Barack Obama Is Doomed – Enter Mrs Clinton
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Despite the efforts of the US media to support St Barack, the Americans are having none of it, writes Simon Heffer.

Four days after the elections, the rage continues. If giving the Democrats a hiding was supposed to soothe the electorate, something has gone wrong. It – or rather the Democrat reaction to it – appears simply to have made things worse.

To the rest of the world, it might have seemed that President Obama’s press conference after the defeat was an admission of personal failure. But it wasn’t: what went wrong was the economy’s fault, he argued – and, by extension, it was the fault of the electorate for not seeing that. Despite the best efforts of the Leftist-dominated media here to support St Barack, the people are having none of it. The result is that his failure to go down on his knees and repent of his big-state, high-spending, pro-bureaucracy, unemployment-boosting policies has left the punters even more choleric than they were already. If he really does want to be a one-term president, he’s going exactly the right way about it.

The anger was further stoked by the President’s decision to leave yesterday on a long trip to India and the Far East. Although it is being sold here as some sort of trade mission – though he is likely to find that whatever America might want to sell in that region, the locals can make it just as well and at a small fraction of the cost – his departure is viewed as an escape from the line of fire.

He is also being heavily criticised for going to a country with a recent history of terrorist outrages, necessitating a security operation that is adding a further large chunk to his country’s national debt. As well as his taking 500 staff, 13 aircraft and four helicopters have already flown in a fleet of cars and communications equipment, and no fewer than 34 US warships are said to be hovering off the coast. Some of his critics here were already drawing comparisons with the court of Louis XVI just before the French Revolution, and this hasn’t helped. Read on and comment >>> Simon Heffer | Friday, November 05, 2010

Anwar al-Awlaki: A Message to the American People
رسالة إلى الشعب الأمريكي : أنور العولقي

MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE - ANWAR AL-AWLAKI
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A Warning to Osama bin Laden: Heed the Lesson of History!
Wann Arbeit nicht so frei macht!
Europe has been established on Judeo-Christian principles. Islam has played almost no part in it. This is an undeniable fact. Further, today, Islam is the antithesis of all Europe stands for: Europe is synonymous with liberal democracy; Islam, by contrast, is synonymous with backwardness and totalitarianism.

In the Twenties and Thirties in Germany, the Jews became the scapegoats of the Germans. Hitler rose to power in the Thirties and demonized them. He managed to convince his fellow Germans that they, the Jews, were the root of all evil in Germany. When in power, he set about his plan to exterminate them. The so-called ‘Final Solution’, die Endlösung, was put in place.

Concentration camps (Konzentrationslager) were set up in Germany, and in occupied countries such as Poland. Such concentration camps as Chelmno (Kulmhof), Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzek, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, Stutthof and Dachau were set up with one sole purpose: to exterminate the Jews.

This was racism in the raw!

Many today find it unbelievable that the Holocaust happened. Many Muslims, in particular, deny that these atrocities happened at all! But they did! That they did is well documented. This is historical fact. No sane person need spare a moment to deny any of it. If you are in any doubt, ask one of the survivors of those death camps! His testimony will be heart-rending indeed! It will show the depths to which man can sink.

This all happened in Europe little more than sixty years ago. Do you think this could not happen again? You would be mistaken if you do! History has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Human nature doesn’t change, as much as we would like to believe that it does. Circumstances change; human nature does not.

If it were to happen again, would the Jews be the ones to be persecuted? Probably not!

In those days, Jews were perceived as the bogeymen of Europe. These days, if any group of people is perceived as the bogeymen, if any group is perceived to threaten Europeans and their way of life, it is Muslims, not Jews. At the moment, there are far too few Jews in Europe to worry about their existence there. Muslims, on the other hand, live in Europe in millions; further, their numbers are growing apace. Today, these are the people Europeans worry about, not Jews.

Islam calls its adherents to live a very different way of life – a way of life quite alien to the way of life of Europeans. Many Europeans therefore feel quite naturally threatened by their growing existence in their midst, especially so because their politicians are too timid to stem Islam’s growth on European soil.

There is no doubt that Osama bin Laden has pushed the cause of Islam in the West. In fact, he has been hell-bent on making Europeans cower to the wishes of Muslims worldwide. European politicians, so far, have shown little will to resist his calls. Indeed, many would say that European politicians have been spineless and have shown little resolve to tackle the very urgent issues that face Europe today vis-à-vis Islam.

This spinelessness is very troubling. This lack of resolve is very troubling, too. Our politicians are appeasing Muslims. They are showing their weakness in the face of Muslims’ apparent strength. This weakness will not lead to any good place! When governments are perceived to be weak, politics is headed for a turn to extremism. We saw this recently in the United Kingdom, when the far right made substantial gains at the polls because of the perceived weakness of the Blair government.

With the present political climate, one might be forgiven for concluding that Europeans are weak, and are therefore ripe for take-over. This would be a wrong conclusion to make, even though it appears that way. What has happened in Europe once, can happen again. Might it, perhaps, merely be a matter of time?

No sane person, no kind person, no sensible person would wish to see a repeat of the Holocaust in Europe. Those were extremely sad times indeed; they should never be repeated. But, to avoid them, we need to learn the lessons of history. Learn why they happened in the first place. Learn why they happened at all. Osama bin Laden and his cronies need to learn these lessons, too.

The root of harmony is tolerance. Today it is believed – erroneously in my opinion - that tolerance can be legislated for. It cannot be. When a people perceives that its way of life is under threat, these people become capable of any act of evil. Our politicians would be wise to realize that people have not become more tolerant, have not become more understanding, and nor have they grown weaker. Deep down, people are the same today as they have always been. They can be pushed so far; but they will be pushed no further!

As abhorrent as the names Treblinka, Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau sound to the modern ear, the atrocities committed in those camps could happen again. Make no mistake about it! Circumstances might have changed; but man has not changed his nature. Nor has he lost his appetite for evil deeds!

