End the Silence over Islam
THE SCOTSMAN – A Letter: Am I alone in my disquiet about our government's courtship of the Scottish Islamic Foundation?
In the 1970s, young women like me embraced multiculturalism; we were engaging with our oppressed sisters everywhere around the world. Or so it seemed at the time.

Where are we now? And why are we so effectively silenced?

Why do we have nothing to say about a sharia credit card? Have we really forgotten what sharia law means for women? While English clerics debate the pros and cons of introducing an element of sharia law into their legal system, where are our voices in this debate? Do we seriously think it won't happen in Scotland? Look at their website. It's happening already.

What do we think about the headline "Muslim sprinter wins Olympic sprint dressed head to toe in hijab" (from the Scottish Islamic Foundation website)? Or of Al Jazeera talking to Nicola Sturgeon, the deputy first minister, about a " Scottish division" of their TV station. Why on earth would they want a Scottish division? I need to know.

I am not opposed, in principle, to any of these, but I am opposed to the suffocating, politically correct silence that now surrounds any criticism of organisations such as the Scottish Islamic Foundation.

We need to bring this debate into the open. I don't fear the debate; I fear the silence. [Source: The Scotsman] By Anne Marie Keenan

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Libya's Qadhafi on Barack Obama

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John McCain on the Ellen Degeneres Show (Ellen) Discussing Gay Marriage

Clinton on the Ellen Degeneres Show (Ellen) Discussing Gay Marriage >>>

Barack Obama on Gay Marriage >>>

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McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate
McCain has chosen the attractive Sarah Palin as his running mate. Photo courtesy of The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: DAYTON, Ohio — In a surprise move, Senator John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate on Friday, McCain officials confirmed, shaking up the political world at a time when his campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In choosing Ms. Palin — a 44-year-old conservative and self-described “hockey mom” who has been governor for less than two years — the McCain campaign reached far outside the Washington Beltway in an election in which the Democratic presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, is running on a platform of change.

Ms. Palin, a former mayor of the small town of Wasilla, an Anchorage suburb, and one-time beauty pageant queen, first rose to prominence as a whistle-blower uncovering ethical misconduct in state government.

The selection amounted to a gamble that an infusion of new leadership — and the novelty of the Republican Party’s first female candidate for vice president — would more than compensate for the risk that Ms. Palin could undercut one of the McCain campaign’s central arguments, its claim that Mr. Obama is too inexperienced to be president.

The choice of Ms. Palin stands in sharp contrast to the selection of the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a veteran lawmaker and chairman of Foreign Relations Committee. McCain Chooses Palin as Running Mate >>> By Michael Cooper and Elisabeth Bumiller | August 29, 2008

BBC:
McCain Picks Female Running Mate: US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has picked Sarah Palin, the female governor of Alaska, as his surprise running mate >>> | August 29, 2008

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UK: Muslim Jailed for Killing BNP Neighbour
ITN: A Muslim man who killed his BNP activist neighbour has been jailed for eight years.

Habib Khan, 50, stabbed 52-year-old Keith Brown with a kitchen knife during a violent row outside his home in Stoke-on-Trent in July last year.

Stafford Crown Court was told that Khan and his family had been subjected to "racial hostility" by his neighbour prior to the attack on July 6.

Khan, of Normacot, was cleared by a jury of murdering Mr Brown and instead convicted of manslaughter following a trial in May. [Source: ITN] | August 29, 2008

BBC:
Prison for BNP Activist’s Killer >>> | August 29, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Habib Khan Jailed for Stabbing BNP Neighbour Keith Brown: A Muslim man was jailed for eight years today for killing his BNP activist neighbour after suffering a long-running campaign of racial abuse.
Habib Khan, 50, stabbed 52-year-old Keith Brown with a kitchen knife during a violent row outside his home in Stoke-on-Trent in July last year >>> By Phillipe Naughton | August 29, 2008

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European Dhimmi Alert! Go-Ahead for Germany’s Biggest Mosque
A computer-generated image of the soon-to-be biggest mosque in Germany at Ehrenfeld, Cologne
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: After much controversy, Cologne City Council finally voted in favor of building Germany's largest mosque in the city. The opposition of a local far-right group wasn't enough to stop plans that will change the city's historic skyline forever.

Cologne's skyline is not just any skyline. Silhouetted against the sky is the cathedral, the most famous gothic church in Germany. After a decision by Cologne's City Council, it will be joined by the country's largest mosque.

