Religion Today
ASSOCIATED PRESS: CAIRO, Egypt — Early in the morning two Sundays ago, hundreds of Christian Egyptians quietly slipped into a former underwear factory where they had discreetly set up a church and held their first service. Bells rang and hymns were sung.

A crowd of angry Muslims quickly gathered, threw stones at the building and burned banners that said, "No to the church." They tried to storm the gates, clashed with police and chanted, "The church has fallen, the priest is dead," according to witnesses.

In fact, no one died, but 13 people were reported injured. For Egyptians in general, the incident in the blue-collar district of Ain Shams served as a warning that Muslim-Christian clashes, largely confined to the south of the country in recent years, have seeped into the capital.

Tempers are flaring as Islamic conservatism gains ground and Christians grow increasingly resentful about discrimination by the Muslim majority. The Ain Shams incident highlights that even in Cairo — seen as more cosmopolitan in its sectarian relations than the rural south — suspicions run between the communities. Muslim and Christian neighbors also are competing over who can set up houses of worship and where.

"We don't want to hear their hymns and for sure, they don't want to hear our prayers," a Muslim woman who lives in the area said as she shopped at a dairy store. >>> By Maggie Michael | December 3, 2008

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OJ Pleads for Light Sentence over Kidnapping
An emotional OJ Simpson today pleaded with a Las Vegas court not to hand him a tough sentence following his October convictions of 12 criminal charges including kidnapping and armed robbery.


The disgraced former sports icon has been sentenced to 15 years for his botched attempt to recover sports memorabilia and personal items from two collectables dealers in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Dressed in dark prison scrubs, the 61-year-old one-one American football star and actor told the court he was "sorry, somewhat confused, I feel. apologetic to the people of Nevada" for his actions in September 2007.

His voice trembling as he apparently fought back tears, Simpson insisted: "I did not know that I was doing anything illegal. I thought that I was confronting friends and retrieving my property. So I am sorry. I am sorry for all of it." >>> By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles | December 5, 2008

TIMESONLINE: OJ Simpson Jailed for at Least 15 Years

OJ Simpson has been sentenced to at least 15 years in jail with the possibility of parole after five years.

The former American footballer and Hollywood actor was convicted of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery after a bizarre heist in which he stole items of his own sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas hotel and casino.

Simpson, 61, was found guilty on all charges in a courtroom in Nevada, Las Vegas along with Clarence “C.J.” Stewart, his accomplice. He recruited Stewart and four other men to help hold the sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint and steal hundreds of items in several pillowcases. >>> Nico Hines | December 5, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Goldman Family: Hope We Drove Him to It >>> Nico Hines | December 5, 2008

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Malaise royal au cœur de la crise thaïlandaise
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: IMPASSE | L’aéroport international de Bangkok reprend du service, mais le conflit est loin d’être réglé. Même le vénéré roi, qui fête aujourd’hui ses 81 ans, a annulé son traditionnel discours.

En Thaïlande, c’est l’événement politique de l’année. Le très attendu discours annuel du souverain, la veille de son anniversaire, est retransmis sur l’ensemble des chaînes de télévision nationales. Il est suivi sur écran géant par plusieurs dizaines de milliers de ses sujets rassemblés près de sa résidence officielle, à Bangkok. Mais cette année, alors que les Thaïlandais espéraient trouver dans cette allocution les clés d’une sortie de crise, le roi s’est abstenu.

Son fils, le prince héritier Vajiralongkorn, a simplement annoncé hier soir sur les radios que le monarque souffrait de problèmes de santé. «Une inflammation de l’œsophage», a précisé la princesse Sirindhorn.

Sujets en état de choc

 

Le roi Bhumibol, le plus long monarque régnant au monde, est en effet apparu très affaibli lors des dernières cérémonies officielles. Mais étant donné la gravité de la crise qui frappe le royaume depuis plus de six mois, son silence laisse ses sujets en état de choc. >>> Marie Normand, Bangkok | Vendredi 05 Décembre 2008

NZZ Online: Offene Fragen zu Thailand: Keine Geburtstagsrede des Monarchen

König Bhumibol von Thailand. Foto dank der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung
Thailand muss seinen Weg aus der Krise vorderhand ohne veröffentlichte Ratschläge des Königs suchen. Nach dem juristisch verordneten Aderlass sucht man nach einem neuen Premierminister, der Gräben zuschütten kann.

Thailand hat am Freitag den 81. Geburtstag von König Bhumibol Adulyadej gefeiert, doch die Stimmung im von politischen Wirren geschüttelten Land bleibt gedrückt. Wohl ist inzwischen der Flugverkehr wieder reibungslos angelaufen, was am Freitag auf dem zuvor während einer Woche belagerten «Suvarnabhumi»-Airport in 550 Flugbewegungen zum Ausdruck kam, womit rund 80'000 Passagiere befördert werden konnten. Doch wohin die Reise des 66 Millionen Einwohner zählenden Staats geht, weiss im Moment jedoch niemand genau. >>> Von Manfred Rist, Singapur | 5. Dezember 2008

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49 Arrested for 'Satanic' Clothes
Two plucky Iranian gals cocking a snook at the stifling dress restrictions of the mullahs of Iran. Photo courtesy of Google Images
NEWS.COM.AU: POLICE have arrested 49 people this week in a northern Iranian city during a crackdown on "satanic" clothes, according to an IRNA news agency report.

The measures are the latest in a country-wide campaign against Western cultural influence in the Islamic Republic, where strict dress codes are enforced.

"Police confronted rascals and thugs who appeared in public wearing satanic fashions and unsuitable clothing," Qaemshahr city police commander Mahmoud Rahmani told IRNA.

Mr Rahmani also said that five barber shops were shut and 20 more warned for "promoting Western hairstyles".

In the past, such crackdowns have lasted a few weeks or months, but the current campaign was launched in 2007 and has not let up.

It includes measures against men sporting spiky "Western" hairstyles or women wearing tight trousers and high boots.

Women are supposed to wear clothing that covers their hair and disguises the shape of their bodies. But some, particularly in cities, wear headscarves pushed back well beyond their hairlines and sport tight-fitting outfits. >>> From correspondents in Tehran | December 4, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

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A Russian Church for a Saudi Mosque?
THE WASHINGTON TIMES: This delightful story just came in thanks to getreligion.org: The Saudis have recently asked permission to build a mosque in Moscow, a city where there are only four mosques and 2 million Muslims. The Russians, however, are saying they want, in return, an Orthodox church in Saudi Arabia.

As we all know, the Saudis have a habit of constructing mosques in dozens of world capitals while forbidding houses of worship for any religion whatsoever outside its Wahabist brand of Islam. They've gotten some bad PR locally for some of the hate language in textbooks at the Saudi Academy in northern Virginia. Not only are hapless Christians terrorized and jailed for daring to hold private prayer services in Saudi Arabia, but God help them should they try to convert someone to their religion. And that's for a fellow People of the Book: One can only guess at what the treatment of Buddhists and Hindus must be like.

Wouldn't it be so ironic if the Russians were the first Christian body to win acceptance of the right to build a church in, say, Riyadh? (Some of the Russians are calling for a church in Mecca, but the chances of any other religion getting a foothold within walking distance of the world center of Islam is less than zero.) Of course we all know the Saudis aren't about ready to let Bibles or other religious literature, let alone a church, anywhere near their homeland, but all the same, it's amusing to see the Russians give the Saudis a taste of their own medicine. [Source: The Washington Times / Belief Blog (Comments welcome)] By Julia Duin | December 3, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

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Sweden's Sharia Pension Fund Outperforms Market
THE LOCAL (SWEDEN): A Swedish pension fund that abides by Sharia laws has outperformed the Stockholm stock exchange since its launch in October.

