Dutch Raise Terror Alert Over Anti-Isam Film
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
THE HAGUE (AFP) — The international uproar about the planned release of an anti-Islam film by a Dutch far-right MP prompted the Netherlands to raise its terrorism alert level on Thursday.

"While there are no concrete indications of impending attacks in the Netherlands, the increased international terrorism threat has prompted to raise the threat level for the Netherlands from 'limited' to 'substantial'," the justice ministry said.

One of the main reasons for the raising of the alert level is the plan by far right deputy Geert Wilders to air his short movie -- which he says attacks the Koran as a "fascist book" -- in March.

"Compounding the threat is the fact that the Netherlands has been cast in a negative light in the Islamic world due to the tone of the debate on Islam in this country, especially since the announcement of a controversial film on the Koran," the ministry explained.

The international media attention for Wilders movie "has led to the posting of death threats against the Freedom Party leader on one of the leading international jihadist web forums", according to the national anti-terrorism coordinator NCTb.

The Wilders film has caused uproar in Muslim countries, some of whom have called for an economic boycott of the Netherlands if the film is shown. Iran, Egypt and Pakistan all voiced criticism about the film.

In Afghanistan hundreds of protesters took to the streets Wednesday to protest the film, whilst the Taliban has already vowed revenge against the 1,600 Dutch soldiers stationed in the country if the movie is shown.

The Dutch government has twice tried and failed to convince Wilders not to broadcast his film, fearing a repeat of the worldwide protests which met the publication of satirical Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.

It has already warned its embassies in Muslim countries to be on the alert. Dutch raise terror alert over anti-Islam film >>>

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It’s All Part of a Crusade, Say the Taliban
REUTERS: KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan Taliban militants have branded the reprinting of a satirical cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers and a film on the Koran by a Dutch politician as part of a "Crusader war" against Muslims.

The Islamic movement, which is leading an insurgency in Afghanistan against Afghan and foreign troops led by NATO and the United States, also called for aid for the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel.

"We see the publication of cartoons and insult of the Holy Koran as part of the Crusaders' war," the Taliban said in a statement posted on the group's Web site. Cartoon and Koran film part of "Crusader war:" Taliban >>>

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Adam, a Former Muslim Who Turned to Christ

Hat tip: Ibn Misr

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Businessmen, Financiers, Investment Companies, Mortgage Providers and Banks Are All Rushing In Where Angels Really Would Fear to Tread
The Risky Business of Islamic Finance >>>
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Brussels Wants US to Protect Hirsi Ali
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The EU says the United States should ensure the security of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. 
The former Somali-born Dutch politician has received death threats for her criticism of Islam and lives in the US, though Washington insists its not responsible for her safety.

The Dutch government has refused to pay her security bills ever since she decided to quit politics and left the Netherlands. 



But EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini is now planning to turn up the heat on the US so that she and other Europeans are kept safe from danger.

New deal


Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a person in danger and deserves protection wherever she is - that's according to EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini. 



Frattini has told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that he wants Washington to change its rules over the protection of foreigners living in the States. 



Washington has refused to take responsibility for Ms Hirsi Ali's safety on the grounds that she's a Dutch citizen who came under threat because of her work in the Netherlands. 



That's not good enough, says Franco Frattini. There should be a new deal between the two continents to ensure the security of one another's citizens, he says:

"The best option would be to have a bilateral agreement with the US.

I will meet the Homeland Security Secretary (Michael Chertoff) next week and I plan to raise the topic then. As far as I know, we in Europe guarantee the same level of protection that is appropriate for all high-level officials and normal people who are under protection in the US."

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been living under police protection ever since the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004, with whom she made a film about Islam's treatment of women. 
A note targeting her by name was found on van Gogh's body. Brussels wants US to protect Hirsi Ali: Netherlands no longer guaranteeing safety of islam critic By Vanessa Mock

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Muslim Leaders to Meet Pope
THE GUARDIAN: Religious leaders and scholars from the Islamic world will meet the Pope in Rome for an unprecedented audience in November, it was announced today after historic meetings between Vatican prelates and their Muslim counterparts.

For two days, senior Catholics and Muslims have been preparing for the autumn encounter, deciding upon subjects for discussion and the size of the delegation to meet the pontiff.

