Weisselberg hat sich nicht aus Angst sondern aus Protest verbrannt

Vor diesem Kloster in Erfurt hat sich Weisselberg verbrannt

Photo dank der Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: 03. November 2006
Auf der Pressekonferenz am Mittwoch nachmittag zeigen sich Bischof Axel Noack aus Magdeburg und der Kurator des Augustinerklosters in Erfurt, Lothar Schmelz, ratlos. Was sollen sie, die selbst noch erschüttert sind, zur Selbstverbrennung des Pfarrers Roland Weisselberg am Reformationstag vor dem Erfurter Augustinerkloster sagen? Die Erfurter Pröpstin Elfriede Begrich, die mit Verspätung zur Pressekonferenz kommt, macht den Bischof wohl noch ratloser. Denn sie berichtet, daß sie bis eben mit der Witwe gesprochen habe und mit ihr einig sei, das Motiv des Pfarrers offenzulegen, um Spekulationen vorzubeugen. Roland Weisselberg sei es mit seinem Selbstmord „um die Ausbreitung des Islam und die Haltung der Kirchen dazu gegangen. Das war immer sein Anliegen.“ Seit drei Jahren habe er darum gebeten, sich des Themas anzunehmen. Es sei „das große Thema, das uns bewegt für die nächsten Jahre“. Weisselberg habe in Briefen dazu aufgefordert, „das Problem ernster zu nehmen“. Es sei für ihn „wirklich ein Dauerthema gewesen“. Die Kirche, sagt die Pröpstin, habe sich zwar damit beschäftigt, „aber nicht so exzentrisch“. „Nicht aus Angst, sondern aus Protest“ Von Claus Peter Müller, Alfons Kaiser und Raoul Löbbert

Mark Alexander

What does Charles mean by inter-faith respect? That Christians should be tolerant of beheadings, lapidations, amputations, wife beatings, and the persecution of Christians?

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: The Prince of Wales has called for tolerance between all religions as he continues his tour of Pakistan.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, his trip to Lahore took in a mosque, a Sikh temple and a cathedral.

The prince called on community leaders of all faiths to have the "courage" to encourage mutual understanding and tackle religious intolerance.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt says the prince is passionate about improving inter-faith dialogue. Charles urges inter-faith respect

Mark Alexander

Strange! Just why is the Bush family so fond of Islam?

M & C NEWS: TALLAHASSEE, FL, United States (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has strongly condemned a county commissioner and his wife for their calling Islam a 'hateful, frightening religion.' Jeb Bush denounces anti-Islam statement

Mark Alexander

As I stated in my book, that New Dark Age Is Dawning

THE BRUSSELS JOURNAL: Europe’s current problems are entirely self-inflicted. This does not mean, however, that the result will be less catastrophic. By subverting the roots of its own Judeo-Christian culture – a process that started with the French Enlightenment (as opposed to the Scottish Enlightenment, which was not anti-religious) – a religious and cultural vacuum was created at the heart of European civilization. The collapse of faith in its own values has, not surprisingly, led to a demographic collapse because a civilization that no longer believes in its own future also rejects procreation. Today, a new religion and culture is supplanting the old one. There is little one can do about it, but hope for a miracle. The Closing Civilization of Europe by Paul Belien

Mark Alexander

1,500 migrants arrive, but 1,000 people (mostly British) leave the UK each and every day

BBC: Some 1,500 migrants arrived to live in the UK every day in 2005, according to official estimates.

Government figures suggest 185,000 more people came to live in the UK than emigrated in 2005 - making the population grow by 500 a day.

The total for those arriving was lower than 2004's record, but continues a trend of high levels of migration.

While the number of arriving Eastern European workers grew, the numbers of people leaving the UK has also risen.

In total, 565,000 people arrived in the UK in 2005 saying they intended to stay for at least a year. At the same time, 380,000 people left - 1,000 people a day - more than half of whom were British citizens. 1,500 migrants arrive in UK daily

Watch video: UK takes 1,500 migrants a day

Outline of the problem [facing the UK]

Mark Alexander

How shocking! Why doesn't she wear gloves, too? Ms Azmi must surely be in breach of Allah's injunctions!

Photo courtesy of the BBC

What is it with these people? Don't they ever wear anything except black? Why do they always have to be so morbid? Black veils, black turbans, black abayas, black, black, black. Everywhere you look, they're dressed in black! Psychiatrists! Please get on their case. This has got to be indicative of something. I think I know what it is: It's a morbid outlook and a love of death and the so-called afterlife. But a more scientific opinion would be more than welcome.

BBC: Teaching assistant Aishah Azmi has no regrets about the huge controversy stirred by her refusal to take off her veil during lessons.

She is small in stature, but big on principle.

The Cardiff-born support teacher is unfazed by the national - and international - attention paid to her refusal to take off her veil when working with male colleagues.

The 23-year-old, married mother-of-one knows she could defuse the row by backing down, but will she?

"No" is her polite but firm reply. The woman at centre of veil case

Mark Alexander

The Increasing Islamization of Turkey Shows It's Not a Suitable Candidate for the EU

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: For almost half a century, Turkey has been pursuing European Union membership. With negotiations now started though, enthusiasm is waning. And the influence of Islam is on the rise.

At first glance, the "Sah Inn Suite" Hotel in Alanya looks no different from the average sunny resort along the Turkish Mediterranean coast: a bulky construction with a honeycomb of balconies, looking out over a generous swimming pool surrounded by parasols and lounge chairs. But, in fact, only men are allowed to take a refreshing plunge into these shimmering blue waters. Women vacationers at the Sah-Hotel swim in a strictly isolated pool for women. And what about a cold beer? Forget it. There is no alcohol here; instead, a mosque offers communion with God. Less Europe, More Islam

Mark Alexander

Pastor sets fire to himself over the growth and spread of Islam in Germany

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: 01. November 2006
Der evangelische Pfarrer, der sich in Erfurt am Reformationstag selbst anzündete und tötete, hat den Suizid begangen, um ein Zeichen zu setzen gegen die Ausbreitung des Islam in Deutschland. Bevor er sich anzündete, rief er in Anspielung auf den Pfarrer Oskar Brüsewitz die Worte: „Jesus und Oskar!“

Das bestätigten Bischof Axel Noack aus Magdeburg und die Erfurter Pröpstin Elfriede Begrich am Mittwoch nachmittag in Erfurt. Begrich sagte, seit mehreren Jahren habe den Mann der angeblich wachsende Einfluß des Islam umgetrieben. Pfarrer verbrennt sich aus Angst vor dem Islam

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BERLIN: A retired Protestant minister died Wednesday of burns after setting himself on fire, apparently to express his concern over the spread of Islam, a church official said. Retired minister dies after setting himself on fire over Islam, church official says

Retired pastor burns himself in Islam protest

Mark Alexander

Iran's Tasteless Holocaust Denial Cartoon Competition to Become an Annual Event!

