THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope quotes a barbed medieval criticism of Islamic violence in the course of a scholarly discourse, and Muslims all over the world go into uproar; churches are firebombed. The Prime Minister's wife delivers a playful slap to a cheeky teenager, and six detectives rush to question her.Mark Alexander
We are living in a world that has lost not only its sense of proportion but also its ability to discriminate. Islam, like Christianity, is not above criticism
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
BBC: Initial returns in German state elections show gains for the far right in one eastern state and a poor showing for Chancellor Angela Merkel's party.Mark Alexander
The far-right National Democratic Party (NDP) is projected to have won 7% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - with 5% needed for a state parliament seat.
The previous government compared the NDP to the early Nazi party. 'Poll boost' for German far-right
LA REPUBBLICA: MOGADISCIO - Una suora operatrice umanitaria italiana, 70 anni, è stata uccisa a Mogadiscio da due uomini armati. "La attendevano all'uscita dell'ospedale in cui lavorava. Erano nascosti dietro un taxi parcheggiato vicino al cancello. Non appena l'anno vista hanno fatto fuoco; la guardia del corpo ha subito risposto e c'è stato uno scontro. Suor Leonella è stata ferita a morte, mentre la guardia è deceduta sul colpo", ha riferito Suor Giuseppina Barbero, responsabile della casa delle suore Missionarie della Consolata a Nairobi. Tutte le religiose hanno accompagnato a Nairobi in serata la salma di suor Leonella. Somalia, uccisa religiosa italiana "Forse a causa della crisi Papa-Islam"Mark Alexander
EL PAIS: Benedicto XVI aprovecha el rezo del Ángelus para "lamentar vivamente" sus comentarios negativos sobre MahomaMark Alexander
El Papa ha reiterado hoy por boca propia las disculpas que ayer hizo públicas el jefe del Gobierno vaticano. El secretario de Estado, Tarcisio Bertone, dijo que Benedicto XVI "lamentaba vivamente" que sus alusiones críticas al islam "pudieran resultar ofensivas" para los musulmanes. Esta mañana, durante el rezo del Ángelus, el pontífice ha pedido perdón con las mismas palabras, y ha expresado su esperanza de que eso "calme los ánimos". El Papa pide perdón de nuevo por sus críticas al islam y espera que se "calmen los ánimos"
ARUTZ SHEVA: In his weekly speech outside the Vatican today, Pope Benedictus XVI related to the Muslim outrage at his recent comments against Mohammed, expressing sorrow at the Muslims' reaction to his words.Mark Alexander
The Pope did not apologize outright, as Muslims demanded, for his remarks last Tuesday implying that Mohammed's teachings were evil and inhuman.
Instead, he said he was "deeply sorry" over the reaction to his words. He added his hope that the statement issued by the Vatican yesterday would suffice to explain his intentions.
Pope doesn't quite apologize to Muslims by Hillel Fendel
Pope says sorry for offending Muslims
Photo courtesy of Google Image
JPOST: As security was beefed up around Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday night, the Mujahideen's Army movement in Iraq threatened to carry out a suicide attack against the Pope in revenge for his comments about Islam and jihad.Mark Alexander
On a website used by rebel movements in Iraq, a message posted by the Mujahideen's Army said members of the organization would "smash the crosses in the house of the dog from Rome."
European religious and political leaders have backed the Pope in the wake of the Muslim protests over his academic lecture at Regensburg University Tuesday, saying the pope's words had been misinterpreted.
"Rather than criticizing Islam, the pope is actually offering it a helping hand by suggesting that it do away with the cycle of violence," Fr. Samir K. Samir, SJ, one of the Vatican's leading experts on Islam, wrote in the Catholic newspaper Asia News. Mujahideen's Army threatens Pope with suicide attack
YNET: Muslim world newspapers filled with articles slamming pope’s remarks; ‘it is clear that such remarks only contribute to the fueling of the fire raging between Islam and the West,’ op-ed published in al-Sharq al-Awsat saysMark Alexander
The recent remarks made by Pope Benedict XVI on Islam are threatening to ignite the entire Muslim world.
Op-Eds published in the Arab newspapers slammed the pope even after the Vatican’s apology.
The most extreme opinion was voiced by Hani Pahas in the London-based Arabic-language daily newspaper Al-Hayat, who wrote “the pope’s comments may lead to war; we fear that the pope’s statements may lead to a war that we, Muslims and Christians alike, are trying to prevent through dialogue between East and West. Arab op-ed: Pope’s remarks may lead to war
YNET: At 2:30 a.m., perpetrators fire gunshots at synagogue in Norway’s capital from passing car; police open investigation. Jewish Oslo resident tells Ynet: Since war in Lebanon atmosphere here has become unpleasant for JewsMark Alexander
Anti-Semitic incident in Norway: Shots were fired overnight Sunday towards at the synagogue in Oslo, Norway’s capital.
The incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. and the gunshots were apparently fired from a passing car, which quickly fled the scene. No one was wounded, but local police opened an investigation into the incident. Shots fired at Oslo synagogue by Meital Tzur
YNET: Six teenagers suspected of violently assaulting 12-year-old Jewish girl on bus detained, later released on bail. Police: 'This was one of the most shocking anti-Semitic attacks in Britain in recent years'
Six youths were arrested by Barnet police this week in connection with a vicious anti-Semitic attack on a 12-year-old girl, that left her unconscious with a fractured eye socket.
