Sarah Palin Electrifies Republican Convention and Launches a Blistering Attack on Barack Obama

THE TELEGRAPH: Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, John McCain's vice-presidential running mate, has electrified the Republican convention, declaring herself an "average hockey mom" and launching a blistering attack on Barack Obama.

After three days of scorn from Democrats and relentless scrutiny from the press, Mrs Palin came out punching, mocking Mr Obama, the Democratic nominee as someone who makes "dramatic speeches before devoted followers" and has "authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate".

In the Republican convention audience in St Paul were her husband and five children, including her son Trig, four months, who has Down syndrome, and daughter Bristol, 17, who is five months pregnant and gripped the hand of her fiancé Levi Johnston, 18.

To resounding applause, Mrs Palin, 44, Alaska governor for just 20 months and a virtual unknown on the national stage, said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I would be honoured to accept your nomination for vice president."

With just over two months to election day, Mrs Palin's selection has transformed an already gripping race for the White House.

Mr Obama and his running mate Senator Joe Biden of Delaware edged narrowly ahead in the polls after last week's Democratic convention but Republicans hope for a similar boost after Mrs Palin's speech and Mr McCain's address on Thursday night.

After Mrs Palin's confidently-delivered 37-minute speech, Mr McCain made a surprise appearance and asked to cheers: "Don't you think we made the right choice?"

He added, looking at the seven Palins and Mr Johnston standing beside him: "What a beautiful family."

Mrs Palin presented herself as a reformer and outsider who reveled in the disdain of the coastal elites.

"I'm not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I've learned quickly, these past few days, that if you're not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.

"But here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion; I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

Mr McCain's senior campaign adviser Steve Schmidt had earlier denounced what he called a "faux media scandal designed to destroy the first female Republican nominee" for vice president.

Mrs Palin emphasised her humble origins and status as an "average hockey mom", ad-libbing a joke about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull. Answer: lipstick. Sarah Palin wins over Republican Convention with attack on Barack Obama >>> By Toby Harnden in St Paul | September 4, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
This Is Alaska's Margaret Thatcher: Oh boy. I don't know what is going to happen next in the Sarah Palin story, but one thing is now for sure: John McCain has picked an Alaskan Margaret Thatcher to be his running mate.

She spoke for 36 pugnacious, stilleto-heeled, in your face, Barack Obama is a limp-wristed cover boy minutes. She blew the roof off. Sarah Palin has now shaken up a presidential race like no other nominee in modern times.

She took to the stage to the back-drop of a breaking National Enquirer story, flatly denied in a press release by the John McCain campaign, that she had had an affair with her husband's former business partner. If I were the editor of the Enquirer tonight, I might be locking my front door. Who knows what will transpire from Alaska in coming days, but Mrs Palin delivered one of the most mesmerising vice-presidential nights in convention history. >>> By Tim Reid in St Paul | September 4, 2008

LE FIGARO:
Sarah Palin enflamme la convention républicaine >>> 4.9.2008

eMARRAKECH:
McCain promet de capturer Ben Laden de sécurité: Saint Paul : Le candidat républicain à la Maison Blanche, John McCain, s'est engagé à attraper l'ennemi public n 1 des Etats-Unis, Oussama Ben Laden, s'il est élu >>> | Jeudi 04 Septembre 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Sarah Palin Is 'the New Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan': American conservatives have reacted with near ecstasy to the Republican convention speech by Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, comparing John McCain's running mate with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan >>> By Toby Harnden in St Paul | September 4, 2008

TOWNHALL.COM:
Want Real Change? Quit Nominating Lawyers! >>> By Victor Davis Hanson | September 4, 2008

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Palin Primed for Election Début
Watch BBC video: Romney urges vote for McCain >>>
BBC: John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, is to defend her small-town roots and attack the Democrats in a key speech to the US Republican convention.

The Alaska governor's address in Minnesota comes amid scrutiny of her record and two days after she said her unmarried daughter, 17, was pregnant.

Former Governor Mitt Romney opened what was expected to be a series of fierce attacks on the Democrats by his party.

Mr McCain is due to be nominated as the party's presidential candidate later.

Mitt Romney, the first of three one-time rivals of Mr McCain for the Republican nomination to speak in St Paul, used his speech to hammer the Democrats over their "liberal" agenda.

"We need change all right - change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington," the former Massachusetts governor said.

"We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington - throw out the big government liberals and elect John McCain." Palin Primed for Election Debut >>> | September 4, 2008

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Solve Iran Peacefully Urges Syria
BBC: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has said it would be a catastrophe if a peaceful solution could not be found to the Iranian nuclear row.

Mr Assad was speaking after a meeting in Damascus with French President Nicolas Sarkozy aimed at improving bilateral ties.

The leaders also held discussions on Syria's relations with Israel. Solve Iran Peacefully Urges Syria >>> | September 3, 2008

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John McCain and Sarah Palin: Bristol’s Pregnancy Conference Straight Talk

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Sir Ian Blair Will Be Ousted as Head of Scotland Yard
THE INDEPENDENT: Detailed plans are being prepared to oust Sir Ian Blair from his position as head of Scotland Yard in an attempt to halt the collapse of morale in the Metropolitan Police. Ministers, senior officials and leading police chiefs have secretly discussed arrangements for replacing the embattled commissioner by the end of this year.

The Times has learnt that the first step will be taken this week when Sir Ian is told formally, in writing, that his contract will not be renewed when it expires in February 2010. Sir Ian Blair Will Be Ousted as Head of Scotland Yard >>> By Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor | September 4, 2008

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Dubai 'Sex on Beach' Woman Michelle Palmer: Statement Was in Arabic
TIMESONLINE: Michelle Palmer, the British woman accused of having sex on a Dubai beach, has spoken out for the first time, pleading for help to prove her innocence so that she can return home.

Trembling and fighting back tears during a brief appearance at a Dubai court yesterday morning, Ms Palmer spoke to The Times through a friend, in an effort to counter “the lies” she says have been spread about her case.

Ms Palmer, 36, is forbidden to speak directly to the press before her verdict is handed down next Monday. However, she outlined her defence through a close friend, who held her hand throughout yesterday’s hearing and passed a two-page note to The Times.

Ms Palmer has previously denied prosecution claims that the couple were having sex on the beach, saying in an earlier court appearance that they were only “hugging and kissing”. Dubai 'Sex on Beach' Woman Michelle Palmer: Statement Was in Arabic >>> Exclusive: Sonia Verma in Dubai | September 3, 2008

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Tomasky Talk: It’s All about Sarah
Watch Guardian video: Tomasky Talk: It's all about Sarah: Michael Tomasky looks back at a week of Sarah Palin stories and considers what she has to accomplish in her speech tonight at the Republican convention >>> By Michael Tomasky | September 3, 2008

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VP Sarah Palin, Obama Speaks, & the Olympics

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Iran Rejects Easing Polygamy Law
BBC: In Iran, contentious legislation which might have encouraged men to be more polygamous has been sent back to a legal committee for further discussion.

