Pastor Terry Jones Is No More to Blame for the Afghan Violence than Martin Scorsese Was for the Shooting of Ronald Reagan
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – BRENDAN O’NIELL: The American pastor Terry Jones might be a bit of a weirdo with an unhealthy obsession with the Koran, but he’s right about one thing: he is not responsible for the fatal rioting in Afghanistan. His burning of the Koran can no more be blamed for those acts of violence than Martin Scorsese can be blamed for the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. (Reagan’s wannabe assassin, John Hinckley Jnr, claimed to have been inspired by Taxi Driver.) The feverish attempts to pin the blame for the Afghan instability on Pastor Jones demonises freedom of speech as something terrifying, even murderous, and it treats Muslims as brainless, wide-eyed automatons who can’t be held responsible for their actions.

Jones’s burning of the Koran was daft. But it did not directly cause “the tragic, deadly violence” in Afghanistan, as one Pentagon spokesman claimed. To suggest that it did, to argue that Jones has “blood on his hands”, as the New York Daily News put it, is to overlook the fact that there is an important bridge between words and actions. That bridge is us, people, the audience, the public, who are possessed of free will and thought and who must make a decision about whether, and how, to act on the words we hear. The idea that words lead directly to action, that the image of a burning Koran in the US leads inevitably to violence in Afghanistan, is to cut out these middle men and present speech as an all-powerful force that dictates world events.

Such an outlook is dangerous for two reasons. First because there would be no limits to the curbing and policing of speech if we all bought into the mad notion that it can directly cause other people’s deaths. If words really are so dangerous, then surely they should be treated as just another weapon, like gun and knives, whose usage must be tightly controlled by the cops and powers-that-be? Already, post-Koran controversy, some Democratic politicians in the US are hinting that the First Amendment, which guarantees free expression, might need to be rethought, since certain forms of speech “endanger the lives of a lot of innocent people”. The consequence of calling into question the free will of people who hear or read certain words is to generate an Orwellian rush to clamp down on anything judged to be “problematic speech”. Continue reading and comment » | Brendan O'Neill | Monday, April 04, 2011

Inside Story: US Rethinks Policy on Afghanistan
It began with the burning of the Quran by an American pastor. President Barak Obama called it an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry. But the US president also criticised the violent protests in Afghanistan that were sparked by the incident. Anger spread to the main southern Afghan city of Kandahar, the spiritual heartland of the Taliban. Protests here took place a day after seven UN staff were among 14 people killed in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
 They overwhelmed guards at the UN compound before setting it ablaze. It was the worst attack on the world body since the 2001 US-led invasion.
 Last year Pastor Terry Jones drew condemnation over his aborted plan to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of the September 11th 2001 attacks on the US. A top UN official blames the pastor for the violence now erupting in Afghanistan.

So where does this leave the US-led efforts to bring stability to the country? 
Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with guests: Prince Ali Seraj - President of the National Coalition for Dialogue with the tribes of Afghanistan; Phil Rees, journalist and author of "Dining with Terrorists" and Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, specialising in foreign policy and civil liberties.
 This episode of Inside Story aired Sunday, April 3, 2011

Whitewashing the Past
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: New criminal Germany emerging, with anti-Semitism shifting to anti-Israel views

Forty-seven percent of Germans are of the opinion that Israel is exterminating the Palestinians according to a poll undertaken by the University of Bielefeld for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, affiliated with the German Social Democratic Party. These findings raise fundamental questions about the future of German society and not only about those Germans who falsely accuse Israelis of behaving like their own totalitarian or murderous ancestors.

The recent data should not surprise anyone. It even marks some progress when compared with the past. This same university undertook a major poll in 2004. Some 68% percent of Germans then agreed with the allegation: “Israel undertakes a war of destruction against the Palestinians.” Fifty-one percent shared the opinion: “The way the State of Israel acts toward the Palestinians is in principle no different from the Nazis’ behavior in the Third Reich toward the Jews.”

Simultaneously with the accusations against Israel, many Germans are whitewashing their country’s past. Historian Susanne Urban writes about current narratives that should be seen as modern German myths. In her view, an impression is fostered of a National Socialism without National Socialists and a Holocaust without or almost without perpetrators.

