Turkey’s Jews Ask for Equal Democratic Rights
HÜRRIYET: ISTANBUL - The biggest problem of Jews in Turkey is that most people perceive them as foreigners and not citizens of this country, according to the leader of the Jewish community in Turkey.

While the concerns of the Jewish community in Turkey about possible antagonism over Israeli attacks in Gaza remain, the leader of the Jewish community in Turkey said they wanted equality and democracy, not tolerance.

"Everybody can criticize Israel’s policies and we respect that. However, any anti-Israel statement can easily turn into a condemnation of Jews," Silvyo Ovadya told daily Milliyet in an interview published yesterday. "What we are concerned about is the Jewish part, not the Israel part. We do not want people to insult our religion," he said.

Harsh rhetoric against Israel from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his much-criticized reference to 500 years ago when fleeing Jews were received by the Ottomans and the Education Ministry’s directive to hold a one minute’s silence for Palestinians who had been killed are among the government’s moves that received strong reactions from both within Turkey and abroad. Some observers said Turkey’s Jewish community felt physically threatened by growing anti-Israeli sentiment among the public.

"Whenever there is a war in the Middle East anti-Semitism goes up in the world. One reason is the inability to distinguish between an Israeli national and a Jew who is a citizen of another country. This is exactly our problem in Turkey, people see us as part of Israel," Ovadya said.

Explaining that their biggest problem was that people saw them as outsiders, Ovadya said they had no problems worshiping or holding religious services. "Of course there are restrictions. For example have you ever seen a Jewish ambassador or military officer? However, our problem is something else. We do our military service, we fulfill all our civic responsibilities and we are raised with Turkish culture and language. When somebody calls us a foreigner despite all that, it offends us," he said. >>> | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Pentagon: Iran's Domestic Satellite Launch Is Grave Cause for Concern
FOX NEWS: Iran's launch of its first satellite into space is a grave cause for concern, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Iran's launch of its first satellite into space is a grave cause for concern to the U.S. as the Islamic Republic continues to work toward developing long-range missile capability, the Pentagon and White House said Tuesday.

Tuesday's launch of its first domestically made satellite "does not convince us that Iran is acting responsibly to advance stability or security in the region," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Gibbs said any effort to develop missile delivery capability, continue an illicit nuclear program, threaten Israel and sponsor terror is an "acute concern to this administration."

"It is certainly a reason for us to be concerned about Iran and its continued attempts to develop a ballistic missile program of increasingly long range," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters Tuesday.

"They (Iran) pose a real threat and it is a growing threat," he said. >>> Fox News, with a contribution from Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Papst zeigt Merkel die kalte Schulter
Der Vatikan sieht nach Angaben eines Sprechers keine Notwendigkeit für eine Klarstellung des Papstes zum Holocaust.

In einer Reaktion auf eine entsprechende Forderung von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel erklärte Vatikan-Sprecher Federico Lombardi am Dienstag: «Die Haltung des Papstes zum Thema Holocaust ist sehr deutlich ausgedrückt worden.» >>> cmp/ap | Dienstag, 3. Februar 2009

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Wilders Asks High Court to Halt Prosecution
Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
NRC HANDELSBLAD: Populist politician Geert Wilders is taking his case to the high court, asking the country's highest judicial body to quash the order to prosecute him "in the interest of the law".

The member of parliament has enlisted one of the Netherlands' best known lawyers, Bram Moszkowicz, to fight his prosecution over inciting hatred and discrimination. The lawyer has confirmed he is taking the case to the country's high court, requesting an immediate end to the proceedings.

The Amsterdam appeals court in January ordered that Wilders must be prosecuted for insulting Muslims and describing the Koran as "the Islamic Mein Kampf". Wilders, leader of the opposition Party for Freedom (PVV), claims he is doing nothing other than exercising his right to free speech, both inside and outside parliament. Following formal objections by individual citizens and interest groups, the Amsterdam court order reversed a decision by the public prosecutor's office to refrain from opening a case against Wilders.

Wilders on his website says: "I've hired the best lawyer of the Netherlands for a ruthless fight against the charges that I'm facing." In an earlier case Moszkowicz profited from a state’s request to quash a case in the interest of the law, achieving almost by accident his desired result of halting the prosecution in the Netherlands of Surinam's former strongman Desi Bouterse for his involvement in a series of political murders in 1982. The court declared in 2001 that the Netherlands had no jurisdiction in that case.

Dozens of citizens, companies and authorities plead for the cassation of irrevocable verdicts against them every year in the Netherlands, mostly to no avail. The independent representative of the prosecution at the high court almost never accepts such requests. The procedure is mainly used to correct obvious mistakes, clarify jurisprudence, affirm or rephrase the court's position. The criteria for quashing a verdict "in the interest of the law" is that a greater public interest is at stake.

According to Ybo Buruma, professor of criminal law at the Radboud University, Wilders's request to have his case put before the high court has a minimal chance of success. Buruma thinks that public relations are more involved here than the law. Yet he understands why Moszkowicz is exploring this avenue, given the practical consequences of the verdict in the Bouterse case. >>> By Folkert Jensma | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

This article was translated and edited in partnership with RNW.

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Treblinka Death Camp: A Survivor's Testimony
Watch YouTube video: here >>>
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Bishop Richard Williamson, the Holocaust-denier

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David Irving Speaks Out
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George Galloway Talks About the Holocaust

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Lord Ahmed Issues Threats*

*I should like to remind my visitors that I do NOT endorse ANY political party. The fact that this video was made by the BNP shouldn't be construed IN ANY WAY as an endorsement of that party. Similarly, I do not endorse any other parties either. –Mark

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Benedikt XVI: Merkel fordert klare Worte vom Papst
Foto vom Papst dank dem Stern
STERN: Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat Papst Benedikt XVI. zu einer deutlichen Stellungnahme zum Umgang mit dem Holocaust aufgefordert. Es gehe darum, eindeutig klarzustellen, dass es keine Leugnung geben könne, sagte sie. Indes wächst die Kritik deutscher Theologen am Papst wegen der Rehabilitierung von vier Bischöfen der erzkonservativen Pius-Bruderschaft.