Polygamy is legal in Iran. Men are permitted up to four wives, but only with the permission of the first wife.

In its present form, the proposed Family Support Bill would - if made law - allow a man to marry a second wife without the permission of the first.

Women's rights groups have hailed the move as "a huge victory".

The only condition would be that he is financially capable of supporting both.

Iran's parliament, the Majlis, has sent the bill away for more discussion.

Women's Rights activists are delighted but warn that the bill is still in the system and may reappear.

It is more likely to disappear.

The speaker of the Majlis expressed his reservations about it, and Ayatollah Yusef Sanai, who is a leading source of what is known as "emulation", wrote on his website that a second marriage without the permission of the first wife is "harem, a sin, a religious offence, contrary to the concept of justice prescribed by the Koran."

He also wrote: "I pray that such a decision, that is oppressive to women will not be made into law. God forbid that the Majlis should add another problem to the existing problems of women."

That is remarkable language in a country where there are so-called Guidance Patrols, Gasht-e-Ershad, who are allowed to detain women for showing too much hair, or for having bare feet.

They have official cars, like police cars, and the Ershad patrols may be seen checking women in parks, or as they emerge from metro stations in Tehran. [Source: BBC] By Hugh Sykes | September 3, 2008

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McCain VP Pick 'Victim of Sexism'
Watch BBC video: Carly Fiorina, a senior advisor to Republican Presidential nominee John McCain, has defended his choice of running mate: She said it did not matter that Sarah Palin is a creationist and a climate change sceptic. She added that Mrs Palin was a victim of "sexist attacks" >>> | September 3, 2008

BBC:
McCain Attacks Media over Palin: John McCain's US presidential campaign has angrily condemned the media for questioning the way his running mate Sarah Palin's candidacy was vetted >>> | September 3, 2008

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Rachida Dati Is Pregnant; But Won’t Name the Father! Allah Will Not Be Best Pleased! It Must Have Happened Because She Doesn’t Wear the Burqah!
NEWS.COM.AU: FRENCH Justice Minister Rachida Dati, one of the stars of President Nicolas Sarkozy's cabinet, has announced she is pregnant - but won't say who the father is.

The divorced daughter of North African immigrants, 42-year-old Dati has become the public face of President Sarkozy's drive to add some much-needed diversity to French politics.

Since taking office last year, she has appeared almost as often in the glossy magazines as the serious political press, prompting criticism that she is seeking celebrity status rather than concentrating on her job.

On Wednesday, she confirmed rumours that she was pregnant after the weekly magazine VSD splashed her on the front page saying she was expecting a child.

Being a single mother carries no social stigma in modern France and a census released earlier this year showed that for the first time in 2006 more children were born out of wedlock here than to married couples.

"I want to remain prudent, because it isn't yet safe. I'm still in the danger zone," the website of Le Monde daily quoted Ms Dati as saying, referring to the risk of a possible miscarriage.

"I am 42 years old and have always said that (having a child) was fundamental for me," she said. "If it goes ahead, I will be happy and have the feeling I've looped the loop."

Ms Dati is photographed alone when she goes out for evening parties.

"My private life is complicated and I'm keeping it off-limits to the press. I won't say anything about it," she told reporters when asked about the father. MP Pregnant – But Won’t Name the Daddy >>> By Crispian Balmer in Paris | September 3, 2008

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE:
Aznar dément être le père de l'enfant de Rachida Dati: L'ancien chef du gouvernement espagnol est en colère: il évoque même de possibles suites judiciaires >>> Agences | 4.9.2008

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH:
Rachida Dati: French Justice Minister Who Refuses to Name the Father of Her Unborn Child: The justice minister refuses to name the man by whom she is pregnant, but the affair makes it harder to defend France's custom that politicians' private lives are private, writes William Langley.
…

Rachida was born in Chalon-sur-Saône, the second of 11 children of a Moroccan father and Algerian mother.

Staunchly secular, she has described herself as "a French woman of French origin", and her prickly relationship with the country's large Muslim population has not been improved by news of her pregnancy.

"It is difficult for Rachida," says Hoffenberg, "because she has been held up as a role model for Muslim girls, and now we have Muslims denouncing her. Most people in France aren't shocked by an unmarried minister getting pregnant. The only real protests have come from her own community, and that must be hard for her."

Dati's wariness of religious dogma is founded on personal experience. In her early twenties, during a visit to the Maghreb, she married a young Algerian – "to please my family" as she put it in a memoir last year.

Arriving back in France, she discovered that not only did she have nothing in common with her husband, she had, effectively, signed the ownership of her life over to him. It took her four years to gain an annulment, by which time she was rising fast as an accountant and business consultant. >>> By William Langley | September 6, 2008

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Gunmen Kill a Journalist in Russia's Dagestan Republic
VOICE OF AMERICA: Police in Russia's southern republic of Dagestan say gunmen have killed a prominent television journalist.



Police say Abdulla Telman Alishayev died in the hospital Wednesday morning. Two men shot Alishayev Tuesday evening, as he sat in his car in the republic capital, Makhachkala.



Officials say Alishayev suffered shoulder and head wounds. Doctors operated, but they could not save his life.



Alishayev was an editor and show host for an Islamic television channel. He also produced documentaries about Wahhabism, a radical form of Islam.



Russia has long been considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.



Sunday, the owner of an independent web site in nearby Ingushetia was shot and killed while in police custody. 



Police say Magomed Yevloyev was arrested and shot accidentally when he lunged for an officer's gun. But human rights groups call the death deliberate. 



Both Dagestan and Ingushetia border Chechnya, where Russian troops have been battling separatists for more than a decade. [Source: VOA] Additional reporting by AP and Reuters | September 3, 2008

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Saudi Arabia Thwarts Military Coup
ALALAM.IR: RIYADH: Saudi Arabian security forces have foiled a military coup seeking to overthrow army officers loyal to the current Saudi King Abdullah.



According to Riyadh-based al-Watan daily, coup leader Major Ahmed Maiad Zahrani, a National Guard officer in the Riyadh, was arrested later for further questioning and charged with conspiracy.



The daily noted that Zahrani, backed by a Saudi prince in the royal family, has recruited approximately 150 officers of National Guards to carry out the coup in the oil-rich kingdom.



The plan was to overthrow the Saudi National Guards leader, who is loyal to King Abdullah and to prevent the selection of other members of the family as crown prince after the death of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, 80, (who is seriously sick). 



King Abdullah has appointed his eldest son Miti'b as deputy of the National Guards after disagreements among the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia's late founder King Abdulaziz led to formation of the Bay'ah Council by senior members of the royal family.



The council is tasked with voting on selection of the crown prince from three candidates named by the king. [Source: ALALAM.IR]

BLOOMBERG:
Saudis Lure Stanford, Cambridge to University Built on Oil Boom >>> By Glen Carey and Matthew Brown | September 3, 2008

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Hold Back the Tears if You Can!
THE TELEGRAPH: A Muslim woman was forced out of her job at a hospital after refusing to bare her arms in order to comply with new hygiene rules.

