More Wiretapping Nonsense! This Time from the US
BBC: US lawmakers have passed a bill to shield telephone companies who helped in the White House's controversial warrantless wiretaps programme.

The bill also grants the US government the power to continue with its warrantless surveillance scheme.

The Bush administration faced criticism when details emerged of its programme to monitor the phone calls of foreign targets in the US without warrants.

President Bush said the scheme was needed to prevent attacks on the US.

Telephone companies were facing as many as 40 lawsuits for their involvement in the scheme. US Lawmakers Pass Wiretaps Bill >>> | June 20, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Danish Muslims Plan to Take Jyllands-Posten to Europe’s Highest Human Rights Court
I am sorry to say, folks, but we are reaping exactly what we have sown! These problems with Islam and Muslims are endless. They don’t fit in in a Western, liberal democracy; and that’s it! And nor will they ever! - ©Mark

ISLAMONLINE.NET: COPENHAGEN — Danish Muslims are planning to take Denmark's Jyllands-Posten daily to Europe's highest human rights court over the publication of satirical drawings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).

"[Danish] Muslim organizations intend to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights," Muslim leader Mohammed Khalid Samha told IslamOnline.net on Friday, June 20.

The move comes a day after a Danish court rejected a suit by seven Muslim groups against newspaper editors for publishing the offensive cartoons.

"We were quite sure that the Danish judiciary would not be fair to Muslims," said Samha. Muslims Take Prophet Cartoons to EU Court >>> By Nidal Abu Arif | June 20. 2008

KLEINVERZET:
International Arrest Warrant for Geert Wilders >>> | June 21, 2008

COOPER REPUBLIC:
Jordan Wants to Arrest Geert Wilders >>> | June 20, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers

The Nazis: A Warning from History, Part 1

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14

TIMESONLINE ARCHIVES:
Adolf Hitler Is Dead

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers

Unglaublich! Ist diese Frau nicht wohl übergeschnappt?

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

Incredible! Islam and Sufism in Spain – Spaniards Taking the Shahada in Great Numbers

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Hook-Handed Muslim Fanatic Loses US Extradition Appeal

THE TELEGRAPH: Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza lost his High Court battle today against extradition to the United States where he faces a potential jail sentence of 100 years.

The decision means the hook-handed fanatic can be sent across the Atlantic to face terror charges and is likely to spend the rest of his natural life locked up for 23 hours a day in a "super-maximum" security jail in Colorado.

Two High Court judges sitting in London ruled that the decision to extradite Hamza was "unassailable" but they also gave his lawyers 14 days to apply for leave to make a last ditch appeal to the House of Lords, the highest court in the land.

Ultimately, he could delay the move further by taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights. Abu Hamza Loses US Extradition Appeal, Faces 100-Year Jail Sentence >>> By Nick Allen | June 20, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Prosecute the Racists Not the Reporters >>> By Philip Johnson | September 24, 2007

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers

Muslim Headscarves Test the Limits of German Tolerance
… [the headscarf debate is a] "religiously motivated political offensive being waged under the veil of religious freedom. Islam is conducting a cultural war in pursuit of ‘a different set of political and social ideals.’ Islam is ‘not tolerant itself, but takes advantage of the tolerance available to it through our legal system in order to grow.’’ – Nekla Kelek, a sociologist of Turkish descent

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: For years, Germany's legal experts have been arguing about whether Muslim public officials have the right to wear headscarves. The issue raises difficult questions about religious tolerance and constitutional rights in Germany.

"When you do something," Brigitte Weiss says, "you need to do it right."

It's a motto she knows from home. She remembers people saying it where she comes from, a coal-mining area in Germany's western Ruhr region. Later, as a grade school teacher in Mettmann, a small town near Düsseldorf, she tried to pass the homespun wisdom on to her students. Whether it was their homework in German, Geography, Home Economics, or whatever else they were doing -- the main thing was to do it right.

"All of my students," Weiss says, "were happy to have me as their teacher."

Now this is no longer entirely the case. The reason is Brigitte Weiss's conversion to Islam. Now she has a new name, Maryam, and she dresses differently: She wears a headscarf. Muslim Headscarves Test the Limits of German Tolerance >>> By Thomas Darnstädt | June 20, 2008

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

Israelis ‘Rehearse Iran Attack’
BBC: Israel has carried out an exercise that appears to have been a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, US officials have told the New York Times.

More than 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in manoeuvres over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece in the first week of June, US officials said.

Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but Israel sees Iran's development of the technology as a serious threat. Israelis ‘Rehearse Iran Attack’ >>> | June 20, 2008

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

UAE Sheikh in Belt Beating Case
BBC: The brother of the UAE president has been accused in a Swiss court of beating a US citizen with a belt at a hotel bar in Geneva.

Silvano Orsi alleges Sheikh Falah al-Nahyan made homosexual advances and severely beat him when rejected. UAE Sheikh in Belt Beating Case >>> | June 20, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Jordanian Court Wants Geert Wilders Arrested
DUTCHNEWS.NL: The maker of the controversial film Fitna, anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, is afraid that he might be arrested while travelling abroad following a ruling by a court in Jordan earlier this week, reports Friday’s Volkskrant.

