The EU should be stronger and more united. Great Britain should belong to the Union.
Die EU sollte stärker und geeinter sein. Großbritannien sollte der Union angehören.
L'UE devrait être plus forte et plus unie. La Grande-Bretagne devrait appartenir à l'Union.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Pakistani 'Terror Plot Suspects' to Be Deported rather than Charged
Most of the Pakistani men arrested last week in an anti-terrorist operation will be deported rather than charged, senior counter-terrorism sources told The Times last night.
Officials in London and Islamabad said that Britain had begun seeking assurances about how the men would be treated if they were returned to Pakistan. “The British wanted to be reassured that if some of these men were deported they would not face torture,” an informed source in Pakistan said.
One of the 12 men detained, an 18-year-old, has been freed from anti-terrorist detention and is in the custody of immigration officials.
Investigators are concerned that they have not found any firm evidence linking the men to terrorist attack plans. A source close to the inquiry said: “There is already talk of coming up empty-handed and there is terrible infighting between the different forces involved.” >>> Sean O’Neill, Zahid Hussain and Michael Evans | Monday, April 13, 2009
Iraqi Leaders 'Ignoring Murder of Homosexuals'
THE TELEGRAPH: Iraq's leaders have been accused of ignoring a wave of violence against homosexual men.
In recent weeks, 25 young men and boys have been killed in the country and gay rights groups claim the government has given tacit support to the death squads by staying silent on the crimes.
The lack of action by the authorities has prompted Amnesty International to the Iraqi President, Nouri al-Maliki, demanding "urgent and concerted action" by his government to stop the killings, according to the Independent.
The majority of the deadly attacks have taken place in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, controlled by ultra-conservative Shia militia.
The bodies of four gay men, each bearing a sign with the Arabic word for "pervert" on their chests, were discovered in Sadr City three weeks ago. No arrests have been made.
Amnesty said the murders appeared to have been committed by militiamen and relatives of the victims, who had been incited by religious leaders who condemned 'deviancy'. >>> | Monday, April 13, 2009
THE INDEPENDENT: Iraqi Leaders Attacked over Spate of Homophobic Murders
Dozens of young men and boys killed by death squads in Baghdad
Baghdad, scene of attacks on homosexuals. Ali Hili, a spokesman for gay men in Iraq says: 'It is impossible to be gay and out. It is the most difficult thing to be in the country'. Photo courtesy of The Independent
Iraqi leaders are accused of turning a blind eye to a spate of murders of homosexuals after 25 young men and boys were killed in recent weeks.
Gay groups claim the Iraqi government is giving tacit support to the death squads targeting young homosexuals who venture outdoors.
In an unusual move, Amnesty International will today write to the Iraqi President, Nouri al-Maliki, demanding "urgent and concerted action" by his government to stop the killings. Amnesty said the murders appear to have been carried out by militiamen and relatives of the victims, after being incited by religious leaders. Homosexuality has always been taboo in the country, but a surge of killings followed religious leaders' sermons condemning "deviancy".
The violence came after the improved security situation briefly encouraged some gay men to start meeting discreetly in public. This led to furious condemnation from clerics who have called for homosexuality – which can lead to a prison sentence of seven years – to be eradicated from Iraqi society.
Most of the killings have taken place in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, controlled by ultra-conservative Shi'ite militia. Murders have also been reported in Basra, Najaf and Karbala.
The bodies of four gay men, each bearing a sign with the Arabic word for "pervert" on their chests, were discovered in Sadr City three weeks ago. Following the discovery of another two corpses six days later, an unnamed official in the city told Reuters: "They were sexual deviants. Their tribes killed them to restore their family honour." >>> By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor | Monday, April 13, 2009
BBC: Tens of thousands of supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr have rallied against the US presence in Iraq, six years after Saddam Hussein's fall.
Protesters in Baghdad's Firdos Square carried pictures of the cleric and chanted slogans denouncing what they called the occupation of Iraq.
