Sunday, November 16, 2014
GOP Warns Obama: Executive Action on Immigration Breaks Law
The Making of St Moritz: How a Bet with Pioneer Victorian Tourists Launched Winter Haven for the Rich
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| Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St Moritz is where winter tourism began in the Swiss resort. |
In September 1864 Johannes Badrutt, owner of the Faller pension in St Moritz, was bidding auf wiedersehen to his last British summer visitors, and pondering how to fill his rooms during the winter.
“Come back and spend Christmas in St Moritz. It’s sunnier and less rainy than London,” he suggested. “If you don’t like it, I’ll pay your travel costs. If you do, you can stay as long as you like.” It was an offer, so local legend goes, that the four English guests could not refuse. They returned to St Moritz in December and stayed until Easter.
And so, 150 years ago, the Swiss hotelier and the English tourists created what would become Europe’s first winter holiday resort and an Alpine playground for the international wealthy and famous.
The 2014-5 season, which opens next weekend, will be celebrated with a comprehensive programme of events marking the town’s glorious past and intended as a thank-you to those first visitors.
In 1864 local people used skis or sledge to get from A to B, but there were no established winter sports. After Badrutt’s gambit, however, going to St Moritz caught on among the British upper classes, who flocked to the village of 200 residents, attracting notables including Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II (who was overthrown before he saw the magnificent palace he commissioned overlooking Lake St Moritz), Friedrich Nietzsche, conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Shah of Iran. » | Kim Willsher | Sunday, November 16, 2014
Revealed: How Coalition Has Helped Rich by Hitting Poor
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| George Osborne's claim that 'we are all in this together' in economic terms is damaged by the findings of a new report. |
A landmark study of the coalition’s tax and welfare policies six months before the general election reveals how money has been transferred from the poorest to the better off, apparently refuting the chancellor of the exchequer’s claims that the country has been “all in it together”.
According to independent research to be published on Monday and seen by the Observer, George Osborne has been engaged in a significant transfer of income from the least well-off half of the population to the more affluent in the past four years. Those with the lowest incomes have been hit hardest.
In an intervention that will come as a major blow to the government’s claim to have shared out the burden of austerity equally, the report by economists at the London School of Economics and the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex finds that: » | Daniel Boffey, policy editor | Saturday, November 15, 2014
Erdogan Claims Muslims Beat Columbus to the Americas
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| Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that Muslims discovered the Americas before Christopher Columbus |
Muslims discovered the Americas in the 12 century, nearly 300 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage there, according to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey.
His words, delivered in a televised speech, will lend support to a controversial theory that has been debunked repeatedly by historians.
That did not seem to bother the conservative Turkish president during a summit in Istanbul of Muslim leaders from Latin America.
"Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus," he said.
Mr Erdogan went on to say that Columbus descibed the existence of a mosque on a hill by the Cuban site and that Ankara was prepared to fund a new place of worship for Muslims there.
"I would like to talk about it to my Cuban brothers. A mosque would go perfectly on the hill today," the Turkish leader said. » | Rob Crilly, New York, and agencies | Saturday, November 15, 2014
NHS Doctor Flees UK to Join Taliban
A British surgeon who was due to stand trial for assault has fled the country and become a senior leader of the Taliban in Pakistan.
Mirza Tariq Ali, 39, who practised in the NHS, evaded the UK authorities despite having his passport taken from him while awaiting trial at the Old Bailey.
He resurfaced last week in a recruitment video for a Taliban splinter group, urging foreign jihadists to join him.
The doctor has become a mouthpiece for the terrorist organisation and under a new name — Dr Abu Obaidah Al-Islamabadi — has begun publishing an English-language jihadist magazine online, aimed at recruiting Muslim youths from the West.
Ali, who lived in Walthamstow, east London, arrived in Britain in 2004, having previously been a doctor in the Pakistan army. He worked shifts as a locum surgeon in London and Cambridge, having trained at a London teaching hospital.
Police and security services are now facing embarrassing questions over how he was able to flee. The surgeon is one of a growing number of known extremists who have skipped bail or surveillance to wage “holy war” abroad. » | Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter, Robert Verkaik and Duncan Gardham | Saturday, November 15, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Welcome to Hotel Sharia: No More Bacon or Booze as Trendy Venue Bought Out by a Muslim Multi-millionaire
An exclusive hotel has banned alcohol and pork after being taken over by a Middle Eastern businessman who wants to run it ‘in accordance with Sharia law’.
The strict Islamic policy was imposed without warning this week at London’s Bermondsey Square Hotel – where the bar and grill was previously run by Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace.
Staff said the new rules were swiftly implemented on Tuesday on the orders of the new Muslim owner, forcing waiters to tell disgruntled guests that much of the menu was no longer available.
Diners were denied dishes that used only traces of alcohol – such as beer-battered fish, a pudding with ‘drunken cherries’ and rum ice cream. Drinkers were offered only non-alcoholic beer and elderflower cordial.
Forced to improvise, chefs are now trying to source chicken and beef sausages instead of pork varieties for breakfast and have replaced the popular hog roast with rabbit terrine.
The £220-a-night hotel is believed to be one of the first in the country to introduce the strict Muslim policy but staff say the changes have caused business to plummet, with many reservations cancelled. » | Tom Kelly and Emily Kent Smith for The Daily Mail | Friday, November 14, 2014
President Obama On Collision Course with GOP Congress
Pope Francis Denounces Euthanasia as 'Sin against God'
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| Pope Francis delivers his speech during a special audience he held for members of Catholic medical associations |
Pope Francis denounced the right to die movement on Saturday, saying that euthanasia is a sin against God and creation.
