Franklin Graham: New Obama Danger for Christians

WND: 'The storm is coming, I believe'

Globally known evangelist Franklin Graham says President Obama is so sympathetic to those of the Muslim faith, he’s actually endangering Jews and Christians, opening the doors for them to be persecuted in the United States.

“We’re going to see persecution in this country because our president is very sympathetic to Islam, and the reason I say that … is because his father was a Muslim, gave him a Muslim name, Barack Hussein Obama,” Graham said in an interview on “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network.

“His mother married another Muslim man. They moved to Indonesia. He went to Indonesian schools. So, growing up, his frame of reference and his influence as a young man was Islam. It wasn’t Christianity; it was Islam.”

Graham’s remarks aren’t much of a surprise to those who listen to him frequently. He’s been an outspoken critic of Obama’s presidential policies and has decried what he’s characterized as a curious White House reach-out to Muslim groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. » | Cheryl Chumley | Monday, March 02, 2015

Saudi Arabia Awards Preacher Who Says Muslims Can Have Sex with Slaves Top Prize and £130,000 for Services to Islam

DAILY MAIL: Dr Zakir Naik has also said George Bush was behind the 9/11 terror attacks / In 2010 he was banned from entering the UK for his inflammatory remarks / His edict on slaves echoes the doctrines of Iraq's Islamic State insurgency

The king of Saudi Arabia has handed his country's most-prestigious prize to a preacher who has previously said the Koran allows Muslims to have sex with female slaves.

Indian cleric Zakir Naik, who has also said 9/11 was an inside job, was handed the King Faisal International Prize for Services to Islam at a glittering ceremony in Riyadh.

A physician by training, the Mumbai-based 49-year-old has carved out a career as a charismatic television preacher, but his controversial views have led to him being banned from entering the UK.

Dr Naik was one of five winners presented a gold medal, a certificate hand written in Arabic calligraphy and an endowment of more than £130,000 by Saudi King Salman during a ceremony at a luxury hotel yesterday.

The president of the Islamic Research Foundation in India, Dr Naik was honoured for being one of the most renowned non-Arabic speaking promoters of Islam.

He founded the Peace TV channel, billed as the world's only channel specialising in comparative religion, which now reaches an estimated English-language audience exceeding 100million, according to his award citation.

'Islam is the only religion that can bring peace to the whole of humanity,' he said in a video biography aired at the ceremony. It was on a broadcast on Peace TV that Dr Naik suggested that Muslims men may rape their slaves. » | AFP and Damien Gayle for MailOnline | Monday, March 02, 2015

Netanyahu Arrives in US for Contested Congress Iran Speech

BBC AMERICA: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in the US to argue against a possible nuclear deal with Iran.

Mr Netanyahu says the deal would be inadequate to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.

He is due to give a speech in Congress on Tuesday which was not agreed in advance with the Obama administration, angering the White House.

The speech comes two weeks before Israeli elections, with his Likud party under pressure in domestic polls.

The US and other powers - the so-called P5+1 - are negotiating with Iran on its nuclear programme.

They want a framework agreement by the end of the month which addresses concerns that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons technology, something Tehran denies. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, March 01, 2015

La femme sans voile qui dérange les hommes de pouvoir en Iran

La journaliste iranienne Masih Alinejad.

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Libertés individuelles – Masih Alinejad a été primée à Genève pour son combat pour les libertés féminines. A Téhéran, les autorités fulminent.

Le sommet de Genève pour les droits de l’homme et la démocratie a décerné, mardi dernier, le Prix des droits des femmes à la journaliste iranienne Masih Alinejad. Son combat? Elle a créé une page Facebook invitant les femmes qui vivent en Iran à poster des photos d’elles sans leur hijab, le voile islamique obligatoire.

Composée de vingt organisations non gouvernementales, l’assemblée a récompensé la journaliste indépendante de 38 ans pour «avoir donné une voix à celles qui n’en avaient pas et éveillé la conscience de l’humanité pour soutenir la lutte des femmes iraniennes, les droits fondamentaux, la liberté et l’égalité». » De Lina Ziadi | De Tehran | dimanche 01 mars 2015

Family Fear Saudi Blogger Could Face Execution By Beheading

Raif Badawi received the first 50 of his lashes in January

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: They say Raif Badawi, already sentenced to public flogging and ten years in prison, could also be tried for apostasy, which carries the death penalty

Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger sentenced to 1,000 lashes after being convicted of insulting Islam, could face death by beheading, according to his family.

The case attracted worldwide condemnation when he was publicly flogged in January.

Now his family say they have been told he is to be tried for apostasy.

"Apostasy charge is punishable under Saudi law with the death penalty by beheading," they said in a message posted on Facebook.

"We also received confirmed information that the Supreme Court has referred Raif case to the same judge, who sentenced Raif with flogging and 10 years imprisonment. » | Rob Crilly, New York | Sunday, March 01, 2015

Britain Is Becoming A Friend Who Can't Be Trusted, Says Top US General

Gen Odierno said that British defence cuts are already
jeopardising US-UK joint operations

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH In an exclusive interview, Gen Raymond Odierno, US army Chief of Staff, says UK defence cuts are eroding his country's confidence in our commitment to global security

Ever since the Cold War ended more than two decades ago, America has never entertained any serious doubts about Britain’s ability to fulfil its commitment as a vital military ally when tackling threats to the Western alliance.

Until now. For the dramatic cuts to Britain’s defence budget implemented since the Coalition took power in 2010 have led to a number of senior US military officers and politicians openly questioning whether, when it comes to fighting the wars of the future, Britain has the capability to be an effective ally on the battlefield.

The Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy have all suffered cutbacks to the extent that they are no longer able to undertake the kind of missions that Britain has historically supported.

Now, General Raymond Odierno, the Chief of Staff of the US army, who has fought alongside British forces in several conflicts, including the recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, has become the latest senior officer to express his concerns in public, telling The Daily Telegraph when I met him in Washington last week that he is “very concerned” about the impact the cuts are having. Read on and comment » | Con Coughlin | Sunday, March 01, 2015

UK’s First Anti-Islamization Rally Dwarfed by Counter-demo

JIHAD WATCH: Britain is finished. When defenders of free society against Islamization are dismissed as “right-wing nutters” and “fascists,” and the counter-demo is over five times larger, and when the government routinely allows foreign jihadis to enter the country but bans counter-jihadis solely for the crime of speaking the truth about Islam and jihad, Britain as a free nation is in its last days. Will there be a mass exodus of non-Muslim refugees from Britain when Sharia supremacists really start to flex their muscles? And where will they go? » | Robert Spencer | Saturday, February 28, 2015

Italy Anti-immigration Rally Draws Thousands in Rome

Mr Salvini described the government's immigration
policies as "a disaster"

BBC AMERICA: Thousands of supporters of Italy's Northern League have poured into one of Rome's biggest squares for a rally against immigration, the EU and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's government.