The participants involved in this week's meetings confirmed that 24 representatives from each faith would take part in the inaugural seminar of a newly established, permanent Catholic-Muslim Forum, a direct result of their discussions and correspondence.

The forum will meet every two years. The first one will be held in Rome from November 4 until November 6.

On the third day, the seminar will conclude with a public session and a papal reception, quashing rumours of an August meeting at the Pope's summer residence in Castelgandolfo. Muslim Leaders to Meet Pope in Rome >>> By Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent

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”Shari’ah Is the Future for Britain”
THE VOICE OF ISLAM – Sawt ul-Islam: Britain under Islam Conference, Saturday 9th February 2008, 6pm - 7:30pm, Venue: Harmony Hall, Truro Road, Walthamstow, E17 7BY, Speaker: Anjem Choudary, Judge of the Shari’ah Court of the UK and Principal Lecturer at the London School of Shari’ah.

Press Release Dated 8th February 2008

Following the archbishop of Canterbury’s comments yesterday that some elements of Shari’ah seem unavoidable there has been a barrage of attacks against any concept of Shari’ah ever being introduced on the shores of Britain by some and a compromising position being taken by others who have suggested that with checks and balances and as long as British law and values remained paramount then perhaps they might consider Shari’ah law in family matters for example.

Let us be absolutely clear about this. Islam is not subject to dilution, compromise or relegation. It is the perfect system sent to mankind from Allah (SWT) with the last Messenger Muhammad (saw). The Shari’ah is a complete way of life which has rulings on all matters in life from ruling, social and economic relations and even on how the foreign policy should be formulated. There is no room whatsoever for even one law not to based upon the divine text of the Qur’an and the traditions (Hadeeth) of the Messenger Muhammad (saw). For any Muslim to even suggest that the Shari’ah should not be implemented in its entirety is an act of apostasy. The Messenger Muhammad (saw) said clearly that Islam is superior and will never be surpassed.

The idea of non-Muslims offering to implement aspects of Islamic law is not a new phenomenon however. Even in the lifetime of the Prophet the Quraish of Mecca, who were polytheists, offered to mix their own non-Islamic law with the Islamic law, in response the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: ‘O Kaffirs (non-Muslims) I do not worship that which you worship and nor will you worship that which I worship, and I shall not worship that which you worship and nor will you worship that which I worship, to you be your way of life and to me be mine’ [Chapter 109]

In other words the two systems of secularism and Islam are diametrically opposed, you cannot say that sovereignty and supremacy is for man on the one hand and also that sovereignty belongs to Allah on the other. One must take precedence, and that is Islam. Christians and secularists agree to give unto Caesar what belongs to him and unto God what belongs to him, this is the basis of secularism i.e. the separation of religion from life’s affairs, on the other hand Muslims believe Caesar must be a Muslim implementing Islamic law!

Moreover Islamic jurists agree that even if Gordon Brown were to, for example agree to cut the hand of the thief, unless he did so in response to the command of Allah and in worship to him, it would still be considered kufr (non-Islamic) law, for we have a principle that whatever (in non-Islamic law) agrees with Islam is kufr and whatever disagrees with Islam is kufr.

The implementation of Islam on State level is called the concept of the Khilafah. The Khilafah system of governance existed ever since the lifetime of Messenger Muhammad when he established the first Islamic State in 622 CE. There was then an unbroken chain of Islamic States for 1302 years until the destruction of the Ottoman Khilafah in 1924. The Khilafah system is not implemented anywhere in the world today, rather every country in the Muslim world today implements a form of capitalism, monarchy or other form of dictatorship or secular system. Ever since the destruction of the previous state at the hands of the British stooge Kemal Ataturk in 1924, Muslims have witnessed the conspiracies and plots of the Western governments and in particular the British and French, as they divided the remnants of the Islamic State amongst themselves after the First World War. Shari’ah Is the Future for Britain >>>

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Radical Muslim Preacher Advises His Followers How to Screw the British Government
DAILY MAIL: A radical Muslim preacher has been filmed talking about fraudulently claiming benefits and giving advice on how to cheat the Government.

Self-proclaimed extremist Abu Waleed was speaking at the London School of Shariah event in preparation for Ramadan, during which he also made jokes about Muslims taking backpacks on to the Underground.

The British-born radical retold fables from the Koran before encouraging his audience to hoodwink the Government.

