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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
BUSINESS INSIDER: Anti-Islam ads appeared on 10 public buses in San Francisco on Monday, showing "inflammatory quotes by Islamic fundamentalists" accompanied by "an anonymous terrorist," according to Transportation Nation.
The ads are paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, whose executive director, Pamela Geller, told the New York Observer in December, "I refuse to abridge my free speech so as to appease savages." » | Alex Davies | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sold off his collection of official gifts in a charity auction on Wednesday, including a platinum Monc Blanc pen commemorating Charlie Chaplin's life.
The auction of dozens of luxury brand watches and gem-encrusted jewelry appeared to be designed to cement the populist Iranian leader's reputation as a man of the people before he stands down as leader after June's elections.
Proceeds from the sales, held in a palace of the former Shahs of Iran, would be used to build homes for the country's war veterans and single mothers.
Collectors at the event at Sadabad Palace in north Tehran bid for a series of items given to Mr Ahmadinejad by states including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Pakistan. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
WALES ONLINE: Far-right movements like the English Defence League (EDL) have the potential to inspire individuals to break off and join more extreme groups, a minister warned.
Delivering a speech at a conference on far-right extremism, security minister James Brokenshire said that the rise of movements such as the EDL was a "worrying phenomenon".
He warned that the EDL and others have the potential to "stoke radicalisation" and could ultimately cross the line into an area that concerns counter-terrorism strategy.
The minister also revealed that more than 2,000 websites had been shut down since 2010 for breaching UK terror laws by the Counter-terrorism Internet Referral Unit.
Mr Brokenshire hit out at groups such as the EDL for "inflaming tensions and spreading hate-filled prejudice within communities".
He said: "The narratives groups such as the EDL use as their capital - engendering fear and distrust about large sections of our communities - have the potential to stoke radicalisation. » | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Out of curiosity, Aroud van Doorn started studying the Koran. The more he read of the Koran, the Sunnah (the customs of the Prophet), and the Ahadith (the sayings of the Prophet), the more convinced he became that Islam is a “wise and beautiful” religion.
Because he has a lot to learn, he feels he has returned to school. He says he is humble, because he is just staring his study of Islam and Arabic. But the more you learn. He says, the better it is.
Having been brought up as a Christian, he says that there are many shared values with Islam. It was easier for him to convert to Islam as an ex-Christian, because he already knew about the prophets and the angels. That discipline is necessary for any religion, he says.
He says that the biggest mistake of non-Muslims concerning Islam is their lack of knowledge and their prejudices. He says: “People should learn more before judging.”
He has full confidence that Allah will help and guide him in the difficulties that will lie ahead for him after his conversion. Read the article in Spanish » | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Lien en relation avec la conversion d’Arnoud van Doorn »
THE STAR ONLINE: BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday banned three ultra-conservative Salafist Muslim groups which the Interior Ministry said wanted to overturn democracy and install a system based on sharia, or Islamic law.
The ban, which took effect in the western states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia in the early morning, is the latest step taken by German authorities who have increased surveillance of Salafists who espouse a radical version of Islam.
The ministry said it has banned the organisations "DawaFFM" and "Islamische Audios", as well as "An-Nussrah", which is part of the "Millatu Ibrahim" group that was outlawed in June.
Some 20 people were searched and assets belonging to the organisations were seized, said the ministry.
"Salafism, as represented in the associations that were banned today, is incompatible with our free democratic order," Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement. » | Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Kevin Liffey | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
DIE WELT: Großrazzia gegen Salafisten-Vereine: Hunderte Polizisten sind in Nordrhein-Westfalen und Hessen zu Razzien gegen Salafisten ausgerückt. Sie sollen das Vermögen zweier Vereine beschlagnahmen, die Innenminister Friedrich verboten hatte. » | AFP/dpa/jw/ff | Mittwoch, 13. März 2013
THE GUARDIAN: Human rights activists say men were executed by firing squad, but country's official news agency says they were beheaded
Saudi Arabia has executed seven men for an armed robbery, the interior ministry said, despite an appeal for clemency by United Nations human rights investigators.
The seven, some of whom were under 18 when the crime was committed in 2006, had been due to be put to death last week but were granted a stay of execution while authorities reviewed their case.
Human rights activists in Saudi Arabia said they had been executed by firing squad, but the country's official news agency said they had been beheaded. The original sentences called for death by firing squad and crucifixion.
