Without Christianity, Our Society Is Doomed
THE TELEGRAPH: Canon Michael Ainsworth, a priest and colleague of mine just a couple of miles from my rectory in the City of London, was recently attacked in his churchyard by three youths. Michael suffered two black eyes, cuts and bruises. He was taken into hospital and his wife Janina, also a priest, said: "It's obvious that the attack on Michael does contain a religious element." It certainly is obvious: his attackers shouted, "You f------ priest!" as they beat him up.

This is the second time that Michael's church has been attacked. After the Good Friday service last year, louts threw bricks through the windows. A parishioner, Susan Crocker, said: "It's not out of the blue - it's a recurrent problem."

Well, it's clear that the yobs who attacked Michael were Muslims. To their credit, the local Muslim leaders have tacitly admitted this by publicly deploring the crime. So why were the police, and much of the media, so vague as to call these thugs "Asians"? If I smashed the windows of a Brick Lane curry house and gave the manager two black eyes, you can be sure the police and the papers wouldn't describe me as a "European".

Of course the authorities excuse their evasiveness by saying it's to preserve good racial and community relationships, forgetting that it was Michael's attackers who first damaged these relationships and that appeasement always encourages worse violence in the long run.

This attack was one small example of the persecution being endured by the Church worldwide. On four continents Islamic militants are attacking and sometimes murdering Christians and burning down churches. Why do the archbishops and bishops not lead mass Christian demonstrations against these atrocities? Instead, we have to observe the filigree intelligence of the Archbishop of Canterbury as it operates on the precise relation between English law and some "unavoidable" accommodation with sharia. He, with his whole hierarchy, strains at gnats and swallows camels.

Meanwhile, a Nigerian archbishop said that Dr Williams's words hardly made things better for Christians persecuted under sharia in his country. "Their lives," he said, "are at the very least unbearable." If Dr Williams is so intelligent, shouldn't he have known beforehand that his remarks would only give encouragement to the fanatics? If I tried to walk down the main street in Riyadh wearing my clerical collar, the religious police would throw me into jail. In Britain we allow Muslims to build huge mosques in prominent places such as Regent's Park. What does this say about the relationship between Christianity and Islam worldwide? Without Christianity, our society is doomed >>> By Peter Mullen | 21/03/2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Christianophobia comes to the East End By Damian Thompson

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Obama Damaged by Link to Incendiary Preacher
TIMESONLINE: New polls released today suggest that Barack Obama has been damaged significantly by the controversy over his pastor's inflammatory remarks and that the the issue has become a serious threat to his presidential ambitions.

A new national Gallup tracking poll indicates Hillary Clinton regaining her lead over Mr Obama for the first time in a month, now leading him 49 per cent to 42, a 13 point shift to the former First Lady in less than a fortnight.

Mrs Clinton now also holds a 16-point lead over Mr Obama in Pennsylvania, their next contest on April 22, according to a poll for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. In addition, Mr Obama has lost his once commanding lead among independent voters to John McCain, the Republican nominee, in a new CBS poll.

Mrs Clinton leads Mr Obama in the Keystone State by 51 per cent to 35. Mr McCain is backed by 46 per cent of independents, to 38 per cent for Mr Obama. The Gallup and Pennsylvania polls were taken at the height of the controversy, but before Mr Obama made a major speech on the issue on Tuesday.

Despite widespread praise for Mr Obama's speech, in which he used the controversy to challenge America to move beyond its current racial tensions, aides to Mrs Clinton now believe that the incendiary comments of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright offer her perhaps her best chance of winning the Democratic nomination. Polls show Barack Obama damaged by link to Reverend Jeremiah Wright >>> By Tim Reid, of The Times, Washington

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Swiss Foreign Minister Visiting Iran Goes A-Kissing
Photo of Micheline Calmy-Rey, the Swiss Foreign Minister, courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has been widely criticised for donning a white headscarf to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Well-known for her stand on women's rights, she has provoked headlines such as "Just like a submissive woman".

Socialist MP Maria Roth-Bernasconi said it was irritating that she had angered feminists in Iran.

Ms Calmy-Rey said she was observing protocol. "When you are a guest you respect local customs," she said.

Social Democrat MP Liliane Maury Pasquier accepted that customs had to be observed.

