’Saddam’s Jail Diaries’ Published
Photo of Saddam of Hussein courtesy of the BBC
BBC: An Arab newspaper has published what it says are excerpts from diaries written by the ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein while in captivity.

The extracts printed in Al-Hayat portray a man who never seems to have stopped believing in himself as a historic leader.

Al-Hayat said it had obtained extracts from the handwritten memoirs, which the paper said ran to five big volumes.

Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003 and executed three years later.

No remorse

Some of the entries were signed "Saddam Hussein, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces".

The language he uses often suggests a leader addressing the nation, and frequently he urges the Iraqis - as he did during his trial - to unite and resist the US-led occupation.

He quotes from the Koran a great deal and describes the Iranians as a greater danger to Iraq and the Gulf Arabs than Israel. ’Saddam’s Jail Diaries’ Published >>> By Magdi Abdelhadi | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Sarkozy ‘Non’ to Blair Presidency
Photo of Tony Blair courtesy of BBC
BBC: Nicolas Sarkozy has withdrawn his backing of Tony Blair to become the first president of the European Union, senior sources have told the BBC.

The French president is understood to have changed his mind after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

It is thought he feels EU opposition to the former UK prime minister is too strong because he backed the Iraq war.

The president will be chosen by leaders of EU member states. The post was created under the new EU reform treaty,[sic]

The sources close to the president also indicated that Mr Sarkozy felt Mr Blair was not right for the role because Britain has failed to adopt the European single currency and the Schengen zone of passport-free travel.

Instead, the sources say the top job could go to the current president of the commission, Jose Manuel Baroso, or the prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker. Sarkozy 'Non' to Blair Presidency >>> | May 6, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT:
Hope Fades Over EU Role for Blair >>> By John Lichfield in Paris | May 7, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Turkey: Islamic Fashion Designer Sued for Islamic Name
TURKISH DAILY NEWS: With the slogan "Covering is beautiful," a conservative Turkish fashion designer aims to shape the country's newly emerging "Islamic fashion" despite harsh criticism from conservative and liberal Muslims alike.

Tekbir Giyim, a company owned by designer Mustafa Karaduman, manufactures clothes and headscarves that are appropriate according to conservative Islamic standards, but that also look stylish.

The products are presented by elegant models, who, on other occasions, wear bikinis and elegant underwear rather than long skirts. The company's Web site, which is available in Turkish, Arabic and English, happily declares that they export to "five continents" and to more than a dozen countries.

Recently, however, Karaduman and his company have become a source of controversy and have received criticism from both the secular and Islamic camps of Turkish society.

Secularist commentators in the media have accused him of contributing to the "Islamization" of society by presenting the conservative Islamic dress code as something modern.

When Karaduman declared proudly that he has three wives and many children, "which all share the same house," he only deepened the controversy. Islamic Fashion Designer Sued for Islamic Name >>> | May 6, 2008

Tekbir Giyim

THE GUARDIAN:
Turkey's fashion battleground: In a militantly secular country, clothing is at the centre of friction over westernization >>> By Ian Traynor | June 2, 2006

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

EU-Troika warnt Türkei vor AKP-Verbot
DIE PRESSE: Ein Verbot der Regierungspartei werde negative Folgen für die Beitrittswünsche der Türkei haben, erklärte EU-Erweiterungskommissar Olli Rehn.

Die Europäische Union hat die Türkei vor den Folgen eines Verbots der islamisch-konservativen Regierungspartei AKP gewarnt. Eine solche Entscheidung in dem Verfahren vor dem türkischen Verfassungsgericht werde negative Konsequenzen haben, sagte EU- Erweiterungskommissar Olli Rehn am Dienstag nach Gesprächen in Ankara. Brüssel könne nicht neutral bleiben, weil die Türkei EU-Beitrittskandidat ist. EU-Troika warnt Türkei vor AKP-Verbot >>> | 06.05.2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Harvard Study Says “Haj Promotes Tolerance”: Fact or Dhimmitude?
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH — A study of Hajis by Harvard Kennedy School in the US has found that the Haj promotes tolerance among pilgrims and does not lead to an increase in negative attitudes toward the West.

The study — entitled “Estimating the Impact of the Haj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam’s Global Gathering” — said that the annual pilgrimage develops a tolerant attitude among Hajis toward other religions and cultures.

Researchers, David Clingingsmith, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Michael Kremer, based their findings, which were published last month, on data collected from a 2006 survey of more than 1,600 Pakistani pilgrims.

“Evidence suggests that the Haj increases tolerance, which seems to apply not just within the Islamic world but also beyond it,” they reported, adding, that increased unity does not lead to antipathy toward non-Muslims.

