Saudi Royal Under Police Investigation After His Servant Is Found Battered to Death in London Hotel
MAIL ONLINE: A member of the Saudi royal family is being quizzed by police on suspicion of murder tonight after one of his servants was found battered to death at a top London hotel.

Police were called to the five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone after a 32-year-old man was battered to death in one of the hotel's luxury suites.

The victim, a Saudi Arabian man believed to be part of the royal's entourage, suffered severe head injuries in the attack.

Tonight detectives were quizzing a wealthy man in his 30s who told them he was a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family.

It is thought that the unnamed royal had not claimed diplomatic immunity following his arrest on Monday evening.

Paramedics were called to a third floor room of the hotel at 4.45pm on Monday, but they found the man was already dead. >>> Rebecca Camber | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Islamic Scholars Say Muslims Should Not Use Full-body Scanners
THE MICHIGAN MESSENGER: While the federal Transportation Security Administration explains on its website that full-body scanners at airports using millimeter wave technology “are optional for all passengers,” devout Muslims may not have a choice anymore.

That’s because last week the Indiana-based Fiqh Council of North America issued a religious ruling, or fatwa, that the scanners violate Islam’s teaching on nudity. The council includes two Detroit area scholars. The full-body scanners, broady popular in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day attack over the skies of Detroit by the so-called “underwear bomber,” create detailed three-dimensional images that are used to detect any substances or objects underneath a person’s clothes.

But in the view of the Fiqh Council, an affiliate of the Islamic Society of North America, those detailed, revealing 3D images amount to a violation of Islam’s modesty rules:

“It is a violation of clear Islamic teachings that men or women be seen naked by other men and women,” reads the fatwa. “Islam highly emphasizes haya (modesty) and considers it part of faith. The Quran has commanded the believers, both men and women, to cover their private parts.”

>>> David Alire Garcia | Monday, February 15, 2010

Sheikh Shady Al-Suleiman: The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Seerah [Sirah])

Euro Rebounds After EU Pledge to Support Greece
TIMES ONLINE: The euro rebounded in early trade today as European finance ministers prepared to begin a second day of talks on Greece’s debt crisis after telling the country that it has 30 days to prove its austerity plan will work or introduce new measures to control its deficit.

The European single currency jumped to $1.3757 by afternoon in New York from $1.3600 late Monday after assurances from EU states that Greece could count on their support if the situation showed no signs of improvement.

However, finance ministers said that Greece would have to prove that it was on track to meet its target of cutting its deficit by four percentage points this year or come up with further measures.

The offer of further help came after Greece warned that last week’s offer of support by EU leaders may not be enough calm market anxiety about Greece and other governments in the region, such as Spain and Portugal.

However, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister and chairman of the finance ministers’ meeting in Brussels, said: “Financial markets are completely wrong if they think they can destroy Greece.” >>> Peter Stiff | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Nordkorea: „Ein Monatsgehalt für ein Kilo Tomaten“
DIE PRESSE: Nordkorea feierte am Dienstag den 68. Geburtstag von Machthaber Kim Jong-il. „Die Presse“ sprach mit der früheren Leiterin der deutschen „Welthungerhilfe“ in Pjöngjang über die Zustände vor Ort.

Aus Nordkorea kamen am Dienstag wieder die bizarren Bilder von Aufmärschen von Soldaten, Tänzerinnen, Kindern und sonstigem Jubelvolk in Reih und Glied mit viel Luftschlangen, Feuerwerk und Frohgesang. Grund: Kim Jong-il, seit 1994 der oberste Führer und, wie es bei einer Parade in Pjöngjang hieß, „brillanteste Befehlshaber der heutigen Zeit“, feierte pompös seinen 68. Geburtstag.



