President Bush Attends Iftaar Dinner: State Dining Room
President Bush giving a speech at the Iftaar dinner in the state dining room of the White House, the annual dinner given at the White House to mark Ramadan festivities. A tradition started by President Bush as a thank you to Muslims for the 9/11 attacks!
THE WHITE HOUSE: THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, and welcome. Over the past eight years, we have made the Iftaar dinner an annual tradition here at the White House. And I'm really glad we did. At this year's gathering, we pay special tribute to the many contribution Muslim Americans have made to our nation. We join in wishing Muslims around the world, "Ramadan Mubarak."

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. We're honored you're in our midst. Congressman Keith Ellison, Congressman André Carson are with us. Members of the administration here tonight; members of the diplomatic corps -- we are glad you're here; my fellow citizens. Major, I'm looking forward to the blessing. Thank you for being here with us today.

According to the teachings of Islam, Ramadan commemorates the revelation of God's word in the Holy Koran to the prophet Mohammad. The word has become the foundation for one of the world's great religions. Today more than a billion Muslims around the globe celebrate the month of Ramadan with daily fasting, heartfelt prayer, and acts of charity.

During Ramadan, we are reminded of Islam's long and distinguished history. Throughout the centuries, the Islamic world has been home to great centers of learning and culture. Muslim thinkers and scientists have advanced the frontiers of human knowledge. People of all faiths have benefited from the achievements of Muslims in fields from philosophy and poetry to mathematics and medicine. President Bush Attends Iftaar Dinner >>> | September 17, 2008

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Sharia-UK: Brits Head Toward Islamic Law
NEW YORK POST: 'IS Britain heading straight for dis aster?" George Bernard Shaw once began a BBC radio talk. "That is a question I can easily answer. Britain is not heading straight for anything." The reply works for the question: "Is Britain heading straight for sharia law?" It's heading that way - but by a winding path.

News reports this week have given a much stronger impression. They allege that sharia got a legal OK from the government and is already being enforced. A Muslim college in the English Midlands supposedly runs a sharia court that has so far decided more than 100 civil disputes.

In fact, that "court" made its rulings legally binding by a clever dodge: being accepted as a "voluntary arbitration tribunal."
Under British law, any two people can agree to take their dispute to such a tribunal rather than to court; the tribunal's decision is then binding on them. It can even be enforced by the official courts and the police.

Faisal Aqtab Siddiqi, a commercial-law barrister, had the bright idea of establishing a sharia court as the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal. He acknowledges that it so far only handles civil cases such as divorces and inheritance disputes, since British society isn't ready for such innovations as public floggings and hand-choppings. But these are early days. Sharia-UK: Brits Head Toward Islamic Law >>> By John O’Sullivan*

*John O'Sullivan is a Hudson Institute senior fellow and a former Post editorial-page editor.

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Lib Dems ‘Headed for Government’
Watch BBC video: Clegg outlines his party's economic plans >>>
BBC: Nick Clegg has said the Lib Dems are on the way to power in his first conference speech as party leader.

"I can't tell you every step on the road... but I can tell you where we're headed - government," he said in a rallying cry in Bournemouth.

He said they were the only party with "big, bold ideas" for the country.

He also hailed his new tax package and mounted a strong attack on rival parties, branding New Labour "finished" and the Tories "arrogant".

The 38-minute speech was warmly received by delegates who gave him a four minute standing ovation.

Much of it was devoted to explaining his new tax-cutting strategy, which the party conference backed this week despite opposition from some grassroots members.

Social justice

He distanced himself from what he said was the Conservative idea of tax cuts, telling delegates: "The very wealthy, the super-rich - should be paying more not less. Lib Dems ‘Headed for Government’ >>> | Septermber 17, 2008

BBC:
Nick Clegg’s Speech in Full >>>

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US Embassy Blast: 10 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Yemen
THE TELEGRAPH: Islamist militants attacked the heavily-guarded US embassy in Yemen with a car bomb and rockets, killing at least ten people.

The car exploded some distance from the embassy in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, at a checkpoint manned by security personnel, before gunmen in another car started firing.

The attackers wore police uniforms to try to get through the embassy's perimeter security during a morning shift change.

Four civilians and six members of the police died in the attack, a spokesman for the Yemeni security forces said. The six attackers - one wearing an explosives belt, also died. There were no casualties among US diplomatic staff.

Trevor Mason, a British eye-witness who lives in an apartment block close to the US embassy compound, said the attack began around 8.30 am local time.

