Five Gay Couples Wed in Marriage Ceremony on Tel Aviv Beach
HAARETZ: Five Gay couples wed Friday in a ceremony held on the Tel Aviv beach to mark the city's 11th annual Gay Pride Parade.

The white city was turned pink all day Friday as tens of thousands of gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and their heterosexual compatriots marched in the parade. The event was financed by the municipality and set out at 1:30 P.M. from the gay community center at Meir Park, after a happening and an international gay tourism fair in the park.

Massive traffic jams were expected, as several city thoroughfares were closed to traffic for the parade, which was guarded by police, Border Police and civil defense volunteers. Bograshov, Ben-Yehuda and Ben-Gurion streets were closed to traffic from 11:30 A.M. until 5 P.M., as were the streets leading to them. The parade proceeded from King George St. to Bograshov St., Ben-Yehuda St. and Ben-Gurion Boulevard and finally ended up at Gordon beach, where a huge party with singers and DJs was to be held be held from about 3 P.M. to sunset. The event is to culminate in five simultaneous gay marriages.

Alon Elbakri, 15, came out of the closet about a year ago when he told his mother that he was gay.

"All my life I've been attracted to boys," he said. "I'd go to gay sites on the Internet, but I kept fighting myself, saying 'I like girls,' even though it wasn't true. Last year, in eighth grade, I underwent a change and realized that's what I am."

Elbakri is not exceptional: A survey conducted by Dr. Guy Shilo of Tel Aviv University indicates that the average age at which Israeli gays come out of the closet is declining. The agonizing that plagued most gays until a few years ago now mostly ends during high school.

"We're witnessing a social change," Shilo said. "At the end of the 1990s, the average coming-out age was 22. Today, it's 16."

Shilo, the head of research for the gay youth movement IGY, recently completed his doctorate at TAU, on the consolidation of sexual inclinations among gay youths. "Gay boys and girls mostly start feeling different from their peers between age 10 and 13," he said. "But the time between feeling different about themselves and deciding to categorize themselves as gay is getting shorter."

One reason why teenagers are coming out sooner is earlier sexual development among both gay and straight teens, Shilo said. Another reason is the growing exposure to gay boys and girls on television and the Internet. The latter, in addition to various forums and informational sites, also provides gay dating sites. >>> By Ofri Ilani and Noah Kosharek, Haaretz Correspondents | Friday, June 12, 2009

Carlebach Like Never Before
Concert, London, June 14. 2009, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane >>>

Les femmes dans le monde arabe sont comme des "meubles" dénonce Kadhafi
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: VISITE OFFICIELLE | Le leader libyen a estimé que le monde avait besoin d'une révolution féminine basée sur une révolution culturelle.

Mouammar Kadhafi a rencontré des femmes italiennens au troisième jour de sa visite en Italie. Crédits photo: Tribune de Genève
Les femmes dans le monde arabe et musulman sont comme "des meubles" que l’on peut déplacer à volonté sans devoir répondre à qui que ce soit, a estimé vendredi le leader libyen Mouammar Kadhafi, au troisième jour de sa visite officielle en Italie. "La femme est comme un meuble qu’il est possible de changer quand on veut et personne ne demandera jamais pourquoi on l’a fait", a dit M. Kadhafi, cité par l’agence Ansa, au cours d’un discours devant des femmes italiennes provenant du monde de la culture, de la politique et de l’économie. >>> AFP | Vendredi 12 Juin 2009

Saudi Arabia's Renewed Political Influence Counters Tehran
Saudi Arabia's clout in Middle East politics may be on the rebound. At right, King Abdullah. Photo courtesy of The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Saudi Arabia's traditional clout over Middle East politics appears to be on the rebound with the weekend election victory of its political allies in Lebanon, after years of frustration in Riyadh over Iran's regional ascendancy.

Invigorated Saudi influence could be important to the Obama administration's emerging strategy on Middle East peace.

The staunch U.S. ally is seen in Washington as perhaps the only regional powerhouse that can bring unruly Arab neighbors, in particular Syria, into line with the U.S. goal of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal.

Both Riyadh and Washington believe that checking Iran's recently rising regional influence is a key element. Saudi officials could get another big boost if Iranian voters toss out hard-line conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

For now, Saudi officials are savoring the weekend election victory in Lebanon of the so-called March 14 alliance. The Western-leaning bloc held on to its parliamentary majority, despite some polls predicting gains by an opposition coalition headed by Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

"The vacuum of power among the Arabs has finally been filled. We can see that the balance is tipping in our favor," said one Saudi diplomat.

