Wilders Calls on Muslims to Leave Islam
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: NEW YORK - PVV leader Geert Wilders has called on Muslims throughout the world to leave Islam. He made his call in a speech in New York, to promote his English-language book Marked for Death.

Wilders claims that his book explains that Islam is a “totalitarian ideology” and is an encouragement to freedom-loving Muslims to turn their back on Islam. “I support those who fight for freedom in the Islamic world completely. The Arab, Turkish, Iranian, Pakistani and Indonesian peoples have enormous potential. If they could free themselves of the yoke of Islam, if they could stop seeing Mohamed as their role model and if they could break away from the rancorous Koran, then they could achieve amazing things,” Wilders said in his speech. » | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Wilders Rage Against Muslims Channeled in Dutch Euro Voter
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Europe's financial crisis is helping Dutch politician Geert Wilders drill his anti-euro, anti-Islamic platform deeper into the mainstream.

The bleached-blonde Freedom Party leader brought down the government on April 21 when he refused to support budget cuts proposed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Now Wilders, who rose to international prominence in 2008 with his movie denouncing Islam, plans to turn September's elections into a vote on Dutch attitudes about Europe and the single currency.

As the euro area faces up to recession and the highest unemployment in 14 years, and bailout fatigue builds even in northern countries such as the Netherlands, Wilders finds himself riding the crest of a wave of opposition to austerity.

"Wilders suddenly feels that he's on the right side of history," Jan Techau, director of the Brussels-based European Center of Endowment for International Peace, said in an April 25 interview. "The crisis has given everybody a very good vent to let things out."

Wilders, 48, whose latest book was released yesterday in New York, is at the nexus of a European movement. Marine Le Pen's anti-euro, anti-immigrant National Front Party got a record 17.9 percent of the vote on April 22 in the first round of France's presidential election. At least two parties with similar views are poised to enter parliament in Greece after the May 6 ballot. Curb Islam » | Fred Pals and Jurjen van de Pol | Bloomberg | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Wife of Former British Diplomat 'Attacked in Kuwait'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dianne Wilton, the wife of a former British ambassador to Kuwait, has been treated for third degree burns after a suspected Islamist threw a pot of boiling water over her in a restaurant.

Mrs Wilton, whose husband is Christopher Wilton, was attacked by a woman while dining with friends and a member of the Kuwait royal family on Monday.

The attacker reportedly fled the scene in the aftermath. » | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

French TV Debate: Sarkozy's Last Chance?

FRANCE 24: Incumbent French President Nicolas Sarkozy will face Socialist challenger François Hollande in a live televised debate on Wednesday. The war of words could be Sarkozy's last chance to turn the tables on his popular rival before Sunday's election.

Current French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist challenger François Hollande will go head-to-head in a live debate on national television Wednesday evening.

Sarkozy is generally considered to be the stronger debater, and with just four days to go before the country goes to the polls, the TV battle looks to be his last real chance to make a dent in Hollande’s lead in the opinion polls.

The debate, which traditionally takes place on the Wednesday before the final round of the country's presidential election, is seen as the climax of the campaign.

Taking its format from similar political debates in the US, the face-off between the leading candidates has been a fixture of French presidential elections since 1974, with the exception of 2002, when Jacques Chirac refused to go head-to-head with far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen.

But even if Sarkozy is able to come out stronger during the debate, history is not on his side: past presidential debates have rarely influenced the outcome of elections. » | Charlotte Oberti | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

FRANCE 24: Le débat télévisé, point d'orgue de la course à l'Élysée: Ce mercredi à 21 heures, François Hollande et Nicolas Sarkozy croiseront le fer lors du traditionnel débat télévisé de l’entre-deux-tours de l'élection présidentielle. Une bataille médiatique dont chacun veut sortir vainqueur. » | Charlotte Oberti | mercredi 02 mai 2012

Régardez la video »

Inside Story: Mitt Romney's Tactical Dilemma
Should the expected Republican presidential candidate shift to the right or pivot to the centre?

Eleven Protesters Killed in Cairo Attack
The number of people killed in street clashes in the Egyptian capital Cairo is rising. Egypt's Interior Ministry says at least 11 people are dead. While security forces have moved into the area, it seems the protesters are not letting up. Al Jazeera's Nicole Johnston reports on the ongoing violence.

Gay Mitt Romney Spokesman Resigns
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Republican Mitt Romney's openly gay spokesman on national security issues, Richard Grenell, has resigned, the campaign said on Tuesday, after his hiring led to a backlash from social conservatives.

Richard Grenell, who had worked in previous years in the US mission to the United Nations under Republican President George W Bush, had been hired recently to tackle the foreign affairs portfolio for the all-out-certain Republican nominee Romney.

"While I welcomed the challenge to confront President Obama's foreign policy failures ... my ability to speak clearly and forcefully on the issues has been greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues that sometimes comes from a presidential campaign," Mr Grenell said in a statement received by the Washington Post.