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: TEHRAN — Iran's Culture Ministry on Thursday dismissed criticism of its competition of cartoons on the Holocaust and lauded it as an expression of hatred against oppressors, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry, echoing widespread international condemnation, deplored that Tehran had joined the “obscene chorus” of denial.

Iran awarded a Moroccan artist late Wednesday the top prize in an exhibition of cartoons against the Holocaust, saying it wanted to emphasize that Palestinians were the indirect victims of the Nazi's killing of six million Jews in Europe during the Second World War.

“Palestinians have been victim of a deceptive history by Zionists,” Iran's Culture Minister Hossein Saffar Harandi was quoted as saying by the Kayhan conservative daily on Thursday.

“The cartoonists expressed their hate against oppressors and their love toward [Palestinian] victims in their works,” the Culture Minister said.

Israel, where many Holocaust survivors immigrated to, expressed its dismay at such hatred. Iran dismisses criticism of Holocaust cartoon contest by NASSER KARIMI

Mark Alexander

Mohammad Khatami in the UK

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: UK Muslims should obey British law as well as accepting the obligations of citizenship, the former president of Iran has urged.

Mohammad Khatami, during a three-day visit to Britain, told BBC News the UK was right to fear radicalism.

But it had added to the problem by getting involved in Iraq, he said. Obey UK law, Iran ex-leader urges

BBC: The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has branded US attempts to impose Western-style democracy in the Middle East as "a great joke".

Mr Khatami was critical of the US-led military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, which he said had led to more Muslims supporting al-Qaeda.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Mr Khatami, said he was committed to fighting extremism around the world. Khatami labels US policy 'a joke'

Audio Interview: Khatami: US policy is a joke

Mark Alexander

More distemper on order to whitewash Islam for Europeans

ZAMAN ONLINE: Following the cartoon crisis and Pope Benedict XVI’s offensive remarks on Islam, many European state-owned TV channels have launched new initiatives to disseminate more information on Islam.

Inspired by the TV programs on Islam broadcast by state-sponsored TV channels in France, the Netherlands and Denmark, Germany and Belgium are also now considering starting programs of the same kind.

The lack of accurate information on Muslims, which became clearer following the cartoon crisis, and the pope’s contentious remarks, has led some European countries to introduce TV programs on Islam and its fundamental precepts. It is already expected that the Islamic programs, which will be prepared in the native language of the country, will contribute to social cohabitation. European Television Hosts more Programs on Islam

Mark Alexander

Sir Menzies Cambell brings dishonour on St Andrew's, Scotland's oldest university

This award to the former President of Iran disgraces Scotland’s oldest university

THE TIMES: WE MUST thank the University of St Andrews for that rare opportunity — the chance to employ with a straight face the cliché “it’s like Caligula appointing his horse as consul”. How so? Because Scotland’s oldest university has decided to award an honorary doctorate of law to former President Khatami of Iran “in recognition of his efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue”.

I kid you not. No less a person than Sir Menzies Campbell, the university’s Chancellor, will bestow the accolade on the acceptable face of violent, arbitrary clerical rule. It will come to be seen as one of the most shameful days in the university’s history — on a par with the honorary degrees granted by the University of Edinburgh to Robert Mugabe, of Zimbabwe, or the Central London Polytechnic to Elena Ceaucescu, of Romania. They, too, were once fashionable items among the appeasing classes, of which Sir Menzies is the contemporary personification. The dishonouring of St Andrews by Dean Godson

THE SUNDAY TIMES: STUDENT leaders are organising a mass protest over St Andrews University’s decision to award an honorary degree to a former Iranian president who praised Hezbollah.

Muhammad Khatami is to be made an honorary doctor of laws by Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader who is also the university’s chancellor.

Khatami will open the university’s Institute for Iranian Studies, which will house 12,000 books donated by Sadegh Kharazi, Iran’s former ambassador to France. The collection of Iranian texts, the largest of its kind in Europe, is estimated to be worth more than £100,000. Fury as St Andrews honours Hezbollah backer by Mark Macaskill and Abul Taher

BBC: The former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, has begun a visit to the UK by calling for dialogue between civilisations to prevent religious wars. He is the most senior Iranian figure to visit the UK since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Mixed reception for Iran's ex-president

BLOOMBERG: London Police have concluded there is insufficient evidence to pursue a criminal investigation against Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami, after two exiled Iranians said they were tortured by his government.

The Metropolitan Police service received a letter last week referring to alleged acts of torture in the Islamic Republic in 1999. Torture committed anywhere in the world is a criminal offence under British law, according to section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act. London Police Dismiss Accusations Against Iran's Khatami by Caroline Alexander

Mark Alexander

Turkey: 92 year old archeologist acquitted despite linking headscarves to ancient Sumerian sexual rights!

BBC: A court in the Turkish city of Istanbul has acquitted a 92-year-old academic of charges of insulting Muslim women and inciting religious hatred.

