Repeal Hate Speech Laws
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: On June 9, a 53-year-old man named Mahmoud Alkhazaleh stood in the middle of a street in Chicago, and refused to get out of the way of traffic. Soon enough a car approached, but when the driver honked at him, Alkhazaleh didn’t move. The driver tried to go around him, but at that point Alkhazaleh allegedly started to hit him and throw rocks at him. And shortly thereafter, three of Alkhazaleh’s sons ran up, started to beat the driver, spit on him, and throw rocks at him.

Alkhazaleh’s sons have been charged with felony aggravated battery. And that is all to the good. But Mahmoud Alkhazaleh himself has been charged with a “hate crime.” A “hate crime”? That charge comes because apparently Alkhazaleh called the driver who tried to get him to move out of the middle of the road a “blue-eyed devil.”

Now, I have no idea why Mahmoud Alkhazaleh wouldn’t get out of the middle of the street. Maybe it really did have to do with some deep hatred of American blue-eyed devils, but I couldn’t care less if it did. The only thing the law should really be concerned about here is that he and his sons apparently gratuitously beat up this driver. He should be prosecuted fully for that, and deported if he is not a citizen. If he called the driver a “blue-eyed devil” and the driver called him a “Pakistani [expletive],” their mothers should remind them that “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me,” and that should be the end of that. Repeal Hate Speech Laws >>> By Robert Spencer | June 18, 2008

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Boys on Trial in Turkey for Singing Kurdish 'Anthem'
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A choir from eastern Turkey sang a provocative song in Kurdish during a music festival in the United States. Now nine of the boys are on trial for supporting the illegal Kurdish rebel group, the PKK.

Three teenaged members of a boys' choir will go on trial today in Turkey for "making propaganda for a terrorist organization" -- namely the Kurdish separatist group, the PKK -- after singing a Kurdish song at a music festival in San Francisco late last year.

In October 2007 the boys sang a Kurdish-language march called "Ey Raqip" ("Hey Enemy") at the San Francisco World Music Festival. They performed a number of other songs, too, but the prosecutor in Turkey argues that "Ey Raqip" is a PKK anthem. Boys on Trial in Turkey for Singing Kurdish 'Anthem' >>> June 19, 2008

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How Germany Is Dismantling Civil Rights amid Terror Fears
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany has so far been spared a bloody Islamist terror attack. But it only took two planned attacks in Germany to persuade a majority of the population to support a massive dismantling of civil rights. How Germany Is Dismantling Civil Rights amid Terror Fears >>> By Jochen Bölsche | June 12, 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
How Islam Came to Germany >>> By Ursula Spuler-Stegemann | June 16, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
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Afghanistan: Prostitution floriert trotz Tabus
STUTTGARTER ZEITUNG ONLINE: Kabul - Die kleine Afghanin war gerade elf Jahre alt, als ein beinamputierter Mann sie sexuell belästigte. Er gab ihr hinterher fünf Dollar, woraufhin sie sich zu weiteren sexuellen Handlungen bereiterklärte. Mit 13 Jahren war sie bereits die Haupternährerin ihrer Familie. Als sie sich Sozialarbeitern anvertraute, schickten ihre Eltern den zehnjährigen Bruder zum Zuhälter des Mädchens. Afghanistan: Prostitution floriert trotz Tabus >>> Von Alisa Tang, AP | 19. 06. 2008

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

Pakistan: Man Sentenced to Death for Insulting Islam
AKI: Sialkot - A Pakistani judge has sentenced a man to death and life imprisonment on charges of blasphemy and desecration of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Shafiq Latif of Kulluwal in northeastern Pakistan is alleged to have made derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammed and desecrated pages of the Koran on 17 March 2006. Pakistan: Man Sentenced to Death for Insulting Islam >>> | June 19, 2008

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Bush Calls for Offshore Drilling
Watch BBC video: President Bush calls on Congress to lift the ban >>>
BBC: President George W Bush has called on Congress to end a 27-year ban on drilling for oil in US coastal waters, to reduce dependence on imports.