If something isn’t done about the Muslim problem in Europe in the near future, the names Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Dachau will not be far from the minds of many Europeans. What happened once can happen again. Osama bin Laden would be wise to take heed!

© Mark Alexander

All Rights Reserved

Originally posted on Sunday, May 28, 2006 >>>

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Islamophobia Like 1930s Anti-Semitism: Islamic Forum Head
AFP: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Growing Islamophobia echoes the rise of anti-Semitism in the 1930s with US leaders resisting it but Europeans abetting the trend for political gain, the head of the world's largest Islamic group said.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said xenophobia directed at Muslim immigrants was taking hold, especially in Europe.

Vote-seeking politicians were advancing extremist groups behind the anti-Muslim sentiment.

"This issue has become a political agenda item," the Turkish head of the 58-member OIC told AFP in an interview, while stressing that Islam was also a European religion.

"What worries me is that political authorities or political parties, instead of stopping this, or fighting this, some of them are using this for their political ends, to gain more popular support in elections," he said.

"I'm afraid that we are going through a process like the beginning of the '30s of the last century, when an anti-Semitic agenda became politically a big issue (together with) the rise of fascism and Naziism .... I think now we are in the first stages of such a thing."

A "pandemic of Islam vilification" is rising steadily, he warned, as documented by the OIC's newly-established office to monitor Islamophobia around the globe. >>> Paul Handley (AFP) | Friday, November 05, 2010

Türkei will Islam an Schulen forcieren
DIE PRESSE: Nachdem das Kopftuchverbot an Universitäten de facto gefallen ist, nimmt die Regierung nun den Schulunterricht ins Visier. Die Schule solle Werte vermitteln, die auf dem „Glauben an Gott“ basieren.

[Istanbul] Bei Verfechtern einer laizistischen Türkei schrillten diese Woche wieder einmal die Alarmglocken: Diesmal ging es nicht um das Kopftuch an Universitäten, sondern um die Bedeutung des Islam an Schulen. Die soll steigen, wie Vorschlägen zu entnehmen ist, die der nationale Unterrichtsrat laut der Zeitung „Hürriyet“ diskutierte. Sie würden den Charakter des Unterrichts verändern.

So wurde vorgeschlagen, die Schule solle Werte vermitteln, die auf dem „Glauben an Gott“ basieren und dies in islamischer Terminologie. Angeblich wurde auch über die Möglichkeit getrennter Klassen für Buben und Mädchen diskutiert. Der Rat stimmte schließlich für eine Empfehlung, die sich nicht direkt auf die Religion bezieht, die Zahl der Schüler an religiösen Schulen aber erheblich erhöhen könnte. Im türkischen Schulsystem ist zwar Religionsunterricht als Pflichtfach per Verfassung vorgeschrieben. Alle Schüler außer Christen werden in sunnitischer Religion unterwiesen, ob ihre Eltern wollen oder nicht. >>> Jan Keetman | Donnerstag, 04. November 2010

Muslimischer Islamkritiker
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: «Kulturplatz»-Talk mit Politologe Hamed Abdel-Samad

Barack Obama Suffers Another Defeat as He Is Knocked Off Forbes Power Top Spot
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, has been named the most powerful person on Earth knocking Barack Obama off the top spot.

The annual list, compiled by Forbes, the business magazine, places David Cameron, the British prime minister, at seven, behind Angela Merkel, the German chancellor in the list of 68.

Forbes explained that those on the list had been chosen “because, in various ways, they bend the world to their will”.

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia came in third behind Mr Jintao and Mr Obama, while Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister was fourth, ahead of Dmitry Medvedev, who only came in at 12.

Pope Benedict XVI was in fifth place, while the rest of the top 10 was rounded off by Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, Sonia Gandhi, the Indian president, and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mr Gates finished ahead of Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, who was in 17th place.

The list, another blow to the US president, cited his party’s poor performance in the midterm elections. Read on and comment >>> | Friday, November 05, 2010

Hate Preacher Abu Hamza Wins Human Rights Bid to Stop British Government Stripping Him of UK Passport
MAIL ONLINE: Hate preacher Abu Hamza has won his appeal against the Government's attempts to strip him of his British passport, a special tribunal ruled today.

The radical cleric argued that such a move would render him 'stateless' as he had already been stripped of his Egyptian citizenship.

Delivering its 12-page ruling today, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) allowed his appeal.

The hook-handed cleric, who acquired a British passport through marriage, is serving seven years in maximum security Belmarsh Prison after being convicted for inciting murder and racial hatred in 2006.

The Home Office sort to remove the British citizenship he received in 1986 so he could be deported.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Mitting said: 'We are satisfied on balance of probabilities that if a deprivation order were to be made, the appellant (Hamza) would be made stateless.

'The conclusions which we have reached in the closed judgment supplement, but do not contradict, that conclusion.
'Accordingly, this appeal is allowed.'

But the 52-year-old used a high-powered team of legal eagles - funded by the taxpayer - to successfully argue his case.

A leading QC and team of lawyers all acted for Hamza, along with a special advocate appointed by the court.

Hamza's QC Ed Fitzgerald has represented clients including Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and the killer of James Bulger, Jon Venables.

Hamza claimed that he is no longer considered a citizen by Egypt, so taking away his UK nationality would leave him 'stateless' in contravention of Human Rights law. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, November 05, 2010

The Age of the Dollar Is Drawing to a Close
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Currency competition is the only way to fix the world economy, says Jeremy Warner.

Dollar hegemony was itself a major cause of both the imbalances and the crisis. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Right from the start of the financial crisis, it was apparent that one of its biggest long-term casualties would be the mighty dollar, and with it, very possibly, American economic hegemony. The process would take time – possibly a decade or more – but the starting gun had been fired.

At next week's meeting in Seoul of the G20's leaders, there will be no last rites – this hopelessly unwieldy exercise in global government wouldn't recognise a corpse if stood before it in a coffin – but it seems clear that this tragedy is already approaching its denouement.

