Libyan New [sic] Leaders Pledge 'Moderate' Islamic Rule

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Libya's new leaders have pledged "moderate" Islamic rule even as their fighters were accused of committing war crimes.

Interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil received a hero's welcome when he made a public speech in Tripoli's main square late on Monday.

Thousands celebrated last month's fall of the Gaddafi regime in Martyrs' Square, two days after Abdel Jalil, the head of the National Transitional Council (NTC), arrived in Tripoli from Benghazi in the east.

Moderate Islam would be the main source of legislation in post-Gaddafi Libya, he told the crowd.

"We will not accept any extremist ideology, on the right or the left. We are a Muslim people, for a moderate Islam, and we will stay on this road," he said. » | Tuesday, September 13, 2011

NZZ ONLINE: Libyen skizziert den neuen Staat: Chef des Übergangsrates strebt eine gemässigte islamische Ordnung an » | sda/dpa/Reuters | Dienstag 13. September 2011

FAZ: „Libyen soll Rechtsstaat werden“ : Libyen soll ein gemäßigter islamischer Staat werden, mit der Scharia als wichtigster Quelle der Gesetzgebung: Das sagte der Vorsitzende des Übergangsrates Dschalil während seiner ersten öffentlichen Rede in Tripolis. » | AFP/dpa | Dienstag 13. September 2011

Phone Hacking: George Osborne 'Owed' Andy Coulson, Says Lawyer

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: George Osborne faces questions over his relationship with Andy Coulson after it was suggested that he might have helped the former editor to get a job as David Cameron’s media adviser because he owed him “a favour”.

A solicitor representing victims of phone hacking by the News of the World during Mr Coulson’s time as editor suggested Mr Osborne was “almost indebted” to Mr Coulson because of the way the newspaper had covered allegations made by a prostitute that the MP had taken cocaine with her.

Mark Lewis said the newspaper had put “a gloss” on its reporting of Natalie Rowe’s claims that the Chancellor took the class A drug in the early 1990s, before he became an MP. “Andy Coulson had done George Osborne a favour,” he said. “Perhaps it was time for George Osborne to reciprocate and do a favour back.”

The Chancellor’s aides yesterday dismissed any suggestion that Mr Osborne had felt obliged to Mr Coulson, and also denied a series of other lurid allegations made by Miss Rowe in an interview with Australia’s ABC television network.


Mr Coulson’s appointment as David Cameron’s communications director has drawn criticism throughout Mr Cameron’s tenure as Tory leader. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Monday, September 12, 2011

David Cameron Tells Russian Hosts: KGB Tried to Recruit Me But I Failed the Test

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: KGB agents tried and failed to recruit David Cameron when he was a young student, the Prime Minister told his Russian hosts yesterday.

On a visit to Moscow, he joked that he apparently failed to pass the “interview” during the bizarre incident on a gap-year trip to the Black Sea coast in 1985.

When told of the incident, President Dmitry Medvedev said that Mr Cameron would have made a “very good KGB agent”.

Mr Cameron described the apparent approach during a speech to students at the Moscow State university. “I first came to Russia as a student on my gap year between school and university in 1985,” he said. “I took the Trans-Siberian railway from Nakhodka to Moscow and went on to the Black Sea coast.

“There, two Russians, speaking perfect English, turned up on a beach mostly used by foreigners.”

He continued: “They took me out to lunch and dinner and asked me about life in England and what I thought about England.”

A naive Mr Cameron apparently did not immediately realise what had happened at the resort of Yalta until returning to Britain. He is understood to have been travelling with a friend, Anthony Griffith. The Prime Minister said: “When I got back I told my tutor at university and he asked me whether it was an interview. If it was, it seems I didn’t get the job.” Read on and comment » | Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor in Moscow | Monday, September 12, 2011

WIKI »

Israel Watches Its Old Alliances Crumble

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The overthrow of President Mubarak in Egypt, the estrangement of Turkey and a UN vote on Palestinian statehood combine to make an intractable set of problems.

Secluded in an emergency operations bunker, long after darkness had fallen to mark the start of the Sabbath last Friday, Israel’s most powerful men had become convinced that history was about to repeat itself.

Hundreds of miles away, six intelligence officers, detailed to protect Israel’s embassy in Cairo, had barricaded themselves in the building’s strongroom. A mob of hammer-wielding Egyptians were closing in. The rioters had already broken down two of the strongroom’s doors and were now hammering on the third. Three of the Israelis drew their guns, preparing for a last stand.

