Runaway Girl, 17, Who Converted from Islam to Christianity Will Be Allowed to Live Away from Muslim Parents
MAIL ONLINE: A runaway teenage girl who converted from Islam to Christianity has reached a court settlement that allows her to live away from her Muslim parents.

Rifqa Bary, 17, will stay in a foster home under state custody in Columbus, America, until she turns 18 in August.

Bary's attorney read a statement in Franklin County Juvenile Court, saying that the girl and her parents love and respect each other and will try to resolve their differences through counselling.

Bary ran away in July, saying she feared her father Mohamed would harm or kill her for leaving Islam.

She fled to the Florida home of married pastors Blake and Beverly Lorenz, whom she had contacted on Facebook.

After staying with them for two weeks, she was eventually moved into foster care. >>> Mail Foreign Service | Thursday, January 21, 2010

New Dark Age Alert! Geert Wilders' Warning to America

HT: Eleanor >>>

First Day in Wilders Trial
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIONAL: The trial of the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, began this Wednesday.

The lead judge of the court started off by addressing Geert Wilders, leader of the populist PVV party, directly. The judge said that while the media might have portrayed his case as foregone, his court “would not cast judgment before the last word has been spoken”.

It is quite uncommon for judges to reassure their suspects that they will receive a fair trial. But it seems little in the case against Wilders will be business as usual. On Wednesday morning, hundreds of Wilders’ sympathizers were gathered outside the Amsterdam courtroom where Wilders was on trial for group slander and inciting discrimination and violence. A large number of Wilder’s statements to the media and his anti-Islam film Fitna will be presented as evidence. A comparison Wilders drew between the Koran and Hitler’s Mein Kampf is one of his remarks now under legal scrutiny.

Witnesses to be called

The hearing on Wednesday was formal in nature, establishing a general schedule for the trial. The defence and prosecution will be presenting their cases later this year. The first outlines of the case became clear on Wednesday however. The court will have to decide who can be called as a witness by Thursday. Wilders has said he feels that Islam should be on trial instead of him. In an attempt to prove that Islam provokes evil, he wants to call Theo van Gogh’s murderer, Mohammed B., as a witness. He also hopes to call a number of Dutch scholars who have voiced criticism of Islam in the past. The court might limit or expand the scope of the trial by allowing or barring certain witnesses.

Wednesday’s formal hearing kicked off with a number of preliminary motions in which the defence argued why Wilders should not be tried in the first place. His lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, named several. He argued that Wilders should not be tried in Amsterdam, but in The Hague, where he lives. Moszkowicz also argued that the scope of the charges against Wilders had been extended unjustly when the public prosecutor chose to try him for inciting hatred against non-western migrant communities and Moroccans. The prosecution had not yet responded when this article was written. Already convicted? >>> Merel Thie | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Dancing in the Street at Victory for ‘Sexiest Man’ Scott Brown
TIMES ONLINE: Scott Brown, a previously obscure state legislator, lawyer and former male model, became the new star of the Republican Party yesterday, with some members suggesting that he should now aim for the White House.

The father of two delivered what he called a “voter bomb” to take the seat held by Edward Kennedy, the Democratic “Lion of the Senate” for 47 years — and by his brother John F. Kennedy before that.

Mr Brown, 50, triumphed in what is viewed as America’s most liberal state, provoking speculation that he could try for the Republican nomination for the presidency. But he told a Boston press conference: “To think about something higher ... I’m just honoured to be in this position.

“If you would have told me growing up — a guy whose mum was on welfare and whose parents had marital problems and I had some issues growing up — that a guy from Wrentham would be standing here and going to Washington, are you kidding me? It’s overwhelming.”

Rapturous supporters saw him as a symbol of Republican resurgence after the crushing defeat in 2008 that put Barack Obama in the White House and gave the Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor and Republican presidential contender, said that it could be a model for elsewhere: “This shows the American people are rejecting the arrogance of ‘Obama-ism’ — the idea that the government knows best.” >>> James Bone in Boston | Thursday, January 21, 2010

L'Assemblée nationale va demander l'interdiction de la burqa en France
Une femme portant le voile intégral, qui dissimule le corps et le visage, à Marseille en juin 2009. Crédits photo : Le Monde
LE MONDE: L'Assemblée nationale va demander officiellement que le port du voile intégral soit "prohibé sur le territoire de la République", selon un projet de proposition de résolution de la mission parlementaire.