The young victim who asked not to be named told the Jewish News yesterday how the incident last month had shattered her confidence and left her suffering from terrifying nightmares.
The police said that four 14-year-old girls, a 10-year-old girl and a boy aged 10, had been arrested and released on bail in connection with the attack, which shocked London’s Jewish community. UK: Police arrest youths suspected of anti-Semitic attack
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Pope Benedict XVI’s return to his old university at Regensburg in Germany for a speech entitled Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections was not the most obvious trigger for a new front in the clash of civilisations. The Pope began with a mild joke at the expense of his own religion, recalling that critics used to ask why the university had two departments devoted to God when He did not even exist. Then he strayed into controversial territory.Mark Alexander
Arguments about whether religion is based on rationality are not quite on the level of how many angels it is possible to get on the head of a pin, but they are manna from heaven for students of theology. That was Pope Benedict’s audience and that was where he expected his remarks to stay. But these are unusual times, and his decision to quote the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus’s views on Islam guaranteed that his speech rang out beyond the ivory tower. Leading article: Let the Pope preach
Benedikt XVI. will mit dem Islam einen offenen und harten Dialog führenMark Alexander
Nach einem ruhigen ersten Amtsjahr hat der Papst in Regensburg erstmals provoziert. Dabei sagte er nichts Neues, aber er sagte es deutlicher.
Benedikt XVI. habe die Muslime nicht beleidigt, sagt Bundesrat Pascal Couchepin. Der Islam müsse sich der vom Papst lancierten Debatte stellen. Lieber klare Worte als Gefühlsduselei
Couchpin [Swiss Interior Minister] backs Pope's Islam comments
LE FIGARO: Les propos de Benoît XVI sur l’islam et la violence continuent de provoquer une vague de protestations, malgré la déclaration du Vatican présentant les regrets du Pape. Le dispositif de sécurité sera d’ailleurs renforcé dimanche à Castel Gandolfo, autour de sa résidence d’été, où il doit réciter l’angélus.Mark Alexander
La colère des musulmans après les propos de Benoît XVI établissant un lien implicite entre islam et violence, mardi, ne faiblit pas. Et ce malgré le «mea culpa» du Pape, exprimé samedi par le nouveau secrétaire d’Etat du Vatican, Tarcisio Bertone. Il est «absolument désolé que certains passages de son discours aient pu paraître offensants pour la sensibilité des croyants musulmans», a-t-il déclaré dans un communiqué. Les regrets du Pape n'apaisent pas le courroux du monde musulman
Die islamische Welt ist in Aufruhr über die Regensburger Rede des Papstes. Selbst seine Entschuldigung besänftigt sie nicht. Sein bevorstehender Türkei-Besuch wird zu einem Wagnis.Mark Alexander
Zugegeben, der Text war schwierig. Wie oft zuvor sprach Papst Benedikt XVI. über das Verhältnis zwischen Vernunft und Glauben in der christlichen Welt, aber er tat es an der Universität Regensburg und im gewundenen Stil eines Theologie-Professors. Dabei fügte er als Ausgangsbeispiel für seine Erörterungen einen gelehrten Dialog aus dem 14. Jahrhundert ein, zwischen dem byzantinischen, also christlichen Kaiser Paleologus II. und einem persischen Schriftgelehrten. All das klingt ein wenig, als müssten Studenten dabei einschlafen. Die muslimische Welt aber hat Benedikts Rede hellwach gemacht.
Denn in dem Dialog nannte der Kaiser die Lehren Mohammeds "schlecht und unmenschlich" und den Dschihad, das arabische Wort für den "Heiligen Krieg" oder das "Heilige Kämpfen", vernunftwidrig. Benedikt XVI. selbst ging noch einen Schritt weiter und erhob "Vernunft" zum grundlegenden Gottesprinzip. Damit bezeichnete er den Dschihadbegriff des Koran indirekt als gotteswidrig. Muslime lassen nicht locker von Boris Kalnoky
THE SUNDAY TIMES: Pope Benedict, once known for his tough views, seemed to have mellowed. But his remarks on Islam have sparked violence and anger. They are typical of the man they once called God’s rottweiler, reports John CornwellMark Alexander
With two unfortunate words, “evil and inhuman”, applied to the prophet Muhammad, Pope Benedict XVI last week in the sleepy confines of a Bavarian university lecture room set back relations with Islam several eras.
The comment has called down the wrath of Muslim extremists and the shocked dismay of Islamic moderates. Threats have been issued not only to the papacy but the entire billion-strong community of Catholics. One popular jihadist website operated from Kuwait declared that Catholics “are doing everything in their power to extinguish the light of God” and called for violent retribution. Focus: Pope vs Prophet
THE TELEGRAPH: "We want a personal apology from the Pope," said Mohammed Habib, the deputy leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. A cleric linked to Somalia's powerful Islamist movement last night called for Muslims to "hunt down" and kill the Pope. Pope's apology fails to halt Islamic uproar by Michael Hirst and Nick PisaMark Alexander
Saturday, September 16, 2006
BBC: The furore over the Pope's remarks about Islam has left many Catholics inside and outside the Vatican shaking their heads in disbelief.Mark Alexander
Aides of Benedict XVI are dismayed that a quotation used to illustrate a philosophical argument should have provoked such anger from Muslims.
