Thursday, February 18, 2010
WELT ONLINE: Erstmals hat es die Internationale Atomenergiebehörde IAEA für möglich erklärt, dass der Iran derzeit an einem atomaren Raketensprengkopf baut. In einem vertraulichen Bericht führt der Generaldirektor „schlüssige und glaubhafte" Hinweisen an. Auch die iranische Urananreicherung läuft demnach auf Hochtouren.
Die Internationale Atomenergiebehörde (IAEA) ist besorgt, dass der Iran bereits an der Entwicklung eines atomaren Raketensprengkopfes arbeitet. Das geht aus einem vertraulichen Bericht der IAEA hervor, der mehreren Nachrichtenagenturen vorliegt. >>> dpa/AFP/Reuters/cn | Donnerstag, 18. Februar 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: UN accuses Iran of working to build nuclear bomb: UN weapons inspectors have officially accused Iran of carrying out work to build a nuclear bomb for the first time. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, February 18, 2010
WELT ONLINE: Saudi-Arabien soll mehr als 100 Islamisten in Deutschland "Stipendien" für einen Aufenthalt in Ägypten bezahlt haben. Während sich das Königshaus als "Kämpfer" gegen den Terrorismus ausgibt, sei das Land Drehscheibe für die Gefolgsleute des Topterroristen Osama Bin Laden, warnen internationale Geheimdienste.
Westliche Geheimdienste haben verstärkt die Verbindungen des saudischen Königshauses zu islamistischen Terroristen in aller Welt unter Beobachtung genommen. „Diese Saudi-Connections bereiten uns immer größere Sorgen“, berichteten deutsche und amerikanische Geheimdienstler in Berlin und Washington.
Saudi-Arabien, das sich stets als „Kämpfer“ gegen den islamistischen Terror ausgibt, diene als „Drehscheibe“ für die Gefolgsleute des Topterroristen Osama Bin Laden. Einflussreiche Teile der saudischen Regierung stünden im „dringenden Verdacht“, fundamentalistische Gruppierungen weltweit finanziell und logistisch zu unterstützen, erklärte ein CIA-Mann. >>> Von Friederich Kuhn | Donnerstag, 18. Februar 2010
LE TEMPS: Oreilles de porc agrafées sur la porte, croix gammées, insultes... Sept lieux de culte ont été dégradés depuis décembre. Les organisations musulmanes réclament de nouvelles mesures contre «l’islamophobie»
Oreilles de porc agrafées sur la porte, croix gammées, insultes et slogans réclamant «la France aux Français»: depuis le début de l’année, les mosquées de l’Hexagone subissent une campagne de dégradation d’une intensité inconnue depuis septembre 2001. «Il se peut que les débats sur l’islam et la présence musulmane en France aient suscité chez certains une volonté de passer à l’acte», estime Mohammed Moussaoui, le président du Conseil français du culte musulman.
La dernière cible des profanateurs est la mosquée de Sorgues près d’Avignon, recouverte de graffitis injurieux dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche derniers. Avant elle, des inconnus avaient visé la mosquée d’Obernai (12 au 13 février), celle de Saint-Etienne (8 février), de Crépy-en-Valois (1er février), de Béziers (17 janvier), de Strasbourg (12 janvier) et de Castres (13 décembre).
A part à Obernai, où le vol du croissant métallique coiffant la coupole a été attribué à des jeunes «immatures», les édifices ont tous été recouverts de graffitis néonazis. Un «non au minaret» a aussi été peint sur la maison du maire de Strasbourg, où une grande mosquée est en voie d’achèvement. >>> Sylvain Besson | Jeudi 18 Février 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Pastor's explicit stunt condemned as 'twisted homophobic propaganda'
A Ugandan pastor who screened same-sex pornography in a church to try to bolster support for proposed anti-homosexuality legislation has been condemned by gay rights groups.
Martin Ssempa, one of the main backers of a bill that would impose the death penalty for some offenders, aired the explicit slideshow to several hundred people during a church service in Kampala yesterday. Explaining his decision to display the images, the evangelical preacher said it was necessary to educate people "about what homosexuals do".