Speaking to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister who had been patched through on a secure line, the most senior of the men, identified only as Jonathan, asked his commander-in-chief to deliver news of his capture or death to his wife in person, rather than by telephone.

For all involved, as Israeli officials later recounted, the drama threatened to become a reprise of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 US diplomats were held captive for 444 days after an Islamist mob had stormed the American mission in Tehran.

This time, the most feared outcome was averted – thanks to the intervention of the White House. Facing American threats of dire retribution if any of the Israelis was harmed, Egypt’s military rulers dispatched a team of commandos to rescue the trapped men, a mission completed in the nick of time.

In the wake of the incident, Egypt and Israel have worked hard to avert a full-scale diplomatic crisis, with both states emphasising their commitment to the peace treaty they signed in the same year the Shah fell. Even so, in Israel the mood was one of relief rather than jubilation. There is a growing conviction that disaster has merely been postponed rather than resolved. Continue reading and comment » | Adrian Blomfield | Monday, September 12, 2011

Libya Could Fall into Hands of Extremists, Nato Warns
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The warning came in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph as Muammar Gaddafi's loyalist forces stepped up a fightback on three fronts.

Libya could be in danger of falling into the hands of Islamic extremists if a stable government is not rapidly established, the Nato secretary-general has warned.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Islamic extremists would “try to exploit” any weaknesses as the country tried to rebuild after four decades of Col Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.

Mahmoud Jibril, the interim Libyan prime minister, arrived in Tripoli only at the end of last week after complaints that he had been too busy travelling the world to lead his own revolution.

Asked if Nato was worried that a delay in setting up a fully fledged replacement government increased the risk of extremists taking control, Mr Rasmussen said: “We cannot exclude the possibility that extremists will try to exploit a situation and take advantage of a power vacuum.”

While he said Nato was not actively targeting Gaddafi, Mr Rasmussen admitted things could “move very fast” if he was removed. “I think that he still inspires resistance in some pockets of Gaddafi loyalists.” » | Thomas Harding, Ruth Sherlock in Bani Walid and Richard Spencer in Tripoli | Monday, September 12, 2011

Londres veut prendre ses distances avec l'Europe

LE FIGARO: Poussé par les conservateurs eurosceptiques, le gouvernement souhaite rapatrier certains pouvoirs dévolus à Bruxelles.

La crise de l'euro donne une occasion en or aux eurosceptiques pour remettre en cause les liens entre la Grande-Bretagne et l'Europe. L'offensive de députés conservateurs depuis quelques semaines trouve un écho jusqu'au gouvernement. Le ministre des Affaires étrangères, William Hague, plaide lui-même pour un assouplissement des relations avec Bruxelles. «C'est vrai de l'euro, cela pourrait être vrai dans de nombreux domaines à l'avenir. En fait, nous tenir à l'écart nous permettrait d'aller de l'avant», a-t-il déclaré dans une interview au Times samedi.

Plus prudent, le premier ministre, David Cameron, n'est pas totalement en désaccord avec cette idée. «Le Royaume-Uni pourrait bénéficier d'un rapatriement de certains pouvoirs de Bruxelles», a-t-il admis la semaine dernière à la Chambre des communes, citant en exemple le droit du travail ou la finance. Il souhaite également s'affranchir de la tutelle de la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme. Après les émeutes du mois d'août, il a accusé l'institution de «couvrir» les délinquants en leur offrant un recours contre les sanctions des tribunaux. Les Britanniques ont aussi eu du mal à accepter plusieurs décisions de la cour de Luxembourg sur le droit de vote des détenus ou le temps de travail des médecins par exemple. » | De correspondent du Figaro à Londres, Florentin Collomp | Dimanche 11 Septembre 2011

Gaddafi's Last Strongholds Stand Firm
September 12, 2011: Why are the rebel forces still facing such strong pro-Gaddafi resistance in the city of Bani Walid?
Watch Inside Story here

800 Foreigners Converted to Islam in 6 Months
THE PENINSULA: DOHA: A total of 800 expatriates converted to Islam in the last six months, according to statistical data released by Qatar Guest Centre (QGC).

