Lars Hedegaard Assassination Attempt: Danish Islam Critic Targeted In Copenhagen
THE HUFFINGTON POST: COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A gunman tried to shoot a Danish writer and prominent critic of Islam on Tuesday, but missed and fled after a scuffle with his intended victim, police and the writer said.

Lars Hedegaard, who heads a group that claims press freedom is under threat from Islam, told The Associated Press he was shaken but not physically injured in the attack at his Copenhagen home.

Police said they were searching for the suspect, whom they described as a "foreign" man aged 20-25.

Hedegaard, 70, said the gunman rang the doorbell of his apartment building on the pretext of delivering a package, and when Hedegaard opened the front door, the man pulled out a gun and fired a shot that narrowly missed the writer's head.

"The bullet flew past my right ear, after which I attacked him and punched him in the face, which made him lose the gun," Hedegaard told AP. He said the gunman then fled. » | Jan M. Olsen | AP | Tuesday, February 05, 2013

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Cameron Accused of Dividing Conservatives as MPs Rebel on Gay Marriage Vote

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was on Tuesday night accused of dividing the Conservative party as more Tory MPs voted against legalising gay marriage than voted in favour.

The Prime Minister won his first Commons battle to legalise same-sex marriage by a margin of 400 votes to 175.

But his victory came at the cost of a major split in the Conservative Party, with more than half of his MPs refusing to back him.

Despite his 11th-hour appeal for support, only around 130 of the 303 Conservative MPs last night joined Mr Cameron in voting for gay marriage. 139 voted against and 30 others abstained.

Among the Tories voting against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill were several ministers, including two Cabinet members: Owen Paterson, the environment secretary, and David Jones, the Welsh secretary.

Other ministers included David Lidington, the Europe minister, Andrew Robathan and Mark Francois from the Ministry of Defence, and Jeremy Wright, a justice minister.

Among the ministers who abstained were Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, and Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General.

Tory opponents later accused Mr Cameron of dividing the party and vowed further parliamentary resistance to the controversial changes. » | James Kirkup, Tim Ross and Peter Dominiczak | Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Dänemarks Karikaturen-Streit: Dänischer Islamkritiker überlebt Mordanschlag

DIE WELT: Schon wieder gibt es in Dänemark einen Mordanschlag gegen einen Islamkritiker. Der Journalist Hedegaard überstand das Attentat unverletzt und konnte den Täter selbst in die Flucht schlagen.

Wer seine Meinung sagen will, riskiert in vielen Staaten der Welt sein Leben. In China sitzen Menschenrechtler im Knast, im Iran werden Oppositionelle hingerichtet, und Journalisten in Putins Russland überlegen sich genau, wie kritisch sie berichten. Die Meldungen über das Schicksal dieser Menschen nehmen wir hierzulande meist nur zur Kenntnis.

Umso erschrockener registriert man, wie das Grundrecht auf Meinungsfreiheit selbst in Musterstaaten wie Dänemark immer wieder verteidigt werden muss. Dort hat der Islamkritiker Lars Hedegaard am Dienstag einen Mordanschlag überlebt.

Der Attentäter hatte sich als Postbote verkleidet, klingelte an der Tür des Autors und gab vor, ein Paket übergeben zu wollen. Als Hedegaard öffnete, zog der falsche Bote eine Waffe und schoss. Doch die Kugel flog über Hedegaards Kopf hinweg. Ein zweites Mal drückte der Schütze ab, doch da versagte die Pistole offensichtlich, und Hedegaard konnte den Mann in die Flucht schlagen.

Die sofort eingeleitete Großfahndung im Kopenhagener Bezirk Frederiksberg blieb zunächst ohne Erfolg. Die dänischen Medien bezeichnen den Täter als "nicht ethnischen Dänen", bei der Suche nach dem Motiv sind sich die Beobachter einig: Angesichts der Vorgehensweise ging es wohl darum, den Islamkritiker mundtot zu machen. » | Von Per Hinrichs | Dienstag, 05. Februar 2013

Cette poignée de djihadistes français qui se battent contre la France au Mali
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: C’est un Breton qui avait enregistré le message d’Al-Qaida à Paris sur le Mali. Il n’est pas le seul à avoir pris les armes contre son pays.