They also found that the Haj plays a significant role in the survival of Islam as a unified world religion. “Over time, religions with far-flung adherents tend to evolve separate strands which may eventually break away into different religions. Our analysis suggests that the Haj reduces dissent and splits in Islam by moving Hajis toward a common set of practices, making them more tolerant of differences among Muslims,” they said.

Pilgrims selected for the survey were also more likely to state that various Pakistani ethnic and sectarian groups are equal and that it is possible for such groups to live in harmony.

Major findings include that the Haj reduces support for political Islam, reduces superstitious beliefs and encourages Muslims to adopt a more favorable attitude toward women, including greater acceptance of women education and employment. “For example, they (Hajis) are six percentage points more likely to think women are spiritually better than men, an increase of over 50 percent. They also express greater concern about women’s quality of life in Pakistan relative to other countries and about crimes against women in Pakistan,” the report stated. Haj Promotes Tolerance, Confirms Harvard Study >>> By P K Abdul Ghafour | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Queen Elizabeth II Sends Israel Congratulations on the Occasion of the Sixtieth Anniversary
Photo of Queen Elizabeth II courtesy of Google Images
THE JERUSALEM POST: Queen Elizabeth II has sent her congratulations to the government and people of Israel on the occasion of Israel's 60th anniversary.

In a letter sent to President Shimon Peres Tuesday, the Queen wrote: "It gives me particular pleasure to send Your Excellency my congratulations on the celebration of your National Day, on the sixtieth anniversary of your Independence. I extend my best wishes for the happiness and prosperity of the Government and people of Israel in the coming year." [Source: Queen Elizabeth II Sends Congratulations to Israel for 60th Anniversary]

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Voters May Put Hillary Clinton in Position to Halt Barack Obama
TIMESONLINE: Even as Democrats fret over the damage that the battle for the party’s presidential nomination has already done to their chances of regaining the White House, Hillary Clinton’s campaign is talking of a “nuclear option”.

If she wins in Indiana and does well enough in North Carolina in today’s crucial primaries, her campaign believes it may yet be able to overturn party rules that currently ban delegates awarded in her vexed “victories” in Florida and Michigan.

The theory is that it would help her to overtake Barack Obama in the popular vote, cut his lead among elected delegates to less than 100, and give wavering super-delegates an excuse to choose her as the presidential candidate in defiance of the results from Democratic primaries and caucuses. Voters May Put Hillary Clinton in Position to Halt Barack Obama >>> By Tom Baldwin in Washington | May 6, 2008

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE:
Barack Obama à la recherche de ses ancêtres blancs: Suspense dans l'Indiana. Les démocrates de cet Etat désignent aujourd'hui leur préféré pour la présidentielle. Affaibli, le candidat afro-américain s'est rendu chez ses ancêtres pour séduire l'électorat blanc >>> Par Jean-Cosme Delaloye, Kempton (Indiana) | 06 MAI 2008

LE MONDE:
Hillary Clinton et Barack Obama à l'écoute des consommateurs: La vedette de la campagne des primaires démocrates, cette semaine, a été la pompe à essence. Dans l'Indiana comme en Caroline du Nord, les deux Etats où le scrutin a lieu mardi 6 mai, Barack Obama et Hillary Clinton se sont montrés dans les stations-service, à l'écoute des consommateurs en colère contre la hausse des prix. Mme Clinton s'est même juchée sur une camionnette pour s'adresser à la foule >>> | 05.05.08

WELT ONLINE:
"Operation Chaos" unterwandert Hillarys Wähler: Der Zweikampf Hillary Clinton gegen Barack Obama kostet die Demokraten Kraft und Geld. Anhänger der Republikaner nutzen das schamlos aus: Sie stimmen insgeheim bei den demokratischen Vorwahlen mit, um das Duell weiter anzufachen – und sehen sich als Partisanen in einer "Operation Chaos". Ihr Ziel: ein Eklat beim Demokraten-Parteitag >>> | 6. Mai 2008

SPIEGEL ONLONLINE:
Clinton schöpft neue Hoffnung: Die jüngste landesweite Umfrage gibt Hillary Clinton Auftrieb vor den Vorwahlen in Indiana und North Carolina: Erstmals seit drei Monaten führt die Präsidentschaftsbewerberin bei demokratischen und unabhängigen Wählern vor ihrem parteiinternen Konkurrenten Barack Obama >>> | 06. Mai 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

BAE Paid Too Little Heed to Ethics, Says Report
THE GUARDIAN: The arms company BAE failed to pay sufficient attention to ethical standards, laying itself open to accusations of misconduct that have tarnished its reputation, Lord Woolf said today in a report.