He told the BBC's Network Africa programme: "In Africa, what you do in your bedroom affects our clan, it affects our tribe, it affects our nation."
While Ssempa represents the extreme end of widely held homophobic views in Uganda, he does carry strong influence. On his website he describes himself as "consultant to the government of Uganda", and his congregants yesterday included David Bahati, the MP who submitted the private member's bill to parliament last year.
The porn stunt caused anger among gay activists. South African-based gay rights group Behind the Mask described it as "twisted homophobic propaganda". >>> Xan Rice in Nairobi | Thursday, February 18, 2010
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Answering Muslims >>>
THE TELEGRAPH: A pilot set fire to his house and then committed suicide by flying his small plane into a tax office in Texas.
Joseph Stack left a six-page suicide note in which he railed against the Internal Revenue Service, the US federal tax agency.
He wrote: "I am finally ready to end this insanity. Well, Mr Big Brother IRS man let's try something different. Take my pound of flesh and sleep well.
"There was a storm raging inside me. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We are brainwashed to believe there is freedom in this land."
In his suicide "manifesto," which he posted on his own website, Stack also railed against Wall Street bankers, the Catholic Church, President George W Bush and the health care system. >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Thursday, February 18, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: In his long, rambling suicide note Joseph Stack painted himself as a hard working American who was being exploited by a corrupt establishment and forced to hand over his retirement money in taxes.
Stack complained that anyone who stood up for the principal of "no taxation without representation" was now labelled a "crackpot." He accused corporate leaders of being "thugs and plunderers" guilty of "gluttony and overwhelming stupidity" and politicians were "thieves, liars, and self-serving scumbags."
He said the US health system was a "joke" and accused drug companies of "murdering tens of thousands of people a year" but his strongest words were reserved for the tax system.
Stack said: "Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand.
"The law requires a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing. If that's not duress then what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is." >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Thursday, February 18, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Royal Navy warships were on standby on Thursday to protect commercial shipping to the Falkland Islands as Gordon Brown said Britain would take a robust stand against Argentine encroachment on the resource rich South Atlantic territory.
HMS York, a type 42-destroyer, was on a "tight leash" patrolling the seas around the islands in response to rising tensions over British firms oil explorations activities near the Falklands. Argentina has demanded a halt to "illegal" oil drilling around the Falkands and on Wednesday imposed a permit system on ships passed from its ports to the island.
Gordon Brown, the prime minister, issued an explicit warning to the Argentinian government that the South Atlantic show of force – which also included a survey vessel backed up by a 1,000-strong military detachment on land – would respond to any disruption of the Falklands links to the outside world.
"We maintain the security of the Falklands and there are routine patrols continuing," Mr Brown said. "I think you will find that we have made all the preparations that are necessary to make sure the Falkland Islanders are properly protected." >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, February 18, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama told the Dalai Lama of his “strong support" for preservation of Tibet’s identity today and encouraged talks between the exiled leader and China.
After private White House talks between the pair, spokesman Robert Gibbs said the President had stated support for “the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans" in China.
“The President commended the Dalai Lama’s ’Middle Way’ approach, his commitment to nonviolence and his pursuit of dialogue with the Chinese government,” Mr Gibbs added.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the Dalai Lama declared himself “very happy" and said Mr Obama was “very much supportive.” >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Interpol must issue an arrest warrant to help locate the head of Mossad, the chief of Dubai's police force said today.
The International Policing Organisation has issued "red notices" for the hit squad who used false identities when they targeted the Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
But Dahi Khalfan Tamin, the emirate's police chief, called for such a warrant to be used against the head of Mossad as well because he belives it is likely that the Israeli spy agency was behind the killing.
In pre-recorded comments to Dubai TV he called on the organisation to issue “a red notice against the head of Mossad ... as a killer in case Mossad is proved to be behind the crime, which is likely now”. >>> Jenny Booth, Hugh Tomlinson, Sheera Frenkel and David Sharrock | Thursday, February 18, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Detectives are continuing to question a Saudi prince over his servant's murder as new details about their relationship become known.
Sources have compared it to a master and servant relationship and it has emerged that the aide may have slept on the floor at the foot of his master's bed.
The prince has been held on suspicion of killing the man at the Landmark Hotel in Central London.
