Now, Why Would 20% of Americans Think Obama Is a Muslim?
AMERICAN THINKER: According to this poll released last week, nearly one in five Americans believe that President Obama is a Muslim, despite his consistent claims to be a Christian. The White House commented that "obviously" the president is a Christian; "he prays every day." Various liberal columnists quickly ran to the president's aid with mouths agape over the obvious stupidity of this sizable chunk of the American peasant class.

The only thing truly obvious about this poll, in my opinion, is that it was meant to be a distraction from the growing, across-all-strata anger at the president's policies, a still-gloomy economy and a widely held perception of the president as a lazy man who much prefers the perks of high office to the actual work required of the office holder. So, Pew decided to provide a neat little piñata of supposed stupidity at which the liberal-elitist media could poke with holier-than-thou glee.

Obviously, however, these petulant liberal columnists did not bother to do their homework. From their every rant so far over the persistence of the Obama-Is-Muslim perception, it's clear that none of them have looked at this with anything but the most shallow objective. Obama says he's a Christian; therefore he is.

Ah, but the perception that he is a Muslim persists. Now, why might that be?

Let me count the reasons... Continue reading and comment >>> Kyle-Anne Shiver | Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Mosque Debate Fuels Muslim Fury
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: BEIRUT: The heated debate across America over the construction of the so-called ''ground zero mosque'' is reverberating across the world, with the potential to create serious diplomatic problems for the US.

Many Muslims abroad are upset by the debate, largely conducted by non-Muslims, which has grown so loud as to become a topic of discussion from Baghdad to Berlin.
…

Some Muslims say it is a bad idea to construct the building so close to the site of the Twin Towers, whose destruction on September 11, 2001, at the hands of 19 Muslim extremists is etched into the minds of people all over the world.

''Building a mosque there will increase hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims in the west,'' said Gamal Awad, a professor at Cairo's Al-Azhar University. ''It will further connect Islam with a horrible event.''

…

>>> Borzou Daragahi | Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Hitler 'Had Jewish and African Roots', DNA Tests Show
THE TELEGRAPH: Adolf Hitler is likely to have had Jewish and African roots, DNA tests have shown.

Saliva samples taken from 39 relatives of the Nazi leader show he may have had biological links to the “subhuman” races that he tried to exterminate during the Holocaust.

Jean-Paul Mulders, a Belgian journalist, and Marc Vermeeren, a historian, tracked down the Fuhrer’s relatives, including an Austrian farmer who was his cousin, earlier this year.

A chromosome called Haplogroup E1b1b1 which showed up in their samples is rare in Western Europe and is most commonly found in the Berbers of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as among Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews.

"One can from this postulate that Hitler was related to people whom he despised," Mr Mulders wrote in the Belgian magazine, Knack. >>> Heidi Blake | Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Verhärtete Fronten beim Ground Zero: Gouverneur bringt Alternativstandort für Moschee ins Spiel
NZZ ONLINE: Nach den Demonstrationen für und gegen eine geplante Moschee beim Ground Zero bleiben die Fronten in New York verhärtet.

Für Gila Barzavi ist es schlicht unvorstellbar. Ganz in der Nähe von Ground Zero in New York, wo vor neun Jahren ihr Sohn Guy ums Leben kam, planen Muslime den Bau einer Moschee. «Das ist heiliger Boden und es ist der Ort, an dem mein Sohn beerdigt wurde», sagt die gebürtige Israelin aus dem Stadtteil Queens. Die Moschee, so sagt sie, wäre «wie ein Messer in unseren Herzen». >>> ddp | Montag, 23. August 2010

Mosquée de Ground Zero : 
la polémique enfle
LE FIGARO: Des manifestants se sont fait face dimanche soir à New York. Le débat affecte la popularité de Barack Obama.

La place de l'islam dans la société américaine est-elle en passe de devenir un sujet majeur de la campagne pour les élections de mi-mandat du 2 novembre? Ils étaient plusieurs centaines à s'invectiver dimanche à New York, séparés par un cordon de policiers. «Pas de mosquée!», criaient les uns, reprenant des chants patriotiques et brandissant des affiches où le mot «charia» apparaissait en lettres dégoulinantes de peinture rouge sang. «Peu importe ce que les bigots disent, les musulmans sont bienvenus», scandait l'autre groupe de manifestants. >>> | Lundi 23 Août 2010

In Controversial Mosque, Young Muslims Pray for Understanding
TIME: Young students and professionals who pray at the Park51 mosque, two blocks from Ground Zero, defend the controversial site

Australian Leaders Compete for Independents
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition leader Tony Abbott compete for the support of independent MPs, as the nation remains in political limbo. Video courtesy of Reuters.

News Hub: Why Some Couples Sleep in Separate Beds
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The National Sleep Foundation says 25 percent of American couples sleep in separate beds. Elizabeth Bernstein takes a look at some of the reasons why.