"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on,'' he said.

"I looked out my window, and we saw the first explosion going off -- a massive fireball very close to the US embassy.

"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions.

"The situation is quiet now but obviously very tense.''

A militant group calling itself the Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. US Embassy Blast: 10 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Yemen >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent | September 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Yemen US Embassy Attack Blamed on al-Qaeda: Ten people were killed in a suicide attack on the US embassy in Yemen in a co-ordinated strike bearing the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent | September 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
New Breed of Taliban Replaces Old Guard: Money and a hatred of foreigners are motivating a new generation of Afghan fighters >>> By Alex Thomson | September 17, 2008

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Muslim MP Calls for Religious Equality Law
THE INDEPENDENT: A minister has called for the Government to introduce a new religious discrimination law which would require public bodies to have a legal duty to promote equality between faiths, to reassure Britain's Muslims that they are not second-class citizens.

Sadiq Khan, a government whip, wants a forthcoming Single Equality Bill aimed at stamping out discrimination on grounds of sex, race, gender and disability to include religion. He also calls for "Islamophobia in the workplace" to be tackled.

Under his proposal, public bodies would have to be proactive in tackling religious discrimination. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, chaired by Trevor Phillips, would issue guidance and codes of practice. "This would not apply exclusively to British Muslims, but it would make a significant difference to the experience of members of this community who, because of socio-economic status, are particularly reliant on public services," Mr Khan says.

The Tooting MP, one of four Muslim Labour MPs, makes his controversial call in a Fabian Society pamphlet, Fairness not Favours, published today. He says a proactive approach to prevent religious discrimination would balance "harder edged" measures such as "clampdowns" on immigration and security and undercut attempts by Muslim extremists to exploit social disadvantage. Muslim MP Calls for Religious Equality Law >>> By Andrew Grice, Political Editor | September 16, 2008

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Muslim Eyes Are on Downing Street
THE SUN: A HATE fanatic has boasted that Muslims will one day conquer Britain — by having more BABIES.

Speaking at a rally marking 9/11, Anjem Choudary bragged that a birth explosion would let followers of Islam take control of the country.

Undercover Sun investigators secretly recorded Choudary telling a young and impressionable audience that they would eventually rule under strict Sharia law.

And our team listened in chilled silence as he predicted: “Islam is superior and will never be surpassed. The flag of Islam will rise over Downing Street.”

Lawyer Choudary also said it would be easy for vast numbers of Muslims to declare Jihad, or holy war, against Britain — and that every one of them could become “a time bomb waiting to go off”.

The Sun team watched vile Choudary, the right-hand man of exiled preacher of hate Omar Bakri, ranting to 100 young Muslims at a meeting in East London.

The mob bayed and cheered as he said: “About 500 people in Britain become Muslim every day.

“The Home Office say there are 1.5million Muslims but there were 1.5million ten years ago. Since then our brothers in Bethnal Green, Whitechapel and other places have had eight or nine children each. Eight children here, ten children, 15 children. There must be at least six million people.

“It may be by pure conversion that Britain will become an Islamic state. We may never need to conquer it from the outside.” We Need More Muslim Babies … Then We Can Take Over Britain >>> By Anthony France and Vince Soodin | September 13, 2008

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Democrats Gettin’ ‘Kinda’ Jittery as ‘Palin Effect’ Bites
Photo of Sarah Palin courtesy of the New York Times
THE TELEGRAPH: Nervous Democrats are organising an unprecedented wave of advertisements attacking Senator John McCain.

The Republican presidential candidate has maintained his improved performance in the polls since picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Alarmed that Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, may be slipping irreversibly behind with seven weeks to go, a raft of groups plan to flood swing states with adverts, emails and mailshots.

MoveOn, a liberal group that started during the Bill Clinton impeachment hearings, said it will double its advertising budget to £3.5 million between now and polling day on Nov 4.

Its executive director Eli Pariser said its membership has been fired up by the introduction of Mrs Palin, a pro-hunting, anti-abortion arch conservative. John McCain Faces Barrage of Attack Ads from Barack Obama-Supporting Democrats >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | September 16, 2008

AOL:
Straw poll predicts 60% for McCain and 40% for Obama >>>

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Russland rüstet kräftig auf
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Krieg im Kaukasus, die angebliche Bedrohung durch das US-Raketenabwehrsystem, die Nato-Ambitionen der Nachbarstaaten - Russland setzt auf Aufrüstung, "um die Sicherheit des Landes zu verbessern". Ministerpräsident Putin kündigt eine Steigerung des Verteidigungsetats um mehr als ein Viertel an.