Scotland Yard detectives have also seized CCTV footage of an alleged assault by the 33-year-old multi-millionaire on his aide in a hotel lift last month.
Officers are examining the possibility that the servant was the subject of regular abuse from his master. >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010
BBC: A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to 120 lashes for having six wives at the same time.
Muslim men can keep up to four wives at a time under sharia, or Islamic law, which is applied in Saudi Arabia.
Reports say the unnamed man worked for the country's religious police. At his trial, the defendant claimed he did not know he was breaking the law.
The man was also banned from leading prayers and ordered to read two chapters of the Koran.
Islam permits polygamy for men on condition that wives are treated equally.
The case was tried in a court in the southern province of Jizan. >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010
EUROPEAN VOICE: The West's long period of global dominance is ending, encouraged and accelerated by its own mistakes and irresponsible behaviour.
Demography is not an exact science. Countless dire predictions, from that of Malthus to that of the Club of Rome, have been proven wrong. But, according to a recent and very convincing essay published in the magazine Foreign Affairs, a dual demographic and economic trend is taking place that will result in spectacular shifts by the middle of this century. The Western world will represent only 12% of the world's population, with Europeans reduced to 6%. (In 1913, a year before the outbreak of the First World War, Europe was slightly more populated than China.) Economically, the West will account for around 30% of global output – a level that corresponds to Europe's share in the 18th century and down from 68% in 1950.
What we are witnessing can be seen as a return to the past, with the West returning to its old place in the world before the start of China's long process of historical decline at the beginning of the 19th century. The West's long period of global dominance is ending, encouraged and accelerated by its own mistakes and irresponsible behaviour. We are entering a new historical cycle, in which there will be proportionally fewer Westerners, more Africans and Middle Easterners, and – with greater relevance economically and strategically – many more Asians.
It is with these figures in mind that one must consider Barack Obama's decision not to attend the next EU-US summit that was due to take place in Madrid in May. It would be tempting to use a formula coined during the Cold War to describe the comparative evolution of the United States and the Soviet Union and to apply the notion of ‘competitive decline' to the relationship between the US and Europe. A United States that may be undergoing a process of relative, if not absolute, decline chooses to ignore a Europe that in US eyes is no longer a problem compared with Asia or the Middle East, and that offers little help in finding solutions to the problems that most vex Americans. >>> Dominique Moïsi* | Monday, February 15, 2010
*Dominique Moisi is a visiting professor at Harvard University and the author of “The Geopolitics of Emotion”. © Project Syndicate, 2010.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Summary: The political trends behind Malaysia's recent "Allah" controversy could undermine the delicate sociocultural balance in one of the Muslim world's most developed nations.
Last December, the Malaysian High Court ruled that the Herald, a weekly Catholic magazine, was allowed to use the Arabic word "Allah" to refer to God in its Malay-language section. The decision overturned a government ban on non-Muslim use of the term and was met with protests in Kuala Lumpur's central mosque and decried online in numerous Malay Muslim chat rooms. In the days following the announcement, arsonists set fire to as many as eight churches around the country. Subsequently, several Muslim prayer halls were also attacked.
The arson attacks have caused a round of soul-searching among Malaysians, who are fond of celebrating their country's rich religious and racial diversity but who have seen its politics become increasingly sectarian in recent decades. Left unaddressed, these trends could undermine the delicate sociocultural balance in one of the Muslim world's most developed nations and deal a fatal blow to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's goal of national unity.
For many Muslims in the region, Christian use of the word "Allah" is relatively unproblematic. Jesus, who lived six centuries before Islam was founded, would most likely have used a similar Aramaic word, "Alah," in reference to God. In fact, the Arabic word "Allah" shares the same root as the Aramaic "Alah" as well as the Hebrew "Elohim." It is derived from two words, namely "Al," meaning "the" and "Elah" meaning God. In this sense, it can be argued that "Allah," "Elohim," and "Alah" or "Elah" are closely linked.