The influx of Jews to Germany in recent decades plays an important role in concealing a nasty reality. Urban says that the presence of a substantial number of Jews in the country is very important publicly as “proof” that Germany has developed into a diverse and democratic open society. » | Manfred Gerstenfeld | Monday, April 04, 2011

YNET NEWS: Poll: Anti-Semitism among US Latinos – National survey finds nearly half of American Latinos believe US foreign policy too supportive of Israel » | Ynetnews | Monday, April 04, 2011

'Lehi Considered Assassinating Winston Churchill'
THE JERUSALEM POST: Report: Declassified MI5 files reveal Jewish underground member wanted to kill British PM, foreign secretary in attempt to end the mandate.

The Lehi considered killing Winston Churchill, The Telegraph reported on Monday, citing declassified MI5 files.

Eliyahu Bet-Zuri, a member of the underground group during the time of the British mandate, reportedly suggested in November 1944 that Lehi, or Stern Gang, members fly to London to kill the prime minister and force the British out of Mandatory Palestine, sparking concern in MI5 that Jewish extremists might try to assassinate foreign secretary Ernest Bevin, as well.

"As soon as [Bet-Zuri] returned to Stern Group headquarters, he proposed to suggest a plan for the assassination of highly placed British political personalities, including Mr. Churchil, for which purpose eimssaries should be sent to London," a sources within the Lehi told Major James Robertson from MI5's Middle East section.

Four months later, Bet-Zuri was executed in Cairo for assassinating Lord Moyne, the British Minister in the Middle East. » | JPOST.COM STAFF | Monday, April 04, 2011

Saudi Arabia: High Suicide Rate Linked to Mental Illnesses
ARAB NEWS: JEDDAH: Psychiatrists, sociologists and other experts have expressed alarm over rising suicide rates and called for increased efforts to raise awareness about mental illnesses and how they can be treated.

They called on families, workplaces and schools to accept mentally ill people and never think of them as lunatics.

Suicide cases in the Kingdom reached 787 in 2010, an increase of 39 percent over the previous year, according to the Jeddah General Psychiatrist Hospital.

An official source at the hospital told Arab News Friday that between 100 and 120 patients come to the hospital every day seeking treatment for various psychological disorders. “At least five of these cases need to be admitted,” he added.

The hospital has 120 beds, of which 20 have been set aside for women. “These figures are enough proof that mental illnesses are on the rise throughout the Kingdom,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

He added many mentally ill Saudis shy away from psychiatric hospitals and prefer to go to faith healers and magicians for treatment. “Some of the patients do not know that they are psychologically unwell and hence will keep silent until their conditions have deteriorated,” he said. » | MD Humaidan | ARAB NEWS | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Middle Class Brother from Weymouth Turns to Allah, Prophet Muhammad
MAIL ON SUNDAY: Pressing his loudspeaker tighter into his mousy-brown bush of a beard, Salahuddin's bright-blue eyes fill with hatred.

'When the Taliban defeat the allies we will establish Sharia law and take the fight to the enemy,' he preaches before a baying crowd of extremist friends at a demo in Barking, Greater London.

But just a year ago Salahuddin was known to his middle-class friends and family simply as Rich, a 27-year-old security guard for the BBC.

As a youngster, growing up in the sunny seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset, he harboured dreams of becoming a builder. That was before his transformation.

Now he refuses to use his right hand to shake hands with step-brother Robb Leech from whom he was inseparable last summer on a family holiday to Cyprus.

Instead he uses his 'dirty' left hand - the same one he uses after going to the toilet.

Within the space of just six months he has abandoned his family and believes the UK should be run by strict Sharia law - which means cutting off the hands of thieves and stoning women for cheating.

Now, in a controversial new documentary made by his brother, Robb has attempted to understand Rich's journey throughout this drastic change in lifestyle. Why did my middle class brother turn into an Islamic extremist who won't be seen on TV with our mother if she's not wearing a veil? » | Daily Mail Reporter | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Devolved Parliaments Soon to Come Under the Spell of Multiculturalism: Devolved Scotland and Wales Slow to Embrace Ethnic Minorities
THE GUARDIAN: Lack of black and Asian faces in both legislatures strengthens case for positive action, campaigners believe

Despite being set up to empower and involve the people of Scotland and Wales, both their devolved legislatures have been slow to include the countries' ethnic minorities. On this count at least, they have been arguably weaker than Westminster.