Moskau - Moskau steckt weitere Milliarden ins Militär. Nach Angaben von Regierungschef Wladimir Putin wird Russland seine Verteidigungsausgaben im kommenden Jahr um mehr als ein Viertel erhöhen. Der Etat stiege damit auf umgerechnet 66 Milliarden Euro.

Es sei eine der wichtigsten Aufgaben der Regierung, die Streitkräfte zu stärken und die Sicherheit des Landes zu verbessern, sagte Putin der russischen Nachrichtenagentur Interfax zufolge am Dienstag in Moskau. Geplant sei ein Anstieg der Ausgaben um 27 Prozent auf 2,4 Billionen Rubel. Milliarden fürs Militär: Russland rüstet kräftig auf >>> phw/Reuters/dpa | 16. September 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Russia Ratchets Up Tensions with Arms Sales to Iran and Venezuela: Russia snubbed its nose at the United States today by announcing plans to sell military equipment to both Iran and Venezuela.

The head of the state arms exporter said that Russia was negotiating to sell new anti-aircraft systems to Iran despite American objections.

"Contacts between our countries are continuing and we do not see any reason to suspend them," Anatoly Isaikin, general director of Rosoboronexport, told Ria-Novosti at an arms fair in South Africa.

Reports have circulated for some time that Russia is preparing to sell its S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran, offering greater protection against a possible US or Israeli attack on the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities. The missiles have a range of more than 150 kilometres and can intercept jets approaching at low altitudes. >>> By Tony Halpin in Moscow | September 18, 2008

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The Netherlands: Budget Does Not Acknowledge Real Problems
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
NRC HANDELSBLAD: The national budget for next year holds no surprises. This government still refuses to acknowledge the fears of a vast growing majority of Dutch people that believes Islam is the greatest threat to our national identity. Staggering amounts of immigrants are entering our country, while almost 60 percent of Dutch people consider mass immigration to be the biggest mistake since the Second World War, a history monitor by the Historisch Nieuwsblad revealed. The budget for 2009 shows that the financial burden of the government’s mass immigration policy is astronomical and puts a huge strain on Dutch society.

The Dutch pay extremely high taxes and, as the budget presented today shows, the government will continue to spend an insane amount of taxpayer’s money on foreign development, futile efforts to curb climate change, and keeping its dream of a multicultural society alive.

Minimum sentences

In the mean time, elderly people in nursing homes are forced to remain in their pyjamas all day and to wear diapers because there aren’t enough caretakers to help them get dressed or go to the toilet. The Netherlands was once renowned for its excellent healthcare system, but the quality of healthcare is rapidly deteriorating. And although the traffic congestion on many motorways is so severe that it takes commuters hours to get to work, no new roads are being constructed.

Crime rates amongst second and third generation immigrants are unnervingly high. Because of mild punishment most of them will never see the inside of a prison cell but will do a few hours of community service at most. To counter this, we must establish minimum sentences to which judges are legally bound. Budget Does Not Acknowledge Real Problems >>> By Geert Wilders | September 16, 2008

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Full Movie (circa 2hrs 55mins): The Message: الرسالة

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Obsession Video Angers South Florida Muslims
McCLATCHY: A controversial DVD distributed to millions of Americans during the past week through direct mail and newspapers, including The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, has angered many Muslims in South Florida.

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West was packaged as an advertising insert in 70 newspapers, including The Sun Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post. The Clarion Fund, a nonprofit organization that promotes ''national security through education,'' sent the hour long preview of the documentary to 28 million households, many in election swing states such as Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Readers of The St. Petersburg Times, The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville and The News-Press of Fort Myers also received the DVDs. 'Radical Islam' Video Angers South Florida Muslims >>> By Jaweed Kaleem, Miami Herald | September 16, 2008

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Napoleon Bonaparte and Islam*. Many Allege that He Converted to Islam. But Did He Really?
CENTER FOR HISTORY AND NEW MEDIA: Bonaparte’s secretary describes the religious practices, attitudes, and views of Bonaparte with regard to Islam. Accepting that the general curried favor with Muslims, he also hoped to deflect criticism of Bonaparte, claiming that what he did was good governance rather than bad Christianity, as his critics maintained.

