So This Is Easter: Melbourne Faces Off at Anti-Islam Rally as Police on Horseback Hold Factions Apart

THE AGE: Hundreds of people washed spit from their faces on Saturday evening after an ugly stand-off at Federation Square between supporters of Reclaim Australia, an anti-Islamic movement, and No Room For Racism, a coalition of trade union, community and left-wing groups.

It's been reported that these were competing rallies. Those reports are wrong. What occurred at Federation Square was trench warfare — with police on horseback holding the armies apart.

Because the police had been quick to isolate the core Reclaimer group on the forecourt of the SBS building, hundreds of late-comers were left to mingle with the No Roomers. Mingling often meant one-on-one screaming matches that occasionally broke out into pushing and shoving. Now and then a stray punch or two was thrown.

A Federation Square spokesman estimated 3000 thousand people — many carrying many placards, some of them droll: "You keep your Burqua, I'll keep my clitoris" — went at it noisily for more than three hours. » | John Elder | Saturday, April 04, 2015

Related »

Anti-Islam and Anti-Racism Protesters Clash Around Australia

ABC NEWS: Thousands of anti-Islam and anti-racism protesters clashed in angry rallies around Australia on Saturday.

The most violent clash was in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, where police struggled to separate 3,000 opposing demonstrators. The Victoria state ambulance service treated four people, three for minor injuries from assaults in Melbourne, Ambulance Victoria spokesman Paul Bentley said. The fourth was treated for chest pains. None of the injured was taken to a hospital, he said.

Police arrested two men and a woman in the fracas in Melbourne's downtown Federation Square, Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty said.

Batty said the three were later released. She said all would be charged, but she could not detail those charges.

Reclaim Australia, a community group, organized rallies in 16 cities and towns around Australia against Islamic extremism, the "Islamization" of Australian society, Islamic Sharia law and the Halal-certification of most meats sold in Australia. » | AP | Melbourne, Australia | Saturday, April 04, 2015

Arabs Blast "Obama's Deal" with Iran

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: "This is a dangerous agreement... [it] provides Iran with what it needs most to pursue its wars and expansionism against the Arabs: funds." — Salah al-Mukhtar, Ammon News.

"Iran has tried to intervene in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria and it is seeing that it's not paying any price... There is also a feeling in Tehran that the U.S. is avoiding a military confrontation with the Iranians." — Hassan al-Barari, Al-Sharq.

According to Hani al-Jamal, an Egyptian political and regional researcher, the deal means that the international community has accepted Iran as a nuclear power.

Many Arabs have expressed deep concern over the nuclear deal that was reached this week between Iran and the world powers, including the US.

Arab leaders and heads of state were polite enough not to voice public criticism of the agreement when President Barack Obama phoned them to inform them about it. But this has not stopped Arab politicians, political analysts and columnists reflecting government thinking in the Arab world from lashing out at what they describe as "Obama's bad and dangerous deal with Iran."

The Arabs, especially those living in the Gulf, see the framework agreement as a sign of US "weakness" and a green light for Iran to pursue its "expansionist" scheme in the Arab world.

"Some Arab countries are opposed to the nuclear deal because it poses a threat to their interests," said the Egyptian daily Al-Wafd in an article entitled, "Politicians: Obama's deal with Iran threatens Arab world." » | Khaled Abu Toameh | Saturday, April 04, 2015

Muslim Group with Links to Extremists Boasts of Influencing Election

Sufyan Ismael, CEO of MEND

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A group suspected of being a front for Islamic extremists claims it can control as many as 30 seats in the general election and boasts of acting a "kingmaker"

A front group for Islamic extremists which wants to let British Muslims fight in Syria has boasted that it is “negotiating with the Tory and Labour leadership” to secure some of its demands.

Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend) has built links with both parties – and been chosen as an “official partner” by the Electoral Commission for May’s poll – after claiming to promote “democratic engagement” by Muslims. However, it is actually a facade to win political access and influence for individuals holding extreme, bigoted and anti-democratic views.

In new recordings heard by this newspaper, Sufyan Ismail, Mend’s chief executive, describes the group’s strategy to act as “kingmaker” in next month’s election and claims it can control as many as 30 seats. » | Andrew Gilligan | Saturday, April 04, 2015

Fighting Radical Islam in the West: Geert Wilders’ Speech in Vienna Austria

LIBERTY NEWS ONLINE: Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) in the Netherlands paid a visit to Vienna yesterday to meet with Heinz-Christian Strache, his counterpart in the Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ). Mr. Wilders delivered a speech at the Hofburg Palace, the former imperial palace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to a full house of more than a thousand people. A press conference before the speech was held in the Austrian parliament.

Below is the English translation of the prepared text for the speech given by Mr. Wilders. The original German version is below the jump.

--------------

I am extremely happy to be here, in the Hofburg, together with more than one thousand proud Austrian patriots.

It is a pleasure to visit Heinz-Christian and my friends of the FPÖ again.

It is an honor to be in this beautiful city.

All over the world Vienna is the symbol of resistance against Islam.

It is here that the Islamic invasion of the West was stopped in 1683.

Islam was defeated at the gates of Vienna.

You and I are standing here today inside these gates.

In the city that Islam was unable to conquer.

And today we have a clear message for Islam again.

The same message that King John Sobieski had when he rushed to Vienna in 1683 to help defend it against the Turks: You will not be able to overwhelm Vienna or the West. Because we will not allow it. » | Geert Wilders | Friday, April 04, 2015

Pauline Hanson Tells Queensland Rally against Islam She's Not Racist

Pauline Hanson: "We have people here today who stand against racism."

BRISBANE TIMES: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has declared she is not a racist during a rally against Islam in Brisbane.

Ms Hanson, who narrowly lost her fight for a seat in the 2015 Queensland election, joined hundreds of protesters in King George Square.

Many were draped in the Australian flag and carried signs denouncing sharia law and halal certification for Australian products.

The group Reclaim Australia is holding nationwide rallies against "sharia law, halal tax and Islamisation".

But the rally was not an exercise in racism, Ms Hanson said.

"We have people here today who stand against racism. Thank you for your support," she said.

"So do I." » | AAP | Saturday, April 04, 2015

Next, We Muslims Bring Sharia to Indiana

THE DAILY BEAST: Allah’s blessings be upon you, Mike Pence. Now that “religious conscience” means whatever, we Muslims are going to town!

I, along with millions of Muslims across the country, have to give it up for Indiana Governor Mike Pence and his merry band of liberty-loving Republicans in the state legislature. The “religious liberty” law they recently enacted may be causing an uproar, but for us Muslims, it means we can now finally impose sharia law in Indiana!

I’m not sure who is happier, the Wiccans or us? As The Daily Beast’s David Freedlander wrote on Tuesday, the Wiccans are loving this law. Okay, actually they think it’s a “horrible” law because of its potentially discriminatory impact against the LGBT community. But as Dusty Dionne, High Priest and High Summoner of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Washington State, told Freedlander, “If they are going to open up this can of worms, we are going to shove it right in their face.” There has to be one Muslim Wiccan out there who is truly delirious with joy. (Although I’m not sure technically if such a combo is possible.)

