North Korean Leader Calls for 'Final Victory'
North Korea's new leader has delivered his first major public speech on the occasion of the centenary of its founder's birth, calling for a push to "final victory" at a mass military parade in the country's capital.

Kim Jong-un, the third Kim to rule North Korea, read monotonously from a script in Pyongyang's central square on Sunday after marching soldiers and sailors demonstrated the North's military power.

In a move that indicated Kim would stick to the "military-first" policies that have put North Korea on the verge of nuclear weapons capacity, he lauded his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il, as the "founder and the builder of our revolutionary armed forces".

Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett reports from Seoul, South Korea's capital.

German Farm to Sell Pigs Online
Social networks, internet dating and online shopping have all been successful web enterprises. Now a German pig farm is going the whole hog by providing a mix of all three. Nick Spicer explains.

Ägypten: Maher El Gohary & Mohamed Hegazy wollten ausreisen
Abtrünnigkeit wird mit dem Tod bestraft.

EUROPE NEWS: Interview with the former Muslims Maher al-Gohary (60) and his daughter Dina (17) who escaped from Egypt because of death penalty for conversion to Christianity. » | Weronika | Europe News | Sunday, April 15, 2012

HT: Baron Bodissey @ Gates of Vienna »

Coordinated Afghanistan Assaults Target Presidential Palace, Embassies

Read the article here | Mitra Mobasherat and Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Leading British Muslim Leader Faces War Crimes Charges in Bangladesh
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: One of Britain's most important Muslim leaders is to be charged with war crimes, investigators and officials have told The Sunday Telegraph

Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, director of Muslim spiritual care provision in the NHS, a trustee of the major British charity Muslim Aid and a central figure in setting up the Muslim Council of Britain, fiercely denies any involvement in a number of abductions and "disappearances" during Bangladesh's independence struggle in the 1970s.

He says the claims are "politically-motivated" and false.

However, Mohammad Abdul Hannan Khan, the chief investigator for the country's International Crimes Tribunal, said: "There is prima facie evidence of Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin being involved in a series of killings of intellectuals.

"We have made substantial progress in the case against him. There is no chance that he will not be indicted and prosecuted. We expect charges in June."

Mr Mueen-Uddin could face the death penalty if convicted. » | Andrew Gilligan, Dhaka | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Norway Killer Anders Behring Breivik Barred from Reading 'New Manifesto' in Court

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik has been banned from reading a "new manifesto" he has written when he stands to give testimony over the massacre in Norway, his lawyers have told The Daily Telegraph.

"He says he has written a presentation that will take an hour, and he wants to read that," Odd Gron, from Advokat Lippestad, told the Daily Telegraph. "But the court have sent signals to us in a meeting that they won't allow that."

Breivik handed a copy of the presentation, which runs to more than 8,000-words, to his lawyers when he met them on Friday night. His trial opens in an Oslo courtroom today and is expected to last ten weeks.

To aid him in his preparation, Breivik has been supplied with a computer, a political dictionary and a paper copy of the manifesto he sent out on the day he launched his massacre.

On July 22 last year, Breivik first set off a car bomb outside government buildings in Oslo, killing eight people, before travelling to the small island of Utoya [Utøya] northwest of the capital where he spent more than an hour methodically shooting and killing another 69 people, mostly teenagers.

He has admitted the killings, but plans to argue that he should be acquitted as he committed the act in self[-]defence. » | Richard Orange in Oslo | Sunday, April 15, 2012

Far-right Anti-Muslim Network On Rise Globally as Breivik Trial Opens
THE GUARDIAN: Report highlights UK role in the growth of groups that inspired Norway's mass murderer

The international network of counter-jihadist groups that inspired Anders Behring Breivik is growing in reach and influence, according to a report released on the eve of the Norwegian's trial.

Far-right organisations are becoming more cohesive as they forge alliances throughout Europe and the US, says the study, with 190 groups now identified as promoting an Islamophobic agenda.

This week Breivik will appear on trial in Oslo after confessing to the murder of 77 people in Norway last July, killings that he justified as part of a "war" between the west and Islamists.

The report, by anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, states that since the 33-year-old's killing spree, the counter-jihad movement – a network of foundations, bloggers, political activists and street gangs – has continued to proliferate.

Campaigners cite the formation three months ago of the Stop Islamization of Nations (Sion) group, designed to promote an umbrella network of counter-jihad groups across Europe and the US, as evidence of a global evolution.

An inaugural Sion summit is planned in New York this year to coincide with the anniversary of 9/11. Speakers are set to include Paul Weston, chairman of the anti-Islamic British Freedom Party (BFP), which recently announced a pact with the English Defence League. In the manifesto that Breivik published online 90 minutes before his attacks, he cited blog postings by Weston which discussed a "European civil war" between the west and Islam.

Researchers at Hope Not Hate name the UK as one of Europe's most active countries in terms of counter-jihad extremism, with 22 anti-Islamic groups currently operating.