Six years ago, US troops reached the square and helped Iraqis pull down a statue of their former leader there.
US combat troops are due to pull out from Iraq's cities by the end of June.
Under a recent agreement, they are expected to remain elsewhere in the country until the end of August 2010.
Moqtada Sadr has repeatedly called for a complete and immediate US withdrawal from Iraq.
Protesters carrying Iraqi flags chanted slogans such as "No, no America - Yes, yes Iraq" as they thronged the streets and burned an effigy of former US President George W Bush.
"God, unite us, return our riches, free the prisoners from the prisons, return sovereignty to our country ... make our country free from the occupier, and prevent the occupier from stealing our oil," an aide to Mr Sadr read, as part of a message from the radical cleric.
Mr Sadr has not been seen in Iraq for several months and is believed to be in neighbouring Iran. >>> | Thursday, April 9, 2009
New Dark Age Alert! The Free World Bars Free Speech
THE WASHINGTON POST: For years, the Western world has listened aghast to stories out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations of citizens being imprisoned or executed for questioning or offending Islam. Even the most seemingly minor infractions elicit draconian punishments. Late last year, two Afghan journalists were sentenced to prison for blasphemy because they translated the Koran into a Farsi dialect that Afghans can read. In Jordan, a poet was arrested for incorporating Koranic verses into his work. And last week, an Egyptian court banned a magazine for running a similar poem.
But now an equally troubling trend is developing in the West. Ever since 2006, when Muslims worldwide rioted over newspaper cartoons picturing the prophet Muhammad, Western countries, too, have been prosecuting more individuals for criticizing religion. The "Free World," it appears, may be losing faith in free speech.
Among the new blasphemers is legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot, who was convicted last June of "inciting religious hatred" for a letter she wrote in 2006 to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, saying that Muslims were ruining France. It was her fourth criminal citation for expressing intolerant views of Muslims and homosexuals. Other Western countries, including Canada and Britain, are also cracking down on religious critics.
Emblematic of the assault is the effort to pass an international ban on religious defamation supported by United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann. Brockmann is a suspended Roman Catholic priest who served as Nicaragua's foreign minister in the 1980s under the Sandinista regime, the socialist government that had a penchant for crushing civil liberties before it was tossed out of power in 1990. Since then, Brockmann has literally embraced such free-speech-loving figures as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whom he wrapped in a bear hug at the U.N. last year. >>> By Jonathan Turley* | Sunday, April 12, 2009
*Jonathan Turley is a law professor at George Washington University.
Iran: Ahmadinedschads Kampf mit emanzipierten Frauen
WELT ONLINE: Dreißig Jahre nach der Islamischen Revolution hat Irans Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad seine Last mit der Emanzipation. Eine neue Frauen-Generation fordert ihre Rechte ein. Die Konsequenzen für ihren Befreiungskampf sind hart – 70 Frauenrechtsaktivistinnen sind in Haft.
Präsident Ahmadinedschad hat verfügt, dass die unter seinem Vorgänger immer kürzer gewordenen Tschadore wieder um eine Handbreite länger zu tragen sind. Bild dank der Welt
Sie rechnet jederzeit damit, dass es an der Tür klopft. Immer, wenn sie im Treppenhaus Schritte hört, denkt sie einen Augenblick lang: Jetzt ist es soweit. Rund 70 Frauenrechtsaktivistinnen sind derzeit in Haft. Auch Mansoureh Shojaee ist bereits mehrfach verhaftet worden. Die 50-Jährige sitzt in ihrer Wohnung im Zentrum von Teheran, eine schlanke, hochgewachsene Frau mit scharf geschnittenem Gesicht. "Ich habe keine Angst, aber ich warte darauf, dass sie kommen und mich mitnehmen“, sagt sie kühl.
