As Islam’s Roots Go Down Ever Deeper in the UK, Ruth Dudley Edwards Asks the Alarming Question: Will Britain One Day Be Muslim?
This excellent article appeared in the Daily Mail on May 5th. I bring it to you today, unfortunately a little late, but it is well worth the read.

DAILY MAIL: This week has been another terrible one for those of us who want a society in which all races, religions and cultures mix to their mutual advantage and enrichment.

On Tuesday, five men were sentenced to life in prison for plotting to use a huge fertiliser bomb in what would have been the UK's largest mass murder.

Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood, Salahuddin Amin, Anthony Garcia and Jawad Akbar - first and second generation immigrants - responded to the tolerance of the British people by trying to kill as many of them as possible.

Is it absurd to hope that the exposure of their evil after a 13-month trial which cost an estimated £50 million has finally provided the wake-up call that this slumbering country so badly needs?

Or will we continue to allow the politically-correct lunatics to stay in charge of what is becoming an asylum?

I'm one of those old-fashioned immigrants to this country who feels passionately grateful, is proudly British (as well as Irish - having been born in Dublin), and believes that immigrants have more duties than rights.

And, further, that one of those is to adjust to British society rather than expecting it to adjust to them.

However, one aspect of contemporary British society which I refuse to adjust to is its weakness in the face of the enemy within.

In my many conversations with like-minded people about the threat that radical Islam poses to the British way of lifen - and, indeed, to European civilisation - we frequently end by despairingly agreeing that the West seems intent on committing political and cultural suicide.

When we look starkly at the demographic statistics, the wimpishness of our Establishment in the face of the threat, the perversions perpetrated by political correctness and our own passivity, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that within a couple of generations, Islam will be in control in Europe.

And before anyone says that there would be nothing wrong if this happened, since the vast majority of Muslims are tolerant people who would not dream of interfering with our way of life, it's necessary to point out that in Muslim countries, it's usually the radicals and extremist mullahs - who regard tolerance as a vice - who make the running.

This occurs too in microcosm in Muslim ghettoes around Europe: we saw the frightening fundamentalist fringe of Islam marching, threatening and perpetrating violence over the publication of cartoons depicting Mohammed in Denmark while the majority of Muslims - who, yes, of course, are tolerant and decent - kept their mouths shut and stayed at home. Will Britain one day be Muslim? (more) By Ruth Dudley Edwards

Mark Alexander

Libyen: Das Todesurteil gegen fünf bulgarische Krankenschwestern und einen palästinensischen Arzt ist bestätigt worden!

Photo des infirmières grâce au Figaro

NZZ ONLINE: Schock im Gerichtssaal in Tripolis: Entgegen den Erwartungen der meisten Beobachter hat das Oberste Gericht Libyens das Todesurteil gegen fünf bulgarische Krankenschwestern und einen palästinensischen Arzt bestätigt. Die Eltern der angeblich von ihnen mit dem HI-Virus angesteckten Kinder hatten noch am Tag zuvor eingelenkt.

spi. Am Vortag war die Hoffnung bei den fünf in Libyen wegen eines Aids-Skandals gefangenen Krankenschwestern aus Bulgarien und dem palästinensischen Arzt noch gross gewesen. Nur gerade einen Tag vor der Entscheidung des Obersten Gerichts hatten offenbar die Familien der Opfer ein Einsehen gehabt. Sie hätten finanzielle Entschädigungen akzeptiert, teilte die Ghadhafi-Stiftung am Dienstag mit. Todesurteile in Libyen bestätigt: Schuldspruch gegen bulgarische Krankenschwestern und Arzt (mehr)

BBC:
Libya HIV death sentences upheld

Le FIGARO:
Les infirmières bulgares restent condamnées à mort

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Death Sentence Upheld for Six Foreign Medics

Mark Alexander

British Woman Marries OBL’s Son, Omar, and Wants to Bring Him to the UK!

Photos of Jane Felix-Browne and Omar Ossama bin Laden courtesy of TimesOnline

TIMESONLINE: A British woman has married a son of Osama bin Laden after a holiday romance and is to apply for a visa so that he can visit Britain, The Times has learnt.

Jane Felix-Browne, a 51-year-old grandmother and parish councillor from Cheshire, has until now kept her marriage to Omar Ossama bin Laden, 27, secret from everyone apart from her immediate family and close friends. But she has now agreed to speak about her relationship with bin Laden’s fourth eldest son.

“It would be nice if, like any other married woman, I could stand up and say this is my husband and this is his name, but I have to be realistic about things,” she told The Times. “I hope people don’t judge me too harshly. I married the son, not the father.”

Mrs Felix-Browne says she is aware that some people will be hostile to her marriage. Among the numerous terrorist plots linked to her new father-in-law are the London suicide bombings on July 7, 2005, the July 21 plot, and the recent attempted attacks in London and Glasgow. “I just married the man I met and fell in love with – to me he is just Omar,” she said. “I hope that people will take a step back and think what it was like when they fell in love. He is the most beautiful person I have ever met. His heart is pure, he is pious, quiet, a true gentleman, and he is my best friend.” Briton marries bin Laden’s son (more) By David Brown

DAILY MAIL:
Bin Laden's son weds grandmother from Cheshire

BBC:
Councillor weds Bin Laden’s son

Mark Alexander

The Holy War Against the West Goes On! Al-Qaïda Threatens UK with Reprisals for Salman Rushdie’s Knighthood
THE TELEGRAPH: Osama Bin Laden's second in command issued a warning yesterday that Britain faced fresh terror attacks as ''punishment'' for Salman Rushdie's knighthood.