En octobre, c’est un Français d’Al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi) qui promettait dans un message vidéo à François Hollande des représailles en cas d’intervention française au Mali. Ce converti est un Breton quinquagénaire nommé Gilles Le Guen. Il s’est installé à Tombouctou en 2011, sous le nom d’Abdel Jelil, et affirmait à L’Express «suivre le chemin de Ben Laden». Ce n’est pas le seul.

Une dizaine de Français au moins auraient rejoint le «Sahelistan» du Nord-Mali, soit pour vivre la charia dans sa version la plus extrême, soit pour aller défendre une terre musulmane agressée. » | Par Oilvier Bot | mardi 05 février 2013

Saudi Youth Question Traditional Approach to Islam
AL MONITOR: On March 30, 2012, a little-noticed but remarkable document from young Saudis was posted online.

Beneath its cumbersome title — “Statement of Saudi Youth Regarding the Guarantee of Freedoms and Ethics of Diversity” — it challenged a central tenet of the kingdom’s ultraconservative religious establishment: That it has the right to impose its strict interpretation of Islam on all Saudis.

“No one can claim monopoly of truth or righteousness in the name of Islamic law (Shariah),” declared the statement, many of whose 2,600 signatories were in their 20s. “We are young citizens who seek to create a … community that follows the example of the prophet, peace be upon him, under pluralism of thought … [and] we reject this patriarchal guardianship which forbids us from practicing our God-given right to think and explore for ourselves, as we can listen and judge.”

The statement underscored the religious ferment brewing in the kingdom, especially among young people. Official religious orthodoxy has ruptured, religious attitudes are more fluid and diverse, and there is greater questioning of long-held assumptions.

How this youthful religious exploration plays out will be key to the kingdom’s governance in the years ahead because of the Saudi government’s close alliance with a clerical establishment that sees its primary charge as upholding — and spreading — the austere, anti-intellectual and inflexible version of Salafi Islam known as Wahhabism.

Young Saudis overwhelmingly want the kingdom’s commitment to Islam to remain firm and in their personal lives they remain devout, observant followers of their faith.

But increasingly, they demonstrate less willingness to accept their religious heritage without re-examination, as their parents did. They are more willing to question a fatwa or ignore it; some are daring to openly discuss taboo subjects like atheism. Increasingly too, they favor a religious practice that is more voluntary, less enforced by the state, and more respectful of differences among Muslims.

Portending a crisis of religious authority in Saudi Arabia, young people complain that state-employed clerics are too negative, always stressing what’s forbidden, and that they focus too much on trivial matters without addressing the problems of youth and morally perplexing issues of modern life. » | Caryle Murphy for Al-Monitor | Monday, February 04, 2013

Catholic Vote’s Thomas Peters Debates Marriage On Russian TV

Vatican Signals Options for Protecting Gay Couples
RELIGION NEWS SERVICE: VATICAN CITY (RNS) A high-ranking Vatican official on Monday (Feb. 4) voiced support for giving unmarried couples some kind of legal protection even as he reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family, also said the church should do more to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in countries where homosexuality is illegal.

In his first Vatican press conference since his appointment as the Catholic Church’s “minister” for family, Paglia conceded that there are several kinds of “cohabitation forms that do not constitute a family,” and that their number is growing.

Paglia suggested that nations could find “private law solutions” to help individuals who live in non-matrimonial relations, “to prevent injustice and make their life easier.”

Nevertheless, Paglia was adamant in reaffirming society’s duty to preserve the unique value of marriage.

“The church must defend the truth, and the truth is that a marriage is only between a man and a woman,” he said. Other kinds of “affections” cannot be the foundation for a “public structure” such as marriage.

“We cannot surrender to a sick egalitarianism that abolishes every difference,” he warned, and run the risk of society becoming a new “Babel.” » | Alessandro Speciale | Monday, February 04, 2013

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Le Vatican reconnaît le droit des couples gay
LE POINT: Le ministre de la Famille de Benoît XVI s'est déclaré favorable à la tutelle des droits privés et matrimoniaux des couples de fait.