Mosque Dispute Sparks NYC Rallies
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Supporters and opponents of a proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque near the World Trade Center site staged competing rallies in downtown Manhattan. Video courtesy of Fox News.

Oman’s 40-year Transformation
CNN: As Oman celebrates four decades of rule under Sultan Qaboos, Rima Maktabi looks at what's in store for its future.

Muslim Women Who Wear the Hijab and Niqab
CNN: Nadia and Aliya, two Muslim American women who cover themselves in adherence to their faith's promotion of modesty, explain their choice.

A Look at Women’s Wear in Indonesia
CNN: A look at high fashion in Indonesia, with the Muslim culture in mind.

Wife of Ground Zero Mosque Imam Speaks Out on US 'Hate of Muslims'
THE TELEGRAPH: The wife of the imam behind the proposed Islamic cultural centre near the Ground Zero site of the September 11th terrorist attacks has compared the treatment of Muslims in America to discrimination against Jews.

'It's not even Islamophobia, it's beyond Islamophobia - it's hate of Muslims' said Daisy Khan, wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Photo: The Telegraph
"This is like a metastasized anti-Semitism," said Daisy Khan, wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. "That's what we feel right now. It's not even Islamophobia, it's beyond Islamophobia - it's hate of Muslims. And we are deeply concerned."

Miss Khan, whose husband is travelling outside the United States on a tour partly funded by the US State Department, insisted that the centre - now being called Park51 - would be built as planned despite fierce opposition from many New Yorkers and calls for an alternative site to be considered.

"Of course, it has to go ahead," she told ABC News. "There's so much at stake." >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Monday, August 23, 2010

'Ground Zero' Imam on Mideast Tour
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: The imam behind the plan to build a mosque near Ground Zero surfaced yesterday far from the controversy -- in Bahrain, where he's on a U.S. taxpayer-funded trip to the Middle East to spread good will, The New York Post reported Saturday. Video Courtesy of Fox News.

Insult: A Time magazine poll released last week also revealed that more than 70 per cent of those questioned believed that to build the mosque would insult the memory of victims. Photograph: Mail Online
Hundreds of Protesters Rally Outside Ground Zero Mosque... and Sing Along to Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA
MAIL ONLINE: Hundreds of protesters rallied near the site of a proposed mosque and Muslim community centre near Ground Zero in New York yesterday.

A crowd of demonstrators against the project stood behind police barricades three blocks from the World Trade Center site.

Bruce Springsteen's anti-war song Born In The USA blared over loudspeakers as patriotic mosque opponents chanted, 'No mosque, no way!

Brooklyn plumber Steve Ayling says the people who want to build the project are the same ones who 'took down the twin towers.'

Nearby, several hundred people who support the mosque chanted: 'Muslims are welcome here. We say no to racist fear.'

The proposed £70million mosque has ignighted furious debate. (+ video) >>> Mail Foreign Service | Moonday, August 23, 2010

Anti-Muslim Rally at Ground Zero


Dueling Protests over Ground Zero Mosque
Watch video here

Australian Election: Dollar Falls at Prospect of Hung Parliament
THE TELEGRAPH: The Australian dollar has fallen as the markets react to the prospect of a hung parliament following the weekend’s inconclusive election.

Tony Abbott, opposition leader and Julia Gillard, Australia's Prime Minister. Photos: The Telegraph
Saturday’s cliff-hanger general election has left the incumbent Labour Party with 70 seats and the Liberal-National Coalition with 72 seat in the House of Representatives – well short of the 76 seats needed to form a government.

Julia Gillard, the current Labour prime minister, and Tony Abbott, leader of the opposition are currently trying to win over the support of the three new independent MPs and one Green Party MP – each claiming to have the moral right to form government. The Greens already hold the balance of power in the Senate, Australia’s upper house.

But it could be up to 10 days before a final result is known. If neither Ms Gillard nor Mr Abbott is able to stitch together a working arrangement with the independents and Greens, the country could have to go straight back to the polls to settle the matter. >>> Mark Chipperfield, Sydney | Monday, August 23, 2010

American Soldier, Convert to Islam, Teaching Taliban Fighters Bomb-making Skills
MAIL ON SUNDAY: A captured American soldier is training Taliban fighters bomb-making and ambush skills, according to one of his captors and Afghan intelligence officials.

Private Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is thought to be the only U.S. serviceman in captivity.

The 24-year-old has converted to Islam and now has the Muslim name Abdullah, one of his captors told The Sunday Times.

A Taliban deputy district commander in Paktika, who called himself Haji Nadeem, told the newspaper that Bergdahl taught him how to dismantle a mobile phone and turn it into a remote control for a roadside bomb.

Nadeem claimed he also received basic ambush training from the U.S. soldier.