Thursday at Cologne's City Hall, a crowd of demonstrators faced off. To the right of the entrance stood some 30 odd anti-mosque protesters carrying signs depicting stylized mosques with big red lines struck through them. To the left about 100 people voiced their support for the mosque's construction. Neither need really have bothered: the outcome was almost certain.

All parties except the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the extreme right anti-mosque initiative Pro Cologne voted in favor of building the mosque, which will be Germany's largest. Cologne Mayor Schramma, who has gone back and forth on the issue, in the end voted against his own CDU party in favor of the mosque's construction Thursday.

The new mosque will now be built on a site in Ehrenfeld, an industrial section of Cologne where there is currently a working mosque operating out of an old factory. "They can start tearing down the old factory building tomorrow," Josef Wirges, the local council member for Ehrenfeld and member of the Social Democrats (SPD) told SPIEGEL ONLINE.

The structure will cost between €15 billion and €20 billion, financed by private donations from more than 800 groups in Germany. Construction will be completed in 2010 by the locally based Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), which has close ties to Ankara. Go-Ahead for Germany's Biggest Mosque >>> rbn -- with wire reports and reporting by Carolin Jenkner in Cologne | August 29, 2008

WELTONLINE:
Köln und die große Moschee im Schatten des Doms: Der Stadtrat hat dem umstrittenen Bau der ersten Zentralmoschee in Köln zugestimmt. Die Fehden um die "islamische Gefahr" werden dennoch weitergehen. Die Diskussion um den Bau gab der radikalen Protestpartei "Pro Köln/Pro NRW" solchen Auftrieb, dass sie ins Stadtparlament einzog. Nächstes Ziel: der Landtag >>> Von Till-R. Stoldt | 30. August 2008

WELTONLINE BILDERGALERIE:
Moscheen in Deutschland: Wo Muslime in Deutschland beten >>>

WELTONLINE BILDERGALERIE:
Kirchen und Moscheen: Gotteshäuser unterschieden sich >>>

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Jackboot Jacqui’s a Nazi Piece of Work
Swastika courtesy of Google Images
MAIL Online: George Orwell's 1984 was supposed to be a warning about the dangers of totalitarianism, not a blueprint for government.

No one seems to have told New Labour. Barely a day goes by without another assault on our civil liberties, another extension of state snooping, another exciting ruse for meting out punishment for the most trivial offence.

This week’s outrage is the news that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is creating a whole new vigilante class of quasi-policemen, drawn from the ranks of Town Hall jobsworths, security guards and car park attendants.

They’ll be allowed to wear uniforms, patrol the streets with dogs, confiscate property and hand out fixed-penalty notices for everything from littering to under-age drinking.

It’s emerged that there are 1,400 of these Accredited Persons out there already, and their numbers will soon swell into the thousands.

They have the power to stop cars, take photos of people, demand names and addresses and issue fines.
For now, they wear badges sewn onto their tunics by their employers.

But the Home Office wants to see a uniform standardised across the country. How about peaked caps, jodhpurs, jackboots and black shirts with swastikas on the sleeves? Jackboot Jacqui’s a Nazi Piece of Work >>> By Richard Littlejohn | August 29, 2008

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Islam in the UK: Ramadan Strictures Imposed on All Tower Hamlet Councillors!
THISISLONDON: Councillors have been ordered not to eat during town hall meetings while Muslim colleagues fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

All elected members at Left-wing Tower Hamlets Council in East London have been sent an email asking them to follow strict Islamic fasting during September no matter what their faith.

As well as restricting food and drink until after sunset, the authority's leaders have decided to reduce the number of meetings throughout the month so they do not clash with the requirements of Ramadan. Muslim Council Chiefs Ban ‘Tea and Sandwiches’ in Meetings for Ramadan >>> | August 29, 2008

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Viewpoint: The Next Barbarian Invasion
CELESTIAL JUNK: Barbarian hordes, in wave upon wave, eventually consumed The Roman Empire, and even the Christianized Roman Empire was plunged into cultural decay that lasted centuries. But, Rome didn’t collapse in a day, she fell apart at the seams, like a human body corrupted by cancer. Rome could’ve been a pox to hundreds of cultures, but she was sheer heaven compared to what the barbarians brought. Some argue that not until the Renaissance, did Europe emerge from the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Are we facing another Barbarian invasion? Is the soft genial socialist utopia of Western Europe in particular, once again in danger of being swallowed by a more coarse, crude, and blunt culture? Are many South Asian, African, and Middle Eastern cultures, which have not already succumbed on the verge being consumed?