The Latin American pontiff said it was a “false sense of compassion” to consider euthanasia as an act of dignity.
Earlier this month, the Vatican’s top bioethics official condemned as “reprehensible” the death by assisted suicide of a 29-year-old American woman, Brittany Maynard, who was suffering terminal brain cancer and said she wanted to die with dignity.
“This woman (took her own life) thinking she would die with dignity, but this is the error,” said Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
“Suicide is ... a bad thing because it is saying no to life and to everything it means with respect to our mission in the world and towards those around us,” he said, describing assisted suicide as “an absurdity”. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Saturday, November 15, 2014
G20-Gipfel: Merkel spricht mit Putin lange unter vier Augen
Das Hilton in der Elisabeth Street im Stadtzentrum von Brisbane ist ein hoher Hotelturm inklusive Parkhaus und Shoppingmall. Am Samstagabend gleicht der Komplex einer Festung. Ein Schutzwall aus Plexiglas umgibt die Einfahrt, daneben mehrere Metalltore, davor zwei Dutzend Polizisten. Die Straße ist zeitweise komplett gesperrt.
Um 21.40 Uhr fährt die Limousine von Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin ins Hotel, vier Minuten später der weiße BMW der deutschen Kanzlerin, auch mit Polizei-Eskorte. Auf dem Rücksitz neben der Kanzlerin sitzt Christoph Heusgen, Merkels Außenpolitikberater. Die beiden besprechen die letzten Details für das Treffen mit dem Kreml-Herrscher.
Es steht viel auf dem Spiel. » | Aus Brisbane berichtet Peter Müller | Mit Material von dpa | Samstag, November 15, 2014
Critiqué par les occidentaux, Poutine écourte sa présence au G20
Sous le feu nourri de très vives critiques des pays anglo-saxons critiquant l'action de la Russie dans la crise ukrainienne, Vladimir Poutine a décidé d'écourter sa présence au sommet du G20 de Brisbane, plombé par une ambiance de guerre froide. "Le programme pour la deuxième journée a changé. Il a été raccourci", a déclaré une source au sein de la délégation russe sous couvert d'anonymat, à propos de dimanche.
Le président russe participera aux réunions du sommet, mais ne sera pas présent lors d'un déjeuner officiel prévu à 12 h 30 et parlera devant la presse plus tôt que prévu. "Ce déjeuner est plus une sorte de divertissement", a justifié la source. Depuis vendredi, veille de l'ouverture du sommet dans cette ville de l'est de l'Australie, les pays anglo-saxons ont multiplié les charges en règle contre la Russie et son rôle dans la crise ukrainienne. "Menace pour le monde", quête de "gloire perdue du tsarisme", agresseur de pays plus petits : États-Unis, Australie et Grande-Bretagne n'ont pas mâché leurs mots. » | Source AFP | Saturday, November 15, 2014
Europe and Islam: Degrees of Separation
In Britain this week, a lobby group called the Lawyers' Secular Society reacted with indignation when an event it was planning at the University of West London was cancelled by the hosts at the last moment. The event was intended to launch a report that drew attention to the number of Islamist figures with hard-line views on gender, sexuality and relations with other faiths who were gaining access and influence on British campuses. The meeting's cancellation seemed to confirm their apprehension. The campus insisted that its decision was made on purely technical and procedural grounds: the organisers had not gone through the proper channels to book the room. Read on and comment » | Friday, November 14, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
France Compares David Cameron to Far-Right Leader Following His Fury at the EU Budget
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| The figure compared Mr Cameron to Mrs Le Pen, left, who leads the Front National party in France |
France has risked a major diplomatic row with the UK after a senior government figure likened David Cameron to far-Right leader Marine Le Pen, saying his handling of a row over whether Britain should pay a £1.7 billion bill was “nationalistic” and “Byzantine”.
The French figure, who is close to President Francois Hollande, said that the Prime Minister had displayed “no European solidarity” when he hit out against the budget bill demanded by the EU because of the success of Britain’s economy.
In comments that will prompt outrage in Downing Street, the figure compared Mr Cameron to Miss Le Pen, who leads the Front National party in France.
Mr Cameron last month raised hackles among his European counterparts by suggesting the surcharge was “making thousands of voters believe the country should leave the European Union”.
He called the bill “outrageous” and refused to pay “anything like” the amount demanded by Brussels. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, November 14, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Isis Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Calls on Followers to 'Erupt Volcanoes of Jihad Everywhere' in Newly Released Recording
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis, has purportedly issued a defiant call for followers to “erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere”.
The 17-minute audio recording, in which he vowed to fight to the last man, was his first public statement since Iraqi officials reported he had been injured in air strikes last week.
In the recording, which appeared to be genuine but has still to be confirmed, the self-appointed “caliph” claimed the group now has bases in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Algeria.
Br /> He specifically called on Isis fighters to launch attacks in Saudi Arabia, particularly on its rulers, and in Yemen. A previous broadcast by al-Baghdadi is thought to have inspired militants in Algeria to kill and behead a Frenchman. » | Lewis Smith | Thursday, November 13, 2014
David Cameron: I Will Ban British Jihadists Who Fight for Isil in Syria and Iraq for Two Years
British jihadists who fight for Isil in Syria and Iraq will be barred from returning to this country for at least two years to prevent terror attacks, David Cameron has announced.
The Prime Minister has unveiled a raft of new anti-terror laws including powers to strip teenage jihadists of their passports and bar airlines from landing in the UK if they fail to provide passenger information.