But for others, the row has highlighted their concerns about the Pope's attitude towards the Church's relations with the Islamic world. Pope remarks reveal harder stance
BBC: Pope Benedict XVI has said he is sorry that a speech in which he mentioned Islam has offended Muslims. Pope 'sorry' for offence to IslamMark Alexander
DIE WELT: Benedikt XVI. stellt das Konzept von Gewalt im Glauben infrage und löst damit einen Sturm der Empörung bei fundamentalistischen Muslimen aus.Mark Alexander
Am 12. September hielt Papst Benedikt XVI. an der Universität Regensburg eine Rede, die zu einem definierenden Augenblick seines Pontifikats werden könnte. Er, der zum Thema Islam bislang vor allem geschwiegen hatte, erhob den Islam zum Kern seiner Vorlesung. Die Folge ist seit drei Tagen ein Sturm der Empörung in der muslimischen Welt.
Benedikt XVI. hatte das Konzept des Heiligen Krieges (Dschihad) indirekt als vernunftwidrig bezeichnet und "Vernunft" zum göttlichen Grundprinzip erhoben. Mit anderen Worten, Dschihad ist gotteswidrig. Das wird in der muslimischen Welt als Frontalangriff des katholischen Kirchenoberhauptes gegen den Koran gesehen. Der Papst als neues Feindbild
THE TIMES: THE Pope’s visit to Turkey, which many hoped would herald a new era of improved relations between Islam and the West, was in doubt yesterday amid condemnation of remarks by the pontiff that appeared to link Islam and violence.Mark Alexander
As Muslims all over the world protested, with effigies of Benedict XVI burnt during demonstrations in Pakistan, members of the Turkish Government urged the Pope to reconsider his visit in November. Senior officials in Turkey said that they could not guarantee his safety if he went ahead with the trip. Muslims vent fury at Pope's speech from Richard Owen and Suna Erdem in Istanbul
THE TIMES: Experts say the Pope was addressing Western culture and did not intend to offend Muslims
IT BEGAN as the joyous homecoming of one of Bavaria’s best-loved sons, with excited crowds lining streets to applaud the German priest who became the leader of 1.1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide.
The organisers who had included a visit to the town of Regensburg on the banks of the River Danube thought that it would be a gentle diversion for Pope Benedict XVI, who agreed to address scholars at the local university before continuing on his tour of the German hinterland.
But the homily given by the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on Tuesday has provoked a firestorm of Islamic rage and left in doubt his eagerly anticipated trip to Turkey later this year, which was intended to improve relations between Christians and Muslims.
Yesterday effigies of the Pope were set alight in Pakistan and hundreds joined protests in countries from Indonesia to Lebanon. Homily on faith, logic and holy war was seen as a slur on Islam by Richard Owen
THE TIMES: The Pope’s speech was entitled Faith, reason and the university. This is an edited extract:
"I was reminded of all this recently, when I read the edition by Professor Theodore Khoury (Münster) of part of the dialogue carried on, perhaps in 1391, by the erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both. The University of Regensburg address
THE TIMES LEADER: Rationalists should be roused but Muslims reassured by the pontiff’s words
It seems almost medieval when even a discussion today of Middle Ages theology can provoke a global storm of protest and denunciation. The Pope, however, can hardly have expected that his scholarly lecture on faith and reason to the University of Regensburg would have led to the uproar that has broken out in sections of the Muslim world, to demands for an apology and to comparisons with Hitler and Mussolini. Yet a close reading of the speech shows that if any group was openly criticised or “insulted”, it was Western materialists. The Pope and the Prophet
BBC: Criticism is continuing to pour in from religious and political leaders in the Muslim world following remarks by Pope Benedict XVI about Islam.
Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, spoke of sinister tendencies to link terror with Islam which gave rise to an ominous alienation with the West.
Pope Benedict, who is back in Italy, is said to be upset at the way in which his remarks have been interpreted. Fresh criticism of Pope's remarks
BBC VIDEO: Muslim anger at Pope's speech
Friday, September 15, 2006
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A statement from the Vatican has failed to quell criticism of Pope Benedict XVI from Muslim leaders, after he made a speech about the concept of holy war.Mark Alexander
Speaking in Germany, the Pope quoted a 14th Century Christian emperor who said Muhammad had brought the world only "evil and inhuman" things.
Pakistan's parliament passed a resolution on Friday criticising the Pope for making "derogatory" comments. Muslim anger grows at Pope speech
NZZ: Empörung über Zitat aus dem Mittelalter
Mit seinen Islam-kritischen Äusserungen hat Papst Benedikt XVI. wütende Proteste in der muslimischen Welt ausgelöst. Das Parlament in Pakistan verabschiedete am Freitag einstimmig eine Entschliessung, in der sie das Oberhaupt der katholischen Kirche auffordert, seine «verächtlichen» Bemerkungen zurückzunehmen. Der Papst im Kreuzfeuer muslimischer Kritik
LE FIGARO: Un dignitaire turc qualifie de «haineuses» et «hostiles» les paroles de Benoît XVI. Le Vatican explique que le Pape respecte l'Islam mais rejette «les motivations religieuses de la violence».