The Sharia fund, a part of the Premium Pension Authority's (PPM) fund system, was conceived to give Muslims a chance to have their retirement money grow without being placed in stocks which earned money by charging interest.

As such, the fund doesn’t invest in financial stocks and has thus avoided many of the losses suffered by other investors during the recent financial crisis. >>> | December 5, 2008

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Egyptian Cleric Hassan Abu Al-Ashbal Calls on President-Elect Obama to Convert to Islam, and Threatens: We Have People Who are Eager to Die
Watch Memri TV footage: The rant to end all rants! (This guy should watch his blood pressure! Poor fellow!) >>> | November 27, 2008
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Looking for the Ideal Spot to Make a Speech

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama’s aides say he is considering making a major foreign policy speech from an Islamic capital during his first 100 days in office. >>> By Helene Cooper | December 4, 2008

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New Dark Age Alert! The Global Force Behind Mumbai’s Agony Is In Our Midst
THE SPECTATOR: Stephen Schwartz and Irfan Al-Alawi say that LET — the Army of the Righteous — is a worldwide Islamist organisation which is well-established in Britain. The Mumbai atrocities are further proof that the march of Islamic extremism is the central fact of our time

The usual suspects are declaring that the ‘cause’ of the Mumbai bombings was Kashmir or some other local grievance. But what happened in Mumbai was no more a local event than the 7 July 2005 attacks in London or the assault in Madrid on 11 March 2004. Pakistani propaganda about its claims in Kashmir is almost entirely phony rhetoric intended to justify the predatory instincts of the Pakistani army and intelligence bureaucrats. Pakistan insists that Kashmiri Muslims are oppressed by India, but in fact Indian Muslims live better than Pakistani Muslims and have demonstrated a better capacity for true Islamic thinking.

The attacks on Mumbai are part of a global problem, which is why a passive Western policy toward the crisis is not acceptable. It may appear comforting to bien-pensant representatives of the ‘progressive’ elite. But in reality it represents an attitude of suicidal and irresponsible disengagement from confrontation with a continuing threat. In Mumbai, as in London, Madrid and New York, but also in the Islamic cities of Iraq, Istanbul and Jakarta, and in places like Peshawar and Quetta in Pakistan, a wide network of Muslim fundamentalists continue their global offensive.

The common enemies of all civilised humanity in the ongoing conflict include Saudi Wahhabism and Pakistani jihadism, the latter inspired by a fundamentalist variant of Islam called Deobandism. What Western appeasers must remember is that Pakistan, like Saudi Arabia before it, is two-faced, professing to oppose terrorism while powerful factions in its leadership espouse it. >>> Stephen Schwarz | December 3, 2008

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Pakistans Geheimdienst hinter dem Blutbad von Mumbai? : Indien beschuldigt Islamabad der Planung und Durchführung der Anschläge
NZZ Online: Die Hinweise verdichten sich, dass hinter den Anschlägen von Mumbai der pakistanische Geheimdienst stecken soll. Dieser habe laut einem Medienbericht die Ausbildung der Terroristen organisiert und das Blutbad in der Finanzmetropole befohlen. Auch die USA sollen entsprechende Informationen besitzen.

hoh. Indien ist der festen Überzeugung, dass Pakistan seine Finger bei den jüngsten Attentaten von Mumbai im Spiel hatte. Wie die Zeitung «Times of India» in ihrer Internetausgabe berichtet, soll der Geheimdienst Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) die Terroristen ausgebildet und die Anschläge geplant haben. Bei den Terroranschlägen in der indischen Finanzmetropole auf mehrere Hotels und öffentliche Einrichtungen vom 30. November waren über 170 Personen getötet worden. Die indische Polizei brauchte über 60 Stunden, um die Geiselnahmen zu beenden. >>> | 5. Dezember 2008

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Patriarch Alexiy II, Head of Russian Orthodox Church, Dies
Patriach Alexiy II, Head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Patriarch Alexiy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, died this morning, aged 79.

Russia's first post-Soviet Orthodox leader died at his residence outside Moscow, a church spokesman said. The cause of death was not given, although the Patriarch had been in poor health for some time and diplomats in Moscow have said that he was suffering from cancer.

Alexiy II was elected head of the Orthodox Church in 1990 and oversaw its restoration to a dominant role in Russian society thanks to open support from the Kremlin under Boris Yeltsin and in particular Vladimir Putin, the former KGB officer.

Patriarch Alexiy's links with the Kremlin were clouded by allegations that he himself had been a long-serving KGB agent codenamed "Drozdov" (the thrush), who had been awarded a "certificate of honour" for his service by the Soviet authorities in 1988. He was accused of providing information on dissident priests, and the KGB even sent him to England in 1969 on a mission with a church delegation.

As Patriarch, however, he oversaw the restoration of the Church's authority in Russia after the fall of Communism as churches were rebuilt and reopened across the country. He was seen as a unifying national figure,his moral strictures and benevolent appearance offering certainty at a time of extreme economic hardship and political upheaval.

Alexiy II also presided over a reunification ceremony at Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow last year that ended an 80-year schism with the Orthodox faithful whose families had fled Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917.

His death after an 18-year reign is likely to prompt an outpouring of grief in Russia, which has experienced a profound religious revival since the collapse of the Soviet Union. State television screened images from Alexiy's life, accompanied by the sound of tolling church bells, immediately after the announcement of his death. >>> Tony Halpin, Moscow | December 5, 2008

LE FIGARO: Le patriarche de l'Église orthodoxe russe est mort

Proche du premier ministre Vladimir Poutine, Alexis II avait rétabli, avec l'appui du Kremlin, l'influence de la plus grande Eglise othodoxe du monde, après 70 ans d'athéisme soviétique.

Le patriarche de Moscou et de toutes les Russies, Alexis II, chef de la plus grande église orthodoxe au monde, est décédé vendredi matin à l'âge de 79 ans dans sa résidence de Peredelkino, près de Moscou. Les raisons de son décès n'ont pas été rendues publiques par l'Eglise orthodoxe, mais le religieux souffrait depuis longtemps d'une maladie cardiaque.

«Je suis bouleversé, j'ai du mal à trouver des mots. J'éprouvais un immense respect à son égard», a déclaré le père de la Perestroïka et ex-président soviétique, Mikhaïl Gorbatchev, réagissant parmi les premiers à l'annonce de sa mort.

Proche du Premier ministre et ex-président Vladimir Poutine, Alexis II était depuis 1990 le chef de la plus grande Eglise orthodoxe au monde. Il a rétabli, avec l'appui du Kremlin, l'influence de l'Eglise orthodoxe en Russie, après 70 ans d'athéisme soviétique.