The radiographer was told by managers at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading that she must either follow the national dress code designed to combat superbugs and roll her sleeves up, or leave.

She refused to abide by the rules and left her job, claiming she was discriminated against and forced to choose between her religious beliefs and her livelihood. Islam teaches that women should dress modestly and cover their bodies while in public.

The woman, who has worked as a therapeutic radiographer for 10 years, has described her situation as a "continuous nightmare" and says she has been "emotionally torn about" over losing her job.

She said that she fears she may not be able to get another job, but has vowed to campaign against the NHS's "bare below the elbows" policy.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she wants to "prevent the policy from being universally applied, so other Muslim women do not experience the same trauma."

Amid growing concern about the number of patients catching superbugs such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile while in hospital, the NHS introduced a new dress code for staff in January that was designed to prevent them transmitting bacteria.

The rules require all doctors and nurses who come into contact with patients to have their arms bare below the elbows, by wearing short-sleeved clothes or rolling up their sleeves. Jewellery, watches and false nails were also banned to reduce the risk of infection by staff.

However the policy was criticised by some Muslim doctors and medical students for going against the teachings of the Qu'ran on dress. Muslim Radiographer Loses Job after Refusing to Bare Her Arms >>> By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | September 1, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH – related:
Female Muslim Medics 'Disobey Hygiene Rules' >>> By Julie Henry and Laura Donnelly | February 4, 2008

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Muslims Object to Christian Prayer Meeting in Oxford Church
BNP NEWS*: In yet another sign of the increasing Islamification of Britain, a Muslim pressure group in Oxford has demanded — and received — an apology from a Christian prayer group which organised a “Call to Prayer” meeting in St. Aldate’s Church (illustration) in that city centre.

The Muslim Education Centre of Oxford (Meco) accused Witney-based Christian “Open Doors UK” of preaching “evangelical propaganda”, despite that organisation holding an indoor meeting in a Christian Church, and not forcing anyone to attend.

Pathetically, Open Doors UK immediately apologised and insisted the prayer meeting had been taken out of context, although it “regretted” any offence that had been caused. On the contrary, a spokesman for the Christian group said the meeting’s aim “was to reduce fear of Islam.”

Meco chairman Dr Taj Hargey said he was “shocked by their theological self-righteousness. They assume the self-appointed task to ‘pray for Muslims’. They also say that each year there are incredible stories about how God answers these prayers, revealing Himself to Muslims around the world, and bringing many to faith in Jesus.”

He added: “Not only was this evangelical activity ill-conceived and insensitive, it was grossly insulting and inflammatory to Oxford’s Muslim inhabitants. At Meco our aim is to bring people of all faiths together, not divide them further. Things like this only serve to break people apart.” Muslims Object to Christian Prayer Meeting in Oxford Church >>> | September 2, 2008

Please note that this should NOT be construed as an endorsement of the BNP. I do not endorse the BNP or any other political party.

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What Does the Future Hold for the British Ethnic Minority?
BNP NEWS*: THE growing influence of Islam within Britain continues apace and the silence that greets this colonisation by stealth is deafening.

Our Christian spiritual leaders, who should be raging from their pulpits at this usurping of the centuries-old religious traditions of our country, appear to have just thrown in the towel and accepted defeat.

No doubt they are worried that if they speak out against Islam they might cause offence, a mortal sin on a par with taking a life in their new politically correct list of priorities.

In those areas where Muslims are now the majority, they have moved from claiming ‘equal rights’ with the host population, to imposing their demands on the non-Muslim population. What Does the Future Hold for the British Ethnic Minority? >>> By Martin Wingfield | September 3, 2008

*Please note that this should NOT be construed as an endorsement of the BNP. I do not endorse the BNP or any other political party.

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Pat Condell: Islam’s War on Freedom

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Anschlagspläne gegen Empire State Building entdeckt
NZZ Online: Bei einer Pakistanerin, die in Afghanistan festgenommen worden ist, haben Ermittler Anschlagspläne auf das Empire State Building, die Freiheitsstatue und andere New Yorker Wahrzeichen gefunden. Ein Regierungsmitarbeiter erklärte allerdings, es handele es sich eher um eine «Wunschliste» möglicher Ziele. Es gebe aber keinen Beweis für eine glaubhafte Verschwörung.

(ap) Die amerikanischen Sicherheitsbehörden haben nach eigenen Angaben Hinweise auf Anschlagspläne gegen das Empire State Building, die Freiheitsstatue und andere New Yorker Wahrzeichen gefunden. Entsprechende Dokumente seien bei einer Pakistanerin entdeckt worden, die in den USA studiert habe und in Afghanistan festgenommen worden sei, teilte die amerikanische Staatsanwaltschaft mit. Die Frau wurde am Dienstag wegen Mordversuchs angeklagt, weil sie versucht haben soll, während einer Vernehmung Soldaten und FBI-Agenten zu töten. Anschlagspläne gegen Empire State Building entdeckt: US-Behörden finden «Wunschliste» bei pakistanischer Frau in Afghanistan >>> | 3. September 2008

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Geert Wilders to Address Islam Conference in Jerusalem
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: JERUSALEM: An Israeli lawmaker says a controversial Dutch legislator and filmmaker will speak at an upcoming Jerusalem conference on combatting radical Islam.

Geert Wilders' film "Fitna" linked attacks by Islamic militants to texts from the Quran, Islam's holy book. It sparked angry street protests in Muslim countries earlier this year and Jordan has informed Interpol he is wanted to face charges there.

The conference in December will be tailored to European legislators seeking to unite in opposition to militant Islam.

Ultranationalist Israeli lawmaker Arieh Eldad told a news conference Wednesday that the Europeans who would attend the gathering would represent the political mainstream in their countries and not the far-right. [Source: IHT] AP | September 3, 2008

YNET NEWS:
MK Eldad Forms Anti-Islam Coalition: Right-wing MK announces some 30 European lawmakers to take part in anti-jihad conference in Jerusalem, says 'the spread of Islam threatens the foundations of the Western civilization.' MK El-Sana: Eldad joining school which produced Nazis >>> By Ronen Medzini | September 9, 2008

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Britons Could Be Tried in Absence in Foreign Courts under EU Plan
THE TELEGRAPH: British people could be convicted in their absence by foreign courts, under proposals approved by the European Parliament.

The plans could see them immediately extradited to a European country on the basis of an "in absentia" guilty verdict in its courts for offences carrying fines or custodial sentences.

In a joint statement the Parliament said: "The EU wants to create a common area for justice, which requires the mutual recognition of criminal law judgments by member states."

The proposals, which were put forward by seven countries, including Britain, were described as "by their very nature a violation of the fundamental procedural rights of the accused" by the European Criminal Bar Association.