BAE, which successfully lobbied to end a Serious Fraud Office inquiry into its multi-billion pound deals with Saudi Arabia, appointed the former lord chief justice to lead an independent committee in a review of current policies and practices.

"Critically, both the chairman and chief executive, in discussions with us, acknowledged that the company did not in the past pay sufficient attention to ethical standards and avoid activities that had the potential to give rise to reputational damage," the report said.

"Combined with this was its acceptance of conditions which constrained its ability to explain the full circumstances of its activities.

"These contributed to the widely-held perceptions that it was involved in inappropriate behaviour. They recognise that, justly or otherwise, these perceptions have damaged the company's reputation." BAE Paid Too Little Heed to Ethics, Says Report >>> By Sadie Gray, David Leigh and Rob Evans | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Is There a “Religionome” and Can It Be Mapped?
REUTERS: Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg has an intriguing idea: is there a “religionome” similar to the human genome and can scientists map it? He raised this idea at a recent Pew Forum conference on religion and public life in Key West, Florida, where he discussed the topic of why belief in God persists.

Newberg’s work focuses, among other things, on his view that we are biologically driven to find meaning in our lives. He argues that our brains have the capacity to create and perpetuate systems of belief that take us beyond our basic survival needs. These beliefs are biologically rooted in the brain, he thinks, but are also given form by our peers, parents and society. Is There a “Religionome” and Can It Be Mapped? >>> Posted by Ed Stoddard | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Un hotel saoudien ne sert plus d'alcool
LE FIGARO: Un hôtel cinq étoiles du Caire ne sert plus d'alcool depuis une semaine, son propriétaire, cheikh Abdel Aziz Ibrahim ibn Ibrahim, un Saoudien, musulman pratiquant, ayant décidé de bannir les boissons alcoolisées de l'établissement pour respecter les préceptes de l'islam.



L'adjointe du directeur de l'hôtel Grand Hyatt au Caire, Nivine Sami, a confirmé à l'AFP que l'hôtel ne servait plus d'alcool depuis le début de la semaine.
"Mais la décision n'est pas définitive. Des discussions à ce sujet sont en cours entre la chaîne Grand Hyatt et le propriétaire (saoudien) de l'hôtel", a-t-elle dit.
Selon des employés de l'établissement, le propriétaire saoudien, qui a séjourné à l'hôtel, a ordonné samedi dernier de détruire les dépôts d'alcool et de s'abtenir dorénavant de servir les clients, arguant de son désir d'appliquer strictement les préceptes de l'islam qui interdisent l'alcool.



Un responsable du ministère du Tourisme a déclaré à l'AFP, sous couvert d'anonymat, que selon la loi égyptienne, l'établissement risque de perdre trois étoiles s'il persiste à refuser de servir l'alcool. "Les hôtels, trois, quatre et cinq étoiles sont obligés de servir à boire", a-t-il dit.
Une solution consisterait à rompre l'accord liant la chaîne internationale Grand Hyatt qui gère l'hôtel au propriétaire saoudien s'il persiste dans son attitude. [Source: Un hotel saoudien ne sert plus d'alcool]

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché)
The Dawning of a new Dark Age (Relié)

Turkey's Headscarf Legislation: The Negative Impact on EU Accession
THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE: In February 2008, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) passed two constitutional amendments that intend to lift the ban on Islamic headscarves on college campuses. Although it is still unclear how the legislation will be implemented, the new laws are likely to have a negative impact on how the European Union sees Turkey.

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan states that the amendments protect individual and religious freedom -- two rights that are guaranteed under the EU's common legislative body. However, as the controversy surrounding the issue continues, the legal ambiguity created by the case could alienate Europe, making Turkey's EU accession bid even more difficult.

The Headscarf in Turkey and the EU

In Turkey, wearing the traditional headscarf, or basortusu, has never been the real issue; it is the Islamic headscarf, or turban -- a contemporary garment that emerged in Egypt in the 1980s, and is tied firmly to cover all of the hair and neck -- which is at the center of the debate. Turkey officially banned the turban from universities in 1982 to signal politically that the country was not taking the route of Ayatollah Khomeinei's Iran, where all females are required to cover. This move reinforced Turkey's secular nature at a time when several popular leaders were using the headscarf issue as a form of political protest.

The legal status and debate over the headscarf in the EU is of a different nature. Attitudes toward the headscarf in part depend on the historical presence of Muslim students within the educational system. Countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, where the majority of Muslim immigrants arrived in the 1960s and are now host to second and third generation European-born Muslims, all have had to deal with this issue. Others, such as Italy and Spain, will face it in the near future, since Muslim immigration reached these countries much later than in northern Europe.

