Clerics Salute 'Brave' Pakistan Killer
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hundreds of Pakistan's religious leaders have publically applauded the murder of a prominent politician gunned down because of his campaign to reform the country's blasphemy laws.

Mumtaz Qadri, left, is embraced as he arrives at a court in Islamabad. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
In a statement released hours before the funeral of Salman Taseer, a liberal politician close [to] President Asif Ali Zardari, 500 scholars from the Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat group praised his assassin and ordered their followers not to grieve or they would suffer the same fate.

"We pay rich tributes and salute the bravery, valour and faith of Mumtaz Qadri," the statement said referring to the man now in police custody, before going on to warn politicians and academics to learn lessons from Mr Taseer's death.

"Also, there should be no expression of grief or sympathy on the death of the governor, as those who support blasphemy of the Prophet are themselves indulging in blasphemy."

Mr Taseer, the governor of Punjab, was shot dead in Islamabad on Tuesday by a member of his own protection detail.

He had become a hate figure among hard-line clerics for taking on the case of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy, an issue that has illustrated the country's deep religious divide between a small, liberal elite and conservative mullahs who draw huge followings. >>> Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Murder in Pakistan
ARAB NEWS – EDITORIAL – AN EXTRACT: Taseer was murdered by one or perhaps more bigots who believed that he wanted to repeal the country’s blasphemy law. But he was the true face of tolerance that Islam represents. He worked for the good of his country trying to promote tolerance and understanding and peace between its different communities. He stood up against extremism and violence. It cost him his life and his heartless, grinning murderer is an ignorant instrument of evil. >>> Editor | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

USA: Fears Over Economy Highest Since Recession
MAIL ONLINE: The number of Americans worried about the economy has reached its highest level since the darkest days of the recession two years ago, according to a new survey published today.

The Rasmussen poll showed that 87% of voters view the economy as by far the most important issue facing the government.

The percentage is five points up from an October poll and underlines the task still faced by President Obama to restore confidence in the shell-shocked financial system.

Improving the economy is seen as the highest priority since August 2008, when the scale of the financial crisis was first becoming clear.

Only 24% of voters agree with Mr Obama’s claims that his policies have the economy moving in the right direction. However, halfway into the Obama presidency more voters still believe the Bush White House was more to blame for the financial collapse than the current administration. Welcome home, Mr President: Poll reveals fears over economy at highest level since recession as Obamas return from Hawaii
>>> David Gardner | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Egypte : Persécutés dans l’indifférence
Manifestation de coptes en Egypte au lendemain de l’attentat d’Alexandrie. Les chrétiens d’Orient sont devenus indésirables. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Les violences contre les chrétiens s’intensifient au Moyen-Orient et les poussent à l’exil. Elles se heurtent au silence de la communauté internationale. Cette christianophobie croissante coïncide avec une réislamisation des pays arabo-musulmans où les chrétiens sont assimilés à l’Occident conquérant

«Nous n’avons plus de repères. Nous ne pouvons plus dire que l’Egypte est notre terre. Beaucoup de coptes songent à partir définitivement.» Atef Michael vit depuis 27 ans en Suisse. Membre de l’Eglise copte orthodoxe de Suisse romande, il s’inquiète pour le sort de ses coreligionnaires en Egypte, où il se rend régulièrement pour revoir ses amis et administrer l’héritage de son père. «Dans un siècle, il n’y aura plus de chrétiens dans ce pays, prédit-il. Le gouvernement ne protège pas les coptes et laisse faire les islamistes. Le président Hosni Moubarak a condamné l’attentat contre l’église d’Alexandrie, mais ce ne sont que des mots. En réalité, il s’en fiche. Le gouvernement n’assure pas la sécurité des coptes, qui sont victimes de vexations et de discriminations au quotidien.» >>> Patricia Briel | Mercredi 05 Janvier 2011

Gefahr! Linke Fantasien: Lötzsch spekuliert über Wege zum Kommunismus
WELT ONLINE: Die Vorsitzende der Linkspartei veröffentlichte in der "Jungen Welt" einen Text über "Wege zum Kommunismus" – und erntet heftige Kritik.