Mr Bush said existing restrictions on offshore drilling were "outdated and counter-productive".

His move comes as US consumers are calling for action to tackle high oil prices that have pushed prices at the pump to more than $4 (£2) a gallon.

US energy needs are set to be a key issue in November's presidential poll.

Republican John McCain favours offshore oil drilling, whereas his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, opposes it. Bush Calls for Offshore Drilling >>> | June 18, 2008

Cross-posted at The Shrewd Economist >>>

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The Ayatollah: Proof of God
TAMMY SWOFFORD: He burst onto the world stage to dominate America's television audience in November of 1979. He was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. We did not know who he was, but for Shi'a he was "the sign of god". "Ayat" means sign, and it is the smaller thought expressed within each Surah of the Qur'an. 



Pegged a revolutionary by Western media this man moved forward from the shadows of history onto the stage of the present in Tehran after our embassy staff were taken as prisoners. This event was not merely a revolt against the Shah of Iran, but it was a resurgence of Shi'a political thought regarding what was considered the natural order of things. As a Shi'a jurist of high standing whose life must be imitated and orders obeyed in the absence of the 12th hidden infallible imam, Ayatollah Khomeini retained a position of guardianship over the Shi'a community (wali) and was indeed considered the proof of God. The heady feelings of putting a thumb in the eye of the "Great Satan" were nothing compared to the national re-identification process underway with Ayatollah Khomeini leading the parade. The Ayatollah: Proof of God >>> By Tammy Swofford | June 18, 2008

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Some Muslims In a Tiz-Woz Over Denmark’s Hijab Competition
Photo of Hudah Falah, the winner of Denmark’s hijab competition, courtesy of The National
THE NATIONAL - UAE: Beauty contests for women who wear the hijab are against the “spirit” of the Islamic message, says Shadia Abdullah, a board member of Jumeirah Islamic Learning Centre in Dubai.



Miss Headscarf 2008 took place in Denmark this month, giving a platform to “cool Muslim women who often make up a very fashion-conscious and style-confident part of the Danish street scene”.


The competition’s website has had more than 100,000 hits and the contest’s popularity means it is likely to be repeated.

A total of 46 women entered the competition and submitted photographs of themselves in hijab to the organiser, Danmarks Radio. The state broadcaster offered an iPod to the winner and magazine subscriptions to five finalists.



“The whole idea of the hijab is for a woman to cover herself and conceal her beauty,” Miss Abdullah said. “It is not about being ostentatious and showing off, but about being modest. This contest contradicts all those things.”

There were, she said, “a lot of criteria attached to wearing the hijab. For example, it should not be too flashy, expensive, show class or race differences, or draw too much attention to the wearer.

“It is as much about your behaviour when you are wearing it and covering what is inside while asking not to be judged on your looks,” Miss Abdullah said. “Islam does not say we should not be interested in fashion, but that industry is all about consumerism and our faith says you should not let fashion dictate to you.”

Some of the entrants sent in head-and-shoulders photographs, while others stood with hands on hips or struck provocative poses. The winner was Iraqi-born Huda Falah, 18, chosen for her “hidden beauty”. Danish Hijab Contest ‘Contradicts’ Modesty >>> By Tahira Yaqoob | June 16, 2008

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Democracy in Decline
REAL CLEAR POLITICS: The broad, sneering European-elite response to the plucky Irish vote to oppose the further centralization of governmental power in the European Union and the emerging opinion in China suggest that from Brussels to Shanghai, democracy may be losing its appeal. Democracy in Decline >>> By Tony Blankley | June 18, 2008

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Iraqi Christians Are Targets of Cleansing, Committee Told
OTTAWA CITIZEN: One in three a refugee, but Chaldo-Assyrians want to remain in country

Muslim militants are crucifying children to terrorize their Christian parents into fleeing Iraq, a parliamentary committee studying the persecution of religious minorities heard yesterday.