L'Assemblée "affirme que le voile intégral est contraire aux valeurs de la République que sont la liberté, la fraternité et la dignité de la personne humaine", et "demande que cette pratique soit prohibée sur le territoire de la République", selon ce texte qui sera finalisé la semaine prochaine, lors de la remise des conclusions de la mission parlementaire sur le port du voile intégral. >>> LeMonde.fr avec AFP | Mercredi 20 Janvier 2010

Burqa : «l'interdiction sera absolue dans les lieux publics»
André Gerin, député maire communiste de Vénissieux. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: La mission parlementaire présidée par André Gerin va rendre son rapport le 26 janvier. Elle va demander, dans une proposition de résolution, que le port du voile intégral soit «prohibé sur le territoire de la République».

LE FIGARO. À titre personnel, êtes-vous favorable à une loi pour interdire le port de la burqa en France ?

André GERIN. Sur le principe, bien sûr. D'ailleurs, au sein de la mission parlementaire, personne n'est opposé à cette idée. Le problème, c'est le contenu de la loi, qui doit être élaborée de façon pluraliste, en prenant le temps nécessaire. J'espère que nous obtiendrons un point de vue partagé par toutes les sensibilités de l'Assemblée nationale.

Que pensez-vous de la proposition de loi portée par Jean-François Copé, qui préconise l'interdiction du voile intégral dans tout l'espace public ?

Sur la méthode, je considère que Jean-François Copé confond vitesse et précipitation et qu'il se comporte comme un éléphant dans un magasin de porcelaine. Je note que le président du groupe UMP ne faisait pas partie des 58 députés signataires, en majorité UMP, d'une demande de création, en juin 2009, d'une commission d'enquête sur le sujet. Sur le fond, s'il s'agit vraiment d'une contribution, je la mettrai dans le dossier des travaux de la mission parlementaire. Mais le problème de l'espace public, c'est-à-dire la rue, est très délicat. Cela dépasse complètement la question du voile intégral en tant que tel.

Quel pourrait être le cadre d'une loi susceptible de recueillir un consensus ?

Il faut prendre en compte les notions d'ordre public, de dignité de la femme, de relations avec autrui. Pour être efficace, cette loi doit aller dans le sens de la libération des femmes contraintes. Car se couvrir le visage, ce n'est pas un vêtement, c'est un linceul, ce qui signifie la négation de l'identité, de la personnalité. Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec Martine Aubry quand elle dit que cela ne doit pas être une loi de circonstance. Il faut traiter aussi le problème des talibans français, qui obligent ces femmes mineures ou majeures à être voilées. Je désigne par le terme de taliban le mari, le grand frère, la famille, voire le quartier, car il y a une sorte de charia dans certains quartiers. Et le voile intégral, c'est la partie visible de cette marée noire de l'intégrisme fondamentalisme. >>> Propos recueillis par Sophie Huet | Mercredi 20 Janvier 2010

Insanity! Muslim Police in Denial! Muslim Police Say Islam Not to Blame for Terror Attacks
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslim police officers have rebelled openly against the Government’s anti-terrorism strategy, warning that it is an “affront to British values” which threatens to trigger ethnic unrest.

The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) claimed that ministers were wrong to blame Islam for being the “driver” behind recent terrorist attacks.

Far-Right extremists were a more dangerous threat to national security, it said.

The officers told MPs that Muslims were being “stigmatised” by the Government’s attempts to tackle terrorism, which was adding to “hatred” against entire communities.

In the official intervention, the association said the Government’s anti-terrorism policies could not “continue unchecked”.

The comments, made in a seven-page memorandum to a parliamentary committee investigating extremism, are embarrassing for Gordon Brown.

They indicated that Muslim officers may be reluctant to take part in “hearts and minds” anti-terrorism campaigns.

The organisation, which represents more than 2,000 officers, was previously publicly backed by Mr Brown. The Prime Minister said the association was crucial to bridge the historic divide between Muslims and the police.

There have been growing concerns about the radicalisation of Muslims in Britain. The failed Detroit bombing on Christmas Day was carried out by an al-Qaeda-inspired extremist who had studied in London.

The Daily Telegraph disclosed last week that American intelligence agencies believed that Britain had the greatest number of Islamic extremists of any Western country.

It is thought to be the first time that the Muslim association, which was founded in 2007, has criticised government policy. >>> Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Tariq Ramadan n’est plus interdit d’entrée aux Etats-Unis
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: LEVÉE D'INTERDICTION | L’intellectuel genevois Tariq Ramadan a fait savoir hier qu’il n’était plus interdit d’entrée aux Etats-Unis. L’American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a confirmé dans un communiqué que la secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton avait signé des ordres qui mettent fin à l’interdiction.

