David and Samantha Cameron Visit Sikh Temple

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prime Minister and his wife join celebrations for spring festival of Vaisakhi

David Cameron has donned an orange "patka" headscarf as he visited a Sikh gurdwara - or temple - while campaigning in Kent.

The Prime Minister took along his wife, Samantha, who was celebrating her 44th birthday, for the visit to the temple in Gravesend, where they joined around 3,000 worship[p]ers on a parade to celebrate Vaisakhi, a spring festival.

The start of the Camerons' visit was delayed slightly after a scuffle appeared to break out among worship[p]ers when a priest objected to speeches being made while prayers were taking place.

Mr and Mrs Cameron were taken to a side room in the temple until the dispute was resolved.

During the visit to the temple, the couple wore brightly[-]coloured clothes, in line with tradition on Vaisakhi.

They removed their shoes to walk into the temple, where they queued up to kneel before an alter, and say prayers as they made an offering of coins.

Mr and Mrs Cameron were separated, with the Prime Minister joining men on the right of the temple and his wife going to the women's side on the left. » | Rosa Prince, Online Political Editor | Saturday, April 18, 2015

Australian Teens Held Over Alleged Terror Attack

BBC AMERICA: Police in Australia say they have foiled an Islamic State-inspired plot to carry out an attack at a World War One centenary event.

Police arrested five suspects, including two 18-year-olds being held for alleged terrorism-related offences.

They said the men were planning to target police at an Anzac memorial event in Melbourne next week.

Some 200 police officers took part in the counter-terrorism operation in the city early on Saturday.

Acting deputy police commissioner Neil Gaughan told reporters that evidence gathered by police led them to believe the suspects had been influenced by Islamic State. » | Saturday, April 18, 2015

Egypt Strikes Islamic Texts from Schools, Angering Salafists

AL MONITOR: CAIRO — The decision of Egypt’s Ministry of Education to remove some content from primary and secondary school curricula has sparked wide controversy in the country.

While the state views the decision — which will omit some religious texts and passages on historical Islamic figures — as a way to counter radical ideologies and fight extremism, the Salafist movements have deemed it a war on Islam.

Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced the decision in a press statement following a meeting he headed with the Curriculum Development Committee on April 11. He said, “We will not allow any academic textbooks that would instill myths and superstition in the minds of students.”

The Curriculum Development Committee was formed March 4 to review curricula and remove any outdated texts that incite violence. » | Ayah Aman | Undated

Stupid Is as Stupid Does! Muslim Women Should Be Allowed to Wear the Veil in Court, Top Judge Suggests

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court, says that judges should show respect toward different cultures

Judges should allow Muslim women to appear in court wearing a full-face veil, Britain’s most senior judge has suggested.

Lord Neuberger, the President of the Supreme Court, said it was crucial that courts and judges “show, and be seen to show” respect towards different customs.

He said this included having an understanding of the “different cultural and social habits” of those appearing as witnesses, defendants or jurors in cases.

His comments, in a lecture about the need for courts to be less intimidating, come at a time of uncertainty over the place of the Muslim niqab, or full face-veil, in the legal system. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, April 16, 2015

Italians Revolt Against Migrant 'Invasion'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Italians are resisting the huge influx of immigrants arriving on their shores, with some politicians calling on supporters to say "no, with every means, to every new arrival"

Italians are in growing revolt against the number of migrants arriving on their shores, with more than 10,000 people rescued from the Mediterranean in the past week alone.

The huge influx of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa is putting an intolerable strain on a country that has been in recession for the past five years.

Conservative politicians called this week for boatloads of refugees to be sent back to Libya, while the system of migrant reception centres is on the verge of collapse.

The government in Rome has asked regional authorities to provide 6,500 new beds for migrants who are arriving on a daily basis in Sicily and the tiny island of Lampedusa.

But many regions responded grudgingly - some with downright hostility - saying they had no space to offer.

Val d’Aosta, a small, mountainous region on the French border, offered to take just one refugee.

There was also a frosty reception from the wealthy northern region of Lombardy.

“Here, as in Veneto (a neighbouring region that includes Venice) there is zero space,” said Roberto Maroni, the governor of Lombardy and a member of the staunchly anti-immigration Northern League. "We cannot be subjected to this invasion.” » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, April 16, 2015

Migrants Killed in 'Religious Clash' on Mediterranean Boat

About 1,000 people a day are being rescued at the moment
trying to reach the Italian coast

BBC AMERICA: Italian police say they have arrested 15 Muslim migrants after they allegedly threw 12 Christians overboard following a row on a boat heading to Italy.

