US Army zieht ein Viertel der Soldaten aus Europa ab
DIE PRESSE: Der neue Kommandant der US-Landstreitkräfte in Europa kündigt an, dass die Truppe in den kommenden Jahren auf etwa 30.000 Mann reduziert wird.

Die US-Landstreitkräfte in Europa werden in den kommenden Jahren weitere 10.000 Mann abbauen - rund ein Viertel ihrer derzeitigen Stärke. Das kündigte der neue Kommandant der US Army in Europa (USAREUR), Generalleutnant Donald Campbell, am Mittwoch im deutschen Wiesbaden an. "Die Truppe wird in den nächsten drei oder vier Jahren auf etwa 30 000 Mann verringert", sagte der Drei-Sterne-General. » | APA/dpa | Mittwoch, 09. Januar 2013

The Enlightened Side of Islam? Slaves of Dubai
Most people know Dubai for its massive skyscrapers and luxurious hotels, but few know that the city was built by modern-day slaves.

Salafisten-Anführer wollen in Kreuzberg predigen

BERLINER MORGENPOST: Führende Islamisten wie Pierre Vogel und Ibrahim Abou-Nagie wollen bei einem Großevent in Berlin Geld für syrische Gotteskrieger sammeln.

"Wir bieten Ihnen für alle Ihre Festlichkeiten eine angemessene Atmosphäre in unseren Räumlichkeiten", heißt es auf der Webseite des "Vicom Festsaals", einer Eventlocation in Berlin-Kreuzberg [E]. "Wir kümmern uns um jedes Detail und passen uns Ihren Wünschen in gegebenem Rahmen völlig an. Auch wenn es mal mehr Gäste werden wie erwartet können Sie sich auf uns verlassen."

Für das kommende Wochenende haben sich einige besondere Gäste angekündigt: fundamentalistische Muslime, sogenannte Salafisten. Sie wollen am Sonntag in der Markgrafenstraße, unweit des Checkpoint Charlie, von zehn Uhr bis 21 Uhr eine "Benefizveranstaltung für Syrien" abhalten.

Die Liste der angekündigten Redner liest sich wie das "Who-is-who" der Salafisten-Szene: Der Kölner Ex-Boxer und Konvertit Pierre Vogel, der zuletzt in Ägypten gelebt und studiert hat, soll kommen. Ebenso der salafistische Missionar Ibrahim Abou-Nagie, die Bonner Prediger "Abu Dujana" und "Abu Abdullah" und Abdellatif Rouali aus Frankfurt am Main. » | Von Florian Flade | Dienstag, 08. Januar 2013

Les Länder allemands intègrent l’islam
ZAMAN: Deux ans après la publication du livre de Thilo Sarrazin, « l’Allemagne court à sa perte » dans lequel l’auteur dénonçait l’influence, selon lui croissante, de l’islam dans son pays, les relations semblent se normaliser entre les pouvoirs publics et cette communauté de quatre millions de musulmans. Ainsi, le 14 août 2012, la ville de Hambourg qui, comme Brême et Berlin, a conclu un accord avec les représentants de sa communauté musulmane affirmant que les droits et les devoirs de celle-ci étaient identiques à ceux de tous les citoyens allemands. L'aspect le plus spectaculaire est que certains jours fériés musulmans sont désormais officiellement reconnus. Les salariés pourront ne pas travailler (mais devront prendre un jour de vacances ou récupérer). Les écoliers pourront, eux, être dispensés de cours.

Mais l'accord - qui a nécessité cinq ans de négociations - va bien au-delà. Il s'agit d'abord pour la municipalité d'affirmer que les musulmans ont les mêmes droits que les autres citoyens, protestants ou catholiques (avec qui un accord a été signé en 2005) ou juifs (accord conclu en 2007). Ils ont également les mêmes devoirs, comme le respect de certaines valeurs fondamentales - tolérance religieuse et égalité entre hommes et femmes.

L'accord organise également l'enseignement de l'islam dans les écoles publiques. Le sujet est juridiquement complexe, car la Constitution prévoit que l'enseignement de la religion est délivré « en adéquation avec les principes des communautés religieuses ». La communauté musulmane n'ayant pas un représentant unique, ces principes n’ont pas été énoncés. Du coup, les Länder tentent chacun de trouver des solutions avec les représentants musulmans locaux.