LE SAINT-SIÈGE s'était toujours refusé de parler de «choc des civilisations». Sans reprendre formellement à son compte cette analyse, Benoît XVI a engagé le débat avec l'islam. L'affrontement, pourrait-on tout aussi bien écrire, au vu des réactions que suscitent les propos du Pape dans le monde musulman.
«Pour la doctrine musulmane, a notamment déclaré Benoît XVI lors de son voyage en Bavière, Dieu est absolument transcendant ; sa volonté n'est liée à aucune de nos catégories, pas même celle de la raison.» Et d'en venir à une condamnation de «la Djihad» et des «conversions passant par la violence». Les musulmans choqués par les propos du Pape
THE TIMES: THERE was not a skinhead to be seen in this Baltic town at the heart of Germany’s neoNazi revival. No thugs with steel-tipped paratroop boots, no ranting xenophobes.Mark Alexander
Yet the signs are clear: the far Right is on the march in Eastern Germany.
The neo-Nazis, picking up an astonishing level of support on the home turf of Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, look set to win a big chunk of seats in regional elections on Sunday. And to make sure that middleclass voters do not panic ahead of the ballot, they have donned camouflage. Neo-Nazis join quiet march to poll victory
WASHINGTON POST: ROME -- Oriana Fallaci, the Italian writer and journalist best known for her abrasive interviews and provocative stances, has died, officials said Friday. She was 76.Mark Alexander
Fallaci, who had been diagnosed with cancer years ago, died overnight in a private clinic in Florence, said Paolo Klun, an official with the RCS publishing group, which carried Fallaci's work. Klun said Fallaci, who lived in New York, had come back to her hometown days ago as her condition worsened. Italian Writer Oriana Fallaci Dies
E' morta la scrittrice Oriana Fallaci
Oriana Fallaci: la vita e le opere
Thursday, September 14, 2006
ACCURACY IN MEDIA: WASHINGTON -- Accuracy in Media (AIM) is urging a full inquiry into a report that a Saudi billionaire caused the Fox News Channel (FNC) to dramatically alter its coverage of the Muslim riots in France after he called the network to complain. The Saudi billionaire, Al-waleed bin Talal, is a friend of News Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch and controls an influential number of voting shares in the company.Mark Alexander
"This report underscores the danger of giving foreign interests a significant financial stake in U.S. media companies," declared Cliff Kincaid, editor of Accuracy in Media.
The controversial comments came at an Arab media conference featuring representatives of Time magazine, USA Today, PBS, The Wall Street Journal, and other news organizations. The conference and the Saudi Prince's growing influence in News Corporation are among the subjects of a new December-A AIM Report that has just been posted at the AIM website (www.aim.org). The report raises the specter of Arab money influencing News Corporation and other U.S. media companies. Saudi Billionaire Boasts of Manipulating Fox News Coverage
Although this video is not brand new, it is well worth watching. You decide.
Mark AlexanderVideo courtesy of YOU TUBE
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH, 14 September 2006 — Muslim businessmen should buy into global media outlets to help change anti-Muslim attitudes around the world, said information ministers from Muslim countries at a conference that began at Jeddah Conference Palace yesterday.Mark Alexander
Information ministers and officials meeting under the umbrella of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said Islam faced vilification after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. 'Muslims Need to Be Media Savvy'
Monday, September 11, 2006
Six years after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the free world was celebrating victory! Five years after the heinous crime of 9/11, the debate goes on and on and on: We haven't even come to a definitive decision as to what we are fighting yet!
Of course, there are differences in the nature of the war we are fighting now from the one we fought between 1939 and 1945. But there are also similarities. Then, as we are doing now, we were fighting against dark forces, fighting against tyranny, fighting against a people who had no respect for freedom, fighting against an implacable enemy, an enemy hell-bent on dominating the world.
After a period of appeasement, it became increasingly clear to all right-thinking people that the enemy would have to be confronted if the free world was to remain in tact. People then, though, were not in the grip of the disease of political correctness. As a result, they could see clearly who their enemy was, and there grew a determination to defeat that enemy: National Socialism.
At the present time, we are still in a period of appeasement similar to the lead up to 1939 when war broke out. There prevails a feeling that if we make concessions to the enemies, then they will come around, and let us live in peace. They won’t! Appeasement, by its very nature, is weakness. If there is one thing that Muslims despise, it’s weakness. The Islamic world is patriarchal. They have no time for weakness. Concessions, to them, equate with weakness. They only embolden them in their struggle to dominate the world.
There is another important similarity between then and now. At that time, we were fighting a political dogma: Nazism. At this time, we are also fighting a political dogma: Islam. Unfortunately, this political dogma is clothed in a deity. It comes complete with ‘Allah’s words’ and ‘Allah’s messenger’! But do not be fooled! Islam is a ‘religion’ like no other! It is nothing short of a total political system, with its very own laws and legal structures, the Shari’ah.
To complicate matters further, all Muslims are taught that the world is divided into two: Dar ul Islam, or the ‘House of Islam’, and Dar ul Harb, or the ‘House of War’. Muslims believe it is their God-given duty to fight in the way of their Lord, Allah, Rub al‘ameen, ‘Lord of the Worlds’, until the ‘House of War’, the home of the infidels, has been incorporated into the ‘House of Islam’. The fight will not be given up. At best there can be respites.