The men, from Asir province in the south of the country, were convicted of robbery and theft. » | Agencies in Riyadh | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Noch nie hat sich ein französischer Präsident so schnell so unbeliebt gemacht wie François Hollande. Nur zehn Monate nach Amtsantritt nähert sich sein Ansehen gefährlich dem Negativrekord von Vorgänger Sarkozy. Eine Reise zum Volk, das ihm seine Berater verordnet hatten, geriet nun zum Desaster.
Es ging fast alles schief, was schief gehen konnte während dieser Reise, die François Hollande in die ostfranzösische Stadt Dijon unternahm. Eigentlich war der Ausflug Anfang der Woche dazu gedacht, die miserablen Beliebtheitswerte des Präsidenten zu verbessern und "den direkten Kontakt mit den Franzosen zu erneuern". Stattdessen sah sich Hollande so deutlich wie nie mit dem Zorn des Volkes konfrontiert - und war damit sichtlich überfordert.
"Monsieur Hollande, wo sind Ihre Versprechungen geblieben?", brüllte ein junger Mann dem Präsidenten entgegen, als der im ärmlichen Quartier Grésilles eintraf. Sofort trugen zwei Personenschützer den Mann gewaltsam aus der Menge. Es war ein verheerendes Bild für die Fernsehkameras. Nicolas Sarkozy hatte einem Zwischenrufer einmal entgegengerufen: "Verpiss dich, du Arsch." Er wurde den Satz nie mehr los.
Die Polizei hatte schon vor der Ankunft des Präsidenten eine Gruppe von Gewerkschaftern vertrieben: Sie hatten auf Hollande mit einem Plakat des sozialistischen Gründungsvaters Jean Jaurès gewartet, um ihn "daran zu erinnern, dass er Sozialist ist". Zum Schweigen gebracht wurde - so "Le Monde" - auch ein Anwohner, der dem Präsidenten entgegenrief: "Wir warten immer noch auf deinen Wandel, François." » | Von Mathieu von Rohr, Paris | Dienstag, 12. März 2013
THE DAILY EXPRESS: THE Queen was forced to pull out of a public engagement yesterday as she struggled to shake off an 11-day illness.
Public concern about her health was heightened after she cancelled her appearance at the annual Commonwealth Day Observance ceremony at the last minute.
Doctors advised the 86-year-old monarch that she might not be up to sitting through the hour-long service in Westminster Abbey, London.
It was the first time in 20 years she had missed the ceremony, which is particularly close to her heart.
Buckingham Palace officials had said on Friday that she would be well enough to attend – and it was back to business as usual after the Queen suffered a bout of gastroenteritis. Last night she did brave the icy weather to attend a Commonwealth reception in London in her first public appearance since she left hospital last week.
Looking pale, she signed the Commonwealth’s new charter at Marlborough House in her role as head of the family of nations.
However, courtiers said she might well have to cancel other engagements this week. » | Richard Palmer | Tuesday, March 12, 2013
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STANDPOINTMAG: Imagine yourself back in 2002. The census for England and Wales, compiled the previous year, has just come out, showing the extent to which the country has changed. You decide to extrapolate from the findings and speculate about what the next decade might bring.
"The Muslim population of Britain will double in the next ten years," you conclude. "White Britons will become a minority in their own capital city by the end of this decade."
How would those statements by your younger self have been greeted? The terms "alarmist" and "scaremongering" would certainly have been used, as most likely would "racist" and (though the coinage was in its infancy) "Islamophobe". Safe to say, your extrapolations would not have been greeted warmly. Readers inclined to doubt this might recall that when the then Timesjournalist Anthony Browne made far less startling comments in 2002, they were denounced by then Home Secretary David Blunkett — using parliamentary privilege — as "bordering on fascism".
Yet that widely abused younger self of 2002 would be proved utterly right. The 2011 census, published at the end of last year, revealed the following facts and more. It showed that the number of people living in England and Wales who were born overseas rose by nearly three million in the last decade alone. Only 44.9 per cent of London residents are now white British. And nearly three million people in England and Wales live in households where not one adult speaks English as their main language.
The religious make-up of Britain has altered as well. Almost every belief other than Christianity is on the rise. Only Britain's historic national religion is in freefall. Since the previous census in 2001, the number of people identifying themselves as Christian dropped by 13 per cent, from 72 to 59 per cent. The number of Christians in England and Wales dropped by more than four million, and the number of Christians overall fell from 37 million to 33 million.
And while Christianity witnessed this collapse in its followers, mass migration assisted a near-doubling in size of the Muslim population. Over the last decade the number of Muslims rose from 1.5 million to 2.7 million. These are the official figures. Illegal immigrants make the real numbers far higher.