To understand why, you have to go back to the origins of the credit crunch, which lay in the giant trade and capital imbalances that have long ruled the world economy. Over the past 20 years, the globe has become divided in highly dangerous ways into surplus and deficit nations: those that produced a surplus of goods and savings, and those that borrowed the savings to buy the goods.

It's a strange, Alice in Wonderland world that sees one of the planet's richest economies borrowing from one of the poorest to pay for goods way beyond the reach of the people actually producing them. But that process, in effect, came to define the relationship between America and China. The resulting credit-fuelled glut in productive capacity was almost bound to end in a corrective global recession, even without the unsustainable real-estate bubble that the excess of savings also produced. And sure enough, that's exactly what happened.

When politicians see a problem, especially one on this scale, they feel obliged to regulate it. But so far, they've been unable to make headway. This is mainly because the surplus nations are jealous defenders of their essentially mercantilist economic models. Exporting to the deficit nations has served them well, and they are reluctant to change. >>> Jeremy Warner | Friday, November 05, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Doubts grow over wisdom of Ben Bernanke 'super-put': The early verdict is in on the US Federal Reserve's $600bn of fresh money through quantitative easing. Yields on 30-year Treasury bonds jumped 20 basis points to 4.07pc. >>> Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, International Business Editor | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Thilo Sarrazin im «Club»
SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Thilo Sarrazin, Autor des Bestsellers «Deutschland schafft sich ab», kommt mit seinen provokanten Analysen zur Migration nicht aus den Schlagzeilen. Sein Buch findet reissenden Absatz - auch in der Schweiz. Begeisterter Zuspruch breiter Bevölkerungskreise, aber auch harsche Kritik bestimmen die öffentliche Debatte. Wo hat Sarrazin Recht und: Treffen seine Aussagen auch auf die Schweiz zu?


Sarrazin Wants ‘Terms’ for Migrants to Live in Germany
HÜRRIYET DAILY NEWS: BERLIN – The former member of the German Central Bank’s executive board who sparked a fierce debate on immigration and integration issues with his controversial book has proposed “new conditions” for immigrants who want to live in the country. Those who force their daughters to wear headscarves or to marry their relatives have no place in Germany, Thilo Sarrazin said over the weekend.

Speaking to Germany’s Bild am Sonntag late last week, Sarrazin proposed severely limiting family reunification laws for immigrants, excluding the incorporation of immigrants’ children into the social welfare system.

“In my opinion, the option for relatives to follow an immigrant and be integrated into our social welfare system attracts the wrong kind of migrants,” he said, calling for the termination of social services for immigrants on a long-term basis or even permanently.

He also proposed removing Turkish or Arabic signs at public offices to “implement a whole new level of pressure on people to learn German.”

“The head of a household who speaks the German language but hinders his family from learning it has no business living in Germany. Those who prefer Turkish television programs to German, because they are on the war path with our language, have no business being in Germany,” he said. >>> Daily News with wires | Monday, November 01, 2010

Julian Assange: Wikileaks-Gründer erwägt Asyl-Antrag in der Schweiz
WELT ONLINE: Julian Assange sorgt sich um seine Sicherheit und fühlt sich vom Pentagon bedroht. In der Schweiz kündigte er nun neue Enthüllungen an.

Der Gründer der Internet-Enthüllungsplattform Wikileaks, Julian Assange, erwägt nach eigenen Angaben eine Niederlassung in der Schweiz. In einem Interview mit dem Schweizer Fernsehsender TSR antwortete er am Donnerstag auf die Frage, ob er samt seiner Website in die Schweiz ziehen wolle, dies sei eine „reale Möglichkeit“. Auf die Frage, ob er dort einen Antrag auf Asyl stellen könnte, sagte der Australier: „Das ist richtig. Wir überlegen, ob ich Asyl beantragen sollte.“ Wikileaks prüfe derzeit zudem die Möglichkeit der Gründung einer Stiftung, mit der die Website von der Schweiz aus agieren könne. Die Schweiz und Island seien die einzigen westlichen Länder, in denen sich Wikileaks sicher fühle.

Wikileaks hatte Ende Oktober weltweit Aufsehen erregt, als es fast 400.000 Geheimdokumente zum Irak-Krieg veröffentlichte. Aus ihnen geht unter anderem hervor, dass die US-Armee trotz ihres Wissens von Folterungen von Gefangenen durch irakische Sicherheitskräfte nicht einschritt. Die USA protestierten heftig gegen die „unverantwortliche“ Veröffentlichung der Geheimdokumente. Assange berichtete nach der Veröffentlichung, er sorge sich um seine Sicherheit. Auch in Genf sagte er, Wikileaks-Mitarbeiter und Menschen aus dem Umfeld der Plattform fühlten sich vom Pentagon „bedroht“. >>> AFP/tma | Friday, November 05, 2010

Pentagon Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg on Upcoming Iraq War Wikileaks Docs



Wikileaks Iraq War Diaries >>>

Billige Dollar: Schäuble – Die Fed bricht internationale Abmachung
WELT ONLINE: Die US-Notenbank will die Wirtschaft mit der Notenpresse ankurbeln. Finanzminister Schäuble übt daran nun ungewöhnlich scharfe Kritik.

Finanzminister Schäuble kündigt an, die "amerikanischen Freunde" auf dem G-20-Gipfel kritisch ansprechen zu wollen. Foto: Welt Online
Bundesfinanzminister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) hat die jüngste Maßnahme der US-Notenbank zur Ankurbelung der Wirtschaft als Bruch internationaler Abmachungen kritisiert. Die großen Wirtschaftsprobleme der USA seien mit noch mehr Schulden nicht zu lösen, sagte Schäuble am Donnerstagabend den ARD-„Tagesthemen“. „Das war übrigens gemeinsame Politik, der sich noch alle Industrieländer, auch die USA, beim G-20-Gipfel in Toronto (...) ausdrücklich verpflichtet haben.“

US-Notenbankchef Ben Bernanke verteidigte dagegen den geldpolitischen Kurs der Federal Reserve. Die US-Notenbank hatte verkündet, Staatsanleihen für 600 Milliarden Dollar zu kaufen. Nach den Worten Schäubles bereiten die USA der internationalen Finanzwelt damit zusätzliche Probleme. Experten fürchten eine ausufernde Inflation sowie eine Verschärfung der weltweiten Währungsungleichgewichte.

