The Astonishing Demands of Poland
TIMESONLINE: Desperate attempts to forge a deal on the future of Europe were overshadowed last night by an astonishing demand for the voting system to reflect Polish population losses caused by the Nazi invasion in 1939.

Polish leaders said the proposed EU voting formula, based on population, disadvantaged their country because it had still to recover from the millions lost during the Second World War.

The latest intervention from Poland, regarded with Britain as the main obstacle to a deal tonight in Brussels, was regarded as a move to add to pressure on Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, who is anxious to crown her country’s presidency of the EU with an agreement she can sell at home. Poles demand more EU votes to compensate for war deaths (more) By Philip Webster and David Charter in Brussels

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Poland Rejects Compromise Proposal By Severin Weiland

LE FIGARO:
Grand marchandage autour du "traité réformateur" européen Par Alexandrine Bouilhet

Mark Alexander

EU-Gipfel in Brüssel: Eine deutsche Perspektive

Foto von Lech Kaczynski, der nicht ganz zufrieden scheint, dank der FAZ

FAZ: 22. Juni 2007 In eine Reihe von Einzelgesprächen will Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel an diesem Freitag auf dem EU-Gipfel in Brüssel der Lösung der Verfassungskrise näher kommen. Bereits in der Nacht hatte sich Merkel mit den polnischen Präsidenten Lech Kaczynski und dem litauischen Staatspräsident Valdas Adamkus getroffen. Auch Frankreichs Staatspräsident Nicolas Sarkozy wollte Kaczynski in der Nacht überzeugen, seine Widerstände gegen eine grundlegende Reform der EU-Verträge aufzugeben. Polen lehnt neue Vorschläge ab - Kaczynski: Lage „sehr schwierig“ (mehr)

FAZ:
Mut zum Scheitern Von Berthold Kohler

Mark Alexander

Give the People a Referendum! Let the People Decide!
BBC: European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels to debate a new treaty to improve how the 27-member bloc is run.

Germany, which holds the EU presidency, has called for a fair deal to replace a planned constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

But the summit is expected to be tense, with the UK and Poland both threatening to use their vetoes.

The UK opposes any growth of EU powers, while the Poles are resisting plans to reduce their voting rights.

The draft paper tabled by Germany makes several concessions to EU member states opposed to key parts of the failed constitution.

But both the British Prime Minister Tony Blair - attending his final EU meeting before leaving office next week - and his Polish counterpart have taken a hard line during the run-up to the summit. EU braced for treaty rows (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
The British People Deserve Nothing Less Than a Referendum!

Mark Alexander

Warnung vor Terroranschlägen in Deutschland!
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Deutsche Sicherheitsbehörden verfügen über konkrete Hinweise auf Vorbereitungen für Selbstmordanschläge, die sich im In- und Ausland gegen das deutsche Engagement in Afghanistan richten. Nach Auskunft hochrangiger Beamter aus dem Innenministerium sind in allerletzer Zeit in Pakistan wenigstens zwei Personen mit deutschem Pass oder deutschem Lebenshintergrund festgenommen worden, die hierzulande als „Gefährder“ gelten. Zudem sind wenigstens zehn Personen aus Deutschland ausgereist, die diesem Spektrum zugerechnet werden.

Weiterhin wurde in Berlin mitgeteilt, dass dem amerikanischen Sender „abc“ ein Video zugespielt worden sei, in dem mehrere Dutzend afghanische Freiwillige gezeigt werden, die sich für Selbstmordanschläge in den Vereinigten Staaten, Kanada, Großbritannien und Deutschland zur Verfügung stellen. Als Anleiter und verehrter Anführer sei in dem Video der Bruder des kürzlich ums Leben gekommenen Militärischen Al Quaida-Chefs zu sehen. Warnung vor Terroranschlägen in Deutschland (mehr)

Mark Alexander

The Darkness of Islam: An Apostate Speaks Up
FAITHFREEDOM.ORG: I was born to Muslim parents who, like most religious parents, were guilty of indoctrinating their children into a religion they never even chose for themselves. Fortunately for me, I always kept an open mind. I was also smart enough to keep my mouth shut until I moved to a Western country. Soon after, I learned enough about Islam to have had enough of it. I felt so ashamed to even feel proud of this ideology of hate. I cannot believe I used to actually invite non-Muslims to this faith. But my intentions were not evil. I used to invite them because they were my friends (being the ignorant Muslim I was, I did not let the fact that I cannot befriend non-Muslims sink into my head). I did not want them to go to hell because I loved them and I wanted to ‘save’ them from an eternal punishment. Another Apostate Speaks Up: Basharee Mortadd (more)

Mark Alexander

Many UK Bosses Pay Less Tax than Their Cleaners!
THE TELEGRAPH: Only a small proportion of Britain’s highest-earners pay any income tax, it has been revealed.

Of the hundreds of people thought to be paid more than £10 million a year, only 65 face income tax bills, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

The disclosure came amid heightened concerns about the gulf between rich and poor as one of the UK’s wealthiest men warned it could lead to rioting in the streets.

Sir Ronald Cohen, founder of private equity firm Apax, said that if people are “left behind” in the race to accumulate riches, there could be a repeat of the Paris 2005 riots. Highest-earners pay no income tax (more)

THE TELEGRAPH:
Private equity bosses defend low tax rate

Mark Alexander

Rukshana Begum, One of the First Behijabbed Police Officers: Met in the Process of Introducing the Hijab as a Standard Uniform Option!
With thanks to Robert Spencer. I saw this story first on his website.

