Segregation Alert! Muslim-Only Swimming Sessions for Men in North London Pool!
DAILY MAIL: A father and his five-year-old son were turned away from their local swimming pool because they were the wrong religion.

David Toube, 39, and his son Harry were told that the Sunday morning session was reserved for Muslim men only.

Hackney Council, which runs the Clissold Leisure Centre in Stoke Newington, north London, claimed staff there had made a mistake.

However, the Muslim-only session was advertised on its website.

Mr Toube, a corporate lawyer, described his experiences on a blog.

"I arrived at the pool to discover that they were holding what staff described to me as "Muslim men only swimming"," he wrote.

"I asked whether my son and I could go as we were both male. I was told that the session was for Muslims only and that we could not be admitted. I asked what would happen if I turned up and insisted I was Muslim.

"The manager suggested that they might ask the Muslims swimming if they minded my son and I swimming with them. If they didn't object, we might be allowed in."

A few days later, Mr Toube, who lives with his wife, 38-year-old barrister Samantha, and their two sons in Stoke Newington, North London, spoke to another leisure centre employee.

"He gave me an identical story. His explanation was that it was a requirement of the Muslim religion that Muslims could not swim with non-Muslims." Public Pool Bars Father and Son from its 'Muslim-Only' Swimming Session >>> By Colin Fernandez and Nick McDermott | April 17, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Danish Authorities Approve the Establishment of Azhar Institute
ANSAmed: CAIRO, APRIL 7 - Danish authorities have approved the establishment of an Azhar institute in Denmark to teach the Islamic religion, confront misconceptions about Islam and explain the true Islam to the European society. The Islamic community in Denmark received initial approvals from authorities for the establishment of the institute, said Al Azhar Undersecretary Sheikh Abdel-Fattah Allam. Similar institutes have been established in Britain and Austria, he added. The decision came after Danish newspaper the Jyllands-Posten published Muhammad cartoons on 30 September 2005. The newspaper claimed that this publication was an attempt to contribute to the debate regarding criticism of Islam and self-censorship. The published cartoons outraged numerous reactions in the Arab world starting with protests to boycotting Danish products and called for several initiatives for interfaith dialogue. [Source: Egypt: Denmark Approves Setting Up of Azhar Institute]

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Arab News on Fitna
ARAB NEWS: A number of Islamic scholars and leading political figures have called for a boycott of Dutch products in protest at the film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders which attacks the Qur’an and equates Islam with violence.

It is a revolting, blasphemous and deliberately insulting film. The desire not to let this abomination pass without response is wholly understandable. Nonetheless there is little logic to a boycott. It is not the Dutch who have committed this outrage. It is an individual — albeit an MP — but one who does not represent the Dutch mainstream. It would be different if the film had been made by the Dutch government or a member of the Dutch royal family or had been approved by the Dutch Parliament.

In fact, the Dutch government has resolutely condemned the film — Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende went on television to castigate it and its maker — while Dutch TV stations have refused to show it and there has been widespread public disapproval. Moreover, at the last election, Dutch voters specifically rejected the far right with its anti-Muslim agenda. Editorial: Wilders’ Film >>> | April 18, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Dutch Embassy in Pakistan Relocated for Reasons of Security
KHALEEJ TIMES: ISLAMABAD - The Netherlands has moved its embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad to a hotel due to security worries following the release of an anti-Koran film by a Dutch politician.

“We didn’t feel safe anymore in that building for the time being, so we decided to shift temporarily,” an embassy spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday. The embassy was previously housed in a building in a residential neighbourhood in Islamabad.

Titled “fitna”, an Arabic term sometimes translated as ”strife”, the controversial film by anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders accuses the Koran of inciting violence.

The film has drawn strong condemnation and protests from Islamic countries, including Pakistan. An al Qaeda-linked Web site last month called for Wilders’ death and an increase in attacks on Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan[.]

“Obviously, our country has been on a higher profile because of this film and that’s why we are on alert for any sort of information coming in regarding our security situation,” the spokeswoman said.

Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim nation of 160 million people, has denounced the film as an attempt to propagate the politics of hate and xenophobia.