Président du Conseil pontifical pour la famille, l'archevêque Vincenzo Paglia a fait une - prudente - ouverture en direction des droits des couples gay. Certes, il n'est pas question de reconnaître le mariage pour tous. Et le "ministre de la Famille" de Benoît XVI a félicité l'Église de France pour son combat contre les noces gay, "qui portent la société sur le bord de l'abysse". Mais monseigneur Paglia a reconnu qu'il existe "toutes sortes d'unions familiales". "Il y a des droits individuels à garantir, a déclaré l'archevêque. Il faut chercher des solutions dans le droit privé et dans le domaine patrimonial. Je pense que la politique doit, sereinement, s'en occuper." » | Dominique Dunglas, Correspondant du Point à Rome | mardi 05 février 2013

Egyptians Protest the Fall of Islamic Andalusia and Vow to Liberate It (January 2, 2013)

"If They [Muslims] Had Gotten Rid of the Punishment for Apostasy, Islam Would Not Exist Today"
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The West refuses to be concerned; and when its citizens are concerned, they are suppressed. They are sued, assaulted, threatened with deportation and sometimes murdered.

The most influential Sunni leader in the Middle East has just admitted what many of us who grew up as Muslims in the Middle East have always known: that Islam could not exist today without the killing of apostates. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood and one of the most respected leaders of the Sunni world, recently said on Egyptian television, "If they [Muslims] had gotten rid of the punishment [often death] for apostasy, Islam would not exist today." The most striking thing about his statement, however, was that it was not an apology; it was a logical, proud justification for preserving the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy. Al-Qaradawi sounded matter-of-fact, indicating no moral conflict, nor even hesitation, about this policy in Islam. On the contrary, he asserted the legitimacy of Islamic laws in relying on vigilante street justice through fear, intimidation, torture and murder against any person who might dare to leave Islam.

Many critics of Islam agree with Sheikh Qaradawi, that Islam could not have survived after the death of the prophet Mohammed if it were not for the killing, torturing, beheading and burning alive of thousands of people -- making examples of them to others who might wish to venture outside Islam. From its inception until today, Islam has never considered this policy inappropriate, let alone immoral. In a recent poll, 84% of Egyptians agree with the death penalty for apostates; and we see no moderate Muslim movement against this law. That 1.2 billion Muslims appear comfortable with such a command sheds light on the nature of Islam.

Unlike Americans, who understand basic principles of their constitution, most Muslims have no clue about the basic laws of their religion. Most Muslims choose ignorance over knowledge when it comes to Islam, and often refuse to comment negatively out of fear of being accused of apostasy. While in the West it is considered a virtue to try to understand one's religion, ask questions about it and make choices accordingly, in the Muslim world doing the same thing is the ultimate sin punishable by death. What the West prides itself on, is a crime under Islamic law. » | Nonie Darwish | Tuesday, February 05, 2013

New Hijab Controversies Looming in Europe
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: A member of the Kuwaiti delegation of the UN Human Rights Council, Malik Al-Wazzan, said France should revoke the ban [on full-face Islamic veils] to "protect the human rights in discrimination and inequalities toward foreigners and those with different beliefs." This comes as the Kuwaiti Parliament considers a draft law banning the construction of churches.

The Belgian branch of the popular Dutch department store chain HEMA has lost a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a Muslim shop assistant whose contract was not extended after she refused to stop wearing a hijab, the traditional Islamic headscarf.

The woman had worked for the store in Belgian city of Genk for two months while wearing a headscarf, but after the store manager received complaints from customers, was then asked to remove it.

The woman, a Belgian convert to Islam, had been employed as temporary sales staff; HEMA declined to renew her contract because, its representatives said, of her refusal to remove her hijab.

In its defense, representatives of the Belgian shop said that to maintain the "neutral and discreet image of HEMA, the shop did not want employees wearing any kind of religious symbols." The store then offered the woman a job in its warehouse, where she would not have direct contact with clients. She said the alternative job offer was unsatisfactory and then consulted a lawyer.