En reconnaissant officiellement trois associations musulmanes – Ditib (Union islamique turque pour la religion), Schura (Conseil des communautés islamiques) et Vitz (l'association des centres culturels islamiques) – ainsi que la communauté alévi (groupe religieux de l’islam ni sunnite ni chiite, se rapprochant du soufisme) comme représentatives de la communauté religieuse et en leur permettant de participer, Hambourg va plus loin que les autres Länder. » | Frédéric Lemaître | mardi 01 janvier 2013

Les chrétiens confrontés à la violence de l’islam radical
LE JOURNAL DE SAÔNE ET DE LOIRE: Violence et discriminations contre les chrétiens ont connu une hausse alarmante en Afrique subsaharienne, du fait de la radicalisation des extrémistes islamiques. Mais c’est en Corée du Nord que les chrétiens souffrent le plus.

C’est une organisation non gouvernementale chrétienne qui a publié hier son « indice mondial de persécution » 2013, alors que dans son message de paix lundi, le pape Benoit XVI défendait tous azimuts la liberté religieuse.

À l’exception notable de la Corée du Nord, les pays figurant en tête de ce classement sont des nations musulmanes. L’Arabie saoudite, l’Afghanistan et l’Irak se classent ainsi aux 2 e, 3 e et 4 e rangs, a indiqué Michel Varton, le directeur de la branche française de Portes ouvertes, organisation protestante.

Cinq États, tous situés en Afrique subsaharienne, font leur entrée au classement cette année : il s’agit de la Tanzanie, le Kenya, l’Ouganda, le Niger et, surtout, le Mali qui entre directement à la 7 e place. Les combattants islamistes qui imposent la charia au nord du pays ont brûlé les églises et chassé les chrétiens vers Bamako. « Un islamisme de plus en plus radical et violent se développe en Afrique subsaharienne », a expliqué Claire Lacroix, coordinatrice de l’index. » | mercredi 09 janvier 2013

»Wir wollen unseren Platz in Deutschland finden«
GIEßENER-ALLGEMEINE: Lollar/Staufenberg (khn). Viele Muslime lassen sich nach ihrem Tod hierzulande nicht beerdigen. Ändert sich das mit dem Ende der Sargpflicht? Die GAZ hat in Lollar und Staufenberg nachgefragt.

Wer über den Friedhof in Lollar läuft, sieht neben deutschen Namen auf den Grabsteinen auch solche, die italienisch und portugiesisch klingen. Türkische oder arabische Namen hingegen gibt es nicht. Das hat einen Grund: Das deutsche Gesetz steht vielerorts mit islamischen Beerdigungsvorschriften in Konflikt. Nun hat der hessische Landtag entschieden: Die Sargpflicht, eine der größten Hindernisse für Muslime, in Deutschland beerdigt zu werden, ist passé. »Es wäre schön, wenn die jüngere Generation der Einwanderer endlich ihren Platz in Deutschland finden könnte«, sagt Süleyman Susam von der Gemeinde der guten Sitten.

Ein Muslim soll dort beerdigt werden, wo er gearbeitet und gelebt hat, heißt es im Koran – dem heiligen Buch des Islams. In Deutschland leben über vier Millionen Menschen mit diesem Glauben. Viele arbeiten hier, zahlen Steuern, gründen Familien, besitzen Immobilien – kurzum: Sie haben ihren Lebensmittelpunkt in Deutschland gefunden. Beerdigen lassen wollen oder können sie sich streng genommen aber nicht. Einer der Gründe ist der Konflikt zwischen islamischen Bestattungsvorschriften und deutschem Gesetz.

Da wäre zunächst einmal die im Islam geregelte unbegrenzte Liegezeit. Sie steht im Widerspruch zu gesetzlichen Ruhefristen auf deutschen Friedhöfen, die bei Erdbestattungen 20 bis 30 Jahre beträgt. Zwar kann das Ende der Nutzung auf Antrag verlängert werden. Eine »ewige« Garantie ist damit aber nicht verbunden. Auf islamischen Friedhöfen ist es hingegen ausgeschlossen, dass das Gelände jemals anders genutzt wird.

Das islamische Gebot, dass der Gläubige noch am Tag seines Todes beigesetzt wird, widerspricht der Vorschrift, nach dem Tod eine Wartezeit bis zur Bestattung einzuhalten. In der Regel sind das mindestens 48 Stunden. Das größte Hindernis ist aber (bisher) der Sargzwang gewesen. Bei Erdbestattungen muss hierzulande der Leichnam in einem Sarg beigesetzt werden. Im Islam wird dieser im Sarg bis zum Grab transportiert und dann – ohne Sarg, aber in Leichentücher gewickelt – bestattet. » | Mittwoch, 09. Januar 2013

Google Boss Urges Internet Freedom on North Korea Visit
Google chief Eric Schmidt and the former governor of New Mexico have been lobbying North Korean officials about missile launches, internet freedom and a US detainee held in the country during their "private, humanitarian trip."