In Europe as a whole, 133 organisations were named in the report, including seven in Norway, and another 47 in the US, where a network of neo-conservative, evangelical and conservative organisations attempts to spread "negative perceptions of Islam, Muslim minorities and Islamic culture". » | Mark Townsend, home affairs editor | Saturday, April 14, 2012

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal & Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel Interviewed on Charlie Rose, Bloomberg

HH Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel Keynote at Clinton Global Initiative Event (CGI) in New York
HH Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, Vice Chairwoman of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation that is chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulziz Alsaud, keynote at Clinton Global Initiative Event (CGI) in New York.

Princess Ameerah Interviewed by Piers Morgan (September 2011)
Watch the video here

Princess Ameerah Seeks to Improve Saudi Womens' Rights (September 2011)
Saudi Princess Ameerah Altaweel, the wife of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and vice chairman of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundations for Charity and Philanthropy, talks about her efforts to empower women and provide economic opportunity for them in Saudi Arabia. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "In Business” with Margaret Brennan." (Source: Bloomberg)

King Saud Drank Alcohol

Britain's Christians Are Being Vilified, Warns Lord Carey

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Christians are being “persecuted” by courts and “driven underground” in the same way that homosexuals once were, a former Archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

Lord Carey says worshippers are being “vilified” by the state, treated as “bigots” and sacked simply for expressing their beliefs.

The attack is part of a direct appeal to the European Court of Human Rights before a landmark case on religious freedom.

In a written submission seen by The Daily Telegraph, the former leader of more than 70 million Anglicans warns that the outward expression of traditional conservative Christian values has effectively been “banned” in Britain under a new “secular conformity of belief and conduct”.

His comments represent one of the strongest attacks on the impartiality of Britain’s judiciary from a religious leader.

He says Christians will face a “religious bar” to employment if rulings against wearing crosses and expressing their beliefs are not reversed.

Lord Carey argues that in “case after case” British courts have failed to protect Christian values. He urges European judges to correct the balance. Read on and comment » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, April 13, 2012

My comment:

Why are Christians persecuted for wearing a crucifix/cross in this country, while Muslim women can wear the hijab with impunity? Each and every supermarket in this country now seems to have its token hijab–wearing Muslimah, but the practising Christian employees lose their jobs for showing their faith.

Considering that Christianity is supposed to be the established religion of this country, with the Queen as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, it seems rather strange and unfathomable to me. Why is Islam given a pass whilst Christianity is not? – © Mark

This comment also appears here.

Paul Weston at the British Freedom Party Meeting

HT: Baron Bodissey @ Gates of Vienna »

Inside Story: Did Santorum Shift Republicans to the Right?
As Rick Santorum quits the Republican nomination race, we examine the legacy of his candidacy on the party.

The Oracles of Pennsylvania Avenue
A two-part series looking at three individuals and their 25-year, 24/7 peace vigil in front of the White House.

Bahraini Youth Vow 'Three Days of Rage' During Formula 1
The governing body of Formula 1 has confirmed that the Bahrain Grand Prix will continue as planned. Continued unrest and concerns about human rights violations had led to speculation that the race scheduled for April 22 would be called off. Ala'a Shehabi speaks to Al Jazeera from Manama about his conversation with Formula 1 Chief Bernie Ecclestone and the Bahraini youth who have promised "three days of rage" during the event.

Thousands in UK May Face Starvation
The UK is one of the world's richest countries, but poverty campaigners say thousands of people ther are in danger of starvation. They also say millions of tonnes of food are thrown away every year. Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from London.

Doubts Over Middle East Quartet's Rôle
The Middle East quartet - made up of representatives from the US, EU, UN and Russia - has called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work towards resuming direct negotiations, which stalled two years ago. Alan Fisher reports.

Danish Newspaper 'Massacre Plot' Trial Begins

AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Four men plead not guilty to plotting to kill staff of Jyllands-Posten after it published cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

Four men on trial over a suspected plot to murder staff of a Danish newspaper that first published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have pleaded not guilty.

The men appeared in court on Friday in the Danish capital Copenhagen. The prosecution named them as Sahbi Ben Mohamed Zalouti, Munir Awad and Omar Abdalla Aboelazm, all Swedish citizens of Tunisian, Lebanese and Moroccan origin respectively.

The fourth man, Mounir Ben Mohamed Dhahri, a Tunisian national living in Sweden who pleaded guilty to arms possession, faces charges of "attempted terrorism".

Prosecutors say the four were plotting to "kill a large number of people" at the Jyllands-Posten daily's offices in Copenhagen when they were arrested on December 29, 2010.

Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons in 2005 of the Prophet Mohammed that Muslims believed were insulting, sparking violent and sometimes deadly protests around the world. » | Sources: Agencies | Friday, April 13, 2012

Anders Behring Breivik to Claim He Killed 77 People 'In Self-defence'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik will demand that he be acquitted when his trial begins next week, on the grounds that killed his 77 victims in self-defence.

The 33-year-old extremist has confessed to planting a bomb near government buildings in Oslo, and then driving to the island of Utoya where he systematically shot 69, mostly teenaged, victims.

But he has argued that his actions were "necessary" to prevent his country being overwhelmed by what he perceived as an imminent Islamic takeover.