Dabei ist das Land, dessen einzige Joker die Atombombe und der Waffenexport sind, bettelarm und isoliert, Industrie und Landwirtschaft sind zerrüttet, ohne Finanz- und Lebensmittelhilfe von außen ginge kaum etwas. „Die Presse“ sprach mit der früheren Leiterin der deutschen „Welthungerhilfe“ in Pjöngjang, Karin Janz (50), über die Zustände vor Ort. Sie verließ Nordkorea vor kurzem nach fünfjähriger Arbeit, ist eine der besten Kennerinnen des Landes und erhielt sogar von der Regierung einen Orden. >>> Von Jutta Lietsch (Die Presse) | Dienstag, 16. Februar 2010

Sheikh Shady Al-Suleiman: What Islam Says About Riba (Interest or Usury)

«Bern verschärft die Krise» : Anwalt der beiden Schweizer festgehaltenen Schweizer kritisiert Bundesrat
NZZ ONLINE: Der Anwalt der beiden in Libyen festgehaltenen Schweizer hat dem Bundesrat am Dienstag vorgeworfen, eine Lösung der Krise zwischen Tripolis und Bern hinauszuzögern. Mit ihrer Haltung verschlechtere die Schweizer Regierung die Situation seiner Mandaten.

«Jedes Mal, wenn man das Gefühl hatte, dass sich die Affäre regeln könnte, hat die Schweiz die Sache wieder schwieriger gemacht und uns zurückgeworfen», sagte der libysche Anwalt Salah Zahaf. «Libyen hat zahlreiche positive Vorstösse gemacht, im Gegenzug aber nichts erhalten». >>> sda/afp | Dienstag, 16. Februar 2010

Sheikh Shady Al-Suleiman: Love of the Prophet Muhammad (Recorded at Lakemba Mosque*)


*WIKIPEDIA: Lakemba Mosque (also known as Imam Ali ben Abi Taleb Mosque / Masjid Ali Bin Abi Taleb) >>>

Islamic Media Entertainment (Australia) >>>

Iran Warns West Will 'Regret' Sanctions Move
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Iran's president and foreign minister lashed back Tuesday at recent harsh criticism by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, vowing to continue the higher-grade enrichment that has spooked Western powers unless they provide nuclear fuel for a medical reactor on Iran's terms.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Western powers would "regret" any sanctions move against the country. It was unclear whether Mr. Ahmadinejad was talking specifically about retaliation for economic sanctions, but state media late Tuesday suggested that's what he meant. Press TV, the English-language, state-run news agency, ran a headline saying, "Ahmadinejad Warns Sanctions Would Have Consequences."

"If anybody seeks to create problems for Iran, our response will not be like before," the Iranian president told a press conference in the capital, Tehran, on Tuesday. "Something will be done in response that will make them regret it." >>> Chip Cummins and Farnaz Fassihi | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Anonymous Video of Neda Aghan-Soltan's Death Wins Polk Award
THE GUARDIAN: New 'videography' category reflects rising professional use of user-created content

The George Polk Awards, one of the most important annual journalism prizes, has honoured the anonymous video of the death of Neda Aghan-Soltan during the 2009 Iranian election protests.

The new videography category reflects the increasing importance of user contributions to journalism in an era where cameras are commonplace. It is the first time in the 61-year history of the awards that a work produced anonymously has won.

"This award celebrates the fact that, in today's world, a brave bystander with a cellphone camera can use video-sharing and social networking sites to deliver news," said the New York Times' John Darnton, the curator of the Polk Awards. >>> Mercedes Bunz | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

United for Neda

Wife of Trans-Atlantic Airlines Bomb Plotter 'Wanted Him to Become a Martyr'
THE TELEGRAPH: The wife of the leader of a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners kept a diary in which she pledged support for his cause and hoped that he became a martyr, a court has heard.

Cossor Ali. Photograph: The Telegraph
Cossor Ali wrote about making herself slimmer for his return from Pakistan and added that she was becoming “more and more attached to the cause for which you are striving.”

She added: “I hope and pray Allah grants your wish and gives you the highest level of shahada” – a word which is said to refer to martyrdom.

In another entry she said: “I hope that when you attain shahada, I will have at least one small child and will be pregnant with another or at least be pregnant with a healthy baby at the least inshallah [god willing.]” >>> Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | Tuesday, February 16, 2010

French Fast Food Chain Makes Menus Halal
THE TELEGRAPH: Quick, one of France's most popular fast food chains, has taken pork off the menu at eight of its restaurants, turning them into halal-only outlets.