Le visage orné d'une imposante barbe blanche, la voix grave, Alexis II était un personnage très respecté des Russes et très présent au plan politique et médiatique. Il officiait à toutes les grandes liturgies à la cathédrale du Christ-Sauveur à Moscou, en présence souvent des dirigeants du pays. >>> | 5.12.2008

NZZ Online: Russisch-orthodoxer Patriarch Alexi II. Gestorben: Todesursache noch unklar - Oberhaupt von 150 Millionen Gläubigen

Das Oberhaupt der russisch-orthodoxen Kirche, der Moskauer Patriarch Alexi II, ist am Freitag im Alter von 79 Jahren gestorben. Dies teilte ein Sprecher seines Büros mit. Die Todesursache wurde zunächst nicht genannt.

(sda/afp/Reuters) Der Deutschbalte starb am Morgen in seiner Residenz nahe Moskau. Der Geistliche hatte seit einigen Jahren an Herzproblemen gelitten. Mehrere Male wurde er deshalb im Spital behandelt, unter anderem im vergangenen Jahr in der Schweiz.

Der Patriarch war für eine schrittweise Annäherung an die katholische Kirche. Dennoch sprach er sich gegen eine Reise des Papstes nach Russland aus. Er fürchtete, der Vatikan wolle dabei im Land missionieren. >>> | 5. Dezember 2008

BBC: Double Life of Russia's Patriarch

Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow. Photo courtesy of the BBC
Patriarch Alexiy II, who died on Friday, had an extraordinary career, in which he switched from suppressing the Russian Orthodox Church to being its champion.

A favourite of the KGB, he was promoted rapidly through the Church hierarchy, doing the Kremlin's bidding at a time when dissident priests were thrown into jail.

As the Church's effective foreign minister, he helped cover up the repression of Russian Christians, defending the Soviet system to the outside world.

He rose quickly through the ranks, being elected head of the Russian Orthodox Church at a crucial time, in 1990, with the Soviet Union on the path to collapse.

Surprisingly, perhaps, he seized the moment, and went on to oversee the revival and flowering of the Church, exuding moral authority and inspiring devotion among his followers.

Born free

Born Alexei Ridiger in 1929 in Estonia, which was then independent, he had some taste of freedom before the country was annexed by the Soviet Union during World War II.

But his mother was Russian, and he found he had some sympathy with the Soviet cause. >>> | December 5, 2008

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Des milliers de Russes rendent hommage à Alexis II

MOSCOU | Plus de 10 000 fidèles se sont recueillis devant la dépouille du patriarche de l'Eglise orthodoxe, exposée dans une cathédrale de la capitale.

Des milliers de fidèles se pressaient aujourd'hui pour rendre un dernier hommage au patriarche de Moscou et de toutes les Russies Alexis II. Sa dépouille était exposée dans une cathédrale de la capitale.
Plus de 10 000 fidèles se sont recueillis devant le cercueil du patriarche orthodoxe depuis qu'il a été transporté samedi soir à la cathédrale du Christ-Sauveur à Moscou. >>> AFP | Dimanche 07 Décembre 2008

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British Missionaries Charged with Sedition in Gambia
THE TELEGRAPH: A British couple who moved to Gambia to work as Christian missionaries have been arrested and charged with sedition.

David and Fiona Fulton, aged 60, and 46, were last night in police custody at separate cells in the West African state, which has a 90 per cent Muslim population.

The couple, originally from Troon, Scotland were detained on Saturday but have been unable to raise raise enough local people to vouch for them to secure their release on bail.

Mr Fulton, who is being held at Mile Two prison, a high security jail outside the capital Banjul, is said to be in poor health, and is refusing food. Mrs Fulton is at a police station with their adopted two-year-old daughter Elizabeth.

The pair appeared in court in Banjul yesterday accused of sedition, a serious charge brought against people suspected of undermining the government.

A friend of the couple said they feared the missionaries, who moved to Gambia 12 years ago, had fallen victim to power games in the tiny African state.

"As a chaplain part of David's job is to provide comfort to all sorts of people, people high up and people low down – and people who have perhaps fallen out of favour," said the friend, who did not wish to be named.

"I don't know of anything they have done that could be called sedition. Their whole focus has been teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Sedition is a serious crime anywhere. The penalty would not be light. >>> By Matthew Moore | December 5, 2008

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Rates Cut Again as Recession Deepens
TIMESONLINE: Cost of borrowing lowest in more than 50 years

The economy is plunging deeper into recession despite emergency tax cuts and the multibillion-pound bank bailout, the Bank of England said yesterday.

Cutting the base rate to its lowest level in more than 50 years, the Bank said the outlook now was worse than a month ago, with manufacturing and consumer spending in sharp decline.

The one-point cut left the base rate at 2 per cent, its lowest since 1951, but economists are forecasting already that the cost of borrowing could fall further, with a base rate of zero per cent no longer out of the question. The Bank’s dramatic move followed a relentless stream of dire economic news over the past four weeks that has fuelled fears that Britain’s plight will be worse than the recession of the early 1990s.

The Bank, which cut rates by 1.5 percentage points in November, acknowledged the risk of a deep, prolonged recession yesterday. It conceded that more will need to be done to jump-start stalled growth, and paved the way for further rate cuts. In a bleak assessment, it said: “Business surveys have weakened further and suggest that the downturn has gathered pace. Consumer spending and business investment have stalled.” >>> Gary Duncan, Philip Webster, Gráinne Gilmore | December 5, 2008

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Barack Obama Breaks First Campaign Promise by Dropping Oil Tax
THE TELEGRAPH: President-Elect Barack Obama has broken his first campaign promise by quietly dropping a profits windfall tax on oil companies that he promised on the campaign trail.

During the campaign, Mr Obama repeatedly promised to submit oil and gas companies to a profits windfall tax, citing the disparity between their huge profits and the struggles of ordinary Americans.

In the summer he said the tax would "help families pay their heating and cooling bills and reduce energy costs".

But the proposal has been quietly dropped from his agenda listed on transition team website's www.change.gov, setting off a storm of protest among liberal bloggers and small business groups.

An aide explained the change by saying: "President-Elect Obama announced the policy during the campaign because oil prices were above $80 per barrel. They are below that now and expected to stay below that."

But the shelving of the proposal was spotted by the California-based Small Business League, which asked if "the sudden elimination of this issue is a further indication that large corporations are already demonstrating their ability to influence the Obama administration". >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | December 4, 2008

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What is Sharia Law? Why It Threatens America. Wafa Sultan Explains

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The Crazy West? “I am a US Muslim”

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When Town Halls Turn to Mecca
THE ECONOMIST: For many European municipalities and a few American ones (see article) accommodating Islam is a big dilemma—but not an insoluble one

IN CITIES all over Europe, mayors are fretting about the coming religious festivities. No, not just Christmas lights. They want to ensure hygiene and order in the slaughter of sheep for the feast of Eid al-Adha on December 8th. This remembers the readiness of Abraham—the patriarch revered by all three monotheistic faiths—to sacrifice his son. Muslims often sacrifice a lamb, whose meat is shared with family members and the poor.

In the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, where the dominant culture is that of Morocco, a circular from the district authorities reminds residents not to kill animals at home. It invites them to a “temporary abattoir” that will function for 48 hours in a council garage. Molenbeek is one of four areas of Brussels which have set up makeshift slaughterhouses, each with a capacity of at least 500 sheep. In practice, home killing is hard to stop, despite vows by the city authorities to prosecute offenders.

In places like Molenbeek, a few miles away from the European Union’s main institutions, talk of the continent’s transformation into Eurabia doesn’t sound absurd. Although Muslims make up less than 4% of the EU’s total population, their concentration in urban areas is altering the scene in some European cities.