Despite having at least 170,000 people from an Asian, black or mixed race background among its electorate – 4% of the Scottish population – Holyrood has only ever had one non-white MSP elected, four years ago.

The Welsh assembly too, despite Cardiff's long history of black settlement and having an overall minority ethnic population of roughly 100,000 people across Wales – at least 3% of the population – first had a minority ethnic member elected in 2007.

In both legislatures there is a black democratic deficit, said Ashok Viswanathan, deputy director of the campaign organisation Operation Black Vote (OBV). » | Severin Carrell , Scotland correspondent | Monday, April 04, 2011

Ruler's Son Reportedly Floats Handover, Democracy Plan
THE AUSTRALIAN: A PEACE plan under which Muammar Gaddafi would hand over power and set Libya on course to become a constitutional democracy has been privately floated by his son, according to diplomatic sources.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Colonel's British-educated son, would take control of the country in the interim under plans that he has proposed himself.

The sources said that the idea was being discussed by "eminent people" in Tripoli, although they cautioned that neither Colonel Gaddafi nor the rebel council in Benghazi appeared ready to accept such a move.

"This is the beginning position," they said, but added that there were currently no talks.

The plan, which follows a visit to London last week by Mohammed Ismail, one of Saif Gaddafi's aides, indicates that members of the dictator's inner circle are considering their options.

The revelations came as diplomatic efforts to find a way out of the seven-week conflict escalated. » | Deborah Haynes, Roland Watson, Martin Fletcher and Zahid Hussain | The Times | Monday, April 04, 2011

Gbagbo Regime on Verge of Collaspe [sic]
THE AUSTRALIAN: IVORY Coast has been plunged into full-scale civil war as the forces of Laurent Gbagbo fought to save his regime from collapse.

The sounds of mortars and gunfire echoed through the streets, reports of massacres reached the principal city, Abidjan and the UN evacuated its headquarters after coming under attack from soldiers who were loyal to Mr Gbagbo.
He has refused to stand down despite losing presidential elections in November. » | Jonathan Clayton | The Times | Monday, April 04, 2011

Hundreds of Yemenis Wounded in Taiz Protests
Hundreds of protesters have been wounded in the Yemeni city of Taiz, after police reportedly fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse the crowds. Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that as many as 1,600 people have been injured.
Omar al Saleh reports

Canada Pushes for Healthy Street Food
Vancouver has become the first North America city to impose strict healthy food regulations for potential street vendors. In its attempt to cut down on unhealthy street food, the Canadian government is trying to lessen the number of carts selling foods that are high in sodium, fats or sugars.
But public opinion about the move remains divided.
Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab reports from Vancouver

Turkey Sails in to Help Injured Libyans
Shifting away from the focus on Libya's air war, Turkey has concentrated on the humanitarian needs of the current conflict.
A Turkish ferry, the Ankara, has rescued 250 severely injured people from Misurata. And there are hundreds of others still waiting to escape the violence there, as Gaddafi forces continue to attack the city that is a key rebel stronghold.
Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from Benghazi

Libya 'Sends Official to Meet Greek Leader'
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Abdel Ati al-Obeidi, Libya's deputy foreign minister, is in Athens to deliver a message to the Greek prime minister.

Abdel Ati al-Obeidi, Libya's deputy foreign minister, arrived in Athens to deliver a message from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to the Greek prime minister, raising the prospect of diplomatic efforts to end a war facing stalemate on the battlefield.



Obeidi crossed into neighbouring Tunisia and travelled from Djerba airport to the Greek capital on Sunday, according to a security worker at the airport. 



"They (Libyan government) requested to send an envoy with a message for prime minister George Papandreou and that is why he is in Athens," a senior Greek government official said.



In Tripoli, the Libyan capital, Libyan officials were not immediately available to comment on Obeidi's movements.



