Nicolas Sarkozy Angrily Rejects Claims He Received £42 million from Muammar Gaddafi
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's Nicolas Sarkozy has angrily denied claims he received money from deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to fund his first presidential run in 2007.

Website Mediapart said that the Libyan regime gave 50 million euros (£42 million) to Sarkozy's campaign, citing a document being used to investigate a 2002 bombing in the Pakistani city of Karachi, which killed 11 French citizens.

The report comes just six weeks before the first round of the presidential election on April 22.
"If he (Gaddafi) had financed it, then I haven't been very grateful," Sarkozy said when a journalist asked about the report on TF1 television.

In March 2011, as France and Britain spearheaded air strikes against Libya, Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam told Euronews TV that Libya had financed Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign, which the president's office also denied at the time.

Sarkozy lashed out at the journalist who asked him about the report and al-Islam's claim, accusing her of sympathising with the younger Gaddafi, who is being held by a Libyan militia.

"I am sorry for you that you are the spokeswoman for Gaddafi's son," Sarkozy said, visibly angered by the question. » | Reuters | Tuesday, March 13, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France election 2012: support for François Hollande will crumble, Nicolas Sarkozy's oracle predicts – Fascinating prediction of Francois Hollande's electoral demise today by Patrick Buisson, Nicolas Sarkzoy's public opinion eminence grise. » | Henry Samuel | Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Dante's Divine Comedy 'Offensive and Should Be Banned'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It is a world-renowned work of literature and one of the foundation stones of the Italian language, but Dante's Divine Comedy has been condemned as racist, homophobic, anti-Islamist and anti-Semitic.

The classic work should be removed from school curricula, according to Gherush 92, a human rights organisation which acts as a consultant to UN bodies on racism and discrimination.

Dante's epic is "offensive and discriminatory" and has no place in a modern classroom, said Valentina Sereni, the group's president.

Divided into three parts – Hell, Purgatory and Heaven – the poem consists of 100 cantos, of which half a dozen were marked out for particular criticism by the group.

It represents Islam as a heresy and Mohammed as a schismatic and refers to Jews as greedy, scheming moneylenders and traitors, Miss Sereni told the Adnkronos news agency.

"The Prophet Mohammed was subjected to a horrific punishment – his body was split from end to end so that his entrails dangled out, an image that offends Islamic culture," she said.

Homosexuals are damned by the work as being "against nature" and condemned to an eternal rain of fire in Hell. » | Nick Squires in Rome | Tuesday, March 13, 2012

France Election 2012: Nicolas Sarkozy Threatens to Pull France Out of Schengen Zone

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to pull France out of Europe's passport-free zone on Sunday unless the EU tightened its borders against illegal immigration in a "make or break" campaign rally before 60,000 supporters outside Paris.

His call came as the French centre-Right threw its full firepower behind their candidate in Villepinte, near Charles de Gaulle airport, in a huge, glitzy show of force designed to breath new life into his flagging campaign.

Hailed like a prizefighter, Mr Sarkozy climbed the huge white stage to the strains of his campaign anthem and an amended slogan: "Strong France with You".

Actor Gérard Depardieu lent some star power to proceedings, along with Mr Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and her predecessor as First Lady, Bernadette Chirac.

Days after telling France that he would give up politics if he lost the forthcoming elections, Mr Sarkozy told supporters "I have lost none of my desire to act" before launching into a series of protectionist proposals for France and Europe.

These included suspending France's participation in the Schengen visa-free zone signed by all 27 EU states bar Britain and Ireland if its rules were not revised to fight illegal immigration in the coming 12 months.

France would stay out of Schengen "until negotiations conclude," he said.

Since his official campaign launch three weeks ago, Mr Sarkozy has veered Right in a bid to capture the far-Right National Front vote, last week saying there were "too many foreigners in France" and promising to half [sic] the influx of migrants.

On Sunday, he said France would not leave policing Europe's borders to European "technocrats". » | Henry Samuel | Paris | Sunday, March 11, 2012


leJDD.fr: Bernadette Chirac en vedette américaine à Villepinte » | Vivien Vergnaud - leJDD.fr | dimanche 11 mars 2012

US Soldier Kills Up to 16 Afghan civilians in shooting spree
THE GUARDIAN: Nine children and three women dead in incident that president Hamid Karzai condemns as 'intentional murders'

A US soldier has killed more than a dozen Afghan civilians, many of them women and children, in a night-time shooting spree in southern Afghanistan.

The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, condemned the shootings as "intentional murders" and demanded an explanation from the US.

The victims of the shootings, which left up to 16 civilians dead, included nine children and three women, Karzai's office said in a statement.

"This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said. He said he has repeatedly demanded the US stop killing Afghan civilians.

The White House said it was deeply concerned by initial reports of the incident and was monitoring the situation closely.