The Christian migrants, said to be from Ghana and Nigeria, are all feared dead.

In a separate incident, more than 40 people drowned after another migrant boat sank between Libya and Italy.

Almost 10,000 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean have been rescued in recent days. Italy has called for more help from the EU to handle the crisis.

More than 500 people from Africa and the Middle East have died making the perilous crossing since the start of the year. Earlier this week, 400 people were believed to have drowned when their boat capsized. » | Thursday, April 16, 2015

Danish Queen: “It Is Vital That We Give Islam Opposition”

In a book written by journalist Annelise Bistruphave, published in April 2005, the Danish Queen Margrethe II said:
JIHAD WATCH: ”We are challenged in these years by Islam, both globally and locally, and it is a challenge we have to take seriously. … There is something impressive about people for whom religion permeates life from morning to night, from cradle to grave. There are also Christians who feel that way. …

But it [Islam] is a challenge we have to take seriously. We simply let it flutter in too long because we are tolerant, and it’s not so nice. … We should oppose it, and one must sometimes take the risk of being called less flattering things, since there are certain things one should not tolerate. … It is vital that we give Islam opposition. The lax response that has prevailed for many years in Denmark is not enough.”

In a recent interview given in connection with the Queen’s 75th birthday, our beloved Margrethe says (translated by Nicolai Sennels, via 10news.dk):

Seen with the Queen’s eyes, an important part of the reaction to the terror must be that we stand firmly by the key freedoms that Denmark is founded upon – including freedom of expression – which makes it possible to speak, write and express one’s opinion freely.

“I know there are some who say that we must be careful, and of course we need to think before speaking, but we must certainly also say things the way we think they are. We should not hold back. If you do not speak out about problems they become worse,” said the Queen.

Fear should never be allowed to dominate, although the terrorists are prepared to use violence. » | Nicolai Sennels | Wednesday, April 15, 2015

CLIFFORD MAY: Ayaan Hirsi Ali Risks Life with Call for Islam's Reform

By now, you should be familiar with the name Ayaan Hirsi Ali. You should know at least this much about her: She is brilliant, beautiful, black and she has been banned near Boston. You might also have learned that she was born in Somali and raised as a devout Muslim in Africa and Saudi Arabia. While…

Muslim Men Branded 'Disgrace' for Praying at Anfield

Stephen Dodd posted this photo, but later deleted it, saying
the men were a 'disgrace'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Stephen Dodd causes storm after allegedly tweeting picture of two solicitors worshipping during half-time break as Liverpool take on Blackburn Rovers

Liverpool FC has said it will take action against a fan who allegedly called two Muslim men "a disgrace" for praying at Anfield.

Stephen Dodd was at the centre of a Twitter storm over a picture of solicitors Asif Bodi and Abubakar Bhula worshipping during the half-time break as the Reds took on Blackburn Rovers on March 8.

The picture appeared to be sent from his account, with the caption: "Muslims praying at half time at the match yesterday #DISGRACE." » | Agency | Wednesday, April 15, 2015

German School Teacher 'Made Children Sing Nazi Propaganda Song’

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: School teacher accused of making pupils sing the Horst Wessel Song – the anthem of the Nazi Party from 1930 to 1945 – which is illegal in Germany

A schoolteacher in Berlin has been questioned by police on suspicion of making her pupils sing a Nazi propaganda song.

The teacher, who has not been named under German privacy laws, is accused of making her sixth form class sing the Horst Wessel Song, the anthem of the Nazi Party from 1930 to 1945.

The song includes the words “Millions are looking upon the swastika full of hope” and “Soon Hitler’s banners will fly over all the streets”.

It is illegal to sing the song in Germany, and if prosecuted, the teacher could face up to three years in prison.

“She handed out the lines, turned on the music and made us sing and march together,” one of her pupils told Bild newspaper. » | Justin Huggler in Berlin | Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Grave of Hillary Clinton's Father 'Vandalised' Day after She Declared for President

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hugh Rodham's headstone was toppled shortly after Hillary Clinton announced she would be running for president

The grave of Hillary Clinton’s father appears to have been vandalised the day after she launched her presidential campaign.

