The Church That's Opened Its Doors to Islam: Christians Roll Out Welcome to Muslims Who Were Having to Pray in the Wind and Rain Because Their Mosque Was So Small

MAIL ONLINE: The Syed Shah Mustafa Jame Masjid mosque was too small to fit everyone in / Church minister Rev Isaac Poobalan saw worshippers praying outside / Now he has handed over part of St John's Episcopal Church in Aberdeen / Bishop says: 'It would be good to think we can change the world'

A Scottish church has become the first in the UK to share its premises with Muslim worshippers.

St John’s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen now welcomes hundreds of Muslims praying five times a day in their building as the nearby mosque was so small that they were forced to worship outside.

The minister of St John's, Rev Isaac Poobalan, has handed over part of the church hall to Chief Imam Ahmed Megharbi and the imam has led prayers in the main chapel.

Rev Poobalan said today that he would not be true to his faith if he did not offer to help.

He said: 'Praying is never wrong. My job is to encourage people to pray.

'The mosque was so full at times, there would be people outside in the wind and rain praying.

'I knew I couldn’t just let this happen - because I would be abandoning what the Bible teaches us about how we should treat our neighbours. » | Helen Lawson | Monday, March 18, 2013

Hillary Clinton Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THE CAUCUS (BLOG): Hillary Clinton Endorses Same-Sex Marriage: Saying that “gay rights are human rights,’’ Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former secretary of state and potential 2016 presidential candidate, has endorsed same-sex marriage. » | Sheryl Gay Stolberg | Monday, March 18, 2013

Radical Islam Spreads in Germany

Wiener Islamist Mohamed Mahmoud im Porträt - Spiegel TV

DIE PRESSE: Austro-Islamist: Drohvideo beschäftigt Ermittler – Verfassungsschutz wird im Fall von Mohamed Mahmoud aktiv. Die Staatsbürgerschaft verliert er auch nach Verbrennen seines Passes nicht. » | Philipp Aichinger und Helmar Dumbs | Die Presse | Sonntag, 17. März 2013

Horrifying Scenes as Lynch-mob Strip, Beat and Hang Two Men Accused of Stealing in Egypt
EXPRESS: Shocking images have shown an Egypt where anarchy rules the streets, as a baying mob stripped, beat and hung two men accused of stealing.

In an extreme case of vigilantism, the two young men - accused of stealing a motorised rickshaw - were attacked by a 3,000- strong mob reportedly chanting "kill, them, kill them!"

Shockingly, amidst the crowd, children can be seen laughing and taking pictures of the dying men.

The lynchings came a week after the attorney general's office encouraged civilians to arrest lawbreakers and hand them over to police.

The worsening security in Egypt, coupled with a police strike, prompted the attorney general's call for citizens' arrests last week.

Egypt's Minister of Justice Ahmed Mekki described the incident as an indication of the state's demise following the 2011 uprising.

The minister condemned the deaths, explaining that residents applied the 'Haraba penalty' of Islamic law. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT » | Charlotte Meredith | Monday, March 18, 2013

Expats in Cyprus Furious at 'Legalised Theft' of Their Savings
Britons living in Cyprus are outraged by the Cypriot government's plans to impose a levy on bank deposits, with many desperately trying to withdraw their savings before tax is enforced.

Ärger über Zwangsabgabe: Zypern-Rettung gerät zur Zitterpartie
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Zwangsabgabe aufs Ersparte sorgt für massiven Ärger in Zypern. Die Bankkunden sind empört, die politische Mehrheit für die Sondersteuer wackelt. Auch in Deutschland kann sich Kanzlerin Merkel der Unterstützung für die Rettung des Inselstaats nicht sicher sein.

Berlin - Nein, neue Freunde haben Angela Merkel und Wolfgang Schäuble in Zypern nicht gewonnen. Sicher, das krisengeplagte Land wird gerettet, aber zu welchem Preis? Wütend, empört, schockiert - so reagieren die Menschen auf der Mittelmeerinsel, die am Wochenende an den Geldautomaten der Banken ihr Erspartes zu sichern versuchen. Es ist ein Akt der Verzweiflung, denn sie können zwar Bargeld abheben, Transaktionen aber sind nicht mehr möglich. Ein Teil des Geldes ist längst eingefroren.