Photo of a behijabbed Met Police officer courtesy of Google Images (UK)

CAMBRIDGE EVENING NEWS: RUKSHANA Begum is, without question, one of a kind. This week, the 23-year-old will become the first police officer ever to wear the Muslim hijab, or headscarf, on duty in Cambridgeshire. And she can't wait. Muslim officer is first on the beat donning hijab (more)

Mark Alexander

L’affaire Rushdie
LE FIGARO: La ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères se dit "désolée" pour les personnes qui se sont senties offensées par l'anoblissement de l'écrivain, alors que son confrère de l’Intérieur assure que Londres ne présenterait pas d'excuses.

"Nous sommes évidemment désolés pour les gens qui ont pris très à cœur cet honneur". Margaret Beckett, la ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères, a tenté d’apaiser la colère qui monte au Pakistan et en Iran après l’anoblissement par la reine d’Angleterre de Salman Rushdie, auteur des "Versets sataniques". L’écrivain a été anobli pour son œuvre littéraire. "Les musulmans sont une partie intégrante de notre communauté. Ils sont honorés dans ce pays de la même manière que les autres", a-t-elle ajouté. S'exprimant avec Mme Beckett, le ministre irakien des Affaires étrangères, en déplacement à Londres, a estimé que cette décoration était "inopportune". Cacophonie britannique sur l’affaire Rushdie (suivant)

LE FIGARO:
Lord Ahmed : "Son titre doit lui être retiré"

LE MONDE VIDEO:
Des musulmans pakistanais s'insurgent contre l'anoblissement de Salman Rushdie

Mark Alexander

The BBC’s Chutzpah Knows No Bounds
THE TELEGRAPH: The BBC was accused last night of risking the safety of British forces in Iraq after trawling for information on troop movements in the war-torn country.

Politicians reacted in disbelief to the revelation that for over two hours yesterday, the BBC News website carried a request for people in Iraq to report on troop movements.

The request was removed from the website after it sparked furious protests that the corporation was endangering the lives of British servicemen and women.

But according to accounts last night, a story on a major operation by US and Iraqi troops against al-Qa'eda somewhere north of Baghdad contained an extraordinary request for information about the movement of troops. BBC 'risked safety of troops' (more) By Brendan Carlin, Political Correspondent

Mark Alexander

Apostates of Islam: The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
THE TELEGRAPH: A new organisation, representing former Muslims who fear for their lives because they have renounced their faith, is to be launched at Westminster tomorrow.

The Council of ex-Muslims of Britain plans to speak out against Islamic states that still punish Muslim apostates with death under Sharia law.

It also aims to become the voice of non-religious ex-Muslims who do not want to be represented by "regressive" umbrella groups such as the Muslim Council of Britain.

The council is being headed by Maryam Namazie, an outspoken human rights activist, following the formation of similar branches across Europe. Miss Namazie, a Left-wing feminist who was awarded the title of "Secularlist of the Year" in 2005, has herself faced death threats.

In Islam, apostasy is called ridda (turning back) and it is considered by Muslims to be a profound insult to God, which deserves harsh punishment. The nature of the punishment, however, provokes passionate debate between scholars, with most believing that it should attract the death penalty for men and life imprisonment for women. New group for those who renounce Islam (more) By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent

Mark Alexander

A Relaxed Sarkozy, Cigar in Hand, Brushes Off Speculation About His Marriage and About His G8 Appearance Allegedly 'Under the Influence of Alcohol'
THE TELEGRAPH: The relationship between the French president and his wife Cécilia, who have separated before, has been under intense scrutiny.

But speaking to French journalists at the Elysée palace, a relaxed Mr Sarkozy, cigar and chocolates in hand, said: "Cécilia and I are judged on the basis of people's fantasies and not on what we are. So we just stay quiet."

His comments came ahead of his first televised interview since he took office in May. Addressing the French people last night, he vowed to push through his policies, no matter how unpopular some labour and tax reforms might prove. Sarkozy bats away talk of split from wife (more) By Henry Samuel in Paris

Mark Alexander

”Go to Hell, Britain!”
THE TELEGRAPH: Mounting Muslim protests over Salman Rushdie's knighthood led to an embarrassing Cabinet split last night plunging the Government into disarray.

As anger spread across the Islamic world, one hardline Pakistani cleric openly said the author of The Satanic Verses should die, while demonstrators in Malaysia chanted "go to hell, Britain!"

Abdul Rashid Ghazi, one of two brothers who run a mosque in Islamabad, said: "Salman Rushdie deserves to be killed and anyone who has the power must kill him." Cabinet split over Rushdie knighthood (more) By Brenda Carlin, Political correspondent

TIMESONLINE:
Blog: Faith Central

NZZ:
Neue Proteste gegen Rushdies Ritterschlag

Mark Alexander

”Fear, Cowardice and an Overriding Concern About the Balance of Trade”: Peace at Any Price
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The prevailing feeling among Muslims is that they are being abused by the West. What should we do about it? We might as well surrender. After all, we're already on our way.

This essay is an excerpt of Henryk M. Broder's book "Hurra, Wir Kapitulieren," ("Hurray! We're Capitulating") published by Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag in 2006. The book spent a number of weeks atop the DER SPIEGEL bestseller list.

Ten years ago, in the spring of 1996, the world still seemed more or less okay. The towers of the World Trade Center dominated the Manhattan skyline, the American president had an affair with an intern, the Helmut Kohl era was coming to an end in Germany, and intellectuals killed time by debating over whether Francis Fukuyama was right in claiming that we have reached the "end of history" and whether capitalism had truly triumphed or socialism had merely lost the first round. In those days few were aware of the fine distinction between Islam and Islamism.