Hardline Islamic groups have held protests against the film as well as the reprinting of a cartoon of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers in February.

However, the reaction was more restrained compared with the violence in 2006 over the printing in Europe of the cartoons lampooning Prophet Mohammad, when more than 50 people, including five in Pakistan, were killed in riots in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Pakistan’s National Assembly, parliament’s lower house, on Tuesday passed a resolution denouncing the Dutch Koran film and the reprinting of the cartoons in Danish newspapers.

In February, Pakistani authorities ordered Internet service providers to block the popular YouTube Web site after several films purporting to be Wilder’s 15-minute movie appeared on it.

The ban was later lifted after YouTube removed the content deemed insulting to Islam. [Source: Dutch Embassy in Pakistan Relocated] - Reuters |April 17, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Ahmadinejad: “Iran Is the Most Powerful Nation in the World!”
BBC: Iran has been displaying its military power at a ceremony to mark the country's annual army day.

Speaking at the parade, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was the most powerful nation in the world.

The country's strength was such that no major power would dare to challenge its security, he said.

Official media claimed the ceremony included the largest ever show of aerial strength, with a fly past by almost 200 aircraft.

There was also a huge military parade, with missiles displayed on trucks.

Confidence

Top officials have made much of Iran's achievements in being able to maintain and manufacture sophisticated military aircraft or other equipment despite US sanctions against it.

President Ahmadinejad expressed his confidence in the strength of the country's armed forces. Iran Shows Off Its Military Might >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Parliamentary Press Chairman Suspended for Anti-Wilders Bias
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: Rutger van Santen, chairman of the Parliamentary Press Association (PPV), has been suspended by Radio Netherlands World Service (RNW) on grounds of his prejudice against MP Geert Wilders.

Van Santen is not allowed to write anything for a month. After that, he is not allowed to report on Dutch politics for another three months, newspaper De Volkskrant reported yesterday.

The measure was prompted by an interview the reporter had with leftwing Green (GroenLinks) MP Tofik Dibi for TV channel Het Gesprek (The Interview). Van Santen asked Dibi to call Wilders a racist. Despite refusals by the young MP, Van Santen continued to press him to use this term.

According to RNW chief editor Wim Jansen, Van Santen is "too emotionally involved in his subject, has become too much an interested party and can no longer take care to take a journalistic distance." His behaviour therefore damages the reputation of RNW, a government-subsidised broadcaster.

Van Santen had already been warned twice by RNW earlier, in August 2007 and last March, not to continually display his aversion to Wilders.

In the past, Van Santen was active on behalf of the far-left Pacifist Socialist Party (PSP) and of the pro-Palestine movement Palestina Komittee. Nonetheless, he worked his way up to chairman of the parliamentary press. Recently, he made a complaint on behalf of the PPV when Wilders was chosen by the population as politician of the year 2007. [Source: Parliamentary Press Chairman Suspended for Anti-Wilders Bias]

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Thousands Attend Pope’s US Open-Air Mass
Watch BBC Video of Pope Benedict XVI’s US Open Air Mass
BBC: Pope Benedict XVI has been celebrating an open-air Mass at the Nationals stadium in Washington DC in front of more than 40,000 people.

This is the first such event organised for the Pope's six-day visit to the United States.

He spoke of the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy in the US, saying no words of his could describe the pain and harm inflicted.

Later, the Pope will hold an inter-faith meeting.

On the subject of child abuse, he said: "No words of mine can describe the pain and the harm inflicted by the sexual abuse of minors.

"It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the Church."

Efforts to protect children must continue, he said.

For the third time in as many days, he has done what many Catholics have been asking for years - he has condemned and publicly accepted full responsibility for the crimes of sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in the United States, says the BBC's David Willey who is travelling with the Pope during his visit.

Many members of the congregation were immigrants from various countries in central and South America and they cheered the Pope wildly when he added some remarks in fluent Spanish, praising the vitality of their Christian faith. Thousands Attend Pope's US Mass >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Charles Darwin’s Works Go Online
Photo of Charles Darwin courtesy of the BBC
BBC: The first draft of a book which changed the world's attitude to evolution is available for the first time online.

