Is the Pope a Communist?

BBC AMERICA: Pope Francis's critique of free-market economics has made him an icon for the Left and prompted claims that he is a communist. The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics has called capitalism a source of inequality at best - and at worst a killer. Is the Pope, as his critics claim, a red radical?

On his way back from the Victory Day Parade in Moscow last month, the Cuban leader Raul Castro stopped off in Rome to thank Pope Francis for his role in Cuba's rapprochement with the United States. "If the Pope continues this way," Castro said afterwards, "I will go back to praying and go back to the church - I am not joking."

In September Francis will return the compliment with a stop-over in Cuba when he travels to the United States. And the American visit could turn out to be the most difficult overseas trip of his pontificate.

Raul Castro's endorsement is unlikely to recommend Francis to the American right, many of whom responded with visceral rage to President Obama's Cuban initiative.

"There is a lot of scepticism among (US) Catholics," says Stephen Moore, the chief economist at the conservative Washington think tank the Heritage Foundation, and himself a Catholic.

"I think this is a Pope who clearly has some Marxist leanings. It's unquestionable that he has a very vocal scepticism (about) capitalism and free enterprise and… I find that to be very troubling." » | Ed Stourton, BBC News | Sunday, June 07, 2015

Turkey Ruling AKP Loses Majority in Surprise Result

BBC AMERICA: Turkey's governing AK party has lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 13 years, near-complete election results show.

The surprise outcome also sees the pro-Kurdish HDP crossing the 10% threshold, securing seats for the first time.

With 99% of the vote counted, the AKP has 41% of the vote, state-run TRT television reports.

The result is a blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plans to boost his office's powers.

President Erdogan, who first came to power as prime minister in 2003, had been seeking a two-thirds majority to turn Turkey into a presidential republic. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, June 07, 2015

Merkel und Obama besuchen bayerisches Dorf

Vor dem Beginn des G7-Gipfels in Elmau haben die Bundeskanzlerin und der US-Präsident bayerische Gemütlichkeit genossen.

Wahlen in der Türkei: Die Oppositon jubelt über Erdogans Verluste

STERN: Erdogans Pläne für die Einführung eines Präsidialsystems stehen auf der Kippe: Bei den Parlamentswahlen in der Türkei verfehlte seine Partei AKP die absolute Mehrheit. Die Opposition jubelt.

Bei der Parlamentswahl in der Türkei droht der islamisch-konservativen AKP erstmals seit mehr als zwölf Jahren der Verlust der absoluten Mehrheit. Nach Auszählung von rund 80 Prozent der Stimmen gewann die AKP 42,4 Prozent, wie der Sender CNN Türk am Sonntag berichtete. Die pro-kurdische HDP kommt demnach mit 11,5 Prozent erstmals knapp über die Zehn-Prozent-Hürde. Damit dürfte sie die Pläne der AKP vereiteln, alleine ein Präsidialsystem mit Präsident Recep Präsident Tayyip Erdogan an der Spitze einzuführen.

Das Ergebnis ist eine Niederlage für Erdogan, der die HDP im Wahlkampf scharf angegriffen hatte, obwohl der Präsident nach der Verfassung zur Neutralität verpflichtet ist. Die HDP war mit dem Ziel in den Wahlkampf gezogen, Erdogans Präsidialsystem zu verhindern, und hatte vor einer "Diktatur" gewarnt. » | mai/DPA | Sonntag, 07. Juni 2015

ISIS Burn[s] Assyrian Woman, 80, in North Iraq

AINA: (AINA) -- According to a report by the BasNews agency, ISIS burned an 80 year-old Assyrian woman to death in a village southeast of Mosul. Citing Sa'ed Mamuzini, a representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) office in Mosul, BasNews stated in its report that the woman, who was from Karamlis, was burned for failing to comply with Islamic Sharia law. » | Tuesday, May 26, 2015

HT: Raymond Ibrahim @ Jihad Watch »

Saudi Court Upholds Badawi’s Sentence

GULF NEWS: Saudi blogger will serve 10 years in prison and pay SR 1 million in fines

Manama: Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has upheld all the sentences pronounced by a lower court against Raif Badawi, the founder of Saudi Liberal Network.

The court reached its decision after five “highly-qualified with vast experiences judges” studied the 70-page verdicts for three months, local daily Okaz reported on Sunday.

The ruling by the Supreme Court, the highest in the kingdom, is final and cannot be appealed or challenged.

The lower court had sentenced Badawi to five years in jail and a SR 1 million (Dh9,79,414) fine for launching the Saudi Liberal Network. The court also issued another five — year jail term and 1,000 lashes to be given out 50 at a time over 20 weeks.

The lashing is to take place on Fridays at most once a week in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, his hometown, the court said.

The two jail sentences are separate and will have to be served consecutively. » | Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief | Sunday, June 07, 2015

Islamic State Magazine Dabiq Withdrawn from Sale by Amazon

BBC AMERICA: Copies of Islamic State's English-language propaganda magazine, Dabiq, have been pulled from the website of online retailer Amazon.

Four different volumes were available for sale on the site, but in a statement to the BBC, Amazon said the product had now been removed.

The author of the publications was listed as al-Hayat Media Centre, which is IS's Western-focused media arm.

Islamic State is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. » | Saturday, June 06, 2015

Related »

Terrormiliz IS nimmt weitere Stadt in Libyen ein

DIE WELT: Nach der Eroberung großer Teile des Irak und Syriens rückt der IS nun auch in Libyen weiter vor. Australien warnt davor, dass die Dschihadisten in ihrem Kampf auch Chemiewaffen einsetzen könnten.

Die Extremistenmiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) hat eine weitere Stadt in Libyen eingenommen. Eine entsprechende Mitteilung der Islamisten deckte sich mit Angaben aus Militärkreisen. Demnach rückte der IS in Harwa ein. Die Stadt liegt östlich des Ortes Sirte, den die Gruppe in den vergangenen Wochen schrittweise erobert hatte.

Der IS nutzt die chaotischen Zustände in Libyen aus, wo zwei konkurrierende Regierungen die Macht beanspruchen. Die Islamisten haben große Teile des Irak und Syriens erobert und dort ein Kalifat ausgerufen, eine besondere Form eines islamischen Gottesstaates. » | Reuters/AFP/dol | Samstag, 06. Juni 2015

Kakerlaken sind Schuld am teuren Präsidentenpalast

DIE WELT: Zur großen Überraschung seiner Kritiker rechtfertigt der türkische Präsident seinen Palastneubau mit Ungeziefer. Statt einen Kammerjäger zu rufen, ließ Erdogan einen 1150-Zimmer-Palast errichten.

Andere würden bei Kakerlaken wohl den Kammerjäger holen, der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan zieht lieber gleich um. Der Staatschef verteidigte nun erneut den Bau des prunkvollen Präsidentenpalasts mit 1150 Zimmern, der ihm schon viel Kritik eingebracht hat – diesmal nannte er die Krabbeltiere als Grund für den Umzug.