Der stille Kampf der iranischen Feministinnen ist härter geworden. Einerseits geht der Staat mit zunehmender Schärfe gegen die Aktivistinnen vor, seitdem der konservative Hardliner Mahmud Ahmadinedschad Präsident ist. „Wir spüren den Druck viel heftiger“, sagt Shojaee. Ob sie sich von den Präsidentschaftswahlen im Juni eine Verbesserung verspricht? Sie winkt ab, sie hat nicht viel Vertrauen in die Politiker. Andererseits haben auch die Frauenrechtlerinnen den Einsatz erhöht: „Wir sind heute viel stärker und besser koordiniert als noch vor wenigen Jahren.“ >>> Von Gabriela M. Keller | Samstag, 11. April 2009
Iran : Du podium de Miss Dakota à la prison d'Evine
Photo de Roxana Saberi grâce aux Blogs du Figaro
LE FIGARO – Blog: Dans notre métier, il y a parfois des nouvelles plus difficiles que d'autres à annoncer. Surtout quand il s'agit de personnes en difficulté, que nous connaissons bien. Mercredi soir, je tombe sur cette dépêche d'actualité qui me fait tomber des nues : « Roxana Saberi, la journaliste irano-américaine arrêtée en Iran a officiellement été inculpée d'espionnage ».
En Iran, ce genre d'accusation coûte cher. Selon le code pénal iranien, l'espionnage est un crime passible de la peine de mort. Pour l'heure, l'audience de Roxana Saberi, arrêtée il y a presque deux mois, n'a pas encore eu lieu. D'après son avocat, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, qui n'a pas encore reçu l'acte du tribunal révolutionnaire, une date pourrait être fixée la semaine prochaine.
Mais on peut déjà imaginer qu'au terme de son procès, sa condamnation se transforme en de longs mois, voir années, de prison. En 2005, le skippeur français Stéphane Lherbier avait écopé de 15 mois de prison pour une accusation beaucoup moins lourde - celle d'être entré illégalement dans les eaux territoriales iraniennes...
Roxana s'est installée à Téhéran en 2003. La première fois que je l'ai croisé, c'était au mois de juillet de cette même année. La caméra collée à l'œil, elle était venue filmer les étudiants qui manifestaient dans la capitale iranienne. Née aux Etats-Unis, de mère japonaise et de père iranien, elle avait décidé de remonter le fil de ses origines et de s'installer à Téhéran, pour y travailler comme correspondante pour l'agence de presse vidéo américaine, Feature Story News. Je la comprends. Quatre ans plus tôt, c'est la même motivation qui m'avait poussé à poser, moi aussi, mes valises en Iran.
Dans le milieu très restreint des journalistes étrangers basés à Téhéran, on se croisait souvent. Roxana était de nature assez réservée, et l'humilité faisait partie de ses qualités. Elue Miss Dakota, aux Etats-Unis, alors qu'elle était étudiante, elle ne s'en ventait jamais. C'était une bosseuse, qui ne comptait pas ses heures de travail. Elle avait envie de réussir professionnellement, un point c'est tout. Et elle s'en donnait les moyens. Très sportive, elle ne manquait jamais ses rendez-vous au club de sport féminin de son quartier. Un jour, elle m'y avait emmené. J'avais été soufflée en la voyant courir pendant une heure sur le tapis roulant. De toute évidence, le sport était son défouloir, dans un pays où le travail de journaliste ressemble, bien souvent, à celui d'un funambule qui s'efforce de ne pas tomber du fil. >>> Par Delphine Minoui | Samedi 11 Avril 2009
Goldman Sachs Hires Law Firm to Shut Blogger's Site
THE TELEGRAPH: Goldman Sachs is attempting to shut down a dissident blogger who is extremely critical of the investment bank, its board members and its practices.
The bank has instructed Wall Street law firm Chadbourne & Parke to pursue blogger Mike Morgan, warning him in a recent cease-and-desist letter that he may face legal action if he does not close down his website.
Florida-based Mr Morgan began a blog entitled "Facts about Goldman Sachs" – the web address for which is goldmansachs666.com – just a few weeks ago.