"I want to thank Governor Romney for his belief in me and my abilities and his clear message to me that being openly gay was a non-issue for him and his team." » | Source: agencies | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Schwuler Romney-Sprecher gibt auf: Richard Grenell war nur zwei Wochen im Amt. Jetzt hat der außenpolitische Sprecher des designierten US-Präsidentschaftskandidaten Mitt Romney seinen Rücktritt verkündet: Kritik von Erzkonservativen an seiner Homosexualität habe ihn zu diesem Schritt bewogen. ¶ Washington - Es ist das abrupte Ende einer politischen Karriere: Richard Grenell, außenpolitischer Sprecher des designierten republikanischen US-Präsidentschaftkandidaten Mitt Romney, ist nach knapp zwei Wochen im Amt zurückgetreten. Laut einem Bericht der "Washington Post" deutete Grenell an, dass er seinen Posten geräumt habe, weil Konservative in seiner Partei offen Vorbehalte gegen sein Schwulsein und sein Eintreten für die Homo-Ehe geäußert hatten. Eine "aufgedrehte und voreingenommene Debatte" über persönliche Angelegenheiten würde ihn in seiner Arbeit beeinträchtigen, sagte Grenell demnach.» | hen/dpa | Mittwoch, 02. Mai 2012

WASHINGTON POST: Gay Romney aide steps down, citing backlash over sexuality » | Nia-Malika Henderson and Rachel Weiner | Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Discours de Nicolas Sarkozy au Trocadéro

Lien en relation avec cette vidéo »

Wahlkampftag in Frankreich
Wenige Tage vor der Präsidentschaftswahl in Frankreich verwandelt sich die Hauptstadt Paris in eine grosse Wahlkampfbühne. Während der amtierende Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy am Nachmittag am Place Trocadéro eine Rede halten wird, wollen sich die Sozialisten bei den traditionellen Demonstrationen der Gewerkschaften zum Tag der Arbeit einreihen. Auch die lachende Dritte aus dem ersten Durchgang der Wahl, Marine Le Pen, wird ihren Auftritt haben.

Related »

France's Le Pen Refuses to Endorse Sarkozy
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has delivered a further blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy's hopes of re-election by refusing to endorse him and telling her six million supporters to make their own choice at Sunday's ballot.

"I will not grant my trust, or a mandate, to these two candidates," she told supporters on Tuesday at an annual commemoration of Joan of Arc, the national saint her group favours to the May Day celebrations held by international labour and leftist parties.

"On Sunday, I will cast a blank ballot." – Jacky Rowland reports.


Verwandt »

Murdoch 'Unfit' to Run Global Empire
A group of British members of parliament say media boss Rupert Murdoch is unfit to lead a global business empire. They found him responsible for what they called a culture of illegal phone hacking. Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports from London.

Related »

Boredom and Empty Pockets Boost Neo-Nazi Ranks

Un 1er-Mai contre l'austérité et Nicolas Sarkozy
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - Des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont défilé mardi en France pour dire non à l'austérité imposée selon eux par l'Union européenne et, très souvent, manifester leur rejet de Nicolas Sarkozy à cinq jours du second tour de la présidentielle. » | Reuters | mardi 01 mai 2012

REUTERS FRANCE: De Paris à Athènes, un 1er-Mai contre l'austérité : ATHENES - Des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont défilé mardi dans le sud de l'Europe pour protester contre les mesures d'austérité à l'occasion du 1er-Mai, qui a pris cette année un tour particulier à quelques jours des échéances électorales en Grèce et en France. ¶ En France, à cinq jours du second tour de l'élection présidentielle entre Nicolas Sarkozy et François Hollande, près de 290 cortèges sont annoncés par la CGT, dont l'un dans l'après-midi à Paris, où les marcheurs auront été précédés par une manifestation du Front national et où se tiendra au même moment un meeting politique organisé par le président sortant. » | par Renee Maltezou | Reuters | mardi 01 mai 2012

Le Pen verweigert Wahlempfehlung zugunsten Sarkozys
REUTERS DEUTSCHLAND: Paris - In Frankreich hat die Chefin des rechtsextremen Front National, Marine Le Pen, eine Wahlempfehlung zugunsten des um sein politisches Überleben kämpfenden Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy abgelehnt.

Sie werde in der Stichwahl am Sonntag einen leeren Stimmzettel abgeben, kündigte Le Pen am Dienstag vor Anhängern in Paris an. Die Rechtsaußen-Partei war in der ersten Wahlrunde mit fast 18 Prozent der Stimmen überraschend stark auf Platz drei gekommen. » | Reuters | Dienstag, 01. Mai 2012

Russian Nazi Groups Work to Translate Breivik’s Manifesto - Lawyer

RIA NOVOSTI: A self-confessed Norway mass killer Anders Breivik keeps contact with Russian ultra right-wing activists who are now translating his Manifesto into Russian, the Dagbladet quoted on Monday Breivik’s lawyer Tord Jordet as saying.

