Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Dies at 90

THE GUARDIAN: Abdullah’s half-brother Crown Prince Salman has ascended to the throne

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died aged 90 after a short illness, state television announced late on Thursday. He has been succeeded by Crown Prince Salman, his half-brother.

The news came after the king was admitted to hospital on 31 December suffering from pneumonia. His condition was said to have improved a few days later.

Rumours of the king’s death circulated on social media before Saudi TV began broadcasting Qur’anic verses – often a harbinger of bad news – and the announcement was made. He is to be buried on Friday afternoon.

Beyond confirmation that Salman has ascended the throne lie troubling questions about the succession, the stability of an unreformed absolute monarchy and the prospects for its younger generation of royals at a time of turmoil in the region – including the destabilising crisis in Yemen. » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Thursday, January 22, 2015

THE GUARDIAN: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia: Monarch whose reign saw the spread of division, corruption and strife, and was saved only by ‘black gold’ » | Madawi al-Rasheed | Thursday, January 22, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies aged 90: King Abdullah, who has ruled Saudi Arabia since August 2005, has died after battle with pneumonia » | Rochard [?] Spencer, Middle East editor and Harriet Alexander | Thursday, January 22, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud – obituary: King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia ruled his nation during a period of unprecedented upheaval in the Arab world » | Thursday, January 22, 2015

BBC AMERICA: Obituary: King Abdullah: The absolute ruler of one of the most conservative societies on Earth, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia had to tread a narrow line between maintaining relationships with the West and appeasing opinion at home. » | Thursday, January 22, 2015

ISIS Sermon: Muslims Should Kiss the Heads and Hands of Paris Attackers

Cleric Supports Paris Attacks in Al-Aqsa Mosque Address, Threatens Even Harsher Measures

Jindal: Some Muslims Want to 'Colonize' West

KPRC HOUSTON: They're targeting Europe, and U.S. could be next, governor says

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments about "no go zones" in European cities, insisting that some Muslim immigrants are trying to "colonize" European cities and "overtake the culture."

And the United States could be next, warned Jindal, a Republican who is considering a 2016 presidential run.

"They may be second, third, fourth generation, they don't consider themselves part of that country. They're actually going in there to colonize, to overtake the culture," Jindal said. "If people don't want to come here to integrate and assimilate, what they're really trying to do is ... overturn our culture." » | Author: Jeremy Diamond CNN | Thursday, January 22, 2015

German Anti-Islam Movement Suffers Blow With Loss of Central Figure

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Co-Founder Resigns After Derogatory Comments Aired, Hitler Photo Published

BERLIN—Germany’s swelling anti-Islam movement suffered the biggest blow in its four-month existence Wednesday with the resignation of one of its central figures after photos of him posing as Hitler surfaced along with derogatory remarks he had made regarding refugees.

Lutz Bachmann, co-founder of the European Patriots against the Islamization of the Occident, told The Wall Street Journal that he would resign from the board of the group, known by its German acronym Pegida.

He said his decision was a result of the online comments, which were published by the German branch of the Anonymous hacker collective. They included screenshots of a private Facebook chat in which Mr. Bachmann called asylum-seekers “scumbags,” “animals” and “trash.”

In a written statement released by Pegida, he apologized “to all citizens who feel attacked by my postings.” He added: “I am sorry that I’ve damaged the interests of our movement and am drawing the consequences.” Read on and comment » | Andrea Thomas | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Ayatollah Urges Western Youth to Examine Islam

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a public
gathering at his residence in Tehran, Jan. 7, 2015.

TIME: Khamenei encouraged Western youth to find out about Islam for themselves and not allow their image of it to be clouded by prejudice

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has appealed to youth in North America and Europe to seek out their own understanding of Islam and ignore prejudice in the media.

In the letter published on his Twitter account Wednesday night, Khamenei said he was addressing Western youth because “the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands.” » | Naina Bajekal | Thursday, January 22, 2015

Top US Academic: 'Let Me Be Lashed Instead Of Saudi Blogger'

Academics who have volunteered to take the lashes for Raif
Badawi, clockwise from top left: Richard P George, Hannah
Rosenthal, Mary Ann Glendon and Zuhdi Jasser

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Princeton professor Robert P George offers to take punishment issued to Raif Badawi, the Saudi liberal sentenced to 1,000 lashes

A group of top American intellectuals have volunteered to "take" the 1,000 lash sentence imposed by the Saudi government on a prominent liberal blogger.

In a remarkable intervention on behalf of Raif Badawi, who received the sentence for insulting his country's hardline Islamic clerics, seven US academics have agreed to take the flogging for him.

The move, which follows widespread international outrage at the sentence, is being led by Robert P George, a leading professor at Princeton University and vice-chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In an email to The Christian Post newspaper, Professor George said: "Together with six colleagues on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, I sent a letter to the Saudi Ambassador to the US calling on the Saudi government to stop the horrific torture of Raif Badawi — an advocate of religious freedom and freedom of expression in the Saudi Kingdom."

"If the Saudi government refuses, we each asked to take 100 of Mr. Badawi's lashes so that we could suffer with him. The seven of us include Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, Christians, Jews, and a Muslim." » | Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent | Thursday, January 22, 2015

What Is Salafism and Should We Be Worried by It?

THE WEEK: Salafi violence is on the rise across the Arab world - and may be gaining a dangerous foothold in Europe

In the days after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris, attention has focused on the rise of Salafism in Europe.

Salafism is described as "the fastest-growing Islamic movement in Europe" by Soren Kern of the New York Daily News. He accuses European leaders of failing to confront the rise of a dangerous ideology on their own turf.

Germany's intelligence chief, Hans-George Maassen, says the number of active Salafists in his country has grown from 3,800 to 6,300 in three years, according to Deutsche Welle.

Maassen says that most recruits are men aged from 18 to 30, with families from migrant backgrounds who have struggled to adjust to their new home. Salafism provides them with a sense of belonging and purpose, he said, "giving the impression that they will go from being underdogs to top dogs".

What is Salfism?

Salafis are fundamentalists who believe in a return to the original ways of Islam. The word 'Salafi' comes from the Arabic phrase, 'as-salaf as-saliheen', which refers to the first three generations of Muslims (starting with the Companions of the Prophet), otherwise known as the Pious Predecessors. » | Monday, January 19, 2015

Muslims in Fear: Anti-Islamist Sentiments Rise by 110% in France

RT: There has been a huge increase in anti-Muslim incidents in France following the Islamist attacks in Paris two weeks ago. At 116 confrontations this month, it’s more than double the amount recorded for the whole of January, 2014.

