Anti-Qur’an Film to Air in the Netherlands
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
ASSOCIATED PRESS: THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Protesters already have torched Dutch flags in Afghanistan ahead of a new Dutch film portraying Islam's holy book as a "fascist" text that incites violence and preaches the oppression of women and homosexuals.

A Dutch Cabinet minister postponed his trip to Somalia on Friday due to "specific threats" linked to the film, and the Dutch government has urged lawmaker Geert Wilders to scrap his film for the safety of its citizens abroad.

But Wilders said Monday he has begun negotiations with Dutch broadcasters about airing the 15-minute film, "Fitna." He said he will only allow them to show it in its entirety, and if they refuse, he plans to show it to the media and post it on the Internet.

"We have never learned to be intolerant toward people who are intolerant toward us, toward cultures that are intolerant toward us," he said in a recent Associated Press interview.

The right-wing legislator previously warned of a "tsunami" of Islam swamping the Netherlands and said Muslims should tear up half of the Quran if they want to live here.

Wilders has lived under round-the-clock security since the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic radical enraged by his short film, "Submission," a fictional study of abused Muslim women with scenes of near-naked women with Quranic texts engraved on their flesh.

The film "Fitna" — an Arabic word meaning discord — puts the centuries-old Dutch traditions of religious tolerance and freedom of speech on a collision course.

If it airs, Dutch Muslims are expected to file criminal complaints for racial or religious vilification. Prosecutors would then have to decide whether to charge Wilders with any offense.

"Our law is very clear — anybody can make a film. We have freedom of expression and you cannot restrict that," says Moroccan-born Sadik Harchaoui, chief of the Forum Institute for Multicultural Development.

"Can you offend people? The answer is yes. I'm not saying you should do it or it is desirable, but you can," he added. "But if the film is insulting and preaches hate, then the law has to take action."

The Dutch government says it cannot ban the film but is attempting to distance itself from Wilders, the leader of the Freedom Party, which holds nine of Parliament's 150 seats. Anti-Quran Film to Air in Netherlands >>> By Mike Corder

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

A Big Question Mark Hangs Over the Netherlands!
”The Great Undoing” - Will the Netherlands Destroy Its Own Freedom of Speech? - By Andrew Bostom >>>
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Al-Adhan, the Islamic Call to Prayer, “One of the Prettiest Sounds on Earth” at Sunset, According to Barack Hussein Obama, the Wannabee US President
This is the Call to prayer that Obama finds so “pretty”!
Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.” - [Source: The New York Times]

Hat tip: Klein Verzet

Does Obama need his ears syringed, I wonder? Many adjectives could be used to describe this monotonous din, but ‘pretty’ is NOT one of them!

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Egypt: Married to Four Wives

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Madeleine Albright glaubt, daß Hillary Clinton die richtige Präsidentin für den Moment wäre
DIE PRESSE: Die ehemalige US-Außenministerin Madeleine Albright sieht im Irak-Krieg eine schwere Verletzung der Demokratie und des Rufs der USA. Sie warnte dennoch vor einem Rückzug der USA von der globalen Bühne.

Die frühere US-Außenministerin Madeleine Albright hat den Irak-Krieg als "größte Katastrophe" der amerikanischen Außenpolitik bezeichnet. Dem Nachrichtenmagazin "Focus" sagte Albright, der Krieg sei "schlimmer als Vietnam". Er habe den Ruf Amerikas und der Demokratie schwer beschädigt.

Früher hätten die Menschen, wenn sie das Wort Amerika hörten, an die Befreiung Europas von den Nazis oder den Marshall-Plan gedacht. "Heute denken sie an Guantanamo Bay und Abu Ghoreib", sagte die 70-jährige Politberaterin. Albright: Irak-Krieg ist "schlimmer als Vietnam" >>> | 02.03.2008

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Cowardly Dutch Government Considers Banning Geert Wilders’ Anti-Koran Film
THE GUARDIAN: The Dutch government was today examining the legality of banning a film attacking Islam amid fears that it would fan sentiment against the Netherlands in Muslim countries.

The Telegraaf newspaper reported that the coalition government was divided on the film, with the Christian Democrats leaning towards a ban but Labour favouring freedom of expression and calling on Muslim countries to prevent violence against the Netherlands.