Today, the word "Allah" is used by Muslims and many Christians alike. When the Coptic Christians in Egypt celebrate their Christmas Mass, for example, their pope begins his sermon with the phrase "Bismillah" (in the name of God) and uses the word "Allah" throughout. In Southeast Asia, Catholics and Protestants use the term "Allah"; Indonesian Christians have sung prayers to Allah at every Easter and Christmas celebration since the arrival of Christianity on those islands a millennium ago.
The term is as important to Arab and Southeast Asian Christians as it is to Muslims because it stands for the notion of a singular, universal God. "Allah" literally means "the God," denoting a singular deity. This is particularly significant for Christians in Malaysia, who have been reluctant use the Malay "Tuhan," because the word does not have a monotheistic connotation. It even has a plural form, "Tuhan-tuhan," which is understood as "gods." >>> Joseph Chinyong Liow* | Wednesday, February 10, 2010
*JOSEPH CHINYONG LIOW is Associate Dean and Associate Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is author of Piety and Politics: Islamism in Contemporary Malaysia.
LE POINT: La chef de la diplomatie de l'UE, Catherine Ashton, a promis jeudi à Sarajevo l'aide européenne pour que la Bosnie-Herzégovine, confrontée à une crise institutionnelle persistante, puisse rejoindre un jour l'Union européenne. "Nous sommes prêts à aider sur le plan pratique ce pays à réaliser ses ambitions européennes", a déclaré devant la presse la Haute représentante de l'UE pour les Affaires étrangères, sans toutefois développer sa pensée. "L'avenir de ce pays réside dans l'Union européenne", a souligné Ashton, arrivée mercredi soir à Sarajevo pour une tournée dans les Balkans. >>> AFP | Jeudi 18 Février 2010
REUTERS: DUBAI - Standard Chartered Bank Saadiq (STAN.L) expects to launch an Islamic commodity derivative in the first quarter, the bank's chief executive said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance Summit, Afaq Khan said the bank was in advanced discussions with counterparties in the Middle East, including trading companies and government entities, to launch the product.
"Basically if you want to hedge oil rice, wheat, sugar or steel, we will be in a position to offer that in a sharia complaint manner," he said.
Khan said the bank had spent about 15 months creating the product, which will be endorsed by the bank's sharia board. >>> Reporting by John Irish, Tamara Walid, Shaheen Pasha and Rachna Uppal; Editing by Louise Heavens | Tuesday, February 16, 2010
NZZ ONLINE: Langfristiger Aufwärtstrend der Währung bis jetzt ungebrochen
Steht der Euro kurz vor dem Exitus? Wer die Schlagzeilen der vergangenen Tage verfolgte, könnte beinahe diesen Eindruck bekommen. Aufgrund der Verschuldungssituation von Ländern wie Griechenland sprechen einige Pessimisten bereits vom möglichen Auseinanderbrechen der Euro-Zone. Zwar steht die europäische Gemeinschaftswährung in der Tat derzeit wohl vor der grössten Bewährungsprobe seit ihrer Einführung. Doch von einem Einbruch oder gar einer Währungskrise ist der Euro noch weit entfernt. Dies zeigt schon ein einfacher Blick auf den Wechselkursverlauf von Euro und Dollar. >>> ra. | Donnerstag, 18. Februar 2010
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: AFFAIRE KADHAFI | La Libye a qualifié jeudi de "bassesse politique" la "liste noire" de personnalités libyennes interdites d'entrée en Suisse.
Cette crise est en train de dégénérer, Tripoli ayant a répliqué en suspendant l'octroi de visas d'entrée à "tous les citoyens de l'espace Schengen" et une réunion des chefs de la diplomatie suisse et libyenne se déroule ce jeudi matin à Madrid sous l'égide de l'Union européenne.
"L'établissement de cette liste (par Berne) est une bassesse politique visant à détourner l'attention de l'accord" signé en août 2009 pour régler la crise née de l'arrestation à Genève de l'un des fils de Mouammar Kadhafi, a dit le porte-parole du gouvernement libyen Mohamed Baayou.
