Far-right Anti-Islam Party Set to Double Seats in Dutch Election
THE TELEGRAPH: The far-right Party for Freedom, which has campaigned on a ticket of ending the "Islamic invasion", is expected to double its representation in the Dutch parliament, giving it enough seats to become a potential ruling coalition candidate.

The party is predicted to win 18 seats in the forthcoming elections. It currently holds nine.

Led by anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, the party claims that 40 per cent of social security payments go to non-Western immigrants and that people of Moroccan origin are suspected of committing crime five times more often than the indigenous Dutch.

"The sluice gates are wide open", Mr Wilders said in a campaign video that showed planes landing in Holland as women in headscarves outnumber natives in shopping street scenes.

"Every day we are confronted with mass immigration: headscarves, burqas, minarets, social security dependence, crime ... it never ends," he laments as dramatic music plays in the background of the clip released ahead of June 9 parliamentary elections.

"Whole neighbourhoods are being Islamised."

Mr Wilders' bold move onto the shaky ground of multi-cultural tolerance, for long a matter of Dutch pride, "has prompted other parties to adopt a stricter approach to security and the integration of Muslims", said political analyst Martin Rosema of Twente University. >>> | Monday, June 07, 2010

Christians in Middle East Are Ignored, Vatican Claims
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Pope has claimed that the international community is ignoring the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

Pope Benedict XVI listens to a prayer during a holy mass at the Eleftheria Sports Centre in Nicosia. Photograph: The Telegraph
A working paper released during Pope Benedict XVI's pilgrimage to Cyprus to prepare for a crisis summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October also cites the "extremist current" unleashed by the rise of "political Islam" as a threat to Christians.

In his final Mass in Cyprus on Sunday, the pontiff said he was praying that the October meeting will focus the attention of the international community "on the plight of those Christians in the Middle East who suffer for their beliefs."

He appealed for an "urgent and concerted international effort to resolve the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially in the Holy Land, before such conflicts lead to greater bloodshed."

The Vatican considers mostly Greek Orthodox Cyprus as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East and invited bishops to come to the Mediterranean island to receive the working paper.

The pope said Cyprus can "play a particular role in promoting dialogue and co-operation" in the region.

Cyprus was ethnically split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent republic in the north in 1983, but only Turkey recognises it, and it maintains 35,000 troops there.

The island's Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu resumed long-running reunification talks in May after a two-month pause for the poll. The talks have yielded only limited progress so far.

The pope said he saw for himself the "sad division of the island" and that he was "deeply moved" by the pleas of Cypriots who wished to return to homes in the north that were lost during the war. >>> | Sunday, June 06, 2010

David Cameron: Economic Measures Will 'Change Our Way of Life'
THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has warned that his plans to tackle Britain's economic woes will affect the way we live for decades.



In a keynote speech on the economy, the Prime Minister said that the economic situation he had inherited from Labour was worse than he expected.

If drastic cuts were not implemented, the Treasury would be spending an annual £70 billion on debt interest within five years - more than on schools in England, transport, and fighting climate change put together, he said.

Speaking alongside new Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander, Mr Cameron told an audience in Milton Keynes that now the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition had been given access to the books, it was clear that the ''overall scale of the problem is even worse than we thought''.

''How we deal with these things will affect our economy, our society - indeed our whole way of life,'' he said.

''The decisions we make will affect every single person in our country. And the effects of those decisions will stay with us for years, perhaps decades, to come.

''It is precisely because these decisions are so momentous, because they will have such enormous implications, and because we cannot afford either to duck them or to get them wrong that I want to make sure we go about the urgent task of cutting our deficit in a way that is open, responsible and fair,'' he said. >>> | Monday, June 07, 2010

Britain to Emulate Canada's Radical Solution to Tackle Debt
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: George Osborne is planning to eradicate Britain's budget deficit by emulating Canada, where borrowing was brought under control within just three years by spending cuts of 20 per cent.