„Wir werden das auch in bilateralen Gesprächen, aber natürlich auch beim G-20-Gipfel in der kommenden Woche in Südkorea mit unseren amerikanischen Freunden kritisch ansprechen“, kündigte der Minister an. Die USA wollen mit dem umstrittenen Manöver die Kreditzinsen senken, um auf diese Weise die schleppende Nachfrage anzukurbeln. Die neue Milliardenstütze der US-Notenbank lässt Europas Währungshüter kalt. EZB-Präsident Jean-Claude Trichet stellte am Donnerstag klar, dass die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) an ihrem Kurs festhält und den Geldhahn allmählich zudrehen wird. >>> dpa/tma | Freitag, 05. November 2010

Berlusconi Faces Security Inquiry Over His Sex Life
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi faces an investigation by Italian MPs after officials expressed fears that the Italian prime minister’s alleged patronage of prostitutes had put national security at risk.

Mr Belusconi, 74, has been summoned to appear before a parliamentary security committee to “clarify” his security arrangements following the latest allegations about his private life. The secret services were reported to have told members of the committee that Mr Berlusconi’s lifestyle and his relations with escorts and starlets could endanger national security.

Massimo D’Alema, the president of the committee and a former Left-wing prime minister, said: “The secret services are entrusted with the security of the prime minister and we intend to return to this theme and consider it correct to hear what the prime minister has to say on the matter.”

Mr D’Alema said he felt sympathy for police who were “weary” of escorting young women in and out of Mr Berlusconi’s residences in Rome, Milan and Sardinia. The Italian leader was accused last week of instructing police in Milan to drop theft charges against a teenage Moroccan belly dancer who had attended one of his parties and of paying a prostitute, Nadia Macri’, €10,000 for intercourse at his villas in Sardinia and Milan. He has not denied either accusation. >>> Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, November 04, 2010

French Prime Minister Revolts Over Likely Dismissal
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France’s prime minister, François Fillon, has thrown a spanner into President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reshuffle plans with a revolt against his likely dismissal.

France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The French President’s aides let it be known last month that cabinet changes would likely see Mr Fillon’s replaced by Jean-Louis Borloo, the ecology minister whose dishevelled appearance has earned him the nickname of the “Serge Gainsbourg” of French politics - a nod to the often drunk and unshaven late French singer.

But the plan appears to have stirred Mr Fillon into open revolt against the appointment of his putative successor.

The two men have been engaged in an increasingly vitriolic duel with Mr Borloo accusing the prime minister of getting supporters to lob rhetorical “stink bombs” in his general direction.

Relations have turned so sour that when Mr Fillon offered to give his rival a lift in his prime ministerial jet back from a meeting in Biarritz in September, he received a text message saying: “Go screw yourself”.

Mired in the lowest approval ratings of any post-War French President, Mr Sarkozy is expected to announce a major reshuffle this month to breath new life into his mandate as he limbers up for re-election in 2012.

Among those on the way out is Bernard Kouchner, the foreign minister.

The co-architect of Mr Sarkozy’s electoral programme, Mr Fillon has seen his role sidelined in favour of a “hyper-President” who wields all the levers of power and micromanages policy. >>> Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Greece Mulls Militants Who Spit Defiance
Gerasimos Tsakalos, centre, has refused to co-operate with authorities. Photo: BBC
BBC: Wearing white bulletproof vests, the two young bearded men manhandled into Athens' main court spat and snarled at reporters and photographers in a calculated pique of defiance.

When quizzed by prosecutors, they refused to give their names or answer questions, claiming they were political prisoners.

But as they emerged from the court in the grip of masked, muscular, machine gun-carrying anti-terrorist police, the two suspects, Gerasimos Tsakalos, 24, and Panagiotis Argyros, 22, looked small and not particularly terrifying.

Perhaps bravado was better than quivering at the prospect of 25 years in jail for their alleged part in sending booby-trapped parcel bombs to President Nicholas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy as well as assorted embassies and EU institutions.

Terrorism experts are convinced that the two belong to a left-wing organisation called the Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.

The group has been active since the Greek riots of December 2008, ignited by the fatal shooting of schoolboy Alexis Grigoropoulos by a policeman.

So just how dangerous are they?

Brady Kiesling, a former US diplomat in Athens and author of a book about November 17, Greece's most deadly guerrillas, could not be more contemptuous.

"They are politically irrelevant," he said. "Their message is smash the system. Basically, they are soft-hearted suburban kids who aren't really going to hurt anyone in the process, if they can help it."

Mr Kiesling dismissed their cluster of booby traps as "firecrackers".

But while the group may have caused little more than inconvenience and raised blood pressure across Europe, they have highlighted serious flaws in the air freight system by demonstrating how easy it is to smuggle explosive materials into the cargo holds of aircraft. >>> Malcolm Brabant, BBC News, Athens | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Radical Website Publishes MP 'Death List'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A website which influenced a young Muslim to stab an MP has posted dozens more MPs’ names on a 'death list’ with an exhortation to Muslims to follow her example.

Revolutionmuslim.com was named by Roshonara Choudhry in her police interviews as one of the sites which radicalised her. Choudhry was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday for attempting to murder the former Labour minister Stephen Timms.

The site praises her as a “mujaahidah,” or holy warrior, saying: “We ask Allah to keep her safe and secure, to hasten her release and to reward this heroine immensely.”

It published a list of all the MPs who voted for the Iraq war together with an instruction to Muslims to try to kill them, saying: “We ask Allaah for her action to inspire Muslims to raise the knife of Jihaad against those who voted for the countless rapes, murders, pillages, and torture of Muslim civilians as a direct consequence of their vote.”