Papst Benedikt XVI. gerät wegen der Rehabilitierung eines Holocaust-Leugners in den eigenen Reihen zunehmend unter Druck. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel forderte ihn zu einer deutlichen Position in der Diskussion über den Umgang mit dem Holocaust auf. "Es geht darum, dass von Seiten des Papstes und des Vatikans sehr eindeutig klargestellt wird, dass es hier keine Leugnung geben kann", sagte sie. "Diese Klarstellungen sind aus meiner Sicht noch nicht ausreichend erfolgt", so Merkel am Dienstag bei einer Pressekonferenz in Berlin.

Merkel betonte, dass sie normalerweise innerkirchliche Entscheidungen nicht bewerte oder kommentiere. "Allerdings ist das anders, wenn es um Grundsatzfragen geht", sagte Merkel. "Und ich glaube, das ist schon eine Grundsatzfrage, wenn durch eine Entscheidung des Vatikan der Eindruck entsteht, dass es die Leugnung des Holocaust geben könnte, dass es um grundsätzliche Fragen auch des Umgangs mit dem Judentum insgesamt geht", sagte Merkel. >>> Reuters/DPA/AP | Dienstag, 3. Februar 2009

FOTO-GALERIE:
Papst Benedikt XVI: Das Leben des Joseph Ratzinger >>>

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le Vatican considère close la question des évêques intégristes

POLÉMIQUE | Le secrétaire d’Etat du Vatican, le cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a estimé mardi que la polémique concernant la réintégration d’un évêque intégriste ayant tenu des propos négationnistes "peut être considérée comme close".

Tarcisio Bertone a fait ces déclarations dans une interview au quotidien catholique Avvenire. "La Fraternité Saint Pie X a pris les distances avec son évêque et a demandé pardon au pape pour cet épisode embarrassant. Le pape a parlé clairement mercredi. Je pense que cette question peut être considérée comme close", a déclaré le numéro 2 du Vatican.

Mgr Richard Williamson, l’un des quatre évêques intégristes de la Fraternité Saint-Pie X dont l’excommunication a été levée par le pape fin janvier, a nié l’existence des chambres à gaz dans un entretien diffusé par la télévision suédoise. Il y a une semaine, le supérieur général de la Fraternité, Mgr Bernard Fellay, a demandé "pardon" au Pape et à "tous les hommes de bonne volonté". "Les affirmations de Mgr Williamson ne reflètent en aucun cas la position de notre société", a-t-il assuré. Le lendemain, au cours de l’audience générale du mercredi, le pape a exprimé sa "solidarité" avec les juifs et a condamné la négation de la Shoah. >>> ATS | Mardi 03 Février 2009

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Melanie Phillips: British Police Running from Muslim Demonstrators, a Christian Nurse Facing the Sack for Offering to Pray for a Patient - This Is the Way a Society Dies
MAIL Online: In our allegedly multicultural society, there is one religious group which is apparently not to be afforded equal respect, let alone treated for what it embodies - the foundational creed of this nation. That group is Britain’s Christians.

Somerset community nurse and committed Christian Caroline Petrie has been suspended and faces being sacked and even struck off for offering to say a prayer for an elderly patient. Although startled, the patient - herself a Christian - did not make a complaint and was in no way offended.

Nevertheless Mrs Petrie’s boss wrote to her saying she was required to uphold the reputation of her profession - which apparently means demonstrating ‘a personal and professional commitment to equality and diversity’ and not using her professional status ‘to promote causes that are not related to health’.

Apparently, Mrs Petrie previously received a warning about promoting her faith at work after she offered to give a prayer card to an elderly male patient.

Now there may be a valid point here about professionalism. Offering prayer cards comes close to touting one’s faith, which might well be thought inappropriate on the wards. But even so, one would have thought that a quiet word in the nurse’s ear would have been all that was necessary. Instead, Mrs Petrie was packed off to an ‘equality’ course for some diversity training.

This Orwellian response has now been followed up by the draconian action of suspending her with the possibility of outright dismissal from her job simply because she offered to pray for another patient.

Suspension and dismissal are sanctions to be used for mistreating or neglecting patients. Yet here they are being used against a nurse for offering to bring a patient a form of spiritual solace - which the patient was able easily to refuse and which caused her no problem. Is this not an utterly idiotic over-reaction?

I am a Jew; but when my mother was in the last stages of her terminal illness she was cared for by deeply devout Christian nurses who regularly prayed for her. Far from being offended by this, I was touched and comforted by this signal that they cared so much about her.

Moreover, this is not actually about upholding professionalism in nursing. It is all about foisting upon nursing the sinister and politically correct ‘diversity’ agenda – which means in effect treating Christianity as inherently offensive. >>> Melanie Phillips | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

BNPTube: Metropolitan Police Humiliated at the Hands of Muslim Demonstrators in London

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’Turkey’s EU Bid Is a Great Threat to Europe’
HÜRRIYET: VIENNA - Austria's far-right Freedom Party, or FPOe, announced Sunday it could soon join the European Parliament's right-wing faction, Union for the Europe of Nations, or UEN, following a meeting of far-right parties in Vienna.

"Europe is and must be more than the European Union. We all see the Lisbon Treaty as a major problem but Turkey's accession is also a great threat for Europe," FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache announced in a statement. [Source: Hürriyet] Agence France-Presse | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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What Lurks Behind Iran's Close Relationship with Venezuela?
[T]he Iranian effort, which has been joined by Venezuela in a joint effort to establish a strong terror base in the region, is especially palpable in countries ruled by anti-American left wing regimes such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Nonetheless, Iran has also increased its presence in Mexico and Colombia, which are considered more U.S. friendly. The rate of the increase of Iranian personnel in Mexican and Colombian embassies were described by the New York sources as "astronomical" and as "not proportional with the embassies' local requirements." Some believe that this increase is in fact in preparation for subversive activity.

In an exclusive report on the Iran-Venezuela cooperation, published by news Website Newsmax, a study conducted by Israel's Foreign Ministry is quoted as saying that 30 Iranian diplomats were dispatched to Nicaragua. A similar number was dispatched to Venezuela and other Latin American countries. >>> Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent | Thursday, January 1, 2009

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Turkey No Longer Seen as 'Honest Broker' After Erdogan Outburst
HAARETZ: Turkey's role in mediating the Israeli-Arab conflict has been compromised by its leader's repeated censure of Israel's recent offensive in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli government official said Monday.

