Joyous News for Christianity; Great Disappointment for the “Religion of Peace”: Mass Exodus Out of Islam?
Icon of Jesus Christ courtesy of Google Images
TOWNHALL.COM: In church yesterday, as you celebrated Easter, did you notice anything—or anyone—unusual?

In churches all over the world, there were millions of people celebrating the resurrection of Christ, who were not there just a few years ago—because they were worshipping in a mosque instead.

It is thrilling evidence that God is doing a mighty work among Muslims.

According to the website Islam Watch, in Russia, some two million ethnic Muslims converted to Christianity last year. Ten thousand French Muslims converted, as did 35,000 Turkish Muslims. In India, approximately 10,000 people abandoned Islam for Christianity.

In his book Epicenter, author Joel Rosenberg details amazing stories of Muslims converting to Christianity. In Algeria, the birthplace of St. Augustine, more than 80,000 Muslims have turned to Christ in recent years. This, despite the stiff opposition from Islamic clerics who have passed laws banning evangelism.

In Morocco, newspaper articles openly worry that 25,000 to 40,000 Muslims have become followers of Christ in recent years.

The stories are even more amazing in the heart of the Middle East. In 1996, the Egyptian Bible Society sold just 3,000 video copies of the JESUS film. In the year 2000, they sold an incredible 600,000 copies. "They Want Jesus Instead": Why Muslims Convert >>> By Chuck Colson

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Brave Geert Wilders Gets Offer from Right-Wing Party in the Czech Republic to Host His Fitna Website
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Web site for an anti-Koran film being made by Dutch right-wing lawkmaker Geert Wilders was suspended over the weekend by its US hosting service. But a far-right party in the Czech Republic has offered to screen it if Wilders can't find another outlet.

A far-right political party in the Czech Republic has offered to show a Dutch lawmaker's anti-Koran film if it is banned in the Netherlands.

The offer came after a US Internet hosting service suspended on Saturday the Web site promoting "Fitna," the 15-minute film far-right politician Geert Wilders says he is making.

In the Netherlands, where Wilders leads the reactionary Freedom Party, the film has sparked demonstrations even before its release.

Thousands demonstrated in central Amsterdam against the film Saturday in a protest intended to show that Wilders does not represent the whole country.

The American Internet company, Network Solutions, released a statement Saturday saying it had suspended the promotional Web site until its sponsor could show the plans for the site did not violate the company's standards.

"Over the last month, Network Solutions received a number of complaints," read the statement. "We are still waiting to hear from our customer. In the interim, we have temporarily suspended the site."

The site formerly showed the film's title, "Fitna," the text "coming soon," and an image of a gilded Koran. Now it shows a note that the site is under investigation.

The Czech Republic's small National Party offered to release the film on the Internet using one of its servers, in a message posted Sunday on its Web site. Czech Party Offers to Show Anti-Islam Film >>>

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Beat Up Infidel Tourists, Says Radical Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir
RELIGION NEWS BLOG: Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has returned to his hardline rhetoric with a call for followers to beat up Western tourists and for young Muslims to die as martyrs.

In the sermon, organised by an Islamic youth organisation and delivered a few kilometres from the home village of convicted Bali bombers Amrozi and Mukhlas, Bashir likened tourists in Bali to “worms, snakes, maggots”, and specifically referred to the immorality of Australian infidels.

The address was caught on video by an Australian university student.

“The youth movement here must aspire to a martyrdom death,” said the cleric, who was convicted of conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, but was later cleared and released from prison.

“The young must be first at the front line - don’t hide at the back. You must be at the front, die as martyrs and all your sins will be forgiven. This is how to achieve forgiveness.”

Observers said the sermon’s content was a clear indication of what many terrorism academics have noted - that the accused spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah has been emboldened by his release from prison last year after serving 26 months for conspiracy in relation to the Bali blasts. Beat Up Infidel Tourists, Says Radical Cleric >>> By Natasha Robinson (From The Australian

Hat tip: Tammy Swofford

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A Happy and Blessed Easter to One and All!
”Easter chicks” courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
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About Hair and Things: Verily, Allah Knows Best!
KHALEEJ TIMES: I RECEIVED several e-mails in regards to my column last week. Specifically, some readers wanted to know more about hair removal in the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. There are several things that both men and women can and cannot do when it comes to removing the hair.