It also appears to incite further attacks on Mr Timms, publishing details of his constituency surgery times and venues, and even a link which shows readers where they can buy a £15 kitchen knife, similar to the one used by Choudhry, from Tesco Direct.

The website adds: “If you want to track an MP, you can find out their personal website after typing their name in this website. In their personal website, you can usually find the time and location of their surgeries where you can encounter them in person.” >>> Andrew Gilligan | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Reagan - Tear Down This Wall

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Margaret Thatcher on Terrorism

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Paris Court Hands Woman Suspended Sentence for Veil Attack
THE GUARDIAN: Jeanne Ruby bit, slapped and scratched Middle Eastern woman who was wearing face-covering Muslim veil

A woman wearing a niqab was attacked by Jeanne Ruby in a Paris shop. Photograph: The Guardian
A Paris court today gave a retired French teacher a one-month suspended sentence for attacking a Middle Eastern woman who was wearing a face-covering Muslim veil.

The court also ordered Jeanne Ruby to pay €800 (£698) in damages to the victim, a citizen of the United Arab Emirates.

Ruby had been charged with aggravated violence, and the prosecutor had asked that she be given a two-month suspended sentence. >>> Associated Press | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Woman Sentenced for 'Niqab Rage' Attack in France
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A French court on Thursday handed out a one-month suspended jail sentence to a retired female teacher who attacked a woman in a shop for wearing a face-covering Islamic veil.

The Paris court heard that the defendant, who had worked in several Arab countries, set upon a 26-year-old Emirati woman in a shop, first trying to tug off her niqab veil and then slapping, scratching and biting her on the hand.

"I knew that I was going to crack one day. This burka business was beginning to annoy me," the defendant told police, saying she was fighting for women's rights, according to evidence heard in court. >>> | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Les Frères musulmans volent au secours des coptes
Un policier armé (à gauche) en patrouille, mardi, devant une église copte du Caire. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: Après les menaces d'al-Qaida, la sécurité est renforcée autour des églises égyptiennes.

Devant l'église Sainte-Marie, au centre du Caire, des policiers surveillent attentivement les allées et venues des passants. Les gilets pare-balles ne sont pas loin, les fidèles fouillés et tout inconnu est prié de rebrousser chemin. Depuis les menaces d'al-Qaida contre la communauté copte orthodoxe, la plus grande minorité chrétienne au Proche-Orient, «l'état d'alerte» a été décrété autour des églises égyptiennes. «Je ne sais pas si la menace est vraiment sérieuse, mais cela montre au moins que le gouvernement ne nous abandonne pas», confie un fidèle. >>> Par tangi salaun | Jeudi 04 Novembre 2010

Cherie Blair: It's Wrong to See Muslim Women Who Cover Their Hair as a Threat Oh Yeh?
Counsel for the defence: Cherie Blair (left) said it was wrong to stereotype Muslim women. Her sister Lauren Booth (right) has recently converted to Islam. Photos: The Daily Mail
THE DAILY MAIL: Cherie Blair today launched a strident defence of Muslim women saying it was wrong to see those who cover their hair or their body as a threat.

Speaking just two weeks after her sister Lauren Booth converted to Islam, the former Prime Minister's wife stressed that it was essential to respect people's right to dress how they choose.

'We use the appearance of women as a metaphor of our fear of a supposed Islamic threat,' she told Spain's El Pais newspaper.

'There are thousands of Muslims in Europe who participate in our way of life and intend continuing to do so and if they want to dress in a certain way because of their beliefs, we shouldn't feel threatened.'

Asked about her sister's recent conversion to Islam, she said simply: 'It’s her choice.'

Mrs Blair's comments were made in an interview ahead of the European Muslim Women of Influence Conference in Madrid.

She stressed it was important to fight against stereotypes that 'above all affect Muslim women'.

'We tend to believe they're oppressed, insecure and incapable of thinking for themselves and that is not true,' she said.

'One of the things I try to do is help to explain that Islam is an open religion in which women have influence, whether they hide their hair or not. >>> Gerard Couzens | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Iran Stages Mass Protest on Anniversary of US Embassy Capture
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Iranians chanted “Death to America” as they staged a mass protest against the “Great Satan” to mark the 31st anniversary of the capture of the American embassy by Islamist students.

Students take part in a demonstration outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Waving Iranian flags and carrying anti-US banners alongside posters of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the largely young crowd also shouted anti-Israel slogans.

Iran annually on November 4 marks the anniversary of the capture of the US embassy by Islamist students in Tehran in 1979, months after the Islamic revolution which toppled the US-backed shah.

The embassy has remained closed and the US and Iran have had no diplomatic ties since then.

The students, who took 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days, said they were responding to Washington’s refusal to hand over the deposed shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Ezatollah Eragami, the keynote speaker at the rally and one of the 1979 hostage takers, hit out at Barack Obama, the US president, over Washington’s foreign policy.

“Obama has acted very weakly and badly when it comes to his foreign policy,” Mr Eragami, who now heads Iranian state media, told the cheering crowd. >>> | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Muslims Tell British: Go to Hell
DAILY EXPRESS: JEERING Muslim fanatics turned an Old Bailey court into a battleground yesterday after an Al Qaeda follower was jailed for stabbing an MP.

In unprecedented scenes the angry mob chanted “British go to hell” as would-be assassin Roshonara Choudhry was handed a sentence of life with a minimum of 15 years.

Startled security guards bundled the mob out of the historic court as they turned their hate on the judge and a Muslim woman on the jury. One shouted “curse the judge” while another ranted: “Shame on you sister, sitting on a jury, judging a Muslim sister.”

The gang, sitting in the public gallery, chanted “Allahu akbar” or “God is great” and another demonstration raged outside the court.

It appeared last night that none of the mob had been arrested for contempt of court after the outburst. Conservative MP Patrick Mercer said: “If the court case was disrupted as seriously as I’m told then I don’t see why the police should not have made some arrests for contempt of court.



