Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Stumbling Toward Eurabia

FOCUS NEWS AGENCY: In the summer of 2004, in an interview little noticed outside the country, the prominent academic scholar of Islam Bassam Tibi predicted a future for Germany that many decried as provocative nonsense at the time.1[sic] In ten years, Tibi said, Germany will be the scene of large running battles between police and gangs of marginalized Muslim youth, bringing cities like Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt to the brink of chaos. This will be the inevitable result, according to him, of a trend that is already visible. Muslims are not interested in integration. They are, in fact, obligated not to integrate by the radical Islamic ideology dominant in their communities, and live increasingly segregated in parallel societies. The main difference between 2004 and 2014, Tibi believed, would be that the highly marginalized Muslim population would have more than doubled to 10 million, sharia would have been gradually introduced in Germany and the Islam preached there would be even more radical and resemble Nazi totalitarianism.

Today, more than three and a half years later, a new study of attitudes among young Muslims by the German interior ministry would seem to confirm Tibi’s fears. According to the survey, 44 percent of respondents have fundamentalist Islamic beliefs, 50 percent believe that “Muslims who die in the armed struggle for the faith (Jihad) go to paradise,” and one in four is ready to engage in violence against non-Muslims.2 [sic] Stumbling Toward Eurabia >>> By Alex Alexiev

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
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Multiculturalism May Erode Strength Of Western Values

THE TECH (MIT): Amal Dorai G mischaracterizes my letter from last week. Far from saying that we should accommodate the intolerance of other cultures, I was posing a question — how do we reconcile our liberal society (here I use “liberal” in its classical sense) with respect for multicultural diversity, when some of our own values, such as respect for the rights of homosexuals, conflict with those of other cultures? Do we dare to assert the superiority of civilized Western liberalism over the medieval puritanism which still persists in some parts of the world today? Dorai seems to think so, and his letter suggests that it is ridiculous to think otherwise — he believes it is “ludicrous” to accommodate another culture’s bigotry.

However, appropriate limits to multiculturalism are not as obvious to our friends in Europe and Canada. According to the BBC, the Canadian government, flouting free speech rights, brought writer Mark Steyn before a human rights tribunal for writings which were critical of Islam (as if boorishness is on par with, say, genocide). In the UK, Islamic Sharia law courts, where the laws of evidence are more lenient, now operate as an alternative to the legitimate courts of the British government, according to The Telegraph, undoubtedly encouraged by the climate fostered by idealists such as the ruling Labour Party, which had insisted for many years that their country is “multicultural.” In Germany, the judge of a German court cited the Koran in rejecting a Moroccan woman’s petition for an accelerated divorce due to domestic violence and death threats from her husband, according to the International Herald Tribune. While mainstream Muslim leaders, to their credit, swiftly condemned the ruling, the apparent alacrity with which the judge subordinated German legal principles to the Koran illustrates the paralysis of justice which could result from permitting cultural accommodation to become too ingrained. In France, philosopher Jean-Francois Revel has commented that the institutional reluctance to teach French to immigrant children in French schools has stunted the upward mobility of these immigrants, causing resentment which sometimes boils over into the youth riots we have witnessed in recent years. Homosexuals, in particular, comprise one group which has much to fear from the growing Islamization of Europe. In the Netherlands, attacks on gays have increased in recent years, mostly perpetrated by Moroccan youths, according to Radio Netherlands. In Iran, Sharia law calls for the execution of homosexuals. It may be ridiculous now to think that something like that could happen in western Europe, but such changes do not occur suddenly, and we only notice too late when things have gone too far, just as a frog submerged in a pot of cold water does not jump out of the pot if the water is brought gradually to a boil. Multiculturalism May Erode Strength Of Western Values >>> By Justin Wong | April 29, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Boris Johnson,
le «bouffon» de Londres

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Photo de Boris Johnson grâce aux Google Images

LE FIGARO: Cet ancien journaliste de 43 ans, qui ne sait pas résister à une blague, pourrait, jeudi, ravir la capitale britannique au travailliste Ken Livingstone. Avec ce drôle d'oiseau, le camp conservateur n'a pas fini d'en voir de toutes les couleurs.