“We don’t know anything about his Russian support team except the fact that they are working on translation of Breivik’s manifesto,” Jordet told the paper, referring to Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto where he expresses his extreme anti-Muslim political views and describes the justifies his future attacks.

Jordet also said that in the notes that Breivik had written to prepare for questioning he said that he was going to establish “a pan-European network” with the help of Russian extremists. » | Ria Novosti | Monday, April 30, 2012

RIA NOVOSTI: Breivik’s German ‘Lover’ Sent Packing from Norway » | Ria Novosti | Thursday, April 19, 2012

Related »

UK Lawmakers: Rupert Murdoch Unfit to Run Company

REUTERS.COM: Rupert Murdoch is unfit to run a major international company, British lawmakers said on Tuesday, finding him responsible for a culture of illegal phone hacking that has convulsed his News Corporation media empire.

Pulling few punches, the lawmakers listed failings of the 81-year-old News Corp chief, his son James and a company they said had showed "willful blindness" about the scale of hacking that existed at the British News of the World tabloid.

The cross-party parliamentary committee, which approved the report by a majority of six to four, also scolded News Corp's British newspaper arm for misleading the British parliament during its five year investigation into the hacking of the phones of celebrities, murder victims, politicians and soldiers.

But it split along party lines, with members from Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative Party voting against the report, saying they did not agree with its view that the Australian-born Murdoch was not fit to run a major company.

Cameron, who has acknowledged that Britain's political elite had been in thrall to the Murdochs for years, is facing criticism ahead of local elections this week that he was too close to the media tycoon.

The report said there had been huge failures in corporate governance which raised questions about the competence of Rupert's 39-year-old son, James. » | Georgina Prodhan and Kate Holton | LONDON | Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Pro-NRW-Kundgebung: Salafisten attackieren Polizisten

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In Solingen ist es nach einer islamfeindlichen Aktion der rechtsextremen Splitterpartei Pro NRW zu Ausschreitungen gekommen. Radikale Islamisten durchbrachen eine Absperrung, gingen auf Polizisten los und verletzten drei Beamte und einen Passanten.

Solingen [E] - Die vom Verfassungsschutz als rechtsextremistisch eingestufte Partei Pro NRW hat der vermeintlichen Islamisierung Deutschlands den Kampf angesagt. Am Dienstag folgten den Worten Taten: In Solingen gab die Splitterpartei eine Kundgebung, bei der anti-islamische Karikaturen gezeigt wurden. Das rief radikale Islamisten auf den Plan, die im Stadtzentrum gegen die Pro-NRW-Aktion demonstrierten. Als die Rechtspopulisten in Sichtweite einer salafistischen Moschee Mohammed-Karikaturen des norwegischen Zeichners Kurt Westergaard zur Schau stellten, eskalierte die Gewalt.

"Einige der mit Turbanen bekleideten Salafisten sprangen plötzlich über die Absperrung und warfen Steine auf Polizeibeamte und schlugen diese auch mit Fahnenstangen", sagte Polizeipressesprecherin Anja Meis. Insgesamt seien 30 Angehörige der Salafisten festgenommen worden. Drei Beamte und ein Passant seien verletzt worden, sie hätten Platz- und Schlagwunden erlitten.

Mit der Eskalation in Solingen ist das eingetreten, was Bundesinnenminister Hans-Peter Friedrich (CSU) bereits prophezeit hat: Nach Informationen des SPIEGEL warnte der Minister vor einer Konfrontation zwischen Rechtsextremisten und Salafisten mit unabsehbaren Folgen für die öffentliche Sicherheit. » | jjc/dpa | Dienstag, 01. Mai 2012

Fundraising Floodgates Opening for Romney

abc NEWS: With Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich out of the way, high-dollar Republican donors are able to open their wallets to both Mitt Romney’s campaign and the RNC Victory Fund at joint fundraising events all over the country.

Several Romney fundraisers are now saying many of the big donors that had been staying “on the sidelines” in the primary are coming to their camp and writing big checks.

Romney is ramping up his fundraising schedule, focusing on events with high-dollar donors in the Northeast and elsewhere around the country, in between campaign stops.

A breakfast last week at the Marriott Marquis in New York City hosted by Jets owner Woody Johnson, smaller private lunches and dinners in Manhattan, and events in Florida, Connecticut, and Boston, have or will help fill the coffers ahead of the long road to November.

Upcoming fundraisers on May 16 and 17 in Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, and Boca Raton are expected to reel in millions for the effort. The events will be tiered, arranged so that the more a donor gives, the more time he or she will get to spend with the presumptive GOP nominee. » | Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Muslim Students Condemn 'Divisive and Irresponsible' University Alcohol Ban
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Muslim students at a university which proposed to ban the sale of alcohol from parts of campus on their behalf are claiming the decision is “divisive”, “irresponsible” and based on a “gross generalisation”.

The students at London Metropolitan University said the prospective alcohol ban was “ill-advised and misleading”, demonising them and exacerbating “Islamophobia” at the university and in wider society.