In any event, while the NCAA, Apple, and others may be thinking of steering clear of the Hoosier State, we Muslims are coming. Think a caravan of wagon trains heading to the Midwest in the 1800s, but this caravan will be all Muslim, and we will be coming to the state in everything from Mercedes-Benzes to taxicabs.

Some might be asking, could Muslims really impose sharia law in some fashion in Indiana—turning Indiana into a mini Muslim caliphate? Well, the Indiana law doesn’t just provide “religious liberty” for Christians. It provides “liberty” for all faiths, and that includes us Muslims. (Yes, that shrieking sound you heard was from the Christian conservatives who championed this law intending it to truly only benefit fellow Christians.) » | Dean Obeidallah | Saturday, April 04, 2015

Iranian President Praises Nuclear Deal

VOICE OF AMERICA: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has praised the framework agreement reached Thursday on Tehran's nuclear program, calling it a "day that will remain in the historical memory of the Iranian nation."

Addressing his nation on live television Friday, Rou[h]ani said the framework agreement reached with six world powers will protect Iran's nuclear rights and provide relief from international sanctions.

The deal acknowledges Iran's right to enrich uranium on its own territory – for peaceful purposes, Rouhani emphasized. (+ video) » | VOA News | Friday, April 03, 2015

US Reportedly Backed Down on Initial Goals in Iran Talks

FOX NEWS: U.S. negotiators reportedly lowered the bar for their own goals during talks over Iran's nuclear program in response to resistance from the Tehran team. And, on the heels of a framework deal being announced in Switzerland, France's top diplomat on Friday admitted his country had initially held out for firmer terms.

The emerging reports indicate the U.S. team, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, gradually backed down over the course of the talks as Iran's delegation dug in. The Wall Street Journal, citing current and former U.S. representatives at the discussions, claimed the White House had initially hoped to persuade Iran to dismantle much of the country's nuclear infrastructure when talks started in late 2013, only to be told categorically that Iran would not do so. (+ FoxNews video) » | FoxNews.com | Friday, April 03, 2015

'Conspiracy of Silence' about Christianity in Britain Boosting Jihadis – Archbishop

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Young Muslims being ‘seduced’ by lure of martyrdom while politicians ‘fight shy’ of recognising importance of Christianity, says Archbishop of York

A “misplaced sensitivity” towards atheists and followers of other religions has led to a “conspiracy” of silence by politicians of all parties about the Christian roots of British society, the Archbishop of York has claimed.

Dr John Sentamu suggested that the abandonment of strong moral principles, rooted in the Bible, in favour of “vague” notions about values was partly responsible for the radicalisation of Muslim youths who were being “seduced” by the lure of extremism.

He said a youthful “yearning for something more idealistic” was being exploited by groups like the so-called Islamic State (IS), also known as Isil and Isil, who offered a “false utopia” and even the prospect of death.

But government programmes intended to prevent radicalisation are, he said, doomed to fail if they did not offer young people something “worthwhile and exciting” to live for.

His remarks came in a strongly worded Easter message, penned for the Yorkshire Post, hitting out at consumerism and the vagueness of politicians.

It comes just days after David Cameron was criticised by figures on both left and right over an Easter message which made no reference to Jesus and suggested the teachings of Christianity could be summed up as “all about change, responsibility, and doing the right thing”. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, April 03, 2015

Far-right Protest outside Mosque

SOUTH WALES ARGUS: Far-right protesters have clashed with Muslims attending afternoon prayers.

Around 100 members of Britain First and the English Defence League shouted and chanted outside the London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre as hundreds of men, women and children moved inside for prayers.

Some protesters chanted anti-Islamic messages, while others waved banners and placards. » | Press Association | Friday, April 03, 2015

Anti-Islam Ads Featuring Hitler Unveiled on Philadelphia Buses

An anti-Islam ad campaign hitting the streets of Philadelphia this week features Adolf Hitler having a sit-down meeting with "leader of the Muslim world" Haj Amin al-Husseini. The ads were created by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a New Hampshire-based nonprofit co-founded by conservative pundit Pamela Geller, and will be displayed on 84 public transit…

Muslim Population in Europe to Reach 10% by 2050, New Forecast Shows

THE GUARDIAN: Pew Research study predicts that America’s Muslim population will grow to 2.1% by 2050, and Muslims will exceed Christians worldwide by 2070

Muslims will nearly double their numbers in Europe – to more than 10% – by 2050 and will outnumber Christians worldwide by 2070, according to a new forecast of the growth of religions around the world.

The report, by Pew Research Center, also predicts that Muslims will become the second-largest religious group in the US – at 2.1% – by 2050.

Europe’s Muslim population, boosted by large families and immigration, will nearly double, from less than 6% (43 million people) in 2010 to more than 10% (71 million people) in 2050, the forecast estimates.

The US by 2050 will still have more Christians than any other denomination, according to the report, but they will decline from 77% to 66% of the population.

Although the Muslim population represents a tiny fraction of Americans – about 1% – it is set to grow rapidly over the next four decades. The report predicts Muslim will surpass Jews to become the second-largest religious group in the US by 2050 – while still only representing 2.1% of the whole country. » | Alan Yuhas in New York | Thursday, April 02, 2015

Christianity On Course to Be Minority Religion in UK

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Global study predicts one in nine Britons will be Muslim by 2050 but UK set to become of least religious countries in the world overall

Christians will be a minority in the UK by the middle of his century amid surging growth in atheism and Islam, an authoritative new study charting the future of the world’s religions predicts.

According to projections by the US-based Pew Research Centre, the proportion of the British population identifying themselves as Christian will reduce by almost a third by 2050 to stand at just 45.4 per cent, compared with almost two thirds in 2010.

The number of Muslims in Britain is predicted to more than double to 11.3 per cent, or one in nine of the total population during that time.

But the reports predicts that biggest change in the religious make-up of Britain in the next three and a half decades will be a major expansion in the number of non-religious people.

They would account for just under 39 per cent, challenging Christians as the biggest faith community in the UK. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, April 02, 2015

Netanyahu to Obama: Iran Deal Threatens Israel's Survival

ARUTZ SHEVA: Netanyahu speaks to President Obama, expresses Israel's "strong opposition" to the framework agreement with Iran.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to President Barack Obama on Thursday evening and expressed Israel's strong opposition to the framework agreement with Iran which poses a grave danger to Israel, the region and the world, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.

"A deal based on this framework would threaten the survival of Israel,” Netanyahu told Obama, according to the statement.

“Just two days ago, Iran said that ‘the destruction of Israel is non-negotiable,’ and in these fateful days Iran is accelerating the arming of its terror proxies to attack Israel.”

