Why Latinos in America ‘Embrace’ Islam
The huge number of Hispanic illegal immigrants in the States is bound to have a great influence on the future course of the country. Anyone who loves America as it always has been is certainly going to be unsettled by the following videos:


Watch video 2: Thousands of Hispanics Convert to Islam in the USA >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Saudi King Extends Invite to Jews for Interfaith Meet
“The king is seen in Saudi Arabia as a reformer but one who has been outmaneuvered by the powerful religious establishment and their allies in the royal family. The interfaith conference call may be a kind of trial balloon launched to see what kind of reaction it gets in a country where liberals and religious conservatives are engaged in an ideological struggle for the future of Saudi Arabia.” – Andrew Hammond (Source)

HAARETZ: Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has sent an invitation to the World Jewish Congress for an interfaith dialogue with Muslim and Christian leaders, Haaretz has learned.

While the date and location of the meeting has not been announced, sources have told Haaretz that King Abdullah seeks to hold the meet in Saudi Arabia, no small feat as the country is ruled by Islamic Sharia law and currently does not allow the entry of holders of Israeli passports or those whose passports bear entry visas from Israel. The country also bans all non-Muslim prayer in public.

WJC President Ronald Lauder issued a statement Monday saying that "despite all the obstacles that may still be in the way, King Abdullah's initiative is a laudable step forward. We hope that other religious leaders and political leaders throughout the world will be encouraged to join.” Saudi King Extends Invite to Jews for Interfaith Meet >>> By Shlomo Shamir | May 26, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

En Algérie, la répression s'accroît contre les chrétiens
LE MONDE: ans la presse, c'est devenu "l'affaire de Habiba Kouider, la chrétienne", du nom d'une éducatrice de 37 ans arrêtée le 29 mars à Tiaret (plus de 300 km à l'ouest d'Alger), dans un bus en provenance d'Oran, en possession d'un lot de bibles et poursuivie pour pratique d'un "culte non musulman, sans autorisation". Mardi 27 mai, le verdict de son procès a été reporté dans l'attente d'un complément d'informations. Le même jour, six autres Algériens, convertis au christianisme, comparaissaient devant le même tribunal de Tiaret, pour "diffusion de tracts visant à ébranler la foi des musulmans". Le procureur a requis à leur encontre deux ans de prison ferme et une amende de 500 000 dinars (environ 5 000 euros). En Algérie, la répression s'accroît contre les chrétiens >>> | 27.05.08

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché)
The Dawning of a new Dark Age (Relié)

United Kingdom: Islam Channel to Introduce Interfaith Game Show
THE TELEGRAPH: An interfaith game show which sees different religious groups competing against each other for cash prizes is to be launched in Britain, it was reported on Tuesday.

Faith Off has been commissioned by the digital TV station the Islam Channel in a bid to foster good relations and better understanding between different faiths.

The show is expected to feature all of the flashing lights, buzzers, puns and cheesy smiles common to ordinary game shows.
But instead of questions about celebrities and soaps, contestants will be expected to demonstrate their religious knowledge.

Two teams of four people will compete in each episode of the eight-part series, which will be hosted by Muslim comedian Jeff Mirza.

As well as being challenged to identify key figures such as the Dalai Lama and the Pope from grainy images, there will be multiple choice questions where contestants answer questions about their own, or another contestant’s religion.

Those taking part will be picked in part from respondents to online advertisements on Muslim websites, and in part via the Islam Channel’s networks.

The show’s producer, Abrar Hussain, has also produced a competition to find Britain’s best mosque.

"We’re living in a multifaith, multicultural society," he told the Guardian newspaper.

"You learn about religions at school and then you forget, so it's about transferring the basic blocks of knowledge. it’s also about learning the similarities between religions, instead of focusing on the differences." [Source: Britain’s First Interfaith Game Show Launched by Islam Channel] By Aislinn Simpson | May 27, 2008

Islam Channel >>>

Islam Channel: The Dawah Project >>>

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

Denmark: Row over Court Veil Ban

BBC: Danish diplomats to Muslim countries are preparing themselves for another wave of anti-Danish protests after the government announced it would bar judges from wearing headscarves and similar religious or political symbols in courtrooms.

Although the ban will include crucifixes, Jewish skull caps and turbans as well as headscarves, the move is seen as being largely aimed at Muslim judges.

It comes after pressure from the Danish People's Party (DPP), known for its anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Earlier this month, the party produced a widely published poster showing a female judge wearing an all-encompassing burka.