The threat - addressed directly to Gordon Brown - came in a 20-minute audio-tape posted on jihadi websites by Ayman al-Zawahiri.

He threatened ''a very precise response'' in retaliation against Britain for having knighted the controversial novelist in the Queen's Birthday Honours last month. Salman Rushdie honour enrages Al-Qa'eda (more) Philip Johnston

TELEGRAPH SPEAKERS’ CORNER: Rushdie knighthood: Foolhardy or brave?

TIMESONLINE: Al-Qaeda deputy threatens retaliation for Rushdie knighthood Michael Evans

THE GUARDIAN: Al-Qaida’s deputy leader threatens retaliation for Rushdie’s knighthood Ian Black in Cairo

First It Was Coca-Cola’s Turn, Telling Us that Only Coke’s the Real Thing; Now it’s the Pope’s Turn: If it Isn't RC, Don’t Touch It ‘Cause It ‘Ain’t’ the Real Thing!
TIMESONLINE: The Vatican has described the Protestant and Orthodox faiths as “not proper Churches” in a document issued with the full authority of the Pope.

Anglican leaders reacted with dismay, accusing the Roman Catholic Church of paradoxical behaviour. They said that the new 16-page document outling the “defects” of non-Catholic churches constituted a major obstacle to ecumenism.

The document said that the Orthodox church suffered from a “wound” because it did not recognise the primacy of the Pope. The wound was “still more profound” in Protestant denominations, it added.

It was “difficult to see how the title of ‘Church’ could possibly be attributed to them”, said the statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Roman Catholicism was “the one true Church of Christ”. If it isn’t Roman Catholic then it’s not a proper Church, Pope tells Christians (more)

Mark Alexander

England’s Last Haven for Smokers
THE GUARDIAN: Smokers bemoaning the new ban on lighting up in pubs and other indoor public spaces in England have a new sanctuary: Stoke-on-Trent.

The Staffordshire city has acquired a sudden popularity among tobacco aficionados after a bureaucratic mix-up left its council unable to enforce the July 1 smoking ban.

Until this is rectified - August at the earliest - smokers can enjoy their habit in Stoke's pubs and clubs, not to mention bus shelters and other enclosed spaces, without the risk of a £50 fine. City’s smokers escape ban after council mix-up (more) By Peter Walker and agencies

Mark Alexander

Al-Qaeda Threatens Britain Again
YAHOO NEWS (UK): DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, on Tuesday threatened more attacks on Britain, two weeks after failed bombings in London and Glasgow.

"I say to (Former Prime Minister Tony) Blair's successor that the policy of your predecessor drew catastrophes in Afghanistan and Iraq and even in the centre of London," the Egyptian cleric said in an audio tape posted on the Internet.

"If you did not learn the lesson then we are ready to repeat it, God willing, until we are sure you have fully understood." Zawahri threatens more attacks in UK (more) By Lin Noueihed

Mark Alexander

Are These People Misguided, or What? The Religion Which Legitimizes Beheadings, Stonings to Death, Amputations, and Much More Besides, Continues to Attract Followers!


Mark Alexander

Abdul Rashid Ghazi is Dead

Photo of Abdul Rashid Ghazi courtesy of the BBC

BBC: A Pakistani cleric leading militants battling troops at Islamabad's Red Mosque, has been killed, Interior Ministry officials say.

Abdul Rashid Ghazi's body was found in the basement of the mosque, hours after troops stormed it, officials said.

The army says up to 50 militants and eight soldiers have been killed, and about 50 women and children rescued.

Students at the mosque and its attached religious schools have waged a campaign for months pressing for Sharia law. Pakistani rebel cleric 'killed' (more)

Mark Alexander

Euro noch nie so wertvoll wie heute

Bildnis dank der Franfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Euro hat im Vergleich zum Dollar ein neues Allzeithoch erreicht. Die europäische Gemeinschaftswährung erreichte am Dienstag zwischenzeitlich einen Stand von 1,3697 Dollar und notierte damit so hoch wie noch nie. Damit übertraf der Euro seinen bisherigen Höchststand von1,3682 Dollar vom April. Euro mit Allzeithoch gegen den Dollar (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Tablighi Jamaat and the Misery It Can Cause
With thanks to Always On Watch for drawing this story to my attention:

ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL: I was happily married woman. My husband, a medical doctor, was kind, loving, compassionate, and a model father to our two children. He was a perfectly NORMAL human being, with exemplary behaviour, an extremely good Muslim, and I can proudly say that he was a credit to the human race….. until he was rudely snatched away from me and my children by the Tableegh Jamaat*!

