his own office in Downing Street, told ministers that the low wage levels in a recession made larger financial returns easier to achieve. His comments are contained in a report to be published this week, on which the cabinet was briefed last Tuesday.

Young, who has already been forced to resign from his position once before for downplaying the impact of the recession on people, writes: "The rise in the number of businesses in recent years shows that a recession can be an excellent time to start a business.

"Competitors who fall by the wayside enable well-run firms to expand and increase market share. Factors of production such as premises and labour can be cheaper and higher quality, meaning that return on investment can be greater."

A Downing Street spokesman said Young was merely stating a "factual point and nothing else". But the comments were described as "appalling and ill-timed" by union leaders, with job-market figures due out next week expected to show that the initial resilience of employment has faded while wages are being severely tightened. » | Daniel Boffey, policy editor | Saturday, May 11, 2013

Muslims Clash On London Streets

THE COMMENTATOR: Anjem Choudary and his fellow protestors can be seen fighting with what was reported as other Muslim groups on London's Edgware Road

Protestors marching alongside Anjem Choudary, the famed Islamist extremist, clashed with others in London's Edgware Road earlier today.

A video filmed by CoelusMedia begins with Choudary addressing the camera discussing the incarceration of an unnamed individual. The original video upload was entitled, "Muslims fight Muslims on the streets of London during a Syrian demonstration on the Edgware Road".

Choudary, who is famous for leading the now proscribed "Islam4UK" group as well as several other splinter organisations, led a march today from Regents Park Mosque which was due to end at the Syrian Embassy. Protestors marched with hard-line Salafist placards and flags, many of which read, "Support Jund Al Sham". » | The Commentator | Friday, May 10, 2013


David Wood vs. Ali Ataie: "Who Was Muhammad?"





WIKI: David Wood (Christian apologist) »

Ali Ataie »

The Gospel of Judas

"The Gospel of Judas" is a documentary examining the recently rediscovered ancient text, that tells a very different story of Judas Iscariot.

The Gospel of Judas is a late 3rd century Coptic manuscript copy, which is considered to be most likely derived, from an even earlier Greek original.

The Gospel of Judas has been translated into English, and can be read online here



WIKI: Gospel of Judas »

China Rising


Qatada Agrees to Leave UK

A controversial Muslim cleric says he'll leave the UK voluntarily, if the Jordanian government agrees to give him a fair trial there.


Myanmar Muslims Live in Constant Fear

Muslim villagers in Myanmar say they are living in constant fear of more attacks by Buddhists. Last week Muslim areas in the town of Okkan, to the north of the largest city, Yangon, became the latest target.

Friday, May 10, 2013


Cheers Erupt as Spire Tops One World Trade Center

A crane lifted the last of a 408-foot tall spire on top of One World Trade Center on Friday, a capstone to an emotional 12-year effort to replace the twin towers destroyed by terrorists.

The 18-piece silver spire will top out the tower at a symbolic 1,776 feet, a nod to the year America signed the Declaration of Independence. The new building is just north of the original towers, now the hallowed ground known as Ground Zero.


'Obama Ignoring Link Between Radical Islam and Terrorism'

ARUTZ SHEVA: The Obama administration is ignoring the link between radical Islam and terrorism, asserts chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee

The Obama administration is ignoring the link between radical Islam and terrorism, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Thursday. » | Arutz Sheva staff | Friday, May 10, 2013

Pat Condell: I’m Offended by Islam


Pat Condell: Europe Needs a Revolution


Islam is Failing Europe


Never, Never Submit: A Recovering Muslim Speaks


Bosch Fawstin »
Mark Tapson: A Hollywood writer looks at the state of the culture and the clash of civilizations. »

Islam Got Your Tongue?

FRONTPAGE MAG: As I put it at the end of my first talk, If telling the truth about something can get you killed, then that truth needs to be told again and again and again. And acting on that truth will save us.