The chain has replaced bacon with smoked halal turkey in restaurants in three branches in a Paris suburb, two in Marseille, and the remainder in Toulouse, Villeurbanne, near Lyon, and Roubaix, northern France – all of them areas with high Muslim populations.

These restaurants now serve only halal food, seen as permissible according to Islamic law. The company said the move was part of a test, which began in November, and that pork may return to the menu at a later date.

However, it has sparked angry reactions from Catholic groups. A comment on E-Deo, a Catholic website, said: "Quick is in the process of inventing fast-islamisation".

Citing its outlet in Villeurbanne, a Quick spokesman said that no customers were "obliged" to eat halal meat, as "in parallel, we have 10 Quick restaurants in the Lyon area" offering "classic menus".

Some Muslim customers welcomed the move in one branch in Roubaix, northern France. "I'm happy, as I can come with my Muslim friends," said Farid, 17. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, February 15, 2010

Türkei: Keilerei im Parlament um den "Propheten" Erdogan
WELT ONLINE: Ist Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan ein Prophet? Über diese Frage ist in der türkischen Politik ein heftiger Streit ausgebrochen, der zeitweise sogar mit Fäusten ausgetragen wird. Die vordergründig bizarr anmutende Auseinandersetzung hat einen durchaus besorgniserregenden Hintergrund.

Der türkische Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan verwahrt sich neuerdings gegen die Behauptung, er sei ein Prophet. Wer so etwas sage, erklärte Erdogan, der habe niederträchtige Beweggründe.

Die bizarre Erklärung folgte auf eine noch viel merkwürdigere Episode im türkischen Parlament Anfang Februar. Da flogen plötzlich die Fäuste, nachdem ein Abgeordneter der nationalistischen Oppositionspartei MHP gehöhnt hatte, Erdogan werde „als Prophet betrachtet“. Darüber erregten sich Abgeordnete von Erdogans islamisch geprägter Regierungspartei AKP. Im Laufe des Wortgefechts brannten einem MHP-Abgeordneten die Sicherungen durch und er schlug zu. Daraus wurde schließlich eine Massenkeilerei mit mehreren Verletzten.

Nun folgte Erdogans zornige Bemerkung, es sei eine Infamie, ihn als Propheten zu bezeichnen. Und zwar deswegen, weil es gegen den Islam verstoße: Vom Podium des Parlaments herab belehrte er die mehrheitlich säkular eingestellten Oppositionsabgeordneten, sie wüssten offenbar nicht einmal, „dass die Kette der Prophezeiungen mit unserem letzten Propheten endete“. Also mit Mohammed. >>> Von Boris Kalnoky | Montag, 15. Februar 2010

Tod eines jungen Ägypters: Mailands Immigranten-Viertel wird zum Pulverfass
WELT ONLINE: Dutzende Einwanderer aus Nordafrika warfen Fensterscheiben ein und Autos um. Ausgelöst wurden die schweren Ausschreitungen in Mailand durch einen Mord an jungem Ägypter. Kritiker der Regierung beklagen verfehlte Einwanderungspolitik. In Mailand sind Stadt- Provinz- und Regionalverwaltung in der Hand der Rechtsparteien.

Am Montagmorgen sieht es wieder ganz normal aus in der Via Padova in Mailand, der Himmel ist grau wie die Häuser und der Verkehr rauscht hindurch. Nur bei Hausnummer 80 ist etwas anders: Ein Strauß roter Rosen lehnt an der Wand, einige Zettel sind mit Klebstreifen befestigt. „Wir sind bei Dir, Ahmed“, steht da. Rundherum drei rot-weiß gestreifte Hürden. Routiniert abgesperrt ist die Stelle, von der am Samstagabend alles seinen Anfang nahm.

