Sharia-UK: Brits Head Toward Islamic Law
NEW YORK POST: 'IS Britain heading straight for dis aster?" George Bernard Shaw once began a BBC radio talk. "That is a question I can easily answer. Britain is not heading straight for anything." The reply works for the question: "Is Britain heading straight for sharia law?" It's heading that way - but by a winding path.

News reports this week have given a much stronger impression. They allege that sharia got a legal OK from the government and is already being enforced. A Muslim college in the English Midlands supposedly runs a sharia court that has so far decided more than 100 civil disputes.

In fact, that "court" made its rulings legally binding by a clever dodge: being accepted as a "voluntary arbitration tribunal."
Under British law, any two people can agree to take their dispute to such a tribunal rather than to court; the tribunal's decision is then binding on them. It can even be enforced by the official courts and the police.

Faisal Aqtab Siddiqi, a commercial-law barrister, had the bright idea of establishing a sharia court as the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal. He acknowledges that it so far only handles civil cases such as divorces and inheritance disputes, since British society isn't ready for such innovations as public floggings and hand-choppings. But these are early days. Sharia-UK: Brits Head Toward Islamic Law >>> By John O’Sullivan*

*John O'Sullivan is a Hudson Institute senior fellow and a former Post editorial-page editor.

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Lib Dems ‘Headed for Government’
Watch BBC video: Clegg outlines his party's economic plans >>>
BBC: Nick Clegg has said the Lib Dems are on the way to power in his first conference speech as party leader.

"I can't tell you every step on the road... but I can tell you where we're headed - government," he said in a rallying cry in Bournemouth.

He said they were the only party with "big, bold ideas" for the country.

He also hailed his new tax package and mounted a strong attack on rival parties, branding New Labour "finished" and the Tories "arrogant".

The 38-minute speech was warmly received by delegates who gave him a four minute standing ovation.

Much of it was devoted to explaining his new tax-cutting strategy, which the party conference backed this week despite opposition from some grassroots members.

Social justice

He distanced himself from what he said was the Conservative idea of tax cuts, telling delegates: "The very wealthy, the super-rich - should be paying more not less. Lib Dems ‘Headed for Government’ >>> | Septermber 17, 2008

BBC:
Nick Clegg’s Speech in Full >>>

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US Embassy Blast: 10 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Yemen
THE TELEGRAPH: Islamist militants attacked the heavily-guarded US embassy in Yemen with a car bomb and rockets, killing at least ten people.

The car exploded some distance from the embassy in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, at a checkpoint manned by security personnel, before gunmen in another car started firing.

The attackers wore police uniforms to try to get through the embassy's perimeter security during a morning shift change.

Four civilians and six members of the police died in the attack, a spokesman for the Yemeni security forces said. The six attackers - one wearing an explosives belt, also died. There were no casualties among US diplomatic staff.

Trevor Mason, a British eye-witness who lives in an apartment block close to the US embassy compound, said the attack began around 8.30 am local time.

"We heard the sounds of a heavy gun battle going on,'' he said.

"I looked out my window, and we saw the first explosion going off -- a massive fireball very close to the US embassy.

"The gun battle went on for a further 10 to 15 minutes, followed by two further loud explosions.

"The situation is quiet now but obviously very tense.''

A militant group calling itself the Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. US Embassy Blast: 10 Die in Car Bomb Attack in Yemen >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent | September 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Yemen US Embassy Attack Blamed on al-Qaeda: Ten people were killed in a suicide attack on the US embassy in Yemen in a co-ordinated strike bearing the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. >>> By Tim Butcher, Middle East Correspondent | September 17, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
New Breed of Taliban Replaces Old Guard: Money and a hatred of foreigners are motivating a new generation of Afghan fighters >>> By Alex Thomson | September 17, 2008

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Muslim MP Calls for Religious Equality Law
THE INDEPENDENT: A minister has called for the Government to introduce a new religious discrimination law which would require public bodies to have a legal duty to promote equality between faiths, to reassure Britain's Muslims that they are not second-class citizens.

Sadiq Khan, a government whip, wants a forthcoming Single Equality Bill aimed at stamping out discrimination on grounds of sex, race, gender and disability to include religion. He also calls for "Islamophobia in the workplace" to be tackled.

Under his proposal, public bodies would have to be proactive in tackling religious discrimination. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, chaired by Trevor Phillips, would issue guidance and codes of practice. "This would not apply exclusively to British Muslims, but it would make a significant difference to the experience of members of this community who, because of socio-economic status, are particularly reliant on public services," Mr Khan says.

The Tooting MP, one of four Muslim Labour MPs, makes his controversial call in a Fabian Society pamphlet, Fairness not Favours, published today. He says a proactive approach to prevent religious discrimination would balance "harder edged" measures such as "clampdowns" on immigration and security and undercut attempts by Muslim extremists to exploit social disadvantage. Muslim MP Calls for Religious Equality Law >>> By Andrew Grice, Political Editor | September 16, 2008

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Muslim Eyes Are on Downing Street
THE SUN: A HATE fanatic has boasted that Muslims will one day conquer Britain — by having more BABIES.

Speaking at a rally marking 9/11, Anjem Choudary bragged that a birth explosion would let followers of Islam take control of the country.

Undercover Sun investigators secretly recorded Choudary telling a young and impressionable audience that they would eventually rule under strict Sharia law.

And our team listened in chilled silence as he predicted: “Islam is superior and will never be surpassed. The flag of Islam will rise over Downing Street.”

Lawyer Choudary also said it would be easy for vast numbers of Muslims to declare Jihad, or holy war, against Britain — and that every one of them could become “a time bomb waiting to go off”.

The Sun team watched vile Choudary, the right-hand man of exiled preacher of hate Omar Bakri, ranting to 100 young Muslims at a meeting in East London.

The mob bayed and cheered as he said: “About 500 people in Britain become Muslim every day.

“The Home Office say there are 1.5million Muslims but there were 1.5million ten years ago. Since then our brothers in Bethnal Green, Whitechapel and other places have had eight or nine children each. Eight children here, ten children, 15 children. There must be at least six million people.

“It may be by pure conversion that Britain will become an Islamic state. We may never need to conquer it from the outside.” We Need More Muslim Babies … Then We Can Take Over Britain >>> By Anthony France and Vince Soodin | September 13, 2008

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Democrats Gettin’ ‘Kinda’ Jittery as ‘Palin Effect’ Bites
Photo of Sarah Palin courtesy of the New York Times
THE TELEGRAPH: Nervous Democrats are organising an unprecedented wave of advertisements attacking Senator John McCain.

The Republican presidential candidate has maintained his improved performance in the polls since picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Alarmed that Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, may be slipping irreversibly behind with seven weeks to go, a raft of groups plan to flood swing states with adverts, emails and mailshots.

MoveOn, a liberal group that started during the Bill Clinton impeachment hearings, said it will double its advertising budget to £3.5 million between now and polling day on Nov 4.