When this happened, he turned into a mere caricature of a human being. He discarded his normal, man's clothes, donning the Tableeghi calico maxi-kurta, which is really a female dress. He grew a bushy, Viking-type of ferocious, frightening beard, started carrying that eternal "Miswaak" stick in his front pocket where fountain pens are usually kept. He wears his calico trousers miles away from his ankle and thinks that that is the real Islam!

Before his transformation, he had bought beautiful furniture for me - a lovely dining room table and chairs, a color television, and a gorgeous bedroom suite. No sooner the demon of Tableeghism gripped and grabbed him, than he came home one day and ordered me to wear the Ninja purdah "with immediate effect." He stopped me from going out - even to buy the bare necessities for the kitchen - saying that I must remain confined to the four walls of the home, because that's what Islam teaches and that is how our Rasoolullah wants us women to be.

He sold all our furniture - yes, ALL, and this is no exaggeration! We had to sit on the floor and eat; we had to sleep on the hard floor. He said that that is how our Prophet slept. He did not sell the TV set; he actually SMASHED it to pieces, saying that the money gained from selling the TV would be Haraam! Miseries of a Tableeghi’s wife (more)

*Tablighi Jamaat (Tableegh Jamaat) is the sect of Islam which wants to build the mega mosque in London.

Newham councillor Alan Craig has formally called on the government to ban its construction. The Olympics’ mega-mosque is allegedly linked to the London and Glasgow car bomb plots. Those arrested suspects were allegedly radicalised by the mosque promoters of Tablighi Jamaat.

Councillor Alan Craig: Tablighi Jamaat & Violence

Mark Alexander

Indian Muslim Likely to Be Implicated in Act of Terrorism
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: NEW DELHI AND LONDON - When President George Bush visited this country of 150 million Muslims last year, he introduced his wife to the prime minister with a fact surely intended to amaze: "Not one Indian Muslim has joined Al Qaeda," he said.

At a time when Muslim nations from Algeria to Indonesia have emerged as incubators for anti-Western extremists, India – by some estimates the world's second-most-populous Muslim nation – has remained a unique case.

Yet reports from Britain suggest that, for the first time, an Indian Muslim is likely to be implicated in an act of international terrorism. Khafeel Ahmed, the man who police say crashed a Jeep into Glasgow's airport on June 30, is an engineer from Bangalore, a city previously known only as the high-tech capital of the new India.

Until now, Indians' disinterest in the global jihad had been largely taken for granted, experts say. In recent days, however, the nation has been left to try to piece together why a man who holds a PhD in aeronautics from India's golden city was driven to such rage against the West – and whether there will be more to follow. Global terror’s India connection: The Glasgow attack is the first known act of global terror involving an Indian Muslim (more) By Mark Sappenfield & Mark Rice-Oxley

Mark Alexander

Pakistani Troops Storm Red Mosque
GLOBE AND MAIL: ISLAMABAD — Pakistani troops seized Islamabad's Red Mosque on Tuesday and attempted to flush out the remaining militants entrenched inside a women's religious school in fierce fighting that left at least 50 militants and eight soldiers dead, the army said.

The troops stormed the mosque compound before dawn. Eight hours later, they were still trying to root out the well-armed defenders said to be holding about 150 hostages. Officials said at least 50 women were allowed to go free from the complex. Some 26 children had earlier escaped.

Clashes this month between security forces and supporters of the mosque's hard-line clerics prompted the siege. The religious extremists had been trying to impose Taliban-style morality in the capital through a six-month campaign of kidnappings and threats. At least 67 people have been killed since July 3.

Amid the sounds of rolling explosions, commandos attacked from three directions about 4 a.m. and quickly cleared the ground floor of the mosque, army spokesman General Waheed Arshad said. Some 20 children who rushed toward the advancing troops were brought to safety, he said. Dozens dead as Pakistani troops storm mosque (more) By Zarar Khan

Mark Alexander

Four Muslims Found Guilty

Photos courtesy of The Guardian

THE GUARDIAN: Four men were today found guilty of an extreme Islamist plot to detonate bombs on tube trains and a bus in London on July 21 2005.

Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussein Osman were convicted of conspiracy to murder over the failed attack, which aimed to mirror the carnage of two weeks before when on July 7 four suicide bombers killed themselves and 52 other people on public transport around London.

Ibrahim, 29, of Stoke Newington, north London, Omar, 26, of New Southgate, north London and Mohammed, 25, of North Kensington, west London, were found guilty this morning in unanimous verdicts from the jury of nine women and three men at Woolwich crown court.

Osman, 28, of no fixed address, was convicted this afternoon after the trial judge, Mr Justice Fulford QC, told the jurors, who were on their seventh day of deliberations, that he would accept majority verdicts of 10-2 for the remaining defendants. Four found guilty over July 21 bomb plot (more) By Peter Walker and agencies

Mark Alexander

Muslims on Islam
Shariah, Islam: From their mouths!
Mark Alexander

Petraeus: Fighting in Iraq is a Long-Term Endeavour
BBC: The head of US forces in Iraq, Lt Gen David Petraeus, has told the BBC that fighting the insurgency is a "long term endeavour" which could take decades.