When I was a child, I recall visiting missionaries from Kenya who showed us slide photos of quaint little missions where children by the thousands received medical care and schooling. From Catholics to Mennonites, dedicated individuals brought hope and democratic values to many developing countries. Many countries were up and coming; except those under Soviet or despotic domination. Since those days much has changed, and many places where once law, order, and decency prevailed, are now under brutal, degrading, dehumanizing Islam. Countries where stoning to death and honor killing were not even heard of, suffer under these and many other heinous dehumanizing practices. And, the pathogen that has corrupted and slid these cultures backwards into some ancient dark age has arrived in force in Europe.

Fundamentalist Islam is a disease. It is the new Barbarianism, and we are on the cusp of it’s first intrusions into modern society. Africa, being pre-modern, has no chance and like a tide, Islam is sweeping the savannahs, jungles, and desserts of that great continent, and is destroying any gains made by humanists, missionaries, the United Nations, and any other well-meaning entity. Quaint missions have been replaced by Sharia, the missionaries driven off or killed, and the efforts of humanitarian agencies countered by an ever increasing fundamentalism. Elsewhere in the world underdeveloped regions are under siege, or threat, by Islamic fundamentalism. From the Philippines to Indonesia to Iran, it the fundamentalists who are bombing, beheading, and effectively usurping governance. In many cases only dictators, themselves marginally more benign, stand against Islamo-fascist takeovers. The Next Barbarian Invasion >>> By Junker | August 28, 2008

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The Big Chill: Islamists Inted [sic] to Muzzle Americans' Free Speech
TOWNHALL.COM: Freedom of speech is under attack. Let us count the ways.

The first and most obvious: Those who criticize militant Islamists – from novelist Salman Rushdie to Danish cartoonists to memoirist Ayaan Hirsi Ali – are routinely threatened with deadly violence. It would be black humor to say this is having a chilling effect.

The second is “political correctness.” On campuses and within Western governments it is increasingly taboo to label terrorists who slaughter in the name of Islam “Islamist terrorists.” In Canada, “human rights commissions” attempt to enforce this taboo by putting such writers as Mark Steyn and Ezra Levant on trial for the “crime” of expressing opinions that offend Islamic grievance groups — and also for quoting Islamists accurately and thereby casting them in an unfavorable light. If that’s not Orwellian, what is?

But it is the third approach that could be most consequential for Americans. It’s known as “libel tourism” and here’s how it works: A book published in the United States names an individual abroad who supports terrorist groups. That individual – for the sake of discussion, let’s say he’s a Saudi petro-billionaire with a home in London -- goes online and orders a few copies which arrive in the mail. He takes those books to a British attorney who files a lawsuit complaining that his client has been libeled.

The billionaire knows it will be much easier to prevail in the U.K. than it would be in an American court where the First Amendment and decades of case law provide free speech protections. (Under English law, by contrast, the burden in a libel case is on the defendant to prove his innocence – which can be impossible if he’s been using confidential sources or even just sources who don’t want to cross an ocean and take part in a courtroom battle.)

The legal costs are chump change for the billionaire, while few non-fiction writers command similar resources. If the writer chooses not to spend months living in a hotel and fighting it out in court, the case will be forfeit and he will be hit with a “default judgment.” If he doesn’t pay, he’ll never again be able to set foot in the U.K. and other countries that enforce British court judgments. The Big Chill: Islamists Inted [sic] to Muzzle Americans' Free Speech >>> By Cliff May | August 28, 2008

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Schmalz to the Left of Me, Tough Talk to the Right; I’m Stuck in the Middle with You
…by the mid-summer of 1914 more than a decade of belligerent erraticism by German leaders, who lacked the diplomatic skill and self-restraint of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, contributed to the feeling among Germany’s neighbours that there were bounds which she should not be permitted to cross. Hence, a regional Balkan conflict involving Germany’s ally Austria-Hungary and a Serbia supported by her Russian patron rapidly escalated first into a continental and then a general world war. - Michael Burleigh, The Third Reich: A New History

Does this sound familiar? Change some names of countries, and it should. The conflict between Georgia and Russia, now a regional conflict, could easily escalate into a European, and then a world conflict. We’ve been here before. At no other time since the end of World War II has the world been so close to another world war. We should not kid ourselves that we are not living through dangerous times. With the Russian invasion of Georgia, the world became a far more dangerous place. Alas, there is war in the air!