Saudi Arabia was a key player in ending the civil war in Lebanon in 1989, but its influence there waned after the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a billionaire who made his fortune as a contractor for the Saudi royal family.

Since then, the Saudis have openly intervened on behalf of the government dominated by Mr. Hariri's party. It has pledged $1.5 billion to prop up the country's currency and to help rebuilding efforts after the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Opposition politicians in Lebanon accused Saudi Arabia of funneling money into the campaigns of politicians running alongside Mr. Hariri's son, Saad, who is now in the running to become Lebanon's next prime minister. Saudi officials have denied interference.

Influential Saudi-owned regional media outlets, however, waged their own public-relations campaign, warning in Lebanon of a looming crisis should Hezbollah and its allies win.

After the elections, Saudi's King Abdullah sent congratulations to the Lebanese people for their "successful" elections.

Tariq Alhomayed, editor of Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, owned by a brother of the king, went further, declaring in an editorial that the results showed "the fall of the Iranian project" in Lebanon. >>> Margaret Coker | Friday, June 12, 2009

Opinion: Limited Audience, Limited Impact
YNET NEWS: Obama’s speech falsely assumed Muslims constitute monolithic community, B. Raman says

President Barack Obama’s address at the Cairo University on June 4, 2009, which was billed in advance by his staff as a historic message of goodwill and reconciliation to the Islamic world, had a limited audience. Though projected as an address to the Islamic world, it was largely an address to the Arab world and focused largely on issues of interest to the Arabs.

The Arabs constitute a minority in the Islamic world. Non-Arab Muslims living in countries such as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia constitute the majority. The issues, which agitate them, are different from the issues which agitate the Arab world. Osama bin Laden understands this better than Obama and his advisers. That was why in his audio message released through al-Jazeera a day before Obama’s Cairo address, bin Laden focused on issues of immediate concern to the non-Arab Muslims in the Af-Pak region such as the large-scale displacement of Pashtuns from the tribal areas of Pakistan. By focusing on their plight and by holding the Americans responsible for it, he sought to make it certain that the anti-American anger in the Af-Pak region will increase rather than decrease.

Outside India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia, the attitude of the Muslims towards the US is characterized by feelings of hostility or anger or skepticism. There is hardly any feeling of empathy or warmth. There are various reasons for the negative feelings towards the US. Some are country-specific, some are region specific and some are ethnicity specific. The negative feelings of the Arabs towards the US may be due to the Palestine issue and the perceived US support for Israel, but Palestine and Israel are not such burning issues in the non-Arab Islamic world.

No common threat uniting Muslim anger

Obama’s address seemed to have been constructed around the belief that the Muslims constitute a monolithic community and that their actions are motivated by certain issues of common concern to all the Muslims of the world. This is a wrong belief. The Muslims are not a monolithic community and there is no common thread uniting the anger motivating the Muslims in different countries and different regions. There are Muslims and Muslims and issues and issues.

If Obama wanted to address the Muslims of the world, Cairo was the wrong place from which to seek to do so. There was a time when Egypt was seen as the beacon of the Arab world. It is no longer so. Al-Qaeda and pro-al-Qaeda organizations project Egypt and its leaders as apostate. President Hosni Mubarak is a very unpopular Arab leader .Obama going to Cairo to deliver the address is seen by large sections of pro-al-Qaeda and pro-Taliban leaders as a leader of the American infidels traveling to the country of apostates to deliver an address to the Muslims from a platform provided by the apostates. >>> Bahukutumbi Raman | Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The writer served in India's external intelligence agency from 1968 to1994 and was a member of the National Security Advisory Board of the Government of India from 2000 to 2002.

Chinese Muslims Trigger Public Backlash in Palau
THE INDEPENDENT: The tiny Pacific nation of Palau's decision to allow 13 Chinese Muslims from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to resettle there has sparked anger among islanders who fear for the safety of the tranquil tourist haven.

The US government determined last year that the Chinese Muslims, or Uighurs, were not enemy combatants and should be released from the US military prison in Cuba. China has objected to their resettlement, calling the men "terrorist suspects" and demanding they be sent home.

The US has said it fears the men would be executed if they were returned to China.

Palau President Johnson Toribiong explained his decision to grant the Uighurs entry as traditional hospitality, but public opinion has appeared overwhelmingly negative. Some complained Friday that the government failed to consult the people.