Speaking to the BBC's John Simpson in Baquba, Gen Petraeus said there was evidence that the recent troops surge was producing gains on the ground.

But he warned that US forces were engaged in a "tough fight" which will get "harder before it gets easier".

His comments come as US calls for a rapid troop withdrawal gather strength. US Iraq chief warns of long war (more)

Mark Alexander

The Threat of Radical Islam in the West
I do hope that Gordon, Sir Alan, and all their henchmen are listening and watching!


Mark Alexander

The Mindset of Anjem Choudary (and Others Like Him)




Mark Alexander

”One Day My Dear Muslims, Islam Will Govern Britain!”
WORLD NET DAILY: Across town from the site of the recent attempted car-bomb attacks, several thousand Muslims gathered in front of the London Central Mosque to applaud fiery preachers prophesying the overthrow of the British government – a future vision that encompasses an Islamic takeover of the White House and the rule of the Quran over America.

"One day my dear Muslims," shouted Anjem Choudary, "Islam will govern Britain!"

Choudary was a co-founder of Al Muhajiroun, the now-banned group tied to suspects in the July 7, 2005, London transport bombings and a cheerleader of the 9/11 attacks.

"Democracy, hypocrisy," Choudary chanted as the crowd echoed him. "Tony Blair, terrorist! Tony Blair, murderer! Queen Elizabeth, go to hell!" Muslims declare sovereignty over U.S., UK (more) By Art Moore

Mark Alexander

Sunnitische Extremisten im Irak drohen Iran mit ernsthaftem Krieg
NZZ ONLINE: Radikale Sunniten im Irak haben eine Drohung Richtung Iran ausgesprochen. Der Führer des sogenannten islamischen Staates im Irak warnte Iran vor einer weiteren Unterstützung der Schiiten im Irak. Die Organisation gilt als Ableger der Kaida im Zweistromland.

(ap) Sunnitische Extremisten im Irak haben Iran vor einer weiteren Unterstützung der irakischen Schiiten gewarnt. Sollte die Regierung in Teheran diese Einflussnahme nicht binnen zwei Monaten einstellen, drohe ihr ein ernsthafter Krieg, erklärte Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, der den sogenannten Islamischen Staat im Irak leitet. Dabei handelt es sich um einen Dachverband radikaler Sunnitenorganisationen unter Führung der Kaida im Irak. Der Verband versteht sich als islamistische Gegenregierung zur schiitisch dominierten Regierung in Bagdad. Warnung in Richtung Iran: Militante Sunniten im Irak wehren sich gegen Einmischung (more)

MIDDLE EAST TIMES:
Iraq's Al Qaeda threatens to attack Iran

Mark Alexander

Iran Cracks Down on Its Critics
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Iran's mullah regime has said there are signs of a "creeping coup," in the media, after it banned a pro-reform newspaper and a news agency. Tehran now interprets any criticism of its failure to improve the economy as proof of a US-inspired plot.

Iran's culture ministry has accused the press of fostering a creeping coup, just days after banning a newspaper and an news agency critical of the government. The tougher line on media criticism comes amid growing public unrest over fuel rationing and energy price increases, and international moves to impose even tougher sanctions on Tehran.

Ham Mihan, a pro-reform newspaper, and the ILNA online news agency were both shut down by the authorities last Tuesday. The reformist and liberal press has been criticizing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for failing to deliver on his electoral promise to improve the economy but the regime is interpreting any negative press as proof of a plot. Press Accused of ‘Creeping Coup’ (more)

Mark Alexander

Time to Ban Hizb ut-Tahrir
THE AUSTRALIAN: It is not always easy working out the limits of our cherished liberalism. Western liberalism’s greatest achievement is the contest of ideas that thrives in a free market of ideas. We know from experience that an open and rigorous debate about ideas means the bad ideas tend to get flushed out and replaced by better ideas. So it’s not easy saying this: it is time we banned Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group that operates freely in Britain and Australia.

Some of the London suspects arrested for the attempted bomb blasts in London and Glasgow socialised and prayed with members of this radical organisation - an organisation that rejects democracy and Western values and is aimed at uniting 1.2 billion Muslims under a global caliphate ruled by sharia law.

Under normal circumstances, the West would say live and let live. Air your grievances, express your ideas, let’s talk this over - the hope being that an open debate would reveal such an ideology as inferior to Western ideas and values.

But we’re not living in normal circumstances. Those to whom we say live and let live are planning and preaching our downfall. Those espousing an Islamist ideology are strapping bombs to themselves, or filling their Mercedes and four-wheel drives with bombs, to kill Westerners. It is time we banned Hizb ut-Tahrir (more) By Janet Albrechtsen

Mark Alexander

”The Tragedy of Modern Britain”
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: While car bombs were being prepared in London and Glasgow, I was visiting the land of the niqab, communities that are in England but not of England, where I was usually the only white person on the street, where the veil and the beard are the norm, and where sharia law holds greater authority than English common law. I was in East London, Bradford, Dewsbury, all bastions of the niqab.