In France, new legislation was passed in 2004 regarding the principle of secularism in schools, banning symbols or clothes ostensibly manifesting religious beliefs. The Islamic headscarf, the Jewish skullcap, and Christian crosses of excessive size are prohibited in primary and secondary schools. However, headscarves are not banned from university or college campuses.

In Germany, several regional governments have banned teachers from wearing headscarves since 2003, while continuing to allow the display of Christian and Jewish symbols. Despite this legislation, when particular cases have been brought in front of the Federal Constitutional Court, individuals have been granted the right to wear the headscarf because the Court established that the unequal treatment of religiously motivated clothing was not in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

In the rest of the EU, there is no headscarf ban, and individual schools generally have the right to establish their own dress codes. With some exceptions, most schools in the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Austria, and the Belgium's Flemish-speaking communities allow the headscarf.

Impact on Turkey's EU Membership

The AKP's constitutional amendments will most likely provide further arguments for German and French opposition to Turkish accession into the EU. Although there are differences among EU member states regarding the headscarf, France and Germany -- currently the only two states with legal headscarf bans -- are also the most influential EU members opposed to Turkey's accession, with France making a public case to this end. Turkey's Headscarf Legislation: The Negative Impact on EU Accession >>> By Antonia Ruiz Jimenez | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Amerabia
TOWNHALL.COM: Even Americans knowledgeable about Europe’s growing accommodation to the totalitarian ideology known alternatively as Islamism, jihadism or Islamofascism tend smugly to believe the same thing can’t happen here. Think again. Every day, new evidence appears of similar acts of submission – the Islamists call it “dhimmitude” – on the part of the U.S. government, judges, the press and leading corporations.

Eurabia, meet the United States of Amerabia.

On May 4, an ominous alarm was sounded in a Pajamas Media column by Youssef Ibrahim, a former New York Times reporter. Ibrahim is an astute critic of the Islamists’ steady, tireless and increasingly effective efforts to impose – on Muslims and non-Muslims alike – the repressive theo-political-legal agenda they call Shariah law. He warned that “In the very real war on terror, a noisy squabble over ‘fighting them there so we don’t have to fight them here’ clouds a simple truth: namely, that ‘they’ are here already. Indeed, Islamists are busy constructing a wing of jihad in America’s backyard.” Amerabia >>> By Frank J Gaffney Jr | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

England to Be the Most Crowded Country in Europe
THE TELEGRAPH: The population of England will increase by a third over the next 50 years as it becomes the most crowded major nation in Europe, official forecasts suggest.

England's population is now 50 million, but by 2056 it will be 68 million – or 1,349 for every square mile. At present there are 1,010 per square mile.

In London, the population density will jump from 12,377 people per square mile to 13,910 over 20 years.

The Conservatives, who obtained the figures from the Office for National Statistics, called for tariffs on migration.

Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister, said: "This demonstrates the real pressure public services are being put under as a result of Labour's immigration policy."

The population density in England is already almost double the level in Germany and quadruple that in France. England to Be Most Crowded in Europe >>> By Christopher Hope | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

In Democracy Kuwait Trusts, but Not Much
NEW YORK TIMES: KUWAIT — In a vast, high-ceilinged tent, Ali al-Rashed sounded an anguished note as he delivered the first speech of his campaign for Parliament.

“Kuwait used to be No. 1 in the economy, in politics, in sports, in culture, in everything,” he said, his voice floating out in the warm evening air to hundreds of potential voters seated on white damask-lined chairs. “What happened?”

It is a question many people are asking as this tiny, oil-rich nation of 2.6 million people approaches its latest round of elections. And the unlikely answer being whispered around, both here and in neighboring countries on the Persian Gulf: too much democracy.

In a region where autocracy is the rule, Kuwait is a remarkable exception, with a powerful and truculent elected Parliament that sets the emir’s salary and is the nation’s sole source of legislation. Women gained the right to vote and run for office two years ago, and a popular movement won further electoral changes.

Despite those gains, Kuwait has been overshadowed by its dynamic neighbors — Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar — where economies are booming under absolute monarchies. Efforts to overhaul Kuwait’s sclerotic welfare state have stalled in its fractious and divided Parliament, and scandals led the emir to dissolve the chamber last month for the second time in less than two years, forcing new elections.

All this has left many Kuwaitis deeply disenchanted with their 50-member elected legislature. The collapse of the Bush administration’s efforts to promote democracy in the region and the continuing chaos in Iraq, just to the north — once heralded as the birthplace of a new democratic model — have also contributed to a popular suspicion that democracy itself is one Western import that has not lived up to its advertising. In Democracy Kuwait Trusts, but Not Much >>> By Robert F Worth | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Not Tonight, Josephine!
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Increasing numbers of middle-aged men are going off sex, according to relationship experts.