Dmitry Medvedev, the president of Russia, has already stated, loud and clear, that he is not frightened by the thought of another cold war. I think we can assume, also, that he would not be frightened by the thought of a little more than that: World conflict, perhaps? Make no mistake about it: Russia is very rich in natural resources, especially oil and gas; and it wants to re-establish its pre-eminent place in the world of geopolitics. The downfall of the Soviet Union was a humiliation for Russia. It weakened the country, the proud people of Russia beyond anything we could have inagined. There is no doubt about the fact that Russia has felt marginalized ever since; and Medvedev and Putin are out to correct that. Their intention is clear to see: They want to make Russia a force to be reckoned with – again.

It is therefore very important that Western politicians find the right and appropriate response to their actions. A reaction that is too weak, and we lose; a reaction that is too strong, and the world could yet again become a very ugly place.

It is hard for us all to imagine a world war. Things have been very comfortable for Westerners ever since the 50s. Most people living today are far too young to know anything of the privations of a world conflict. It is quite unimaginable to most people. But this does not mean to say that another world war will not happen.

We have all heard it said, ‘never again shall we be dragged into a world war’. ‘Not in our lifetime.’ But that phrase is only meaningful if each side feels the same about a world conflict. It is so obviously not the case. The Russians are clearly not as timid as Westerners when it comes to military action. Their position in the world seems to be far more important to them than the pursuit of world peace.

It seems that not enough has been done since the fall of communism to bring Russia on side. America and Russia should be partners in world politics, not adversaries. Were these two great countries to be partners, we would not be where we are now.

Alas, the conflict in Georgia has happened at a time when the West is very weak. The US, after many years of conflict in the Middle East, can hardly afford another war. It’s on its uppers as things stand. Imagine what another costly war would do for the economy. Especially a world war.

Moreover, it’s election year; and there is more than a chance that the Americans will elect a president to the White House who has little experience of foreign affairs. Obama therefore hardly inspires confidence at a time when Russia is sabre-rattling. Would Obama really be strong enough to cope with a major conflict with Russia?

From what I can see of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, it has been pure, unadulterated schmalz. Touchy-feely to the limit! Check out the schmalz here and here. What the Russian leaders must be thinking when they see such naïve displays of devotion to an untested politician, one can only imagine!

These are tough times; and tough times call for strong leadership, especially from the United States – the leader of the free world. How would Obama react if the world went to war? What experience could he bring to the table?

One has to ask oneself one simple question: Does the American electorate have any idea of the dangers that lie ahead of us? Are all these people ready to elect Obama because he has charisma, because they may perceive him to be good-looking? Don’t they want more from their leader than that? Doesn’t the free world need more than that?

The problems we face from Islam, too, are formidable. And they haven’t gone away. Indeed, the problems we now face with Russia have compounded the problems we face with Islam, since Russia has strong connexions with both Syria and Iran, and those connexions are getting stronger.

There has been much talk for a very long time of the possibility of bombing Iran if it doesn’t abandon its nuclear programme, which they say is peaceful, but which the West insists is not. Bombing Iran and destroying its nuclear installations just got a whole lot more difficult for the Americans to do. Indeed, it could be said that that ship has already left the harbour, for Russia is almost bound to come to the aid of Iran if it is attacked, if only covertly through Syria,

And if Israel were to attack Iran? What would be the outcome? Your guess is as good as mine, but such an action would almost certainly be a huge danger to world peace, stability and security.

We can see the fault lines being drawn with each passing day. We really cannot afford to sleepwalk into a world conflict. Only today, Miliband has urged tough action against Russia in response to its aggression against Georgia. But where is the capability going to come from? Europe is weak militarily. There has been gross undespending on the Europeans’ militaries for decades now. If Europe is to talk tough with the Russians, then it has to have the military might to back up its tough talk. It clearly doesn’t have strong militaries. The UK doesn’t either; the armed forces in the UK have been underfunded for years. Indeed, it is high time that European governments started spending far more of its money on its militaries. And while they are at it, it might not be a bad thing if they were to re-introduce national conscription. (I can’t believe I wrote that!) It would do a whole lot of good to the rudderless youth we see about the streets. It would also do a great deal to teach our young people some self-respect and discipline. It would also help give them a purpose in life.

With Russia on the move, and determined to reassert its authority, European governments might have little choice but to re-introduce conscription. The soft times, it seems, might well be over. Ahead of us, we have some tough choices to make. Let’s hope that the Americans make a good start in the upcoming election; and show the rest of the West the way forward by making some tough choices, too.

