A Political Reversal
THE JERUSALEM POST - Opinion: We assess that Teheran is determined to develop nuclear weapons - despite its international obligations and international pressure. It is continuing to pursue uranium enrichment and has shown more interest in protracting negotiations than reaching an acceptable diplomatic solution.

This is a grave concern to the other countries in the region whose security would be threatened by Iranian nuclear weapons.
Any such development could prompt dangerous and destabilizing countermoves in a volatile region that is, because of its energy reserves, critical to the global economy.... - Annual Threat Assessment of the US Director of National Intelligence, January 11, 2007

We assess with moderate confidence Teheran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons. - National Intelligence Estimate, dated November 2007 (released December 3)

If one were looking for a new definition of chutzpa, it would be hard to do better than the latest US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. This document declares that Iran successfully hid its military nuclear program from the US for years, while claiming "moderate confidence" that Iran is not hiding such a program now.

On what basis can the US intelligence community declare that it knows, with any of degree of confidence, that Iran has no covert weapons program? A political reversal >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: ”Tolerance of the Intolerant Is Nothing But Cowardice”Photo of Ayaan Hirsi Ali courtesy of Google Images
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Former Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali is worshipped by foreign intellectuals, but not always welcome at home. Her opinions provoke Muslims as well as the European left, and she's been living in very public exile from the Netherlands for over a year.

Even her clothing is provocative, though not at first glance. Ayaan Hirsi Ali wears a soft brown designer jacket with an embroidered floral pattern. When she takes off the jacket, though, there's a black T-shirt. A black T-shirt underneath reads, in several languages (including Arabic): "Neither Whore Nor Submissive."

She smoothes the T-shirt, stretches and says: "It's a fantastic slogan, isn't it?"

Who can be surprised that this woman polarizes people? That some consider her a kind of Joan of Arc, while others see her as an incorrigible radical? As someone who says that she wants to help oppressed Muslim women, and yet may do more [of] them more damage than good? The daughter of a Somali opposition politician who fled to the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage, Hirsi Ali is an expert at offending others. A rebellious spirit lurks beneath her graceful exterior and designer clothing.

Since the murder of Theo van Gogh, with whom she produced a film critical of male dominance in Muslim families three years ago, the 38-year-old Hirsi Ali has been traveling the world without a place to call home. She now lives in the United States, but recently came to Europe to promote her autobiography, which has just come out in paperback in Germany.

One of the reasons Hirsi Ali travels so much is a dispute over her personal protection that has been raging for weeks. After calling the Prophet Muhammad a pedophile and a tyrant, Hirsi Ali has become the target of Muslim fanatics. The Odyssey of Ayaan Hirsi Ali >>>

Hirsi Ali Returns to the Netherlands after Losing Body Guards

'Everyone Is Afraid to Criticize Islam'

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Riz Khan: Holocaust Archive Opened – December 4, 2007

YNET NEWS: Hitler star of Palestinian radio show

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Bush Urges Tehran to Come Clean
BBC: US President George W Bush has said that Iran should reveal the full extent of its nuclear programme, or risk further international isolation.

A US intelligence assessment released on Monday said that Iran had halted a nuclear weapons programme in 2003.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the US report a "great victory" for Iran.

But Mr Bush said Iran still had "more to explain" about its past actions, and that it must cease uranium enrichment.

He said Iran had yet to acknowledge that it had a covert nuclear weapons programme which ran until 2003 - as stated by Monday's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE).

The report said Iran was keeping its options open, continuing to enrich uranium, which could be used for nuclear weapons in the future. Bush urges Tehran to come clean >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Russland verschärft den Ton gegenüber Iran
Foto von Lawrow dank der NZZ
NZZ: Nach der Entwarnung der US-Geheimdienste im Atomstreit mit dem Iran ist eine neue Diskussion über die Verschärfung der Sanktionen gegen Iran entbrannt. Der russische Aussenminister Sergej Lawrow sagte am Mittwoch, sein Land werde auch auf Grundlage des amerikanischen Geheimdienstberichts über neue Sanktionen entscheiden.
(sda/afp/Reuters) Der russische Geheimdienst habe keine Erkenntnisse darüber, dass Iran vor 2003 an der Entwicklung von Atomwaffen gearbeitet habe.