In a letter to MEPs, it said: "The rights of European citizens will be undermined because in absentia judgments will result in the surrender of European citizens on the basis of a judgment given at a trial in which they never had the chance to participate." Britons Could Be Tried in Absence in Foreign Courts under EU Plan >>> By Jon Swaine | September 3, 2008

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Are We Mad? Every Organ of the State Now Seems Intent on Protecting Those Who Would Destroy Us
MAIL Online: The picture on today's Mail Online website says it all. Abu Qatada, wanted by Jordan for involvement in terrorist attacks, strolls down a London street, carrying groceries paid for by the British taxpayer.

Beside him, on a mobile phone, apparently acting as a go-between, is Yasser Al-Sirri, wanted by Egypt for aiding an assassination attempt in 1993 of the then Prime Minister with a car bomb, which instead killed a young girl.

Both these men despise the country that is sheltering them. To Qatada, it is the duty of Muslims to kill non-Muslims. Al-Sirri refers to the 'impotence and criminal nature' of the British government.

Well, he's right about the impotence. The decent people of this country want hate-mongers like these thrown out, but the Government seems powerless.

Between the human rights industry and a judiciary that appears more concerned about perpetrators than victims, foreign extremists are a protected species.

In the case of Qatada, the immigration authorities, the police, the security services, the judiciary and the politicians have been almost criminal in their failure to deal with a ruthless fanatic.

Abu Qatada arrived here in 1993 on a forged passport. This did not bother the immigration service, who accepted his claim that he would be tortured if he went home to Jordan so they gave him and his wife and five children asylum.

Why? Did no one run a check on him? There was ample evidence of his extremism but no one bothered to look for it.

Supported by state benefits, Qatada began preaching in local mosques his blood-thirsty anti-Jewish and anti-Christian messages and calling for Muslims to kill non-Muslims.

Because of a toxic mixture of political correctness and ignorance that seems to pervade all our dealings with Muslim extremists, the police were ignoring the rants of even the most incendiary preachers, so Qatada spread his poison undisturbed. Are We Mad? Every Organ of the State Now Seems Intent on Protecting Those Who Would Destroy Us >>> By Ruth Dudley Edwards | September 3, 2008

CITIZEN WARRIOR:
The Wahhabi Invasion of America >>> By Mark Silverberg / Hat tip: AlwaysOnWatch

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U.S. Fights Islamic Anti-Defamation Push: Cites Clash with Free Speech
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: UNITED NATIONS | The Bush administration, European governments and religious rights organizations are mounting a new effort to defeat a General Assembly resolution that demands respect for Islam and other religions but has been used to justify persecution of religious minorities.

The resolution, called "Combating Defamation of Religion," is sponsored by the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and has been approved by the world body annually since 2005. It comes up for renewal this fall.

U.S. officials said they hope to persuade moderate Muslim nations - among them Senegal, Mali, Nigeria and Indonesia - to reject the measure, which lacks the force of law but has provided diplomatic cover for regimes that repress critical speech. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.

Religious rights groups say other U.N. measures, including statements by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, replicate the language of the resolution.

"Before, it was one resolution with no impact and no implementation," said Felice Gaer, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan federal body that investigates abuses and proposes policies to advance "freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

"Now we are seeing a clear attempt by OIC countries to mainstream the concept and insert it into just about every other topic they can," Miss Gaer said. "They are turning freedom of expression into restriction of expression."
European governments are also concerned.

The European Center for Law and Justice filed a brief with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in June warning that such anti-defamation resolutions "are in direct violation of international law concerning the rights to freedom of religion and expression."

U.S. officials working on human rights said the resolutions are being used to justify harsh blasphemy laws in countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Afghanistan.

The OIC said most of the language in the Combating Defamation of Religion resolution has been used in conventions on cultural and civil rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and resolutions to combat racism. U.S. Fights Islamic Anti-Defamation Push: Cites Clash with Free Speech >>> By Betsy Pisik | September 2, 2008

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Sweden: Prime Minister Calls on Companies to Offer Muslims Services
ISLAM IN EUROPE: The Swedish Prime Minister spent the first day of Ramadan learning more about halal products. At the slaughterhouse in Johanneshov Fredrik Reinfeldt spoke of how important multiculturalism is for Sweden.

The moderate fight for freedom must also be about empowering New Sweden, supporting integration and getting rid of a lot of unnecessary regulations that create value clashes in Swedish society. This is a task for the government, said Frederik Reinfeldt when he visited Qibbla Halal Kött i[n] Johanneshov. A 30 [ed: meant 13] year old company with 26 employees who work with different halal products produced according to Muslim traditions and which get [the] go-ahead from the Swedish authorities.

With this Reinfeldt started off the fall visiting tour where he would especially meet and speak with immigrants about discrimination and value questions. In the past he had similarly gone about the rest of the country and visited small businesses, employment services and met with women in the public sector.

Both Diler Mustafa Taher, one of the company's founders, and IT-manager Namir Zetali, tell of their quick success, they sell their meat products all over Sweden, Finland and Denmark. They have gotten one of the biggest chains, Coop, to sell their halal meat. On the other hand, several other chains have declined. Sweden: Prime Minister Calls on Companies to Offer Muslims Services >>> By Esther | September 1, 2008

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Medvedev : «Saakachvili
est un cadavre politique»
LE FIGARO: La Russie ne reconnaît plus le président géorgien : «le régime actuel géorgien a fait faillite, le président Saakachvili n'existe plus», a estimé mardi soir le président russe Dmitri Medvedev.

Alors même que les Etats-Unis confient achever d'examiner leurs relations avec la Russie, Moscou a durci soudainement le ton mardi soir face à la Géorgie dont elle ne reconnaît plus le chef de l'Etat. «Pour nous, le régime actuel géorgien a fait faillite. Le président Mikheïl Saakachvili n'existe plus, c'est un cadavre politique», a averti le président russe Dmitri Medvedev. Le locataire du Kremlin a aussi mis en garde Washington qui «n'élimine pas d'éventuelles sanctions». «Moscou ne craint pas d'être exclut du G8», a souligné le président russe. «Les appels qui se font entendre, je les explique exclusivement par la technologie électorale américaine pour faire monter la cote de popularité sur fond de conflit», a-t-il dénoncé, en faisant allusion aux propos tenus dimanche par John McCain. Le sénateur de l'Arizona avait traité Moscou «d'autocratie».

