Fear of New Mid East ‘Cold War’ as Syria Strengthens Military Alliance with Russia
TIMESONLINE: Syria raised the prospect yesterday of having Russian missiles on its soil, sparking fears of a new Cold War in the Middle East. President Assad said as he arrived in Moscow to clinch a series of military agreements: “We are ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its security.”

The Syrian leader told Russian newspapers: “I think Russia really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself closed in a circle.”

Mr Assad said that he would be discussing the deployment of Russian missiles on his territory. The Syrians are also interested in buying Russian weapons.

In return Moscow is expected to propose a revival of its Cold War era naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus, which would give the Russian Navy its first foothold in the Mediterranean for two decades. Damascus and Moscow were close allies during the Cold War but the Kremlin’s influence in the region waned after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yesterday’s rapprochement raised the possibility that Moscow intends to re-create a global anti-Western alliance with former Soviet bloc allies.

Many in Israel fear that the Middle East could once again become a theatre for the two great powers to exert their spheres of influence, militarily and politically. And with Israel and the US providing military backing to Georgia, Russia appears set to respond in kind by supporting Syria. Fear of New Mid East 'Cold War' as Syria Strengthens Military Alliance with Russia >>> By Kevin O’Flynn in Moscow and James Hider, Middle East Correspondent | August 21, 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Poland Risks Serious Confrontation with Russia: The Cold War is returning to Poland. Warsaw wants to further tighten ties with Washington and it has used the US missile defense system to do so -- against massive opposition from Moscow. In return, the Poles will now be given Patriot missiles to protect themselves >>> By Jan Puhl | August 20, 2008

NZZ Online:
Israel warnt Moskau vor Waffenlieferungen: Syriens Präsident Asad zu Besuch in Russland >>> | 20. August 2008

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Russia Military Not Quitting Georgia
THE INDEPENDENT: Russia's military has no plans to leave Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia or the buffer zone around it, a senior Russian military official said today.

"We are not planning to leave anywhere...," Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of the Russian military's General Staff, told a news conference, when asked if the Russian military would remain in South Ossetia and the surrounding zone.

Meanwhile, Russian forces today took up positions at the entrance to Georgia's main Black Sea port city, excavating trenches and setting up mortars facing the city despite Russia's promise to pull back troops from territory deep inside Georgia.

Several armored personnel carriers and troop trucks blocked the bridge that is the only land entrance to Poti and another group of APCs and trucks were positioned in a nearby wooded area.

Although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promised that his forces would pull back by tomorrow, Russian troops appear to be settling in for a long presence, raising concern about whether Moscow is aiming for a lengthy and intimidating occupation of its small, pro-Western neighbor.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told The Associated Press that Russia was thinning out its presence in some occupied towns but was seizing other strategic spots. He called the Russian moves "some kind of deception game."
"(The Russians) are making fun of the world," he declared. Russia Military Not Quitting Georgia >>> AP and Reuters | August 21, 2008

WELT ONLINE:
Georgien - Russland verspricht sofortigen Truppenabzug: Russland will den Truppenabzug beschleunigen: Bis heute Abend soll sich die Armee aus georgischem Kerngebiet zurückziehen. Es sollen aber mindestens 500 Mann in Südossetien stationiert bleiben, um eine Pufferzone zu bilden. Nach Angaben eines US-Militärs gehe der Rückzug allerdings im Schneckentempo voran >>> | 22. August 2008

LE FIGARO:
Mikhaïl Saakachvili : « Moscou a décidé de se mesurer à l'Otan »: Le président géorgien explique au « Figaro » pourquoi la communauté internationale ne devrait pas faire confiance aux promesses du Kremlin >>> Propos recueillis à Tbilissi par Adrien Jaulmes | 21/08/2008

LE FIGARO:
L'ambassadeur de France en
Géorgie bloqué par les Russes: L'ambassadeur de France à Tbilissi, Éric Fournier, a été retenu jeudi pendant deux heures et demie par les forces russes. Paris a jugé l'incident «inacceptable» >>> De Laure Mandeville | 21/08/2008