Counselling and sex therapy charity Relate says it has seen a 40 per cent increase in men who simply cannot be bothered to make love to their wives and partners.

The findings are a world away from just ten years ago, when hardly any men contacted them with a loss of libido. The main sufferers who call its helpline with the problem are generally aged between 30 and 50 and are married.

Peter Bell, Relate’s head of practice, said: “Men used to come to us with impotence – now known as erectile insufficiency – but Viagra has sorted some of that problem. What we have is a lot of men who say, as women did in the 1950s: 'I can have sex but I do not want to. It’s not rewarding’.

“It is a serious issue. It counts as a pychosexual dysfunction rather than just a relationship problem, because these men haven’t simply gone off their partner but off sex altogether.”

Changing sexual roles for men and women and increasing rates of depression among men could be some of the reasons behind the change, he added. Men ‘Not Interested in Sex’ >>> By David Thomas | May 6, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Barosso Ruffles Many Europeans’ Feathers When He Says “Islam Is Part of Europe”
KHABREIN.INFO: BRUSSELS - The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, underlined here Monday that Islam is part and parcel of Europe and he also condemned the concept of clash of civilisations.

"Islam today is part of Europe. It is important to understand this.One should not see Islam as outside Europe. We already have an important presence of Islam and Muslims among our citizens," Barroso told a press conference this afternoon after an informal dialogue between EU leaders and around twenty high-level representatives of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Europe.

"We can be a European citizen being a Christian, being Jewish or Muslim or having no religion," he noted.

On his part, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Dr.Mustafa Ceric, said Islam is indeed part of Europe but unfortunately Turkey is not yet part of Europe.

"Following this logic Europe has to prove that Islam is part of Europe by not delaying the acceptance of Turkey to the EU," Ceric told the joint press conference.

Many people in Turkey and the Muslim world believe that Turkey will not be accepted as an EU member because it is a Muslim country.

Mondays meeting was co-chaired by European Commission President Barroso, Slovenian Prime Minister and current President of the European Council, Janez Jansa, and the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pottering.

This year's meeting focused on two major challenges facing the European Union: Climate Change and Reconciliation. [Source: Barosso: Islam Is Part of Europe] | May 5, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Archbishop Meets Pope for the First Time After Branding Him Naïve for His Comments on Shari’ah
DAILY MAIL: The Archbishop of Canterbury today met Pope Benedict to discuss Christian-Muslim relations in their first meeting since Anglican leader's Sharia law storm.

It comes just two months after the Vatican branded Rowan Williams as "naive" for suggesting that aspects of Islamic law was unavoidable in Britain.

The pair spoke privately for about 20 minutes and discussed relations with the Muslim world, inter-faith dialogue and the Pope's impression of his visit to the United States last month. Archbishop of Canterbury Meets Pope for First Time Since Vatican Branded Him 'Naive' Over Sharia Law Comments >>> | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Sam Harris: Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks
THE HUFFINGTON POST: Geert Wilders, conservative Dutch politician and provocateur, has become the latest projectile in the world's most important culture war: the zero-sum conflict between civil society and traditional Islam. Wilders, who lives under perpetual armed guard due to death threats, recently released a 15 minute film entitled Fitna ("strife" in Arabic) over the internet. The film has been deemed offensive because it juxtaposes images of Muslim violence with passages from the Qur'an. Given that the perpetrators of such violence regularly cite these same passages as justification for their actions, merely depicting this connection in a film would seem uncontroversial. Controversial or not, one surely would expect politicians and journalists in every free society to strenuously defend Wilders' right to make such a film. But then one would be living on another planet, a planet where people do not happily repudiate their most basic freedoms in the name of "religious sensitivity."

Witness the free world's response to Fitna: The Dutch government sought to ban the film outright, and European Union foreign ministers publicly condemned it, as did UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Dutch television refused to air Fitna unedited. When Wilders declared his intention to release the film over the internet, his U.S. web-host, Network Solutions, took his website offline.

Into the breach stepped Liveleak, a British video-sharing website, which finally aired the film on March 27th. It received over 3 million views in the first 24 hours. The next day, however, Liveleak removed Fitna from its servers, having been terrorized into self-censorship by threats to its staff. But the film had spread too far on the internet to be suppressed (and Liveleak, after taking further security measures, has since reinstated it on its site as well).

