Terry Jones Says Afghan U.N. Violence 'Proves My Point'
ABC NEWS: Florida Pastor Says He's Not Responsible for Protest Against his Koran Burning That Left 11 Dead, Including U.N. Staffers, in Afghanistan

Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who oversaw the burning of a Koran last month, said he did not feel responsible for the violent protest at a United Nations compound in Afghanistan today that left at least 11 dead. Instead, he said the violence proved his point.

"We wanted to raise awareness of this dangerous religion and dangerous element," Jones said. "I think [today's attack] proves that there is a radical element of Islam."

As for the 11 dead, which included seven U.N. staffers and guards, Jones told "Nightline" anchor Bill Weir, "We do not feel responsible, no."

The deaths followed a protest march in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif today against the Koran burning. Jones supervised while another pastor, Wayne Sapp, soaked the Koran in kerosene and burned it.

"We decided to put the Koran on trail," he told Weir. "I was the judge but I did not determine the verdict. I was just a type of referee so that people got their time to defend or condemn the Koran."

Jones said that a "jury" of people from all over Florida debated the radicalism of Islam, and the "Koran was found guilty." (+ video) » | Nick Schifrin, Agha Aleem, Lee Ferran and Matt Gutman | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Pastor Terry Jones: A Homophobic Used Furniture Salesman with a Love of Controversy
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pastor Terry Jones is a homophobic used furniture salesman who has become famous solely through the use of controversy.

The 59-year-old runs the Dove World Outreach Centre in Gainsville, Florida, whose congregation numbers just a few dozen.

The church is based in a 20-acre compound where Jones lives with his wife, Sylvia, and is said to regularly patrol the grounds with a pistol strapped to his hip.

He took over the church in 1996 on the death of its founder, Dr Don Northrup, after spending 20 years as a missionary in Europe, including Germany.

His chief enemies are homosexuals and Muslims, although he insists it is only radical Islam which he opposes.

In the most recent incident, which sparked the slaughter in Afghanistan, Pastor Jones was preaching at a service at his church on March 20 when his colleage, Pastor Wayne Sapp, set a copy of the Koran alight.

However, Pastor Jones denied any responsibility for the riot in Mazar-e Sharif, in which around 20 people died, including two who were reportedly beheaded, in what is the worst incident of its kind in recent years.

He said he was "absolutely not responsible" for the atrocities, and tried to move the conversation to Muslims, saying: "We must take a serious, serious look at Islam. It's a violent religion that promotes acts of violence. I believe we need to bring this before the UN." » | Andy Bloxham | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Why Weren't the Obamas Invited to the Royal Wedding?
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: What do Barack Obama and Muammar Gaddafi have in common? If you guessed that they're both Muslims, go to the front of the Tea Party.

Their real commonality is that neither got invited to Prince William's and Kate Middleton's royal wedding.

I can understand Ghaddafi's exclusion - probably bad form to have a guy in your party who's killing his own people. Besides, his wardrobe would clash with anything they'd wear.

Plus he's pretty busy right now defying NATO and Anderson Cooper and most likely couldn't make it anyway.

But what's with the President of the United States? He's in the rejected category along with Fergie, the Weight Watching Duchess of York.

Michelle Obama even said a few weeks ago on "Live With Regis and Kelly" that, "if I get invited, I'll go," as close to begging as this regal First Lady gets. And who, including the world's most powerful husband, has said "no" to her lately?

This is a snub of epic proportions. We should impose a no-Richard-Branson-zone over the U.S. in protest.

The other night in his Libya speech, Obama said, "Born, as we are, out of a revolution by those who longed to be free..." You think that was a coincidence? That's you he was smack-talking, rude and exclusive England! Continue reading and comment » | Phil Bronstein | Friday, April 01, 2011

YOUTUBE: Prince William & Kate Middleton - The Interview »

Kingdom Condemns Iranian Statement
ARAB NEWS: RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned a statement issued by Iranian authorities that demanded Saudi Arabia to pull its forces out of Bahrain and describing the Saudi policy in the Gulf as playing with fire.

