Police Ban Anti-Islam Demonstration in Cologne
THE EARTH TIMES: Cologne, Germany - German police prohibited an anti-Islam demonstration by far rightists on public safety grounds in Cologne on Saturday after the venue was completely blockaded by opponents. "The safety of our Cologne people has priority," said a police spokesman after ugly clashes between far-leftists and riot police.

The leftists, who were bent on occupying a city square set aside for the rightists to use, assaulted police and tried to snatch their pistols. Riot police advanced against them, swinging batons.

A police spokesman said the leftists were no longer attacking in small groups but in large formations.

Television images showed that only about 50 rightists managed to pass the blockade and enter the city square, where "no mosque" banners were hanging. The "anti-Islamification" rally failed to start at the announced time, noon, and was banned a few moments later.

About a kilometre away, several thousand peaceful demonstrators listened as Cologne's mayor Fritz Schamma stood up outside the city's great cathedral to denounce the far-right rally.

City and national German authorities detest the rightists, but say they must allow them the right of free speech.

Schramma described those who bent on holding the far-right rally as "racists in bourgeois dress" and "the mouldy clique of Euro-Fascism," adding: "I say, there is the door. Go home!"

The planned anti-mosque demonstration had not only inflamed passions in Germany, but in Muslim nations. Iran demanded that Germany prohibit it. Police Ban Anti-Islam Demonstration in Cologne >>> DPA | September 20, 2008

LE FIGARO:
Cologne se mobilise 
face à l'extrême droite : Quelques heurts se sont produits dès hier, avant même que ne s'ouvre le «congrès» organisé pour dénoncer « l'islamisation » du pays.

AU PREMIER jour du « congrès anti-islamisation » organisé ce week-end à Cologne, une foule bigarrée a formé une chaîne humaine, hier, devant le siège du Ditib, le syndicat de la communauté turque en Allemagne. De jeunes étudiantes blondes tiennent la main à des femmes voilées d'origine turque. Des sympathisants communistes fraternisent avec des élus du parti libéral (FDP-centre droit). Quelque 500 personnes se sont ainsi rassemblées, pour protester contre la venue dans leur ville de militants d'extrême droite. >>> De Patrick Saint-Paul, envoyé spécial du Figaro à Cologne | 20.09.2008

WELT ONLINE:
Anti-Islamisierungskongreß: Köln wehrt sich gegen Rechtsradikale - Die rechte Großkundgebung ist abgesagt, die Demonstranten jubeln. Das Kölner Herzblut hat gegen den "rassistischen Schwachsinn" gesiegt, sagt Oberbürgermeister Schramma. Doch was die einen als Zivilcourage der Kölner feiern, kritisieren andere als Einschränkung der Meinungsfreiheit. >>> Von Freia Peters und Kristian Frigelj | 20. September 2008

DIE PRESSE:
"Sicherheit der Kölner geht vor": Anti-Islam-Kundgebung verboten: Die Kundgebung der rechtspopulistischen Bürgerbewegung "Pro Köln" wurde kurzfristig verboten. Der freiheitliche EU-Abgeordnete Mölzer spricht von einem "demokratiepolitischen Skandal".

Die in der Kölner Innenstadt geplante Kundgebung der rechtspopulistischen Bürgerbewegung "Pro Köln" wird verboten. Das sagte ein Polizeisprecher am Samstag vor Ort. "Die Sicherheit unserer Kölner geht vor", sagte er. Pro Köln wollte zu Mittag unter dem Motto "Stopp Islam" eine Großkundgebung veranstalten. Die Veranstaltung gefährde die Sicherheit der Bürger, lautete die Begründung. >>> | 20. September 2008

The AIM of the conference : To forge a European alliance against Islamisation. Highlight of the conference: A rally in the centre of Cologne.

Pro-Köln

Diana West on Pro=Köln’s ‘Cities Against Islamisation’ >>> | September 14, 2008

Hat tip: Gates of Vienna

PRESSTV (IR):
Cologne Gives Islamophobes Cold Shoulder: Cologne mayor calls on the city's inhabitants to show 'cold shoulder' to an anti-Islam meeting organized by the far-right Pro-Koeln group. >>> | September 18, 2008

leJDD.fr:
Cologne stoppe l'extrême droite: Le meeting anti-islamisation organisé par Pro Köln, parti d'extrême droite qui s'oppose à la construction d'une mosquée à Cologne, a finalement été annulé samedi. Les autorités ont pris cette décision de peur que les manifestations qui opposent depuis vendredi les militants d'extrême droite à ceux de gauche ne dégénèrent. Ces derniers craignent que ce meeting sonne le retour du nazisme. >>> Par Marie Desnos | Samedi 20 Septembre 2008

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Peter Oborne: Apocalypse Now? New World Order Could Have Devastating Implications for Western Nations
DAILY MAIL: Almost exactly seven years ago Al Qaeda terrorists targeted their hijacked planes into the Twin Towers at the heart of New York’s financial centre — and the world was transformed.

There were no deaths this week, but the effects of the carnage on the financial
markets will be far more profound and destabilising than the 9/11 atrocity.

For almost all of us, it will, I predict, be a change for the worse, and for a large
minority the consequences will be extremely distressing.

The Western world — Britain, Europe and the U.S. — has moved from excess to
austerity overnight. This week’s financial typhoon will savagely impact living
standards.

In due course, it will topple governments and lead to a permanent transfer of
economic and political power from Europe and America to the emergent and, in some
cases, such as China, semi-barbarous economies in the East.

I know I will be accused of being unnecessarily apocalyptic and irresponsibly
negative, but I believe that the greatest mistake we can now make is to
downplay the seriousness of the situation and bury our heads in the sand.

The seismic events which have seen the near-destruction of the investment banking sector and the collapse of insurance giant AIG are on the scale of the Great Crash of 1929.