Of course, there were immediate calls for a boycott of Dutch products throughout the Muslim world. In response, Dutch corporations placed ads in countries like Indonesia, denouncing the film in self-defense. Several Muslim countries blocked YouTube and other video-sharing sites in an effort to keep Wilders' blasphemy from penetrating the minds of their citizens. There have also been isolated protests and attacks on embassies, and ubiquitous demands for Wilders' murder. In Afghanistan, women in burqas could be seen burning the Dutch flag; the Taliban carried out at least two revenge attacks on Dutch troops, resulting in five Dutch casualties; and security concerns have caused the Netherlands to close its embassy in Kabul. It must be said, however, that nothing has yet occurred to rival the ferocious response to the Danish cartoons.

Meanwhile Kurt Westergaard, one of the Danish cartoonists, threatened to sue Wilders for copyright infringement, as Wilders used his drawing of a bomb-laden Muhammad without permission. Westergaard has lived in hiding since 2006 due to death threats of his own, so the Danish Union of Journalists volunteered to file this lawsuit on his behalf. Admittedly, there is something amusing about one hunted man, unable to venture out in public for fear of being killed by religious lunatics, threatening to sue another man in the same predicament over a copyright violation. But it is understandable that Westergaard wouldn't want to be repeatedly hurled at the enemy without his consent. Westergaard is an extraordinarily courageous man whose life has been ruined both by religious fanaticism and the free world's submission to it. In February, the Danish government arrested three Muslims who seemed poised to murder him. Other Danes unfortunate enough to have been born with the name "Kurt Westergaard" have had to take steps to escape being murdered in his place. (Wilder's has since removed the cartoon from the official version of Fitna.) Losing Our Spines to Save Our Necks >>> By Sam Harris

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

Taleban, Pakistan: Männer sollten sich nicht mehr rasieren. Es ist schließlich un-islamisch!

WELT ONLINE: Männliche Bewohner des pakistanischen Stammesgebiets sollen sich nicht mehr rasieren. Das verlangt der regionale Anführer der islamistischen Taliban. Wer sich in den nächsten zwei Monaten keinen Bart wachsen lasse, werde bestraft, verkündete Maulwi Fakir Mohammad. Schließlich sei Rasieren "un-islamisch".

Die Taliban im pakistanischen Stammesgebiet haben allen Männern in der Region ein Ultimatum gestellt, sich gemäß den islamischen Regeln einen Bart stehen zu lassen. „Männer müssen in den nächsten zwei Monaten ihren Bart wachsen lassen und aufhören, sich zu rasieren, oder sie werden schwer bestraft“, sagte der örtliche Taliban-Anführer Maulwi Fakir Mohammad in Khar, der Hauptstadt des Stammesgebietes Bajaur im Nordwesten Pakistans, nach Angaben von Einwohnern. Taliban-Führer fordert Männer auf, Bart zu tragen >>> | 5. Mai 2008

AFP:
Pakistan Taliban Leader Gives Beard Warning: Residents >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)

La représentation de l'islam de France de nouveau en crise
LE MONDE: a nouvelle crise que traverse le Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM) pourrait être fatale à la crédibilité déjà fragile de cette institution, imposée en 2003 par Nicolas Sarkozy, alors ministre de l'intérieur.

En annonçant, samedi 3 mai, son intention de ne pas participer aux élections qui doivent renouveler les instances représentatives régionales et nationales des musulmans le 8 juin, Dalil Boubakeur, l'actuel président du CFCM, responsable de la Fédération nationale de la Grande Mosquée de Paris (GMP), engage un nouveau rapport de force avec les autres composantes de l'islam français.

M. Boubakeur tente au passage d'impliquer les pouvoirs publics dans une querelle d'influence interne au monde musulman.
La GMP a choisi de dénoncer "les critères iniques" de représentativité qui risquent de "reléguer la Grande Mosquée de Paris à un rôle secondaire".

Le nombre de délégués-électeurs est calculé en fonction de la superficie des lieux de culte : 1 000 m2 donnent droit à dix délégués. Ce système, établi avec l'accord de toutes les parties lors de la création du CFCM, favorise, selon M. Boubakeur, "des lieux de culte récemment édifiés, en périphérie urbaine, qui ne reflètent en rien la sociologie de l'islam (de France)".

Ces nouvelles élections risquent surtout de montrer un dynamisme de "l'islam marocain" supérieur à celui des fidèles d'origine algérienne, qui se reconnaissaient traditionnellement dans la Grande mosquée de Paris. La représentation de l'islam de France de nouveau en crise >>> | 05.05.08

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Broché)
The Dawning of a new Dark Age (Relié)

Bagdad wirft Teheran Einmischung vor
NZZ Online: Der Irak wirft seinem Nachbar Iran Einmischung vor. Die irakische Regierung hat nach eigenen Angaben Beweise dafür, dass im grossen Stil iranische Waffen in den Irak geschmuggelt werden. Ein Regierungssprecher sagte der Zeitung «Washington Post», man habe dafür konkrete Beweise.