"He is going to invoke self-defence," Geir Lippestad, his lawyer, confirmed in an interview with Norway's Dagbladet newspaper. "We of course understand that that will not succeed, but we are obliged to present his arguments." » | Richard Orange, Oslo | Friday, April 13, 2012

France: Here Comes the Whitewash
THE JERUSALEM POST: Murders in Toulouse should be wake-up call for France. A big story can draw attention to a broader social trend.

The murders in Toulouse should be a wake-up call for France. True, the attacks on Jews and French soldiers were three individual terror attacks perpetrated, perhaps, by one person. Yet they are among dozens of incidents that happen daily in French cities, in schools, and in all aspects of life. A big story like the Toulouse attack can draw attention to a broader, dangerous social trend. Or it can be treated as an isolated incident.

Nothing to see here; move along; go back to sleep.

In the past, the mass media could be expected to present a debate on this issue, but now, all too often, they give a monopoly to the white-washers and the apologists. Phase one is to present any terrorist as a right-winger, neo-Nazi, or opponent of left-wing policies.

If the terrorist is a Muslim, however, his own explanations – citing dominant interpretations of Islam and the goal of furthering an Islamist revolution – are ignored.

Instead, he or they are presented as confused, psychologically disturbed individuals; victims of discrimination; or, in short, anything other than ideologically motivated revolutionaries. » | Barry Rubin | Sunday, March 25, 2012

Salafists in the City: Free Koran Distributions Have Germany Concerned

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Salafist Muslims have been handing out free Korans across Germany in recent weeks. But the group's radicalism has many politicians concerned -- as does a recent video posted on YouTube that allegedly threatened journalists who wrote critical reports on the religious offensive.

At first glance, the project appears relatively harmless. A Muslim group in Germany has set as its goal the distribution of millions of free Korans, so that the holy book of Islam finds its place in "every household in Germany, Austria and Switzerland," as the project website (German language only) states.

For months -- though most noticeably during the recent Easter holidays -- followers of the Salafist imam Ibrahim Abou Nagie have been handing out copies at information stands in city centers across Germany. The group, which calls itself "The True Religion," claims that 300,000 copies have already been distributed.

Increasingly, though, skepticism of the project is mounting among leading politicians in Germany, not least because of Nagie's own radical interpretation of Islam. Indeed, last autumn Nagie was indicted for public incitement to commit criminal offenses and for disturbing the religious peace.

And on Thursday, daily Die Welt reports that a video made a brief appearance on YouTube this week apparently targeting journalists that reported critically on the Koran distribution project. "We now have detailed information on the monkeys and pigs who published false reports about the (Frankfurt Salafist group) DawaFFM and many other brothers and sisters," the video, which has since been taken down, intoned, according to Die Welt. "We possess a lot of information, for example, we know where you live, we know what football team you root for, we have your mobile phone numbers," it continues. The video names reporters from the dailies Frankfurter Rundschau and Tagesspiegel. Die Welt reports that the producer of the video has worked for Nagie in the past. » | cgh -- with wire reports | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Related »

Umstrittene Koran-Verteilung: Salafisten bedrohen kritische Journalisten

SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Wir wissen, wo du wohnst" - mit diesen Worten hat eine Salafistengruppe via YouTube Journalisten in Deutschland bedroht. Diese hatten über die Kampagne "Lies!" berichtet, bei der 25 Millionen Koran-Exemplare an Nichtmuslime verteilt werden sollen. Hinter der Aktion stecken Islamisten aus NRW.

Hamburg - Sie verteilen den Koran und hetzen gegen Journalisten, die kritisch darüber berichten. In einem vierminütigen YouTube-Video, das eine salafistische Gruppe ins Internet stellte, sind Reporter der "Frankfurter Rundschau" und des "Tagesspiegels" bedroht worden. Inzwischen wurde das Video von der Internetplattform genommen.

"Wir besitzen eine Menge an Daten von dir, zum Beispiel wissen wir, wo du wohnst, wir kennen deinen (Fußball-)Verein, wir besitzen deine Mobilfunknummer", sagt nach Angaben der "Welt" eine Computerstimme in dem Kurzfilm. Dazu sollen private Fotos und Informationen der Autoren gezeigt worden sein. Die Macher des Films drohten mit der Offenlegung weiterer Namen vor Journalisten, die kritisch über die Salafistengruppe berichteten. » | syd/dpa/dapd | Donnerstag, 12. April 2012

WELT ONLINE: Islamisten bedrohen deutsche Journalisten: Ein Hassvideo gegen namentlich genannte Journalisten alarmiert die Sicherheitsbehörden. Journalisten, die kritisch über die bundesweite Koran-Verteilug der Salafisten berichten, sind unerwünscht. » | WON | Mittwoch, 11. April 2012

Verwandt »

The Draw of Limb Amputations, Beheadings, Stonings to Death? Islam's Popularity Growing among Predominantly Catholic Austria
PRESS TV: The Central European Country of Austria is home to a population of just over 8 million people… Its history is rooted in Christianity, and indeed, it is a predominantly Catholic country… figures however are putting the growing islamic population at just over half-a-million since 2010… And it raises the question: what is the appeal of Islam, in a Central European Country, whose main religion is Christianity…?