L’intellectuel genevois Tariq Ramadan a fait savoir hier qu’il n’était plus interdit d’entrée aux Etats-Unis. L’American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) a confirmé dans un communiqué que la secrétaire d’Etat Hillary Clinton avait signé des ordres qui mettent fin à l’interdiction.

L’ACLU, une association américaine de défense des libertés civiles, a défendu la cause de Ramadan, interdit de territoire américain pour liens présumés avec le terrorisme. >>> ats | Mercredi 20 Janvier 2010

Republikanischer Sieg in Massachusetts: Ein Mr. Brown verändert Amerika
ZEIT ONLINE: Der Republikaner Scott Brown erobert den Senatssitz von Ted Kennedy und kippt die Machtverhältnisse in Washington. Für Obama wird das Regieren viel schwerer. Von Josef Joffe

Brown ist ein Allerweltsnamen in Amerika; jetzt klingt er wie "Gottseibeiuns" im Weißen Haus. Dieser Brown, mit Vornamen Scott, hat am Dienstag einen wichtigen Senatssitz in Massachusetts gewonnen und damit die Vorherrschaft der Demokraten in diesem "exklusivsten Club der Welt" gebrochen.

Brown war bis vor ein paar Tagen ein kaum bekannter Staats-Senator im Lande der Kennedys. Jetzt hat er die Machtverhältnisse im Senat, wenn nicht gar in Washington überhaupt umgestülpt – mit der magischen Zahl "41": So viele Senatoren haben die Republikaner nun nach seinem vor zwei Wochen noch für unmöglich gehaltenen Sieg. Damit fehlt den Demokraten just die eine Stimme, die sie brauchen, um einen "Filibuster" der Opposition abzuwürgen. Der Filibuster ist die Dauerrede, die verhindert, dass es zur Abstimmung kommt, die Republikaner können damit nun jedes Gesetz blockieren.

Bislang verfügten die Demokraten mithilfe von zwei Unabhängigen über die notwendige Stimmenzahl von 60 Senatoren. Diese Supermehrheit ist nun dahin.

Aber die Sache hat auch noch eine hochsymbolische Seite. Dieser Brown hat den Sitz des verstorbenen Ted Kennedy erobert, den dieser mehr als ein halbes Jahrhundert innehatte. Der Patriarch des Clans und Bruder von John F. Kennedy war der Großwesir des linken Lagers in der Demokratischen Partei, der Mentor Obamas und praktisch der Erfinder der leidenschaftlich umkämpften Gesundheitsreform, die nun noch weiter verwässert werden wird. >>> Josef Joffe | Mittwoch, 20. Januar 2010

Why Do I Get the Feeling That Keith Olbermann Dislikes Scott Brown?

Saudi 'Sorcerer' Who Raped 100 Sentenced to Death
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi man who reportedly raped more than 100 women after posing as a spell-caster to lure them into his clutches has been sentenced to death, Saudi media reported on Wednesday.

The "Qatif sorcerer" was originally sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes, but after more victims came forth the sentence was changed to execution, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

The man, whose name was not given, terrified women around the eastern city of Qatif for several years.

He first drew them in by saying he could cast love spells, but then surreptitiously filmed their meeting and used his work for extortion and to rape them, according to Arab News.

Authorities found hidden cameras and some 200 videotapes and 180 computer disks with footage of his victims in his home, Arab News reported.

He may have tricked as many as 350 women, according to Al-Riyadh. >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Qatif Rapist Sentenced to Death
ARABS NEWS: QATIF: A man dubbed the Qatif rapist has been sentenced to death for raping over 100 women and blackmailing many of his victims by recording the attacks on video.

The Qatif General Court passed the death sentence on the man who is accused of luring women saying he could perform black magic. The ruling has been passed to the Supreme Court for ratification.

The court originally sentenced the man to 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes one year ago. The ruling was, however, appealed by the prosecution, Al-Yaum newspaper reported. It added that the crimes took place four years ago.

The man’s family has objected to the sentence, saying the victims are anonymous and that their names have not been mentioned in the case filed against him. The family says this is not in accordance with the law and that the victims should not be given anonymity. >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Protesters Back Dutch Anti-Islam Figure at Trial


Geert Wilders in Dutch Court Over Anti-Islam Comments
THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders, a popular anti-Islamic politician, went on trial in Amsterdam on Wednesday, charged with inciting hatred against Muslims in a case seen as a test of Dutch tolerance and free speech.