But she was quoted by one newspaper complaining that the minister should have shown solidarity with "the women who fight against wearing the headscarf". Micheline Calmy-Rey Sparks Veil Outcry >>>

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE:
Micheline Calmy-Rey aurait mis le voile sous la pression des Iraniens

NZZ Online:
Calmy-Rey verteidigt Besuch in Iran: Gasliefervertrag verstösst nicht gegen Richtlinien

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Barack Hussein Obama’s Speaks on Race

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Muslim Nations: Defame Islam, Get Sued?
EXAMINER: DAKAR, Senegal - The Muslim world has created a battle plan to defend its religion from political cartoonists and bigots.

Concerned about what they see as a rise in the defamation of Islam, leaders of the world's Muslim nations are considering taking legal action against those that slight their religion or its sacred symbols. It was a key issue during a two-day summit that ended Friday in this western Africa capital.

The Muslim leaders are attempting to demand redress from nations like Denmark, which allowed the publication of cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad in 2006 and again last month, to the fury of the Muslim world.

Though the legal measures being considered have not been spelled out, the idea pits many Muslims against principles of freedom of speech enshrined in the constitutions of numerous Western governments. Muslims Nations: Defame Islam, Get Sued? >>>

ORGANISATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE:
Ten-Year Programme of Action to Meet the Challenges Facing the Muslim Ummah in the 21st Century

Hat tip: Always On Watch

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Pastor Jeremiah Wright & Senator Barack

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Muslim Call to Prayer Upsets Sleepy Villagers
THE TELEGRAPH: Sleepy residents of a quiet Cornish valley say their peace and quiet have been shattered by an early morning call to prayer for hundreds of Muslims who gathered in a holiday park for Persian New Year.

Around 700 Iranian Muslims arrived at Trevelgue holiday park, near Porth, on Saturday and have been praised by staff for their courtesy and good behaviour.

But some neighbours say they have grown weary of the party's call to prayer - or Adhan - that has been broadcast on loudspeakers three times daily - starting at 5.30am.

Neighbour Emma Brewer, 35, said the noise was too loud at the venue, better known for family holiday-makers and Run to the Sun car rally revellers than as a place of religious worship.

"It lasts about 20 to 30 minutes and it is rather loud," she said. "I'm a bit naffed off by it, to be honest."

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said that she had complained to the local district council about the noise levels.

"It kicked off without warning," she said. "The first I knew of it I was awake because of it, at 5.34am on Monday morning. I didn't know what it was.

"I phoned the people that deal with noise on the council and the initial response is, 'we have to tread carefully, it's a sensitive issue'.

"I just thought, why, it's just noise. I mentioned to them that the council didn't have a problem silencing church bells." Muslim Call to Prayer Upsets Sleepy Villagers >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Bin Laden Threatens the EU
BBC: In a new audio message purportedly from Osama Bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader threatens the EU over the re-printing of a cartoon offensive to Muslims.

The voice on it says the cartoon, re-published recently in all major Danish newspapers, was part of a crusade involving Pope Benedict XVI.

The drawing, first published in 2005, depicts the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.

The voice on the audio has not yet been verified as belonging to Bin Laden.

The message comes on the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

But the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says that the message was probably released to not to mark that anniversary, but rather the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad, which Sunni Muslims mark on Thursday.

It appeared on a [sic] Islamist website that has carried al-Qaeda messages in the past.

Over the audio is a graphic with a still image of Bin Laden holding an AK-47 and bearing the logo of al-Sahab, the media wing of al-Qaeda. There is a written translation of the message in English. New 'Bin Laden tape' threatens EU >>>

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
’Bin Laden Tape’ Threatens EU

REUTERS:
Dutch Keep Threat Level High After Bin Laden Message | Thursday March 20. 2008

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Iranian Parliament to Discuss the Death Penalty for Apostates
AND KRONOS INTERNATIONAL: Tehran, 19 March (AKI) - In its first session since last week's general elections, the new Iranian parliament is expected to discuss a law that will condemn to death anyone who decides to leave the Muslim faith and convert to other religions.

The parliament, also known as the Majlis, will debate the new law which has been presented by the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Under the proposed law, anyone who is born to Muslim parents and decides to convert to another faith, will face the death penalty.

Currently converts, particularly those who have decided to leave the Muslim faith for Evangelical churches, are arrested and then released after some years of detention.

The new legislation, which has caused concern in Iran and abroad, was proposed mainly because of fears of proselytising activities by Evangelical churches particularly through the use of satellite channels.