In einem Fernsehinterview am Freitagabend sagte Erdogan, die alte Ministerpräsidentenresidenz sei so herunter gekommen gewesen, dass Kakerlaken in den Toiletten gewesen seien. Er zog im August in den repräsentativen Präsidentenpalast ein, dem Ministerpräsidenten wurde die alte Präsidentenresidenz überlassen. Zu seinem alten Amtssitz sagte er: "Ist eine solche Residenz angemessen für den Ministerpräsidenten der Türkei? Wenn es um Repräsentation geht, kann es keine Verschwendung geben." » | AFP/AP/ott | Samstag, 06. Juni 2015

Islamic State Magazine Sold on Amazon

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dabiq is an English language publication focusing on jihad and tawhid (unity), according to its publisher, the Al Hayat Media Centre

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) is apparently using online retailer Amazon to sell propaganda magazines aimed at recruiting Western jihadists.

Issues of Dabiq, an English-language e-zine, have been available to purchase on the website since May 24. The seller is listed as the Al Hayat Media Centre, the same name as the extremist group’s most famous media arm.

The magazine, which retails at between five and seventeen pounds, can be delivered to a buyer in one working day, and can even be gift-wrapped. The Telegraph did not purchase a copy of the magazine to verify its contents.

The Al Hayat Media Centre describes it as “a periodical magazine focusing on the issues of tawhid (unity), manhaj (truth-seeking), hijrah (migration), jihad (holy war) and jama'ah (community), including photo reports, current events, and informative articles on matters relating to the Islamic State.” » | Louisa Loveluck | Saturday, June 06, 2015

Danish Muslims Urged Not to Vote

THE LOCAL – DENMARK: Two radical Islamic groups in Denmark argue that democracy is incompatible with their religion and have told Muslims to boycott the June 18 election.

The controversial Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir has urged Danish Muslims to stay away from the voting booths on the upcoming June 18th election as a form of protest against the democratic system.

“We are committed to being active participants in our society, but it has to be on Islam’s terms, without compromising our own principles and values. Democracy is fundamentally incompatible with Islam, and it is a sinking ship,” the organisation wrote in a press release, adding that the way forward for Muslims in Denmark is to oppose the country’s "Islamophobic" integration policies. » | Friday, June 05, 2015

Poutine : "N'ayez pas peur de la Russie"

LE POINT: Le chef d'État a déclaré qu'il était en faveur de l'application des accords de paix en Ukraine alors que les affrontements ont repris dans l'est du pays.

La Russie ne constitue pas une menace pour l'Occident. C'est ce qu'a déclaré le président Vladimir Poutine dans une interview donnée samedi à un quotidien italien. Il a aussi affirmé qu'il était en faveur de l'application des accords de paix en Ukraine, après le récent regain de violences meurtrières dans l'est de ce pays. « Je voudrais dire qu'il n'y a pas besoin d'avoir peur de la Russie », a déclaré le président russe au Corriere della Sera, excluant un conflit d'ampleur entre la Russie et les pays membres de l'Otan. « Le monde a tellement changé que les gens de bon sens ne peuvent pas imaginer un conflit militaire d'ampleur aujourd'hui », a dit M. Poutine. « Nous avons d'autres choses à faire, je peux vous l'assurer », a ajouté le président russe, selon la transcription de l'entretien publiée par le Kremlin. » | Source AFP | samedi 06 juin 2015

KREMLIN: Interview to the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera » | Saturday, June 06, 2015

Papst Franziskus: "Eine Art dritter Weltkrieg ist im Gang"

DIE WELT: In Bosnien spricht Papst Franziskus über Krieg und Frieden. "Es ist eine Art dritter Weltkrieg, der geführt wird", sagt er mit Blick auf aktuelle Konflikte. Und glaubt, dass diese geschürt werden.

Papst Franziskus sieht angesichts vieler bewaffneter Konflikte eine Art neuen Weltkrieg heraufziehen. Bei einem Besuch in Sarajevo, der Hauptstadt von Bosnien-Herzegowina, rief das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche am Samstag zugleich zur Versöhnung der Religionen auf. Sarajevo war vor 20 Jahren Schauplatz eines Krieges zwischen hauptsächlich muslimischen Bosniern, orthodoxen Serben und katholischen Kroaten.

Mit Blick auf die aktuellen Konflikte sagte der Papst: "Es ist eine Art dritter Weltkrieg, der stückweise geführt wird, und im Bereich der globalen Kommunikation nimmt man ein Klima des Krieges wahr." Einige Menschen wollten dieses Klima absichtlich schüren und suchten den Zusammenstoß verschiedener Kulturen, fügte der 78-Jährige bei einer Messe vor etwa 65.000 Menschen im Olympiastadion von Sarajevo hinzu. Andere würden mit Kriegen spekulieren, um Waffen zu verkaufen. Den Begriff "dritter Weltkrieg" hat der Papst schon mehrmals benutzt. » | dpa/ds | Samstag, 06. Juni 2015

Barack Obama Delivers Tearful Eulogy at Beau Biden Funeral in Delaware

THE GUARDIAN: Obama tells family: ‘We are always here for you. My word as a Biden’ / General Ray Odierno confers legion of merit on vice-president’s son

President Barack Obama on Saturday addressed a full Catholic Mass honoring Beau Biden in Wilmington, Delaware.

Vice-president Joe Biden’s two surviving children – Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden – also spoke to remember their brother, who died of brain cancer last week at the age of 46.

After delivering the eulogy, Obama embraced Joe Biden warmly at the front of the church, and kissed him on the cheek.

Beau Biden “did not have a mean bone in his body” and was the consummate public servant and family man, Obama said.

With tears in his eyes and an occasional slight tremor in his voice, Obama said Biden had “shoulders broad enough not only to bear your own burdens but the burdens of others”. » | Joanna Walters in New York | Saturday, June 06, 2015

Muslims Ask Moscow Authorities for Separate Beaches for Men and Women

RT: The suggestion of the Muslim community to organize separate beaches for men and women has been supported by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, Jewish and Buddhist religions.

The request to the Moscow City Hall has been prepared and filed by Albir Krganov who is a deputy chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia and also a member of the Public Chamber’s Commission for Harmonization of Relations between Ethnic and Religious Groups.

The activist claimed that “hundreds of thousands” of religious residents of Moscow were deprived of ability to visit city beaches that are currently shared by men and women. “As not everyone can afford a trip abroad, and we consider it necessary to open additional recreation zones for the residents of the capital city who cannot stay on common beaches for religious or moral reasons,” Krganov wrote in his letter. » | Friday, June 05, 2015

Pamela Geller: Target of Beheading Plot Talks to CNN

THE BLAZE: Muhammad Cartoon Organizer Pamela Geller Was Asked, ‘Is This Worth Dying For?’ This Was Her Response » | Billy Hallowell | Friday, June 05, 2015

American Muslims: Latino Converts to Islam

We visit the Islamic Center of Greater Miami to look at the rising number of Latino Muslims in the US—as many as 250,000, according to estimates. Some of the converts say that in Islam they have found theological simplicity and “no intermediaries with God.” The Islamic Circle of North America reports that more than half of US Latino converts are women. “I just felt that the minute I put my head down to the ground, “ says Nadia Echevrria, “I was really talking to God.” – Friday, June 05, 2015 (Originally published on July 25, 2014)

Former Guantanamo Bay Detainee Weds Muslim Convert in Uruguay

Adel bin Muhammad El Ouerghi with his wife Samira
(formerly Roma), a Uruguayan who converted to Islam
four months ago.