That was such a disaster because it created conditions for the emergence of fascism in continental Europe and then World War II.

Although it is hard to predict the consequences, we should expect ramifications of equal significance — including the re-emergence of violent Far Right parties across the globe.

Some experts were talking this week as if the financial crisis was nearly over. They
 could not be more wrong. The downturn has only just begun — and for most citizens
uninvolved with finance the consequences have not been felt at all.

But they will be felt very soon and very brutally. The British economy is in the same position as the Texan coast earlier this month as Hurricane Ike approached — apparently calm, with life going on as normal, but an almighty storm is raging just
over the horizon and heading our way with terrifying speed. Peter Oborne: Apocalypse Now? New World Order Could Have Devastating Implications for Western Nations >>> | September 20, 2008

Cross-posted at The Shrewd Economist >>>

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The End of an Economic Era
Watch Guardian video: Banking Crisis: The Week the Earth Shook: The Guardian's economics editor, Larry Elliott, on an extraordinary week and how it marks the end of an economic era >>> | September 19, 2008
Cross-posted at The Shrewd Economist >>>

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The Secret Life of Tzipi Livni
Photo of Tzipi Livni courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: How the woman set to be Israel’s new leader earned her spurs as an agent working for a covert cell in an elite spy unit

It is an eye-catching episode on the CV of any would-be prime minister: a dangerous, youthful stint as a spy in one of the world’s most respected and feared secret services.

True to her training, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli leader-in-waiting, has maintained a Sphinx-like silence about her Mossad career in Paris in the early 1980s. Consequently, reports on her service have pegged her as anything from a frontline agent hunting down Arab terrorists across Europe to a mere house-sitter deployed to provide a respectable front for Mossad safe houses in the French capital.

Mossad does not divulge details but The Times can reveal that Ms Livni ran substantial risks as an Israeli agent operating in a covert cell in Europe.

“She was in an elite unit,” said Ephraim Halevy, the former director of Mossad, who for security reasons declined to specify which outfit Ms Livni had served in between 1980 and 1984.

“She was a very promising agent who showed all the attributes of a very promising career. She was very well thought of.”

Ms Livni, a fluent French speaker and daughter of renowned Zionist guerrillas, served her time in Paris when the city was a deadly battle-ground in Mossad’s covert war with Palestinian militant groups and Saddam Hussein’s nuclear ambitions. The Secret Life of Tzipi Livni >>> By James Hider in Jerusalem, Charles Bremner in Paris and Fran Yeoman | September 20, 2008

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Livni's Disappointed Rival to Quit Politics >>> | September 20, 2008

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Tzipi Livn

Pick-up in the Park
TIMESONLINE: The Gota restaurant was packed. Cars lined the streets, you had to wait for a table and laughter filled the air as families gathered to break their Ramadan fasts in the upmarket Baghdad neighbourhood.

Even the crackle of gunfire in the background could not spoil the mood - for once, it was not caused by insurgents but a wedding party, firing off some rounds in celebration. “It’s like a dream, but it’s become truth,” said Sarmad, 29, a trendy, confident young professional. This is the first Ramadan since violence spiralled out of control in 2005 that Iraqis have felt safe enough to break their fasts in restaurants. In recent months people have even had the confidence to visit parks and spend the afternoons shopping; an unimaginable scenario as recently as six months ago.

For young, single men such as Sarmad it is a godsend. “We can meet girls now,” he said.

Love is in the Baghdad air, but the young men, eager for a date, still face the very real threat of an overprotective father or elder brother. It would be impossible to approach a girl directly and strike up a conversation.

This has simply made them more resourceful. A note, with your phone number, could be dropped beside a girl you like, but by far the most common method used is to send her a mobile phone message using Bluetooth technology.

Ice-cream shops and parks are popular places to pick up girls and to meet for dates. On a typical weekday hundreds of young people, many of them university students, gather in parks to mingle, chat and find prospective partners. “It usually happens by sending your phone number by Bluetooth and then you wait for her to give you a call,” Ahmmed Jaseb, 28, who goes to restaurants three or four times a week to look for girls, said. “We talk, go on a date, go to another restaurant. You have to go a couple of times to prove that you start to love her and not that you just want sex.” Toung Love Blooms Again in Baghdad with the Aid of Technology >>> By Tim Albone in Baghdad | September 20, 2008

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Gerald Warner: Joe Biden Loses Obama the Catholic Vote
TELEGRAPH BLOG: More, as promised, on Senator Joe Biden (why should Sarah Palin get all the coverage?). Remember, you read it here first: on September 11 this blog reported a mounting backlash from Catholic bishops against Biden, Barack Obama's "Catholic" pro-abortion running mate. At that time I estimated eight bishops had come out to denounce Biden; the total is now 55. Beyond that, Biden is being trashed across every state of the Union by Catholic newspapers, TV and radio stations, and blogs. It is a tsunami of rejection.

The story has now hit the secular media. Last Saturday Time magazine asked: "Does Biden Have a Catholic Problem?" By Wednesday the issue had moved onto the front page of the New York Times. Joe the Jinx has blown it, big time. Biden has only himself to blame: he started this war, with his notoriously undisciplined mouth. He knew the dangers. Last August, Archbishop Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St Louis and now Prefect of the Apostolic Segnatura in Rome, said communion should be denied to pro-abortion politicians "until they have reformed their lives". Gerald Warner: Joe Biden Loses Obama the Catholic Vote >>> | September 19, 2008

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Russia in Ambitious Re-armament Push
THE TELEGRAPH: Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, yesterday vowed to defy Western attempts to isolate Moscow as he gave his backing to an ambitious re-armament programme.

Both Mr Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, resorted to the language of the Cold War as they pledged to increase defence spending by 50 per cent over the next three years.