The Centre, which is affiliated to Sheikh Eid bin Mohammad Al Thani Charity, is planning to publish the stories of these converts in a book to be translated in other languages. Also, QGC is organising in Al Khor advocacy programmes to educate the new Muslims in cooperation with religious guidance and mosque affairs department and Ministry of Awqf and Islmaic Affairs.

Of the 800 new Muslims 67 percent are Filipinos, according to Hadi Al Dosari, Director of Qatar Guest Centre. In its four years of service to Islam and the Muslims, the Centre has been contributing to the promotion of Islam with the number of new converts from various nationalities reaching 919 last year, said Al Dosari.

He said the number of converts to Islam has been increasing steadily for the last years. From 21 new converts monthly in year 2006, the numbers increased to 28 in 2007, 46 in 2008, 52 in 2009 52 and 77 last year. “These numbers reflect the efforts of the Centre to bring the message to all the communities,” he said.

The Centre is also organising cultural activities which attract a lot of people through lectures, seminars and meetings with various expatriate communities. » | Saturday, September 10, 2011

Pro-Gaddafi Forces Kill 15 at Libya Oil Refinery
Muammar Gaddafi loyalists attacked an oil refinery Monday, killing 15 guards, in an apparent attempt to disrupt a drive by Libya's new rulers to seize the ousted leader's last bastions and revive the oil-based economy.

Read article here

Mort en prison d'un militant syrien de 26 ans

LE MONDE: L'organisation de défense des droits de l'homme Human Rights Watch (HRW) a annoncé la mort en détention du militant prodémocratique syrien Ghiyat Matar, arrêté le 6 septembre avec l'un de ses amis Yahya Charbaji. M. Matar avait joué un rôle central dans l'organisation de manifestations pacifiques contre le régime de Bachar Al-Assad.

Selon HRW, ce militant de 26 ans est mort en détention à la suite de tortures. Soncorps, qui a été remis à sa famille samedi, présente des traces de blessure sur le visage et des ecchymoses à la poitrine. » | LEMONDE.FR | Lundi 12 Septembre 2011

Joan Collins: I'd Crack Down on Immigration

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Joan Collins on her political manifesto - and exactly what she thinks of celebrities today.

Politics being showbusiness for ugly people, Joan Collins has no interest in getting involved in it. As we learn in her new book, a manifesto entitled The World According to Joan, at 18 she was voted “Most Beautiful Girl in England” (page 46), while at the age of 21 she was signed up to a film in which she had to play “the most beautiful girl in New York” (page 49) [printed edition].

Dear Joanie tells me that she did once get involved with UKIP, “but I wasn’t sure it was the kind of thing I wanted to do. I’m not Glenda Jackson.” No, heaven forbid. So where does La Collins fall on the political spectrum? “I’d say I was Conservative party, 1940s.” She laughs huskily; it’s ever so naughty. “And I was a very big supporter of Thatcher.”

What does she think of David Cameron? “I like David, but I think he’s hog-tied by what’s-his-name.” Nick Clegg? “Yes. I’m not a big fan.” And what does she think of Ed Miliband. “Not a lot,” she says simply.

Even though La Collins insists that a life in Westminster holds no thrall for her – she is, after all, 78, and goodness knows what the electorate would make of her second and third homes in Los Angeles and St Tropez – she doesn’t hesitate when I ask her what she would do if, in a parallel universe, Joan Collins were Prime Minister.

“First, education. I think it is shocking that 15- and 16-year-olds leave school unable to add up and with the reading ability of a four-year-old. When I was at school, I was terrible at algebra and arithmetic, but I was always the best at English and literature. And acting, of course.” She does a self-mocking “Of course I was” shrug of her shoulders, which are currently minus Dynasty-style pads. Continue reading and comment » | Bryony Gordon | Monday, September 12, 2011

THE DAILY EXPRESS: Joan Collins: Why I Despair of Britain Today » | John Chapman | Monday, September 12, 2011

Wahlkampf in Ägypten: Radikale Moslems wollen Bikiniverbot am Strand

Auch Alkohol soll aus der Öffentlichkeit verschwinden
BILD: Eine Million Deutsche reisen jedes Jahr nach Ägypten. Besonders beliebt ist der Badeurlaub an den Stränden des Roten Meers. Doch damit könnte bald Schluss sein – zumindest für Frauen, die gern Bikini tragen.