“What they were doing amounts to affray and they appear to have been trying to incite racial tensions.” >>> John Twomey and Cyril Dixon | Thursday, November 04, 2010

Related >>>

Fortschrittsbericht: EU kritisiert Mangel an Grundrechten in der Türkei
WELT ONLINE: Während die EU Ankaras Außenpolitik lobt, beklagt sie im neuen Fortschrittsbericht Probleme bei Medienfreiheit und Frauenrechten.

Die Türkei macht nach Ansicht der Europäischen Union keine befriedigenden Fortschritte in Sachen Grundrechte. „Meinungsfreiheit und die Freiheit der Medien müssen sowohl per Gesetz als auch in der Praxis gestärkt werden. Defizite bleiben bei der Ausübung der Religionsfreiheit. Fortschritt ist auch bei Frauenrechten, Geschlechtergleichheit und den Rechten der Gewerkschaften notwendig“, heißt es im diesjährigen Fortschrittsbericht. Mit dem Report, welcher WELT ONLINE vorab vorliegt und am kommenden Dienstag präsentiert wird, zieht Brüssel sein jährliches Resümee über die Arbeit der EU-Beitrittskandidaten. Neben der Türkei sind auch Kroatien und Mazedonien Bewerber für eine Mitgliedschaft in der Union.

Die Beziehungen zwischen der Türkei und der EU sind zunehmend von Schwierigkeiten geprägt. Im Land selbst nimmt der Zuspruch für den EU-Beitritt rapide ab, nur noch jeder dritte Bürger ist Umfragen zufolge dafür – vor fünf Jahren waren es noch 68 Prozent. Für Ankaras prowestliche Politiker wird es immer schwerer, ihren Wählern angesichts der ablehnenden Haltung Europas die Beitrittsperspektive schmackhaft zu machen.

Gleichzeitig sorgt die sich verändernde Außenpolitik Ankaras für Spannungen mit Brüssel. Die Regierung von Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan schlägt einen deutlich eigenständigen Kurs ein, sie richtet sich immer häufiger nach eigenen Interessen als nach denen der Partner in Europa und den USA. So erregte das türkische Veto gegen Iran-Sanktionen des UN-Sicherheitsrats vergangenen Juni großen Unmut. Auch die Schaffung einer Freihandelszone unter anderem mit Syrien sorgte für Irritation. Zeitgleich wurden die traditionell guten Beziehungen zu Israel vom heftigen Streit über den israelischen Angriff auf die „Gaza-Flottille“ überschattet, bei dem neun türkische Staatsbürger umkamen. >>> Von Stefanie Bolzen | Mittwoch, 03. November 2010

Israel Suspends Britain Security Meeting
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Israel abruptly announced the suspension of a high-profile security meeting with Britain in a move that appeared calculated to embarrass William Hague on his first official visit to the country.

Avigdor Lieberman and William Hague in Jerusalem. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Israeli government caught British officials off-guard by declaring the next session of the annual “UK-Israel Strategic Dialogue” would be suspended until its ministers could travel to Britain without fear of arrest.

Israel has long been dismayed that pro-Palestinian activists in Britain have been able to use a loophole in extradition law to bring private prosecutions against visiting Israeli officials. The issue has strained relations between the two states with the Strategic Dialogue, which brings together senior officials from both states to discuss key issues such as security, terrorism and Iran, has falled vicitme [sic] to the tension.

British officials insisted that the Dialogue - established just two years - was not hostage to legislative changes to curb Universal Jurisdiction provisions. Until yesterday, the Foreign Office had been led to believe delays to the next session of the Strategic Dialogue, which should have been held last month, were because of Israeli scheduling problems.

But the timing of the Israeli announcement also suggested an attempt by hardline elements in the office of Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s hawkish foreign minister, to ambush Mr Hague.

The news was leaked by the foreign ministry before Mr Hague had met with Israeli leaders.

Compounding the Foreign Secretary’s discomfort, those behind the leak claimed that the decision had been taken because Britain had “done nothing” to address legal issues.

The move appeared to be part of an emerging strategy by Mr Lieberman and his aides to humiliate visiting European ministers. >>> Adrian Blomfield in Ramallah | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Al-Qaeda Threat to 'Destroy' Christians
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamist insurgents in Iraq have warned of a new wave of attacks on Christians "wherever they can be reached", threatening a new wave of sectarian violence.

"We will open upon them the doors of destruction and rivers of blood," said a statement posted on a militant website by the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), an al-Qaeda front.

The ISI claimed responsibility for an attack on a Roman Catholic church in Baghdad on Sunday evening which left 42 worshippers, at least six police and all nine assailants dead.

Al-Qaeda or other Sunni militants are also presumed to be responsible for a wave of bombings across Shia districts of the city that killed 76 people on Tuesday night. Islamist Insurgents in Iraq Threaten Wave of Attacks on Christians >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Air Cargo Scare as Greek Anarchists Post Bombs to European Leaders
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Germany demanded EU take emergency action on Wednesday to secure air freight after parcel bombs were sent from Greece to Angela Merkel and other European targets.

Security services in Greece, Italy and Germany were investigating the co-ordinated campaign, which caused a continent-wide alert.

Mrs Merkel told a German newspaper that the EU needed to agree common rules on air cargo security, implying that freight-checking procedures were not up to the job of intercepting bombs.

"We have a global patchwork of security rules for air freight," she said.

EU officials told The Daily Telegraph that, while governments were responsible for passenger security, freight checks were carried out by companies with "trusted supplier" status.

"The interior ministers might want to look at the rules which currently allow accredited air freight and postal courier companies to do their own security checks," an official said. "It is difficult to detect devices in bulk cargo but if the feeling is that the bombs got through because checks were not tight enough then the rules will be looked at." >>> Bruno Waterfield and Nick Squires | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Outrage as New Lloyds Bank Chief Executive in Line for £8.3m Benefits Package
MAIL ONLINE: Antonio Horta-Osorio has been named the new chief executive of taxpayer-backed Lloyds bank.

Mr Horta Osorio, the current UK boss of Santander, will join early next year when he takes over from current chief Eric Daniels, who is due to retire.