But they also sought to portray Russia as the victim of Nato aggression.

As his parliament gave its support to the higher defence budget, Mr Medvedev accused the United States and its allies of seeking to isolate Russia behind "thick walls and an iron curtain."

The West's attempts to punish and pressure Russia for its invasion of Georgia last month would not deter the Kremlin from seeking to reassert the country's military might on the global stage, he warned.

Although his deputy foreign minister said that the possibility of war with the United States had been "ruled out", the president hinted that an aggressive Western response over the crisis in the Caucasus could prompt Russia to accelerate the re-armament process.

"We will continuously strengthen our national security, modernize the military and increase our defence capability to a sufficient level," Mr Medvedev said. "And we will determine what level is sufficient proceeding from the current situation." Russia Defies West with New Arms Spending >>> By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow | September 20, 2008

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In Video, Al Qaeda Vows More US Attacks
CNN INTERNATIONAL: In a video marking the seventh anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda's top leader in Afghanistan vows more "large-scale" attacks against the United States and its allies.

In another segment, the personal adviser to Taliban leader Mullah Omar says al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and well. Al Qaeda leaders featured on the video promise more violence against their enemies.

"We inform the forces of the Cross and their apostate agents that the Mujahedeen's policy in the coming stage, God permitting, is going to be more major, large-scale attacks like the Kandahar prison operation, the Nuristan raid, the Sarobi ambush and Khost airport operation in which approximately 50 Americans and 100 apostates were killed and four helicopters were hit and destroyed," Mustafa Abu al-Yazid says.

CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the video posted on jihadi Web sites, purportedly by al Qaeda's video production arm, As Sahab.

The well-being of bin Laden, and the possibility of his demise, are frequently in question. But in the video, Mullah Mohammed Hassan Rahmani, adviser to Mullah Omar, says, "Sheikh Osama is healthy and well, and we ask God to protect him, and we pray to God to preserve him and foil the attempts if the enemies of the Nation to reach him." In Video, Al Qaeda Vows More U.S. Attacks >>> | September 19, 2008

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD:
Al-Qaeda Issues 9/11 Anniversary Video >>> | September 20, 2008

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Bush, Despite Being Part of the Problem, Hails Financial Rescue Plan
President Bush on ''a pivotal moment'' in the US economy >>>
BBC: The US is set to take "unprecedented measures" to tackle the crisis gripping US financial markets, President George W Bush has said.

But he warned the moves, which include spending of billions of dollars to buy up bad debts, would risk "a significant amount" of taxpayers' money.

Legislation for the plan will be pushed through as soon as possible, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said.

The US took action after a week of turmoil on global money markets. Bush Hails Financial rescue Plan >>> | September 19, 2008

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Sharia-compliant Banking in Britain
The steady rise of Sharia-compliant banking across Britain >>>
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German Government Condemns Islamophobic Confab in Cologne
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC NEWS AGENCY (IRNA): The German government here Friday condemned an international Islamophobic conference due to open later in the day in the western city of Cologne.


Addressing a regular weekly press briefing, a spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry "condemned all extremist actions" related to the so-called 'Anti-Islamization Congress', hosted by the far-right group 'Pro Koeln'.

Gabriele Hermani stressed the far-right confab would negatively impact on efforts to promote peaceful co-existence between the German state and its Muslims citizens.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to take to the streets of Cologne to protest against the three-day Islamophobic meeting.

A wide spectrum of nationwide civic groups, among them labor, student, church and anti-racism groups, were due to join the protests and mass blockades.

Initial media reports pointed to a tense situation near the conference site, as counter-demonstrators were hoping to disrupt the anti-Islam meeting.

Efforts to ban the event failed because of legal reasons, according to Cologne Police President Klaus Steffenhagen.

Under surveillance by Germany's domestic Verfassungsschutz intelligence agency,`Pro Koeln` has invited around 1,000 right-wing extremists to the disputed meeting in Cologne, among them leading far-right politicians from the US, France, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Spain and Italy.

A major focus of 'Pro Koeln' has been its controversial opposition to the planned construction of a central mosque for Cologne's nearly 150,000-strong Muslim community.

‘Pro Cologne' has five seats in Cologne's 90-member city council.
There are 3.5 million Muslims living in Germany of which 2.5 million are Turks. [Source: IRNA] | September 19, 2008

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Vatican Message to Islam: Work Together to Strengthen Family Life
CATHOLIC CULTURE: Each year the Vatican releases a message to Muslims at the beginning of Ramadan. This year's message -- signed by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, the president and secretary, respectively, of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue -- notes that "Christians and Muslims can and must work together to safeguard the dignity of the family."

"Given the high esteem in which both Muslims and Christians hold the family, we have already had many occasions, from the local to the international level, to work together in this field," the statement notes. The Holy See has frequently joined with Islamic countries to promote pro-family policies in international organizations. [Source: Catholic Culture] | September 19, 2008

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Unos 3.000 catalanes se han convertido al Islam el último año
MINUTODIGITAL: El islam crece con ímpetu en Cataluña. El grueso de los islamistas -se calcula que hay alrededor de

300.000- son inmigrantes que proceden de países musulmanes. Pero a ellos se han sumado, en los últimos años, cientos de catalanes. Los conversos son ahora más de 3.000, según los datos que ha facilitado el portavoz del Consejo Islámico Cultural de Cataluña, Mohamed Halhoul.

Coincidiendo con la primera jornada de la celebración del Ramadán, Halhoul atribuyó el alto número de conversiones al influjo ejercido por los musulmanes que han llegado procedentes de países como Marruecos y Pakistán. Halhoul remarcó el “vigor” de los musulmanes en territorio catalán, donde cuentan con 144 oratorios. Los datos de la Dirección General de Asuntos Religiosos de la Generalitat, sin embargo, cifran en 169 los oratorios en funcionamiento.