Le chef de l'Etat russe a enjoint la Maiosn-Blanche à «revoir» ses relations avec Tbilissi qui a lancé «une agression se soldant par beaucoup de morts» en Ossétie du Sud. Il a répété que Washington avait aidé le gouvernement de Mikheïl Saakachvili «à construire sa machine de guerre, avec de l'argent et des armements».» Malheureusement, à un certain moment, on a donné à M. Saakachvili carte blanche pour toutes sortes d'actions», a dénoncé le successeur de Vladimir Poutine. En même temps, Dmitri Medvedev a souligné que la Russie était prête à parler avec la communauté internationale «de toutes sortes de questions, dont le règlement post-conflictuel dans le Caucase». «Nous voudrions que la communauté internationale se souvienne de celui qui a commencé l'agression et qui est responsable de la mort des gens», a ajouté le président russe qui a garanti que lson pays allait respecter ses obligations de livraison de gaz vers l'Europe. Medvedev : «Saakachvili
est un cadavre politique» >>> C.J (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | 2.9.2008

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

The Death of Free Speech in the Netherlands
GATES OF VIENNA: I posted H. Numan’s translation and commentary last night about the webmaster in the Netherlands who was convicted of a criminal offense for “racist” writings posted not by himself, but by a visitor to his site.

The first notice he received that he was criminally liable for the material posted was when the police came to arrest him — there was no prior request to remove the insulting writings.

To add to the injustice, far more offensive and provocative material is routinely posted on Islamist forums and is never subjected to any punishment.

H. Numan pointed out that by attacking a small, little-known website, the Dutch government has managed to set a precedent for the suppression of free speech on the internet. We should expect them to employ this precedent to go after larger and more well-known sites like Gregorius Nekschot and GeenStijl. The Death of Free Speech in the Netherlands >>> By Baron Bodissey | September 2, 2008

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Obama Mocks America’s Christian Heritage

Our Country Deserves Better >>>

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Lesbian Couple Jailed for Kissing on Public Beach in Dubai
MAIL Online: The Dubai Court of Appeal has found a lesbian couple guilty of kissing on a public beach.

The Appeal Court upheld the one-month jail sentence for the women, a 30-year-old Lebanese national and a 36-year-old Bulgarian who both pleaded not guilty.

The Dubai Public Prosecution charged the women with kissing, groping each other and indecent acts in public - the first case of its kind in the country. Lesbian Couple Jailed for Kissing on Public Beach in Dubai >>> | September 2, 2008

BBC:
UK 'Sex on Beach' Trial Delayed: The trial of a British man and woman accused of having sex on a beach in Dubai has been delayed for a week >>> | September 2, 2008

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Undercover Mosque: The Return

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
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Vile Sisters of No Mercy
MIRROR: The excellent Channel 4's Dispatches last night infiltrated the "sister's circle" at Regent's Park Mosque.

It all sounds perfectly innocent, a group of Muslim women enjoying, as we all do, quality time in the company of like-minded friends.

But ladies expecting tips on turning a pair of curtains into a burkha or a session of recipe-swapping might be shocked to find the "sisters" in earnest debate over more vexing issues.

Such as the fate of homosexuals: should they be thrown from a high place before being killed or merely stoned to death? Or how should the problem Muslim who converts to a different faith be treated?

From female preacher Um Saleem, a hardline Islamist solution: "Kill him, kill, kill, kill him...you understand."

Oh yes, I think we get the message.

If Dispatches: Undercover Mosque - The Return made your stomach turn, imagine how the image of "sisters" preaching violent intolerant prejudice in the name of Allah will affect the majority of Muslims.

The rabid Miss Saleem says she doesn't believe Muslims should live in Britain, "land of the evil, land of the disbelievers".

Well, don't let us keep you, love. [Source: Mirror] By Sue Carroll | September 2, 2008

THE SUNDAY TIMES:
Women Preachers at Moderate Mosque ‘Urge Faithful to Kill Gays’ >>> By Abul Taher | August 31, 2008

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Afghanistan: Mass Honour Killing
MAIL Online: Five women were buried alive by their tribe in a mass honour killing prompted by their wish to choose their own husbands.

The victims, who included three teenagers, were abducted at gunpoint, beaten and shot before being thrown into a ditch.

They were still breathing as their bodies were covered with rocks and mud, according to media reports and human rights activists.

The incident occurred in Baba Kot, a remote village in Jafferabad district, after the women decided to defy tribal elders and arrange marriages in a civil court, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission.

They were said to have been abducted at gunpoint by six men, forced into a vehicle and taken to a remote field, where they were beaten, shot and then buried alive, it said, accusing local authorities of trying to hush up the killings. Five Women Who Wanted to Pick Their Own Husbands Buried Alive in Mass Honour Killing >>> | September 2, 2008

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Italy: Northern League Seeks to Block the Construction of Mosques
WORLD NET DAILY: Italy is fighting a rapidly increasing Muslim presence by introducing a bill to block construction of Islamic mosques and prohibit minarets, or prayer watchtowers, and loudspeaker chants.

Italy's Northern League, a political movement that is part of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's governing coalition, introduced the legislation. According to a Financial Times report, Northern League Chief of Deputies Roberto Cota will present the bill to parliament next week.

The proposal will also require mosques to be at least one kilometer away from nearby churches, and sermons must be conducted in Italian rather than Arabic.

Critics say the bill will face insurmountable challenges because it violates constitutional rights and lacks support from Berlusconi's Forza Italia Party and the National Alliance. However, the Catholic UDC Party supports the bill. Finally, someone says: No new mosques!: Party seeks to ban prayer towers, loudspeaker chants, Arabic sermons >>> WorldNetDaily | August 28, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – Italy)

Matt Mayer: Obama, Palin, and Their Sixteen Years of Experience
TOWNHALL.COM: Let me get this straight. Senator Barack Obama is qualified to be the President of the United States, but Governor Sarah Palin is unqualified to be the Vice President of the United States. In what can only be considered the “hey kettle” comment of the campaign, Senator Obama’s spokesman noted upon hearing about Senator John McCain’s selection of Governor Palin: “Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.” This statement comes from the party that a mere twelve hours before had nominated a former state legislator from the south side of Chicago with zero foreign policy experience for the presidency. That is rich.

The fact of the matter is that both Senator Obama and Governor Palin can claim twelve years of elected office experience since 1992. That fact alone should have dissuaded the democrats from raising experience as an issue. Given that Senator Obama quickly distanced himself from his campaign’s comments indicates that he knows that the last debate he should get engaged in is a debate on experience with the republican vice presidential candidate. After all, the mere existence of the debate is proof of his experience deficit as compared to Senator McCain. Nonetheless, a review of each candidate’s activities over the last sixteen years leads to one, incontrovertible finding: Senator Obama’s experience pales in comparison to Governor Palin’s experience. Obama, Palin, and Their Sixteen Years of Experience >>> By Matt Mayer | September 1, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT:
Why Palin Is a Natural Born Winner >>> By Dominic Lawson | September 2, 2008

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Christine Williams: UN Thugs
FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE: Support for Israel has never ranked high on the United Nations’ agenda. And the upcoming World Conference Against Racism, scheduled for early 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland, presents a valid case. Many observers are concerned that the UN-sponsored event will simply serve as yet another a platform to launch attacks against Israel -- as the previous world anti-racism conference did in Durban, South Africa, seven years ago.

Even by the standards of the organization’s traditional antagonism toward the Jewish State, the U.N.’s 2001 Durban gathering marked a low point.