Avec son épaisse tignasse blonde en désordre, ses costumes froissés et son éternel sourire en coin, Boris Johnson n'a pas l'air d'un homme à qui on confierait le contrôle de la plus grande capitale européenne et la responsabilité d'un budget de 10 milliards de livres. Et pourtant, à la surprise générale, le candidat conservateur devance dans les sondages le redoutable Ken Livingstone, maire travailliste depuis la création du poste en 2000.

Il y a encore quelques mois, lors de sa sélection, facile, au sein du parti conservateur pour devenir candidat à la mairie de Londres, de nombreux observateurs étaient dubitatifs sur les chances de celui qu'ils qualifiaient de «bouffon», de «clown». L'homme est plus célèbre pour ses gaffes et ses bons mots que par la clarté de ses programmes politiques. Sur YouTube, plus d'un million d'internautes ont déjà regardé la courte vidéo qui le montre en train de faire un plaquage de rugby sur un autre joueur, lors d'un match de football organisé par une œuvre caritative. Après le match, il s'excuse, en précisant tout de même : «J'ai tenté de jouer la balle avec la tête, ce qui est une action légitime au foot, je crois.»

Son étonnante popularité doit aussi beaucoup au succès de ses interventions lors de shows télévisés. Sa chevelure blonde très reconnaissable et son sens de la repartie le rendent rapidement célèbre. À plusieurs reprises, il réussit à répondre avec humour et ce sens si britannique de l'autodérision aux piques que lui lancent les présentateurs en rappelant les nombreux scandales qu'il traîne derrière lui. Boris Johnson,
le «bouffon» de Londres >>> De Cyrille Vanlerberghe | 28. 04. 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché)
The Dawning of a new Dark Age (Relié)
Obama 'Angry' at Pastor Comments

BBC: Democratic US presidential hopeful Barack Obama has expressed "outrage" at comments made by Rev Jeremiah Wright.

He said that any relationship he had with his former pastor "has now changed" as a result of the comments.

Clips of Rev Wright's fiery sermons triggered a storm of criticism when they were aired last month.

Meanwhile, Mr Obama's rival Hillary Clinton was endorsed by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley, and Republican John McCain unveiled a healthcare plan.

'Saddened'

Mr Obama was responding to a series of recent public appearances by Rev Wright, in which the pastor refused to back down from the controversial statements made in his sermons.

"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday," Mr Obama told reporters.

The Illinois senator described Rev Wright's comments as "divisive and destructive" and said they "end up giving comfort to those that prey on hate". Obama ‘Angry’ at Pastor Comments >>> | April 29, 2008

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

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Foto dank der Zeit

DIE ZEIT: Am Persischen Golf boomt die Wirtschaft. Aber es ziehen dunkle Wolken auf. Im Irak tobt bereits jenes politische Unwetter, das sich in den kommenden Jahren über der ganzen Region zu entladen droht.

Vorletztes Wochenende fand in Riad, der Hauptstadt Saudi-Arabiens, auf Einladung zweier saudischer Think Tanks eine Konferenz mit Saudis, Amerikanern und Europäern zur Zukunft des Iraks statt. Dabei geht es schon längst nicht mehr um die Frage, ob die USA den Krieg im Irak gewinnen können oder nicht. Die Antwort darauf fällt eindeutig aus: Diese Chance wurde seit Langem vertan, wenn sie denn je bestanden hat.

Die eigentliche Frage aus Sicht Saudi-Arabiens und der anderen arabischen Golfanrainer lautet vielmehr, ob die islamische Republik Iran der große Gewinner des neokonservativen Abenteuers an Euphrat und Tigris sein wird oder nicht. An der Antwort auf diese Frage droht sich aus Sicht Riads auch die Zukunft des eigenen Landes zu entscheiden.