However the arrival package he will receive on his appointment has provoked outrage as he could scoop up to a whopping £8.3million in the first year alone.

His package includes a basic salary of just over £1million, but he could collect another £2.3million in annual bonuses plus around £4.3million in long term share awards.

In addition he will pay £610,000 in pension payments, meaning his total package could added up to £8.3million. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

US-Notenbank wirft die Notenpresse an
DIE PRESSE: Die Fed kauft Staatsanleihen im Wert von 600 Milliarden Dollar, um den Arbeitsmarkt zu beleben. Weitere Wertpapierkäufe schließt die Leitung der US-Notenbank nicht aus. Experten befürchten bereits eine Deflation.

Alle Augen waren auf Ben Bernanke gerichtet. Am Mittwochabend gab der Chef der US-Notenbank Fed schließlich bekannt, worüber seit Tagen spekuliert worden war: Die Fed wird den Geldhahn erneut aufdrehen. Bis Mitte 2011 will die US-Zentralbank Staatsanleihen im Wert von 600 Milliarden Dollar (umgerechnet rund 428 Milliarden Euro) kaufen. Zusätzlich sollen Papiere, die bereits der Fed gehören, aber auslaufen, durch neue ersetzt werden. Damit belaufen sich die Anleihenkäufe in Summe auf 850 bis 900 Milliarden Dollar. >>> Wien/Reuters/Dj | Mittwoch, 03. November 2010

NZZ ONLINE: Fed druckt mehr Geld: 900 Milliarden Dollar für Aufkauf von Staatspapieren >>> sda/Reuters | Mittwoch, 03. November 2010

New Zealand Aims to Be Smoke Free by 2025
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New Zealand has unveiled an ambitious plan to make the country smoke-free by 2025.

A parliamentary report into the tobacco industry recommended severely limiting the import and use of tobacco in an attempt to drastically cut smoking rates across the nation.

If the policy is adopted, it will make New Zealand the first country to wipe out smoking in all public places within the next 15 years.

The only other country with a similar policy is Finland, which plans to be smoke-free by 2040.

The proposal, which was devised after months of hearings, has been welcomed by doctors and given cautious support from the government, which said that smoking was a health hazard but that it would be difficult to completely eradicate it.

About 20 per cent of New Zealand’s 4.4 million general population smoke, but that rate is doubled among the indigenous Maori people. >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Smoking ban in small Dutch pubs lifted: A smoking ban in small Dutch pubs has been lifted. An estimated 400 pubs smaller than 70 square metres where only the owner works will no longer have to ban smoking says Health Minister Edith Schippers. >>> | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

The fight will not be over until the ban is lifted for all pubs >>>

Obama Licks His Wounds After Midterms Mauling
THE GUARDIAN: President says severe losses his party suffered across the country reflect frustration at the slow pace of economic recovery

Barack Obama has expressed humility and promised to work with the Republicans after one of the worst Democratic election defeats in 70 years.

Speaking at a White House press conference, Obama acknowledged that the devastating losses suffered in races across the country reflected voters' frustration with the slow economic recovery.

He offered to sit down with Republican and Democratic leaders to see whether there were areas where they could agree. "I have been willing to compromise in the past and I am willing to compromise going forward," Obama said. >>> Ewen MacAskill in Washington | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Midterms 2010: Obama’s ability to address global challenges now in doubt – Experts across the world have been raising doubts about Barack Obama’s ability to address foreign policy challenges in the wake of the mid-term election defeat. >>> Praveen Swami, Diplomatic Editor | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

'Out of Touch'? : Pres. Obama discusses connecting with Americans and the 'inherent' danger of the 'bubble of the White House

Obama's 'Shellacking'

Barack Obama Sex Doll for Sale in China
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Americans may have fallen out of love with Barack Obama, but the president of the United States is still an object of affection for the Chinese, who have remodelled him as a blow-up sex doll.

The Barack Obama sex doll was exhibited at the recent 8th Sex Culture Festival in the southern city of Guangzhou. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
A doll wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, and with Mr Obama's face carefully screen-printed onto its head, was exhibited at the recent 8th Sex Culture Festival in the southern city of Guangzhou.

The doll was photographed by Chinese state media nestling behind several other standard plastic female toys.

Mr Obama is widely popular in China, and a "Maobama" t-shirt, bearing an image of his face crossed with a portrait of Chairman Mao, has become a best-seller. >>> Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

'British Go to Hell': Public Gallery Erupts as Student Inspired by Al Qaeda Who Tried to Kill MP Is Jailed for Life
MAIL ONLINE: A courtroom erupted in protest today after a student who tried to murder a Labour MP was jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years.

Roshonara Choudhry, 21, stabbed Stephen Timms twice in the stomach after being inspired by a radical Al Qaeda cleric linked to the air cargo bomb plot.

Her attack on the former Treasury minister is thought to be the first Al Qaeda-inspired attempt to assassinate a politician on British soil.

After the sentence was passed, a group of men began shouting in the public gallery 'Allahu akbar' ('God is great'), 'British go to hell' and 'Curse the judge'. A demonstration was also taking place outside the court.

Choudhry knifed East Ham MP Mr Timms as he held a constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe community centre in east London on May 14 after watching online jihadi sermons by US-born extremist Anwar al-Awlaki.

Mr Justice Cooke, sentencing Choudhry, said: 'You said you ruined the rest of your life. You said it was worth it. You said you wanted to be a martyr'.

The judge said Choudhry would continue to be a danger to Members of Parliament for the foreseeable future.

The judge said that if Choudhry had succeeded in killing Mr Timms he would have given her a whole-life sentence, meaning she would never be released. >>> Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, November 30, 2010

French Finance Minister 'Has Jewellery Airbrushed from Photo'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's finance minister, Christine Lagarde, had her pearl earrings, bracelet and ring airbrushed out of a local publication in an apparent attempt to look more austere in the wake of protests against reforms to make the French work longer.