“This deal would legitimize Iran's nuclear program, bolster Iran's economy, and increase Iran's aggression and terror throughout the Middle East and beyond. Such a deal would not block Iran's path to the bomb. It would pave it,” warned Netanyahu. » | Elad Benari | Friday, April 03, 2015

La Suisse applaudit l'accord sur le nucléaire iranien

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Lausanne – Didier Burkhalter a estimé qu'il s'agissait d'une «bonne nouvelle pour la promotion de la paix».

La Suisse se félicite de l'entente entre les grandes puissances et l'Iran sur le programme nucléaire iranien. «Une bonne nouvelle pour cette région du monde et pour la promotion de la paix», a estimé Didier Burkhalter, chef du Département fédéral des affaires étrangères (DFAE).

Cette déclaration commune constitue un pas important vers plus de sécurité dans le monde, une des priorités de la politique étrangère de la Suisse, selon Didier Burkhalter, cité dans un communiqué du DFAE diffusé jeudi soir. «Elle démontre que la solution à de profondes et complexes divergences sur le plan international ne peut être trouvée que par la voie diplomatique.» » | jeudi 02 avril 2015

‘Islam Is a Very Dark Theory’: Yousef, Son of Founding Member of Hamas

Read the Blaze article here

Israeli Officials: Iran Deal an 'Historic Mistake'

ARUTZ SHEVA: Israeli officials say new framework deal with Iran "will make the world far more dangerous." Lapid, Herzog and Livni speak out as well.

Left and right in Israel were on Thursday night united in their opposition to the new framework agreement reached between Iran and six world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Israeli government officials said that the framework deal will be remembered as a "historic mistake".

"If an agreement is reached on the basis of this framework, it is an historic mistake which will make the world far more dangerous," said the officials, briefing journalists on condition of anonymity.

"It is a bad framework which will lead to a bad and dangerous agreement. The framework gives international legitimacy to Iran's nuclear program, the only aim of which is to produce a nuclear bomb," they added. » | Elad Benari | Friday, April 03, 2015

Obama’s Folly in Iran Needs a Page from Reagan’s Playbook

FOX NEWS: President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are negotiating an agreement with Iran that will accelerate a nuclear arms race in a part of the world that has begun a 30-year, fight to the finish, religious war. It is a prescription for disaster.

The administration won’t portray it that way, of course. They will say they have succeeded in slowing down Iran’s program. They will offer the usual Obama straw man argument -- it’s a choice between this deal and war with Iran. And nobody wants another war in the Middle East. » | K. T. McFarland | Wednesday, April 01, 2015

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Lessons in Munich Agreement for Iran Deal

The Western capitulation to Adolf Hitler in the 1938 Munich Agreement is cited as classic appeasement that destroyed Czechoslovakia, backfired on France and Britain, and led to World War II. All of that is true. But there was much more that caused the Munich debacle than simple Western naivete. The full tragedy of that ill-fated agreement…

Iran Militia Chief: Destroying Israel Is ‘Nonnegotiable’

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Basij commander Mohammad Reza Naqdi also threatens Saudis, saying their fate will be like that of Saddam Hussein

The commander of the Basij militia of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that “erasing Israel off the map” is “nonnegotiable,” according to an Israel Radio report Tuesday.

Militia chief Mohammad Reza Naqdi also threatened Saudi Arabia, saying that the offensive it is leading in Yemen “will have a fate like the fate of Saddam Hussein.”

Naqdi’s comments were made public as Iran and six world powers prepared Tuesday to issue a general statement agreeing to continue nuclear negotiations in a new phase aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord by the end of June. » | Lazar Berman | Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Statement by PM Netanyahu on Lausanne Talks

Boehner: Iran Has 'No Intention' of Keeping Its Word on Nuclear Deal

THE GUARDIAN: Speaker slams Obama, says Iran has ‘never kept their word about anything’ / Promises new sanctions will ‘come quickly’ if no agreement reached

Iran has “no intention” of keeping its word on an agreement being negotiated in Switzerland over its nuclear programme, House speaker John Boehner said on Sunday.

The top Republican’s comments came as negotiations in Lausanne approached the 31 March deadline for the drafting of a framework for a deal, under intense criticism from Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.

Speaking on CNN, Boehner said he had serious doubts about the talks. “We’ve got a regime that’s never quite kept their word about anything,” he said. “I just don’t understand why we would sign an agreement with a group of people who have no intention of keeping their word.”

If there was no agreement, Boehner said he would move “very” quickly to impose new sanctions on Iran.

“The sanctions are going to come and they are going to come quickly,” he said. » | Dominic Rushe in New York | Sunday, March 29, 2015

Bill Maher Laments 'Deeply Stupid' Political Correctness on Far Left

Bill Maher blasted "deeply stupid" far-left liberals on Friday for being too politically correct, criticizing Hollywood elite for its reaction to designers Dolce and Gabbana's comments on "synthetic" children. "What is the point of attacking people who are ninety-five percent on your side?" Mr. Maher asked on his HBO show "Real Time," Mediaite reported Friday. Last…

Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders in Wien: “Freie Ausreise für Jihadisten”

VIENNA ONLINE: Mit einem ungewöhnlichen Lösungsvorschlag für das Problem ausländischer Kämpfer in Syrien und im Irak hat der niederländische Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders am Freitag aufhorchen lassen: Er verstehe nicht, warum westliche Regierungen diese Menschen an der Ausreise hinderten.

“Wenn ein Jihadist gehen will, lasst ihn gehen, aber hindert ihn, daran zurückzukehren”, sagte der Islamkritiker bei einer Pressekonferenz mit FPÖ-Bundesparteiobmann Heinz-Christian Strache in Wien.

Er wolle nicht, dass Jihadisten irgendwo Verbrechen begingen, aber wenn sie es schon tun müssten, “dann ist es mir lieber, die Verbrechen werden in Syrien oder im Irak begangen, als in meinem eigenen Land”, so der Niederländer. » | APA/Red | Freitag 27. März 2015

Salafismus in Deutschland

Der Salafismus ist im 19. Jahrhundert in Ägypten entstanden und eine ultrakonservative Strömung innerhalb des Islams. Geprägt ist die Bewegung von stark intoleranten Zügen, so werden etwa alle Nicht-Salafisten, auch andere Muslime, zu den Ungläubigen gezählt. Der Begriff der "Salafisten" bedeutet - aus dem Arabischen übersetzt - "fromme Altvordere". Welche Gefahr besteht für uns hier in Deutschland, vor was müssen wir uns fürchten?

Gäste: Katharina Fegebank (Grüne Hamburg), Abdullah Uwe Wagishauser (Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat), Usman Naveed Ahmad (Imam aus Hannover) und Petra Loztkat (Amt für Arbeit und Integration in der Sozialbehörde) moderiert von Sami Khokhar.

Diese Sendung wurde am 02. Februar 2015 auf TIDE TV sowie Radio TIDE live ausgestrahlt.

Iran Nuclear Deal Progress: Sudden Thaw in Decade-long Atomic Standoff

It's a bitter stand-off that's lasted a decade, involving sanctions and dozens of marathon talks. And now the US and the EU are on the verge of reaching a deal with Iran, over its nuclear programme.