Mr Cameron made the announcement in an address to the Australian Parliament in which he said Britain had to take action to deal with the threat posed by “foreign fighters planning attacks against our people”. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent in Canberra | Thursday, November 13, 2014
Report: Obama Seeking New Syria Strategy to Deal with ISIS
Islamic State Leader Baghdadi Reportedly Resurfaces after Claims US Strike Killed Him
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State (Isis), has apparently surfaced alive after he was rumoured to have been killed in a US air strike last week, calling for attacks in Saudi Arabia and for “volcanoes of jihad” across the world.
Baghdadi’s call, in a defiant speech purported to be in his name, claimed that the “crusader” US-led military campaign against Isis was failing. “America and its allies are terrified, weak, and powerless,” he said, repeatedly attacking “the Jews” and “apostate” and “treacherous” Muslim (Arab) leaders who feared the return of the Muslim faithful to the ways of the caliphate.
In a 17-minute audio tape released by al-Furqan media — a jihadi site — Baghdadi was described as “commander of the faithful” and “Caliph of the Muslims”. It was not immediately possible to determine the tape’s authenticity but the voice, articulation and tone all appeared close to his prior speech patterns.
“Oh soldiers of the Islamic State, continue to harvest the [enemy] soldiers,” the recording exhorted in a key passage. “Erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the earth with fire under all the tyrants and their soldiers and supporters.” (+ video) » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Thursday, November 13, 2014
Déclarée morte, elle se réveille à la morgue 11 heures après
Une Polonaise âgée de 91 ans, déclarée morte à son domicile par une femme médecin et transportée à la morgue, s'y est réveillée onze heures plus tard, a rapporté jeudi la télévision publique TVP. La police a ouvert une enquête sur cette histoire inhabituelle et le médecin risque des poursuites pénales. » | ats/Newsnet | jeudi 13 novembre 2014
Sir John Major Tells Germans: Britain Has a 50-50 Chance of Quitting EU
Britain has just a 50-50 chance of remaining in the European Union, Sir John Major has warned, saying that opposition to continued membership of the European Union has reached “a critical mass”.
In a speech in Berlin on Thursday Sir John warned that Britain’s frustration was “no game”, adding: “There is a very real risk of separation that could damage the future of the United Kingdom – and Europe as a whole.”
Sir John - who was a pro-European during his time as Prime Minister from 1990 and 1997 - also said that it was time officials in the European Union recognised real concern in the UK about immigration.
He said: “Our small island simply cannot absorb the present and projected numbers at the current speed: it is not physically or politically possible without huge public disquiet.”
Sir John’s speech – “Britain and the EU: In or Out” – is the most significant speech on Europe by the former Tory Prime Minister for two decades. » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Thursday, November 13, 2014
Has Sainsbury’s Christmas Ad Left John Lewis Out in the Cold?
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
L'Europe, "autoroute du djihad" ?
Les pays de l'Union européenne n'ont pas pris assez au sérieux la menace posée par les combattants djihadistes de retour de Syrie, estime un important élu américain mercredi, qui appelle l'UE à mieux contrôler ses frontières. "Certains de nos partenaires européens ne se mobilisent pas assez vite pour faire face au retour de combattants étrangers. Les extrémistes exploitent déjà les failles de sécurité européennes pour transformer l'Europe en une autoroute du jihad", écrit Michael McCaul, président républicain de la commission de la Sécurité intérieure de la Chambre des représentants, dans une tribune publiée par le magazine Time. "La voie en direction de la Syrie est évidemment très chargée, mais c'est l'autre sens qui devrait nous inquiéter le plus", écrit-il. » | Source AFP | mercredi 12 novembre 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Fundamentalist Islam and the Roots of Terrorism
Most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims pray in Arabic, but they do not speak Arabic as their mother tongue; that includes most Iranians. Yet the problem isn't in the translation, rather the problem rests with bad ideology.
Fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian, two more were from the United Arab Emirates, one was from Egypt, and one from Lebanon. They were all from Arabic-speaking countries, and presumably the terrorists read Islamic scripture in the original Arabic. Muslim scholars did not unite to protest this act of terrorism. Instead, many celebrated a victory, because the Quran permits violence to expand Islam.
Most so-called Muslims are peace-loving, because they do not follow the rules. They practice Islam à la carte, a new religion. » | Janet Tavakoli * | Tuesday, November 11, 2014
* Janet Tavakoli is the author of Unveiled Threat: A Personal Experience of Fundamentalist Islam and the Roots of Terrorism, a newly-released non-fiction book about the current negative implications of Islamic fundamentalism for the United States.
Now ISIS Wants to Introduce Its Own Currency: Plans to Bring Back Solid Gold and Silver Dinar Coins Announced in Iraqi Mosques
ISIS wants to introduce its own currency and plans to bring back solid gold and silver dinar coins, it has emerged.
The Middle East terror group apparently wants to introduce its own Islamic currency as part of its attempts to solidify its makeshift caliphate.
Militants are said to want to bring back the original dinar, which is an ancient currency from early Islam, and religious figures in Mosul and Iraq’s Nineveh province have apparently announced its return in mosques.
The currency known as the dinar, which once consisted purely of gold and silver coins, is today used by a variety of countries, but the coins are created from different materials to the originals.
However, the jihadi group is understood to be planning to return to the original gold and silver coins, which were first introduced during the Caliphate of Uthman in 634 CE. Read on and comment » Emma Glanfield for MailOnline | Monday, November 10, 2014
David Cameron Avoids Humiliating Defeat over European Arrest Warrant
David Cameron has narrowly avoided a humiliating defeat over the European Arrest Warrant in unprecedented Commons scenes which saw Tory ministers accused of “tricking” their own MPs.
The debate on the arrest warrant descended into bitter acrimony as MPs from all parties reacted with fury when it emerged that they would not be given an individual vote on the justice measure.
