Umstrittenes russisches Gesetz: Duma will Schwule aus der Öffentlichkeit verbannen
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Fast 20 Jahre nach Abschaffung des Homosexualitätsverbots steht in St. Petersburg und anderen russischen Städten unter Strafe, öffentlich über Schwule zu reden. Nun soll die Staatsduma sogar ein landesweites Gesetz gegen "Schwulenpropaganda" beschließen.

Moskau - Liberale Kräfte und Menschenrechtler in Russland sind in Aufruhr: Öffentliches Reden über Homosexualität soll künftig überall im größten Land der Erde unter Strafe gestellt werden. Bisher haben die Touristenmetropole St. Petersburg und einige andere Städte ein Gesetz gegen sogenannte Schwulenpropaganda erlassen, um, wie es heißt, Kinder und Jugendliche zu schützen. Nun liegt der Staatsduma ein umstrittener Gesetzentwurf für das ganze Land vor.

Als "Hassgesetz" und "Weg ins finsterste Mittelalter" brandmarkt der menschenrechtspolitische Sprecher der Grünen im Bundestag, Volker Beck, die Initiative der von Regierungschef Wladimir Putin geführten Partei Einiges Russland. Laut Gesetzentwurf soll auch die Aufklärung über Homo-, Bi- und Transsexualität mit Geldstrafen geahndet werden. Kritiker warnen, dass dadurch zum Beispiel die Aids-Vorsorge erschwert werde.

In St. Petersburg wischt der Abgeordnete Witalij Milonow von der Putin-Partei solche Kritik beiseite. Als Speerspitze der Initiative wirft er etwa der deutschen Band Rammstein "Schwulenpropaganda" vor. Und er warnt schon einmal vorsorglich Popstar Madonna mit Blick auf ihr im Sommer geplantes Konzert vor Gesetzesbruch. Auch Filme, Musikvideos, Bücher und Zeitschriften mit homosexuellen Inhalten sowie die Regenbogenfahne als Symbol der Schwulenbewegung gelten als verboten. » | vme/dpa | Donnerstag, 29. März 2012

Is George Galloway a Muslim?

Islamic Republic Of Britain - George Galloway

CAIR: NY Law Firm Drops Anti-Islam Speaker Robert Spencer
THE SACRAMENTO BEE: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today thanked a prominent New York law firm for its decision to cancel an event featuring Robert Spencer, the leader of one of the nation's most extreme anti-Islam hate groups.

Earlier today, CAIR expressed concerns about the April 18 event at the law offices of Kramer LevinNaftalis & Frankel (Kramer Levin) in New York City.

The event, sponsored by the right-wing Middle East Forum (MEF), would have promoted Spencer's claim that Islam's Prophet Muhammad may never have existed. MEF is headed by Daniel Pipes, who is viewed by many Muslims as one of the nation's leading Islamophobes.

In a statement sent to CAIR, Kramer Levin Executive Director Nicholas J. Tortorella wrote:

"From time to time we receive requests from not for profit or community organizations to use our conference rooms for meetings or other events. While we permit our facilities to be used occasionally for these purposes, Kramer Levin can take no responsibility for the content of these events and in no way endorses any opinions that may be expressed during them. In this instance, we were not aware of the controversy surrounding the speaker at the April 18th event. Now having been alerted to the situation, we have withdrawn permission for the event to take place at our offices."

"We thank Kramer Levin for taking swift and appropriate action to disassociate itself from Robert Spencer's extremist views," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "The firm's actions demonstrate a commitment to religious tolerance and diversity."

In 2010, Kramer Levin published an "Employment Law Update" with a section on "Accommodating Muslim Employees." That publication stated in part: "Employers must ensure that Muslim employees are protected from discrimination and are provided with reasonable accommodations for their religious practices." » | Council on American-Islamic Relations | WASHINGTON | PRNewswire-USNewswire | Thursday, March 29, 2012

JIHAD WATCH: Action alert: New York law firm Kramer Levin caves to Hamas-linked CAIR, cancels Robert Spencer event » | Robert Spencer | Jihad Watch | Friday, March 30, 2012

New Book Argues Against Islam in America

PRWEB: Author Kalai-o-Waha urges Americans to remove radicals from the United States.

In his new book "On Guard, America: A Challenge To Islam - Forcing The Enemy Out From Within - Why The Muslim Brotherhood Will Fail" (published by AuthorHouse), Kalai-o-Waha discusses his objections to Islam – which he sees as a threat – and the reasons he believes Americans should not tolerate the practice of Islam in the United States.