The Glazov Gang – The Real Meaning of "Allahu Akbar"

Daniel Greenfield (Shillman Fellow, Freedom Center)

HT: Robert Spencer @ Jihad Watch »

EXCLUSIVE: Twisted Obsessions of Killer in Cockpit: Lubitz Trawled 'Dark Side' of the Web

SUNDAY EXPRESS: KILLER co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was trawling suicide and gay websites as he spiralled into mental illness.

The 27-year-old also had problems with his eyesight and tore up sick notes from his doctors after fearing his mental state could lose him his job.

Just weeks before crashing the Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 plane, killing 149 passengers, he had learned he could also face a big pay cut and changes to his company pension.

A police source in Dusseldorf said: “We have a team disassembling his computer, and that of his girlfriend, because the information that we received was that he trawled the dark side of the web visiting, among other things, sites containing gay porn, suicide themes and sexual perversions.”

Lubitz also endured the nickname “Tomato Andy”, a German term for repressed homosexuals and a dig at his previous job as a flight attendant.

Reports have suggested he was troubled by his sexuality and also seeking treatment for vision problems. Last year he scared a girlfriend with remarks that showed his mind was in a dark and secretive place. » | James Murray and James Fielding | Sunday, March 29, 2015

Andreas Lubitz's Father 'Devastated... a Man Whose Life Has Broken Down'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sympathy for father of Germanwings crash co-pilot, who is "at the centre of a tragedy he did not seek"

The father of the Germanwings co-pilot who allegedly deliberately crashed his plane into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board, is “devastated, completely shattered” by his son’s act, a French official who spoke to him said.

“He is carrying on his back the entire weight of the drama. He is a man whose life has broken down,” said Bernard Bartolini, the mayor of Prads-Haute-Bléone, a small town near the site of the crash.

The parents of Andreas Lubitz have not spoken in public since the crash on Tuesday. They were questioned by French police during their stay in France and German police were due to talk them when they returned to Germany.

Mr Bartolini said he met them when they visited the crash site and attended a memorial ceremony nearby on Thursday along with families of the passengers and crew who died. » | Rory Mulholland, in Paris | Saturday, March 28, 2015

The New Statesman Special Report - The Great Koran Con Trick

NEW STATESMAN: Scholars claim that Islam's holy book is not quite what it seems

The news that a recent scientific paper on the common genetic roots of Jews and Palestinians had been suppressed by learned journals, because of the political sensitivity of its conclusions, made for depressing reading. Findings that might have provided reason for hope, or even for solidarity between the Arab and Israeli peoples, were instead considered too hot to handle.

The furore over the geneticists' discoveries will have come as no surprise to other academics in the Middle East and the Muslim world, where even the most apparently dispassionate research can be swept up in the blinding ideological sandstorms that choke reasoned dialogue. Such is the intensity of feeling that many who work in highly charged areas of scholar- ship - history and archaeology, for example - choose to keep a low profile, circulating their work only in trusted academic circles. Thus the censorship that plagues the Middle East seeps into every corner of intellectual life.

Nowhere is this more true than in the study of the origins of Islam, where some of the conclusions being drawn are potentially even more explosive than the argument that Israelis and Palestinians have common ancestors. Tucked away in the journals and occasional papers of the world of Islamic studies is work by a group of academics who have spent the past three decades plotting a quiet revolution in the study of the origins of the religion, the Koran and the life of the Prophet Mohammad. The conclusions of the so-called "new historians" of Islam are devastating: that we know almost nothing about the life of the Muslim prophet Mohammad; that the rapid rise of the religion can be attributed, at least in part, to the attraction of Islam's message of conquest and jihad for the tribes of the Arabian peninsula; that the Koran as we know it today was compiled, or perhaps even written, long after Mohammad's supposed death in 632AD. Most controversially of all, the researchers say that there existed an anti-Christian alliance between Arabs and Jews in the earliest days of Islam, and that the religion may be best understood as a heretical branch of rabbinical Judaism. » | Martin Bright | Monday, December 10, 2001

Hitler’s British Girl

‘You Are Always Close to Me’: Unity Mitford’s Souvenirs of Hitler

THE SPECTATOR: Hitler’s adoring notes to Unity Mitford – and her family’s campaign to stop my book

The English aristocracy has had its fair share of misfits, and one of the most far-fetched was Unity Mitford. No novelist would dare invent the story of a young woman of 19 who settles in Germany in 1933, determines to captivate Hitler, and succeeds. Eva Braun, the long-term mistress whom Hitler married in the last days of his life, gives way in her diary to jealousy and spite. There is evidence provided either by Unity herself or Nazi officials that Hitler held her hand, stroked her hair and called her ‘Kind’ (child). During his preparation for world war in the summer of 1939, he found time to arrange for a Jewish couple to be dispossessed from their apartment in Munich in order for Unity to have it. He also paid various expenses. » | David Pryce-Jones | Saturday, March 28, 2015

Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Minister Has Dared to Tell the Truth about Saudi Arabia. What Happens Now Concerns Us All

THE SPECTATOR: Margot Wallström’s principled stand deserves wide support. Betrayal seems more likely

If the cries of ‘Je suis Charlie’ were sincere, the western world would be convulsed with worry and anger about the Wallström affair. It has all the ingredients for a clash-of-civilisations confrontation.

A few weeks ago Margot Wallström, the Swedish foreign minister, denounced the subjugation of women in Saudi Arabia. As the theocratic kingdom prevents women from travelling, conducting official business or marrying without the permission of male guardians, and as girls can be forced into child marriages where they are effectively raped by old men, she was telling no more than the truth. Wallström went on to condemn the Saudi courts for ordering that Raif Badawi receive ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes for setting up a website that championed secularism and free speech. These were ‘mediaeval methods’, she said, and a ‘cruel attempt to silence modern forms of expression’. And once again, who can argue with that?

The backlash followed the pattern set by Rushdie, the Danish cartoons and Hebdo. Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador and stopped issuing visas to Swedish businessmen. The United Arab Emirates joined it. The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, which represents 56 Muslim-majority states, accused Sweden of failing to respect the world’s ‘rich and varied ethical standards’ — standards so rich and varied, apparently, they include the flogging of bloggers and encouragement of paedophiles. Meanwhile, the Gulf Co-operation Council condemned her ‘unaccept-able [?] interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’, and I wouldn’t bet against anti-Swedish riots following soon.

Yet there is no ‘Wallström affair’. Outside Sweden, the western media has barely covered the story, and Sweden’s EU allies have shown no inclination whatsoever to support her. A small Scandinavian nation faces sanctions, accusations of Islamophobia and maybe worse to come, and everyone stays silent. As so often, the scandal is that there isn’t a scandal. » | Nick Cohen | Saturday, March 28, 2015

Battle For Tikrit - ISIS Fighters Under Attack In Iraqi City - The Rise Of Islamic Extremism

ISIS Exposed: The Hellish Reality of Radical Islam - Erick Stakelbeck

'There's a Great Deal of Mistrust in Iran towards Washington'

Iran is hoping to reach a deal over its nuclear program at ongoing talks with the P5+1 group in Switzerland. That's amid an unprecedented thaw in relations which is upsetting some of Washington's closest friends. RT spoke to Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, an independent researcher on Iran.