Its executive director Eli Pariser said its membership has been fired up by the introduction of Mrs Palin, a pro-hunting, anti-abortion arch conservative. John McCain Faces Barrage of Attack Ads from Barack Obama-Supporting Democrats >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | September 16, 2008

AOL:
Straw poll predicts 60% for McCain and 40% for Obama >>>

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Russland rüstet kräftig auf
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Krieg im Kaukasus, die angebliche Bedrohung durch das US-Raketenabwehrsystem, die Nato-Ambitionen der Nachbarstaaten - Russland setzt auf Aufrüstung, "um die Sicherheit des Landes zu verbessern". Ministerpräsident Putin kündigt eine Steigerung des Verteidigungsetats um mehr als ein Viertel an.

Moskau - Moskau steckt weitere Milliarden ins Militär. Nach Angaben von Regierungschef Wladimir Putin wird Russland seine Verteidigungsausgaben im kommenden Jahr um mehr als ein Viertel erhöhen. Der Etat stiege damit auf umgerechnet 66 Milliarden Euro.

Es sei eine der wichtigsten Aufgaben der Regierung, die Streitkräfte zu stärken und die Sicherheit des Landes zu verbessern, sagte Putin der russischen Nachrichtenagentur Interfax zufolge am Dienstag in Moskau. Geplant sei ein Anstieg der Ausgaben um 27 Prozent auf 2,4 Billionen Rubel. Milliarden fürs Militär: Russland rüstet kräftig auf >>> phw/Reuters/dpa | 16. September 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Russia Ratchets Up Tensions with Arms Sales to Iran and Venezuela: Russia snubbed its nose at the United States today by announcing plans to sell military equipment to both Iran and Venezuela.

The head of the state arms exporter said that Russia was negotiating to sell new anti-aircraft systems to Iran despite American objections.

"Contacts between our countries are continuing and we do not see any reason to suspend them," Anatoly Isaikin, general director of Rosoboronexport, told Ria-Novosti at an arms fair in South Africa.

Reports have circulated for some time that Russia is preparing to sell its S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran, offering greater protection against a possible US or Israeli attack on the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities. The missiles have a range of more than 150 kilometres and can intercept jets approaching at low altitudes. >>> By Tony Halpin in Moscow | September 18, 2008

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The Netherlands: Budget Does Not Acknowledge Real Problems
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
NRC HANDELSBLAD: The national budget for next year holds no surprises. This government still refuses to acknowledge the fears of a vast growing majority of Dutch people that believes Islam is the greatest threat to our national identity. Staggering amounts of immigrants are entering our country, while almost 60 percent of Dutch people consider mass immigration to be the biggest mistake since the Second World War, a history monitor by the Historisch Nieuwsblad revealed. The budget for 2009 shows that the financial burden of the government’s mass immigration policy is astronomical and puts a huge strain on Dutch society.

The Dutch pay extremely high taxes and, as the budget presented today shows, the government will continue to spend an insane amount of taxpayer’s money on foreign development, futile efforts to curb climate change, and keeping its dream of a multicultural society alive.

Minimum sentences

In the mean time, elderly people in nursing homes are forced to remain in their pyjamas all day and to wear diapers because there aren’t enough caretakers to help them get dressed or go to the toilet. The Netherlands was once renowned for its excellent healthcare system, but the quality of healthcare is rapidly deteriorating. And although the traffic congestion on many motorways is so severe that it takes commuters hours to get to work, no new roads are being constructed.

Crime rates amongst second and third generation immigrants are unnervingly high. Because of mild punishment most of them will never see the inside of a prison cell but will do a few hours of community service at most. To counter this, we must establish minimum sentences to which judges are legally bound. Budget Does Not Acknowledge Real Problems >>> By Geert Wilders | September 16, 2008

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Full Movie (circa 2hrs 55mins): The Message: الرسالة

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Obsession Video Angers South Florida Muslims
McCLATCHY: A controversial DVD distributed to millions of Americans during the past week through direct mail and newspapers, including The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, has angered many Muslims in South Florida.

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West was packaged as an advertising insert in 70 newspapers, including The Sun Sentinel and The Palm Beach Post. The Clarion Fund, a nonprofit organization that promotes ''national security through education,'' sent the hour long preview of the documentary to 28 million households, many in election swing states such as Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Readers of The St. Petersburg Times, The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville and The News-Press of Fort Myers also received the DVDs. 'Radical Islam' Video Angers South Florida Muslims >>> By Jaweed Kaleem, Miami Herald | September 16, 2008

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Napoleon Bonaparte and Islam*. Many Allege that He Converted to Islam. But Did He Really?
CENTER FOR HISTORY AND NEW MEDIA: Bonaparte’s secretary describes the religious practices, attitudes, and views of Bonaparte with regard to Islam. Accepting that the general curried favor with Muslims, he also hoped to deflect criticism of Bonaparte, claiming that what he did was good governance rather than bad Christianity, as his critics maintained.

It has been alleged that Bonaparte, when in Egypt, took part in the religious ceremonies and worship of the Mussulmans; but it cannot be said that he celebrated the festivals of the overflowing of the Nile and the anniversary of the Prophet. The Turks invited him to these merely as a spectator; and the presence of their new master was gratifying to the people. But he never committed the folly of ordering any solemnity. He neither learned nor repeated any prayer of the Koran, as many persons have asserted; neither did he advocate fatalism polygamy, or any other doctrine of the Koran. Bonaparte employed himself better than in discussing with the Imans the theology of the children of Ismael. The ceremonies, at which policy induced him to be present, were to him, and to all who accompanied him, mere matters of curiosity. He never set foot in a mosque; and only on one occasion, which I shall hereafter mention, dressed himself in the Mahometan costume. He attended the festivals to which the green turbans invited him. His religious tolerance was the natural consequence of his philosophic spirit. Bonaparte and Islam* >>>

*Source: Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte by Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne edited by R.W. Phipps. Vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1889) p. 168-169.

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Troubling Trends: Latinos Embracing Islam

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Les islamistes indiens sèment la mort à New Delhi
Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: Cinq explosions ont tué une trentaine de personnes dans la capitale indienne.

C'était un samedi comme les autres. La capitale indienne, mégalopole de 14 millions d'habitants, vaquait à ses multiples occupations. Delhi est une ruche qui ne s'arrête jamais. En cette période de ramadan, il y avait en plus quelque chose de festif dans l'air. Comme à Karol Bagh, quartier populaire et très commerçant, où a éclaté la première bombe, sur le coup de 18 h 15. Quatre autres explosions ont suivi, dans un intervalle de quarante-cinq minutes environ. Dimanche encore, le bilan oscillait, selon les sources, entre 21 et 30 morts. Plus de cent personnes ont été blessées.