One had to look very closely to recognize the first signs of a brewing crisis. In Berlin, the Rote Grütze theater group was performing an enlightening piece called "Who Said Anything About Love?" To advertise the play, posters depicting a young man and a young woman, naked and full of innocence, were handed out in schools.

The schools had no qualms about displaying the posters, until a school official from Berlin's Tiergarten district requested a permit from the city's education authority. The agency turned down the request, arguing that the poster could hurt "the feelings of non-Christian pupils." The education authority was acting preventively and with what amounted to exaggerated concern for a cultural minority that had yet to be integrated into permissive German society. No Muslim pupils had complained about hurt feelings, nor had their parents expressed concerns about immoral harassment.

That was 10 years ago. Today everything has changed, except the resolve not to hurt the feelings of Muslims. The issue today no longer revolves around a group of Berlin pupils with an "immigration background," but around 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide -- many of whom are thin-skinned and unpredictable. At issue is freedom of opinion, one of the central tenets of the Enlightenment and democracy. And whether respect, consideration and tolerance are the right approach to dealing with cultures that, for their part, behave without respect, consideration or tolerance when it comes to anything they view as decadent, provocative and unworthy -- from women in short skirts to cartoons they deem provocative without even having seen them. "Hurray! We're Capitulating!" (more) By Henryk M. Broder

Mark Alexander

Osama bin Laden to Receive the “Saifullah”(Sword of Allah) Award for Killing Infidels and Waging Jihad!
AL JAZEERA: A group of Pakistani clerics led by a pro-Taliban hardliner have said it would bestow a title upon al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in response to Britain's decision to grant knighthood to Salman Rushdie.

Allama Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, said on Thursday that the group would give bin Laden the title "Saifullah" - which means "Sword of God" - for "serving Muslims by waging jihad against infidels".

"If Britain can give a knighthood to Rushdie, we too have the right to make awards to our leaders and heroes," Ashrafi said. Osama bin Laden to be honoured (more)

Mark Alexander

Billionaire Bloomberg, the Anti-Smoking, Anti-Gun Mayor of New York, Has His Eye Firmly on the White House
· New York mayor severs ties with Republicans
· Party politics damaging country, speech warns
THE GUARDIAN: Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York and America's 44th richest man, has sparked speculation that he is planning to make a third-party bid for the White House next year by severing his ties with the Republicans and declaring himself a "political independent".

Mr Bloomberg's intentions have been under intense observation for several months, as he is known to have been privately weighing up the possibility of making a run for president in the 2008 elections. His decision to break ties with the party that secured him the mayoralty in 2001 is being interpreted as a sign that his plans are firming up. Bloomberg stokes rumours of 2008 presidential bid (more) By Ed Pilkington in New York

LE FIGARO:
Bloomberg trouble les présidentielles américaines

Mark Alexander

Trouble, Not Gay Times, Expected at the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem
THE GUARDIAN: Police in Jerusalem were preparing for violent protests from hardline religious groups today during a planned Gay Pride march through the streets of the city centre.

Police have faced violent skirmishes in ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods of the city since approving the march a week ago. More than 100 people have been arrested, according to police.

Yesterday, Israel's supreme court gave formal approval for the event, dismissing an appeal by rightwing groups.

Up to 5,000 marchers were expected to take part in this evening's parade, which will travel just 500 metres from the city's King David hotel to a park, where a gathering will be held. They will be guarded by more than 7,000 police.

Jerusalem's Gay Pride march is a relatively low-key affair, even by comparison with its annual equivalent in Tel Aviv, with none of the flamboyance and costumes associated with such events in Europe and the US. Jerusalem braced for gay parade clashes (more) By Peter Walker and agencies

Mark Alexander

Aborigines in Northern Territory Face Alcohol Ban
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Prime Minister John Howard has announced a six-month ban on alcohol in indigenous communities across the Northern Territory.

The move is one of a series of measures in response to a major Northern Territory report last week which revealed widespread child abuse in indigenous communities, fuelled in part by alcohol.

"We regard this as akin to a national emergency," Mr Howard said in Canberra.

Detailing measures to be taken, he said: "In relation to alcohol the intention is to introduce widespread alcohol restrictions on Northern Territory Aboriginal land for six months.

"We will ban the sale, the possession, the transportation, the consumption and [introduce the] broader monitoring of takeaway sales across the Northern Territory." Northern Territory grog ban (more)

Mark Alexander

More Discrimination Against Smokers. If You Smoke, You Can’t Foster
YAHOO NEWS (UK): Children could be denied a foster family if one of their prospective carers smokes under new guidelines to come into force on the day England goes smoke free.

The UK's leading fostering charity, the Fostering Network, has drawn up new guidance for local authorities and agencies recommending smokers do not foster children under five. Smokers ‘to be stopped from fostering’ (more)

THE GUARDIAN:
Smokers to be prevented from fostering young children

Mark Alexander

EU Constitution Dead in the Water
BBC: Germany has proposed to EU states that they should agree to drop the idea of a constitution when they meet at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

The "constitutional concept... is abandoned", says a paper circulated by Germany, which will chair the summit.

The paper makes several concessions to EU member states opposed to key parts of the failed constitution.

But Poland and the UK are still warning they could use their vetoes if they do not get their way on a new treaty. EU to drop idea of constitution (more)

Mark Alexander

In Iran wird neuerdings gesteinigt!