Mit 6,75 Prozent ihrer Einlagen auf zyprischen Kreditinstituten sollen Bankkunden zur Rettung des taumelnden Euro-Landes beitragen. Wer mehr als 100.000 Euro dort liegen hat, muss sogar 9,9 Prozent abgeben. Die Zwangsabgabe haben die Euro-Partner zur Bedingung für ein zehn Milliarden schweres Hilfspaket gemacht. Vor allem Deutschland drängte darauf - zähneknirschend hat die zyprische Regierung zugestimmt.

Doch das Drama um den Inselstaat ist damit nicht vorbei. Der Unmut über die Sondersteuer ist nicht nur unter den Bankkunden groß, auch eine politische Mehrheit für das entsprechende Eilgesetz ist keineswegs sicher. Präsident Nikos Anastasiades verschob am Sonntag die eigentlich geplante Abstimmung der Abgeordneten um einen Tag auf Montag - offenbar aus Furcht vor einer Ablehnung des Gesetzes. Anastasiades' konservative Partei DISY hat nur 20 der insgesamt 56 Parlamentssitze, der Koalitionspartner DIKO stellt neun Abgeordnete. Nur ein Abweichler könnte für ein Patt im Parlament sorgen. Die Oppositionsparteien haben bereits ihr Nein angekündigt.

Der Aufschub der Abstimmung ist möglich, weil die Banken in Zypern wegen eines Feiertages am Montag geschlossen sind. Die Regierung erwägt aber bereits, die Geldinstitute am Dienstag ebenfalls nicht zu öffnen, sollte das Parlament auch am Montag zu keiner Entscheidung kommen. Andernfalls wird ein Massenansturm empörter Sparer befürchtet, die in Panik ihre Konten leerräumen. » | Von Philipp Wittrock | Sonntag, 17. März 2013

Testimony of Saudi Ex-Muslim(ah) Mariam

Worlds Apart: Dedicated Muslim Converts to Christianity – Dr. Daniel Shayesteh

John Boehner Can't Imagine Ever Supporting Marriage Equality
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) says he cannot imagine a situation where his opposition to same-sex marriage would change, not even if a child of his or another loved one came out as gay.

Boehner's remarks come in response to Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, also of Ohio, who reversed his longtime opposition to marriage equality this week, after announcing that his son Will is gay.

Preacher In Victim ‘Rant’ Over Brit Dart
THE SUN: HATE cleric Anjem Choudary has described white Islamic extremist Richard Dart as a “victim” and said his terror plot was an act of “resistance”.

Bearded Dart, 29, is one of three fanatics facing long jail terms for a string of hate crimes.

Last week a court heard how ex-BBC security guard Dart and self-confessed terrorist Imran Mahmood plotted to target Royal Wootton Bassett, Wilts, where people line the streets to welcome home the bodies of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan. » | Andy Crick | Sunday, March 17, 2013

LONDON EVENING STANDARD: Man due for sentence over terrorism: Muslim convert Richard Dart is facing a long prison sentence admitting getting involved in terrorism. ¶ Dart became involved in extremism after converting to Islam. He was featured in a BBC Three documentary made by his stepbrother. ¶ He pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey with Imran Mahmood and Jahangir Alom to engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism. They plotted to go to Pakistan to train at a terrorist camp and to travel abroad to commit acts of terrorism. » | Friday, March 15, 2013

Cyprus: Panic As Savings Levy Is Imposed
THE GUARDIAN: Cypriots rush to ATMs before savings are docked as part of a bailout deal agreed in Brussels


Cypriots reacted with shock that turned to panic on Saturday after a 10% one-off levy on savings was forced on them as part of an extraordinary 10bn euro (£8.7bn) bailout agreed in Brussels.

People rushed to banks and queued at cash machines that refused to release cash as resentment quickly set in. The savers, half of whom are thought to be non-resident Russians, will raise almost €6bn thanks to a deal reached by European partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It is the first time a bailout has included such a measure and Cyprus is the fifth country after Greece, the Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Spain to turn to the eurozone for financial help during the region's debt crisis. The move in the eurozone's third smallest economy could have repercussions for financially overstretched bigger economies such as Spain and Italy.

People with less than 100,000 euros in their accounts will have to pay a one-time tax of 6.75%, Eurozone officials said, while those with greater sums will lose 9.9%. Without a rescue, president Nicos Anastasiades said Cyprus would default and threaten to unravel investor confidence in the eurozone. The Cypriot leader, who was elected last month on a promise to tackle the country's debt crisis, will make a statement to the nation on Sunday.