Ms. Bagajati represents a growing number of people worldwide who are finding comfort in the teachings of Islam; leaving behind the world they are familiar with… Many have stated that they are disillusioned, and indeed abuse scandals in the Catholic church has played a major part in the exodus of members… so admits, Catholic Priest, Father Michael Prüller. (+ video) » | Thursday, April 12, 2012

New Dark Age Alert! Press TV - Islam and Life - Why Are People Converting to Islam? (December 31, 2009)

Terror Group Wants Somalia Rid of Christians
CBN.COM: SOMALIA -- Somalia's Islamist terror group al Shabab wants to rid the Muslim country of all Christians and is specifically targeting Christian converts from Islam.

Al Shabab recently joined with al Qaeda and wants Sharia law implemented in the country.

An al Shabab video that swept the Internet in September 2008 shows the brutal beheading of 25-year-old aid worker Mansour Mohammed. His crime? Mohammed converted to Christianity in 2005. Blindfolded, Tortured » | Gary Lane | CBN News Sr. International Correspondent | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Euro 2012: Anti-Semitic Football Merchandise On Sale in Poland
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Football merchandise bearing anti-Semitic slogans and calling for attacks on visiting fans is on sale in Poland just weeks before hundreds of thousands of football fans descend on the country for the 2012 European championships.

At one outlet in the shadow of the stadium belonging to Widzew Lodz, one of Poland's biggest clubs, fans can buy scarves and stickers with the motto "Jews forbidden" and T-shirts with slogans extolling violence against Poland's opponents in the tournament the Czech Republic and Greece.

"Burn the Czechs" and "Beat the Greeks" read some of the shirts while another calls for "no mercy" to be shown to "visitors".

An employee at the shop is quoted by the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza as saying the shop stocked the materials "because they sell well and they're in demand".

Anti-racism campaigners also claim "To My Kibice", a popular fan magazine sold in high-street shops, often carries advertisements for racist and xenophobic material. » | Matthew Day, Warsaw | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Islamic Scholar Condemns Gay Marriage in Nigeria
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE: AN Islamic scholar, (Alhaji) Abideen Olaiya, has condemned the proposed gay marriage in the country, saying that it is Unislamic [sic], satanic, evil and ungodly act which shows the end time of the earth.

Olaiya who was a guest lecturer at the Walimot Nikah between Sister Nafisat Opeyemi Abdul-Rasaq and Barrister Qasim Hussain Odedeji, the Amir, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Osogbo branch, Osun State, made this known while delivering his lecture entitled "Challenges of Marriage In our society [sic].”

He maintained that it was the right of men and women to marry each other Islamically on this planet, stressing that it was legal and right in Islam for a man with necessary powers to marry more than one wife.

According to him, only men endowed by Allah with sexual, intelligent and financial power were allowed by Islam to marry more than one wife, urging the Muslim men with the enumerated powers to marry more than one wife. » | Friday, April 13, 2012

Tariq Ramadan appelle les musulmans à la «résistance»

LE FIGARO: Devant 40.000 fidèles réunis par l'UOIF au Bourget, l'intellectuel n'a pas ménagé ses critiques contre le gouvernement et a appelé les musulmans «à ne pas répondre aux attaques» mais à cultiver leur identité «française et musulmane».

Il demande à ne pas être applaudi. Orateur brillant, Tariq Ramadan a tenu en haleine et sans notes, samedi soir au Bourget, plusieurs dizaines de milliers de musulmans venus assister au 29e congrès de l'Union des organisations islamiques de France (UOIF). Il en était l'invité vedette depuis que le gouvernement avait interdit la venue de six prédicateurs pour leurs propos explicitement antisémites. Il en était aussi l'invité controversé, car le ministre de l'Intérieur, Claude Guéant, a publiquement regretté, vendredi, qu'il soit maintenu à l'affiche, lui reprochant d'avoir défendu un «moratoire sur la lapidation des femmes».

Les encourageant à ne pas céder à la «réaction», Tariq Ramadan a plutôt appelé les musulmans qui l'écoutaient - hommes d'un côté, femmes, toutes voilées, de l'autre et des milliers de fidèles debout au fond - à une forme subtile de «résistance». «Je vous remercie d'avoir tenu bon, a-t-il lancé, malgré les pressions et les accusations.» Car «c'est aussi l'honneur de la France d'accueillir cette rencontre». Décochant cette première critique: «On ne peut pas se prévaloir de Voltaire pendant quatre ans et l'oublier à deux semaines de l'élection», invitant à «ne pas confondre la France avec ceux qui la représentent».

L'intellectuel suisse, petit-fils de Hassan al-Banna [en anglais], fondateur en 1928 des Frères musulmans en Égypte, a alors accusé le gouvernement de faire de la «surenchère» et de la «diversion» vis-à-vis de la «vraie crise économique», en misant, selon un «stratagème», sur les questions «de sécurité» qui sont pourtant «trop sérieuses pour être mises en scène». Posant en particulier la question du bilan pour les banlieues: «Qu'est ce qui a été fait depuis les émeutes de la banlieue en 2005 pour répondre au mal-être, pas de travail, pas d'habitat?» Ou critiquant, sur le plan européen cette fois, le traitement «comme des animaux» des «charters de clandestins». » | Par Jean-Marie Guénois | dimanche 08 avril 2012

Propaganda: Verfassungschutz warnt vor Koran-Verteilung der Salafisten

BERLINER MORGENPOST: Die Gratis-Koran-Aktion radikal-islamischer Salafisten sorgt weiter für Empörung. Verfassungsschützer sehen Gefahren.