In that time Mr Morgan, a registered investment adviser, has added a number of posts to the site, including one entitled "Does Goldman Sachs run the world?". However, many of the posts relate to other Wall Street firms and issues.
According to Chadbourne & Parke's letter, dated April 8, the bank is rattled because the site "violates several of Goldman Sachs' intellectual property rights" and also "implies a relationship" with the bank itself.
Unsurprisingly for a man who has conjoined the bank's name with the Number of the Beast – although he jokingly points out that 666 was also the S&P500's bear-market bottom – Mr Morgan is unlikely to go down without a fight. >>> By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent | Saturday, April 11, 2009
TIMESONLINE: It was the start of one of the earliest and most brutal episodes of ethnic cleansing in Europe, so Spain is, understandably perhaps, a little reluctant to mark the occasion.
Four hundred years ago today King Philip III signed an order to expel 300,000 Moriscos - or part-Muslims - who had converted from Islam to Christianity.
Over the next five years hundreds of the exiles died as they were forced from their homes in Spain to North Africa at the height of the Spanish Inquisition.
There are no plans to mark the date officially, although the occasion is being remembered in a series of exhibitions, conferences and public debates.
The anniversary comes days after José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish Prime Minister, met Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, in Istanbul to celebrate the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, which is intended to foster friendship between the West and the Islamic world.
Some Muslim writers and Spanish and Moroccan campaigners believe that Madrid should apologise for the wrongs committed during the 17th century. Juan Goytisolo, a Spanish novelist, said:
“Official and academic Spain retires into the fortress of cautious silence, which reveals obvious discomfort. The expulsion was the first European precedent ... of the European ethnic cleansings of the last century.” >>> Graham Keeley in Barcelona | Thursday, April 9, 2009
'Terror Plotters' Allowed to Stay Despite Visa Breaches
THE TELEGRAPH: At least two of the men suspected of being members of an alleged al-Qaeda cell had been allowed to stay in Britain despite allegedly breaching the conditions of their student visas, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
One man was stopped by immigration officials at Manchester Airport last week as he arrived from Pakistan, but was allowed to enter the country despite his visa documents being "all over the place", according to one source.
Another suspect was threatened with deportation after immigration officials discovered he was working as a security guard instead of studying, but he was nonetheless allowed to stay.
The revelations will intensify pressure on the Government to carry out a complete overhaul of the student visa system after it emerged that all but one of the 12 suspects being held on suspicion of plotting an "Easter spectacular" bombing campaign had come to the UK from Pakistan on student visas approved by the Home Office.
Patrick Mercer, the chairman of the parliamentary counter-terrorism subcommittee, described the UK Border Agency's failure to act as "a disgrace" and a "frightening" lapse of immigration controls. >>> By Duncan Gardham, Nigel Bunyan and Dean Nelson | Friday, April 10, 2009
The Church Must Stop Trivialising Easter
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
THE TELEGRAPH: Christians must keep their nerve: the Resurrection isn’t a metaphor, it’s a physical fact
Private Eye ran a cartoon some years ago of St Peter standing in front of Jesus's Cross and saying to the other Disciples: “It's time to put this behind us now and move on.” It was a satire not on Christian belief, but on politicians and counsellors, and their trivialising mantras. It depended on Jesus's death being not just an odd, forgettable event - and that it was His Resurrection, rather than a shoulder- shrugging desire to “move on”, that got the early Christians going.
Easter was the pilot project. What God did for Jesus that explosive morning is what He intends to do for the whole creation. We who live in the interval between Jesus's Resurrection and the final rescue and transformation of the whole world are called to be new-creation people here and now. That is the hidden meaning of the greatest festival Christians have.
This true meaning has remained hidden because the Church has trivialised it and the world has rubbished it. The Church has turned Jesus's Resurrection into a “happy ending” after the dark and messy story of Good Friday, often scaling it down so that “resurrection” becomes a fancy way of saying “He went to Heaven”. Easter then means: “There really is life after death”. The world shrugs its shoulders. We may or may not believe in life after death, but we reach that conclusion independently of Jesus, of odd stories about risen bodies and empty tombs.