Archaeologist Muazzez Ilmiye Cig was prosecuted over a book in which she linked the wearing of headscarves with ancient Sumerian sexual rites. Turkey court clears archaeologist

Mark Alexander

Sarkozy could breathe new life into Franco-American relations

THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: According to the latest polls, by spring 2007 the president of France could well be Nicolas Sarkozy, the man who The Washington Post described as “not your everyday French politician.” For a start, the current French Interior Minister and leader of the UMP conservative party is pro-American. He understands that the war on terrorism is the world’s fight and not one America should have to bear alone. He grasps the nature of the threat facing Continental Europe from Muslim extremism and favors fighting terrorism head-on and without apology. His worldview is not one that ends in the Michelin-starred restaurants of Paris. Further, he is vocally enthusiastic about the Anglo-Saxon economic model and keen to shake up the statist, government-centered French economy with a hefty dose of innovation and entrepreneurialism. So if Nicolas Sarkozy does become president next year, what exactly will it mean for U.S. interests? Regime Change in Paris: How Nicolas Sarkozy Could Reinvigorate U.S.-French Relations by Sally McNamara

Mark Alexander

Severely burned French woman between life and death as spate of bus-burning continues. Official reason: Social deprivation!

THE TELEGRAPH: Riot police reinforcements were deployed in Marseille last night after the latest outbreak of urban violence in France left a young woman in a critical condition with life-threatening burns.

President Jacques Chirac expressed his horror at the attack hours after the 26-year-old woman and three others were ambushed by rioting teenagers while travelling on a bus in the southern port city.

The assailants – said by some witnesses to be as young as 15 – forced the vehicle's doors open, spilled flammable liquid inside, and set it alight.

There were similar attacks in major cities across the country at the weekend, just hours after the passing of the anniversary of the rioting and car-burning that brought terror to urban areas last year. Chirac's horror as woman burnt in riot

La violence tourne au drame à Marseille

In Marseille haben die Anschläge eine neue Dimension erreicht

Mark Alexander

Ayaan Hirsi Ali's thoughts on Muslim women

Ayaan Hirsi Ali lives under a death threat for daring to challenge the Islamic patriarchy and says the West must support women like her if it wants to spread freedom

Ideas can be dangerous. I have learnt that the hard way. But I know that when it comes to freedom and human rights these precious ideas, so valued in the West, are worth fighting for. As a young Muslim woman, born in Somalia, I abandoned my family to avoid an arranged marriage to a distant cousin and fled to Holland. I was just 23 and I had no idea back then that my refusal to submit to a traditional Muslim woman’s life would come to dominate my whole career.

So for me, the debate that is raging about the veil, particularly the niqab, which covers most of the woman’s face save for the eyes, goes to the very heart of the matter of liberty for Islamic women. Not just freedom for its own sake, but from a life of repression, subordination and violence.
Muslim women are the key to change

Mark Alexander

Osama bin Laden’s terror tactics are heinous and despicable; but are all of his objectives so terrible for the West?
Five years have now passed since 9/11, but we are no closer now to winning the “War on Terror” than we were on day one after the ruthless and cruel tragedy on that sunny September day in New York.

There are some very good reasons for this. One of them is the determination of Western leaders not to identify and name the enemy. Without identifying and naming the enemy - Islam in this case - then no significant achievements can be made in the war in which we are engaged.

With each passing day, we are able to read stories of appeasement of the enemy. Indeed, our political élite is going out of its way to make Muslims feel at home in the West, out of its way to make excuses for Muslims, out of its way to apologize for Muslims, out of its way to inform the electorate that Islam is a ‘religion of peace’ and love. In fact, President Bush bends over backwards to appease Muslims in America and throughout the world. Just look at the Iftaar banquets held in the White House for prominent Muslims in the States and from throughout the Islamic world. And read the statements that Bush has recently made on the occasions of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr:

"I send greetings to the many Muslims observing Ramadan in America and around the world.

Ramadan is the holiest time of the Muslim year and an important holiday when Muslims take time for prayer, fasting, and personal sacrifice. According to Islamic teachings, this month represents when God delivered His word to the prophet Muhammad in the form of the Qur'an. Ramadan is also an opportunity to gather with friends and family and show thanks for God's blessings through works of charity.

Ramadan and the upcoming holiday seasons are a good time to remember the common values that bind us together. Our society is enriched by our Muslim citizens whose commitment to faith reminds us of the gift of religious freedom in our country.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a blessed Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak." - GEORGE W. BUSH

Then there’s this message sent to Muslims on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr:

October 20, 2006

"I send greetings to Muslims in the United States and around the world celebrating Eid al-Fitr.

Islam is a great faith that has transcended racial and ethnic divisions and brought hope and comfort to many people. Throughout Ramadan, Muslims have fasted to focus their minds on faith and to direct their hearts to charity. Eid al-Fitr marks the completion of this holy month with the Festival of Breaking the Fast. During this joyous celebration, Muslims thank God for his guidance and blessings by gathering with family and friends, sharing traditional foods, and showing compassion to those in need.

America is strengthened by the countless contributions of our Muslim citizens, and we value our ties with Muslim nations throughout the world. For people of all faiths, Eid al-Fitr is an opportunity to reflect on the values we share and the friendships that bind all who trace their faith back to God's call to Abraham.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a joyous Eid and for health, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead. Eid Mubarak.

GEORGE W. BUSH"

By now, it should be becoming increasingly obvious to all thinking people that there is something going on behind the scenes. There is more to this than meets the eye. It is becoming increasingly obvious that Western leaders are in cahoots with Muslims, especially Gulf Arabs who have the petrodollars which Western governments are so determined to get back into Western economies, and perhaps also into their pockets!

For those petrodollars, there are no limits to the depths to which our leaders will sink. No price is too high for the likes of Blair and Bush. The Saudi royal family have become like ‘brothers’ to them. The money must be rolling in!

Only today, I read on Jihad Watch that Georgetown University is in receipt of $20 million from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal. Muslims, especially rich ones, are buying influence everywhere in the West.

Then we have CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, backing Keith Ellison as a Democratic representative who could well become the first Muslim in Congress. The backing money for the funding can surely also be traced back to Saudi Arabia. And so it goes on, both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

I think we are deluding ourselves if we continue to think that this problem is one merely of ignorance on the part of our political representatives. It must be obvious to all of us by now that there is something quite sinister going on at the top! As I have said so many times before, rich Muslim Arabs are buying up our businesses, and they are funding Islamic schools and Islamic propagation centres too. In addition, tens of millions of dollars are being spent on proseltyzing literature for the purpose of daw’ah.