The accompanying text argues that a Muslim headscarf is more than just a feather-light piece of clothing. Rather, it suggests, it is a symbol of submission and tyranny.

The final line of text reads: "Give us Denmark back."

Critics have argued that the burka imagery is misleading as the head covering is already banned from Danish courtrooms.

Cartoon crisis

But DPP leader, Pia Kjaersgaard, said: "Some might take offence because we are using a burka in our campaign. And so what?"

Mrs Kjaersgaard is a key ally of the Danish Prime Minister Fogh Rasmussen - a potential candidate for the newly-created position of president of Europe.

She has said that in hospital she would request another doctor were she to be introduced to one wearing a Muslim headscarf. Denmark: Row over Court Veil Ban >>> By Thomas Buch-Andersen | May 19, 2008

ECONOMIST.COM:
The Islamic Headscarf in Denmark: Covering Up >>> | May 29, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Denmark)

Italy Destroys Mosque in Verona
ROME: The Italian government got much tougher on illegal immigrants lately. It seems it is also getting tough on Islam. The Northern League, which has four ministers in Silvio Berlusconi’s newly-formed government, has made a start on a crackdown: It has razed a mosque in Verona.

"I never felt at ease with this mosque," said Elisonder Antonneli, the head of Verona city council.

"This place will be turned into a park and a car parking space and will be named after Oriana Fallaci." Fallaci was famous for her stand against Islam, and fearless in airing her views. She died in 2006.

Abu Shwaima, the Muslim leader said Muslims in the city of Verona used to find spiritual comfort at that mosque.

"We want to tell the Muslim world that mosques' construction in Italy is almost a mission impossible. Except for the Milan-based Islamic Center and the Rome mosque, there are no real mosques in Italy." He said: "We believe the life of Italian Muslims will get more complicated."

There are 20,000 Muslims in Verona, and 1.2 million in Italy as a whole, including 20,000 Italian converts to the faith.

Hat tip: Sons of Apes and Pigs and Islam Online

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

Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier: Interview – Part 1

Part 2
REUTERS:
Denmark's Prince Joachim Marries for Second Time >>> | May 24, 2008

THEIR HOME:
Schackenborg Castle >>>

THE WEDDING GOWN:
Une robe de mariée signée Arasa Morelli >>>

HELLO:
Denmark Is Filled with Joy as Joachim and Marie Tie the Knot >>> | May 24, 2008

HELLO: VIDEO COVERAGE OF WEDDING:
Prince Joachim Weds Marie Cavallier: Highlights from the Danish royal wedding as Prince Joachim and his French-born bride Marie Cavallier tie the knot at the historic Mogeltonder Church >>>

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

NuLabour Plans New Curbs on Smoking
THE INDEPENDENT: Cigarettes will be banned from public display in shops and vending machines are to be scrapped under dramatic new plans designed to curb smoking among young people.

Packets of 10 cigarettes will also be outlawed under proposals to be published later this week by the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson. A consultation paper includes plans to force cigarettes to be kept "under the counter" out of public view, Mr Johnson said.

His comments came as he praised moves by the Scottish government to ban cigarettes on display north of the border. "I think they're right to do that and we're considering that as well," said the Health Secretary.

It represents a further dramatic step in a decade-long campaign to curb the consumption of tobacco products. That has been seen as an infringement of individual rights and civil liberties for some time but anti-smoking campaigners have welcomed each move as a step towards dramatically improving the nation's health. The Last Gasp: Health Secretary Signals New Smoking Curbs >>> By Ben Russell | May 26, 2008

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

Tail Wags Dog: Muslim Inmates Put Wind Up Jail Staff!
BBC: A Prison Service report has expressed concern about problems with the high number of Muslim inmates at one of Britain's high-security jails.

A review of Whitemoor Prison in Cambridgeshire found staff were fearful of doing the wrong thing, "shifting the power dynamic towards prisoners".

The Howard League for Penal Reform said the report was "extremely disturbing".

The Prison Service says it will examine how to manage gangs and terrorist prisoners at the jail.

The report, written by the Prison Service's Directorate of High Security, was obtained by the Howard League under the Freedom of Information Act.

It found staff at Whitemoor Prison near March, Cambridgeshire, "appeared reluctant to challenge inappropriate behaviour, in particular among black and minority ethnic prisoners, for fear of doing the wrong thing".

"This was leading to a general feeling of lack of control and shifting the power dynamic towards prisoners," the report said.

"A wing itself felt particularly unstable with a general lack of confidence among staff."

Urgent matter

The report said there was an "ongoing theme of fear and instability" around the prison and many staff believed a "serious incident" was imminent.