Das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz hat vor der Verteilung von Millionen Koran-Exemplaren durch radikal-islamische Salafisten gewarnt. "Koran-Verteilung ist das falsche Stichwort", sagte Behördensprecher Bodo W. Becker dem "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" (Freitag). „Es geht hier um salafistische Propaganda und die Rekrutierung von Anhängern. Der Koran ist nur ein Vehikel.“

Salafisten stellten Grundelemente der freiheitlichen Demokratie in Frage, betonte Becker. "Dazu kommt noch die ambivalente Positionierung gegenüber Gewalt." Der Sprecher zitierte Verfassungsschutz-Präsident Heinz Fromm aus dem vorigen Sommer: "Nicht jeder Salafist ist ein Terrorist; aber jeder uns bekannte Terrorist war irgendwann einmal in salafistischen Zusammenhängen unterwegs" – dieser Satz habe weiterhin Gültigkeit. » | Quelle: dpa/dapd/nbo | Freitag, 13. April 2012

LE MONDE: En Allemagne, des distributions de corans inquiètent la classe politique : La distribution du Coran en Allemagne par un groupe salafiste, branche radicale de l'islam, suscite l'inquiétude de la classe politique, qui dénonçait, jeudi 12 avril, une exploitation du livre sacré à des fins extrémistes. ¶ Cette initiative lancée il y a déjà plusieurs mois par un groupe autoproclamé "La vraie religion" vise à écouler 25 millions d'exemplaires en allemand du livre saint de l'islam en Allemagne, en Suisse et en Autriche. Quelque deux cent cinquante mille ont déjà été distribués. » | Le Monde.fr avec AFP | jeudi 12 avril 2012

Worldview: Egypt Brotherhood's Mission
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Last week, a Muslim Brotherhood delegation from Egypt came to Washington to convince skeptics that Islam and democracy can coexist.

The question of what Islamist political parties will do after they take power is central to the Mideast's future. Such parties have won elections in Tunisia and Egypt, and look likely to take power in Libya and, ultimately, in Syria.

Egypt, with its large population and peace treaty with Israel, is the crucial test case.

The visiting Egyptians, all members of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, were clearly on a mission: to portray themselves as moderates, who embrace pluralism and democracy - and are open for business. They spoke good English, had Western degrees, and stressed their party's tolerance of minority views and religions.

This skeptic remains unconvinced. » | Trudy Rubin, Inquirer Opinion Columnist | Thursday, April 12, 2012

EDL Leader Forced to Deny Praising Anders Breivik
THE INDEPENDENT: EDL leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has been forced to deny supporting mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik after he was quoted praising the man who killed 77 people in a Norwegian newspaper.

In an interview conducted in his home town of Luton, Mr Yaxley-Lennon called Breivik “smart” and said the murders he carried out would have been easier to justify if they had been perpetrated against Muslims.

“The [Breivik’s] blogs are full of facts. You can not yell at people because they tell the truth. You may find the truth hurts, but it is still the truth. I read the blogs themselves – they contain facts about Islam.”

In the interview with the Dagbladet newspaper, Mr Yaxley-Lennon, who also goes by the name “Tommy Robinson”, added: “Yes, it would been easier to justify it [if the crime were committed against Muslims], but he would only have been swept aside as the one that killed Muslims because he did not like Islam. Whether you like it or not, that guy was pretty smart...What he did is despicable, but he managed to make people curious.” » | Kevin Rawlinson | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Anti-gay Adverts on London Buses Blocked by Boris Johnson

THE GUARDIAN: Mayor steps in to stop London buses carrying Christian group's 'offensive' ads that claim therapy can stop people being gay

Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor, has pulled an "offensive" Christian campaign advertising "gay conversion" which was due to appear on London's buses next week.

Revelations that adverts asserting the power of therapy to change the sexual orientation of gay people were due to be driven around the capital came as Johnson, who is seeking re-election in May, was due to appear at a mayoral hustings organised by the gay campaigning group Stonewall on Saturday.

The mayor immediately put the wheels in motion to halt the campaign after being alerted to the plans by the Guardian, and made clear that such advertising had no place in a tolerant city.

A clearly angered Johnson said: "London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses." » | Hélène Mulholland | Thursday, April 12, 2012

US Election 2012: Mitt Romney's Wife Ann Thrown into Centre of Women Debate

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mitt Romney's wife Ann was hurled to the centre of the presidential election, when she was criticised by a Democratic operative for having "never worked a day in her life."

The row began when Hilary Rosen, a strategist who has worked for a number of high-profile Democrats, criticised Mr Romney for using his wife, a stay-at-home mother of five sons, as a surrogate to connect with female voters.

"You have Mitt Romney running around the country saying, well, my wife tells me what women really care about is economic issues," She said on CNN.

"Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life."