Zugleich forderte der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin die iranische Führung auf, die Anreicherung von Uran zu stoppen. Russland steht kurz vor der Fertigstellung des ersten iranischen Atomkraftwerks in Bushehr und will dafür auch Brennmaterial liefern. Russland verschärft den Ton gegenüber Iran: Neue Diskussion um Sanktionen nach US-Geheimdienstplan >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Vice Rings in Islamic Countries? Good Heavens! What Next?
BBC: Police in Dubai say they have smashed a major vice ring, arresting 247 people in raids on 22 alleged brothels.

A total of 170 prostitutes and 12 pimps, mostly from China, were arrested along with 65 clients of various nationalities, local press said.

The police chief said such raids were a frequent occurrence but were not usually announced to the media.

In March, UAE police announced they had deported about 4,300 prostitutes from Dubai during 2006. Dubai authorities smash vice ring >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Militant Islam in Belgium


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Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Islam in France: Im Memory of Ilan Halimi


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Mark Alexander (Paperback)

A Look Back at the Teddy Bear Affair; Melanie Phillips at Her Finest
Many thanks to Ray Boyd for drawing this truly excellent and insightful article to my attention:

DAILY MAIL: The case of Gillian Gibbons, the British teacher jailed in Sudan after her pupils named their class teddy-bear Mohammed, has shown up once again the spinelessness of the Foreign Office which has turned Britain into an international laughing stock.

Her freedom has been left to depend on the ostensibly freelance efforts by two Muslim peers, Lord Ahmed and Lady Warsi, who have been in Khartoum lobbying for her release.

Hopefully, Mrs Gibbons will be a step closer to being freed by the time this article lands on breakfast tables.

But the fact remains that, in response to this persecution of a British citizen under Islamic sharia law, the Foreign Secretary's craven response was to say how much Britain respected Islam.

It took four days from her arrest before he summoned the Sudan ambassador, and after she was jailed he summoned him again to express 'in the strongest terms' his concern.

Since we're talking cuddly-toy diplomatic incidents here, this was like being savaged by Winnie The Pooh (with apologies for thus insulting the cultural sensibilities of A. A. Milne).

Mr Miliband should have thrown the ambassador and every Sudanese diplomat out of the country, cancelled all visas and stopped British aid to Sudan.

And he should also have denounced the religious precepts which produced such a barbaric response to a preposterously imagined slight.

Moreover, the only reason Mrs Gibbons was placed in this predicament at all was because, for more than two decades, the British Government has kow-towed to the Islamist rogue regime in Sudan. The teddy-bear teacher and Labour's spineless response to a rogue state >>> By Melanie Phillips

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

More Bans! This Time in Brighton. Ban on Rap Music that Offends Minorities
Homophobic rap music has been banned in Brighton in case it offends the city's large gay population.

Music venues in the city have been ordered not to play certain tracks by artists such as Eminem and 50 Cent.

If pubs and clubs flout the ban, they can be stripped of their licence and closed down.

All music - whether played live or from a recording - that "incites hatred towards minorities" on religious, racial or sexuality grounds is affected. Brighton becomes first city to ban rap music that offends gays >>> By Gwyneth Rees

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

’Christophobia’ / ‘Christianophobia’
I should like to draw my visitors’ attention to the fact that this concept of ‘Christianophobia’ was first raised, I believe, in my book, ‘The Dawning of a New Dark Age’ as ‘Christophobia’. The book was published in 2003. Not as stated here, in 2004. The word is slightly different, but the concept is the same. I am proud to be able to state that I believe I used it first. You will find the word on page 145 of my book. Needless to say, I have contacted 'europe4christ' to draw this to their attention in the hope of getting this error corrected.