It has been alleged that Bonaparte, when in Egypt, took part in the religious ceremonies and worship of the Mussulmans; but it cannot be said that he celebrated the festivals of the overflowing of the Nile and the anniversary of the Prophet. The Turks invited him to these merely as a spectator; and the presence of their new master was gratifying to the people. But he never committed the folly of ordering any solemnity. He neither learned nor repeated any prayer of the Koran, as many persons have asserted; neither did he advocate fatalism polygamy, or any other doctrine of the Koran. Bonaparte employed himself better than in discussing with the Imans the theology of the children of Ismael. The ceremonies, at which policy induced him to be present, were to him, and to all who accompanied him, mere matters of curiosity. He never set foot in a mosque; and only on one occasion, which I shall hereafter mention, dressed himself in the Mahometan costume. He attended the festivals to which the green turbans invited him. His religious tolerance was the natural consequence of his philosophic spirit. Bonaparte and Islam* >>>

*Source: Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte by Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne edited by R.W. Phipps. Vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1889) p. 168-169.

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Troubling Trends: Latinos Embracing Islam

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Les islamistes indiens sèment la mort à New Delhi
Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Cinq explosions ont tué une trentaine de personnes dans la capitale indienne.

C'était un samedi comme les autres. La capitale indienne, mégalopole de 14 millions d'habitants, vaquait à ses multiples occupations. Delhi est une ruche qui ne s'arrête jamais. En cette période de ramadan, il y avait en plus quelque chose de festif dans l'air. Comme à Karol Bagh, quartier populaire et très commerçant, où a éclaté la première bombe, sur le coup de 18 h 15. Quatre autres explosions ont suivi, dans un intervalle de quarante-cinq minutes environ. Dimanche encore, le bilan oscillait, selon les sources, entre 21 et 30 morts. Plus de cent personnes ont été blessées.

Du nord au sud de la capitale, ce sont des symboles d'une Inde en plein boom économique qui ont été visés : Barakhamba Road, un quartier d'affaires, où les tours de verre et d'acier abritent des banques et des bureaux ; Central Park, situé au milieu de la majestueuse Connaught Place, qui abrite sous ses arcades commerces et restaurants, des plus prestigieux aux petits étals des rues ; Greater Kailash, où la bourgeoisie de Delhi vient se fournir notamment en tissus d'ameublement et en vêtements. Le quartier regorge aussi de restaurants et de discothèques. Enfin, trois autres bombes ont été désamorcées, dont l'une à proximité d'India Gate, un arc de triomphe, point de départ de l'imposante avenue Raj Path, où se déroulent toutes les parades militaires. Les islamistes indiens sèment la mort à New Delhi >>> De Marie-France Calle, correspondante du Figaro à New Delhi | 15..09.2008

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Niedecken und Schramma rufen zu Protest gegen Anti-Islam-Kongress auf Kölner Oberbürgermeister: «Zeigen Sie den Rechtspopulisten die kalte Schulter»
PR-INSIDE.COM: Köln (AP) Der Rocksänger Wolfgang Niedecken (BAP) und der Kölner Oberbürgermeister Fritz Schramma haben zum Widerstand gegen den für Freitag angekündigten Anti-Islamisierungs-Kongress in der Domstadt aufgerufen. Schramma appellierte in einer am Montag veröffentlichten Erklärung an die Kölner: «Zeigen Sie den Rechtspopulisten die kalte Schulter.» Niedecken und Schramma rufen zu Protest gegen Anti-Islam-Kongress auf Kölner Oberbürgermeister: «Zeigen Sie den Rechtspopulisten die kalte Schulter» >>> AP | September 15, 2008

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Italy’s Right to Curb Islam with Mosque Law
"[Mosques] are often places of cultural indoctrination, sometimes linked to international terrorism." - Gibelli

REUTERS: ROME - Italy's Northern League, allies of centre-right Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, want to limit the growth of Islam in the centre of world Catholicism by blocking the construction of mosques through strict new regulations.

Muslim immigrants using Italy as a route into Europe already get a foretaste of the mistrust with which many Europeans view their religion, with many projects for mosques and prayer halls already blocked by the opposition of local Italian residents.

But if the anti-immigrant Northern League pushes its bill through parliament -- where Berlusconi's coalition has a strong majority -- Italy will soon have a new law effectively blocking the construction of new mosques in much of the country.

Fearing the advent of "Eurabia", the League has used its control of Berlusconi's interior ministry since helping him to power to push through tough new laws against illegal immigrants.