Read the article here | Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Islamic Extremists in London

BBC: Great British Islam

Could Obama Be First 3-term President Since FDR?

RT.COM: A United States congressman has introduced a bill that would repeal the 22nd Amendment, which currently limits the president to serving only two terms as commander-in-chief.

Should the bill become a law, it could allow President Barack Obama to run for reelection yet again in 2016. The bill, H.J. Res. 15, offers “an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.”

New York Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano reintroduced the measure on January 4, after it did not make it to a floor vote in January 2011, the Daily Caller reports. Serrano has attempted to repeal the amendment for decades and proposed similar bills in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

Rep. Serrano’s initiatives are not dependent on any particular party, since he has tried to get the measure passed under the presidencies of both Democrats and Republicans. But if the bill makes it to the floor for a vote this year, President Obama, a Democrat, might have a chance at a third term in the White House, which would make him the first president to possibly seek a third term since Franklin Roosevelt. » | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

French Muslims Join Opposition to Same-sex Marriage
YAHOO! NEWS: PARIS (Reuters) - French Muslims have begun joining a mostly Catholic-led movement against same-sex marriage, widening opposition to the reform that the Socialist-led government is set to write into the law by June.

Fifty Muslim activists issued an open letter on Monday urging fellow Muslims to join a major Paris protest against the law on Sunday. That followed a similar appeal last Saturday by the influential Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF).

Leaders of almost all main faiths in France have spoken out against the law, but not called on their followers to march in Sunday's demonstration to avoid giving the opposition campaign an overly religious tone.

President Francois Hollande and his government clashed with the Catholic Church last weekend, telling Catholic schools not to discuss the law with their pupils and urging state education officials to report anti-gay discussions at Catholic schools.

"We will protest on January 13 by joining a pluralist campaign to preserve the traditional framework of marriage," the Muslim activists' letter said. "We invite all French Muslims to turn out in large numbers."

The UOIF statement also urged Muslims to join the "March for All", the Paris protest against the reform the government has dubbed "Marriage for All".

"This bill, if it passes, will disrupt family and social structures and civil law dangerously and irreparably," it said. » | Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor | Reuters | Monday, January 07, 2013

Non-Muslims Can’t Use 'Allah', Says Malaysian Sultan
ZEE NEWS: Kuala Lumpur: The Sultan of the Malaysian state of Selangor has barred non-Muslims in the state from using “Allah”, saying it is a sacred word exclusive to Muslims.

A statement from Selangor Islamic Affairs Council (Mais) secretary Mohd Misri Idris said Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had expressed shock and regret over a lawmaker, Lim Guan Eng’s recent statement urging the government to allow the word “Allah” to be used in the Malay version of the Bible. » | ANI | Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Group's Ads Link Islam to Terrorism

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Controversial American Freedom Defense Initiative paid $77,000 to quote Koran with flaming Twin Towers

Hundreds of potentially inflammatory advertisements linking Islam to terrorism have gone up in the subway — the biggest series of its kind to date.

The ads depict an image of the Twin Towers in flames with a quote, attributed to the Koran, “Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers.”

The pro-Israel American Freedom Defense Initiative paid $77,000 for the message to be placed on 240 clocks throughout the subway system. Read on and comment » | Pete Donohue / New York Daily News | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Zahl der Salafisten in Berlin hat sich verdoppelt
rbb NACHRICHTEN: Die Zahl der Salafisten in Berlin ist nach Einschätzung des Verfassungsschutzes deutlich gestiegen. Es gebe aktuellen Berichten zufolge etwa 400 Mitglieder dieser islamistischen Vereinigung in der Stadt, sagte der kommissarische Chef des Verfassungsschutzes, Bernd Palenda, der "Berliner Zeitung". Bislang sei man von höchstens 300 ausgegangen: "Es hat sich gezeigt, dass der Salafismus die am schnellsten wachsende Bewegung ist."