THE GUARDIAN: Adel bin Muhammad El Ouerghi, a 50-year-old Tunisian, married Roma Blanco, a 24-year-old Uruguayan

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Adel bin Muhammad El Ouerghi looked out his apartment window Friday and smiled as he showed off his wedding ring to a handful of cheering onlookers below.

The 50-year-old Tunisian married Roma Blanco, a 24-year-old Uruguayan who converted to Islam. The union was the first of two weddings being organized by men resettled in the South American country.

“Adel is humble, respectful, nice and very gentlemanly,” Blanco said. “He is everything that a woman can expect from a man.”

Blanco added she liked her husband’s sincerity, and how he treated her 5-year-old son from a previous relationship.

She said she converted to Islam four months ago and planned to take the name Samira. She and El Ouerghi met a month ago at a mosque. Blanco wore a light purple scarf and a violet jacket with gold-colored lacing. She also had henna designs on her hands, customary for Muslim women for the marriage ceremony. » | Associated Press | Friday, June 05, 2015

Cheese-loving Kim Jong-un Gains MORE Weight 'On Purpose' as Rest of North Korea Starve

DAILY EXPRESS: CHEESE-LOVING dictator Kim Jong-un's ballooning waistline has been revealed in new photos to emerge from secretive North Korea – as the portly leader's people continue to starve.

Images show the brutal leader proudly displaying his ever-expanding gut in an open pinstripe suit, surrounded by military officials who are half the size of the 'Supreme Leader'.

Jong-un's enormous weight gain has been a topic of discussion in recent months, with the reason believed to be down to an obsession with Swiss cheese.

The dictator is said to be so addicted to the dairy product, which he developed a taste for during his student years in Switzerland, that he has it imported in bulk for his personal consumption.

The 32-year-old's bulging belly has also sparked concerns for his health after he disappeared for three weeks in September last year.

There were suggestions Jong-un was suffering gout and had even broken his ankle - due to his size and love of wearing Cuban heel shoes – with the reason for his absence unconfirmed by North Korea officials. » | Levi Winchester | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

La France est en guerre

Les phénomènes ont des causes. Ce qui frappe la France aujourd’hui porte un nom et est le résultat de causes identifiables.

EURACTIV: National Front MEP under investigation for Islam comments: Relieved of his duties as leader of the National Front delegation in the European Parliament after calling for the "de-Islamification of France", sources told AFP that Aymeric Chauprade is now the subject of a legal inquiry. EurActiv France and AFP report. » | EurActiv France avec l'AFP | vendredi 05 juin 2015

Pamela Geller on the Plot to Behead Her

WND: Geller Calls on ‘Bigots’ to Expect Muslims to ‘Behave’ » | Bob Unruh | Friday, June 05, 2015

Isis: Threat on Balkans to 'Avenge Muslims'

ANSAMED: 'In Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania we will arrive with explosives'

TIRANA - The Balkans are being threatened by Isis, which has announced it wants ''revenge for the humiliation suffered by Muslims in Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia''. ''We will arrive with explosives'', said the Albanian national Abu Muqatil (Al Kosovi), a Kosovan Islamic militant[s] who claims to represent the jihadist group in the region.

In a long video released by Al Hayat media center, the main 'production house' of the terror organization born in Syria and Iraq, the announcement of future attacks in the Balkan region is entrusted to Albanian-language militants. » | Friday, June 05, 2015

Robert Spencer Slams CNN For ‘Targeting’ Pamela Geller Instead of Radical Islam

Greater Manchester Police Officer Sacked over 'Offensive and Racist' Comments about Muslims on Facebook

MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS: GMP panel hears how colleague was 'disgusted' by rant, on Daily Mail story, which is ruled to have breached force's professional standards

A police officer who posted ‘offensive and racist’ comments about Muslims on Facebook has been dismissed from Greater Manchester Police force.

During only the second hearing of its kind ever to be heard in public, the officer admitted gross misconduct by breaching professional standards for equality and diversity and discreditable conduct.

A panel chaired by Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett heard how an officer, who remained anonymous throughout the hearing, had posted Facebook comments which had ‘disgusted’ a colleague.

Officer A made a comment below a Daily Mail article about the number of Muslim and Christian children in Birmingham.

He said: “That’s because we have allowed them to settle into their own communities and they have no desire to mix, they would rather take over areas and breed like rabbits.

"If you look at the way they take over certain areas it’s not unlike what the Germans did in Europe, they get a stronghold and then go for broke. We have already had 2 Muslim-related beheadings in this country in a year.”

The comment has since been deleted. » | Beth Abbit | Friday, June 05, 2015

Tariq Aziz, Ex-Saddam Hussein Aide, Dies in Iraqi Prison

BBC AMERICA: Tariq Aziz, known as the face of Saddam Hussein's regime on the world stage for many years, has died in an Iraqi prison, officials say.

Aziz, 79, served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister and was a close adviser to the former leader.

He was sentenced to death by the Iraqi Supreme Court in 2010 for the persecution of religious parties under Saddam's rule but was never executed.

He surrendered to US troops in 2003 shortly after the fall of Baghdad.

Aziz, who was known for his black-rimmed glasses and love of cigars, first came to prominence while serving as foreign minister during the first Gulf War in 1991.

As a Christian in a mainly Sunni Muslim government, he was not considered a member of Saddam Hussein's innermost circle.

A fluent English speaker, he played a vocal role before the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, meeting Pope John Paul II in the Vatican to call for peace. » | Friday, June 05, 2015

DANIEL PIPES: Turkey's unimportant election

Almost every assessment of the national parliamentary election to take place in Turkey on June 7 rates it among the most important in the republic's nearly century-old history. The New York Times deems it "crucial" and the London Daily Telegraph "pivotal." The Huffington Post calls it "the biggest election" in the republic's history. The Financial Times…

US Report Claiming Saudi Arabia Financed 9/11 Attack 'Redacted by Bush'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A redacted Senate report accuses Saudi Arabia of financing the September 2001 terrorist attacks, an American senator says

An American senator has claimed that a secret official report blaming Saudi Arabia for financing the 9/11 attacks was redacted by George W Bush.

Bob Graham, former chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the report shows Saudi Arabia was the "principle financier" of the attacks. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, but previous investigations failed to find a link between the country and the terrorist attack, which killed 2,996 people.