Setting the stage, then-U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan began the conference by condemning Israel ’s treatment of the Palestinians. It only got worse from there, as the conference’s final resolution urged an “international anti-Israeli-apartheid movement” that would work toward Israel 's “complete and total isolation.” Parallel to the conference, a forum of NGO's branded Israel as a “racist,” “apartheid state,” guilty of “war crimes,” “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing.” To the extent that “racism” was discussed, it was only to condemn Israeli policies. Little wonder that the conference, known as “ Durban I,” is largely remembered as a U.N.-backed assault on Israel. 



Now it’s back. And if early evidence is any guide, Durban II, as the Geneva event is already being called, will be a replay of its predecessor. Consider that the chair of the conference’s planning committee is Libya, whose longtime leader, Muammar Gadhafi, has recently claimed that the Israeli Mossad aims to assassinate Barack Obama. The vice chair of the conference, meanwhile, is communist Cuba. And the fact that Iran's president has notoriously called for Israel’s destruction has not, expectedly, prevented it from playing a key leadership role in the upcoming conference.

Nor does it bode well for Durban II that its agenda will be set by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC). In particular, the conference will consider responses to “Islamophobia.” In this connection, the OIC’s members will consider what they regard as the problematic Western right to free speech. Referring to the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed published in Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten and to “Fitna,” Dutch politician Geert Wilders’s documentary about Islam, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu recently promised to send “a clear message to the West regarding the red lines that should not be crossed.” He went on to warn Western countries to “look seriously into the question of freedom of expression.”

For their part, Western countries should make clear that they will not allow the OIC to dictate what can and cannot be said about Islam. Instead, they should shift the focus onto the OIC. Instead of concerning themselves with alleged Western prejudices, Islamic states would do well to ponder the rampant racism in the Muslim World. Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 Muslims have been killed by their fellow Muslims, prompting the United Nations to call it the worst human rights disaster in the world, would be a logical starting point. From there, the OIC might consider the continued bloodshed between Shiites and Sunnis, and the fanatical suicide bombers who have claimed the lives of thousands of their co-religionists. One need hardly look to the West to find “Islamophobia” in action. U.N. Thugs >>> By Christine Williams | September 2, 2008

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EU Suspends Talks on Russia Pact
Photo of Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of Europe, courtesy of the BBC
Now, Europe needs some teeth! And then it needs to show them! - ©Mark
BBC: European Union leaders have agreed to suspend talks on a new partnership agreement with Moscow until Russian troops have withdrawn from Georgia.

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said it was clear it could not "continue as if nothing had happened", after an emergency summit in Brussels.

The EU also condemned Russia's move to recognise the independence of Georgia's regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia said the talks suspension had damaged the credibility of the bloc.

"It is more of a self-punishment for the European Union because this does not improve the EU's credibility as a negotiating partner," Russia's envoy to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the EU and the US that further support for Georgia would be a "historic" mistake.

Mr Lavrov also called for an embargo on arms supplies to Tbilisi until a different government was in place there.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, meanwhile said it was prepared to send hundreds of civilian monitors to Georgia to check if Russia was abiding by the EU-brokered ceasefire agreement. EU Suspends Talks on Russia Pact >>> | September 1, 2008

DIE PRESSE:
EU legt Russland-Abkommen auf Eis: Europas Regierungschefs fordern als Bedingung für neuen Pakt den Abzug der Russen aus Georgien >>> Von Regina Pöll | 1. September 2008

LE FIGARO:
L'UE gèle les négociations
avec Moscou: Les 27 ont annoncé le report des négociations sur un partenariat renforcé avec la Russie, lundi, lors du sommet extraordinaire sur la Géorgie >>> lefigaro.fr avec AFP | 01.09.2008

BBC:
New Russian World Order: The Five Principles: In the aftermath of the Georgian conflict, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has laid down five principles that he says will guide Russian foreign policy.

The new Moscow rules are not a blueprint for a new "Cold War". That was a worldwide ideological and economic struggle. This is much more about defending national interests. >>> By Paul Reynolds, World affairs correspondent BBC News website | September 1, 2008

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American Dhimmi Alert! Presidential Message, Ramadan 2008
THE WHITE HOUSE: I send greetings to Muslims observing Ramadan in America and around the globe.

The holy month of Ramadan is a special time of prayer, fasting, and service. For Muslims, these days commemorate the revelation of God's word to the prophet Muhammad in the form of the Qur'an.

I thank the men and women of the Muslim community for their contributions to America. Your love of family, and gratitude to God have strengthened the moral fabric of our country. Our Nation is stronger and more hopeful because of the generosity, talents, and compassion of our Muslim citizens.

Laura and I send our best wishes. Ramadan Mubarak.

GEORGE W. BUSH [Source: The White House]

With gratitude to Always On Watch for alerting me to this presidential message.

VOICE OF AMERICA:
Millions of Muslim-Americans Observe Ramadan >>> | September 2, 2008

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Gay Cleric Jeffrey John Could Become Britain's First Openly Homosexual Bishop
THE TELEGRAPH: An openly gay cleric is in line to become a bishop, in a move that could plunge the Anglican Communion into fresh crisis over homosexuality.

The Very Rev Jeffrey John was appointed Bishop of Reading five years ago but was forced to stand down by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a personal friend of his, after the election sparked outrage among conservatives.

He was later made the Dean of St Albans but is now being considered for the post of Bishop of Bangor in North Wales, following the death of the previous incumbent from cancer in June.

Insiders believe 55-year-old Dr John is highly likely to be chosen, because he is a Welsh speaker as well as being a respected theologian.

In addition, the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, recently admitted he would support the election of a gay bishop despite opposition among orthodox Anglicans and guidelines stating that practising homosexuals should not become clergy.

His appointment would likely deepen the crisis in the 80 million-strong worldwide church over homosexuality. Gay Cleric Jeffrey John Could Become Britain's First Openly Homosexual Bishop >>> By Martin Beckford Religious Affairs Correspondent | September 1, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Gay Priest Dr Jeffrey John Could Become a Bishop in Wales >>> By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | September 1, 2008

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Palin’s Teenage Daugter Pregnant
BBC: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, newly picked as Republican John McCain's running mate, has revealed that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant.

Mrs Palin, a social conservative who is opposed to abortion, said in a statement her daughter Bristol would keep the child and marry its father.

The Alaska governor, a mother-of-five, was presented three days ago as her party's vice-presidential candidate.

The McCain campaign and Palins asked for respect for the family's privacy.

Mrs Palin and her husband Todd said in a statement: "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realise very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family."