The National Observatory Against Islamophobia said over one hundred incidents have been reported to the police since the terrorist attacks of January 7-9. Three French Islamists killed 17 people during their shooting spree. The human rights group says there have been 28 attacks on places of worship and 88 threats have been made, as reported by AFP.

The rise in attacks over the last two weeks represents an increase of 110 percent over the whole of January 2014, the organization said on Monday. » | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Pegida-Demonstration: Wenige Tausend Legida-Anhänger versammelt

ZEIT ONLINE: Seit Stunden herrscht in Leipzig Ausnahmezustand, nun sammeln sich Legida-Demonstranten und -Gegner in der Stadt. Oberbürgermeister Jung gesteht, er sei etwas nervös.

Leipzig gleicht seit Stunden einer Festung: Die Polizei ist mit einem Großaufgebot in der Stadt, Läden haben geschlossen, Straßen wurden gesperrt, Hubschrauber kreisen über der Stadt. Rund 4.000 Polizisten aus ganz Deutschland sind im Einsatz, darunter etwa 1.000 Bundespolizisten. Sie haben bis zu 100.000 Teilnehmer bei der Legida-Demonstration und den 19 Gegenveranstaltungen erwartet.

In der Stadt ist kaum ein Durchkommen, vereinzelt ist es bereits zu Zusammenstößen zwischen Legida-Anhängern und Gegendemonstranten gekommen. Offenbar weil mehrere Zugänge zur Legida-Demonstration blockiert sind, versuchen deren Anhänger auf anderen Wegen zu ihrer Veranstaltung zu gelangen. Der Auftakt der Legida-Kundgebung auf dem Augustusplatz begann etwas verspätet gegen 18:45 Uhr, nur wenige tausend Menschen waren bis dahin auf dem Platz versammelt. Sie skandierten "Wir sind das Volk". » | Quelle: ZeitOnline, dpa, AFP, sk | Mittwoch, 21. Januar 2015

Germany Pegida: Protest Leader Quits in 'Hitler' Row

BBC AMERICA: The head of German "anti-Islamisation" movement Pegida, Lutz Bachmann, has resigned after a photo of him apparently posing as Hitler emerged.

Mr Bachmann stepped down just as tens of thousands of people were expected to rally in the eastern city of Leipzig for the latest Pegida rally.

Prosecutors are investigating insulting comments about refugees attributed to him by German newspapers.

A Pegida spokeswoman sought to play down the Facebook photo as a "joke".

But the German government condemned the photo. Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Bild: "Anyone in politics who poses as Hitler is either a total idiot or a Nazi. Reasonable people do not follow idiots, and decent people don't follow Nazis." » | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Hate Attacks on Jews Soared 94% Last Year, Police Figures Show

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hate crimes against Jews increased to almost 300 incidents in London while crimes against Muslims dipped slightly, Scotland Yard data indicates

The number of hate crimes against Jews nearly doubled last year, according to latest police statistics.

Figures from the Metropolitan Police, released amid growing concern over anti-Semitic attacks in the wake of the Paris terrorist atrocities, showed there were 297 hate crimes against Jewish people in the year to August.

The figure was up from 153 in the previous 12 months, a rise of 94 per cent.

In the same period the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the capital dipped slightly from 518 to 495 last year, a four per cent fall.

Last week police announced they were stepping up patrols in areas with large Jewish populations. » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

John Boehner Invites Netanyahu to Congress on Iran

BBC AMERICA: US House Speaker John Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress on Iran.

The move is seen as a rebuke to President Barack Obama's threat to veto any additional sanctions on the country during his State of the Union address.

The White House has said it believes new sanctions will be harmful to negotiations on its nuclear programme.

Mr Boehner also criticised the president's other proposals, including a tax hike for the rich.

He confirmed on Wednesday he had invited Mr Netanyahu to speak to Congress "on the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life".

The Speaker accused Mr Obama of "papering over" the threat of both militant Islamic groups and Iran's nuclear programme in his speech. Congree in Netanyahu snub to Obama » | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Kampf gegen Islamismus: Le Pen will Grenzkontrollen wieder einführen

Die Vorsitzende des Front National, Marine Le Pen, macht
die EU für die Schwäche Frankreichs in der Bekämpfung
mitverantwortlich.

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Marine Le Pen hat die Wiedereinführung nationaler Grenzkontrollen gefordert. Französischen Dschihadisten solle die Staatsbürgerschaft entzogen werden, schreibt die Vorsitzende des Front National.

Marine Le Pen hat der französischen Regierung, namentlich Außenminister Laurent Fabius, vorgeworfen, auch nach den Anschlägen in Paris die Augen vor der Realität zu verschließen und die Probleme Frankreichs nicht beim Namen zu nennen. Die Vorsitzende des Front National schreibt in einem Gastbeitrag für die New York Times, anstatt die Terroristen als „Islamisten“ zu bezeichnen und ihre Organisation, den Islamischen Staat, offen zu nennen, wage Fabius es nur, von „Mördern„ oder „Daesh-Mördern“ zu sprechen („Daesh“ beziehungsweise „Da’ish“ entspricht den Anfangsbuchstaben der alten Bezeichnung ISIS im Arabischen: ad-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah fī al-’Irāq wash-Shām). Den Grund hierfür sieht Le Pen in der Angst, die Begriffe Islam und Islamismus zu vermischen. » | Susanne Kusicke | Montag, 19. Januar 2015

Radical Islamic Cleric Anjem Choudary vs. Rabbis Ari & Jeremy

Read the BreakingIsraelNews article here | Voice if Israel | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

George Galloway on Charlie Hebdo Attack - Comment - Press TV - 8th January 2015

George Galloway on Charlie Hebdo Attack – BBC Radio Leeds – 8th January 2015

George Galloway Speech at Anti-Charlie Hebdo Rally – 17th January 2015

Earnest: "The World Is Not At War With Islam;" We're At War With Those Who Carry Out Attacks In The Name Of Islam

Read the RealClearPolitics article here | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Rich Lowry: Of Course It Is Islam

THE BEMIDJI PIONEER: It is settled: The Paris terror attacks had almost nothing to do with Islam.

Consider that on the one hand, you have the chilling new tape of the Charlie Hebdo attackers declaring, "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad," and on the other, you have the tortured assurances of White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Which are you going to believe?

The Obama administration's mind-bogglingly determined refusal to say that we are at war with "radical Islam," together with the left's evasions about Islamic terrorism, means that there has been a haze of euphemism around what should be a galvanizing event in the West's fight against terror.