The Libyan official met with Papandreou later on Sunday evening.



"What the message is, we don't know yet," Al Jazeera's Anita McNaught reported from Tripoli.



Papandreou's office said Baghdadi al-Mahmudi, the Libyan prime minister, requested Obeidi's visit during a phone conversation on Saturday. Papandreou also discussed the Libyan crisis with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, on Sunday.



Papandreou has been talking by phone with the leaders of Qatar, Turkey and Britain over the last two days. » | Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies | Sunday, April 03, 2011

New Television Channel for a "Free Libya"
While rebel fighters and forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi battle for control of key coastal towns, some Libyans have found another way of getting their opinions heard.
 A new satellite television channel was launched in the Gulf state of Qatar on Saturday.

 Simply called Libya, it is a mix of news and talk shows covering developments in the North African country, with funding from abroad.
 Al Jazeera's Nazanin Sadri reports from the capital, Doha. (03 April 2011)

Syria Uprising: Dissidents Seized from Their Homes
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Suspected dissidents were seized from their homes in Syria on Saturday as the country's Ba'athist regime deployed its feared secret police in an operation to spread renewed fear among opposition sympathisers.

here were reports of pre-dawn raids across the country, highlighting the risks faced by those who dared publicly to challenge Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president of 11 years, even when they were not braving live fire on the streets.

After days of using his aides to signal his willingness to make concessions, Mr Assad abruptly changed tack on Wednesday in a defiant television address in which he denounced protesters as conspirators in the pay of foreign powers.

The uncompromising new strategy appeared to yield dividends, with fewer taking to the streets on Friday than opposition activists had hoped.

But, showing that the challenge to Mr Assad was far from over, tens of thousands were still willing to defy him in demonstrations across the country despite widespread expectation of savage retaliation from the security forces.

Once again, as has happened so often in over a fortnight of unrest, they were met with violence and live fire by police and military units as well as unidentified loyalists in plain clothes who took up sniper positions on rooftops and balconies.

In a country that has effectively sealed itself off to the outside world, it is nearly impossible to establish an accurate death toll. But opposition activists told of as many as 27 deaths in four different towns and cities. » | Adrian Blomfield, Middle East Correspondent and Loveday Morris | Saturday, March 02, 2011

Niall Ferguson – Civilization: Is the West History?
Watch episode one here

Qatar Airlifts Seriously Injured Libyans
Some of those injured during the fighting in Libya are being airlifted out of the country for urgent medical treatment.
The first of the emergency humanitarian flights landed in the Qatari capital on Saturday.
Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from the capital, Doha. (03 April 2011)

Inside Story - A Conflict in Stalemate
As neither side has made any significant advances since the uprising against Gaddafi's rule began six weeks ago, what are the options?

Libya Shells Town in West; Rebels Name "Crisis Team"
REUTERS AFRICA: TRIPOLI - Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi shelled a building in Misrata early on Sunday to try to dislodge rebels from their last big stronghold in western Libya where a doctor says hundreds have been killed.

Like many cities, Misrata rejected Gaddafi's rule in a revolt in February. In a violent crackdown, Gaddafi's forces restored control in most places in western Libya, leaving Misrata cut off and surrounded, with dwindling supplies.

In the rebel capital of Benghazi in the east, the anti-Gaddafi council have named a "crisis team", including the former Libyan interior minister as the armed forces chief of staff, to try to run parts of the country it holds. » | Maria Golovnina | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Bahrain Bans Main Opposition Newspaper
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Paper critical of government accused of publishing "fabricated" reports about last month's pro-democracy protests.

Bahraini authorities have banned Al-Wasat, the country's main opposition newspaper, which has been critical of the government in its coverage of Shia-led protests quashed last month.

The newspaper did not publish on Sunday after a message on state TV saying Bahrain's Information Ministry had ordered the paper to shut down.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) says officials accuse Al-Wasat of "unethical" coverage of the Shia-led uprising against the country's Sunni rulers.

The Kingdom's Information Affairs Commission also referred the newspaper for investigation, BNA said.