Du nord au sud de la capitale, ce sont des symboles d'une Inde en plein boom économique qui ont été visés : Barakhamba Road, un quartier d'affaires, où les tours de verre et d'acier abritent des banques et des bureaux ; Central Park, situé au milieu de la majestueuse Connaught Place, qui abrite sous ses arcades commerces et restaurants, des plus prestigieux aux petits étals des rues ; Greater Kailash, où la bourgeoisie de Delhi vient se fournir notamment en tissus d'ameublement et en vêtements. Le quartier regorge aussi de restaurants et de discothèques. Enfin, trois autres bombes ont été désamorcées, dont l'une à proximité d'India Gate, un arc de triomphe, point de départ de l'imposante avenue Raj Path, où se déroulent toutes les parades militaires. Les islamistes indiens sèment la mort à New Delhi >>> De Marie-France Calle, correspondante du Figaro à New Delhi | 15..09.2008

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Niedecken und Schramma rufen zu Protest gegen Anti-Islam-Kongress auf Kölner Oberbürgermeister: «Zeigen Sie den Rechtspopulisten die kalte Schulter»
PR-INSIDE.COM: Köln (AP) Der Rocksänger Wolfgang Niedecken (BAP) und der Kölner Oberbürgermeister Fritz Schramma haben zum Widerstand gegen den für Freitag angekündigten Anti-Islamisierungs-Kongress in der Domstadt aufgerufen. Schramma appellierte in einer am Montag veröffentlichten Erklärung an die Kölner: «Zeigen Sie den Rechtspopulisten die kalte Schulter.» Niedecken und Schramma rufen zu Protest gegen Anti-Islam-Kongress auf Kölner Oberbürgermeister: «Zeigen Sie den Rechtspopulisten die kalte Schulter» >>> AP | September 15, 2008

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Italy’s Right to Curb Islam with Mosque Law
"[Mosques] are often places of cultural indoctrination, sometimes linked to international terrorism." - Gibelli

REUTERS: ROME - Italy's Northern League, allies of centre-right Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, want to limit the growth of Islam in the centre of world Catholicism by blocking the construction of mosques through strict new regulations.

Muslim immigrants using Italy as a route into Europe already get a foretaste of the mistrust with which many Europeans view their religion, with many projects for mosques and prayer halls already blocked by the opposition of local Italian residents.

But if the anti-immigrant Northern League pushes its bill through parliament -- where Berlusconi's coalition has a strong majority -- Italy will soon have a new law effectively blocking the construction of new mosques in much of the country.

Fearing the advent of "Eurabia", the League has used its control of Berlusconi's interior ministry since helping him to power to push through tough new laws against illegal immigrants.

It has now turned its attention to the newcomers' religion, emboldened by polls showing many Italians mistrust Muslims and a third do not want a mosque in their neighbourhood.

The Northern League has "made life difficult for the Islamic component (of immigrants in Italy) in every sense and especially with regards to places of worship", the president of the Islamic Cultural Istitute of Milan, Abdel Hamid Sha'ari, told Reuters.

Not just recent or illegal immigrants feel unwelcome, but also established Muslim residents like Jihad Amro, who said: "I have paid taxes for 17 years but I still don't feel at home."

"There are still situations where I feel uncomfortable or strange because they (Italians) don't see me as someone who is integrated," Amro, a Palestinian, told Reuters TV in Rome.

The League's anti-Muslim protests have often made headlines, such as when Roberto Calderoli, now a cabinet minister, walked his pet pig on a proposed mosque site to defile the soil or wore a T-shirt of the Prophet Mohammad, triggering riots in Libya.

The League runs many town halls in the prosperous north, the homeland it calls "Padania" which is also home to a majority of Italy's immigrants and of its more than 1 million Muslims.

Estimating that permission for a new mosque or prayer hall is granted somewhere in the country every four days, Northern League parliamentarian Andrea Gibelli told Reuters: "I consider this to be an unfettered colonisation of our culture." FEATURE: Italy’s Right to Curb Islam with Mosque Law >>> By Stephen Brown (Additional reporting by Eleanor Biles and Cristiano Corvino, editing by Mark Trevelyan) | September 16, 2008

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Iran Parliament Votes In Favor Of Death Penalty for Former Muslims
BOS NEWS LIFE: TEHRAN, IRAN -- Iran's parliament has accepted a law proposal stipulating the death penalty for "apostasy", adding to concerns about jailed Christians from Muslim backgrounds, rights watchers said Thursday, September 11.

The controversial proposal was approved by 196 votes for, seven against, and two abstentions, according to details released after the vote.

"The progress of this bill through the Iranian Parliament is a cause of grave concern for increasing numbers of Iranians who have left Islam for another religion," said the Britain-based influential religious rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). "It is a significant backwards step for human rights in Iran."

Last week, two Christians from Muslim backgrounds, 53-year-old Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad and 40-year-old Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat, were charged with apostasy at the Public and Revolutionary Court in the town of Shiraz. Prosecutors have already demanded the death penalty for the two men, who have been in detention since May 15, 2008, CSW said earlier. Iran Parliament Votes In Favor Of Death Penalty For Former Muslims: Jailed Christians Face Execution, Rights Watchers Say >>> By BosNewsLife News Center | September 11, 2008

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Fatwas Galore! Now Mickey Mouse Faces Death!
You couldn't make this stuff up! One would have to have a screw loose to say such things! - ©Mark

DAILY EXPRESS: Mickey Mouse is a soldier of satan and must die, says a Muslim cleric.

Tom and Jerry have also incurred the wrath of Sheikh Muhammad Munajid who fears they are corrupting Islamic youth.

The Saudi Arabian cleric also recently denounced the Beijing Games as the “bikini Olympics” because of the female athletes’ skimpy costumes which, he said, made Satan happy.

His fatwa – an Islamic ruling which can carry a death sentence – against the cartoon characters was made in a religious affairs programme on an Arab television network.

Asked about Islam’s teaching on mice, Mr Munajid, a former diplomat at the Saudi embassy in Washington, said that both household mice – and their cartoon counterparts – have to be killed. Mickey Mouse Facing Fatwa >>> | September 16, 2008

YNETNEWS:
A Fatwa against Mickey Mouse: Saudi sheikh slams Disney icon as 'a soldier of Satan,' says 'impure corrupter' must be killed according to Islamic law >>> YNET | September 16, 2008

FOX NEWS:
Report: Saudi Cleric Says Mickey Mouse 'Must Die': He may have survived the battle with the brooms in “Fantasia,” but now Mickey Mouse has to contend with Islam.

Calling the loveable Disney rodent “one of Satan’s soldiers,” Sheikh Muhammad Munajid said household mice and their animated counterparts must be rubbed out, the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases." >>> | September 16, 2008

ISRAEL TODAY:
Muslims: We Must Kill Mickey Mouse >>> | September 16, 2008

STRAITS TIMES:
Death for TV ‘Sorcerers’: RIYADH - A SENIOR Saudi cleric has said purveyors of horoscopes on Arab television should face the death penalty, a paper said on Sunday, days after another cleric urged the same fate for channel owners who broadcast 'indecent' shows.

'Sorcerers who appear on satellite channels who are proven to be sorcerers have committed a great crime ... and the Muslim consensus is that the apostate's punishment is death by the sword,' Sheikh Saleh al-Fozan told al-Madina daily.

'Those who call in to these shows should not be accorded Muslim rites when they die,' the prominent cleric added.