La Junta Islámica Catalana (JIC) es una de las asociaciones que agrupan a los ciudadanos conversos. Su presidente, Abdennur Prado, ha asegurado que la cifra de 3.000 conversos “es seguramente inferior a la real”, aunque admitió la dificultad de cuantificar “un fenómeno social que cada vez crece más en todas las poblaciones”. Unos 3.000 catalanes se han convertido al Islam el último año >>> Redacción MD | Bilbao | 4 Septiembre, 2008

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Fear over Anti-Islam Rally in Germany
HERALD SUN (AU): COLOGNE is bracing for violence as far Right supporters from all over Europe gather for an "anti-Islamification congress".

Those attending the event starting today in the west German city include Filip Dewinter, head of Belgium's far Right Vlaams Belang party, and Andreas Moelzer, the Euro MP once ejected from Austria's Freedom Party for being too extreme.

Also adding his support to what organisers call Europe's "shared, 1000-year history", identity and "Western values and Christian traditions" will be Mario Borghezio, from Italy's anti-immigration Northern League.

The rally is being organised by the far Right Pro-Koeln (For Cologne), which says that "half a dozen" coaches have been hired to bring supporters from Belgium.

A "high-ranking delegation" is also expected from Austria, as are supporters from Italy, Spain and Britain.

Pro-Koeln hopes 1500 people will attend the climax of the two-day congress, a rally in the city centre tomorrow, and police expect several hundred. Fear over Anti-Islam Rally in Germany >>> Staff Writer, Herald Sun | September 19, 2008

TIMESONLINE: A German far right group has stirred Muslim anger worldwide by holding a three-day "Anti-Islamisation Conference" to protest against the construction of mosques and Muslim immigration.

Prominent members of Europe's far right, including French "Front National" leader Jean-Marie le Pen and Belgian far-right politician Filip Dewinter, have said they will attend the meeting in Cologne which is aimed at forging a European alliance against "Islamisation."

The conference will include a rally in the centre of Cologne tomorrow which police say could lead to clashes with left-wing groups that plan a counter-demonstration. Trade unions, churches and other groups have also announced plans to protest against the conference.

The conference organiser is a local protest group called "Pro-Cologne" which campaigned against the city's recent decision to allow the construction of a large new mosque with two 55-metre tall minarets. Around 330,000 immigrants live in Cologne, about a third of the city's population.

"Mosques are shooting out of the ground like mushrooms, the muezzin call and headscarves are flooding our streets," Pro-Cologne said on its website. It said 150 "politicians and publicists" from all over Europe and 1,500 other participants will attend the conference at which it plans to launch a petition "against the Islamisation of our cities". Anger at Europe’s Far Right ‘Anti-Islam’ Conference >>> By David Crossland in Berlin | September 18, 2008

THE EARTH TIMES:
Rightists Chase Man at Start of Anti-Islam Rally in Cologne >>> DPA | September 19, 2008

This is the Islamic call to prayer we can all look forward to! : أَذَان >>>

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Forderung des Anti-Islamisierungs-Kongresses: Keine Moscheen im christlichen Abendland
Bild dank Google Bildsuche
WELT ONLINE: Keine Moscheen im christlichen Abendland: Dieser Forderung will die rechtspopulistische Organisation Pro Köln mit einem Anti-Islamisierungs-Kongress Nachruck verleihen. Doch die Kölner wehren sich, friedlich und mit Steinwürfen. Die selbst ernannte Bürgerbewegung musste aufs Wasser flüchten.

Kontrolle sieht anders aus. Bernd Schöppe, Funktionär von Pro Köln, steht mit Schweißperlen auf der Stirn an einer Kölner Häuserwand, abgeschirmt von etwa 30 Polizisten. Vor „Nazi“-Rufen war er durch die Menge geeilt, jetzt versucht er die Journalisten an das Rheinufer zu lotsen. Die Stimmung ist aufgeheizt, aber gemäßigt – noch. „Machst Du da Deine internationale Pressekonferenz?“ brüllen linke Demonstranten, „Haha, Du siehst aber angespannt aus!“ Über Handy teilt der Pro Köln Vorstand den neuen Ort der Pressekonferenz mit, die den Anti-Islamisierungskongress einleiten soll.

Die Stadt Köln hatte am Abend zuvor eine Versammlung im Bezirksrathaus verboten. Nun will die Bürgerbewegung „Pro Köln“, vom Verfassungsschutz als rechtsextrem eingestuft, auf einem Schiff seine Strategie präsentieren, mit denen sie Deutschland vor einer Islamisierung bewahren will. Keine Moscheen im christlichen Abendland, nicht in Köln und nirgends sonst in Deutschland, ist eine zentrale Forderung. Der Kongress hatte international großen Protest erregt, der Kölner Oberbürgermeister hatte dazu aufgerufen, den Rechten die „kalte Schulter“ zu zeigen. Die Polizei hatte von einem der „schwersten Einsätze“ aller Zeiten gesprochen, 50.000 Gegendemonstranten waren erwartet worden. Etwa hundert von ihnen stehen schon an der Schiffsanlegestelle, wo Bodyguards mit schwarzen Anzügen und Sonnenbrillen den Steg säumen. Anti-Islamierungs-Kongress: Mit dem Ausflugsdampfer gegen den Islam >>> Von Freia Peters und Kristian Frigelj | 19. September 2008

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Pope Benedict XVI Defends Pope Pius XII, the Wartime Pope
Photo of Pope Pius XII courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope has for the first time publicly defended the wartime record of Pope Pius XII, who for decades has been accused of failing to speak out against the Holocaust.

Pope Benedict XVI said new research showed that the former Pontiff “spared no effort” in trying to save Jews from extermination by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.