Al-Wasat has been accused of publishing "fabricated" reports last week about the "security developments in Bahrain". » | Source: Agencies | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Catholic Church Reports Mass Murder in Côte d'Ivoire
A Catholic charity in Côte D'Ivoire says 1000 people have been killed in the western town of Duekoue. Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognised winner of November's election, are closing in on territory still held by President Laurent Gbagbo. Sonia Gallego reports

Radical Cleric Breaks Silence on Mideast Unrest
Mar 31, 2011 – Will Al Qaeda benefit from changes in the region?

WIKI: Inspire magazine »

Afghanistan: Obama Condemns Killings of UN Staff
BBC: President Barack Obama has described as "outrageous" the killings in Afghanistan triggered by the burning of a Koran in the US last month.

Mr Obama said the desecration of any holy text was "an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry", but it did not justify killing innocent people.

An attack on a UN base on Friday in the city of Mazar-e Sharif killed 14 people, seven of them UN staff.

A top UN official has blamed the pastor who burnt the Koran for the violence.

At least 10 people were killed and many more were injured in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday in a second day of protests.

'No justification'

During a service at the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida on 20 March, Pastor Wayne Sapp soaked a Koran in kerosene, staged a "trial" during which the Islamic holy book was found guilty of "crimes against humanity", and then set it alight.

The incident took place under the supervision of Pastor Terry Jones, who last year drew condemnation over his aborted plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.

In a statement published on Saturday evening, Mr Obama extended his condolences to the families of those killed by the protesters in Afghanistan.

"The desecration of any holy text, including the Koran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry," he said. "However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity.

"No religion tolerates the slaughter and beheading of innocent people, and there is no justification for such a dishonourable and deplorable act." » | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Gaddafi Asks for Obama's Advice

Saif Gaddafi: 'The West Is Supporting Terrorism'

Saudi-Arabien: Das Land der Gegensätze

Protesters Demand Mubarak Face Trial in Egypt
Protests dubbed "Friday for rescue of revolution" amid calls for ousted president and former officials to face justice
Watch video here

Fears of Gaddafi Loyalists in Rebel Ranks
As fighting between pro- and anti-government forces continues in Libya, rebels in the east of the country suspect there is another force among them - Gaddafi loyalists. Rebels are concerned that Gaddafi forces, dressed as civilians and driving mounted pick-up trucks just like the opposition forces, may have actually infiltrated their ranks. Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports from eastern Libya

Guggenheim Workers' Controversy in Abu Dhabi
The iconic Guggenheim Museum is under fire over its first Middle East installation in Abu Dhabi. More than 130 artists are boycotting the new branch to demand better treatment for the foreign workers who are building it.
 Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports from Abu Dhabi

UAE Population Up by 65% in Four Years
KHALEEJ TIMES ONLINE: The UAE’s population has grown exponentially to 8.26 million in mid-2010, a growth of 64.5% in four years, as strong economic growth attracted workers from all over the world.

According to latest population estimates put out by the National Bureau of Statistics on last Thursday, the population of Emiratis have increased by 96,833 to 947,997, or 11.47 per cent, in the last four years.

The bureau has based its estimates on administrative records of the Ministry of Interior and data on births and deaths obtained from the Ministry of Health.

Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate in terms of land mass, has the biggest population of 404,546, or 42 per cent, of the UAE nationals also. » | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Turkey's Nuclear Plans on Mediterranean Raise Fears
KUWAIT TIMES: ANKARA: Turkey plans to build a coastal nuclear power plant close to an earthquake-prone area, dismissing neighbors' fears that Japan's nuclear disaster shows that the new plant could be a risk to the whole Mediterranean region. Greece and Cyprus say the move is a gamble that could cause catastrophe and want the European Union to scrutinize the EU candidate's plan in a debate fraught with political and historical baggage. Turkish officials insist the plant is safe and necessary to keep the country's strong economy going. » | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Police Shoot One Dead in Oman
KUWAIT TIMES: MUSCAT: Omani police shot dead a protester yesterday in the port of Sohar, north of Muscat when they opened fire to disperse demonstrators demanding the release of prisoners, witnesses told AFP. It was the second death in the port during the current wave of unrest sweeping across the region, after police killed a protester at the end of February in Sohar, an industrial area some 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the capital Muscat, particularly badly hit by unemployment.