Mrs Romney's popularity as a mother and a cancer survivor far outstrips her husband's and within minutes Republicans took to Twitter to hit back at Ms Rosen, criticising her for marginalising women who decided not to go into the workplace. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Thursday, April 12, 2012

My comment:

Hilary Rosen clearly hasn’t got her priorities straight. She also knows nothing about the work of a stay-at-home mum. Ann Romney chose to stay at home because she could afford to do so. That she did so is to be applauded. She had the courage to go against the tide of feminism. Would that more women could afford to stay at home, would that more women had the commitment to their children to choose a hard alternative to going out into the workplace and earning lots of money. Ann Romney placed the welfare of her children over her own ambition and achievement. How unselfish is that?

Judging by the crisis in child-rearing both that side of the Pond and this, it’s a great pity that more women who have husbands who can afford to allow them to be full-time mothers don’t choose that option. It would free up jobs in the workplace for unemployed fathers and allow mothers to give their children the informal education at home that children today so need. As the Australians would say: Good on ya, Ann! – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Mel Gibson Accused of Fresh Anti-Semitic Outburst

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Mel Gibson has been accused of making fresh anti-semitic comments by a Hollywood screenwriter who claims his film about biblical Jewish hero Judah Maccabee was put on hold because he "hates Jews".

Joe Eszterhas, known for his work on "Basic Instinct", wrote a nine-page letter claiming the actor said the holocaust was "mostly a lot of horse----" and that he was "happy" John Lennon was shot. His letter was published in full on The Wrap, a film industry website. "I've come to the conclusion that the reason you won't make The Maccabees is the ugliest possible one. You hate Jews," Eszterhas wrote.

The letter came after studio Warner Bros shelved Eszterhas' film "The Maccabees", a historical drama about 2nd-century Jewish warrior Judah Maccabee, which Gibson was to direct.

Eszterhas wrote: "You continually called Jews 'Hebes' and 'oven-dodgers' and 'Jewboys.' It seemed that most times when we discussed someone, you asked 'He's a Hebe, isn't he?'"

The Jewish community had voiced disapproval over Gibson's involvement with the film. In 2006 the actor and filmmaker was arrested for drink driving and an anti-Semitic outburst. He was also criticised for the negative portrayal of Jewish people in his 2004 film "Passion of the Christ". Read on and comment » | Lauren Gambino | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Australia's Most Senior Catholic Archbishop Sparks Outrage after Saying Jews Are 'Intellectually and Morally Inferior'

MAIL ONLINE: Australia's most senior-ranked Catholic official has risked an international backlash by claiming that Jews are 'intellectually and morally inferior'.

Cardinal George Pell said 'the little Jewish people' were shepherds who lacked intellectual development during a debate with atheist Richard Dawkins.

He went on to claim that Germans had suffered more than the Jews during the horrors of the holocaust in the Second World War.

The remarks came during a televised debate with Dawkins on Australian TV in which the pair became locked in a heated discussion on religion and evolution.

'I've got a great admiration for the Jews but we don't need to exaggerate their contribution in their early days,' Cardinal Pell said during the debate on ABC television.

'They weren't intellectually the equal of [the Egyptians or Persians] – intellectually, morally ... The poor – the little Jewish people, they were originally shepherds. They were stuck. They're still stuck between these great powers.'

Cardinal Pell said Jews had been stuck between the Egyptians and Babylonians, and that this reflected their intellectual development. He said this included Jesus.

The religious leader went on to suggest that Jews had not suffered as much as the German people during and after the holocaust.

Asked why god permitted the Holocaust to occur, he said it was a 'terrible mystery' why the Germans had been subsequently 'punished'. Read on and comment » | Rick Dewsbury | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Cameron Praises Indonesia as Model of Democracy and Islam

THE DAILY STAR (LEBANON): JAKARTA: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday held up Indonesia as a model for nations in transition after the Arab Spring, praising its moderate Islam and its transformation from dictatorship.

He said democracy must not be undermined in the name of Islam in Egypt, and called on the world to oppose Syria's President Bashar Assad.

"If Indonesia can succeed, it can lead the world in showing how democracy can offer an alternative to the dead-end choice of dictatorship or extremism," Cameron told students at Jakarta's Al Azhar Islamic university.

He said extremists were trying to turn Islam into a "closed and warped ideology" opposed to democracy.

"What Indonesia shows is that in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, it is possible to reject this extremist threat and prove that democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other."

Cameron praised Indonesia's success in cracking down on major terror networks in the past decade since bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 claimed 202 lives, including 28 Britons.

While the country has struggled to quell attacks by Islamic extremists, the vast majority of Indonesia's population of 240 million people practice a moderate form of Islam. » | AFP | Thursday, April 12, 2012

Related »

Saif Gaddafi 'Wants to Be Tried in Libya'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the imprisoned son of the former Libyan dictator, has aligned himself with the new government by declaring his opposition to extradition to face war crimes charges in The Hague.

International Criminal Court investigators who met with Saif Gaddafi at a mountaintop detention centre south of Tripoli earlier this month said that he had expressed a preference to be tried in his own country, even if he faced the death penalty.

The ICC also confirmed that Gaddafi had suffered torture and abuse after he was captured last November.