©Mark Alexander

All Rights reserved

Dulden wir die Islamisierung Europas?
WELT ONLINE: Vor wenigen Tagen wurde in Ingelheim eine neue Moschee eingeweiht. Bundestagsabgeordnete und Kirchen applaudierten bei der offiziellen Festveranstaltung. Daran merkt man, wie gering die Kenntnisse über den islamischen Kulturkreis auch nach Jahrzehnten der Zuwanderung inmitten Europas noch sind.

Die in Ingelheim frisch eingeweihte und von Politikern und Kirchenvertretern euphorisch gefeierte Moschee heißt „Fatih-Sultan-Moschee“. Der Name ist wohl nicht „zufällig“ gewählt. Der türkische Sultan Mehmet II. trug den Beinamen „Fatih“ („der Eroberer“). Im Jahre 1453 hat dieser Christenhasser das bis dahin christliche Konstantinopel überrannt, alle Christen zusammentreiben, pfählen und köpfen lassen. Er zerstörte das christliche Byzantinische Reich. Das von ihm angeordnete Blutbad war grauenvoll.

Überall in Europa nennen muslimische Mitbürger heute ihre neu entstehenden Moscheen nach den großen Christenhassern ihrer Geschichte. Viele klatschen, wenn etwa mit immer neuen „Fatih“-Moscheen die Gefühle europäischer Christen mit Füßen getreten werden. Bloß nicht den Islam „beleidigen“. Kämen Christen auf die Idee, eine Basilika etwa nach dem Kreuzfahrer Gottfried von Bouillon zu benennen? Dulden wir die Islamisierung Europas? >>> Von Udo Ulfkotte

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Medwedjews neue Freunde: China und Zentralasien
DIE PRESSE: Der russische Präsident beschwört auf dem "Shanghaier Gipfel" die Freundschaft zu Staaten wie China, Tadschikistan und Kirgistan. Die umstritten Anerkennung von Südossetien und Abchasien kam allerdings nicht zur Sprache.

In seinem Konflikt mit Georgien sieht Russland China und die Ex-Sowjetrepubliken Zentralasiens auf seiner Seite. Beim Gipfeltreffen der "Shanghaier Organisation für Zusammenarbeit" (SCO) in Tadschikistan dankte Präsident Dmitrij Medwedjew am Donnerstag den Partnerstaaten für "ihr Verständnis und die objektive Bewertung des von Russland unternommenen Friedenseinsatzes" im Südkaukasus. Von der am Dienstag erfolgten Anerkennung der Unabhängigkeit Abchasiens und Südossetiens durch Moskau war in der gemeinsamen Erklärung der Gipfelteilnehmer allerdings nicht die Rede. Medwedjews neue Freunde: China und Zentralasien >>>

DIE PRESSE:
Europas größtes Pulverfass: die Ukraine: Ist Europas größter Flächenstaat das nächste Opfer des wiedererwachten imperialen Appetits Moskaus? Von Burkhard Bischof | 28.08.2008

LE FIGARO:
Moscou et Kiev font monter 
la tension en mer Noire: L'avenir de la flotte russe basée en Crimée pourrait être une nouvelle source de conflit.

Y aura-t-il une seconde guerre de Crimée ? Le nationalisme russe de Vladimir Poutine va-t-il entrer en conflit avec les pays de l'Otan, comme l'expansionnisme du tsar Nicolas Ier se heurta militairement, en 1854, à une coalition comprenant la France, l'Empire ottoman et le Royaume-Uni ? C'est en tout cas ce que craignent certains responsables européens. Le commissaire à l'Élargissement, Olli Rehn, a déclaré mercredi que «l'Ukraine pourrait être la prochaine cible des pressions politiques de la Russie».

Et le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Bernard Kouchner, a dit redouter que la Russie, après l'Ossétie du Sud et l'Abkhazie, ait «d'autres objectifs» en vue, parmi lesquels «la Crimée, l'Ukraine, la Moldavie». >>> D’Isabelle Lasserre | 27.08.2008

THE GUARDIAN:
Putin Claims Georgian Crisis Is US Ploy as Russia's Isolation Grows >>> By Ian Traynor | Europe Editor | August 28, 2008

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European Dhimmi Alert: Swiss Government Opposes minaret Ban ahead of Vote
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BERN, Switzerland: The Swiss government is opposing an initiative to ban the construction of minarets at Islamic prayer houses in the country.

The Federal Council recommended on Wednesday rejecting the ban when it goes to popular referendum in two months.

The coalition government includes all major political factions except the right-wing Swiss People's Party. It is the strongest in the country and most supportive of the ban.

The government says the proposal violates human rights and the Swiss constitution and would not help combat Islamic fundamentalism.