Many of the hundreds of Arab satellite channels that have sprung up in recent years specialise in horoscopes and other advice to callers on solving problems that is seen by some religious authorities as 'sorcery'. >>> | September 15, 2008

NINEMSN:
Mickey Mouse: He’s the Agent of Satan, Didn’t You Know? >>> By ninemsn staff | September 16, 2008

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More Evidence of the Dawning Dark Age: Sharia Courts Have Come to Britain. It’s Official!
…if this continues Britain will break up as a unitary state governed by one law for all. Sharia law should be stopped, not condoned or encouraged. No other minority in Britain either wants or is permitted to live under an alternative legal system. This is the way a society fractures -- and then goes under. - Melanie Phillips

THE SUNDAY TIMES: ISLAMIC law has been officially adopted in Britain, with sharia courts given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases.

The government has quietly sanctioned the powers for sharia judges to rule on cases ranging from divorce and financial disputes to those involving domestic violence.

Rulings issued by a network of five sharia courts are enforceable with the full power of the judicial system, through the county courts or High Court.

Previously, the rulings of sharia courts in Britain could not be enforced, and depended on voluntary compliance among Muslims.

It has now emerged that sharia courts with these powers have been set up in London, Birmingham, Bradford and Manchester with the network’s headquarters in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Two more courts are being planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, whose Muslim Arbitration Tribunal runs the courts, said he had taken advantage of a clause in the Arbitration Act 1996.

Under the act, the sharia courts are classified as arbitration tribunals. The rulings of arbitration tribunals are binding in law, provided that both parties in the dispute agree to give it the power to rule on their case.

Siddiqi said: “We realised that under the Arbitration Act we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals. This method is called alternative dispute resolution, which for Muslims is what the sharia courts are.”

The disclosure that Muslim courts have legal powers in Britain comes seven months after Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was pilloried for suggesting that the establishment of sharia in the future “seems unavoidable” in Britain.

In July, the head of the judiciary, the lord chief justice, Lord Phillips, further stoked controversy when he said that sharia could be used to settle marital and financial disputes. Revealed: UK’s First Official Sharia Courts >>> By Abul Taher | September 14, 2008

PUBLIC SERVICE:
Sharia Law Is Now Legally Binding: It’s been described by one commentator as an example of Great Britain ‘surrendering’ itself and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was criticised for saying it will happen, but whatever the reaction, Islamic law now officially operates in the UK.

Whereas before rulings by sharia courts in Britain could only be enforced if all parties in a Muslim civil case agreed to abide by them, now what the courts say will be legally binding, backed by county courts or the High Court.

The five sharia courts are Birmingham, Bradford, London and Manchester with others planned for Glasgow and Edinburgh. They will be run by the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal whose Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi said: "We realised that under the Arbitration Act [1996] we can make rulings which can be enforced by county and high courts. The act allows disputes to be resolved using alternatives like tribunals." >>> | September 15, 2008

Hat tip: Jihad Watch

THE SPECTATOR:
No Longer One Law for All >>> | September 16, 2008

THE BRUSSELS JOURNAL:
From Magna Carta to Sharia Law – Britain’s Decline >>> By A Millar | September 15, 2008

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Palin Has Got the Muslims Worried: “Palin's Frightening Pentecostalism”
ISLAMONLINE: While the millions of Muslims in America are observing the month of Ramadan and concentrating on gaining as many blessings as possible in this noble month, we would be deaf, dumb, and blind not to be caught up in election fever. Every media outlet is giving non-stop coverage to the contest between the Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and Vice-Presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden and the Republican candidate John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Given the unpopularity of President George W. Bush and the Democratic leads in polls, most observers have assumed it to be a foregone conclusion that the Democratic candidate would win this November. Up until a few weeks ago that was a pretty safe bet. However, just as the Obama campaign began to loose steam (largely due to failing to play hardball politics with a hard-nosed GOP, many voters reluctance to vote for an African-American, and questions about Obama's background), McCain pulled a rabbit out of the hat by choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

There are three main factors that led to McCain choosing this unknown governor of a remote state; gender, culture, and religion. Gender because millions of white women in America who supported Hillary Clinton in her nomination fight with Obama are still angry that Clinton did not win but were not favorable towards McCain. Culture because Palin can reach out to and identify with rural, small town, and voters in deep suburbia like McCain and Obama cannot, due to her small town roots. Religion because Palin was raised Pentecostal and remains an evangelical Christian and these voters make up the base of the Republican Party but had been lukewarm to McCain. Now they are fired up and energized by the choice of Palin.

From a political standpoint I believe McCain made an excellent decision in choosing Palin and that she can help him win this close election (or at least come close). However, as an American and as a Muslim, I am frightened at the choice of Palin. Palin's Frightening Pentecostalism >>> By About Umar Lee

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Who Are the British Creationists?
BBC: Widely believed in the United States, creationism - the belief that God created the earth and man in six days - is enjoying a resurgence of support in the UK, say its believers and its critics.

At first glance the Genesis Expo museum, in the naval town of Portsmouth, looks like any other repository of natural history exhibits: fossils of dinosaurs and unusual rock formations.

But focus on the narrative of the information panels alongside them, and you start to realise this is a museum with a difference - one dedicated to the theory of creationism.

The revelation that US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin says creationism should be taught in schools, alongside that of evolutionary theory, has raised few eyebrows in the US. An estimated 47% of Americans reject outright Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, accepting instead the Bible's account of the creation of the universe - as laid out in the first chapter of Genesis.

But in Britain, where a portrait of Darwin appears on the back of the £10 note, his theory of life evolving from primitive to complex structures by means of natural selection appears to be unchallenged orthodoxy.

Not so, say those on both sides of the creationist divide - a point amply proved by the existence of the Genesis Expo museum, to date Britain's only creationist museum. The museum is the work of Britain's oldest creationist group, the Creation Science Movement, which has built Genesis Expo to visibly challenge the theory of evolution .

In its walk-through display, fossils in glass cases purport to show that ancient animals - including man - did not evolve from lower creatures but were instead divinely created "after their kind" (Genesis Chapter 1, verse 21).

A picture of a landslide-causing volcano is used to counter the scientific understanding that rock strata took millions of years to build up.

And throughout the display are scattered examples of "intelligent design" - complex creatures that "could not have evolved" as the result of natural selection. Who Are the British Creationists? >>> By Julian Joyce, BBC News | September 15, 2008

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Where Do You Think This Is? Saudi Arabia? Oman? Wrong! Boston, Massachusetts, USA!
Watch video: Islam in Boston >>>
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Mordechai Kedar*: The Myth of al-Aqsa
YNET NEWS: Holiness of Jerusalem to Islam has always been politically motivated

When the Prophet Mohammad established Islam, he introduced a minimum of innovations. He employed the hallowed personages, historic legends and sacred sites of Judaism and Christianity, and even paganism, by Islamizing them. Thus, according to Islam, Abraham was the first Muslim and Jesus and St. John (the sons of Miriam, sister of Moses and Aron) were prophets and guardians of the second heaven. Many Biblical legends ("asatir al-awwalin",) which were familiar to the pagan Arabs before the dawn of Islam, underwent an Islamic conversion, and the Koran as well as the Hadith (the Islamic oral tradition), are replete with them.