Mohammad Atta, the ringleader of the 9/11 hijackers, told the passengers on the plane he was about to slam into one of The Twin Towers: “Stay quiet and you’ll be okay.” And many of us, especially those in power, have stayed quiet about Islam or lied to themselves and to us about its true meaning, in order to appease Muslims. And after each jihadist attack on Americans, those charged to protect us, to protect our first amendment, call for limits to our speech, specifically limits to what we can say about Islam, the very ideology responsible for motivating the attacks. » | Bosch Fawstin | Friday, May 10, 2013
Teacher Appears in Doha Court, Faces Felony Charge of Insulting Islam

DOHA NEWS: A Nepalese teacher fired from a prestigious secondary school in Qatar for remarks he made to students last month appeared in a lower Doha court today on charges of insulting Islam.

Dorje Gurung, who taught chemistry at Qatar Academy, was seen by Doha News this morning leaving the court in handcuffs. If convicted, Article 256 of the Penal Code stipulates that he could face up to seven years in jail.

Colleagues, friends and students interviewed by Doha News said Gurung, whose two-year teaching contract was set to expire in July, had been facing problems at QA with students who did not respect his authority, in part due to his nationality.

Two of Gurung’s friends at the courthouse shared with Doha News notes of the teacher’s account of what happened. Here is a summary: » | Shabinakhatri | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Abu Qatada Will Leave Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Abu Qatada, the Islamist cleric, will voluntarily return to Jordan if a new treaty on the use of evidence obtained by torture is ratified by the Jordanian parliament, a tribunal was told today.

His co-operation was announced by his barrister, Edward Fitzgerald QC, at the beginning of an immigration hearing to decide whether Qatada can be released from prison.

The Government has been trying to deport him to Jordan, where he was convicted of terror charges in his absence in 1999, for nearly eight years. » | Agencies | Friday, May 10, 2013

Thursday, May 09, 2013


House Speaker Demands More Information on Benghazi

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - The Republican leader of the House of Representatives on Thursday added to the push for more information about last year's deadly assault on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, demanding the White House order the State Department to release emails about the attack.

Keeping up pressure on the Obama administration a day after a high-profile congressional hearing on the September 11, 2012, attack, House Speaker John Boehner said the public should have access to emails about who the State Department believed was behind it and the administration's early public comments that it stemmed from spontaneous demonstrations.

"Last November, the president said he was 'happy to cooperate in any way Congress wants,'" Boehner told a news conference. "This is his chance." » | Patricia Zengerle | Washington | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Islam Expert Warns Christians May Completely Disappear From Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt

THE CHRISTIAN POST: The mass exodus of millions of Christians from one part of the Islamic world to another as the result of persecution by Muslims has reached epidemic proportions, says a Middle East and Islam expert. In fact, Christians may completely disappear from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt, warns the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

"This matter of Muslim persecution of Christians is a humanitarian crisis at this point," said Raymond Ibrahim in a recent interview with Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch. Ibrahim is the author of the recently released book, Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians.

"It's something that is little known of or heard of or acted upon. In fact, not only is the Obama administration ignoring it, but it is actually exacerbating it, making it worse, a la the Arab Spring and other matters," said Ibrahim, who is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

He also recently expanded on his observations in an article he wrote, published on FoxNews.com.

"We are reliving the true history of how the Islamic world, much of which prior to the Islamic conquests was almost entirely Christian, came into being," he wrote. "The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said: 'The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it's increasing year by year.' In our lifetime alone 'Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Egypt.'"

Ibrahim said that current reports from Islamic regions support this warning. » | Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Boston Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev Buried in Undisclosed Location

THE GUARDIAN: Police: 'courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide assistance to properly bury the deceased'

The Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in an undisclosed location outside the city of Worcester, police said on Thursday, after a week-long search for a community willing to take the body. Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst said the body was no longer in Worcester, east of Boston, and was now entombed. Police did not specify where the body was taken.

"As a result of our public appeal for help, a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased," Worcester police said in a statement.

Tsarnaev's body had been at the Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors. Its director, Peter Stefan, had said that he could not find a community willing to take the body, including Cambridge, where the family had lived for a decade. Tsarnaev's uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, had custody of the body.

Katherine Russell, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife, had wanted his body turned over to his side of the family, which claimed it. Nineteen days after his death, cemeteries were still refusing to take his remains and government officials deflected questions about where he could be buried. On Wednesday, police in Worcester pleaded for a resolution, saying they were spending tens of thousands of dollars to protect the funeral home where the body was being kept, amid protests.