Foto dank dem Spiegel

SPIEGELONLINE: Es ist eine überaus barbarische Tötungsform. Erstmals seit Jahren sind in Iran zwei Menschen zu einer Steinigung verurteilt worden - entgegen einer Verpflichtung, die das Regime der EU gegeben hat. Menschenrechtler sehen in dem Urteil eine politische Kampagne des Ahmadinedschad-Regimes.

Bonn - Auf einem Gelände gegenüber dem Hauptfriedhof von Takistan, einer kleinen Stadt im Norden Irans, sind vor einigen Tagen zwei Gräben angelegt worden. Für Leichen sind sie eigentlich zu schmal - dennoch sind sie für Menschen gedacht. Für lebende Menschen.

Ein iranisches Gericht hat einen Mann und eine Frau zum Tode durch Steinigung verurteilt. Iranischen Menschenrechtsaktivisten zufolge sollten ursprünglich morgen früh um 9 Uhr ein Mann und eine Frau, in Leichentücher gewickelt, in diese Gräben gesteckt und dann mit Steinwürfen getötet werden. Ihr Vergehen: Ehebruch. Mullah-Regime nimmt Steinigungen wieder auf (mehr) Von Mohammad Reza Kazemi
Mark Alexander

Great Britain Will Not Apologize for the Knighthood for Salman Rushdie
THE JESUSALEM POST: Britain will not apologize for its decision to bestow a knighthood on writer Salman Rushdie, UK Home Secretary John Reid said Wednesday, highlighting the need to protect freedom of expression in literature and politics.

"We have a set of values that accrues people honors for their contribution to literature even when they don't agree with our point of view," Reid said in response to a question after a speech to US business leaders in New York.

"We have a right to express opinions and a tolerance of other people's point of view, and we don't apologize for that," Reid said. Britain defends Salman Rushdie knighthood (more)

Mark Alexander

”Je ne bois pas une goutte d'alcool,” dit Sarkozy
LE FIGARO: Le chef de l’Etat précise qu’il n’était pas ivre mais essoufflé après avoir monté les escaliers quatre à quatre.

Pour la première fois depuis la fameuse conférence de presse du G8 sur laquelle il apparaissait très perturbé, Nicolas Sarkozy s'est expliqué dans le journal Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui en France de mercredi. "J'étais en retard, j'ai donc monté les escaliers quatre à quatre. Je n'avais rien de particulier à dire. J'ai donc demandé s'il y avait des questions. Je ne bois pas une goutte d'alcool. Je n'ai pas de mérite : je n'aime pas cela", explique-t-il dans les colonnes du quotidien. Vidéo du G8 : Sarkozy s’explique (suivant)

Mark Alexander

Les cinq infirmières bulgares et le médecin palestinien en prison à Tripoli: Vers un compromis?
LE FIGARO: Un accord financier entre l’Union européenne et Tripoli pourrait intervenir vendredi, laissant la vie sauve aux prévenus.

Le feuilleton judiciaire va-t-il prochainement toucher à sa fin ? Si la Cour suprême libyenne a de nouveau requis la peine de mort pour les cinq infirmières bulgares et le médecin palestinien dans cette affaire de contamination d'enfants par le sida, l’Union européenne et la Libye semblent être parvenues à un compromis.

Un responsable de la Fondation Khadafi, très impliqué dans les négociations euro-libyennes, a déclaré qu’un règlement de l’affaire serait annoncé vendredi et qu’un compromis avait été trouvé entre les deux parties. Infirmières bulgares : vers une solution diplomatique? (suivant)

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE:
Libye: peine de mort requise à l'encontre des infirmières bulgares, verdict le 11 juillet

NZZ:
Der Todesstrafe entkommen: In Libyen beginnt Berufungsverfahren im Aids-Prozess gegen Bulgarinnen

BBC:
Libya sets date for medic ruling

Mark Alexander

Salman Rushdie, überzeugter Atheist
DIE ZEIT: Am 19. Juni wurde der Schriftsteller Salman Rushdie 60 Jahre alt. Die Queen schlug ihn kurz davor zum Ritter, was den Hass einiger muslimischer Extremisten gegen ihn wieder auflodern ließ

So viel er auch geschrieben hat, Salman Rushdie wird wohl immer mit seinem vor fast 20 Jahren erschienenen Werk Die Satanischen Verse identifiziert werden. Auch heute noch wird der Schriftsteller wegen dieses vielfach ausgezeichneten Buches verfolgt. Der Ritterschlag von Queen Elizabeth II. brachte dem britisch-indischen Autor kurz vor seinem 60. Geburtstag an diesem Dienstag die Vergangenheit wieder in bittere Erinnerung. »Eine der meistgehassten Personen der islamischen Welt auszuzeichnen, zeigt Großbritanniens Feindschaft gegenüber dem Islam«, sagte Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, Sprecher des iranischen Außenministeriums, am Sonntag. Auch das pakistanische Parlament verurteilte am Montag die Ehrung. Ein Himmel ohne Jungfrauen

Mark Alexander

Destroy Salman Rushdie! Destroy Britain! Hardliners Chant in Protest in Malaysia
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE – KUALA LUMPUR: Protests against the award of a British knighthood to Salman Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" outraged Muslims, spread from Pakistan, Iran and the Taliban movement to Malaysia on Wednesday.

Supporters of Malaysia's hard-line Islamic party protested near the British Embassy, chanting "Destroy Salman Rushdie" and "Destroy Britain."

Some 30 members of the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia urged Britain to withdraw the honor or risk the consequences.
"This has tainted the whole knighthood, the whole hall of fame of the British system," Hatta Ramli, the party treasurer, said after the group handed a protest note to embassy officials.