Islamization was practiced on places as well as persons: Mecca and the holy stone - al-Ka'bah - were holy sites of the pre-Islamic pagan Arabs. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Great Mosque of Istanbul were erected on the sites of Christian-Byzantine churches - two of the better known examples of how Islam treats sanctuaries of other faiths.

Jerusalem, too, underwent the process of Islamization: at first Muhammad attempted to convince the Jews near Medina to join his young community, and, by way of persuasion, established the direction of prayer (kiblah) to be to the north, towards Jerusalem, in keeping with Jewish practice; but after he failed in this attempt he turned against the Jews, killed many of them, and directed the kiblah southward, towards Mecca.

Muhammad's abandonment of Jerusalem explains the fact that this city is not mentioned even once in the Koran. After Palestine was occupied by the Muslims, its capital was Ramlah, 30 miles to the west of Jerusalem, signifying that Jerusalem meant nothing to them. The Myth of al-Aqsa >>> By Mordechai Kedar* | September 15, 2008

* Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University’s [d]eptartment of Arabic

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American Raids inside Pakistan Could Provoke Terror Attacks in London, Says Top Official
THE TELEGRAPH: American missile attacks and unprecedented raids inside Pakistan could provoke terror attacks in London, Pakistan's high commissioner to the UK has warned.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan said the US bombings targeting Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects, secretly ordered by President George Bush, were making the streets of Britain "less safe".

Resentment was mounting, he warned, among the hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis in Britain, with community leaders calling for that anger to be "organised".

His remarks followed outrage in Pakistan over five attacks in the past 10 days, including a ground assault in the village of Angoor Adda in which 20 people were killed. US officials said they were all supporters of terrorism but Pakistan insists they were civilians, including women and children.

Mr Hasan said: "This will infuriate Muslims in this country and make the streets of London less safe. There are one million Pakistanis in the diaspora here and resentment is mounting. I'm being flooded by text messages from community leaders saying we must organise our anger.

"The Americans' trigger-happy actions will radicalise young Muslims. They're playing into the hands of the very militants we're supposed to be fighting." American Raids inside Pakistan Could Provoke Terror Attacks in London, Says Top Official >>> By Richard Edwards | September 14, 2008

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Christopher Howse: Criminal Sharia Judgements
THE TELEGRAPH: CHRISTOPHER HOWSE BLOG: We knew that sharia courts were operating in Britain even before Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave the lecture in February which caused such a stir.



It was said that these courts arbitrated on marriages, as Jewish courts or Catholic marriage tribunals do. Everything was to be done with the consent of both parties.



Now we learn that sharia judges have awarded inheritance to male heirs in a proportion double to that of female heirs.



More surprisingly, it seems that sharia courts are giving judgment in criminal cases. In six cases of domestic violence, according to Sheikh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi, of the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, judges ordered the husbands to take anger management classes and mentoring from community elders. There was no further punishment.



Can you imagine what kind of consent wives involved in such cases have given to the sharia court's jurisdiction?



Often, Muslim women marry in an Islamic ceremony without the ratification of a marriage in English law. This gives them no rights under the law of the land in the case of divorce. Nor would they have any claim to inherit under English law.



So we see the growth of sharia as a parallel jurisdiction to the law of the land, imposed on a sector of society that cannot resist it. Comment here >>> | September 14, 2008

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Tehran – A Tale of Two Cities?
BBC: The political mood in the bustling bazaars of the Iranian capital may be changing.

Iran's conservative non-reformist President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces re-election next year - and many of the country's senior figures are despairing of his record in power and looking for other potential candidates.

For Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent, Hugh Sykes went to Tehran to gauge the feeling on the streets.

In the city's crowded bread shops and vegetable markets, he found many people wanting change: Watch BBC video >>>

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The Milky Bar Kid Speaks…
Watch BBC video: David Miliband insists he does not want a leadership challenge >>>
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Mohammed Teddy Row Sparked Islam Murder Plot
DAILY RECORD: TERROR suspects tried to kill a British diplomat in revenge for a teacher letting kids name a teddy Mohammed, it was revealed yesterday.

The unnamed diplomat escaped unhurt when he disappeared into a crowd on the day the five men were to execute their plot in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Mohammed Teddy Row Sparked Islam Murder Plot >>> | September 13, 2008

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Marriage Officials to Be Punished if Bride Consent Not Sought
ARAB NEWS: RIYADH: Saudi society has been recently exposed to a number of marriages that involve elderly men as old as 60 marrying young girls as young as eight. The marriages shocked many people who objected to such marriages, saying that there is no equality in this type of marriage and that there should be a strong law against such marriages. The question that was raised was how have marriage officials approved such marriages in the first place.

Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Belaihi, a member of the faculty at Imam Saud University, has described the practice of marrying young girls to elderly men "a crime against young girls."

A Saudi girl, 16, was admitted to the hospital after trying to end her life when she was forced by her father to marry a 75-year-old man. The girl was a part of an exchange deal between two fathers involving their two daughters. The girl had appealed to officials to block the marriage and bring to an end her father's attempts to marry her off without her consent.

Al-Belaihi agrees totally with the Ministry of Justice's new regulations, which include imposing disciplinary punishment against marriage officials who marry girls without their consent. Al-Belaihi believes that there should a legal liability on the wali - the legal guardian. Marriage Officials to Be Punished if Bride Consent Not Sought >>> By Walaa Hawari | September 13, 2008

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Orthodox Christianity under Threat
It was on the island of Halki that the Halki seminary was established on October 1, 1844. It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople; but it was closed by the Turkish authorities in 1971. Photo courtesy of HalkiVisitor.com
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and his Islamic-rooted party came under fierce fire this summer from secularists, who came close to persuading the country's supreme court to bar both from politics, he called the campaign an attack against religious freedom and a threat to Turkey's efforts to join the European Union.

Yet in nearly six years in power, Erdogan has shown no inclination to extend even a modicum of religious freedom to the most revered Christian institution in Turkey - the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the spiritual center of 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world. As a result, Turkey's persecution of the Patriarchate looms as a major obstacle to its European aspirations, and rightly so.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate, which was established in the fourth century and once possessed holdings as vast as those of the Vatican, has been reduced to a small, besieged enclave in a decaying corner of Istanbul called the Phanar, or Lighthouse. Almost all of its property has been seized by successive Turkish governments, its schools have been closed and its prelates are taunted by extremists who demonstrate almost daily outside the Patriarchate, calling for its ouster from Turkey.

The ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew I, is often jeered and threatened when he ventures outside his walled enclave. He is periodically burned in effigy by Turkish chauvinists and Muslim fanatics. Government bureaucrats take pleasure in harassing him, summoning him to their offices to question and berate him about irrelevant issues, blocking his efforts to make repairs in the few buildings still under his control, and issuing veiled threats about what he says and does when he travels abroad.

Successive Turkish governments have followed policies that deliberately belittle the patriarch, refusing to recognize his ecumenical status as the spiritual leader of a major religious faith but viewing him only as the head of the small Greek Orthodox community of Istanbul. Orthodox Christianity under Threat >>> By Nicholas Gage | September 8, 2008

The Holy Theological School of Halki >>>

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Ayaan Hirsi Ali Emerges to Accept Award
ASSOCIATED PRESS: CLEVELAND — Best-selling author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a prominent critic of Islam, said it's difficult living in isolation because of death threats from Muslims offended by her work.