Kalai-o-Waha dedicates a majority of the book to examining the Quran and using it to help make his point, which is that a good Muslim cannot be a good American. In his words, the principal goal of his book is, “…to force Islam out of America while their numbers are small enough. If we don’t take action soon, we will become slaves (dhimmis) and will be subjected to pay a poll tax (jizyah) to eat and breathe in what was once our homeland – that’s if we haven’t been beheaded.”

The following excerpt from "On Guard, America" touches on the reasons the author gives to validate the sense of urgency he feels and wishes to pass on to readers:

It is the goal of Islam to convert the entire world to the Islamic faith. If the people do not wish to convert, they are Unbelievers and are to be destroyed… …By converting the majority of the people in America to Islam, then Islam, through its voting power, can control America.

» | Honolulu, Hi | PRWEB | Friday, March 30, 2012

France Detains 19 Suspected Islamists
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police have detained 19 people in a crackdown on suspected Islamist extremists in cities around France on Thursday and more such raids are planned, Nicolas Sarkozy said.

President Sarkozy gave no details about the justifications for the arrests, or what specifically the detainees are suspected of.

"It's in connection with a form of Islamist radicalism," Sarkozy said on Europe-1 radio.

The raids come after a spate of killings in southern France claimed by Mohamed Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchman who espoused radical Islamist views and said he had links to al-Qaeda. Merah was killed in a gunfight with police last week and buried near Toulouse on Thursday. » | AP | Friday, March 30, 2012

US Election 2012: George Bush Endorses Mitt Romney
Former US President George HW Bush and Barbara Bush officially endorse Mitt Romney and advise his Republican rivals to know "when to fold 'em".

Read the short article here | Friday, March 30, 2012

George Galloway Wins Bradford West by-Election
George Galloway scored a dramatic victory in the Bradford West by-election, securing a 10,000-plus majority in what he called a "massive rejection" of mainstream parties.

Read the article and comment here | Friday, March 30, 2012

France Bars Muslim Clerics from Entering Country
FOX NEWS: PARIS – France has barred a group of Muslim clerics, including one of the most prominent voices in Sunni Islam, from entering the country to attend a conference. France's foreign ministry said Thursday the clerics were invited by the French Islamic Union to speak at a congress in Le Bourget near Paris from April 6-9.

One of those barred, the Egyptian-born Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, says he refuses to come to France.

The ban also includes other high-profile Muslim clerics of Palestinian, Egyptian and Saudi origin.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that "these people call for hatred and violence and seriously violate the principles of the Republic, and in the current context, seriously risk disrupting public order."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said earlier this week that these figures would not be "welcome" as their views are incompatible with French values. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

FOX NEWS: Is There Something In Islam That Makes Believers More Susceptible to Radicalization? » | Lauren Green | Thursday, March 10, 2011

Marco Rubio Endorses Mitt Romney

David Cameron and George Osborne Are Seen as Out-of-touch Toffs – David Davis

TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – JAMES KIRKUP: When sorrows come, they come not as single spies but in batallions. In David Cameron's case, those batallions often include one David Davis, late of the SAS and the Conservative shadow cabinet.

Ben Brogan has already identified the need for the Government to look and sound like it understands the rest of us. Mr Davis, the former shadow home secretary is making a similar point, in a rather more aggressive way. He's has given an interview to BBC Radio Four's World at One, in which he warned that the Cameron-led Conservatives risk losing the "hard-working aspirant" working class. "You can’t win an election without them," he noted.

Because of austerity measures, those people feel they’ve been “pushed off the escalator”, he said. "They start to resent those at the top of the escalator, and that works worst against Conservatives.”

“They look at the front bench. They see them, all very well turned out, well-fed, they look like they’re in a completely different world" Read on and comment » | James Kirkup | Thursday, March 29, 2012

Guerlain Fined for Racist Remark
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: A French court convicted longtime perfume maker Jean-Paul Guerlain of making racist insults on national television and fined him Thursday €6,000 ($8,000).

The 75-year-old Mr. Guerlain, an heir to his family's cosmetics empire, provoked anger among French minorities with the comments in a 2010 interview on France-2 television. He used a French word for black people in a derogatory way as he described how hard he worked to create one of the company's most famed perfumes.

Several anti-racism groups filed legal complaints, and protests were staged in front of the Guerlain store on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. Some called for a boycott of Guerlain products.