"He won't mediate anything any more," the official said. "His stint as mediator between Israel and the Arabs is over, that's for sure. He won't be accepted as an honest broker by Israel at all."

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose Israeli policy. He said no official decision had to be taken, but that Israeli leaders spoke about Erdogan in such a way that made it clear they did not have faith in him as a mediator.

Any Israel discontent is directed at Erdogan personally, and should not be misconstrued as a rupture with Turkey, whose cooperation Israel values, he added. >>> Associated Press (Yoav Stern contributed to this report) | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Order to Take Off Niqab Pits Law Against Religion
THE STAR (TORONTO EDITION): Woman to appeal ruling forcing her to unveil face in sexual assault trial

A judge has ordered a Toronto woman to testify without her niqab at a sexual assault trial – raising the thorny issue of whether Muslim women should be allowed to appear as witnesses wearing a veil that covers everything but the eyes.

The issue is a collision of two rights, pitting religious freedom against the right of a defendant to face an accuser in open court.

The case could be precedent setting because it doesn't appear there is any Canadian case law addressing the question of Muslim women in the courtroom. In Canada, home to about 580,000 Muslims, the case will be closely watched, amid fears about Muslim women coming forward in criminal cases. >>> Betsy Powell | Monday, February 2, 2009

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch >>>

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Carol Thatcher Dropped from BBC Show after 'Golliwog' Gaffe
Photo of Carol Thatcher courtesy of The Times
TIMES ONLINE: The BBC announced today that it has no plans to use Carol Thatcher in her regular presenting slot after she used the racial epithet “golliwog” during an off-air discussion.

The daughter of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister, made the remark when discussing a tennis player in the green room after filming for the One Show, a daily magazine programme shown on BBC One.

After discussions held last night between Thatcher and the corporation, a statement was released this afternoon.

A spokesman for the corporation said: “There are no confirmed plans for Carol to be working on the One Show at the present time. It’s a very pressing matter for the BBC to get resolved and we are working as hard as we can to do so.”

Thatcher, who was crowned Queen of the Jungle in the 2005 reality series I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, has been a regular presenter on the series for three years and is described as part of the family on the BBC website.

She made the controversial remark during a discussion with the show’s host Adrian Chiles after filming. Thatcher was immediately challenged about the remark according to reports, but she only apologised yesterday dismissing the comment as a “joke”. >>> Nico Hines | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

MAIL Online: Furious Carol Thatcher Accuses BBC of Vendetta Against Her After Leaking of Golliwog 'Joke'

The Carol Thatcher race row intensified today as attention centred on who leaked her 'golliwog' remark.

Her agent pointed the finger at a member of the production team on BBC's The One Show and suggested that it was part of a vendetta against Baroness Thatcher's daughter.

Comedian Jo Brand, who was a guest on the show, denied that it was her.

The 55-year-old daughter of the former prime minister was axed by the corporation after she refused to apologise for using the term while describing a black tennis player thought to be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Thatcher, a roving reporter for the programme, made her comments during a post-show conversation with presenter Adrian Chiles and several guests including Brand.

Today Thatcher's spokeswoman, asked on Talksport if she believed that this is a personal campaign against Thatcher, said: "That's what I believe, yes. It has been condoned by the producers of the BBC who haven't acted to discipline that member of staff."

She added: "This was a private conversation held in private, amongst individuals in the green room after she Carol Thatcher had been on The One Show. >>> By Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, February 4, 2009

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Vatican Admits 'Errors' in Rehabilitating Bishop Who Questioned Holocaust
The Vatican has conceded for the first time that it may have made 'errors' in its rehabilitation of a British bishop who questioned the Holocaust.

A senior Vatican official acknowledged that the Holy See made "management errors" with its decision to lift the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, who has said that the Nazis did not use gas chambers to kill and that a maximum of 300,000 Jews, not six million, lost their lives.

Pope Benedict XVI's decision to rehabilitate Bishop Williamson – without seeking the advice of his most senior advisers, according to Vatican insiders – provoked uproar around the world and forced the Vatican into damage control mode.

"I observe the debate with great concern. There were misunderstandings and management errors in the Curia," said Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is in charge of the Vatican department that deals with Jewish relations.

"The Pope wanted to open the debate because he wanted unity inside and outside," the German cardinal told Vatican Radio, referring to the Pontiff's desire to reconcile the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X, of which Williamson is a member, with the rest of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Kasper noted that although Bishop Williamson and three other bishops have had their excommunications lifted, "they are still suspended" from the mainstream Church.

The Vatican has argued that rehabilitating Bishop Williamson, who runs a church in Argentina, does not imply that it accepts or condones his views on the Holocaust.

But the affair has poisoned relations with progressive Catholics and Jewish groups around the world, leaving many with the impression that the Vatican did not give enough thought to bringing Williamson in from the cold. >>> By Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Bishop Richard Williamson interviewed by Swedish television >>>

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Netanyahu Gains as Lieberman Makes Him Appear ‘Less Hawkish’
BLOOMBERG: Israeli Arabs committed treason by protesting the country’s offensive in the Gaza Strip last month. Hamas should be dealt with the way the U.S. handled Japan in the last days of World War II. Egypt, at peace with Israel since 1979, actually plans to attack.

These are just some of the recent comments made by Avigdor Lieberman, whose party could become the third-largest bloc in parliament following Israel’s Feb. 10 elections, polls show.

Lieberman’s jump in popularity may boost the coalition- building efforts of front-runner Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, while undermining prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s lead over Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni’s ruling Kadima party has grown as Israel’s war in Gaza raised voter concern about security.

“With Lieberman in the wings, Netanyahu looks less hawkish,” said Uri Dromi, a political analyst who was a spokesman for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. “He can say, look, the Likud is not so right-wing. It is about security.” >>> By Gwen Ackerman | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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The Intimidation Of The House Of Lords
THE SPECTATOR: I have been travelling during the past few days and so have built up a bit of a backlog of events upon which I have not yet commented. One of these is the apparently gross abuse of Parliament by Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, which remarkably has not been covered at all in the mainstream British media. Another member of the House of Lords invited the Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is currently facing prosecution in the Netherlands for his outspoken analysis of the Islamist war on civilisation, to screen his controversial film ‘Fitna’ in the Lords on January 29 and discuss his views.