The Somali-born Hirsi Ali made a surprise appearance at the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards ceremony Thursday to accept an award for her book "Infidel: My Life."

Security was tight, and she left with armed guards.

Hirsi Ali, a 38-year-old former Dutch lawmaker, lives under protection in Washington.

"Yes, it is a lonely journey," she said later in an interview with The Plain Dealer. "But you overcome it. If you get to the plateau where you no longer have to survive and can start living again — meet people, exchange stories — a bit of that loneliness is relieved. And you appreciate life even more." Writer Hirsi Ali Emerges to Accept Award >>> | September 12, 2008

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Paul McCartney: Islamic Terror Target
SUNDAY EXPRESS: SIR Paul McCartney has been threatened that he will be the target of suicide bombers unless he abandons plans to play his first concert in Israel.

Self-styled preacher of hate Omar Bakri claimed the former Beatle’s decision to take part in the Jewish state’s 60th anniversary celebrations had made him an enemy of all Muslims.



Sources said Sir Paul was shocked but refused to be intimidated.

In an interview with Israeli media yesterday he said: “I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here. I refused. I do what I think and I have many friends who support Israel.” Sir Paul: Terror Target >>> By Dennis Rice | September 14, 2008

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Pope Celebrates Huge Paris Mass
Watch BBC video: Thousands gather to hear the Pope's Paris mass >>>
BBC: Around 250,000 worshippers have turned out to hear Pope Benedict XVI celebrate an open-air mass in Paris.

Many people spent the night at the Invalides complex, south of the river Seine in the French capital, waiting to hear him speak.

It is the pontiff's first visit to France since his election in 2005.

Later, the Pope will fly to the pilgrimage site of Lourdes, where the faithful believe the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl 150 years ago.

France is a Roman Catholic country, but Sunday Mass attendance is now below 10% and strict laws separate church and state.

'Pagan' idols

The Pope told the crowds he was delighted to be in their country, before going on to condemn what he described as a modern-day plague in the passion for power, possessions and money.

"Has not our modern world created its own idols?" he said in his address.

"Has it not imitated, perhaps inadvertently, the pagans of antiquity, by diverting man from his true end, from the joy of living eternally with God," he asked.

He then added: "Have not money, the thirst for possessions, for power and even for knowledge, diverted man from his true destiny?" Pope Celebrates Huge Paris Mass >>> | September 13, 2008

BBC:
Pope Benedict XVI has celebrated an open-air mass in the French town of Lourdes, one of the most revered Roman Catholic shrines >>> | September 14, 2008

BBC:
Pope Benedict XVI has begun his first tour of France since taking office >>> | September 13, 2008

GALA.fr:
Le Pape s’habille en Prada. Sa Sainteté serait même une véritable icône… de mode!
La rumeur s'enrichit de détails. Non content d’avoir remercié l'habilleur de Jean-Paul II -bien trop sobre- et nommé un nouveau créateur -porté sur les bordures, les pompons et les chaussures rouges-, le Souverain Pontife aurait été aperçu portant des lunettes de soleil Gucci. Pour couronner le tout, Benoît XVI ne quitterait pas son iPod d’Apple gravé à son nom, et écouterait en boucle la programmation de Radio-Vatican et les cantates sacrées de Jean-Sébastien Bach…Amen? Les secrets de la garde-robe du Pape >>>

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Muslims Don’t Want to Integrate with Us. But Who Would Want to Integrate with Them?
It has been reported that the most senior judge in the ‘holy land’ of Saudi Arabia has called for the killing of owners of satellite TV channels which broadcast immoral programmes. This is savagery at its most brutal. It is merciless. It is without any semblance of compassion.

Our political leaders, especially the hapless George W Bush, have for years, since the heinous crime of 9/11, called Islam a ‘religion of peace’. It is to be hoped that you, dear reader, have already come to the opposite conclusion! Namely, that Islam is anything but a ‘religion of peace’,

Let’s make no mistake about this. The man who has said it is perfectly okay to kill these ownners of satellite TV is the most senior judge in Saudi Arabia. The most senior judge, no less!

Why are we in the West putting up with this nonsense?

Where are our highly-paid politicians that are there to protect us all from the menace of barbarism? For this is what this is: Barbarism, savagery, uncivilized behaviour.

We have allowed Muslims to immigrate into our once civilized countries en masse. We, the people, have not given you, the politicians, the right to allow this. After all, we haven’t been asked for our opinion. You feckless people have just taken it upon yourselves to allow this to happen. In so doing, you have ignored the first law of democracy: To consult the people!

Now we are confronted with the mass immigration of a people who are unwilling to integrate with us, and a people with whom most civilized people would not want to integrate with anyway! So where do you think this is all going to lead? I can see but one outcome: Civil war.

Islam is a pernicious ideology. It is not a religion as we in the West would normally categorize a religion. Islam recognizes no separation of religion and politics. It is one integrated whole. We, by contrast, have a democratic system which not only recognizes a separation of religion and politics, but that separation is the sine qua non of its existence.

Muslims of all hues, fundamentalist or so-called moderate (whatever that incarnation is), recognize no such separation. Our leaders have repeatedly refused to recognize this FACT, So what are we, the people, left with? A situation which is totally and utterly untenable! We are left with a people which does not wish to integrate with us and whose values we will not accept, whose values we consider backward, uncivilized, merciless, uncompassionate. What a dilemma!

This is all leading to no good place. On the contrary, it is leading to hell on earth!

Our politicians have been seen to be weak and ineffectual, lacking in courage for many a year; indeed, since 9/11. If the people continue to perceive this lack of courage, I predict that one of these fine days, they will take matters into their own hands. Civil war will ensue.

We the people do not want all these alien people here in our countries. Allowing people of different creeds, of differnet skin colours, of different culture into our countires is one thing; but allowing Muslims in with their inability to integrate and their unwillingness to do so, and their wanton desire to destroy our way of life, destroy our freedom of speech, destroy our freedom of thought, destroy our freedom of religion is something quite different. They are uncilivilized!

It is time that the people of the West stood up to resist this dilution of their culture; for surely, one day they will wake up and find that their culture and values will be no more, especially if things continue as they have been allowed to continue so long. Big business has needs, that is for sure. It needs cheap labour; but the people have needs to, and their grandchildren more especially; they need a future. They need a future that is free. They will not wish to be shackled by the strictures of Islam, a seventh century set of values, shackled to the thinking of a people wedded to the dark ages.

Gordon Brown is corpulent of physique and flabby of thought. George W Bush, who will soon no longer be president of the United States of America, is lightwieght of both physique and thought. Obama is also lightweight. As is David Cameron. Sarah Palin, Sarah Barracuda, or the ‘pitbull with lipstick’, is an unknown (though she shows some promise). There are few politicians in whom we can trust. What we need is courageous, strong, and determined politicians. Determined to ensure that our freedoms will not only be respected, but also be enshrined in our constitutions, before Islam takes them all away.