League leader Matteo Salvini accused Mr Renzi of substituting the country's interests to those of the EU.

He also criticised the government's record in dealing with Romanian truck drivers, tax, banks and big business. » | Saturday, February 28, 2015

ISIS Preparing to Declare Islamic Emirate in Lebanon: Sources

THE DAILY STAR: ISIS is preparing military plans to declare an Islamic emirate in Lebanon very soon to serve as a geographical extension of the so-called “Islamic State” announced by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq last year, security sources said.

ISIS fighters have demanded support from the militant group in northern Syria to achieve this goal, the sources said.

They added that the ISIS command has begun preparations to set up a military organizational committee tasked with running Lebanese affairs and considering Lebanon as part of its state. » | Antoine Ghattas Saab | The Daily Star | Monday, February 23, 2015

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

New Dark Age Alert! The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia: National Security Statement 2015

Please note the Prime Minister of Australia’s reference to a “New Dark Age”! People are slowly coming round to the reality that the “New Dark Age” of which I wrote many years ago has indeed already DAWNED.

Eat your heart out, Mr. Obama! In your refusal to refer to ‘radical Islam’, you are fast becoming an IRRELEVANCE! – Mark

I refer you to my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, which was first published in 2003!

JIHAD WATCH: Australia: Muslims outraged at PM’s “aggressive rhetoric against Muslims” » | Robert Spencer | Thursday, February 26, 2015

Hollande dénonce "la barbarie" des destructions d'oeuvres au musée de Mossoul

LE POINT: Le chef de l'État a estimé, en marge d'un déplacement aux Philippines, que "ce que veulent les terroristes, c'est détruire tout ce qui est humanité".

Le président français François Hollande a dénoncé vendredi la "barbarie" des destructions d'oeuvres pré-islamiques par les djihadistes du groupe État islamique (EI) à Mossoul, dans le nord de l'Irak, en marge d'un déplacement aux Philippines. "La barbarie touche les personnes, l'histoire, les mémoires, la culture", a déclaré le chef de l'État français devant des journalistes, estimant que "ce que veulent faire les terroristes, c'est détruire tout ce qui est humanité". "Quand on veut anéantir le patrimoine, on veut anéantir tous ceux et toutes celles qui portent un message de culture", a encore observé François Hollande. » | Source AFP | vendredi 27 février 2015

"Gestion de la barbarie", le "Mein Kampf" des djihadistes

LE POINT: Publié sur Internet en 2004, l'ouvrage explique en 248 pages comment soumettre l'Occident et faire du monde arabe un immense califat islamique.

Gestion de la barbarie se veut être le parfait manuel du djihadiste. Ce livre, passé inaperçu ou presque en France, a déjà gagné le surnom de "Mein Kampf des islamistes". Écrit en arabe et publié sur Internet en 2004, il est aujourd'hui traduit en plusieurs langues. Son auteur, Abu Bakr Naji, est l'un des théoriciens les plus lus parmi les chefs djihadistes, aussi bien au sein de l'organisation État islamique que d'Al-Qaïda. Selon Valeurs actuelles, Abubakar Shekau, le chef de Boko Haram au Nigeria, en aurait fait son livre de chevet. » | Par Nicolas Guégan | vendredi 27 février 2015

Sarah Palin Slams President Obama on ‘Radical Islam,’ ISIL

POLITICO: Sarah Palin is asking President Barack Obama to “wake up” to the threat of “radical Islam.”

“Wake up, Mr. President,” Palin said on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “While Christians bow our heads and pray for you, radical Islamists want to cut off your head.”

The former governor of Alaska accused the president of ignoring the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant during her address, which focused heavily on veterans’ issues. » | Kendall Breitman | Thursday, February 26, 2015

Nicht Armut macht Terroristen, sondern Gewaltlust

DIE WELT: "Jihadi John" hatte im Leben alle Chancen, aber er entschied sich aus freiem Willen für den Terror. Genauso wie die Universitäts-Absolventen bei al-Qaida oder die Pfarrerstöchter bei der RAF.

Wieder ein guter Schüler. Wieder jemand mit Manieren, der gern Markenkleidung trug und sensibel wirkte, so nachdenklich. Und wieder keiner, der einem linken Armutskult und Armutskitsch entsprochen hätte. Auch "Jihadi John", der Messermann des IS, ist ein Spross aus gut situiertem Hause.

Die Litanei von der Gewalt, die durch fehlendes Geld gesät werde und bei fehlenden Bildungschancen aufgehe, trifft auf ihn nicht zu – so wenig wie auf die Universitätsabsolventen al-Qaidas oder auf die RAF-Mitglieder, in deren Reihen man Arme zwischen all den musisch begabten Pfarrers- und Anwaltskindern mit der Lupe suchen musste. Wen überrascht das noch? Allenfalls diejenigen, die sich eine Welt der gesellschaftlichen Ausgrenzungsfolklore zurechtsingen, glauben noch, Gewalt gedeihe in Staub und Schmutz. » | Von Torsten Krauel, Chefkommentator | Donnerstag, 26. Februar 2015

Atheist US Blogger Hacked to Death in Bangladesh

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hardline Islamist groups have long demanded the public execution of atheist bloggers and sought new laws to combat writing critical of Islam

A prominent American blogger of Bangladeshi origin was hacked to death with machetes by unidentified assailants in Dhaka on Thursday, police said, with the atheist writer's family claiming he had received numerous threats from Islamists.

The body of Avijit Roy, founder of Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog site which champions liberal secular writing in the Muslim-majority nation, was found covered in blood after the attack which also left his wife critically wounded.

"He died as he was brought to the hospital. His wife was also seriously wounded. She has lost a finger," local police chief Sirajul Islam said.

The couple were on a bicycle rickshaw, returning from a bookfair, when two assailants stopped then and dragged them onto a sidewalk before striking them with machetes, local media reported citing witnesses. » | AFP | Friday, February 27, 2015

Syrie : la terrible fuite des chrétiens face aux djihadistes de l'EI

LE POINT: Décrivant l'échappée avec sa famille, Jano assure que "tous ont eu la peur de leur vie" mais qu'ils n'ont "pas réfléchi à deux fois".

En apprenant que les djihadistes du groupe État islamique (EI) approchaient de son village dans le nord-est de la Syrie, Danny Jano a pris la fuite en pyjama, avec sa femme et ses deux filles. Terrorisée, la famille Jano n'avait qu'une idée en tête : gagner un endroit sûr, au plus vite et sans se faire prendre, comme de nombreux autres chrétiens assyriens. Joint par téléphone dans la ville de Hassaké (nord-est), l'homme de 35 ans a expliqué à l'AFP que les combats avaient commencé lundi à 4 heures du matin. "Nous avons entendu le bruit des armes automatiques et des bombardements pendant sept heures, effrayés, avant de nous décider à abandonner notre maison." » | Source AFP | jeudi 26 février 2015

A Mossoul, l'État islamique brûle les trésors impies de l'Irak

LE POINT: VIDÉO. Les biens culturels détruits appartiennent à un Musée irakien à Mossoul, une ville occupée depuis juin par les djihadistes.