Front cover of Nouvelles du 12, left, and the original photo, with pearls, right. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Mrs Lagarde appears on the front cover of Nouvelles du 12 – a local newsletter in Paris' 12th arrondissement where she is a councillor – smiling and standing in front of a viaduct in a red scarf but 'sans' jewellery.

However, it transpires that the cover is a Photoshop montage of a picture of her on a walkabout with journalists in which she is clearly adorned with bulky earrings and other jangly jewellery.

Jacques Kalifa, the editor of the local publication, said he had requested the photo from Mrs Lagarde's office for the cover of the magazine.

Mr Kalifa said: "Rather than take a photo ourselves, we asked for one from her private office then did a montage of her with the viaduct in the background." At first he said the ministry had sent the photo with the jewellery already removed. "Perhaps she wanted to have a softer image, to be seen without her jewellery," he told the Le Poste website. But he later claimed the newsletter's picture editor had taken the initiative to remove the lavish objects himself.

The photo edit was spotted by Le Canard Enchaîné, the satirical weekly, which said the jewels were no doubt viewed as too "bling-bling". >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Obama: 'We Must Find Common Ground'
FOX NEWS: President holds news conference on election results


THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Midterms 2010: Barack Obama facing the prospect of legislative gridlock after election defeats: Republicans seized control of the House of Representatives in a piercing rebuke to President Barack Obama, who now faces legislative gridlock and even a rolling back of his controversial health care legislation. >>> Toby Harnden and Alex Spillius in Washington | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Immigration and Integration in Germany

Midterms 2010: Obama Acknowledges 'Frustration’ with Economy
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has said he is looking forward to working with Republicans and admitted Americans were deeply “frustrated” with the pace of economy recovery.

Barack Obama in the White House. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Mr Obama spoke after Republicans seized control of the House of Representatives. The president now faces legislative gridlock and potentially a roll back of some of his key legislative reforms.

“After what I’m sure was a long night for a time of you and needless to say it was for me, I can tell you that, you know, some election nights are more fun than others. Some are exhilarating. Some are humbling,” Mr Obama said.

“And yesterday’s vote confirmed what I’ve heard from folks all across America. People are frustrated. They’re deeply frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery and the opportunities that they hope for their children and their grandchildren.”

Mr Obama would not concede that the Republican win represented a public rejection of his agenda but he took "direct responsibility" for the slow economy.

Republicans scored the chamber’s biggest party turnover in more than 70 years. Democrats lost ground in the Senate, but kept their majority, vote tallies showed on Wednesday.

John Boehner, the House Republican Leader on Wednesday claimed a voter mandate to roll back the Obama administration’s health care overhaul, calling it is a “monstrosity”.

The presumptive next speaker of the House said that the Republican takeover of the House and its success in narrowing the Democratic Senate majority in Tuesday’s elections was proof that “the Obama-Pelosi agenda” was rejected by the American people. >>> | Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez Addresses the Nation in Tears
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Argentina's president has emerged from mourning vowing to honour the memory of her husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner, as she leads the country.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva embraces Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, next to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, during the wake of late former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Cristina Fernandez spoke to the nation for the first time since the death of Kirchner, a popular former president who was her closest ally and confidant in what many people viewed as a virtual joint presidency.

"It's the greatest sadness I've had in my life. It's the loss of the man who was my companion of 35 years, the companion of my life, of fights, of ideals ... a part of me has gone with him," she said, her voice breaking repeatedly.

Recalling her husband's body lying in state at the presidential palace, she thanked "all the men and women who mobilised, who wanted to see him, who wanted to say farewell, who prayed for him, who cried for him."

Ms Fernandez said she would carry on in pursuing the couple's left-of-centre economic and social policies. >>> | Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Gay McDonald's Ad in France

Bill O’Reilly’s Response

Affaire Sakineh – L'Iran rassure la France
Le ministre des Affaires étrangères iranien Manouchehr Mottaki a assuré à Bernard Kouchner que les informations sur l'éventuelle exécution de l'Iranienne Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani "ne correspondaient pas à la réalité" (ici les deux hommes en 2009 à Paris). Photo : Le Point
LE POINT: Le verdict final dans l'affaire Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani n'a pas été prononcé par la justice iranienne, selon le chef de la diplomatie iranienne Manouchehr Mottaki, a affirmé mercredi le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Bernard Kouchner. Lors d'un entretien téléphonique mercredi, "Manouchehr Mottaki m'a affirmé que le verdict final dans l'affaire concernant Sakineh Ashtiani n'avait pas été prononcé par la justice iranienne, et que les informations concernant son éventuelle exécution ne correspondaient pas à la réalité", a déclaré le ministre dans un communiqué. >>> Le Point | Mercredi 03 Novembre 2010

Spain's Gays and Lesbians to Stage 'Kiss-in' During Pope's Visit
THE GUARDIAN: Organisers use Facebook to form 'queer kissing flashmob' in front of Barcelona's cathedral on Sunday

Pope Benedict XVI will be confronted by a homosexual 'kissing flashmob' this Sunday in Spain. Photograph: The Guardian
Spanish gays and lesbians will welcome Pope Benedict XVI to their country at the weekend with a massive homosexual kiss-in to be staged in front of Barcelona's cathedral.

Organisers have invited gays and lesbians from around Spain to congregate in Barcelona during the papal visit on Sunday to form what, on their Facebook page, they call a "queer kissing flashmob".

The plan is for participants to meet at the city's gothic cathedral and start kissing as soon as the pope steps out of the building at 10am.

"No placards, no flags, no shouting and no slogans. Only kissing allowed," the Facebook page reads.

"When Benedict XVI passes in front of us we will kiss, man-to-man and woman-to-woman," Marylene Carole, one of the organisers, told the Spanish news agency EFE.

A whistle or horn will mark the beginning of a two-minute period during which couples are expected to maintain mouth-to-mouth contact. "Once the kiss is over we will go on our way as if nothing had happened," she said. >>> Giles Tremlett in Madrid | Wednesday, November 03, 2010