The Chancellor will announce a "once-in-a-generation" revolution in public spending inspired by Canada in the mid-1990s, when the government turned a budget deficit of nine per cent of GDP into a surplus.

Canada brought public spending under control guided by the principle that people should ask "what needs to be done by government and what we can afford to do".

Mr Osborne and his Liberal Democrat deputy, Danny Alexander, will attempt to bring about a similar change of mindset in Britain.

The ambitious plan will be welcomed by those who believe swift and decisive action is necessary to bring Britain's budget deficit and spiralling national debt under control quickly.

However, it is likely to prove controversial with those who believe it could tip Britain back into recession and public sector workers who face losing their jobs. >>> Andrew Porter, Political Editor | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Papst fordert Dialog zwischen Christen und Muslimen: Aufruf zur Versöhnung auf geteilter Insel Zypern
NZZ ONLINE: Der Papst ist bei seiner Reise nach Zypern auf diverse Trennungslinien gestossen, zu deren Überwindung er aufrief. Er forderte einen Dialog mit Muslimen, warb für eine Annäherung an die Orthodoxie und rief die geteilte Insel zur Versöhnung auf.

Papst Benedikt bei seinem Treffen mit Sheik Nazim in der geteilten Stadt Nikosia. Bild: NZZ Online
Papst Benedikt XVI. hat während seines Zypernbesuchs einen Dialog zwischen Christen und Muslimen gefordert. Nur durch «geduldige Arbeit» könnten Vertrauen geschaffen und die «Last der Geschichte» überwunden werden, sagte der Papst am Samstag an einem Treffen mit der kleinen katholischen Gemeinde in einem Viertel von Nikosia.

Annäherung an Orthodoxe als Ziel

Vertrauen sei die Grundlage, um dauerhaften Frieden zu schaffen. In Bezug auf die jüngsten Missbrauchsskandale in der Kirche betonte der Pontifex maximus die Notwendigkeit «heiliger und gut ausgebildeter Priester». Rund 2000 Personen waren in der maronitischen Schule in Nikosia versammelt, um den Papst zu sehen.

Benedikt XVI. traf am Samstag auch den Erzbischof von Zypern, Chrysostomos II. An einem ökumenischen Gottesdienst in Paphos im griechischen Teil der Mittelmeerinsel hatte der Papst am Freitag für eine weitere Annäherung zwischen Katholiken und orthodoxen Christen geworben. Zudem rief er die Bevölkerungsgruppen der geteilten Insel zur Versöhnung auf. >>> sda/afp/dpa | Samstag, 05. Juni 2010

Muslime: Mehr Religiosität = mehr Gewaltbereitschaft
WELT ONLINE: Eine Studie hat herausgefunden: Je religiöser islamische Migranten sind, umso weniger integriert und gewalttätig sind sie. Die Politik ist alarmiert.

Foto: Welt Online
Die Ergebnisse dürften erhebliche Diskussionen unter den Migranten in Deutschland und in ihren Verbänden auslösen – und zugleich Wasser auf die Mühlen von Islamkritikern sein. Der Kriminologe Christian Pfeiffer stellt deshalb vorsichtshalber klar: „Ich bringe nur Fakten an den Tag.“

2007 und 2008 befragten die Wissenschaftler um Pfeiffer rund 45.000 Schüler im Alter von 14 bis 16 Jahren. Sie wollten unter anderem herausfinden, welche Rolle die Religion im Leben der jungen Menschen, vor allem von Migranten, spielt. Das Resultat: Junge, männliche Muslime sind – im Gegensatz zu christlichen Jugendlichen – umso weniger integriert und umso gewalttätiger, je gläubiger sie sind.

Die höchste Gewalttäter-Quote gibt es demnach unter „sehr religiösen“ muslimischen Jugendlichen mit 23,5 Prozent, die niedrigste dagegen bei den „etwas religiösen“ mit 19,6 Prozent.