Die Zahl der gewaltorientierten Salafisten in Berlin werde inzwischen auf 200 geschätzt, diese Zahl habe sich damit inzwischen verdoppelt. » | Donnerstag, 03. Januar 2013

Video »

"Ich lebe nur für Allah" : Argumente und Anziehungskraft des Salafismus »

Pain au chocolat/Copé : plainte retirée
LE FIGARO: Le Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM) a annoncé qu'il allait retirer sa plainte contre le président de l'UMP, Jean-François Copé, déposée après ses déclarations controversées sur le "pain au chocolat".

"Reçu à sa demande" par le CFCM, "M. Copé a exprimé des regrets. Nous allons donc retirer notre plainte", a déclaré à l'issue d'un entretien d'une heure, Abdellah Zekri, président de l'Observatoire de l'islamophobie au sein du CFCM.

"Nous avons eu un échange positif, constructif et apaisé", a déclaré Copé à la sortie de cet entretien. "Cela a été pour moi l'occasion de donner une explication sur ce qui a été un énorme contresens de mes propos", a-t-il ajouté. Mohammed Moussaoui, président du CFCM, a déclaré de son côté: "Nous avons exprimé dans cette entrevue avec Copé que les musulmans ont été heurtés par ses propos et le traitement médiatique qui en a été fait." » | AFP | mardi 08 janvier 2013

L'islam va envahir la France et l'Europe

Islam in Europe – Its Becoming Eurabia – They’ll Want America Next!

Welcome to Belgistan – The New Muslim Capital of Europe

Mussolini Cult Alive and Well in Italy
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Every year, thousands of people in Italy hang a fresh calendar of images depicting Benito Mussolini on their wall, just one of many indications that the cult of "Il Duce" is alive and well in the country. Many still consider the fascist dictator to have been an honorable man, and it is a weakness that politicians such as Silvio Berlusconi have been able to exploit.

Decked out in army fatigues, his hand raised in fascist salute, he emblazons newsstands, lies ready in bookshops and is splashed across countless websites: Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and founder of fascism known simply as "Il Duce", enjoys massive popularity in Italy as a calendar pin-up. One month he's in a steel helmet, his chin jutting sharply forward, the next he's clutching a Roman short sword, the famous chin still at attention. His valiant, steel-helmeted soldiers also march on annually, in color or black and white, accompanied by fascist symbols like the swastika.

Foreign tourists, especially Germans, are shocked when they see these openly flaunted calendars. Yet even in 2013, the former Italian dictator has a loyal fan base at home. And they're not just buying calendars. » | Hans-Jürgen Schlamp in Rome | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

America’s Love Affair with Guns: Unbelievable Confrontation between Piers Morgan and Radio Host Alex Morgan over Guns in the US

MAIL ONLINE: Piers' explosive showdown with the man who wants to deport him: Sparks fly as CNN host discusses gun control with Alex Jones: Jones, a radio host and prominent conspiracy theorist, called British CNN host a 'foreigner and a redcoat' / Jones is leading a drive to petition the White House to deport Morgan for advocating tougher gun control laws / The libertarian commentator threatened '1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms' » | Daily Mail Reporter | Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Liebes-Aus bei den Wulffs: Der Einsame

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Kaum ein Politiker ist in jüngster Zeit so tief gefallen wie Christian Wulff. Die Karriere ist ruiniert, es droht juristisches Ungemach, und nun ist auch noch die Ehe des Ex-Bundespräsidenten am Ende. Es wird schwer für den einstigen Spitzenpolitiker, eine neue Rolle zu finden.

Berlin - Das Klatschblatt "Bunte" hatte es vorausgeahnt. "Sie werden uns überraschen", titelte die Zeitschrift in der letzten Dezemberausgabe samt einem Bild der strahlenden Wulffs aus besseren Tagen. Im Innenteil raunte das Blatt über den Zustand der Ehe. "Traurig-optimistisch", lautete die Prognose.

Knapp zwei Wochen später ist es raus: Bettina und Christian Wulff leben nicht mehr zusammen. Eine entsprechende Trennungsvereinbarung wurde anwaltlich hinterlegt, der frühere Bundespräsident soll aus dem gemeinsamen Haus in Großburgwedel aus- und in eine Mietwohnung in Hannover umgezogen sein. » | Von Severin Weiland | Montag, 07. Januar 2013


SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany's Former First Couple Splits Up: Christian and Bettina Wulff have separated less than a year after he resigned from the largely ceremonial post of German president in disgrace. The former first lady had written an autobiography last year revealing they had marital problems. » | cro -- with wire reports | Monday, January 07, 2013

15-year-old Saudi Girl Flees from 90-year-old Husband
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A 15-year old Saudi Arabian bride married off to a 90-year old groom escaped the martial home after she barricaded herself in a room on the wedding night.