Advisers to the McCain campaign said they had known about the pregnancy before offering Mrs Palin the vice-presidential nomination. [Source: BBC] | September 1, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
US elections: Daughter of John McCain's Running Mate Sarah Palin Is Pregnant: Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain's surprise choice as vice-presidential running mate, rocked the race for the White House by announcing that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant >>> By Toby Harnden in St Paul | September 1, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Corruption Probe Into 'Africans for Obama' Fundraiser in Nigeria: Anti-corruption authorities have seized more than $630,000 (£315,000) raised during an "Africans for Obama" gala dinner held in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos >>> By Mike Pflanz, West Africa Correspondent | September 1, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Sarah Palin: Conservatives Find the Girl of Their Dreams: The Alaskan governor’s family life and political views press the right’s buttons >>> By Sarah Baxter | August 31, 2008

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Undercover Mosque: The Return
CHANNEL 4: A year-and-a-half after the critically-acclaimed film Undercover Mosque was first screened, Dispatches goes undercover again to see whether extremist beliefs continue to be promoted in certain key British Muslim institutions.

A year-and-a-half after the critically-acclaimed film Undercover Mosque was first screened, Dispatches goes undercover again to see whether extremist beliefs continue to be promoted in certain key British Muslim institutions. The film also investigates the role of the Saudi Arabian religious establishment in spreading a hard-line, fundamentalist Islamic ideology in the UK - the very ideology the Government claims to be tackling.



A female reporter attends prayer meetings at an important British mosque which claims to be dedicated to moderation and dialogue with other faiths. She secretly films shocking sermons given to the women-only congregation in which female preachers recite extremist and intolerant beliefs. As hundreds of women and some children come to pray, a preacher calls for adulterers, homosexuals, women who act like men and Muslim converts to other faiths to be killed, saying: "Kill him, kill him. You have to kill him, you understand. This is Islam."



Worshippers are repeatedly told they must lead separate lives from non-believers and not tolerate other religions. Christian teachings are described as "vile and disgusting, an abomination." And at private, invite-only prayer meetings linked to the mosque, the reporter films the leading preacher from the women's prayer circle issuing strict dictats on women's personal freedoms - decreeing they must not travel far without a male member of the family to escort them, and instructing them not to integrate with British society or work in a non-Islamic environment.



In the same mosque, the reporter visits the bookshop and discovers books and DVDs still on sale, promoting extremist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic and intolerant messages. Unbelievers ('kuffaars') are described in one DVD as: "Evil, wicked, mischievous people - you can see the evil in their face". Whilst Jews, "have abominated, filthy, disgusting gross belief - their time will come like every other evil person's time will come." Moderate Muslims and Islamic academics tell Dispatches they reject and condemn these teachings.

Dispatches traces the links between the teachings and materials at the mosque and the Saudi Arabian religious establishment, and examines the extent to which Saudi Arabia exports such teachings around the world through the funding of literature, schools, mosques and other organisations.

Dispatches also interviews a former teacher at a Saudi-run faith school who describes how the official Saudi educational curriculum was taught in the school. He shows Dispatches official Saudi textbooks from the school which featured anti-Semitic and anti-Christian teachings.



As part of the investigation, the undercover reporter also films inside a key Saudi-funded Muslim organisation which claims to promote tolerance and integration yet distributes literature which promotes intolerance for non-Muslims, an extreme version of Sharia law and teachings which support discrimination against women.



The Government claims Saudi Arabia is its partner in tackling extremism, but a former Foreign Office Minister tells Dispatches he believes the Government should take a stronger line. The film also features interviews with Islamic academics who condemn these messages of intolerance and segregation and warn of the impact this version of Islam is having on British society. One imam at a leading university accuses the Saudi religious establishment of the: "distortion of Islam itself, the abuse and misuse of this great faith of mine and not only mine but of my children as well." [Source: Channel 4]

Broadcast: Monday 01 September 2008 08:00 PM

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Over 170 Preachers to Lecture Moroccan Expats During Ramadan
MAGHREB ARABE PRESS: Rabat, Sep. 1st - Morocco will dispatch over 170 preachers to Europe to provide training and give lectures during the holy month of Ramadan (fasting month) to the Moroccan expatriates, according to a press release of the ministry of Habous (Endowments) and Islamic Affairs.

Quoted by the French daily "La Croix", the document said the decision to send 176 preachers, including 100 to France alone, reflects Morocco's will to "meet the needs of the Moroccan community abroad for spiritual guidance","protect them from all kinds of extremism and deviance", and "foster the values of citizenship in them."
 


President of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), Mohammed Moussaoui told the French daily that the initiative represents a "precious help", particularly to Muslims in France, adding that the tradition of exchange with Europe dates back to almost 20 years.

The Ulema will have to focus on the relational aspect of the life of Muslims in host countries, while highlighting the values of love, tolerance, and the openness of Islam.

According to official figures, Europe counts over 2.5 million Moroccans with the above countries hosting the greatest numbers of expatriates. France (1,113,176), Spain (423,933), Holland (300,332), Italy (298,944), Belgium (293,097), Germany (102,000), Sweden (12,000), Denmark (6,300) and Norway (6,300). [Source: Maghreb Arabe Press] | September 1, 2008

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

Russia: The New Order Cometh
INTERNATIONAL ANALYST NETWORK: There are two critical lessons to be learned from the recent Russian-Georgian war. First, Western security commitments should not to be made unless they can be enforced; and second, autonomous ethnic regions within tiny nations that border powerful states carry the potential for future conflicts.

The Russian-Georgian war was the by-product of a poorly thought out American foreign policy in the Caucasus because it attempted to gain American influence against Russia without providing sufficient American power to sustain that policy when challenged by Russia. This does not excuse the brutal application of Russian power against a tiny neighboring state, but it goes a long way in explaining why America responded as it did, and why American foreign policy in the Caucasus has proven to be without substance.

During the war, President Bush proclaimed America’s "unwavering support" for the former Soviet republic of Georgia. For the U.S. however, it was just another hollow gesture that reinforced an unfortunate pattern of American hubris. Bush lauded the Rose Revolution that swept Mikheil Saakashvili to power, backed Georgia's bid to enter NATO, and traveled to Tbilisi in 2005 to give his "pledge to the Georgian people that you've got a solid friend in America". In response, the Georgians aligned themselves with the U.S., sent 2,000 troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan beside American forces, and even named a main road in Tbilisi after Bush. At the White House last March, Saakashvili expressed his gratitude to the president for having "really put Georgia firmly on the world's freedom map."

Nevertheless, when push came to shove, the American response to the Russian invasion of South Ossetia and Abkhazia was all rhetoric in large measure because the U.S. was already over-extended in Iraq and Afghanistan and had neither the power, the strategic necessity nor the political capital to take on the Russians over Georgia – and the Russians knew it. The weak U.S. response to the Russian invasion has not only diminished U.S. standing in the region, but arguably as a world power as well. As a friend and ally, Georgia was abandoned to the mercies of the Russian war machine and the other former Soviet republics have no doubt taken note of this.