Bei evangelischen und katholischen Jugendlichen zeigte sich eine gegenläufige Tendenz: Christliche Gläubige begingen der Studie zufolge seltener jugendtypische Gewalttaten. Dies gelte gerade auch für christliche Zuwanderer, die meist aus Polen oder der Ex-Sowjetunion stammten. >>> | Sonntag, 06. Juni 2010

Amazon.de: The Dawning of a New Dark Age

Chypre : Benoît XVI quitte l’île apres trois jours
20 MINUTES.ch: Le pape Benoît XVI a quitté Chypre dimanche après sa première visite en terre orthodoxe au cours de laquelle il a notamment mis sur les rails le synode sur le Moyen-Orient.

Au dernier jour de son voyage de trois jours dans l'île méditerranéenne à majorité orthodoxe, le pape a renouvelé son appel pour la paix au Proche-Orient réclamant un effort international «urgent» pour éviter «de plus grandes tragédies».

Il a remis aux 12 membres du Conseil pré-synodal un document de travail pour le synode sur le Moyen-Orient prévu du 10 au 24 octobre au Vatican, qui tentera de remédier à la délicate situation des chrétiens dans cette région conflictuelle. >>> afp | Dimanche 06 Juin 2010

Mufti en retard
20 MINUTES.ch: Le chef de la communauté musulmane du nord occupé de Chypre, Yusuf Suicmez, a raté dimanche une rencontre avec le pape Benoît XVI étant arrivé en retard au rendez-vous, a annoncé le Vatican. La rencontre était prévue «pour 16h00 (14h00 suisses) à Nicosie, mais le mufti est arrivé en retard et la cérémonie à l'église maronite avait déjà commencé», a dit le porte-parole du Vatican, le père Federico Lombardi, aux journalistes. [Source: 20 Minutes.ch] | Dimanche 06 Juin 2010

Egypt's Islamic TV Extends Reach with New Languages
REUTERS: Egypt's al-Azhar's satellite channel that seeks to promote moderate Islam launched four language services to extend its reach to millions of Muslims worldwide, its designers said on Sunday.

Al-Azhar, one of the oldest seats of Sunni Islamic learning, will target viewers in English, French, Urdu, and Pashto besides its now running Arabic programs, in a renewed effort to further U.S. President Barak Obama's call for greater religious tolerance.

The station was launched to coincide with Obama's visit to Cairo in mid-2009 and his call for better ties between the Muslim world and the United States.

Al-Azhar, whose head is appointed by the state, has traditionally supported the Egyptian government in its campaign against Islamic militants, such as a group that launched an insurgency in Egypt in the 1990s
.
"There is a wide open market for religious moderation on the airwaves," said Sheikh Khaled El Gendy, Azhar religious scholar and one of the channel's content developers.

"We are competing with voices of intolerance for the attention and loyalty of young people," Gendy, who hosts a live call-in program for viewers struggling with the interpretation of Islam to seek guidance, said. >>> Dina Zayed, Cairo | Sunday, June 06, 2010

'Doubtful' Maggie Set for No10 Talks
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Margaret Thatcher is to meet David Cameron at Downing Street on Wednesday amid claims she has grave doubts about some of the Coalition’s key policies.

The two will pose together on the steps of No10 in a move aimed at reassuring party traditionalists who fear Mr Cameron has used the alliance with the Liberal Democrats to bury the Tories’ Thatcherite past.

Lady Thatcher, 84, accepts Mr Cameron had little choice but to join forces with Nick Clegg after the Election failed to produce a clear winner.

But friends say she is deeply sceptical about his plans to change Commons voting rules.

‘She was always very wary of embarking on major constitutional changes,’ said a source.

‘She believes you should not meddle in such matters unless you know exactly where you are going and what the consequences will be.’ Read on and comment >>> Simon Walters, Mail On Sunday Political Editor | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Two US Men Arrested at JFK Airport on Terrorist Charges
THE TELEGRAPH: Two US men have been arrested at John F Kennedy airport in New York charged with conspiracy to kill Americans outside the country, according to US justice officials.