What is actually happening is clear to see; yet there is a great reluctance on the part of our leaders to admit to what is truly happening. The fact of the matter should be obvious to all: the Muslim world is fighting the jihad, or holy war, in order to conquer the world for Allah. America, seen as it is as the archenemy of Islamic values, has become the main enemy of Muslims worldwide. Hence, the United States is known as the ‘Great Satan’, and they call for its death. ‘Death to America’ is the cry from many a mosque throughout the world, and from many a street corner, too.
The problem for us is made more complicated because the Islamic world, dominated as it is by the Middle East in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, is the home of Islam. It is also home to the one commodity the West needs in great abundance: oil.
Westerners show little desire to do without this commodity. It is, after all, one of the engines of our economies. Out of a lack of vision and short-sightedness, the West has wasted nearly forty years of research time to find a viable alternative source of energy. Where alternatives are available, Western leaders are reluctant to further their use.
This leaves us dependent in no small measure on Middle Easterners. The trillions of dollars that have made the Middle East rich beyond anyone’s wildest dreams enable our Saudi ‘friends’ to spend billions of dollars worldwide to buy influence in the West. They buy up our businesses, build mosques, build schools, build Islamic propagation centres, and fund university chairs. Of course, Saudi Arabia, being the home of the pernicious brand of Islam known as Wahhabism promotes that extreme brand of Islam in the West.
Fact is, in short, we are funding the jihad against ourselves!
Muslims despise America and are intent on destroying its influence in the world. Why do Muslims hate America so much? Well, there are many reasons too numerous to mention. But here are some: America is seen as the home of capitalism, with all its evil, debauched, hedonistic, godless, fun-seeking, entertainment-obsessed ways. Muslims see Americans as choosing the enjoyment of life over piety.
Moreover, America is successful economically in a way that Muslims in most parts of the world could only dream of. Muslims in the Middle East are rich by happenstance: oil has made them rich. They happen to have it in abundance. They have not become rich by working for their wealth; rather, they have become rich simply because they have this natural resource aplenty. Americans, by contrast, have become rich through intelligence, progress, resourcefulness, creativity, and sheer business acumen. This is an enviable state of affairs.
Then there’s the concept of freedom. America espouses freedom for all. Freedom is anathema to Muslims. To Muslims, the only part of freedom they understand is the freedom to worship Allah and his messenger! That’s the only freedom they are interested in!
In addition, there are two very important matters. America supports and stands up for Israel, and Muslims hate Israel with a vengeance. Muslims, as we all know, are anti-Semitic in the extreme. They despise the fact that the US, with all its power, could have the temerity to stand up for the Jews.
To complicate matters still further, the jihadis hate the fact that America keeps the Saudi royal family in power. Many devout Muslims see the Saudi royal family as apostates, people who have left Islam, for they view them as debauched, and see that their home country is run as a private business, very much as Nicolae Ceausescu ran Romania up until 1989. They despise the Americans for its support of a rotten régime. The Islamists are even more determined to Islamize America to be able to change its political course.
In order for America to be victorious in this battle of cultures, it needs a volte-face in its foreign policy. Not one to appease the Muslims, but one to ensure the West’s ultimate victory over its enemy: Islam.
To do this, we need strong leadership: strong leadership in the US, in Europe, and in the rest of the free world. We also need leaders with vision, determination, courage, and conviction. Leaders with the will to win, and leaders prepared to take the uncomfortable decisions necessary to drive these dark forces back into the desert sands, where they truly belong.
President Bush may have done his best. But his best is not yet good enough. I would suggest that in his remaining years in office that he come to recognize the forces working against his country. The enemy needs to be called by its proper name. This war of the twenty-first century is a war between Western and Islamic culture. Furthermore, he needs to get tougher on the enemy, for it is only strength our enemy understands.
To allow unfettered access to the West for Islam is something that will only complicate matters still further. After all, could Nazism be propagated in the United Kingdom during World War II? Could communism be propagated in the US in the post-War years? Certainly not! It would have been unthinkable to allow these ideologies to be propagated! Yet Islam has been allowed to grow apace in the West post-9/11!
It helps us not one jot to say that Islam is a religion, and we have freedom of religion in the West. Let’s have freedom of religion, by all means. But in Islam, we have a religion like no other: Islam is, first and foremost, a political ideology. The kind of religion that the founders of the US had in mind when the Constitution was drawn up was something quite different. They were referring to religions that are personal and spiritual in natural. Islam is not. Islam is communal and political and trans-national. Are we really being sensible in allowing a 'religion' to grow and grow in the West which has as its main goal the supplanting of our political system with a totally different set of laws based on a totally different ideology?
To add insult to injury, Christianity, and all other religions, are disallowed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and their practice is severely restricted in most other Islamic countries, too. Moreover, Muslims have no shame in disallowing other religions to be propagated, either. This is asymmetry if ever I recognized it!
The debate needs to stop. The time has come to take off our kid gloves. The time to fight the good fight is HERE and it is NOW. We have no time to waste. We really do not have the luxury of time.
In addition, people need to start preparing for the enormous struggle that lies ahead of them. They must be prepared to relinquish many comforts, and many liberties hitherto taken for granted; and they need to be prepared to sacrifice. For truly, no war was ever won without sacrifice!