Mr Wilders sparked outrage with his 2008 film "Fitna", which compared Islam to Nazism, and his repeated calls for the Koran to be banned on the same basis as Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

His Freedom Party is leading the opinion polls in the Netherlands and came second in European elections last June.

"I remain combative and still convinced that this political process will only lead to an acquittal," said Mr Wilders.

"It is surreal that I sit in a courtroom, in a criminal court. I never had any idea this would happen." >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Fitna the Movie

New Dark Age Alert! Hero on Trial in the Netherlands
TIMES ONLINE: The Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders was greeted with applause from the public gallery as he faced court for the first day of his landmark trial on charges of inciting racial hatred against Muslims.

Mr Wilders, 46, sat impassively as his lawyer argued that the leader of the Freedom Party, which made big gains at last summer's European elections, had made his critical remarks about Islam in his role as an elected Member of Parliament.

Bram Moszkowicz said that Mr Wilders had a mandate to speak out against what he saw as the Islamisation of the Netherlands and argued that he had not discriminated against a specific national group, saving his attacks for the ideology of political Islam.

Around 200 supporters of Mr Wilders had travelled from as far as Cologne in Germany to hold up placards declaring that free speech was under assault by Islam and by the politically correct. The case is being watched as a test of the limits of political tolerance in the Netherlands after years of relaxed immigration policies which have seen the Musim population rise to around 1 million out of 16 million.

"This case is about more than Mr Wilders," Mr Moszkowicz told Amsterdam District Court this morning. "It touches us all. It is such an important and principled question that could have far-reaching consequences."

Mr Wilders faces a 70-page charge sheet covering five counts of breaking Dutch law on incitement and discriminiation against Muslims in more than 100 public statements, for example by likenening the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and calling for an end to the "Islamic invasion."

The alleged offences include Mr Wilders' film Fitna, which shows images of 9/11 and beheadings interspersed with verses from the Koran. It ends with a the controverisal Danish cartoon of the prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban. Far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders on trial for anti-Muslim stance >>> David Charter in Amsterdam | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Islam-Gegner Wilders in den Niederlanden vor Gericht: Alle Anschuldigungen beim Prozessauftakt bestritten
NZZ ONLINE: Zu Beginn seines Prozesses wegen angeblicher Anstachelung zum Hass gegen Muslime hat der niederländische Rechtspopulist Geert Wilders alle Vorwürfe der Volksverhetzung zurückgewiesen.

Die ihm zur Last gelegten kritischen Äusserungen über Muslime, den Koran und den Islam seien «ein substanzieller Beitrag zur öffentlichen Debatte» und keineswegs strafbar, erklärte Wilders Abraham Moszkowicz vor Gericht in Amsterdam.

Der Gründer und Chef der Partei für die Freiheit (PVV) habe seine Islam-Kritik zudem stets in seiner Eigenschaft als Abgeordneter des niederländischen Parlaments vorgebracht und müsse daher Immunität geniessen. Gerichtsgebäude abgeriegelt >>> sda/dpa | Mittwoch, 20. Januar 2010

MEIN KOMMENTAR: So nervös sind wir des Islams wegen in Europa geworden, daß harmlose Kommentare wie dieser, aus Angst, werden nicht mehr gedruckt:

In Europa ist es so weit gekommen, daß wir nicht mehr aussprechen dürfen, was für ein Gefahr für unsere Zivilisation und unsere Freiheit Islam ist. Erstaunlich! Blödsinnig! Dumm! Wir begehen Selbstmord! – © Mark

GOP Victory Upends Senate: Brown Claims Massachusetts Seat, Throws Health Revamp Into Doubt; Democrats Reel


THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BOSTON—A little-known Republican shook up the balance of power in Washington by winning a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, a result that imperils President Barack Obama's top legislative priorities and points to trouble for his party in this year's elections.

With 99% of the vote counted, Republican Scott Brown was leading his opponent, Massachusetts' Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley, 52% to 47%, according to the Associated Press, which declared Mr. Brown the winner.

The Brown victory forces the White House and congressional leaders to decide how—or whether—to salvage their long-sought health-care overhaul. Rushing the bill after losing Massachusetts carries political risks. So does letting it collapse. >>> Greg Hitt and Peter Wallsten | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful
MAIL ONLINE: A 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to 90 lashes and two months' prison in Saudi Arabia after she took a mobile phone to school.