Let’s make no mistake about this: Islam is a force for evil, it is a force for no good. It respects no personal liberty; it respects no choice. It is the antithesis of everything we Westerners stand for. One thing is for sure: It doesn’t belong here in the West.

Muslims do not wish to integrate with us. It was clearly stated by Prophet Muhammad that they should not do so. But ask yourself this question: If the top judge of Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam, says it is okay to kill the owners of satellite TV stations who broadcast 'immoral programmes’, do we really want to integrate with them, do we really want to integrate with such barbarians?

©Mark Alexander

All Rights reserved

Our Friends, the Adherents of the ‘Religion of Peace’, Show Us Just How ‘Peaceful,’ Compassionate, and Merciful They Are!
BBC: The most senior judge in Saudi Arabia has said it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels which broadcast immoral programmes.

Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan said some "evil" entertainment programmes aired by the channels promoted debauchery.

Dozens of satellite television channels broadcast across the Middle East, where they are watched by millions of Arabs every day.

The judge made the comments on a state radio programme.
He was speaking in response to a listener who asked his opinion on the airing of programmes featuring scantily-dressed women during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"There is no doubt that these programmes are a great evil, and the owners of these channels are as guilty as those who watch them," said the sheikh.

"It is legitimate to kill those who call for corruption if their evil can not be stopped by other penalties." Saudi Judge Condemns 'Immoral TV' >>> | September 12, 2008

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Sarkozy ruft zum Dialog mit Religionen auf
«Wir stellen niemanden vor die anderen, aber wir stehen zu unseren christlichen Wurzeln» - Nicolas Sarkozy
NZZ Online: Der französische Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy hat zum Dialog des Staats mit den Religionen aufgerufen. Sich der Religion zu berauben, sei «eine Tollheit», sagte Sarkozy nach einem Treffen mit Papst Benedikt XVI. zum Auftakt seines viertägigen Frankreichbesuchs.

sda/dpa/afp) Zum Auftakt des viertägigen Papstbesuch in Frankreich hat Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy zum Dialog des Staats mit den Religionen aufgerufen. Benedikt XVI. wiederum warb dafür, das Verhältnis zwischen Kirche und Staat neu zu bewerten.

Er sei überzeugt, dass in einer Zeit, «in der die Kulturen sich immer mehr verflechten», über Sinn und Bedeutung der Trennung von Kirche und Staat neu nachgedacht werden müsse, sagte der Papst im Elysée-Palast in Paris. Einerseits sei es nötig, zwischen Politik und Religion zu unterscheiden; andererseits sei die Religion «unersetzlich» für die Gewissensbildung» und den «ehtischen Grundkonsenses innerhalb der Gesellschaft». Sarkozy ruft zum Dialog mit Religionen auf: Empfang von Papst Benedikt XVI. im Élysée >>> | 12. September 2008

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Father Zakaria Boutros: Jesus Christ Is God – Part 1

Part 2
Part 3
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Poutine : «Sarkozy joue
un grand rôle pour la paix»
LE FIGARO: Dans un entretien exclusif au Figaro à paraître samedi, le premier ministre russe estime notamment qu'après la crise géorgienne, «l'Ossétie du sud et l'Abkhazie sont maintenant des états souverains».

Vladimir Poutine accorde sa première grande interview à un média français depuis la fin de la crise géorgienne. Dans cet entretien exclusif au Figaro à paraître samedi, il revient notamment sur les accords conclus lundi à Moscou entre la Russie et l'Union européenne. «Nous considérons ces accords comme très importants. J'apprécie le grand rôle de pacification joué par Nicolas Sarkozy en tant que président de l'Union européenne. Nous respectons ces accords, mais il faut que nos partenaires européens les respectent de leur côté», prévient Vladimir Poutine. Poutine : «Sarkozy joue
un grand rôle pour la paix» >>> | 12.09.2008

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Turkey Walks a Tightrope Between Russia and the West
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Turkey was traditionally adept at maintaining good relations with both Russia and the West -- until the Georgian crisis came along. Now both sides are making demands on Turkey. Has the time come for Ankara to choose sides?

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, 62, is Russia's most flamboyant far-right politician and professes to be big friend of Turkey. "No one loves you the way I love you," the thick-set populist who speaks fluent Turkish, recently sang before a Turkish audience in Istanbul.

Zhirinovsky, a graduate of Oriental studies, visited Turkey for the first time in 1962 as a translator for the Soviet Union's State Committee for Exports. During his visit he was arrested for spreading "communist propaganda" and spent 17 days in jail. Later he wrote a pamphlet about his experiences and recommended that his country annex all Turkic countries because the Russian soldier "must clean his boots in the Indian Ocean."

Now Zhirinovsky's passion for the southern neighbor has been reignited once more. "Learn Russian, don't look to the West, look north," the troublemaker preaches during his regular visits to Turkey. "The EU doesn't want you, but we want you. We'll give you gas, you give us nuts!"

Russia is Turkey's Biggest Trading Partner

It's true that Turkey and Russia have moved closer to each other recently, and not just because of energy resources. Russia is the NATO member country's biggest trading partner. Turkey imports almost 70 percent of its gas requirements and 50 percent of its coal from Russia. On Turkey's riviera, in Antalya and Side, Russian tourists now outnumber Germans.

And whenever the Europeans criticize his government, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan grumbles that Turkey has an alternative and could align itself with another country. There's little doubt he's referring to Russia. Turkey Walks a Tightrope Between Russia and the West >>> By Daniel Steinvorth in Istanbul | September 12, 2008

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Papst: "Für viele ist Gott der große Unbekannte geworden"
DIE PRESSE: Papst Benedikt XVI. beklagt bei seinem Frankreich-Besuch die Gottlosigkeit in der modernen Welt. Kritiker warnen: "Der Laizismus in Frankreich ist in Gefahr".

Papst Benedikt XVI. hat die Gottlosigkeit in der modernen Welt beklagt. "Für viele ist Gott der große Unbekannte geworden", sagte der katholische Kirchenführer am Freitagabend vor etwa 700 Kulturschaffenden und Intellektuellen im Collège des Bernardins in Paris. 



"Eine rein positivistische Kultur, die die Frage nach Gott nur im persönlichen Bereich zulässt, wäre eine Kapitulation der Vernunft", erläuterte Benedikt. Die Suche nach Gott und die Bereitschaft, ihn zu hören, bleibe die Grundlage jeder wahren Kultur.

Es wäre fatal und würde unweigerlich den Fanatismus und die Willkür fördern, sollte die europäische Kultur heutzutage unter Freiheit das völlige Fehlen von Bindungen verstehen, warnte er zum Auftakt seines viertägigen Besuchs in Frankreich. Papst: "Für viele ist Gott der große Unbekannte geworden" >>> 12. September 2008

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Islam in Switzerland
SWITZERLAND.ISYOURS.COM: Switzerland, and Geneva in particular, is often associated with emirs and other sheiks who enjoy sumptuous palaces, stroll along the harbor in the shade of the fountain and buy out the luxury shops. True, these visitors from the Gulf do exist, and they are well-known and highly appreciated by our businesses, however the bulk of the Muslim population has little to do with them.