Supporters of the ban say the minaret is a symbol of Muslim conquest that challenges traditional order in Switzerland.

Many Swiss laws result from referendums. [Source: International Herald Tribune] The Associated press | August 27, 2008

TAGES ANZEIGER:
Minarett-Initiative: Grüne bezweifeln Gültigkeit: Während die Parteien das schnelle bundesrätliche Nein zur Anti-Minarett-Initiative loben, stellen die Grünen deren Gültigkeit in Frage. Sie verstosse klar gegen die Religionsfreiheit, ein Verfassungsrecht >>> | 27. August 2008

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Turmoil at Scotland Yard as Tarique Ghaffur Accuses Sir Ian Blair of Racism

THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's most senior police chief has been accused of being a racist in an unprecedented personal attack by the country's highest-ranking Asian officer.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur went public with a highly damaging legal action against Sir Ian Blair, accusing the Metropolitan Police Commissioner of repeated acts of racial, religious and age discrimination.

The dispute is the latest to undermine Sir Ian's leadership of Britain's largest force.

With Scotland Yard responsible for protecting the country from terrorism, policing the capital and protecting the Government and Royal Family, senior officers fear the dispute will leave the force in a state of near paralysis.

Mr Ghaffur's attack, in a televised press conference, resulted in Sir Ian's deputy, Sir Paul Stephenson, issuing a sharp rebuke and left the impression of a force blighted by in-fighting.

Sir Paul told Mr Ghaffur to "shut up" and get on with what he was paid to do. But the commissioner's position appeared fragile as senior sources admitted Scotland Yard had suffered a "deeply embarrassing, damaging and sad day".

Mr Ghaffur's solicitor, Shahrokh Mireskandari, said Sir Ian's future would hinge on the outcome of the case.

He is particularly vulnerable, with the forthcoming inquest into the fatal shooting of the innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes likely to hear stringent criticism of his management of the force.

Should Mr Ghaffur's legal action succeed, it will further intensify the calls for Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, to force Sir Ian out of his job.

David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, has called for the Commissioner to go in the interests of national security and to restore public trust in policing.

The action by Mr Ghaffur, the Met's joint third highest ranking officer, is the first time an officer of such seniority has sued his chief. It plunges the force into its worst racism row since the 1998 Macpherson report branded the force "institutionally racist". Turmoil at Scotland Yard as Tarique Ghaffur Accuses Sir Ian Blair of Racism >>> By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent | August 28, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Tariq Ghaffur Goes Public with Racism Claims, Laying Bare Civil War at Met Police >>> By Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor | August 28, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT:
Ghaffur blames Met Chief for police discrimination >>> PA | August 28, 2008

MAIL Online:
Spitting in the Face of the Country that Saved Him >>> By Amanda Platell | August 30, 2008

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Defending Islam, Hacker Defaces Thousands of Dutch Websites
IT WORLD: WebWereld Netherlands — A 'hacktivist' has hijacked numerous Dutch sites in retaliation for the anti-Islamic short film "Fitna" which was made and released earlier this year by the Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders.

Over the last six weeks an activist hacker by the name of 'nEt^DeViL' has hacked many Dutch Web sites and posted ideological statements on their home pages. Such an attack is known as a website defacement.

The hacked sites feature an embedded YouTube video dubbed "Anti-Fitna", which the hacker states is "[a] Response to the Fitna Movie by 'Geert Wilders' Cow !" "This hax0ring is to defend ISLAM - The Religion of [ Abraham, Moses, Jesus & Muhammad ( Peace Be Upon Them All ) ] that Insulted by a Cow ! from Netherlands !"

Zone-H.org, a website that tracks website defacement attacks worldwide, has documented thousands of compromised websites over the last months. Zone-H reports that 'nEt^DeViL' has hacked 18,157 websites as of Thursday, August 28.

From July 15 on, the hacker specifically targeted sites in The Netherlands, the home country of politician Geert Wilders. A number have since been restored, but numerous others still feature the forcefully injected ideological messages. Defending Islam, Hacker Defaces Thousands of Dutch Websites >>> By Andreas Udo de Haes | August 28, 2008

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Danish Publisher Hopes to Publish ‘Inflammatory’ Novel
THE GUARDIAN: A Danish publisher is in negotiations to buy Sherry Jones's novel about the child bride of Muhammad, which was dropped by Random House in America and pulled from bookshops in Serbia.