General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, issued a statement pledging a "rapid and thorough investigation" into the shooting spree, and said the soldier will remain in US custody. » | Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul | Sunday, March 11, 2012



Read The Sunday Telegraph article here | Ben Farmer | Kabul | Sunday, March 11, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: US soldier who killed villagers should be put on trial in Afghanistan, parliament demands: A US soldier who went on a shooting spree that killed 16 villagers in their homes should be put on public trial in Afghanistan, the parliament has said, as the Taliban vowed revenge. » | Monday, March 12, 2012

Christians Have No Right to Wear Cross at Work, Says Government

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christians do not have a right to wear a cross or crucifix openly at work, the Government is to argue in a landmark court case.

In a highly significant move, ministers will fight a case at the European Court of Human Rights in which two British women will seek to establish their right to display the cross.

It is the first time that the Government has been forced to state whether it backs the right of Christians to wear the symbol at work.

A document seen by The Sunday Telegraph discloses that ministers will argue that because it is not a “requirement” of the Christian faith, employers can ban the wearing of the cross and sack workers who insist on doing so.

The Government’s position received an angry response last night from prominent figures including Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

He accused ministers and the courts of “dictating” to Christians and said it was another example of Christianity becoming sidelined in official life.

The Government’s refusal to say that Christians have a right to display the symbol of their faith at work emerged after its plans to legalise same-sex marriages were attacked by the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Britain. » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, March 10, 2012

France's Muslims Hit Back at Nicolas Sarkozy's Policy on Halal Meat

THE GUARDIAN: With Marine Le Pen chasing his votes, the French president has made labelling of halal meat an election issue. But Muslim entrepreneurs are dismayed by his shift to the right

Les Enfants Terribles, a chic restaurant in Paris's 12th arrondissement, was packed. Plates of [‘]halal[’] foie gras à la maison, [']halal['] braised lamb with rosemary, and halal caramelised duck were being dispatched to tables. Fresh fruit cocktails and exotic non-alcoholic concoctions replaced glasses of wine.

Mohamed Abdenebi, 36, a history and geography teacher, was a typical diner: young, French, Muslim, dynamic – and furious. According to Abdenebi, France has let its Muslim population down. "They said to us, 'Do your studies, and you will get a job.' We did our studies but there were no jobs and they said we hadn't done the right studies. Each time there was a new obstacle."

Instead of being integrated and treated with equality, Abdenebi says the halal row shows the extent to which France's Muslims are being made to feel like "the enemy within".

Similar complaints were being heard across France. President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to make the labelling of halal meat pivotal to his re-election campaign has infuriated, alienated and dismayed France's Muslim community, which may number as many as six million, and the backlash is growing. Members of the booming educated and entrepreneurial Muslim middle class say they are tired of being cast as scapegoats in Sarkozy's wooing of the extreme right and have accused him of dangerous and divisive election tactics.

Fateh Kimouche, a high-profile Muslim blogger, said the new class of second- and third-generation Muslims in France was not prepared to lie down and let the French republic roll over it as their parents had done.

"My parents came from Algeria and, like many others, they didn't make a fuss because they felt like invited guests who had to be on their best behaviour. But I was born here. We are Muslims and we are French, but every day we are attacked, insulted and treated like terrorists or extraterrestrials," he said. "France educated us; we have energy and enthusiasm and we have brains, businesses and money. The old generation of politicians don't seem to realise this." » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, March 10, 2012

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Passengers Describe Flight Attendant Rant
An American Airlines flight attendant began screaming and yelling as the plane was taxiing for takeoff, apparently due to a medical issue. She was subdued by passengers and escorted off the plane. Mark Strassmann reports.

Is the Protracted Primary Battle Backfiring?
As Republicans turn their attention to the southern states, we ask if a long contest will weaken the eventual nominee.

Stoned to Death for Being an Emo: Ninety Iraqi Students Killed for Having 'Strange Hair and Tight Clothes'
MAIL ONLINE: More than 90 Iraqi students have been stoned to death for their Emo haircuts by religious extremists in Baghdad in the past month after an interior ministry statement dubbed it devil worshipping.

Iraq's Moral Police released a statement on the interior ministry's website condemning the 'emo phenomenon' among Iraqi youth, declaring its intent to 'eliminate' the trend.

'The Emo phenomenon or devil worshipping is being followed by the Moral Police who have the approval to eliminate [the phenomenon] as soon as possible since it's detrimentally affecting the society and becoming a danger,' the statement read.

'They wear strange, tight clothes that have pictures on them such as skulls and use stationary that are shaped as skulls. They also wear rings on their noses and tongues, and do other strange activities[,]'.

Since the statement was published religious extremists have been harassing and killing teenagers with 'strange' or 'emo' appearances.

A group of armed men dressed in civilian clothing led dozens of teenagers to secluded areas a few days ago, stoned them to death, and then disposed their bodies in garbage dumpsters across the capital, according to activists, activists told the Cairo-based al-Akhbar website. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, March 10, 2012

Turkish Soap Operas Ignite Culture War in Middle East Revolution – Decoder
New television shows are fanning the flames of cultural progression in the middle east, showcasing new & radical social norms and confronting taboos considered to be punishable by death in many hardline Islamic countries. Reuters columnist David Rohde takes a look at the changing face of Arabic television in this edition of Decoder.