For women, it is permissible to remove hair from the face with the exception of the eyebrows. However, if the eyebrows are so long and bushy that they interfere with the eyesight then they can be trimmed. In the case of women who have a “uni-brow”, which means that the two eyebrows are connected in the middle, the part of the eyebrow that is connected right above the nose can be removed since it is not considered to be part of the eyebrow. Also, hair that grows abnormally on women (like beards and moustaches) falls under the category of permissible hair to remove. In Islam, women are forbidden from looking like men and vice versa.

As for men, it is not acceptable to remove hair from any part of the face. However, the moustache can be trimmed. Men are also forbidden from trimming or plucking the eyebrows. And it is part of the Sunnah for men to grow the beard long and trim the moustache short.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” (Bukhari,Muslim)

The mistake that many Muslim men make is to remove hair from their cheeks. It is a regular part of a haircut for men to ask the barber to use a method of hair removal called ‘threading’ to remove the hair from this area. It is forbidden to remove it because the hair on the cheeks is considered to be part of the beard.

Both men and women are instructed to remove the hair from the genitalia and armpit areas at least every 40 days The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Ten (actions) are part of the fitrah [natural inclinations of man]: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the miswak (tooth-stick), rinsing the nose with water, clipping the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubes and washing oneself with water after relieving one’s self.” How to Get About in Those Hairy Situations
 >>> By Sumayyah Meehan

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Speech Row Rocks Multi-Ethnic Canada
BBC: Canada is often thought of as a land of bland consensus and multicultural harmony - the last place where you would expect to see a religious minority up in arms, and journalists accusing the state of gagging freedom of speech.

Yet in recent months, these have become fixtures of the country's public debate.

The Canadian equivalent of Denmark's cartoonists, or the Netherlands' Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is the outspoken conservative columnist Mark Steyn.

In a 2006 article he used demographics to suggest that the West would succumb to Muslim domination.

The piece, entitled "The future belongs to Islam" and published by the Toronto magazine Maclean's, argued that Europe was "too enfeebled to resist its remorseless transformation into Eurabia".

Mr Steyn summarised the presumed global advantage of militant Islam with a stark equation: "Youth + Will = Disaster for whoever gets in your way."

To some, he had crossed the line between vigorous polemic and Islamophia.

The notion that Muslims should be feared by virtue of their numbers and purported militancy is "quite inflammatory", says Toronto law student Khurrum Awan. Speech Row Rocks Multi-Ethnic Canada >>> By Henri Astier

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Allah Is Most Displeased If Men Do Not Grow Their Beards! Abdur Raheem Green Explains

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Schools Could Offer Koran Classes
BBC: Head teachers should allow imams, rabbis and priests to offer religious instruction to pupils in all state schools, teachers' leaders have said.

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) said the move would be a way to reunite divided communities.

The NUT said parents had a right to have specific schooling in their own faith, if that was what they wanted.

But having children taught at different faith-based schools had led to community breakdown in some areas.

Offering pupils some instruction in their own faith could reduce the demand for faith schools, said NUT General Secretary Steve Sinnott. Schools Could Offer Koran Classes >>> By Hannah Goff

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The Jihad Should Strive to Liberate Any Land that Was Once Islamic!

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Ayman Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s Deputy Leader, Calls for Attacks on American and Israeli Interests
Photo of Ayman Zawahiri, the deputy leader of al-Qaeda, courtesy of the BBC
BBC: An audio message attributed to al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman Zawahiri, has called for attacks on American and Israeli interests.

The voice, not confirmed as Zawahiri's, urged retaliation for Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip.

The speaker said Muslims should support Palestinians by focusing on armed struggle, not just demonstrating.

The message was posted on an Islamist website and follows two audio speeches purportedly from Osama Bin Laden.

The graphic accompanying the audio carried the logo of al-Qaeda's media arm, al-Sahab. Al-Qaeda Deputy Calls for Attacks >>>

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It’s Written in the Koran

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L'islam, première religion
 à Bruxelles dans vingt ans
Image grâce aux Google Images
LE FIGARO: Aujourd'hui, un tiers de la population est musulmane et les jeunes générations sont plus pratiquantes.

La capitale européenne sera musulmane dans vingt ans. C'est du moins ce qu'affirme une étude publiée la semaine dernière dans le quotidien La Libre Belgique. Près d'un tiers de la population de Bruxelles étant déjà musulmane, indique Olivier Servais, sociologue à l'Université catholique de Louvain, les pratiquants de l'islam devraient, en raison de leur forte natalité, être majoritaires «dans quinze ou vingt ans». Depuis 2001, Mohamed est, chaque année, et de loin, le premier prénom donné aux garçons nés à Bruxelles.