Die konservativ-islamische Muslimbruderschaft macht Stimmung gegen nackte Haut in der Öffentlichkeit.

„Der Strand-Tourismus muss die Werte und Normen unserer Gesellschaft berücksichtigen“, sagte der Generalsekretär der neugegründeten Freiheits- und Gerechtigkeitspartei der „Jerusalem Post“. Die Partei ist der politische Arm der Islamisten. » | Bild.de | Montag 12. September 2011

Libyen: Gaddafi-Sohn flüchtet nach Niger

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE (FAZ): Einer der Söhne des einstigen libyschen Machthabers Muammar al Gaddafi, Al Saadi, ist in den Niger geflohen. Immer mehr enge Vertraute und Familienmitglieder des gestürzten Diktators setzen sich ins Ausland ab.

Gaddafis Sohn Al Saadi habe am Sonntag die Grenze zum Nachbarland Niger überquert, sagte der nigrische Justizminister Marou Amadou in der Hauptstadt Niamey. Wie der arabische Nachrichtensender Al Dschazira weiter berichtete, wurde der 38 Jahre alte frühere Fußballprofi in einem Konvoi mit acht weiteren Personen aufgegriffen. Die Regierung von Niger sei nicht vorab informiert worden.

Immer mehr enge Familienmitglieder des gestürzten libyschen Diktators Muammar Gaddafi setzen sich ins Ausland ab. Al Saadi ist bereits das vierte von acht Kindern Gaddafis, das sich ins Ausland abgesetzt hat. Zuvor war Ende August die zweite Ehefrau des untergetauchten einstigen Machthabers, Safija al-Gaddafi, mit der Tochter Aischa und dem Sohn Hannibal nach Algerien geflüchtet. Mit dabei war auch Gaddafis ältester Sohn Mohammed, der aus erster Ehe stammt. Wo sich früherer Diktator Gaddafi aufhält, ist weiterhin unklar. » | FAZ.NET | Montag 12. September 2011

Investors Shy Away from Sharia Funds Following Arab Spring
FINANCIAL NEWS: Sharia-compliant funds had been proving increasingly popular until the global financial crisis and then the Arab Spring frightened off investors and stymied private equity activity in the Middle East.

Fundraising volumes have collapsed, with not a single sharia fund raised so far this year, acacording [sic] to data provider Preqin.

Sharia-compliant funds, which enable investors to comply with Islamic law, are simple to structure and are guided by certain principles relating to interest accrual and the types of investment they can make.

Funds could be restricted, for example, from investing in businesses related to alcohol, gambling, pornography, weapons, tobacco and pork-related products. The funds are overseen and approved by a sharia supervisory board.

Sharia funds have varying degrees of flexibility depending on their target investors, which can include ultra high net worth individuals, institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds, according to Richard Hughes, a senior fund services manager at fund administration specialist Vistra Group.

Private equity firms based outside the Middle East can target Muslim investors by offering side-vehicles set up alongside existing funds that are not sharia-compliant.

Before the onset of the financial crisis, interest in sharia funds had been on the rise, with private equity firms raising $5.6bn of capital through six such funds in 2006. » | Ayesha Javed | Monday, September 12, 2011

By Reacting to 9/11 with Self-recrimination, the Western Elites Have Strengthened the Hand of Brutal Islamism
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – RICHARD LANDES: In the years before 2000, as the director of the ephemeral Centre for Millennial Studies, I scanned the global horizon for signs of apocalyptic activity, that is, for movements of people who believed that now was the time of a total global transformation. As I did so, I became aware of such currents of belief among Muslims, some specifically linked to the year 2000, all predominantly expressing the most dangerous of all apocalyptic beliefs – active cataclysmic: that is, the belief that this transition from evil to good demands massive destruction, and that we true believers are the agents of that destruction, warriors of God,Mujahidin. Death cults, cults of martyrdom and mass murder… destroying the world to save it.

Nor were these beliefs magical, like the far better known Christian, but largely passive-cataclysmic, Rapture scenarios where one must await God’s intervention. They had practical means and goals. In the same year 1989, that Bin Laden drove the Russians from Afghanistan, Khomeini issued a global fatwah against Rushdie, and the West trembled. Iran and Afghanistan, however, like so many utopias born of such death cults, proved terrifyingly dystopic – acid in the faces of unveiled women. But these bitter new heavens on earth also showed remarkable staying power… and spreading power. So when Bin Laden struck with such spectacular force on 9-11, he took his Jihad, already declared in 1998 against America (the “Second AD” ), to the next level. He put deeds to words.