Mr Cameron was forced to return to the Commons dressed in white tie from a speech he was giving at the Lord Mayor's banquet as Government whips found themselves scrambling to shore up support and prevent Labour delaying the vote by a day.
MPs described it as the most “disorderly debate” seen in the Commons for 20 years.
The Government victory, which will mean Britain opts back into the European Arrest Warrant, was followed by an immediate blame-game from all parties. » | Peter Dominiczak and David Barrett | Monday, November 10, 2014
Growing Calls for Jean-Claude Juncker Resignation
There were growing calls for Jean-Claude Juncker to resign as President of the European Commission last night amid allegations that he presided over potentially illegal tax breaks given to multinational companies operating in Luxembourg.
Bloomberg, the influential financial newswire, devoted its editorial to a call for Mr Juncker’s resignation over revelations multinational companies were allegedly allowed to create complicated structures to avoid billions of pounds of tax when he was Prime Minister of the country.
It follows outrage from Conservatives MPs who see him an arch-federalist who believes in an "ever-closer" European Union, who will make it more difficult for David Cameron to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels before holding an in-out referendum in 2017 over his appointment.
The editorial, entitled “Jean-Claude Juncker Needs to Go”, describes Mr Juncker as a “bad choice for the job” who has been “foisted on the bloc's 28 national governments by a European Parliament eager to expand its powers.”
The editors of the financial wire say it is now “becoming clear now just how poor a decision” the appointment of Mr Juncker was after details emerged of revelations of potentially illegal tax breaks given to multinationals in Luxembourg, of which he was prime minister for almost 20 years. » | Georgia Graham, Political Correspondent | Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Significance of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to ISIS
Gratis-Koran wird auch in Österreich gedruckt
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| "Gedruckt in Europa" wird in einem Exemplar des Gratis-Koran angegeben |
Drei von acht Gotteskriegern aus Deutschland, die jüngst zu Selbstmordattentätern wurden, waren Mitglieder des "Lies!"- Projekts – so der deutsche Geheimdienst. Seit Jahren schon zieht die von Austro- Islamist Mohamed M. einst mobilisierte Salafistenszene von Stadt zu Stadt und verteilt Gratiskorane. » | Klaus Loibnegger, Kronen Zeitung | Montag, 10 November 2014
Qaradawi Calls Muslims to Arms against Israel and the Jews
In an Arabic message posted on his website and translated by the Investigative Project on Terrorism, Qaradawi called on Muslims to rise up and defend Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque – Islam's third holiest shrine – against Israel. His comments come amid heightened tension between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel closed the Temple Mount, where the mosque is located, to all worshippers Oct. 30 following an assassination attempt against an Israeli activist. Jewish radicals have recently demanded the right to pray in the Al-Aqsa mosque, built on the holiest site to Jews, something Israel has forbidden them to do. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the closure, calling it a "declaration of war." Israel reopened the site Oct. 31 amid heavy security. Tensions remain high, and incitement to violence has increased.
Qaradawi's article protests against Israel's planned archaeological tunnels under the Temple Mount and what he calls "attempts to Judaize the city of Jerusalem." He warns of attacks against Muslim and Christian holy sites. » | The Investigative Project on Terrorism(IPT) | Monday, 10. November 2014
This article originally appeared at the Investigative Project on Terrorism. »
Salafistenszene in Deutschland wächst
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| Der salafistische Prediger Pierre Vogel im Sommer auf einer Kundgebung mit rund 300 Anhängern. |
BERLIN – Die Islamistenszene in Deutschland wächst nach Erkenntnissen des Bundesverfassungsschutzes rasant. Inzwischen zählten 6300 Menschen zu den radikalislamischen Salafisten, sagte der Präsident des Bundesamtes für Verfassungsschutz, Hans-Georg Maaßen, am Samstag dem RBB. Bis zum Jahresende könnten es schon 7000 sein. "Das ist besorgniserregend", warnte Maaßen. Vor wenigen Jahren habe es lediglich 2300 Salafisten in Deutschland gegeben. Aus der Szene heraus seien inzwischen mehr als 450 Islamisten in den Krieg nach Syrien gezogen. Sieben bis zehn von ihnen hätten dort Selbstmordanschläge verübt. Viele der Islamisten schließen sich der Miliz Islamischer Staat (IS) an, der radikalsten Organisation in der Region.
Der Salafismus ist seit Jahren die am stärksten wachsende islamistische Bewegung in Deutschland. Er ist eine fundamentalistische Strömung des Islam und für junge Muslime häufig eine Zwischenstation auf dem Weg in den Dschihad. Ziel der Salafisten ist die Abschaffung der Demokratie und die Errichtung eines Gottesstaats. Bei der Missionierung bedienen sie sich stark des Internets, setzen aber auch auf öffentliche Hasspredigten und Aktionen zur Koranverteilung. » | rtr | Samstag, 25. Oktober 2014
Dialog: "Islam und Homophobie"
Der Islam hat, ähnlich wie andere Religionen, immer noch ein schwieriges Verhältnis zu Schwulen, Lesben und Bisexuellen. Nun finden sich Menschen mit unterschiedlichen Auffassungen zu dem Thema zusammen, um durch Kontakt und Dialog gegenseitige Toleranz zu generieren. » | MOntag, 10. November 2014
A Londres, la patrouille de la charia voudrait pouvoir trancher la main des voleurs et lapider les femmes adultères
Rumaysah et ses amis islamistes patrouillent dans les rues de East London, pour rappeler à l’ordre les citoyens qui ne respectent pas la loi islamique. Dans une série de vidéos, ces islamistes peuvent être vus en train de harceler des femmes pour leur robe jugée inappropriée, de tenter de convaincre des hommes de cesser de boire de l’alcool, etc. » | Par Léo Kersauzie | lundi 10 novembre 2014
Book on Apostasy in Islam Earns Writer the Moniker ‘Somalia’s Salman Rushdie’
Now, he is being branded as “Somalia’s Salman Rushdie” a reference to the British–Indian novelist whose book, “The Satanic Verses,” provoked worldwide Muslims protests and a fatwa from Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989.