LE FIGARO:
L'Ossétie du Sud réclame son indépendance: La capitale, Tskhinvali, a été la ville la plus touchée par les offensives croisées des troupes géorgiennes et russes >>> D’Adrien Jaulmes | 21/08/2008

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Not Only Is Freedom of Speech Threatened by Muslims, So Is Freedom of Religion
RIGHT SIDE NEWS: Persecution of Christians and Jews is not new in this world. Although such condemnation for religious beliefs goes back thousands of years, Nazi Germany developed it into an art form with the wholesale murder of Jewish people. Of course, the Nazis didn't limit atrocities to Jews, they spread their horror around but Nazis were mainly interested in eliminating the Jewish population.

In their hatred of Jews, they were not alone; Muslims aided and abetted the Nazis since they shared a belief system that relegated Jews to the category of "dogs and apes", as the Koran teaches Islamic adherents. However, unlike the Nazis, Muslims disdain all religions other than Islam. While Muslims complain bitterly about any perceived insult to Islam and any acts of disrespect for the Koran, it is not only accepted but prescribed by Islam to destroy the Holy Bible and those who worship the word of God as opposed to the Islamic reverence of Allah.

Muslims have succeeded in intimidating much of the world so that by actual and the threatened violence the Western World accepts restrictions on freedom of expression lest Muslims be offended. The prime mover of this pressure on the world is the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). With the help of endless petrodollars and fear of violating political correctness, the OIC has managed to have their way across the globe; they have also become the largest lobbying body of nations within the United Nations and are urging an anti-Christian and Jewish agenda with full force.

The Organization of the Islamic conference has actually succeeded in attaining passage of UN resolution in the General assemble called "Combating Defamation of Religions." This harmless sounding title is in reality a deceptive name for targeting men and women of faith who speak out in any way against Islam or reveal the atrocities committed in the name of Islam on behalf of Allah. If Muslims had their way, not only would discrimination against Christians and Jews be practiced universally but any proclamation of a faith other than Islam would be punishable by imprisonment or even death. Supreme Court Justice Scalia said in a recent dissent, "America is at war with radical Islamists"; in this he was not only correct, he was issuing a warning to the world that to overlook or ignore the intrusion on civil rights by these enemies of freedom would result in the worst form of tyranny not seen since the Nazi regime.

As the American Center of Law and Justice wrote recently:

"We are seeing worldwide persecution of Christians as part of the radical Muslim mission to "take the world for Islam" - by purging Christianity from the face of the earth. Not Only Is Freedom of Speech Threatened by Muslims, So Is Freedom of Religion >>> By Vincent Gioia | August 20, 2008

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

Official: Yemen Detains 9 People for Converting to Christianity
FOXNEWS: SAN'A, Yemen — Yemeni police have detained at least nine people this year for converting from Islam to Christianity, a security official said Tuesday.

The nine were arrested between May and early August and remain in police custody, said the official.

Converting from Islam to any other religion is illegal in Yemen and can be punishable by death. But in previous cases, those arrested are usually released after they revoke their new faith and pledge to return to Islam.

Three of the nine were detained in west of the capital, San'a, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He declined to provide details about the others.

A family member of one of the detained said he fears those arrested could face torture or abuse in prison. The family member, who declined to be named because of security concerns, said Hani el-Dahayni, 30, was detained in May after police stormed his office and confiscated computers and compact discs.

Separately, police detained six Iranians who are followers of the Baha'i faith and have lived in Yemen for three decades, the security official said. The six were accused of being members of a rebel group, he said. Official: Yemen Detains 9 People for Converting to Christianity >>> Associated Press | August 19, 2008

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Celebrating Birthdays and Wedding Anniversaries Is Un-Islamic, Says Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries has no base in Islam, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Alsheikh has said.