Vieles spricht dafür, dass die Ängste der Saudis berechtigt sind. Eine iranische Hegemonie am Golf allerdings würde das regionale Gleichgewicht der Mächte fundamental verändern und birgt deshalb die Gefahr einer umfassenden Konfrontation in sich. Konfrontation am Golf >>> Von Joshka Fischer

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)
British Teenager, Andrew Ibrahim, Facing Terrorism Charges

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Photo of Andrew Ibrahim, the British teenager facing terrorism charges, courtesy of the BBC

BBC: A 19-year-old Bristol man has been charged with terrorist offences relating to explosive substances.

Andrew Ibrahim, of Westbury-on-Trym, was arrested on 17 April. Three controlled explosions were later carried out at his flat.

He has been charged with possession of an explosive substance, the intention to commit terrorism and the possession of articles for terrorist purposes.

He will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of his appearance in the London court, Mr Ibrahim's family spoke of their "shock" at the charges.

In a statement, his relatives said: "As a family we have been shocked and deeply distressed by the events of the past fortnight.

"We are still coming to terms with the news and trying to deal with this shock as a family. We therefore would ask that the media respect our privacy at this extremely difficult time." Teenager Facing Terrorism Charges >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
America’s War on Words

INTERNATIONAL ANALYST NETWORK: The Bush administration has launched a new “outreach” policy reflecting it’s reluctance to discuss jihadism in public. This time, it has targeted language. We are no longer at war with “jihadism”. Rather, we are engaged in a war against “extremism”.

In a document titled: "Words that Work and Words that Don't: A Guide for Counterterrorism Communication” released in March 2008, Federal agencies including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counter Terrorism Center will now be issued instructions on how not to describe "jihadists”, or the "mujahedeen", or to use any references relating to Islam, Islamic theology or Muslims in the context of our current war. Nor are these the only words to be struck from the government’s political lexicon. Words and phrases like “al Qaeda movement”, “Salafi”, “Wahhabist”, “Sufi”, “ummah” (the Muslim world), “Islamic terrorist”, “Islamist”, “holy warrior” and even “caliphate” are also to be removed from diplomatic discourse.

The erroneous rationale given is that these terms promote support for “extremism” among Arab and Muslim audiences by providing religious credibility to “extremists” while offending moderate Muslims. The directive states that the term “jihad” tends to “glamorize terrorism, imbues terrorists with religious authority they do not have and damages relations with Muslims around the world". The memo says the advice is not binding and does not apply to official policy papers, but should be used as a guide for conversations with Muslims and media.

This directive mirrors identical policy guidelines distributed to British and European Union diplomats last year to better explain the current war to Muslim communities there (as if they don’t already get it). Last summer, Prime Minister Gordon Brown prohibited his ministers from using the word “Muslim” in connection with terrorism. And in January this year, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith went even further, announcing that the British Government had dropped the terms “War on Terror” and “Islamic extremism” altogether. Civil servants now have to refer to Islamic terrorists merely as “criminals” without any reference to Islam in order to “prevent the glorification and incitement of terrorism”. Bat Ye’or would call these actions just another manifestation of creeping British “d’himmitude” [sic] (infidel submission to Islam), but the fact that the US government is now following the British lead (where fear under the guise of “outreach” is the motivating factor) is disturbing. America’s War on Words >>> By Mark Silverberg

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
Peter Taylor: Algeria and the Rise of Islamist Extremism

BBC: Watch seven-year-old Abdelkahar Belhadj address a political rally

BBC: One of the most remarkable archive sequences we came across while researching the Age of Terror programme, features a seven-year-old Algerian boy called Abdelkahar Belhadj. He is seen addressing a political rally of thousands in 1991 with all the confidence and fire of a mature adult.

"There are a billion Muslims and we don't have a state that rules by God's Holy Law. Isn't that a dishonour and a shame on us?" he proclaims in the voice of a child.