"The British government must be responsible because it has created a sudden feeling of anger not just on Salman Rushdie but on the British government," he said. "They have to bear the consequences." Protests spread to Malaysia over knighthood for Salman Rushdie (more)

NDTV.COM:
Bounty of 80,000 pounds on Rushdie's head

Mark Alexander

Poland’s Bête Noire: Germany
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Under the Kaczynski twins, ties between Germany and Poland have deteriorated to a level of animosity not seen since prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain. This week, the mutual enmity is the main event on the European Union stage.

The political world view of Poland's Kaczynski twins is one that often appears to be limited to a very small spectrum that includes only the most basic of shades -- good and bad, black and white, all or nothing. Indeed, today's Poland appears to be a world filled of enemies: homosexuals and liberals, post-communists and people who have profited from the fall of the Iron Curtain, evolution theorists, hedonists, critics of the Pope, journalists, spooks. And, of course, the Russians.

The greatest enemy in the eyes of the Warsaw government, though, appears to be Germany. A History of Hostility Between Poland and Germany (more)

Mark Alexander

Hitler’s Germany
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: For decades, the common assumption was that Hitler spent his final days in a dark, dank hole. But that's not entirely accurate. A new digital reproduction attempts a vivid reconstruction.

Imagine descending the stairs into the darkness, pushing your way through the heavy doors, and marching into the Führer bunker, deep under Berlin. It is the place where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler spent his final days -- the subject of numerous books and films. But virtually impossible to visit. Until now.

A new DVD, called "The Führer Bunker (1935-1942)," offers the most realistic recreation yet of Hitler's bomb shelter -- a perfectly pixelated representation of every imaginable nook and cranny of the dictator's last residence. The creator, Christoph Neubauer, hopes that his new video, the third in a series devoted to the Berlin government quarter in Nazi Germany, will fix what he sees as repeated misrepresentations of what Hitler's bunker actually looked like. A New Digital Look into Hitler’s Bunker (more) By R. Jay Magill, Jr. in Berlin

Photo Gallery

Timeline: The Road to Disaster

Many German Cities Honoured Adolf

New Handbook Helps Descendents Reclaim Nazi Loot

Images of World War II: How the Camera Became a Weapon

Restitution for the Shoah: Holocaust Survivors Still Owed Up to $175 Billion

Mark Alexander

The Veil Was Brought Here by Muslim Invaders
TIMESONLINE: The woman nominated by India’s ruling Congress party to become the country’s first female president was at the centre of a national furore yesterday after she urged Muslims to throw away their veils.

Pratabha Patil appeared relatively uncontroversial when she was put forward by Congress last week for the largely ceremonial but symbolically important post. Seen as a moderate Hindu, the only criticism levelled at the 72-year-old governor of Rajasthan was that she lacked national stature.

By yesterday, however, Mrs Patil’s name was on the lips of Muslim leaders, who accused her of insulting Islam. Outraged by her comment that the veil has been imported to India by Muslim invaders, they are calling on Congress to ditch her and choose a more secular presidential candidate. Fury as presidential hopeful urges women to throw off ‘veil of invader’ (more) By Jeremy Page in Delhi

Mark Alexander

For Christ’s Sake, Shut Up!
BBC: Iran has stepped up its protest over the knighthood awarded by Britain to Salman Rushdie, whose 1988 novel The Satanic Verses outraged many Muslims.

Iran's foreign ministry summoned the UK ambassador in Tehran and said the knighthood was a "provocative act".

Pakistan voiced similar protests, telling the UK envoy in Islamabad the honour showed the British government's "utter lack of sensitivity".

Britain denied that the award was intended to insult Islam. Rushdie diplomatic row escalates (more)

Mark Alexander

Keep Your Powder Dry! There Is No Rapprochement to Be with the Muslim World!
EDITORIAL: Beheadings, lapidations, amputations, suicide-bombings, honour-killings, flag-burnings, effigy-burnings – Is there nothing to which these mentally-deranged, half-baked, quasi-pious people won’t stoop?

These misdeeds, of course, are carried out in the name of Allah and his prophet, the prophet Muhammad. Not in God’s name, you understand! But in the name of Allah, the false god, the false deity, in the name of Muhammad, the false prophet.

Muslims believe that Jesus was not the Son of God, for they believe that God begat not, and was not begotten. They believe that Jesus was a mere prophet – a man, like you and me. Further, they believe that Jesus was not crucified, despite plenty of historical evidence to prove that he was. To Muslims, Jesus was simply the penultimate prophet of Allah (not God), and although he was a fine man (and all that), He was inferior to the superior and ultimate prophet of Allah: Muhammad.

The West, in recent decades more especially, has embarked on a journey to liberate people. We have liberated women, bringing them away from the kitchen sink; and we are in the process of liberating homosexuals, bringing them away from the closet. We have given blacks rights, we have given women rights, and we are in the process of giving homosexuals rights, too.

Compare this situation with the deplorable state of women in the Muslim world, a world in which women’s lives count for nothing. They are mere chattels. They exist for the sexual pleasure of men. They have few rights, and even fewer chances of a decent life in this world. They must cover themselves up, and must not leave the home unless they are given permission to do so by their guardians: men!

If someone draws a cartoon of their beloved prophet Muhammad, then Muslims are up in arms. If a woman falls in love with a man that the family deems unfit for her love, then she is killed for the sake of honour. If a man happens to be homosexual (through no fault of his own – naturally God made him that way), then he is thrown off the nearest minaret to a certain death, or if he happens to live in Iran, then he is hanged on a rope. Whichever way it happens to be, it is a grim death.