Mr Graham told The Times that a 28-page chapter of the 2002 Senate report, entitled Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001, had been withheld to protect the country. Now retired, he is campaigning for its release. » | Harriet Alexander | Friday, June 05, 2015

How IS Seeks Sectarian War in Saudi Arabia

BBC AMERICA: Saudi Arabia has now suffered three deliberate attacks by supporters of Islamic State (IS) on the restive Shia Muslim minority living in the country's oil-rich Eastern Province.

The first, in November 2014, was a gun attack. And, in May 2015, there have been two devastating suicide bomb blasts targeting worshippers at Friday prayers.

The last two attacks used RDX, a powerful military explosive, and have been claimed by IS's self-styled Najd Province, named after Saudi Arabia's staunchly conservative Sunni heartland, the desert plateau in the middle of the country.

So what is IS trying to achieve and will it succeed?

These attacks are a watershed for Saudi Arabia.

How it reacts now and in the coming months will determine whether the largest and most important Arab state can stave off a wider sectarian conflict between the country's majority Sunni and minority Shia Muslim populations, something that would be disastrous for both communities.

The attacks follow decades of state and religious discrimination against the Shia minority, who constitute about 10% of the population. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | Thursday, June 04, 2015

Why I left Islam!

This is a brief account of my journey out of Islam.

Mark Levin Responds to Bill O’Reilly on Garland Terrorist Attack

Mark Levin has heard enough when it comes to the constant drumbeat of pundits and guests making the terrorist attack against Pamela Geller’s private Drawing Muhammad event about provocation. Last night Levin defended Geller, responding to comments made by Bill O’Reilly and others, saying this isn’t about provocation or emotions or even about freedom of speech, but rather it’s about Sharia Law.

Pamela Geller Says Terror Plot That Targeted Her Is ‘Chilling’

ABC News’ Tom Llamas spoke to conservative activist and Muhammad cartoon contest sponsor Pamela Geller about terror suspect Usaama Rahim’s plot to behead her.

Französischer Telefongigant: Orange will sich aus Israel zurückziehen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der französische Telefongigant Orange will keine Geschäfte mehr in Israel machen. Angeblich hat der Rückzug keinen politischen Hintergrund - zuvor hatten Flüchtlingsorganisationen Orange zum Boykott aufgerufen. Jerusalem ist wütend.

Pläne des französischen Telekommunikationsunternehmens Orange für einen Rückzug aus Israel haben heftige Reaktionen in Jerusalem ausgelöst. Das Unternehmen verteidigte den Schritt mit dem Argument, es wolle nicht mehr als Marke in Ländern präsent sein, wo es nicht auch selbst als Betreiber agiert. Orange wolle sich in keiner Form an politischen Debatten beteiligen, teilte der Konzern mit.

Israels Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanyahu forderte daraufhin die französische Regierung dazu auf, sich von "unglücklichen Äußerungen und Aktionen" von Orange zu distanzieren. Netanyahu beschrieb die Lage als "unverzeihliches absurdes Theater". Die französische Regierung hält rund ein Viertel der Orange-Anteile. "Ich rufe unsere besten Freunde dazu auf, mit lauter, klarer Stimme zu sagen, dass sie bedingungslos gegen jede Form des Boykotts gegen den jüdischen Staat sind", sagte Netanyahu. » | anr/dpa/Reuters | Donnerstag, 04. Juni 2015

Related »

Sarkozy Panned for Holding ‘Question of Islam’ Meet

In first action, former French president’s new center-right party debate place of Islam in France, to dismay of religious groups

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing opposition party held an internal meeting Thursday on the “question of Islam” in France, drawing criticism from Muslim groups and some members of the party for “stigmatizing” the religion.

The former French president’s party, recently rebranded “The Republicans,” debated “the place of religion” in secular France and more specifically “Islam in France.”

France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim community and also the continent’s biggest Jewish community but is officially secular.

One month after the January attacks in Paris that killed 17, Sarkozy said: “The question is not to know what the Republic can do for Islam, but what Islam can do to become the Islam of France.” » | AFP | Thursday, June 04, 2015

The Daily Show: Jon Stewart

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive

MEDIAITE: The Daily Show Instructs Muslims How to Be More ‘America-Loving’ » Josh Feldman | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Pamela Geller Reacts to Being Targetted for Beheading

Boston Terror Suspect Reportedly Targeted 'Draw Muhammad' Activist for Beheading

FOX NEWS: The knife-wielding terror suspect who was shot and killed by law enforcement outside Boston early Tuesday originally targeted the activist behind last month's "Draw Muhammad" cartoon competition before turning his sights on local police, according to several published reports.

CNN and NBC, citing law enforcement sources, reported late Wednesday that Usaama Rahim had planned to behead Pamela Geller, an activist and blogger who organized last month's cartoon contest for images of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in Garland, Texas. That event was targeted by two Muslim gunmen who were killed by police.

Geller was not identified in an FBI complaint against David Wright, a relative of Rahim, that was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. However, investigators did say that Rahim had initially told Wright that he planned to behead an unidentified victim outside of Massachusetts. » | FoxNews.com | Thursday, June 04, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Terror suspect killed by FBI 'planned to behead Pamela Geller': Usaama Rahim allegedly planned to kill anti-Islam activist before his death in Boston on Tuesday » | David Lawler, Washington | Thursday, June 04, 2015

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Knife-wielding Boston terror suspect shot dead planned to behead conservative blogger Pamela Geller: report » | Bev Ford, Nancy Dillon | New York Daily News | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Sarkozy veut reconquérir la France "centimètre par centimètre"

LE POINT: "Le temps de la primaire n'est pas venu", a lancé le président des Républicains lors d'un meeting de soutien à Manuel Aeschlimann à Asnières-sur-Seine.

Nicolas Sarkozy, président des Républicains, a affirmé mercredi à Asnières-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine) qu'il voulait reconquérir la France "centimètre par centimètre", parce que c'est ce qui va permettre à sa famille politique "non seulement de gagner en 2017 mais de mettre en oeuvre" sa politique. "Sur les divisions, il n'y aura que la défaite, sur l'Union, tout devient possible", a lancé Nicolas Sarkozy devant près de 1 500 personnes, lors d'un meeting de soutien à Manuel Aeschlimann, qui tente les 14 et 21 juin de regagner la mairie d'Asnières, qu'il avait conquise avec seulement 70 voix sur son adversaire socialiste en 2014. Le Conseil d'État avait invalidé cette élection en raison de "pressions" à voter UMP aux abords de plusieurs bureaux de vote, sans toutefois établir l'implication de Manuel Aeschlimann. » | Source AFP | mercredi 03 juin 2015

Obama schickt Netanjahu eine besondere Warnung

Barack Obama und Benjamin Netanjahu: Ein schwieriges
Verhältnis wird noch komplizierter

DIE WELT: Israels wichtigster Verbündeter schickt Warnsignale nach Jerusalem. Obama stellt die bedingungslose Unterstützung Israels im UN-Sicherheitsrat infrage – das könnte schon bald Konsequenzen haben.