«Il faut relativiser ces chiffres, insiste Mahfoud Romdhani, député socialiste et vice-président du Parlement francophone bruxellois. Les immigrés de pays musulmans ne sont pas tous musulmans ! Moi-même, je suis de culture musulmane, mais agnostique.» Olivier Servais se veut d'ailleurs prudent sur les projections à long terme, Bruxelles subissant des flux de population importants en tant que capitale de l'Union européenne. L'islam, première religion
à Bruxelles dans vingt ans >>> De Stéphane Kovacs, envoyée spéciale à Bruxelles

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”Night Must Fall”, Says Archbishop of Canterbury
BBC: The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned in his Easter sermon against nations' greed for oil, power and territory.

Dr Rowan Williams said the "comforts and luxuries" we take for granted could not be sustained forever.

He told worshippers: "We face a culture in which thoughts of death are too painful to manage."

Two men were arrested at the start of the sermon, after protesting over comments made by Dr Williams on the adoption of Islamic Sharia law.

'Inner deadness'

Dr Williams reminded the congregation of Christianity's Easter message that death would be overcome.

But he said death was the end "in an important sense", and urged Christians to prepare for it by constantly striving to let go of "selfish, controlling, greedy habits".

The archbishop said: "Individuals live in anxious and acquisitive ways, seizing what they can to provide a security that is bound to dissolve, because they are going to die.

"Societies or nations do the same. Whether it is the individual grabbing the things of this world in just the repetitive, frustrating sameness that we have seen to be already in fact the mark of an inner deadness...

"Or the greed of societies that assume there will always be enough to meet their desires - enough oil, enough power, enough territory - the same fantasy is at work.

"We shan't really die. We as individuals can't contemplate an end to our acquiring, and we as a culture can't imagine that this civilisation, like all others, will collapse and that what we take for granted about our comforts and luxuries simply can't be sustained indefinitely.

"To all this, the church says, sombrely, don't be deceived: night must fall." Archbishop Warns Greedy Nations >>>

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Papst Benedikt zelebriert Ostermesse im verregneten Rom
Foto of Magdi Allam, der Ägypter, der sich zum Christentum bekehrt hat, dank der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung
NZZ Online: Papst Benedikt hat in Rom bei Regen die Ostermesse abgehalten. Er rief zum Frieden im Mittleren Osten, in Afrika und Tibet auf. Zuvor hatte er mit der Taufe eines konvertierten Journalisten Unterstützung für die Islamismus-Kritik signalisiert.

(ap/sda/dpa/Reuters) Papst Benedikt XVI. hat in der traditionellen Ostermesse in Rom eine friedliche Lösung der Konflikte im Nahen Osten und in Tibet gefordert. Er rufe dazu auf, friedliche Lösungen für den «gepeinigten Nahen Osten, besonders das Heilige Land, den Irak, Libanon und schliesslich Tibet» zu finden, sagte der Papst.

Tausende von Touristen und Gläubigen hatten sich auf dem Petersplatz eingefunden und feierten in strömendem Regen die zweistündige Messe mit dem Papst.

Besonders an Ostern gelte es auch an die afrikanischen Krisenregionen zu denken, mahnte der Papst und nannte Somalia und Darfur als Beispiele. Ungerechtigkeit, Hass und Gewalt seien die Geisseln der Menschheit. Im Anschluss an das katholische Hochamt erteilte der Papst auch den Segen «Urbi et Orbi» (der Stadt und dem Erdkreis).

Der 80-jährige Benedikt war von einem weissem Baldachin auf den Stufen des Petersdoms vor dem kalten Regen geschützt, die Teilnehmenden auf dem Platz formten ein buntes Meer an Regenschirmen. Kurz vor Beginn des Hochamtes wetteiferten die Gläubigen mit dem Donner: Das Himmelsgrollen drohte den Halleluja-Gesang zu übertönen. Papst Benedikt zelebriert Ostermesse im verregneten Rom: Mit Taufe Kritik am Islamismus ins Rampenlicht gestellt >>>

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The Vile Rants of Anjem Choudary
Photo of Anjem Choudary courtesy of the News of the World
NEWS OF THE WORLD: A FANATICAL preacher of hate has been recorded urging impressionable young British Muslims to go to WAR against our troops.

Yet, sickeningly, crazed cleric Anjem Choudary and his wife rake in more than £25,000 a year in welfare BENEFITS—while he plots to destroy British society.

Now Choudary —who once called for the Pope to be executed and described the September 11 hijackers as "magnificent martyrs" — could face arrest under anti-terror laws for his evil ranting on the tape, which was passed to the News of the World.