Selon la presse libyenne, 188 personnalités libyennes, parmi lesquelles figure le colonel Kadhafi et sa famille, figurent sur la "liste noire" suisse. Le porte-parole libyen a dénoncé cette liste "où figure le nom d'un enfant de moins de trois ans (fils de Hannibal Kadhafi)", en parlant de "crime". >>> ATS | Jeudi 18 Février 2010
DIE RHEINPFALZ: Wegen schlechter Noten soll am Donnerstagmorgen gegen 10 Uhr an der Berufsbildenden Schule Technik II ein 23-jähriger Ludwigshafener mit einem Messer seinen früheren Lehrer erstochen haben. Das teilte Leitender Staatsanwalt Lothar Liebig am Nachmittag auf einer Pressekonferenz mit.
Die Polizei war wegen eines Feueralarms alarmiert worden. Vor Ort bekamen die vier Beamten gesagt, dass sich ein Mann mit einer Schusswaffe auf dem Gelände befände. Der 23-Jährige wurde dann im Hauptgebäude von den Polizisten gestellt und überwältigt. Zuvor hatte er mit einer Schreckschusspistole auf den Gängen mehrere Schüsse abgegeben und im dritten Stock ein bengalisches Feuer gezündet. >>> | Donnerstag, 18. Februar 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Malaysia has caned three women for having extramarital sex, in a move at odds with the moderate Islamic nation that the Government wants to project to the world.
Announcing the sentence, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein declined to say who was caned, where the whipping took place and on what part of the body.
One woman was released from prison last week after spending a month behind bars.
Malaysia has increasingly applied Sharia, or Islamic law, to its Muslim citizens, who make up 60 percent of the country's 28 million people, raising concerns that a more militant brand of Islam is taking hold in a country that prides itself on its multiracial, multireligious image. >>> Luke Hunt in Kuala Lumpur | Thursday, February 18, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Gay couples should be encouraged to adopt children, a Tory frontbencher suggested yesterday.
In a provocative speech that risked offending some Christians, Nick Herbert also said homosexuality may be 'given by God'.
He hinted that the Church was wrong to oppose gay marriage and should support gay adoption.
He also said a future Tory government would legislate to promote 'gay equality'.
This could involve bringing in beefed-up laws on homophobic bullying and hate crimes.
Environment spokesman Mr Herbert, one of a handful of openly gay Tory MPs, told an American think-tank in Washington: 'Whether it is given by God or set by nature, homosexuality isn't nurtured by doting mothers or weak fathers.
'It isn't a condition to be cured and it can't be willed away through prayer.'
Mr Herbert insisted there was no contradiction between David Cameron's outspoken support for marriage and his conversion to the gay equality agenda. >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: Young mothers are turning their backs on high-powered careers to raise their children, a study has found.
Their mothers, or even grandmothers, lived through a time when women fought for full-time work and better pay.
But today's generation is returning to the traditional values of home and family - and looking to men to be the breadwinners. What women want in 2010: A husband who'll be the main breadwinner >>> Beth Hale | Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Berlin - Bundestagspräsident Norbert Lammert (CDU) hat an die Türkei appelliert, die freie Religionsausübung der Christen im Lande zu schützen. Er setze dabei auf wachsenden Ehrgeiz der türkischen Behörden.
Die Verantwortlichen in der Türkei müssten sich für das Recht der Kirchen einsetzen, über die vorhandenen Gotteshäuser als eigenen Besitz zu verfügen und ihre Religion frei zu praktizieren, schrieb Lammert laut einer Mitteilung des Bundestags vom Mittwoch an seinen türkischen Amtskollegen Mehmet Ali Sahin. >>> dpa | Mittwoch, 17. Februar 2010
BERLINER ZEITUNG: DIW: Anstieg seit 1998 um ein Drittel / Besonders Kinder und Jugendliche betroffen Westerwelle verlangt Umbau des Sozialstaats / Debatte bestimmt politischen Aschermittwoch
Berlin - Jeder siebte Bürger in Deutschland lebte 2008 an der Grenze zur Armut oder war arm. Das waren 11,5 Millionen Menschen und damit rund ein Drittel mehr als noch vor zehn Jahren. Das belegt eine gestern vom Deutschen Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung vorgelegte Studie, die zugleich dem Streit über Harz IV und die Ausgestaltung des Sozialstaates neue Brisanz gab. Die Debatte prägte auch die Veranstaltungen zum politischen Aschermittwoch. >>> | Donnerstag, 18. Februar 2010
20MINUTES.ch: La décision de la chaîne de restauration rapide Quick de ne proposer que des hamburgers halal dans huit de ses établissements en France fait grincer des dents dans la classe politique, notamment au sein du parti de droite du président Nicolas Sarkozy.