In many ways, the war was inevitable. Post-World War II Western strategy toward the Soviet Union and its satellites was shaped by George Kennan’s 1947 Cold War doctrine of “containment”. For decades, the U.S. alliances that encircled the Soviet bloc sent a clear message to Stalin and his successors: “Not one more inch!” With the fall of the Soviet Union, that policy was extended under the Clinton and Bush administrations to the former Soviet republics but was propelled by the idea of promoting democratic change and stability in the newly-freed countries that border Russia. While the Russians continually questioned Western motives for this expansion, there was little they could do about it. Over the last few years, however, a newly empowered and resurgent oligarchy under Russian nationalist Prime Minister Vladimir Putin began to see these American overtures as an existential threat. Russia: The New Order Cometh >>> By Mark Silverberg | August 29, 2008

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Moscow Warns EU on Georgia Ties: Mikheil Saakashvili Clearly a Thorn in Russians' Side
BBC: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said further Western support for Georgia's present leadership would be a mistake of historic magnitude.

Mr Lavrov called for an embargo on arms supplies to Georgia until a different government was in place there.

He was speaking ahead of an emergency EU summit on the Georgian crisis.

The UK has called on the European Union to suspend talks over a new partnership pact with Russia, to punish the country for its actions in Georgia.

"In light of Russia's actions we should suspend negotiations on a successor to the partnership and co-operation agreement," a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters in London.

The EU summit is expected to condemn Moscow's recognition of independence for Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said his decision is irrevocable. Moscow Warns EU on Georgia Ties >>> | September 1, 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
The Cold Peace: The European Union is struggling to find a common position on Russia -- as is the rest of the West. But so far, diplomatic bluster has been the name of the game. What should the world do about Russia's new-found bravado? >>> By Ralf Beste, Uwe Klussmann and Gabor Steingart | September 1, 2008

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Cambridge Academic and Novelist at Centre of Race Row
George Steiner, Cambridge academic and novelist, says racial tolerance is only “skin deep”. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: A Cambridge academic and novelist was at the centre of a race row after saying that he would not be able to tolerate living next door to Jamaican neighbours "playing reggae all day".

George Steiner, 79, said he believed racism was inherent in everyone and that racial tolerance was merely skin deep.

The playwright and critic Bonnie Greer labelled him a "cranky old man", while Muslim groups accused him of an "offensive and lazy" racist generalisation.

But other academics defended his honesty and right to express such views, saying they were a valuable addition to an important debate.

"It's very easy to sit here, in this room, and say 'racism is horrible'," he said from his house in Cambridge, where he has been Extraordinary Fellow at Churchill College since 1969.

"But ask me the same thing if a Jamaican family moved next door with six children and they play reggae and rock music all day. Or if an estate agent comes to my house and tells me that because a Jamaican family has moved next door the value of my property has fallen through the floor. Ask me then!"

Mr Steiner, whose Jewish family fled to America from Paris before the Nazi invasion of 1940, adds: "In all of us, in our children, and to maintain our comfort, our survival, if you scratch beneath the surface, many dark areas appear. Don't forget it." Cambridge Academic Says He Would Not Tolerate Jamaican Neighbours >>> By Aislinn Simpson and Jessica Salter | September 1, 2008

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McCain Needs to Get Serious - and Warn about a Global Tempest
THE TELEGRAPH: Hurricane Gustav roars toward the Gulf coast of America and brings with it an extraordinarily appropriate metaphor for the Republican National Convention.

If the message of the Obama Democrats last week was "change", then the prevailing theme of the Republican gathering this week should be "danger".

John McCain, when asked whether the arrival of the hurricane would affect his convention, said that it might well be inappropriate to hold a "festive event" at such a time. I hope that his people extrapolate from that and decide that festivity should not be the order of the day anyway. The tempest that is now threatening New Orleans with yet more devastation is an uncanny analogue of the perfect Russian storm that is confronting America and the rest of what we must once again call the "free world".

By some terrifying logic, Vladimir Putin has clearly decided that his country's destiny will be fulfilled by becoming a rogue superpower. That is the new reality in which the United States presidential campaign will be conducted. So the outcome of this election is likely to be determined by the contest between those who claim that internal "change" is the biggest challenge facing America, as opposed to those who see external threat and the collapse of world order as the first priority. McCain Needs to Get Serious - and Warn about a Global Tempest >>> By Janet Daley | September 1, 2008

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85,000 Illegal Immigrants Flood In from France
DAILY EXPRESS: MORE than 1,000 illegal migrants a month are pouring into Britain from northern France.

In the six years since the closure of the notorious Sangatte refugee camp near Calais, 85,000 have passed through French Channel ports to the UK.



The figures come from Father Jean-Pierre Boutoille, head of a refugee charity in Calais who says Britain’s hard line against illegal immigration has proved fruitless.


The Catholic priest reports that more and more migrants are arriving in northern France every day, intent on getting to the UK.



Father Boutoille points out that Britain’s black economy and generous welfare system continue to draw immigrants from the world’s troublespots. 85,000 Illegal Immigrants Flood In from France >>> By Nick Fagge in Calais | September 1, 2008

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

Briton 'Admitted Sex on Dubai Beach - Then Denied It'
THE INDEPENDENT: A British man facing jail for having sex on a Dubai beach admitted the offence before later changing his account, prosecutors said today.

Tourist Vince Acors, 34, from Bromley, south east London, initially told police he had full intercourse with fellow Briton Michelle Palmer, 36.

But he later deviated from his first statement and denied the crime, senior prosecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said.

Publishing executive Miss Palmer, from Oakham, Leicestershire, and Mr Acors were seen on a beach near the luxury Burj Al Arab hotel in the early hours of 5 July.

Mr Ahli, of the Dubai Public Prosecution, said he was confident of proving the pair had sex.

"We have a very strong case," he said today.

"We have DNA, medical reports and eyewitnesses. We also have his (Mr Acors) first statement, in which he admitted having sex with Michelle Palmer. He later denied this."

Miss Palmer and Mr Acors, who are both on bail in Dubai, deny charges of public indecency and having unmarried sex but admit consuming alcohol.

They are due to appear before Dubai's Court of First Instance tomorrow. Briton 'Admitted Sex on Dubai Beach - Then Denied It' >>> PA | September 1, 2008

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This Confrontation Is a Calamity for the Capital, Says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
THE INDEPENDENT: We could call it the "Bonfire of the Vanities", but that literary cliché feels glib for what is happening in the Metropolitan Police today. Two responsible, mature men, holding the most critical jobs in the capital, upon whose judgements and actions millions depend, bust up in public. We are witnessing scenes more poisonous than the McCartney/Mills divorce as the men get sucked up in a vortex of fury.

This confrontation is calamitous for Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur (a fellow Ugandan Asian) and for the Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, who both endeavoured to transform and modernise the Met. Ghaffur is now receiving death threats, some from insiders he fears. The Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson orders him to "shut up" as if he is some coolie punkhawallah.

The fallout shatters the hopes of many of us who want to believe that inspirational leaders can make workplaces and institutions truly equal for all. However, the most catastrophic consequence is still to come. The collapse of trust between the two will cause fresh and wider fractures. This Confrontation Is a Calamity for the Capital >>> By Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

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