The mufti made the comments while answering a question from Al-Madinah newspaper after prominent Qassim-based scholar Salman Al-Oadah issued a fatwa saying that celebrating such occasions was not against the rules of Shariah.

“Such a call is against righteousness. A Muslim should thank Almighty Allah if his children are healthy and if his married life is stable as the years pass by. He should say: Alhamdu Lillah for His generosity and kindness,” said Al-Alsheikh, who is also the chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and the head of the Presidency for Scientific Research and Religious Edicts (Dar Al-Ifta).

Speaking on satellite television last week, Al-Oadah, who is the general supervisor of the Islamtoday.com website, created controversy after ruling that there is nothing un-Islamic in celebrating wedding anniversaries and birthdays.

“It is normal for a son or daughter to celebrate birthdays. They can invite their friends for a meal on this occasion. I see nothing wrong in this,” he said.

Al-Alsheikh, who is the highest religious authority in the Kingdom, said Muslims only have two official celebrations — Eid Al-Fitr, which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, and Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated on Dhul Hijjah 10. He added that Muslims also have a weekly Eid, which is Friday.

The mufti said that the celebration of other occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries and mother’s day were un-Islamic. Grand Mufti Rejects Al-Oadah’s Fatwa >>> | August 20, 2008

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Russia Condemns US Missile Deal
Watch video: The signing of the US and Polish defence agreement >>>
BBC: Russia has warned that a US-Polish missile defence deal creates a new arms race in Europe and beyond.

A foreign ministry statement said that Moscow "will be forced to react, and not only through diplomatic demarches". It did not elaborate.

The comments came just hours after the US and Poland signed the deal to locate 10 US interceptor rockets in Poland.

The US says the system will protect the US and Europe against missiles from "rogue" states such as Iran. US Condemns US Missile Deal >>> | August 20. 2008

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Russia Threatens New Confrontation over Georgian Provinces
THE TELEGRAPH: A fresh confrontation between Moscow and the West was looming after Russia announced that it was preparing to recognise the independence of the two Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The State Duma, Russia's parliament, has been recalled and will meet in emergency session on Monday to debate an Abkhaz appeal for immediate recognition of the region's sovereignty. The South Ossetian rebel leader, Eduard Kokoity, said he would follow suit imminently.

Russian acquiescence to the proposals would inevitably mark a serious escalation of the crisis in the Caucasus by further undermining a fragile ceasefire in the area and creating a fresh diplomatic rift with the United States and Europe.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia has signed 14 United Nations Security Council resolutions upholding accepting that Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain part of Georgia despite establishing rebel administrations after secessionist wars in the early 1990s.

But after crushing Georgia on the battlefield, Russia has indicated that it was no longer prepared to honour UN edicts on the breakaway provinces. Earlier this week, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told the world to "forget" about Georgia's territorial integrity.

Moscow is now signaling that it will move much quicker than expected in formally recognizing the two regions.

Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Duma's upper house or Federation Council, said a vote on recognition would be overwhelmingly passed.

"The Federation Council is ready to recognize the independent states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia if that is what the people of these republics want," he said. Russia Threatens New Confrontation over Georgian Provinces >>> By Adrian Blomfield in Tbilisi | August 20, 2008

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Saakashvili Speaks with Al Jazeera - August 15, 2008

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Why Former Muslim, Dr Ergun Caner, Became Christian

Dr Ergun Caner, an ex-Muslim from Turkey, Reverts to Christ: Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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A Turkish Woman Leaves Islam for Christ

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Russian Muslim Saved by the Love of Christ

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Vitaly Naumkin: Conversations with History
Even though this video is somewhat dated, it is still well worth watching. Unfortunately, it is rather long; so please set aside nearly 59 minutes to view it:


Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley >>>

MY ESSAYS:
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom >>>

Islam: The Theocratization of Politics >>>

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Radical Islam Sweeping into Russian North Caucasus