The niqab is the veil which covers the entire face of a woman, except for a slit for the eyes. It has become the symbol of revolt in Pakistan, a tinderbox of Islamic fundamentalism and political instability, where hundreds of young women in black niqabs in the capital, Islamabad, have been challenging the authority of the military Government all year. What they really want is an Islamic state in Pakistan.

I've just been sharing streets and markets with scores of women hidden behind black niqabs, quite a powerful social statement, but these women were in Tower Hamlets in London, Manningham in Bradford, Savile Town in Dewsbury, and in shopping centres in Luton and Leeds. Mind this gap, where trouble brews (more) By Paul Sheehan

Mark Alexander

Is Caring for Your Country Islamophobic?
DAILY EXPRESS: Following the heated exchanges on my blog about the proposed mega-Mosque in London, I have been struck by another aspect of the debate about Muslims in Britain.

People on the radical Left have been accusing commentators like me of suffering from "Islamophobia".

Lefties like Ken Livingstone use the term all the time. It is meant to carry the meaning that anyone worried about the impact of Islamic values upon our society is a senseless bigot and should shut up.

A phobia is a fear of something. According to the dictionary the term does carry overtones of irrationality. But basically it means you are scared of a particular phenomenon.

So I hold my hands up and say that yes, I am certainly deeply concerned and worried by forced marriages, honour killings, book-burning, fatwas, electoral fraud, veil-wearing and all kinds of other alien customs associated with Muslim ghettos in Britain.

I am fearful about the fundamentalists who wish to establish an Islamic caliphate across the United Kingdom and truly scared of the lunatic fringe who are prepared to engage in murderous acts of terrorism to pursue that end.
Is It Islamophobic to Care about Your Country? (more) By Patrick O’Flynn

Mark Alexander

It Is as Clear as Crystal that Our Leaders Do Not Understand the Muslim Mentality
TIMESONLINE: Police must develop a network of Muslim spies to gather intelligence on terror suspects plotting attacks in Britain, the former head of MI5 has recommended.

Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller’s demand comes as the country’s new Security Minister urged the public to “grass” on individuals about whom they have suspicions.

An MI5 map indicating the extent of terror networks has been circulated to all police forces in the country. Recruit Muslim spies in war on terror, urges new security chief (more) By Michael Evans & Richard Ford

Mark Alexander

Church Tries to Avert Schism by Plan to Expel Rebel Provinces
TIMESONLINE: The Church of England took a step towards averting schism over gays yesterday when the General Synod backed a process that would allow the expulsion of rebel provinces from the Anglican Communion.

Some liberals in the established Church oppose the introduction of an Anglican “covenant” outlining a common doctrine that is to be endorsed across all 38 provinces worldwide, because they fear it will limit the traditional diversity that has become a hall-mark of Anglicanism.

But the Synod, meeting in York, voted overwhelmingly to “engage positively” in the creation of the covenant after a series of speakers warned that the dispute over homosexuality had exposed deep flaws in how Anglican unity is maintained. The covenant would prevent any province from consecrating an openly gay bishop, as the US did in 2003 with the election of Gene Robinson to New Hampshire, without risking expulsion.

But the Synod also heard that it would put in place a curial-type structure that would mean other doctrinal innovations would also be jeopardised. One speaker warned that the ordination of women would never have got through had such a covenant already been endorsed. Church takes a step back from schism with gay expulsion plan (more) By Ruth Gledhill

Mark Alexander

Virtual Smoke
Beat the smoking ban: Get your virtual smoke here – the ultimate in virtual naughtiness!

Mark Alexander

Indoctrinated Pakistani Children in the Red Mosque Choose Martyrdom Over Freedom
THE SUNDAY TIMES: SAIMA KHAN wants to die a martyr. Life is transient, she told her father in a telephone call last week, and the real glory is to sacrifice it for Allah. Her statement would be alarming at any age, but Saima is only 10.

As she spoke, rifle shots rang out, the acrid smell of tear gas drifted over Islamabad and hundreds of troops surrounded the pro-Taliban Red Mosque, a religious school complex in the heart of Pakistan’s capital where Saima was among hundreds of children being held as virtual hostages in a stand-off between militants and the government.

Saima and her 14-year-old sister, Asma, were embroiled in a struggle for the soul of Pakistan in which up to 70 militants died last week and more than 100 were injured, according to mosque officials.

Holed up inside the complex behind the lines of troops and razor wire, the children – many of them girls whose families had sent them to the mosque to receive a strict Islamic education – repeatedly rejected relatives’ entreaties to leave before a threatened army onslaught.

There was evidence that many had been brainwashed into a cult of martyrdom, and the authorities feared last night that some were being prepared to be suicide bombers. In barely eight weeks, Saima had been transformed from a religious but fun-loving girl to a jihadi, grimly craving martyrdom.

At the barricades, her father, Luftullah Khan, a shopkeeper, frantically pestered soldiers to let him rescue both his daughters. But when he got through to them on their mobile telephone, they said they preferred martyrdom to freedom. Brainwashed children plead to die as martyrs in Red Mosque siege (more) By Dean Nelson in Islamabad

Mark Alexander

«Un process sans précédent»
LE FIGARO: À l'issue d'un procès sans précédent, un tribunal britannique a condamné hier trois spécialistes en informatique, accusés d'avoir diffusé de la propagande d'al-Qaida sur Internet.