The 15-minute film, called Fitna - an Arabic term used in the Qur'an and sometimes translated as "strife" - was made by Geert Wilders, a rightwing politician who leads the nine-member PVV (Freedom) party.

Wilders has argued that there is no such thing as moderate Islam, and has called for a ban of the Qur'an, which he compares to Hitler's Mein Kampf.

"The core of the problem is fascistic Islam, the sick ideology of Allah and Muhammad as it is set out in the Islamic Mein Kampf: the Koran," he wrote in a comment piece for the Volksrant newspaper last year.

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the Nato secretary general, has expressed concern about the safety of Nato troops after protests against the film in Afghanistan.

"If the [troops] find themselves in the line of fire because of the film, then I am worried about it and I am expressing that concern," he said in a television interview.

Yesterday, around 1,000 Afghans protested against the republication of a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad in Danish newspapers and Wilders' plan to air the film.

The protesters, mostly religious clerics in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, demanded the withdrawal of Danish and Dutch troops from Afghanistan.

The Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, warned last week that the Netherlands risked economic sanctions and attacks against its troops because of the film. He stopped short, however, of saying that it should not be broadcast. Dutch government could ban anti-Islam film >>> By Mark Tran and agencies

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE:
Backlash begins even before Dutch lawmaker's anti-Quran film airs The Associated Press | March 3, 2008

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Saudis Liken Gaza Assault to Nazi War Crimes
IC PUBLICATIONS: Saudi Arabia on Sunday compared Israel's deadly assault on the Gaza Strip to Nazi war crimes as Yemen called for trying Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court.

Saudi Arabia, which condemns the Israeli war crimes against the Palestinian people and the threats of Israeli officials to turn Gaza into an inferno, sees that Israel through its actions is copying the war crimes of the Nazis," an unidentified Saudi official told the official SPA news agency. Saudi likens Gaza assault to Nazi war crimes >>>

THE GUARDIAN:
A catastrophic turn of phrase: What did the Israeli minister mean when he talked of a 'shoah' befalling the Palestinians in Gaza? By Brian Klug

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Where IS All This Money Coming from, Mr Obama?
Photo of Barack Hussein Obama courtesy of Google Images
DAILY MAIL: Barack Obama has splashed twice as much cash as Hillary Clinton in his determination to land decisive blows in tomorrow's two primaries.

The Illinois senator's spending on TV commercials in Texas since early February is £5million, double that of Mrs Clinton.

He outspent his Democratic rival by a similar margin in Ohio.

Last month the Obama campaign raised a record £25million, which he has used to fund his final push for votes.

Mr Obama put together a team of 350 paid organisers across both states, while Mrs Clinton has had to rely mainly on volunteers.

Defeats in the two delegaterich states will all but end her push for the White House.

Polls show Mr Obama, 46, has moved into a slight lead in Texas after trailing for months. In Ohio, the 60- year- old former first lady retains an edge.

"Senator Obama is spending a lot of money on TV. If this can be purchased, he can win it,' Ohio state governor Ted Strickland said yesterday. Big spender Obama goes in for the kill ahead of Tuesday's make-or-break primaries >>> By David Gardner

THE TELEGRAPH:
Hillary Clinton's dash for must-win states By Toby Harnden in Westerville, Ohio

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Dear Ma’am…

Photo of the Carla Sarkozy courtesy of Google Images
TIMES ONLINE: What can the Queen expect when President Sarkozy and his new wife visit this month? Here is how she would be briefed by her Paris ambassador

The President of France and his new première dame are arriving for their first state visit on March 26. In preparation for greeting them, your majesty would be advised to forget everything about the last two such visits, by Monsieur Chirac in 1996 and 2004. Nicolas Sarkozy wields the same near-absolute power as his predecessors but he and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are unlike previous incumbents of the republican monarchy.

Under the President, who is also known as Super Sarko or Speedy, decorum and discretion has given way at the Elysée Palace to a style that might be described as “in one's face”. One example of the new, unceremonial manner could be seen in Monsieur Sarkozy's decision in late February to curtail his stay as your guest by one day.

M Sarkozy, a man who is sensitive about his modest physical stature, has sought to “shake up” his country and dazzle his citizens with a constant display of activity and personal success. This has caused less charitable sections of the press to name him Président Bling Bling and le Président Pipole, or what our tabloid press might call the Celeb Prez.