Les djihadistes de l'EI détruisent des... by 6MEDIAS
Lire l’article ici

SPIEGEL ONLINE: IS-Fanatiker verwüsten Mossuls Museen: Der Hass der IS-Dschihadisten macht auch vor unschätzbaren Kunstschätzen keinen Halt. In der irakischen Stadt Mossul haben die Terroristen erst die Bibliothek und nun das Museum gestürmt. Sie hinterließen eine Spur der Verwüstung. » | Von Christoph Sydow | Donnerstag, 26. Februar 2015

Related »

Watch: ISIS Destroys Artifacts in Iraq Museum

ARUTZ SHEVA: ISIS destroyed artifacts dating back thousands of years in Mosul, claiming it was 'idol worship.'

The Islamic State group released a video Thursday in which terrorists in Iraq are seen destroying ancient artifacts that included idols, which are prohibited by the Muslim faith, AFP reports.

The five-minute video shows terrorists at the museum in Mosul knocking statues off their plinths and smashing them to pieces with sledgehammers.

In another scene, a jackhammer is used to deface a large Assyrian winged bull at an archeological site in the city, which the Sunni extremist group captured last summer.

"Muslims, these artifacts behind me are idols for people from ancient times who worshipped them instead of God," said a bearded terrorist speaking to the camera. » | Arutz Sheva Staff | Thursday, February 26, 2015

Director of Human Rights Group CAGE Says 'Jihadi John' Is a 'Kind, Gentle and Beautiful Young Man'

A Top Shariah Lawyer’s Stunning Response to the Question: ‘Is There Such a Thing as Moderate Islam?’

Read the Blaze article here | Benjamin Weingarten | Thursday, February 26, 2015

Paradise Jihadis: Maldives Sees Surge in Young Muslims Leaving for Syria

Kuda Bandos in the Maldives.

THE GUARDIAN: In a country better known for tourism than militancy, radical preaching and social problems are prompting a rise in Islamism

They left in small groups, through the narrow lanes of the city, on to the ferry across the glassy blue sea and then, past the tourists waiting for connections to luxury resorts, to the airport. Their ultimate destination: Syria, and the “caliphate” of Islamic State.

The Maldives is better known for luxury tourism than Islamic militancy. But in recent weeks there has been a surge in departures of young men for Syria, raising fears of a growing threat both to the million-plus tourists who visit its 1,200 atolls each year and to countries such as the UK that do not require visas from citizens of the island.

“There are serious concerns,” said one western diplomat in the region. “The risk is either of an attack locally or someone coming to Europe or even going on to the US.”

Four people have been stopped by authorities. But between 50 and 100 from the country of 300,000 have joined “the jihad”. Analysts say the emergence of al-Qaida affiliate al-Nusra Front and Isis in Syria has catalysed an existing problem, giving it new dimensions and urgency. » | Jason Burke in Malé | Thursday, February 26, 2015

DANIEL PIPES: Like-to-like Ethnic Migration in the Middle East

Population shifts resulting from Syria's four-year-long civil war have profoundly changed Syria and its three Arabic-speaking neighbors: Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. (Turkey and Israel have changed too, but less so.) Ironically, amid tragedy and horror, as populations adapt to the brutal imperatives of modern nationalism, all four countries are becoming a bit more stable. That's because…

Britain to Lead the World in Islamic Finance

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH : London is bidding to become a leading centre for sharia-compliant finance, according to the UK's foreign minister for the Middle East

London has set its sights on becoming the world centre for the Islamic finance industry according to the UK's foreign office minister for Middle East.

Speaking at The Telegraph's Middle East Congress on Wednesday, Tobias Ellwood, under secretary of state at the Foreign Office, said the capital had ambitions to stand alongside Dubai and Kuala Lumpur as a global hub for Islamic finance.

Britain became the first country outside the Muslim world to issue an Islamic bond, known as Sukuk, last year.

The £200m bond attracted healthy investor interest and was the first step in encouraging wider investment from the region to the City of London.

Britain was also committed to promoting a "peaceful and prosperous" Middle East and expanding trade ties with the region, which topped £35bn last year, said Mr Ellwood. Read on and comment » | Manu Mair, and Mehreen Khan | Thursday, February 28, 2015

Archival - British Islamist Abu Waleed Fantasizes about the Virgins of Paradise

ISIS Militants Enjoy a Day of R&R at an Iraqi Lake

Egyptian TV Host Ibrahim Issa: Nobody Dares to Admit That ISIS Crimes Are Based on Islamic Sources

Wafa Sultan: " Le problème est l'islam ! (The Problem Is Islam!)" / France Nation et Patriote !

My comment:

Of course Islam is the problem. Anybody with a brain knows this. All praise to Dr Wafa Sultan for having the courage to point out this FACT. – © Mark

20% of Germans Advocate Revolution - 'Globalisation Is Fueling Dissent'

D'Ormesson : "Les chrétiens d'Orient sont en train d'être exterminés"

LE POINT: L'écrivain appelle la communauté internationale à intervenir pour sauver les chrétiens victime d'"une sorte de génocide" perpétré par l'EI.

Jean d'Ormesson a dénoncé un "génocide" des chrétiens d'Orient. L'écrivain a appelé la communauté internationale à agir après l'annonce de l'enlèvement de 90 chrétiens par le groupe État islamique (EI) en Syrie. "Il n'y a pas de privilège pour les chrétiens", a expliqué Jean d'Ormesson, rappelant que les violences touchent toutes les populations des pays ou le groupe État islamique (EI) est présent. Cependant "pour les chrétiens je me demande s'il n'y a pas une sorte de génocide dans cette région du monde", a-t-il déclaré à l'AFP mercredi. » | Source AFP | mercredi 25 février 2015

L'exode des chrétiens assyriens de Syrie

LE POINT: Des membres de cette communauté chrétienne ont pris le chemin de l'exode après le rapt de dizaines des leurs par le groupe djihadiste État islamique (EI).

Ils sont environ 5 000 sur 30 000 Assyriens à avoir fait leurs bagages. Cette communauté, parmi les plus anciennes converties au christianisme, vivait en Syrie avant le début du conflit en Syrie le 15 mars 2011, la majorité à Hassaké. Dans la province de Hassaké, à l'extrémité nord-est de la Syrie, près de 1 000 familles ont fui depuis lundi leurs foyers pour trouver refuge dans les villes de Hassaké et de Qamichli, "soit près de 5 000 personnes", a affirmé à Oussama Edward, directeur du Réseau assyrien des droits de l'homme basé en Suède. » | Source AFP | mercredi 25 février 2015

Israel: PM: World Powers 'Have Given Up' in Iran Nuke Talks

YNET NEWS: Netanyahu slams US-led nuclear negotiations with Tehran, a week before a scheduled address to Congress in Washington.