Ladies and gentlemen, previous generations have sacrificed so much for the freedoms you and I enjoy today. They sacrificed for the sake of their children, and for the sake of their children’s children. The time has come for you and me to do the same for our children! Start preparing to sacrifice now. The debating needs to stop.
©Mark Alexander
Five years have passed since September 11, 2001, a day that will go down in history as a day of infamy. Thousands of innocent people perished that day in New York, and needlessly. The world has never been the same since. 9/11 has cast a long shadow over the free world.
Today, I should like to express my heartfelt sympathy to all those people, parents, spouses, children, and extended family members, of the victims of that heinous crime against the American nation, and against the rest of the free world. May those who perished rest in peace.
9/11 should be a stark reminder to all people that the world truly is divided into two: the enlightened free world and the benighted world of fundamentalist Islam. The latter is characterized by forces of barbarity and cruelty. America and the rest of the West must at last stand united in its battle against these forces of darkness, for not to do so will have dire consequences for the free world in its entirety.
THE WHITE HOUSE: THE PRESIDENT: Laura and I approach tomorrow with a heavy heart. It's hard not to think about the people who lost their lives on September the 11th, 2001. You know, you see the relatives of those who still grieve -- I just wish there were some way we could make them whole. So tomorrow is going to be a day of sadness for a lot of people. President Bush Visits with Firefighters, Tours Tribute WTC Visitor Center in New YorkMark Alexander
THE TIMES: PRESIDENT BUSH will cap two days of ceremonies marking the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks with a primetime television address today from the Oval Office, amid an increasingly bitter election year debate over the Iraq war. Five years on, the Twin Towers cast long shadows over the war debate
THE INDEPENDENT: The bitter legacy of 9/11
ALWAYS ON WATCH: With thanks to Always On Watch for this touching tribute:
Take a good look at this face. It is the face of Steven Lawrence Glick, who perished on 9/11 at the World Trade Center. Steve was forty-two years old.
Look into his eyes, look at his smile. Really. A good, long look.
He's gone now. He left behind friends and family, including two young children. 9/11 Tribute: Steven L. Glick
And lest we forget the importance of fighting this war, a chilling message from Al-Qaeda:
CNN: A lengthy statement from al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks calls on Muslims to step up their resistance against the United States. Al Qaeda releases 9/11 anniversary message
LE FIGARO: Des guerres, des lois d'exception, des prisons spéciales, un «axe du Mal» et une «campagne pour la liberté» : ce qui a changé depuis les attentats.
CINQ ANS après les attentats du 11 septembre 2001, l'Amérique a plus d'ennemis dans le monde qu'elle n'en avait avant. Qui l'aurait prédit, dans l'élan de solidarité qui a suivi le cauchemar du carnage en direct ? Des avions-missiles dans le ciel bleu de New York et de Washington, des victimes qui se jettent des fenêtres, des appels téléphoniques désespérés, des tours qui se fracassent dans un «tsunami de poussière». C'est d'abord le choc : 2 992 morts, un pays en état de siège. Puis c'est l'onde de choc, qui secoue les États-Unis et le reste de la planète jusqu'à ce jour. État des lieux. 11 Septembre : Le Nouveau Monde cinq ans après par Philippe Gélie
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: In New York haben am Sonntag die Gedenkfeiern zu «9/11» begonnen
Vor fünf Jahren wurden die USA Schauplatz der bis anhin grössten Terroranschläge. Aus diesem Anlass haben am Sonntag in New York die Gedenkfeiern zu «9/11» begonnen. Der amerikanische Präsident Bush trat in New York an der Stelle auf, wo zwei Flugzeuge in die beiden Türme des World Trade Center flogen. Am Montag hat der afghanische Präsident Karzai die Opfer des 9. Septembers 2001 gewürdigt. Erinnerungen an das Unfassbare
EL MUNDO: NUEVA YORK.- El presidente de EEUU, George W.Bush, inició en Nueva York las conmemoraciones del quinto aniversario del 11-S con una ofrenda floral en la 'Zona Cero', donde se alzaban las Torres Gemelas.
Acompañado del gobernador de Nueva York, George Pataki, el alcalde de la ciudad, Michael Bloomberg, y de su mujer Laura, el jefe de la Casa Blanca depositó sendas coronas en los lechos de la Torre Norte y la Torre Sur, que componían el complejo del World Trade Center. Bush inicia en la 'Zona Cero' de Nueva York la conmemoración del quinto aniversario del 11-S
CORRIERE DELLA SERA: Il presidente ha deposto una corona di fiori nel luogo attentati. Con lui il sindaco di allora Rudolph Giuliani, e l'attuale Bloomberg Usa:Bush a Ground Zero per 11 settembre
DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS: O quinto aniversário dos atentados de 11 de Setembro está a ser marcado nos Estados Unidos por um ambiente de controvérsia. No âmbito da guerra contra o terrorismo, uma evidência aprofunda as divisões: Ussama ben Laden continua a monte e, a menos que a sorte intervenha, não será tão cedo capturado ou eliminado. Destino de Ben Laden gera polémica nos EUA
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Iran celebrates the Mahdi: BBC In pictures: Iran celebrates Imam's birthdayMark Alexander
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: Saudi Arabia on Sunday beheaded a Yemeni man for rape, the Interior Ministry said. Mohammed bin Abdul-Raheem bin Ahmed was convicted of attacking the wife of a resident of the capital Riyadh in her home and raping her, the ministry said in a statement.Mark Alexander
He was beheaded in Riyadh. Yemeni beheaded in Saudi Arabia for rape
David Selbourne, author of The Losing Battle with Islam writes a chilling prognosis of why the West will be defeated in this war with Islam.