The prospect of savings being so savagely docked sparked terror among the island's resident British community. At the Anglican Church's weekly Saturday thrift shop gathering in Nicosia, Cyprus's war-divided capital, ex-pats expressed alarm with many saying that they had also rushed to ATMs to withdraw money from their accounts. "There's a run on banks. A lot of us are really panicking. The big fear is that there soon won't be cash in ATMs," said Arlene Skillett, a resident in Nicosia. "People are worried that they're automatically going to lose ten present [sic] [of their savings] in deposit accounts. Anastasiades won elections saying he wouldn't allow this to happen." » | Paul Gallagher and Helena Smith | Saturday, March 16, 2013

Prophet of Islam: Mohamed Gets the Biopic Treatment
THE INDEPENDENT: Two directors are undertaking the delicate task of making films about the Prophet of Islam

There are controversial subjects, and then there is Mohamed. Yet the fear of controversy appears not to have deterred film-makers in Iran and Qatar, who are producing a pair of rival biopics of the seventh-century Prophet of Islam.

As a protagonist, the Prophet poses a unique challenge: much of the Muslim world forbids his depiction on screen. The Iranian director Majid Majidi, whose $30m (£19.8m) biopic began shooting last October, reportedly intends to show parts of the Prophet's body, though not his face. While Iran's Shia population may be flexible about such imagery, Sunni Muslims elsewhere are not. Cairo's Sunni-led al-Azhar University has already demanded the unfinished film be banned.

In December, in Sunni-majority Qatar, Alnoor Holdings, the media arm of al-Hashemi construction group, announced plans to spend $1bn on its own series of epic movies about the life of Mohamed. The team has hired the Islamic theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Lord of the Rings producer Barrie Osborne as technical advisers. "They are being understandably very cautious," Mr Osborne told The Hollywood Reporter.

And so they should be. Last September, when clips from a low-budget US-made film about Mohamed surfaced on YouTube, there were angry protests across the Muslim world. Innocence of Muslims portrayed the Prophet in a negative light, yet even positive depictions have proved divisive. In 1977, the Syrian-American producer Moustapha Akkad was forced to go to the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to gather funding for his Mohamed biopic The Message, after Americans backed away from the project. » | Tim Walker | Sunday, March 17, 2013

Qataris 'Planning to Make £8billion Takeover Bid for Iconic High Street Chain Marks and Spencer'
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: State-owned Qatar Investment Authority reportedly planning a takeover bid / Trading soared on Thursday and Friday amid rumours of a move on M&S / Iconic High Street chain reported a 1.8 per cent slump in Christmas sales

Marks and Spencer is bracing itself for an £8billion takeover bid from Qatar, according to reports.

The state-owned Qatar Investment Authority is reportedly planning to make a move on the iconic High Street chain and is forming a consortium.

The Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund already owns Harrods, which it bought in 2010, and has a 26 per cent share in Sainsbury's.

It also has a stake in Heathrow Airport.

The bid would equate to £5 a share and rumours in the City on Thursday and Friday helped fuel soaring trade.

The Qataris are attempting to form a consortium and have approached private equity houses and banks, according to 'senior City sources' quoted by The Sunday Times. » | Becky Evans | Sunday, March 17, 2013

Saudi Prince to Fight Forbes Over Rich List
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In a rare interview, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal tells Christian Sylt about his anger over the Forbes Rich List, which estimated that he is worth $20bn – $9.6bn less than he claims and not enough to place him in the coveted top 10.


There is something about the world’s wealthiest people and it tends to show.

An army of waiters swarmed around hotelier Sir Rocco Forte when I interviewed him in the Grill at London’s Savoy hotel. Bernie Ecclestone prefers to meet journalists in his personal playground, the Formula One paddock, whilst Guy Laliberté, billionaire founder of circus company, Cirque du Soleil, chooses his penthouse suite which sits atop the Metropolitan hotel and has floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Hyde Park. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal outdoes them all.

Prince Alwaleed is the 58-year-old grandson of the founder of Saudi Arabia but not one drop of his fortune comes from oil or inheritance. Instead, he made his money by investing in global brands at a time when their share prices were depressed. Along the way he has built up significant stakes in trophy assets such as Apple, Citigroup, Disney and the Savoy Hotel in London. His portfolio spans the globe and he likes people to know it.