POUR avoir prôné la guerre sainte en ligne, trois islamistes passeront entre six et dix ans en prison. À l'issue d'un procès sans précédent, Younes Tsouli, Waseem Mughal et Tariq al-Daour ont été condamnés, hier, par le tribunal londonien de Woolwich, pour incitation au terrorisme par le biais d'Internet. « Ils utilisaient de fausses identités, des cartes de crédit volées et des forums de discussion secrets », a expliqué Peter Clarke, le chef du contre-terrorisme à Londres, par ailleurs chargé de l'enquête sur les trois attentats manqués de Londres et de Glasgow. Trois islamistes condamnés pour prosélytisme en ligne (suivant) De Rémi Godeau à Londres

Mark Alexander

Des democrats veulent destituer Bush
LE FIGARO: En Californie, de petits groupes de militants se radicalisent à un an de la présidentielle.

POUR célébrer le 4 juillet, la fête nationale de l'indépendance américaine, les militants anti-Bush de Los Angeles n'ont pas acheté les pétards traditionnels. Sombres, mais déterminés à en finir avec un gouvernement qu'ils jugent corrompu et immoral, un groupe de Démocrates et de Verts ont choisi cette date emblématique pour ouvrir le premier « Impeachment Headquarters » (quartier général de la procédure de destitution) de George W. Bush et Dick Cheney, son vice-président, en présence de la représentante démocrate Maxine Waters.

« Nous avons le devoir de restaurer l'intégrité des États-Unis », a déclaré Byron De Lear, un membre du parti des Verts, lors de l'inauguration du centre dans un quartier à la mode de Los Angeles. « N'est-il pas ironique de constater que finalement, Paris Hilton aura passé plus de temps en prison que Lewis Libby ?» Exaspérés par l'érosion des libertés civiques, au nom de la lutte antiterroriste, dont ils accusent l'Administration Bush, les membres du groupe ont senti leur colère monter d'un cran en apprenant la grâce partielle accordée la semaine dernière par le président à l'ancien bras droit de Dick Cheney, Lewis Libby. Condamné pour obstruction à la justice, faux témoignage et parjure dans l'affaire Valerie Plame, cet agent de la CIA dont le nom avait été dévoilé à la presse par des membres de l'administration (un crime fédéral), Libby aurait dû prendre le chemin de la prison dans les prochaines semaines pour y passer deux ans et demi. Des démocrates américains veulent destituer Bush (suivant) D’Armelle Vincent

Mark Alexander

Bravo! Bundeskanzlerin Merkel zeigt uns den Weg
NZZ ONLINE: Bundeskanzlerin Merkel hat die Europäer dazu aufgerufen, ihre Grundwerte gegen Feinde der Demokratie zu verteidigen. In einer Rede sagte Merkel am Sonntag, Europa müsse geschlossen auftreten, wenn es darum gehe, Herausforderungen zu meistern. Merkel nannte dabei das Beispiel des iranischen Präsidenten Ahmadinejad.

(ap) Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat die Europäer zu einer entschlosseneren Verteidigung ihrer Grundwerte gegen Islamisten aufgerufen. Das christlich-abendländische Menschenbild von der unantastbaren Würde jedes einzelnen Menschen sei ein universaler Grundsatz, der nicht an den Grenzen Europas ende: «Er muss uns leiten auch in der Auseinandersetzung mit den Feinden der Demokratie, mit Extremisten», sagte Merkel am Sonntag beim Festakt zum 60. Gründungstag der Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing. Merkel nannte in ihrer Rede Iran als Beispiel.

Die EU auch als Wertegemeinschaft

Herausforderungen wie die durch den iranischen Präsidenten Ahmadinejad, der den Holocaust leugne und Israel auslöschen wolle, könne Europa nur geschlossen begegnen, sagte Merkel. Die EU sei nicht nur eine Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft: «Wir brauchen die Europäische Union als Wertegemeinschaft», mahnte die Kanzlerin. «Toleranz ist für mich die Seele Europas.» Sie müsse gegen Extremisten verteidigt werden: «Hier gilt: null Toleranz mit Intoleranz!» Merkel bietet Extremisten die Stirn: Bundeskanzlerin plädiert für Verteidigung westlicher Grundwerte (more)

Mark Alexander

Gordon, Sir Alan and All That Circumlocution
Is Sir Alan really fit for this job? From his utterances about Islam, it appears that he isn’t. It also appears that Gordon Brown isn't fit for the job, either, because also he doesn't understand the nature of either Muslims or Islam.

When are we going to wake up to the threat we are facing? When are we going to find our gonads and fight the great fight, in a manner that will ensure our survival? With each passing day, this fight will become more and more difficult to win.

Islam is not, and never has been a great religion: it was founded by a ruthless, power-hungry man who was lascivious and prurient. People in high places are fond of saying that Islam is a great religion. But is it really? Didn’t Muhammad just found a perversion of the Judeo-Christian faith?