You tell me how these two worldviews can be reconciled! You tell me how there can be a rapprochement! Fact is our two worlds are headed on two divergent and separate paths: The West is headed in the direction of light; the East is headed in the direction of darkness, even darker than the world they already inhabit!

Last year, we witnessed the furore over the innocuous drawings of the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in Denmark; in recent days, we have witnessed the furore over the knighthood of Salman Rushdie by Queen Elizabeth II. In Pakistan and in other parts of the Middle East, flag- and effigy-burnings are taking place. And those effigies are of no less a person than our beloved Queen! And they talk of wanting to receive respect. If they really want respect, then it is high time that they showed some!

The truth of the matter is this: Our two worlds are on two separate journeys. We, in the West, want to liberate people; they, in the Muslim world, want to place people in chains. So how can there be a meeting of our two cultures? How can there be a rapprochement? How can there be a coming together? There cannot be, of course.

That is why I say to you today that as sure as night follows day, there will soon be – nay have to be – a clash of these two cultures, ein Zusammenprallen. How can we expect anything else?

We are being led by incompetent fools! This is no time for prissy, pretty little leaders – leaders who worry more about their image than about affairs of state.

Today, we worry about green issues, we worry about whether people smoke or not, we worry about health issues (when, actually, people are unhealthier than they have ever been), and we worry about the ecology. We worry about all kinds of things; but we do not worry about what is important: Our civilisation!

To be candid with you, I would prefer to vote for a man who smokes, or for a man who has a lover, or for a man who is gay, as long as he is capable of getting us out of this mess with Islam, as long as he is capable of winning the culture war. He can puff away as much as he likes, he can screw himself to death. Just get us out of this mess with Islam!

Let’s get our priorities right.

It should be clear to all good-thinking people by now that there is no meeting of the East and West to be. We must fight for our survival. We must fight for our beliefs. We must fight for our values. As far as I am concerned, war is what they want, and war they will get. I am ready and willing and prepared to make the sacrifice. Are you? I hope your gun powder is dry. If it isn’t, it ought to be. There are tough times ahead of us.

©Mark Alexander

All rights reserved

UK Tries to Assuage Muslim World’s Anger over Knighthood for Sir Salman

Photo of Sir Salman courtesy of the BBC

BBC: The UK's envoy to Pakistan has expressed "deep concern" over comments by a Pakistani minister about Sir Salman Rushdie's knighthood.

Religious Affairs Minister Mohammad Ejaz ul-Haq had said the honour meant a risk of suicide attacks because Muslims believed Sir Salman had insulted Islam.

But High Commissioner Robert Brinkley said it was untrue that the knighthood was intended to insult Islam. UK’s ‘deep concern’ over Rushdie (more)

Mark Alexander

’First Lady’ of Cuba Dies

Photo of Vilma Espin, the ‘first lady’ of Cuba, courtesy of the BBC

BBC: Vilma Espin, wife of Cuba's acting president Raul Castro, has died in Havana, aged 77, state TV reports.

She was a key figure in the Cuban revolution and the long-standing head of the Cuban Women's Federation, which works to advance women's rights.

Born into a wealthy family, she fought as a guerrilla alongside Fidel Castro and his younger brother Raul in the Sierra Maestra mountains.

She married Raul in early 1959 and was often described as Cuba's "first lady".

Espin reportedly died after a long battle with illness. Cuba’s ‘first lady’ dies aged 77 (more)

Mark Alexander

Mexico Comes Under Islam’s Spell
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Long a bastion of Catholicism, southern Mexico is quickly turning into a battleground for soul-savers. Islam, too, is gaining a foothold and the indigenous Mayans are converting by the hundreds. The Mexican government is worried about a culture clash in their own backyard.

Anastasio Gomez, a Tzotzil Mayan from Mexico, fondly remembers his pilgrimage to Mecca. He circled around the Kaaba, the highest sanctuary of Muslims, seven times. At Mount Arafat he prayed to Allah and then he, together with 15 other Indians, sacrificed a sheep before boarding the flight back to their Mexican home.

"In Islam, race plays no role," the young man says joyously. His enthusiasm is understandable. After all, in his home state of Chiapas, Mexico's poorest, the indigenous people are viewed as second class humans, and whites and Mestizos treat the Indian majority as if they weren't there. In the southern Mexican provincial metropolis San Cristóbal de las Casas, the descendants of the Maya even have to move onto the street if a white person approaches them on the sidewalk.

Gomez, 23, converted to Islam eight years ago; ever since then, he has called himself Ibrahim. On his first pilgrimage seven years ago, the Indian was still something of an anomaly. Today, however, Muslim women in headscarves have become a common sight on the streets of San Cristobal. Islam is Gaining a Foothold in Chiapas (more) By Jens Glüsing

Mark Alexander

Myths & Movements

All great social movements ... have come about by the pursuit of a myth. To analyze a myth or to inquire whether it is true - even to ask whether it is practicable - is meaningless. For it is essentially an image that can evoke sentiment and that supplies the cohesion and drive to release revolutionary energy. A political philosophy is not a rational guide to action but an incitement to fanatical determination and blind devotion. ... Conceived as a myth[,] philosophy is a vision of life but not a plan, and still less is it a theory that depends on reason. It is rather a release of the deep-lying instincts of a people, inherent in the "life-force" itself, or in their "blood" or "spirit". - Georges Sorel, French Social Philosopher [Source: A History of Political Theory by G. H. Sabine]

I came across this some time ago. It jumped out of the page at me, since it fits Islam to a T.