'Most of the skills he taught us we already knew,' he said. 'Some of my comrades think he's pretending to be a Muslim to save himself so they wouldn't behead him.' Taliban claim captured U.S. solider has converted to Islam and is teaching its fighters bomb-making skills >>> Mail Foreign Service | Sunday, August 22, 2010

An American Convert to Islam Speaks! : قصة أمريكي اعتنق الإسلام

Unmarried Malaysian Muslim Civil Servants Face Eviction from Government Housing
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Malaysian Islamic authorities have been evicting unmarried Muslim civil servants from government-owned housing if they are caught with their partners alone in a private place, according to reports.

A couple holds hands at the side of a street in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Muslims have been evicted from their homes under a campaign to rid Putrajaya of activities deemed immoral under Malaysian Islamic laws. Photograph: The Sunday Telegraph
Several Muslims have been evicted from their homes in government quarters under a campaign launched early this year to rid the country’s administrative capital Putrajaya of activities deemed immoral under Malaysian Islamic laws, the New Straits Times reported.

Che Mat Che Ali, director of the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department, said: “It may seem harsh but we want the people of Putrajaya to know that we take this matter seriously.”

He said those caught by Islamic morality police were hauled up in court and then asked to move out. >>> | Sunday, August 22, 2010

NY Mosque Imam: US Rights in Line with True Islam
ASSOCIATED PRESS: MANAMA, Bahrain — The imam spearheading plans for an Islamic center near the New York site of the Sept. 11 attacks says America's sweeping constitutional rights are more in line with Islamic principles than the limits imposed by some Muslim nations.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told the Al Wasat newspaper in Bahrain that the freedoms enshrined by the U.S. Constitution also reflect true Muslim values. >>> AP | Sunday, August 22, 2010

Does Barack Obama Want to Be Re-elected in 2012?
THE TELEGRAPH: Few Americans consider themselves bigger than the presidency but Obama might be one of them. The man in the Oval Office, argues Toby Harnden, may already be preparing for a role as a post-president in a post-American world.

When David Plouffe, President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager, wrote recently that his former boss was "not concerned with his re-election", there was predictable scepticism.

After all, it has long been a truism that every politician wants to cling to power and a reality that presidential campaigns are planned years in advance. Pronouncements about not looking at polls and concentrating on getting things done are, moreover, standard fare from poll-driven, election-obsessed politicians and their apparatchiks.

In this case, however, Plouffe may inadvertently be onto something. Almost everything Obama does these days suggests that he doesn't care much about being re-elected. Strange as it might seem, perhaps he wants to be a one-term president.

Obama was elected in 2008 at an extraordinary moment in American politics. Suddenly, this charismatic figure, elected to the Senate without serious opposition in 2004 and without any executive experience, was catapulted into the White House.

His presidential bid had been based on the power of his life story and his ability with the spoken word. Doubtless he was as surprised as anyone else that he pulled it off. Governing has been altogether more difficult for him and there are signs he is already tiring of it.

Obama's intervention on the so-called "Ground Zero mosque" issue is a case in point. There was no need for him to get involved - the Islamic community centre two blocks from the 9/11 site is unlikely to get built and there was no political advantage in his making a statement.

What he said about religious freedom was typically Obama - high-minded, principled and legalistic. He is, after all, a former constitutional law professor. What his words lacked were any real empathy with what Americans felt and practical considerations about resolving the issue - never mind the political downside for him. >>> | Saturday, August 21, 2010

Australia Faces Hung Parliament as Julia Gillard's Labor Party Suffers Losses
THE OBSERVER: Labor lead shrinks thanks to strong opposition campaign, climate change concerns – and anger at treachery over Kevin Rudd

Labor leader Julia Gillard and her partner Tim Mathieson leave the stage after an election night event in Melbourne. Photograph: The Observer
Australia looked to be heading for a hung parliament on Saturday night after one of the closest elections in decades.

After five weeks of bitter, negative campaigning, neither Labor, the current government, nor the conservative opposition Liberal party looked like they would be able to form a government in their own right. It appeared that both parties would have to rely on others in the lower house of parliament.

Labor can expect the support of the first-ever Green member, and probably also a former Green turned independent, who seemed likely to win a seat.

The Liberal party would have to rely on three other independents, two of whom have had links to the conservative National party, which is part of the opposition coalition. It may be days before the final outcome is known.

Whoever forms a government, it is clear that the big winners are the Greens. In addition to their seat in the lower house, they will control the balance of power in the upper house, the senate. They look set to win 12% of the vote nationally, 50% more than last time. They could also double their seats in the combined houses of parliament.

For Labor, the outcome is a disappointment. Yesterday, the party's leader, Julia Gillard, addressed the faithful – in what she had hoped would be a victory speech – with the words of Bill Clinton, saying: "The people have spoken, but it's going to take a little while to determine what they've said." Gillard said she would continue to lead the government until the result was clear. In an apparent appeal to the independents, she laid out her "good track record" of working with them in the house and senate. >>> Alison Rourke in Sydney | Saturday, August 21, 2010