Islam's goal is to Islamize the whole world. We should never forget this fact. We are in the throes of seeing this being realized right now. And our so-called ally in the Gulf - Saudi Arabia - is helping Muslims worldwide bring this about, by financing the spread of Saudi Arabia’s pernicious brand of Islam worldwide. They are bringing it to suckers like us who haven't the courage to fight it head on.

There is a simple solution to all of this; but our leaders don't have the courage to take the necessary steps. As a result, we are losing the battle. And we shall keep on losing the battle until such time that we can bring ourselves to call this what it is: the Jihad, or Islamic Holy War against the so-called infidels.

Gordon Brown needs to call people into his cabinet who truly understand the nature of our enemy. Islam is the enemy, because Islam is the enemy of democracy and freedom. And no sweet words will change this fact.

As I once stated:

"OBL has NOT bastardized his faith, as George W keeps telling us; rather, he is following his faith to the letter. His version of Islam is the real thing. Just as much the "real thing" to Islam as Coke is to cola!" – Mark Alexander

Bring on a Churchillian figure! Now!

©Mark Alexander

’Sex and the City’ Saudi Style

Photo of Rajaa Alsanea courtesy of TimesOnline

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Saudi Arabia has a new minister for women. She’s 25, likes designer labels, lipstick and cars. Rajaa Alsanea is, of course, not in government, for in her country it’s not really the done thing for females to air their opinions. They are not allowed to drive, let alone have employment or voting rights.

Alsanea, however, has captured a vast constituency. She is a bestselling author, the only chick-lit one from the Arab world, and as such she has become a sort of spokeswoman for 21st-century Saudi women. Her book, Girls of Riyadh, about to be published in Britain by Fig Tree, tells the stories of four middle-class young women searching for love and just a little bit of fun in a suffocating culture.

It’s hardly Jilly Cooper – the references to sex are coy with lots of talk of yearning and disappointment – but with tales of the girls drinking (very small sips of Dom Pérignon) and – gasp – sitting in the driver’s seat of a car, it caused a scandal. This is a country, remember, where a woman might be stoned for kissing a man in public. Sex and the Saudi girl: The writer who brought chick-lit to Arabia tells about passion behind the veil (more) By Lesley Thomas

Mark Alexander

Nonsense from Gordon Brown; Nonesense from Sir Alan
THE TELEGRAPH: Admiral Sir Alan West, the man appointed to the Lords by Gordon Brown to oversee security in Britain, has made a comprehensive assessment of the terrorist threat currently facing us.

In the interview we publish today, he says the situation is worse than it was when Eliza Manningham Buller, who retired earlier this year as head of MI5, warned that there were at least 30 plots involving more than 100 dedicated terrorists.

He says most of the active terrorists are foreign, rather than home-grown, but they are bigoted, racist and utterly ruthless in their dedication to commit mass murder "in the name of God".

He believes that the threat can be countered, but that it will take "10 to 15 years" and require securing the co-operation of all Britain's different Muslim communities.

Like Gordon Brown, Sir Alan detests the phrase "war on terror", and has vowed not to use it. He thinks it is important to describe the terrorists as criminals, rather than to identify them by their religious affiliation. Muslims have to join this battle (more)

Mark Alexander

Optimistic and Misguided Twaddle from Sir Alan!
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain faces a 15-year battle to end the threat posed by Islamist terrorists, the Government's new security supremo has admitted.

Admiral Sir Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, said the overall danger facing the country, from both home-grown and foreign terrorists, was at its greatest ever level and that a new approach was badly needed to tackle it.

In his first interview since his surprise appointment by Gordon Brown as security minister, Sir Alan called on people to be "a little bit un-British" and even inform on each other in an attempt to trap those plotting to take innocent lives.

"Britishness does not normally involve snitching or talking about someone," he said. "I'm afraid, in this situation, anyone who's got any information should say something because the people we are talking about are trying to destroy our entire way of life."

He said he was determined to build on the Government's core anti-terrorism strategy of the "four Ps" - prepare, protect, pursue, prevent - but that the "prevent" side, dealing with the radicalisation of young Muslims, was the most important. Warning of 15-year fight against terror (more) By Patrick Hennessy

Mark Alexander

Bringing Peace to the Middle East, Nancy, Is a More Serious Business Than This!

Nancy Dell’Olio, ‘dressed to kill’, thinks she can help Tony Blair bring peace to the Middle East! Photo courtesy of The Telegraph

THE TELEGRAPH: In an entrance every bit as arresting as her famous arrival at Downing Street, Nancy Dell'Olio has teamed up with Tony Blair in an effort to bring peace to the Middle East.

Miss Dell'Olio, who raised eyebrows by wearing a daring red catsuit to Number 10 in 2002, has spent much of her time in Britain worrying about the whereabouts of her errant boyfriend, Sven-Goran Eriksson. Now, however, she has struck up a working relationship with one of the most eligible figures in international politics. 

The unlikely pair have held several meetings, with Miss Dell'Olio lobbying Mr Blair in her capacity as founder of Truce International, a charity that promotes peace through football in war-torn areas of the world.