Wie aus dem Nichts waren in den Seitenstraßen Via Fanfulla, Via Chavez und Via Arquà nördlich des Mailänder Doms Unruhen ausgebrochen: Dutzende Einwanderer aus Nordafrika, vor allem Ägypter, warfen Fensterscheiben ein und Autos um, die Bilder von Jugendlichen, die zu fünft ein Auto an der Seite hochhoben und auf das Dach stürzen ließen, liefen in allen Fernsehkanälen. Sie waren aufgebracht, weil hier, wo jetzt der Strauß mit den Rosen steht, mutmaßlich südamerikanische Einwanderer den 19-jährigen Ägypter Ahmed A. mit einem Stich ins Herz ermordet hatten. Ahmed A. war einem Mitglied der sogenannten „Latino-Gang“ zuvor in einem Bus auf den Fuß getreten, der Streit eskalierte und mündete in die Messerstecherei. Den Tod von Ahmed A. rächten die Ägypter mit Krawallen gegen südamerikanische Geschäfte. >>> Von Martin Zöller | Montag, 15. Februar 2010

Saint-Valentin au pays de la police religieuse
LE FIGARO: Pour les jeunes Saoudiens, célébrer cette fête interdite est quasiment un acte de subversion.

Comme chaque année, Sabria, étudiante à l'université de Riyad, a pris soin de porter son abaya spéciale Saint-Valentin : son informe manteau noir, obligatoire pour les femmes dans les lieux publics d'Arabie saoudite, est bordé d'un liseré rouge. Abdallah, un jeune fonctionnaire, a parcouru les centres commerciaux, principaux lieux de loisirs saoudiens, coiffé d'une casquette rouge. «Une façon de défier la police religieuse», dit-il. En Arabie saoudite, porter du rouge le 14 février signifie que l'on fête saint Valentin, célébration interdite car provenant d'une religion autre que l'islam. La Saint-Valentin y est pourtant devenue, comme partout ailleurs, un événement commercial. Mais il est teinté ici de rébellion.

Les hommes de la police religieuse, les mutawa, reconnaissables à leur barbe broussailleuse, ont donc, comme tous les 14 février, parcouru les rues commerçantes, ordonnant de faire disparaître les symboles honnis : roses rouges, ours en peluche brodés de cœurs rouges, boîtes de chocolats en formes de cœur, etc. On les trouve quand même sous le comptoir - à ses risques et périls, et au prix fort. Paradoxes >>> Par Pierre Prier | Lundi 15 Février 2010

Barack Obama tente de rassurer le monde musulman
À l'occasion du Forum Islam-États-Unis ce week-end à Doha, Barack Obama a adressé un message vidéo pour défendre sa politique à l'égard du monde musulman. Crédits photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Le président a nommé un émissaire spécial auprès de l'OCI.

Huit mois après le discours du Caire, dans lequel il avait appelé à un «nouveau départ » dans les relations entre les États-Unis et le monde musulman, Barack Obama poursuit sa politique d'ouverture à un moment où les défis sont plus importants que jamais. Le président américain vient de nommer un émissaire à l'Organisation de la conférence islamique (OCI) et défendu son action dans une vidéo retransmise à l'ouverture du septième Forum mondial Islam-États-Unis ce week-end à Doha. La secrétaire d'État américaine, Hillary Clinton, devait y prononcer dimanche un discours avant de se rendre lundi en Arabie saoudite pour chercher des appuis sur le dossier iranien.

Dans son message, Barack Obama a pris soin des détails. Il commence par un «Salam Aleikoum» et précise que son émissaire à l'OCI, Rashad Hussain, avocat et l'un de ses proches collaborateurs à la Maison-Blanche, est un «Hafiz» du Coran, terme arabe désignant ceux qui ont appris par cœur le texte saint.

Depuis le discours du Caire, force est cependant de constater que le monde n'a guère changé. L'envoi de nouvelles troupes en Afghanistan et la menace de sanctions contre l'Iran sont mal perçus par une partie du monde musulman, qui y voit la poursuite de la politique de George Bush. Dans son message, Barack Obama a pris la mesure de ces inquiétudes. «Les États-Unis et les musulmans ont souvent été entraînés dans un cycle de méfiance et d'incompréhension qui peut mener au conflit plutôt qu'à la coopération», a-t-il reconnu, admettant que «beaucoup reste à faire». À propos de l'Afghanistan, parallèlement à une opération militaire d'envergure, le président a expliqué que les États-Unis essaient «d'établir des partenariats afin d'isoler les extrémistes violents». >>> Adèle Smith, à New York | Lundi 15 Février 2010

Hillary Clinton Claims Iran Is Becoming 'Military Dictatorship'
THE TELEGRAPH: Hillary Clinton has accused Iran of becoming a "military dictatorship" with a scathing attack on the growing influence of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard.