In some of these places bad relations between Muslims, non-Muslims and the authorities are creating political opportunities for the far right. In east London, for example, arguments are raging over plans for a “mega-mosque” near the site of the 2012 Olympics. In rough parts of northern Paris, there are fights between Muslims and Jews. In Italian cities, where Muslims are numerous but not many can vote, Catholics and secularists have united to stop the erection of mosques.

Yet talk of civilisational war in Europe’s cobblestoned streets is out of line in one respect: it understates the ability of democratic politics, especially local politics, to adapt to new social phenomena. For cities to work, compromises have to be struck and coalitions assembled. In city affairs, more than in national politics, politicians borrow each other’s slogans and policies.

In London, many expected a change in municipal attitudes towards Islam when a Conservative, Boris Johnson, took over as mayor from Ken Livingstone, a leftist maverick who had feted Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a controversial Muslim preacher. But in October, when the fasting month of Ramadan ended, Mr Johnson worked as keenly as his predecessors had done with the Muslim Council of Britain to stage an Islamic celebration in Trafalgar Square. >>> DUISBURG, LYON AND ROTTERDAM | December 4, 2008

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Oriana Fallaci on European Anti-Semitism

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Why the POTUS* Needs to Be a Natural-Born Citizen
FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS: The Founders and Framers were incredibly intelligent people. In fact, they operated, intellectually, at a grade 24 level, grade 12 equating to the senior year in high school. Therefore, it shouldn't come as any surprise that each Article and Amendment – each tenet – in The Charters of Freedom was painstakingly examined, debated, reviewed and, finally, included. Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution – the Article that clearly states the qualifications for holding the office of President of the United States – is no different.

To be clear, I have no decided position on whether or not President-Elect Barack Obama is a natural-born citizen or otherwise. I believe that we – as a people – need to base our understanding on any and every issue on the facts. But in the case of Mr. Obama’s status of natural-born citizenship there are too many unanswered questions and not enough transparency where the facts are concerned. For a candidate who ran his presidential campaign on the promise of transparency, Mr. Obama has proven in the earliest moments of his executive tenure that transparency is subjective.

The most troubling of the troublesome questions is why Mr. Obama didn’t immediately release his vaulted, original birth certificate for examination. This act would have not only eliminated a potential stumbling block for his campaign, but it would have certified his eligibility for the office of President of the United States and saved the taxpayers the cost of judicial intervention. Instead, under the pretext of visiting an ailing grandmother in Hawaii just days before the 2008 Presidential Election, Mr. Obama had his vaulted, original birth certificate sealed by Hawaii’s governor, Linda Lingle (R). >>> Frank Salvato | December 4, 2008

*POTUS – President of the United States

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Converted Muslim Tells Story behind Papal Baptism
ZENIT.ORG: Italian Journalist Recounts Journey to Catholicism

ROME - The high-profile baptism of Magdi Cristiano Allam at the Easter Vigil ceremony presided over last year by Benedict XVI has a story behind it. According to Allam himself, his conversion journey was possible because of great Christian witnesses.



One of the directors of the Milan daily Corriere della Sera, he spoke about his conversion and the experiences that led to it when he met with university students of Rome last week to tell the story of his path to Catholicism.



Starting from the Easter Vigil of 2008 -- which Allam called the "most beautiful day of my life" -- when he received baptism from Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Basilica, the Italian-Egyptian journalist spoke of his life journey and the reflections that brought him to embrace "a new life in Christ and a new spiritual itinerary."



"This journey," he recalled, "began apparently by chance, [but] in truth was providential. Since age four, I had the chance to attend Italian Catholic schools in Egypt. I was first a student of the Comboni religious missionaries, and later, starting with fifth grade, of the Salesians.



"I thus received an education that transmitted to me healthy values and I appreciated the beauty, truth, goodness and rationality of the Christian faith," in which "the person is not a means, but a starting point and an arriving point."



"Thanks to Christianity," he said, "I understood that truth is the other side of liberty: They are an indissoluble binomial. The phrase, 'The truth will make you free' is a principle that you young people should always keep in mind, especially today when, scorning the truth, freedom is relinquished."



The journalist continued: "My conversion was possible thanks to the presence of great witnesses of faith, first of all, His Holiness Benedict XVI. One who is not convinced of his own faith -- often it's because he has not found in it believable witnesses of this great gift.



"The second indissoluble binomial in Christianity is without a doubt that of faith and reason. This second element is capable of giving substance to our humanity, the sacredness of life, respect for human dignity and the freedom of religious choice."



The journalist affirmed that the Holy Father's 2006 speech in Regensburg -- which caused uproar within the Muslim community -- was for him a reason to reflect.



Allam said: "An event, before my conversion, made me think more than other events: the Pope's discourse in Regensburg. On that occasion, citing the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, he affirmed something that the Muslims themselves have never denied: that Islam spreads the faith above all with the sword." >>> By Luca Marcolivio | December 1, 2008

ZENIT.ORG:
Cristiano Magdi Allam revient sur sa conversion >>> | 3.12.2008

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E. Europe Free Hajj…Reverts First
Photo courtesy of IslamOnline
ISLAMONLINE: CAIRO — New Muslims in several East European countries are being given the lion's share of free hajj packages offered by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz.

"The Islamic Center of Brno has received 20 free hajj packages from the Saudi Embassy," Munib Hassan Al-Rawi, the director of the Islamic Waqf Society in the southern Czech city of Bruno, which runs the center, told IslamOnline.net.

"The priority was given to new Muslims with the hope that the spiritual journey would further strengthen their new beliefs."

Al-Rawi noted that the Saudi Embassy has given most of the free hajj packages to Czech's only two Islamic centers in the capital Prague and Brno.

Nearly 100 pilgrims, including 50 beneficiaries of the Saudi grants, will be flying to Istanbul, Turkey, en route to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim — who can financially afford the trip — must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime.

The Czech Republic, which has a population of more than 10 million people, is home to around 15,000 Muslims.

The number of new Muslims is estimated between 1500-2000, many of them embraced Islam in the 1990s.

In 2004, Prague acknowledged Islam as an official religion, giving Muslims rights on equal footing to Christians and Jews. >>> By Hani Salah | December 3, 2008

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Big Brother State by Stealth
THE INDEPENDENT: Thousands of unaccountable civil servants given access to our most intimate personal information

Personal information detailing intimate aspects of the lives of every British citizen is to be handed over to government agencies under sweeping new powers. The measure, which will give ministers the right to allow all public bodies to exchange sensitive data with each other, is expected to be rushed through Parliament in a Bill to be published tomorrow.

The new legislation would deny MPs a full vote on such data-sharing. Instead, ministers could authorise the swapping of information between councils, the police, NHS trusts, the Inland Revenue, education authorities, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the Department for Work and Pensions and other ministries.

Opponents of the move accused the Government of bringing in by stealth a data-sharing programme that exposed everyone to the dangers of a Big Brother state and one of the most intrusive personal databases in the world. The new law would remove the right to protection against misuse of information by thousands of unaccountable civil servants, they added.

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, said he believed Britain had gone too far in helping to bring about a "surveillance society". In a report drawing on personal data infringements across Europe but "inspired" by Britain's plan for a new internet, email and telephone database, he added: "General surveillance raises serious democratic problems which are not answered by the repeated assertion that those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear. This puts the onus in the wrong place: it should be for states to justify the interferences they seek to make on privacy rights." >>> By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor | December 4, 2008

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Obama on Cameron: 'What a lightweight'
YAHOO! NEWS (UK & IRELAND): Barack Obama's meeting with Tory leader David Cameron in London earlier this year left the Democratic nominee "distinctly unimpressed", it has been claimed.