In the aftermath of the attack, Howard Dean opined on "Morning Joe" that the Muslims who had killed the staff of Charlie Hebdo aren't Muslims. Not usually known as a leading Orientalist, the former Vermont governor shared his interpretation of one of the world's leading Islamic terror groups: "I think ISIS is a cult. Not an Islamic cult. I think it's a cult."

Dean didn't specify what kind of cult ISIS is, if not Islamic. Or what otherwise accounts for its strange obsession with taking over territory in Syria and Iraq to establish a caliphate and to impose a harsh version of Islamic law. » | Rich Lowry | Monday, January 19, 2015

‘Anti-Islamization’ Demos Spread in Europe as PEGIDA Voices Agenda

RT: German ‘anti-Islamization’ movement Pegida is expanding into other European nations, with its Danish branch staging its first rally on Monday. Opposition to their message is also growing stronger, as people viewing them as bigots take to the streets.

Initially based in Dresden, the self-styled "Patriotic Europeans Against Islamization of the West" (PEGIDA) is spreading its weekly ‘night strolls’ into other European countries. In Copenhagen, the Danish PEGIDA branch staged its inaugural rally on Monday. » | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

US Governor Denounces So-called Muslim 'No-go Zones' in London Speech

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bobby Jindal insists Islamic-controlled enclaves exist in Britain and western Europe despite recent controversy over "Muslim-only" Birmingham claims on Fox News

A leading US Republican governor has condemned the alleged existence of so-called Muslim “no-go zones” in Britain and western Europe during a visit to Parliament in London.

Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, made his claims that such areas existed in British cities, even though an assertion last week by a right-wing US terrorism commentator that Birmingham was a Muslim-only city has been widely ridiculed.

The Louisiana governor decried the existence of the “no-go zones” in a speech to the Henry Jackson Society in the House of Commons on Monday.

Asked later in an interview with CNN on Parliament Green whether he would back away from his claims following the recent controversy, he said: “Not at all.” He declined to name specific examples to illustrate his claims, but said: “I’ve heard from folks here [in London] that there are neighbourhoods where women don’t feel comfortable going in without veils.

“That’s wrong. We all know that there are neighbourhoods where police are less likely to go into. » | Philip Sherwell, New York | Monday, January 19, 2015

Unschuldige geköpft? Skandal um verpfuschte Saudi-Hinrichtung

So läuft eine offentliche Hinrichtung in Saudi-Arabien ab.

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Saudi- Zentrum, aufgepasst! Die Frau schreit bis zur letzten Sekunde: "Ich bin keine Mörderin!", "Ich habe niemanden umgebracht!", "Ich bin unschuldig!", als sie zum Richtplatz gezerrt wird. Dann saust das Schwert des Henkers nieder. Dieser verpfuscht die Hinrichtung - erst beim dritten Hieb fällt der Kopf.

Ärzte mit weißen Handschuhen treten hinzu und prüfen den Vollzug der Hinrichtung. Der Henker wischt mit einem Tuch das Blut vom Schwert, die im Staub liegende Leiche wird weggeschafft.

Vergangenes Jahr gab es in Saudi- Arabien 87 derartige Hinrichtungen, allein heuer schon elf.

Diese skandalöse Hinrichtung einer mutmaßlich unschuldigen Frau aus Myanmar ereignete sich am vergangenen Montag in Mekka, der heiligen Stadt des Islam. Es wird also tatsächlich nicht jeden Freitag geköpft, wie die Ex- Vizechefin des Wiener Saudi- Zentrums, Claudia Bandion- Ortner , verkündet hatte. » | Kurt Seinitz, Kronen Zeitung/red | Montag, 19. Januar 2015

Trotz Absage in Dresden: Tausende Pegida-Gegner gehen bundesweit auf die Straße

FOCUS ONLINE: Während am Montag in Dresden der "Abendspaziergang" von Pegida nicht stattfand, wurde es in vielen anderen Städten Deutschlands laut: In München versammelten sich rund 12.000 Menschen, in Wiesbaden und Bielefeld gingen jeweils 10.000 Menschen auf die Straßen.

Begleitet von Sorgen um die Versammlungsfreiheit hat die Polizei in Dresden das dort für Montag verhängte Demonstrationsverbot durchgesetzt. Außer "einigen wenigen Schaulustigen" auf dem Theaterplatz habe es weder von Anhängern der islamfeindlichen Pegida-Bewegung noch von deren Gegnern Versammlungen gegeben, sagte ein Polizeisprecher. In anderen Städten demonstrierten derweil zehntausende Pegida-Gegner. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) betonte die Bedeutung des Grundrechts auf Versammlungsfreiheit. » | Montag, 19. Januar 2015

'Religion of Peace' Is Not a Harmless Platitude

THE SPECTATOR: To face Islamist terror, we must face the facts about Islam's history

The West’s movement towards the truth is remarkably slow. We drag ourselves towards it painfully, inch by inch, after each bloody Islamist assault.

In France, Britain, Germany, America and nearly every other country in the world it remains government policy to say that any and all attacks carried out in the name of Mohammed have ‘nothing to do with Islam’. It was said by George W. Bush after 9/11, Tony Blair after 7/7 and Tony Abbott after the Sydney attack last month. It is what David Cameron said after two British extremists cut off the head of Drummer Lee Rigby in London, when ‘Jihadi John’ cut off the head of aid worker Alan Henning in the ‘Islamic State’ and when Islamic extremists attacked a Kenyan mall, separated the Muslims from the Christians and shot the latter in the head. And, of course, it is what President François Hollande said after the massacre of journalists and Jews in Paris last week.

All these leaders are wrong. In private, they and their senior advisers often concede that they are telling a lie. The most sympathetic explanation is that they are telling a ‘noble lie’, provoked by a fear that we — the general public — are a lynch mob in waiting. ‘Noble’ or not, this lie is a mistake. First, because the general public do not rely on politicians for their information and can perfectly well read articles and books about Islam for themselves. Secondly, because the lie helps no one understand the threat we face. Thirdly, because it takes any heat off Muslims to deal with the bad traditions in their own religion. And fourthly, because unless mainstream politicians address these matters then one day perhaps the public will overtake their politicians to a truly alarming extent. » | Douglas Murray | Saturday, January 17, 2015

Birmingham: 'Islam Must Die' and Swastika Graffiti Daubed on University as City Mosque Attacked

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: Police have suggested that separate Islamophobic attacks at the University of Birmingham and a nearby mosque are linked, after the words "Islam must die" and a swastika were daubed on a wall at the student campus.