They warned the proposals had created such ill-feeling amongst students that it is "only a matter of time" before a Muslim student is assaulted.

They accused Vice Chancellor Professor Malcolm Gillies of “immorally” using them as “scapegoats” in order to justify a decision not to renew a costly lease for the student bar.

Their comments, issued on behalf of the LMU Islamic Society and Shia Muslim Society, follow a suggestion from Prof Gillies that he was considering banning the sale of alcohol from parts of the university's two campuses.

This, he said, was an issue of “cultural sensitivity” resulting from a “high percentage” of students considering drinking “immoral”.

Earlier this month, he said: “There are students who do come from a tradition that stays alcohol is evil and they need to feel that they have a place at London Metropolitan University.

“They don’t have to feel that this is an alcoholic environment, we are an educational environment, we are not seeking to push particular cultural or gastronomic values, we meet the needs of our students as they actually are.”

In an open letter, students have now reprimanded Prof Gillies for failing to consult all students on any proposed alcohol ban and have demanded a retraction and an apology for his comments.

They said: “There has never been a demand for an alcohol ban on campus from Muslim or non-Muslim students. Read on and comment » | Hannah Furness | Monday, April 30, 2012

Related »

Khalil Dale: Red Cross Urge Pakistani Media Not to Broadcast Execution Video
THE GUARDIAN: ICRC says it has a policy of not paying ransoms after body of British aid worker kidnapped in January is found in Quetta


The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing to the Pakistani media not to broadcast a video of the execution of the kidnapped British aid worker Khalil Dale, which his killers have threatened to release.

Dale's body was discovered on Sunday, dumped in an orchard in Quetta, the restless southern city where the 60-year-old British nurse had been working as a health programme manager before he was seized by armed men in January.

Officials in Quetta said a note had been left with his corpse saying: "This is the body of Khalil who we have slaughtered for not paying a ransom".

It also said a video of the moment Dale's throat was cut would soon be released.

The ICRC has said it will weigh up the risks and benefits of operating in parts of Pakistan following Dale's murder.

A spokesman refused to go into detail about any contacts the ICRC may have had with Dale's abductors to try to free him before his death, but said this should not be taken to mean it had countenanced paying any ransom.

The 60-year-old Muslim convert from Dumfries, Scotland, had been kidnapped at gunpoint in January. » | Jon Boone in Islamabad, Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent and James Meikle | Monday, April 30, 2012

Related »

The Brutal Truth About Islam
Ever since 9/11, Americans have been bombarded with the message that Islam is a religion of peace. Gordon Robertson interviews Robert Spencer on the real story Muslims don't want you to hear. [2008]

As America's Waistline Expands, Costs Soar
REUTERS.COM: U.S. hospitals are ripping out wall-mounted toilets and replacing them with floor models to better support obese patients. The Federal Transit Administration wants buses to be tested for the impact of heavier riders on steering and braking. Cars are burning nearly a billion gallons of gasoline more a year than if passengers weighed what they did in 1960.

The nation's rising rate of obesity has been well-chronicled. But businesses, governments and individuals are only now coming to grips with the costs of those extra pounds, many of which are even greater than believed only a few years ago: The additional medical spending due to obesity is double previous estimates and exceeds even those of smoking, a new study shows.

Many of those costs have dollar signs in front of them, such as the higher health insurance premiums everyone pays to cover those extra medical costs. Other changes, often cost-neutral, are coming to the built environment in the form of wider seats in public places from sports stadiums to bus stops.

The startling economic costs of obesity, often borne by the non-obese, could become the epidemic's second-hand smoke. Only when scientists discovered that nonsmokers were developing lung cancer and other diseases from breathing smoke-filled air did policymakers get serious about fighting the habit, in particular by establishing nonsmoking zones. The costs that smoking added to Medicaid also spurred action. Now, as economists put a price tag on sky-high body mass indexes (BMIs), policymakers as well as the private sector are mobilizing to find solutions to the obesity epidemic. » | Sharon Begley | NEW YORK | Monday, April 30, 2012

This is Halal
This video filmed by GAIA exposes the suffering caused by the Halal method of animal slaughter.

As you can see the animals are not stunned before they are killed. Many animals endure several minutes of sheer panic and agony before they die. This slaughter is happening around the world including Europe. It is also happening in the U.K. This meat is also being imported to the U.K. in large quantities RIGHT NOW. It is being sold in restaurants, pubs, schools, supermarkets, and many fast food outlets across the UK - completely unlabeled.

You may well have eaten this stuff without realising it.

In some abattoirs the animals are stunned so that they are partially paralysed but not rendered unconscious, so called 'stun to stun' This kind of stunning can often be more cruel as the animal cannot express the pain it is suffering.

Please write to your MP and demand a ban on Halal and Kosher slaughter in Europe and clear labeling of un-stunned meat: www.writetothem.com

Halal Meat Controversy in France
Halal meat, or meat slaughtered in line with Muslim tradition, is at the centre of a political controversy.