"I totally disagree" with allowing the Uighurs onto Palau, Natalia Baulis, a 30-year-old mother of two, told The Associated Press by telephone.

"It's good to be humanitarian and all, but still these people ... to me are scary," she said.

The Uighurs (pronounced WEE'-gurs) have been in custody since they were captured in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2001.

Fermin Nariang, editor of the Palau newspaper Island Times, said he had been stopped in the streets of the capital, Koror, by residents venting their anger. >>> Associated Press | Friday, June 12, 2009

The Princess’ Knickers ’n’ Things
THE TELEGRAPH: One of the most senior members of Saudi Arabia's royal family, Princess Maha al-Sudairi, is claiming diplomatic immunity in France after running up unpaid shopping bills of more than £15 million including £60,000 on designer lingerie.

Maha al-Sudairi is ignoring her furious debtors and has locked herself in her £2,500-a-night suite at the George V Hotel in Paris. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
She has ignored her furious debtors and locked herself in her £2,500-a-night suite at the George V Hotel in Paris.

When a royal aide was approached about settling the underwear bill he replied: "I'm afraid we can't go around settling bills for the Princess's knickers."

Princess Maha, whose husband, Prince Nayef, is interior minister and second-in-line to the Saudi throne, is said to have spent millions on designer clothes, jewels and other luxury products in the French capital over the past year. Her weekly dry cleaning bill alone was said to be £30,000.

Every time the Princess and her entourage visited a shop a representative would offer staff an embossed document stating "Payment to Follow".

Jamila Boushaba, who runs the O Caprices De Lili lingerie store in Paris, confirmed that she was still waiting for £60,000 spent on a range of hugely expensive undergarments. Saudi princess runs up £15 million shopping bill >>> By Peter Allen in Paris | Friday, June 12, 2009

Kommentar: Gaddafi bleibt ein unappetitlicher Despot
WELT ONLINE: Der Enthusiasmus, mit dem Silvio Berlusconi den libyschen Revolutionsführer Muammar al-Gaddafi in Rom empfängt, ist befremdlich. Denn auch wenn Gaddafi deutliche Schritte unternommen hat, seine Beziehung zum Westen zu verbessern – er bleibt ein Diktator, der seine Bevökerung unterdrückt und Europa erpresst.

Diese Umarmung soll die Kolonialzeit vergessen machen: Der libysche Staatschef Muammar al-Gaddafi besucht Italien. Am Flughafen von Rom wird er vom italienischen Ministerpräsidenten Silvio Berlusconi mediterran begrüßt. Bild dank der Welt
Der libysche Revolutionsführer Muammar al-Gaddafi ist ein Diktator, der seine Bevölkerung unterdrückt. Er hat Terrorismus als Mittel der Politik eingesetzt, war einer der schlimmsten antiwestlichen Lautsprecher und hat die EU noch vor Kurzem im Falle der zu Unrecht verurteilten bulgarischen Krankenschwestern aufs Übelste erpresst. Andererseits ist er inzwischen ein wenig zur Vernunft gekommen, hat dem Terror abgeschworen und 2003 seine Programme zur Entwicklung von Massenvernichtungswaffen aufgegeben.

Staatsbesuche des Meisters der politischen Kostümierung sind also ein schwieriger Balanceakt. Weil Gaddafi nun deutliche Schritte unternommen hat, seine Beziehung zum Westen zu verbessern, sollte er dafür auch ein bisschen belohnt werden. Und es ist nur zu begrüßen, dass Italien die Sünden seiner Kolonialherrschaft wiedergutmachen will. Solche Geschichtsaufarbeitung ist notwendig, unabhängig davon, wer gerade in Tripolis regiert.

Dennoch gilt es, das richtige Maß zu wahren. Gaddafi mag nicht mehr ganz der widerwärtige Schurke von einst sein, ein unappetitlicher Despot bleibt er aber doch. Deshalb befremdet der Enthusiasmus, mit dem ihn Frankreichs Präsident einst in Paris empfing und Silvio Berlusconi nun in Rom. >>> Von Clemens Wergin | Donnerstag, 11. Juni 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Qadhafi hetzt in Rom gegen die USA

Der libysche Revolutionsführer nahm heute im römischen Senat kein Blatt vor den Mund – er gönnte sich einen Seitenhieb gegen die USA.