But various representatives of the British Muslim community protested; and Lord Ahmed issued a threat that he would personally mobilise 10,000 Muslims to prevent Wilders from entering the Upper House and would take the peer organising the event to court. In the face of such threats, the meeting was cancelled. >>> Melanie Phillips | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

THE CHRISTIAN INSTITUTE: Lords 'Caved In to
 Muslims' Over Film

A House of Lords screening of a film linking Islam to violent extremism was blocked after pressure from Muslim groups, according to reports.

The screening, planned for last Thursday, was cancelled after a meeting between Lord Nazir Ahmed, senior House of Lords figures and Muslim leaders, according to a Pakistani news agency.

The Associated Press of Pakistan quotes Lord Ahmed terming the cancellation “a victory for the Muslim community”.

The decision to cancel the Lords showing was reportedly reached after Lord Ahmed met with the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords and Leader of the House of Lords.

Representatives from the Muslim Council of Britain, British Muslim Forum and others from the British Muslim community were also present at the meeting.

The film, Fitna, was made by Dutch MP Geert Wilders. It juxtaposes quotations from the Koran with footage of terrorist atrocities and speeches by Muslim preachers. >>> | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

LIVE LEAK: Fitna


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Top Lawyer to Defend Dutch Anti-Islam MP Wilders
Bram Moszkowitcz is one of the Netherlands’ top advocates. Photo courtesy of Google Images
"I've hired the best lawyer of the Netherlands for a ruthless fight against the charges that I'm facing." – Geert Wilders
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Rightwing populist Dutch MP Geert Wilders has enlisted one of the Netherlands' top lawyers to fight his prosecution over inciting hatred. The lawyer, Bram Moszkowicz, has confirmed he is taking the case to the country's Supreme Court, requesting an immediate end to the proceedings. He is calling for the Court to quash the prosecution order "in the interest of the law". The Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) is the country's highest judicial body. >>> By Rob Kievit | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Iran Launches Its First Satellite
Watch BBC video: Iran launches own satellite >>>
BBC: Iran has launched its first domestically made satellite into orbit, state media reports.

TV commentary said Monday's night-time launch from a Safir-2 rocket was "another achievement for Iranian scientists under sanctions".

The satellite was designed for research and telecommunications purposes, the television report said.

Iran is subject to UN sanctions as some Western powers think it is trying to build a nuclear bomb, which it denies.

Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are limited to the production of energy, and has emphasised its satellite project is entirely peaceful.

The launch of the Omid (Hope) satellite had been expected and was clearly timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Iranian revolution, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Tehran.

Space centre

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the satellite was launched to spread "monotheism, peace and justice" in the world.

But the launch could cause alarm in the West because of fears the technology could be used to make a long-range missile, possibly with a nuclear warhead, our correspondent says. >>> | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Saudis Issue Overseas Wanted List
BBC: Saudi Arabia has issued a list of 83 wanted militants living overseas, calling on them to return to their home country and resume normal life.

All the suspects are Saudis, except for two men from neighbouring Yemen.

The kingdom has put many militants returning from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay or from Iraq through rehabilitation programmes.

But officials have acknowledged recently that some of these have rejoined armed groups.

Last month al-Qaeda's wing in neighbouring Yemen named two Saudis released from Guantanamo as commanders. >>> | Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Vatican Controversy Spreads to the Netherlands
NRC HANDELSBLAD: The controversial rehabilitation of a Holocaust-denying bishop by pope Benedict XVI is arousing strong reactions in the Netherlands. A theologist is leaving the church and the minister of foreign affairs is getting involved.

Roman Catholic bishop Ad van Luyn of Rotterdam has said that the pope's decision to rehabilitate renegade British bishop Richard Williamson is "disastrous". Speaking on public television, Van Luyn said that Williamson's denial of the Holocaust and its gas chambers are "shocking, totally a-historic, and at odds with the second Vatican Council [the 1962-65 church reform - see below*]". Williamson has claimed that the Nazis did not kill six million Jews, but 300,000 at most.

Following his opposition to modernising the Roman Catholic church, bishop Williamson was excommunicated in 1988, together with three other traditionalist bishops who had turned against reforms. The pope reinstated the four conservatives last week, as part of his stated ambition to reunite all forms of Christian worship under the umbrella of Rome.

A professor of theology and ethics at the Roman Catholic Radboud University in Nijmegen is leaving the church over the issue. Professor Jean-Pierre Wils told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, "For many years it has been known that Williamson and the other three traditionalists are anti-Semites. The pope must have known about this. Only now are people beginning to see what is really happening in the Vatican. People were idolising the pope over the past few years without asking themselves what his political ambitions were. These are political actions, it's not just a theological problem. It is important that political consequences are drawn from this." >>> By Rob Kievit for Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Monday, February 2, 2009

*Traditionalists and the Roman Catholic church

The four bishops whose excommunications were remitted by pope Benedict XVI are Richard Williamson, Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, and Alfonso del Gallareta. They are the leaders of a schismatic society, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) inspired by the late archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of Switzerland. Lefebvre, who died in 1991, founded the SSPX in 1970. It is named after pope Pius X, who firmly opposed modernism in the church.

The society rejects the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965 which decided, among other things, that neither today's Jews nor the Jews of the time of Christ were all responsible for the death of Christ. The council also revised the liturgy, lifting some of the restrictions of the traditional Latin mass. Finally, the council aimed for pan-Christian unity (ecumenism) without requiring the conversion of non-Catholic Christians.

Traditionalists view the changes ordained by the Second Vatican Council as contrary to the interests of the church, and want to roll them back.

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Israël et "l'indifférence morale" du Vatican
L’EXPRESS: La presse israélienne comprend l'aspect "stratégique" de la décision du pape Benoît XVI qui, en revenant sur l'excommunication d'un évêque négationniste, veut résorber une longue querelle interne de l'Eglise catholique. Mais n'excuse nullement ce choix "pervers et peu judicieux" à l'égard des juifs.