Seit Wochen, so berichten israelische Medien, kriselt es zwischen israelischen und französischen Diplomaten. Hintergrund ist Paris' Vorhaben, dem Sicherheitsrat der Vereinten Nationen eine Resolution vorzulegen, um dem Friedensprozess mit den Palästinensern neuen Schwung zu geben. Der Vorschlag, dessen Inhalt Ende Mai im "Figaro" bekannt wurde, schreibt die Richtlinien einer Lösung vor, mit so manch einem für Jerusalem problematischen Paragrafen. So sollen Verhandlungen innerhalb von 18 Monaten abgeschlossen, Jerusalem geteilt und alle israelischen Truppen aus dem Westjordanland abgezogen werden.

Bislang verließen die Israelis sich darauf, dass solche Initiativen von ihrem wichtigsten Verbündeten gestoppt würden. Das geschah zuletzt im Dezember, als Washington drohte, notfalls vom Vetorecht Gebrauch zu machen. Doch nun schickte US-Präsident Barack Obama eine unmissverständliche Drohung an Israels Premier Benjamin Netanjahu: Dessen umstrittene Aussagen machten es erheblich schwerer, Israel in der internationalen Arena zu verteidigen. Eine Verurteilung Israels im Sicherheitsrat oder die Verabschiedung von Resolutionen, die Jerusalem unter Druck setzen, wird wahrscheinlicher. » | Von Gil Yaron, Tel Aviv | Mittwoch, 03. Juni 2015

'Soviet-era Snitching' Returns to Russia

NEWSWEEK: "Denunciations, secret informants and squealers" are becoming "rife" in everyday Russian life, experts in Russia have said, with some people saying the trend marks a return to the dark days of the 1930s purges when people would denounce their neighbours and friends to the authorities in order to advance their career, or to secure a better standard of living.

According to an article published in the Moscow Times, denunciations often come from anonymous groups who state authorities rarely name, referring to them instead as "concerned citizens". However, in some cases the denunciations are public and often involve the State Duma or local deputies, with one expert claiming that state authorities sometimes fabricate claims in order to justify their actions.

Alexander Cherkasov, who works for a human rights group pointed out that several state-led campaigns against "loosely defined extremists, gay people and those perceived to be insulting the feelings of religious believers" over the last few years, are used to signal our certain individuals or groups, meaning that these people come under increased, and arguably unfair, scrutiny. » | Felicity Capon | Monday, June 01, 2015

As Turkey Turns from the West, Islanbul's Most Iconic Building Is Claimed for Islam

NEWSWEEK: Empires have risen and fallen, but the dome of the great basilica remains, dominating the skyline of Istanbul for the past 14 centuries. Built by the Roman emperor Justinian in 532 as the Church of the Holy Wisdom, the Hagia Sophia served as the principal church of Eastern Christianity for 916 years. When the Turkish Sultan Mehmet II captured the city in 1453, he stopped at the monumental porch and stooped to scatter dust on his turban as a gesture of humility before Allah the Victory-Giver.

On Mehmet's order, the church became the mosque of Ayasofya (the Turkish spelling), a symbol of the triumph of the Ottoman Turks and of the supremacy of Islam. In 1935, the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Atatürk, ordered Ayasofya opened as a museum, a symbol of the secular, modern republic he was forging from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. "Atatürk made the Hagia Sophia a monument to what Turkey could become," said Anthony Eastmond, AG Leventis Reader in the history of Byzantine art at London's Courtauld Institute of Art. "By turning it from a mosque into a museum, he made it a place for all people."

Now the Hagia Sophia (the usual English spelling) has once again become a symbol – this time of the very contemporary battle for the soul of Turkey between Islamists and secularists. Vocal religious-conservative activists, some with links to the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, are pressuring the government to reconsecrate the site for Islam. … » | Owen Matthews, Sila Alici | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

50% of Italians and Poles View Muslims Negatively, Study Finds

NEWSWEEK: More than 50% of Italians and Poles have a negative view of Muslims, according to new research which reveals worrying levels of xenophobia in several European countries.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that 61% of Italians and 56% of Poles expressed a negative view of Muslims in their country[,].

Anti-Semitism is also high in both countries, with one in five Italians and one in four Poles viewing Jews unfavourably. In contrast, less than one in 10 French and British people expressed similar views.

Xenophobia has seen a revival in Europe of late, with the rise of far-right and nationalist parties such as the Front National in France and the Pegida movement in Germany.

The study, which also surveyed four other EU nations, was conducted after the Charlie Hebdo shootings and kosher supermarket attack in Paris earlier this year. » | Conor Gaffey | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Dutch Anti-Islam Lawmaker Geert Wilders Vows to Show Muhammad Cartoons on National Television

680 NEWS: THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said Wednesday he plans to show cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad on Dutch television after Parliament refused to display them.

Wilders said he would show the cartoons during television airtime reserved for political parties, in a move likely to offend Muslims since Islamic tradition holds that any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous.

Political parties in the Netherlands get a small amount of airtime each year and broadcasting authorities have no say in what the parties show. Wilders said the broadcast would likely take place in the next few weeks, but an exact date has yet to be determined.

The announcement came a month after Wilders gave a speech at a contest in Garland, Texas, for cartoon depictions of Muhammad. Shortly after Wilders left the event, it was targeted by two men with pistols and assault rifles. Security guards shot and killed the attackers. » | Mike Corder, The Associated Press | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Boston Man Slain by Police Was Planning Terrorist Attack, FBI Says

LOS ANGELES TIMES: A Boston man who was shot and killed by members of a counter-terrorism task force had been planning an attack in the United States by beheading someone, possibly randomly chosen police officers, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday.

Usaamah Rahim, 26, a private security officer who lived in Boston, had been planning the attack since at least May 26 and had bought knives online from Amazon, according to court documents. Rahim, who was under law enforcement surveillance, was fatally shot Tuesday by members of a Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Boston neighborhood of Roslindale after he reportedly approached the officers with a large knife. (+ video) » | Matt Pearce | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Selling Islam in America

CHRISTIAN POST – OPINION: When Tulsa, Okla., police captain Paul Fields refused an order to attend a mosque, he was slapped with a two-week suspension and permanent demotion. Captain Fields resisted the order based on his religious freedom—he is a Christian. But his objections were not good enough for his superiors or the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled against him.

The chief of police had ordered officers to attend the mosque to hear a discussion on Islamic beliefs, Muhammad and Mecca; learn why and how Muslims pray; and consider buying Islamic books and pamphlets. In December 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case. The Fields case is but another in a bewildering campaign to sell Islam to Americans while denigrating Christianity and, as in the Tulsa decision, rejecting the rights of individuals or groups holding other religious convictions.