The unnamed husband is now suing her parents for recovery of the £10,750 dowry he paid to secure marriage to his child bride.

Newspaper reports in the conservative Islamic state said the girl had managed to secure herself in the marital bedroom before escaping two days later to her parents' home.

The groom told Al-Hayat newspaper that he suspected the groom and her parents had set out to swindle him of the 65,000 Saudi Riyals dowry.

"I feel that there is a conspiracy by her mother against me," he said. "I will go to court tomorrow and demand that her parents give me back my money."

However campaigners in Saudi Arabia have called on the authorities to intervene to ensure the girl in Jizan, a southern town near the border with Yemen, is not returned to the man. » | Damien McElroy | Monday, January 07, 2013

EDL Leader Jailed for Being Illegal Immigrant after Entering US on Friend's Passport

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The leader of the English Defence League was today jailed for 10 months after admitting using someone else's passport to unlawfully travel to the United States.

Stephen Lennon, 30, pleaded guilty to possession of a false identity document with improper intention, contrary to the Identity Documents Act 2010, at Southwark Crown Court.

Lennon used a passport in the name of Andrew McMaster to board a Virgin Atlantic Flight from Heathrow to New York, but was caught out after his fingerprints were taken by customs officials.

He left the airport and entered the US illegally but left the country the following day, using his own passport to return to the UK.

The court heard that Lennon, who had previously been refused entry to the US, used his friend's passport to travel to the country in September.

He used a self check-in kiosk to board the Virgin Atlantic flight at Heathrow, and was allowed through when the document was checked in the bag drop area.

But when he arrived at New York's JFK Airport, customs officials who took his fingerprints realised he was not Mr McMaster.

Lennon was asked to attend a second interview but left the airport, entering the US illegally.

He stayed just one night and travelled back to the UK the following day using his own legitimate passport - which bears the name Paul Harris.

The court heard that is the name that appears on the EDL leader's passport, although he uses aliases.

Lennon, who was arrested in October, was jailed for 10 months today. » | Monday, January 07, 2013

Full Speech of Bashar al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Damascus 06/01/2013

BBC: Syria crisis: US decries Assad 'Western puppets' speech – The US has condemned a speech by Syria's President Assad that denounced his opponents as "puppets of the West". » | Monday, January 07, 2013

Related »

Sara Ege Given Life Sentence for Murdering Son over Koran Studies
BBC: A mother who beat her seven-year-old son when he failed to memorise passages from the Koran has been given a life sentence for his murder.

Sara Ege, 33, killed Yaseen Ege at their home in Pontcanna, Cardiff, in July 2010 and set fire to his body.

She was convicted in December after a five-week trial. The judge has set a minimum tariff of 17 years.

Her husband Yousuf Ege, a taxi driver, was cleared of allowing the death of a child by failing to protect him.

Sara Ege was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice. » | Monday, January 07, 2013

Kuwait Forces Disperse Protesters with Stun Grenades
THE GUARDIAN: Several arrests made after latest protest against changes to voting laws enacted in December

Security forces used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of opposition activists trying to stage a march in Kuwait on Sunday and made several arrests.

Protest marches have grown more frequent in the US-allied oil producer since the opposition boycotted a parliamentary election on 1 December over changes to voting laws that they saw as an attempt to favour pro-government candidates.

Witnesses said between 200 and 300 people had barely gathered in an affluent suburb of Kuwait City late on Sunday when security forces ordered them to disperse because their rally was not licensed.

One witness said that when the men and women moved to the middle of the road and began chanting, security forces attacked them with smoke bombs and stun grenades. » | Reuters in Kuwait | Sunday, January 06, 2013

David Cameron's Threat to Block EU Reforms Branded 'Economic Insanity'

THE GUARDIAN: Peter Mandelson says PM shouldn't think he can 'put a gun to the heads' of EU leaders in an effort to repatriate powers

David Cameron has been accused of "economic insanity" in trying to put a gun to the head of his European partners after he warned on Sunday that he would block treaty changes to make the euro more effective unless he is allowed to repatriate powers to the UK.

Cameron made his thinly veiled threat on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, when he said he was "entitled" and "enabled" to seek a repatriation of powers when other EU countries sought treaty change to make the single currency work more effectively. Cameron is due to set out his definitive position on Europe, including a referendum, later this month.