An expert in US burial law said the resistance to Tsarnaev's burial was unprecedented in a country that has always found a way to put to rest its notorious killers, from Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated president John F Kennedy in 1963, to Adam Lanza, who shot dead 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school last year. In Russia, officials would not comment after Tsarnaev's mother said authorities would not allow her son's body into the country, so she could bury him in her native Dagestan. » | Associated Press in Boston | Thursday, May 09, 2013
Pork Found in School Halal Lamb Burgers

THE GUARDIAN: Burgers produced by Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods withdrawn from schools in Leicester

Halal lamb burgers have been withdrawn from schools in Leicester after tests revealed a sample contained pork.

The decision follows DNA tests on a batch of frozen burgers manufactured by Doncaster-based Paragon Quality Foods in January, Leicester council said on Thursday.

Assistant mayor Vi Dempster said: "I am appalled by this situation. It is disgraceful that none of us can have confidence in the food we eat.

"We regret any distress this will cause families and staff, and would like to reassure them that robust action is being taken to address this serious matter." » | Press Association | Thursday, May 09, 2013
Vatican Declares Mexico's Death Saint Blasphemous

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Vatican's culture minister says Mexico's folk Death Saint, the Santa Muerte, is a blasphemous symbol that should not be part of any religion.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi says worshipping such an icon is a degeneration of religion.

"It's not religion just because it's dressed up like religion; it's a blasphemy against religion", Cardinal Ravasi said. » | AP | Edited by Barney Henderson for The Daily Telegraph | Thursday, May 09, 2013


Pope Benedict 'Has Lost Half His Weight'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has lost so much weight in the last few weeks that he appears to have shrunk to "half his previous size", according to a German cardinal who visited him.

Joachim Meisner, the Archbishop of Cologne, was shocked at how Benedict's state of health had deteriorated, saying he appeared to have physically shrunk.

Cardinal Meisner went to see Benedict on March 18, the day before Pope Francis was inaugurated as his successor.

At the time Benedict was living in Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence outside Rome, having resigned from the Seat of St Peter on Feb 28.

"I was shocked at how thin he had become," Cardinal Meisner told the German Catholic News Agency (KNA).

"He looked like he had halved in size. At first I did not agree with his resignation. But when I saw him my reservations melted away. Mentally, however, he is quite fit, his old self." » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Al-Nakba

A series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and a conflict that endures to this day.


Bangladesh Jamaat Leader Sentenced to Death

War tribunal convicts Mohammad Kamaruzzaman on charges of genocide and torture of unarmed civilians during 1971 war.


Myanmar Faces Call for Religious Segregation

Buddhist leaders in Rakhine state say integration with minority Muslim Rohingyas is unacceptable and problematic.


Obama Feels Heat from Benghazi Hearing

US officials tell Congress that more could have been done in the incident that killed ambassador and three colleagues last year.


Britain's Feckless, Two-Faced Approach to Radical Islam

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The planning of violent atrocities continues in Britain. The government has still failed to curb the spread of violent agitation, and a necessary, firm and united opposition to radical Islam remains lacking at the official level.



The planning of violent atrocities continues in Britain; the government has still failed to curb the spread of radical agitation, and actions like the visit of Baroness Warsi to FOSIS illustrate that a necessary, firm, and united opposition to radical Islam remains lacking at the official level. Nobody in the UK government should ask Muslims to abandon Islam as a religion, but a significant struggle against radicalism is justifiable and necessary. Read the whole article here » | Irfan Al-Alawi | Wednesday, May 08, 2013

UK: The Crisis of Female Genital Mutilation

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Despite these laws, no one has ever been prosecuted for performing FGM. Victims are often afraid to speak out for fear of physical abuse or death threats, some involving paid hitmen.

British authorities are redoubling their fight against the spiraling problem of female genital mutilation (FGM) after a weekly primetime television show broadcast by the BBC forced the previously "taboo" subject into mainstream debate.

FGM is endemic in Muslim-majority countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Three million girls between infancy and age 15 are subject to FGM every year, and it is believed that 140 million women worldwide are suffering from the lifelong consequences of the practice.