En réhabilitant un évêque qui a tenu des propos négationnistes, le pape Benoît XVI provoque la colère des instances juives et de la presse israélienne.

Cette décision "peu judicieuse et perverse" démontre "l'indifférence morale" du Vatican et ouvre une "plaie profonde", souligne un éditorial du Jerusalem Post."Le pape n'avait sans doute pas l'intention de saper des décennies de progrès dans les relations entre juifs et catholiques... mais c'est ce qu'il a fait, finalement!"

Lever l'excommunication de Mgr Richard Williamson, pour qui les chambres à gaz nazies n'ont jamais existé, constitue en effet "un sérieux revers pour les relations entre les Juifs et le Vatican, et une claque pour la mémoire du pape Jean-Paul II qui avait beaucoup oeuvré pour combattre l'antisémitisme", estime le rabbin David Rosen, responsable des relations inter-religieuses à l'American Jewish Committee à Jérusalem, cité dans cet article. >>> Par Marie Simon | Lundi 02 Février 2009

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Benedikt XVI: Der entzauberte Papst
STERN: Vor knapp vier Jahren waren wir Papst - und stolz. Heute sind wir ernüchtert - und das zu Recht. Denn nach seinen jüngsten Aktionen dürfte auch dem letzten Wohlmeinenden klar sein: Selbst in Benedikt XVI. steckt nur der alte Josef Ratzinger. Und der hat mit einer liberalen Kirche nicht viel am Hut.

Wie glücklich wir waren! Denn Papst waren wir! Nicht einmal vier Jahre ist es her, da stand ein Deutscher auf der Loggia von Sankt Peter, grüßte ungelenk die Menge unten auf dem Platz wie einst Gerhard Schröder seinen Parteitag, und alle zusammen konnten es kaum fassen: Joseph Ratzinger, der "Panzerkardinal", der Großinquisitor mit dem unsicheren Hüsteln, der sich angeblich auf nichts so sehr gefreut hatte wie auf den nahen Ruhestand, war der neue Hohepriester der katholischen Kirche - und strahlte zufrieden. "Beeeee-ne-detto", riefen sie rhythmisch in Chören von unten wie noch kurz zuvor "Gio-vaaaaani-Paolo", als habe sich nur der Name des weiß gekleideten Mannes auf dem Balkon geändert. >>> Ein Kommentar von Frank Ochmann | Montag, 2. Februar 2009

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Obama Predicts More Bank Failures
BBC: US President Barack Obama has warned that more US banks are likely to fail, as the full extent of their losses in the economic crisis becomes clear.

Speaking to NBC News, Mr Obama said "some banks won't make it" but stressed that people's deposits would be safe.

He has asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to draw up guidelines for banks receiving taxpayers' money.

Meanwhile, he warned of a "difficult next few days" as the Senate begins to debate his $800bn (£567bn) rescue plan. >>> | Monday, February 2, 2009

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Shoe Hurled as Chinese PM Speaks
Watch BBC video: The moment a protester throws a shoe at Wen Jiabao at Cambridge University >>>
BBC: A protester has thrown a shoe at Wen Jiabao during a speech at Cambridge University and called the Chinese prime minister a "dictator".

The shoe landed about a metre away from Mr Wen and the protester, a young man, was then removed by security guards.

Mr Wen, who earlier signed a series of trade agreements with Gordon Brown on the final day of a three-day UK visit, described the incident as "despicable".

Protests have taken place about human rights and Tibet during his visit. >>> | Monday, February 2, 2009

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Does Islam Control the House of Lords?

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Christians Fear of Being Marginalized Ahead of Polls
THE JAKARTA POST: Christians in the country are concerned Muslim parties could ratchet up their political leverage by winning more votes in the upcoming legislative elections, and continue to pin their hopes on nationalist parties, a discussion heard Saturday.

Dozens of regencies have enforced sharia-based ordinances without challenge recently, sparking fears in Christian communities that Islamic-based parties would push Indonesia toward a nationwide implementation of Islamic law if they win the April polls, speakers of the discussion said.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies researcher J. Kristiadi said that to a certain extent, Christians already felt they were being treated as second-class citizens in the predominantly Muslim country, as evidenced by the issuance of a joint ministerial decree which restricts them from building their places of worship. >>> The Jakarta Post | Monday, February 2, 2009

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New Report about Islamism in Sweden
STOCKHOLM NEWS: A new study from Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies (CATS) states that radical Islam is a reality and a threat to some people in the area Rosengård in Malmö.

The study shows that a group of individuals with an extreme interpretation of Islam have a big impact on the local community. Some individuals harass woman who do not want to wear veil and sometimes prevent boys and girls in the neighborhood to play with each other. They also stop girls from participating on stage at local cultural days. Social workers who have tried to distribute information about women’s rights have also been threatened and harassed.

Another conclusion in the report is that many new families in Rosengård get visits from radical groups who tell them “about the rules in Rosengård”. Some families have said to the respondents that they were freer in their former country than they are now. >>> Tommie Ullman | Friday, January 30, 2009

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A United American Committee Interview of Dutch MP Geert Wilders

Jesse Petrilla and Tom Trento interview Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders about the Islamization of Europe and its implications on America and the entire Western world

Hat tip: Right Side News >>>

United American Committee: Working for a better, safer tomorrow >>>

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The UK's Islamic Warning to the World
RIGHT SIDE NEWS: For years many people have been saying that the people of the U.S. should look to Europe to see what is coming our way in regards to Islam and Muslim immigration. The reason being that the Muslim population is higher there, but we are not far behind. Many Muslims see that they can use the freedoms of the West against us to slowly get the West to suit Islam. While most of Europe is having problems with their Islamic communities, the island of the UK has it the worst.

Over the years the Islamic community of the UK has had an endless list of demands, some of them were store workers not wanting to touch a Bible because it is "filthy" or cigarettes because they are un-Islamic to suing supermarkets because a Muslim worker had to handle closed bottles of alcohol. Some Muslim cab drivers even refused to allow passengers into their cabs because they were accompanied by a seeing-eye dog.