It said the "very high Muslim population" - more than one in four of the 500 inmates - appeared to be "leading to anxiety and apprehension among some staff". Jail Staff 'Fear Muslim Inmates' >>> | May 25, 2008

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

Les Québécoises Say 'NON' to the Removal of the Crucifix from above the Speaker’s Chair in Parliament
Photo of M. Charest, the Premier of Québec, courtesy of the BBC. M. Charest said the crucifix will remain in Quebec's parliament. “The crucifix is about 350 years of history in Quebec that none of [us] are ever going to erase, and of a very strong presence, in particular of the Catholic Church”
BBC: The government of the Canadian province of Quebec has rejected a proposal to remove a crucifix from above the speaker's chair in the parliament.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest said the crucifix was related to 350 years of history that could not be erased.

The proposal was made in a report into how Quebec's French-Canadian - and traditionally Roman Catholic - population can accommodate minorities.

The report was commissioned to address a perceived identity crisis in Quebec.

'Reasonable accommodation'

Quebec has struggled in recent years as the birth rate of its white, French-Canadian population has fallen and immigration - much of it from Asia and the Middle East - has increased. Quebec Rejects Removing Crucifix >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Canada)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Canada)

How Sweet, Mr President!
Kissin’ and a-huggin’ with Muslims seems to have been par for the course for President George W Bush during his presidency. What then, I wonder, can we expect from a ‘President Barack Hussein Obama’ with his Muslim brothers (even if only former) if he manages to get the ‘crown’?

Photo of President Bush holding hands with Mahmoud Abbas courtesy of Die Presse
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Messerstecherei im Zürcher Rotlichtquartier
SONNTAGS BLICK: ZÜRICH – Im Zürcher Rotlichtquartier kommt es mitten in der Nacht zu einer Messerstecherei. Am Ende liegt ein Türke tot am Boden, ein Landsmann wird schwer verletzt.

Bei einer Messerstecherei im Zürcher Stadtkreis 4 ist in der Nacht eine Person getötet und eine weitere verletzt worden. Vier Männer wurden verhaftet, darunter der Verletzte.



Bei den Verhafteten handelt es sich um einen 29-jährigen Türken, zwei 46-jährige Schweizer sowie einen verletzten 26-jährigen Türken, wie die Stadtpolizei Zürich mitteilte. Das Opfer ist ein 27- jähriger Türke. Er verstarb noch am Tatort.



Kurz vor 1.45 Uhr kam es an der Zwinglistrasse zwischen mehreren Personen zu einer Auseinandersetzung. Im Verlauf des Streits wurde eine Stichwaffe eingesetzt. Über den genauen Tathergang sowie das Motiv liegen noch keine Erkenntnisse vor. (SDA) [Quelle: Messerstecherei im Kreis 4: Türke tot]

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

From the Man Who Should Be Archbishop: Church of England Not Doing Enough to Convert Muslims
Photo of Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester, courtesy of The Sunday Telegraph
MAIL ON SUNDAY: The Church of England was accused by one of its most senior bishops yesterday of failing in its duty to convert British Muslims to Christianity.

The Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, said Church leaders had rightly shown sensitivity towards Muslims as part of efforts to welcome minority faiths.

But he said: ‘I think it may have gone too far and what we need now is to recover our nerve.’

Dr Nazir-Ali, who faced death threats earlier this year after saying that some parts of the country had become ‘no-go areas’ for non-Muslims, said that it was important for faiths to talk to one another without diluting their core beliefs.

‘Our nation is rooted in the Christian faith, and that is the basis for welcoming people of other faiths,’ he said. ‘You cannot have an honest conversation on the basis of fudge.’

The Pakistani-born bishop, who in 2002 was tipped to become Archbishop of Canterbury before Dr Rowan Williams took over from Dr George Carey, was echoing concerns that many Church leaders are abandoning attempts to spread Christianity among Muslims out of fear of a backlash.

Members of the Church’s ‘parliament’ have now forced the highly sensitive issue on to the agenda of this summer’s General Synod – despite the efforts of liberal bishops to warn them off. Church Is Not Doing Enough to Convert UK Muslims, Says Bishop >>> By Jonathan Petre | May 25, 2008

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

Britain’s Phoney War on Terror
THE SUNDAY TIMES: We are too concerned with multiculturalism and political correctness to combat the threat of Islamism effectively

After spending time recently with senior Pentagon officials and other Americans involved in counter-terror-ism, I was struck by the global scope of their concerns. Above all I was reminded how different their attitudes are from those of their British counterparts, still obsessed with “community cohesion” and the “radicalisation” of young Muslims.