[Source: Reuters]

How to Stop Putting Gasoline in Islamist Tank
STANDARD EXAMINER: Islamists are a diverse lot. Some are what diplomats like to call "violent extremists." They want to kill you. Others are less eager to shed blood, more confident that by mastering electoral politics, manipulating international organizations and designing effective public relations campaigns they can achieve their objectives. What are those objectives? Islamism implies a commitment to the imperative of Islamic power. Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood articulated the basic idea succinctly:

It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.

If those championing Islamism were only stateless terrorist groups and tin-pot dictators, their geo-political significance would be minimal. But the regime that rules Iran is dedicated to waging what it calls a global Islamic revolution. And in Saudi Arabia, the state religion is Wahhabism, a strain of Islam that preaches the inferiority of infidels and the rejection of Muslims who do not share Wahhabi ideals.

These regimes float atop an ocean of oil, a commodity that is valuable thanks to those the Islamists despise. It was the Western mind that figured out how to pump oil out of the ground and refine it into fuels, including those used in internal combustion engines, another history-bending Western invention.

If there were even one oil-rich, Muslim-majority nation solidly committed to liberal democratic values, to freedom of religion and speech, to tolerance and minority rights, the challenges of the 21st century would not be so formidable. But there is no such nation. Read on and comment » | Clifford D. May* | Scripps Howard News Service | Thursday, March 08, 2012

* Clifford D. May is president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Email cliff@defenddemocracy.org.

Benjamin Netanyahu Raises Fresh Fears Over Iran Strike

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Benjamin Netanyahu has triggered fresh speculation that he could authorise military action against Iran by declaring that a unilateral Israeli strike would not cause an irreparable rupture in relations with the United States.

The Israeli prime minister countered domestic critics who have argued that an attack would antagonise the Jewish state's most powerful patron by pointing to predecessors who had defied Washington without doing long-term damage. The Six Day War of 1967, the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the bombardment of an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 were all launched in opposition to US wishes.

In his first public comments since returning from a tense encounter with President Barack Obama at the White House this week, Mr Netanyahu yielded few clues over his intentions with regards to Iran, but again hinted that his patience with diplomacy was waning.

"We're not standing with a stopwatch in hand," he said in an interview with Israeli television to be broadcast on Saturday evening. "It's not a matter of days or weeks, but also not years. The result must be the removal of the threat of nuclear weapons in Iran's hands." » | Adrian Blomfield | Jerusalem | Friday, March 09, 2012

Pak: Army Brigadier Conspired to Create Caliphate
ZEE NEWS: Islamabad: A Pakistan Army brigadier facing court martial on charges of plotting to topple the democratic government had met a senior commander of the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir while conspiring to create an Islamic caliphate, a prosecution witness has said.

Brigadier (retired) Ali Khan, who was arrested last year and has been accused of plotting to mount an attack on the army's General Headquarters, met the HuT's chief for Palestine, Maj Gen Amir Riaz has said in a statement.

According to sources, Riaz's statement said Khan had disclosed that HuT had prepared a new constitution and a shadow government for Pakistan and that the group was ready to take over at any time.

Army authorities had earlier said that Khan had contacted Riaz as part of his alleged efforts to get other military officers to join him in a mutiny. » | PTI | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

5 Gamblers Caned in Indonesia's Aceh Province
MERCURY NEWS: LANGSA, Indonesia—Five Acehnese men convicted of gambling have been caned in public in the devout Islamic Indonesian province of Aceh.

They were flogged six times each Friday in front of hundreds of people at a field in East Aceh's district capital of Langsa. » | The Associated Press | Friday, March 09, 2012

Wanted: Censor for Pakistan's Internet
STUFF.CO.NZ: Pakistan is advertising for companies to install an Internet filtering system that could block up to 50 million Web addresses, alarming free speech activists who fear current censorship could become much more widespread.

Internet access for Pakistan's some 20 million Web users is less restricted than in many countries in Asia and the Arab world, though some pornographic sites and those seen as insulting to Islam are blocked. Others related to separatist activities or army criticism have also been, or continue to be, censored.

Few nations have so publicly revealed their plans to censor the Web as Pakistan is doing, however. Last month, the government took out newspaper and Web advertisements asking for companies or institutions to develop the national filtering and blocking system. » | Chris Brummitt | Saturday, March 10, 2012

Tunisian Islamists Spark Fear of Culture War
ASSOCIATED PRESS: TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Every Friday, bearded men in shin-length robes demonstrate in Tunisia's capital against perceived insults to Islam in a country once known for its aggressive secularism. They have occasionally turned violent, attacking secular intellectuals and harassing women for their style of dress.