This, it would now seem, is not a problem of ignorance; rather, it is a problem of the enormous amounts of money changing hands at the very top of our societies. Isn’t it true to say that too many people at the top of Western political and business life are making far too much money from rich Muslim Arabs even to contemplate changing course?

Depressing as it is to think about this, it must be faced. I stated in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, that régime change in Saudi Arabia might be a blessing in disguise for the West. I stand firm behind my idea.

The way things are going with the powers that be here in the West, and the way that the House of Saud has successfully bought influence in the States and the United Kingdom, and in many other Western countries besides, then it is difficult to see how, in the long term, Western civilization can survive. This is an onslaught of colossal proportions. Our leaders are certainly not going to stop this scramble for the petrodollar. To me, it seems that our only hope is for a new world order.

Osama bin Laden objects to American and Western influence in Saudi Arabia in particular, and in the Arab world in general. In fact, it is one of his main gripes. Don’t we object to the increasing influence of Islam in Western countries too? Are his objectives and ours that different? Aren’t they opposite sides of the same coin? Would it, perhaps, be true to say that were Osama bin Laden to manage to bring about régime change in Saudi Arabia that we would also have a chance of saving Western civilization from the onslaught of Islam? And wouldn’t it be the irony of ironies if the very man we despise so much were to bring about the conditions necessary for the survival of the West?

Is Osama bin Laden our only hope of change at the top, I wonder? And are his objectives really so terrible for the West? If our leaders won’t change, then maybe Osama bin Laden is the one to force change upon them. For indeed, were there to be the kind of Saudi Arabia that he envisions, we would surely know who our real enemies are.

©Mark Alexander*

*All rights reserved

When the Mediæval meets the Modern, when the Orient meets the Occident

HUMAN EVENTS: It is necessary once in a while to clear the decks on a given issue, to discard the accumulated rhetoric and concepts and start afresh. As we enter the sixth year of the War on Terror, such a fresh start is desperately needed.

Today’s statesmen and commentators —left, right, and center—have so far demonstrated themselves incapable of bringing clarity to the world situation. To them, the world today appears hopelessly complicated: wars in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia; Iran in pursuit of atomic weapons; unrest in the streets of Europe; terrorism worldwide. The problem is that the modern political view of the world is now being confronted with something that does not fit into its theoretical framework, something that is fundamentally not modern: the return of Islam to the world stage. Islam's Growth Requires New Thinking by Greogory Davis

Mark Alexander

Eid al-Fitr: The President's Message
How appropriate is it for the President of the United States of America to send Eid greetings to Muslims throughout the world when Muslims are the very people who are trying to destroy our civilization, and when Muslims are the very people who NEVER return the compliment at Christmas?

October 20, 2006

"I send greetings to Muslims in the United States and around the world celebrating Eid al-Fitr.

Islam is a great faith that has transcended racial and ethnic divisions and brought hope and comfort to many people. Throughout Ramadan, Muslims have fasted to focus their minds on faith and to direct their hearts to charity. Eid al-Fitr marks the completion of this holy month with the Festival of Breaking the Fast. During this joyous celebration, Muslims thank God for his guidance and blessings by gathering with family and friends, sharing traditional foods, and showing compassion to those in need.

America is strengthened by the countless contributions of our Muslim citizens, and we value our ties with Muslim nations throughout the world. For people of all faiths, Eid al-Fitr is an opportunity to reflect on the values we share and the friendships that bind all who trace their faith back to God's call to Abraham.

Laura and I send our best wishes for a joyous Eid and for health, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead. Eid Mubarak.

GEORGE W. BUSH"

Presidential Message: Eid al-Fitr

Mark Alexander

Serious Fraud Office widens investigations into alleged corruption at BAE Systems

Image courtesy of Google Images

BBC: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has widened its investigation into corruption allegations at UK defence giant BAE Systems.

Together with Ministry of Defence Police, the SFO raided three business addresses and a home earlier this week.

The SFO said the raids were not related to existing inquiries into BAE defence contracts in Romania and Saudi Arabia.

It is already investigating claims that BAE made secret payments to cement arms deals with those countries. Probe into BAE arms deals widens

Riddle of sheik's £100m secret fund

Arms firm's £60m slush fund

Saudi bomb victim's torture ordeal - and Britain's silence

Mark Alexander

The veil controversy spirals out of control. Now Italy has its problems with the Islamic mask

Photo courtesy of the BBC

BBC: An Italian politician will be given police protection following comments she made about the Islamic veil on television.

The MP, Daniela Santanche, from the right wing National Alliance, said the veil was not required by the Koran.

She was labelled an infidel by an imam appearing on the same programme and there are now fears for her safety.

Daniela Santanche recently published a critical book on living conditions for Muslim women called Woman Denied. Protection for Italy veil row MP

Mark Alexander

Infidels fear the spread of Islam, says Saudi cleric
Certainly, we people who do not adhere to the faith of Islam fear its spread in the free world. And rightly so. Unfortunately, we are being led by craven politicians who either do not understand Islam, are making too much money from the oil-rich Gulf, or are simply too craven to face the threat head-on. The result is there for all too see: Islam is growing apace in the West, and nobody has the courage to do anything about it.

Bush and Blair's ridiculous policy of trying to bring democracy to Iraq is coming to a sad end. They have busied themselves on a mission which was destined to end in failure, while all the while we are losing our democracy at home. I have consistently stated that to try and bring democracy to the Middle East is a grave error of policy and judgment. One cannot bring democracy to a people who are semi-literate (the illiteracy rate in the Arab world is very high), and further, one cannot bring democracy to a part of the world where the 'religion' of Islam prevails. Islam, as I have said so many times before, is totally and utterly incompatible with the Western notion of liberal democracy.

Islam neither understands nor allows the separation of politics and religion. In Islam the mosque and state are ONE. Moreover, in Islam, all power rests with Allah, and filters down to the people via his vice-gerents here on earth, and then filters down further to the people. In democracy, all power rests with the people and filters up to the leader(s). This circle cannot be squared, however much anyone tries.

Instead of trying to bring democracy to the Middle East, where in any case it is considered a Western concept of government to be viewed with suspicion by all good Muslims, it would have been far better and far more prudent for Bush and Blair to have expended their energy ensuring that democracy at home remained safe for future generations.