Abdisaid Abdi Ismail’s book, “The Rule of Apostasy In Islam: Is it True?” was published in Kenya in September.
Ismail was following the Meriam Yahya Ibrahim case before starting work on the book. She is the Sudanese woman sentenced to death for converting to Christianity, but later freed. Her case outraged the world and drew attention to the growing abuse of apostasy in Islam. (Ibrahim said she has always been a Christian.)
The book, written in the Somali language, is being read in Western cities such as London, Toronto and Minneapolis, where there are large populations of ethnic Somalis.
Ismail said the book furthers the growing voice of Muslim scholars, intellectuals and prominent clerics worldwide who are increasingly rejecting the abuse of Islam by extremist groups such as the Islamic State, Nigeria’s Boko Haram and Somalia’s Al-Shabab.
“What we need are secular states where there is democracy, justice and equality for all,” he said. “Not theocratic ones where leaders rule by the name of God.”
Ismail’s concern is that Somali Islamic militants, clerics and other extremist groups in Muslim-majority countries are applying apostasy as a political tool, branding those with contrary opinions as apostates who need to be killed. He has watched Al-Shabab justify the deaths of those who oppose their hard-line interpretation of the Quran by branding them apostates. Somali civil servants, national army officers, local or international nongovernmental organization officials, are considered devil’s spies who deserve death, he added.
“I wanted to explain to my people the true meaning of apostasy in Islam,” he said. » | Frederick Nzwili | Friday, November 07, 2014
SOMALIA ONLINE: Abdisaid Abdi Ismail, a professor at East Africa University in Bosaso, recieves death threats after writing a controversial book on Islam »
Rick Santorum: Obama and Bush Have 'Given All Muslims A Pass'
Speaking at Liberty University’s convocation, Santorum, a possible 2016 presidential candidate who now runs a Christian film studio, said Presidents Bush and Obama have “identified the enemy by what they do, not who they are and what they want to accomplish.”
“I’m not saying all Muslims are terrorists, but we have an obligation to face the truth about who the enemy is and what they want to accomplish,” Santorum said. » | Benjamin Siegel | Monday, November 10, 2014
Let Muslim Primary School Teachers Wear Full-face Veil in Class – Rowan Williams
There is no need to “panic” about Muslim primary school teachers wearing the full-face veil in class, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Williams, has insisted.
He said concerns that young children would struggle to learn from a woman whose face was covered were “largely misplaced” and that there are other ways to "read” what people are saying.
The former Archbishop’s remarks, in an interview for the Christian think-tank Theos, reopen the debate about the place of the niqab in British public life.
It follows a political storm last year after the then Home Office minster Jeremy Browne called for a national discussion about restrictions in some settings such as schools to prevent young women from having the veil “imposed” on them.
David Cameron rejected the idea of a ban but said he would “back up” schools and courts that ask women to remove veils. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Monday, November 10, 2014
Missverstandene Scharia
Die Scharia kann unterschiedlich ausgelegt werden: „Die Bandbreite der Interpretationen reicht von den Terroristen der Miliz Islamischer Staat (IS) auf der einen Seite bis zu einer Auslegung, die die liberalen Grundsätze unserer Verfassung, die Menschenrechte in einer noch liberaleren Form vertritt, als wir sie jetzt umsetzen“, sagt von Stosch. Der 43 Jahre alte katholische Theologieprofessor leitet das Zentrum für Komparative Theologie der Universität Paderborn und arbeitet bei seinen Projekten eng mit muslimischen Theologen zusammen. Der Frage, welche Auslegung der Scharia zutrifft, widmet sich eine wissenschaftliche Tagung am Wochenende in Paderborn. Von Stosch ist einer ihrer Initiatoren. Im dpa-Interview erklärt er, woher das düstere Bild der Scharia rührt und warum es immer wieder zu Missverständnissen in der Auslegung kommt[.] » | dpa/pro | Montag, 10. November 2014
Les Québécois face à l’Islam
J’ai constaté au fil des commentaires sur Dreuz-info que mes amis français ont tendance à voir le Québec à travers le prisme de leurs banlieues islamisées.
Un sondage réalisé par la firme de sondage CROP au début du mois de mars 2014, indiquait que déjà plus de la moitié des Québécois disaient croire qu’il existait une menace intégriste musulmane dans la province. À la question : « Dans quelle mesure êtes-vous en accord ou en désaccord avec l’affirmation voulant qu’il existe une menace intégriste musulmane au Québec », 53 % répondaient être d’accord, 36 % en désaccord et 11 % ne savaient pas. Le sondage indiquait que la crainte était plus forte en région (48% de Montréalais contre 60% en région) et plus forte chez les Francophones (61%) que chez les non-Francophones (18%).
”Le point de vue lénifiant de certains médias et politiques gauchistes pacifistes vis-à-vis de l’Islam est donc loin de faire l’unanimité au Québec !Il ne faut pas confondre vitesse et précipitation, élite médiatique et population en général…
Contrairement à ce qu’on pourrait penser, ce n’est pas la proximité des musulmans qui les fait craindre puisque dans les régions du Québec où ils se font rare, ils sont le moins appréciés.