He is cheered ecstatically and lifted on high. It was revelatory to hear the philosophy of jihad - the struggle to overthrow infidel regimes and replace them with Islamic states under Sharia law - emerging from the lips of one so young.

In 2007, 16 years later, we watched another clip, a propaganda video announcing the launch of al-Qaeda in North Africa featuring non other than Abdelkahar Belhadj, now a fully-fledged jihadi.

When I first saw the clip of the young Belhadj, I was instantly reminded of an interview I'd done in an IRA stronghold in Belfast in the mid-seventies with a little boy called Sean. I vividly remember he had the initials IRA inked on the back of his hand.

Sean told me he wanted to fight and die for Ireland. Years later I met him again, this time on an IRA wing inside the Maze prison. He had gone to jail after fighting for the cause he had embraced all those years ago.

Sean and Abdelkahar Belhadj illuminate the bigger picture of the Age of Terror: how the "cause", be it Islamist or Republican, Basque or Palestinian, flows from one generation to the next and on through the veins of history. Algeria and the Rise of Islamist Extremism >>> By Peter Taylor | April 29, 2008

BBC:
Age of Terror Website >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
Muslim Clergy Opposes Badawi's Proposal on Conversion

INDIA eNEWS: Senior Islamic leaders of Malaysia have rejected a proposal by Prime Minister Abdullah Amad Badawi that requires non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.

Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said it was decided at a recent conference that met to streamline Syariah*, the Islamic laws and civil laws.

'Based on Syariah laws, there is no 'nas' (quotations from the Quran to prove or settle a point) compelling a person wishing to convert to Islam to inform the family before doing so,' Wan Mohamad said in a statement Monday.

The conference also decided that the need to inform loved ones should be left to the discretion of the person wishing to convert.

Wan Mohamad said present Syariah laws on conversion and related matters were sufficient and the present practices should be continued.

'Nevertheless, provisions for registration, custody and the education of converts need to be formulated in a more effective manner,' The Daily Star quoted him as saying Tuesday.

Wan Mohamad added under the Syariah laws, the duties and responsibility of the convert towards his non-Muslim parents did not stop after the conversion.

Badawi had said the government would introduce a regulation requiring non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam to inform their family before doing so.

He said this would prevent problems of families disputing the conversion of their loved ones when they die. Muslim Clergy Opposes Badawi's Proposal on Conversion >>> | April 29, 2008

*Shari’ah

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
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The History of Islam from a Muslim’s Perspective

Listening to this man speak about the ‘glory’ of Islam, one is left asking oneself the question: If this is all true, then why has the Islamic world fallen so far behind?


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

Monday, April 28, 2008

"America's Chickens [Are] Coming Home to Roost," Says Obama’s Pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright

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Photo of Jeremiah Wright, Barack Hussein Obama’s pastor, courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of the US presidential hopeful Barack Obama, has hit back at critics of his fiery sermons.

In two speeches, to journalists and African-American activists, Mr Wright said that attacks on him were attacks on the black church.

And he said that his six years of service in the military was proof of his patriotism.

Senator Obama rejected Mr Wright's language in a speech last month.

Publicity campaign

Mr Wright remained silent when old sermons containing politically charged remarks were circulated on television and online in March.

But he is now conducting a publicity campaign to defend himself against the criticisms that were made after the clips were aired. Obama’s Pastor Replies to Critics >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
Iran to Counter Fitna with Two Documentaries

INDIA eNEWS: Iran is to counter the anti-Islamic video Fitna (Discord) made by Dutch legislator Geert Wilders with two documentary films, Fars news agency reported Monday.

The Iranian films are titled Reply to Fitna and Beyond Fitna and aimed at what the filmmakers call neutralizing the 'plot' by the Dutch against Islam.

The two Iranian filmmakers have also declared their readiness to have a debate with Wilders over his film.

Tehran has condemned the anti-Islamic video, terming it 'insulting and anti-Islamic' and symbolic for the 'deep antagonism' of some Western states towards Islam and Muslims.