Islamophobic graffiti was sprayed on walls at the university, in Edgbaston, and the Jahalabad mosque on Dartmouth Road, Selly Oak, on Friday evening (16-17 January).

The offensive language and symbol have since been scrubbed from the wall of the old university gym, but students remain shocked at the incident. » | Lewis Dean | Monday, January 19, 2015

See photo of graffiti here

Geert Wilders: The ‘Prophet’ Who Hates Muhammad

Dutch PVV anti-Islam party-leader Geert Wilders shows a
sticker in parliament in The Hague, Dec. 19, 2013, with the
Arabic text: 'Islam is a lie. Mohammed is a bastard. The
Koran is poison.'

NEWSWEEK: Less than 24 hours after the recent terror attacks in Paris, I caught a train in Amsterdam bound for the Binnenhof, the elaborate lakefront complex at The Hague and home of the Dutch Parliament. I was there for a hastily arranged meeting with Geert Wilders, a veteran member of the House of Representatives and Islam’s arch-nemesis in Europe.

Security was tight that afternoon. Twice on the labyrinthian route to his office, I emptied my pockets, walked through metal detectors and watched as guards dug through my camera bag. Behind the key card-controlled door to his office, I was a little surprised to find Wilders, alone and standing behind his desk.

No fan of understatement, Wilders wore a shiny black Armani suit and a bright green tie. But it was his trademark platinum-blond pompadour that stood out, a haircut that many in the Netherlands compare to Donald Trump’s rat’s nest. Wilders may look just as cartoonish as The Donald. But unlike Trump, he’s a legitimate force in politics. For nearly a decade, he’s served as the leader of Holland’s anti-Islamic political party, and he regularly uses his platform to denounce not only violent jihadists but all of Islam.

This stance has made Wilders a target for Muslim radicals. Death threats regularly arrive at his office, so seeing him sitting in a leather chair without armed guards, even behind so many checkpoints, is a bit unsettling. When I ask him how he’s doing, he raises his eyebrows and answers: “Surviving.” » | Winston Ross | Monday, January 19, 2015

Pegida: Vorsitzender Bachmann zur Absage der Demonstration am 19.01.2015

Lutz Bachmann (Pegida-Vorsitzender) und Kathrin Oertel (Pegida-Pressesprecherin) zur Absage der Pegida-Demonstration in Dresden

Germany’s Pegida Anti-Islam Movement Vows to Continue Protests in Berlin and Munich

Lutz Bachmann, leader of the anti-Islamic Pegida movement
and Pegida spokewoman Kathrin Oertel give a press
conference in Dresden, eastern Germany

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A planned march in Dresden on Monday night was cancelled but Pegida's leaders say rallies in other German cities will go ahead

The leaders of Germany’s Pegida anti-Islam movement have vowed to continue their protests after they were forced to cancel a march in Dresden planned for Monday night because of an Islamist terror threat.

Pegida rallies are to go ahead as planned on Monday night in other cities across Germany, including Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf.

Police are prepared for large crowds after the Dresden march was called off, and possible clashes between Pegida supporters and opponents at counter-rallies.

In Dresden, police took the unusual step of banning all public gatherings for 24 hours, after what they said was a “concrete threat” against the planned march.

German intelligence reportedly intercepted messages from jihadists about a plan for assassins to mingle with protesters. According to Pegida leaders, the target was the movement’s founder, Lutz Bachmann. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Monday, January 19, 2015

Top Law Firm Employee's Video Diatribe Against 'Apologetic' Muslims in Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack

Aysh Chaudhry, a trainee at Clifford Chance, appears in
20-minute long video on YouTube

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Clifford Chance trainee launches 'venomous' 20-minute YouTube rant against the 'kuffars', urging fellow Muslims not to become 'enslaved' by the West

A top international law firm employee has launched an online diatribe against “apologetic” moderate Muslims in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.

Aysh Chaudhry, a trainee at Clifford Chance, appears in a 20-minute video on Youtube [sic], delivered mainly in English but interspersed with Arabic, in which he claimed that Islam is “superior” to Western ideologies and uses the word "kuffar" repeatedly, a derogatory term for non-Muslims.

The video is introduced by the same Arabic chant that is used on many jihadist websites including Al-Qaeda and Isis, and translates as: "Islam has become for us a religion and the entire universe is home for us".

Mr Chaudry says he is addressing the "events in Paris that have taken place over the last few days", which he condemns, and criticises Muslims whose minds have become "colonised" by the West.

The 22-year-old, who earns a salary of £40,500, urges his "brothers and sisters" to move away from the “apologetic tone" adopted by some Muslims following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, adding that they should "have confidence in Islam because we are enslaved otherwise.”

He calls freedom of speech a "bankrupt ideology", adding: "We are becoming infatuated with the civilisation of the kuffar and their beliefs and their values and indeed we have latched on to these.

"Now you know who you are if you are of those who state 'I will die to protect your freedom and I believe in freedom of speech'.

"But understand that it is not the Islamic response to this issue. It represents a defeatist mentality, brothers and sisters." » | Camilla Turner | Monday, January 19, 2015

David Cameron Hits Back at Muslim Council of Britain over Mosques Letter

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prime Minister says Muslim Council of Britain 'really has a problem' after leaders compare government to 'far fight' for writing to every mosque to help root out 'men of hate'


David Cameron has said that the Muslim Council of Britain "has a problem" after it accused ministers of behaving like the "far right".

The Telegraph disclosed that Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, has written to 1,100 imams and Islamic leaders saying they must do more to root out "men of hate" who preach extremism.

The Muslim Council of Britain responded by urging Mr Pickles to clarify his request, asking if like "members of the far right" he was suggesting that Islam is inherently apart from the rest of British society.

Speaking in Ipswich, Mr Cameron said: "It's absolutely right to write this letter, to say we all have a responsibility to fight extremism. » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent, and Steven Swinford | Monday, January 19, 2015


Related »

Op-Ed: The West Cannot Win This War

ARUTZ SHEVA: The West doesn't want to make the changes that will allow it to win

Take another look at the video filmed under the Charlie Hebdo’s building, the black car of the terrorists who had no fear of death and are advancing by shooting, while the white car of the policemen is forced to retreat.

We are capitulating.

The West cannot win this war. Take the last French mass rally with dozens of heads of states from around the world: it was a silent march, a mute show where nobody took the podium. As if these people didn’t know what to say. As if these Western leaders didn’t really believe in what they were doing in Paris.