THE TELEGRAPH: British Christian traditions are being threatened by "Christianophobia" created by a "politically correct brigade", a Tory MP has warned.

Mark Pritchard, MP, who is leading a parliamentary debate on the issue today, said that he feared that Christianity could be hijacked by extremists if mainstream political parties fail to support this country's Christian tradition. How should we tackle 'Christianophobia'? >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

A Possible Three-Year Jail Term for for Ragip Zarakolu for Promoting Reconciliation Between Turks and Armenians!
THE GUARDIAN:
· British author fears attack over Armenian book
· Ankara accepts need for change, says Labour MEP

Nearly two years after the internationally acclaimed author Orhan Pamuk narrowly escaped imprisonment for statements that were thought to "insult Turkishness", the publisher of a British writer goes on trial today accused of the same charge.

Ragip Zarakolu is facing up to three years in prison for publishing a book - promoting reconciliation between Turks and Armenians - by George Jerjian, a writer living in London.

Jerjian's book, The Truth Will Set Us Free, which was translated into Turkish in 2005, chronicles the life of his Armenian grandmother who survived the early 20th century massacres of Armenians thanks to an Ottoman soldier. The historical account has prompted as much controversy among the Armenian diaspora, not least in the US, as it has in Turkey. Trial of publisher revives row over Turkish 'insult' law >>> By Helena Smith in Athens

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Are We Witnessing the Islamization of Canada?
BBC: Twenty per cent of people living in Canada are foreign-born, a proportion second in the world only to Australia, new census data reveal.

The 2006 census counted more than 6m foreign-born people out of Canada's population of 31.2m, the highest ratio of immigrants since the 1930s.

The immigrant population grew four times as fast as the Canadian-born population between 2001-2006.

Nearly 60% of the newcomers came from Asia and the Middle East. One-fifth of Canadians immigrants >>>

YORKREGION.COM:
Southern York among most diverse areas in Canada: census

THE SCOTSMAN:
Canada's foreign-born population at 75-year peak

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Mark Alexander (Paperback)

”Great Victory”
BBC: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that a US report on Tehran's nuclear programme is a "great victory".

He said in a televised speech that Iran would not retreat from its path towards a peaceful atomic programme.

The US intelligence report released on Monday said that Iran had halted a nuclear weapons programme in 2003.

The US and its European allies are pushing for UN sanctions but China has said the report raises questions about the need for new measures.

US President George W Bush said on Tuesday that Iran remained a threat and his view that a nuclear Iran would be a danger "hasn't changed".

'Final blow'

Mr Ahmadinejad made his televised speech in front of thousands of people during a visit to Ilam province in western Iran.

"This report... is announcing a victory for the Iranian nation in the nuclear issue against all international powers," he said. Nuclear report a victory – Iran >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

How Much More Bloody Nonsense Must We Read About? Now the Sick Have to Face Makkah!
DAILY MAIL: The job of the nurse used to [be] one of caring for the sick and needy.

But not - it would seem - in today's politically-correct Britain.

Now, nurses are being encouraged to spend valuable time turning around the beds of Muslim patients up to five times a day - so they can face Mecca.

In a bid to promote cultural understanding, they are also expected to provide patients with running water so they can wash before prayer.

And then, of course, they are required to turn the beds back around to return the wards to normality. The measures are being pursued by Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust to ensure Muslim patients have a "more comfortable stay in hospital".

Hundreds of staff have attended tax-payer-funded workshops with Muslim GPs and ethnic-minority support groups on how best to help patients.

During these meetings, nurses have been told that if a patient asks for water to bathe in, or for their bed to be turned to face Mecca, then this should be considered.

If the measure is deemed "practically possible" and does not impinge on other patients, then it should be carried out.