After a story about a wealthy man, he said: "There was one man, he had a lot of money - just like us, we have a lot of money today from the income support and the incapacity benefit. Radical Muslim preacher caught on film giving advice on how to 'hoodwink' the Government over benefits >>>

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EU Braces for Outrage over Dutch Lawmaker's Anti-Koran Film
HAARETZ: The European Commission, fearing violence in Islamic nations over an anti-Koran film being made by a Dutch lawmaker, said Wednesday it has sent a memo to its foreign staff on how to handle inquiries about the film.

The EU's executive office did not put forward a position on the film by
lawmaker Geert Wilders, which has not yet been released. Its memo to EU offices worldwide was meant only to keep them posted on developments in the European Union, the commission said.

In 2006, the appearance in European newspapers of 12 caricatures of the
Prophet Mohammad that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper prompted violent protests in Islamic nations.

EU spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann says the memo on the film suggests that EU staff abroad handle any questions by stressing that tolerance and freedom of speech are issues we value very highly in Europe.

The Dutch government has been working for weeks to limit fallout in the Muslim world.

It has increased security at its embassies and urged Wilders to scrap his film for the sake of Dutch national interests and the safety of Dutch citizens abroad. Wilders, who is extremely critical about Islam, has refused to do so. EU braces for outrage over Dutch lawmaker's anti-Koran film >>> By The Associated Press

RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE:
Pakistan Protests Against Wilders Film

REUTERS:
Anti-Koran Dutch Film "Propagates Hate" – Pakistan | Wed Mar 5, 2008

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Hillary Clinton Defeats Obama in Ohio and Texas

THE TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has revived her campaign for the White House nomination, winning three primary election votes and seizing back the momentum from Barack Obama.

Mrs Clinton vowed to continue fighting for the Democratic nomination beyond the spring as she won the critical primary poll in Texas.

The former First Lady earlier claimed victory in Rhode Island and Ohio while Mr Obama, who came into the four-state contest with 11 straight victories under his belt, won the small, liberal state of Vermont.

"You know what they say: As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

"Well, this nation's coming back and so is this campaign," Mrs Clinton said to a cheering crowd in the state capital Columbus, as she celebrated her victory. Hillary Clinton defeats Barack Obama in Ohio and Texas >>> By Toby Harnden in Columbus and Alex Spillius in San Antonio

THE TELEGRAPH:
Hillary Clinton 'willing to have Barack Obama as vice president' By Toby Harnden in Columbus and Alex Spillius in San Antonio

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Shari’ah Strikes Again! Malaysian Woman Jailed for Tea-Pot Worshipping!
THE TELEGRAPH: A sharia court in Malaysia jailed a woman for joining a "tea-pot worshipping" cult.

Kamariah Ali, a 57 year old former teacher, was arrested in 2005 when the government of the Muslim majority country demolished the two storey high sacred tea pot and other infrastructure of the "heretical" Sky Kingdom cult.

For the eccentric sect, which emphasised ecumenical dialogue between religions, the tea pot symbolized the purity of water and "love pouring from heaven".

But in Malaysia, despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of worship, born Muslims such as Mrs Ali are forbidden from converting to other religions. Woman jailed for 'worshipping tea pot' >>> By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent

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The New-Look German Army: Overweight Chainsmokers!
Whatever happened to Eintopf-Sonntag?
THE TELEGRAPH: A new report has forced Germany to admit that many of its soldiers are not lean killing machines but overweight chainsmokers.

The government-sponsored study indicated that over 40 percent of German soldiers were overweight and 70 percent were heavy smokers who did not engage in regular exercise.

Almost nine percent of professional soldiers, some of whom are involved in dangerous overseas missions such as the one in Afghanistan, were found to be clinically obese. Over 27 percent admitted to never engaging in sports or other physical activities. 



Reinhold Robbe, the German Army Ombudsman, who coordinated the study and whose job is to provide civilian oversight of the armed forces, said: "Plainly put, the soldiers are too fat, do too little sport and take little care of their diet. The revelations are alarming." 



The study, published on Tuesday, sparked a public outcry and calls for a parliamentary debate. Its authors blame a "passive lifestyle" practiced in the Bundeswehr or the Federal Army, as well as a bad diet and a wrong approach to fitness and health.