This has not been done; and this is why we are in the mess we are in vis-à-vis the growing strength of Islam here in the West.

©Mark Alexander

JOKE OF THE WEEK: In a Eid message, Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince urged Muslims to follow Prophet Mohammad's "message of love, forgiveness, mercy, unity and goodness."

WASHINGTON POST: RIYADH (Reuters) - A prominent Saudi cleric said on Monday that Pope Benedict's controversial remarks on Islam came from vexation at the spread of the Muslim faith. Saudi cleric says West fearful of spread of Islam

MIDDLE EAST TIMES: MECCA, Saudi Arabia -- Fear of the spread of Islam in non-Muslim countries motivates attacks on Muslims in the West, the imam of Islam's holiest shrine told worshipers celebrating Eid Al Fitr feast Monday.

"Did you wonder why this issue is raised every now and then?" Sheikh Saleh Bin Humaid, who also heads the Saudi-appointed Shura (consultative) Council, asked at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, western Saudi Arabia.

He was referring to controversial remarks by Pope Benedict XVI last month in which he cited a fourteenth-century Christian emperor who said that Islam's Prophet Mohammed had brought the world "evil and inhuman" practices "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

The issue "was raised only because the hearts of observers among the adversaries are filled with resentment over the spread of this faith and its overcoming of all borders, barriers, and blocks in all eras and under all circumstances," Bin Humaid said. Non-Muslims fear expansion of Islam, says Mecca imam

Mark Alexander

Britain's Politicians choose dhimmitude over courage in fight over niqab

Photo courtesy of The Telegraph

THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's first Muslim comedian is being sent to India by the British Council to make jokes about the veil.

The aim of the trip by Shazia Mirza, which is expected to cost about £2,000, is to show that Britain is a free and civilised society and to build bridges with Muslims.

Miss Mirza, 30, has been told she can make jokes about the burkha but has been advised "not to upset Muslims in India".

Miss Mirza came to prominence immediately after September 11 when audiences were unsure how to react to her introduction. Wearing a hejab, she would say: "My name's Shazia Mirza — at least, that's what it says on my pilot's licence."

News of her trip came as politicians backed an appeal yesterday to end the "polarising" row over Muslim veils after the head of Britain's race relations watchdog warned that it could trigger race riots. Comic is sent abroad to joke about the veil

Mark Alexander

Civil unrest likely in UK

THE SUNDAY TIMES: THE head of Britain’s race relations watchdog has warned there will be “fire” on the streets unless growing racial tensions can be resolved.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, says divisions created by the recent row about Muslim women wearing the veil risk becoming “the trigger for the grim spiral that produced riots in the north of England five years ago. Only this time the conflict could be much worse”.

In what will be seen as his swansong before he becomes head of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights, Phillips says: “All the recent evidence shows that we are, as a society, becoming more socially polarised by race and faith . . . In many of our cities things cannot get any worse.”

His warning is made in an article in The Sunday Times today about the need for a “civilised” debate on race. He paints a picture of a society whose institutions appear to be helpless in the face of mounting racial conflict. Race boss warns of ‘fire’ on streets

Mark Alexander

The pro-Muslim, anti-American bias of the trashy BBC

THE SUNDAY MAIL: It was the day that a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

A leaked account of an 'impartiality summit' called by BBC chairman Michael Grade, is certain to lead to a new row about the BBC and its reporting on key issues, especially concerning Muslims and the war on terror.

It reveals that executives would let the Bible be thrown into a dustbin on a TV comedy show, but not the Koran, and that they would broadcast an interview with Osama Bin Laden if given the opportunity. Further, it discloses that the BBC's 'diversity tsar', wants Muslim women newsreaders to be allowed to wear veils when on air. We are biased, admit the stars of BBC News

Mark Alexander

Sweden's tough Muslim minister turns on veil

Photo courtesy of Google Images

THE SUNDAY TIMES: THE latest media darling of Scandinavian politics is not only black, beautiful and Muslim; she is also firmly against the wearing of the veil.

Nyamko Sabuni, 37, has caused a storm as Sweden’s new integration and equality minister by arguing that all girls should be checked for evidence of female circumcision; arranged marriages should be criminalised; religious schools should receive no state funding; and immigrants should learn Swedish and find a job.

Supporters of the centre-right government that came to power last month believe that her bold rejection of cultural diversity may make her a force for change across Europe. Her critics are calling her a hardliner and even an Islamophobe.

“I am neither,” she said in an interview. “My aim is to integrate immigrants. One is to ensure they grow up just as any other child in Sweden would.” Sweden's Muslim minister turns on veil

Mark Alexander

Government in danger of losing "battle of ideas"
If Tony Blair needs proof of the failure of his open-door policy on immigration, here it is:

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: John Reid has issued a dire warning that the Government risks losing the "battle of ideas" with al-Qaeda.

The Home Secretary spoke out at an emergency meeting of ministers and security officials amid an ever-growing threat from home-grown Islamist terror groups.

He called for an urgent but controversial escalation in the propaganda war and said al-Qaeda's so-called "single extremist narrative" was proving ever more attractive to young British Muslims.

The Government needed to do much more to win the "battle of ideas", Mr Reid said. The meeting came as ministers — including Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly and Phil Woolas — started to take a much more aggressive stance against radical Islam.

Ministers have told The Sunday Telegraph that 30 terror plots are being investigated and that 1,500 young Muslims — many more than previously estimated — are suspects. Al-Qaeda is winning the war of ideas, says Reid

Mark Alexander

Britain should ban the veil!

Photo courtesy of the Daily Express

DAILY EXPRESS: PRESSURE was mounting last night for veils to be banned in Britain – just as they are in some Muslim countries.

And rebels plotting fresh court protests were given a blunt warning by lawmakers: "Carry on, and we will bar you."

The threat came amid a public outcry over the costs being racked up by teaching assistant Aishah Azmi as her lawyers, funded by taxpayers, continued their fight for her right to wear a veil in class.

Daily Express readers responded in massive numbers to a poll on the crisis, with 99 per cent calling for the veil to be banned in schools, increasing pressure on the Government to act.