Writing in the Guardian, the former European commissioner Lord Mandelson warns Cameron that he "will be disappointed if he thinks he can put a gun to their heads to begin renegotiating Britain's EU membership and then dictate when it will end, especially when, in their view, he is arguing not in Europe's interests as a whole but for British exceptionalism".

Faced by a choice between protecting the euro and British demands, he says Europe will choose the euro.

Claiming the Tory party is now gripped by a madness on Europe, he says it is "an act of economic insanity to begin 2013 by placing this large and indefinite question mark over our membership of the EU, and all the trade and investment privileges it brings us. » | Patrick Wintour, political editor | Sunday, January 06, 2013

President Assad Outlines Political Solution to Syrian Conflict

Read the article here | Sunday, January 06, 2013

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Syrian president Bashar al-Assad denounces opposition as 'armed, murderous criminals' as he makes first speech for six months: President Bashar al-Assad has made his first speech for six months, confirming he is still in his capital Damascus but taking a hardline stance offering no new concessions to the rebel opposition which has seized swathes of Syria. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, January 06, 2013

Happy New Year! Bonne année ! Gutes Neues Jahr! ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Felice Anno Nuovo! Felix sit annus novus! L’Shannah Tovah! Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! ! سنة سعيدة

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my visitors, followers, and Twitter followers a wonderful, healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. May 2013 be your year! Thanking you all for your continued and loyal support. – © Mark

Christianity 'Close to Extinction' in Middle East

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Christianity faces being wiped out of the “biblical heartlands” in the Middle East because of mounting persecution of worshippers, according to a new report.

The study warns that Christians suffer greater hostility across the world than any other religious group.

And it claims politicians have been “blind” to the extent of violence faced by Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The most common threat to Christians abroad is militant Islam, it says, claiming that oppression in Muslim countries is often ignored because of a fear that criticism will be seen as “racism”.

It warns that converts from Islam face being killed in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Iran and risk severe legal penalties in other countries across the Middle East.

The report, by the think tank Civitas, says: “It is generally accepted that many faith-based groups face discrimination or persecution to some degree.

"A far less widely grasped fact is that Christians are targeted more than any other body of believers.”

It cites estimates that 200 million Christians, or 10 per cent of Christians worldwide, are “socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their beliefs.” » | Edward Malnick | Sunday, December 23, 2012

Pope Says Future of Mankind At Stake over Gay Marriage

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Benedict XVI has weighed in on a heated debate over gay marriage, criticising new concepts of the traditional family and warning that mankind itself was at stake.

"In the fight for the family, the very notion of being – of what being human really means – is being called into question," the Pope said in Italian during an end-of-year speech.

"The question of the family ... is the question of what it means to be a man, and what it is necessary to do to be true men," he said.

The Pope spoke of the "falseness" of gender theories and cited at length France's chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, who has spoken out against gay marriage.

"Bernheim has shown in a very detailed and profoundly moving study that the attack we are currently experiencing on the true structure of the family, made up of father, mother, and child, goes much deeper," he said.

He cited feminist gender theorist Simone de Beauvoir's view to the effect that one is not born a woman, but one becomes so – that sex was no longer an element of nature but a social role people chose for themselves. » | Source: AFP | Friday, December 21, 2012

Marine Le Pen: The Threat of Radical Islam
The leader of the far-right National Front party explains why she sees Muslim immigration as a grave threat to France.

Read the article here | Source: Al Jazeera | Monday, December 17, 2012

Alien Nation: The New Census Reveals a Britain That Would Be Unrecognisable Even to Our Grandparents

MAIL ONLINE: Peter Hitchens says that the Census is not just a description of the state of things on a day in 2011 but a prophetic document telling us where we are going / Christianity is on the decline while Islam is on the up and fewer of us are married for the first time ever

The future will be another country. They will do things differently there.

The Census is not just a description of the state of things on a day in 2011, it is a prophetic document telling us where we are going, whether we like it or not. I don’t.

For the past 60 years or so, we have lived in a nation that was more or less familiar to anyone who had grown up in the pre-war Britain of 1939.

Even the devastation of conflict had not transformed it out of recognition.

People behaved, thought, worked, laughed and enjoyed themselves much as they had done for decades.

They lived in the same sorts of families in the same kind of houses. Their children went to the same kinds of schools. And they had grown up in a land that was still identifiably the same as their grandparents had known.

And so it went back for centuries.

As recently as 1949, the prices of most goods were roughly the same, and expressed in the same money, as the prices of 1649.

A short-distance time-traveller between 1912 and 2012 might be perplexed and astonished, but he would not be lost.