According to diplomatic sources Mr Obama, now the president-elect of the United States, emerged from the meeting in July with the words: "What a lightweight."

Mr Obama met Mr Cameron following brief talks with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in Westminster two days after addressing 200,000 people in Berlin.

According to the Conservatives the "really positive" meeting had seen the two men discuss the "long-term underlying problems" in Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East.

An informal conversation picked up by ABC News between Mr Cameron and Mr Obama in New Palace Yard revealed the Tory leader urging the Illinois senator to 'take a break'.

Mr Cameron asked: "You should be on the beach... you need to be able to keep your head together... Do you have a break at all?" >>> | December 4, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Good Barnet, Good Leader!

David Cameron celebrates his third anniversary as Conservative leader on Saturday with few signs of the rigours of high office etched on his smooth face.

At 42, Cameron radiates health and keeps relatively trim by riding his bicycle to the Commons.

Sadly, the same can't be said of his distinctive mane of hair: in true Tory tradition, it's thinning. And fast. >>> By Andrew Pierce | December 5, 2008

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Queen's Speech: Firms Free to Favour Female and Black Job Applicants
MAIL Online: Companies will be free to discriminate in favour of women and black job candidates under proposed ‘equality’ laws.
The move allows employers to give preferential treatment as long as applicants are equally qualified.

It is designed to boost the proportion of female and ethnic staff, as well as thrusting more of them into senior posts.

Ministers insist that businesses will not be compelled to favour the woman or the black candidate, but the law will be changed to ensure they cannot be sued for turning down a white man.

Equalities minister Harriet Harman says ‘positive action’ is vital so that the workforce more accurately represents the proportion of the population as a whole.

Positive discrimination, where a lesser qualified candidate is given the job just because he or she is from a minority, will remain illegal. >>> By Michael Lea | December 4, 2008

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Muslim Legal Assistant Taunted by Boss over Her Headscarf Wins £75,000 Damages
MAIL Online: A Muslim legal assistant has won £75,000 damages after being called 'tent 'ead' in an email sent by her boss.

The comment was one of several discriminatory incidents that Saleca Parkar, 31, who wears traditional dress, including a headscarf, endured at a corporate law firm.

Mrs Parkar took her former company to an employment tribunal claiming discrimination on the grounds of her race, sex, religious beliefs and pregnancy.

The case was settled this week before evidence was aired. >>> By David Wilkes | December 4, 2008

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Interest Rates Cut: Bank of England Cuts Rates from 3 per Cent to 2 per Cent
THE TELEGRAPH: The Bank of England has cut UK interest rates from 3 per cent to 2 per cent, the lowest level since 1951 in an attempt to stop the economy sliding into a deep recession.


Rates have never been any lower since the Bank's foundation in 1694.
The aggressive move, which most economists had forecast, comes as a raft of data shows the state of the economy is worsening by the day.

Earlier today, Halifax, the country's largest lender said that house prices had fallen by 2.6 per cent in the last month alone, and have now lost more than £37,000 from their peak last summer.

Two important manufacturing and services surveys this week have shown factories and businesses are feeling the squeeze, while The Pier furniture chain became the latest retailer to collapse into administration.

Economists welcomed the move, saying it was the bare minimum required.

Hetal Mehta, Senior Economist from the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, said: "You could almost hear the sigh of relief up and down the country when the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee announced a 100 basis point cut in the base rate.

"As was the case last month, it was almost certain that interest rates would be slashed, but the big question was by how much. ITEM believes that the MPC was right to cut the base rate of interest to 2 per cent – anything less would have been a missed opportunity."

The move will save anyone on a £200,000 tracker-rate repayment mortgage just over £100 a month. Someone on an interest-only mortgage would save even more. >>> By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor | December 4, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: World Stability Hangs by a Thread as Economies Continue to Unravel

The political bubble is bursting. Spreads on geo-strategic risk are now widening as dramatically as the spreads on financial risk at the onset of the credit crunch.

Whether it is the Indian rupee, the Shanghai bourse, or Kremlin debt, the stars of the credit boom have fallen to earth. Investors are retreating into 3-month US Treasury bills – the ultimate safe-haven. The yield has fallen to 0.02pc, less than zero after costs. You pay Washington to guard your money.

The working assumption of the "Great Boom" is – or was – that we live in a benign era where most societies are converging towards some form of market liberalism; where trade and capital flows are unrestricted; where governments have enough legitimacy to keep order by light touch; where a major war is unthinkable.

This illusion is now being tested. >>> By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | December 1, 2008

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Frankreich: Haftstrafen für Zwölfjährige
DIE PRESSE: Während die Straf-Fälligkeit generell zurückgehe, nehme die Delinquenz der Jugendlichen weiter zu. Die Justizministerin plant deswegen nun härteres Jugend-Strafrecht.

PARIS (r.b.). Für jugendliche Straftäter soll es in Frankreich künftig kein Pardon mehr geben: Gerichte sollen auch erst Zwölfjährige – bei schweren Delikten – zu mehrjährigen Haftstrafen verurteilen können. So jedenfalls lautet einer von 70 Vorschlägen einer Expertenkommission, die sich im Auftrag von Justizministerin Rachida Dati mit der Revision des Jugendstrafrechts befasst hat. Nötig wäre dafür eine Senkung der Strafmündigkeit von 13 auf zwölf Jahre.

Viele Franzosen zeigen sich ob der angedachten Strafrechtsänderung schockiert, Dati rechtfertigt den Bedarf nach einer Neufassung mit dramatischen Zahlen: So würden 204.000 Minderjährige schwerer Straftaten beschuldigt, sagt sie in einer Fernseh-Talkshow. Darunter seien „Vergewaltiger, Entführer, Drogendealer, Brandstifter“. Und während die Straffälligkeit generell zurückgehe, nehme die Delinquenz der Jugendlichen weiter zu. >>> | 3. Dezember 2008

LE FIGARO: Fillon enterre le projet d'incarcération dès 12 ans

Le premier ministre a désavoué Rachida Dati vendredi, en se disant «totalement hostile» à la prison pour les mineurs de 12 ans.

La réforme de la justice des mineurs se complique pour Rachida Dati qui va devoir composer avec les réserves de François Fillon. Le premier ministre s'est déclaré vendredi «totalement hostile» à l'emprisonnement des mineurs de moins de 12 ans et a assuré que «son gouvernement n'avait aucun projet dans ce domaine». La position du chef de Matignon sur la mesure phare du rapport Varinard le passage de la responsabilité pénale à 12 ans- diverge nettement de celle de la ministre de la justice. Mercredi, Rachida Dati avait soutenu que «sanctionner pénalement les enfants dès 12 ans relevait du bon sens». Si «sanctionner ne veut pas dire emprisonner, les juges pour mineurs doivent pouvoir disposer d'une palette de réponses adaptées qui vont jusqu'à l'incarcération», avait-elle ajouté.