Le halal désigne tout ce qui est autorisé par le Coran aux musulmans pratiquants, notamment le rituel pour abattre la viande. Le secrétaire général de l'UMP, Xavier Bertrand, a déclaré mercredi ne «pas apprécier» «tout ce qui peut s'apparenter à du communautarisme», lors d'une interview aux médias LCP, France Info et AFP.
«La société française, son histoire, sa culture, ça n'est pas le communautarisme», a abondé le porte-parole du gouvernement, Luc Chatel, sur la radio RTL. Richard Mallié, député UMP des Bouches-du-Rhône (sud) où plusieurs établissements Quick ne proposent plus que de la viande halal, a jugé «scandaleuse» l'attitude de la chaîne qui «ne laisse pas de choix aux clients non musulmans». >>> afp | Mercredi 17 Février 2010
Quick : Chaine de restauration rapide >>>
Quick en France >>>
leJDD.fr: La First Lady lance une croisade contre l'obésité. Mission impossible au pays de McDonalds?
N’allez pas lui parler de ces temps bénis où les écoliers avaient deux heures de gym par semaine, où l’on passait à table chaque soir à heure fixe pour manger ce que mum avait préparé, où le dessert était une récompense qui rimait avec dimanche. De l’Amérique fit (en forme) à la fat (grosse) Amérique, Michelle Obama sait qu’il n’y a pas de marche arrière. Il s’agit juste d’enrayer une épidémie: en présentant mardi sa campagne nationale Let’s Move (Bougeons), la First Lady entend avant tout donner aux familles américaines les outils nécessaires pour éviter qu’un tiers des enfants nés après l’an 2000 ne finissent diabétiques.
A grande cause, grands moyens. Michelle Obama a d’abord obtenu de son mari l’engagement de faire voter au Congrès une enveloppe de 10 milliards de dollars pour améliorer la restauration dans les cantines scolaires. De la Sodexo et de bien d’autres fournisseurs, elle a reçu l’assurance que les quantités de sucre, de graisse et de sel dans les menus seraient réduites pour correspondre à de nouvelles normes fixées par le ministère de la Santé.
Le deuxième objectif cible, les "déserts alimentaires", ces zones semi-rurales où supermarchés et épiceries sont trop loin et trop chers, et les fast-foods si proches et tentants aux yeux des 6,5 millions d’enfants qui y vivent. Quatre cents millions de dollars sont provisionnés dans le prochain budget pour inciter le secteur privé à s’implanter dans ces régions et y offrir une alimentation plus saine. Résistance de l’opinion publique >>> François Clemenceau, à Washington | Dimanche 14 Février 2010
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: The former assistant Bishop of Newcastle, Paul Richardson, has been received into full communion with the Holy See, I am pleased to reveal. Richardson – also a former Anglican bishop in Papua New Guinea and diocesan bishop of Wangaratta in Australia – was received into the Church at the chaplaincy at Durham University last month.
He tells me that his conversion is not the product of recent controversies. “I would have become a Catholic even if the Church of England wasn’t ordaining women bishops,” he says. “In a sense I feel it’s what I’ve always been, so this is like coming home.” Read on and comment >>> Damian Thompson | Wednesday, February 17, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Catholic scholars from around the world have "implored" Pope Benedict XVI not to make a controversial wartime pontiff a saint before opening up to scrutiny secret Vatican archives.
In a letter to the Pope, the scholars said that making Pius XII a saint could do grave damage to relations between the Catholic Church and Jews and that he had become a de facto "symbol of Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism".
Jewish groups have long claimed that Pius turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, but this is thought to be the first time that a group of Catholic theologians have issued such a strongly worded appeal to the Pope.
They endorsed demands made by Jewish groups that Vatican archives covering Pius's papacy, from 1939 to 1958, must be opened up before the Church decides whether his predecessor is worthy of being made a saint. They are believed to contain details of his efforts to save Jews from the Holocaust.