It has now turned its attention to the newcomers' religion, emboldened by polls showing many Italians mistrust Muslims and a third do not want a mosque in their neighbourhood.

The Northern League has "made life difficult for the Islamic component (of immigrants in Italy) in every sense and especially with regards to places of worship", the president of the Islamic Cultural Istitute of Milan, Abdel Hamid Sha'ari, told Reuters.

Not just recent or illegal immigrants feel unwelcome, but also established Muslim residents like Jihad Amro, who said: "I have paid taxes for 17 years but I still don't feel at home."

"There are still situations where I feel uncomfortable or strange because they (Italians) don't see me as someone who is integrated," Amro, a Palestinian, told Reuters TV in Rome.

The League's anti-Muslim protests have often made headlines, such as when Roberto Calderoli, now a cabinet minister, walked his pet pig on a proposed mosque site to defile the soil or wore a T-shirt of the Prophet Mohammad, triggering riots in Libya.

The League runs many town halls in the prosperous north, the homeland it calls "Padania" which is also home to a majority of Italy's immigrants and of its more than 1 million Muslims.

Estimating that permission for a new mosque or prayer hall is granted somewhere in the country every four days, Northern League parliamentarian Andrea Gibelli told Reuters: "I consider this to be an unfettered colonisation of our culture." FEATURE: Italy’s Right to Curb Islam with Mosque Law >>> By Stephen Brown (Additional reporting by Eleanor Biles and Cristiano Corvino, editing by Mark Trevelyan) | September 16, 2008

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Iran Parliament Votes In Favor Of Death Penalty for Former Muslims
BOS NEWS LIFE: TEHRAN, IRAN -- Iran's parliament has accepted a law proposal stipulating the death penalty for "apostasy", adding to concerns about jailed Christians from Muslim backgrounds, rights watchers said Thursday, September 11.

The controversial proposal was approved by 196 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions, according to details released after the vote.

"The progress of this bill through the Iranian Parliament is a cause of grave concern for increasing numbers of Iranians who have left Islam for another religion," said the Britain-based influential religious rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "It is a significant backwards step for human rights in Iran."

Last week, two Christians from Muslim backgrounds, 53-year-old Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad and 40-year-old Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat, were charged with apostasy at the Public and Revolutionary Court in the town of Shiraz. Prosecutors have already demanded the death penalty for the two men, who have been in detention since May 15, 2008, CSW said earlier. Iran Parliament Votes In Favor Of Death Penalty For Former Muslims: Jailed Christians Face Execution, Rights Watchers Say >>> By BosNewsLife News Center | September 11, 2008

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Fatwas Galore! Now Mickey Mouse Faces Death!
You couldn't make this stuff up! One would have to have a screw loose to say such things! - ©Mark

DAILY EXPRESS: Mickey Mouse is a soldier of satan and must die, says a Muslim cleric.

Tom and Jerry have also incurred the wrath of Sheikh Muhammad Munajid who fears they are corrupting Islamic youth.

The Saudi Arabian cleric also recently denounced the Beijing Games as the “bikini Olympics” because of the female athletes’ skimpy costumes which, he said, made Satan happy.

His fatwa – an Islamic ruling which can carry a death sentence – against the cartoon characters was made in a religious affairs programme on an Arab television network.

Asked about Islam’s teaching on mice, Mr Munajid, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington, said that both household mice – and their cartoon counterparts – have to be killed. Mickey Mouse Facing Fatwa >>> | September 16, 2008

YNETNEWS:
A Fatwa against Mickey Mouse: Saudi sheikh slams Disney icon as 'a soldier of Satan,' says 'impure corrupter' must be killed according to Islamic law >>> YNET | September 16, 2008

FOX NEWS:
Report: Saudi Cleric Says Mickey Mouse 'Must Die': He may have survived the battle with the brooms in “Fantasia,” but now Mickey Mouse has to contend with Islam.

Calling the loveable Disney rodent “one of Satan’s soldiers,” Sheikh Muhammad Munajid said household mice and their animated counterparts must be rubbed out, the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases." >>> | September 16, 2008

ISRAEL TODAY:
Muslims: We Must Kill Mickey Mouse >>> | September 16, 2008

STRAITS TIMES:
Death for TV ‘Sorcerers’: RIYADH - A SENIOR Saudi cleric has said purveyors of horoscopes on Arab television should face the death penalty, a paper said on Sunday, days after another cleric urged the same fate for channel owners who broadcast 'indecent' shows.