Pope Pius XII has been condemned by some scholars and many Jewish groups for not speaking out more stridently against Nazism and the Final Solution.

His alleged ambivalence to the deportation and murder of Jews has been the subject of several books, including the 1999 Hitler’s Pope: The Secret History of Pope Pius XII, by John Cornwell.

He is edging towards sainthood — a move strongly supported by the last Pope, John Paul II - despite accusations that he kept silent about the Holocaust, was anti-Semitic and was sympathetic to Nazi Germany because of his horror of communism.

“(Pius XII) spared no effort, wherever it was possible, to intervene (for Jews) directly or through instructions given to individuals or institutions in the Catholic Church,” Benedict XVI told a conference which presented new work on Pius ahead of the 50th anniversary of his death on October 9.

Pius XII, who was Pontiff from 1939 to 1958, had to work ”secretly and silently” to ”avert the worst and save the highest number of Jews possible,” Benedict XVI said, repeating assertions made by Vatican experts in the past. The Pope also said Pius XII was thanked by Jewish groups during and after the war for saving the lives of thousands of Jews. He cited a meeting the leader of the Roman Catholic Church had in the Vatican in November 1945 with 80 death camp survivors who ”thanked him personally for his generosity”. Pope Defends Wartime Predecessor >>> By Nick Squires in Rome | September 19, 2008

NZZ Online:
Papst Benedikt XII. verteidigt seinen Vorgänger Pius XII.: Gebet für baldige Seligsprechung >>> | 9. Oktober 2008

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Pius XII Controversy Intensifies: Sainthood for the Holocaust Pope?: Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday fueled speculation that beatification may be on the horizon for Pope Pius XII, often criticized for not doing enough to combat the Holocaust. The Vatican has been working hard to improve Pius's popular image.

The process of beatification is usually a backroom deal, taking place inside the Vatican and well outside the public eye. But not this time. For months the Catholic Church has been sending signals that the beatification of Pope Pius XII, who headed the Catholic Church during World War II, may be imminent. Some historians and Jewish leaders, though, have been vociferous in their opposition to the move, arguing Pius XII did less than he should have to save the Jews from the Holocaust. >>> cgh -- with wire reports | October 10, 2008

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Russia Warns of New Iron Curtain
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: President Dmitri Medvedev has accused the West of trying to push Russia behind a new "Iron Curtain".

"This is not our path. For us there is no sense going back to the past," the Russian leader said in Moscow.

He also blamed Nato for provoking last month's fighting between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia.

His comments come a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Russia was becoming increasingly aggressive abroad.

In a strongly-worded speech, Ms Rice said Moscow was on a "one-way path to isolation and irrelevance".

Diplomatic relations between the US and its European allies, on one side, and Russia on the other, have been strained by the Georgian conflict.

Lambasting Nato

"We are in effect being pushed down a path that is founded not on fully-fledged, civilised partnership with other countries, but on autonomous development, behind thick walls, behind an Iron Curtain," President Medvedev said. Russia Warns of New Iron Curtain >>> | September 19, 2008

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The Wilders Speech the Dutch Were Prevented from Hearing
WINDS OF JIHAD: Moroccans are colonizing the Netherlands, Geert Wilders argued Wednesday during a session of parliament. According to Wilders the Moroccans did not come to integrate, “but in order to subjugate and dominate the Dutch.”

“We are losing our land to the Moroccan scum who go through life cursing, spitting and hitting innocent people,” according to Wilders. “They accept all too happily our benefits, houses and doctors, but not our standards and values.” Dutch TV pulls the plug on Wilders speech: “Moroccans are colonizing the Netherlands” >>>

KLEINVERZET:
Again Censorship in the Netherlands >>> By Ferdy | September 18, 2008

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Amnesty Urges Bosnia to Protect Gay Festival
REUTERS: SARAJEVO - Amnesty International on Thursday urged authorities to safeguard Bosnia's first gay festival from possible violence from Muslims who see it as an affront to their religious feelings.

The festival, due to take place in Sarajevo next week during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, has been branded by some Islamic media and officials as a "festival of homosexuality", which is regarded as a sin and disease in Islam.

The human rights watchdog said in a statement some media had mounted a homophobic campaign which had encouraged prejudice and could lead to violence. Amnesty Urges Bosnia to Protect Gay Festival >>> | September 18, 2008

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

MPs Take a Tougher Tone against Geert Wilders
DUTCHNEWS.NL: The government’s 2009 spending plans were approved by MPs on Thursday night after two days of debate. A motion of no confidence in the government from anti-immigration MP Geert Wilders failed to win any support outside his own PVV party.

Analysts said the debate was notable for the tougher tone adopted against Wilders by other MPs.

Alexander Pechtold, leader of the liberal democrats D66, described Wilders as an extremist and accused him of racism, reports the Trouw. MPs Take a Tougher Tone against Wilders >>> | September 19, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback – The Netherlands) >>>

Dispute Among Islam Scholars: Did Muhammad Ever Really Live?
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A number of Islamic associations have put a quick end to their collaboration with a professor -- and trainer of people who are supposed to teach Islam in German high schools -- who has expressed his doubt that Muhammad ever lived. Islam scholar Michael Marx spoke with SPIEGEL ONLINE about what lies behind the debate and the historical person of the Prophet.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Mr. Marx, someone studying Islam learns that the Prophet Muhammad was born on the Arabian Peninsula in A.D. 570 and died in Medina in A.D. 632. Is there any reason for doubting that this is true?

Michael Marx: Those are provisional dates that we should hold on to until there are better figures. The Islamic sources are rich with material about the person of the Prophet and his life story. Some of it is has elements that are somewhat mystical. But we can generally rely on the solid core of Islamic tradition. Dispute Among Islam Scholars: Did Muhammad Ever Really Live? >>> Interview conducted by Yassin Musharbash | September 18, 2008

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

Iran Says Satanist Cults Challenging Islam
KHALEEJ TIMES ONLINE: TEHRAN - Iranian police said dozens of Satan-worshiping cults have found their way into the country and that many of them are seeking to turn people against Islam, press reports said on Wednesday.