A TV crew outside the home of Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, who was arrested at JFK airport as he tried to board a plane bound for Egypt. Photograph: The Sunday Telegraph
The suspects were reportedly about to board planes to Egypt with plans to travel to Somalia to join with an extremist group there.

The Newark Star Ledger said the New Jersey men, Mohamed Hamoud Alessa 20, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, are both US citizens and quoted neighbors as saying they went to school in the United States.

"As of this moment I am only able to confirm that two arrests took place last night," an FBI spokesman said. >>> | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Federal Authorities Charge 2 New Jersey Men with Pursuing Dream of 'Holy War' in Somalia
THE STAR-LEDGER: The two New Jersey men arrested late Saturday night for planning to join a terrorist organization and wage violent jihad abroad, had engaged in paintball training, acquired military gear and apparel for use overseas and saved thousands of dollars toward their goal, according to the criminal complaint unsealed this morning.

The defendants, identified as Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, were arrested at JFK International Airport. The men intended to take separate flights to Egypt on their way to Somalia to join a terrorist organization known as Al Shabaab, and wage violent jihad, according the criminal complaint, unsealed by U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul J. Fishman. >>> The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk | Sunday, June 06, 2010

French Muslim Council Warns Government On Veil Ban
REUTERS: France's official Muslim council has warned the government not to expect it to impose a planned ban on full face veils for women that legal experts argue will be unconstitutional and police predict will be unenforceable.

Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said his group opposed the full veil and would try to convince the tiny minority of veiled women that it was not a religious obligation and was out of place in France.

But Muslim leaders could not act as agents of the state during a six-month "mediation period" during which veiled women will be stopped and informed about the law but not fined.

The draft law, due to be passed this autumn, bans wearing full veils in public. After the mediation period, veiled women must pay a 150 euro ($182.8) fine or take "citizenship lessons" while anyone found forcing them to veil risks a 15,000 euro fine.

"It will be very hard to apply," Moussaoui told journalists Thursday. "The CFCM has said it's ready to work for this, but not as someone mandated by the state. It's the duty of society to shoulder its responsibility for the mediation."

Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has said she would depend on the police, the CFCM and local civic associations to convince covered women their veils violated French values.

Police unions have warned that stopping veiled women in the street could lead to chaotic scenes and protests.

"There will be lots of refusals, it will degenerate into insult and outrage, they'll be detained and families will gather outside the police station," Yannick Danio of the Unite SGP-Police union told the newspaper Le Monde. Other critics of the ban have said radical Muslims might provoke such confrontations to extend their influence. >>> Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor, Paris | Friday, June 04, 2010

Bishop's Murder Should Not Hurt Islam Dialogue: Pope
REUTERS: Cyprus - Pope Benedict said on Friday the killing of a leading Catholic bishop in Turkey should not be allowed to hurt dialogue with Islam or stain the image of Turkey and its people.

The pope, beginning a three-day visit to the divided island of Cyprus, also told reporters aboard his plane that he hoped the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla would not result in lost hope for Middle East peace.

Benedict spoke of his "profound sadness" over the stabbing Thursday of Italian Bishop Luigi Padovese, a leading Catholic official in Turkey, who was killed by his Turkish driver.

"We are still awaiting a full explanation but we don't want to mix up this tragic episode with Islam. It is a case apart which saddens us but should not be allowed to darken the dialogue (with Islam) in any way," Benedict said.

"We must not attribute this to Turkey or to Turks ... the certain thing is that it was not a political or religious assassination. It was a personal thing."

Turkish officials say Padovese, a proponent of dialogue with Islam, was killed by his driver, who they say had shown recent signs of mental instability.

Catholic dialogue with Islam has been rocky at best since the pope, in a lecture in his native Germany in 2006, equated Islam with violence. He later said his words were misinterpreted and Vatican and Islamic leaders have since stepped up dialogue.