THE SUNDAY TIMES: LET US SUPPOSE, for the sake of argument, that the war declared by al-Qaeda and other Islamists is under way. Let us further suppose that thousands of “terrorist” attacks carried out in Islam’s name during the past decades form part of this war; and that conflicts that have spread to 50 countries and more, taking the lives of millions — including in inter-Muslim blood-shedding — are the outcome of what Osama bin Laden has called “conducting jihad for the sake of Allah”.Mark Alexander
If such war is under way, there are ten good reasons why, as things stand, Islam will not be defeated in it. Can the West defeat the Islamist threat? Here are ten reasons why not by David Selbourne
Spare me the maudlin observances of the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, the ringing bells and the weeping widows.Mark Alexander
The most meaningful way to mark the date is with a national renewal of our commitment to confront and wipe out the evil ideology that spawned the attacks.
Gathering on the spot of the missing towers to sob and read aloud names will only cheer those who remember Sept. 11 as a victory for their insane cause.
I'd rather see us honor the anniversary by watching the powerful documentary "Obsession," an expose of the jihadist culture's true aims.
This movie ought to be shown Monday in every community center, every school, every church, synagogue and mosque, every living room in America. Mark 9/11 by declaring jihad on jihadists by Nolan Finley
One cannot help but wonder whether the Muslims in this new upsurge in immigrants from Muslim countries will help swell the call for Shari'ah law in America! Are the authorities really paying attention? Their apparent insouciance is rather unsettling! Shouldn't Americans be worried? The New York Times seems to be proud of the development! In view of the fact that Muslims worldwide are waging the jihad against the US and the rest of the West, isn't it rather reckless for the authorities to go ahead with such a policy on immigration? What is even more puzzling is this: Try and immigrate to the US as a Brit, or a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant, and you'll likely be given the cold shoulder! So why this discrimination in favour of Muslims at a time when the West cannot trust them to be loyal to the Western values and ideals of tolerance and democracy and freedom?
America’s newest Muslims arrive in the afternoon crunch at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Their planes land from Dubai, Casablanca and Karachi. They stand in line, clasping documents. They emerge, sometimes hours later, steering their carts toward a flock of relatives, a stream of cabs, a new life.Mark Alexander
This was the path for Nur Fatima, a Pakistani woman who moved to Brooklyn six months ago and promptly shed her hijab. Through the same doors walked Nora Elhainy, a Moroccan who sells electronics in Queens, and Ahmed Youssef, an Egyptian who settled in Jersey City, where he gives the call to prayer at a palatial mosque.
“I got freedom in this country,” said Ms. Fatima, 25. “Freedom of everything. Freedom of thought.”
The events of Sept. 11 transformed life for Muslims in the United States, and the flow of immigrants from countries like Egypt, Pakistan and Morocco thinned sharply.
But five years later, as the United States wrestles with questions of terrorism, civil liberties and immigration control, Muslims appear to be moving here again in surprising numbers, according to statistics collected by the Department of Homeland Security and the Census Bureau.
Immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia are planting new roots in states from Virginia to Texas to California. More Muslims Arrive in U.S., After 9/11 Dip
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Danish exports to Muslim countries have been hit hard by a row over cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, officials in Denmark say.Mark Alexander
A Muslim boycott of Danish goods led to a 15.5% drop in total exports between February and June. Trade to the Middle East fell by half, statistics show.
An industry chief said there was little doubt the cartoons row was to blame. Cartoon row hits Danish exports
TOWNHALL: Seventy years ago this month, Adolf Hitler began seizing the assets of German Jews. He had waited until the summer Olympics in Berlin were finished and the world had seen the might of the Third Reich. Already, Hilter had established concentration camps for "undesirables" and forced many Jewish professionals out of their jobs. He had also harassed Catholics and Protestants who dared speak against his racist policies. The return of lethal fascismMark Alexander
Photo courtesy of EUObserver
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - French presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed radical EU reforms such as getting the European Commission president to pick his own commissioners and cross-border European Parliament elections - but first he wants a new EU "mini treaty." Sarkozy keen on radical shake up of EU institutionsMark Alexander
Friday, September 08, 2006
ISLAM REVIEW: Muslims often claim that Islam is the world's fastest growing religion. This boast empowers them with increased fervor as they race down the road for conquest of the New World. They argue that the number of new adherents embracing Islam is an indication of Allah's vindication and Islam's appeal as the only true religion. They ask, "How could so many people be wrong?" Hand in hand with this, Muslims cite another equally important claim, that Islam has a lower attrition rate than other faiths. ON THE ROAD TO THE NEW WORLD: Examining Islam's Expansionist History by Abdullah al-ArabyMark Alexander
These people want to kill us. The 'War on Terror' is a war for America's (and the rest of the free world's) FREEDOM, SECURITY, and SURVIVAL. NEVER forget! THE VIDEO: PROGRESS FOR AMERICAMark Alexander
THE JERUSALEM POST: Saudi Arabia's religious police, normally tasked with chiding women to cover themselves and ensuring men attend mosque prayers, are turning to a new target: cats and dogs.Mark Alexander
The police have issued a decree banning the sale of the pets, seen as a sign of Western influence. Saudi Arabia: Sale of pet cats and dogs banned
RADIO NETHERLANDS: On Saturday, the radical Pakistani Muslim Mohammed Anas Noorani Siddiqui is fronting an international conference in Amsterdam. In the Dutch parliament, though, eyebrows have been raised about why the man - who is considered a radical - has even been given a visa. Row as radical cleric arrives in the NetherlandsMark Alexander
... but ever since, he, and all the rest of the Church leaders, have been remarkably silent. One can therefore but ask oneself one simple question: If the former Archbishop of Canterbury could speak with such clarity and precision in 2004, why is he so silent today? And why are no Church leaders speaking any sense about Islam anymore? Clearly, the voice of sanity in the Church has been silenced. The sad reality is this: Political correctness dominates even in the Church of England today.