(sda/dpa/Reuters) Während der am 25. März begonnenen Offensive in der südlichen Stadt Basra seien Waffen aus iranischer Produktion gefunden worden, erklärte ein Regierungssprecher.

Die irakische Zeitung «As-Sabah» berichtete am Montag unter Berufung auf Verteidigungsminister Abdul Kader al-Obaidi, in Basra sei eine Boden-Boden-Rakete grösseren Kalibers gefunden worden. Die Rakete sei im Jahr 2007 hergestellt worden, womit klar ist, dass sie nicht aus den Restbeständen der alten irakischen Armee stammen kann. Bagdad wirft Teheran Einmischung vor: Im grossen Stil Waffen geschmuggelt - Hizbullah-Kämpfer in Iran ausgebildet >>> | 5. Mai 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Eurozone to Speak with One Voice?
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNAIONAL: The EU's monetary affairs commissioner has called for far-reaching new powers for the European Commission. He would like Brussels to have greater control over economic policy in euro zone countries -- and even wants its members to speak with one voice on the international stage.

Opponents of the European Union claim that Brussels already has too much influence over the internal affairs of the EU's 27 member states. They are unlikely to be thrilled by the news that a leading EU official is calling for far-reaching new powers for the EU's executive branch when it comes to member states' economic affairs -- and even foreign policy.

EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia (more...) wants the European Commission to have more clout in all areas of economic policy. In the future, the Commission should be able to supervise and coordinate reform efforts in the countries of the euro zone, in order to promote more competition in Europe's product and services markets, including the market for financial services. The proposals are contained in a report marking the 10-year anniversary of the euro which Almunia will present on Wednesday. EU Commissioner Wants Far-Reaching New Powers for Brussels >>> | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Germany: New Survey Undermines Official German Policy on Israel
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A new survey reveals that most Germans feel their country has no special responsibility for Israel, despite Germany's official foreign policy of support for Israel. And only 13 percent of Germans are in favor of providing military support to Israel if the country came under attack.

Israel is celebrating its 60th anniversary this Thursday, an event which will be marked with particular attention in Germany. Six decades after the Holocaust, Germany is very aware of its historical obligations to the Jewish state, and the country's right to exist is a cornerstone of German foreign policy.

However, a new survey reveals that ordinary Germans are far more ambivalent in their attitudes towards the country. According to the poll, which was published Saturday, 53 percent of people questioned responded in the negative when asked if Germany had a "special responsibility" towards Israel because of its history. Only 40 percent said the country did have a special responsibility.

Younger Germans in particular felt less responsibility toward Israel, with only 29 percent of those aged between 30 and 39 responding in the positive to the question. A massive 65 percent of respondents in that age group said Germany had no special responsibility to Israel. However, 48 percent of the over-60s said that Germany did have a special obligation.

When asked if Germany should support Israel politically in the event of the country being attacked, 58 percent responded yes, with 33 percent saying no. A total of 35 percent supported financial support for Israel in the event of an attack, while 57 percent were against it. Most Germans Feel no Responsibility for Israel >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)

The Spanish Civil War

Part 2
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

The Beauty of Andalucia: الجمال الاندلس

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Nuclear Threat? A Cuppa Will Fix It!
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: The threat of a nuclear attack on the UK in the 1950s caused concern over the supply of tea, top-secret documents which have now been released reveal.

Government officials planning food supplies said the tea situation would be "very serious" after a nuclear war.

"It would be wrong to consider that even 1oz per head per week could be ensured," they stated.

The papers were released under the Freedom of Information Act by the National Archives at Kew.

Heart and health

The documents said a nuclear conflict would result in the loss of three-quarters of tea stocks.

One paper from April 1955 said: "The advent of thermonuclear weapons... has presented us with a new and much more difficult set of food defence problems."

The aim was to be "completely ready to maintain supplies of food to the people of these islands, sufficient in volume to keep them in good heart and health from the onset of a thermonuclear attack on this country". Nuclear Threat Sparked Tea Worry >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Indonesia: Islam Film by Dutch MP 'Mistaken Interpretation' Says Expert
ADN KRONOS INTERNATIONAL: Jakarta - An Indonesian expert on the Koran has released a book attacking Fitna, the controversial film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders that challenges Islamic teaching.

Quraish Shibab released the book entitled "The verses of Fitna, a small part of Islamic culture in the middle of prejudice" on Sunday.