Toutefois, Rachida Dati rejoignait la commission Varinard sur le caractère exceptionnel de la mise en prison d'un jeune dès 12 ans. Le président de la commission André Varinard préconisait ainsi dans son rapport «l'impossibilité d'incarcérer un mineur de moins de 14 ans sauf en matière criminelle». Des garde-fous insuffisants apparemment pour le premier ministre. «Il y a d'autres solutions pour traiter y compris les cas les plus extrêmes de violences concernant les enfants de 12 ans», a défendu vendredi François Fillon. >>> C.J. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Vendredi 05 Décembre 2008

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Berlusconi will das Internet regulieren
DIE PRESSE: Der G8-Gipfel wird 2009 wieder in Italien stattfinden. Minister-Präsident Berlusconi will eine internationale Regelung des Internets diskutieren. Widerstand könnte aus der EU kommen.

Der italienische Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi will am G8-Gipfel 2009 eine internationale Regulierung für das Internet festschreiben. Das erklärte er während eines Besuchs im Technologiepark der Post in Rom. Der G8-Gipfel findet im Juli 2009 auf der Insel Magdalena nahe Sardinien statt. Konkrete Vorschläge hat Berlusconi noch nicht gemacht. Laut dem italienischen Corriere della Sera sieht Berlusconi Italien als Vorreiter bei der Internetregulierung. Nach einem Bericht der Presseagentur APA schwebt dem italienischen Innenminister Roberto Maroni vor, jeden Internet-Nutzer durch eine Erkennungsnumer identifizierbar zu machen.



Die G8 ist nach Ansicht des italienischen Ministerpräsidenten ein besseres Forum für Fragen der Internetregulierung als die UN, weil man sich bei den vielen Staaten der UN oft nicht einigen könne. >>> | 4. Dezember 2008

CORRIERE DELLA SERA:
Berlusconi: «Internet va regolamentata» : La proposta per il prossimo G8: «Serve una prospettiva internazionale, in cui l'Italia possa essere avanguardia» >>> | 03 dicembre 2008

LE FIGARO: Silvio Berlusconi a gagné
un surnom : «César»

Les fréquents emportements du président du Conseil contre les journaux et les leaders de l'opposition, ses manières autoritaires inquiètent jusqu'à ses alliés. >>> Richard Heuzé, à Rome | 4.12.2008

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Obama déjà omniprésent, Bush s'efface discrètement
LE FIGARO: La rapidité avec laquelle le président élu met en place son Administration laisse peu d'espace à l'actuel hôte de la Maison-Blanche.

Il y a ces jours-ci un contraste saisissant au sommet du pouvoir américain : d'un côté, la vélocité et l'aisance avec lesquelles le président élu s'installe déjà dans sa fonction à plus d'un mois et demi de son investiture ; de l'autre, la discrétion morose qui marque les derniers jours de George W. Bush à la Maison-Blanche.

Le futur patron de l'Amérique, qui tenait mercredi sa cinquième conférence de presse depuis son élection, est constamment sous les feux de la rampe, au fur et à mesure qu'il dessine les contours de son équipe. Après la présentation unanimement saluée du trio de choc Clinton, Gates, Jones, chargé de mettre en musique la politique étrangère et de sécurité américaine, Obama a annoncé la nomination du gouverneur du Nouveau-Mexique, Bill Richardson, au poste de secrétaire au commerce. «M. Richardson deviendra un “ambassadeur économique de premier plan”» pour l'Amérique, a expliqué le président élu dans un éloge appuyé. «C'est le moment non seulement de s'attaquer aux menaces économiques immédiates mais de jeter les fondements d'une prospérité à long terme en aidant les entreprises américaines à grandir… et accentuant nos efforts pour les promouvoir dans le monde», a poursuivi un Barack Obama en grande forme, qui a salué dans une boutade le «record du monde» de Richardson, qui aurait serré près «de 14 000 mains en moins de huit heures pendant une campagne». >>> Laure Mandeville | 4.12.2008

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Mumbai Attacks: Terror Suspect to Be Injected with Truth Drug
THE TELEGRAPH: The sole surviving terrorist from last week's Mumbai attacks is to be injected with a "truth serum" to establish where he is from.

Police hope to discover whether gunman Azam Amir Kasab came from Pakistan through the use of "narcoanalysis" – a practise banned in most democracies.

The technique was used during the Cold War before it emerged that barbiturate sodium pentothal induced hallucinations, delusions and psychotic manifestations

The row over where the gunman came from has caused major dispute between India and Pakistan as the nuclear-armed neighbours dispute each other's claims. >>> By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi | December 3, 2008

TIMESONLINE: Mumbai Police to Use Truth Serum on 'Baby-faced' Terrorist Azam Amir Kasab

Indian police interrogators are preparing to administer a "truth serum" on the sole Islamic militant captured during last week's terror attacks on Mumbai to settle once and for all the question of where he is from.

The mystery of the man dubbed "the baby-faced gunman" has weighed heavily on India's relations with Pakistan as the nuclear-armed neighbours dispute each other's accounts of his origin.

Police interrogators in Mumbai told The Times that they have "verified" that Azam Amir Kasab, who was captured after a shoot-out in a Mumbai railway station on Wednesday night, is from Faridkot, a small village in Pakistan's impoverished south Punjab region. They say that the nine dead gunmen are also Pakistani. >>> Rhys Blakely, Mumbai | December 3, 2008

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US Anglicans Form Breakaway Church
THE TELEGRAPH: Traditionalist Anglicans in North America are to set up a new church to settle their differences with the liberal views of the Episcopal Church.

The new Anglican Church in North America will include four Episcopal dioceses which recently split from the US church, as well as breakaway parishes from Canada.

Conservative Episcopalians have long been upset by the stance of the church's leadership on various issues, particularly homosexuality. >>> By Tom Leonard in New York | December 3, 2008

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Risqué Old Master Consigned to Attic Sells for £2.8 Million
THE TELEGRAPH: An Old Master painting of a semi-naked woman, consigned to an attic for 200 years because it was considered too risqué for display, has sold for more than £2.8 million at auction.

Lady as Flora by Giambattista Tiepola courtesy of The Telegraph
An anonymous bidder paid three times the estimate for Portrait of a Lady as Flora, by Italian Giambattista Tiepolo, at Christie's in London.

The mid-18th century picture provocatively shows the woman's exposed left breast.

Richard Knight, international director of Christie's Old Master Department, described it as "one of the most exciting and extraordinary discoveries of recent years".

He said it had been found in the attic of a French chateau "where it had been hidden by the grandparents of the present owners due to the semi-naked subject".

He added "The painting has lain untouched in the same private collection for over 200 years, and as a result it remains breathtakingly similar to the way it would have been immediately after it left the artist's easel. >>> By Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondent | December 3, 2008

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India Will Not Bow Before Terrorism, Says Sonia Gandhi
Photo of Sonia Gandhi courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: India will give a "befitting reply" to last week's attacks in Mumbai (Bombay) and will not "bow before terrorism," the leader of the ruling Congress party Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday.

"We will never bow before terrorism. We will give a befitting reply," Ms Gandhi said at a rally in Indian Kashmir.

"We have taken several steps to have a friendly and brotherly relationship with our neighbours," she said, but warned: "It should not be taken as our weakness."

State elections are under way in Kashmir despite poll boycott appeals by Muslim separatists and rebels opposed to Indian rule in the scenic region.