«Wir sind gegen den Terrorismus, aber was ist der Unterschied zwischen dem Bombenangriff der USA auf Libyen 1986 und den Anschlägen von Osama bin Laden», sagte al-Qadhafi in seiner Funktion als Präsident der Afrikanischen Union (AU) in einer Neben-Aula des Senatsgebäudes.

Er bezog sich damit auf den Luftangriff der Amerikaner auf Tripolis und Bengasi vom April 1986 - als Reaktion auf den Bombenanschlag in einer Westberliner Diskothek, bei dem zwei Menschen ums Leben kamen und zahlreiche andere verletzt wurden.

Die Beziehungen zwischen Libyen und den USA waren erst Anfang 2004 nach einer 23-jährigen Unterbrechung wieder aufgenommen worden. «Dass der Irak heute der Terrororganisation al-Qaida offen steht, ist allein Schuld der USA», sagte al-Qadhafi, denn Saddam Hussein sei «ein Bollwerk gegen den Terror» gewesen. >>> oku/sda | Donnerstag, 11. Juni 2009

20 Years Since Iconic Gorbachev Tour

Obama as You’ve Never Seen Him Before!
Er glaubte von ich lässig zu sein. / He thought he was cool. / Il a cru de lui-même d'être décontracté.

STERN BILDERGALERIE / PHOTO GALLERY / GALERIE DE PHOTOS:
Zur Galerie / To the gallery / À la galerie >>>

“No You Can’t”, Obama!
Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama’s push for peace in the Middle East has provoked the ire of right-wing Israelis, who have launched a campaign against his initiative with the slogan “No you can’t”.

The words are a play on the “Yes we can” campaign that propelled Mr Obama into the White House. No we can’t, Israeli hardliners tell Obama as he pushes for peace >>> Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem | Wednesdaay, June 10, 2009

Bringing An End To This False Prophet Obama! Jon Voight

Hat tip: RonboSoldier >>>

The Islamization of Wales: Shariah Finance
Image: Google Images
BNP: The Islamification of Britain continues unimpeded by voter objections to the colonisation of our country, with the latest development being the launch of an Islamic finance programme in Cardiff to help prepare “finance professionals” for the system.

The new programme, called the Islamic Banking Finance Centre UK (IBFC-UK), has been established in partnership with Islamic Banking & Finance Institute in Malaysia (IBFIM) and Cardiff University’s Business School and Centre of Islam.

Akmal Hanuk, chief executive of IBFC-UK was quoted in the media as saying that “The Islamic finance sector is expanding at an exponential rate and is now estimated to be worth $1.2 trillion globally and growing faster than any of the conventional banks, between 15-20 percent.

”We are very pleased to be one of the first organisations in Europe to address the growing demand of trained professionals in the Islamic banking and finance sector, as we want to make sure that the UK is at the forefront as this sector develops and that it stays there.

“We are also pleased that this initiative is coming out of Wales, which will enhance its reputation as one of the leading centres of training, skills and development.”

Leader of the fake Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is also Welsh Assembly minister for the economy and transport, described the announcement as particularly significant for Wales.

“Despite the current global financial crisis, Islamic finance continues its growth as an increasingly viable alternative banking system.”

Plaid Cymru has an established record of promoting the Islamification of Wales, which is in marked contrast to its obviously false claim of protecting Welsh culture. For example, at a meeting during Plaid Cymru’s Spring Conference, ‘Muslims for Plaid’ launched a new website established by ‘Muslim members of Plaid Cymru’ since their campaigning group was established on 21st September 2006. The Islamification of Wales: Shariah Financial Services Programme Launched in Cardiff >>> BNP News | Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Foreign Office Fury Over Settlement of Guantánamo Uighurs in Bermuda
The tropical island of Bermuda is Britain's oldest remaining dependency. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMES ONLINE: The British Government responded with ill-disguised fury tonight to the news that four Chinese Uighurs freed from Guantanamo Bay had been flown for resettlement on the Atlantic tourist paradise of Bermuda.

The four arrived on Bermuda in the early hours, celebrating the end of seven years of detention after learning that they were to be accepted as guest workers.

But it appears that the Government of Bermuda failed to consult with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the decision to take in the Uighurs – whose return is demanded by Beijing – and it could now be forced to send them back to Cuba or risk a grave diplomatic crisis.

Bermuda, Britain's oldest remaining dependency, is one of 14 overseas territories that come under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, which retains direct responsibility for such matters as foreign policy and security.