A group calling itself The Messenger of Allah Unites Us has called for an international arrest warrant against Wilders accusing him of racism, inciting hatred and insulting Islam and Muslims, reports the paper. The group was also behind a call for a boycott of Dutch products in Jordan earlier this year. Jordan Court Wants Wilders Arrested >>> | June 20, 2008

NIS News Bulletin:
Netherlands Concerned on Jordan Arrest Warrant for Wilders >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Only Religious Scholars Allowed to Discuss Matters of Faith, Says UN Body
DAILY TIMES: * UN body says only religious scholars should be allowed to discuss 
matters of faith

GENEVA: Muslim countries have won a battle to prevent Islam from being criticised during debates by the UN Human Rights Council. Religions deserve special protection because any debate about faith is bound to be “very complex, very sensitive and very intense”, council President Doru-Romulus Costea said Wednesday.



Scholars: Only religious scholars should be allowed to discuss matters of faith, he told journalists in Geneva.



While Costea’s ban applies to all religions, it was prompted by Muslim countries complaining about references to Islam. Muslim Countries Win Concession Regarding Religious Debates >>> | June 19, 2008

Hat tip: Jihad Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers

This Is the Week That Was! Abu Qatada Allowed Out of Prison; Now Martha Stewart Not Allowed to Enter the Country! Bizarre, or What?
Photo of Martha Stewart courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Martha Stewart has been refused a visa to Britain because of her criminal convictions for obstructing justice, the Daily Telegraph has learned.

The lifestyle guru, convicted four years ago in the US for obstructing justice, was planning to speak at the Royal Academy and to hold meetings with several figures in the fashion and leisure industry, including Jasper Conran, and was due to travel within the next few days.

The refusal by the UK Border Agency was sent to Ms Stewart, aged 66. A spokesperson for the business magnate said: "Martha loves England and hopes this can be resolved and that she will be able to visit soon."

She added that Ms Stewart has many friends in Britain, which she has visited numerous times. Martha Stewart Refused Entry to the UK >>> By Christopher Hope Home Affairs Editor and Alex Spillius in Washington | June 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

EU losing World Rôle, Has Weaker Leaders - Italian PM
THE GUARDIAN: ROME - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attacked the European Union on Thursday, saying it had lost influence on the world stage and its leaders were weaker than when he was last in office two years ago.

Speaking before an EU summit in Brussels, Berlusconi also criticised European Commissioners for speaking out publicly and creating problems for national governments, and said he would demand a more reserved approach from now on.

"I see a Europe which has gone backwards compared with two years ago," Berlusconi, who became prime minister for the third time following an April election victory, told a business conference in Rome.

He said Europe's current leaders had "less personality" than those attending summits when he was last in office, citing Tony Blair, Jose Maria Aznar, Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac, the former leaders of Britain, Spain, Germany and France.

"The EU appears as an institution that intervenes with obligations and restrictions," Berlusconi said in his latest broadside against the institutions of the 27-nation bloc. "It is not a protagonist on the world stage."

On Wednesday he blasted the EU for having done "absolutely nothing to stop the hypervaluation of the euro", and promised that he would use the EU summit to make the area "less bureaucratic and less distant from citizens". EU losing World Role, Has Weaker Leaders-Italy PM >>> Reuters | June 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Another Nail in the Coffin of Freedom: Swedish Parliament Approves Eavesdropping Bill
One by one, European countries are now going the way of Saudi Arabia and other such repressive régimes. We need people in public life committed to the concept of liberty, but what we have got is the opposite: Politicians wanting to take our freedoms away from us. The freedoms we have enjoyed over the years will be very difficult to get back once they will have been lost. What on earth is the matter with these people? They are running scared of terror. It’s the freedoms of the law-breakers that should be withdrawn, not the freedoms of the law-abiding citizens. - ©Mark

BBC: Sweden's parliament has approved controversial new laws allowing authorities to spy on cross-border e-mail and telephone traffic.

The country's intelligence bureau will be able to scan international calls, faxes and e-mails.

The measure was passed by a narrow majority after a heated debate in the Stockholm parliament.

Critics say it threatens civil liberties and represents Europe's most far-reaching eavesdropping plan.

"By introducing these new measures, the Swedish government is following the examples set by governments ranging from China and Saudi Arabia to the US government's highly criticised eavesdropping programme," said Peter Fleischer, of Google. Sweden Approves Wiretapping Law >>> | June 19, 2008

DIE PRESSE:
Schweden: „Man kann nicht ein ganzes Volk belauschen“ >>> Von Hanes Gamillscheg | 19. 06. 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age –Paperback, direct from the publishers

Danish Court Rules Satirical Representation Not Illegal
NEWS.COM.AU: A DANISH appeals court has rejected a suit filed by seven Muslim organisations against newspaper editors who in 2005 first published a dozen controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The appeals court judges ruled that the caricatures, which have since sparked angry and in some cases deadly protests across the Muslim world, did not aim to insult followers of Islam, as the plaintiffs had charged.