The comments appear to have been made under duress with a government official sitting in on the discussion. Even so, the stakes for Gaddafi could not be higher. Deportation for an ICC trial would remove threat of a death sentence even if he was convinced of all counts in the war crimes trials. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Argentina to Invade Falklands after 30th Anniversary Furore Dies Down, Commander Warns
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: In one of the starkest warnings over the islands’ future sovereignty Major Gen Julian Thompson said once the reinforced garrison and naval presence disappears at the end of this year Buenos Aires will look to repeat its 1982 action.

“The Argentines could invade and seize the Falkland Islands again,” he said in a speech to the Royal United Services Institute, the respected military think tank.

The former Royal Marine disclosed that after the British Government was “alerted” by the Argentina president Cristina Kirchner “stoking the sovereignty fires” it discretely reinforced the Falklands garrison and naval presence.

This would make an invasion “highly unlikely” this year but “in a few years time however, when the fuss has died down, and the UK’s guard is lowered, an Argentine coup de main operation to take the airfield is perfectly attainable”. » | Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent | Thursday, April 12, 2012

London Metropolitan University Mulls Alcohol Ban for 'Conservative Muslim Students'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A London University may become the first in the country to ban alcohol from part of its campus to attract more Muslim students, its Vice Chancellor has said.

London Metropolitan University is considering banning the sale of alcohol from some parts of the campus because a "high percentage" of students consider drinking "immoral," Prof Malcolm Gillies said.

One-fifth of the University's students are Muslim, and of those the majority are women. It is an issue of "cultural sensitivity" to provide drink-free areas, Prof Gillies told a conference, adding he was "not a great fan of alchol on campus".

"It's a negative experience - in fact an immoral experience - for a high percentage of our students," he said.

He went on: "Many of our students do come from backgrounds where they actually look on [drinking] as a negative. And given that around our campuses you have at least half a dozen pubs within 200m, I can't see there is such a pressing reason to be cross-subsidising a student activity which is essentially the selling of alcohol." Read on and comment » | Matthew Holehouse | Thursday, April 12, 2012

My comment:

The Islamisation of the United Kingdom grows apace. How long will it be before the burqa will become mandatory so as not to offend the Muslims? This is a disgrace. Shame on Prof. Gillies! – © Mark

Cameron Calls on Islam to Embrace Democracy and Reject Extremism

THE GUARDIAN: • Major speech in Jakarta will praise example of Indonesia • 'Democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other' • Extremists are 'dangerous foe' to the whole world

Democracy and Islam can flourish together, David Cameron will declare on Thursday as he uses a landmark speech in Indonesia to tell the Muslim world that it can reject a "dead-end choice" between extremism and dictatorship.

In one of his most significant speeches on Islam, the prime minister will say that the world can defeat extremists, who are a "dangerous foe" on a par with supporters of slavery.

Cameron will hail the "extraordinary journey" undertaken by Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, since the end of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998 as an example of the "inspirational path" countries can follow.

"What Indonesia shows is that in the world's largest Muslim-majority country, it is possible to reject this extremist threat and prove that democracy and Islam can flourish alongside each other," the prime minister will tell students at Al-Azhar University in Jakarta. "That's why what you are doing here is so important, because it gives heart to those around the world who are engaged in the same struggle." » | Nicholas Watt | Thursday, April 12, 2012

My comment:

David Cameron is doing what all politicians do these days: They deny the true nature of Islam. Like most politicians, David Cameron has neither studied Islam nor lived in a Muslim-majority country, yet he is sure of his facts, it seems: Islam is compatible with democracy.

This is wishful thinking. Islam at its core is undemocratic. And for many reasons. First among them is that Islam denies the separation of mosque and state, or religion and politics. The separation of the two is the sine qua non of a properly-functioning democracy.

Then there is the fact that democracies are ever-changing. New laws are made in response to changing circumstances, changing needs. Muslims believe in Allah’s law, Islamic law, Shari’ah law. Shari’ah law is based on the Qur’an and the Ahadith, or Hadiths – the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamic law is unchanging by definition. It would be heresy to change Allah's injunctions.

Living according to Shari’ah law is close to a Muslim’s heart. That’s why so many countries are in the process of introducing Islamic law after the Arab Spring, and it’s why Iraq introduced Shari’ah law at the first opportunity. Does David Cameron think that Shari’ah law is compatible with democracy then? Further, if Islam were really compatible with democracy, why has democracy not been the political norm for Islamic countries till now?

Since 9/11, all Western politicians have been in denial about the nature of Islam. They keep on repeating the same old canards, namely that Islam is really a ‘religion of peace’ and that extremists have got it wrong. In other words, the extremists misunderstand their own religion. Whereas, in actual fact, the extremists want what they consider to be pure Islam – Islam unadulterated by Western values. But this is something which our politicians cannot countenance, for were they to do so, they’d be forced to do something meaningful about it. That would take great strength and resolve. One could even say that it would bring the house of cards down, because ‘our house’ in the twenty-first century is built increasingly on the myth of multiculturalism. They’ve all bought into this, so they’ve got to try and make it work. One day, they might be forced to change course. God only knows what it will take to bring that about though! – © Mark

Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom » | Mark Alexander | Friday, April 20, 2007

'The Holocaust Is German Family History': Book Urges Germans to Quiz Dying Nazi Generation

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German historian Moritz Pfeiffer asked his granddad what he did in World War II, and then fact-checked the testimony. His findings in a new book shed light on a dying generation that remains outwardly unrepentant, but is increasingly willing to break decades of silence on how, and why, it followed Hitler.