FGM has emerged as a major problem in Europe due to mass immigration. The European Parliament estimates that 500,000 girls and women in the European Union are living with FGM, and every year another 180,000 girls in Europe are at risk of being "cut."

Britain has the highest levels of FGM in Europe. According to a government-funded study published in 2007, at least 66,000 women and girls in Britain have had the procedure performed on them, and more than 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are currently at risk. » | Soeren Kern | Thursday, May 09, 2013

David Cameron Attacks Tory 'Pessimists' Who Say Britain Should Leave EU

David Cameron has attacked Tory "pessimists" who say Britain should leave the European Union.


Read the article here | Tim Ross, Political Correspondent | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Why Aren’t Liberals Critical of Islam?

HUMAN EVENTS: What is it about the very liberal Obama Administration that it would ignore the explicit, written warnings in 2012 from a Saudi Arabian official about the soon-enough-to-be Boston bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev? (Oh, and by the way, Russia had warned us of Tamerlan as well.)

The Saudis denied him a visa to visit Mecca on pilgrimage in 2011. We, on the other hand, were cheerfully forking over $100,000 in welfare benefits to Tamerlan and his family while he and his mother became ever more radicalized by their re-embrace of Islam.

But liberals, in government, the press, and academia, still refuse to allow a critical look at Islam.

Why?

In a previous article, I have already noted the deepest reason. Liberalism is an essentially secular movement that arose within a thoroughly Christianized culture. Christianity was the obstacle to be overcome. Liberalism therefore thinks of progress in terms of secularization understood primarily as de-Christianization.

Precisely because it sees Christianity as the enemy to be overcome, liberals have a deeply-ingrained historical habit of blaming Christians for every imaginable evil—war, slavery, the irrational rejection of science, and (now) Islamophobia. Since Western culture is so obviously based upon Christianity, liberals for the same reason consistently blame the West for the ills of the world.

To take a really close and critical look at Islam would go entirely against this ingrained historical habit. Any religion is better than Christianity. It has to be. » | Benjamin Wiker | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Our Debt to Islam’s Medics: Amazing Collection Goes on Show

MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY: A remarkable collection of manuscripts going on public display for the first time is to graphically illustrate the West’s debt to the medieval medics of Islam.

The collection, held at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in London, will depict the medical traditions that developed in the golden age of Islam from the 9th century to the 17th century.

Curated by Professor Peter E Pormann from The University of Manchester, the exhibition explains how medical tradition developed in Europe and the Middle East.

Called The mirror of health: discovering medicine in the golden age of Islam, the exhibition is open from 1 May to 25 October 2013.

Professor Pormann said: “When we look deep into the medical tradition of Islamic lands, we recognise many reflections with today – which is why we called the exhibition ‘Mirror of health’.

“The Islamic medics not only transmitted and translated medical thought and practice from ancient Greece, but also innovated and changed the science.

“This enabled medicine to evolve over the centuries into the truly sophisticated science we know today.” » | Thursday, May 02, 2013

Free Syrian Army Rebels Defect to Islamist Group Jabhat al-Nusra

THE GUARDIAN: The well-resourced organisation, which is linked to al-Qaida, is luring many anti-Assad fighters away, say brigade commanders

Syria's main armed opposition group, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), is losing fighters and capabilities to Jabhat al-Nusra, an Islamist organisation with links to al-Qaida that is emerging as the best-equipped, financed and motivated force fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Evidence of the growing strength of al-Nusra, gathered from Guardian interviews with FSA commanders across Syria, underlines the dilemma for the US, Britain and other governments as they ponder the question of arming anti-Assad rebels. » | Mona Mahmood and Ian Black | Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Pope Francis Urges Nuns Not to Be 'Old Maids'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis urged a gathering of hundreds of nuns in the Vatican on Wednesday not to be "spinsters" or "old maids" but to act like "mothers" to the faithful.

The Argentinian Pope said that despite their vows of chastity, nuns in the Roman Catholic Church still had a maternal role to play.

"The ordained woman is a mother, she must be a mother and not an old maid! You are mothers, like the figures of Mary and the Mother Church," he told 800 nuns, who represented women's religious orders from more than 70 countries.

He spoke in Italian, using the word "zitella", which means old maid or spinster.