This emerging movement of believers known as Salafis has seemingly appeared out of thin air — and prompted fears of a culture war in this North African country of 10 million.

Since the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011 unleashed a string of Arab uprisings, Islam has blossomed in Tunisia in a way it wasn't allowed to do for half a century.

New religious freedoms have also opened the way for the Salafis, who are now in a daily battle for hearts and minds with equally hardline secular elements entrenched in the media and the elite. Television stations, Western embassies and government offices have all felt the conservatives' wrath. » | Paul Schemm | Associated Press | Friday, March 09, 2012

The Road We've Traveled Official Trailer - Obama for America 2012

'My Body, My Choice': Exiled Iranian Women Pose Nude for Video in Protest against Sexual Oppression in Their Native Country

MAIL ONLINE: Defiant call for equality as world marks International Women's Day today
A group of Iranian women have stripped off for a new video in a protest against sexual oppression in their native country.

The ladies, who are living in exile in Europe, pose naked in front of the camera as they each deliver a defiant message.

Their slogans include 'I believe in the equality of women and men' and 'my thoughts, my body, my choice'.

They have produced the video in the hope of boosting sales of the Nude Photo Revolutionary Calendar, which has been released today to coincide with International Women's Day.

The calendar has been dedicated to an Egyptian activist who posted a full-length photo of herself on her blog last year in a stand against sexual discrimination in Islam. » | Simon Tomlinson | Thursday, March 08, 2012

Related video »

RT: Freedom unveiled: Iranian women strip to slam repression » | Friday, March 09, 2012

Gay Marriage: Torn Asunder from Reality
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The argument that gay marriage undermines straight marriage is as unconvincing as it is insulting

It is surprisingly hard to find in the Bible a consistent endorsement of heterosexual marriage as we now understand it. The Old Testament is replete with stories of men like King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. And the New Testament is generally populated by single men and women whose domestic arrangements have little in common with the model of Christian marriage that is now being aggressively defended by Cardinal Keith O'Brien and others. Indeed, the best that many wedding service liturgies can do to insist that Jesus himself supported the institution of marriage is to say that he once turned up at one.

None of which is to attack the institution of marriage, which provides many with a permanent, faithful and stable context for loving relationships. Cardinal O'Brien is, however, getting completely carried away when he speaks of gay marriage as an attempt to "redefine reality". Traditionally, the church has explained the purpose of marriage in terms of three features: that it's the proper context for raising children, that it promotes monogamy and that it exists for the mutual comfort and society of one person for another. How can the application of these three features to gay marriage justify the cardinal's blustering hyperbole? » | Editorial | Thursday, March 08, 2012

German Court Bans ‘Mein Kampf’ Extracts
EXPATICA – GERMANY: A German court has banned a British publisher from printing extracts of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf", upholding a ruling that doing so would break copyright laws.

Peter McGee, who planned to publish parts of the anti-Semitic book alongside commentary from historians, vowed to appeal against the decision but said he would respect the ruling and refrain from publication for now.

The court in the city of Munich ruled in favour of the southern state of Bavaria, which holds the rights to all publications from the main Nazi publishing house and had sought to block the book's appearance.

"He has been dead for 70 years but Adolf Hitler is still keeping the courts busy," the regional court in Munich said in a statement.

Confirming an earlier decision from January, the court concluded: "To shorten a work and add explanations and comments does not give rights over the... published original work." » | Thursday, March 08, 2012

Zapfenstreich: Vuvuzela-Protest bei Wulffs Abtritt
Mehrere Hundert Demonstranten haben am Donnerstag lautstark gegen den ehrenvollen Abschied des früheren Bundespräsidenten Christian Wulff protestiert.

French Premier Reaches Out to Jews, Muslims
TIMES UNION: PARIS (AP) — France's prime minister scrambled Wednesday to dispel concerns in the Jewish and Muslim communities after criticizing the ritual slaughter of animals for kosher and halal meat.

Halal meat in particular has emerged as a hot-button issue in the campaign for presidential elections starting next month in France, a country with at least 5 million Muslims, the largest such population in western Europe.

Francois Fillon's call for religions to "reflect" upon what he called outdated traditions has fed a hyper-charged political atmosphere. His boss, conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, has openly courted far right voters in hopes of boosting his lagging chances of re-election, with digs at Muslim practices and calls to shrink immigration.

But for many, Fillon's comments went too far. He hosted Jewish leaders Wednesday and was expected to meet with Muslim leaders Thursday in what appeared to be an attempt to ease concerns about his comments on French radio this week.

The Jewish leaders he met with Wednesday said Fillon assured them that Judaism wasn't targeted, but insisted they would keep an eye on government policy. France also has a large Jewish community, estimated at about half a million.