"There are more than 3,000 Satan-worshipping cults in the world and about 50 of them have entered Iran," deputy police chief Hossein Zolfaghari was quoted as saying by Etemad newspaper.

He said about half of those groups were active and that about 200 books on the subject had been translated, printed and distributed.

Such groups commonly "deviate from conventional religions, make false promises, sexually exploit" and "are tasked with (promoting) Islamophobia," Zolfaghari said. Iran Says Satanist Cults Challenging Islam: Report >>> AFP | September 17, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

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We Are Losing Europe to Islam
TOWNHALL.COM: With Wall Street convulsing, and the White House race intensifying, the question "Who lost Europe" is on no one's lips, let alone minds. Indeed, the question begs another: "Is Europe lost?"

The answer to the second question is, "No, not yet." And losing Europe, I would add, is by no means inevitable. But that doesn't mean the continent isn't currently hell-bent to accommodate the dictates of Islamic law, bit by increasingly larger bit. Such a course of accommodation, barring reversal, will only hasten Bernard Lewis' famous prediction that Europe will be Islamic by century's end.

And what do I mean by "accommodation"? Well, to take one tiny example, one snowflake in a blizzard of such examples, there are schools in Belgium that not only serve halal food to Muslim and non-Muslim alike (old news), but, according to a recent French magazine report, no longer teach authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. (Don't even ask about the Holocaust.)

For a more substantial, indeed, keystone example of accommodation, we can look to England, where, it pains me to write, Sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. According to press reports this week, the British government has quietly, cravenly elevated five Sharia courts to the level of tribunal hearings, thus making their rulings legally binding.

It may be difficult to quantify the impact of a Voltaire vacuum on the continent, but we can instantly see the inequities of British Sharia (I can't believe I'm writing that phrase). Among the first official verdicts were those upholding the Islamic belief in male supremacy. These included an inheritance decision in which male heirs received twice as much as female; and several cases of domestic violence in which husbands were acquitted and wives' charges were dropped.

In a decidedly minuscule minority, I say we ignore the spread of Islamic law across Europe, from the schoolroom to the courtroom, at our peril, particularly given that in so doing, we also ignore the vital political parties that have arisen in reaction to this threat to Western civilization. Why at our peril? Because the same type of liberty-shrinking, Sharia-driven accommodation is happening here.

Of the parties dedicated to resisting Islamization that I examined in Europe last summer, the most promising range from the sizeable Vlaams Belang in Belgium to the tiny Sweden Democrats, and include the Lega Nord in Italy, the Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders in Holland, the Danish People's Party, the Swiss People's Party and the Austrian Freedom Party. Such parties are unknown here, or ignored. Worse, they are shunned. Why? I believe it's because their respective political opponents -- the leftist media and governing establishments that are increasingly dependent on Islamic support, by the way -- have successfully slandered these parties as "extremists," "racists," "fascists" and "Nazis." We Are Losing Europe to Islam >>> By Diana West | September 18, 2008

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Die Schweiz: Hauchdünnes Ja zu Raucherbeizen im Nationalrat
Hat man in der Schweiz nichts Wichtigeres zu bedenken? Kann man sich mit nichts Anderem, mit nichts Wichtigerem befassen? Russland ist am Aufrüsten, und Islam breitet sich in Europa, und auch in der Schweiz, aus. Die Politiker in der Schweiz und in anderen Ländern Europas, und in Amerika, können sich mit nichts Anderem befassen als mit dem sogennanten Passivrauchen! Wie blödsinnig! Wie jämmerlich! - ©Mark


NZZ Online: Die Frage, ob es in der Schweiz Raucherbeizen geben darf, spaltet die Räte nach wie vor. Der Nationalrat beharrt auf seiner Position, Raucherrestaurants und -bars zuzulassen. Der Entscheid dafür fiel in der dritten Runde mit 89 zu 88 Stimmen allerdings äusserst knapp aus. Hauchdünnes Ja zu Raucherbeizen im Nationalrat: Aber keine Einigung mit dem Ständerat >>> | 18. September 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch) >>>
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EU Sets New Slaughterhouse Rules; But Only for the Kafir!
Image courtesy of Google Images. Halal slaughtering seems to have been overlooked by the EU!
BBC: The European Commission says new legislation is needed to improve animal welfare at European slaughterhouses.

Current EU rules on animal slaughter are "outdated in many respects," the commission said on Thursday.

Under a new proposal, abattoirs would have to ensure proper training for staff and monitor the efficiency of their stunning equipment.

But current stunning methods would not be banned. The proposal still requires approval by all 27 EU governments. EU Sets New Slaughterhouse Rules >>> | September 18, 2008

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Tough US Talk: Is the World Taking a Turn for the Worse?
Watch BBC video: Condoleezza Rice on Russia's ''aggression'' >>>
BBC: Russia is becoming increasingly authoritarian at home and aggressive abroad, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said.

In a strongly-worded speech, Ms Rice said Moscow was on a "one-way path to isolation and irrelevance".

Diplomatic relations between the US and Russia have been strained by the recent conflict in Georgia.

Earlier, Russia's president said the two nations should not risk established ties over "trivial matters."

Dmitry Medvedev said it would be "politically short-sighted" if Washington and Moscow were to endanger their political and economic ties.

However, Ms Rice suggested in her speech that following the conflict in Georgia, Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation had been put in doubt.

The US has already shelved a civilian nuclear deal with Russia, but despite tensions the two countries are maintaining diplomatic links.