Confused? Shiites in Iraq Armed by US, Shiites in Yemen Bombed with US Help

The US has been providing intelligence for the Saudi operation in Yemen. And Washington has drawn controversy over how it splits friends from foes when it comes to the Middle East.

FRANK GAFFNEY: New York Times Endorses 'Eye for an Eye' Approach

The New York Times' Ben Hubbard on Tuesday wrote a glowing piece of puffery focused on Saudi Arabia, titled "Saudi Justice, Harsh but Able to Spare the Sword." In it Mr. Hubbard admits that the kingdom's harsh punishments, including beheadings and amputations, are based on the shariah (Islamic law) and are viewed as unchangeable and derived…

Die seltsam schnelle Festlegung auf eine Wahrheit

BASLER ZEITUNG: Die Untersuchung von Flugzeugunglücken dauert meist Jahre. Beim Germanwings-Absturz schien nach 48 Stunden alles klar. Ermittler und Piloten sind empört – und warnen vor fatalen Schlussfolgerungen.

Der Ablauf widerspricht allen Regularien einer neutralen Aufklärung eines Flugzeugabsturzes. Keine 48 Stunden nachdem Unglücksflug 4U9525 von Germanwings gegen einen Berg in Südfrankreich prallte, scheint der genaue Ablauf festzustehen. » | Samstag 28. März 2015

Quand Gérard Depardieu était musulman

DIRECT MATIN: Le documentaire du psychanalyste Gérard Miller sur Gérard Depardieu diffusé lundi sur France 3 revient sur un épisode méconnu de la vie de l’acteur. Le comédien s'était en effet converti à l’islam en 1967. » | Par Direct Matin | mercredi 25 mars 2015

Pro-Hassan Rouhani Iranian Editor Defects While Covering Nuclear Talks in Lausanne

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Amir Hossein Motaghi says he no longer sees any “sense” in his profession as he could only write as he was told

A close media aide to Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, has sought political asylum in Switzerland after travelling to Lausanne to cover the nuclear talks between Tehran and the West.

Amir Hossein Motaghi, who managed public relations for Mr Rouhani during his 2013 election campaign, was said by Iranian news agencies to have quit his job at the Iran Student Correspondents Association (ISCA).

He then appeared on an opposition television channel based in London to say he no longer saw any “sense” in his profession as a journalist as he could only write what he was told.

“There are a number of people attending on the Iranian side at the negotiations who are said to be journalists reporting on the negotiations,” he told Irane Farda television. “But they are not journalists and their main job is to make sure that all the news fed back to Iran goes through their channels.

“My conscience would not allow me to carry out my profession in this manner any more.” Mr Mottaghi was a journalist and commentator who went on to use social media successfully to promote Mr Rouhani to a youthful audience that overwhelmingly elected him to power. » | Ahmed Vahdat and Richard Spencer | Friday, March 27, 2015

Yemen Bombed: 'Crisis Could Deepen to All-out Sunni-Shia Religious War, Real Aim Is to Stop Iran'

Over a dozen are killed or injured in Yemen as Saudi Arabia and its allies push on with a full-scale campaign of airstrikes against rebels in the country.

US Declassifies Document Revealing Israel's Nuclear Program

ARUTZ SHEVA: Obama revenge for Netanyahu's Congress talk? 1987 report on Israel's top secret nuclear program released in unprecedented move.

In a development that has largely been missed by mainstream media, the Pentagon early last month quietly declassified a Department of Defense top-secret document detailing Israel's nuclear program, a highly covert topic that Israel has never formally announced to avoid a regional nuclear arms race, and which the US until now has respected by remaining silent.

But by publishing the declassified document from 1987, the US reportedly breached the silent agreement to keep quiet on Israel's nuclear powers for the first time ever, detailing the nuclear program in great depth.

The timing of the revelation is highly suspect, given that it came as tensions spiraled out of control between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama ahead of Netanyahu's March 3 address in Congress, in which he warned against the dangers of Iran's nuclear program and how the deal being formed on that program leaves the Islamic regime with nuclear breakout capabilities.

Another highly suspicious aspect of the document is that while the Pentagon saw fit to declassify sections on Israel's sensitive nuclear program, it kept sections on Italy, France, West Germany and other NATO countries classified, with those sections blocked out in the document. » | Ari Yashar, Matt Wanderman | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Saudischer Blogger Badawi: "Auf wundersame Weise 50 Peitschenhiebe überlebt"

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der saudische Blogger Raif Badawi hat aus der Haft einen Brief geschrieben, den der SPIEGEL abdruckt. Das Schreiben zeigt einen mutigen, ungebrochenen Mann.

Wie überlebt man eine Auspeitschung? Wie fühlt sich der Alltag in einem saudischen Gefängnis an? Erstmals seit seiner Verhaftung meldet sich der saudische Blogger Raif Badawi per Brief zu Wort - nach fast drei Jahren in Haft. In dem Schreiben, das der SPIEGEL in Auszügen nachdruckt, berichtet er von seinen Eindrücken und Erfahrungen. Er schreibt, dass er auf "wundersame Weise fünfzig Peitschenhiebe überlebt" habe, während er umringt gewesen sei "von einer jubelnden Menge, die immerzu Allahu akbar rief". Und weiter schreibt er: "All dies grausame Leid ist mir nur widerfahren, weil ich meine Meinung ausgedrückt habe." » | Freitag, 27. März 2015

What Religion Was Andreas Lubitz? Debate Grows over Germanwings Pilot's Background

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: Since it emerged that Germanwings airlines' co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately 'accelerated' the plane after locking out the captain to crash the jetliner into the French Alps, there have been many who have raised questions on his religious background.

Close friends of the 28-year old Germanwings pilot remember him as a "rather quiet, but a friendly young man."

Many on social media, however, refuse to believe the explanation that the German pilot, whose full name is Andreas Guenter Lubitz, had no terror links and in fact "had no reason to do it."

During the news conference, French prosecutor Brice Robin refused to give information on Andreas Lubitz's religion, saying: "I don't think it's necessarily what we should be looking for."