Germany has won praise for collectively confronting its Nazi past, but the subject has remained a taboo in millions of family homes -- with children and grandchildren declining to press their elders on what they did in the war.

At least 20 to 25 million Germans knew about the Holocaust while it was happening, according to conservative estimates, and some 10 million fought on the Eastern Front in a war of annihilation that targeted civilians from the start. That, says German historian Moritz Pfeiffer, makes the genocide and the crimes against humanity a part of family history.

Time is running out. The answer to how a cultured, civilized nation stooped so low lies in the minds of the dying Third Reich generation, many of whom are ready and willing to talk at the end of their lives, says Pfeiffer, 29, who has just completed an unprecedented research project based on his own family.

"The situation has changed radically compared with the decades immediately after the war," Pfeiffer, a historian at a museum on the SS at Wewelsburg Castle, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "The generation of eyewitnesses evidently wants to talk now, at least that's my impression. Towards the end of one's life the distance to the events is so great that people are ready to give testimony."

"Immediately after the war, conversations about it between parents and children appear to have been impossible because it was all too fresh," Pfeiffer continued. "Now the problem is that no one is listening to that generation anymore. As a source of information, one's relatives are largely being ignored. But one day it will be too late." » | David Crossland | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Fear of Honor Killings: Immigrants Flee Families to Find Themselves
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Hundreds of young female immigrants are hiding from their families in Germany after fleeing oppression, physical violence and even death threats. Charities and social workers help the women get new identities and build independent lives for themselves, but the risk of revenge from honor-obsessed relatives remains.

Bahar ran away early on a winter morning, one-and-a-half years after her mother was murdered. She helped her younger siblings get ready for school, and then she gave them a goodbye kiss on the forehead. Her uncle and her brothers were still sleeping. Bahar tiptoed out of the apartment in her socks, walked down the stairs and out the door. And then she ran for her life.

Today Bahar is 26 and likes to wear high-heeled shoes. She has chosen a popular café in a small city as a meeting point. She is wearing a modest amount of makeup, and her black hair is pulled back into a bun. She smiles tentatively and introduces herself, using the name in her new passport, which, for her protection, cannot be used in this article.

Bahar's family came to Germany from Iraq in 1996. They lived in the eastern city of Halle an der Saale for the first two years, in an apartment in a high-rise building with a dingy kitchen. Her father felt that most jobs were beneath him, beat his wife and "put out cigarettes on her skin," says Bahar. The father would sometimes disappear for months at a time. Bahar suspects that he was involved in criminal activities. "Everything was always peaceful without him. We even had a picnic in the park once," says Bahar. She took along some of the photos from that day when she ran away, but she can't bear to look at them, she says.

During those happy times, when she was alone with her six children, Bahar's mother came to the conclusion that she wanted to separate from her despotic husband. She went to the local town hall with Bahar to get information about German divorce law. When the father found out about it, he took a knife and locked himself in the bedroom with his wife on a summer night in 2003. Bahar holds up her hands to show us two scars: the evidence of her attempt to save her mother.

With the mother dead and the father sentenced to life in prison, an uncle took control of Bahar and her five siblings. He managed to make a caring and thoughtful impression on the youth welfare office, but it was deceptive. He used to turn up the music before he began beating the children. Bahar used makeup to hide the bruises. "I wasn't allowed to read books, and I couldn't even go out on the balcony anymore," she says. "Just cook, do the laundry and clean."

Bahar endured her life as a virtual slave for a year and a half. "Then I knew that I would either kill myself or leave." » | Antje Windmann | Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Egypt: The Other Homeland
Revealing a bygone era, we tell the story of Egypt's once-thriving Greek community.

Growing Calls for Cancelling of Bahrain Grand Prix
Formula One teams have been arriving in Shanghai, ahead of this week's Chinese Grand Prix. But the big issue for the sport is whether next week's Bahrain Grand Prix can go ahead. Al Jazeera's Lee Welling reports from London.

French Cabinet OKs New Anti-terrorism Measures
THE BOSTON GLOBE: PARIS—The conservative French government on Wednesday unveiled new counterterrorism measures to punish those who visit extremist websites or travel to weapons-training camps abroad, in the wake of deadly shootings by an suspected Islamic extremist in southern France last month.

The measures now go to Parliament, where it may face resistance from the Socialists, who say France's legal arsenal against terrorism is already strong enough and that the proposal is a campaign ploy to boost President Nicolas Sarkozy's chances at a second term.

Sarkozy's Cabinet gave its go-ahead to measures that would make it illegal to travel abroad to "indoctrination and weapons-training camps for terrorist ends" or to regularly visit websites that incite or praise deadly terrorism.

Sarkozy's government insists the measures are needed to fight the relatively new phenomenon of "lone wolf" terrorism by extremists who self-radicalize online via jihadist Web sites, and are hard for authorities to track. » | Sylvie Corbet | Associated Press | Wednesday, April 11, 2012