Instead of fruits and vegetables, the soldiers' diet included fat-rich sausages, the preferred fast-food of Germans, as well as large quantities of beer. The bureaucracy troops were left to deal with on daily basis was also quoted as a factor that contributed to their "alarmingly" poor form. The new-look German army: Fat chainsmokers >>> By Bojan Pancevski in Vienna

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Wilders’ Film Website Goes Online

RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The Hague - The website for the anti-Qur'an film Fitna by Geert Wilders is online under the name fitnathemovie. There is little to see at the moment: only the cover of the Qur'an with the text "Allahu Akhbar", which means "God is Great" and "Geert Wilders presents Fitna - Coming Soon" against a black background. Wilders' film website goes online >>>

GEERT WILDERS:
Fitna the Movie

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Dozens of Missing Schoolchildren Could Have Been Forced into Arranged Marriages
DAILY MAIL: Dozens of children are missing from school amid fears they have been forced into arranged marriages, it was revealed yesterday.

In Bradford, 33 children remain "unaccounted for" after being off school for at least two months with no explanation.

The Government is also concerned about another 14 areas of the country where it is feared children under 16 could also be missing from school rolls. Dozens of missing schoolchildren feared forced into arranged marriages >>> By Chris Brooke

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’Muslim Fanatics Benefiting from Public Grants'
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslim extremists should be banned from handing out literature and prevented from sitting on public bodies, David Cameron has said.

The Conservative leader has also accused ministers and councils of allowing fanatics to benefit from public grants to Muslim bodies.

"The Government has allowed hundreds of thousands of pounds to local authorities to improve community cohesion, but there are worrying signs that ministers have taken their eye off the ball," he said.

"I will be making proposals to isolate extremists and make certain they cannot obtain public grants or get invited to sit on public bodies.

"That won't just apply to Islamic extremists. We will be equally vigilant in ensuring that groups linked to the BNP or animal rights militants are excluded too.

"The message should be clear - to those who preach hate, to those who encourage violence, you are not part of the mainstream, you will not get public funding." 'Muslim fanatics benefiting from public grants' >>> By Andrew Porter, Political Editor

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Korruptionsprozess gegen Geldgeber Obamas
NZZ Online: In Chicago hat diese Woche der Prozess gegen einen früheren Freund und Geldgeber des demokratischen Präsidentschaftsbewerbers Barack Obama begonnen. Der Geschäftsmann Tony Rezko ist angeklagt, er habe sich mit Wahlkampfspenden Einfluss in der Regierung des Staats Illinois erkauft und seine Stellung benutzt, um bei staatlichen Aufträgen Gelder abzuschöpfen.

A. R. Washington, 4. März

In Chicago hat diese Woche der Prozess gegen einen früheren Freund und Geldgeber des demokratischen Präsidentschaftsbewerbers Barack Obama begonnen. Der Geschäftsmann Tony Rezko ist angeklagt, er habe sich mit Wahlkampfspenden Einfluss in der Regierung des Staats Illinois erkauft und seine Stellung benutzt, um bei staatlichen Aufträgen Gelder abzuschöpfen. Korruption ist ein notorischer Bestandteil der politischen Kultur in Illinois; wegen einer ähnlichen Affäre sitzt der Vorgänger des jetzigen Gouverneurs im Gefängnis. Korruptionsprozess gegen Geldgeber Obamas: Peinlicher Fall für den demokratischen Präsidentschaftsbewerber

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Wilders Says His Film Is Legal
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The Hague - The leader of the right-wing Freedom Party, Geert Wilders says there is nothing illegal about his anti-Qur'an film Fitna. He is negotiating with a number of television stations about their broadcasting the film, under the condition that it be sent out in its entirety.

Mr Wilders hopes to find a television station willing to broadcast the 15-minute film within the next few days; otherwise he will show it at a press conference later this month and then broadcast it via the internet. He is willing to show the film to National Anti-Terrorism Coordinator Tjebbe Joustra one day before its broadcast. However, he wants a guarantee that the film will not be banned. Sources in the Justice Department say such a guarantee cannot be given.