The warm relationship that has developed was apparent last week when Miss Dell'Olio surprised guests at a party thrown by The Spectator magazine by gushing about the former prime minister and describing how she was looking forward to working with him now that he was an envoy working on behalf of America, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union.

As Gordon Brown met revellers in one corner, Miss Dell'Olio was busy telling people that she thought it wonderful that Mr Blair was "moving on now and can do what he really wants to do". Nancy joins Tony's team to save Middle East (more) By Melissa Kite

Mark Alexander

Ahmadinejad’s Ever-Tightening Grip

Photo of Abdullah Momeni, prominent critic of the régime, courtesy of The Telegraph

THE TELEGRAPH: Ali Nikoo Nesbati glances carefully at the couple who have just sat down at the table next to him. Aged in their 20s and dressed in fashionable Western clothes, they seem like the kind of people who'd be natural supporters of the pro-democracy movement that he leads. Yet their decision to sit right next to him, when the rest of the café in the secluded Teheran alley is empty, is enough to make him suspicious.

"They were probably just ordinary customers," he whispered, as he ushered The Sunday Telegraph back on to the streets to continue the interview elsewhere. "But you never know. We were sat in that café for 45 minutes, which is long enough for the intelligence services to find out where we are."

A paranoia about who might be listening is an occupational hazard for activists like Mr Nesbati, whose campaigns for reform of Iran's theocratic government have led to constant run-ins with the secret police since the late Nineties.

But that sense of paranoia is now greater than ever, as a long-feared crackdown by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the country's puritanical leader, finally appears to be coming into force.

In what activists claim is a "cultural revolution" reminiscent of the Islamic Republic's turbulent birth in 1979, the regime has turned on its critics in all walks of life, harassing pro-democracy activists, shutting down dissident publications and dismissing independent-minded government officials and academics. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad silences his critics (more) By Colin Freeman in Teheran

Mark Alexander

The Rev Ann Holmes Redding Inhibited by Her Episcopal Bishop
THE SEATTLE TIMES: SEATTLE — An Episcopal priest who announced last month that she is also a practicing Muslim has been suspended from the priesthood and other Episcopal leadership roles for a year.

The Rev. Ann Holmes Redding, who until March was director of faith formation at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral here, should "reflect on the doctrines of the Christian faith, her vocation as a priest, and what I see as the conflicts inherent in professing both Christianity and Islam," the Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf, bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island, wrote in an e-mail to church leaders.

For the next year Redding "is not to exercise any of the responsibilities and privileges of an Episcopal priest or deacon," Wolf added. Episcopal priest suspended after saying she also is Muslim (more)

Mark Alexander

Evidence of the Iran-Al Qaeda Terror Link Grows
FINANCIAL TIMES: Evidence that Iranian territory is being used as a base by al-Qaeda to help in terrorist operations in Iraq and elsewhere is growing, say western officials.

It is not clear how much the al-Qaeda operation, described by one official as a money and communications hub, is being tolerated or encouraged by the Iranian government, they said.

The group’s operatives, who link the al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan with their disciples in Iraq, the Levant and North Africa, move with relative freedom in the country, they said.

The officials said the creation of some kind of al-Qaeda hub in Iran appears to be separate from the group of seven senior al-Qaeda figures, including Saad bin Laden, son of the group’s figurehead, that Iran is said to have detained since 2002. Al-Qaeda linked to operations from Iran (more) By Stephen Fidler

Mark Alexander

Shockingly, Disgustingly, Immorally Revealing!
THE GUARDIAN: Religious police in Malaysia have detained a Muslim singer and her band, accusing her of baring too much flesh during a recent performance at a nightclub.

Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin's sleeveless white top exposed a triangle of skin on her back, prompting officials to charge her with "revealing her body" and "promoting vice".

The artist, who plans to contest the allegations, was released on £145 bail and ordered to appear before the sharia court in the northern town of Ipoh early next month. But Noor Idayu, 24, was bemused by the charge that her top was too skimpy and said it was a style she would feel comfortable wearing in public during the day. Malaysian band detained after singer's top reveals bare skin (more) By IanMacKinnon

Mark Alexander

Sarkozys Besuch nach Marokko wegen Terrorwarnung abgesagt
NZZ ONLINE: In Marokko hat man Hinweise auf einen unmittelbar bevorstehenden Anschlag. Die Regierung hob die Terrorwarnung auf die höchste Stufe an. Man ist offenbar so besorgt, dass man sogar dem französischen Staatspräsidenten Sarkozy von seinem geplanten Besuch abriet. Marokko hebt Terrorwarnung an: Sarkozy sagt geplanten Besuch ab (mehr)

Mark Alexander

Volksinitiative gegen Rauchverbot in Restaurants und Bars im Kanton Argau in der Schweiz
NZZ ONLINE: Im Kanton Aargau soll für Räume, die im Besitz von Privatpersonen sind, kein Rauchverbot verhängt werden können. Dies will die kantonale Volksinitiative «gegen Rauchverbote in privaten Räumen» mit einer Bestimmung in der Verfassung erreichen. Gegen Rauchverbote in Restaurants und Bars im Aargau: Volksinitiative lanciert(more)

Mark Alexander