The second largest religion in Switzerland


In 1990, the Muslim population was 152,200, or 2.2% of the Switzerland’s resident population. A surprising development for those who know that in the early seventies, there were less than 20,000 Muslims living in Switzerland. Islam is now the second largest religion in Switzerland, after Christianity.

The Muslim community of Switzerland is comprised of several nationalities, within which there are different cultures, languages and ethno-cultural particularities. In 1990, the vast majority (4/5) of the Muslim community was represented by Turk nationals (65,000 people or 42.8%) and nationals of the former Yugoslavia (55,000 people or 30.4%). The Muslim community from North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) represented 4% of the overall community, while the Lebanese community represented 3.3%.

The Muslim population is spread out evenly across Switzerland, and mainly in big urban centers (73% of all Muslims). The largest number is found in the cantons of Zurich, Aargau, St Gallen and Bern. It is interesting to note that 76% of the Muslims are settled in German-speaking Switzerland, and 14% in French-speaking Switzerland, which corresponds closely to the resident population distribution. The Turk community is more concentrated in German-speaking Switzerland, while the bulk of the North African community lives in French-speaking Switzerland. Nationals of the former Yugoslavia are spread here and there throughout the country.

It can be affirmed that the number of Muslims is surely underestimated, since, during the 1990 census, 3.1% of foreigners (an exceptionally high proportion) did not answer the question on religious affiliation. As for more recent figures, we have to resort to estimates of the non-governmental agencies, such as, for example, the Islamic associations or organizations in Switzerland. According to these sources, the number of Muslims in Switzerland is currently estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 people (from 2.8 to 3.5% of the resident population). Islam in Switzerland >>>

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The Prickly Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez at his prickly best! Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A series of tit-for-tat expulsions has left the US without ambassadors in three Latin American countries.

Bolivia and Venezuela have expelled their US envoys, accusing Washington of trying to oust Bolivia's government.

Washington has responded by throwing out envoys from Bolivia and Venezuela and freezing the assets of three aides to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Meanwhile, Honduras has refused the credentials of a new US ambassador, postponing his appointment.

US officials said the actions of Venezuela and Bolivia showed their leaders' "weakness and desperation".

The BBC's Emilio San Pedro said relations between the US and Latin American opponents such as Mr Chavez had seemed to be on a holding pattern.

But the situation has changed in a matter of days, he says.

This week's arrival in Venezuela of two Russian bomber planes taking part in a military exercise is not thought to have helped the situation.

And with more joint military exercises in the pipeline, our correspondent says it could take a while for tensions to subside. Expulsions Stoke US-LatAm Dispute >>> | September 12, 2008

NZZ Online:
Auch Venezuela weist US-Botschafter aus: Chávez spricht von Solidarität mit Bolivien

Der venezolanische Präsident Chávez hat die Ausweisungen der Botschafter in Bolivien und den USA für einen eigenen Vorstoss genutzt. Venezuela hat ebenfalls den amerikanischen Botschafter ausgewiesen und beordert seinen Botschafter in den USA zurück. >>> | 12. September 2008

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Excellent Review of The Dawning of a New Dark Age
With many, many thanks to Judah of Judah’s Journal for this excellent review of my book.

This review is also to be found on the Barnes & Noble website and on Judah’s blog. (The links are given below.)

If anyone else who has read the book would like to send me a review to be placed up on this website, please send it to me at the following address: markalexander1 @ btinternet.com . - Mark

Accurate, authoritative and readable essays on the threat to western civilization of Islam
Mark's format, a collection of essays, makes this an extremely readable text that can be picked up and put down as opportunity allows, giving 'thinking time' between reads in order to fully process the knowledge and insights imparted here. Still too much is misunderstood about this aggressively invasive ideology which threatens to overwhelm and subvert our Western civilization. Since Islam seeks to progress an agenda of world-wide domination and universal submission of all to Allah, by the sword if necessary, we most certainly need to understand far more about it. Mark knows Islam intimately, and his writing is both perceptive and authoritative. He clearly outlines the dangers posed by Islam, describing the process of 'Islamicization' that is already happening, supporting his concerns with references (in context) to the Qur'an and to history, identifying the factors in our own civilzation that fosters erosion of our Judeo-Christian heritage and invites the incursion of Islam, and suggesting means by which this could be stopped and reversed. There is a great deal of information packed between the covers of this book and much food for serious thought. To some it will be a horror story, but as frightening as the subject may be, we are wise to have our eyes opened in order to recognize what is happening hopefully in time to help stop the situation from worsening. It may already be too late unless radical measures are put in place, but we all need to know and properly understand the real threat in order that something effective can be done about it. This is an absolute 'must read' for anyone who wishes to know the truth rather than be lulled into complacency by the 'taqiyya' (holy hypocrisy) of the Islamic clerics and apologists. If you have never read anything on this subject before, this is a good place to start. Likewise, it is also an essential read for those who do know the subject, the author becoming increasingly well known for his contributions to major websites devoted to the education of the web-savvy general population interested in knowing more about Islam. I have become well-read on this subject myself, and can testify that the author writes in accord with all else that I have read by other authors with impeccable and relevant credentials. I can recommend Mark's book to all who wish to be properly informed on this subject and, as the author puts it so well, the 'dawning of a new dark age' under Islam. - Judah, well read on this subject

This book review is also to be found here and here.

It Isn’t Racist to Want a Cap on Immigration
TIMES ONLINE: Our balanced migration policy is not ‘chuck 'em out'. It is essential for British society

The Church's response to immigration in recent years has drawn heavily upon the call to welcome and treat the stranger as if you have Christ in your midst. This is absolutely right, yet we also have to question whether the unprecedented levels of immigration that we are now seeing can truly contribute to the “common good” - another theme the churches have emphasised in their teaching on social justice.

The facts are simple. Immigration has tripled in the past ten years. The Government predicts that, over the next 25 years, immigration will add seven million to the population of England - seven times the present population of Birmingham.

For years it has been impossible to question the wisdom of large-scale immigration without being branded a “racist”. This lack of respect for others' views has suffocated healthy debate while providing grist for extremists. Many people ask: “Who is listening to our concerns?”

And it is easy to see why they are concerned. The British people are not racist. They know the benefits that migration has brought to our country down the centuries. But they see society changing before their eyes, like a film that has been speeded up. For example, 25 per cent of UK births are to women born abroad. There are at present 1,338 schools where at least 51 per cent of pupils do not have English as their first language. At a third of schools in Leicester and Blackburn, the majority of pupils do not have English as their first language.

Behind these facts is an unprecedented turnover of population. Last year alone about 600,000 people arrived in the UK while 400,000 left. With a turnover of a million people in one year, no wonder many people sense that the glue that binds our society together is weakening. It takes time for people of different cultures to get accustomed to each others' ways and, regrettably, not all newcomers are committed to integration. Some are not even sure about the democratic values that are the very foundation of our society. It Isn’t Racist to Want a Cap on Immigration >>> By Lord Carey of Clifton | September 10, 2008

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