Die Linkspartei-Vorsitzende Gesine Lötzsch ist mit Spekulationen über die Zukunft des Kommunismus in die Kritik geraten. Der Direktor der Stasiopfer-Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, Hubertus Knabe, griff Lötzsch wegen eines am Montag in der linken Zeitung „Jungen Welt“ veröffentlichten Textes an, in dem sie sich über „Wege zum Kommunismus“ geäußert hatte. „Wenn die Linken-Vorsitzende öffentlich darüber sinniert, welches der beste Weg zum Kommunismus ist, kann einem nur angst und bange werden“, sagte Knabe. Für die Opfer des Kommunismus seien solche Gedankengänge „schmerzhaft und unerträglich“. >>> dapd/dpa/sam | Mittwoch, 05. Januar 2011

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Linke-Chefin erklärt Kommunismus zum Ziel der Partei: Klartext bei der Linken: Mitten in der Programmdebatte bekennt sich Parteichefin Gesine Lötzsch zum Kommunismus. Im Marxisten-Blatt "Junge Welt" hat sie einen Text platziert - darin fehlt jedes kritische Wort über die Verbrechen, die im Namen der Ideologie begangen wurden. >>> Von Stefan Berg | Dienstag, 04. Januar 2011

NZZ ONLINE: Albaniens blockierte Aufarbeitung der Geschichte: Die Auseinandersetzung mit dem kommunistischen Regime hat noch kaum begonnen >>> Daniel Ursprung | Mittwoch, 05. Januar 2011

Zehn Jahre Krieg: Wie al-Qaida die Welt veränderte
ZEIT ONLINE: 2011 jähren sich zum zehnten Mal die Anschläge vom 11. September. Seither haben die USA, hat der Westen Krieg geführt. Nun ist Amerika kriegsmüde.

Amerika wird in diesem Jahr Trauer tragen – zumindest im September. Vor zehn Jahren wurden die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika das erste Mal seit Pearl Harbor zu Hause angegriffen. In Manhattan stehen immer noch Kräne an dem Ort, wo einst die markanten Zwillingstürme des World Trade Center waren. Die Wunde der Stadt ist ebenso wenig verheilt wie die Wunde einer ganzen Nation. 19 Männer zeigten der Supermacht am 11. September 2001 mit vier Flugzeugen ihre Grenzen auf. Sie veränderten die Welt.

Niemand hat diese Bilder vergessen. Diese Aufnahmen, die nach einem Hollywood-Film aussahen und doch eine neue Wirklichkeit einläuteten: Um 8:46 Uhr Ortszeit schlug ein Flugzeug in den Nordturm des World Trade Center ein. Aus einem gigantischen Loch quoll Rauch in den Himmel über Manhattan. 17 Minuten später raste eine zweite Maschine in den intakten Südturm. Sofort war klar: Das ist kein Unfall. Zwei Flugzeuge, die innerhalb von wenigen Minuten ein Gebäude treffen – das musste ein Anschlag sein.

Dann schlug um 9:37 Uhr ein drittes Flugzeug im Pentagon ein, dem berühmten Gebäude des Verteidigungsministeriums in Arlington bei Washington. Das Wahrzeichen amerikanischer Militärmacht war rußgeschwärzt, ein Loch klaffte in der Fassade, ein Großbrand brach aus. Eine vierte Maschine zerschellte auf einem Feld im Bundesstaat Pennsylvania. Vermutlich wollten sie die Terroristen in das Weiße Haus hineinsteuern.

Fast 3.000 Menschen kamen am 11. September ums Leben. Bis heute konnten hunderte Leichen nicht identifiziert werden. Weiter lessen und einen Kommentar schreiben >>> Von Hauke Friederichs | Mittwoch, 05. Januar 2011

L'islam inspire la crainte en France comme en Allemagne
LE FIGARO: Quarante pour cent des Français et des Allemands estiment que l'islam représente «plutôt une menace», selon un sondage du Monde. Les sondés dénoncent en priorité l'échec de l'intégration des communautés musulmanes.

Jugement sévère sur l'islam des deux côtés du Rhin. Un sondage de l'Ifop, publié mardi par Le Monde, révèle que la communauté musulmane représente «plutôt une menace sur l'identité de leur pays» pour 40% des Français et 42% des Allemands. Seuls 22% des Français et 24% de leurs voisins voient dans l'islam «un facteur d'enrichissement culturel». Ces réserves sont quasiment homogènes quelques soient les classes d'âge en France. Entre 41% et 44% des sondés de 25 à 65 ans partagent ce constat. Seule exception les jeunes de 18 à 24 ans. Seuls 28% d'entre eux se déclarent inquiets. En Allemagne, la tendance est au contraire inversée. Les plus méfiants sont les jeunes, à 47%. La génération née avant 1945 ne fait part de craintes que dans 36% des cas.