In acts of appeasement the Muslims of the UK were given special housing that catered to the dietary needs of Muslims. Banks implemented Sharia banking, toilets in the prisons were rearranged to accommodate Islam as Muslims cannot face Mecca while going to the bathroom and some public schools started serving only halal meat. A cemetery was even built under Islamic tradition with no concerns for the beliefs of the Christians and Jews being buried there. >>> By Christopher Logan | Monday, Febraury 2, 2009

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Emma Hartley: Waitrose's Delivery Company Goes Islamic
TELEGRAPH BLOGS: What could be more middle England than Waitrose? So it was intriguing to learn that the delivery company most closely associated with it - Ocado - has accepted a £10 million investment from the Bank of London and the Middle East (BLME), which advertises itself as "sharia'a compliant".

At first glance this is perplexing. Will the wide-aisled bastion of high quality deli and fine wines for the upper middle classes have to forgo the delivery of alcohol and pork products in order to receive its cash? "No," Ben Lovett, a spokesman for Ocado, tells me. "No change there."

So how does the Islamic financing house justify this arrangement? Surely the whole point of Islamic financing is that it has no truck with that which is haraam, or forbidden - and pork and alcohol fall squarely into this category? Otherwise what's the point of pretending it's any different from any other kind of bank?

Professor Habib Ahmed, who holds the Sharjar Chair in Islamic Law and Finance at Durham University, explains that matters are not, as I suspected, quite so straightforward. "There are different opinions about financing this kind of company. There are two possibilities. One is that because alcohol and pork are not their main business an allowance has been made.

"Second, it is possible that they have structured the deal so they have only invested in a part of the business that is not involved with pork or alcohol. An example might be if an investment is made in a hotel that has a bar, it may possible to organise it so that the two elements are separated financially.

"But unless the sale of alcohol and pork is a very small part of the business it would be difficult for sharia to allow this transaction. It would hang on a technicality - the contracts would be screened by a sharia board. A permissable percentage would typically be three to five per cent." Continue reading and comment here >>> Emma Hartley | Monday, February 2, 2009

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Pro-Hamas Demonstration - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Hat tip: Right Side News >>>

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Islamic Association Seeks to Teach Americans about the Quran
YEMEN OBSERVER: An Islamic Association in Oklahoma has presented an impressive idea for non-Muslims in America to learn more about the faith.

The organization began in 2003 after the unfortunate treatment by American soldiers of the Holy Koran in the Guantanamo Bay prison facility.

The association decided to teach Americans about Islam and Muslims, and they recently decided to print the Holy Quran in English. This English language version will come with explanations of the Holy verses, an introduction to Islam, the fundamental of Islam, and how to deal with Islam. This idea has yielded considerable success, and the organization has raised a lot of contributions from Muslims and non-Muslim Americans. The organization has said they have received many requests from non-Muslim Americans for a copy of the Holy Quran. [Source: Yemen Observer] Observer staff | Saturday, January 31, 2009

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch >>>

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Obama Says US Can Work with Muslims: OIC
KHALEEJ TIMES ONLINE: RIYADH - President Barack Obama told the Organisation of Islamic Conference that he has full confidence that the United States can work together with the world's largest grouping of Muslims, the OIC said on Sunday.

In a letter to OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihasanoglu, Obama said he would work to improve relations with the group, the Jeddah-based organisation said in a statement.

It did not release the text of the letter.

Obama also thanked the OIC, which represents 1.5 billion Muslims in 57 countries, for its congratulations on the occasion of his inauguration on January 20, the organisation said.

In an open letter published in major US newspapers on January 21, the OIC urged Obama to work for a "shared" peace in the world rather than one that is "imposed."

"We warmly welcome your expressed desire to give a major address in a Muslim nation soon after you assume the presidency and hope it will mark the beginning of a more fruitful and better-informed dialogue between the West and the Muslim world," the OIC said at the time.

"We firmly believe that America, with your guidance, can help foster that peace, though real peace can only be shared -- never imposed. A nation can either be great or feared, but rarely both at the same time." [Source: KTO] AFP | Sunday, February 1, 2009

Hat tip: Jihad Watch >>>

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Turkey's Turn From the West
WASHINGTON POST: Turkey is a special Muslim country. Of the more than 50 majority-Muslim nations, it is the only one that is a NATO ally, is in accession talks with the European Union, is a liberal democracy and has normal relations with Israel. Under its current government by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), however, Turkey is losing these special qualities. Liberal political trends are disappearing, E.U. accession talks have stalled, ties with anti-Western states such as Iran are improving and relations with Israel are deteriorating. On Thursday, for example, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of a panel at Davos, Switzerland, after chiding Israeli President Shimon Peres for "killing people." If Turkey fails in these areas or wavers in its commitment to transatlantic structures such as NATO, it cannot expect to be President Obama's favorite Muslim country.

Consider the domestic situation in Turkey and its effect on relations with the European Union. Although Turkey started accession talks, that train has come to a halt. French objections to Turkish membership slowed the process, but the impact of the AKP's slide from liberal values cannot be ignored. After six years of AKP rule, the people of Turkey are less free and less equal, as various news and other reports on media freedom and gender equality show. In April 2007, for instance, the AKP passed an Internet law that has led to a ban on YouTube, making Turkey the only European country to shut down access to the popular site. On the U.N. Development Program's gender-empowerment index, Turkey has slipped to 90th from 63rd in 2002, the year the AKP came to power, putting it behind even Saudi Arabia. It is difficult to take seriously the AKP's claim to be a liberal party when Saudi women are considered more politically, economically and socially empowered than Turkish women.

Then there is foreign policy. Take Turkey's status as a NATO ally of the United States: Ankara's rapprochement with Tehran has gone so far since 2002 that it is doubtful whether Turkey would side with the United States in dealing with the issue of a nuclear Iran. In December, Erdogan told a Washington crowd that "countries that oppose Iran's nuclear weapons should themselves not have nuclear weapons." >>> By Soner Cagaptay | Monday, February 2, 2009

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Suicidal Appeasement
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: One of the most potent weapons in the jihadist arsenal is the failure of nerve that has afflicted the West for the last forty years. Our own doubts about the core values of Western civilization have hamstrung us in defending these goods against those who want to destroy them. Whether the source of this self-loathing is Marxism, postmodernism, or multicultural noble-savage delusions, our failure to acknowledge the superiority of our own way of life, to teach our children the history of the West and its singular achievements, and to fight against the erosion of those defining beliefs has emboldened the jihadists and confirmed them in their belief that we are decadent and doomed.