Je crois que nos amis français ont peut-être aussi mal interprété le peu d’appui qu’a recueilli la Charte de la Laïcité du Parti Québécois, devenue au fil du temps Charte «des valeurs».
En fait la moitié des répondants appuyaient la Charte et là encore l’appui venait surtout des régions où les gens sont très rarement en contact avec des immigrants arabo-musulmans.
Les Montréalais sont ceux qui n’ont pas apprécié l’attitude du Parti Québécois qui était au pouvoir en 2013 mais minoritaire, et qui a donné l’impression de vouloir aller chercher des votes avec une Charte racoleuse à saveur nationaliste.
Mais les Québécois étaient bel et bien méfiants vis-à-vis des fanatiques islamistes et souhaitaient qu’une Charte de la laïcité donne l’heure juste sur le port des signes religieux ostentatoires, sans aller toutefois jusqu’au congédiement de ceux qui ne se conformeraient pas à la Charte. Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | © Magali Marc | dimanche 09 novembre 2014
Austria's Radical Islam Problem
Islamic State activity in Austria
"ISIS: Austria is terror hotspot," ran the headline of an interview published in September by the Österreich newspaper's online news outlet.
In April, Samra Kesinovic, 17, and Sabina Selimovic, 15, two Austrian girls who had been radicalized by a local mosque, departed to join the Islamic State in Syria. The girls left notes in their bedrooms that said "Don't look for us. We will serve Allah--and we will die for him," according to Austrian police.
Regretting their decision, the girls sought in October to return to Vienna. The girls, of Bosnian background, are now believed to be in Raqqah, the Islamic State's so-called capital, in Syria. "Jihadi brides" is the term some reports have used to describe the girls' alleged status as wives of Islamic State combatants.
Then in late October, Sabina denied that she wanted to return to Austria, telling the French magazine Paris Match that she wished to stay in Syria because she feels "free" there. "[Here] I can practice my religion," and, "in Vienna I couldn't," she said.
Austrian security experts believe she was strong-armed into denying that she is being held against her will. » | Benjamin Weinthal | Monday, November 10, 2014
Islamic State Claims a New Ally in Egypt
The announcement reflects the growing regional appeal of the Islamic State, a radical al Qaeda breakaway group that has carved out a self-styled caliphate in Syria and Iraq and demanded the loyalty of the world's Muslims.
The announcement pledging loyalty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi came in an audio speech posted late Sunday on the Egyptian militant group's official Twitter account and a militant website. Last week the group had denied on its Twitter account reports saying it had pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi. » | Maamoun Youssef | The Associated Press | Monday, November 10, 2014
Verwandt »
Germany: Hooligans Declare War on Islamic Radicals
After police predicted that more than 10,000 hooligans would show up at an anti-Salafist rally in Berlin, authorities cancelled the event. Similar rallies planned for Frankfurt, Hamburg and Hannover have also been banned.
Vogel, a former professional boxer who often depicts himself as the embodiment invincible Islam, is now portraying himself as a helpless and fearful victim of the football hooligans
A group of nearly 5,000 football hooligans from across Germany gathered in the western city of Cologne on October 26 to protest the spread of radical Islam in the country.
The watershed march was organized by a new initiative called "Hooligans against Salafists," better known by its German abbreviation, HoGeSa, short for Hooligans gegen Salafisten.
HoGeSa is a burgeoning alliance between hooligans from rival football clubs who have temporarily set aside their mutual hatred for each other in order to unite against a common enemy: radical Salafists who want to replace Germany's democratic order with Islamic Sharia law. » | Soeren Kern | Monday, November 10, 2014
Terrorallianz: Ägyptische Dschihadisten schließen sich dem IS an
Kairo - Die Terrororganisation "Islamischer Staat" (IS) hat jetzt einen offiziellen Ableger im bevölkerungsreichsten arabischen Land. Die ägyptische Dschihadistengruppe Ansar Beit al-Maqdis haben in einer im Internet verbreiteten Audiobotschaft dem IS-Anführer Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi die Treue geschworen.
Die Gruppe habe entschieden, sich dem IS anzuschließen, weil die Ausrufung des Kalifats ein neues Erwachen darstelle, sagt ein Sprecher in der mehr als neun Minuten langen Aufzeichnung. » | syd/AFP/AP/Reuters | Montag, 10. November 2014
Palastrevolution in der britischen Labour-Partei
In-your-face Racism Has Returned and Few Are Fighting against It
Last week on the No 9 bus, a middle-aged white woman shouted “bloody Paki” and spat at me. The sputum landed on the back of my seat, grey and revolting as she was.
No one said a thing, not even the black and Asian people around me. They all lowered or averted their eyes. I was spat at in 1972, too, after exiled Ugandan Asians with British passports arrived here. That time I was sitting quietly in a park in Oxford, reading Middlemarch. So you think it’s much better than the really bad old days? The truth is that, since 2001, in-your-face racism has returned. But those who suffer it just have to swallow the insults and degradation.
The difference is that, back then, we had politicians of all parties, including Tories, who felt keenly that racial prejudice and discrimination were unjust and reprehensible. They passed laws, used government purchasing power to get companies to operate fairly and, bit by bit, made racism unacceptable in the public space. Now those at the top – with the exception of Diane Abbott – say nothing and do even less about this stain on our society. Ethnic-minority politicians are the biggest cowards of the lot. » | Yasmin Alibhai Brown | Sunday, November 09, 2014
Islamic Extremists Infiltrating Schools, University Campuses and Scout Groups across the UK in 'Unprecedented Scale', Report Warns
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| Among those addressing the lectures was chairman and founder Abdur Raheem Green, a British Muslim convert who is reported to believe the beating women will 'bring them to goodness' |
Islamic extremists are infiltrating schools, university campuses and scout groups across the UK, a new report has claimed.