Des deux côtés de la frontière, plus de deux-tiers des sondés dénoncent avant tout le manque d'intégration des communautés musulmanes. Un échec imputable aux principaux intéressés, selon 61% des Français et 67% des Allemands. Viennent ensuite les différences culturelles pour 40% des interrogés hexagonaux et 34% du panel germanique, puis le fait que les personnes d'origine musulmane soient regroupées dans certains quartiers et certaines écoles. Le racisme et le manque d'ouverture de certains Français et Allemands arrivent en quatrième position pour 18% des tricolores et 15% de leurs voisins. >>> | Mardi 04 Janvier 2011

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'Nazi' Village in Germany Becomes 'No-go Zone'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A village in east Germany has been taken over by neo-Nazis and the local Mayor claims the authorities have given up on trying to impose order.

Photo: The Daily Telegraph
People living nearby say that Jamel, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state, has become a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis from across Europe.

Jamel comprises just ten farmhouses, at least seven of which are occupied by far-right extremists. Swastikas have been daubed on the walls of the houses and a plaque at the entrance to the village states "Village of Jamel – free, social, national". There is also a sign pointing to Adolf Hitler's birthplace – "Braunau am Inn 855 kilometres".

Beer bottles and car tyres litter the streets and guard dogs strain at their chains in front yards. Young men with shaved heads practise shooting in the woods surrounding the village and children give Nazi salutes to any visitors. There is an annual party to celebrate Hitler's birthday.

"Now, they see Jamel as a 'nationally liberated zone'," Horst Lohmeyer, who lives nearby, told Spiegel. >>> | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Right-wing Extremism: The Village Where the Neo-Nazis Rule
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Hitler salutes in the street and firing practice in the forest: Neo-Nazis have taken over an entire village in Germany, and authorities appear to have given up efforts to combat the problem. The place has come to symbolize the far right's growing influence in parts of the former communist east.

Horst and Birgit Lohmeyer have been working on their life's dream for six years, renovating a house in the woods near Jamel, a tiny village near Wismar in the far northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Birgit Lohmeyer writes crime novels, her husband is a musician, and both try to pretend everything is normal here in Jamel.

It wasn't easy to find their new home. The Lohmeyers spent months driving out to the countryside every weekend, heading east from where they lived in Hamburg, but most of the houses they saw were too expensive. Then they came across the inexpensive red brick farmhouse in Jamel. Slightly run-down, but not far from the Baltic Sea, the house sits surrounded by lime and maple trees, near a lake.

The Lohmeyers knew that a notorious neo-Nazi lived nearby -- Sven Krüger, a demolition contractor and high-level member of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD). What the Lohmeyers didn't know was that other neighbors felt terrorized by Krüger. He and his associates were in the process of buying up the entire village.

Jamel is an example of the far-right problem that has plagued Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for years. The rural region, once part of communist East Germany, has a poor reputation in this regard -- the NPD, which glorifies the Third Reich, has been in the state parliament since 2006 and neo-Nazi crimes are part of daily life. In recent months, a series of attacks against politicians from all the democratic parties has shaken the state. Sometimes hardly a week goes by without an attack on another electoral district office, with paint bombs, right-wing graffiti and broken windows. >>> Maximilian Popp | Monday, January 03, 2011

To the photo gallery >>>

THE GUARDIAN: Remains in Austrian hospital graveyard may be Nazi euthanasia victims: Psychiatric institute in Tyrol finds records of up to 220 people who may have been murdered under Third Reich >>> Kate Connolly | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Iran nimmt christliche Missionare fest
TAGES ANZEIGER: Die Gruppen seien korrupt und fehlgeleitet, begründen die Behörden die Festnahme. Sie vergleichen die Missionare mit den Taliban.

Im Iran sind mehrere christliche Missionare festgenommen worden. Die Anführer einer «korrupten» und «fehlgeleiteten» Bewegung seien in der Provinz Teheran festgenommen worden und weitere Festnahmen stünden bevor, sagte der Gouverneur der Provinz Teheran, Mortesa Tamaddon. >>> miw/sda | Dienstag, 04. Januar 2010

L’islam représente "plutôt une menace" pour 40% des Français et des Allemands
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Un sondage publié ce mardi par le quotidien français Le Monde témoigne de la méfiance des populations des deux pays envers l'islam, alors que le débat sur la place de celle-ci dans la société se développe.

Pour au moins 40% des Français et des Allemands, l’islam représente "plutôt une menace", selon un sondage publié mardi par le quotidien français Le Monde, alors que le débat sur la place de l’islam se développe dans ces deux pays.