On January 2, a labor court in the nearby Belgian city of Tongeren ruled that HEMA did not have a clearly stated policy on headscarves and thus had no valid reason to dismiss the woman.

The court ordered HEMA to pay the 21-year-old woman €9,000 ($12,000), the equivalent of six month's salary, as compensation. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, February 01, 2013

Memo from France: More in France Are Turning to Islam, Challenging a Nation’s Idea of Itself
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CRÉTEIL, France — The spacious and elegant modern building, in the heart of this middle-class suburb of Paris, is known as “the mosque of the converts.”

Every year about 150 Muslim conversion ceremonies are performed in the snow-white structure of the Sahaba mosque in Créteil, with its intricate mosaics and a stunning 81-foot minaret, built in 2008 and a symbol of Islam’s growing presence in France. Among those who come here for Friday Prayer are numerous young former Roman Catholics, wearing the traditional Muslim prayer cap and long robe.

While the number of converts remains relatively small in France, yearly conversions to Islam have doubled in the past 25 years, experts say, presenting a growing challenge for France, where government and public attitudes toward Islam are awkward and sometimes hostile.

French antiterrorism officials have been warning for years that converts represent a critical element of the terrorist threat in Europe, because they have Western passports and do not stand out.

In October, the French police conducted a series of antiterrorism raids across France, resulting in the arrests of 12 people, including at least three French citizens who had recently converted to Islam. Converts “often need to overdo it if they want to be accepted” as Muslims, and so veer into extremism more frequently than others, said Didier Leschi, who was in charge of religious issues at the Interior Ministry under former President Nicolas Sarkozy. » | Maïa de la Baume | Sunday, February 03, 2013

First Muslim College Opens in the US
A Muslim college in the United States is the first of its kind, its mission is to join Islamic scholarship with the Western academic emphasis on free inquiry and developing critical intellectual capacities. Zaytuna College in Berkeley California is a fledgling institution with only 31 students, operating out space rented from a Baptist seminary. Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from California.

Cubans Vote in Parliamentary Election
Fidel Castro, the man who led the Cuban revolution, has voted in elections there. Castro stepped down as president in 2008 because of il health, and handed the job to his brother, Raul. You have to be from the Communist Party to stand in the election, which is expected to hand Raul Castro another five year term. Teresa Bo has more from Havana.

Huge Crowds Mourn Cambodia's Former King
Thousands of Cambodians are giving a final farewell to their former monarch Norodom Sihanouk. The controversial ruler, who supported the Khmer Rouge, died last October and until Friday morning had been lying in state at the royal Palace. The result was a lavish funeral procession fit for a king. Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler reports from Phnom Penh.

Saudi Arabian Cleric Declares Babies Should Wear Burkas

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi cleric's declaration that babies should wear burkas to protect them from sexual attacks has drawn widespread criticism.

Sheikh Abdullah Daoud said all female newborns should wear a full face veil in an interview with an Islamic television station.

He told al-Majd TV that wearing a burka would stop incidents of sexual attacks on babies, and tried to support his claim by quoting unnamed medical and security sources.

The interview took place last year, but it was picked up by Al Arabiya news [sic] and social media websites at the weekend, provoking outrage and comments that such claims damage the reputation of Saudi Arabia and Islam.

Sheikh Mohammad al-Jzlana, a former judge at the Saudi Board of Grievances, urged Muslims to ignore "unregulated" fatwas and said the ruling was "denigrating to Islam and Shariah and made Islam look bad". » | Barney Henderson | Monday, February 04, 2013

U.S. Linguist Noam Chomsky Compares Colin Powell to Von Ribbentrop and the U.S. to Nazi Germany (January 29, 2013)

Jihadist Calls on Muslims in France to Become a "Trojan Horse" and Attack French Civilians (January 23, 2013)

British Islamists Protest French Campaign in Mali: Hollande Is a "Son of Pharoah", Islam Will Dominate France and England (January 12, 2013)

U.S. Muslim Population to Double by 2030
A Pew Research Center study projects that the population of Muslims in the United States will double over the next 20 years. Members of the Muslim community weigh in on public perceptions, diversity within their group, and assimilation.