Mr. Guerlain apologized to France's black community during the trial, calling it an "imbecilic" remark. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

All National Car Rental Vehicles in France to Include Breath Test Kits
ITCM: Following news of changes to road regulations in France, National Car Rental, leading international car rental specialist, has confirmed that all its vehicles will include breathalyser alcohol testing kits. In a clamp down on drink-driving, all drivers on French roads, including foreign visitors, will have to carry breath test kits with them or face a fine. The move by National Car Rental, therefore, ensures its customers are able to comply with this new regulation.

From 1st July 2012, all drivers on French roads must carry disposable breathalyser kits with them. The measure allows drivers to test whether they are over the limit before they get in their car and aims to cut the number of road related deaths in France. Drivers found without a breathalyser in their vehicle could be fined €17. » | Thursday, March 29, 2012

British Politicians Betraying Britain, Giving Free Rein to Islam
Ken Livingstone, the British Labour Party's candidate for mayor of London, says he wants to turn the capital city into a "beacon" of Islam.

Speaking to Muslim worshippers on March 16 at the North London Central Mosque, one of the most hardline mosques in Europe, Livingstone pledged that if elected, he would "educate the mass of Londoners" about Islam.

Livingstone, a self-described socialist who previously served as the mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, declared: "I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands [Mohammed's] words and message. That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet."


Related »

"I Will Make London a Beacon of Islam"
GATESTONE INSTITUTE – International Policy Council: Livingstone's appeal to Muslims may, on May 3, propel him into the mayor's office. Either way, London appears headed for an Islamic future.

Ken Livingstone, the British Labour Party's candidate for mayor of London, says he wants to turn the capital city into a "beacon" of Islam.

Speaking to Muslim worshippers on March 16 at the North London Central Mosque, one of the most hardline mosques in Europe, Livingstone pledged that if elected, he would "educate the mass of Londoners" about Islam.

Livingstone, a self-described socialist who previously served as the mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, declared: "I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands [Mohammed's] words and message. That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet."

Livingstone's electioneering tactic may earn him the support of Muslim voters in London. But by speaking at the North London mosque, Livingstone has also succeeded in reviving long-standing suspicions that he is closely linked to Islamic fundamentalists.

The North London Central Mosque, also known as the Finsbury Park Mosque, has a well-established reputation for being a center for radical Islamism in Britain. The mosque was once controlled by Abu Hamza al-Masri, an Egyptian jihadist who is now in prison in Britain for "instigation to acts of terrorism." The Finsbury Mosque is currently being run by the Muslim Association of Britain, an Islamist organization tied to the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

One of Livingstone's main links to radical Islam is through an organization called the Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE), an Islamist group dedicated to changing the "very infrastructure of society, its institutions, its culture, its political order and its creed … from ignorance to Islam." » | Soeren Kern | Friday, March 23, 2012


TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – ANDREW GILLIGAN: Ken Livingstone: I will make London a beacon of Islam » | Andrew Gilligan | Monday, March 19, 2012

Algeria Doesn't Want French Gunman's Body, Muslim Leader Says
FOX NEWS: TOULOUSE, France – A young man who claimed responsibility for France's worst terror attacks in years will be buried Thursday in a Muslim cemetery near the southern city where he was killed in gunfight with police, religious leaders said.

Burying Mohamed Merah is a sensitive issue for both his native France and his father's native Algeria.

Merah told police he filmed himself killing three schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers in a spate of attacks earlier this month. Merah, who said he had links to Al Qaeda, was shot in the head after a standoff with police last week.

His father wanted him buried in a family plot in Algeria. Merah's body was brought to the airport in the city of Toulouse on Thursday, and his mother had been expecting to accompany it to Algiers on a flight later in the day.

But Abdallah Zekri of the French Muslim Council, or CFCM, told The Associated Press that Algerian authorities refused for "reasons of public order." Zekri had been liaising with Algerian authorities in Toulouse.

Instead, Merah will be buried at the Muslim cemetery in Cornebarrieu, near Toulouse, Zekri said. » | Associated Press | Thursday, March 29, 2012

LE MONDE: Pourquoi Alger a refusé l'enterrement de Merah en Algérie » | Par Amir Akef | Alger | jeudi 29 mars 2012

Ces islamistes qui disent non à la charia
LE MONDE – L’Editorial du “Monde”: L'histoire de la Tunisie post- Ben Ali retiendra peut-être le lundi 26 mars 2012 comme une date importante. Ce jour-là, le parti islamiste Ennahda, qui domine la vie politique, a dit non aux groupes extrémistes salafistes. Il a opposé un refus net et catégorique à l'introduction de la charia - la loi islamique - dans la Constitution du pays.