"Forgive me if I talk like this but this maternity of consecrated life, this fruitfulness is important!

"Be mothers, like the images of the Mother Mary and the Mother Church ... you are icons of Mary and of the Church." Read on and comment » | Nick Squires, Rome | Wednesday, May 08, 2013

THE WASHINGTON POST: Pope Francis to nuns: Don’t be old maids » | Melinda Henneberger | Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Comments about Islam Spark Morocco Firestorm

MAGHAREBIA: Moroccan activist Ahmed Assid has unleashed a torrent of criticism, including a takfir fatwa from a leading salafist preacher, for making controversial comments about Islam.

During a three-day seminar at the 10th national congress of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) in Rabat, which ended on April 21st, Assid suggested that religious school textbooks lured youths to violence.

To call [upon people] to follow Islam by the use of violence and constraint is an act of terrorism," he said.

Assid should be sued for insulting the prophet and ridiculing Islam, salafist preacher Sheikh Mohammed Fizazi said during a lecture at Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra.

Yet the strongest reaction came from Sheikh Hassan Kettani, who accused Assid of kufr. In describing him as a "criminal" and "enemy of God", Kettani issued a call for "silencing his voice".

In a statement posted on Facebook, Kettani said that Assid had "crossed all lines in provoking Moroccans in particular and the ummah of Islam in general by deliberately insulting and desecrating each and every one of their sanctities".

"In his impudence, he [Assid] went as far as to claim that the Quran contains no eloquence, ridiculing and underestimating the language of Quran," Kettani's statement went on.

Assid later defended his comments. » | Mohamed Saadouni in Casablanca for Magharebia | Tuesday, May 07, 2013

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Queen's Speech: Monarch to Get Huge Pay Rise as Brits Tighten Belts

The UK is staying committed to measures that reduce the country's deficit - the British Queen has laid out her government's agenda for the next year. In her speech she said it will work to promote a fairer society to reward those who work hard. However what may sound a little unfair for austerity-hit Britain, is the news that the royal family's set to get a 5-million-pound pay rise.


David Bowie's New Video 'Juvenile', Says Archbishop

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey poured scorn on an attempt[s] by David Bowie to attract controversy by posing as Jesus in his new video - questioning whether he would have been so willing to offend Muslims.


He urged Christians to “rise above” the “juvenile” promotion for the single The Next Day, adding: “I doubt that Bowie would have the courage to use Islamic imagery - I very much doubt it.”

Other Christian commentators dismissed the move as “desperate” adding that, rather than leaving them shocked, it confirmed that Christianity is still important.

The video was temporarily pulled from YouTube, seemingly because of its controversial content.

But the website quickly moved to reinstate it, insisting it had been taken down in error - although adding an adult only rating.

The sequence shows Bowie, wearing robes, striking a Christ-like pose in a dimly lit bar with a beam of light shining down on him. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Wednesday, May 08, 2013


Highlights from House Hearing on Benghazi

Congress hears testimony on attacks


Richard Dawkins Discusses Muslim Miracles

Many Muslims today still educate their children on Quranic pseudo-science instead of teaching them facts,Richard Dawkins talks to Bill Maher about the islamic claim that two waters don't mix (fresh water and salt water),which is also known as the barrier of the two seas miracle,this video helps to first debunk the alleged miracle and then has the interview later


Bill Maher Argues With A College Professor Over Islam


A Queen's Speech Ruined by Absurd Anti-immigration Measures

This panicky response to Ukip's rise is wrong on commercial, economic and even the narrowest of party political grounds


Read the article here | Ian Birrell | Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Andreotti: The Godfather - Italy


Verwandt »

The Haircut - Cyprus

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

French Ministers Refuse to Attend Conference with Islamic Scholar Who Teaches at Oxford University

THE INDEPENDENT: He is an Islamic scholar who teaches at Oxford University and a former member of a working group on extremism set up by Tony Blair. Time magazine once described him as the “leading thinker” among Europe’s second and third-generation Muslim immigrants.

Yet two French ministers have suddenly announced that they will not attend a conference in Florence tomorrow on the future of the European Union because of the presence of the scholar, Tariq Ramadan. He is due to be a panellist at the conference, entitled The State of the Union, speaking about “migration, identity and integration”.