There has also been concern over fact that many young people in Iran have abandoned Islam because they're tired of the many restrictions imposed by the faith.

According to unofficial sources, in the past five years, one million Iranians, particularly young people and women, have abandoned Islam and joined Evangelical churches. Iran: Parliament to discuss death penalty for converts who leave Islam >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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”Mission Accomplished” for Geert Wilders
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: It is the kind of stunt that has many fearing the worst: Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders plans to release a film about Islam. Politicians worldwide are already trying to stop the project, before a single scene has been shown. Critics fear the film could lead to bloodshed in many countries.

Let us summarize what has happened to date. On Nov. 2, 2004, an Islamic fundamentalist murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, a descendant of the painter Vincent van Gogh, in broad daylight on a street in Amsterdam.

The killer, a 26-year-old Dutch citizen, the son of Moroccan immigrants, shot the filmmaker at 9 a.m. as van Gogh was riding his bicycle. He then slit his throat and, using a knife, pinned a note to his victim's chest, claiming responsibility and explaining his motives. The killer's true target was politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali. But she, unlike van Gogh, was under 24-hour police protection. The bloody act was also a declaration of war against Dutch society, which, as the murderer was convinced, was controlled "by the Jews."

Theo van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali had collaborated to produce a short film called "Submission," which uses four real-life examples to illustrate the poor treatment of women in Islam. The film was shown on Dutch television in the summer of 2004. Mosques in the Netherlands were unhappy about it, but their reactions were less vehement than expected. Van Gogh had already developed a reputation as a provocateur who paid little attention to what people thought about him -- a committed enfant terrible. He liked to refer to Muslims as "geitenneukers," or goat fuckers. He made fun of dead Jews by describing them as "copulating yellow stars in the gas chamber." He also had little regard for Christian values and symbols. How a Film Triggered a Global Panic >>> By Henryk M. Broder

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A Hotel “for Lesbians”?
THE INDEPENDENT: For a country that goes to such great lengths to segregate unrelated men and women, it took Saudi Arabia a long time to hit on the idea of women-only hotels.

The kingdom's first hotel exclusively for females opened yesterday, offering plush lodgings with a full-range of health and beauty facilities for ladies to pamper themselves, away from the accusing eyes of a male-dominated society.

"Inside this physical structure, we are all women," said the Luthan Hotel's executive director Lorraine Coutinho. "We even have bell-women. We are women-owned, women-managed and women-run, from our IT engineer to our electrical engineer.

"This is meeting a very big demand. There are women's hotels all over the world, from Berlin to the United States."

Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world, where women are prevented from meeting male friends in public, driving cars or taking up employment in many jobs. New rules announced in January allow women to stay in standard mixed-gender hotels without a male family member in tow, but bureaucracy and conservative family values mean few have been able to make use of their new-found freedom. Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel >>> By Andrew Hammond in Riyadh
| Thursday, 20 March 2008

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Now “We Must Talk to Al-Qaida”, According to Top Blair Aide
THE GUARDIAN: Former No 10 chief says Irish peace process showed link to enemy needed

Western governments must talk to terror groups including al-Qaida and the Taliban if they hope to secure a long-term halt to their campaigns of violence, according to the man who for more than a decade was Tony Blair's most influential aide and adviser.

Jonathan Powell, who served as Blair's chief of staff from 1995 to 2007 and is widely regarded as having been instrumental in negotiating a settlement in Northern Ireland, said his experience in the province convinced him that it was essential to keep a line of communication open even with one's most bitter enemies.

Powell said: "There's nothing to say to al-Qaida and they've got nothing to say to us at the moment, but at some stage you're going to have to come to a political solution as well as a security solution. And that means you need the ability to talk."

In his first major interview, ahead of the publication of his book on the behind the scenes drama leading to the Northern Ireland peace deal, Powell also delivered a remarkably candid assessment of the Blair years, revealing that:

· He did not think Labour had governed boldly enough because it feared losing power.

· Blair had a tendency to change his mind about things and could be "a bit of a flippertygibbet".

· Blair had failed in 10 years of government to sell Europe to the British.