An official source of the Saudi government said, "It condemned in strong terms the irresponsible statement issued in the name of the Committee for National Security and Foreign Policy of the Council of Iranian Islamic Shoura which described the Saudi policy in the Gulf region as playing with fire and demanded the Kingdom to withdraw its forces from Bahrain," the Saudi Press agency reported on Friday.

"The statement (of the Iranian committee) ignores the premeditated interference in the internal matters of the countries in the region violating the sovereignty and independence of those countries. It also attempts to stoke sedition and incite trouble with hostile policies contravening international laws and norms and principles of good neighborliness. The latest instance of Iran's brazen interference was in Kuwait where it used a network, linked to the Iranian mission, to plot against that country," the Saudi statement said. Continue reading and comment » | ARAB NEWS | Friday, April 01, 2011

Related »

Saudi Arabia's Anti-protest Fatwa Is Transparent
THE GUARDIAN: The fatwa's meaning is clear: reform measures may proceed, but will be dictated from the royal and clerical heights of power

The official Saudi religious scholars' fatwa banning mass demonstrations, issued on 6 March, is a lengthy but, for the Muslim reader, a transparent document. It embodies the balancing act that has become necessary for the royal family to maintain its authority. Saudi subjects desire social reform profoundly, and most of them trust King Abdullah to lead them on the path of change. The Saudi monarchy and the religious authorities with which it is allied must channel such demands through existing "Islamic" means of redress, generally consigned to the heading of "consultation".

But the sixth paragraph cites a hadith, or oral comment, of the prophet Muhammad that includes a severe threat against internal dissent: "The Prophet again said: 'He who wanted separate affairs of this nation who are unified, you should kill him with [the] sword whoever he is' (narrated by Muslim)." "Muslim" was Muslim Ibn Al-Hajjaj, an early collector of hadith, recognised by Sunnis as authoritative.

The Council of Senior Scholars praises itself for loyalty to Islam and its own "wise leadership", then calls on the Saudi people to "increase cohesion" and "strengthen intimacy" in the country. It "affirms the necessity of mutual advice, understanding and co-operation in righteousness and piety, and in prohibition of evil and hostility".

It also claims a secular legitimacy for the state of Saudi Arabia: the identity of the kingdom, its "progress and prosperity", have been "obtained … with legal secular means". This cannot appear as anything but dissonant considering that the Saudi state has no official secular institutions, and that it asserts (in the same fatwa) that its governance is founded exclusively on the Qur'an and mainstream Islamic tradition. Continue reading and comment » | Irfan al-Alawi | Friday, April 01, 2011

Bahrain's Calculated Campaign of Intimidation
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Bahraini activists and locals describe midnight arrests, disappearances, beatings at check-points, and denial of medical care – all aimed at deflating the country's pro-democracy protest movement.

Manama, Bahrain
With a wave of midnight arrests, checkpoints, and targeting of wounded protesters, Bahrain's Sunni rulers have launched what appears to be a calculated campaign to intimidate supporters of the pro-democracy protest movement that began here in February.

Security forces have directed much of the abuse – which includes midnight arrests, checkpoints, and targeting of wounded protesters – toward Bahrain’s majority Shiite population, instilling fear and raising sectarian tensions in the tiny kingdom.

“I don’t want to go anywhere now. I’ll stay in my home because there is no safety,” says Ibrahim, a university student who says he was recently beaten and held for 36 hours at a checkpoint, and has a deformed left ear and bruises elsewhere to prove it. He asked that his last name be withheld for his own safety.

“While they were beating us, they said, ‘Where is your Mahdi now? Why isn’t he coming to save you?’ ” says Ibrahim, referring to a messianic figure in Shiite Islam. “They made us scream 'Mahdi.' They put my face in the ground, and told me to speak. Then they kicked dust in my mouth.”

What was their crime?

“We are Shiite,” says Ibrahim. “They want to remove all Shia from Bahrain.”

In a speech to parliament Tuesday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed al-Khalifa said the authorities were not targeting Shiites, but were imposing law and order. Bahrain is operating under emergency law, put in place last month.