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People & Power: Islam in China

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Hizb ut Tahrir London Meeting: An Eyewitness Report
JIHAD WATCH: A Jihad Watch reader went undercover to the Hizb ut Tahrir conference in London on the caliphate last Saturday, and kindly sends us this exclusive report about what was said there:

Khilafah The Need for Political Unity
London Conference 
Saturday 16th August 2008
Hosted by
Hizb Ut Tahrir – Britain

“The destruction of the Islamic Khilafah State over 80 years ago marked the beginning of dividing the Muslim World into countless nation states governed by a plethora of kings, dictators and western backed ‘democrats’. Today three major regions of the Muslim World are under occupation, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Oil and food crisis has pushed millions of people into starvation. Sectarian divisions are fuelled by occupying powers to further divide and weaken us.

The Muslim Ummah now needs a new political thinking and direction. It requires a new leadership that will unify the Umma and utilize her resources to address these countless problems. This one day conference will address the obligation of unifying our Umma under one leadership and discuss how political unity is the only practical way forward for the Muslim Ummah.” -- Hizb Ut Tahrir, Britain Hizb ut Tahrir London Meeting: An Eyewitness Report >>> Posted by Robert Spencer | August 19, 2008

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Pennsylvania Pilot Says He’s on Watch List, Sues to Save Job
ASSOCIATED PRESS: HARRISBURG, Pa. — A commercial airline pilot and convert to Islam who says his name is on the U.S. government's secret terrorist watch list has fought back, filing a federal lawsuit against the Homeland Security Department and various other federal agencies.

Erich Scherfen says unless his name is removed from the list, he faces losing not only his job but the ability to make a living in his chosen profession.

"My livelihood depends on being off this list," Scherfen told reporters Tuesday after his lawyers filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.

He alleges that the government's actions have violated his and his wife's constitutional rights. The suit seeks a hearing and a decision before he is scheduled to lose his job on Sept. 1.

A New Jersey native, Scherfen, 37, said he believes his name was placed on a watch list because he converted to Islam in 1994 — even though he is a Gulf War combat veteran. Both he and his Pakistan-born wife, who is also a Muslim, said they have no criminal records or ties to terrorists. Pa Pilot Says He’s on Watch List, Sues to Save Job >>> By Peter Jackson | August 20, 2008

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

US and Poland Sign Defence Deal
Watch video: Condoleezza Rice arriving in Poland >>>
BBC: The US and Poland have signed a deal to locate part of the US's controversial missile defence system on Polish soil.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travelled to Warsaw for the ceremony, after 18 months of negotiations.

The deal has angered Russia, which has warned the base could become a target for a nuclear strike.

Washington says the system will protect the US and much of Europe against missile attacks from "rogue elements" in the Middle East such as Iran.

The agreement, which will see both US missiles and servicemen stationed on Polish soil, was signed by Ms Rice and Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. US and Poland Sign Defence Deal >>> | August 20, 2008

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A New World Order: The Week Russia Flexed Its Military Muscle
THE INDEPENDENT: A six-day conflict in the Caucasus mountains has transformed the international balance of power, with Russia now looking stronger than ever. But what sparked it? Diplomatic Editor Anne Penketh reveals how the Georgian government walked straight into a trap set by Moscow – and considers the consequences of the first war in Europe for a decade

The Georgian president was on vacation in Italy. The defence minister and foreign minister were away on holiday too. The world's attention was riveted on the Olympic Games in Beijing, where the preparations for the lavish opening ceremony were in full swing.

Days later, the forces of the small, mountainous republic of Georgia, trained by American and Israeli experts, were fighting for the survival of their country against Russia's army in a vicious six-day war that brought Russia and the US into direct confrontation for the first time since the Cold War and led to a threat of nuclear conflagration.

The outcome was the humiliating rout of the Georgian army, pushed back by a huge Russian land, air and sea assault, and the loss of Georgia's two breakaway territories over which the government had intended to assert central control. And Russia is back at the forefront of a new world order in the dying days of the Bush presidency.