Muhammad, the prophet, understood much about the ways of the world. He understood very well the above theory put forward by Georges Sorel. He knew how to create a myth, so he set about creating one; he knew the effect that myth would have on the world if people would only start to accept the myth as fact and true, so he fought the people till it was accepted as true. A myth was created, and the rest, as they say, is history!

In Muhammad's case he would retire to a cave, where the Archangel Gabriel is said to have descended upon him, requesting him to recite in the name of the Lord!

People were simpler back then. They must have been able to believe such a myth. Imagine coming home to your own spouse or family member saying that the Archangel Gabriel had visited you in a cave, asking you to recite in the name of the Lord! I know what my family would do! They'd call the doctor to ask him to commit me! My guess is that yours would probably do the same. Alas, way back then, they obviously didn't; otherwise we wouldn't be where we are today: with a great struggle on our hands. We wouldn't be left with the task of rolling back the frontiers lest we be subsumed into Dar ul Islam!

Islam is, however, a very clever myth, since it portrays itself as the perfection of religion for man for all time, deen al kamal. You've got to hand it to Muhammad, he invented something which many find difficult to refute. He also included all the other prophets that went before him, so as to try not to alienate the other believers. That didn't quite come off, but still, the movement has grown around the world like Topsy. There are said to be way over 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide, and we're still counting! This, despite the gruesome nature of attacks on infidels! It never ceases to amaze me what people will fall for.

But then we know that people are gullible and gregarious. Therein lies one of Islam's strengths. I dare say that Prophet Muhammad was well aware of these characteristics of human nature.

These days, the myth has been given a new lease on life because of the oil wealth generated for the home of Islam: the Middle East. Our businessmen, of course, ever ready to make a fast buck, and having little understanding of our own civilization, still less any respect for it, happily and willingly curry favour with the movers and shakers of the oil-rich desert fiefdoms of the desert. One could almost say that they suck up to their masters there. I've seen the fawning that goes on. It's a sickening sight to behold!

The politicians and the businessmen - these are the people who are selling us short. These are the people who lack the spine to behave with more dignity, and, as a result, give away more of our freedoms by the day. Weakness, I tell you, abounds! These people simper and fawn and suck up. It's a case of yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full, sir. After all, the businessman's bottom line - profit - and his bank balance are far more important to him than anything else.

We're in a mess, though, aren't we? A right old pickle! Moreover, it's going to take a complete U-turn to change direction and win back what we have already lost. And it won't come cost-free either.

Isn't it strange how Western leaders have changed in just a few decades? It was less than sixty years ago that we, in Great Britian, were being led by Winston Churchill. He took a dim view of the strictures of Islam. Not so our leaders today. Now they do nothing to keep Islam at bay; instead, they do everything in their power to integrate the Islamic world into our own world, and there are syncretist forces at work to meld our two religions. But this, of course, will not work. Never will they manage to do that! Muslims, for a start, will not allow their message to be changed in any way. They are rigid. Extremely rigid!

Christianity, too, is based on a traditional story, or myth (myths don't have to be untrue): the story that Jesus was the Son of God, and that He was crucified to save our souls, to redeem us. And inasmuch as this was done to Him, He became our Saviour.

This has been an exceedingly powerful story for us, guiding us for over 2000 years. The problem today is that many have ceased to believe in the story, or if they haven't ceased to believe in it, they have become indifferent to it. Because of this, the development of the West, based as it is on this story, is losing steam. As it continues to lose its steam, it will decelerate and weaken. We simply cannot have it all ways. For, as Sorel says: ...it is essentially an image that can evoke sentiment and that supplies the cohesion and drive to release revolutionary energy.

In Islam, the image is still exceedingly strong; in Christianity, it is considerably weakened. We shall, however, have to find a way of strengthening it again, or else we will have nothing to 'fight' for, nothing to 'fight' to maintain, nothing to hold us together! The story of Christ was the buckle that bound us. It was our guiding light, so to speak. Modern day secularism will not be strong enough to stand up to the onslaught of Islam, since it is hard - very hard - to become passionate about a 'nothing'! To my knowledge, no great movement, either religious or political, in the history of the world, has been founded on a non-story. The myth is all important! No myth, no movement!

©Mark Alexander

All rights reserved

Germany’s Far-Right Fighting Against the Islamization of Europe

Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A right-wing citizens' initiative is protesting against Germany's largest mosque, which is being built in Cologne. They have enlisted the efforts of the far-right from Austria and Belgium in their fight against the "Islamization of Europe." Far-Right Mobilizes against Cologne Mega-Mosque (more) By Anna Reimann

Mark Alexander

Union Jack and Effigy of the Queen Burnt in Pakistan

Mobs in Pakistan burn effigy of the Queen and the Union Jack. Photo courtesy of Yahoo News (UK)

Flag-makers in the Middle East and Pakistan must be making a mint!

YAHOO NEWS: ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Islamic hardliners in Pakistan burned an effigy of Queen Elizabeth as senators Tuesday joined mounting calls for London to withdraw Salman Rushdie's knighthood.

The senate approved a unanimous resolution demanding London axe the honour bestowed Saturday to the controversial author of the "blasphemous" book "The Satanic Verses."

It came a day after Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq said the award for Rushdie justified suicide attacks, although he later withdrew the remarks, saying he meant it could increase terrorism.

The senate resolution carried by the official Associated Press of Pakistan "demands that the knighthood conferred on Salman Rushdie be withdrawn."