The Vatican recently said that there were so many files for its archivists to trawl through that the archives will not be made available until 2015.
The 18 Catholic scholars from Australia, Germany and the United States used the word "implore" twice in the letter, saying that if Pius was made a saint before the historical record was cleared up, it could irreparably harm Catholic-Jewish relations.
"Holy Father, we implore you, acting on your wisdom as a renowned scholar, professor and teacher, to be patient with the cause of Pius XII," the scholars wrote in their letter. >>> Nick Squires in Rome | Wednesday, February 17, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: President Barack Obama is expected to meet the Dalai Lama in private at the White House on Thursday, aides to the Tibetan spiritual leader said.
Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's chief envoy, said the meeting between the Nobel Peace laureates, even if out of the public eye, would be an important boost for Tibet and for the broader US commitment to human rights.
A joint appearance by Mr Obama and the Dalai Lama could make tense US-China ties even worse and further complicate American efforts to secure Chinese help in settling North Korean and Iranian nuclear standoffs and crucial economic, military and environmental problems. >>> | Wednesday, February 17, 2010
L’EXPRESS.fr: Le président américain doit rencontrer jeudi le dalai lama qui arrive aux Etats-Unis ce mardi. La preuve qu'il compte bien changer la position des Etats-Unis face à Pékin, selon Mathieu Duchâtel, chercheur de l'Asia Centre à Sciences Po Paris.
En octobre dernier, Barack Obama évitait de rencontrer le dalai-lama, qui arrive de nouveau sur le sol américain ce mardi. Leur entretien prévu ce jeudi - et qui suscite déjà l'ire de Pékin - ne devrait pas tomber à l'eau. Comment expliquer ce contraste?
Depuis son entrée en fonction, en janvier 2009, le président américain a mis son pays en position d'attente vis-à-vis de la Chine. Souvenez-vous, en novembre dernier, lors de sa visite à Pékin, le président américain a présenté aux Chinois une longue liste de demandes de coopération dans une multitude de dossiers: Iran, Afghanistan et Pakistan, régulation financière, changement climatique... Pour faciliter la négociation, Barack Obama a omis d'évoquer les questions sensibles comme Taïwan, le Tibet et les droits de l'homme.
Qu'a-t-il obtenu? Des critiques en interne, aucun accord chinois sur l'Iran, ou encore des négociations qui se sont mal passées entre les deux délégations au sommet de Copenhague, si l'on en croit le New York Times... Un an plus tard, cette politique n'est donc plus tenable pour Obama. >>> Par Marie Simon | Mardi 16 Février 2010
STRATEGYPAGE: Islamic terrorism comes in many different forms. Christian Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia are complaining that their employers are threatening to fire them if they do not convert to Islam. It's against the law for a Moslem in Saudi Arabia to convert to another religion. The punishment is death, and anyone attempting to convert Moslems is subject to the death penalty. This sort of double standard, and use of coercion, is a big deal in the Philippines, although the government there, and in Saudi Arabia, try to play down this particular problem. There are about 200,000 Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia, and 600,000 throughout the Persian Gulf. The forced conversions are not widespread, yet. But several hundred are believed to have occurred, and the idea is catching on with employers who are conservative Moslems. >>> | Friday, February 12, 2010
YUSHAEVANS.COM: The commands of the Prophet (SAW) clearly indicate that the beard should be completely spared. Furthermore, our beloved Prophet (SAW) and companions had full and large beard. There are no authentic reports whether Prophet (SAW) trimmed or cut short his beard. However, there are authentic reports from a number of the sahabah – particularly, Ibn-Umar, Abu Hurayrah, and Ibn-Abbas(may Allah be pleased with all of them), indicating that they used to cut what extended beyond a fist-lenght. [sic] >>>
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
DIE WELTWOCHE: Christliche Minderheiten sind weltweit bedroht. In muslimischen Ländern sind sie Fremde im eigenen Land und Sündenböcke für die Wut auf den «Kreuzritter-Westen». Sie gelten als Menschen zweiter Klasse. Von Pierre Heumann
Mustafa Krim macht sich wenig Hoffnung. Er hat zwar nach dem jüngsten Brandanschlag auf seine Kirche im algerischen Tizi Ouzou Anzeige erstattet. Aber die Behörden werden den Fall nicht untersuchen, das weiss der Pastor aus Erfahrung. Denn mit den Islamisten, den mutmasslichen Tätern, wollen sich weder die Justiz noch die Politik anlagen.