In Britain the views of the nonMuslim majority are largely ignored - or lead to them being branded as potential “Islamophobes”. In the United States the unthinkable and unsayable are debated openly.

Last month, for example, the Senate committee on homeland security heard evidence about the likely effects of a terrorist nuclear attack on Washington. It started with a chilling scenario: a 10-kiloton bomb in a truck beside the White House. First, the committee was told, it would kill about 100,000 people and erase a two-mile radius of mainly federal buildings. Most of the casualties would be burn victims, the majority of them African Americans who worked for the government.

About 95% of them would die in agony, because capacity to treat such cases is limited to about 1,500. Since the winds blow west to east, the ensuing radioactive plume would drift towards the poor black neighbourhoods of the capital’s southeast, where there is only one hospital. Joe Lieberman, chairman of the committee, concluded: “Now is the time to ask the tough questions and then to get answers as best we can.”

I can’t help wondering what preparations for such a nightmare scenario are being made here in Britain. Does anyone know if our parliamentarians are asking similar questions?

As the main target of jihadist violence, the United States has a sober estimation of the threat we face and a polyvalent strategy for dealing with it. In Britain use of the phrase the “war on terror” has been proscribed by the Brown government; local representatives of the global jihadist insurgency process through British courts in startling numbers. A recent Europol report showed that in 2007 the British arrested 203 terrorist suspects, against 201 for the rest of Europe.

By contrast, the United States is fighting a global war - against an Al-Qaeda-inspired nebula of extremists - with arms and ideas and a vast array of analytic intelligence. In essence, America wants to destroy Al-Qaeda as a brand. One strategy is to highlight the moral squalor of those who denounce the West, which means exposing the criminal underpinnings of jihadism - including reliance on conflict diamonds, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, fraud and robbery. Yet the British government has done almost nothing to undermine the noble self-image of the jihadists in the eyes of those who are drawn to Osama Bin Laden. Britain’s Phoney War on Terror >>> By Michael Burleigh | May 25, 2008

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

The ‘Blessed’ Hussein Obama!
Photo of the ‘blessed’, but self-satisfied, Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of the Daily Mail
DAILY MAIL: Barack Obama explained the roots of his unusual name, listed some of his Jewish friends and voiced support for Israel during a synagogue visit designed to shore up Jewish support for his U.S. presidential bid.

Mr Obama, an Illinois senator and the front-runner for his party's White House nomination, has battled concerns among some Jewish Americans about his race, religion and views on Israel.

He addressed those issues in a nearly two-hour meeting with Democrats and Republicans at a Jewish temple in Florida, a state that will be key to winning November's general election.

"There is not a single trace of me ever being anything more than a friend of Israel and a friend of the Jewish people," Mr Obama said, telling the crowd not to believe fliers and e-mails that suggested otherwise.

"Judge me by what I say and what I've done. Don't judge me because I've got a funny name. Don't judge me because I'm African-American."

Critics have raised doubts about Obama's commitment to the Jewish state and have floated rumors that he was a Muslim. Barack Obama Hunts Down the Jewish Vote ... by Explaining the Roots of His 'Blessed' Name >>> | May 23, 2008

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

Cause and Consequence: Deathblow in the Netherlands
CANADA FREE PRESS: Last week, the Dutch police raided the home of Gregorius Nekschot (a pseudonym meaning “Gregory Deathblow”). Mr. Nekschot makes rude and often sexually explicit cartoons that poke fun at the multicultural society and at religious people, especially Muslims. The police confiscated his computer and a number of drawings. The cartoonist was also arrested and jailed for 36 hours but has meanwhile been released until his court case is due.

“Gregory Deathblow” – the first name refers to Pope Gregory IX who established the Papal Inquisition – hides behind an alias. The cartoonist was a collaborator of the late Dutch film director Theo van Gogh. He made drawings for Mr. van Gogh’s website until it ceased publication in 2004, after its owner was assassinated by a fanatic Muslim. 



The police harrassment of Mr. Nekschot follows a 2005 “islamophobia” complaint by Abdul Jabbar van de Ven, a Dutchman who converted to Islam and subsequently became an imam. This was the same Abdul Jabbar van de Ven who, three weeks after Mr. van Gogh’s assassination, told Dutch television that he had felt happiness when he heard of the murder and that he hoped that anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders would soon die, too. Mr. Nekschot subsequently made a cartoon of the imam, depicting him with sticks pricking out his eyes. 