Papers which led to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution were previously only available to scholars at Cambridge University's library.

The draft notes are among 20,000 archive items created by the 19th Century naturalist during his lifetime.

Dr John van Wyhe, a Darwin specialist at Cambridge University, said: "He changed our understanding of nature."

World-changing ideas

The online archive about Charles Darwin is so vast it would take someone two months to view it all if they downloaded one image per minute.

"His papers reveal how immensely detailed his researches were. The family has always wanted Darwin's papers and manuscripts to be available to anyone who wants to read them," said Dr van Wyhe.

"The fact that everyone around the world can now see them on the web is simply fantastic.

"Charles Darwin is one of the most influential scientists in history. The collection of his papers now online is extremely important and therefore very exciting.

"This release makes his private papers, mountains of notes, experiments and research behind his world-changing publications available to the world for free." [Source: Darwin’s First Draft Goes Online]

The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

The Pope Attacks the US Sex Abuse Scandal
Watch BBC video of Pope Benedict XVI on the sex abuse scandal
BBC: Pope Benedict XVI has criticised US bishops for their handling of child sex scandals, saying their response to the crisis had sometimes been very poor.

He laid part of the blame for the crisis, of which he feels "deeply ashamed", on a breakdown in US values.

On his first official US visit, the Pope said he hoped the "time of trial" would help start a Church purification.

On Thursday, the German Pontiff is due to celebrate Mass for 45,000 people at a new Washington baseball stadium.

On Wednesday morning, thousands of guests welcomed the Pope, who was 81 on Wednesday, to his first White House meeting with President George W Bush.

Problematic faith

Pope Benedict's remarks on the sex abuse scandal came at a prayer service with hundreds of US bishops. Pope Attacks US Sex Abuse Record >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Berlusconi Joins Forces with the Northern League
The Northern league’s campaign poster: "They suffered immigration: Now they live in reserves."
Read the story HERE

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

The Archbishop of Canterbury to Speak Out Again: The Plight of Middle East Christians Is the Fault of the US
DAILY MAIL: Christians in the Middle East are facing persecution because of British and American foreign policy, the Archbishop of Canterbury will claim today.

Dr Rowan Williams will say that many Christians have been forced to flee their homes in the Holy Land because of 'appalling pressure' from extremist Islamic groups.

And he will warn that historic communities risk becoming mere 'museum pieces' in the 'theme park' Middle East because of the military policies of the West.

During an appearance in London yesterday, he said there was a risk that the region could become a "monochrome" area dominated by an "unfriendly" form of Islam.

Indigenous Christian groups were increasingly being seen as a 'foreign and aggressive' presence, he added.

The Archbishop will make the comments in a speech at Westminster Cathedral later today.

He will say that historically Christians have played a leading role in social, cultural and intellectual change in the Middle East.

But historic communities now risked becoming mere 'museum pieces' in a 'theme park' region as a result of persecution.

In part this was due to an extremist form of Islam filling the void left following the peak of Arab nationalism, the head of the Church of England will claim.

But he also blames the role of Western governments. Archbishop of Canterbury Says Middle East Christians Are Suffering Persecution Because of 'American Global Project' >>> | April 17, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Seven Historic Synagogues in Tehran Destroyed
AKI: Tehran - Seven ancient synagogues in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have been destroyed by local authorities.

The synagogues were in the Oudlajan suburb of Tehran, where many Iranian Jews used to live.

"These buildings, which were part of our cultural, artistic and architectural heritage were burnt to the ground," said Ahmad Mohit Tabatabaii, the director of the International Council of Museums’ (ICOM) office in Tehran.

"With the excuse of renovating this ancient quarter, they are erasing a part of our history," said Tabatabaii.

He called for the government to intervene to stop the work commissioned by the local authorities.