Most French are Roman Catholic by heritage, and many French holidays and traditions are linked to Christianity. But for a century the government has professed allegiance to a strict separation of church and state. » | AP | Thursday, March 08, 2012

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New Dark Age Alert! This 'Modernising' Government Is Turning the Clock Back – to the Violence and Illiteracy of the 18th Century
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – NORMAN TEBBIT: Very often when I raise my head and mutter, or even shout, that things were arranged better in my young days, I am told that "You can't turn the clock back." It is a way of closing down the discussion. There is then no need to consider whether or not things were better. You just can't put the clock back, so that is that. Francis Maude was at it yesterday, seeking to prevent any discussion of whether or not Conservatives should be in favour of changing the definition of marriage, which has served us across so many cultures and religions so well for so long.

Even before that, I think it was the recent trial of the couple who murderd a little boy because they believed he was a witch that started me thinking about that dishonest way of thinking. Lots of people here in England used to believe in witchcraft, and witches were tortured and burned to death. Such barbarous atrocities were stopped long years ago, but oddly enough it is again the modernisers who have themselves turned the clock back to those days when people believed in witchcraft.

Nor is that all. Once not so very long ago tuberculosis was a widespread fatal disease here. Good public health policies began to overcome TB during the early 20th century; by the 1950s it was almost eliminated, and by the late 1970s just about extinct. Over the last 15 years the clock has been turned back, and TB is now back in our great cities. Read on and comment » | Norman Tebbit | Thursday, March 08, 2012

My comment:

Great blog post! Painful to read! Methinks the best thing to do now is get out of the UK before the ship is completely sunk. What could be done to rescue the UK cannot be done, because people are not free to think anymore. There are too many laws prohibiting this, that, and the other. The rot started when greed was made good. Then NuLabour came along and completely screwed up everything, bringing masses of backward-thinking people into the country. The Coalition is doing next-to-nothing about any of our problems. In this government, there is not a strong man in sight. They're all part of the pretty brigade: image trumps ability; sweet words trump action. – © Mark

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Bin Laden's Three Widows Charged in Pakistan
THE GUARDIAN: The women have been charged with illegally entering and living in the country, says Pakistan interior minister

Pakistan has charged Osama bin Laden's three widows with illegally entering and living in the country, interior minister Rehman Malik has said.

The three women have been in Pakistani detention since May last year, when US commandos raided the house where they, Bin Laden and several of their children were staying. The commandos shot and killed Bin Laden, and then buried his body at sea.

Malik said the three had been charged in court, but he did not say when. It was unclear if they had a lawyer.

He said their children were free to leave Pakistan, but could stay with their mothers for the duration of the trial. » | Associated Press in Islamabad | Thursday, March 08, 2012

Iran's Supreme Leader Says Obama Comments Are 'Window of Opportunity'
THE GUARDIAN: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls US president's remarks about need to dampen drumbeat of war 'good words and an exit from delusion'

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has described comments by the US president, Barack Obama, about the need to dampen the drumbeat of war as a diplomatic "window of opportunity", the Iranian state news agency IRNA has reported. » | Reuters | Thursday, March 08, 2012

L'Arabie saoudite n'extradera «jamais» Ben Ali
LA PRESSE: Le président tunisien Moncef Marzouki a estimé mercredi que l'Arabie saoudite n'extraderait «jamais» le président déchu Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, condamné par contumace à plusieurs reprises par la justice tunisienne, et qui reste poursuivi dans plusieurs affaires.

«Je pense qu'ils n'extraderont jamais Ben Ali, nous le savons, nous avons essayé à de très nombreuses reprises», a déclaré Moncef Marzouki sur la BBC.

«Nous allons probablement continuer à faire pression sur eux pour le retour de cet homme en Tunisie, mais comme je vous l'ai dit, je ne crois pas qu'ils accepteront parce qu'ils ont leurs propres traditions, leurs propres lois et nous ne voulons pas avoir des problèmes avec eux à ce propos. Parce que nous avons aussi des relations sociales et économiques avec l'Arabie saoudite et nous voulons les maintenir», a poursuivi le président tunisien. » | Agence France-Presse | Londres | mercredi 07 mars 2012

"Brevik"-Laden sorgt für Ärger und wird umbenannt

Obama Protesting at Harvard in 1991
Barack Obama in a 1990 video at Harvard protests in favor of the cause of Professor Derek Bell and the hiring of more minority faculty members.

BUZZ FEED: At Harvard, Obama Dived Into Diversity Fight: In this video, not previously available online but licensed by BuzzFeed from a Boston television station, the future president speaks at a 1991 campus protest organized to demand tenure for minority and female law professors. » | Andrew Kaczynski | BuzzFeed Staff | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Imam 'Called on Faithful to Abuse Errant Wives'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An imam preaching in a city in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, is being investigated for allegedly calling on the faithful to discipline errant wives using physical and psychological violence

Abdeslam Laarusi, an imam at the Badr mosque in Terrassa near Barcelona allegedly issued instructions during Friday prayers on how to beat unruly women without leaving telltale marks.