But that has not stopped many from counter-arguing that the religion of the pilot, who deliberately crashed the Germanwings Flight 9525 killing all 150 people onboard, is an important cue to investigate the motive of the "mass murderer." » | Johnlee Varghese | Friday, March 27, 2015

Glenn Beck vs. Grover Norquist

Glenn Beck Accuses Grover Norquist of Ties to Islamists

Longtime Republican Party icon Grover Norquist defended himself Thursday on an hourlong television show against accusations by conservatives that he has ties to people who've worked for Muslim Brotherhood front groups. Mr. Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, refuted the allegations going back more than a decade on Glenn Beck's program on The Blaze TV.…

LAWRENCE FEDEWA: An Impeachable Offense

This is serious business. What no one seems to want to talk about in public is the fact that the negotiations between Iran, the United States and its allies have the potential to lead to a world war. If Iran is seen by Israel to be close to developing a nuclear warhead to go with its…

As ‘Woman in Gold’ Premieres, Meet the Man Who Battled for the Klimt

Gustav Klimt's 1907 'Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I' (Public domain)

TIMES OF ISRAEL: The real-life lawyer behind the gripping restitution of the ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’ says he still gets emotional in the painting’s presence

NEW YORK — The Neue Galerie, a mid-sized museum on Fifth Avenue and East 86th Street in Manhattan, gets pretty crowded around lunch. The Café Sabarasky (named for the institution’s co-founder Serge Sabarasky, who opened the Neue in late 2001 with Ronald Lauder) is a hot draw, but the artwork lingers longer than the pastries.

On the second floor of this converted mansion, designed by legendary Gilded Age architects Carrère and Hastings and once owned by Grace Vanderbilt, there hangs the portrait of a woman who died 90 years ago. Her story is still being told.
Adele Bloch-Bauer was part of a prominent Austrian-Jewish family, patrons of the arts whose belongings were plundered by the Nazis. Among the works stolen were two portraits of Adele by Gustav Klimt, commissioned by her husband. The first – with gold leaf applied directly to the canvas – is the more famous. “A painting sold on refrigerator magnets” as Charles Dance’s character, a lawyer skeptical about restituting the work to its rightful owner, reminds us in the new movie “Woman in Gold.”

After World War II, surviving members of the Bloch-Bauer family escaped to the United States. Their artwork remained behind – the “last prisoners of war.” The case of “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” made international headlines (and has been the subject of documentaries) but “Woman in Gold” is the first time it has been dramatized. » | Jordan Hoffman | Thursday, March 26, 2015

Suite Française: Official Trailer (2015)

SUITE FRANÇAISE Official Trailer (2015) starring Sam Riley, Margot Robbie, Michelle Williams, Tom Schilling and directed by Saul Dibb

Yémen : la grande peur de l'Arabie saoudite

LE POINT: Riyad est intervenu au Yémen pour tenter de contenir les appétits de l'Iran qui a désormais des alliés ou affidés partout au Proche-Orient.

La hantise de l'enfermement est souvent facteur d'interventionnisme pour les pays qui se rêvent en puissances régionales. C'est le cas du Pakistan, qui tente depuis longtemps de satelliser l'Afghanistan, de peur qu'il ne tombe dans l'orbite indienne. Ça l'est également de l'Arabie saoudite, engagée depuis plusieurs années dans une lutte d'influence à la fois géopolitique et religieuse avec l'Iran, aujourd'hui motif de son intervention au Yémen.

Ces deux pays ne sont pas seulement les uniques puissances régionales, l'Irak et la Syrie étant livrés au chaos ou à la guerre civile ; ils sont également les porte-étendard des deux grandes subdivisions de l'islam : sunnite pour l'Arabie saoudite, chiite pour l'Iran. Or le vent de l'histoire souffle en ce moment dans le sens du chiisme, pourtant minoritaire dans le monde musulman, et de Téhéran, qui a déjà des obligés à Bagdad, Damas, Beyrouth, d'où la nervosité dont Riyad fait preuve ces derniers temps. » | Par Yves Cornu | jeudi 26 mars 2015

Angela Merkel spricht über die Tragödie des Germanwings-Flugzeugabsturzes (with English Subtitles)

Ex-Muslims: Three Stories of Losing Faith in Islam (Newsnight, November 29, 2013)

For parents who devoutly believe in their faith, a rejection of their religion can be a huge shock. This report spoke to three people who have left Islam - and have faced discrimination and punishment from their families.

Jindal Talks Tough on Islam

MEMPHIS FLYER: “These are terrorists who are beheading and killing … They’re Muslims. They’re not a religious minority.”

One of the problems faced by each of the last two American presidents — George W. Bush and Barack Obama — has been how to discriminate rhetorically between Muslims in general, who constitute 23 percent of the world's population and encompass many countries that the United States is allied with, and the kind of militant Islamic movement that America has been struggling against on a variety of battlefronts since at least September 11, 2001.

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, a potential presidential candidate and one of several who are likely to appear in Memphis before the GOP nomination is decided in 2016, was in town on Friday to address local Republicans at a closed "Leadership Event" fund-raiser at the Racquet Club.

He told reporters at a preliminary press conference at the Signature Air terminal that the dilemma was less real than it seemed, and, further, that the Obama administration, in particular, was guilty of mincing words in the struggle against radical Islam.

"You've got an administration whose officials, like [Attorney General] Eric Holder, saying things like 'We're not in a type of war.' You've got a State Department saying, 'We're not going to kill our way to victory," said Jindal. "This is nonsense. This is ridiculous. These are terrorists who are beheading and killing. ... They're Muslims. They're not a religious minority. ... The reality is that this is an enemy we must defeat. We must hunt them down and kill them." » | Jackson Baker | Thursday, March 26, 2015

Snub Speculation: White House Can’t ‘Find Time’ to Meet NATO Chief

When NATO's chief scheduled his visit to Washington this week he was hoping for a personal meet-up with the US President. Instead, Jens Stoltenberg had to settle for a chat with the Defense secretary, because the White House reportedly didn't get back to him. RT's Gayane Chichakyan has more from Washington.

Germanwings Crash Raises Security Threat Posed by Insiders

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: At least eight plane crashes in past four decades suspected deliberately caused by pilots or other insiders

Evidence that the co-pilot on the Germanwings flight that crashed in France on Tuesday locked the pilot out of the cockpit is raising fresh concerns about a danger that aviation and security regulators consider among the least controllable: the potential threat posed by insiders.

The pilot of the Germanwings Airbus A320 jet, which crashed in the French Alps with 150 people on board, had left the cockpit just before the plane began its descent, French prosecutors said on Thursday. The pilot was unable to re-enter the cockpit and the plane crashed roughly 10 minutes later. » | Daniel Michaels | Thursday, March 26, 2015

Saudi Leads Ten-nation Sunni Coalition in Bombing Yemen's Shia Rebels

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Reports of 150,000 troops mobilised with American backing as Middle East plunged into open sectarian war

Ten Sunni-led Arab states have joined in air strikes and other military operations against an Iran-linked Shia militia in Yemen, plunging the Middle East into an openly sectarian regional war.

Overnight, Saudi Arabian jets, advised by the United States, bombed positions of the Houthi rebel group which has seized much of western Yemen and driven the Sunni, western-backed President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi into flight.

Reports from the scene said that as well as military positions, one missile hit a civilian area near Sana'a international airport, killing six to eight members of two families. The Houthi-run health ministry said at least 18 civilians were killed and 24 others were wounded.

Britain also said it was supporting the action, citing the Houthis' "disregard for the political process". It was not clear if British forces were participating in any way.

Egypt, Sudan and Jordan confirmed they were supporting the operation and were discussing sending air, navy and ground forces to support their Saudi allies and financial backers.