In his sharpest criticism yet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that world powers "have given up" on stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons in ongoing negotiations.

Netanyahu's comments, at a meeting of his Likud Party outside of Jerusalem, come as he plans to address the US Congress on the nuclear negotiations.

The West fears Iran could build an atomic bomb with its nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes. The Islamic Republic is now negotiating a final deal with the US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany, with hopes of on a preliminary deal in March and a follow-up pact in June.

Netanyahu, as well as many in Israel, view a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its very existence, citing Tehran's repeated calls for Israel's destruction and its support for groups like Hezbollah. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Deutschland 1937 aus USA Sicht (Doku deutsch)

1937 reiste ein amerikanischer Journalist durch das Dritte Reich und machte Filmaufnahmen. Michael Kloft hat daraus den eindrucksvollen Film "Innenansichten" gemacht.

The Quran: Heavenly or Earthly? (Dr. Tony Costa)

Biography: The Saudi Royal Family

ZDF-History: Countdown zur Katastrophe - Der Kriegsbeginn 1939 (Doku)

Depressing! The Number of Britons Choosing Islam Doubled in the Past Decade

WORLD BULLETIN: Inter-faith think report survey shows approximately 5,200 converts to Islam across Britain

The number of Britons choosing to become Muslims has nearly doubled in the past decade, with one of the most comprehensive attempts to estimate how many people have embraced Islam, according to news source the Independent.

While previous estimates placed the number of Muslim converts between 14,000 and 25,000 an inter-faith think tank estimates the real figures could be as high as 100,000 with nearly 5,000 converts each year nationally. » | World Bulletin | News Desk | Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Dumb Is as Dumb Does! Converts to Islam Increase after French Attack

WORLD BULLETIN: Imams in France have reported an increase in conversions to Islam with a growing number of people coming to take their testimony of faith in comparison to same time last year.

According to a news article in 5pillarsuk.com, the number of people accepting Islam in France has increased significantly after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, with imams reporting a growing number of people coming to take the Shahada at mosques.

“It makes me want to go to Islam and to show everyone that this is not what Islam is about,” a young Muslim convert to Islam was quoted by RTL Radio a week ago.

According to the radio station, the Great Mosque of Paris issued 40 reversion certificates to Islam.

At the same period last year, the mosque gave certificates to 22 only, almost 50 percent of this year’s conversion rate.

Percentage of converts to Islam in Strasbourg and Aubervilliers was also high, scoring around 30% increase.

Lyon also followed the same trend with an increase of 20%. » | World Bulletin | News Desk | Tuesday, February 24, 2015

A Threat to Europe: The Islamic State's Dangerous Gains in Libya

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Rival militias in Libya have thrown the country into civil war and made it easy prey for the Islamic State. The recent execution of 21 Egyptian Christians is only one sign of the terrorist group's growing footprint in North Africa.

The men sitting in Café L'Aurora in Tripoli stare silently into the smartphone Najib Ali is holding in his hand. They're watching a horrific video depicting the decapitation of 21 Egyptian Christians, probably on the beach at Sirte. The victims are wearing orange overalls while their Islamic State (IS) killers are clad in black. The men in the café have already seen the video numerous times and yet they continue to watch it, looking for any details that might indicate the horrific acts didn't really happen.

"Have you ever seen a Libyan that tall?" one asks. And what about the professional camera work? "A major power has to be behind it." And how could Sirte, the hometown of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi, suddenly come under Islamic State rule? The release of the video on Sunday, Feb. 15, shortly before the fourth anniversary of the insurgency against Gadhafi, has led many Libyans to react reflexively with desperate denials of reality.

The truth is that Libya is well on its way to becoming a failed state -- making it the perfect prey for IS. Furthermore, Libya is close to Italy, has plenty of oil and offers a possible corridor to Boko Haram in Nigeria as well as to Islamists in Mali and in the Sahara. Indeed, if IS succeeds in solidifying its presence here, the terrorists could pose a threat to Southern Europe in addition to destabilizing all of North Africa. » | Mirco Keilberth and Christoph Reuter | Monday, February 23, 2015

Talk to Al Jazeera - Marine Le Pen: The Threat of Radical Islam (2012)

Le Pen: ‘I Admire 'Cool Head' Putin's Resistance to West's New Cold War’

ARD-Doku: Russland ist ein Land, das sich vor keinem fürchtet

Oertel: Warum ich mich von Pegida distanzierte

Mitorganisatorin und ehemalige Sprecherin der Pegida-Initiative Kathrin Oertel hat aufgrund zunehmend rechtsextremistischer Tendenzen eine eigene Organisation "Direkte Demokratie für Europa" gegründet. Exklusiv im Gespräch mit RT erläutert Oertel, wie sich die zunächst "hoffnungsvoll" gestartete Pegida-Bewegung um Hardliner Lutz Bachmann in Zukunft entwickeln werde.

Ausschreitungen bei Pegida-Marsch

TAGES ANZEIGER: In Frankfurt am Main standen 60 Pegida-Anhänger rund 1000 Gegendemonstranten gegenüber. Polizeibeamte wurden mit Flaschen, Eiern und Farbbeuteln beworfen. Es kam zu sechs Verhaftungen.

In mehreren deutschen Städten sind am Montagabend erneut Anhänger islamkritischer Bündnisse und ihre Gegner auf die Strasse gegangen. Zu Ausschreitungen kam es dabei in Frankfurt am Main, wo rund 1000 Gegendemonstranten etwa 60 Pegida-Anhängern gegenüberstanden.

In aufgeheizter Atmosphäre seien die Beamten mit Flaschen, Eiern und Farbbeuteln beworfen worden, berichtete die Polizei. Sechs Gegendemonstranten seien vorläufig festgenommen, zwei Polizisten durch Gegenstände und Faustschläge leicht verletzt worden. » | chk/sda | Dienstag, 24. Februar 2015

Opinion: Manifesto for a Modern Islam

DEUTSCHE WELLE: Muslim intellectuals have called for their fellow believers to indentify societal failures and develop an Islam for the 21st century. Loay Mudhoon believes that Europe should unreservedly support this effort.

In a clearly formulated manifesto last week, four well-known Muslim intellectuals appealed to all Muslim political and religious leaders to stand up and support a democratic Islam. In their letter, they also laid out some concrete steps, among them a conference in France early next year that would "define the contours of a progressive interpretation of Islam firmly grounded in the 21st century."