Quick - a fast-food French restaurant chain - is testing out a new niche market, withdrawing all pork products from the menu and serving only halal meat in some of its branches.

Experts say that with more than 5 million French Muslims who are potential customers, Quick is targeting a booming market: the $7.5bn halal business.

But the mayor of Roubaix, a French town near the northern city of Lille , has launched a law suit against the food chain, arguing that it constituted "discrimination" against non-Muslims.

And Marine Le Pen, the vice-president of the far-right National Front party, has warned of "Islamisation".

Al Jazeera's Estelle Youssouffa reports from Paris. [February 21, 2010]

French Muslims Get Call to Vote for President
ASSOCIATED PRESS: PARIS — They are France's millions-strong minority with a voice that usually falls silent at election time. But this year, there is a special new effort to mobilize French Muslims to speak up at the ballot box in Sunday's presidential race — amid a surge of Islam-bashing among the French right.

Imams and Islamic associations are calling on Muslims to do their duty as citizens and go to the polls. And while they're not officially endorsing anyone, the call itself is a bold move in a country where statistics on religious affiliation are formally banned and where secularism is enshrined in the constitution.

Socialist Francois Hollande — the poll favorite — is more likely to benefit from the get-out-the-vote push, because conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out against Muslim practices in his campaign and experts say that Muslims in poor neighborhoods and Muslim youth tend to vote for the left. But the Muslim vote is diverse, and there's no guarantee that the push will bring out voters, since Muslims have tended in the past to avoid politics.

French Muslims have been pounded with blame throughout the campaign for what they eat (halal meat), how they pray (in the street), and for allegedly using their growing numbers to supplant France's civilization with their own. The massacre of Jewish schoolchildren and French paratroopers in March by an alleged Islamic extremist put Muslims in the spotlight anew and fed far-right fear mongering. » | Elaine Ganley | AP | Monday, April 30, 2012

Bahraini Activist to Remain in Jail until Retrial
A man on hunger strike in Bahrain for more than 80 days is to be given a retrial, on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. But Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and 20 others will have to stay in jail until then. Charles Stratford explains.

New Russia Law Bans 'Homosexual Propaganda'
Two gay activists have gone on trial in the Russian city of St Petersburg under a new law banning what authorities describe as "homosexual propaganda". Human rights groups say the new law is a major setback for human rights in Russia. Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford reports from St Petersburg.

Skandal Royal: Juan Carlos – Brudermord?
König Juan Carlos von Spanien ist einer der beliebtesten Monarchen der Gegenwart. Nur wenige wissen von einem tragischen Geheimnis aus seiner Kindheit. Am 29. März 1956 starb sein Bruder Alfonso im Alter von 15 Jahren an den Folgen einer Schussverletzung am Kopf. Offiziell war von einem Unfall die Rede. Alfonso hätte sich beim Waffenreinigen unabsichtlich umgebracht. Ein Band der Stille legte sich über diesen Tod - bis zum 17. April 1956. An diesem Tag veröffentlichte eine italienische Zeitung eine schockierende Nachricht: Die offizielle Erklärung der spanischen Botschaft sei gelogen. Die italienische Presse druckte eine andere Version: Juan Carlos soll abgedrückt und seinen Bruder mit einem Kopfschuss getötet haben.
Das Video hier abspielen | Sonntag, 22. April 2012

Far-Right Provocation: Berlin Worried About 'Muhammad Cartoon Contest'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A far-right group in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is running a 'Muslim cartoon contest' and plans to display the works outside mosques. The move has alarmed authorities which fear it could incite violence and hurt German interests abroad, similar to the backlash that followed the 2005 publication of cartoons in Danish newspapers.

The German government has voiced concern that far-right activists in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia may incite violence with plans to hold a so-called "Muhammad cartoon contest" and to stage demonstrations outside mosques in the run-up to a regional election there on May 13.

SPIEGEL has learned that Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich warned of a confrontation between Salafists and right-wing extremists which he said could have unforeseeable consequences for public safety.

Pro-NRW, which has been categorized as an extremist right-wing group by the domestic intelligence agency, has said it plans to display the cartoons outside 25 mosques in the state. » | SPIEGEL/cro | Monday, April 30, 2012

In Norway, Muslim Leaders Say Breivik Trial Should Focus on Gunman’s Anti-Islamic Ideology
THE WASHINGTON POST: OSLO, Norway — Muslim leaders in Norway say they are concerned that the anti-Islamic ideology of Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right fanatic now on trial for killing 77 people, is being overshadowed by questions about his mental state.

The self-described anti-Muslim militant shocked Norway on July 22 with a bombing and shooting rampage targeting the government headquarters and the Labor Party’s annual youth camp. Since he has admitted to the attacks, the key issue for the trial is to determine whether Breivik is sane enough to be held criminally responsible.

“I’m not a psychiatrist, but what is important is what he has done. That should be the focus, not how crazy he is,” said Mehtab Afsar, head of the Islamic Council in Norway, an umbrella organization of Muslim groups in the country.