Police tried to disperse a crowd of protestors who were hurling stones at them and fired on the crowd when the victim was hit, a witness said. "Dozens of Omanis emerged from mosques in Sohar after Friday prayers to protest and demand the release of jailed relatives" detained during protests earlier this week, one witness said. "One protester, Khalifa Al-Alawi, was hit in the head by a bullet during confrontations with the police and died immediately," the witness said. » | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Oman Detains 60 Protesters
KUWAIT TIMES: MUSCAT: Security forces detained between 50 and 60 protesters in clashes in the Omani industrial town of Sohar, witnesses said. The violence on Friday during a fifth week of protests involved the use of knives, stones, teargas and rubber bullets, Oman's general prosecutor said. It came three days after a crackdown against protesters to clear a Sohar roundabout where about 100 people had camped out. A 25-year-old man injured by a rubber bullet in Friday's clashes died in hospital. Activists told Reuters security forces used teargas and beat some protesters with batons. » | Sunday, April 03, 2011

Bahrainis Protest Crackdown as Saudis Rally in Solidarity
Bahraini security forces backed by Saudi troops intensified their crackdown on protests as they opened fire on Bahraini protestors and arrested many people, including pregnant women. Hundreds of Saudi Arabians in the eastern city of Qatif defied the ban on demonstrations and took to the streets to demand their rights and an end to government corruption. The protestors also demanded an end to Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain, assisting the government with crackdowns on protests

Pastor Terry Jones: 'I May Put Mohammed On Trial'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Terry Jones, the radical pastor who oversaw the burning of a Koran in his Florida church last month after a mock court hearing, may put the Islamic prophet Mohammed on trial in his next 'day of judgement', he told The Sunday Telegraph.

"It is definitely a consideration to stage a trial on the life of Mohammed in the future," he said in interview on Saturday.

Such an inflammatory move would almost certainly trigger further violent protests in the Muslim world. But Mr Jones struck an unapologetic stance, insisting that his actions bore no responsibility for the murders in Mazar-i-Sharif.

The pastor had first threatened to burn a pile of Korans on last year's ninth anniversary of the Sept 11 terror atrocities.

But he backed down under intense pressure, including interventions from President Barack Obama, defence secretary Robert Gates and Gen David Petraeus, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan who warned that such a stunt would endanger American lives.

Indeed, Mr Jones said then that a Koran would never be burned in his church.

But he claimed that last month's Koran-burning was different as the Islamic holy book had first been put on trial and was then set alight as punishment after it was found guilty of "crimes against humanity". » | Philip Sherwell | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Middle East Crisis: Inside Syria's Ruling Family
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As his country erupted in the kind of unrest not seen in Syria for nearly 30 years, Bashar al-Assad last week gave the impression of a leader plagued by self-doubt, dithering as the tide of history threatened to wash over him.

Only two months before, the Syrian president had seemed so much more sure-footed, confidently predicting that the wave of revolution sweeping aside the old order elsewhere in the Middle East would never reach his shores.

But his own people, drawing inspiration from their Arab brethren to take on one of the region's most repressive regimes, confounded him.

On the streets, Mr Assad's forces responded in predictable fashion. In the south, in and around the dusty city of Deraa, protesters were mown down in their scores.

North of Damascus, in the coastal city of Latakia close to the tribal seat of the Assad family, loyalist snipers took up positions on rooftops and balconies to pick of unarmed demonstrators one by one.

Yet of the president himself there was no sign. A man whose every move, no matter how insignificant or mundane, is normally covered in breathless tones by state television appeared to have vanished at precisely the moment many of his people yearned to see him. » | Loveday Morris | Saturday, 02 April 2011

Fashion Week in Lahore

To the gallery » | AP | Friday, April 01, 2011

The Uprisings: Islam and the Arab Revolutions
THE ECONOMIST: Religion is a growing force in the Arab awakening. Westerners should hold their nerve and trust democracy

THE sight of corrupt old Arab tyrants being toppled at the behest of a new generation of young idealists, inspired by democracy, united by Facebook and excited by the notion of opening up to a wider world, has thrilled observers everywhere. Those revolutions are still in full swing, albeit at different points in the cycle. In Tunisia and Egypt they are going the right way, with a hopeful new mood prevailing and free elections in the offing. In Libya, Syria and Yemen dictators are clinging on to power, with varying degrees of success. And in the Gulf monarchs are struggling to fend off demands for democracy with oil-funded largesse topped by modest and grudging political concessions.