Since the war began in 2003, about 12 children, many as young as 10, have been kidnapped and killed, then nailed to makeshift crosses near their homes to terrify and torment their parents.

One infant was snatched, decapitated, burned and left on his mother's doorstep, the committee was told.

Filham Isaac, speaking for the Nineveh Advocacy Committee, told the human rights committee that Iraqi Christian churches were bombed, clergy murdered and unveiled Iraqi women raped or scarred with acid.

It's part of a systemic -- and very effective -- campaign to ethnically cleanse the area of any non-Muslims, he said. Chaldean and Assyrian Christians, known as Chaldo-Assyrians, were once the largest Christian minority in Iraq. They are also the oldest, descendants of ancient Mesopotamians who adopted Christianity in the first century. Iraqi Christians Are Targets of Cleansing, Committee Told >>> By Jennifer Green | June 18, 2008

Hat tip: Pierre of Québec for drawing my attention to this article.

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

Turkey: Diva Tried Over Dissent
” She was already one of the country's most popular male singers, when in 1981 she underwent a sex-change operation.”
BBC: One of Turkey's best known singers, Bulent Ersoy, has gone on trial charged with attempting to turn the public against military service.

The charges were brought after she suggested it was not worth sacrificing soldiers' lives in Turkey's conflict with the Kurdish separatist PKK group.

The transsexual singer made her comments on television last February.

The army was conducting a major operation against the PKK in northern Iraq at the time.

Some 40,000 people have died since the conflict with the PKK began in 1984.

Ms Ersoy did not show up in court, saying she had to attend a concert, so the trial has been postponed until September, when she will be obliged to attend.

Ms Ersoy has already said she will stand by her comments.

But she faces up to four-and-a-half years in prison if she is convicted. Turkish Singer Tried Over Dissent >>> | June 18, 2008

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One Couldn’t Make These Things Up!
THE GUARDIAN: A school in north-east Thailand has introduced toilets for transvestites after a survey showed that more than 200 students saw themselves as transgender, a director said today.

Sitisak Sumontha said he believed the 2,600-student Kampang school, in north-eatern [sic] Thailand, was the first secondary to introduce unisex toilets.

"These students want to be able to go to the restroom in peace without fear of being watched, laughed at or groped," he added.

The toilets are designated by a sign depicting a human figure split in half - part man in blue and part woman in red. Thai School Introduces Toilets for Transvestite Students >>> By Haroon Siddique and agencies | June 18, 2008

THE GUARDIAN:
Carabinieri Ordered Not to Have Affairs >>> By Haroon Siddique | June 18, 2008

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Tariq Ramadan in Debate: Part 1
You are all invited to draw your own conclusions about Tariq Ramadan’s ‘reasoning’ on Islam. He sees no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, for instance. I fundamentally disagree with him on this: Islam is by its very nature incompatible with democracy. Islam was conceived for a theocratic state. Theocracy and democracy are diametrically opposed to each other; they are immiscible. Tariq Ramadan should start studying the meaning of democracy; it would appear that he has no understanding of its true nature. - ©Mark


Part 2
Part 3
Watch another YouTube video: Tariq Ramadan Talking More Tosh >>>

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President Barack Obama Would Be Bad for Britain
THE TELEGRAPH: If this country's voters could vote in America, John McCain could take the summer off. So thorough would be his drubbing that no campaigning on his part could save him from an enforced return to the Senate.

As British and most other foreign observers see it, Barack Obama is the second coming. Perhaps not of you-know-who, although in his victory speech Obama did describe his triumph in the primaries as "the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal".