Selon ce sondage, 42% des Français interrogés considèrent les musulmans "plutôt comme une menace", et 22% les voient comme "un facteur d’enrichissement culturel" (pour 36%, ils ne sont "ni l’un ni l’autre"). Les Allemands sont respectivement 40%, 24% et 36% à donner ces réponses.

Dans les deux pays, une forte majorité répond que l’intégration des musulmans ne s’est pas faite. Ils ne sont "pas du tout" ou "plutôt pas intégrés" pour 68% des Français et 75% chez les Allemands.

Entre 5 et 6 millions de musulmans vivent en France, qui compte la plus importante communauté musulmane d’Europe, et environ 4 millions en Allemagne.
"Malgré une histoire coloniale différente, une immigration différente et des modes d’intégration différents, il est frappant de relever que le constat, dur et massif, est le même dans les deux pays", relève Jérôme Fourquet, de l’institut de sondage Ifop, qui a réalisé l’étude. >>> AFP | Mardi 04 Janvier 2011

Israel: Andrea Bocelli to Sing at Masada
YNET NEWS: Famed Italian tenor to take part in one time performance in June. All proceeds dedicated to support of Galilee, Negev residents

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has accepted an invitation from the Israeli Opera to come to Israel in June for a unique concert which will be held at the foothills of the famous Masada landmark. The concert will mark the closing of the Opera Festival which will include performances of "Aida" at the Masada and Jerusalem at the Sultan's Pool.

Proceeds from the concert, which will be held June 12 in cooperation with the Or Association, will be dedicated to the support of residents of the Negev and the Galilee.

Bocelli will be accompanied by musicians from the Rishon Lezion Symphonic Orchestra and the opera choir. The famous tenor will sing famous arias from popular operas together Neapolitan songs. Choir and orchestra pieces will also be preformed during the concert. >>> Merav Yudlilovitch | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Time To Say Goodbye: Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman

Prince Alireza Shah. Photograph: Google Images
Youngest Son of Iran Shah Commits Suicide
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prince Alireza Pahlavi, the youngest son of the late Shah of Iran, has been found dead after committing suicide in the United States, according to his family.

The prince, 44, who had been studying at Harvard University, killed himself in his home in Boston, his family said on Tuesday.

Prince Reza Pahlavi, his older brother, said Prince Alireza had been downhearted due to political developments in Iran over recent years and at the loss of other relatives.

"Like millions of young Iranians, he too was deeply disturbed by all the ills fallen upon his beloved homeland, as well as carrying the burden of losing a father and a sister in his young life," he said.

The prince was studying for a postgraduate degree in philology and ancient Iranian studies. He had already obtained degrees from Princeton and Columbia universities. >>> Jon Swaine, New York | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

ABC NEWS / US: Son of Former Iranian Shah Found Dead in Boston: Former Iranian prince, youngest son of ousted shah, found dead of apparent suicide in Boston >>> Denise LaVoie, Associated press | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Tragic Double Suicide of the Shah of Iran's Children, Who Battled to Start a New Life in the U.S.
MAIL ONLINE: The youngest son of the Shah of Iran has killed himself after a long battle with depression - following his model sister who also took her own life.

Tormented by his sister’s death and the upheaval in his native country, Alireza Pahlavi, 44, shot himself in the head at his home in Boston, where he was studying at Harvard University.

His brother, former crown price Reza Pahlavi, said the family was in ‘great sorrow’ over the tragedy.

A family statement confirmed: ‘It is with immense grief that we would like to inform our compatriots of the passing away of Prince Alireza Pahlavi.

‘Like millions of young Iranians, he too was deeply disturbed by all the ills fallen upon his beloved homeland, as well as carrying the burden of losing a father and a sister in his young life.

‘Although he struggled for years to overcome his sorrow, he finally succumbed.’ >>> David Gardner | Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Inside the Hidden Kingdom – Saudi Arabia
Watch Journeyman Pictures video here

Fettleibigkeit wird zur Volkskrankheit
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Laut einer Studie der Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung ist jeder Zweite übergewichtig. Die meisten fettleibigen Menschen leben in den USA und Mexiko.