So far these revolts have appeared to be largely secular in character. Westerners have been quietly relieved by that. Not that they are all against religion. Many—Americans in particular—are devout. But by and large, they prefer their own variety to anybody else’s, and since September 11th 2001, they have been especially nervous about Islam.

Now, however, there are signs that Islam is a growing force in the Arab revolutions (see article). That makes secular-minded and liberal people, both Arabs and Westerners, queasy. They fear that the Arab awakening might be hijacked by the sort of Islamists who reject a pluralist version of democracy, oppress women and fly the flag of jihad against Christians and Jews. They worry that the murderous militancy that has killed 30,000 over the past four years in Pakistan (see article) may emerge in the Arab world too. Islam on the rise » | Leaders | Thursday, March 31, 2011

Nine Killed and 81 Injured in Kandahar Protest against US Burning of Qur'an
THE GUARDIAN: Violence mars demonstration in Afghan city the day after mob killed seven at UN compound

Nine people have been killed and 81 injured in the Afghan city of Kandahar during a demonstration against the burning of a Qur'an by Christian extremists in the US.

Violence erupted as hundreds of demonstrators marched through Kandahar a day after seven foreigners were killed when an angry mob stormed a United Nations compound in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. Hundreds of people took part in the protest. Gunfire was heard and cars were set on fire.

In a statement, the Kandahar governor's office claims demonstrators were incited by the Taliban. Authorities say 17 people, including seven armed men, have been arrested.

But the Taliban have rejected the accusation. "The Taliban had nothing to do with this, it was a pure act of responsible Muslims," spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told Reuters.

The UN mission in Afghanistan has been plunged into jeopardy after the violent protest in Mazar-e Sharif. » | David Batty and agencies | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Deadly Mistakes in the Battle for Libya
The NATO strike that hit a pro-democracy convoy outside of the eastern town of Brega killing at least 10 people may have been a mistake.
 Although the population in the country's east is prepared to forgive the mistake, there is less sympathy is other parts of Libya.
 Such incidents may have just given Muammar Gaddafi's spokespeople propaganda ammunition. 
Al Jazeera's Laurance Lee reports from Benghazi. (02 April 2011)

News Bulletin - 1435GMT Update (April 02, 2011)
The main headlines on Al Jazeera English, featuring the latest news and reports from around the world

Two New French Crimes
THE NEW YORK TIMES: On April 11th the French Republic will give birth to two new crimes: hiding one’s face in public and encouraging another to hide her face. On March 2nd the prime minister sent a circular to the head of each of France’s regional departments to explain the rationale of the new law. “The French Republic,” he proclaimed, “does not live with a hidden face.”

While the French president has made it clear that Muslim women who hide their faces are not welcome in France, the new law is not limited to Muslims. For the French government now believes that “to hide the face breaches minimal needs of social life.”

So on April 11th hiding one’s face in public will become a misdemeanor, with a €150 fine and/or civic training to teach the criminal the need to show her face. The prosecutor must prove that (a) the face was hidden and (b) the person was in a public space. He need not show intent to violate the law. If one encourages another to hide her face, one risks a year in prison and a €30,000 fine, two years and a €60,000 fine if the person encouraged is under 18. » | Ronald Sokol* | I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor | Friday, April 01, 2011

*Ronald Sokol is a lawyer in Aix-en-Provence, France. He taught at the University of Virginia Law School and is the author of “Justice after Darwin.”

Michael Buerk Attacks 'Politically Correct' BBC
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: BBC presenter Michael Buerk has criticised the corporation for being "out of touch" with public opinion.

The veteran journalist accused BBC staff of making the left-wing Guardian newspaper their “bible” and political correctness "their creed”.