"Despite our differences, Muslims are our brothers and we have to encourage a common vision of dialogue with them," he said. >>> Philip Pullella, Paphos | Friday, June 04, 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:

WELT ONLINE: Türkei: Bischof erstochen – Polizei vermutet psychische Störung >>> Von Boris Kalnóky | Donnerstag, 03. Juni 2010

Lien en relation avec l’article:

LE FIGARO: Un prêtre poignardé en Turquie >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 03 Juin 2010

Council Spends £150,000 So Muslim Graves Can Face Mecca
THE TELEGRAPH: A council is spending £150,000 to extend a cemetery so that the graves of Muslims can face Mecca.

High Wycombe Cemetery in Buckinghamshire currently has a separate Muslim burial section but this is due to run out of space in 2012.

Muslim graves are required to face North [?] East, so that Mecca, the birth place of the Prophet Muhammad in the Sirat Mountains of Saudi Arabia, is on their right to the South East.

While graves could be placed in the existing plot with Christian graves, the different orientation would mean encroaching on areas currently maintained as lawn sections.

A report by High Wycombe District Council also expressed fears that mixing Muslim and Christian graves could lead to a backlash in public opinion.

The council put in a request for land at the Church of England burial ground at Priory Road, High Wycombe to be deconsecrated for Muslim use but this was refused.

The council have now settled on extending High Wycombe cemetery terracing to form new burial areas, walls, paths and steps for access at a cost of £150,000.

According to the Equalities Impact Assessment carried out, an extension would provide 15 years worth of Muslim burials[.]

One local resident, who did not wish to be named, said that enough money had been spent catering to the needs of the Muslim community.

He said: ''Yet again many thousands of pounds being spent pandering to the local Muslim community.

''Just like when they fenced off all of the Muslim graves in the local cemetery to protect them from vandalism yet left all of the other graves from other racial/religious groups left wide open to vandalism.'' >>> | Friday, June 04, 2010

Cameron: 'Years of Pain Ahead'
THE SUNDAY TIMES: DAVID CAMERON has warned that the economy is in a far worse state than previously thought and signalled that Britain faces years of “pain” as the spending axe falls.

The prime minister indicated a sharp downgrade in official growth forecasts and revealed that welfare and public sector pay would bear the brunt of budget cuts.

It is understood that tough measures being considered to help control the £156 billion budget deficit include benefit freezes and cuts in child tax credits. There are also likely to be below-inflation pay rises for state employees on top of next year’s planned freeze.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Cameron said: “Proper statesmanship is taking the right action, explaining to people the purpose behind the pain.”

The prime minister said there would be no “trampoline recovery” of the economy. He warned there was a “serious problem” with forecasts inherited from Labour of robust 3% growth next year.

“There is a huge amount of debt that has got to be dealt with. Crossing our fingers, waiting for growth and hoping it will go away is simply not an answer,” he said.

“The country has got an overdraft. The interest on that overdraft is swallowing up things that the nation should otherwise be spending money on. We have got to take people with us on this difficult journey.” Read on and comment >>> Jonathan Oliver, Political Editor | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Bin Taxes and Planning Laws to Be Ditched by Coalition
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A raft of Labour laws which have been criticised for penalising Middle England will be consigned to the scrap heap by the new Government this week.

Bin taxes will be ditched, along with laws allowing developers to build on back gardens, as the Coalition embarks on a bonfire of "meddling" legislation.

Ministers will say they are scrapping controversial Labour proposals to allow local authorities to charge for household rubbish collections or fine those who fail to cut their waste.

And in a major review of planning law, back gardens will no longer be classified as "brownfield" land which can be built on.

The Government will also announce that it is getting rid of a requirement on builders to squeeze more smaller homes onto new housing developments, after complaints that the rule leads to overcrowding.

The shake-up follows years of campaigns, including one in this newspaper against proposed refuse taxes, and is clearly aimed at pacifying core Conservative voters. >>> Melissa Kite and Richard Gray | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Iran Using Dubai to Smuggle Nuclear Components
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Iran is using the Gulf port of Dubai to smuggle sophisticated electronic and computer equipment for its controversial uranium enrichment programme that are banned under United Nations sanctions.