But “resurrection” to 1st-century Jews wasn't about “going to Heaven”: it was about the physically dead being physically alive again. Some Jews (not all) believed that God would do this for all people in the end. Nobody, including Jesus's followers, was expecting one person to be bodily raised from the dead in the middle of history. The stories of the Resurrection are certainly not “wish-fulfilments” or the result of what dodgy social science calls “cognitive dissonance”. First-century Jews who followed would-be messiahs knew that if your leader got killed by the authorities, it meant you had backed the wrong man. You then had a choice: give up the revolution or get yourself a new leader. Going around saying that he'd been raised from the dead wasn't an option.
Unless he had been. Jesus of Nazareth was certainly dead by the Friday evening; Roman soldiers were professional killers and wouldn't have allowed a not-quite-dead rebel leader to stay that way for long. When the first Christians told the story of what happened next, they were not saying: “I think he's still with us in a spiritual sense” or “I think he's gone to heaven”. All these have been suggested by people who have lost their historical and theological nerve. >>> The Right Rev Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham | Saturday, April 11, 2009
Liberal Imam Wins Libel Claim against Muslim Newspaper
The institute that the imam founded preaches that women should not wear the niqab, or face-covering, and that men should not wear beards. Photo of beniqabbed Muslimah courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: A progressive Muslim imam from Oxford has won a libel action against a Muslim newspaper in what he claims is a "watershed moment" in the battle between liberal and extremist Muslims in Britain.
Dr Taj Hargey, who provoked controversy last year when he invited the first ever woman to lead and preach at Friday prayers in Britain, has been awarded a "substantial" five-figure sum in libel damages against the Muslim Weekly, which takes a conservative line on community issues.
In its latest edition, the newspaper urges the Government not to play a "divide and rule" policy over the Muslim Council of Britain. The Government has threatened to cut ties with the council after it refused to sack its deputy leader, Daud Abdullah, who signed a pro-Hamas declaration at a conference on Gaza in Istanbul.
Dr Hargey, who is originally from South Africa, describes himself as a "thorn in the side of the Muslim hierarchy" as a result of his liberal theology and his "integrationist, non-sexist views."
The Oxford institute he founded, the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford (Meco), preaches that women should not wear the niqab or face-covering and that men should not wear beards. He sanctions marriages of Muslim women to men of other faiths and promotes mixed congregations in mosques, where men and women are usually strictly segregated and women are sometimes not allowed at all. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Wednesday, April 8, 2009
THE MUSLIM WEEKLY: Apology to Dr Taj Hargey and MECO over Qadiani connections
The Muslim Weekly extends its sincerest apologies to Dr Taj Hargey and the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford (MECO) for publishing an article last week entitled: "Muslim scholars pull out of Qadiani conference", implicating Dr Hargey and MECO in having connections with the non-Muslim religion of Qadianism.
The Muslim Weekly unreservedly retracts the following accusations and assertions it has since learned were inaccurate and completely unfounded.
Dr Taj Hargey has never subscribed to, belonged to or been affiliated with any sect or minority group, religious or otherwise, be they Ahmadi, Qadiani, Lahori, etc. On the contrary, Dr Hargey has consistently and openly reiterated his unconditional belief in the absolute finality of prophethood in Islam and Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) as God's last prophet and final messenger. >>> The Muslim Weekly | April 10 – 16, 2009
As If We hadn’t Had Enough of the Blairs in Politics! Now Comes the Fossil Stepmother!
THE TELEGRAPH: Cherie Blair's stepmother, Steph Booth, is to stand for parliament.
Mrs Booth said it was 'a real honour' to be selected. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Mrs Booth, who is married to Mrs Blair's actor father Tony Booth, was selected as Labour's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Calder Valley seat, in West Yorkshire, at a meeting on Thursday evening.
