Sunday, May 29, 2011
NZZ am SONNTAG: Ein neues Selbstbewusstsein hat die saudischen Frauen erfasst. Sie wollen sich das Recht auf Autofahren erkämpfen. Das erzürnt die Konservativen.
Das neue Selbstbewusstsein arabischer Bürger hat auch die saudischen Frauen erreicht. Sie fordern die konservativen Kleriker in einem neuen Ausmass heraus und finden auch zunehmend Unterstützung ihrer männlichen Landsleute. Die jüngste Debatte im Internet, in den sozialen Netzwerken und in etablierten saudischen Medien löste die Aktivistin Manal al-Sharif aus. Sie fuhr verbotenerweise Auto in der Stadt al-Chubar und liess sich dabei auch von einer Freundin filmen. Dann veröffentlichte sie ihre Aktion auf dem Internetportal Wikipedia, mit der Aufforderung an alle saudischen Frauen, ihrem Beispiel zu folgen. In mehreren Fällen hatte die saudische Justiz in den vergangenen Jahren es einfach ignoriert, wenn sich Frauen ans Steuer gesetzt hatten. Al-Sharifs öffentlichen Aufruf empfanden die Behörden aber offenbar als nicht mehr hinnehmbar. Am vergangenen Wochenende wurde sie verhaftet. Al-Sharif besitzt laut ihrem Anwalt einen ausländischen Führerschein. Die Justiz begründet ihre Festnahme dennoch damit, dass sie ohne Führerschein gefahren sei, andere Frauen angestiftet habe, dasselbe zu tun, und die öffentliche Ordnung gestört habe. » | Max Borowski, Jerusalem | Sonntag, 29. Mai 2011
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Historische Entscheidung auf Malta: Auch in dem streng katholischen Inselstaat sollen zerrüttete Ehen künftig geschieden werden können. Mit einer Mehrheit votierten die Wähler des EU-Zwerg-staates für ein gesetzliches Scheidungsrecht. Bislang war Malta der einzige EU-Staat, in dem die Ehescheidung verboten war.
Auf Malta sollen nach dem Willen der Mehrheit der Bürger Scheidungen künftig möglich sein. Dies sei das Ergebnis des am Samstag zu der Frage abgehaltenen Referendums, teilte der Regierungschef der Mittelmeerinsel, Lawrence Gonzi, am Sonntag in Valletta mit. Gonzi erklärte, das Ergebnis entspreche nicht seinen Wünschen. Der Wille des Volkes müsse aber respektiert werden, und das Parlament werde deswegen ein Gesetz zur Einführung der Ehescheidung verabschieden. Malta ist der einzige EU-Staat, in dem die Ehescheidung verboten ist. Nun ist die Ehescheidung weltweit nur noch auf den Philippinen verboten. Fast drei Jahrhunderte beherrschte der katholische Malteser-Orden die Insel - und noch heute sind 95 Prozent der 400.000 Einwohner Maltas Katholiken, die Kirchen sind stark besucht. » | KNA | Sonntag, 29. Mai 2011
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda gunmen have captured the southern Yemeni city of Zinjibar after heavy fighting with security forces.
Government officials said that the provincial capital was under the control of militants after fighting that began on Friday and had claimed 16 lives, including civilians.
The fighters "were able to gain control of the city of Zinjibar ... and took over all government facilities" a security official told AFP. Only the headquarters of the the 25th mechanised brigade was holding out, he added, but it was besieged by the gunmen.
A local resident said: "About 300 Islamic millitants and al-Qaeda men came into Zinjibar and took over everything on Friday." » | Sunday, May 29, 2011
So what, after all that, are we to make of the great Obama-Cameron concord? What message exactly are we supposed to take from the speeches, the statements, the press conference and the ecstatic briefings? There was certainly an over-arching theme that no one was intended to miss: as a former US president might have put it, the torch has been passed to a new generation. These two national leaders who inherit the most effective alliance in modern history are significantly different from their immediate predecessors: we are not, repeat not, Bush and Blair, but that does not mean that we are about to funk the responsibilities which those men saw as defining their world role. So the question is: when the similarities are added up and the differences subtracted, what is the sum that remains? Is this really a revival of liberal interventionism, or a retreat from it that is being obscured by a lot of high-flown rhetoric?
The commitment to upholding the values of liberty and democratic freedoms as universal human rights was reiterated again and again in terms as unequivocal as any that the previous holders of their offices could have wished. No patronising cynicism about certain races and certain regions of the globe being insufficiently rational to cope with the modern idea of a free and liberal society. (George Bush and Tony Blair were the ghosts at the barbecue, you might say.)
Certainly, the moral obligation to spread the doctrine of democratic government and to support the efforts of any people who seek to liberate themselves from tyranny sounded uncannily like a revival of the Bush doctrine. It would be easy to conclude, as Amity Shlaes puts it in the current issue of Standpoint magazine, “…the reality is that we are all neo-cons now”.