He said the Dutch film was based on a number of errors and a misinterpretation of Islamic teaching.

"The film of Geert Wilders, Fitna, is a collection of mistaken koranic interpretations."

In 90 pages, Quraish Shibab claims that Wilders has used quotes out of context to give weight to the film's argument that equates Islam and terrorism.

The book, distributed free of charge in several mosques in the capital and available on the Internet, adopts a calm tone and calls on Muslims "to respond to Fitna in a decisive way but avoiding any behaviour that is harmful to Islam or Muslims".

Indonesia, the country with the largest number of Muslims in the world, has recorded the greatest interest in the film Fitna, according to Google Trends, an online tool which monitors Internet traffic.

Fitna has received a moderate response in Indonesia where almost 90 percent of the country's 240 million people is Muslim.

There have been several protests in front of the Dutch embassy in Jakarta, and in one violent reaction to the film students damaged the Dutch consulate in Medan. [Source: Indonesia: Islam Film by Dutch MP 'Mistaken Interpretation' Says Expert] | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Standing Up to the ‘Human Rights’ Harassers
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN: In my five weeks of absence from this space, I was saddened to learn that the assault on free speech and press in Canada has been escalated. In addition to the very ugly cases that have been brought before various so-called "human rights commissions," to silence such "politically incorrect" Canadian writers as Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn, frivolous lawsuits have now been brought against several prominent journalists and bloggers for their efforts in exposing how the human rights commissions work, and for their audacity in mocking ludicrous behaviour by members of the HRC's "Anti-Hate Teams."

Barbara Hall, the leftist former mayor of Toronto, who now presides over the Ontario Human Rights Commission, publicly pronounced Maclean's magazine guilty of spreading anti-Islamic hatred (by publishing Mr. Steyn), while declining to review the complaint which the radical Canadian Islamic Congress brought against the magazine. (The case had already been accepted by the federal and B.C. "human rights" commissions.) That CIC has meanwhile graduated to shakedown tactics, calling a press conference Wednesday to announce the settlement terms on which it might cease to harass Maclean's with "human rights" complaints.

Updates, and links to sources, for these and numerous other developing cases, may be had through the blogs. I especially recommend that of Ezra Levant, a lawyer by training, and a magnificent aggregator and explicator of the details and arguments involved in each case. I would also put him at the top of any current list of those who actually deserve the Order of Canada, for valiant action of permanent value to our country. Standing Up to the 'Human Rights' Harassers >>> By David Warren | May 3, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Canada)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Canada)

Time to Stop Prime Ministers From Ruling Like Kings
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN: Define roles of politicians, public service in Constitution: professor

Canada's Constitution should be opened to rein in the power of prime ministers who rule like monarchs surrounded by a tight circle of courtiers, a leading scholar on public administration says.

Donald Savoie, a political economist at the University of Moncton, said Canada's political institutions are so broken that the role of the prime minister, ministers and the public service should be defined in the Constitution, rather than by unwritten constitutional conventions that haven't been working for years.

"There are no effective checks and balances from cabinet, the civil service or Parliament to protect prime ministers from grabbing power and abusing it," he said. "We now need to go farther and define in law the role of prime minister, ministers and the civil service."

He said the convention of the loyal and anonymous public servant is long gone and the time has come to give public servants the "personality" and the independence they need to say no to their political masters when pulled into the political arena. Time to Stop Prime Ministers From Ruling Like Kings, Expert Says >>> By Kathryn May | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Canada)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback – Canada)

The “Unprincipled Opportunist” and the “Unpatriotic Wimp”
Barack Obama, struggling to contain a surging Hillary Clinton, has hit back against his dogged Democratic rival by branding her a President George W. Bush clone for threatening to "totally obliterate" Iran.

"It's not the language that we need right now, and I think it's language that's reflective of George Bush," he said on NBC television. "We have had a foreign policy of bluster and sabre-rattling and tough talk, and in the meantime we make a series of strategic decisions that actually strengthen Iran."

But Mrs Clinton, who narrowly leads in polls in Indiana and has crept up to within striking distance of Mr Obama in North Carolina, was unrepentant about her vow to respond in kind if Iran launched a nuclear attack on Israel. North Carolina and Indiana go to the polls on Monday.

"Why would I have any regrets? I am asked a question about what I would do if Iran attacked our ally, a country that many of us have a great deal of, you know, connection with and feeling for," Mrs Clinton told voters in a moderated session shown on ABC News. Obama Tars Clinton with the Bush Brush >>> By Toby Harnden in Washington | May 5, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)

In a World Full of Violence, Where Are We Without Love?

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)