Among the most spectacular of M Sarkozy's achievements in ten months in office has been his marriage to Madame Bruni Tedeschi, a “supermodel” from a wealthy Turin family who has lately made a name on the Continent as a chanteuse in the “pop-folk” style.

Unlike M Sarkozy, who speaks only a few words of English and is not familiar with our customs, Madame Sarkozy is fluent in both. The 40-year-old First Lady has an intimate understanding of our ways from past close friendships with some of your more famous subjects. These include Sir Mick Jagger of the “Rolling Stones” group and Mr Eric Clapton, a guitarist-singer. We understand from Mr Clapton's recent memoirs that his friendship with Sir Mick, who was married at the time to Miss Jerry Hall, suffered from their competition for the favours of the young Signorina Bruni.

The Sarkozys' wedding, conducted in secret in February, was remarkable in several ways. It was celebrated only two months after the couple met at the home of an advertising executive, and only three months after Cécilia Sarkozy, the second wife, ended her marriage with the President against his wishes. At the time, he was described by friends as “devastated” and he mourned his departed wife by wearing his wedding ring for a month.

Mme Bruni-Sarkozy, who moves with the well-off Bohemian set of the Left Bank, is a supporter of left-wing causes. She had disapproved publicly of “Sarko's” populist politics and had even told British newspapers that she did not much care for the French as a whole. It is true that she had long “wanted a man with his finger on the nuclear button”, as she put it. However, she also cherished her freedom to replace her consorts at will. Only last year, she regretted to a journalist that no man excited her senses for more than three weeks: “I am a tamer of men, a cat, an Italian. Monogamy bores me terribly,” she told Le Figaro newspaper. “I prefer polygamy and polyandry.” The last term refers to a lady who enjoys conjugal companionship with more than one man at a time.

It was with relief that France heard from Mme Bruni-Sarkozy last month (February) that she intends to remain with her new husband “jusqu'à la mort” - until death. M Sarkozy has also reassured his citizens that “With Carla, it's serious.” While Mr Sarkozy may have decided to shorten his stay at Windsor, his new wife has expressed her eager anticipation over the visit. She was asked how she felt about being your majesty's guest. She replied with one word: grisant - thrilling.

Here is a little background on each. PRESIDENT SARKOZY >>> By Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Al-Qaida zeigt Video mit Leiche von al-Libi
WELT ONLINE: Das Terrornetzwerk al-Qaida hat am Sonntag eine neue Videobotschaft über das Internet verbreitet. Zum ersten Mal ist darin die Leiche des Top-Terroristen Abu Laith al-Libi zu sehen. Gleichzeitig wurde ein neues Buch des Vize-Chefs von al-Qaida über den gerechten Kampf veröffentlicht.

Das 20 Minuten lange Video beginnt mit altem Material von Al-Libi, dann ist sein toter Körper mit starken Verletzungen des Gesichts zu sehen. In dem Film, benannt „The Road’s Companion,“ heißt es unter anderem: "Islamische Nation, wir zollen heute einem tapferen Helden des Islam Respekt ... ihn zu verlieren war ein echter Verlust."

Abu Laith al-Libi war Ende Januar im afghanisch-pakistanischen Grenzgebiet getötet worden. Er war nach Ansicht von Antiterror-Experten ein wichtiges Bindeglied zwischen dem Terrornetzwerk und der Taliban. Er leitete Ausbildungslager der al-Qaida und erschien in mehreren im Internet verbreiteten Videos. Terrorismus: al-Qaida zeigt Video mit Leiche von al-Libi >>> | 3. März 2008

USA TODAY:
Al-Qaeda releases web eulogy of Afghanistan strategist

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Egypt: Religious Divide
Watch Video HERE
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Belgium: Muslims in Antwerp
Watch Video HERE
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Channel 4 Documentary - The Other, Controversial Side of Islam: Gay Muslims in the UK

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Pink Planet: Gay Islam – Special Report
Islamic Punishment for Homosexuality
Out of the Closet: Lebanese Style
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Terror-Prozess: Angeklagte zeigt nur die Augen
Foto der verschleierten Frau dank der Presse
DIE PRESSE: Ab Montag steht in Wien ein junges Paar vor Gericht, das wegen al-Qaida-Mitgliedschaft angeklagt ist. Die Frau kommt voll verschleiert. Darf sie das?