But in fact there was nothing in Mr Obama’s comment that “the longing for freedom and human dignity is not English or American or Western – it is universal” that was the least bit contentious in American terms: the principle that all men are created equal and are born with a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is written into the nation’s sacred founding documents. Read on and comment » | Janet Daley | Saturday, May 28, 2011
My comment:
Despite the rhetoric, the US is going to hell in a handbasket! The economy is in the tank, and Obama has little hope of doing anything meaningful to stop it disappearing into the abyss. Obama is a good-timer, a poseur, and is work-shy to boot. Instead of flitting here and flitting there, he should stay at home and do some real work for a change, in order to sort out the appalling mess that is the American economy.
Moreover, once upon a time, America was 'The Land of the Free.' Alas, no more! Everywhere you turn in the States these days there are restrictions. New York under Tyrant Bloomberg is the best example of how a people can lose its freedom to satisfy the prejudices of one physically-challenged dictator. To talk about America and freedom in the same breath when a smoker can't even light up in a park for fear of breaking the law (I write as a non-smoker), is absurd. Similar laws are being rolled out across the nation, from coast to coast. Then there are the restrictions on so many other things too.
And all this talk of democracy. Empty rhetoric when you don't have it yourself. In any case, the US is technically not a democracy; rather, it is a republic. The people have very little actual say in the day-to-day governance of their once great nation.
Dubya started spending the US into the ground; BHO's grand economic schemes and spendthrift ways have only accelerated the the process. With America's new-found propensity for over-governance, if the torch of freedom is not to be doused, then some other nation will have to take it and run with it. It's doubtful America will be able to keep it alight; Americans, it seems, have forgotten what freedom is. – © Mark
This comment also appears here
IPT: Egyptian leftist news portal Al-Badeel reports that a group of Egyptian activists will form a Nazi party for upcoming elections. The Egyptian Nazi group claims it will bring together prominent figures and ex-military officers, to promote fascist single-party rule.
Founding member Emad Abdel Sattar summed up the group's belief in single-party rule. The party "believes in vesting all powers in the president after selecting him or her carefully," and within the party "preparations are under way to choose the most competent person to represent the party." The appeal of authoritarianism comes from recent chaos in the streets, burning Coptic churches by Salafi Muslims, and random violence against civilians, according to the report. » | IPT News | Friday, May 27, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Britain is training Saudi Arabia's national guard – the elite security force deployed during the recent protests in Bahrain – in public order enforcement measures and the use of sniper rifles. The revelation has outraged human rights groups, which point out that the Foreign Office recognises that the kingdom's human rights record is "a major concern".
In response to questions made under the Freedom of Information Act, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that British personnel regularly run courses for the national guard in "weapons, fieldcraft and general military skills training, as well as incident handling, bomb disposal, search, public order and sniper training". The courses are organised through the British Military Mission to the Saudi Arabian National Guard, an obscure unit that consists of 11 British army personnel under the command of a brigadier.
The MoD response, obtained yesterday by the Observer, reveals that Britain sends up to 20 training teams to the kingdom a year. Saudi Arabia pays for "all BMM personnel, as well as support costs such as accommodation and transport".
Bahrain's royal family used 1,200 Saudi troops to help put down demonstrations in March. At the time the British government said it was "deeply concerned" about reports of human rights abuses being perpetrated by the troops.
"Britain's important role in training the Saudi Arabian national guard in internal security over many years has enabled them to develop tactics to help suppress the popular uprising in Bahrain," said Nicholas Gilby of the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Analysts believe the Saudi royal family is desperate to shore up its position in the region by preserving existing regimes in the Gulf that will help check the increasing power of Iran. » | Jamie Doward and Philippa Stewart | Saturday, May 28, 2011
THE GUARDIAN: Bradley Manning, the man held over the leaking of confidential cables to WikiLeaks, was a 'mess of a child' who should never have been put through a tour of duty in Iraq, according to an investigative film produced by the Guardian | Teresa Smith, Maggie O'Kane, Guy Grandjean, Jacqui Timberlake, Jim Hedge, Chavala Madlena, Dan Ramirez, Bill Thomas, Richard Sprenger and Christian Bennett | Friday, May 27, 2011
JIHAD WATCH: For most Americans and those reading this, the nation of Malaysia--the country I call home--is likely nothing more but a mysterious, distant, small and relatively unimportant land. Some of you might be familiar with Malaysia's carefully cultivated public image of being some sort of harmonious multicultural tropical paradise, which is recycled endlessly in 30-second-long television spots both here and overseas.
But for anyone who may be trying to come to grips with the grim reality that is Islam, Malaysia may be one of the most important places on the planet. That's because anyone who still, despite all the evidence, feels that there really is a moderate, progressive, tolerant and peaceful Islam, need look no further than Malaysia. Once you do, you'll be thoroughly disabused of this notion.