A few days ago, Martin Wolf in the British daily Financial Times gave voice to the deep estrangement of Europe’s élite. He suggested using massive doses of multicultural recognition of equality between different cultures in order to combat Islamism. Mr. Wolf is implicitly saying that we must surrender, that we cannot win, that we have to contain terror and finally find a way to coexist with it. » | Giulio Meotti | Monday, January 19, 2015

Jean-Claude Juncker Compares British Membership of EU to Doomed Romance

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: EU Commission president says people should not stay together if conditions aren’t the same as when things started - the first time he has contemplated a British exit

Jean-Claude Juncker has compared British membership of the EU to a doomed romance and suggested it is time for Britain to get a divorce from Europe.

It is the first time the president of the European Commission has publicly contemplated a British exit and he reinforced his message by insisting he would not get down on his knees to beg Britain to stay.

“People shouldn’t stay together if the conditions aren’t the same as when things started. It’s easy to fall in love and more difficult to stay together,” he said in Paris this weekend.

“I am for the respect of member states, respect between the institutions and member states. I am against all forms of grovelling.”

Mr Juncker, whose appointment to the EU’s top job was opposed by David Cameron, told an elite audience of French officials that he was ready to discuss British demands for treaty change, but set out “red lines”.

In a blow to the Prime Minister, the commission president said the EU would reject, without debate, Conservative calls to change treaties to give national authorities more powers to stop-large scale inflows of migrants from Eastern Europe.

“When one mentions the end of the free circulation of workers, there can be no debate, dialogue or compromise,” he said. “We can fight against abuses but the EU won’t change the treaties to satisfy the whim of certain politicians.” » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Sunday, January 18, 2015

Israël dit avoir démantelé une cellule de l'EI sur son sol

24 HEURES: Terrorisme [–] Sept Arabes israéliens, âgés de 22 à 40 ans, ont été arrêtés mais nient les faits.

Les autorités israéliennes ont annoncé ce dimanche 18 janvier avoir démantelé pour la première fois sur leur sol une cellule djihadiste liée à l'Etat islamique (EI). Sept Arabes israéliens ont été arrêtés pour préparation d'attentats en Israël et communication avec le groupe insurgé en Syrie. » | dimanche 18 janvier 2015

Islamic State Fighters Mass on Lebanon Border and Threaten to Launch Attacks across It

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Exclusive: How Islamic State fighters have been training new recruits close to Lebanon – and could launch cross-border attacks

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters in Syria, massed close to the Lebanese border, are threatening to launch attacks across it, the Telegraph has witnessed.

The group has been training new recruits and defectors from smaller rebel factions in Qalamoun, a militarily strategically important province in the south-west of Syria that borders Lebanon.

Several of those smaller rebel groupings, some aligned with the more moderate "Free Syrian Army", have capitulated to the jihadists in recent months with many of their fighters joining Isil.

The growth of the group in the area means Sunni Isil fighters in Syria are now at the edge of the Lebanese heartland of its Shia arch enemy Hizbollah, whose men are fighting alongside the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

“The moderate rebel groups on the border have collapsed, and their men have joined Isil,” said Ahmed Flity, the deputy mayor of Arsal, a Lebanese border town that has effectively been cut off from the rest of the country by security forces, because of the threat from jihadists in the area. » | Carol Malouf and Ruth Sherlock in Arsal | Sunday, January 18, 2015

Government Tells Mosques: Force Out the Preachers of Hate

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Eric Pickles writes to 1,100 imams and community leaders, urging them to tackle radicals and make young Muslims proud of Britain

The Government has taken the unprecedented step of writing to every mosque in the country to tell Muslim leaders that they must do more to root out the “men of hate” who are preaching extremism.

Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, has written to 1,100 imams and Islamic leaders urging them to publicly condemn the Al Qaeda terrorists behind the Paris massacres, the Daily Telegraph has learned.

Whitehall is unable to defeat jihadist ideology alone and Muslim leaders have “a responsibility” to prevent young men and women from becoming radicalised, Mr Pickles said in a letter sent last Friday.

The letter says that Imams must explain to young people what it means to be British. And it says that mosques who identify hate preachers within their midst can receive free legal advice to force them out. Mr Pickles’ letter comes at a time when tension between communities in Britain is running high.

The Metropolitan Police announced it had increased security around police buildings and would be increasing the number of armed officers.

Theresa May, the Home Secretary, pledged to “redouble our efforts” in the face of a terrorist threat driven by “chilling” anti-Semitism.

Lord Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi, on Sunday said that anxiety among British Jews is at a “record high” with many scared to attend synagogue or go to the shops.

And writing for Telegraph.co.uk, Mick Davis, the Chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council , today warns of an “alarming rise” in anti-Semitic attacks with Jews at risk from Islamist terrorists “just for having the audacity to exist”. » | Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent | Sunday, January 18, 2015

The Rise of the National Front – France

France's Shift to the Political Right

The Crisis in French Multiculturalism

Inside ISIS and the Iraq Caliphate

Umfrage zu "Der Islam gehört zu Deutschland" - 92% Nein

Nein! "Der Islam gehört nicht zu Deutschland.” Sag NEIN zu Merkel!

Sag NEIN zu Merkel! Der Islam gehört nicht zu Deutschland und wird auch niemals zu Deutschland gehören!

Salafisten Tagesschau 2018

Der Islam gehört zu Deutschland laut Frau Merkel. Ich freue mich schon auf zustände wie in Schweden, Dänemark, Norwegen und England

German Police Ban Anti-Islamic Pegida Rally in Dresden Citing Terror Threat

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Anti-Islamic Pegida march cancelled in Dresden after "concrete threat" from Islamic State

German police banned a planned rally by the anti-Islamic Pegida movement and other public open-air gatherings in the eastern city of Dresden on Monday, citing a terrorist threat.

Dresden police said on Sunday they had received information from federal and state counterparts indicating a "concrete threat" against the right-wing populist group "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident".

There had been calls for would-be "assassins to mingle among the protesters ... and to murder an individual member of the organising team of the Pegida demonstrations", police said in a notice on the 24-hour ban.

This was consistent with "an Arabic-language Tweet that called the Pegida demonstrations an enemy of Islam", it said.

Top-circulation daily Bild said online that the threat targeted Pegida's most prominent leader Lutz Bachmann. » | AFP | Sunday, January 18, 2015

Verbunden »

'Wave of Islamisation' Sweeping Western Europe, Benjamin Netanyahu Says

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Israeli leader's comments justifying expanding far-East trade risk stirring controversy following Right-wing anti-Islam protests in Europe

Benjamin Netanyahu risked opening a new rift with European leaders on Sunday by announcing plans to boost trade with Asia because Western Europe, its main partner, was experiencing "a wave of Islamisation, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism".