It is indicative of the current situation in the Netherlands that the authorities have not pursued the threatening imam, but arrested the cartoonist following a complaint from that same imam. It took them three years to do so because, as Ernst Hirsch Ballin, the Dutch minister of Justice, a Christian-Democrat, explained last week, it took the police three years to discover the cartoonist’s real identity. He will now be charged with the hate speech crime of drawing cartoons of “an insulting and/or discriminating nature.” 



Mr. Nekschot’s reaction to his arrest, however, was equally indicative. He attacked… the Christians. In an interview in Monday’s newspaper Sp!ts he said: “I think it is urgent that we democratically limit the influence of parties such as the Christian Democrat Party, the Christian Union and other religiously inspired parties. These parties are disastrous in all respects.” 



Europe is in the middle of a three-way culture war between Christians, secularists and Muslims. Both the secularists and the Christians feel threatened by radical Islam. Anti-religious secularists hold that Islam is dangerous for one reason only, namely that, like Christianity, it is a religion. They fail to grasp that Islam, rather than being a transcendental religion, resembles a totalitarian political ideology in the guise of a religion. It aims to impose Islamic law on everyone, including non-Muslims. Christian values, on the contrary, have long ceased to define society in the Netherlands. Unlike America, Western Europe is a post-Christian society with secularism as its state ideology. The secularists have created a religious vacuum in the heart of European society – which Islam is filling. Cause and Consequence: Deathblow in the Netherlands: Europe is in the middle of a three-way culture war between Christians, secularists and Muslims >>> By Paul Belien | May 22, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Canada)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Canada)

Spain's Drought: A Glimpse of Our Future?
THE INDEPENDENT: Barcelona is in the grip of a climate crisis on a scale never seen before in modern-day Europe. And now this parched city is being forced to import supplies from France

Barcelona is a dry city. It is dry in a way that two days of showers can do nothing to alleviate. The Catalan capital's weather can change from one day to the next, but its climate, like that of the whole Mediterranean region, is inexorably warming up and drying out. And in the process this most modern of cities is living through a crisis that offers a disturbing glimpse of metropolitan futures everywhere.

Its fountains and beach showers are dry, its ornamental lakes and private swimming pools drained and hosepipes banned. Children are now being taught how to save water as part of their school day. This iconic, avant-garde city is in the grip of the worst drought since records began and is bringing the climate crisis that has blighted cities in Australia and throughout the Third World to Europe. A resource that most Europeans have grown up taking for granted now dominates conversation. Nearly half of Catalans say water is the region's main problem, more worrying than terrorism, economic slowdown or even the populists' favourite – immigration.

The political battles now breaking out here could be a foretaste of the water wars that scientists and policymakers have warned us will be commonplace in the coming decades. The emergency water-saving measures Barcelona adopted after winter rains failed for a second year running have not been enough. The city has had to set up a "water bridge" and is shipping in water for the first time in the history of this great maritime city. Spain's Drought: A Glimpse of Our Future? >>> By Elizabeth Nash | May 24, 2008

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

Viewpoint from Israel: We Love You, George
Photo of Bush with Olmert at Masada courtesy of YNET NEWS
YNET NEWS: Embarrassing flattery showered on Bush shows nature of Israel’s elite

United States President George W. Bush’s latest visit to Israel can teach us many things. We discovered, for example, that he is a very likeable man, yet it is unclear how he became the leader of a global superpower. We could also see that Israel’s government elite is in love with this likeable man.

Bush is a typical example of the give-Israelis-everything-they want approach, which rewards American presidents with popularity even when they cause quite a bit of damage (think back to Bill Clinton’s mediocre performance at the Camp David summit and its grim results.)

The Israeli Presidential Conference attended by Bush could also teach us much about ourselves. What was more conspicuous than anything else was the obsequiousness in the face of the American president. It was not the Israeli gratitude in and of itself that caused me discomfort. It is indeed possible that a leader who fails in one area does significant and appropriate things in other areas. For example, Bush has a very impressive record of offering aid to Africa – much more impressive than that of his popular predecessor.

Yet what caused my sense of discomfort (not to mention slight nausea) was the absence of any limits, or what I would call lack of self respect. The flattery showered on Bush was embarrassing and exceedingly exaggerated – bowing down to the ground where a handshake would do. We Love You, George >>> By Aviad Kleinberg | May 22, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

BBC HARDtalk: Geert Wilders Talking Sense – Part 1

Part 2
Part 3
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

If This Doesn’t Make You Feel Sick in Your Stomach, Then I Do Not Know What Will!

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