MAIL ONLINE: Why are men getting so tubby? : The average British man has piled on A STONE in a decade. Yes greed and laziness are to blame but there are other, more worrying forces at play... >>> John Naish | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Verbunden / Related hier and here

Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Tortured on Suspicion of Revealing State Secrets'
THE GUARDIAN: Shahram Amiri, who claimed he was abducted by CIA, has not been seen since return from US last year

After being welcomed home as a hero last year, Shahram Amiri (pictured holding son Amir Hossein) has been held and tortured in Iran, according to a US-based website. Photograph: The Guardian
An Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed to have been abducted by the CIA and who returned to a hero's welcome in Tehran last July, has since been imprisoned and tortured on suspicion of giving away state secrets, according to an opposition website.

Iranbriefing.net - run by a US-based group which normally reports on political prisoners and the activities of Iran's revolutionary guard - said the scientist, Shahram Amiri, had been interrogated intensively for three months in Tehran and then spent two months in solitary confinement, where his treatment had left him hospitalised for a week.

The Tehran authorities would not confirm or deny the account.

Amiri has not been seen in public in the six months since his much-publicised homecoming from America, where he claimed to have been held against his will. State media portrayed him at the time as a daring patriot who had escaped from his alleged CIA captors with critical information about US covert operations against Iran.

US officials, surprised by Amiri's unexpected return to Iran, insisted he had gone to the US willingly. There was concern in US intelligence circles however that his original "defection" in Saudi Arabia in 2009 could have been a trap to embarrass the CIA and trick its officials into revealing how much the US knows about the Iranian nuclear programme. >>> Julian Borger and Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Related >>>

New Hungary Citizenship Law Fuels Passport Demand
BBC: Many people living in regions that used to form part of Hungary have started applying for Hungarian citizenship.

Thousands applied at Hungarian consulates in Romania on Monday, when a new citizenship law took effect, a Hungarian community leader said.

Zsolt Szilagyi said he thought "hundreds of thousands" would apply in Transylvania, northern Romania.

Some Slovak politicians have condemned the new law. Slovakia, like Romania, has a large ethnic Hungarian minority.

Hungary ceded two-thirds of its territory under the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, after being on the losing side in World War I. That left large Hungarian communities living in neighbouring countries. >>> Laurence Peter, BBC News | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Rebellion der Spanier: Die Wut über das strengste Rauchverbot Europas
WELT ONLINE: In spanischen Restaurants und Kneipen darf nicht mehr geraucht werden. Der Gaststätten-Verband sieht 145.000 Jobs in Gefahr.

Auf den ersten Blick sieht alles normal aus in der Bar „La Lata“ im Norden Madrids. Es herrscht großer Andrang an der Theke, die reichlich mit Tapas bestückt ist. Die Kunden genießen wie gewohnt den Aperitif am späten Vormittag und unterhalten sich angeregt.

Und doch fehlt der typische Qualm, denn seit Tagen gilt überall in Spanien eines der strengsten Rauchverbote in Europa. Zigaretten sind aus Cafés, Bars, Restaurants und geschlossenen Räumen verbannt. Auch vor Krankenhäusern, auf Spielplätzen und vor den Schulen darf nicht mehr gequalmt werden. Sogar die als „Raucheraquarien“ verschrienen Glasquader an Spaniens Flughäfen wurden jetzt abgeschafft.

„Noch fehlt es uns nicht an Gästen, aber das Ambiente ist weg“, sagt Amelia hinter der Theke. Kein Wunder, dass sich fast alle Diskussionen um das Rauchen und das neue Antitabakgesetz der sozialistischen Regierung von José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero drehen. „Einen solchen Eingriff in meine persönliche Freiheit hätte ich von einer links orientierten Regierung nicht erwartet“, sagt Alberto, ein junger Versicherungskaufmann und passionierter Raucher. Marta, seine hübsche Kollegin, widerspricht ihm. „Ich fühle mich ohne den ständigen Qualm hier jetzt viel wohler.“ >>> Ute Müller | Dienstag, 04. Januar 2011

Verbundene Artikeln hier, hier, und hier

Pakistan Governor Assassinated Over Blasphemy Laws Campaign
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: One of Pakistan's most outspoken politicians was shot dead in Islamabad on Tuesday by one of his own guards in a killing that police are linking to his controversial campaign to reform the country's blasphemy laws.

Witnesses said Salman Taseer, 56, the governor of Punjab province, was killed by a gunman in a police uniform at a small market close to his home in the capital.

His death is the most high-profile political assassination since the murder of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, in December 2007.

Last night the government appealed for calm as members of Taseer's Pakistan People's Party staged demonstrations in the Punjab city of Multan.

The country's government is already on the brink of collapse, following the defection of a key coalition ally, and further unrest would deepen the sense of political crisis.