"We've underlined to the Bermuda Government that they should have consulted with the United Kingdom as to whether this falls within their competence or is a security issue, for which the Bermuda Government do not have delegated responsibility," an FCO spokesman said. >>> Philippe Naughton | Thursday, June 11, 2009

Senate Votes to Impose U.S. Regulation on Tobacco
Marlboro Man: Google Images
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WASHINGTON — The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to impose federal regulation on cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, passing a landmark bill to empower the Food and Drug Administration to control products that eventually kill half their regular users.

The legislation, with only minor differences from a version the House passed in April by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio. A White House spokesman, Reid H. Cherlin, said on Thursday that President Obama, who was a co-sponsor of the bill when he was in the Senate, would sign the legislation when it reached his desk.

An estimated one in five people in this country smoke, and more than 400,000 of them die each year from smoking-related disease. But for decades, even after the surgeon general’s 1964 report declaring cigarettes a health hazard, Congressional efforts to regulate tobacco had met stiff opposition from lawmakers from tobacco-growing states and their political allies.

And when the F.D.A. tried on its own to start regulating nicotine as a drug, the Supreme Court struck down that effort in 2000, saying the agency could not take such a step without Congressional authority. Cigarettes remained less regulated than cosmetics or pet food.

But with broad bipartisan support in both the Senate and House, and a campaign pledge by Barack Obama to sign such legislation if he became president, the anti-tobacco forces came into alignment.

“This long-overdue grant of authority to F.D.A. to regulate tobacco products means that the agency can finally take the actions needed to protect our people from the most deadly of all consumer products,” Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who was chief sponsor of the legislation in the Senate, said in a statement from home, where he is receiving treatment for a brain tumor.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, as it is called, would empower the F.D.A. to set standards for cigarettes, regulating chemicals in cigarette smoke and outlawing most tobacco flavorings. It could also study whether to also ban menthol. Flavorings are considered a lure to first-time smokers, especially the young. Menthol is used by three-quarters of black smokers, who also have a disproportionate share of lung cancer.

The law would also further restrict marketing and advertising of tobacco products. Colorful advertising and store displays will be replaced by black-and-white-only text as part of restrictions aimed at reducing the appeal to youth to try smoking. Cigarette makers will be required to stop using terms like “light” and “low tar” by next year and to place large and graphic health warnings on their packages by 2012.

But while the F.D.A. could mandate a reduced level of nicotine, an addictive chemical, the law expressly says the agency cannot ban it. Public health advocates say outlawing nicotine would force addicts would turn to a black market or other sources. >>> By Duff Wilson | Thursday, June 11, 2009

New Dark Age Alert for Wales! Muslim March: Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru Welsh Assembly Member Mohammad Ashgar leads an Islamic march through Newport Shopping Centre

Britain Will 'Obviously' Join Euro Says Mandelson
Euros: Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain "obviously" remains committed to joining the euro following the currency's "success" in helping its members to weather the economic crisis, Lord Mandelson said.

The newly promoted First Secretary of State, speaking in Berlin, hailed the euro as a saviour that had brought stability to the European Union during financial turmoil.

"It is perfectly clear that the euro has been a great success in anchoring its eurozone members during this financial crisis," he said.

"Imagine where all of us would have been if it hadn't. I hope people will recognise that this represents a major vindication for the single currency."

Asked if the British Government would consider joining the euro, Lord Mandelson replied: "Does it remain an important objective for Britain to find itself in the same currency as that single market in which it interacts? Obviously yes."

He added: "That has to be a decision taken on the right terms in the right circumstances and conditions and therefore at a future time than we have now." >>> By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Seven Evils That Scar British Society: Report Blames Greed and Moral Collapse
Evils: The report found that large numbers of people in Britain cared only for money. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL ONLINE: Britain is beset by seven social evils that undermine all the good brought by prosperity, one of the country's leading research groups said yesterday.

Greed, collapsing moral values and the decline of old-fashioned virtues such as honesty and tolerance were named as blights on the lives of millions.

The abuse of drink and drugs, the permanence of poverty, the failure of political institutions and the breakdown of the family are also scourges that deeply worry most of the population, the group said.

The report was produced by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation - whose work is closely studied by Labour leaders - after consultation with 3,500 people.

It comes more than a century after the group's founder, a Quaker and chocolate maker from York, called for efforts to 'search out the underlying causes of weakness or evil in the community', and identified seven of his own.
The group said that while many of today's problems can be solved, social evils run deeper and are 'something more complex, menacing and indefinable'.