In the Afghan capital Kabul around 300 MPs demonstrated against the Wilders film and the Danish cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad. They demanded that the Afghan government deliver an official protest to the Dutch and Danish governments. [Source: Wilders says his film is legal >>>]

NIS NEWS BULLETIN:
Wilders is Refusing to Let Government See his Film

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CNN Report: The Detention of Fouad al-Farhan in Saudi Arabia


Fouad al-Farhan’s Blog
Free Fahad
Saudi Jeans

BBC:
Jailed Saudi blogger remembered in campaign By Olivia Macleod

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Thomas Landen's Viewpoint - The Wilders Controversy: Do Europeans Still Belong in Europe?
Geert Wilders likens Al-Qur’an al Karim (القرآن الكريم), ‘The Glorious Qur’an’, to Hitler’s Mein Kampf
BRUSSELS JOURNAL: While America is focused on its elections, which might bring the first Muslim-born president in the White House, Europe is anxiously awaiting Geert Wilders’ movie on the Koran. The Dutch government fears that the release of the movie might lead to terror attacks on the Netherlands or on Dutch citizens abroad. There are rumours that the government may seek to ban the film. NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, a Dutchman, has also expressed concern about the Wilders movie. On Sunday he told Dutch television that he fears retaliations against Dutch NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Last week Wilders complained that the Dutch authorities are putting him under pressure not to release his 10-minute film. Yesterday, a poll showed that the governing Dutch Christian-Democrats of Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende are losing popularity because of their attempts to tone Wilders down. Dutch public opinion, however, tends to be very volatile. Two month ago, I wrote here that “if the Wilders movie results in (fatal) attacks on Dutch citizens and Dutch interests abroad, it might lead to an anti-Wilders backlash. The Dutch are not Danes. They have a history of swinging from one extreme to another. Like the Spanish after the Madrid bombings they might paint their hands white and surrender.”

There is little doubt that Muslim radicals are already preparing ‘punishment’ for the Dutch if they deem the Wilders movie to be ‘blasphemous.’ Westerners do not seem to have a clue about what Muslims consider to be blasphemous. The mere depiction of Muhammad enrages Muslims, even if Wilders were to do it ‘in a respectful way.’ On the other hand, however, things that seem outrageous to Westerners will not at all be outrageous to Muslims. Wilders likes to point out that the Koran is “as intolerant and dangerous as Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.” If his movie shows praying Muslims next to marching Nazis, or if it compares Koran verses to anti-Semitic rants by Hitler, that may seem outrageous to Western eyes. However, a Nazi comparison, which is the worst form of libel in contemporary Holland and destroys a man’s reputation there, will hardly affect Muslim radicals who tend to agree with Hitler and who will in all likelihood take the comparison as a compliment rather than an insult.

Al-Qaeda is not going to blow The Hague to Kingdom Come for comparing Osama bin-Laden to Adolf Hitler, but they will be inclined to take revenge over a cartoon, a picture or a joke. Suppose Wilders’ movie is outrageous by our standards, but not by those of Muslim extremists. Hence, nothing happens after the release of the movie. Then Dutch public opinion will in all likelihood regard Wilders as the extremist, as someone who tries to provoke others with Nazi slurs, and the Muslim radicals as paragons of tolerance.

Obviously, Westerners – and especially elected officials such as Geert Wilders – should never be forced to take the sensitivities of other cultures into account when making public statements (be it in a film or otherwise) in their own countries. The fact that Wilders is under considerable pressure to do just that shows that the Netherlands is no longer his home country and that it has already been penetrated and colonized by another culture. There is no place anymore that Europeans can call their own. The Wilders Controversy: Do Europeans Still Belong in Europe? >>> By Thomas Landen | Tue, 2008-03-04

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MPs Reject Call for EU Membership Referendum
Photo of EU flags courtesy of The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: MPs voted today overwhelmingly against the idea of having a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Labour and the Conservatives joined forces to vote down the Liberal Democrat proposal, which was rejected in the Commons by 471 votes to 68, a majority of 403.

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, claimed the Lib Dem proposal was a "fig leaf", designed to disguise the fact that Nick Clegg's party was breaking a promise it made at the last election to support a referendum on the proposed EU constitution.

Today's vote was on a technical motion, and a Lib Dem win would not automatically have led to the holding of a referendum on Britain's EU membership.

But their defeat means that the issue is highly unlikely to be put to a vote again while the European Union (amendment) bill, the legislation ratifying the Lisbon treaty, goes through parliament. MPs reject call for EU membership referendum >>> By Andrew Sparrow, senior political correspondent | Tuesday March 4 2008

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