Al-Arabiya television station, which is close to the Saudi authorities, said that besides the internationally recognised Yemeni government loyal to Mr Hadi, Morocco, Sudan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain had also joined the coalition and sent planes. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor | Thursday, March 26, 2015

Richard III 'Given Dignity Denied in Death' as He Is Laid to Rest

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fallen king's remains buried in Leicester


The burial of a king began with the words of a Queen.

Her Majesty did not attend the service to reinter one of her most divisive predecessors but her 142-word message to Richard III greeted the congregation as they arrived at Leicester Cathedral.

As tributes went, it was hardly glowing. Her words, printed in the order of service, spoke not of honouring Richard III, but “recognising” a king “who lived through turbulent times”.

But then this was not a funeral. It might have featured the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, a poem composed by the Poet Laureate and members of the royal family, but it was technically a service of reinterment. For the king had already been given a funeral, presided over by Franciscan monks in the days after he died on the battlefield at Bosworth in 1485. » | Tom Rowley, Special Correspondent, in Leicester Cathedral, video from ITN | Thursday, March 26, 2015

IS Stones To Death Man & Woman In Mosul For Adultery

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: In yet another display of how the Islamic State (IS) implements the Sharia law, a resident of Mosul narrated another recent incident of stoning to death of a man and a woman for adultery. The witness was a clothing store owner whose outlet is near a government building where the incident happens.

Abu Mohammad al-Lahibi, the shop owner, said the woman was in her 20s and married. Lahibi was not sure if the woman was given a fair trial since none was held before the stoning.

The two were handcuffed, while the woman wore a full face veil called niqab. Twelve IS militants stood before the condemned couple and had bags filled with stones. They started to throw stones on the two. On the third stone, the “adulteress” was killed, while the man died after her, recounts Lahibi. » | Vittorio Hernandez | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

ISIS Presents Conversion to Islam of Christian Captured in Syria

THE JERUSALEM POST: Unconvincing ISIS video shows Assyrian captive converting to Islam » | Ariel Cohen | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Related »

'Islamist Extremists,' Phrase Rejected by Obama, Embraced by Allies

While President Obama and his aides insist that Muslim extremists have nothing to do with Islam the religion, other world leaders are leaving that approach behind. British Home Secretary Theresa May on Monday announced a get-tough policy that includes a comprehensive strategy to combat what she called "Islamist extremists," a phrase the Obama administration officials have…

Erdoğan Plan for Super-presidency Puts Turkey's Democracy at Stake

THE GUARDIAN: The Turkish president’s attempted power-grab is slated from within his own party as divisions between the country’s executive and legislature deepen

Turkey’s strongman leader, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is facing unexpectedly spirited, across-the-board resistance to his plan to create a Putin-style super-presidency, a move that opposition parties warn could spell an end to parliamentary democracy and result in a virtual dictatorship.

Erdoğan, the founding leader of the neo-Islamist Justice and Development party (AKP), has ruled Turkey in increasingly authoritarian fashion since becoming prime minister in 2003. Barred under party rules from seeking a fourth term, he switched to the presidency last August and has been manoeuvring to increase his executive powers ever since.

The strategy looks similar to Vladimir Putin’s successive shifts from the Russian presidency to prime ministership and back again, which have kept him in overall charge in Moscow since 2000. The now deposed Pervez Musharraf pulled off a similar trick in Pakistan, bolstering his presidential authority at the expense of the prime minister and parliament.

Ever choleric, Erdoğan appears oblivious to these precedents, and to his growing reputation for harsh crackdowns on popular dissent, street protests and independent journalism. This week saw the jailing of two Penguen magazine cartoonists who dared to poke fun at him.

He is counting instead on his high profile and personal popularity among religious-minded working-class and rural voters to give the AKP a big majority in national elections due on 7 June. In theory, the necessary constitutional changes he wants could then be pushed through. » | Simon Tisdall | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Do British Muslims Have a Problem with Apostates? (The Big Questions, 15/3/15)

Enemies of the State: ”Jews Must Leave Israel” – Anjem Choudary

WOW, after an amazing week of election coverage in Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won in an unbelievable landslide, we feature several analysts from Israel who are ecstatic about the victory and one British Muslim teacher of the shariah, who is not happy at all with any Jews in Israel. Tune in to hear how Anjem Choudary dispassionately explains Islamic doctrine and how it is essential for all the Jews to leave Israel and go to another country to live, or deal with the prophecies of Islam, which has the Muslim jihadis conquering the Jews and obliterating them from Israel. Folks, this is some serious stuff, don't miss it!

ISIS-held Assyrian Hostage Converts to Islam

Sargon David converts to Islam after two months of detention
by ISIS militants in northeastern Syria.

ARA NEWS: Dohuk, Kurdistan Region – The Media Center of the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS) in “al-Barakah state” (in reference to Hasakah, northeastern Syria) released Monday a videotape showing the Islamization of an Assyrian hostage held by the group.

Sargon David, an Assyrian man from Tel Temit in northeastern Syria, who had been held hostage by the group since the militants stormed the Assyrian villages in the area.

David appeared in the video uttering the Islamic Shahada in a sign of conversion to Islam. He was then named by the group’s militants as Abu Omar.

The IS group addressed the Christian community in Syria in the video message saying that many of the Assyrian residents in the countryside of Tel Temir have converted to Islam “and received the caliphate’s blessing”. » | ARA News | Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Oxford Union Invites Hate Preacher Anjem Choudary to Speak Despite Being On Bail for Being Member of Banned Terror Group

DAILY MAIL: Hate preacher Anjem Choudary invited to speak by debating society / Said it would be a 'great privilege' to have Choudary as the star guest / Got invite day before Theresa May announced crackdown on extremists

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been invited to speak at the Oxford Union despite being on police bail on suspicion of being a member of a banned terror group.

The notorious rabble rouser received his invitation from the debating society a day before Home Secretary Theresa May announced a crackdown on Islamic extremists.

The letter said it would be a 'great privilege' to have Choudary appear as the star guest.

Choudary, who once said that Woolwich terror victim Fusilier Lee Rigby would 'burn in hellfire', was even offered a choice of days on which to attend the debate entitled: This house believes that radicalism is born at home.

Britain's most notorious hate preacher proudly showed off his invitation after launching a hate-filled rant against Western society outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday.

He said: 'I am still on police bail after being arrested by Scotland Yard in September last year. 'But the police can't stop me from speaking. They can't stop me from going to the Oxford Union where I've been invited to speak.' » | Arthur Martin for The Daily Mail | Tuesday, March 24, 2015

A Sinner in Mecca (Trailer)

For a gay filmmaker, filming in Saudi Arabia presents two serious challenges: filming is forbidden in the country and homosexuality is punishable by death. For filmmaker Parvez Sharma, however, these were risks he had to assume as he embarked on his Hajj pilgrimage, a journey considered the greatest accomplishment and aspiration within Islam, his religion. He brings back the story of the religion like it has never been told before, having endured the biggest Jihad there is: the struggle with the self.