A court ordered the girl to be flogged in front of her classmates following an assault on the school principal, according to the Saudi daily newspaper Al-Watan.

After the assault she was discovered to have concealed a mobile phone, breaking strict Saudi regulations banning the use of camera-equipped phones in girls' schools.

Al-Watan said a court in the northeastern Gulf port of Jubail had sentenced the girl to 90 lashes inside her school, followed by two months' detention.

The punishment is harsher than tha dished out to some robbers and looters. Saudi girl, 13, sentenced to 90 lashes after she took a mobile phone to school >>> Mike Theodoulou | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Erich Segal, the Academic Who Wrote Love Story, Dies at 72
TIMES ONLINE: “What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. That she was brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me.”

So began Love Story, by Erich Segal, who has died at the age of 72.

A short, emotionally direct novel about a rich Harvard student who falls for a working-class beauty despite the disapproval of his family, Love Story captivated its readers as readily as it reduced them to tears.

The book was America’s bestselling novel in 1970, quickly becoming a film that topped the box-office lists in 1971 and introduced the world to the motto: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” Segal, the son of a Brooklyn rabbi, was a young Yale Classics professor at the time and he remained in academia despite the success of Love Story. Students that he tutored included George W. Bush and Al Gore. Segal later moved to Britain, where he was a Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. >>> Chris Smyth and Mary Bowers | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Republicans Take Ted Kennedy's Seat in Massachusetts in Historic Upset
TIMES ONLINE: Republicans scored an historic victory overnight that put President Barack Obama's agenda in jeopardy exactly a year after he took power - and could kill health-care reform.

A little-known Republican state legislator came from a 30-percentage point deficit to win Edward Kennedy's old seat in the US Senate in Massachusetts in what appeared to be a massive protest vote against the party that controls both chambers of Congress and the White House.

"This is a huge wake-up call for the Democrats, for the Obama Administration and the country. America is fed up of the arrogance coming from Washington," said Andy Card, White House chief of staff in the George W. Bush Administration.

Democrats were reeling from the by-election defeat, which deprived them of the 60-seat "super-majority" that allows them to overcome Republican filibusters in the 100-member US Senate.

Scott Brown, a lawyer, military officer and former male model, has promised to use his Senate vote to defeat the Democrats' health-care reform, which was on the brink of passage after decades of trying.

Democrats pledged to try to ram through health-care reform despite the loss, but they risk a popular backlash if they do so.
Yesterday’s vote was seen as a referendum on Mr Obama's presidency and his signature initiative, health-care reform. >>> James Bone in Boston | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Dwindling US influence reduces expectations of Obama to year of words >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Republican victory in Massachusetts delivers Obama's first defeat: A little-known Republican senator whose previous claim to fame was posing nude in a women's magazine nearly 30 years ago, has delivered Barack Obama's first defeat of his presidency.

Scott Brown took the seat of Massachusetts in the by-election - or special election, as it is known in America - forced by Ted Kennedy's death in August of brain cancer.

For weeks, Scott Brown has been the underdog as he faced off against Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley in the race for the US Senate.

But last night Mr Brown, who portrays himself as 'an ordinary, pick-up truck driving guy', took his place after Ms Coakley conceded in what had been considered a Democratic stronghold. >>> Mail Foreign Service | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Hot or wot? Scott Brown in Cosmopolitan thirty years ago. Photo: Mail Online

THE INDEPENDENT: Republicans' leading man was a Cosmo centrefold >>> David Usborne, US Editor | Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Scott Brown Says Massachusetts Result Shows Voter Anger
BBC: The shock Republican winner of a Senate election in the Democratic stronghold of Massachusetts has said he tapped into mounting aggravation among voters.

Scott Brown's victory is a serious setback to President Barack Obama's key domestic agenda on reforming healthcare and passing a climate change bill.

The result stunned Democrats and means Republicans now have enough Senate votes to impede the president's plans.

Mr Brown will be Massachusetts' first Republican senator since 1972.

The BBC's Paul Adams, in Boston, says it is a humiliating defeat for the Democrats, and a deeply unwelcome anniversary present for President Obama exactly one year after his inauguration.

He adds that it is one of the biggest political upsets in years - in a seat held for almost half a century by Edward Kennedy, a Democratic Party colossus, who died last year.

Senator-elect Brown told NBC's Today show he did not think the vote was a referendum on President Obama's first year in power.