That period is now coming to an end. I suspect that anyone in Britain, travelling between 2012 and 2112 would be unable to believe that he was in the same place.

What is the most significant single fact in the Census? I do not think there is one. Several are shocking or disturbing, if you are not fond of change, and delightful if you are. Read on and comment » | Peter Hitchens | Saturday, December 15, 2012

Queen Talks of 'Lax' Bankers and 'Toothless' Regulators behind Financial Crisis

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen has spoken about "lax" City workers and a banking regulator which "didn't have the teeth" to intervene as she discussed the causes of the financial crisis during a visit to the Bank of England

With her face on every banknote and coin in circulation, it is only natural that the Queen takes a sharp interest in the nation's finances, as she showed on a visit to the Bank of England today.

Her Majesty suggested the financial crisis of 2008 had happened because the Financial Services Authority “didn’t have the teeth” to rein in the biggest risk-takers.

The Duke of Edinburgh, meanwhile, had a typically blunt piece of advice for the Bank’s executives: “Don’t do it again!”

The Queen and the Duke grilled Bank of England staff during a visit which included a tour of a vault stacked with £27 billion worth of bullion.

Suit Kapadia, one of the Bank’s financial policy experts, said he wanted to answer a question the Queen asked academics at the London School of Economics in 2008 about why no one saw the financial crisis coming.

“Oh!” said the Queen, looking slightly taken aback.

Mr Kapadia said the City had got “complacent” because it thought risk was being managed better than it was, and the financial system had become too interconnected.

The Queen agreed: “People got a bit lax … perhaps it was difficult to foresee.”

She asked if the financial system was less interconnected now and concurred with a suggestion that part of the problem had been the lack of powers given to the Financial Services Authority. “They didn't have the teeth,” she said. » | Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Thursday, December 13, 2012

Meet Silvio Berlusconi's New Girlfriend Francesca Pascale - 50 Years His Junior

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As he embarks on an audacious campaign to become prime minister of Italy for the fourth time, Silvio Berlusconi has a new woman on his arm – a glamorous member of his party nearly 50 years his junior.

Mr Berlusconi, 76, is in a steady relationship with Francesca Pascale, who at 27 is nearly a third his age, supporters of the former premier said.

There had been rumours of the relationship for months, and the pair was photographed together recently while watching Mr Berlusconi's football team, AC Milan.

But the romance was confirmed by one of the media tycoon's most vocal cheerleaders, Daniela Santanche, an MP in his People of Freedom party, as well as the Italian press, with one newspaper describing the young woman as Italy's new "first lady".

"Berlusconi introduces her as his girlfriend, and for me it is a beautiful thing. I know her as his girlfriend," said Miss Santanche.

"Let's say she is a person who is very close to him," said Licia Ronzulli, a Euro MP in his party. "She's more than a friend." » | Nick Squires, Rome | Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Census 2011: The Areas Where English Is Not Spoken
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Up to a quarter of households in parts of London have no one who speaks English as their main language, according to figures contained in the census.

In a string of boroughs across the capital, between 20 and 25 per cent of all families do not have anyone who regularly speaks the language and in thousands of others only children do so.

Findings released by the Office for National Statistics earlier this week showed a transformation in the make-up of British society over the last decade, with the number of foreign-born residents rising by 50 per cent.

In London itself less than half the population described themselves as white in the national headcount conducted last year.

Headline figures showed that there are around a million households in which no one speaks English as a “main language” – just over four per cent of the total.

But a detailed breakdown of the figures published with alongside the main census data show that in some areas the proportion is more than five times this level. » | John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Wednesday, December 12, 2012

France Steps Up Struggle Against Religious Radicals
THE JERUSALEM POST: Paris says it will deport foreign-born imams, disband radical faith-based groups if they suffer a "religious pathology."

PARIS - France will deport foreign-born imams and disband radical faith-based groups, including hardline traditionalist Catholics, if a new surveillance policy signals they suffer a "religious pathology" and could become violent.

A French Islamist shooting spree last March that killed three soldiers and four Jews showed how quickly religiously radicalized people could turn to force, Interior Minister Manuel Valls told a conference on the official policy of secularism.

His warning came two days after President Francois Hollande announced the creation of an agency to track how the separation of church and state is upheld in this traditionally Catholic country with Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish minorities.