They 'imply a degree of scepticism, realism or despair over whether any remedy can be found', the report added.

It said some evils, such as alcohol abuse, are the same as those familiar when Joseph Rowntree set up the Foundation in 1904.

Others are a more modern phenomenon, in particular the concern about family breakdown and its impact on the way children are brought up. >>> By Steve Doughty | Thursday, June 11, 2009

Obama’s Fantasy Islam: Obama has seemingly chosen to act as an apologist for Islamism
NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: With the media’s rhapsodic paeans to President Obama’s “historic” Cairo speech now receding into the background, this may be an opportune moment to take a sober look at America’s policies vis-à-vis the Muslim world and, no less important, at where Islam itself may be heading.



It is now clear that the president is either unable or unwilling to come to terms with the nature of the radical Islamic threat to America and the West. To him, the problem is a few violent extremists, a “small but potent minority of Muslims,” which leaves one wondering how a small minority got to be quite so potent. In any case, the West is dealing not with a few militants, or even with terrorism as such, but with a murderous, totalitarian doctrine couched in Islamic terms that has already become the dominant idiom in much of the Muslim world and its diaspora communities. Whether it is called “radical Islam,” “Islamism,” “Salafism,” or “Islamofascism,” it aims at nothing short of the conquest of the world for Islam, by violent means if need be. And not just any kind of Islam, but the most reactionary and intolerant interpretation of the Muslim faith.

It is an ideology that elevates violent jihad as a religious obligation for all Muslims, openly discriminates against non-Muslims and women, banishes democracy and secularism, and ordains the murder of apostates and homosexuals. This doctrine is preached today in tens of thousands of Salafi, Wahhabi, and Deobandi mosques and madrassas, and promoted by countless Islamist organizations, from the Muslim Brotherhood networks in America to the Taliban and its fellow jihadists in Pakistan. Extremism and terrorism are the results of this malignant phenomenon. The Taliban and al-Qaeda did not bring Pakistan to the edge of the precipice on their own; rather, 30 years of state-sponsored Islamization of Pakistani society made Islamism the threat it is.

While President Bush was also remiss in explaining to Americans that we’re in a deadly conflict with a violent Islamist doctrine that has deep and spreading roots among a quarter of the human population — rather than with terrorism, which is simply its symptom — Obama has seemingly chosen to act as an apologist for this ideology. There is no other credible reason for a man with an army of experts, researchers, and fact-checkers at his disposal to utter so many half-truths and outright falsehoods about what Islam is and what it is not. These include his touting ostensible Islamic contributions to music (an art form prohibited among the devout) and printing (regarded by the mullahs as the devil’s invention, and not available to Muslims until three centuries after Gutenberg), and his preposterous promotion of Saudi King Abdullah, ruler of the most religiously intolerant country on earth, as a champion of “interfaith dialogue.”

More telling still are Obama’s historically inaccurate portrayals of Muslims as being at “the forefront of innovation and education,” and his blaming colonialism and the Cold War for their falling behind. In fact, Muslims have not been at the forefront of anything since ijtihad (reason) was declared un-Islamic ten centuries ago and replaced by blind obedience to reactionary sharia dogma, which, in turn, ushered in a cultural and intellectual stagnation that is yet to be overcome. Indeed, the greatest Muslim minds over the centuries, from Averoes and Avicenna to Noble Prize physicist Abdus Salam, have invariably been persecuted and declared apostates by the guardians of Islamic orthodoxy. While colonialism is a favorite Islamist whipping boy for all real or imagined ills visited upon the Muslims, it was the result, not the cause, of the inexorable decline of Islam as a world power and civilization that culminated in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Nor should it be forgotten that throughout most of its history, Islam has been a premier imperialist and colonialist power itself. >>> By Alex Alexiev* | Thursday, June 11, 2009

*Alex Alexiev is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

Geert Wilders Receives 'Hero of Conscience Award’
Geert Wilders holds up the Hero of Conscience Award. Photo courtesy of Weblog Geertwilders
WEBLOG GEERT WILDERS: Last Sunday Geert Wilders attended the Heroes of Conscience Dinner hosted by the American Freedom Alliance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. He was there to reveive a ‘Hero of Conscience Award’, in recognition of his defence of freedom in the Netherlands and Europe. [Source: Weblog Geertwilders] | Wednesday, June 10, 2009