The Israeli prime minister's comments at a weekly cabinet meeting came as he prepared to welcome Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, who arrived in Israel accompanied by around 100 heads of leading Japanese companies.

"We definitely want to reduce our dependence on certain markets in western Europe," said Mr Netanyahu while advocating increased trade with Japan, India and China.

"Western Europe is undergoing a wave of Islamisation, of anti-Semitism, and of anti-Zionism. It is awash in such waves, and we want to ensure that for years to come the state of Israel will have diverse markets all over the world." » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Sunday, January 18, 2015

Drohung gegen Pegida: Polizei in Dresden verbietet für Montag alle Kundgebungen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Kein Pegida-Marsch am Montag in Dresden: Die Polizei hat alle öffentlichen Versammlungen unter freiem Himmel wegen Terrorgefahr verboten.

Dresden - Die Sorge vor Terroranschlägen in Deutschland hat eine neue Dimension erreicht: Die Polizeidirektion Dresden hat für Montag alle öffentlichen Versammlungen unter freiem Himmel verboten. Die geplante Pegida-Demonstration findet damit ebenso wenig statt wie die Kundgebung des Gegenbündnisses "Dresden für alle".

"Wir gehen in der Bewertung der aktuellen Lage nicht mehr nur von einer abstrakten Gefahr, sondern von einer konkreten aus", wird Polizeipräsident Dieter Kroll in einer Mitteilung zitiert. "Es geht um ein Mitglied des Orgateams von Pegida und die Versammlungen für den 19. Januar 2015." » | hut/sev/dpa | Sonntag, 18. Januar 2015

« Les terroristes voulaient nous empêcher de vivre, les Français leur ont répondu par le refus de la peur », a déclaré Nicolas Sarkozy samedi

LES ECHOS.fr: Sarkozy dénonce le «fanatisme de l’islam radical» » | Source: AFP | samedi 17 janvier 2015

Krauthammer: Everyone Knows the Difference Between Islam and Radical Islam Except Obama

Mr. Krauthammer, quit the BS! There is only ONE Islam, and that's Islam. No self-respecting Muslim would try and make a distinction, so why should you? – Mark

Charlie Hebdo: Niger Protesters Set Churches On Fire

BBC AMERICA: At least three people have been killed and six churches attacked in Niger amid fresh protests against French magazine Charlie Hebdo's cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

Protests began outside Niamey's grand mosque and reportedly spread to other parts of the country, a day after five were killed in Niger's second city.

Niger's president condemned the violence and appealed for calm. Last week, Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo's offices.

The cover of the magazine's latest edition, published after the attack, featured a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad weeping while holding a sign saying "I am Charlie".

Seven million copies of the edition are being printed in view of extraordinary demand, distributors announced on Saturday. The magazine's print run before the attack was 60,000.

Many Muslims see any depiction of Islam's prophet as offensive. » | Saturday, January 17, 2015

Une partie du monde musulman s'embrase contre "Charlie"

LE POINT: Les mouvements de protestation contre la nouvelle caricature du prophète Mahomet par "Charlie Hebdo" s'intensifient dans les pays musulmans.

Le monde n'aura été "Charlie" qu'un bref moment. Le temps que "le numéro des survivants" voie le jour avec en une le symbole que le "journal irresponsable" n'était pas mort, mais toujours déterminé à se moquer de tout et surtout du sacré. La représentation du prophète Mahomet du dernier Charlie Hebdo a suscité l'indignation du monde musulman. Alors que le dernier numéro du journal sera tiré à sept millions d'exemplaires, des manifestations ont éclaté dans plusieurs pays, de plus en plus violentes depuis vendredi. » | 6MEDIAS | dimanche 17 janvier 2015

Saudi Blogger’s Wife Says Global Pressure Could Force His Release

Ensaf Haidar fled to Canada after an attempt was made on
her husband's life.

THE OBSERVER: Leaders urged to ditch kingdom’s oil ‘muzzle’ to free writer sentenced to weekly floggings

The wife of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi has called on the international community to pressure the Saudi Arabian authorities to release her husband, after his public flogging was postponed this weekend.

Ensaf Haidar was told that the second part of her husband’s punishment, due to take place on Friday after prayers, had been delayed because a doctor had judged that the injuries he had suffered from being lashed the previous week had still not healed and he would not be able to withstand more.

Badawi, 31, was found guilty of offences related to his blog, the Saudi Free Liberals Forum, as well as accusations that he insulted Islam. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail, a heavy fine and 600 lashes – raised on appeal to 1,000 – to be administered at a rate of 50 a week.

Haidar believes that, if leaders such as David Cameron put pressure on the Saudis, Badawi would be allowed to join her in Canada, where she fled with their children after a Saudi cleric put a fatwa on Badawi in 2011, leading to an attempt on his life. He was banned from leaving Saudi by the authorities in 2008 and jailed in 2012, labelled an infidel.

“I have a big hope that Raif will not be in prison for 10 years. I didn’t ever think it would come to me being in Canada and him being in prison, and waiting for him for 10 years.”

Amnesty International is also calling on Cameron to take direct action in support of the principle of free speech. Human rights campaigners, who have been supporting Badawi’s case, have attacked British politicians for “wearing the Saudi muzzle” and want them to press for Badawi’s immediate release. » | Tracy McVeigh and Mona Mahmood | Saturday, January 17, 2015

The Rise and Spread of Pegida

THE LOCAL (DE): They've grown from a small Facebook community to a worldwide phenomenon. Sabine Devins looks at Pegida's rise to prominence and what it is they really stand for as the movement spreads across Europe.

The average Pegida marcher is surprisingly average. He’s 48, lives in Saxony, is educated and has a slightly higher than average income for the state of Saxony. He claims no political party affiliation and doesn’t belong to a church.

That’s according to the Technical University in Dresden, who on Wednesday released the first empirical survey on who is Pegida.

And every Monday, he turns up with thousands of others to chant “We are the people” or “Wir sind das Volk” in protest against what he believes is ruining Germany.

Pegida or the Patriots Against the Islamisation of the West is not just an evolution of the Hooligans against Salifists demonstrations that turned violent in Cologne in October. Nor is it an arm of the neo-nationalistic party, the National Democratic Party.

It is far too smart to get lumped in with those massively unpopular groups.

What began as a group on social media emerged from the virtual to the real world starting in early 2014.

On January 12th, 2015, the latest "evening walk" in Dresden attracted 25,000 participants in the wake of the killing of 12 staff at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo at the hands of three Muslim men.