A group of residents of Oudjalan have also sent a letter to the mayor of Tehran asking him to suspend the renovation work being carried out in the suburb. [Source: Iran: Seven historic synagogues in Tehran destroyed] | April 15, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Czech Republic National Party Screens Fitna
PRAGUE DAILY MONITOR: Hradec Kralove, East Bohemia, April 15 (CTK) - The Czech extra-parliamentary extremist National Party (NS) presented the controversial anti-Islamic film Fitna of Dutch ultra-right MP Geert Wilders in Hradec Kralove Tuesday.

Over 20 people attended the screening.

On this occasion, Pavel Sedlacek from the NS pointed to the alleged danger of Islamisation and he mentioned demonstrations in the Czech Republic and abroad against it.

Only several people took part in the debate. One of them said problems with the Islamisation of society should be solved on the official level.

"You must call on politicians to start dealing with it," he said.

Sedlacek objected that one cannot rely on politicians in this respect. National Party Screens Anti-Islamic film >>> By ČTK | April 16, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Is Vlad, the Tough Man of the Tundra, Going ‘All Gooey Inside’ and Preparing to ‘Do a Sarko’ on Us?
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: He is the president of a resurgent superpower. She is a rhythmic gymnast less than half his age.

Now all Moscow is ablaze with rumours that Vladimir Putin, 56, and the flexible 24-year-old Alina Kabaeva have decided to tie the knot.

The whispers of romance are particularly scurrilous because Mr Putin has not officially announced any separation from his 50-year-old wife, Ludmilla.

But the former KGB spy, known for keeping his private life as far out of the spotlight as his former career, is reported to have split from her two months ago.

Rumours of Mr Putin's courtship of the rhythmic gymnast champion and model, who is now a member of the Russian parliament, have been circulating unofficially for some time.

But only now has a Russian newspaper dared to print the gossip, citing a party planner in St Petersburg who claimed to be bidding to organise the couple's lavish wedding reception. Vladimir Putin 'to wed Olympic gymnast half his age' >>> By Harry de Quetteville | April 17, 2008

SABAH:
Putin's Future Father-in-Law Is Muslim >>> | April 18, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Vladimir Putin denies 'erotic fantasy' reports of marriage to Alina Kabaeva: ”The question was put to the Russian president by Natalia Melikova, of the Russian daily Nezavsinkya Gazeta. The ferocity of his response might not have been what she had expected. Mr Berlusconi's rejoinder was simply to point at Melikova in an imitation of firing at her. The journalist was reportedly reduced to tears.” >>> From Nick Pisa in Rome | April 18, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

White House: Thousands Greet Pope Benedict on His Birthday
Photo of Pope Benedict at the White House courtesy of the BBC
Video: Happy Birthday Holy Father!
BBC: Thousands of guests have welcomed Pope Benedict XVI to the White House for his meeting with President George W Bush.

The Pope was greeted with a singing of Happy Birthday on the day he turned 81.

Mr Bush said the Pope's message that "God is love" was needed to "save man from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism".

Pope Benedict said he had come as a friend of the US and urged Americans to use their faith to inspire "reasoned, responsible and respectful dialogue".

This was the first visit by a pope to the White House in almost 30 years.

There were huge cheers as the Pope and Mr Bush took the podium for the national anthems of the Holy See and the US.

The Pope was treated to two Happy Birthdays, the first an impromptu rendition before a more formal chorus later. Famed soprano Kathleen Battle also sang The Lord's Prayer.

Mr Bush quoted St Augustine in greeting the Pope with the words "peace be with you".

Mr Bush said: "In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism."

He added: "In a world where some evoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that God is love."

Such a message would "save man from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism," he said. White House Thousands Greet Pope >>>

BBC:
The Pope’s Visit to the US in Pictures >>>

THE DAWNING OF A NEW DARK AGE:
Happy Birthday, Holy Father! >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Saudi Church Project Runs into the Sand
"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith." - 14th century Byzantine emperor
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Two years after Benedict XVI's comments about Islam sparked protests around the world, the pontiff is once again in conflict with Muslims. This time, friction between the Vatican and Muslims is delaying the construction of what would be Saudi Arabia's first church.

A small group of prominent Islamic scholars recently stood at the airport in Rome, waiting to be picked up. But no one showed up. Instead, the academics had to find their own way to the Vatican, where they had been invited to attend a meeting to establish a "Catholic-Muslim Forum."