The Jewel of Medina tells the story of Aisha, one of Muhammad's wives, from the age of six to 18 when Muhammad dies. It was bought by Random House US for a reported advance of $100,000, but then dropped after the publisher was told by academics and security experts that publication was potentially more risky than Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and the Danish publication of cartoons of Muhammad.

Last week, Serbian publisher BeoBook withdrew 1,000 copies of the book from shops across Serbia, following protests from an Islamic pressure group. BeoBook also apologised for publishing the novel.

Now small Danish publisher Trykkefrihedsselskabets Library (Free Speech Library) is in negotiations with Jones's agent over publication of The Jewel of Medina in Denmark. Co-owner Helle Merete Brix said that the fact that Random House was prepared to pay $100,000 for the book showed its quality, and that she was determined not to "bow to any censorship".

She added: "I think that whether you are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu or atheist you have to be able to bear insults. You can't say 'I'm a Muslim, and that means I should be above criticism'. You can freely insult Jesus Christ, you can mock other religions."

Brix said that, following Jyllands-Posten's publication of the cartoons of Muhammad in 2005, which prompted protests across the Muslim world, she felt it was "deep in the mentality of Danish people that we will not tolerate people saying 'you can't say or publish that'…There is a growing awareness in Denmark that we have to keep it the bastion of free speech that it has been for many years." Danish Publisher Hopes to Publish ‘Inflammatory’ Novel >>> | August 26, 2008

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

UK: Man Convicted over Shia Flogging
BBC: A devout Shia Muslim has been convicted of child cruelty after forcing two boys to beat themselves during a religious ceremony, in an unprecedented case.

The jury at Manchester Crown Court found 44-year-old Syed Mustafa Zaidi guilty of two counts of child cruelty.

The boys, aged 13 and 15, were forced to beat themselves with a zanjeer whip, with five curved blades.

Zaidi, of Station Road, Eccles, Salford, also flogged himself during the ceremony in January.

The court heard the boys admit that they had wanted to beat themselves, but not under duress, and not with the curved blade whip.

The teenagers said that they had flogged themselves with a smaller whip from the age of six in Pakistan.

The Ashura ceremony takes place during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and commemorates the death of Husayn, a central figure in the Shia faith.

Zaidi admitted he had asked the boys if they wanted to beat themselves and allowed them to use the bladed whip.

He denied his actions were wrong, saying: "This is a part of our religion." Man Convicted over Shia Flogging >>> | August 27, 2008

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

Miliband Urges Tough Response to Russia
Watch video: The UK foreign secretary has called on the EU to initiate "hard-headed engagement" with Russia in response to its actions in Georgia >>>
BBC: UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband has called on the EU and Nato to initiate "hard-headed engagement" with Russia in response to its actions in Georgia.

In a speech in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, he urged them to bolster their allies, re-balance the energy relationship with Russia and defend international law.

Mr Miliband also warned the Russian president not to start a new Cold War.

His visit came a day after Dmitry Medvedev recognised the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions.

Earlier, Ukraine's president said it was a hostage in a war waged by Russia against countries in the old Soviet bloc. UK Urges Tough Response to Russia >>> | August 27, 2008

BBC:
Russia Faces Fresh Condemnation >>> | August 27, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Georgia: Europe United to Condemn Kremlin: David Miliband joined a chorus of Western leaders to condemn Russia, accusing the Kremlin of jeopardising European security by recognising Georgia's two breakaway regions.

The rhetorical salvoes showed the new strain on relations with Russia. For its part, the Kremlin said it had only defended its citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, argued the decision had been "unavoidable".

Speaking in Ukraine's capital, Kiev, the Foreign Secretary said that Russia was "more isolated, less trusted and less respected" as a result of its actions in Georgia. These breached a United Nations Resolution, approved by Moscow last April, which reaffirmed Georgia's sovereignty over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Mr Miliband placed the onus for avoiding a new Cold War firmly on President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia. "The Russian President says he is not afraid of a new Cold War. We don't want a new Cold War. He has a big responsibility not to start one," he said.

Comparing Russia's actions to the Prague Spring of 1968, when Moscow suppressed a reformist Czech government, Mr Miliband said: "The sight of Russian tanks in a neighbouring country on the 40th anniversary of the crushing of the Prague Spring has shown that the temptations of power politics remain. The old sores and divisions fester. And Russia is not yet reconciled to the new map of this region."

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, issued a stark warning. "If we don't watch out, Europe's whole security architecture will start to falter with unforeseeable consequences for all of us. The spiral of provocation must stop immediately," he said.

France, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency, expressed concern that Moscow, emboldened by its military success in Georgia, could turn on other former Soviet republics with breakaway provinces and large Russian minorities.
Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister, described the situation as "very dangerous" and said: "There are other objectives that one can suppose are objectives for Russia, in particular the Crimea, Ukraine and Moldova." >>> By Con Coughlin in Kiev, Adrian Blomfield in Tbilisi and Harry de Quetteville in Berlin | August 28, 2008

MAIL Online:
Russia Gives Two Fingers as It Continues to Stand Up to the West >>> | August 27, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Cold War Tension Rises as Putin Talks of Black Sea Confrontation: A new Cold War between Russia and the West grew steadily closer yesterday after the Kremlin gave a warning about “direct confrontation” between American and Russian warships in the Black Sea.

Dmitri Peskov, a spokesman for Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, declared that Russia was taking “measures of precaution” against American and Nato naval ships. “Let’s hope we do not see any direct confrontation in that,” he said.

Any attempt by countries in the West to isolate Russia would “definitely harm the economic interests of those states”, he said. >>> By Michael Evans, Defence Editor | August 28, 2008

THE GUARDIAN:
EU Threatens Sanctions against Russia: Leading European powers losing patience with Kremlin's sabre rattling in the Caucuses

European Union leaders are to discuss sanctions against Russia ahead of an emergency summit meeting, the French foreign minister said today, as the west hardened its position towards Moscow.

When asked what measures the west could take against Russia in the crisis over Georgia, Bernard Kouchner told a press conference in Paris: "Sanctions are being considered." >>> By Mark Tran, Julian Borger in Kiev, Ian Traynor in Brussels, and agencies | August 28, 2008

WELT ONLINE:
Russland aktiviert die Waffen des Kalten Krieges >>> Von Manfred Quiring | 28. August 2008

TOWNHALL.COM:
Farewell, NATO >>> By Victor Davis Hanson | August 28, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Dmitry Medvedev Claims Diplomatic Victory for Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia claimed to have won a diplomatic victory by securing the backing of China and key Central Asian states for its actions in Georgia and its breakaway regions >>> By Richard Spencer in Beijing | August 28, 2008

NZZ Online:
Russland sitzt auf verlorenem Posten: Asiatische Staaten fordern territoriale Integrität Georgiens

Russland ist mit seinem Vorgehen in Georgien bei seinen asiatischen Partnern in der Shanghaier Kooperationsorganisation (SCO) auf Ablehnung gestossen. Bei ihrem Gipfeltreffen in Duschanbe, der Hauptstadt Tadschikistans, verabschiedeten die Präsidenten aus sechs asiatischen Staaten eine Erklärung, in der sie die Anwendung militärischer Gewalt in Georgien verurteilen und die Achtung der territorialen Integrität eines jeden Staates fordern. >>> | 28. August 2008

BBC:
Georgia Breaks Ties with Russia: Georgia has decided to cut diplomatic ties with Russia, days after Moscow recognised the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions >>> | August 29, 2008

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

*Piotr Dutkiewicz' Opinion: How Russia Clobbered Georgia – and Lost the War
GLOBE AND MAIL: Some critics have pointed to the conflict in Georgia as another example of botched Bush administration foreign policy. But, in fact, America's real strategy was brilliantly executed, and it achieved exactly the intended outcome. Unfortunately, it's not an outcome that makes the world a safer place.

First, it's important to note that this dispute is not about Georgia or South Ossetia, both victims of collateral damage in geopolitical manoeuvring. It is not about Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili miscalculating the Russian response to his attack or overestimating the amount of support he would get from the West - Mr. Saakashvili is really just a colourful bit player. Nor is this entirely a case of an emboldened Russia striking back at the West for its support of Kosovo independence, or the Orange Revolution, or the Eastern European missile-defence shield, though all of these things are factors.

Simply put, this was about the U.S. depositioning the only globally significant country that consistently challenges it on foreign policy issues, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was a successful but wrongheaded attempt to undermine Russia's global status by setting a trap into which Russia had to fall. And it was about creating a villain for U.S. domestic political reasons.

The U.S. realized that, once pushed into this corner, Russia had no choice but to respond to the Georgian attack on its lawfully present peacekeepers and on South Ossetian civilians. Not to counterattack would have put Russia in an untenable position. It could not claim to be able to protect its friends, allies and satellites from foreign intervention. It would have reverted to the Russia of 20 years ago - largely irrelevant, a nonentity. How Russia Clobbered Georgia – and Lost the War >>> By Piotr Dutkiewicz | August 26, 2008

*Piotr Dutkiewicz is a former director of the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University

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