A ban would see Britain following many of its European neighbours, along with predominantly Muslim countries like Turkey and Tunisia in outlawing traditional Islamic headscarves in public schools and buildings. Ban it!

Mark Alexander

Even the tolerant British have their limits
The otherwise tolerant British do indeed have their limits! The veil stretches it to breaking point. The Muslim community would be wise not to push the British too far. There could be a backlash. That we have given these people a home when they might otherwise be living in far less salubrious surroundings is not something that they should overlook in arrogance.

If Muslims wonder why so many ordinary folk feel uncomfortable in their presence, then they need to start doing a spot of introspection. Muslims are past masters in putting the blame for their woes on others, expecially 'infidels'. In this regard, they are indeed arrogant, and, dare I say it, rather immature. If a normal person is disliked by someone else, then he will sit down and analyze whether he is doing something wrong. Not so the Muslim!

In the leader in today's Telegraph, it is suggested that there is a process of Arabisation of British Muslims going on. There is; and there is one simple answer as to why. It is going on because Islam is Arabo-centric. Having to toleratw this Arabisation is the price we pay for having so many Muslims in our midst. Take the Arabisation out of Islam, and what does one have left? Islam is nothing if not Arabo-centric. It was born in the heat of the desert. It is tribal in nature and Bedouin in outlook. Its propensity to savagery stems from there. As does its treatment of women.

©Mark Alexander

THE TELEGRAPH: Shahid Malik, the Labour MP for Dewsbury, spoke for almost the entire nation yesterday when he told Aisha Azmi – the Muslim teaching assistant suspended for wearing a veil – "to just let this thing go". An employment tribunal has rightly rejected Mrs Azmi's case for unfair dismissal, though – absurdly – it has awarded her damages for "victimisation" by her local council. Now is indeed the time for her to drop the matter, though, needless to say, she intends to take her case to a "higher court". (Radical Muslims in Britain are quick to explore legal avenues that are not open to Christians in the countries they admire.)

Mrs Azmi's unreasonable demands, coupled with Jack Straw's bold comments about the intimidating aspects of the full-face veil, have forced the British public to think carefully about the presence of Muslim ghettos and Islamic fundamentalists in our society. A clear conclusion has emerged. As a nation, we feel that our tolerance is being stretched to the limit. The veil stretches our tolerance to its limits

Mark Alexander

Alert! Dhimmitude from the Spanish government!

BBC: The Spanish government, Catholic Church and Muslim leaders have joined forces to publish a school textbook on Islam.

The book Discovering Islam - for primary school children - was written in Spanish by a Muslim leader.

Spanish officials say the book has no parallel among Spain's EU neighbours with large Muslim minorities. Spanish schools to use Islam book

Mark Alexander

This is a link to the original post; though I am not sure how long it will work for:

ORIGINAL POST

These were the original comments:

Eleanor © said...
One wonders if the book encourages Mulim integration into Spanish culture, and whether or not the term "Andalusia" is used instead of España.

I bet the primary reason for the book is not to help Muslim children better understand their faith, but to indoctrinate more Spanish-reading children into Islam.


10:22 PM, OCTOBER 19, 2006
Mark said...
Eleanor:

I bet the primary reason for the book is not to help Muslim children better understand their faith, but to indoctrinate more Spanish-reading children into Islam.

Yu can be sure of that! You can take it to the bank!


10:33 PM, OCTOBER 19, 2006
usiconoclasticpatriot said...
This is manifestly absurd and traitorous to Western Civilization.


11:29 PM, OCTOBER 19, 2006
Pastorius said...
I posted on this too, over at IBA. This makes me sick. Spain is so craven. They really need to get themselves an AIDS test for all the time they spend bent over like this.


4:48 AM, OCTOBER 20, 2006
Mussolini said...
With special sections on:

The Joys of Beheading!
How to Beat Your Woman!
Taqiyyah: Learn it Live it!

It's so noble!


4:52 AM, OCTOBER 20, 2006
mirrorman said...
Pass me the Taqiaa sauce to put on my Bacon lettuce and dhimmi sandwich.

Joke is, it was published by Caholic printers!

It was only a 15000 run, a lot less than the book that was given out free, mentioned recently in a previous post.
"Islamic Imperialism, a History."

Ahmadinejad warns Europeans of their proximity to the Middle East!

BBC: Iran's president has warned that Muslims around the world will take revenge on states who supported Israel against the Palestinians.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again questioned the extent of the Holocaust, when German Nazis murdered six million Jews.

Israel was founded on "claims about the Holocaust" for which the Palestinians were paying the price, he told a rally.

He was speaking on Jerusalem Day, when there are large demonstrations in Iran in support of the Palestinians.

BBC Tehran correspondent Frances Harrison says the tone of the speech was hardline, even by Mr Ahmadinejad's standards. Iran warns of revenge over Israel

Mark Alexander

French get tough at Charles de Gaulle Airport

BBC: Four Muslim baggage handlers are appealing against a decision to bar them from working at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

They say that the local government's decision to revoke their security passes is evidence of anti-Muslim discrimination.

A local government spokesman says the decision was based on an assessment of the terrorist risk.

He denied the move was linked to the men's religion. Muslim staff in Paris airport row

Fearful Europe feels post-9/11 chill

Mark Alexander

So Sorry!
Please forgive me! Blogger has been behaving badly this evening. As a result, I have inadvertently erased a valuable blog about the publication in Spain of a school-book on Islam for Spanish children. There were some very valuable and interesting comments on that post. Alas, they have all been erased along with the blog.

Blogger must be having server problems. That's all I can think of. Please bear with me.

Mark Alexander

Some anti-dhimmitude from the court but Kirklees council must shell out for victimization

Image courtesy of the BBC

BBC: A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school for wearing a veil in lessons has lost her claim of religious discrimination at a tribunal.

Aishah Azmi, 23, was asked to remove the veil after the school in Dewsbury, W Yorks, said pupils found it hard to understand her.

The tribunal dismissed her claims of religious discrimination and harassment on religious grounds. 'No discrimination' in veil row

The tribunal says her feelings have been hurt. Diddums. Diddums. Diddums.