· Relations between the Blair and Brown camps were so toxic that Gordon Brown did not talk to him for 10 years. Top Blair aide: we must talk to al-Qaida >>> By Ian Katz

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Khaleej Times: A Viewpoint from Dubai, from an Editor Who Just Doesn’t Get It!
Something rotten in the state of Denmark 
By Aijaz Zaka Syed
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Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The Gathering Storm Report
Please scroll down for the latest posts.
Microphone courtesy of Google Images
Walid Shoebat and I (Mark Alexander) will be Always On Watch and WC’s special guests on this week’s ‘Gathering Storm Report’ on Friday March 14, 2008. The show will be broadcast between 3pm and 5pm, EST. Please don’t forget to tune in. We’re looking forward to your company. Just click on the microphone to take you there.

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
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Kaida in Nordafrika veröffentlicht Fotos von entführten Österreichern
NZZ Online: (ap) Der nordafrikanische Zweig der Kaida hat am Donnerstag Fotos von zwei österreichischen Touristen veröffentlicht und ein Ultimatum für ihre Freilassung gestellt. Der Mann und die Frau würden freikommen, wenn alle in Tunesien und Algerien inhaftierten Mitglieder der Kaida im Islamischen Nordafrika freigelassen würden, hiess es in einer Erklärung die am Donnerstagabend im Internet veröffentlicht wurde. Kaida in Nordafrika veröffentlicht Fotos von entführten Österreichern: Ultimatum von drei Tagen gestellt

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Sarkozys Mittelmeer-Union gestutzt
NZZ Online: In Brüssel hat am Donnerstag der zweitägige Frühlingsgipfel der EU begonnen. Neben wirtschaftlichen Themen befasst er sich mit den Auswirkungen der Klimaveränderung auf die Sicherheit Europas und mit Präsident Sarkozys Plan einer Mittelmeer-Union. Ursprünglich sehr ambitiös, ist dieser bis zur Unkenntlichkeit zurückgestutzt worden.

win. Brüssel, 13. März

Das Frühlings-Gipfeltreffen der EU, das am Donnerstagabend in Brüssel begann, ist traditionell wirtschaftlichen Themen gewidmet. Der Zustand der Finanzmärkte, die Stärkung des Energie-Binnenmarkts und das Zusammenbringen der Klimaschutzziele mit dem Wunsch nach mehr Wachstum und Beschäftigung sind dieses Jahr die Stichworte. Daneben beschäftigten sich die 27 Staats- und Regierungschefs aber auch mit einem Bericht ihres Chefdiplomaten Solana über die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Sicherheit Europas sowie – während des gemeinsamen Abendessens – mit dem Projekt des französischen Präsidenten Sarkozy für eine Mittelmeer-Union, die eine stärkere Zuwendung der EU zu ihren südlichen Nachbarn ermöglichte.

Keine neue Bühne für Paris

Dieser Plan, den Sarkozy zusammen mit der deutschen Bundeskanzlerin Merkel der versammelten Runde vorstellte, hat eine bemerkenswerte Geschichte hinter sich. Die ursprünglich hochfliegende Idee Sarkozys einer Integration ausschliesslich der Mittelmeeranrainer in einem neuen Gefäss hat derart Federn lassen müssen, dass die ganze Übung nun eher einem Abfüllen alten Weins in neue Schläuche gleicht als einem Aufbruch zu neuen Ufern. Grund für dieses Zurückstutzen bis zur Unkenntlichkeit waren vor allem von Deutschland geäusserte, aber von anderen Mitgliedstaaten geteilte Bedenken, wonach die EU zerrissen würde in eine Zone, die sich nach Süden orientiert, und eine andere, die ihre strategischen Beziehungen nach Osten ausbaut. Im Hintergrund stand sicher auch die Sorge, Paris wolle sich in der Mittelmeer-Union mit EU-Geldern eine neue Bühne zimmern, auf der es dann die unbestrittene Hauptrolle spielen könnte. Und man unterstellte Sarkozy gelegentlich auch, er wolle als erklärter Gegner eines türkischen EU-Beitritts gleichsam einen Ausweich-Hafen für den ungeliebten Beitrittskandidaten schaffen. Sarkozys Mittelmeer-Union gestutzt: Der EU-Gipfel im Zeichen der Klima- und der Wirtschaftspolitik

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Netherlands to Get Backing from EU Counterparts over Anti-Quran Film
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS, Belgium: The Netherlands is asking for European Union solidarity at a summit of the bloc's leaders in case the expected release of an anti-Quran film by a maverick Dutch lawmaker leads to violence, officials said Thursday.

And the EU, which said 2 1/2 years ago that publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed deemed offensive by Muslims went too far, appeared set to back the Dutch position on freedom of speech. The issue was to be discussed later Thursday.