Police in Scranton, Pennsylvania said that the headstone of Hugh Rodham had been toppled, possibly by vandals. » | David Lawler, Washington | Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Erdogan dénonce les «délires» du pape sur le génocide

Il s'agit de la première réaction du président après les
déclarations du pape.

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Turquie – Pour le président turc, il appartient aux historiens de déterminer si le génocide arménien a bien eu lieu. Et pas au Vatican.

Le président islamo-conservateur turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a fermement dénoncé mardi les propos du pape François qui a parlé dimanche de «génocide» à propos des massacres d'Arméniens commis en 1915 par l'Empire ottoman, évoquant des «délires».

«Si les politiques ou les religieux font le travail des historiens, alors on n'aboutira pas aux réalités, ce ne seront que délires», a lancé M. Erdogan dans un discours devant des hommes d'affaires à Ankara.

Il s'agit de la première réaction du président turc aux remarques du souverain pontife qui ont provoqué une crise entre Ankara et le Vatican. » | afp/Newsnet | mardi 14 avril 2015

Die Gotteskrieger vom Islam (Doku 2015)

Warum zieht es so viele junge Menschen in den islamischen Extremismus? Und weshalb radikalisieren sich auch in Deutschland immer mehr von ihnen? In der Dokum. Jihad ▻ Die deutschen.

Terror, Folter und Hinrichtungen im Namen des Islam. Mordende Glaubenskrieger des Islamischen Staates (IS), die aus Sicht der Bundesregierung nur mit Waffen . Terror, Folter und Hinrichtungen.

Terror, Folter und Hinrichtungen im Namen des Islam. Mordende Glaubenskrieger des Islamischen Staates (IS), die aus Sicht der Bundesregierung nur mit Waffen . Terror, Folter und Hinrichtungen.

Kurz vor dem Tod sprach Grass vom dritten großen Krieg

DIE WELT: Keine drei Wochen vor seinem Tod warnte der Literatur-Nobelpreisträger Günter Grass vor dem Dritten Weltkrieg. "Wir laufen Gefahr, dieselben Fehler wie früher zu machen", sagte er.

Günter Grass hat sich bis kurz vor seinem Tod große Sorgen um die Zukunft der Menschheit gemacht. Am 21. März, knapp drei Wochen vor seinem Tod, gab der Literatur-Nobelpreisträger in Lübeck der spanischen Zeitung "El País" noch ein Interview.

"Wir steuern auf den dritten großen Krieg zu", sagte Grass in dem Interview, das am Dienstag erstmals veröffentlicht wurde. "Es gibt überall Krieg. Wir laufen Gefahr, dieselben Fehler wie früher zu machen. Ohne es zu merken, als wären wir Schlafwandler, können wir in einen neuen Weltkrieg gehen", warnte er.

Grass analysierte in dem Gespräch die aktuelle Situation kritisch: "Heute haben wir auf der einen Seite die Ukraine, deren Situation einfach nicht besser wird. In Israel und Palästina wird es immer schlimmer. Im Irak haben uns die Amerikaner ein Desaster hinterlassen. Es gibt die Gräueltaten des Islamischen Staates und das Problem in Syrien, das fast aus den Nachrichten verschwunden ist, obwohl sich die Menschen dort weiter gegenseitig umbringen." » | dpa/dol | Dienstag, 14. April 2015

Related »

Günter Grass: We Are 'Sleepwalking' into World War

Gu[e]nter Grass

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In the final interview before his death, The Tin Drum author and German Gu[e]nter Grass warned of 'sleepwalking' into global conflict

Germany's Nobel-winning author Günter Grass said he feared humanity was "sleepwalking" into a world war in the last interview he gave before his death on April 13 2015.

"We have on the one side Ukraine, whose situation is not improving; in Israel and Palestine things are getting worse; the disaster the Americans left in Iraq, the atrocities of Islamic state and the problem of Syria," he told the Spanish newspaper El Pais [sic] in the interview published a day after his death.

"There is war everywhere; we run the risk of committing the same mistakes as before; so without realising it we can get into a world war as if we were sleepwalking," he added. » | Martin Chilton, Culture Editor online | Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Ex-British Diplomat Accuses Hillary Clinton of Role in Meltdown of Iraq

Emma Sky, a former British diplomat

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New book by former adviser to the US in Iraq Emma Sky says Clinton appointed ambassador to Baghdad who had no Middle East experience

A former British diplomat has accused Hillary Clinton of contributing to Iraq’s disastrous meltdown during her four years as Barack Obama’s foreign policy chief.