I won't be treated as an outcast, says Muslim teacher in veil row

Niqab nonsense

Mark Alexander

Al-Qaeda: Great Britain prime target

BBC: Al-Qaeda has become more organised and sophisticated and has made Britain its top target, counter-terrorism officials have told the BBC.

Security sources say the situation has never been so grim, said BBC home affairs correspondent Margaret Gilmore.

They believe the network is now operating a cell structure in the UK - like the IRA did - and sees the 7 July bomb attacks "as just the beginning". UK 'number one al-Qaeda target

Mark Alexander

Ethics and Public Policy Center distributes books highly critical of Islam

INSIDE HIGHER ED: Trustees all over the country have been receiving a book critical of Islam, with no cover note, leading some to worry about why they were receiving the packages.

The address on the packages referred to their trustee status.

The book is Islamic Imperialism: A History, published by Yale University Press. The author is Efraim Karsh, a professor at the University of London who is highly regarded in neoconservative circles, but who has been harshly criticized by many in Middle Eastern studies. According to the Yale press, the book argues that the attacks on 9/11 reflect Islamic imperialism, and “Islam’s war for world mastery.” Book on Islam Surprises Trustees

Mark Alexander

Multiculturalism officially dead in the UK!
As I argued in my book, multiculturalism is a nonsense. Multiculturalism was doomed to failure from the start. One culture will always dominate in the end; and that will be the strongest one. With Islam, a very strong geo-political system clothed in a deity, growing apace here in the West, and with our birthrate so precariously low, it was always extremely dangerous for us to embrace multiculturalism anyway. There was always the fear that the Muslim population would swamp the indigenous population.

I stated in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, that there was only ONE sensible policy for any Western government to adopt: the insistence on the integration of the immigrants into OUR culture.

It seems that the British government has at last seen the light. It is starting to come to its senses. It's a little late in the day; but it is welcome nevertheless. Now we need to hear from the government what it proposes to do about the people who will not integrate, the people who preach hatred, the people who demonstrate in favour of beheading the people who insult Islam, the people who are here illegally, and the people who want to introduce Shari'ah law.

Governments around the Western world desperately need to send a STRONG message to Muslim immigrants, namely that NONSENSE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED, and that people who persist in behaving CONTRARY to the laws of the land will be DEPORTED. Not jailed, but deported. Then we might start seeing some different behaviour from the immigrants. The way things stand, they are running amok.

©Mark Alexander

THE TELEGRAPH: At his press briefing yesterday, the Prime Minister made it clear his Government's approach to cultural diversity had changed. He may have couched his position in careful language, but the conclusion was inescapable: integration, rather than multi-cultural separatism, is now official policy. By saying that he "fully supported" the decision of Kirklees council to suspend the Muslim teaching assistant who had refused to remove her veil at work, and then reinforcing this point with the observation that the veil was a "mark of separation", Mr Blair removed any doubt about the Government's position.

He was, in effect, affirming that the contentious views expressed over recent weeks by Jack Straw, Ruth Kelly and John Reid were not maverick individual opinions, but part of a larger, concerted revision of the Cabinet's stand. Mr Blair, unsurprisingly, wanted to avoid the appearance of an outright volte-face: at one point, he suggested that there should be "a balance between integration and multi-culturalism". This would be a logical impossibility, since the policy of multi-culturalism, as it has been understood and practised, is antithetical to integration. Labour loses faith in multi-culturalism

Mark Alexander

Talk of Thailand introducing Shari'ah law in southern Thailand

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: YALA, Thailand After two and a half years of ceaseless violence and more than 1,700 people killed, the wary residents of the southernmost provinces of Thailand are expressing measured optimism that the government installed by the military will help ease one of the most intractable conflicts in Asia.

Although daily killings by insurgents continue here, just a few hundred kilometers from the country's tourist- filled beaches, the new government is showing a softer touch, agreeing to peace talks with Muslim insurgents and working to revive a system that allowed local politicians and religious leaders to take part in setting policies.

Thailand also appears to be encouraging a rapprochement with neighboring Malaysia on the issue of the insurgency, which at times has divided the two countries. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will visit Kuala Lumpur, where government officials have said they are willing to serve as mediators.

"The attitude of the new government is certainly much more positive toward dealing with the south, not through the use of force but through having a dialogue, a discussion," said Mahathir bin Mohamad, the former Malaysian prime minister who was frequently critical of the previous government's handling of the insurgency.

Muslim leaders in Thailand are debating proposals that would give them a special status in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. Nimu Makaje, a Muslim scholar in this violence-racked southern city, enthusiastically tells a visitor that the time has come to implement an Islamic legal system in southern Thailand. New hopes in Thailand's restive south by Thomas Fuller

Mark Alexander

Blair on Islam

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: LONDON Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that Britain needed a debate about the position of Muslims, but that the faith also needed to decide how it comes to terms with modernity.

At his monthly news conference, Blair said he supported a local school authority's decision to bar a Muslim woman from working as a teacher while wearing a veil.

He said, however, that should be just one issue in a broader debate about "the relationship between our society and how the Muslim community integrates with our society." Prime minister says Britain needs debate about Islam

Mark Alexander

A Statement from North Korea
BBC: The following is the full text of a statement released by the foreign ministry of North Korea, which calls itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK):

On 14 October, the United States instigated the UN Security Council to unjustly find fault with our self-defensive nuclear test as a threat to international peace and safety, and once again passed the vicious resolution on sanctions and blockade against the Republic.

Our successful nuclear test is a positive defensive countermeasure to defend our country's sovereignty and the people's life and safety so as to cope with the United States' increasing threat of nuclear war and the manoeuvres for sanctions and pressure; and thus was completely an exercise of a sovereign state's independent and legal right.

Because the United States, by taking advantage of the nuclear issue, gravely infringed on our state's supreme safety and our nation's fundamental interest, we were compelled to legally withdraw from the Non-proliferation Treaty in accordance with the relevant clause of the treaty and to manufacture a nuclear weapon by going through the most fair, just, and transparent process. Full Text: North Korea statement

Mark Alexander

Free expression under fire from Brussels

THE TIMES: THE Government is seeking to prevent an EU directive that could extend broadcasting regulations to the internet, hitting popular video-sharing websites such as YouTube.