The four men behind this letter are Tariq Ramadan, professor of contemporary Islamic studies at the University of Oxford; Anwar Ibrahim, the head of Malaysia's national opposition and chairman of the World Forum for Muslim Democrats; Ghaleb Bencheikh, the president of the World Conference for Religions for Peace; and Felix Marquardt, founder of the Abd al-Raḥman al-Kawakibi Foundation. They're hard on their fellow Muslims and ask tough questions. In their letter, they call for a clear-eyed diagnosis of Islam's current plight and want to develop a fundamental critique of Islamic culture and religion. » | Loay Mudhoon / cmk | Tuesday, February 22, 2015

My comment:

Muslims consider the words in the Koran to be Allah’s actual words. So anyone who tries to change any of them would be considered a heretic. (How can a mortal being know better than Allah what is meant by Allah’s words?) Further, Islam is totally and utterly immiscible with democracy for many reasons, chief among them being that Islam understands no separation of mosque and state. In Islam politics and religion are considered to be one integrated whole. Democracy requires a separation. Without this separation, there can be no democracy. So how exactly can Islam change to fit the modern world? How can Islam become democratic? It seems to me that this is an exercise in futility. Aren’t these people who are trying to bring this change about doing so in bad faith, to detract from the central issues? They must surely know that this reformation/modernization is simply not possible. Pie in the sky! - © Mark

Saudi Arabia Spokesman Comments on ISIS Beheadings

Saudi Court Gives Death Penalty to Man Who Renounced His Muslim Faith

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - An Islamic court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to death for renouncing his Muslim faith, the English-language daily Saudi Gazette reported on Tuesday.

The man, in his 20s, posted an online video ripping up a copy of Islam's holy book, the Koran, and hitting it with a shoe, the newspaper reported.

Saudi Arabia, the United States' top Arab ally and birthplace of Islam, follows the strict Wahhabi Sunni Muslim school and gives the clergy control over its justice system.

Under the Wahhabi interpretation of Sharia Islamic law, apostasy demands the death penalty, as do some other religious offences like sorcery, while blasphemy and criticism of senior Muslim clerics have incurred jail terms and corporal punishment.

Executions in Saudi Arabia are usually carried out by public beheading. » | Reuters | Riyadh | Tuesday, February 24, 2015

French Muslim Leaders Boycott Jewish Dinner Over 'Violence' Remark

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Row breaks out between heads of France’s Jewish and Muslim communities after the leader of the country’s main Jewish group blames Muslims for “all violence today”

A row erupted on Monday between French Jewish and Muslim community leaders after the head of France’s Jewish community blamed young Muslims for “all violence today” in a radio interview.

The comment drew an angry response from Muslim leaders, who boycotted the annual dinner of the main French Jewish organisation on Monday night.

They normally attend the event along with representatives of other religions.

The dispute reflects heightened tension and sensitivities in France, which is home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim minorities, following the series of attacks by Islamist extremists in Paris that left 17 dead last month. » | David Chazan, Paris | Tuesday, February 23, 2015

France Seizes Passports of Six 'Syria-bound' Citizens

BBC AMERICA: French authorities have for the first time confiscated the passports of six nationals who were allegedly planning to travel to Syria to join jihadists.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the intelligence services believed the men wanted to join the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

The measure is part of new counter-terrorism laws adopted last November.

Meanwhile, France has deployed an aircraft carrier off Bahrain to be used against Islamic State (IS) militants. » | Monday, February 23, 2015

Jetzt fordert der Großimam die Modernisierung des Islam

DIE WELT: Im Islam herrscht "Chaos", findet der Großimam der Kairoer Azhar-Universität. Deshalb macht sich Scheich al-Tajib für eine Modernisierung seiner Religion stark – auch, um dem IS das Handwerk zu legen.

Der Vorsteher der anerkannten ägyptischen Azhar-Universität hat sich auf einer Anti-Terrorismus-Konferenz in Saudi-Arabien für eine Modernisierung des Islam ausgesprochen. Es habe eine "historische Ansammlung" falscher Interpretation islamischer Quellen gegeben, die zu Extremismus und Gewalt unter Muslimen geführt hätten, sagte Großimam Scheich Ahmed al-Tajib in seiner Rede zur Eröffnung der Konferenz. Es sei notwendig, dieses "Chaos" unter "Kontrolle zu bringen". Geschehe dies nicht, gebe es "keine Hoffnung" für die islamische Gemeinschaft, ihre Einheit zurückzuerlangen. » | dpa/KNA/rct | Montag, 23. Februar 2015

THOMAS DIBACCO: Obama's Naivete Over Iran Trumps Reality

It's ironic that President Obama's hope for a political framework agreement on nuclear issues with Iran by March 31 coincides with the diplomatic hope of President Franklin D. Roosevelt 70 years ago in a March 1 speech before Congress. That hope was to trust the Soviet Union at the recently concluded Yalta Conference - trust that…

It’s Cringe Time!

Keep working on those acting skills, Mr President! Obama and Michelle goofing around »

My Friend the Suicide Bomber: Meet the Men Recruited to Kill

Al-Shabaab targets young vulnerable men across Scandinavia, inviting them to embrace jihad and become suicide bombers in Somalia. Seeking a sense of belonging, and encouraged by preachers on online videos, a group of Danish Muslims gathers in a small Copenhagen apartment and makes plans. When one man doubts the cause and sees his friends planning carnage, can he escape the call of al-Shabaab? If so, what next?

It’s Absurd to Deny Jihadis Act in the Name of Islam

THE AUSTRALIAN – OPINION: WITH jihadist violence continuing to escalate, the acid test of today’s national security statement will be the actions it proposes.

But no policy can be effective without an honest diagnosis of the problem it is intended to address.

That is why Barack Obama’s statement to last week’s global summit on extremism was so disappointing. Coming from a man who ridicules the proposition that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”, Obama’s claim that “No religion is responsible for terrorism, people are responsible for terrorism”, combined mendacity with hypocrisy.

The jihadis may indeed be “madmen”, as Obama said; but to deny they act in the name of Islam is as absurd as denying the crusades were fought under the banner of Christianity.

Nor was Obama on more solid ground in blaming Islamic extremism on poverty and disadvantage. Few claims have been as decisively rejected by social scientific research; and so has the claim that the radicalisation of Muslim youth in western countries is caused by social exclusion. (+ video) » | Henry Ergas | Columnist | Sydney | Monday, February 23, 2015

Oman: Heikler Thronwechsel

ZEIT ONLINE: Oman galt lange als Hort der Stabilität und geschätzter Vermittler. Doch nun ist der Sultan schwer krank. Der Thronwechsel könnte der Region weitere Konflikte bescheren.