"The measures are not imposed against any religious sect as some have said, but rather they are used against those who have broken the law," he said, according to the state news agency. " We are not trying to spread evil, but good, and outlaws will meet justice." » | Kristen Chick, Correspondent | Friday, April 01, 2011

Zapatero verzichtet auf Wiederwahl
TAGES ANZEIGER: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero möchte im nächsten Jahr nicht zur Wiederwahl als spanischer Ministerpräsident antreten. Die Popularität des 50-Jährigen hat in jüngster Zeit stark gelitten.

Der spanische Ministerpräsident José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero strebt keine weitere Amtszeit an. Er trete bei der nächsten Parlamentswahl im nächsten Jahr nicht erneut als Spitzenkandidat der Sozialisten (PSOE) an, sagte Zapatero heute auf einer Sitzung des Parteivorstandes in Madrid. » | mrs/sda | Samstag, 02. April 2011

Libye : Moussa Koussa, la «boîte noire» du régime
LE FIGARO: Arrivé mercredi soir à Londres, le ministre des Affaires étrangères libyen est une prise de choix pour les alliés.

La défection du ministre des Affaires étrangères libyen, Moussa Koussa, paraît digne d'un roman de John Le Carré. Arrivé lundi en Tunisie par la frontière terrestre, il atterrit mercredi soir sur l'aéroport d'affaires de Farnborough, près de Londres, à bord d'un jet privé, ou, selon d'autres sources, d'un appareil militaire britannique. Coup de maître des services secrets occidentaux le lâchage de cet ancien chef des services de renseignements va faire mal à Kadhafi. Même s'il n'était plus au cœur du système politico-sécuritaire depuis un an environ, Moussa Koussa, 61 ans, est la boîte noire du régime. Comme les enregistreurs placés à bord des avions, il emporte avec lui l'historique d'un trajet sanglant, l'histoire des services secrets libyens depuis 1969. De l'époque du terrorisme à celle des négociations avec l'Occident.

Malgré la résonance comique de son patronyme («courgette» en arabe) Moussa Koussa n'a rien d'un amuseur, même s'il entame sa carrière par une gaffe monumentale. À peine nommé ambassadeur à Londres, il annonce en 1980 dans une interview au Times: «Les comités révolutionnaires ont décidé hier soir d'exécuter deux personnes de plus au Royaume-Uni, et je les approuve.» Le gouvernement britannique, qui le soupçonne déjà d'être chargé de superviser les assassinats d'opposants libyens en exil en Europe du Nord, lui donne 48 heures pour faire ses bagages. D'autant plus que, dans la même interview, l'éphémère ambassadeur chante les louanges de l'IRA, à laquelle Kadhafi envoie kalachnikovs, lance-missiles et explosifs militaires par bateaux entiers. Continuez à lire et écrire un commentaire » | Par Pierre Prier | Jeudi 31 Mars 2011

Will Gaddafi's Son Betray Him? British Spies Claim Saif Has Approached Them for Talks
MAIL ONLINE: They sent a stark message Saif can play no role in Libya's future

Gaddafi's son Saif has made ‘repeated’ attempts to reach out to British and Italian intelligence officers, it was claimed yesterday.

The moves have raised hopes he is considering betraying his father.

British officials and MI6 officers say they have held ‘several’ conversations with close allies of Gaddafi’s heir over the past three weeks – and have indicated they are prepared to offer the family an exit route.

They sent the stark message that Saif can play no role in the future of Libya.

But they also indicated that Saif would be allowed to land in Britain if he were to repeat the defection of Libyan foreign minister Musa Kusa, who took a private plane from Tunisia to Farnborough airfield on Wednesday night.

That is likely to provoke widespread revulsion. But senior Libyans admit Saif’s alleged attempts to talk are part of a wider bid by those around Gaddafi to devise an exit strategy. Continue reading and comment » | Tim Shipman | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Related »

Inside Story - Libya: Defections in the Ranks
The battle for Libya took an unexpected turn with the news that foreign minister Moussa Koussa resigned and fled to Britain.