The European Commission proposal would require websites and mobile phone services that feature video images to conform to standards laid down in Brussels.

Ministers fear that the directive would hit not only successful sites such as YouTube but also amateur “video bloggers” who post material on their own sites. Personal websites would have to be licensed as a “television-like service”. Amateur 'video bloggers' under threat from EU broadcast rules

Mark Alexander

Many words, much tripe!
"A fight-back is beginning to reclaim Britain from the grip of those who refuse to acknowledge the centrality of British values of tolerance, fair play and parliamentary democratic freedoms – notably those of free speech and respect for all religions, but supremacy for none. Voltaire noted this attribute of the English three centuries ago, when he wrote: "If there was just one religion in Britain there would be despotism. If two, there would be civil war. But as there are 30, they all live at peace with each other."

What an insult to Her Majesty! Denis MacShane obviously does not understand that Britain is a Christian country which tolerates other religions. The Head of State, the Queen, is also the head of the Church of England. Christianity is of paramount importance to the functioning of the state and our democracy. Christianity does have pride of place, it does have supremacy, just as Islam has supremacy in Saudi Arabia.

As for Voltaire, well he certainly got that wrong, didn't he? The civil war will surely come because of the fragmentation of our once cohesive society, and because, as Islam grows ever stronger, it will begin to usurp more and more power.

Isn't it time for Denis MacShane to resign? Is he, perhaps, losing his grip on reality? Don't forget that this is the same man who fights hard for Turkey to be allowed into the EU, regardless of whether the people share his sentiments, or not. What does MacShane understand about democracy? Was that Denis MacShame, Sir?

THE TELEGRAPH: At long last, the debate on Islamism as politics, not Islam as religion, is out in the open. Two weeks ago, Jack Straw might have felt he was taking a risk when publishing his now notorious article on the Muslim veil. However, he was pushing at an open door. From across the political spectrum there is now common consent that the old multicultural emperor, before whom generation of politicians have made obeisance, is now a pitiful, naked sight.

The 10,000 Muslims in my constituency of Rotherham can only benefit from removing the dead hand of ideological Islamism – allowing their faith to be respected and their children to flourish in a Britain that finally wakes up to what must be done. Despite the efforts of extremists to prevent any sort of rational debate about the place of Islam in Britain, it is at last happening. Our failure to confront radical Islam is there for all to see

Mark Alexander

The craven Church of England keeps mum over BA crucifix row

THE TELEGRAPH: Silence has been the notable response from the bishops of the Church of England to the decision by British Airways to forbid employees from visibly wearing even a tiny cross on a necklace. It is understandable that the bishops might not wish to become embroiled in the specific case of the check-in worker Nadia Eweida. Nor would they wish to antagonise Muslim sentiment. But to pass up the opportunity to explain the centrality of the cross in Christianity and a Christian society is baffling. The cross belongs at the heart of British culture

Mark Alexander

Crackpot Ahmadinejad: "Satan inspires Mr Bush"

BBC: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly delivered a scathing attack on US President George W Bush, saying he is inspired by Satan.

Speaking to a group of supporters, Mr Ahmadinejad said he himself had inspirational links to God, Iranian media reports. Iran leader in Bush 'Satan' claim

Mark Alexander

Chirac spielt Dhimmi mit der Türkei
Nach Verabschiedung durch Parlament

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Frankreichs Präsident Chirac hat sich dem türkischen Ministerpräsidenten Erdogan zufolge bei ihm für den umstrittenen französischen Gesetzentwurf zum Völkermord an Armeniern entschuldigt. Der Élysée-Palast erklärte, dass Chirac und Erdogan am Samstag miteinander telefoniert hätten, ohne die Einzelheiten zu bestätigen. Chirac entschuldigt sich bei Erdogan für Völkermord-Gesetz

Mark Alexander

"La colère gronde de nouveau" au Danemark

LE FIGARO: Un parti d'extrême droite danois a diffusé une nouvelle caricature satirique de Mahomet, quelques jours après la diffusion d'une vidéo raillant le Prophète, qui a suscité une nouvelle fois l'indignation du monde musulman.

LA COLÈRE gronde de nouveau dans les esprits des musulmans au Danemark, confrontés à une nouvelle affaire de caricatures de Mahomet, un an après celle du journal danois Jyllands-Posten, qui avait soulevé un vent de révolte du monde musulman contre le royaume scandinave. Le Danemark de nouveau face à la colère musulmane

Mark Alexander

Is Britain going down the road of apartheid?
Alert! Anti-dhimmitude from the Conservatives:

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Conservatives today accuse Muslim leaders of encouraging "voluntary apartheid" in Britain by shutting themselves away in closed societies and demanding protection from criticism.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, says that Britain risks social and religious divisions so profound that society's very foundations, such as the freedom of speech, will become "corroded" and that the perfect conditions for home-grown terrorism will be created.

His stark intervention, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, represents a toughening of the Tory stance on the dangers of Islamic radicalism and follows calls from some leading ministers for Muslim women to remove their veils. It is also a departure from the "caring Conservatism" message laid out by David Cameron.

Mr Davis says he supports the stance on veils adopted by Jack Straw, the Commons Leader, but believes the wider issue is one of the "very unity of our nation".

"What Jack touched on was the fundamental issue of whether, in Britain, we are developing a divided society. Whether we are creating a series of closed societies within our open society. Whether we are inadvertently encouraging a kind of voluntary apartheid. Tories accuse Muslims of 'creating apartheid by shutting themselves off' by Patrick Hennessy and Melissa Kite

And this article by David Davis:

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: There are some issues that are so explosive they are only capable of being resolved if they are handled coolly and analytically. These are the unexploded bombs of modern politics and 10 days ago Jack Straw detonated one of them with his comments on the use of the veil by Muslim women.

The shock waves have reverberated around Britain, loudest in the Muslim communities. Which is not to say Jack Straw was wrong. He was not. His comments were perfectly proper and he highlighted an issue that is both important and difficult: the question of the very unity of our nation. Do Muslims really want apartheid here?

Mark Alexander