Hardline groups, blamed for radicalising young British Muslims, have posted invitations on social media sites and at university campuses to public talks in an 'unprecedented scale', according to Sharia Watch UK.
The group, which monitors Islamic extremists, will publish its report highlighting the operations of 15 people it claims hold 'extremist views' who were allowed to give public talks or lectures at 20 institutions.
They include the Islamic Education and Research Academy (iERA), whose speakers have been accused of advocating anti-Semitic and homophobic views, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
The iERA is currently under investigation by the Charity Commission over regulatory issues in its 'policies for organising events and inviting external speakers'. But leading members of the group have given talks at universities, a school and a south London scout group, according to the Sharia Watch UK report.
Among those addressing the lectures was chairman and founder Abdur Raheem Green, a British Muslim convert who is reported to believe that beating women will ‘bring them to goodness’.
It is also claimed that he has said that adultery is punishable by a 'slow and painful death', and has been seen on a YouTube video demanding that a Jewish man is removed form his sight while giving a talk at Hyde Park Corner.
According to the report he was booked to address an Islamic event at Acklam Grange Secondary School in Middlesbrough. Students from across the North East were also invited to attend. Read on and comment » | Amanda Williams for MailOnline | Sunday, November 09, 2014
The Lost Children: France Takes Stock of Growing Jihadist Problem
Sometimes Séverine Mehault climbs the stairs to the second floor for no reason at all. She walks along the hallway, past her son's room and into her daughter's bedroom. Then the 40-year-old lies down on the bed, next to a white stuffed bunny, and closes her eyes for a moment, trying to understand why only one of her two daughters, 15-year-old Kenza, is still there -- and why Sahra has abandoned her.
Not much of Sahra is left in the room: her stuffed rabbit, a Koran in translation, a prayer book and a guide to the correct methods of bathing for Islamic women. The guide is a worn, pink brochure with small illustrations. Chapter 3 is titled: Instructions for Cleaning Your Ears.
There's a dish containing red nail polish, mascara and lip gloss, but Sahra hasn't worn makeup in almost two years. After turning 15 at the time, she converted to Islam.
She left France on March 11, 2014 to joint [sic] the jihadists in Syria. The family doesn't know where she is exactly, or which terrorist group she has joined. » | Julia Amalia Heyer | Thursday, November 06, 2014
Sunday, November 09, 2014
Berlin Wall: Thousands of Balloons Released to Mark Fall
Earlier, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the fall of the wall had shown the world that dreams could come true.
Tens of thousands of people attended events, including a "citizen's party" at the Brandenburg Gate.
The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to stop people fleeing the communist East.
Its fall in 1989 became a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War.
The white balloons - perched on 3.6m poles to match the height of the wall and stretching for 15km (nine miles) - were released one by one to symbolise its disappearance.
The Berlin State Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim played Beethoven's Ode to Joy.
The release came amid a massive open-air party at the Brandenburg Gate. Earlier at the party, UK performer Peter Gabriel sang a version of David Bowie's Heroes. (+ videos) » | Sunday, November 09, 2014
Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi's Close Aide Killed in US Air Strike
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| Abu Suja, left, and Baghdadi were rarely separate, according to an Iraqi security strategist |
A close aide of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in United States-led coalition air strike on a convoy of militants in Iraq, it can be revealed, amid mounting speculation that the leader of the Islamic State in the Levant was himself killed or injured in the attack.
Abdul Rahman al-Athaeri who went by the code name Abu Suja died when planes struck a convoy of Isil vehicles close to the northern city of Mosul on Friday night, killing him and several other members of the jihadist group.
There were contrasting reports about the fate of Baghdadi, with Isil members writing on Twitter that he was not in the convoy, and other sources claiming that he had been either killed or "critically injured". "I can't absolutely confirm that Baghdadi has been killed," said General Nicholas Houghton, Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces. "Probably it will take some days to have absolute confirmation."
Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi security strategist, confirmed to The Telegraph that Abu Suja, "Baghdadi's very close companion", was killed in the air strike that destroyed at least 10 vehicles. » | Ruth Sherlock, Gaziantep and Magdy Samaan in Cairo | Sunday, November 09, 2014
Did Jesus Have a Wife and Kids? Long-lost Ancient Manuscript Discovered in the British Library Claims Christ Married Prostitute Mary Magdalene and They Had Children
Jesus married his 'soul-mate' Mary Magdalene and they had two children together, a new book has claimed.
'The Lost Gospel' also alleges there was an unknown plot on Jesus' life 13 years before his crucifixion and an assassination attempt on Mary Magdalene and their children.
Professor of religious studies Barrie Wilson and historical writer Simcha Jacobovici based these claims on a manuscript dating back 1,450 years which they discovered in the British Library.
They spent months translating the ancient text and have controversially said that the original Virgin Mary was Jesus's wife, not his mother.
Further claims from 'The Lost Gospel: Decoding the Sacred Text that Reveals Jesus' Marriage to Mary Magdalene' will be released on Wednesday, including the names of the two children.
The book also elaborates on Jesus's alleged connections to top political figures in the Roman Empire such as Emperor Tiberius and his best friend, the soldier Sejanus.