Emma Sky, who served as an adviser to one of the top US commanders in Iraq, claims in a new book that Mrs Clinton operated a “dysfunctional” diplomatic mission to Baghdad that allowed a lapse back into sectarian warfare after elections in 2010.

At that time Mrs Clinton was mid-way through her four-year stint as Mr Obama’s Secretary of State, the equivalent position to Foreign Secretary in Britain.

The criticisms, which come as Mrs Clinton announces her presidential bid, are contained in a book that Ms Sky, an Oxford-educated Middle East expert, is to publish next month about the seven years she spent in Iraq.

Entitled The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq, it paints an unflattering picture of the Obama administration as it tried to extricate itself from the country as hastily as possible. » | Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent | Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Islamic State Threatens to Repeat 9/11 in New Video Warning to America

The video is a reminder of the power if Isil and Al-Qaeda
to inspire followers around the world to 'lone wolf'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Isil supporters launch social media blitz with hashtag #WeWillBurnUSAgain

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's social media have launched a new campaign threatening to repeat 9/11 and bring war to America.

The campaign, given the hashtag #WeWillBurnUSAgain, is accompanied by a video compilation showing some of Isil’s “greatest hits”, including the beheadings of the American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

“America thinks it’s safe because of the geographical location,” its voiceover says. “Thus you see it invades Muslim lands, and thinks that the army of jihad won’t reach in their lands.

“But the dream of Americans to have safety became a mirage.”

The hashtag campaign was announced on April 8, last Wednesday, and launched on Saturday, when pro-Isil accounts posted thousands of tweets with the hashtag with variations on the same theme, of America’s vulnerability to lone wolf and other attacks. » | Richard Spencer | Monday, April 13, 2015

UK: Sharia Courts Abusing Muslim Women

BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS: The report shows how the increasing influence of Sharia law in Britain today is undermining the fundamental principle that there must be equality for all British citizens under a single law of the land.

“I feel betrayed by Britain. I came here to get away from this and the situation is worse here than in the country I escaped from.” — Muslim woman interviewed for the report.

The report concludes by calling on the British government to launch a judge-led inquiry to “determine the extent to which discriminatory Sharia law principles are being applied within the UK.”

“The government’s response will be a litmus test of the extent to which it genuinely upholds the principle of equality before the law or is so dominated by the fear of ‘giving offense’ that it will continue to allow these women to suffer in ways which would make our suffragettes turn in their graves.” — Baroness Caroline Cox.

Muslim women across Britain are being systematically oppressed, abused and discriminated against by Sharia law courts that treat women as second-class citizens, according to a new report, which warns against the spiraling proliferation of Islamic tribunals in the United Kingdom.

The 40-page report, “A Parallel World: Confronting the Abuse of Many Muslim Women in Britain Today,” was authored by Baroness Caroline Cox, a cross-bench member of the British House of Lords and one of the leading defenders of women’s rights in the UK.

The report shows how the increasing influence of Sharia law in Britain today is undermining the fundamental principle that there must be equality for all British citizens under a single law of the land. » | Soeren Kern | Sunday, April 12, 2015

Turkey Anger at Pope Francis Armenian 'Genocide' Claim

BBC AMERICA: Turkey has criticised Pope Francis for using the word "genocide" to describe the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule in World War 1.

Ankara immediately summoned the Vatican's envoy after the Pope made the comments at a service in Rome.

Turkey's Foreign Minister described it as "far from the historical reality".

Armenia and many historians say up to 1.5 million people were killed by Ottoman forces in 1915. Turkey has always disputed the number of dead.

The dispute has continued to sour relations between Armenia and Turkey. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, April 12, 2015

Pope Francis Calls Armenian Slaughter 'Genocide'

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff’s comments are likely to anger Turkey, which denies that the killings 100 years ago during the fall of the Ottoman empire constituted genocide


Pope Francis has described the mass killing of Armenians 100 years ago as a genocide, a politically explosive pronouncement that could damage diplomatic relations with Turkey.

During a special mass to mark the centenary of the mass killing, the pontiff referred to “three massive and unprecedented tragedies” of the past century. “The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the twentieth century, struck your own Armenian people,” he said, quoting a declaration signed in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and Kerekin II, leader of the Armenian church.

“Bishops and priests, religious women and men, the elderly and even defenceless children and the infirm were murdered,” the pope said. » | Rosie Scammell in Rome | Sunday, April 12, 2015