It was probably just a slip-up on the part of the Vatican. But it was yet another false step in the ongoing dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Islamic world.

At Easter, the pope sparked controversy when he personally baptized the Cairo-born journalist Magdi Allam. The baptismal water, wrote the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, was "like gasoline on the fire" of cultures.

After the death in 2006 of the Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, who was known for her fiercely anti-Islam views, Allam is now considered the most vocal critic of Islam in his adopted home country of Italy. "We have allowed the Islamists to take control over mosques in European countries," Allam writes. "The West, with its naïve attitudes, has nourished its own enemy." His latest book is titled "Long Live Israel." Saudi Church project Runs into the Sand >>> By Alexander Smoltczyk in Rome | April 16, 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Life in a Parallel Society >>> By Norbert F. Pötzl | April 16, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Angela Merkel as You’ve Never Seen Her Before!
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel turned a lot of heads on Saturday, April 12, when she wore a very low-cut dress. Here she speaks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.”
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Enlightenment, Islamic-Style! Behead the Homosexuals!

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Muslim Countries Want the Netherlands to ‘Take Steps’ Against Geert Wilders
DUTCH NEWS: Muslim members of the human rights commission of the United Nations want the Netherlands to take steps against Geert Wilders and his anti-Koran film Fitna, reports Trouw on Wednesday.

The comments came during a two-week meeting of the commission in which countries are being judged on their human rights.

Junior justice minister Nebahat Albayrak, who is part of the Dutch delegation, said the public prosecution department is looking into whether the film broke any laws.

Egypt had harsh words for the Dutch judge who said that as an MP Wilders had the right to criticise radical Islam and the Koran and that he was not inciting racial hatred. The judge's comments showed a lack of feeling for the duties and jurisprudence on human rights, the Egyptian delegate said.

The commission plans to hold three meetings each year until all 192 UN member countries have been judged on their human rights. The Netherlands is in the first batch of 16 countries. [Source: Muslim Countries Call for Action on Wilders]

DAWN:
UN Action Sought Against Blasphemy >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Brigitte Bardot, the French Sex Kitten of the 1960’s, on Trial for “Inciting Racial Hatred”
Photo of Brigitte Bardot in her heyday courtesy of Google Images
"I've had enough of being led by the nose by this whole population which is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing their ways." - Brigitte Bardot
TIME: She may be better remembered as the revolutionary sex kitten of 1960s French cinema, but these days Brigitte Bardot is better known as a standard-bearer of the anti-immigrant wing of France's political spectrum. Bardot went on trial Tuesday charged with "inciting racial hatred," and in view of her four previous convictions on similar charges, prosecutors sought exceptionally stiff penalties of $22,000 and a two month suspended sentence.

"I'm a bit tired of trying Madame Bardot," admitted assistant prosecutor Anne de Fonette, as she urged the court to impose "the most striking and remarkable" punishment in the case. A verdict is expected on June 3.

The current charge against Bardot was lodged by the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP), citing a letter Bardot wrote to French officials in 2004 in which she alluded to Muslims as "this population that leads us around by the nose, [and] which destroys our country." The former actress-turned-animal rights crusader had written that letter to protest the ritual slaughter of sheep during the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Kabir. Her missive, whose contents were later leaked to the media, had been sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, whose rising popularity was based in part on his hard line on immigration and tough stand against troublesome youths from immigrant backgrounds.

Lawyers for the 73 year-old Bardot, who did not attend the trial, argued the offending sections of the letter had been taken out of the context of her militant defense of animal rights over the years, a cause in support of which she has raised and spent millions of dollars. Her work in the area has been hailed by French political leaders and organizations around the world, although more recently French courts have interpreted some of her statements as Islamophobia. Is Brigitte Bardot Bashing Islam? >>> By Bruce Crumley in Paris | April 15, 2008

REUTERS:
Brigitte Bardot on Trial for Muslim Slur >>> | April 15, 2008

FRANCE 24:
Brigitte Bardot Risks Prison for Hate Speech >>> | April 16, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)