In Europe, this pathology has advanced far beyond what we see in the United States, bad as that is. Faced with a sullen, unassimilated, underemployed, welfare-subsidized, and growing population of Muslim immigrants, many Europeans have responded to this challenge with one Munich after another, compromising, if not abandoning outright, core Western beliefs in an attempt to appease an alien culture that has nothing but contempt for the nations that have taken them in. Europe is in the midst of an unprecedented historical experiment: whether a civilization can survive when a critical mass of its own people no longer have faith in the rightness and goodness of their own way of life.

The latest act of suicidal appeasement is unfolding in the Netherlands. To the vicious murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Muslim immigrant, and the craven capitulation to Muslims protesting the innocuous Mohammed cartoons, we can now add the prosecution of Geert Wilders, the Dutch member of parliament, for “inciting hatred and discrimination” against Muslims. His crime? Last year Wilders released online a 17-minute film called Fitna, which juxtaposed images of Islamic terrorism, and sermons advocating terrorism, with the verses from the Koran that sanction violence against unbelievers. Wilders has also been a vocal critic of the Islamization of Dutch society. In other words, Wilders is being prosecuted for telling the truth about Islam in its own words, and for defending his own culture against its enemies. >>> By Bruce Thornton | Monday, February 2, 2009

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Saudis Hope Turks Will Help Stem Shi'ite Influence
REUTERS: RIYADH - Turkish President Abdullah Gul can expect a warm welcome when he starts an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with the stated goal of boosting business ties with the world's largest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia hopes the visit will bring it closer to forming a strategic alliance with the NATO member state to counter the growing influence of Iran in the region, diplomats say.

Bilateral ties have improved dramatically since Gul's AK Party and King Abdullah came to power in 2002 and 2005 respectively.

Saudi Arabia's ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim rulers were for decades wary of the avowedly secular Turkish state -- having helped to evict the Ottomans from the Arabian peninsula in the early years of the 20th century.

But the Saudi economy has more recently provided work for thousands of Turks, including Gul himself, whose daughter was born in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Diplomats say that rising Shi'ite influence in the region, foremost from Iran, is now bringing a further rapprochement.

"Saudi leaders see in Turkey a strong ally to counter Iran's growing influence in the region. They don't mind giving Turkey the means that will enable it to supersede both their own influence and that of Iran," said one Western diplomat. >>> Editing by Thomas Atkins and Kevin Liffey | Monday, February 2, 2009

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Afghanistan: Die Rückkehr der Taliban-Tyrannei
DIE PRESSE: Die Islamisten beherrschen wieder weite Teile des Landes und führen sogar gegen Kinder Krieg.

Atifa Bibi Husainai sieht zum Weinen aus. Ihre linke Gesichtshälfte ist verschrumpelt und von tiefen Narben durchzogen. Das Auge ist geschwollen, Teile des Lids fehlen, das macht den Augapfel übernatürlich groß. Deutlich sieht man die Furchen, die sich in das Weiße und die Pupille hineinfressen. Atifa Bibi ist 14 Jahre alt, aber ihre Zukunft hat sie hinter sich.

Es war Säure, die das kleine Mädchen derart verunstaltet hat. Geschüttet auf sie und fünf ihrer Freundinnen, als sie in Kandahar auf dem Weg in die Schule waren. Das störte einige fanatische Islamisten. Eines Morgens im November 2008 warteten sie mit dem Säurebehälter auf die Mädchen.

Atifa Bibi ist kein Einzelfall. Die Taliban, Radikale, die sich als Vertreter der wahren islamischen Lehre sehen, gewinnen in Afghanistan langsam wieder Oberwasser und fühlen sich stark genug, gegen jene vorzugehen, die sich nicht an die Scharia halten. Etwa kleine Mädchen, die nach islamischem Recht keine Schulen besuchen dürfen. >>> Norbert Rief, Die Presse | Sonntag, 1. Februar 2009

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Rücktrittsforderung: Erzbischof wirft Vatikan Schlamperei vor
WELT ONLINE: Papst Benedikt XVI. gerät wegen der Rehabilitierung des Bischofs und Holocaust-Leugners Richard Williamson immer stärker unter Druck. Mehrere Theologen legten dem Kirchenoberhaupt den Rücktritt nahe. Der Hamburger Erzbischof Werner Thissen hat zudem einen besonderen Rat für den Papst.

Papst Benedikt XVI. gerät wegen der Rehabilitierung des Holocaust-Leugners Bischof Richard Williamson immer mehr unter Druck. Israel drohte am Wochenende mit dem Abbruch der diplomatischen Beziehungen zum Vatikan. Mehrere Theologen sprachen sich für eine Ablösung des Papstes aus.

Der Tübinger Theologe Hans Küng, ein früherer Weggefährte des heutigen Papstes, erklärte, Benedikt XVI. sei im Vatikan offensichtlich „so abgeschirmt und der realen Welt enthoben, dass er sich keine Vorstellungen davon macht, wie verheerend sein Tun aufgenommen wird“. Nach Protestanten und Muslimen habe er nun die Juden vor den Kopf geschlagen. „Es wird Zeit, dass er abgelöst wird.“


Der emeritierte Theologieprofessor Hermann Häring sagte: „Wenn dieser Papst der Kirche etwas Gutes tun will, müsste er zurücktreten.“ Jeder Bischof müsse sein Amt mit 75 Jahren zur Verfügung stellen, jeder Kardinal verliere mit 80 seine Rechte. „Es ist nicht einzusehen, warum sich ausgerechnet der Papst an diese sehr weise Regel nicht halten sollte.“ >>> AP/AFP/ab | Montag, 2. Februar 2009

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No Thaw with US as Iran Marks Anniversary of 1979 Revolution
THE GUARDIAN: Iran yesterday rejected the idea of improved relations with the US unless there is a sharp change of policy from President Barack Obama, as the country began celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

The intelligence minister, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejeie, denied a report that there had been secret contacts between Tehran and Washington about the contentious nuclear issue. "There have been no official negotiations with the Americans," he said, referring to a report from the US Pugwash Conferences, a non-governmental organisation, claiming that Obama advisers and Iranian officials had met in Europe several times.