Ms Rice held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov just hours before delivering her speech, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas in Washington, and Russia is also due to join an international meeting on Iran's nuclear programme on Friday.

Our correspondent says Moscow is also telling the US that its co-operation is needed over issues like Iran and North Korea, with many in Washington feeling the Russians have a point.
Several hours after Ms Rice spoke, it emerged that a Russian submarine test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

An official from Russia's defence ministry is quoted as saying that the test - carried out in Russia's far-eastern Kamchatka peninsula - went according to plan. Rice Criticises ‘Isolated’ Russia >>> | September 18, 2008

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Germany’s ‘Anti-Islam’ Conference Stirs Things Up; People Doing What the Spunkless, Spineless Politicians Won’t Do
TIMESONLINE: A German far right group has stirred Muslim anger worldwide by holding a three-day "Anti-Islamisation Conference" to protest against the construction of mosques and Muslim immigration.

Prominent members of Europe's far right, including French "Front National" leader Jean-Marie le Pen and Belgian far-right politician Filip Dewinter, have said they will attend the meeting in Cologne which is aimed at forging a European alliance against "Islamisation."

The conference will include a rally in the centre of Cologne tomorrow which police say could lead to clashes with left-wing groups that plan a counter-demonstration. Trade unions, churches and other groups have also announced plans to protest against the conference.

The conference organiser is a local protest group called "Pro-Cologne" which campaigned against the city's recent decision to allow the construction of a large new mosque with two 55-metre tall minarets. Around 330,000 immigrants live in Cologne, about a third of the city's population.

"Mosques are shooting out of the ground like mushrooms, the muezzin call and headscarves are flooding our streets," Pro-Cologne said on its website. It said 150 "politicians and publicists" from all over Europe and 1,500 other participants will attend the conference at which it plans to launch a petition "against the Islamisation of our cities". Anger at Europe's Far Right 'Anti-Islam' Conference >>> By David Crossland in Berlin | September 18, 2008

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انا هو الطريق والحق والحياة
١٤.٦: قال له يسوع انا هو الطريق والحق والحياة .ليس احد يأتي الى الآب الا بي

“Los musulmanes no tenemos que integrarnos en el cristianismo. Llegará el día en que los cristianos serán quienes se tengan que integrar en la ley Sharia”
Foto cortesía de Choudary de MinutoDigital
MINUTODIGITAL: Un grupo fundamentalista británico defiende que los musulmanes del Reino Unido tengan el mayor número

posible de bebés para que el Islam conquiste el país. Para el islamista Anjem Choudary, sólo una explosión demográfica musulmana permitirá que Gran Bretaña sea gobernada de acuerdo con la ley Sharia.

Periodistas del diario británico The Sun se han infiltrado en una de las reuniones que organiza Choudary, y han grabado algunas de las “lecciones” que el abogado imparte en ellas. “El Islam es superior, y la bandera del Islam ondeará en Downing Street”, dice Anjem Choudary en las grabaciones.

En palabras del abogado islamista, para muchos musulmanes sería muy fácil declarar la guerra santa al Reino Unido, y “cada uno de ellos podría transformarse en una bomba de relojería dispuesta a estallar”. “Nunca será necesario conquistar el Reino Unido desde fuera. Será por pura conversión que Gran Bretaña se convierta en un estado islámico”, dice Choudary. “Los musulmanes no tenemos que integrarnos en el cristianismo. Llegará el día en que los cristianos serán quienes se tengan que integrar en la ley Sharia”
>>> Redacción MD | Bilbao | 18 Septiembre, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
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Un Rodríguez Zapatero orgulloso del islam quiere a Turquía en la Unión Europea
Foto del Rodríguez Zapatero cortesía de Google Imágenes.
MINUTODIGITAL: El mismo Zapatero que rehusó acudir a la misa que celebró el Papa en Valencia durante la jornada de las Familias en julio de 2006 y que no quiere que en España la Iglesia opine sobre cuestiones con relevancia política, ha acudido con entusiasmo al acto religioso musulmán que celebra la salida del mes del Ramadan, organizado además por un partido islamista que confunde religión y estado. El «Iftar», que es la ceremonia en que ha participado Zapatero junto a Erdogan, es un acto religioso que se mezcla con contenidos políticos organizado por el partido islamista Desarrollo y Justicia (AKP). Un partido que quiere que las mujeres puedan usar el «hiyab» o velo islámico en las universidades, en contra de la legislación laica que Mustafá Kemal «Ataturk», el padre de la Turquía moderna, promulgó en su día.

La incongruencia de Zapatero y su doble rasero al tratar a la religión musulmana y a la católica, revela que el laicismo del PSOE y sus seguidores lo que en verdad esconde es un anti-catolicismo fruto de un anticlericalismo masónico decimonónico y un marxismo antirreligioso mal digerido.

Zapatero, que se niega a reconocer las raíces cristianas de Europa y el legado católico de España, no tuvo empacho ni rubor en manifestar públicamente en Turquía que como presidente de España, “se siente orgulloso de la influencia del Islam en nuestra historia”. Un Rodríguez Zapatero orgulloso del islam quiere a Turquía en la Unión Europea >>> Redacción MD | Bilbao | 16 Septiembre, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
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Shari’ah-compliant Finance
I should like to remind my visitors that anything of interest concerning Shari’ah-compliant finance generally appears on my other blog, The Shrewd Economist rather than on this blog, since that blog is for economics, banking, and finance. So please be sure to check out the blog frequently.

Christopher Hitchens*: Facing Up to that Old ‘Ally’ Islamabad
THE AUSTRALIAN: AN excellent article by Fraser Nelson in London's Spectator in July put it as succinctly as I have seen it: "At a recent dinner party in the British embassy in Kabul, one of the guests referred to 'the Afghan-Pakistan war'. The rest of the table fell silent. This is the truth that dare not speak its name.