He said it was a sign of voter disenchantment over partisan gridlock in Washington.

Mr Brown, 50, also said voters had "enjoyed the message" he pushed while campaigning, including his criticism of Mr Obama's healthcare plans. >>> | Wednesday, January 20, 2010



TELEGRAPH PICTURE GALLERY: Scott Brown defeats Democrat to become Senator of Massachusetts >>>

Nepal 'to Stage Gay Weddings on Everest'
THE TELEGRAPH: Nepal is set to stage same-sex weddings on Mount Everest as part of a bid to promote the country as the homosexual tourism capital of Asia.

Nepal's homosexual community, which is led by Asia's only openly gay member of parliament, will next month host a tourism conference to explore how to attract wealthy gay visitors to boost the country's war-ravaged economy.

The country's new constitution will legalise homosexual marriage in May this year, when "Pink Mountain" will begin offering luxury honeymoon and wedding packages.

Sunil Babu Pant, a Communist legislator and leader of the country's homosexual rights movement, has launched a travel company dedicated to promoting the former Hindu kingdom to gay tourists in an effort to tap the so-called "Pink Pound" and dollar.

The company will offer elephant-back bridal processions, Everest base camp ceremonies and weddings in remote Tibetan enclaves in the Himalayan republic. >>> Dean Nelson in New Delhi | Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Westergaard Wants to Meet His Would-be Killer
BBC: Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard says he wants to meet the man accused of trying to kill him.

Mr Westergaard has been the target of at least three murder plots after drawing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban. He was attacked in his home on New Year's Day.

After spending two weeks in a safe house, he has now returned home.

Malcolm Brabant reports. Watch BBC video >>> | Tuesday, January 19, 2010

BBC: What the Muhammad cartoons portray: Twelve caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in 2005 had a huge impact around the world, with riots in many Muslim countries the following year causing deaths and destruction - so what do the drawings actually say? >>> | Saturday, January 02, 2010

Lion's Den: Why I Stand with Geert Wilders
THE JERUSALEM POST: Who is the most important European alive today? I nominate the Dutch politician Geert Wilders. I do so because he is best placed to deal with the Islamic challenge facing the continent. He has the potential to emerge as a world-historical figure.

That Islamic challenge consists of two components: on the one hand, an indigenous population's withering Christian faith, inadequate birthrate and cultural diffidence, and on the other an influx of devout, prolific and culturally assertive Muslim immigrants. This fast-moving situation raises profound questions about Europe: Will it retain its historic civilization or become a majority-Muslim continent living under Islamic law (Shari'a)?

Wilders, 46, founder and head of the Party for Freedom (PVV), is the unrivaled leader of those Europeans who wish to retain their historic identity. That's because he and the PVV differ from most of Europe's other nationalist, anti-immigrant parties.

Wilders, 46, founder and head of the Party for Freedom (PVV), is the unrivaled leader of those Europeans who wish to retain their historic identity. That's because he and the PVV differ from most of Europe's other nationalist, anti-immigrant parties.

The PVV is libertarian and mainstream conservative, without roots in neo-Fascism, nativism, conspiricism, anti-Semitism or other forms of extremism. (Wilders publicly emulates Ronald Reagan.) Indicative of this moderation is Wilders's long-standing affection for Israel that includes two years' residence in the Jewish state, dozens of visits and his advocating the transfer of the Dutch embassy to Jerusalem.

In addition, Wilders is a charismatic, savvy, principled and outspoken leader who has rapidly become the most dynamic political force in the Netherlands. While he opines on the full range of topics, Islam and Muslims constitute his signature issue. Overcoming the tendency of Dutch politicians to play it safe, he calls Muhammad a devil and demands that Muslims "tear out half of the Koran if they wish to stay in the Netherlands." More broadly, he sees Islam itself as the problem, not just a virulent version of it called Islamism.

Finally, the PVV benefits from the fact that, uniquely in Europe, the Dutch are receptive to a non-nativist rejection of Shari'a. This first became apparent a decade ago, when Pim Fortuyn, a left-leaning, former communist, homosexual professor, began arguing that his values and lifestyle were irrevocably threatened by Shari'a. Fortuyn anticipated Wilders in founding his own political party and calling for a halt to Muslim immigration to the Netherlands. Following Fortuyn's 2002 assassination by a leftist, Wilders effectively inherited his mantle and his constituency. >>> Daniel Pipes | Tuesday, January 19, 2010