Jahrzehntelang galt Oman als ein von allen Seiten geschätzter Vermittler. Unterhändler aus Teheran und Washington bahnten 2003 in Maskat die jetzigen Atomverhandlungen an. Bei heiklen Geiselbefreiungen laufen oft die Fäden in der omanischen Hauptstadt zusammen. Überdies müht sich Oman als Mitglied des Golfkooperationsrates stets um politischen Ausgleich zwischen Iran und den übrigen Monarchien am Golf.

Vielleicht war es ein Segen für das Land im Osten der Arabischen Halbinsel, dass seine Ölvorkommen nicht so üppig sind wie bei den ganz Großen nebenan. Und so nutzte Sultan Qaboos, der sich 1970 an die Macht putschte, seine absolute Autorität und die 5,5 Milliarden Barrel Bodenschätze, um aus seiner ramponierten Heimat mit damals zehn Kilometern geteerter Straße und einem tobenden Bürgerkrieg einen modernen Staat zu formen, dessen Einwohner noch nie zuvor so lange in Frieden gelebt haben. » | Quelle: ZeitOnline | Freitag, 20. Februar 2015

PETER MORICI: Obama and Moderate Muslims Both Fail to Fight Islamic Extremism

Fighting racism, prejudice and the violence those can beget is everyone's job. Muslims would do well to respond to President Obama's invitation to combat extremist ideas in their communities, but too often Washington's broader policies toward minorities encourage just the opposite. Ideologies of love and hate have a lot in common. Those appeal to youth seeking…

What a Load of BS! Fox News Sunday Grills DHS Secretary Over Obama Refusal To Say ‘Islamic Extremism’

Read the Blaze article here | Dave Urbanski | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Is Allah the Worst Communicator Ever? (David Wood)

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

US Security Chief Warns Shoppers After Terror Threat

BBC AMERICA: US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has urged people to be vigilant following a terror threat to Western shopping centres, including one of America's largest malls.

He said he took the threat by the Somali-based group al-Shabab seriously.

In a video, the group urged followers to carry out attacks on shopping centres in the US, Canada and the UK.

Al-Shabab was responsible for the 2013 attack on Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that killed 67 people.

Mr Johnson told CNN that the threat was part of "a new phase" of terrorism in which attacks would increasingly come from "independent actors in their homelands".

"Anytime a terrorist organisation calls for an attack on a specific place, we've got to take that seriously," he said.

In the video, a man with a British-sounding accent and full face covering calls on supporters of al-Shabab to attack "American or Jewish-owned" Western shopping centres. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, February 22, 2015

No Justice for Women or Foreign Workers in Saudi Arabia

Saudia Arabia Is the Biggest Women's Prison in the World

David Starkey Educates Mehdi Hasan on Free Speech & "Backward Islam"

Al Shabaab Calls for Attack on Mall of America in New Video

FOX NEWS: A new video from Al Shabaab purportedly shows the terror group calling for an attack on Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn.

According to Fox 9, the mall is one of three similar targets the terror group specifically names, including West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the Oxford Street shopping area in London.

The video purportedly shows 6 minutes of graphic images and the terrorists celebrating the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, that killed more than 60 people.

The narrator, his face wrapped in a black-and-white kaffiyeh-type scarf and wearing a camouflage jacket, spoke with a British accent and appeared to be of Somali origin. He accused Kenyan troops in Somalia of committing abuses against Somali Muslims.

He ended the video by calling on Muslim men to attack other shopping malls in Western countries. (+ FoxNews video) » | FoxNews.com | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Al-Shabaab Calls for Attacks on Oxford Street and Westfield Centres in New Terror Threat

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Somalia-based terror group releases video threatening some of the world's busiest shopping areas

Islamist terrorists have called for attacks on London’s Oxford Street and the Westfield shopping centres in the latest jihadist threat to the UK.

A video released by the Somalia-based fanatics al-Shabaab called on its followers to “hasten to heaven” by attacking some of the country’s busiest shopping areas.

It also threatened venues in America and Canada as well as “Jewish-owned” centres.

Counter-terrorism police in the UK were assessing the video while the head of US homeland security warned shoppers to be “particularly careful”.

The video, which lasts more than an hour and was released over the weekend, centred o[n] the fall out from al-Shabaab’s attack on the Westgate shopping centre in Kenya in 2013 that left 62 people dead and more than 100 injured.

A terrorist dressed in army fatigues and his face covered then warned: “Can you imagine what a dedicated mujahideen (soldier) in the West could do to the American and Jewish-owned shopping centres across the world.” » | Tom Whitehead, and Peter Foster | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Angela Merkel zu Gast bei Papst Franziskus

Kleines Mädchen wird für Boko Haram zur Selbstmordattentäterin

TAGES ANZEIGER: Ein siebenjähriges Mädchen hat sich im Nordosten Nigerias in die Luft gesprengt. Es bleibt offen, ob sie wirklich wusste, was sie tat.

Sieben Jahre jung war das Mädchen, das bei einem Anschlag fünf Menschen getötet hat. 19 weitere Menschen seien verletzt worden, als der am Körper des Mädchens befestigte Sprengsatz am Sonntag auf einem Markt der Stadt Potiskum explodierte, sagte ein Mitglied einer Bürgerwehr. Weiter lesen und einen Beitrag hinzufügen » | Sonntag, 22. Februar 2015

Bill Maher: Obama Uses 'Orwellian' Speech to Sound Like NRA on Islamic Terror

HBO talk show host Bill Maher blasted President Obama on Friday for saying religion isn't responsible for terrorism, comparing the president's statement to a National Rifle Association slogan. Mr. Maher said Friday that when Mr. Obama said "No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism," that statement bore a striking resemblance…

Islamic 'Radicals' at the Heart of Whitehall

Lady Warsi arrives in Downing Street on July 6, 2010

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Baroness Warsi gave official roles to people with links to Islamist groups

Entryism, the favourite tactic of the 1980s’ Militant Tendency, is when a political party or institution is infiltrated by groups with a radically different agenda. Since Militant’s Trotskyites were expelled from the Labour Party, the word has rather fallen out of fashion.

But now, according to one Muslim leader, Islamic radicals are practising entryism of their own — into the heart of Whitehall – courtesy of a woman who was until recently a government minister.

Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim woman to sit in Cabinet, handed official posts to people linked to Islamist groups, including a man involved in an “unpleasant and bullying” campaign to win planning permission for the controversial London “megamosque” proposed by a fundamentalist Islamic sect.

He sits – alongside other radicals or former radicals and their allies – on a “cross-Government working group on anti-Muslim hatred” set up by Lady Warsi and Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister.