Such capricious actions, though motivated by a professed desire to be sensitive to followers of Islam, actually have the opposite effect. Even Muslims should reject them based on their own self-interests. No one has benefited from the radical polarization of Americans over the past few years. Religious intolerance and deteriorating race relations threaten to alter or destroy this society. » | Elwood McQuaid, CP Guest Contributor | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Tired Of Islam, Iranians Ask ' Who Is This Jesus?' - CBN

The harsh treatment of Christians in Iran is fueling church growth. Despite the threats, one television channel is beaming the Christian message directly into the Islamic country.

Ex-Muslims Lighting the Way for Islam's Collapse?

If Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, why are so many Muslims leaving their faith? Some believe the collapse of Islam is on the horizon.

Migration Threatens European Civilisation, Says Hungary PM

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: 'There is no way back from a multicultural Europe' says Viktor Orban, who warns decisions Europe makes on migration now will affect it forever

Mass migration threatens European civilisation, Hungary's controversial Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Tuesday.

"Today mass migration is taking place around the globe that could change the face of Europe's civilisation. If that happens, that is irreversible," Mr Orban said at a conference in honour of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who recently turned 85.

"There is no way back from a multicultural Europe. Neither to a Christian Europe, nor to the world of national cultures," Mr Orban added.

He insisted that migration needs to be addressed seriously. "If we make a mistake now, it will be forever," Mr Orban, 52, said. » | Agencies | Tuesday, June 02, 2015

«Man kann uns nicht mehr aufhalten»

TAGES ANZEIGER: Erdrutschsiege in zwei Bundesländern geben der Rechten Österreichs Aufschwung. Sie sieht sich auf dem Weg zur «sozialen Volkspartei».

Mit dem Rückenwind eines spektakulären Wahl-Triumphs in zwei Bundesländern sieht sich die rechte FPÖ in Österreich auf dem besten Weg in die Regierung. «Man kann uns nicht mehr aufhalten und schon gar nicht stoppen», sagte FPÖ-Chef Heinz-Christian Strache am Montag in Wien. Seine Partei sei auf dem Weg zur «sozialen Volkspartei».

Die «Erdrutschgewinne» in der Steiermark und im Burgenland seien ein deutliches Signal an die rot-schwarzen Koalitionen in Bund und Ländern, die «undemokratische Ausgrenzung gegenüber der FPÖ» zu beenden. » | sda | Montag, 01. Juni 2015

FPÖ berauscht sich an Wahlerfolgen »

Interview with Brigitte Gabriel

Brigitte Gabriel is a Lebanese American journalist, author and activist. She is the founder of the American Congress For Truth, an organization dedicated to educating the public about Islam. This is her interview at Duke University in 2004.


ACT for America »

Brigitte Gabriel on Obama

Brigitte Gabriel: Western Leaders Afraid of the Truth about Islam

With So Many Muslims Finding Christ, Could Islam Fall?

CHARISMA NEWS: The headlines say Islam is going to be the largest religion in the world. But Islam is facing a crisis.

The terrible deeds of ISIS, done in the name of Allah and following the violent example of Muhammad, have horrified Muslims who are now questioning their faith.

Missionaries to the Islamic world say more Muslims have converted to Christianity in the last 14 years (since 9/11) than during the entire 14 centuries of Islamic history.

Secret Lives

Many keep their conversion a secret, afraid for their lives. In London, CBN News talked to Imran (no last name given to protect his identity), a British college student from a Pakistani immigrant family. Imran left Islam after a lengthy study convinced him the Quran could not be true. Leaving Islam can be a tough road.

"If someone leaves Islam and becomes an apostate, he is thrown out of his family; his family will be the first ones to abandon him," Imran explained. "His friends will reject him and he will be killed or he will be persecuted. A lot of my friends said, 'This is the last time I'm talking to you because you disrespected the prophet Muhammed, you disrespected Islam.'"

Imran has not yet become a Christian, but has studied the Bible and says Christianity is superior to Islam. » | Dale Hurd | CBN | Monday, June 01, 2015

Schweiz: Der Imam von Bern

«Die Kernbotschaft des Islam ist das friedliche Zusammenleben der Menschen», sagt Mustafa Memeti. Er ist Imam des «Muslimischen Vereins Bern» und Präsident des «Albanisch Islamischen Verbandes Schweiz». Memeti kämpft gegen Extremismus und für den Dialog zwischen den Religionen.

How and Why Hitler, the Nazis and the Third Reich Came to Power – Full Documentary

Hitler in Colour: Nazi Rise to Power

A documentary about Adolf Hitler rise to power in 1933. This video is meant for educational purposes only.

RENSE.COM: David Lloyd George's Impression After A Meeting With Adolf Hitler, September 4, 1936 » | By The Right Honourable DAVID LLOYD GEORGE, The Daily Express - London | November 17, 1936

Wahlkampf in der Türkei: Erdogan droht kritischem Journalisten

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ein türkischer Journalist hat über angebliche Waffenlieferungen an Extremisten in Syrien berichtet - trotz Nachrichtensperre. Dafür hat Präsident Erdogan dem Autor nun gedroht, er werde "einen hohen Preis dafür bezahlen".

Vor der Parlamentswahl am kommenden Sonntag ist der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan im Wahlkampfmodus. Dabei herrscht in der Türkei ein rauer Ton - auch gegen unliebsame Medien. Journalist Can Dündar hatte über angebliche Waffenlieferungen an Extremisten in Syrien berichtet - nun hat ihm Erdogan offen gedroht. Der Chefredakteur der regierungskritischen Zeitung "Cumhuriyet" werde "einen hohen Preis dafür bezahlen", sagte Erdogan im Staatssender TRT. » | vek/dpa/AFP | Montag, 01. Juni 2015

Österreich: FPÖ berauscht sich an Wahlerfolgen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Von 10 auf 27 Prozent: Die rechtspopulistische FPÖ hat bei zwei Landtagswahlen unerwartet viele Stimmen hinzugewonnen - mit einer ausländerfeindlichen Kampagne. Parteichef Strache tönt, man sei auf dem Weg zur stärksten Partei des Landes.

Nach großen Stimmenzuwächsen bei zwei Landtagswahlen sieht sich die rechtspopulistische FPÖ auf dem Weg nach oben. "Die FPÖ ist am Weg zur stärksten und bestimmenden Kraft in Österreich", sagte der Parteivorsitzende Heinz-Christian Strache. Er sieht die beiden Abstimmungen als "Vorspiel" für die Wahlen in Oberösterreich und Wien im Herbst.

Bei den Wahlen vom Sonntag hat die Partei mit einer ausländerfeindlichen Kampagne teils spektakuläre Gewinne eingefahren. In der Steiermark kann sie laut vorläufigem amtlichen Endergebnis ihren Stimmenanteil um 16,5 Prozentpunkte auf 27,1 Prozent steigern.

Sie liegt damit nur knapp hinter sozialdemokratischer SPÖ (29,2 Prozent) und konservativer ÖVP (28,5 Prozent). Auch im Burgenland gelang fast eine Verdoppelung auf 15 Prozent. » | fab/dpa | Montag, 01. Juni 2015

US Muslim in Abercrombie Hijab Court Win

BBC AMERICA: The US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a Muslim woman who was denied a job because of her headscarf.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co refused to hire Samantha Elauf because her dress violated the clothing retailer's "Look Policy" for sales staff.