Die Kirche von Tizi Ouzou, einem Ort, wo al-Qaida stark ist, ist kein Einzelfall. 200 bis 300 Millionen Christen werden weltweit als Minderheit diskriminiert und verfolgt, schätzt Majed al-Shafie, der aus Ägypten nach Kanada flüchten musste, weil er vom Islam zum Christentum übergetreten war. Achtzig Prozent der Hetze gegen Andersgläubige finde in arabischen Ländern statt. Der Rest vor allem in Nordkorea, Kuba, Indien und China.
Christen in muslimischen Ländern sind der Wut vieler Muslime auf den Westen schutzlos ausgeliefert. Gerüchte über missionarische Aktivitäten oder eine Entweihung des Korans sowie die angeblich «liberale» Haltung von Christen gegenüber Frauen lösen die Gewalt aus. Allein in den vergangenen Wochen kam es in mehreren muslimischen Ländern zu blutigen Übergriffen: In Indonesien wurden Kirchen und das Haus eines Pfarrers angezündet; in Pakistan starben Christen, nachdem Kirchen und von Christen bewohnte Häuser in Brand gesteckt worden waren. In Malaysia und im Irak kam es zu Angriffen auf Kirchen und eine katholische Schule. Im Jemen ruft al-Qaida offen zum Dschihad «gegen die Untreuen» und die «Kriegsschiffe der Kreuzritter» im Golf von Aden auf. Im Iran sind derzeit mindestens vierzehn Christen ohne offizielle Anklage in Gefängnissen festgehalten. Einem Teil wird vorgeworfen, sich zu einer Weihnachtsfeier getroffen zu haben, andere müssen sich wegen Apostasie, Abfall vom Islam, verantworten. Wobei Letzteres in der Islamischen Republik ein besonders schwerer Vorwurf ist: Wer konvertiert, riskiert die Todesstrafe. >>> Pierre Heumann | Mittwoch, 10. Februar 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia has warned that Iran could develop a nuclear weapon before stronger sanctions take effect as Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, sought its support for a new round of UN-backed penalties.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Mrs Clinton had correctly identified Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a serious threat.
"I hope that this doesn't lead to what it gives an indication of - which is a very extremist policy," he said.
He also said that "sanctions are a long-term solution. They may work. We can't judge.
"But we see the issue in the shorter term maybe because we are closer to the threat... So we need an immediate resolution rather than a gradual resolution." >>> The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Tuesday, February 16, 2010
HAARETZ: Hezbollah leader threatens to attack Tel Aviv in future conflict; says group still seeks to avenge Mughniyeh.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah threatened Tuesday that if Israel attacks Beirut in the future, Hezbollah will attack Tel Aviv.
"If you hit Rafik al-Hariri international airport in Beirut, we will hit Ben-Gurion airport in Tel Aviv," Nasrallah told thousands of his followers at a ceremony to mark the two-year anniversary of the death of Hezbollah's military leader Imad Mughaniyeh.
"If you hit our ports, we will bomb your ports, and if you hit our oil refineries, we will bomb your oil refineries." >>> Avi Issacharoff, News Agencies | Tuesday, February 16, 2010
MAIL ONLINE: A member of the Saudi royal family is being quizzed by police on suspicion of murder tonight after one of his servants was found battered to death at a top London hotel.
Police were called to the five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone after a 32-year-old man was battered to death in one of the hotel's luxury suites.
The victim, a Saudi Arabian man believed to be part of the royal's entourage, suffered severe head injuries in the attack.
Tonight detectives were quizzing a wealthy man in his 30s who told them he was a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family.
It is thought that the unnamed royal had not claimed diplomatic immunity following his arrest on Monday evening.
Paramedics were called to a third floor room of the hotel at 4.45pm on Monday, but they found the man was already dead. >>> Rebecca Camber | Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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