He's said to have left his post because of attacks on civilians by government forces.
Diplomats in the West say it's a sign that Muammar Gaddafi's regime is crumbling from within and are urging others to follow him out. But just how significant will this decision be in turning the tide against Gaddafi? Has Moussa Koussa's defection dealt a severe blow for Gaddafi? And what does it mean for the ongoing battle to topple the regime? Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with: Henry Shuler, a former US diplomat who served in Benghazi in the 1960s; Mohammed Abdulmalek, chairman of Libya Watch, a human rights organisation monitoring abuses inside Libya; and Shashank Joshi, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and a doctoral student of international politics at Harvard University

Ceasefire Offer Rejected in Libya
After anti-Gaddafi fighters lose ground in a week of fierce fighting, the Benghazi-based National Council offers a ceasefire deal - swiftly rejected by government officials. The offer came as UN envoy Abdelilah al Katib visited both Gaddafi loyalists in Tripoli and opposition officials in Benghazi.
Al Jazeera's James Bays reports from Benghazi on the latest efforts to exploit apparent divisions within Gaddafi's inner circle

Quran Burning Sparks Deadly Protest
Seven UN workers were among the dead after a protest over the burning of a Quran in Florida descended into mob violence.
Hundreds of people marched on a UN compound in Mazar-e-Sharif and attempted to seize guards' weapons.
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Kabul on the increased tensions which have followed the publication of photos showing US soldiers posing with the bodies of dead Afghans

Reaction to Quran Burning
US pastor Terry Jones' supervision of the burning of a Quran has drawn international condemnation, while, in Afghanistan, protests against the act led to the deaths of seven UN workers.
Al Jazeera's Kimberley Halkett reports on the small-time preacher known for stirring up big-time hate

Syrians Continue Protests amid Violence
Thousands of protesters hit the streets in cities across Syria on Friday, billed as a "day of martyrdom", to demand political reforms. 
However, gunmen in plainclothes attacked the crowd and fired live ammunition, killing a girl and injuring many others.
 The Syrian state news agency accused "armed gang" for the firing, while the government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
 Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports from capital Damascus

Related »

David Cameron Rules Out Deal for Saif Gaddafi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has ruled out offering Saif Gaddafi, the dictator's son, any special deal or treatment if he wishes to leave Libya, Downing Street officials said yesterday.

Saif Gaddafi will now be treated in the same way as his father after making a series of inflammatory statements over the past few weeks. He was previously a regular visitor to Britain and was close to politicians and businessmen.

However, he is now likely to be arrested if he attempts to flee to this country or another European nation.

Downing Street has stated its position towards Saif Gaddafi after it emerged that one of his key aides had travelled to Britain earlier this week, during which he had talks with intelligence officials. This sparked speculation that the aide, Mohammed Ismail, was exploring a possible exit deal for Saif Gaddafi – although this has been played down by Whitehall sources.

Noman Benotman, a Libyan and senior analyst at Quilliam, a think tank, said that his contacts had told him Mr Ismail had proposed a scenario under which Gaddafi's sons would take over, or at least have a role in a new government, and their father would step aside with his honour intact.

The British Government is understood to have ruled out the "scenario" and Mr Ismail was told Gaddafi, and those around him, had to go.

A government source said Mr Ismail had been visiting family members, but that Britain had "taken the opportunity to send some very strong messages about the Gaddafi regime".

Yesterday, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "If people are in the UK they are subject to UK law."

He also made clear that Saif Gaddafi will be classed the same way as his father. "We have a very clear view about the present regime and those people involved in that regime," he said. » | Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | Friday, April 01, 2011

Syrians March in Tens of Thousands against President
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian protesters braved renewed bloodshed and an unprecedented security presence across the country as they marched in their tens of thousands to denounce their increasingly intransigent president.

Watch video here
Read article here

Gaddafi Regime Admits Attempts to Talk to West
THE GUARDIAN: Former prime minister says Libyan officials trying to negotiate with UK, France and US, as rebels outline ceasefire conditions

The regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has initiated a concerted effort to open lines of communication with western governments in an attempt to bring the conflict in the country to an end.