It said the chamber "expressed its annoyance over blatant disregard for the sentiments of the Muslims by the British government by awarding (a) knighthood to Salman Rushdie, who committed blasphemy against the Holy Prophet." Pakistani mob burns queen's effigy in Rushdie protest (more) By Danny Kemp

Le Figaro:
Rushdie : Londres proteste auprès d'Islamabad

Mark Alexander

Banned UN Speech: Human Rights Nightmare
With many thanks to Jim Ball for bringing this to my attention on his great website:



UNWatch.org

Mark Alexander

The Reverend that Ought to Be Ex-Communicated!
With many thanks to Judah of Judah's Journal for alerting me to this absurd story some days ago:

Photos of Rev Ann Holmes Redding courtesy of The Seattle Times

Doesn't this silly woman realise that these two faiths are totally and utterly incompatible; and doesn't she realise, too, that this will be viewed as an affront to Muslims throughout the world. Christianity states that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and was crucified for our sins, to save our souls. Muslims state categorically that Jesus was NOT the Son of God, for they believe that Allah begets not and is not begotten. Further, Muslims state that Jesus was NOT crucified. There are many other differences, too; but these two tenets alone show major and incontrovertible differences between the faiths. It is clearly impossible for this woman to be both a practising Christian AND a practising Muslim at one and the same time.

WORLD NET DAILY: SEATTLE – A veteran Episcopal priest says she became a Muslim just over a year ago and now worships at a mosque Fridays – but that hasn't stopped her from donning her white collar Sunday mornings.

"I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both," Rev. Ann Holmes Redding told the Seattle Times.

Redding, a priest for more than 20 years, until recently was director of faith formation at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, the paper reported. Now, she's telling the world about her adherence to Islam, provoking bewilderment from Christians and Muslims. Priest goes Muslim, but remains Christian: Episcopalian prays at mosque Fridays, joins in church service Sunday mornings (more)

THE SEATTLE TIMES:
I am both Muslim and Christian

THE SEATTLE TIMES:
Readers Reactions

Mark Alexander

White House Appoints Muslim with Dubious ‘Moderate’ Credentials
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: When is a moderate Muslim not a moderate Muslim? How about if he is an employee of a Saudi Wahhabi organization that has been identified by the Senate Finance Committee as one of a long list of Islamic charities that “finance terrorism and perpetuate violence”?

Last month, the White House appointed Talal Eid, an imam from Quincy, Massachusetts, to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan panel that, according to the Boston Globe, “monitors religious freedom in countries around the world and recommends policies to the president, State Department, and Congress.” Eid is also participating in goodwill missions overseas for the State Department. Ishan Bagby, a University of Kentucky professor and member of the board of directors of the Islamic Society of North America, was pleased with the appointment: “It’s a very good sign that a mainstream, moderate Muslim leader like Imam Eid can be appointed to such a position.” Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American Islamic Relations was pleased also, saying that Eid would bring “valuable perspective” to the Commission.

Eid was forced out of his position as imam of the Islamic Center of New England’s mosque in Quincy in July 2005, some said because he was too moderate. The Bush Administration has been determined since September 11, 2001 to find moderate Muslims with whom it could work and to whom it could show public support; unfortunately, however, in this quest it has sometimes been less discriminating than it should have been, and the case of Talal Eid is a prime example of this. Bush’s Favorite Muslim Fanatic (more) By Robert Spencer

Mark Alexander

Muslim World Inflamed Yet Again! Calls for the Death of Sir Salman Are Renewed by Hardline Adherents of the 'Religion of Love and Peace and Tolerance'
TIMESONLINE: Sir Salman Rushdie celebrates his 60th birthday today in familiar circumstances: he is once again the subject of death threats across the Islamic world.

Eighteen years after the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling on Muslims to kill him, a government minister in Pakistan said yesterday that Rushdie’s recent knighthood justified suicide bombing.

The question of blasphemy in The Satanic Verses, Rushdie’s 1988 tale of a prophet misled by the devil, remains a deeply sensitive issue in much of the Muslim world and the author’s inclusion in the Queen’s Birthday Honours last week has inflamed anti-British sentiment.

Gerald Butt, editor of the authoritative Middle East Economic Survey, told The Times: “It will be interpreted as an action calculated to goad Muslims at a time when the atmosphere is already very tense and Britain’s standing in the region is very low because of its involvement in Iraq and its lack of action in tackling the Palestine issue.”

Hardliners in Iran revived calls for his murder yesterday. Mehdi Kuchakzadeh, a Tehran MP, declared: “Rushdie died the moment the late Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] issued the fatwa.”

The Organisation to Commemorate Martyrs of the Muslim World, a fringe hardline group, offered a reward of $150,000 (£75,000) to any successful assassin. Muslim world inflamed by Rushdie knighthood (more) By Ben Hoyle

THE DAILY MAIL:
Muslim fury grows over Rushdie knighthood

Mark Alexander

Terry Semel, Yahoo!’s ‘Eased Out’ Chief Executive, Made $71.7 Million in Pay and Benefits in 2006 Despite Company’s Poor Performance
TIMESONLINE: Terry Semel, the embattled chief executive of Yahoo!, resigned last night amid widespread pressure from investors over his lavish pay package despite a 35 per cent drop in the group’s share price.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Semel said that he had told Yahoo’s board that it was “my desire to take a step back sooner rather than later”.

“This is the time for new executive leadership, with different skills and strengths, to step in and drive the company to realise its full potential. It is the right thing to do, and the right time is now,” he said.

Mr Semel, 64, will stay on at the California-based internet company as a nonexecutive chairman. Yahoo! chief quits after pressure by shareholders (more) By Tom Bawden and Siobhan Kennedy

Mark Alexander