"We are ready for talks with anyone who wants to see a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute," Ms Gandhi said. "There will be no talks with the people who work against humanity." >>> | December 3, 2008

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Kyle Bristow – Opinion: Austria Rising
GLOBAL POLITICIAN: On September 28, 2008, Austria held elections in which right-wing nationalist political parties received 29 percent of the total vote. The left-wing British newspaper Guardian described these nationalist parties as “neo-fascist” in an article published on its website entitled “Extreme Right Emerges as Strong Force in Austria” (9/29/2008). The article goes on to say that these nationalist parties “emerged from a general election as a contender to be the strongest political force in the country for the first time.” With how Europe has been infected with severe cases of multiculturalism and multiracialism for years now, it is about time that the people rise up and let the storm break loose.



The aforementioned article states that “The combined forces of the extreme right took 29% of the vote, with Jörg Haider almost tripling the share of his breakaway Movement for Austria's Future to 11%, while his successor as Freedom party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, saw his party soar to 18%.” When Austrian nationalists stand up and proclaim “Here marches the national resistance!” nearly a third of the electorate stands with them.



Why are Austrians flocking to the polls to vote for “neo-fascist” political parties? In my mind, the answer is quite clear: Austrians are sick and tired of being fed the politically correct garbage that Marxist scum have forced down their throats for years. 



Herr Strache, the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, said in an interview that Turkey will never be admitted into the European Union—if he had his way—“Not now, not in 100 and not in 200 years.” It is a breath of fresh air for a European statesman to suggest that it is in the interest of European people to keep Europe European. In that very same interview, Strache added “that non-EU members should not be allowed access to Austria's social service system.” Commonsense policies that nationalists promote are eagerly accepted by voters, and this scares leftists who wish to rob Europeans of their destiny by turning Europe into a multiracial, multicultural swamp in which the First World populations are replaced with Third World parasites. Was Rome destroyed not in a day, but over time, through mass immigration? Why should suicidal policies be pursued? The Austrian voters ask these questions, and their politicians have ignored them for too long. Austrians have—through democracy—rejected mass immigration in favor of keeping Austria Austrian by voting for nationalist parties. 



The Occident-hating multiculturalists must be going nuts right about now. The fact that nearly a fifth of a population of a country voted for a political party of which the leader of it describes Muslim women who wear Islamic outfits that are no less ridiculous than the most outrageous Halloween costume as “female ninjas,” who wants to create a government ministry to manage the deportation of illegal aliens and the repatriation of immigrants, who speaks of Europeans from the Balkans who immigrate to Austria as “[Our] European brothers who don’t want to be Islamized,” and the political party which has leaders who reminisce “about the days when the kiosks on Vienna’s squares sold sausage and wiener schnitzel, rather that ‘the kebab joints selling falafel and couscous, or whatever you call that stuff’” must irk the leftist, self-hating Westerners. >>> Kyle Bristow | December 23, 2008

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Radical Preacher Sent Back to Prison as Judges Rule on Secret Evidence
THE GUARDIAN: Islamist Qatada deemed to be at risk of absconding / Bail revoked pending decision on deportation

Radical Islamist cleric Abu Qatada yesterday had his bail revoked and was returned to indefinite detention in a maximum security prison pending the outcome of a legal battle over his deportation to Jordan.

The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac), in effect Britain's national security court, ruled that evidence from the security services, heard in secret, had convinced them there was now an increased risk of Qatada absconding.

Qatada, described by a Spanish judge as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, was released on bail in June to live with his family in west London under a 22-hour curfew after the court of appeal ruled it was unsafe to return him to Jordan.

The preacher has spent three and half years in maximum security jails since he was first declared a risk to national security in January 2001 on the grounds that he encouraged other extremists to commit acts of terrorism by providing religious sanction for them.

The immigration judges said their decision to revoke his bail was based on the evidence they had heard in secret: "The secretary of state relies on information contained in the closed case to justify the revocation of bail." This remains confidential and is only spelled out in a separate "closed" unpublished judgment.

The "open" version published yesterday said none of the reasons put forward by the Home Office in the public sessions of the commission's two-day hearing would justify the revocation of his bail. These included the seizure at his home of memory cards, MP3 players, computer discs and videotapes. >>> Alan Travis, Home Affairs Editor | December 3, 2008

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Enough of Radical Islam
TOWNHALL.COM: Enough with the pseudonyms. Western civilization isnt [sic] at war with terrorism any more than it is at war with grenades. Western civilization is at war with militant Islam, which dominates Muslim communities all over the world. Militant Islam isnt a tiny minority of otherwise goodhearted Muslims. Its a dominant strain of evil that runs rampant in a population of well over 1 billion.

Enough with the psychoanalysis. They dont [sic] hate us because of Israel. They dont [sic] hate us because of Kashmir. They dont [sic] hate us because we have troops in Saudi Arabia or because we deposed Saddam Hussein. They dont [sic] hate us because of Britney Spears. They hate us because we are infidels, and because we dont [sic] plan on surrendering or providing them material aid in their war of aggressive expansion.

Enough with the niceties. We dont [sic] lose our souls when we treat our enemies as enemies. We dont [sic] undermine our principles when we post more police officers in vulnerable areas, or when we send Marines to kill bad guys, or when we torture terrorists for information. And we dont [sic] redeem ourselves when we close Guantanamo Bay or try terrorists in civilian courts or censor anti-Islam comics. When it comes to war, extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

Enough with the words. Talking with Iran without wielding the threat of force, either economic or military, wont [sic] help. Appealing to the United Nations, run by thugs and dictators ranging from Putin to Chavez to Ahmadinejad, is an exercise in pathetic futility. Evil countries dont [sic] suddenly decide to abandon their evil goals -- they are forced to do so by pressure and circumstance. >>> By Ben Shapiro | December 3, 2008

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Messianic Jewish Leader Says Islam is a Threat to the World
JOURNAL CHRÉTIEN: One of the founders of the Jewish Messianic movement has openly identified Islam as being a threat to the world.

In an online article written following the devastating attacks in Mumbai, in which almost 200 people were killed, Asher Intrater said, “Islamic Jihad is an international movement - coordinated, planned, and well-financed. Its goal is to destroy Western civilization, kill Christian missionaries, and destroy the State of Israel. It is deeply rooted in Islamic religious indoctrination. Terror is part of Jihad, and Jihad is part of Islam.” >>> By Jeremy Reynalds | December 2, 2008

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L'émir koweïtien charge le premier ministre de former un nouveau cabinet
LE MONDE: Après la crise entre le pouvoir exécutif et le pouvoir législatif au Koweït qui s'est soldée, mardi 25 novembre, par la démission du gouvernement, l'émir, cheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, a décidé de reconduire dans ses fonctions le premier ministre cheikh Nasser Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, en le chargeant lundi 1er décembre de former une nouvelle équipe. La décision devait encore être confirmée par une annonce officielle.

En acceptant la démission du gouvernement, cheikh Sabah a évité une dissolution du Parlement dans ce riche petit émirat pétrolier qui a du mal à trouver une stabilité politique. Depuis 2006, le parlement y a été dissous à deux reprises et le pays a connu une valse de quatre gouvernements, tous dirigés par le cheikh Nasser Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, neveu de l'émir.