The Muslim cleric advised using "fists and sticks on various parts of the body to avoid breaking bones or drawing blood", investigators said.

"He provided concrete examples of the manner in which wives should be beaten, how to isolate them inside the family home and how to deny them sexual relations," said the police in a statement, saying they had received testimony from numerous witnesses. » | Fiona Govan | Madrid | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Kinder und der Islam: „Bei uns wird nicht gepredigt“

DIE PRESSE: In Wien entstanden in den vergangenen Jahren mehrere deklariert islamische Kindergärten. Diese konfessionellen privaten Einrichtungen werden zu einem kleinen Teil auch schon von Nichtmuslimen genützt.

Wien. Sie haben Namen wie „Iman“, „Hilal“ oder „Al Andalus“ – und sie sind Kindergärten, in denen der Islam eine gewichtige Rolle spielt. In den vergangenen Jahren sind in Wien gleich mehrere solcher Einrichtungen entstanden, die sich als islamische Kindergärten bezeichnen. Im Büro des für Kinder und Jugend zuständigen Stadtrats, Christian Oxonitsch (SP), zählt man derzeit 16 derartiger Standorte in Wien.



Es sind vor allem Eltern mit Wurzeln in islamisch geprägten Ländern, die ihre Kinder hierher schicken. Hier sollen sie die Grundlagen der Religion und der muslimischen Kultur kennenlernen. Auf den ersten Blick wirken viele dieser Einrichtungen aber nicht sehr viel anders als andere Kindergärten auch – was unter anderem daran liegt, dass sie den Bestimmungen des Kindertagesheimgesetzes unterliegen. Organisatorisch handelt es sich um private konfessionelle Einrichtungen, so wie auch katholische Privatkindergärten – sie alle müssen sich an die Wiener Bildungspläne halten, sonst bekommen sie keine Förderung von der Stadt. » | Von Erich Kocina | Die Presse | Montag, 05. März 2012

Baut neue Schulen statt Moscheen
Die internationale islamische Bewegung des Fetulah Gülen
DEUTSCHLANDFUNK: Die in der Türkei gegründete Gülen-Bewegung zählt zu den einflussreichsten islamischen Gruppierungen in der westlichen Welt. Sie fördert vor allem die Bildung junger Muslime. Kritiker werfen der Bewegung mangelnde Transparenz und unterschwelligen Islamismus vor.

"Was bisher immer galt für Muslime, wenn sie sich sozial engagieren wollen, dass sie das nur im Moschee-Bereich oder Themen, die nur mit dem Islam zu tun haben, können. Gülen hat das soziale Engagement und das finanzielle Engagement ausgeweitet auch auf säkulare Bereiche."

Der Soziologe Ercan Karakoyun leitet unweit des Potsdamer Platzes das Berliner "Forum für interkulturellen Dialog". Er will von hier aus nicht nur mit anderen Religionen und Politikern ins Gespräch kommen, sondern vor allem den Muslimen die Idee des türkischen Laien-Theologen Fetullah Gülen nahe bringen.


"Ein Muslim kann sein Zakat, die islamische Abgabe, auch auf Bildungsinstitutionen leisten. Dazu zählt auch Engagement für die Umwelt, Engagement für Menschenrechte, gewerkschaftliches Engagement. Gülen hat den Bereich des Engagements von den traditionell islamischen Bereichen auch auf die weltlichen Bereiche gelenkt."

Karakoyun selbst etwa sei erst durch Gülens Ideen dazu motiviert worden, sich in seiner Dortmunder Studentenzeit bei den Jusos zu engagieren. In der Türkei gilt der Islam den Kemalisten seit Staatsgründer Attatürk als rückständig und vernachlässigbar. Fetullah Gülen tritt hingegen für die Vereinbarkeit von Wissenschaft, Fortschritt und Islam ein. "Bildung", "Medien" "Dialog" sind die drei großen Themenfelder, in denen moderne Muslime sich seiner Meinung nach engagieren sollen. In den 1980er-Jahren begann Gülen in der Türkei damit, seine Predigten millionenfach unter das Volk zu bringen und erste Schulen zu gründen. Daneben baute Gülen unter dem Dach der World Media Group ein kleines Presseimperium auf, zu dem neben Radio- und Fernsehsendern auch die auflagenstärkste türkische Zeitung ZAMAN gehört. Gülen habe es mittlerweile geschafft, den wirtschaftlich potenten Mittelstand für den Islam zu interessieren. Auch in Deutschland entstehen bundesweit Gülen-nahe Kitas, Schulen und andere Bildungseinrichtungen, sagt Ercan Karakoyun. » | Von Thomas Klatt | Mittwoch, 07. März 2012

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CAIR Asks Oklahoma Church to Drop Anti-Islamic Agenda

THE SACRAMENTO BEE: CAIR Asks Oklahoma Church to Drop Anti-Islam Agenda » | Council on American-Islamic Relations | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Vandalismus gegen Moschee (14.11.2011)
Die geplante Moschee in Grenchen kann trotz dieser Aktion gebaut werden. Unbekannte haben Schweinekadaver und -blut auf dem Bauland ausgeleert. Laut eines Bekennerschreibens sollte dies das Land entweihen und die Moschee verhindern. Islam-Gelehrte haben nun aber grünes Licht gegeben.