My own awakening to Islam is mostly a tale of ignorance and more than whiff of denial, punctuated by sudden, shattering and irreversible epiphanies. I say 'shattering' because the ideas that I embraced as I grew up--that Islam is just one religion of many, and doesn't particularly pose a threat to anyone--does not withstand anything more than a cursory examination of the facts. And as the evidence piled up and my doubts grew, those old notions I had held previously, like a sheet of plate glass, came apart under the hammer blows of truth.
The first blow to my complacency was that dark day in Lower Manhattan nearly ten years ago. Like so many others reading this, I was horrified at the televised scenes of destruction and carnage in New York and Washington. How could any rational human feel otherwise? But as the days and months passed after September 11th, I starting hearing Malaysians say, over and over, that the US Government was lying about 9-11, that it was a 'set up' and a plot against Islam. And that the Jews were really behind it, of course. As I realised how sincere these Malaysians were in these outlandish ideas, I thought, "What makes so many people in this country prone to this nonsense?" At the time, the exact answers eluded me, but my budding doubts about Islam festered. » | Anti-Jihadist | Saturday, May 28, 2011
It was 1942 in Hitler's Austria, and there was no way of knowing who could have been paying her an unannounced visit.
But as she opned the door, rather than the terrifying sight of Gestapo officers, her Jewish fiance and his two brothers were on the doorstep, looking nervously over their shoulders.
The three had fled to Prague after the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938. But by 1942, that city too was in the hands of Hitler's henchmen.
They were told to pack essentials for deportation to a concentration camp.
They wrote suicide notes to make authorities think they were dead, and then did what no one thought any Jew would do - they took a night train straight to Vienna, back into the heartland of the Nazi Reich.
In deciding to protect them from the Nazis that night, Becher - now Edeltrud Posiles - embarked on a dangerous game of hide-and-seek that included some truly hairy moments: on one occasion the three jumped from a balcony to escape detection, and Walter, her future husband, pretended to be a waiter as the Gestapo stormed a cafe.
Walter Posiles as well as his brother Ludwig survived. Hans, the oldest brother, beat the odds of being found by the Nazis only to be killed by a Russian bomb during the dying days of the war.
Hiding Jews was punishable by death. But the feisty 94-year old says 'there was never a moment's doubt in my mind', when asked if she hesitated as she was asked by the brothers for sanctuary.
And - even though the marriage ended in divorce - 'I would do it again,' declares Posiles, the last one of 88 Austrians known to have saved Jews from the Holocaust who is still alive. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, May 28, 2011
At the pulpit of an inner-city Chicago mosque, the tall blond imam begins preaching in his customary fashion, touching on the Los Angeles Lakers victory the night before, his own gang involvement as a teenager, a TV soap opera and then the Day of Judgment.
"Yesterday we watched the best of seven.... Unfortunately we forget the big final; it's like that show 'One Life to Live,' " Imam Suhaib Webb says as sleepy boys and young men come to attention in the back rows. "There's no overtime, bro."
The sermon is typical of Webb, a charismatic Oklahoma-born convert to Islam with a growing following among American Muslims, especially the young. He sprinkles his public addresses with as many pop culture references as Koranic verses and sayings from the prophet. He says it helps him connect with his mainly U.S.-born flock.
"Are we going to reach them with an Arab message or with a Pakistani message? Or are we going to reach them with an American message?" asks Webb, 38, of Santa Clara. He is a resident scholar and educator with the Bay Area chapter of the nonprofit Muslim American Society, but reaches others in lectures and through his popular website, which he calls a "virtual mosque."
Webb is at the forefront of a movement to create an American-style Islam, one that is true to the Koran and Islamic law but that reflects this country's customs and culture. Known for his laid-back style, he has helped promote the idea that Islam is open to a modern American interpretation. At times, his approach seems almost sacrilegious. » | Raja Abdulrahim, Los Angeles Times | Friday, May 27, 2011
Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith -- Dr. Andy Thomson from Kurt Volkan on Vimeo.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama said that relations between his country and Poland have 'never been stronger' as he confirmed that he and the Polish President had discussed the visa regime for Poles.
The visa issue is the main irritant in traditionally cordial relations between the two Nato allies, though the US President will need the support of Congress to make the change.
Obama said: "We discussed how we can more regularise the visa process between our two countries and I indicated to him the work we are doing in the US to be able to achieve that.
"In sum, I think the relationship between our two countries has never been stronger. I am very proud to come here in order to say thank you to the Polish people for their friendship." (+ video) » | Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Richard Dawkins Foundation (For Reason and Science) »
Dann müssen schrittweise sämtliche rund 670 Coffeeshops, in denen bisher der Verkauf und Verzehr von Marihuana, Haschisch und anderen Softdrogen offiziell geduldet wird, in geschlossene Clubs umgewandelt werden. Sie können ihre berauschenden Hanfprodukte zwar an Clubmitglieder verkaufen, Ausländer sind davon aber ausgeschlossen. » | AG/red | Samstag, 28. Mai 2011
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