And if it is not practical, nurses are encouraged to find them a bed that faces Mecca permanently. Hospital staff told to make sure Muslim patients' beds face Mecca five times a day >>> By Gwyneth Rees

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

«Iran war gefährlich, ist gefährlich und wird gefährlich sein, wenn es das Wissen zum Bau von Nuklearwaffen hat»
Foto von George Bush dank der NZZ
NZZ: Der amerikanische Präsident Bush beharrt auf seinem Standpunkt: Von Iran geht weiterhin eine Bedrohung aus. Dies sagte Bush als Reaktion auf einen amerikanischen Geheimdienstbericht, nach dem Teheran sein Atomwaffenprogramm im Jahr 2003 unterbrach und bis Mitte 2007 nicht wieder aufnahm.

(sda/dpa) Der amerikanische Präsident Bush sieht Iran trotz neuen Geheimdiensterkenntnissen über dessen Atomprogramm weiter als Bedrohung. Er habe seine Einschätzung nicht geändert. «Iran war gefährlich, ist gefährlich und wird gefährlich sein, wenn es das Wissen zum Bau von Nuklearwaffen hat», sagte Bush am Dienstag in Washington. Bush betrachtet Iran weiterhin als Bedrohung: Reaktion auf US-Geheimdienstbericht zum Atomwaffenprogramm >>>

BBC:
Bush says Iran remains a threat

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
President Bush at His Very Best: “I feel very strongly that Iran is a danger”

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Frank Gaffney Jr: Shariah’s Trojan Horse
TOWNHALL.COM: Suddenly, a new national debate is beginning about the national security, economic and other implications of Persian Gulf potentates using their petrodollars to buy up strategic American assets. Most recently, the Emir of Dubai’s purchase at fire-sale prices of 4.9 percent of the largest U.S. bank, Citigroup, has caused a level of unease not seen since he tried to buy his way into a large number of this country’s port facilities.

Almost completely unremarked thus far has been a parallel – and in many ways far more insidious – effort to penetrate, influence and dominate America’s capital markets: so-called “Shariah finance.” Some estimates suggest that there are approaching $1 trillion now being invested around the world under this rubric. If present trends continue, all other things being equal, such funds may grow to many times that amount within a few years.

Shariah is, of course, the term used by adherents to the totalitarian ideology practiced by the Saudi Wahhabis, the Iranian mullahs and the Taliban to describe the all-encompassing theocratic code they use to justify repressive rule at home and to extend their dominance elsewhere. While it is often depicted by its promoters as Koranic in character, in fact, it is largely man-made, the product of dictates and rulings by caliphs and scholars over many centuries.

For non-Muslims, Shariah is best known for its sanction for the brutalization of women, homosexuals and Jews. Beheadings, amputations, flagellation and stoning are among the prescribed punishments for those who transgress this barbaric code, punishments plucked from primitive tribal practices in the Arabian deserts dating back to medieval times. Shariah’s Trojan Horse >>> By Frank J. Gaffney Jr.

Frank Gaffney Jr. is the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy and author of War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World (Hardcover)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

A Duma Without One Westerniser
BBC: The results of Sunday's elections in Russia are bad news for the West, which, it seems, has not a single friend left in the Russian parliament.

Not that the previous Duma ever hesitated to demonstrate its patriotic credentials and snub Nato at every turn. But at least there were a few daring independent deputies who at times would challenge the views of the majority.

One such was Vladimir Ryzhkov, whose dissident stance on human rights and freedoms in his own country, as well as international issues, earned him the wrath of nationalists and wide respect among liberals - both inside and outside Russia.

On Sunday, Mr Ryzhkov and others like him lost their platform - and a chance to speak to the nation.

The loophole has now been closed. The new electoral law does not allow independents to stand. All candidates had to represent a major political party to stand a chance of winning a seat. A Duma without one Westerniser >>> By Andrei Ostalski, BBC Russian Service

Mark Alexander

Pat Condell: “More Demands from Islam”

Mark Alexander

Scientology: “Business, Cult, or Religion?”
Image courtesy of Google Images
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German suspicion of Scientology resurfaced in Hamburg this week after a security official said he would seek a nationwide ban against the organization. He's arguing that Scientology is an "unconstitutional" big business.