“He wants to get rid of Muslims and Islam from Europe. That is his main message. So I don’t see the point of using so much energy on is he normal, is he insane?” Afsar told The Associated Press.

Breivik has told the court his victims had betrayed Norway by opening the country to immigration. He called for a “patriotic” revolution aimed at deporting Muslims from Europe. » | Associated Press | Saturday, April 28, 2012

Related »

Pakistan: Un an après la mort de Ben Laden, l'extrémisme prospère

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La montée de l'extrémisme au Pakistan n'a jamais été aussi marquée, un an après la disparition de l'ex-chef d'Al-Qaïda.

Un an après, la mort d’Oussama Ben Laden n’a pas donné de coup d’arrêt à la montée de l’extrémisme au Pakistan, bien au contraire: profitant de la mansuétude des autorités, les "petits frères" locaux d’Al-Qaïda menacent de plus en plus l’équilibre précaire de la société.

Le commandement traditionnel d’Al-Qaïda dans la région, concentré notamment dans les zones tribales pakistanaises du nord-ouest, le long de la frontière afghane, a été selon nombre d’observateurs très affaibli par la campagne de tirs de drones américains, qui se sont multipliés à partir de 2008.

Mais l’idéologie du réseau, fondée sur le mythe de la résistance du peuple musulman face à l’impérialisme américain, et appelant à punir tous ceux soutiennent Washington, trouve toujours de l’écho dans un pays plombé par la crise économique et la faiblesse de son pouvoir politique. » | afp/Newsnet | lundi 30 avril 2012

Is Netanyahu Misleading Israelis Over Iran?
As members of Israel's security establishment criticise the prime minister, we ask if a growing rift is emerging.

Putin's Russia
As Vladimir Putin begins his third term as president, we ask if Russia can become a superpower once again.

Ex-Libyan Oil Minister's Body Found in Danube
Austrian police say Shukri Ghanem was found dead in river near Vienna and showed no external signs of violence.

Related »

Niederländischer Populist: Das neue Feindbild des Geert Wilders

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Neuwahlen in den Niederlanden will Geert Wilders zu einer Abstimmung über Europa machen. Der Populist, der bei der letzten Wahl mit Hass auf Muslime auf Stimmenfang ging, schürt jetzt die Angst vor der Euro-Krise. Sein neuer Gegner heißt Brüssel.

Niemand weiß, wo er wohnt. Bühnen und Veranstaltungen betritt er immer nur durch den Hintereingang. Wenn er mit seiner Frau ins Kino geht, sitzen Bodyguards hinter ihm. Geert Wilders, 48, ist isoliert. Wegen seiner Sprüche gegen Ausländer und Muslime wird der niederländische Rechtspopulist rund um die Uhr geschützt. Als Mensch, sagt er selbst, sei er deshalb schon lange allein.

Auch politisch wird er immer mehr zum Außenseiter: Vergangene Woche ließ Wilders nach anderthalb Jahren Zusammenarbeit die Regierung in den Niederlanden platzen. Ohne die Unterstützung von Wilders' "Partei für die Freiheit" (PVV) hatte die Minderheitsregierung von Mark Rutte keine Mehrheit mehr. Andere Parteien geben Wilders die Schuld am Debakel. Im September finden Neuwahlen statt.

"Was mich betrifft", sagt Geert Wilders, "wird die Wahl ein großes Referendum über Europa und die Souveränität unseres Landes". Er möge Wahlkämpfe. "Gegen Europa, gegen die drei Prozent, gegen den Euro - dafür wurde die PVV gegründet." Seine Partei sei die einzige mit Rückgrat - alle anderen würden sich den EU-Regeln beugen. Holland muss mindestens 14 Milliarden Euro sparen, um das Staatsdefizit auf die erlaubten drei Prozent des Bruttoinlandsprodukts zurückzubringen. Für Wilders sind die Sparregeln ein "Diktat aus Brüssel", an denen sich das Land kaputtspare.

Für den Wahlkampf entwickelt der Rechtspopulist deshalb ein neues Feindbild: Die Bedrohung ist nicht mehr der Islam, sondern Brüssel. Jahrelang war Geert Wilders der lauteste Marktschreier unter den Islam-Gegnern in Europa. Mit seinen Parolen baute er seine "Partei für die Freiheit" auf. Vor kurzem setzte er noch ein Burka-Verbot durch - damit aber ist das Thema Islamfeindlichkeit ausgereizt, mehr ist auf diesem Gebiet politisch nicht drin. » | Von Benjamin Dürr | Montag, 30. April 2012

Related videos here and here

Au Liechtenstein, le prince tient à son pouvoir absolu

LE FIGARO: Le prince Aloïs, sous la menace d'un référendum pour abroger son droit de veto, menace de se retirer.