Valls and two other cabinet ministers told the conference on Tuesday evening the Socialist-led government would stress the secularist policy called "laicite [sic]" that they said was weakened under the previous conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"The aim is not to combat opinions by force, but to detect and understand when an opinion turns into a potentially violent and criminal excess," he said. » | Reuters | Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Pope, Now on Twitter, Posts His First Message
THE NEW YORK TIMES: ROME — Pope Benedict XVI sent his first Twitter message on Wednesday, saying, “Dear Friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.”

The 85-year-old pontiff will be tweeting in eight languages under the handle @Pontifex, a Latin term for pope that means “bridge-builder.” He clicked on his first tweet from a computer monitor in the Vatican hall where he holds his weekly audience. » | Rachel Donadio | Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Troops Brace for Violent Backlash against 'The Innocent Prophet'
NEWS.COM.AU: AUSTRALIAN troops are bracing for violent protests in Afghanistan over the likely release this month of a new film mocking Islam.

Riots were sparked across the Islamic world in September after a 14-minute trailer for the "Innocence of Muslims" video was released on YouTube. Troops are now on heightened alert to the risk of another round of protests because a derivative film called "The Innocent Prophet" is slated to be released on Friday.

The new footage created by an ex-Muslim originally from Pakistan has already inflamed tensions in his former home country ahead of its release.

Coalition forces are prepared for extreme reactions to the provocative video that could hamper their efforts in neighbouring Afghanistan, which is already a tinder box of religious sensitivities.

Defence forces are warned to be wary of inadvertently offending locals as part of their preparations for deployment to the main Australian base in Uruzgan province or other centres of Kabul and Kandahar.

Cultural sensitivity training is a standard element of soldiers' pre-deployment training in Australia.

But the key points are drilled into all military and civilian personnel going to work in Afghanistan in another intensive four day program at the Al Minhad Air Base outside Dubai.

The training includes appropriate ways to handle and store the Koran, which is generally wrapped in a cloth and only opened after the reader has ritually cleansed themselves. » | Staff Writers, The Courier-Mail | Monday, December 10, 2012

Mali tief in der Krise
Die westafrikanische Republik Mali rutscht immer weiter ins Chaos. Schon wieder hat das Militär einen Regierungschef festgesetzt - bestreitet aber zugleich, dass es sich um einen erneuten Staatsstreich handle.

Spannung in Ägypten steigt
Noch vier Tage – dann will Präsident Mohammed Mursi das Volk über die umstrittene neue Verfassung abstimmen lassen. Die Spannungen zwischen Anhängern und Gegnern des Präsidenten steigt. Die Wut der Demonstranten entlädt sich in Gewalt.

Number of Christians in England and Wales Falls by More Than 4 Million
The number of Christians in England and Wales has fallen by more than 4m since 2001 while the number of non-believers has almost doubled, according to Census data.

Read the article here

Douglas Murray: Islam Isn't a Religion of Peace

Douglas Murray: Islam – Europe Is Confused and Lost

Christianity Is Fading Away in Britain as Islam Surges and Agnosticism Spreads
TELEGRAPH BLOGS – DAMIAN THOMPSON: Poor Rowan Williams: wrong to the end. Christianity is not "fading away" in Britain, he says. Yes it is, as the census figures clearly illustrate.

Since the last census in 2001, the number of Britons identifying themselves, however loosely, as Christians is down 13 percentage points to 59 per cent.

The number of respondents who say they have no religious faith is up 10 points to 25 per cent. Meanwhile, staggeringly, the Muslim population has grown from 1.55 million to 2.7 million, an increase of 1.15 million from 2001 to 2011.

The surge in Islamic belief is entirely a consequence of immigration. The spread of agnosticism and atheism is (though I haven't yet seen the breakdown by age) largely generational. » | Damian Thompson | Tuesday, December 11, 2012

My comment:

That new dark age draws nigh; nay, it has already dawned. – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Schweiz: Schnee hebt Stimmung der Elmer
So viel Schnee gab es in der Schweiz um diese Jahreszeit seit 40 Jahren nicht mehr. In Elm im Kanton Glarus misst die Schneeschicht auf den Dächern bereits 75 Zentimeter. Im Skigebiet liegt der Schnee sogar 150 Zentimeter hoch. Das hebt die Stimmung im Skidorf, das sich auf die bevorstehende Wintersaison freut.

Proteste der ägyptischen Opposition dauern an
In Ägypten herrscht angespannte Ruhe. Vor dem Präsidentenpalast sind Panzer aufgefahren. In vier Tagen will Präsident Mohammed Mursi über die neue Verfassung abstimmen lassen. Die Opposition versucht dies mit Massenprotesten zu verhindern.