Dieses Video wurde in Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch) gedreht.

'I Want Malia and Sasha to Be Able to Speak Their Mind in a Civil and Thoughtful Way': Obama Brings Daughters into Rush Limbaugh 'Slutgate' Furor

MAIL ONLINE: Right-wing host labelled student Sandra Fluke a 'prostitute' on the air / President Obama said he considered his own daughters before he called Sandra Fluke to offer his support / Fluke supported Obama's contraception plan when she testified before Congressional committee last week

As anger continues to swirl around syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh after referring to a law student as a 'slut,' even the president can't keep from weighing in.

The backlash against Limbaugh has intensified in recent days, as an eighth advertiser has dropped its support of his radio program and two stations have pulled the plug on it.

Limbaugh called Georgetown student Sandra Fluke a 'slut' and a 'prostitute' last week after she urged lawmakers to consider the importance of contraception coverage in health care policy.

During President Obama's press conference today at the White House, he had little to say about the controversy at first.

'I'm not going to comment on what sponsors decide to do. I'm not going to comment on either the economics or the politics of it. I don't know what's in Rush Limbaugh's heart, so I'm not going to comment on the sincerity of his apology.'

But he said that he was compelled to offer his support to Fluke after considering his own children, daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10.

Obama said: 'The reason I called Ms Fluke is because I thought about Malia and Sasha, and one of the things I want them to do as they get older is to engage in issues they care about, even ones I may not agree with them on'. » | Laura Cox and Thomas Durante | Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Related »

Iranian Women Are Going Naked : برهنه شدن زنان ایرانی ادامه دارد

RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: Topless Iranian Women 'Say No To Political Islam' » | Persian Letters | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

François Fillon s'explique à propos des abattages rituels

LE FIGARO: Le premier ministre a reçu le grand rabbin, Gilles Bernheim, et le président du Consistoire central, Joël Mergui, pour revenir sur la polémique liée à sa déclaration à propos du halal et du casher. Ce dernier estime «l'incident clos» mais «reste en alerte».

«L'incident est clos». Au sortir de sa réunion avec François Fillon, le président du Consistoire central, Joël Mergui, a calmé la polémique née des propos du chef du gouvernement concernant l'abattage rituel des animaux. S'exprimant mardi sur Europe 1, le premier ministre avait déclaré que les abattages casher et halal étaient «des traditions ancestrales, qui ne correspondent plus à grand-chose alors qu'elles correspondaient dans le passé à des problèmes d'hygiène». » | Par lefigaro.fr | mercredi 07 mars 2012

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Syria's Propaganda War
The Syrian government has reportedly attempted to cover-up civilian casualties of its almost month-long bombardment of opposition strongholds in Homs by clearing out bodies and through its media propaganda campaign.

Santorum: 'This Was a Big Night'
Republican presidential candidate addresses supporters in Ohio

SUEDDEUTSCHE: Obamas Gegner in der Selbstzerstörungs-Show: Die Rumpelstilzchen-Strategie wird nicht aufgehen, spätestens nach dem Super Tuesday ist klar: Obamas Gegner sind sich selbst die größten Feinde. Sie werden keinen starken Bewerber aufs Schild heben, sondern einen zerrupften Torso servieren. Der Präsident hat es leicht gegen seine zornigen Konkurrenten, die sich in ihrem Missmut überbieten. » | Ein Kommentar von Stefan Kornelius | Mittwoch, 07. März 2012

Super Tuesday Sets Up Long Slog to GOP Nomination

Read the article here | Brian Montopoli | Wednesday, March 07, 2012
FOX NEWS: Santorum backers pressuring Gingrich to bow out of presidential race: Rick Santorum's supporters, the morning after their candidate pulled out three Super Tuesday victories, began to apply serious pressure to Newt Gingrich to bow out of the presidential race -- arguing the former speaker is standing in the way of a fair fight between Santorum and Mitt Romney. » | FoxNews.com | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Is Canada the World's Next Superpower?

Read the article here | Erin Burnett | Tuesday, March 06, 2012

GOP Worst-case Scenario: Long Fight

My comment:

I have been in the USA since December, so I have been able to observe first-hand the circus that is the Republican US primaries.

One is subjected to the running commentary night after night after night. The whole thing is ridiculous. Americans think this is democracy in action. I'd beg to differ.

In my humble opinion, the only man who has a snowball's chance in hell of beating Obama is Mitt Romney. He is not perfect, but he's the best that the GOP can throw up at this time. Even though he is wooden, he is a likable fellow. And has been very successful to boot.