"Even mentioning it in private in the Afghan capital's green zone is enough to solicit murmurs of disapproval. Few want to accept that the war is widening; that it now involves Pakistan, a country with an unstable government and nuclear weapons."

"Don't mention the war," as Basil insists with mounting hysteria in Fawlty Towers. When discussing the deepening crisis in Afghanistan, most people seem deliberately to avoid telling phrases such as Pakistani aggression or - more accurate still - Pakistani colonialism.

The truth is that the Taliban and their al-Qa'ida guests were originally imposed on Afghanistan from without as a projection of Pakistani state power. (Along with Pakistan, only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates recognised the Taliban as the legal government in Kabul.)

Important circles in Pakistan have never given up the aspiration to run Afghanistan as a client or dependent or proxy state, and this colonial mindset is especially entrenched among senior army officers and in the Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

We were all warned of this many years ago. When the Clinton administration sent cruise missiles into Afghanistan in reprisal for the attacks on US embassies in East Africa, the missiles missed Osama bin Laden but did manage, if you remember, to kill two officers of the ISI. It wasn't asked loudly enough: What were these men doing in an al-Qa'ida camp in the first place?

In those years, as in earlier ones, almost no tough questions were asked of Pakistan.

Successive US administrations used to keep certifying to Congress that Pakistan was not exploiting US aid (and US indulgence over the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan) to build itself a nuclear weapons capacity.

Indeed, it wasn't until after September 11, 2001, that we allowed ourselves to learn that at least two of Pakistan's top nuclear scientists - Mirza Yusuf Baig and Chaudhry Abdul Majid - had been taken in for questioning about their close links to the Taliban.

But then, in those days we were too incurious to take note that Pakistan's chief nuclear operative, A.Q. Khan, had opened a private enterprise "nukes 'r' us" market and was selling his apocalyptic wares to regimes as disparate as those in Libya and North Korea, sometimes using Pakistani air force planes to make the deliveries.

The very name Pakistan inscribes the nature of the problem.

It is not a real country or nation but an acronym devised in the 1930s by a Muslim propagandist for partition named Choudhry Rahmat Ali. It stands for Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir and Indus-Sind. The -stan suffix merely means land.
In the Urdu language, the resulting acronym means land of the pure.

It can be easily seen that this name expresses expansionist tendencies and also conceals discriminatory ones. Kashmir, for example, is part of India. The Afghans are Muslim but not part of Pakistan. Most of Punjab is also in India.

Interestingly, too, there is no B in this cobbled-together name, although the country originally included the eastern part of Bengal (now Bangladesh, after fighting a war of independence against genocidal Pakistani repression) and still includes Baluchistan, a restive and neglected province that has been fighting a low-level secessionist struggle for decades. Facing Up to that Old ‘Ally’ Islamabad >>> By Christopher Hitchens* | September 18, 2008

*Christopher Hitchens is a columnist for Vanity Fair and online magazine Slate.

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Les plans de Téhéran 
en cas de frappes hostiles
LE FIGARO: La marine iranienne prépare des attentats aux bateaux suicides contre la flotte américaine.

Une «attaque en bande, comme des loups» con­tre les ba­teaux américains : c'est la tactique de guerre éclair mise au point par la marine iranienne dans les eaux du golfe Arabo-Persique, en riposte à d'éventuelles frappes contre les installations nucléaires de Téhéran. Pilotées par des gardiens de la révolution fanatisés, une vingtaine de petites embarcations donnent régulièrement l'im­pression de fondre sur des navires occidentaux croisant dans les eaux internationales. Des attentats aux bateaux suicides «ne laisseront aucune chance de s'enfuir aux ennemis», avertit Ali Shirazi, représentant du guide suprême auprès des gardiens, l'armée idéologique du régime, qui menace de mettre le feu à Tel-Aviv et à la flotte américaine dans le Golfe, en cas d'attaque contre l'Iran.

«Avec leurs patrouilleurs et leurs vedettes rapides armées de lance-roquettes, les Iraniens peuvent faire des dégâts aux gros bateaux occidentaux», reconnaît un haut responsable du ministère de la Défense à Paris, qui surveille les mouvements iraniens dans le Golfe. Les plans de Téhéran 
en cas de frappes hostiles >>> Par Georges Malbrunot | 16.09.2008

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

President Bush Attends Iftaar Dinner: State Dining Room
President Bush giving a speech at the Iftaar dinner in the state dining room of the White House, the annual dinner given at the White House to mark Ramadan festivities. A tradition started by President Bush as a thank you to Muslims for the 9/11 attacks!
THE WHITE HOUSE: THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, and welcome. Over the past eight years, we have made the Iftaar dinner an annual tradition here at the White House. And I'm really glad we did. At this year's gathering, we pay special tribute to the many contribution Muslim Americans have made to our nation. We join in wishing Muslims around the world, "Ramadan Mubarak."

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. We're honored you're in our midst. Congressman Keith Ellison, Congressman André Carson are with us. Members of the administration here tonight; members of the diplomatic corps -- we are glad you're here; my fellow citizens. Major, I'm looking forward to the blessing. Thank you for being here with us today.

According to the teachings of Islam, Ramadan commemorates the revelation of God's word in the Holy Koran to the prophet Mohammad. The word has become the foundation for one of the world's great religions. Today more than a billion Muslims around the globe celebrate the month of Ramadan with daily fasting, heartfelt prayer, and acts of charity.

During Ramadan, we are reminded of Islam's long and distinguished history. Throughout the centuries, the Islamic world has been home to great centers of learning and culture. Muslim thinkers and scientists have advanced the frontiers of human knowledge. People of all faiths have benefited from the achievements of Muslims in fields from philosophy and poetry to mathematics and medicine. President Bush Attends Iftaar Dinner >>> | September 17, 2008

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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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