Iran also denied that its foreign minister, Manuchehr Mottaki, would meet US officials at a conference in Munich which the US vice-president, Joe Biden, will be attending. Expectations are mounting for a positive response from Tehran to Obama's dramatic call for Iran to "unclench" its fist, amid reports that the new administration is considering further gestures.

But the 1979 anniversary celebrations are striking an inevitably militant tone, which makes it hard to sound "soft" on the traditional enemy of the revolution.

On Saturday morning bells and sirens marked the moment on 1 February 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini landed back in Tehran after 14 years in exile. Ten days later, the shah's rule effectively collapsed. The anniversary was early because this is a leap year in the Iranian calendar. >>> Ian Black in Tehran | Monday, February 2, 2009

Listen to Guardian audio: Iranian Revolution: 'Posters, Bunting and Fairy Lights on Government Buildings': [Guardian] Middle East editor Ian Black reports from Tehran as celebrations mark the 30th anniversary of the Iranian revolution >>> | Monday, February 2, 2009

THE SPECTATOR: The Iranians Look Very Frightened

As was entirely predictable, the Iranian government has reacted with utter contempt to the exciting new approach of US President Obama towards resolving the crisis over Iran’s nuclear weapons programme:

US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of ‘domination’ has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday. ‘This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed,’ Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency. ‘Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change,’ he added.

>>> Melanie Phillips | Saturday, January 31, 2009

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Cricket Team Told It Can't Call Itself 'the Crusaders'...in Case It Offends Muslims and Jews*
MAIL Online: A cricket team has been forced to change its name after angry complaints from Muslims and Jews.

The Middlesex Crusaders, who have played under the name for almost 10 years, will play next season as The Panthers.

Bosses at the county club acted after protests about the name from Jewish and Muslim communities, who said they felt it was a reference to the religious wars waged by Christians in Europe against other faiths.

But Middlesex members condemned the decision to change the team’s name and described the move as “batty”.

“The world really has gone mad,” one said. “It’s a real kick in the teeth and is bound to upset a lot of fans.” >>> By Daily Mail Reporter | Monday, February 2, 2009

*Or just Muslims?

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Wildcat Oil Strikes: Europeans Are Finally Waking Up to the Demise of Democracy
THE TELEGRAPH: Angry people across the EU are discovering the fine print in all the treaties signed by their leaders, says Janet Daley.

The peoples of Europe have finally discovered what they signed up to. I do mean "peoples" (plural) because however much political elites may deceive themselves, the populations of the member states of the EU are culturally, historically and economically separate and distinct. And a significant proportion of them are getting very, very angry.

What the strikers at the Lindsey oil refinery (and their brother supporters in Nottinghamshire and Kent) have discovered is the real meaning of the fine print in those treaties, and the significance of those European court judgments whose interpretation they left to EU obsessives: it is now illegal – illegal – for the government of an EU country to put the needs and concerns of its own population first. It would, for example, be against European law to do what Frank Field has sensibly suggested and reintroduce a system of "work permits" for EU nationals who wished to apply for jobs here.

Meanwhile, demonstrators in Paris and the recalcitrant electorate in Germany are waking up to the consequences of what two generations of European ideologues have thrust upon them: the burden not just of their own economic problems but also the obligation to accept the consequences of their neighbours' debts and failures. Each country is true to its own history in the way it expresses its rage: in France, they take to the streets and throw things at the police, in Germany they threaten the stability of the coalition government, and here, we revive the tradition of wildcat strikes. >>> Janet Daley | Sunday, February 1, 2009

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Barack Obama to Allow Anti-terror Rendition to Continue
THE TELEGRAPH: The highly controversial anti-terror practice of rendition will continue under Barack Obama, it has emerged.

Despite ordering the closure of Guantanamo and an end to harsh interrogation techniques, the new president has failed to call an end to secret abductions and questioning.

In his first few days in office, Mr Obama was lauded for rejecting policies of the George W Bush era, but it has emerged the CIA still has the authority to carry out renditions in which suspects are picked up and often sent to a third country for questioning.

The practice caused outrage at the EU, after it was revealed the CIA had used secret prisons in Romania and Poland and airports such as Prestwick in Scotland to conduct up to 1,200 rendition flights. The European Parliament called renditions "an illegal instrument used by the United States".

According to a detailed reading of the executive orders signed by Mr Obama on Jan 22, renditions have not been outlawed, with the new administration deciding it needs to retain some devices in Mr Bush's anti-terror arsenal amid continued threats to US national security.

"Obviously you need to preserve some tools – you still have to go after the bad guys," an administration official told the Los Angeles Times.

"The legal advisers working on this looked at rendition. It is controversial in some circles and kicked up a big storm in Europe. But if done within certain parameters, it is an acceptable practice." >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, February 1, 2009

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Josef Mengele: The Doctor of Death
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Pope Promotes Pastor Who Said Hurricane Was God's Punishment
THE GUARDIAN: New Catholic bishop called Katrina 'divine retribution' for New Orleans' permissive sexual attitudes

Pope Benedict XVI has made another controversial appointment by elevating to the position of bishop an Austrian pastor who said Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for homosexuality in New Orleans .

The Vatican yesterday announced that Gerhard Wagner has been appointed as auxiliary bishop in Linz, Austria.

Wagner has served as the pastor of a church in the Austrian town of Windischgarsten since 1988, and received a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome.

In 2005, the 54-year-old was quoted in a parish newsletter as saying he was convinced that the death and destruction caused by Katrina that year was "divine retribution" for New Orleans' permissive sexual attitudes and tolerance of homosexuality.

Kath.Net, a Catholic news agency in Austria, said the newsletter quoted Wagner as saying that Katrina had destroyed not only nightclubs and brothels in New Orleans but also abortion clinics. >>> Mark Tran | Sunday, February 1, 2009

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