After hearing his latest inflammatory remarks, terror experts asked: "What more does this man need to do before he is locked up?" Tape Reveals Vile Rants of Muslim Scrounger Who Preaches Evil >>> By Lewis Panther

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Surprise! Surprise! Geert Wilders’ Fitna Website Taken Down by Network Solutions Pending Further Investigations
Image courtesy of Infidel Blogger’s Alliance
“This site has been suspended while Network Solutions is investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy. Network Solutions has received a number of complaints regarding this site that are under investigation. For more information about Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy visit the following URL:” Acceptable Use Policy

Hat tip: The Avid Editor and Klein Verzet

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Barack Obama: Toxic Mentors Start to Corrode Pristine Campaign
Photo of Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of The Sunday Times
THE SUNDAY TIMES: The Democrat was surging ahead but now revelations about the men who helped shape him are putting voters off

Long before Barack Obama launched his campaign for the White House, when he was considering a run for the US Senate in 2003, he paid an intriguing visit to a former Chicago sewers inspector who had risen to become one of the most influential African-American politicians in Illinois.

“You have the power to elect a US senator,” Obama told Emil Jones, Democratic leader of the Illinois state senate. Jones looked at the ambitious young man smiling before him and asked, teasingly: “Do you know anybody I could make a US senator?”

According to Jones, Obama replied: “Me.” It was his first, audacious step in a spectacular rise from the murky political backwaters of Springfield, the Illinois capital.

The exchange also sealed an intimate personal and political relationship that is likely to attract intense scrutiny amid the furore over Obama’s links to some of Chicago’s most controversial political and religious power brokers.

Obama has often described Jones as a key political mentor whose patronage was crucial to his early success in a state long dominated by near-feudal party political machines. Jones, 71, describes himself as Obama’s “godfather” and once said: “He feels like a son to me.”

Like the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the outspoken pastor of Obama’s Chicago church, and like Tony Rezko, the millionaire fundraiser and former friend of Obama who is on trial for corruption, Jones is in danger of becoming a hindrance to his protégé’s presidential ambitions.

For almost a year Jones has used his position as leader of the state senate to block anticorruption legislation passed unanimously by the state’s lower house. He has also become embroiled in ethical controversies concerning his wife’s job and his stepson’s business.

None of them is linked to Obama, but the Democratic contender can ill afford another scandal related to his former Chicago allies. Despite his electrifying speech on race last week, the opinion polls make worrying reading for the senator and his aides.

Hillary Clinton appears to be regaining lost ground and John McCain, the Arizona senator who has sewn up the Republican nomination, has edged ahead of his warring rivals.

When Obama stood before a row of American flags in Philadelphia on Tuesday, he faced the greatest challenge of his candidacy. His campaign was reeling from the potentially fatal fallout of Wright’s rabid videotaped sermons, in which the Chicago preacher exclaimed, “God damn America,” and said that the US government had invented Aids to infect black people. Barack Obama: Toxic Mentors Start to Corrode Pristine Campaign >>> By Tony Allen-Mills in New York

Barack Hussein Obama’s Speech on Race

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Has a Western Politician Ever Looked More Stupid or More Dhimmified than Micheline Calmy-Rey, the Foreign Minister of Switzerland, on a Recent Trip to Tehran?
Photo courtesy of Brussels Journal
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Several Thousand Demonstrate in Amsterdam Against Wilders’ Anti-Qur’an Film
This demonstration just goes to show how many people just don’t 'get it'!

BOSTON HERALD: AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Demonstrators of all races and colors crowded Amsterdam’s central square Saturday, braving wind and sleet to show their opposition to anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders.

The protest, called "Netherlands Shows Its Colors," is primarily a reaction in advance to the short film Wilders says he will release later this month criticizing the Quran as a "fascist" book.

One protester carried a sign saying "standing together against the right wing populist witch-hunt."

"I’m very much against Geert Wilders and racism in general, but I think it’s really important to show not only Holland but the rest of the world that there’s a lot of people who do not agree with his ideas," said Elisa Trepp. Several Thousand Demonstrate in Amsterdam Against Anti-Quran Film >>> Associated Press

NEW YORK TIMES:
A Dutch Antagonist of Islam Waits for His Premiere

JIHAD WATCH:
Fitzgerald: The Times, in its shrinking dotage

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Dutch Government Releases Anti-Wilders Film to Try and Neutralize the Fall-Out from Fitna

Hat tip: Dave McRitchie

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE:
Dutch court to consider bid to ban anti-Islam movie

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