One of the cartoonists is still in hiding under police protection following death threats.

The seven Muslim organisations, all based in Denmark, had accused the Jyllands-Posten daily's chief editor and culture editor of wilfully offending believers by printing the "offensive and degrading" drawings that "depict the prophet as bellicose and criminal, establishing a clear link between Mohammed and war and terror". Prophet Cartoons ‘Did Not Aim to Insult’ >>> | June 19, 2008

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE:
Danish Appeals Court Rejects Lawsuit against Newspaper that Published Prophet Cartoons >>> | June 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age –Paperback, direct from the publishers

Magdi Allam Reacts to Death Threats
AKI – Rome: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and journalist Magdi Allam have received death threats posted in an Islamist website said to be close to al-Qaeda.

Magdi Allam, the Christian convert targeted by Islamist death threats, has expressed concern about the danger he faces and fears that the perpetrators may be Italian.

"I find it extremely worrying that today we can find internet sites, full of al-Qaeda-inspired thought in Italian language, giving support to Bin Laden's terrorism," said Allam in an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) on Wednesday.

Allam is an Egyptian-born writer and deputy editor of Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, who converted from Islam to Roman Catholicism in a highly publicised Easter service conducted by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in April.

"I find this serious because the writers of these sites are most likely Italians," Allam told AKI. Italy: Christian Convert Reacts to Islamist Death Threats >>> | June 18, 2008

CNA:
Magdi Allam Says Islamist Death Threats Suggest ‘Extremely Worrying’ Italian Origin >>> | June 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Hardline Archbishops Declare Anglican Split
THE TELEGRAPH: Hardline Church leaders have formally declared the end of the worldwide Anglican Communion, saying they can no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate homosexual clergy.

The traditionalists dealt a serious blow to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, by claiming that he can no longer hold the Church together.

They warned that the Church was gripped by its most serious crisis since the Reformation.

It could only be saved by the repentance of the Americans who triggered the row by ordaining a homosexual bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, five years ago. Hardline Archbishops Declare Anglican Split >>> By Tim Butcher in Jordan and Martin Beckford | June 19, 2008

WELT ONLINE:
Eine Hochzeit läutet Kirchenspaltung ein >>> Von Thomas Kielinger | 24. Juni 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Muslim Barack Obama Fans Told to Hide from Television Cameras
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama's campaign has been forced to apologise to two Muslim women barred from sitting behind him at a public event.

The two women in headscarves were asked not to sit in view of cameras at a rally in Detroit on Monday, where Al Gore endorsed Mr Obama.

Hebba Aref, a 25-year-old lawyer, told Politico magazine: "I was coming to support him, and I felt like I was discriminated against.

"The message that I thought was delivered to us was that they do not want him associated with Muslims or Muslim supporters."

Miss Aref's friend Ali Koussan, a law student, said that a volunteer "explained to me that because of the political climate and what's going on in the world ... it's not good for her to be seen on TV or associated with Obama."

A second woman was told to take off her headscarf if she wanted to sit in the special seats. Muslim Barack Obama Fans Told to Hide from Television Cameras >>> By Tim Shipman in Washington | June 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age –Paperback, direct from the publishers

Terrorism: Italian PM and Christian Convert Targets of Islamist Death Threats

AKI: Dubai, 17 June - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a prominent Italian journalist who recently converted to Christianity, are the targets of new death threats posted on one of the most popular Islamist websites said to be close to al-Qaeda, on Tuesday.

The threats are aimed at Berlusconi and Magdi Allam, an Egyptian-born newspaper editor who converted from Islam to Roman Catholicism during the Vatican's Easter vigil in April 2008.

A writer and deputy editor of Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Allam was named the winner of the prestigious Oriana Fallaci journalism award on Monday night for writing about immigration, Muslim integration and terrorism.

Previous threats to the Italian premier were made in Arabic but Tuesday's internet message was for the first time posted completely in Italian with the title, 'Berlusconi and Magdi Allam'. Terrorism: Italian PM and Christian Convert Targets of Islamist Death Threats >>> By Hamza Boccolini | June 17, 2008

Hat tip: Jihad Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age –Paperback, direct from the publishers

France to Block Porn, Terror, Hate Websites
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: The French state and internet service providers have struck a deal to block sites carrying child pornography or content linked to terrorism or racial hatred, Interior Minister Michel Alliot-Marie announced on Tuesday.

The plan, part of a larger effort to fight cybercriminality, is to go into effect in September when a "black list" will be built up based on input from internet users who signal sites dealing with the offensive material, the minister said.

The announcement comes on the heels of a similar deal in the United States, also announced Tuesday. There, three service providers - Verizon, Sprint and TimeWarner Cable - have agreed with New York state officials to block child pornography sites nationwide. France to Block Porn, Terror, Hate Websites >>> | June 11, 2008

Hat tip: Jihad Watch

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