Eyewitnesses said Taseer was a familiar figure at Kohsar Market, an arcade popular with expat aid workers, diplomats and journalists. >>> Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

What Women Really Want: To Marry a Rich Man
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Women still want to marry men who are better educated and earn more money than them, a report finds today.

The idea that women dislike being financially dependent on men is a myth, with more choosing to “marry up” now than did so in the 1940s, according to Dr Catherine Hakim from the London School of Economics.

After decades of gender equality campaigning many women now find it hard to admit that they want to be a housewife more than they want a successful career of their own, she said.

The study comes after the Coalition announced a series of measures intended to narrow the pay gap between men and women.

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, said large companies could be forced to declare how much more they pay men and announced that firms would be able to use “positive action” to recruit new staff from under-represented groups for the first time.

However, Dr Hakim criticised David Cameron for backing the idea of quotas to ensure that more women gain seats on the boards of leading companies. Men dominate top positions because many women simply do not want long careers in business, she said.

Despite 40 years of reforms to promote gender equality at work, a woman’s financial dependence on a man “has lost none of its attractions”, she said. >>> Tim Ross, Social Affairs Editor | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

CENTRE FOR POLICY STUDIES: Feminist Myths and Magic Medicine: The flawed thinking behind calls for further equality legislation >>> Catherine Hakim

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH BLOGS: So the feminist man-haters and victim-mongers were wrong all along >>> Cristina Odone | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Con Coughlin: Nick Clegg Is Clueless When It Comes to Fighting Terrorism
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH BLOGS: With every day that passes Nick Clegg gives us yet further proof of why he is totally unsuited for high office. As the country’s deputy prime minister, he will have been made fully aware, from the regular briefings he receives from our intelligence and security services, of the very real threat this country faces from Islamist terrorism.

Indeed, it was only through the skill and diligence of dedicated security officers that a major terrorist attack was narrowly averted over the Christmas holiday. The targets apparently included Parliament itself, which you might have thought would have driven home even to pacifist-minded politicians like Mr Clegg the very real and present danger we all face from this pernicious threat. Read on and comment >>> Con Coughlin | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The Islamification of Britain: Record Numbers Embrace Muslim Faith
THE INDEPENDENT: The number of Britons converting to Islam has doubled in 10 years. Why? Jerome Taylor and Sarah Morrison investigate

The number of Britons choosing to become Muslims has nearly doubled in the past decade, according to one of the most comprehensive attempts to estimate how many people have embraced Islam.

Following the global spread of violent Islamism, British Muslims have faced more scrutiny, criticism and analysis than any other religious community. Yet, despite the often negative portrayal of Islam, thousands of Britons are adopting the religion every year.

Estimating the number of converts living in Britain has always been difficult because census data does not differentiate between whether a religious person has adopted a new faith or was born into it. Previous estimates have placed the number of Muslim converts in the UK at between 14,000 and 25,000.

But a new study by the inter-faith think-tank Faith Matters suggests the real figure could be as high as 100,000, with as many as 5,000 new conversions nationwide each year.

By using data from the Scottish 2001 census – the only survey to ask respondents what their religion was at birth as well as at the time of the survey – researchers broke down what proportion of Muslim converts there were by ethnicity and then extrapolated the figures for Britain as a whole.

In all they estimated that there were 60,699 converts living in Britain in 2001. With no new census planned until next year, researchers polled mosques in London to try to calculate how many conversions take place a year. The results gave a figure of 1,400 conversions in the capital in the past 12 months which, when extrapolated nationwide, would mean approximately 5,200 people adopting Islam every year. The figures are comparable with studies in Germany and France which found that there were around 4,000 conversions a year. >>>Jerome Taylor and Sarah Morrison | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

'Why I Decided to Convert to Islam'
BBC: Up to 100,000 converts to Islam are living in the UK, with white women leading the growing number of people embracing the Muslim faith, according to a report by Kevin Brice of Swansea University.

The study, on behalf of the Faith Matters organisation, found 5,200 people converted to Islam in the UK last year.

A survey of 122 converts last year showed 56% were white British, with women making up 62% of respondents.

One convert in Wales, Jane, talks to Felicity Evans of BBC Radio Wales about why she chose to follow the faith and change her life. Listen to BBC audio >>> | Tuesday, January 04, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Surge in Britons converting to Islam: White women lead a wave of Britons embracing Islam, with a 50 per cent rise in converts living in this country in a decade according to a new report. >>> | Tuesday, January 04, 2011