We, in the West, were taken totally by surprise. Who are these people? Why haven’t we heard about them before? (NB: the blogosphere, which first “took off” in the early “aughts” (‘00s) is largely the product of a vast number of people turning to cyberspace for information that their mainstream news media had conspicuously failed to deliver.)

What was the logic of such a monstrously cruel attack that targeted civilians? A warning shot to pay attention and address grievances? Or the opening shot in a battle for world domination? Was this primarily an act of retribution for wrongs suffered, i.e., somewhat rational? Or global revenge at global humiliation, i.e., a bottomless pit of grievance?

Some of us said, “What can they possibly believe to make them hate so?” Others, “What did we do to make them hate us so?” And while both are legitimate questions, over the last decade, the “aughts”, we have split into two camps, each of which will not allow the other question’s consideration.

A Frenchwoman said to me in 2003, “after 9/11, there are two kinds of people: those who understand that we are at war, and those in denial.” Some pointed to a culture of genocidal incitement in the ideology of this religious enemy. They identified the totalistic reasoning, and warned that what these Mujahidin said in their own language was radically different from how “moderate” Muslims portrayed them to the West. Read on and comment » | Richard Landes | Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11 Anniversary: Muslim Protesters Burn US Flag Outside Embassy in London

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A group of Muslim protesters set fire to an American flag outside the US embassy in London during a minute's silence to mark the moment that the first hijacked airliner hit the World Trade Center 10 years ago.

A number of radical Islamic groups including Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) gathered outside the embassy on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

The group of around 100 men shouted "USA terrorists", brandished anti-American placards and chanted through a loudhailer.

Several members of the Muslim groups made anti-American speeches following the flag burning.

One said: "You will always face suffering, you will always face humiliation, unless you withdraw your troops from Muslim lands."

Another declared that America had been "defeated in Iraq and defeated in Afghanistan".
Members of the group publicly burned a poppy on Armistice Day in a similar stunt.

However, a small opposing group of Muslims - some of whom had travelled hundreds of miles to rebut the extremists - staged a counter-demonstration nearby, holding up placards reading "Muslims Against Extremism" and "If You Want Sharia, Move To Saudi". » | Andy Bloxham | Sunday, September 11, 2011

Dix mots pour dire le souvenir du 11-Septembre

LE BLOG DE CÉCILIA ATTIAS: Merci à tous ceux et celles qui ont découvert ce blog ce matin. Les réactions sont nombreuses : je m'en réjouis, car cela signifie que chacun se sent libre de s'exprimer, ce qui est bien entendu mon souhait. De New York, où j'habite, je ne peux pas passer sous silence l'émotion qui est la mienne face au dixème anniversaire de l'attentat du 11-Septembre, alors que la ville se prépare à sa célébration. Dix ans déjà que le monde a basculé. L’attentat du 11-Septembre restera à jamais ce moment historique qui a signé la fin d’une ère et bouleversé le monde. Je vous livre ma réflexion autour de dix mots clés. » | Cécilia Attia | Dimanche 11 Septembre 2011

Ahmadinejad: le 11-Septembre, un prétexte pour envahir l'Irak et l'Afghanistan
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: IRAN | Le président iranien est intervenu dimanche en pleine journée de commémorations des dix ans du 11-Septembre: pour lui, les attentats ont eu lieu pour servir de "prétexte" à l’invasion de l’Irak et de l’Afghanistan.

Le président iranien Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a réaffirmé dimanche que les attentats commis le 11 septembre 2001 aux Etats-Unis avaient eu lieu pour servir de "prétexte" à l’invasion de l’Irak et de l’Afghanistan par les Occidentaux.

"Le 11-Septembre a été un jeu visant à influencer les émotions de l’humanité et à trouver un prétexte pour attaquer des régions musulmanes et envahir l’Irak et l’Afghanistan en tuant un million de personnes innocentes", a déclaré M. Ahmadinejad dans un discours devant un congrès de responsables religieux du monde musulman et diffusé sur le site internet de la présidence iranienne. » | AFP | Dimanche 11 Septembre 2011

Margaret Thatcher Speaks to Congress
Looking back

England to New Zealand, 9/11 Remembered