As fighting continues in Libya, the country's former prime minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi told Channel 4: "We are trying to talk to the British, the French and the Americans to stop the killing of people. We are trying to find a mutual solution."

Obeidi's indication of the increased effort to make contact with western governments came as opposition leaders in the rebels' de facto capital of Benghazi laid out their own conditions for a ceasefire.

The initiatives on both sides appear to reflect an emerging stalemate between the forces and a growing war-weariness.

Obeidi's comments followed his confirmation that a meeting had taken place between a senior aide to Gaddafi's influential son Saif al-Islam and British officials on Wednesday in London, as revealed by the Guardian. » | Peter Beaumont | Friday, April 01, 2011

Afghanistan: Mob köpft UN-Mitarbeiter in Masar-i-Scharif
WELT ONLINE: Chaos im Einsatzgebiet der Bundeswehr: Ein fanatischer Mob hat ein UN-Büro in Masar-i-Scharif gestürmt, es gab viele Tote. Zwei Ausländer wurden enthauptet.

Bei einem Angriff wütender Demonstranten auf das UN-Hauptquartier im nordafghanischen Masar-i-Scharif sind am Freitag elf Menschen getötet worden. Unter den Opfern seien acht ausländische UN-Mitarbeiter, unter ihnen fünf Wachmänner aus Nepal, sagte der regionale Polizeichef.

Die Demonstranten protestierten gegen die Verbrennung eines Korans in einer Kirche in Florida vor knapp zwei Wochen. Nach Angaben des örtlichen Polizeichefs sollen zwei UN-Mitarbeiter geköpft worden sein. Das berichtet die "New York Times" auf ihrer Website. » | AFP/pku | Freitag, 01. April 2011

Libyan Defections Continue
With Moussa Koussa, Libya's former foreign minister, now in London being questioned by UK authorities, questions have been raised regarding more possible defections from Muammar Gaddafi's inner circles. Many of Libya's ambassadors, and some members of Gaddafi's cabinet, defected in the early days of the revolution, and Koussa, a former Libyan intelligence chief, is the latest in a string of such officials.
Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from London

Libyan Opposition Offers Ceasefire
On the battlefields of Libya, it appears the fighting has reached something of an impasse. Pro-Gaddafi forces are again reported to be attacking pro-democracy positions in the third city of Misurata, while the two sides are also engaged in a struggle for territory near the key port of Brega.
In a new development, the opposition today offered a conditional ceasefire.

 Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from Benghazi

Schweizerin in Syrien: «Knaben spielen keinen Fussball mehr»
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Eine Schweizerin, die seit seit rund sieben Jahren in der syrischen Stadt Latakia lebt, hat «tagesschau.sf.tv» am Telefon ihre Eindrücke aus Syrien geschildert. Im Moment verlässt sie ihre Wohnung nur selten. Sie hat vor allem Angst, dass Blut fliesst.

Das letzte Mal verliess die 40-jährige Frau aus der Region Zürichsee ihre Wohnung vor drei Tagen. Sie besuchte ihre Schwägerin. «An vielen strategisch wichtigen Punkten sind Militärs zu sehen», erzählt sie «tagesschau.sf.tv».

Auf dem Heimweg von ihrer Schwägerin kam es zu einer brenzligen Situation. Junge Männer rannten über die Strasse – «ich habe beinahe einen überfahren», so die Schweizerin. Sie habe den Eindruck gehabt, dass sich die Lage zuspitze.

Müllabfuhr muss zweimal anrücken

Die Stimmung sei allgemein angespannt. Die Schulen sind geschlossen und auf dem Spielplatz, den die Schweizerin von ihrer Wohnung aus sehen kann, toben keine Kinder mehr. Oft würden dort Knaben in Schuluniform Fussball spielen. «Die fussballspielenden Kinder sind weg.» » | Sibylle Katja Bossart | Freitag, 01. April 2011