Germany and Scientology have never been the best of friends. German officials consider Scientology a business, not a religion, and tax the outfit accordingly. Scientology has responded by complaining about "religious discrimination." Yet Berlin has a Scientology center, and the famous Scientologist Tom Cruise came to Berlin this year to film a big-budget Hollywood film -- even, after some debate, in restricted Nazi-era buildings.

Now an official in Hamburg named Udo Nagel is pursuing a national ban against the US-based organization.

As the city-state's interior minister, Nagel is Hamburg's top security official. At a meeting this week of other interior ministers from other states around Germany he plans to argue that Scientology is not only a commercial enterprise but also an "anti-constitutional" group with "aggressively fierce" tactics. Hamburg Official Wants a Germany-Wide Ban on Scientology >>>

Mark Alexander

Are We Really Expected to Believe This? Are They as Sure About This as They Were About Saddam’s WMDs?
TIMESONLINE: Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and has not restarted it since, a stunning new assessment released yesterday by intelligence agencies in the United States has found.

The findings contradict an assessment by US intelligence officials two years ago that Tehran was seeking nuclear weapons and appear to undercut President Bush’s repeated warnings about Iran becoming a nuclear power.

As recently as August Mr Bush warned that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear technology could lead to a holocaust and that the US “will confront this danger before it is too late”. In October he said that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to a third world war.

Last night, however, Mr Bush’s closest aides claimed that the finding was vindication for the White House’s muscular but diplomatic approach. Stephen Hadley, Mr Bush’s National Security Advisor, said that the White House was only told last week about the new assessment of Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, US agencies say >>>

Mark Alexander

Take Your Next Vacation in the "Fantastic" Sudan! Jail There is Like a Five-Star Hotel, According to Gillian Gibbons
It is to be hoped that this lady is still ‘in shock’ rather than being serious!

WATCH THIS TELEGRAPH VIDEO OF GILLIAN GIBBONS
Mark Alexander

Teddy Bear Teacher to Arrive Home Shortly
THE TELEGRAPH: The teacher imprisoned in Sudan for calling the classroom teddy bear Mohammed was said to be in "good spirits" after her release as she returned to Britain for an emotional reunion with her family.

Gillian Gibbons was granted a pardon from the President of Sudan following two days of intense negotiations between the Sudanese authorities and the British Muslim peers Baroness Warsi and Lord Ahmed.

Having served eight out of her 15 day prison sentence, the 54-year-old primary school teacher was given the news this morning that she was a free woman. Teddy bear teacher leaves Sudan after pardon >>> By Nick Britten and Nigel Bunyan

TIMESONLINE:
Freed teacher Gillian Gibbons: 'I just want to relax'

Mark Alexander

Pat Condell Tells Us What He Really Thinks About Belief


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Muslims Council of Britain (MCB) to End Its Boycott of ‘Holocaust Day’
TIMESONLINE: Britain’s largest Muslim organisation is to end its boycott of Holocaust Memorial Day.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) voted this weekend to halt its protest because of concerns that it made the organisation vulnerable to charges of antiSemitism. Representatives have controversially stayed away from Holocaust Memorial Day activities, which began in 2001.

The MCB has argued for a new title such as Genocide Memorial Day which, it has said, would give greater recognition to more recent events, such as those in Rwanda and Bosnia. But this weekend its working committee voted 18 to 8 in favour of ending the boycott.

Representatives of the MCB, an umbrella organisation with more than 500 member groups, are now expected to attend the main Holocaust commemoration, which will take place in Liverpool on January 27. Muslim Council to end its boycott of Holocaust Day >>> By Fran Yeoman

Hat tip: Little Green Footballs

Mark Alexander

Pat Condell at His Very Best: On Muhammad the Teddy Bear

Hat tip: Always On Watch

Mark Alexander

Shari’ah-Compliant Finance
If Islam won’t get us one way, it will get us another! >>>
Mark Alexander

A Refreshing Change
Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Sudanese President Pardons Gillian Gibbons

Mark Alexander