When I first interviewed Prince Alwaleed in 2002 we met on his glitzy 282-ft yacht which was moored off the coast of Cannes. He bought it from Donald Trump in 1991 and the two are kindred spirits.

On board there is a room containing a long golden table laden with magazines showing Prince Alwaleed on their covers. On another occasion, the interview took place at the historic George V hotel in Paris, which Alwaleed rescued in 1996. We met in a reception area lined with 17th century tapestries and armed bodyguards.

Given his penchant for displays of grandeur it is not hard to imagine how he must have felt when, two weeks ago, Forbes, the business magazine, published its annual ranking of the world’s billionaires. It estimated that Prince Alwaleed is worth $20bn – which is $9.6bn less than he claims and not enough to place him in the coveted top 10. » | Christian Sylt | Saturday, March 16, 2013

Vatican : les institutions musulmanes renouvellent leur appel au dialogue
SAPHIR NEWS: Depuis l'élection du nouveau pape mercredi 13 mars, les organisations musulmanes ont été nombreuses à réagir pour féliciter le monde catholique. Par-delà ces félicitations, toutes en appellent le souverain pontife François à un renouveau du dialogue islamo-chrétien, mis à mal sous le pontificat de Benoît XVI.

Le cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio est devenu pape François mercredi 13 mars.

Au lendemain de cette nouvelle d'importance pour le monde catholique, le Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM) et la Grande Mosquée de Paris ont tous deux salué l’élection du pape et adressent leurs vœux à ses fidèles, avec l'espoir affiché que ce nouveau pontificat renforce le dialogue islamo-chrétien.

Le CFCM « adresse à sa Sainteté le pape François, ses chaleureuses félicitations et ses sincères vœux de réussite dans la mission qui lui a été confiée à la tête de l’Eglise catholique romaine », déclare son président Mohammed Moussaoui dans un communiqué au lendemain de l’élection.

« Le CFCM espère que ce nouveau pontificat soit l’occasion de renforcer et de consolider le dialogue entre toutes les religions et toutes les convictions au service de la justice, de la paix, de la solidarité et de la fraternité dans le monde », poursuit-il.

Même ton dans le communiqué de la Grande Mosquée de Paris. « A l’heureuse annonce pour les catholiques "Habemus papam", les musulmans de France posent la question "Qualem papam habemus ?", en espérant que la symbolique du nom de François qu’il s’est choisi puisse le rattacher spirituellement à Saint-François d’Assises qui, au début du 13ème siècle, a volontairement initié le premier dialogue islamo-chrétien de l’histoire », fait savoir l’institution. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | jeudi 14 mars 2013

Norvège : jusqu’à 30% de porc dans la viande halal
SAPHIR NEWS: Après l’Allemagne et la Suisse, c’est au tour de la Norvège d’être éclaboussée par un scandale alimentaire de taille pour les musulmans.

Dans le cadre de contrôles effectués après le scandale de la viande de cheval retrouvée dans des plats préparés supposés être au bœuf, le Mattilsyn, l’autorité national de contrôle alimentaire, dit avoir détecté du porc, dans une proportion comprise entre 5 et 30 % dans de la viande « halal » commercialisée auprès des vendeurs de kebabs, rapporte l'AFP. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | vendredi 15 mars 2013

Australia: Muslim Woman Spat On, Verbally Abused At Service Station

THE NORTHERN STAR: A WOMAN said she was terrified after she was spat on and called a terrorist at a Murwillumbah service station this week.

The practicing Muslim, who requested to remain anonymous, said she was fuelling her car up when a hostile man pulled up and began to scream abuse at her on Wednesday.

"A man got out (of the car) ... He came towards the bowser and I wasn't sure if he was going to head butt me or punch me, or pour petrol on me and light me up," she said.

"But I knew there was going to be trouble."

She said the man approached her and started to call her a "terrorist" and told her to "go back to where you f***ing came from."

The Tweed Coast resident couldn't believe the man was treating her in such a way and believed it was because she was wearing a traditional Islamic face cover known as a niqab.

"(He was) calling me a terrorist when he was terrorising me," she recalled.

"Calling me oppressed yet he was oppressing me."

"He was loud and he was screeching." » | Emma Galliott | Saturday, March 16, 2013

Kein Schatz ist wertvoller als der Islam -- Sven Lau

Verwandt »

Mein Weg zum Islam - Sven Lau alias Abu Adam

Related »