Some members of the group are using their seats at the table to urge that Whitehall work with Islamist and extremist-linked bodies, including one described by the Prime Minister as a “political front for the Muslim Brotherhood”. Some are also pressing to lift bans on foreign hate preachers from entering Britain, including Zakir Naik, who has stated that “every Muslim should be a terrorist”. » | Andrew Gilligan | Sunday, February 22, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anti-terrorism chief quits over failure to expel suspects: Senior official quits over fears scheme to deport terrorists isn’t working » | Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik | Saturday, February 21, 2015

Austrian Islam Bill Stirs Feelings of Alienation

HAARETZ: Officials say the bill fosters the development of an 'Austrian-style Islam'; but critics say the legislation is discriminatory.

DPA - Amid Europe-wide debates on extremism and integration, Austria is changing its law governing Islam. However, the changes risk deepening the rift between Muslims and the majority population.

"Muslims feel they are misunderstood and under suspicion," the Austrian Islamic Community, an umbrella organization, has said about the planned Islam law and the restrictions it contains.

On Wednesday, the bill is expected to pass in the Austrian parliament with the majority of social democrats and conservatives. Despite the current frictions, the Islamic community was a main driver behind the project to update the rudimentary law that had governed relations between the state and Islam since 1912.

The bill contains several provisions that will make life easier for the nearly 600,000 Muslims among Austria's 8.6 million inhabitants, the second-largest religious group behind Catholics.

For example, Muslim clerics gain the right to visit hospital patients, soldiers and prisoners. In addition, schools and other public institutions will have to offer food in line with Muslim rules.

On the other hand, the bill stresses that national law stands above Muslim sharia law, a provision that is absent in Austrian laws governing other religions. » | Albert Otti and Alkimos Sartoros | Sunday, February 22, 2015

Muslim Dutch Mayor to Muslims: Accept Western Values or Leave

ARUTZ SHEVA: Muslim mayor of Rotterdam says Europe has no place for extremists who are not willing to live within the bounds of its norms.

The Muslim mayor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said this week that Europe has no place for extremists who are not willing to live within the bounds of its norms.

Speaking to CNN's Michael Holmes on Wednesday, the mayor, Moroccan-born Ahmed Aboutaleb suggested that those Muslims who don’t embrace values should leave Europe.

"You are not forced to be with us, it's a choice," he said. "Work with us together to construct a 'we society.'"

"But if you want to stand out of the 'we community,' you threaten us, you go to Yemen to learn how to use a Kalashnikov and to come back to threaten the society, well you are not part of my 'we society,' you better leave," added Aboutaleb.

Aboutaleb drew headlines around the world in the wake of last month's attack on the editorial staff of the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, when he said, "if you don't like it here because you don't like that humorists who make a newspaper -- yeah, if I can say it like this, get lost!" » | Elad Benari, Canada | Friday, February 20, 2015

Silence! Political Correctness Hampering ‘Free Speech’ in UK Universities

Free speech in British university campuses is in danger of being silenced. A survey shows UK educational institutions are pulling the plug on debates and societies they deem controversial, often going far beyond any legal requirement. RT's Polly Boiko has more.

Tolerance Test: Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe

According to the latest report by the Council of Europe, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and homophobic attacks in the country are on the rise. The report is based on data received before the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris last month.

«Mein Kampf» sera bientôt dans les kiosques

La nouvelle édition sera composée du texte original et de
5000 commentaires d'historiens.

24 HEURES: Allemagne Septante ans après la mort de Hitler, les droits de son livre tomberont dans le domaine public le 31 décembre prochain.

Interdit depuis 1945, Mein Kampf sera disponible dans les librairies allemandes dans moins d’un an. L’Institut d’histoire contemporaine (IfZ) a annoncé hier la réédition commentée du livre d’Adolf Hitler en janvier 2016. Les droits tomberont dans le domaine public à la fin de l’année.

La nouvelle édition comptera 2000 pages au total (avec près de 800 pages consacrées au texte original) agrémentées de 5000 commentaires d’historiens. On ne connaît pas encore son prix. » | De Christophe Bourdoiseau Berlin | samedi 21 février 2015

ZDF-History Doku: Auf der Flucht - Verfolgt in Hitlers Reich

German Anti-Islam Group Pegida Marches in Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tension on Tyneside as divisive organisation plans high-profile protest

The cameras are still rolling at Byker Grove. These days, though, they are set high above the security fence at the edge of the grounds, next to signs warning off intruders. When the children’s soap finished its run, in 2006, producers abandoned the Victorian mansion where it was filmed.

Children will soon be running around the grounds again. Not PJ and Duncan, the youth club teenagers played by Ant and Dec, but students of an Islamic academy that is planned for the site, Benwell Towers.

Not everyone is happy with the proposal, however. In fact, when the Bahr Academy bought the property two years ago, the English Defence League, a far-Right group that has often clashed with police, staged its biggest-ever demonstration. It claims 5,000 members marched through Newcastle that day.

As tensions rose, someone hung a pig’s head from the gates, a calculated attempt to offend. The protesters seemed to favour an empty shrine to Nineties television over a faith school. Work on the site has now begun but it remains controversial, hence the security cameras.

So it was not such a surprise to learn that another march was planned for the city, next weekend. That is, until Geordies discovered the identity of the group behind the demonstration: Pegida, a populist anti-Islam movement – in Germany. It only held its first march against the “Islamisation of the West” in the German city of Dresden last October; now, it seems, it is ready to spread its message internationally.

Branches have been set up in several other countries, including France and Spain, and the Newcastle demonstration next Saturday will be its first in Britain. If it is successful, more marches are planned, for Birmingham and London, as well as Bathgate in Scotland. Read on and comment » | Tom Rowley | Saturday, February 21, 2015

French Icon Brigitte Bardot On Trial Again For Blasphemy Against Islam

BREITBART: Former film star Brigitte Bardot, France’s iconic blonde bombshell and “sex kitten” who reigned supreme from 1952 – 1973, is currently on trial for the fifth time for insulting Muslims and “inciting racial hatred.” Bardot has been fined four times and has also received suspended jail sentences.

Now, the prosecutor, Anne de Fontette, wants a heftier fine and a tougher sentence: the equivalent of $24,000 and a two month (hopefully) suspended jail term.

What crimes has Bardot committed in the land without a First Amendment, in the land of Hate Speech laws that are being slickly exploited by non-persecuted Muslims?

Bardot has written: “I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country.”

Bardot, seventy[-]nine, is an avid animal rights activist and abhors the slaughter of animals for any purpose, including religious ones. But mainly, she laments “the Islamization of France.” » | Dr. Phyllis Chesler | Friday, February 20, 2015

Bill O'Reilly to Liberal Christian: Islamic State 'Would Behead You'

Bill O'Reilly of Fox News took to task a liberal Christian leader who used his television time to suggest that promoting peace via diplomatic discussion could go far in curbing the types of terrorism furthered by the likes of the Islamic State, telling him outright: You're wrong. The context of the comments came while the Rev.…

Hass auf Muslime erreicht neuen Höhepunkt

TAGES ANZEIGER: Menschen mit muslimischem Hintergrund werden in Skandinavien immer mehr zu Sündenböcken. Antimuslimische Parteien in Norwegen, Schweden und Dänemark erhalten Zulauf.