In the latest deal, an Iranian company associated with the regime's nuclear programme has acquired control systems from one of Germany's leading electronics manufacturers. The deal was negotiated with a prominent Dubai trading company, which then sold Iran a range of electronic equipment for use at its Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Details of the deal have emerged amid mounting concern in the West that Tehran has ended its self-imposed suspension of its nuclear weapons programme. A National Intelligence Estimate issued by US intelligence agencies in late 2007 concluded that Iran had suspended its attempts to build an atom bomb in 2003.

But a detailed assessment of Iran's recent declarations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna has led Western officials to conclude that Iran has ended its self-imposed suspension, and has now resumed work on its military programme.

This would explain Iran's renewed attempts to smuggle banned equipment through Dubai. In the latest deal, details of which have been obtained exclusively by The Sunday Telegraph, high-grade German equipment including computers, controllers, communication cards and cables have been smuggled into Iran. >>> Con Coughlin | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Greg Burke: Vatican Takes On Christian Fundamentalists
FOX NEWS – BLOGS: It’s not easy walking through the minefield called Middle Eastern politics, and a Vatican document released Sunday managed to criticize Israel, Egypt, Islam and even Christian fundamentalists.

The 46-page text, “The Catholic Church in the Middle East: Communion and Witness,” will serve as a working document for an October meeting at the Vatican about the Mideast.

The document was made public Sunday, the final day of Pope Benedict’s visit to the island of Cyprus, and reflected the Church’s concern about the flight of Christians from the Holy Land as they leave to look for more opportunities and fewer problems elsewhere.

“The Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories is creating difficulties in everyday life, inhibiting freedom of movement, the economy and religious life,” the document said. “Moreover, certain Christian fundamentalist theologies use Sacred Scripture to justify Israel’s occupation of Palestine.”

Many Evangelical Christians, especially Americans, have thrown their total and unwavering support behind the Jewish state in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read on and comment >>> Greg Burke | Sunday, June 06, 2010

Pope in Cyprus Calls for Dialogue between Faiths


Pope Benedict XVI: The Apostolic Church in Cyprus


"Dialogue with Non-Christians Is Essential in the Church"


"Tear Down the Barriers between Us to Bring Peace"


Pope Benedict: Without Moral Truths, the World Would Be Dangerous


"East and West, For Full and Visible Communion"

Queen Rania of Jordan: ملكة الاردن الملكة رانيا

Queen Rania on The View

Obama Loses the Left: Suddenly, It's Cool to Bash Barack
THE TELEGRAPH: Europe still worships him and Washington's Obamatrons remain smitten, but former supporters are turning on the President, writes Toby Harnden.

President Barack Obama presents Paul McCartney with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the White House. Photograph: The Telegraph
Well, at least he's still got Sir Paul McCartney. At the White House last week, the 67-year-old crooner was gushing in much the same manner as his own groupies did at Shea Stadium in 1965. "I'm a big fan, he's a great guy," McCartney told American critics of President Barack Obama. "So lay off him, he's doing great."

Later, McCartney serenaded the First Lady with a rendition of Michelle and, receiving a prize from the Library of Congress, took a cheap shot at President George W Bush that was as unfunny as it was unoriginal. “After the last eight years, it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is.” Bush. Doesn’t read books. Stupid. Geddit?

The problem for the President is that even if the former Beatle does speak for billions, the overwhelming majority of those are overseas. Polls show that around 10 per cent of those who voted for Obama in 2008 now disapprove of his performance and the heavy turnout of young people and black voters among the 69 million who back him will not be repeated again.

McCartney's banalities were an example of a transatlantic dissonance that is all too apparent these days. Whereas Europe is stuck in November 2008 and still hopelessly in love with Obama, Americans have got over the historic symbolism of it all and are now moving on as they live with the reality.

That reality has now begun to dawn on some of Obama's natural constituency - Hollywood and the Left. The "no drama Obama" demeanour that served him so well on the campaign trail is now becoming a liability. >>> Toby Harnden | Saturday, June 05, 2010