Y aura-t-il un «printemps des peuples» jusqu'au Liechtenstein? Un vent de révolte souffle en tout cas sur la minuscule principauté alpine [anglais], qui apparaît comme la dernière monarchie absolue d'Europe. Du haut de son château, qui surplombe sa lilliputienne capitale, Vaduz [anglais], le prince héritier Aloïs [anglais] gronde: «La maison princière n'est prête à assumer ses responsabilités politiques que si elle dispose des instruments nécessaires. Nous nous retirerons sinon complètement de la vie politique.»

L'enjeu du différend? La toute-puissance de la maison princière sur ses 36 000 sujets: elle peut, grâce à son droit de veto, bloquer toute loi ou référendum. «L'ensemble du pays dépend du prince : le Parlement, le gouvernement, la justice», explique le journaliste Sigvard Wohl¬wend, porte-parole du comité de citoyens «Oui, pour que ta voix compte». Le prince, chef de l'État, peut dissoudre le Parlement, révoquer le gouvernement et diriger par décret. Il peut aussi refuser la nomination d'un juge et mettre fin à toute enquête pénale. «Dans la pratique, il n'a même pas besoin d'utiliser ces pouvoirs, car tous s'empressent d'exécuter ses souhaits», souligne Sigvard Wohl¬wend. » | Par Stéphane Kovacs | vendredi 27 avril 2012

Breivik Visited Malta for ‘Historical Research’

TIMES OF MALTA: Breivik shot ‘several films’ in Malta

Norwegian terrorist mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik visited Malta with his mother in 2004 to conduct “historic research” for his manifesto but told the police he never made any permanent contacts on the island.

The visit came 10 days after Mr Breivik’s 25th birthday, The Times has learnt.

Mr Breivik – who is currently standing trial for killing 77 people at a summer camp organised by the ruling Labour party – gave details about his trip to the island to the Norwegian police when he was interrogated.

This is the first time details of his visit have emerged. In his manifesto, the anti-Muslim funda-mentalist listed 24 countries he had visited, including “exotic” destinations like Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Liberia, China, Mexico, Cyprus and Malta.

When the police asked him about his trip to Malta, Mr Breivik initially said he did not remember his stay on the island.

However, when the police quoted flight records showing he landed on February 23, 2004, Mr Breivik confirmed this was a week-long holiday with his mother. » | Christian Peregin | Monday, April 30, 2012

Related »

Libyen: Demonstranten verlangen die Einführung der Scharia als Grundlage aller Gesetze Libyens
INSTITUT FÜR ISLAMFRAGEN: Forderung: Der Islam soll Staatsreligion sein

(Institut für Islamfragen, dh, 28.04.2012) Die arabische Zeitung www.alarabiya.net veröffentlichte Anfang des Jahres einen Bericht über eine Demonstration in Benghazi/Libyen, bei der 2000-3000 Demonstranten die Einführung der Scharia in Libyen forderten. Auf Flugblättern, die von den Demonstranten verteilt wurden, verlangten sie, die Scharia zur Quelle aller Bestimmungen der libyschen Verfassung und aller Gesetze zu machen. Es müsse im libyschen Gesetz einen Paragraphen geben, der den Islam als Staatsreligion bezeichnet. Dieser Paragraph müsse angenommen werden, ohne dass darüber eine Abstimmung libyscher Politiker notwendig sei.

Die Demonstranten riefen: als Motto des von ihnen angestrebten islamischen Staates: "Islamisch, islamisch" [arab. islamiya, islamiya] und trugen den Koran in ihren Händen.

Der Vorsitzende der libyschen Übergangsregierung, Mustapha Abdul-Jalil, hatte im Oktober letzten Jahres in "der Befreiungserklärung Libyens" angekündigt, die Scharia werde die Hauptquelle der Gesetzgebung Libyens werden. [Quelle: Institut für Islamfragen] | Samstag, 28. April 2012

Das Institut braucht Ihre Unterstützung. »

Anti-Islam Gathering in Dearborn Protested, Defended
DETROIT FREE PRESS: Anti-Islam advocates from across the U.S. gathered Sunday in Dearborn for a conference to bring attention to what they say is a problem of Muslim honor killings.

About 150 gathered at the Hyatt in Dearborn for the Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference, named after a 20-year-old Arab-American Muslim woman who was killed by her stepfather last year in Warren.

But at another conference in Detroit, about 100 people gathered earlier in the day to oppose the anti-Islam conference, saying it was the latest attack on metro Detroit's Arab-American and Muslim communities. Dearborn has the highest concentration of Arab-Americans in the U.S., many of them Muslim.

"We stand for America," said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab-American News, at a panel at the DoubleTree hotel in Detroit. "And they (anti-Muslim activists) stand against America and against the American way of life." » | Niraj Warikoo | Detroit Free Press Staff Writer | Monday, April 30, 2012

Florida Pastor Terry Jones Burns Copies of Koran Outside Church

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Dove World Outreach Center preacher fined for act as officials fear it may spark Muslim outrage

An Islamophobic pastor in Florida is playing with fire once again.