THE DAILY BEAST: Gay Muslim’s Secret Pilgrimage to Mecca: Parvez Sharma took the long trip to Mecca with two big secrets: He’s recording his journey on his phone, and he has a husband back home. » | Nina Strochlic | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

France Declares War on Radical Islam

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The moves are part of a raft of new anti-terrorism measures aimed at preventing French citizens or residents from joining jihadist groups abroad. The new powers are controversial because they can be implemented without judicial approval.

"These are legal tools, but not tools of exception, nor of generalized surveillance of citizens. There cannot be a lawless zone in the digital space. Often we cannot predict the threat, the services must have the power to react quickly." — Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France.

"When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 [Europeans waging jihad in Iraq and Syria] before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year. Do you realize the threat that this represents?" — Manuel Valls, Prime Minister of France.

The French government has cut the social welfare benefits of nearly 300 jihadists who have left France to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Amid a rapidly expanding jihadist threat, it has also started confiscating passports, imposing travel bans and blocking access to jihadist websites.

The moves are part of a raft of new anti-terrorism measures aimed at preventing French citizens or residents from joining jihadist groups abroad, and at slowing the spread of radical Islam at home. Muslim groups are criticizing the flurry of activity as "Islamophobia." » | Soeren Kern | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Islam Needs to Reform or Leave, Says Canadian Leader of PEGIDA Movement

THE STAR: PEGIDA, a controversial European movement, plans to ‘send a message’ in a rally that has been denounced in the House of Commons and the Quebec legislature.

MONTREAL—Islam needs to change or it needs to leave.

That’s the message from one of the leaders who has brought to Canada a controversial European movement that unites political conservatives, anti-immigration activists and neo-Nazis with the goal of beating back a perceived rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism.

Jean-François Asgard is one of five people to have launched PEGIDA Québec earlier this year, the latest branch of a global anti-Islam movement that was created last fall in the German town of Dresden.

PEGIDA (the name is a German acronym for Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West) was founded by a convicted burglar-turned-graphic designer who planned a protest against the opening of 14 refugee centres in his city. It has risen rapidly, gathering more than 20,000 people at its peak and provoking warnings and denunciations from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

That has done little to stop its global growth and there are now branches across Europe, in Australia, Britain and the United States. There is also a national PEGIDA Canada group as well as a branch in British Columbia.

“The incompatibility of Islam with the west is flagrant and that’s the reason that PEGIDA and the Western patriots are rising up. It’s not just to counter Islam but to say that if Islam doesn’t reform itself, Islam needs to get out of the west,” Asgard, 33, told the Star in the group’s first interview ahead of a controversial march planned for this weekend. » | Allan Woods | Quebec Bureau | Tuesday, March 24, 2014

Origins of ISIS – Special Coverage

In a special report, RT America examines the origins, power and expansion of the terrorist group known as the Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS). RT’s Ben Swann delves into the roots of the organization while Ameera David explains how the group amasses the millions of dollars it requires to operate. Finally, Manuel Rapalo explores how the Iraqi army fell apart despite benefiting from billions of dollars of US money – and military hardware – meant to ensure security.

En Syrie, l'EI enrôle des bataillons d'enfants

LE POINT: Ils sont appelés les "lionceaux du califat". Endoctrinés et armés, parfois dès l'âge de 8 ans, plus de 400 enfants font la guerre pour le groupe djihadiste.

Plus de quatre cents enfants en Syrie ont été entraînés au combat par les combattants extrémistes du groupe État islamique (EI), a indiqué mardi l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme (OSDH). Le groupe djihadiste soumet les enfants, appelés "lionceaux du califat", à des entraînements intensifs militaires et religieux dans les territoires qu'il contrôle en Syrie, précise l'ONG. Des vidéos diffusées sur des comptes proches de l'EI montrent des garçons, dont certains âgés d'à peine 8 ans, chargeant des fusils, tirant et marchant à genoux à travers les broussailles. » | Source AFP | mardi 24 mars 2015

Saudi Arabia Moves Military Equipment to Border with Yemen

Prince Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, at
a press conference in Riyadh.

THE GUARDIAN: Violent political tensions in Yemen are reaching such ferocity that neighbouring Saudi Arabia is beginning to fear for its border regions

Saudi Arabia is moving heavy military equipment including artillery to areas near its border with Yemen, US officials have said, raising the risk that the Middle East’s top oil power will be drawn into the worsening conflict.

The buildup follows an advance by Iranian-backed Houthi Shia militants who took control of the capital Sana’a in September and seized the central city of Taiz at the weekend as they move closer to the new southern base of the US-backed president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The armour and artillery being moved by Saudi Arabia could be used for offensive or defensive purposes, two US government sources said, while two other US officials said the buildup appeared to be defensive.

One US government source described the size of the Saudi buildup on Yemen’s border as “significant” and said the Saudis could be preparing air strikes to defend Hadi if the Houthis attack his refuge in the southern seaport of Aden. » | Reuters in Washington | Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Anti-Semitism in Europe akin to 1930s: Jewish Leader

President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald Lauder

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: 'We Jews are the sentinels at the forefront of this war' a prominent Jewish figure in America says

A prominent Jewish figure urged the United States on Tuesday to beware surging anti-Semitism in Europe and warned that seven decades after World War II Jews on the continent are having to look over their shoulders once more.

World Jewish Congress (WJC) president Ronald Lauder told a congressional committee in Washington that the United States could not sit by quietly, with events such as the recent attack in France underlining the growing threat.

"Once again, like the 1930s, European Jews live in fear," said Lauder, a billionaire businessman who inherited a fortune from his mother Estee Lauder's cosmetics empire.

"The United States can and must speak loudly and clearly to condemn this evil for what it is - the radical Islamic hatred of Jews."

"To defeat this new flame of radical Islamic terror and survive... the United States must lead," stressed Lauder, whose mother was Jewish and in whose faith he was raised.

The WJC represents Jewish communities in 100 countries. » | Agencies | Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel zeigt sich vom Absturz tief betroffen

America and Iran 'Taking Part in Joint Military Operations in Iraq'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Officials admit US providing intelligence from air to Iran-led attack on Tikrit

The United States is taking part in joint military operations with Iran, admitting it is providing aerial surveillance over the current battle for Tikrit.

The assault on Isil-held Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s home town in Iraq, has stalled in recent days after initial success.

Troops loyal to the Baghdad government, along with Iran-backed Shia militia and some Sunni tribesmen, have surrounded Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters in Saddam’s old palace complex and one other part of the city, but have been unable to make further progress.

The attack has been openly master-minded by an Iranian general, Qassem Suleimani, head of the internationally-focused Al Quds division of the Revolutionary Guard, who has been photographed on the front lines.

An official from the US-led coalition operating air strikes against Isil in Iraq and Syria confirmed to the Reuters news agency that it was now providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from the air to support the attack.

The United States is also said to be awaiting an imminent formal request for the coalition to join in military operations directly from the air, which it would be likely to grant. » | Richard Spencer Middle East Editor | Tuesday, March 24, 2015