“I’m here because I think that, in Germany, we have a nice culture with tradition and history, and I worry that in the future, we will lose some of those things to the migrants bringing in their other beliefs and not wanting to conform to the beliefs that we have made our society on,” said one Pegida marcher who didn’t want to be named. He had driven all the way from Stuttgart to attend his first walk.

His sentiment is one that is shared by the Pegida founders. » | Sabine Devins | Friday, January 16, 2015

Immigration and Islam: Europe’s Crisis of Faith

Two women talk as police officers stand in front of the courthouse
in Meaux, near Paris, on September 22, 2011. The court convicted
two other women for publicly wearing Islamic veils; France banned
face coverings earlier that year.

The Saturday Essay
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: France and the rest of Western Europe have never honestly confronted the issues raised by Muslim immigration

The terrorist assault on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 7 may have been organized by al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen. But the attack, along with another at a Paris kosher market days later, was carried out by French Muslims descended from recent waves of North African and West African immigration. Well before the attacks, which left 17 dead, the French were discussing the possibility that tensions with the country’s own Muslim community were leading France toward some kind of armed confrontation.

Consider Éric Zemmour, a slashing television debater and a gifted polemicist. His history of the collapse of France’s postwar political order, “Le suicide français,” was No. 1 on the best-seller lists for several weeks this fall. “Today, our elites think it’s France that needs to change to suit Islam, and not the other way around,” Mr. Zemmour said on a late-night talk show in October, “and I think that with this system, we’re headed toward civil war.” Read on and comment » | Christopher Caldwell | Friday, January 16, 2015

French-Speaking Jihadists in Syria Praise Paris Terrorists, Threaten More Attacks in Europe and America

Turkish Imam Depicts the Jews as "Rabid and Savage" Slayers of Prophets; Prays for Destruction of Israel

Egyptian TV Host Mostafa Sherdy on France Terror Attacks: We Told You So, Britain and Germany Are Next

The Religion of Enlightenment !: Muslim Punishment For Homosexuality

Islamic State Throws Man to His Death 'For Being Gay'

The graphic images show a man being pushed to his death

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pictures emerge of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters apparently throwing a man from a building because he was gay

Photographs have emerged that appear to show members of the Islamic State group in Iraq throwing a man from a building in punishment for being gay.

The graphic images, seemingly taken in the northern Isil controlled city of Mosul, show a man being pushed to his death before a large crowd that had gathered in the main square below.

One photograph, taken from the top of the building, shows the man from behind, blindfolded and with his hands tied across his back, being pushed to the ledge by his executioner. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut | Friday, January 16, 2015

Pat Condell: Nothing To Do With Islam

The death rattle of a dhimmi society. Cowards at Sky News refuse to show Charlie Hebdo cover

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

Belgium Deploys Troops Following Anti-terror Raids

BBC AMERICA: Troops have been deployed across Belgium to guard potential targets of terrorist attacks, following a series of anti-terror raids and arrests.

Up to 300 soldiers will be mobilised in Brussels, Antwerp and elsewhere.

Belgium's interior minister told the BBC that his country had to make use of all the forces at its disposal.

Europe is on high alert after Islamist gunmen killed 17 people in Paris. More than 20 people have been arrested in Belgium, France and Germany.

Uniformed soldiers could be seen outside Jewish schools and government buildings in Belgium on Saturday.

Defence ministry officials said 150 police were already in place, a number that they expected to double over the course of the coming week. » | Saturday, January 17, 2015

So weit ist es gekommen in Deutschland! Berliner Mahnwache zu Anschlägen in Paris mit Koranversen eröffnet

Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck hat alle Menschen in Deutschland unabhängig von Religion und Herkunft zum Einsatz für Demokratie und Weltoffenheit aufgerufen. „Wir alle sind Deutschland“, sagte Gauck am Dienstag bei einer Mahnwache vor dem Brandenburger Tor in Berlin, die nach den Anschlägen in Paris von muslimischen Verbänden organisiert wurde.

„Wir schenken Euch nicht unsere Angst. Euer Hass ist unser Ansporn“, sagte er an die Adresse von Terroristen und Fanatikern.

Nigel Farage: Ghettos in French Cities Have Become No-go Zones for Non-Muslims

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, says that European leaders have been guilty of 'moral cowardice' in failing to challenge extremists

Most big French cities have areas which have become "no-go zones" which non-Muslims and even police cannot enter, Nigel Farage has said.

The Ukip leader said that Britain and European countries have suffered from "moral cowardice" and allowed "big ghettos" to develop.

He said: "It's happening right across Europe. We have got no-go zones in most of the big French cities. We've been turning a blind eye to preachers of hate that have been coming here from the Middle East and saying things for which the rest of us would be arrested.

"In parts of northern England we've seen the sexual grooming of under-age girls committed by Muslim men, in the majority, and for all of these things we are seeing the law not being applied equally, we're seeing the police forces not doing their job because we've suffered from moral cowardice. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

China Bans Burqa in Capital of Muslim Region of Xinjiang

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Authorities in Urumqi ban women from wearing the burqa in the wake of a series of deadly clashes and attacks in China's far west

The capital of China's most Muslim region has banned residents from wearing the burqa in "an effort to curb growing extremism".

Women in Urumqi, a city of 3.1 million people in the far western region of Xinjiang, will no longer be allowed to wear the garment, state media announced this week.

"Burqas are not traditional dress for Uighur women, and wearing them in public places is banned in countries such as Belgium and France," Xinhua, China's official news agency, wrote in a brief article about the ban.

Xinjiang is home to the Uighurs, a largely Muslim, Turkic-speaking group as well as a growing number of Han Chinese migrants who have poured into the region which borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. » | Tom Phillips, Shanghai | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Angela Merkel Joins Muslim Rally against German Anti-Islamisation Protests

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chancellor Merkel joins thousands of people in Berlin at Muslim solidarity rally for victims of Paris attacks

German chancellor Angela Merkel joined thousands of people at a Muslim solidarity rally for victims of the Paris attacks in Berlin on Tuesday evening, in what was widely seen as a public rebuke to the anti-Islam protests that have gripped Germany in recent weeks.

Mrs Merkel and the German president Joachim Gauck joined a 3,000-strong crowd as the Koran was read under the Brandenburg Gate at a rally shown live on German television.

“The terrorists wanted to divide us. They have achieved the opposite. They have brought us together,” President Gauck told the gathered crowds.