The French Interior Minister Manuel Valls and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, the Women’s Rights Minister who is also a government spokeswoman, informed organisers on Monday evening that they were pulling out, saying they had “not been informed” of Professor Ramadan’s attendance. » | Anne Penketh | Paris | Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Prince Charles Acts as Stand-in as the Queen Scales Down Duties

THE INDEPENDENT: Prince of Wales to attend Commonwealth meeting in place of 87-year-old mother

The Prince of Wales will attend the official opening of Parliament for the first time in 17 years tomorrow in a significant statement of his growing role supporting the Queen in state duties.

Today it was announced that the Prince would stand in for the Queen at this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka. It will be the first time that the 87-year-old monarch has missed the biennial conference since 1973.

Buckingham Palace said the decision not to attend was part of a review of the amount of long-haul travel undertaken by the monarch and The Duke of Edinburgh, who will be 92 next month. » | Oliver Wright | Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Official: We Knew Benghazi Was a Terrorist Attack "From the Get-go"


France Struggles to Fight Radical Islam in Its Jails

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - In France, the path to radical Islam often begins with a minor offence that throws a young man into an overcrowded, violent jail and produces a hardened convert ready for jihad.

With the country on heightened security alert since January when French troops began fighting al Qaeda-linked Islamists in Mali, authorities are increasingly worried about home-grown militants emerging from France's own jails.

But despite government efforts to tackle the problem, conditions behind bars are still turning young Muslims into easy prey for jhadist recruiters, according to guards, prison directors, ex-inmates, chaplains and crime experts interviewed over the last few months by Reuters.

"I have parents who come to me and say: 'My son went in a dealer and came out a fundamentalist'," said Hassen Chalghoumi, imam of the mosque in Drancy, a gritty suburb north of Paris.

Malian Islamists have warned France it is a target for attacks, most recently in a video that came to light on Tuesday. This has added to concern in a country which, according to the Europol police agency, arrested 91 people in 2012 on suspicion of what it categorized as religiously-inspired terrorism. » | Alexandria Sage | Villepinte, France | Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Federal Europe Will Be 'a Reality in a Few Years', Says Jose Manuel Barroso

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A fully fledged federal Europe may seem like "political science fiction" today but will soon become reality for all European Union countries whether inside or outside the euro, Jose Manuel Barroso has said.

The president of the European Commission has fanned the flames of British debate over EU membership by insisting that fiscal union in the eurozone will lead to "intensified political union" for all 27 member states.

"This is about the economic and monetary union but for the EU as a whole," he said.

"The commission will, therefore, set out its views and explicit ideas for treaty change in order for them to be debated before the European elections."

"We want to put all the elements on the table, in a clear and consistent way, even if some of them may sound like political science fiction today. They will be reality in a few years' time."

Mr Barroso's announcement that he will set out plans for a European federation next spring, before elections to the European Parliament in May 2014, will further deepen Conservative divisions over the EU. Read on and comment » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Pamela Geller: Islamic Apartheid Ads Go Up in New York City and Washington DC


AFDI: Now more than ever, we have to educate the American people. And we are getting it done. In the wake of the Boston jihad bombings, the enemedia is in overdrive to obscure and obfuscate the motive behind the blood and carnage on a shiny, happy Monday in Boston.

AFDI fights this propaganda putsch by going on the offens[iv]e and taking the message to the people.

We’re bringing the truth about the jihad against free people and Islamic supremacism directly to the people. We force a media discussion of the grim realities of jihad and Sharia that they usually sweep under the rug.

Ads calling Israel an apartheid state are running on New York Metro North train platforms. For years, ads like this one have run unchallenged. But we are there. Their lies will not stand.

Our Islamic apartheid ads are going up on New York subways and Washington, DC dioramas this week to counter the Muslim lies and expose the truth about the Sharia.

No one else is doing what we are doing and no one is as effective as we have been.

You see how furiously the enemedia is spinning in the wake of the Boston jihad. Even after jihadis blew up our families in our streets, they still lie and obscure the truth about the jihad against the U.S.

But we will not be stopped.

Help us get our ads up. We need your help. Help fund the fight. Stop the Islamization of America. Donate here.