Few would have predicted that the firefights in Georgia's breakaway territory of South Ossetia between ethnic Ossetians and Georgian forces in the first week of August would escalate into a David versus Goliath combat in the Caucasus on 8 August. On that day, Vladimir Putin and George Bush were sitting only a few feet apart at the Olympic ceremony. The US president watched events through binoculars. He remained a spectator during the conflict, too, watching closely but letting it be known that the US would not intervene militarily to save Georgia.

As the dust begins to settle, it is becoming clear – based on accounts from Georgian officials, Russian officials and Western diplomats – that the pro-Western government of Georgia fell into a trap set by Russia following Nato's loss of nerve at a summit in April, when Nato leaders declined to offer Georgia a firm timetable for membership. And when Russia hit back with overwhelming force, the West was caught napping. A New World Order: The Week Russia Flexed Its Military Muscle >>> By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor | August 20, 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
The Dangerous Neighbour - Vladimir Putin Takes on a Powerless West: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approached the crisis in Georgia coolly and efficiently, prompting admiration even from some American observers. But Moscow's brutal strike against Georgian President Saakashvili has divided the Western world, with the split running straight through the European Union >>> | August 18, 2008

NZZ Online:
Russland lehnt Uno-Resolutionsentwurf zum Kaukasus ab: Rice wirft Moskau Zerstörung ziviler Infrastruktur vor >>> | 20. August 2008

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Teheraner Kampagne gegen Shirin Ebadi
NZZ Online: Die iranische Nobelpreisträgerin Shirin Ebadi hat am Montag eine Verleumdungsklage gegen die staatliche Teheraner Nachrichtenagentur Irna und verschiedene Zeitungen angestrengt. In einer Pressekonferenz erklärte Ebadi, die Agentur habe am 6. August einen lügenhaften Bericht verbreitet, wonach ihre Tochter zum verbotenen Bahai-Glauben übergetreten sei. Sie wies die Behauptung als falsch von sich und wollte auch den Autor des Berichtes belangen, ebenso wie die Blätter, die diesen aufgenommen haben. Die Anklage des Übertritts zu den Bahai ist in der Islamischen Republik ernst zu nehmen, weil diese dort im Gegensatz zu Christen und Juden aus ideologischen Gründen nicht zugelassen werden; zudem impliziert sie eine Abkehr vom Islam, worauf die Todesstrafe steht. Teheraner Kampagne gegen Shirin Ebadi: Mit lügenhaften Berichten gegen eine unliebsame Persönlichkeit >>> vk. Limassol | 19. August 2008

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

L'Abkhazie décidée à faire reconnaître son indépendance par la Russie
LE MONDE: Le peuple d'Abkhazie a l'intention de demander à la direction russe de reconnaître l'Abkhazie." Par ces mots, Viatcheslav Tsougba, le vice-président du Parlement de la région séparatiste géorgienne d'Abkhazie a formellement enclenché, mercredi 20 août, le processus de reconnaissance de son indépendance. Le Parlement abkhaze doit examiner, mercredi après-midi, un appel en ce sens du président de la république autoproclamée, Sergueï Bagapch. S'il est adopté, cet appel devrait être soumis pour approbation finale jeudi à un "congrès national", un rassemblement de tous les partis politiques et organisations sociales abkhazes qui doit se tenir sur une place publique à Soukhoumi, la capitale abkhaze.

Selon l'agence Interfax, le Conseil de la Fédération, la chambre haute du Parlement russe, s'est dit mercredi "prêt à reconnaître" l'indépendance des régions séparatistes géorgiennes d'Abkhazie et d'Ossétie du Sud. Dès lundi, une session extraordinaire de la chambre haute du Parlement doit se réunir pour aborder la question. L'Abkhazie décidée à faire reconnaître son indépendance par la Russie >>> Par LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | 20/08.2008

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