The others: Forget them! Rick Santorum, though telegenic, is a throwback; furthermore, he's too emotional and sentimental for high office. He is certainly also far, far too regressive. His social conservatism is going to turn off the moderate voters, the feminists, and the gays.

Newt Gingrich is not right for the time. He'd have made a great president right after 9/11. Alas, the train has left the station for him, I fear.

Now they talk of the possibility of Sarah Palin running. God! How desperate can the 'Grand Old Party' be? Her high-pitched voice is enough to sour the milk! And what experience does she have to run the world's superpower? (Though I hasten to add that such things seem not to matter to the American voter these days. Witness Barack Obama's success at the polls.) Moreover, I somehow doubt that Sarah Palin could put a pin in Tehran or Kabul on a globe.

At this rate, the Republicans are going to lose. And they have only themselves to blame, because they are doing it to themselves. They are bickering with each other endlessly, and in such a negative way. Such negativity in a lead-up to an election is rare to behold – anywhere.

By the time November comes, the electorate will be so damn sick of hearing the Republican candidates going on ad infinitum, and trying to outdo each other in being the most conservative, or most pious candidate that they'll end up re-electing Obama into the White House. If this happens, the Republicans will have been the architects of their own demise. They will have had their chance in Mitt Romney, but they will have been too dim to seize it.

If the Republican Party is serious about winning this election, it should stop the nastiness and close ranks behind their only hope: Mitt Romney. If they don't, they'll be committing electoral suicide. – © Mark

This comment also appears here.

Sarah Palin Refuses to Rule Out Presidential Run Saying 'Anything's Possible'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sarah Palin has not ruled out running for president saying “anything’s possible” as she cast a vote for Newt Gingrich at Alaska's GOP Super Tuesday primary last night.

The former Republican vice-presidential candidate told a CNN reporter she would “seriously consider whatever I can do to help our country” when asked if she would agree to being put forward if the party faced a brokered convention.

The Tea Party darling also indicated she would consider running in the 2016 presidential race, if asked.

"Anything in this life, in this world is possible. Anything is possible for an American. I don't discount any idea or plan that, at this point, isn't in my control. Anything's possible,” she said. » | Amy Willis, Los Angeles | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

My comment:

God help us all if Palin were ever to become president! A truly depressing thought! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Financial Fallout of Limbaugh’s Comments

Related »

Anders Behring Breivik Indicted for 'Worst Crime in Modern Norwegian History'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik, the far-Right extremist, has been indicted for a crime prosecutors said had "never been seen in Norway in modern times".

Breivik will be the first person in the country ever to be prosecuted for "performing an act of terrorism involving murder, with the intention of destabilising the basic functions of society," a crime which carries a 21-year prison sentence, the maximum possible under Norwegian law.

But prosecutors said that they would proceed under the assumption that Breivik is criminally insane, seeking to have him committed to compulsory mental care rather than jail.

"The requirement that he be judged sane has not been fulfilled" Inga Bejer Engh, a prosecutor from the Oslo district court, said in a press conference after the 18-page indictment was made public. "We have found out that he is psychotic, and the commission have not had any protests against this. Because of this, he will be put in psychiatric care."

She stressed however this could change once the court hears evidence from the team of psychiatrists currently carrying out a second psychiatric assessment of Breivik. » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Prince Harry Charms Jamaicans with Bob Marley Quote
Prince Harry continued his diplomatic charm offensive this morning by quoting Jamaican legend Bob Marley as he attended a State dinner in Kingston.

Read the article / Watch more videos here | Gordon Rayner, Kingston, Jamaica | Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Does Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' Speech Still Apply?
Historian Philip White weighs in

It does still apply. Please don't forget that I called for an 'iron veil' in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age. – Mark

Coalition Lacks Vision, Says Vince Cable

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, has admitted in a leaked letter that the Government lacks “a compelling vision of where the country is heading” after the financial crisis.

The Liberal Democrat minister described elements of the Government’s economic policy as “frankly, rather piecemeal” and said it was not clear how Britons would “earn our living in the future”.

The leaked letter, sent by Mr Cable to David Cameron and Nick Clegg last month, is evidence of a growing rift between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats over economic policy in the run-up to the Budget. Senior Liberal Democrats have broken with recent convention by being increasingly vocal in their demands for new taxes on expensive properties to fund greater tax breaks for low-paid workers.

There are also growing disagreements over policies to boost economic growth with the Conservatives blaming Mr Cable for blocking initiatives to cut unnecessary red tape for private firms.

In his five-page letter sent to the Prime Minister and his deputy on Feb 8, Mr Cable criticises the Government’s failure to develop a coherent industrial policy.

After praising Coalition measures to restore the public finances, the letter says: “I sense, however, there is still something important missing: a compelling vision of where the country is heading beyond sorting out the fiscal mess; and a clear and confident message about how we will earn our living in the future.” Read on and comment » | Robert Winnett, Political Editor | Tuesday, March 06, 2012