Es ist eine schöne Geste. In Oslo wollen morgen Samstag über achthundert junge Muslime eine menschliche Schutzkette um eine Synagoge errichten. Die Idee des erst 17-jährigen Initiators kommt nicht von ungefähr. «Wir sind nicht alle Terroristen», lautet die Aussage, die dahintersteckt. Denn das ist im Volk und bei Toppolitikern aus der Mitte nicht mehr selbstverständlich.

Rechtspopulisten vor Sieg

Die Stimmung gegenüber Muslimen hat sich in Skandinavien und ganz besonders in Dänemark seit den New Yorker Anschlägen von 2001 und der Mohammed-Karikaturen-Krise mit Ausschreitungen in der islamischen Welt gegen Dänemark 2006 erheblich verschlechtert. … » | Von André Anwar | Stockholm | Freitag, 20. Februar 2015

Obama’s Elementary Errors on Islam

President Barack Obama addresses the White House Summit
on Countering Violent Extremism on Feb. 18.

NEW YORK POST: “This is not true Islam,” President Obama has again insisted of the Islamic State and other terror groups. That he doesn’t realize this is not for him to say is only one of his elementary errors here.

The three-day White House conference on “violent extremism” exposed anew Obama’s inability or unwillingness to understand the challenge of Islamist terrorism, let alone to lead the fight against it.

The conference was billed as a global event bringing together people of different views from more than 60 countries. In practice, however, it acted more as an echo chamber for Obama’s politically correct approach.

“Violent extremism” is misleading, to say the least. (Is there extremism without violence?) The generic term obscures the fact that we face a specific form of terrorism rooted, nurtured and waged in the name of Islam.

Obama did defend his evasion: “Al Qaeda and ISIL [a k a ISIS] and groups like it . . . try to portray themselves as religious leaders, holy warriors in defense of Islam,” he said. “We must never accept the premise that they put forward, because it is a lie.” Operatives of al Qaeda and ISIS “are not religious leaders — they’re terrorists,” he said.

In fact, these terrorists now call their outfit the Islamic State, or IS, under a caliph. And no higher authority has the legitimacy and power to challenge their claim.

Islam has no mechanism for excommunication. Individuals can leave the ummah and be regarded as apostates (murtad). But no one who swears he is a Muslim can be excluded.

Even very bad Muslims are still Muslims as long as they haven’t thrice publicly rejected the two testimonies. (The two testimonies are accepting the oneness of God and that Muhammad is His Prophet.) Thus, neither Obama nor anyone else is qualified to decide who is a Muslim — or what is “true Islam.” » | Amir Taheri | Friday, February 20, 2015

Hitler's Hidden Drug Habit: Secret History

Secret History sheds new light on Hitler's poor health, hypochondria and extraordinary drug dependency, drawing on his personal physician's previously secret medical diaries and journals

Who Is Vladimir Putin?

Putin's Growing Tensions With The West

The Putin Question: What's the real story behind Putin's aggressive international posturing, and what does it mean for the world?

Saudis, Qatar, Turkey Supported Syrian Radicals Fearing Democratic Unrest - Ribal al-Assad

WIKI: Ribal al-Assad »

Ex-CIA Head: Obama ‘Looks Scared’ to Call Terrorists Islamic

Judge Jeanine Pours Fire On Obama ‘This Political Correctness Will Be The Death Of Us’

Putin-Rede: "Niemand ist Russland militärisch überlegen"

Russlands Präsident Putin: Militärische Stärke als Argument

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Wladimir Putin verschärft seine Rhetorik im Konflikt mit dem Westen. "Wir werden immer eine passende Antwort auf sämtliche Abenteuer haben." Nach Angaben aus Kiew sind erneut russische Panzer in die Ukraine eingedrungen.

Moskau - Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin hat eine deutliche Warnung in Richtung Westen ausgesprochen. "Niemand sollte die Illusion haben, dass er eine militärische Überlegenheit gegenüber Russland erreichen könnte", zitiert ihn die Agentur Interfax. "Wir werden immer eine passende Antwort auf sämtliche solcher Abenteuer haben", sagte er demnach in einem Grußwort anlässlich eines Feiertags für die "Verteidiger des Vaterlandes" in der kommenden Woche. » | mxw/Reuters | Freitag, 20. Februar 2015

Turkey's Parliamentarians Break Into Brawl; Five Sent For Medical Treatment

Chairs were waved, gavels were flung, and at least five lawmakers were sent for medical treatment for injuries sustained during a recent brawl in Turkey's Parliament. ABC News reported that at least two legislators were struck with gavels, and two were sent to the hospital. The other three who were reportedly injured were treated at the…

Benjamin Netanyahu on Obama's Nuclear Deal with Iran: 'This Is a Bad Agreement'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit hard at the Obama administration, saying that a nuclear deal that's being forged between the United States and Iran - a deal that's been largely discussed behind closed doors - is no good. A few days ago, Mr. Netanyahu criticized the White House for keeping Israel in the dark about nuke…

FRANK GAFFNEY: Who's Lying About Islamic Supremacism?

President Obama on Wednesday said "it is a lie" when leaders of the Islamic State and al Qaeda describe themselves as "holy warriors in defense of Islam." He insisted that they are "terrorists" who have "perverted Islam." We are not, he proclaimed, "at war with Islam." Mr. Obama even declared "no religion is responsible for terrorism."…

WESLEY PRUDEN: Obama's Blind Indifference to Islamic Terror

The threat of radical Islamic terrorism is so clear and plain that even a president could see it. But Barack Obama is blind, deaf or indifferent, and maybe all three, and determined to keep himself that way. At his White House conference on "extremism" - where it came from and where it wants to go left…

Russian Tensions Could Escalate into All-out War, says Nato General

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, deputy commander of Nato forces in Europe, says Vladimir Putin could try to invade and seize Nato territory

Tensions with Russia could blow up into all-out conflict, posing “an existential threat to our whole being”, Britain’s top general in Nato has warned.

Gen Sir Adrian Bradshaw, deputy commander of Nato forces in Europe, said there was a danger Vladimir Putin could try to use his armies to invade and seize Nato territory, after calculating the alliance would be too afraid of escalating violence to respond.

His comments follow a clash between London and Moscow after the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, said there was a "real and present danger" Mr Putin could try to destabilise the Baltic states with a campaign of subversion and irregular warfare.

The Kremlin called those comments “absolutely unacceptable". » | Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent | Friday, February 20, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain cannot defend itself against Putin's military might, top brass warn: Former RAF chief says that Britain's defences have been 'decimated' and would not survive a Russian air attack » | Camilla Turner | Friday, February 20, 2015