Terry Jones, who sparked international outrage in 2010 when he vowed to burn copies of the Koran, ignited copies of the Islamic holy book outside his Dove World Outreach Center Saturday night, according to the Gainsville Sun.

The pastor — who once promised he would "not ever" burn a Koran — also burned an image depicting the prophet Muhammad, the newspaper reported.

Jones carried out the incendiary act along with about 20 others to protest the imprisonment of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian jailed in Iran since 2009 for his religious beliefs, according to the Christian Post.

“Our end result is we would like to have these things brought in front of the United Nations,” Jones told the newspaper.

“We would like Islam-dominated countries to adapt at least some form of human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion rights; individual rights [and] civil rights. That would be the outcome that we would desire.” » | Michael Sheridan / New York Daily News | Sunday, April 29, 2012

Al-Qaeda 'Will Free British Hostage' If Abu Qatada Can Go Where He Wants
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, an affilate of the terrorist organisation, have offered to free a British-South African hostage if Abu Qatada, the radical cleric, is allowed to choose a country for his extradition, according to the US monitoring service SITE.

AQIM also threatened that Britain would "open the door of evil" unto its country and people should it send the imam back to his native Jordan where he faces jail, the report said.

The group which is Al-Qaeda's North African franchise - has been holding Stephen Malcolm and two other western men hostage since abducting them last November in the northern Mali desert city of Timbuktu.

Britain has been trying to deport Abu Qatada for more than six years, arguing he is a threat to national security, to Jordan, where the cleric was convicted in 1998 in absentia of involvement in terror attacks. » | Source: AFP | Monday, April 30, 2012

Libya Ex-Minister Shukri Ghanem Dead in Danube River

BBC: The body of Libya's former Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem has been found in the Danube River, Austrian police say.

A spokesman said there were no signs of violence to Mr Ghanem's body, which was in the river that flows through Vienna.

The former prime minister, 69, worked as a consultant for a Vienna-based company. He apparently left his home early on Sunday, police said.

Mr Ghanem defected from Libya as the country was engulfed in the uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi last year.

At the time, he criticised the bloodshed in Libya, saying that the situation had become "unbearable", making his position untenable.

He served as Libyan prime minister from 2003 to 2006 and then as oil minister until 2011. » | Sunday, April 29, 2012

Bin Laden Widows Welcomed in Saudi Arabia as ‘Not Suspicious’
BBC: Saudi officials have said they have no suspicions about Osama Bin Laden's widows and children, who arrived in the kingdom late last week.

The three women and reportedly 11 children were deported from Pakistan last week.

A spokesman said the kingdom had acted out of "humanitarian considerations" in offering shelter to the group.

The group spent a year in Pakistani custody after Bin Laden was killed by US special forces in May last year.

"Saudi Arabia acted out of humanitarian considerations... in so far as there are no reports or evidence of any implication in criminal or illegal acts," the official Saudi Press Agency quoted a spokesman as saying, AFP news agency reports.

'Country of choice'

The spokesman said the group had been welcomed by their relatives when they arrived in Jeddah on Thursday night.

The three widows and their children left Pakistan for Saudi Arabia which was, according to a Pakistani interior ministry spokesman, "the country of their choice". » | Sunday, April 29, 2012

Is George Galloway Muslim?

George Galloway Continues to Defend the Syrian Dictatorship

Berlin expulse un dangereux prédicateur salafiste

LE FIGARO: Mohammed Mahmoud appelle au djihad, prétend conquérir Rome et «exécuter les sentences d'Allah sur la place Saint-Pierre».

L'Allemagne entend afficher sa détermination dans la lutte contre la mouvance salafiste. En ordonnant l'expulsion du prêcheur radical Mohammed Mahmoud, sur décision du ministère de l'Intérieur de la Hesse, les autorités allemandes espèrent décapiter l'islam radical sur leur territoire.

En quelques mois, ce salafiste autrichien d'origine égyptienne, plus connu sous son nom de guerre «Abou Usama al-Gharib», s'était imposé à la tête de la mouvance radicale outre-Rhin. Il appelle au djihad et se dit prêt à mourir pour ses convictions. «Ceux qui ne sont pas prêts à accepter les règles démocratiques, l'organisation de la société, qui rejettent les lois et qui appellent au renversement du système démocratique, par la violence si nécessaire, doivent quitter l'Allemagne», a expliqué Boris Rhein, ministre de l'Intérieur du Land de Hesse.

Réputé pour ses liens avec al-Qaida, Mohammed Mahmoud s'est installé en Allemagne en septembre 2011, après sa sortie de prison. Il avait été condamné en 2008 à quatre ans de détention à Vienne pour avoir fabriqué une ceinture d'explosifs. » | Par Patrick Saint-Paul | vendredi 27 avril 2012

Schicksalswahl in Griechenland
In Griechenland wird nächsten Sonntag ein neues Parlament gewählt. Nur knapp ein Drittel der Wähler hält laut Umfragen an den etablierten Parteien fest. Besonders rechtsradikale Parteien erleben einen Aufschwung.