La crise actuelle a été déclenchée par la détermination des députés fondamentalistes sunnites, Walid Tabatabaï, Mohammed Al-Mtiri et Abdallah Al-Barghach, de soumettre à la question le premier ministre sur la corruption et une mauvaise gestion, ainsi que sur l'autorisation octroyée à un dignitaire chiite iranien, Mohammed Baqer Al-Fali, d'effectuer une visite au Koweït, alors même qu'il a été interdit de séjour dans ce pays en vertu d'une décision de justice - dont il a fait appel - pour avoir insulté les compagnons du Prophète. >>> Beyrouth Correspondante | 02.12.2008

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Castro ist bereit, Obama an einem «neutralen Ort» zu treffen
TAGES ANZEIGER: Kubas Präsident Raúl Castro hat sieben Stunden lang mit Filmstar Sean Penn gesprochen – und dabei Interessantes gesagt.

Der amerikanische Schauspieler und Filmregisseur Sean Penn hat geschafft, was Journalisten seit über zwei Jahren vergeblich versuchen: mit Fidel Castros Nachfolger und Bruder Raúl Castro ein Interview zu führen. Sean Penn, der gerne politisiert und schreibt und sich früher schon mit Hugo Chávez und Fidel Castro unterhalten hatte, reiste Ende Oktober nach Venezuela zu Chávez und anschliessend nach Havanna zu Raúl Castro. Mit beiden Staatspräsidenten hat Penn stundenlang gesprochen und darüber einen Essay verfasst. Dieser erscheint am 15. Dezember in der amerikanischen Zeitschrift «The Nation», ist auf der Internetseite jedoch bereits zu lesen.

Im ersten Interview mit einem Ausländer sagte Raúl Castro, er sei bereit, sich mit Barack Obama «an einem neutralen Ort» zu treffen, zum Beispiel auf der US-Militärbasis Guantánamo im Osten Kubas. «Wir sollten uns treffen und beginnen, unsere Probleme zu lösen», sagte Raúl im siebenstündigen Gespräch, das kurz vor den amerikanischen Präsidentschaftswahlen stattfand. Raúl zeigte sich überzeugt, dass Obama die Wahlen gewinne, «sofern er vorher nicht umgebracht wird». >>> Von Oscar Alba, Havanna | 2. Dezember 2008

THE NATION:
Conversations With Chávez and Castro >>> Sean Penn | November 25, 2008

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Die Hisbollah sollte schleunigst verboten werden
WELT ONLINE: Sie gilt als extremistisch und betreibt "anschlagsfähige Netzwerke": die radikalislamische Gruppierung Hisbollah. Mit Geldern aus dem Iran schürt sie eine Hasspropaganda und finanziert Anschläge gegen Israel. Jetzt wurde ihr TV-Sender Al-Manar in Deutschland verboten. Die Hisbollah jedoch nicht.

Das Verbot des radikal-islamistischen TV Senders Al-Manar (Der Leuchtturm) durch den Bundesinnenminister ist am vergangenen Wochenende wirksam geworden.

Seitdem ist es untersagt, Al-Manar TV in Hotels oder Teestuben zu zeigen, auf dem Sender zu werben oder sonst wie mit ihm zusammen zu arbeiten. Da das Verbot jedoch keine Auswirkungen auf den Sendebetrieb hat, wirft die Verbotsverfügung des Bundesinnenministers zusätzliche, schwerwiegende Fragen auf. >>> Von Alexander Ritzmann | 3. Dezember 2008

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"Es wird Zeit, dass wir unsere Sprache schützen"
WELT ONLINE: Die Basis der CDU hat sich auf ihrem Parteitag in Stuttgart dafür ausgesprochen, die deutsche Sprache im Grundgesetz zu verankern. Wörtlich soll festgehalten werden: "Die Sprache in der Bundesrepublik ist Deutsch." Was das bedeutet, sagt der Geschäftsführer des Vereins Deutsche Sprache (VDS) auf WELT ONLINE. >>> Von Lars Kreye | 2. Dezember 2008

WELT ONLINE: Muslime gegen Debatte über deutsche Leitkultur

Foto von Ayyub Axel Köhler, Zentralrats-Vorsitzende dank der Welt
Politiker und Verbände haben das Vorhaben der CDU kritisiert, die deutsche Sprache als eigenständigen Passus ins Grundgesetz aufzunehmen. Auch der Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutschland hat sich gegen das Vorhaben ausgesprochen. Der Rat warnt vor einer Diskussion über deutsche Leitkultur.

Der Zentralrat der Muslime in Deutschland hat die CDU für ihr Vorhaben kritisiert, Deutsch als Landessprache im Grundgesetz zu verankern. Der Zentralrat nannte das Vorhaben „lächerlich und kleinlich“. „Dass Deutsch Amtssprache ist, steht doch ohnehin fest. Und dass die deutsche Sprache Grundlage für Integration ist, ist selbstverständlich“, sagte der Zentralrats-Vorsitzende Ayyub Axel Köhler der in Hannover erscheinenden „Neue Presse“.

Köhler warf der CDU einen Rückfall in die Debatte über eine deutsche Leitkultur vor: „Diese Diskussion hat unendlich viel Schaden angerichtet und schien längst überwunden. Jedes Signal in Richtung Leitkultur ist ein Hindernis für Integration.“ Der Vorsitzende des Zentralrats der Muslime verwies zudem auf die dänische und die sorbische Minderheit in Deutschland. Auch diesen Bevölkerungsgruppen würde mit einer Verankerung der deutschen Sprache in der Verfassung „vor den Kopf gestoßen“. >>> | 3. Dezember 2008

NZZ Online:
Deutschland soll nicht mehrsprachig werden: Vorstoss der CDU zur deutschen Sprache löst Welle der Empörung aus >>> | 3. Dezember 2008

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Papst-Botschafter: „Islam heute ist nicht Islam des Koran“
DIE PRESSE: Der scheidende Botschafter des Papstes, Erzbischof Edmond Farhat, im Interview mit der "Presse". Farhat ist seit 2005 Apostolischer Nuntius in Österreich, vor Wien war er Nuntius in der Türkei.

Die Presse: Als Diplomat sind Sie Vertreter des Heiligen Stuhls bei der Republik Österreich und Gesandter des Papstes bei der Kirche. Welche Rolle ist die wichtigere?

Erzbischof Edmond Farhat: Gott sei Dank sagen Sie „Diplomat“. Das heißt nämlich, dass wir arbeiten. Die Kirche arbeitet, der Nuntius arbeitet – auch mit dem Staat. Wir haben keine großen Probleme mit dem Staat. Die Kirche macht Probleme, hat aber auch Erfolge. >>> Hans Winkler | 2. Dezember 2008

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State Opening of Parliament: ‘Economy Is Overriding Priority’
Watch BBC video: State Opening of Parliament: Live coverage >>> | December 3, 2008
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Sharjah: Have Degree, Will Drive!
BBC: Sharjah, one of the seven emirates that makes up the UAE, is to bar workers in certain jobs from applying for driving licenses, a newspaper has reported.

The ban will cover 86 categories of mainly menial jobs - including cooks, housemaids, gardeners, and tailors.

It was brought in by Sharjah's police traffic department to curb congestion and pollution, the report says.

The United Arab Emirates have one of the highest ratios of car ownership to population in the world.

The report, which appeared in the Gulf News daily newspaper, was linked to from Sharjah's official police website.

The impact of the ban on workers may be compounded by the poor state of public transport in the emirate.

Many, if not most, of those hit by the driving ban will be foreign workers in low-paid, unskilled jobs.

The report said driving licence applications would still be accepted from those with university degrees. Emirate Car Ban on Menial Workers >>> | December 1, 2008

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