Mr Buerk, who presents Radio 4’s Moral Maze, was reviewing the memoir of his former colleague, Peter Sissons, who also attacks the BBC for having “institutional bias”.

Writing in political magazine Standpoint, Mr Buerk said: “What the BBC regards as normal and abnormal, what is moderate or extreme, where the centre of gravity of an issue lies, are conditioned by the common set of assumptions held by the people who work for it.” Continue reading and comment » | Saturday, April 02, 2011

Shiites in Iraq Support Bahrain’s Protesters
THE NEW YORK TIMES: BAGHDAD — The violent suppression of the uprising in Bahrain has become a Shiite rallying cry in Iraq, where the American war overturned a Sunni-dominated power structure much like the one in place in Bahrain.

Ahmad Chalabi, an erstwhile American partner in the period before the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and a Shiite member of Parliament, on Friday denounced what he called a double standard in the Western powers’ response to the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East — particularly in Bahrain, where a Sunni minority dominates a vast and restive underclass made up of his Shiite brethren.

“They called for international action in Libya,” Mr. Chalabi said in a meeting hall on the grounds of his farm outside Baghdad. “But they kept their mouths shut with what is happening in Bahrain.”

The Iraqi Parliament briefly suspended its work to protest Bahrain’s crackdown on largely peaceful protesters, and the prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, also a Shiite, recently said in an interview with the BBC that the events in Bahrain could unleash a regional sectarian war like the one that menaced Iraq just a few years ago. » | Tim Arango | Friday, April 01, 2011

Pastor Who Burned Koran Demands Retribution
THE NEW YORK TIMES: GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Before a Koran was burned at his modest church here on March 20, the pastor Terry Jones held a self-styled mock trial of the holy book in which he presided from the pulpit as judge. The prosecutor was a Christian who had converted from Islam. An imam from Dallas defended the Koran.

Sitting in judgment was a jury of 12 members of Mr. Jones’s church, the Dove World Outreach Center. After listening to arguments from both sides, the jury pronounced the Koran guilty of five “crimes against humanity,” including the promotion of terrorist acts and “the death, rape and torture of people worldwide whose only crime is not being of the Islamic faith.”

Punishment was determined by the results of an online poll. Besides burning, the options included shredding, drowning and facing a firing squad. Mr. Jones, a nondenominational evangelical pastor, said voters had chosen to set fire to the book, according to a video of the proceedings.

Mr. Jones said in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Friday that he was “devastated” by the killings of 12 people in a violent protest in Afghanistan when a mob, enraged by the burning of a Koran by Mr. Jones’s church, attacked the United Nations compound in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. “We don’t feel responsible for that,” he told the news service. » | Lizette Alvarez and Don Van Natta Jr. | Friday, April 01, 2011

Afghan Protesters Kill UN Workers over Qur'an Burning

'Burn Koran' Pastor Reacts to UN Killings

Terry Jones Says Afghan U.N. Violence 'Proves My Point'
ABC NEWS: Florida Pastor Says He's Not Responsible for Protest Against his Koran Burning That Left 11 Dead, Including U.N. Staffers, in Afghanistan

Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who oversaw the burning of a Koran last month, said he did not feel responsible for the violent protest at a United Nations compound in Afghanistan today that left at least 11 dead. Instead, he said the violence proved his point.

"We wanted to raise awareness of this dangerous religion and dangerous element," Jones said. "I think [today's attack] proves that there is a radical element of Islam."

As for the 11 dead, which included seven U.N. staffers and guards, Jones told "Nightline" anchor Bill Weir, "We do not feel responsible, no."

The deaths followed a protest march in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif today against the Koran burning. Jones supervised while another pastor, Wayne Sapp, soaked the Koran in kerosene and burned it.

"We decided to put the Koran on trail," he told Weir. "I was the judge but I did not determine the verdict. I was just a type of referee so that people got their time to defend or condemn the Koran."

Jones said that a "jury" of people from all over Florida debated the radicalism of Islam, and the "Koran was found guilty." (+ video) » | Nick Schifrin, Agha Aleem, Lee Ferran and Matt Gutman | Saturday, April 02, 2011