In a clear signal Washington intends to make Iran's military hierarchy the prime target of a new round of United Nations sanctions, the US Secretary of State warned the elite unit had effectively mounted a silent coup.

"We see that the government of Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the parliament [are] being supplanted and that Iran is moving towards a military dictatorship," she said in a blunt assessment delivered to students in Qatar during a three-day tour of the Arabian peninsula.

"I fear the rise of the influence and power of the Revolutionary Guard poses a very direct threat to everyone."

The Revolutionary Guard is viewed by many as the dominant political, economic and military force in the country. With over 120,000 men under its command, it has become the bedrock of the Iranian regime, protecting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country's president who was once a Guard officer himself.

Since Mr Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election last June, it has further cemented its power by using its feared Basij paramilitary wing to lead the suppression of protests by the opposition's so-called Green Movement.

So brutal were the Basij's tactics that Britain and France yesterday led calls demanding an independent investigation into the post-election violence amid renewed allegations of widespread torture and even extrajudicial execution of political dissidents. Besides its political influence, the Revolutionary Guard has also caused international alarm because of its control over Iran's missile programme.

More than half of the Iranian cabinet is filled with ex-Guard veterans, and US National Security Adviser James Jones has said sanctions against it could "well trigger regime change" in Iran.

But It [sic] is the Revolutionary Guard's vast commercial empire that will be in America's sights for sanctions. >>> Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, February 15, 2010

Australian Jihad Plotters Jailed for Up To 28 Years
THE TELEGRAPH: Five men convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in Australia will spend between 23 to 28 years in prison after a Sydney judge handed them the maximum sentences for their crimes.

Justice Anthony Whealy of the New South Wales Supreme Court said he had little hope that the men, aged 25 to 44, could be rehabilitated, saying they were motivated by "intolerant, inflexible religious conviction" and had shown contempt for the Australian government, its leaders and laws.

In October last year, at the end of Australia's longest ever trial, a jury found the Sydney men guilty of conspiring to commit a terrorist act or acts.

Their exact target or targets have never been identified.

The men, Australian-born or naturalised citizens with Muslim immigrant backgrounds, had all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the 10-month trial, the court heard the five jihadists wanted to terrify and intimidate the Australian public and the government in retaliation for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Monday, February 15, 2010

Libya Imposes Visa Ban on Europeans
THE TELEGRAPH: Libya has stopped issuing visas to citizens of 25 European nations amid a bitter row between the Gaddafi family and Switzerland.

Members of the continental Schengen free travel zone, including Switzerland, were targeted for retaliation after the Swiss authorities blacklisted 188 senior Libyan figures, including the country's leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi, and members of his family.

Diplomats said there were scenes of tension as tourists were turned back at Tripoli airport. Britain was exempted from the ban as it is not a Schengen member. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Monday, February 15, 2010

Far Right Australian Politician Pauline Hanson Moving to Britain
TIMES ONLINE: The far Right Australian politician Pauline Hanson has announced that she is giving up her home country and moving to England.

Ms Hanson, Australia’s most controversial former MP who campaigned for Parliament on an anti-immigration platform, will migrate to Britain after selling her house in rural Queensland, taking a cruise, and visiting New Zealand.

The 55-year-old former fish and chip shop owner complained that Australia had become a "harder" place to live with fewer opportunities. She said that she was selling her property southwest of Brisbane to live in Britain indefinitely.

"Our governments lack enough people with the fortitude to speak up without fear or favour," Ms Hanson told Australia’s Women’s Day magazine. "Over-regulation, increasing taxes and lack of true representation are affecting our way of life. >>> Sophie Tedmanson in Sydney | Monday, February 15, 2010