'Sorcerers who appear on satellite channels who are proven to be sorcerers have committed a great crime ... and the Muslim consensus is that the apostate's punishment is death by the sword,' Sheikh Saleh al-Fozan told al-Madina daily.

'Those who call in to these shows should not be accorded Muslim rites when they die,' the prominent cleric added.

Many of the hundreds of Arab satellite channels that have sprung up in recent years specialise in horoscopes and other advice to callers on solving problems that is seen by some religious authorities as 'sorcery'. >>> | September 15, 2008

NINEMSN:
Mickey Mouse: He’s the Agent of Satan, Didn’t You Know? >>> By ninemsn staff | September 16, 2008

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More Evidence of the Dawning Dark Age: Sharia Courts Have Come to Britain. It’s Official!
…if this continues Britain will break up as a unitary state governed by one law for all. Sharia law should be stopped, not condoned or encouraged. No other minority in Britain either wants or is permitted to live under an alternative legal system. This is the way a society fractures -- and then goes under. - Melanie Phillips

THE SUNDAY TIMES: ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.

The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence.

Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court.

Previously, the rulings of sharia courts in Britain could not be enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims.

It has now emerged that sharia courts with these powers have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network’s headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Two more courts are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, said he had taken advantage of a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996.

Under the act, the sharia courts are classified as arbitration tribunals. The rulings of arbitration tribunals are binding in law, provided that both parties in the dispute agree to give it the power to rule on their case.

Siddiqi said: “We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are.”

The disclosure that Muslim courts have legal powers in Britain comes seven months after Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was pilloried for suggesting that the establishment of sharia in the future “seems unavoidable” in Britain.

In July, the head of the judiciary, the lord chief justice, Lord Phillips, further stoked controversy when he said that sharia could be used to settle marital and financial disputes. Revealed: UK’s First Official Sharia Courts >>> By Abul Taher | September 14, 2008

PUBLIC SERVICE:
Sharia Law Is Now Legally Binding: It’s been described by one commentator as an example of Great Britain ‘surrendering’ itself and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was criticised for saying it will happen, but whatever the reaction, Islamic law now officially operates in the UK.

Whereas before rulings by sharia courts in Britain could only be enforced if all parties in a Muslim civil case agreed to abide by them, now what the courts say will be legally binding, backed by county courts or the High Court.

The five sharia courts are Birmingham, Bradford, London and Manchester with others planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh. They will be run by the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal whose Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi said: "We realised that under the Arbitration Act [1996] we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals." >>> | September 15, 2008

Hat tip: Jihad Watch

THE SPECTATOR:
No Longer One Law for All >>> | September 16, 2008

THE BRUSSELS JOURNAL:
From Magna Carta to Sharia Law – Britain’s Decline >>> By A Millar | September 15, 2008

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Palin Has Got the Muslims Worried: “Palin's Frightening Pentecostalism”
ISLAMONLINE: While the millions of Muslims in America are observing the month of Ramadan and concentrating on gaining as many blessings as possible in this noble month, we would be deaf, dumb, and blind not to be caught up in election fever. Every media outlet is giving non-stop coverage to the contest between the Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and Vice-Presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden and the Republican candidate John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Given the unpopularity of President George W. Bush and the Democratic leads in polls, most observers have assumed it to be a foregone conclusion that the Democratic candidate would win this November. Up until a few weeks ago that was a pretty safe bet. However, just as the Obama campaign began to loose steam (largely due to failing to play hardball politics with a hard-nosed GOP, many voters reluctance to vote for an African-American, and questions about Obama's background), McCain pulled a rabbit out of the hat by choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

There are three main factors that led to McCain choosing this unknown governor of a remote state; gender, culture, and religion. Gender because millions of white women in America who supported Hillary Clinton in her nomination fight with Obama are still angry that Clinton did not win but were not favorable towards McCain. Culture because Palin can reach out to and identify with rural, small town, and voters in deep suburbia like McCain and Obama cannot, due to her small town roots. Religion because Palin was raised Pentecostal and remains an evangelical Christian and these voters make up the base of the Republican Party but had been lukewarm to McCain. Now they are fired up and energized by the choice of Palin.

From a political standpoint I believe McCain made an excellent decision in choosing Palin and that she can help him win this close election (or at least come close). However, as an American and as a Muslim, I am frightened at the choice of Palin. Palin's Frightening Pentecostalism >>> By About Umar Lee

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