WIEN. Eine Angeklagte steht vor ihrem Richter. Dieser muss ein Urteil finden. Und hat ein Problem: Die Angeklagte ist verschleiert. Von oben bis unten verschleiert – bis auf einen schmalen Sehschlitz. Dieses konfliktträchtige Szenario prägt ab heute, Montag, erstmals in Österreich einen Prozess – das Terrorverfahren gegen Mona S. (21) und Mohamed M. (22).

Die beiden streng gläubigen Muslime (sie sind nach islamischem Recht verheiratet) sind der Mitgliedschaft im Terrornetzwerk al-Qaida angeklagt. Mohamed M. soll im Internet zu Anschlägen – etwa „auf Stadien und Zuseher der Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008“ (Anklage) – aufgerufen haben. Auch soll er jenes Video veröffentlicht haben, in dem die österreichische und die deutsche Bundesregierung wegen der Entsendung von Soldaten nach Afghanistan bedroht werden. Mona S. soll als Übersetzerin von Terror-Botschaften aktiv geworden sein. Beide sind in U-Haft, beide bekennen sich nicht schuldig.

Da die Frau zur Tatzeit erst 20 war und somit als „junge Erwachsene“ gilt, steht das Duo vor einem Geschworenen-Senat unter Vorsitz eines Jugendrichters. Dieser hat zu entscheiden, ob er die Verschleierung der Angeklagten toleriert oder nicht. Und wenn nicht? Klar ist, dass im österreichischen Strafprozess die Prinzipien der Öffentlichkeit und der Unmittelbarkeit gelten. Demnach sind alle Beweise sozusagen vor aller Augen aufzunehmen. Es dient der Wahrheitsfindung, wenn Geschworene die Gesichter der Verdächtigen sehen können. Umgekehrt: Wie soll sich ein Senat ein vollständiges Bild machen, wenn nur eine schwarz verschleierte Figur zu sehen ist? Welche Mittel stehen also dem Vorsitzenden – im konkreten Fall handelt es sich um Norbert Gerstberger, einen routinierten und umsichtigen Richter – zur Verfügung? Terror-Prozess: Angeklagte zeigt nur die Augen >>> Von Manfred Seeh, Die Presse | 02.03.2008

DIE PRESSE:
Also sprach Mohammed?

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

First target for Iran: Qatar?
Map courtesy of Google Images
MIDDLE EAST TIMES: What would be the most logical target Iran would strike in case of a U.S. or Israeli attack on its nuclear sites?

Qatar.

In fact, Iranian Revolutionary guards have already threatened to attack Qatari oil and gas facilities (hence crippling the world economy by creating an oil and gas shock) by sea and air by using suicide boats and air missiles.

For Iran, it's a no-brainer: Qatar hosts the largest U.S. base in the Middle East (8,000 U.S. soldiers are stationed there) and is also viewed by some as being friendly with Israel.

What is Qatar doing about it?

First and foremost, Qatar has been heavily using the diplomatic weapon. Its strategy is to befriend everyone: from Israel to Hamas, from Syria to France. First target for Iran: Qatar? >>> By Olivier Guitta, Middle East Times

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

UC Berkeley Plans Saudi University Deal
ARABIAN BUSINESS.COM: California university UC Berkeley is in "secret talks" with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), over a possible collaboration, US press reported on Saturday.



Under the planned partnership agreement, the two universities would collaborate on research, with Berkeley helping the Saudi school to hire professors, reported the San Jose Mercury News.

The move has raised concerns among some Berkeley staff that the $10 billion university will discriminate against women, and limit academic freedom, the newspaper said. UC Berkeley plans Saudi university deal >>> By Lynne Roberts

Cross-posted at The Shrewd Economist

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Iraqi Chaldean Archbishop Seized
BBC: Gunmen have kidnapped the archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and killed three of his aides, his church says.

Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was seized as he left a church in the eastern al-Nour district, it added.

Pope Benedict XVI deplored the kidnapping as a "despicable" crime.

Most of Iraq's estimated 700,000 Christians are Chaldeans - Catholics who are autonomous from Rome but recognise the Pope's authority.

Many have been targeted since the 2004 invasion by Sunni extremists groups.

In January, bombs exploded outside three Chaldean and Assyrian churches in Mosul. Several Christian priests have also been kidnapped or killed during the past five years. 'Fervent prayer' >>>

BBC:
Who Are the Chaldean Christians?