But the Church of England said the work shares more in common 'with Dan Brown (author of the Da Vinci Code) than Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.' » | Jenny Awford for MailOnline | Sunday, November 09, 2014
Queen Leads Remembrance Day Tributes at the Cenotaph
24 djihadistes neutralisés par les forces françaises au Mali
Vingt-quatre jihadistes ont été "neutralisés" par les forces françaises dans le nord du Mali, a annoncé samedi l'armée française, dans un bilan d'une opération anti-islamiste, a indiqué le commandement de Barkhane. Barkhane est la force regroupant 3.000 militaires français, en partenariat avec cinq pays du Sahel, dont la mission est de lutter contre les groupes armés dans la bande sahélo-saharienne. » | Source AFP | Samedi 08 novembre 2014
Fate of IS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Unknown after Airstrikes Target Him
Claims swirled that hardline IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed in the attacks late Friday, but US officials could not confirm if he had even been present.
The news came after US President Barack Obama unveiled plans to send up to 1500 more US troops to Iraq to help battle the militants who have seized a large swathe of territory.
In fresh violence, some 33 people were killed in a wave of car bombings against Shiite areas in the capital Baghdad, highlighting again the security challenge facing Iraqis even within government-controlled zones.
US Central Command confirmed that coalition aircraft conducted a "series of airstrikes" against "a gathering of ISIL leaders near Mosul".
A convoy of 10 armoured vehicles from the group also known as ISIL was destroyed.
"We cannot confirm if ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those present," CENTCOM spokesman Patrick Ryder said in his statement. » | AFP | Sunday, November 09, 2014
UK Condemned over Arms Sales to Repressive States
The government has been accused of dishonesty over arms sales as new figures reveal that the value of British weapons sales to “countries of concern” has already hit £60m this year. Former Tory defence minister Sir John Stanley, who chairs the Commons committees on arms export controls, says ministers failed to come clean on a “significant change in policy” that makes it easier to export arms to countries with a poor human rights record.
He said in a recent parliamentary debate that the government has not acknowledged that such a change has taken place, and it “should consider most carefully whether they should now offer an apology to the committees”.
The government used to reject arms export licences where there was concern they might be used for “internal repression”, but now a licence will be refused only if there is a “clear risk” that military equipment might be used in violation of international law. » | Mark Townsend and Daniel Boffey | Saturday, November 08, 2014
Austrian Far-right Politician Calls Asylum Seekers "Cave Men"
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| Christian Hoebart |
A member of parliament from Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) called asylum seekers cave men on Facebook, triggering calls from other parties for his resignation.
Christian Hoebart's comments highlighted a febrile debate on immigration in the country, where recent polls have shown FPO neck and neck with traditional centrist parties, attracting about a quarter of votes.
His message, posted late on Friday, criticised a rally of mostly African asylum seekers held in the town of Traiskirchen near Vienna.
"I (could not) show understanding for yesterday's brouhaha of asylum seekers from Africa, so I called (them) emotionally ... 'soil and cave men', who cannot appreciate how good they've got it with us – their host country Austria," he wrote.
Other opposition politicians called for Hoebart, an FPO leader in the province of Lower Austria, to quit his political posts. » | Reuters | Saturday, November 08, 2014
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Pakistan Christian Community Living in Fear after Mob Killings
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| Shama (L) was pregnant with her fifth child when the couple were attacked and killed |
The factories, owned by powerful landlords, are notorious for thriving on "bonded labour". Hundreds of thousands of people have remained locked in a cycle of debt and poverty for decades.
Rights groups call it a form of modern-day slavery.
Until last week, Sajjad Mesih and his wife Shama, a married Christian couple in their 30s, worked at one such brick kiln.
For years, they got up at dawn, laboured in harsh conditions through the day and finished up at dusk. That was their routine - every day, seven days a week. It was a life of debt and poverty that they hated.
On Tuesday, they were lynched and burnt to death there by a mob on allegations of blasphemy.
Blasphemy is an explosive issue in Pakistan. Reporting of violence in the name of blasphemy is often self-censored, twisted and confused by misreporting.
Piecing together the sequence of events and what led to vicious crimes on the pretext of blasphemy is not always straightforward.
But having visited the remote rural area and after speaking to up to a dozen or so people - including police, family, neighbours and eyewitnesses - here is an account of what the BBC has been able to put together. (+ BBC video) » | Shahzeb Jillani | BBC News | Kasur District | Pakistan | Saturday, November 08, 2014
Yearning for Freedom Brought Down Berlin Wall, Says Merkel
Speaking on the eve of Sunday's celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's collapse, Merkel said Germany would always be grateful for the courage of East Germans who took to the streets to protest the Communist dictatorship.
"It was a day that showed us the yearning for freedom cannot be forever suppressed," Merkel said in a speech in Berlin. "During the course of 1989 more and more East Germans lost their fears of the state's repression and chicanery, and went out on the streets. There was no turning back then. It is thanks to their courage the Wall was opened."In a country with few cheerful anniversaries to celebrate after its belligerent 20th century history, Germans have latched onto memories of the peaceful East German revolution that brought down the Berlin Wall on a joyful Nov. 9, 1989. » | Erik Kirschbaum | Saturday, November 08, 2014
Inside Story: Is Libya Heading for Chaos?
Mauerfall-Jubiläum in Berlin: Gorbatschow erinnert sich
Islamisten greifen kurdisches Flüchtlingslager an
Bei den Kämpfen um die nordsyrische Kurdenstadt Kobane hat die sunnitische Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) offenbar ein kurdisches Flüchtlingslager beschossen. Dabei wurden mindestens zwei Menschen getötet und vier weitere verletzt. Dies teilte die Syrische Beobachtungsstelle für Menschenrechte mit. Die Organisation mit Sitz in Grossbritannien, die den Regierungsgegnern in Syrien nahesteht, bezieht ihre Informationen von einem Netz von Aktivisten und Ärzten vor Ort. » | thu/sda | Samstag, 08. November 2014
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