Address given by Lord Carey of Clifton at the Gregorian University, Rome, on Thursday, March 25 in which he criticised Islamic culture and regimes: 'Christianity and Islam: Collison [sic] or convergence?'Mark Alexander
"However, wherever we look, Islam seems to be embroiled in conflict with other faiths and other cultures. It is in opposition to practically every other world religion- to Judaism in the Middle East; to Christianity in the West, in Nigeria, and in the Middle East; to Hinduism in India; to Buddhism, especially since the destruction of the Temples in Afghanistan.
We are presented therefore with a huge puzzle concerning Islam. Why is it associated with violence throughout the world? Is extremism so ineluctably bound up with its faith that we are at last seeing its true character? Or could it be that a fight for the soul of Islam is going on that requires another great faith, Christianity, to support and encourage the vast majority of Muslims who resist this identification of their faith with terrorism?"
...
"Thus, believers are told, because they have come direct from Allah they are not to be questioned or revised. As it happens, in the first few centuries of the Islamic era, Islamic theologians sought to meet the challenge this implied, but during the past five hundred years critical scholarship has declined leading to strong resistance to modernity." ... "Saudi Arabia will not allow Christian worship and Christian priests and ministers are not allowed to function as such in that land. Muslim leaders often tell Christians and Jews that 'there is no compulsion in religion'. This sadly is only half true. If non-Muslims are not compelled to become Muslim, Muslims are not free to choose another faith. There is, we find, some compulsion, after all." Carey speech on Islam in full
Carey's Islam comments condemned
Muslim culture has contributed little for centuries, says Carey by Jonathan Petre
Carey defends 'anti-Islam' speech
WARNING: This video is NOT for the faint-hearted!
Video courtesy of YOU TUBE
Mark Alexander
BBC: Arabic TV channel Al-Jazeera has broadcast what it says is unseen footage of Osama Bin Laden meeting some of the 9/11 hijackers.Mark Alexander
The channel said it showed al-Qaeda leaders "preparing for the attacks and practising their execution". Bin Laden '9/11 video' broadcast
You can watch some of the video courtesy of the BBC HERE
AL-JAZEERA: A new videotape aired on Aljazeera television has shown Osama bin Laden and senior Al-Qaeda members meeting with some of the men who carried out the September 11 attacks against the US in 2001.
The 90-minute video apparently shows Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, taking part in the planning and preparation of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Al-Qaeda video takes credit for 9/11
Thursday, September 07, 2006
BBC: As part of his series on the fifth anniversary of the 11 September attacks, the BBC's Stephen Evans talks to Muslims in New York to see how they have been affected by the tragedy.Mark Alexander
Many Muslims in New York have been through a period of reflection since 11 September 2001, looking out at the wider US and wondering where they fit into it. NY Muslims keep the faith post 9/11
DAILY MAIL: How long will it be before Christianity becomes illegal in Britain? This is no longer the utterly absurd and offensive question that on first blush it would appear to be.Mark Alexander
An evangelical Christian campaigner, Stephen Green was arrested and charged last weekend with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.
So what was this behaviour? Merely trying peacefully to hand out leaflets at a gay rally in Cardiff. How Britain is turning Christianity into a crime by Melanie Phillips
Antony Thomas is the reporter and director of "Death of a Princess." In this interview, he talks about the reasons he turned his reporting into a docu-drama, the multiple sourcing that he had for it, the film's most controversial scenes and some of the pressures put on him and on others to prevent its broadcast. And, he discusses what he came to learn about the young princess herself and the basic facts behind her execution. This interview was conducted on March 21, 2005.Mark Alexander
Please note: "This film cannot be video streamed because Internet rights are not available."
Interview: Antony Thomas
Reflecting on "Princess" 25 Years Later
Interviews
Press Reaction
ISLAM REVIEW: Islam, in the West, is fighting its battle of acceptance and legitimacy. Muslim activists are working fervently trying to improve Islam's image. Their goal is to create an environment in which Islam can be easily propagated. Their tool is as old as Islam itself, but they have just rediscovered it. This tool is telling Christians that Islam and Christianity have a lot in common. They cite Islam's belief in the Bible, God, Jesus, Mary, the prophets, the day of judgment and Paradise. Nothing In Common by Abdullah Al ArabyMark Alexander
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