Ms Elauf wore a hijab at interview but did not say she was Muslim.

But Justice Antonin Scalia said the retailer "at least suspected" that she wore a headscarf for religious reasons and she did not need to make a request.

US law requires that employers must "reasonably accommodate" an employee's religious beliefs, as long as it does not provide an undue hardship to the business. » | Monday, June 01, 2015

Islamic State Militants 'Filmed Torturing Syrian Boy'

BBC AMERICA: A graphic mobile phone video obtained by the BBC appears to show militants from Islamic State (IS) torturing a 14-year-old Syrian boy.

The footage, filmed by a defector from the jihadist group, shows the boy being beaten while he hangs by his wrists.

The UN has accused IS and other armed groups in Syria and Iraq of torturing and killing children.

Children have also been recruited, trained and used on the battlefield.

Another teenager told the BBC how he fought and killed for the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front at the age of just 15, and that when he switched to IS he found 13-year-olds being indoctrinated. (+ BBC videos) » | Quentin Sommerville, BBC News, Turkey-Syria border | Monday, June 01, 2015

Calls to Refer to God as a Woman as Female Bishops Take Up Posts

Bishop Libby Lane at Chester Cathedral

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops

Support is growing within the Church of England to rewrite its official liturgy to refer to God as female following the selection of the first women bishops.

Growing numbers of priests already insert words such as “she” and “mother” informally into traditional service texts as part of a move to make the language of worship more inclusive, it has been claimed.

But calls for a full overhaul of liturgy to recognise the equal status of women have already been discussed informally at a senior level.

It comes after the “Transformations Steering Group”, a body which meets in Lambeth Palace to examine the impact of women in ministry on the Church of England, issued a public call to the bishops to encourage more “expansive language and imagery about God”.

Hilary Cotton, chair of Women And The Church (Watch), the group which led the campaign for female bishops, said the shift away from the traditional patriarchal language of the Book of Common Prayer in already at an “advanced” stage in some quarters.

“The reality is that in many churches up and down the country something more than the almost default male language about God is already being used,” she said. “Quietly clergy are just talking about God as ‘she’ every now and then.

“The response you often get at one end is ‘why does it matter because God is beyond all this?’

“At the other end the reaction is ‘you mustn’t because Jesus calls God father.” » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Sunday, May 31, 2015

Bacha Bazi - The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan (2009)

It was an ancient tradition banned by the Taliban but now it's back: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports from northern Afghanistan on the hiring out of young male dancers by older men.

Our Leaders Keep Telling Us That Islam is Loving and Peaceful, But This Film Will Show You What the Cowardly Politicians––the Creeps––Won’t Tell You

Why I Left Islam & Goodbye

Sharia4Australia: Muslim Cleric Says "Democracy is the Devil's Law"

Islam Center Stage as Turkish Election Campaign Enters Final Week

REUTERS.COM: Evoking the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and vowing the Muslim call to prayer would forever ring out, President Tayyip Erdogan put religion center stage on Saturday as campaigning for Turkey's parliamentary election entered its final week.

Persuading religious conservatives, including pious Kurds and nationalists, to back the Islamist-rooted AK Party will be key in an election Erdogan hopes will bring him stronger presidential powers that opponents see as a threat to democracy.

Turkey's most dominant politician for more than a decade and founder of the AK Party, Erdogan draws much of his support from the pious masses. His rhetoric often plays on a tension reaching back to the 1920s when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk forged a secular republic from the ruins of an Ottoman theocracy.

"We will not give way to those who speak out against our call to prayer," he said in a speech in Istanbul to mark the anniversary of the 1453 Islamic conquest that turned the capital of the Byzantine Empire into the seat of Ottoman power.

"We will not give space to those who want to extinguish the fire of conquest burning in the heart of Istanbul for 562 years," he told a sea of supporters waving the red Turkish flag, most of the women covered in the Islamic headscarf and some of the men wearing headbands bearing Erdogan's name.

An AK Party video released to commemorate the conquest culminated with the Muslim call to prayer being recited from a minaret of the Hagia Sophia, Christendom's greatest cathedral for 900 years until the Ottomans turned it into a mosque.

Ataturk, who banished Islam from state affairs and promoted Western dress and women's rights, decreed it a museum in 1934. But a burgeoning sense of Islamic identity that Erdogan has encouraged has revived interest in praying there. » | Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk | Istanbul | Saturday, May 30, 2015

C of E Crisis as It Loses 1.7m Followers - and Islam Gains 900,000: Former Archbishop Lord Carey warns: 'Church Is a Generation from Extinction'

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Lord Carey called for urgent action to reverse slump in followers / Britons identifying themselves as C of E or Anglican dropped to 17 per cent / Current Archbishop Justin Welby has also said decline needs tackling / Government statistician says figures are 'very serious' for Church

The Church of England has suffered a dramatic slump in its followers, shocking new figures show.

Between 2012 and 2014, the proportion of Britons identifying themselves as C of E or Anglican dropped from 21 per cent to 17 per cent – a fall of about 1.7 million people.

Over the same period, the number of Muslims in Britain grew by nearly one million, according to a survey by the respected NatCen Social Research Institute.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey warned last night that unless urgent action was taken, the Church was just ‘one generation away from extinction’.

The number of Anglicans in Britain has dropped from about 10.3 million to 8.6 million, and will raise fresh fears over the future of the Church of England, which has been in decline since the 1960s.

Lord Carey, who has warned before about dwindling congregations, said: ‘These figures are a call to urgent mission. I have no doubt at all that the Archbishops, together with the whole leadership of the Church of England, are doing all they can to reverse this trend.’

The current Archbishop, Justin Welby, has also called for the decline to be tackled and is introducing measures to streamline the Church and strengthen its leadership. Read on and comment » | Sanchez Manning and Jonathan Petre for ‘Mail On Sunday’ | Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sydney Same-sex Marriage Rally: Tony Abbott's Sister Christine Forster among Speakers at Demonstration

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: A bill on the issue in being introduced on Monday in Australia

More than a thousand people took to the streets of Sydney on Sunday to rally in favour of equal marriage in Australia.

Christine Forster, Liberal Party politician and the gay sister of the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, was among the speakers at the demonstration.

It came days after Mr Abbott seemingly bowed to pressure by hinting that he would allow his MPs a free vote on a same-sex marriage bill which will be introduced in federal parliament on Monday.

Although Ms Forster is engaged to a woman, the Prime Minister has been a long standing opponent of gay marriage, and rejected calls for a referendum after Ireland's public vote earlier this month reignited debate on the issue in Australia. » | David Hughes | Sunday, May 31, 2015

USA: Anti-Islam Rally Targets Arizona Mosque

Tony Blair 'in £330,000 Demand for Hunger Talk'

SUNDAY EXPRESS: A SPEECH by Tony Blair at a world hunger conference was dropped after the former Prime Minister allegedly demanded a massive £330,000 fee, it has emerged.