The Dutch lawmaker, Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders, has said he plans to air the film this month. Dutch and other European officials fear the film could spark violent protests in Muslim countries similar to those held after the publication of the cartoons in Denmark.

The Netherlands has been warned by Islamic figures and countries, including Iran, that releasing the film would lead to violence there. It wants other EU countries to support its view that it cannot silence Wilders due to the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told fellow Christian Democratic leaders — including German Chancellor Angela Merkel — meeting before the summit that his government does not share Wilders' anti-Islam views but it respects his right to air his views. Officials: Netherlands to get backing from EU counterparts over anti-Quran film >>> Associated Press

NIS NEWS BULLETIN:
Netherlands Wants No Explicit Statement on Freedom of Speech

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The Netherlands: Blasphemy Law to Be Scrapped
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: A majority in the Dutch parliament, led by the ruling Labour Party, wants to scrap a law which fines or even imprisons people who commit blasphemy. But although the law isn't used anymore, even debating whether or not to scrap it is sensitive. The Christian parties in Dutch politics have always argued to keep it on the books.

Now, tension is high in anticipation of far right Dutch MP Geert Wilders' film, which is expected to be considered blasphemous by most Muslims. 

And although there's a majority for scrapping the law, government is not asked to get rid of it immediately.

The Netherlands is known as a permissive country. Prostitution is legal, people of the same sex can get married. But if you take the lord's name in vain, you risk a fine, or imprisonment. A law forbidding blasphemy is still on the books. Now parliament wants to change that. Law against blasphemy to be scrapped >>> By John Tyler, political editor | 13-03-2008

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Islamische Religion soll in Deutschland unterrichtet werden
NZZ Online: Die Islamische Religion soll an deutschen Schulen ein ordentliches Unterrichtsfach werden. Darauf verständigten sich Regierungsvertreter mit muslimischen Verbänden auf der dritten Islamkonferenz in Berlin. Zu den Bedingungen soll zählen, dass das Fach in deutscher Sprache gelehrt wird. Innenminister Wolfgang Schäuble räumte nach den vierstündigen Beratungen allerdings ein, dass nicht alle Bundesländer zur Einführung des Islamunterrichts bereit sind.

(ap) Der deutsche Innenminister Wolfgang Schäuble hatte die Islamkonferenz im September 2006 ins Leben gerufen. Die damals eingesetzten Arbeitsgruppen legten dem 30-köpfigen Plenum nun Empfehlungen vor, die «alle einmütig zur Kenntnis genommen wurden», wie Schäuble sagte. Zu einzelnen Formulierungen habe es bei den muslimischen Verbänden allerdings Vorbehalte gegeben. Islamische Religion soll in Deutschland unterrichtet werden: Vorstoss der Islamkonferenz - Bau von Moscheen unterstützt

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Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Warnung vor zunehmender Islamfeindlichkeit
Meinungsfreiheit umfasse nicht das Recht auf Gotteslästerung - OIC-Präsident Abdoulaye Wade
NZZ Online: Die Organisation der Islamischen Konferenz hat zu Beginn ihres Gipfels in Dakar vor zunehmender Islamfeindlichkeit gewarnt. In einem Bericht zu dem Thema ist auch die in der Schweiz lancierte Minarettverbots-Initiative aufgeführt.

(sda) Mit «Beunruhigung» reagierte die Organisation der Islamischen Konferenz (OIC) auf die im Mai 2007 von SVP-nahen Kreisen lancierte Initiative zum Verbot von Minaretten. Das Vorhaben in der Schweiz ist im gleichen Kapitel erwähnt wie die islamfeindlichen Karikaturen und der Koran-feindliche Kurzfilm des niederländischen Abgeordneten Geert Wilders.

OIC-Generalsekretär Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu sei von der Schweizer Botschaft in Saudi-Arabien über die Hintergründe der Initiative aufgeklärt worden, schreiben die Verfasser des Berichts.

«Vier von sieben Mitgliedern des Bundesrates sowie eine bedeutende Zahl von Parteien, Vereinigungen und Gruppen» hätten das Vorhaben kritisiert, teilte die Schweizer Botschaft dem OIC-Bericht zufolge am 5. Januar mit. Warnung vor zunehmender Islamfeindlichkeit: Konferenz in Dakar über Schweizer Minarett-Initiative beunruhigt

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