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

"Obama’s Long-Time Key Allies Are Terrorists and Anti-Semites"

Hat tip: Always On Watch

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Britain Is in a “Very Uncomfortable Place”
Photo of Dr Sentamu courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: The Government has failed to find a vision for the country and has not built a cohesive society, the Archbishop of York has claimed.

Dr John Sentamu said that racism had been allowed to flourish and that Britain was no longer the "great nation" it once had been.

Instead, it was a nation in crisis. "Britain is in a very, very uncomfortable place," he said. 

In a wide-ranging speech on the country's "broken society", the Ugandan-born archbishop called for Britain to regain the values of "mission and enterprise" that had made it so effective when it had an empire. 

His comments follow weeks of debate between political and religious leaders over the impact of multiculturalism on Britain, which has centred on claims from fellow senior bishops that the country has no-go areas for non-Muslims and will adopt aspects of Islamic sharia law in due course.

The criticism from the Church of England's second most senior figure will come as a blow to Gordon Brown, who yesterday, at Labour's spring conference, vowed to build "the Britain of our dreams" and a country where "security and opportunity for all is within our grasp".

Dr Sentamu said that it had suffered from a loss of identity, which had made it less able to welcome immigrants and had deepened tensions between communities.

"When I came here in 1974, we were treated with dignity, with love, and in the rest of the nation there was this sense of magnanimity, the will to meet another person. Over these 34 years, we've had a rant about immigration and haven't met major questions of race. Britain is in a very, very uncomfortable place." Britain has lost its way, says Archbishop >>> By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Lightning Internet Access for Australians
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: MOST homes will have broadband communication speeds up to 100 times faster than what is currently available, under the Rudd Government's plan to wire Australia for the 21st century.

Federal Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy told The Sunday Age that early discussions on the Government's promised broadband network indicated that it would be much faster than previously thought.

"This is going to revolutionise the way Australians live their lives," Senator Conroy said.

Before last year's election, Mr Rudd promised to contribute $4.7 billion to help build a national broadband network accessible to 98% of homes, with a guaranteed minimum speed of 12 megabits per second.

But by deploying VDSL, (also known as Very High Speed DSL) technology, Senator Conroy said the new network would be able to carry up to 25 megabits per second.

Most broadband users currently receive only 256 kilobits per second — 100 times less capacity than 25 megabits — using ADSL technology.

With internet speeds like 25 megabits per second, people living in the same house will be able to use the network simultaneously for different purposes.

This could include a broadcast-quality video telephone call , while someone else watches high definition internet television, and another person plays online gaming.

Pay television would also be delivered through internet cable, with people able to watch different channels at the same time in different parts of the home, while a feature length film was also being downloaded to a computer hard drive in another room. Lightning internet on way >>> By Jason Jason Koutsoukis | March 2, 2008

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Don’t Touch Dem Da Balls In Italy; They’re a No-Go Zone!
Photo of David's hmm 'nether regions' courtesy of The Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: Italy's highest appeals court has ruled it is a criminal offence for Italian men to touch their genitals in public - a judgment that has far-reaching implications for superstitious males.

Anyone who has seen a hearse go past in Italy, or been part of a discussion in which some terrible illness or disaster is mentioned, will know it is traditional for men to ward off ill luck with a quick grab at what are delicately called their attributi.

The practice has become increasingly frowned on, but Io mi tocco i (I touch my) is a common phrase, equivalent to crossing fingers. The judges of the court of cassation suggested those seeking luck should return to the privacy of their homes before letting their hands stray trouserward.

The court was ruling on the appeal of an unnamed 42-year-old workman from Como near Milan. In May 2006, he was convicted of indecent behaviour for "ostentatiously touching his genitals through his clothing". His lawyer said it was merely a "compulsive, involuntarily movement, probably to adjust his overalls".

The third penal division of the Rome court was having none of it. It said that public genital-patting "has to be regarded as contrary to public decency, a concept including that nexus of socio-ethical rules requiring everyone to abstain from conduct potentially offensive to collectively held feelings of decorum".

The judges said such actions risked generating "awkwardness, disgust and disappoval in the average man", unexpectedly perhaps failing to mention the average woman. Groin turns into no-go zone for luckless Italians >>> By John Hooper in Rome

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

’Shari’ah-Compliant’ Insurance
Insurance Companies Now Jumping on the ‘Shari’ah-Compliant Bandwagon >>>
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)