Mr Blair was asked to speak at the Eat food forum in Stockholm, Sweden, which starts tomorrow.

The event, which last year featured a talk by former American president Bill Clinton, claims to be a forum where 'science politics and business can share insight and ideas to achieve our common goal of sustainably feeding a healthy world population.

Kruger Cowne talent agency, which represents Mr Blair, asked for a £250,000 fee plus £80,000 expenses for a twenty minute speech, according to the Sunday Times.

Mr Clinton got a total of £327,000 for his half-hour talk last year. Eat offered Mr Blair, who stepped down from his role as Middle East peace envoy last week, £215,000, but after months of talks, an agreement was not reached.

A source said: "Blair is just not Clinton, and even his star peer is fast diminishing.

"So for his talent reps to think Eat was going to pay massive bucks for him shows they overestimated his worth." » | Peter Henn | Sunday, May 31, 2015

'We're Coming to Get YOU' UK Special Forces Launch Cyber WAR against ISIS Networks

SUNDAY EXPRESS: BRITISH Special Forces are mounting cyber attacks on Islamic State communications networks, warning its commanders: “We’re coming to get you”.

The news emerges as Whitehall prepares to send 50 additional SAS and SBS troops to join the fight against the terror group in Iraq.

Another 120 Special Forces support troops are also being considered.

They are to help Peshmerga, the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan, advance further into Syria. Kurdish forces have already established coalition enclaves just hours from Raqqa, the headquarters of IS.

The idea of expanding Britain’s training mission outside of Kurdistan was discussed at a National Security Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday.

General Mike Jackson yesterday echoed calls from General Richard Dannatt, his successor as Chief of the General Staff, that Britain should go further and consider putting regular troops into Syria.

Speaking to the Sunday Express, General Jackson said: “How long is Britain and the West prepared to stand back and allow IS to carry on? » | Marco Giannangeli | Sunday, May 31, 2015

Austrians Fear Smoking Ban Threat to Café Culture

BBC AMERICA: After years of debate, Austria's government has announced plans to introduce a total smoking ban in cafes and restaurants by 2018.

Anti-smoking groups say that is too long to wait, but there have been protests by some restaurant owners, who say their business will suffer.

Austrians like order, or "Ordnung" as they say in German. It is hugely frowned upon for a pedestrian to cross the road on a red light. And the streets and underground network of Vienna are kept remarkably clean.

But smoky air in cafes and restaurants has been widely tolerated for years.

Cafe culture

"Smoking is a sort of culture, especially in Austria," Margit Schwed told me as she sat in Cafe Ritter in Vienna, with its gilt chandeliers and marble table tops.

"In the typical Vienna Kaffeehaus you take your coffee and your cigarette. I think people like the flair in the coffee houses."

Austria has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, particularly among young people: 33% of Austrians smoke regularly, according to a 2012 Eurobarometer study. Only Greeks, Bulgarians and Latvians smoke more. (+ BBC video) » | Bethany Bell, BBC News, Vienna | Sunday, May 31, 2015

Contre Daech, l'Iran lance un concours de caricatures

leJDD: La Maison iranienne de la bande dessinée de Téhéran a appelé les dessinateurs du monde entier à caricaturer Daech. Un concours qui n'épargne pas non plus les Etats-Unis et Israël.

Des dessins contre l'Etat islamique. L'Iran a lancé un concours de caricatures ayant pour sujet l'organisation terroriste. La République chiite appelle ainsi les dessinateurs du monde entier à apporter leur contribution à l'"International Daesh Cartoon & Caricature Contest 2015", pour moquer les djihadistes sunnites. Cité par la chaîne de télévision iranienne Press TV, l'organisateur, membre de la Maison iranienne de la bande dessinée de Téhéran, a ainsi déclaré vouloir "révéler la vraie nature de Daech", qui veut "essayer de s'approprier l'islam mais n'a aucune idée de ce qu'est l'islam". » | A.F. - leJDD.fr, samedi 30 mai 2015

Beau Biden, Son of Vice President and Former Delaware AG, Dies at 46

Vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden walks with his son,
Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, at the Democratic
National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver,
Colorado on August 27, 2008. 

CNN: Washington (CNN) – Joseph "Beau" Biden III, an Iraq war veteran who served as the attorney general of Delaware and was a son of Vice President Joe Biden, has died at the age 46, the White House said in a statement Saturday night.

He had battled brain cancer.

Beau Biden had been receiving treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, according to a statement released Tuesday by the vice president's office. He had suffered known health problems dating back to 2010, when he experienced a stroke that did not affect his motor skills or speech.

In 2013, Beau Biden was treated at a hospital in Houston that specializes in cancer care after he became disoriented and weak while on vacation. He later underwent surgery to have a brain lesion removed. » | Kevin Liptak, CNN White House Producer | Saturday, May 30, 2015

BBC AMERICA: Joe Biden's son Beau dies of brain cancer, aged 46: Former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, the son of US Vice-President Joe Biden, has died of brain cancer. » | Sunday, May 31, 2015

Minnesota Muslims Brutally Honest: ‘We Want Shariah’

WND: Street interviews capture on video anti-American, anti-1st Amendment views


The Cedar Riverside section of Minneapolis is home to the University of Minnesota, some tasty ethnic foods and brutally cold winters. It’s also a known hotbed of Islamic terror recruitment.

Al-Shabab, the Islamist group based in Somalia, has had a field day there over the past six or seven years.

Dozens of young Muslims have left the streets of Cedar Riverside, referred to by some Minnesotans as “Little Mogadishu” for its high concentration of Somali refugees, to travel abroad and fight for terrorist groups. Some have joined Somalia’s notorious al-Shabab, which slaughtered 147 Christians at a university in Kenya last month, while others have opted for ISIS in Syria. Their goal is the same – to join their brothers in the fight to establish a Shariah-compliant utopia known as a caliphate.

But one would expect those who walk the streets of this quiet neighborhood to be a bit less fanatical in their views, right? » | Leo Hohmann | Friday, May 29, 2015

Syrian Christian Fighter 'Beheads ISIS Militant to Avenge Those Killed by Terror Group'

DAILY EXPRESS: A SYRIAN Christian fighter has reportedly beheaded an Islamic State (ISIS) militant "in revenge" for the atrocities and murders committed by the terror group.

The jihadist was executed in the north-east Hasakeh province after being taken prisoner in a local village on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He was reportedly killed to avenge the attacks perpetrated by bloodthirsty ISIS members in recent months, including beatings, beheadings and burning their captives alive.

The Christian who beheaded the militant was allegedly fighting for Kurdish forces who have been battling against ISIS in recent months.

Observatory Chief Rami Abdel Rahman said: "He took him prisoner and when he found out he was a member of ISIS, the Assyrian fighter beheaded him in revenge for abuses committed by the group in the region." » | Levi Winchester | Saturday, May 30, 2015