The Iranian foreign ministry last month summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran to lodge a protest against Wilders' video. [Source: Iran to Counter Dutch Anti-Islam Video with Two Documentaries]

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
Tom Kent's Viewpoint: Canada Is Much More Than a Hotel

GLOBE AND MAIL: It was in 1947 that "Canadian citizen" replaced "British subject" as the legal description of a voting participant in this democratic society. One might think that by now the transition would be complete, the concept of our citizenship mature. It is not. It has not kept up with changes in the world around us. Canadian law on citizenship and immigration is in need of another radical revision.

Most of us are proud to belong to a nation welcoming diverse peoples and accepting many cultures. But present law permits, even encourages, confusion of loyalties and plurality of citizenship. The sense of a Canadian identity is increasingly diluted. It need not be.

In the beginning, in the 1867 escape from colonies to nation, what it meant to be Canadian was plain. It was to be different from American. As the United States emerged from its bloody civil war, and found purpose in the manifest destiny of rolling west and potentially north, determination to have no part of it was equally strong in the British and the French.

The BNA Act was soon supported by the National Policy of tariffs and the railroad. That was not enough, however, to build an economy from sea to sea. Farmers from a cold climate were needed to break the Prairie sod. It was immigration from central Europe that made it possible for Quebec and the old British colonies to grow into a nation state. We remained a dynamic economy. In the mid-twentieth century, particularly, remarkable and diversified growth called for many new workers. At first they came from Britain and Europe, but prosperity there soon diminished those sources. The temper of the 1960s in any case called for openness to all peoples, who have since come especially from south and east Asia.

It is, however, a new imperative that calls for them. Canadians have become much less productive of offspring. Our fertility rate is barely two-thirds of the population replacement level. We are, of course, far from unique in that respect. But our population is already slight in relation to our resources. Smaller numbers would damagingly increase the burden of infrastructure overheads imposed by our geography. They would reduce the economies of scale possible for an economy whose manufacturing and service sectors are already challenged by growth elsewhere. Much as the world as a whole will eventually benefit from lower birth rates, it will be a long time before both economic and social pressures cease to call for migration to Canada, migration substantial in relation to our otherwise declining population. Canada Is Much More Than a Hotel >>> By Tom Kent

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Canada)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Canada)
Nicolas Sarkozy en visite d'Etat de 48h en Tunisie

LE POINT: Nicolas Sarkozy entame lundi en Tunisie un séjour de quarante-huit heures largement voué au développement de la relation politique et économique très étroite qui unit la France et son ancienne colonie, à peine perturbée par l'entêtante question des droits de l'Homme.

Après le Maroc et l'Algérie l'an dernier, le président, accompagné de son épouse, conclut chez son homologue tunisien Zine El Abidine Ben Ali sa première tournée des pays du Maghreb. Nicolas Sarkozy en visite d'Etat de 48h en Tunisie >>> Par Philippe ALFROY | 28. 04. 2008

LE MONDE:
Nicolas Sarkozy place sa visite à Tunis sous le signe de l'économie et de l'Union de la Méditerranée >>> | 28. 04. 2008

LE FIGARO:
Méditerranée : Sarkozy défend son projet à Tunis >>> Par Alain Barluet | 28. 04. 2008
Alain Barluet

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché)
The Dawning of a new Dark Age (Relié)
Sarkozy: ''Regieren ist einfacher als ich dachte''

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DIE PRESSE: Einen Monat vor dem ersten Jahrestag seiner Amtsübernahme hat der französische Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy eine höchst positive Bilanz seiner bisherigen Regierungszeit gezogen. "Ich will nichts beschönigen, aber regieren ist einfacher als ich dachte", sagte Sarkozy in einem Interview mit der Zeitschrift "Le Point" [Quelle]

Zur Gallerie

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Fitna Still Causing Outrage in Pakistan

AFP: KARACHI — Thousands of Pakistani women rallied here Saturday to protest against Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and a Dutch film said to insult Islam, witnesses said.