Mrs Booth said it was "a real honour" to be selected.
She said: "I am delighted that Labour Party members have chosen to put their faith in me.
"As we all know Calder Valley faces big challenges during the current economic difficulties. I will be working hard for everyone who lives here to make sure our communities get all the help they need."
The move comes after sitting Labour MP Chris McCafferty, who has held the seat since 1997, announced last year she would be standing down.
Ms McCafferty said: "I would like to offer my personal endorsement to Steph Booth as the new Labour Party candidate for Calder Valley. Cherie Blair's Stepmother to Stand for Parliament >>> | Saturday, April 10, 2009
Französische Soldaten stürmen entführtes Segelschiff: Eine der Geiseln getötet - US-Marine umzingelt weiteres Piratenschiff
NZZ Online: Französische Soldaten haben im Golf von Aden ein von Piraten gekapertes Boot gestürmt. Dabei wurden mindestens eine Geisel und zwei der Piraten getötet. Drei Seeräuber seien gefangengenommen worden, teilte die französische Regierung mit. Der von Piraten entführte Kapitän eines andern Schiffes soll offenbar von der US-Marine befreit werden.
Das französische Segelboot mit vier Erwachsenen und einem Kind an Bord war am Samstag von Piraten gekapert worden. An Bord waren zwei Paare und der dreijährige Sohn eines der Paare. Bei der Befreiungsaktion wurden vier Passagiere des Segelschiffs der «Tanit» befreit, auch das Kind. Die Überlebenden seien unversehrt, teilt das französischen Präsidialamt weiter mit. Zwei Piraten seien getötet, drei weitere gefangen genommen worden.
US-Marine will Kapitän befreien
Vor der Küste Somalias mehren sich derweil die Zeichen, dass die US-Marine einen Kapitän aus der Hand von Piraten befreien will. Seine Lage blieb am Freitag kritisch. Richard Phillips unternahm offenbar in der Nacht einen Fluchtversuch und sprang ins Wasser. Wie die US-Sender CNN und CBS berichteten, versuchte er schwimmend ein US-Kriegsschiff in der Nähe erreichen, wurde von den Piraten jedoch wieder eingefangen.
Auch für die vier Kidnapper wird die Lage ungemütlicher: Die US- Marine kreist sie immer enger ein. Am Freitag stiess die Fregatte «USS Halyburton» zum bereits vor Ort stationierten Zerstörer «USS Bainbridge», wie ein Sprecher des Verteidigungsministeriums sagte. >>> ap/sda | Freitag, 10. April 2009
LE FIGARO: Tanit : un otage français tué dans l'opération de libération
Retenus depuis samedi au large de la Somalie, les quatre autres otages du voilier français, dont l'enfant, ont été libérés par l'armée française. La France «a même proposé une rançon», annonce Hervé Morin.
Presque un an jour pour jour après l'attaque du Ponant, une nouvelle affaire de piraterie a trouvé son épilogue, vendredi. Six jours après la capture du «Tanit», un voilier français pris par des pirates somaliens dans le golfe d'Aden, l'armée française a lancé une opération pour libérer les cinq membres de l'équipage, quatre adultes et un enfant de 3 ans.
Au cours de cette opération, qui a permis de libérer quatre de ces plaisanciers, «un otage a malheureusement trouvé la mort», déplore l'Elysée. Selon Hervé Morin, la victime est le père du petit garçon, Florent Lemaçon. Lors d'une conférence de presse, le ministre de la Défense a précise que «l'on ne savait pas pour le moment» l'origine des tirs qui l'ont touché. Le chef d'état-major des armées, le général Jean-Louis Georgelin, a expliqué de son côté que l'otage avait été touché à l'intérieur du voilier, lors d'un échange de tirs alors que les forces françaises «descendaient dans le carré».