Moses made the waters recede, but he had help. So Obama must be the second coming of JFK. Never mind that Kennedy sent troops to Vietnam, backed an abortive invasion of Cuba, and conveyed such a sense of inexperience and weakness at his summit with Kruschev that we almost stumbled into a nuclear war when the Russian leader decided he could get away with putting some missiles in Cuba. President Barack Obama Would Be Bad for Britain >>> By Irwin Stelzer | june 18, 2008

MEMRI:
Libyan Leader Qaddafi: People in Arab And Islamic World, Africa... May Have Been Involved In Legitimate Contribution Campaigns [To Obama]… >>> | June 16, 2008

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Britain Soft on Radical Islam Yet Again: Radical Preacher, Abu Qatada, Is Released from Prison
Watch video here
THE TELEGRAPH: Abu Qatada, the radical Islamic cleric described as Osama bin Laden’s “right-hand man in Europe”, has been released from jail after a judge ruled that there were no grounds to keep him in prison.

The decision to allow him to return to his home in London – where he will receive around £1,000 per month in state benefits – made a mockery of the government’s promise to crack down on terror suspects, and embarrassed the Home Office, which had pledged to deport Qatada to Jordan to face terror charges.

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said she was “extremely disappointed” at the court’s decision to bail Qatada, while the Conservatives branded the decision “offensive”.

Mr Justice Mitting signed an order to release Qatada on bail, with strict conditions, following an earlier Court of Appeal decision to refuse his deportation on the grounds that it would breach human rights law. Abu Qatada: Islamic Cleric Is Released from Jail >>> By Duncan Gardham and Gordon Rayner | June 18, 2008

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In the Face of Evil

’In the Face of Evil’: Reagan’s War in Word and Deed >>>

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

On Obama

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

”Two Stupid Muslims”
Warning! This video contains objectionable content:


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

Tehran Police Intensifies Crackdown on Women, Men over Dress Code
MONSTERS AND CRITICS: Tehran - Tehran's police has intensified [the] crackdown on women and men over the Islamic dress code, Fars news agency reported Monday.

A police spokesman told Fars news agency that more than twenty cars whose passengers were not observing dress codes were confiscated until further notice.

The police has also interrogated young men with 'Western style hair-styles' about their barber shops. At least one of the barber shops in the high-society shopping centre Tandis in northern Tehran was closed down, the spokesman said.

Also more than 30 textile shops selling Western-style clothing were closed down by the police for contributing to social immorality, the spokesman added.

The Iranian police and vice units usually start their crackdowns in the summer season when, due to temperatures reaching almost 40 degrees, women wear lighter clothing. Also absolutely taboo for women are Bermuda-style pants, tight coats, loose scarves and no socks.

The hair-style and clothing of young Iranian men have also been added to the crackdown operations. Tehran Police Intensifies Crackdown on Women, Men over Dress Code >>> | June 16, 2008

BBC:
New Iranian Dress Code Crackdown >>> | June 16, 2008

MONSTERS AND CRITICS:
Iran Plans to Make Special Bicycles for Women >>> | May 17, 2008

MONSTERS AND CRITICS:
Iranian President Criticized for Embracing Female School Teacher >>> | May 2, 2008

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Lecturers 'Pressed to Boost Degree Results'
THE INDEPENDENT: Degree standards in many British universities are in danger of collapsing because lecturers are under pressure to "mark positively" and turn a blind eye to plagiarism, the man who was in charge of safeguarding standards at Britain's largest university will say today. Professor Geoffrey Alderman, former chairman of the academic council at the University of London, warns that "league table culture" has led to an explosion in the number of firsts awarded.

Latest figures show they have gone up by more than 100 per cent over the past decade from 16,708 to 36,645 – at a time when the undergraduate population has risen by just over 40 per cent. In a lecture at the University of Buckingham, Professor Alderman will also argue that universities have been particularly lenient with overseas students because they rely on them so heavily for fee income – so much so that they turn a blind eye to plagiarism and cheating. Lecturers 'Pressed to Boost Degree Results' >>> By Richard Garner, Education Editor | June 17, 2008

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