The women shouted "death to Denmark and death to Netherlands," as they marched about a kilometre (less than a mile) on a busy street.

Police said up to 4,000 women, mostly from an Islamic party, took part in the noisy demonstration, venting anger against the Internet release of a 15-minute film last month by far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders and publication of the Prophet caricatures.

In a resolution the rally urged the government to cease diplomatic ties with Denmark and the Netherlands and expel their envoys.

"We will defend the honour of our prophet and our religion at the cost of our lives," the fundamentalist Jamaat-i-Islami party said.

The Pakistan foreign ministry last month summoned the Dutch ambassador and lodged a "strong protest" over Wilders's film, which it said "deeply offended the sentiments of Muslims all over the world."

The cartoons originally appeared in a Danish newspaper in September 2005, sparking anger and protests across the Muslim world. Five people died in Pakistan in February 2006 during violent protests against the drawings.

At least 17 Danish dailies reprinted one of the cartoons in February, vowing to defend freedom of expression a day after police in Denmark foiled a plot to murder the cartoonist. [Source: Pakistani Islamic Women Protest 'Anti-Islam' Film, Cartoons]

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
Last Friday's Gathering Storm Weekly Storm Report


Secular Islam Summit

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
The Demise of Turkey’s Pork Butchers

Watch BBC video HERE

BBC: The role of Islam in Turkish society is a subject of continual debate. Secularists are protesting against what they see as the government's increasingly Islamic agenda, and as Sarah Rainsford found out, the latest battleground could be across the butcher's counter.

"We're going filming at a pork butcher's and a pig farm," I told my Turkish cameraman in a text message. Slightly anxious, I added: "Is that OK with you?"

A moment later a message from Gokhan flashed back.

"Yes," he wrote. "I like a good pork steak!"

He is not the only one.

Another Turkish friend told me that eating pork, which is forbidden by Islam, is increasingly popular in secular high society here.

She described this as an act of defiance by some Turks who fear religious dictates have begun creeping into their lives since a government led by devout Muslims took power.

But those people could soon be looking for a new way to rebel because Turkey's pork industry is on the brink of extinction. The Demise of Turkey’s Pork Butchers >>> | April 26, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
The Jailed Saudi Blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, Is Released

BBC: A popular Saudi blogger who was detained by the authorities in December has been set free.

Fouad al-Farhan had used his website to criticise alleged corruption and call for democratic reforms in his country.

No official explanation was given for either the detention or the decision to free him.

Mr Farhan's detention had sparked protests from fellow bloggers. International human rights groups had been campaigning for his release.

Unlike most bloggers in Saudi Arabia, he wrote under his real name.

He used the blog to expose problems in Saudi society and campaigned on behalf of jailed Saudi liberals.

Correspondents say the whole affair surrounding the arrest Mr Farhan is part of a wider internet phenomenon issue in the Arab world.

With most governments in the region tightly controlling the activities of the official media, young people are increasingly turning to the internet to express dissent. [Source: Saudi Blogger Released from Jail]

Fouad Is Free >>>

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

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)
Race Question Hangs Over Obama’s Campaign

THE SCOTSMAN: IT IS the question that has hung over Barack Obama's presidential primary campaign: why has he been unable to win over enough working class and white voters to wrap up the Democratic nomination?

Lurking behind that question is another: is the Democratic Party hesitating about race as it moves to the brink of nominating an African-American to be president?

Obama remains ahead of Hillary Clinton in delegates, in the popular vote and in national polls, and Clinton certainly has her own problems trying to herd Democrats into her corner.

But just when it seemed that the Democratic Party was close to anointing Obama as its nominee, he lost yet again – in Pennsylvania, a big general election state – dragged down by his weakness among blue-collar voters, older voters and white voters. The composition of Clinton's support – or looked at another way, the makeup of those voters who have proved reluctant to embrace Obama – has Democrats wondering, if not worrying, about what role race may be playing. Race Question Threatens to Derail Obama >>> By Adam Nagourney | April 27, 2008

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