«Les quatre autres (otages), dont l'enfant, sont sains et saufs», a ajouté l'Elysée dans un communiqué. «Deux pirates ont été tués, les trois autres faits prisonniers.» >>> J.C. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP et AP | Vendredi 10 Avril 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Iran Hangs Three People over 2007 Mosque Bombing
REUTERS: TEHRAN - Iran executed on Friday three people convicted of being involved in the bombing of a mosque which killed 14 Iranians in the southern city of Shiraz in 2007, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Tehran had accused the United States of arming and training those behind the blast and said Britain and Israel were involved in the bombing, which also injured 200 people.
Washington and London deny Tehran's accusations. >>> Writing by Zahra Hosseinian; editing by Diana Abdallah | Friday, April 10, 2009
A Map of Faith in Malta
MALTATODAY.COM: Although Catholicism is the declared religion of 98% of the population, virtually every other form of religious faith is also represented in Malta. On the one hand we have the kaleidoscopic variety provided by the world’s most organized religion, in the world’s most Catholic country and on the other we have the kaleidoscope made of minute fragments of every other kind of faith. Beyond the confines of organised religion we find the faiths of atheism and that of Satanism. Beyond them still, the historical evidence of paganism in a wealth of temples remains hard to explain on a small group of islands which could not sustain a population of much more than 10,000 souls.
Catholicism
Catholicism is the established Church in Malta in terms of the Constitution. Claiming its origins in the conversion of the islanders by the Apostle Paul, it has certainly held political dominance since the coming of the Normans in 1090 although the idea of continuity from 60 AD is disputed. With the Alhambra Decree of 1492 expelling Jews and Moriscos from the dominions of the Aragonese Empire, Malta became, at least nominally, completely Catholic.
Leaping to the present day, Malta remains probably the most Catholic country in the world including the Vatican whose population hails from other jurisdictions none of which can compete with the cultural dominance which Catholicism enjoys in Malta. This fact produces an unchallenged Catholic reality and permits the articulation of every possible form of living one’s Catholic faith. >>> Harry Vassallo | Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Dutch TV Show Exonerates bin Laden
ABC NEWS (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): A Dutch TV jury has found Osama bin Laden not guilty of the September 11 attacks.
In the conclusion Wednesday night to the show Devil's Advocate on Dutch public broadcaster Nederland 2, the jury of two men and three women, along with the studio audience, ruled that there was no proof bin Laden was the mastermind behind the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in 2001.
The Netherlands, home to Big Brother creator Endemol, is known for being on the cutting edge of format-based television.
But even for Dutch standards, Devil's Advocate, from Amsterdam production house AVRO, pushes the envelope.
The show features star defence attorney Gerard Spong standing up for some of the world's worst criminals.
In the latest show, Spong was able to convince the jury that bin Laden's connection to September 11 was a product of "Western propaganda". >>> Reuters | Friday, April 10, 2009
Dutch Foreign Minister Lashes Out at Wilders
EXPATICA: Maxime Verhagen says Wilders is turning Netherlands into a country of "us against them”.
THE NETHERLANDS – Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has issued a stinging criticism of the Freedom Party's leader Geert Wilders.
Speaking on Wednesday evening at the Movies that Matter festival in The Hague, Verhagen said Wilders used generalisations to sow discord and pit different groups of people against one another.
According to the minister, Wilders is forcing people to centre their identities on their religion – which is just one factor in their lives. He added that Wilders' remarks were dividing the Netherlands into a country and “us against them” and that he did not wish to live in such a land. >>> Radio Netherlands / Expatica | Friday, April 10, 2009
Les nouveaux riches are as les nouveaux riches do
Such wanton extravagance in the midst of a deep recession, the deepest since the 1930s, when most other people are hurting badly! Such poor taste! (No pun intended.) Such poor judgement! – Mark
MAIL Online: When you're the president of the United States, only the best pizza will do - even if that means flying a chef 860 miles.
Chris Sommers, 33, jetted into Washington from St Louis, Missouri, on Thursday with a suitcase of dough, cheese and pans to to prepare food for the Obamas and their staff.