“I say to these fanatics and terrorists: we are not afraid of you. Your hate is our motivation. We stand by our country and its values.” » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Iranian Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami in Response to Paris Terror Attacks: The West Is Responsible for Terrorism

Tunisian Cleric Bechir Ben Hassen: Anyone Cursing the Prophet Muhammad Should Be Executed

Pat Condell: It's Good to Be Anti-Islam

Anti-Islam Rally Continues in Germany: Pegida Marchers in Dresden Defy Germany Politicians

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Dresden for an anti-Islamisation rally called in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Angela Merkel to Join Muslim Community Rally in Berlin

An image of Angela Merkel manipulated to make it look like
she's wearing a hijab, at a Pegida rally in Dresden

THE GUARDIAN: German chancellor is attending vigil for tolerance, in response to marches by far-right group Pegida in parts of country

Angela Merkel is joining a Muslim community rally in Berlin to promote tolerance, condemn the attacks in Paris and send a rebuke to Germany’s growing anti-Islamic movement.

“Hatred, racism and extremism have no place in this country,” she said in a speech earlier in the day. “We are a country based on democracy, tolerance and openness to the world.”

The vigil at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on Tuesday evening is organised by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany under the banner “Let’s be there for each other. Terror: not in our name!”

The ceremony is starting with a wreath laying outside the French embassy, where the ground is covered with flowers, candles and condolence cards.

The wreath is made of coloured pens, a symbol of freedom of expression in honour of the 17 victims of the attack on satirical paper Charlie Hebdo and subsequent bloodshed that shook France last week. » | Agence France-Presse | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Dutch Mayor Tells Fellow Muslims Who Do Not Like the Western World to 'F*** Off'

DAILY EXPRESS: A MUSLIM politician has said if followers of Islam living in the West do not appreciate its culture then they should "pack their bags" and "f*** off".

Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, made the comments on live TV hours after jihadists had massacred 12 people at the offices of newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The 53-year-old said it was "stupid" and "incomprehensible" to be against freedom of speech and those who feel that way should "vanish" from the West.

The Moroccan born politician said: "It is incomprehensible that you can turn against freedom.

"If you do not like it here because some humorists you don't like are making a newspaper, may I then say you can f*** off.

"This is stupid, this so incomprehensible. Vanish from the Netherlands if you cannot find your place here.

"All those well-meaning Muslims here will now be stared at". » | Dion Dassanayake | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Marine Le Pen Discusses France and Islam with Al Jazeera

The leader of the National Front, a far-right party in France, talks about her position after the Charlie Hebdo attack

Europe's Pillar Collapsing? Freedom of Movement under Pressure in Сharlie Hebdo Aftermath

Swiss Activists Plan PEGIDA Anti-Muslim March amid Rising Tensions across Europe

RT: Swiss activists have founded a local branch of the popular German anti-Muslim PEGIDA movement. The group is boasting a fast growth in supporters and plans to hold a demonstration next month.

The Swiss branch of PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West) was launched two days after the attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.

The PEGIDA group’s Facebook page calls on potential supporters to come to a demonstration planned for February 16 at an as yet undisclosed location.

The spokesman for Swiss PEGIDA is Ignaz Bearth, current head of the Swiss Direct Democracy Party, a small party with links to France's Front National party, according to AFP. He is also a former member of the far-right Swiss Nationalist Party.

"Many people have been awakened since the Islamist terrorist attack in France and realize how big the risk is and that Islamism is not just limited to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Nigeria, but has arrived to Europe," Bearth said, as cited by 20 minuten news website. » | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

UK Shops to Receive Charlie Hebdo Magazine Despite Radical Cleric Calling It an "Act of War"

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hundreds of copies of the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo 'survivors' magazine are expected to be brought to the UK when it is published on Wednesday despite claims by radical preacher Anjem Choudary it is "an act of war".

Hundreds of copies of the 'survivors' edition of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine are expected to go on sale in the UK when the magazine is published on Wednesday.

Radical preacher Anjem Choudray has criticised the magazine's controversial cartoon front cover of the Prophet Mohammed as "an act of war" and warned there will be "repercussions".

The latest edition is published a week after many of the Charlie Hebdo editorial team were massacred in an attack at their Paris office which saw terrorist brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi kill 12 people.

Five of Charlie Hebdo's cartoonists - including the editor - were killed in the attack.

Smiths News, the distribution arm of WH Smiths, and Menzies are expected to be purchasing up to a 2,000 copies to supply to stores in the Uk [sic].

Radical cleric Mr Choudary said "ridiculing" Mohammed is attacking his personality, and said these actions are "extremely serious", adding that if the "act of war" was to be tried in a Shariah Court it would carry capital punishment. » | Nicola Harley | Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Charlie Hebdo Attacks: Pope Francis Condemns 'Fundamentalist Terrorism'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope attacks "deviant forms of religion" following Paris Charlie Hebdo attack

Pope Francis condemned "fundamentalist terrorism" and "deviant forms of religion" for last week's terrorist attacks in Paris, amid fresh claims that he himself may be at risk of attack from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

The Pope said religion was being perverted by extremists and used to justify evil, including "the tragic slayings" of 17 people that took place in Paris last week after Islamist extremists attacked the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and took people hostage in a kosher supermarket.

"Religious fundamentalism, even before it eliminates human beings by perpetrating horrendous killings, eliminates God himself, turning him into a mere ideological pretext," the 78-year-old pontiff said in an annual address to foreign diplomats accredited to the Vatican.

"Losing their freedom, people become enslaved, whether to the latest fads, or to power, money, or even deviant forms of religion," he said in his State of the World speech.

He spoke out against the menace posed by Islamic fundamentalism after an Israeli television channel reported that the Vatican could be Isil's next target. » | Nick Squiress, Rome | Monday, January 12, 2015

Charlie Hebdo Attacks: Editor's Lover to Miss Funeral after His Family Denies Relationship

The partner of slain Charlie Hebdo editor Charb, Jeanette Bougrab,
outside the Paris City Hall after the city made the weekly satirical
magazine 'Charlie Hebdo' an honorary citizen of Paris

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Jeannette Bougrab to stay away from Stéphane Charbonnier's funeral after his family deny they were in relationship

Jeannette Bougrab, who moved France with her tearful tribute to her lover Stéphane Charbonnier, the murdered editor of Charlie Hebdo known as Charb, is to stay away from his funeral after a row with his family.

Her decision follows remarks by Charb's brother, who denied the couple were in a relationship and demanded she stop speaking about him in the media.

Although Miss Bougrab, 41, a former junior minister in Nicolas Sarkozy's government, insisted she and Charb had been lovers for three years, Laurent Charbonnier made a statement on behalf of his brother's relatives.

The family, he said, "formally denies any committed relationship between Charb and Jeanette Bougrab". » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, January 12, 2015