Ce faisant, Ennahda a accompli son premier acte de vrai parti de gouvernement. Il a préféré la réalité à l'idéologie ; il s'est comporté en formation responsable ; il a pris le risque de l'affrontement avec une partie de la famille islamiste. Il a privilégié l'empirisme étatique à la pureté sectaire.

Si Ennahda, que dirige Rachid Ghannouchi, tient cette ligne, alors la Tunisie, précurseur du "printemps arabe", restera un pays modèle - et qui rayonnera bien au delà de ses frontières. » | Editorial | mardi 27 mars 2012

"Anders Breivik Is Not Crazy" — The Surprise Defense Of Norway's Mass Killer

TIME – WORLDCRUNCH: This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in Le Monde.

OSLO — Geir Lippestad will definitely cause some controversy with the approach he plans to take in the upcoming trial of Anders Breivik, Norway's infamous extreme-right terrorist. For starters, Lippestad, Breivik's defense attorney, intends to place Mullah Krekar — an Islamist extremist from Kurdish Iraq who has been living in Norway since 1991— on the witness stand.

In an interview with Le Monde, Lippestad outlined his strategy for this exceptional trial, which is scheduled to begin April 16, less than eight months after the double attack on July 22, 2011, in which 77 people died. The majority of the victims were attending a summer camp hosted by the youth wing of the governing Social Democratic party.

This trial has seriously challenged Lippestad's beliefs as both a support[er] of the Social Democrats and a father of eight children. "I feel I have lost my soul in this case," he said. "I hope to get it back once all this is over, and that it will be in the same state as before."

Unlike all of Lippestad's previous clients, Anders Breivik is not afraid of being found guilty. The possibility of receiving Norway's maximum penalty (21 years in prison) doesn't scare him — on the contrary, he wants it. » | Olivier Truc / Le Monde / Worldcrunch | Thursday, March 29, 2012

A Civilization on Edge: Amid Debt Crisis, Athens Falls Apart

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: As Greece struggles to master its devastating debt problem, decades of mismanagement have taken their toll on the country's once-proud capital. Athens has degenerated into a hotbed of chaos and crime, where tensions between Greeks and immigrants have led to attacks on foreigners by the far-right.

Massoud starts walking faster as the shadows lengthen. He glances at the scratched display on his mobile phone. It's 7:15 p.m.

The sun is setting behind the large apartment buildings on Patission Street, disappearing behind the few remaining classical facades where the plaster is beginning to crumble. "For Rent" and "For Sale" signs are posted on boarded-up windows or behind sheets of opaque glass.

Massoud is in a hurry. He wants to get home before dark, because that's when the people who are out to get him come out.

The gangs of right-wing thugs, sometimes up to 20 at a time, approach their victims on foot or on mopeds, carrying clubs and knives. They are masked, faceless and fast. They appear suddenly and silently before striking.

The neo-fascists are hunting down immigrants in the middle of downtown Athens, in the streets north of the central Omonia Square. They call it cleansing.

They hunt people like Massoud, a 25-year-old Afghan from Kabul. He has been living in Athens for five years without a residency permit, even though he speaks fluent Greek. He studied geography in Kabul, but in Athens he works as a day laborer.

The gangs also hunt the dark-skinned man pushing a shopping cart filled with garbage and scrap metal through the streets. Or the woman with Asian features, who now grabs her child and the paper cup with which she has just been begging in the streets. » | Julia Amalia Heyer | Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan | Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Part 2: Violence, Drugs and Disease »

Aktien und Immobilien: Italien beschlagnahmt Gaddafis Milliarden-Vermögen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Italienische Finanzbehörden haben zugeschlagen: Sie konfiszierten Vermögen im Wert von 1,1 Milliarden Euro, das dem getötetem libyschen Machthaber Gaddafi und seiner Familie gehört haben soll - darunter befinden sich Immobilien in Rom, Aktien von großen Konzernen sowie Konten.

Rom - Der frühere libysche Machthaber Muammar al-Gaddafi hatte offenbar viel Geld in die Europäische Union geschafft: Am Mittwoch beschlagnahmten italienische Behörden Vermögen im Wert von 1,1 Milliarden Euro, das dem getötetem ehemaligen Diktator und seiner Familie gehört haben soll. Wie die Polizei mitteilte, stellte sie auf Ersuchen des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs (IStGH) in Den Haag bewegliches Eigentum und Immobilien, Aktien und Konten sicher. » | lgr/dpa/AFP/dapd | Mittwoch, 28. März 2012