Despite being hard to digest in a year, the census story passed over in a couple of days. But this is not an ephemeral story. It is an account of our recent past, our immediate present and a glimpse into a troubling future. Perhaps we passed over it so quickly because few people can bear this much reality. » | Douglas Murray | March 2013
THE HUFFINGTON POST: If all had gone according to NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's plan, today would have been the first day without super-sized beverages in New York City.
Known as the "soda ban," Bloomberg's legislation put a cap on the number of ounces of sugary, calorie-laden drinks available for sale in the city. If it hadn't been struck down, restaurants, fast food joints, pizza parlors, movie theaters and bars would currently be unable to sell more than 16 ounce containers of sugary drinks that have more than 25 calories per ounce. That means: sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, juice drinks, slushies and smoothies, among other beverages. Exceptions include alcohol and milk-based drinks.
But in a last-minute ruling, State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling dismissed the law, explaining that the New York City's Board of Health lacked the jurisdiction to enforce it. He further went on to find that the rule was "arbitrary and capricious" -- that it did not accomplish what it set out to do. Or, as HuffPost Live host (and resident legal expert) Mike Sacks put it, "law-speak for too stupid to be legal." » | Meredith Melnick | Tuesday, March 12, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: As expected, the Hungarian parliament on Monday evening passed a package of constitutional amendments that legal experts say are an affront to democracy. Berlin, Brussels and Washington all voiced their concern in the run up to the vote. Leaders in Budapest, however, were unfazed.
Hungarian President János Áder arrived in Berlin on Monday for what might look merely like a standard bilateral meeting between two EU leaders. But the relationship between the European Union and Hungary is anything but normal these days. Budapest, after all, bid farewell on Monday to many of the values that define the 27-member club.
Prime Minster Viktor Orbán, like Áder a member of the conservative Fidesz party, has expanded his power dramatically. While the head of state was in Berlin, the prime minister moved ahead with a highly controversial package of amendments to the country's constitution. The amendments weaken the country's constitutional court, the last defender of Hungary's constitutional state, and they limit the independence of the entire judiciary branch.
In other words, a country at the center of the European Union is moving away from the principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. » | Keno Verseck | Monday, March 11, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Homosexuelle stoßen in Russland immer stärker auf Ablehnung. Die Ergebnisse einer aktuellen Umfrage sind erschreckend: 43 Prozent der Befragten sind für eine Zwangsheilung, eine Isolierung oder gar eine Liquidierung von Schwulen und Lesben.
Moskau - Der Druck auf Homosexuelle in Russland steigt: Nach einer aktuellen Umfrage wächst die Ablehnung von Schwulen und Lesben. 43 Prozent der Befragten sind entweder für eine "Zwangsheilung" (22 Prozent), eine "Isolierung" (16 Prozent) oder sogar "Liquidierung" (5 Prozent). Das teilte das Meinungsforschungsinstitut Lewada der Agentur Interfax mit. Diese Werte seien im Vergleich zu früheren Studien gestiegen. » | heb/dpa | Dienstag, 12. März 2013
GLOBAL POST: Hailing from a family of aristocrats, Austria's Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn is widely seen as a moderate figure in the Church but also shares the conservative values of his now-retired mentor Benedict XVI.
The tall, open-faced and oft-smiling archbishop of Vienna is one of the contenders to take over the papacy, although some have questioned the likelihood of a second consecutive German-speaking pope being chosen.
Well-liked and seen as a brilliant theologian, Schoenborn has described himself as "conservative on religious issues but liberal on social matters." » | Agence France-Presse | Thursday, March 07, 2013
KLEINE ZEITUNG: Kardinal Christoph Schönborn wird als einer der Favoriten für das Konklave gehandelt, das heute Nachmittag in Rom beginnt. Seine hochbetagte Mutter Eleonore Schönborn hofft indes, dass ihr Sohn nicht neuer Papst wird und erklärt im Interview, warum.
Kardinal Christoph Schönborns engste Familie, seine Mutter und seine drei Geschwister, erlebt derzeit bange Stunden. "Die ganze Familie hat Angst davor, dass Christoph zum Papst gewählt wird", gesteht die Mutter des Papst-Anwärters.
Eleonore Schönborn lebt hochbetagt in Schruns im Montafon in Vorarlberg, wo auch der für das Konklave hoch gehandelte Wiener Erzbischof nach der Flucht der Familie aus Böhmen aufgewachsen ist. Die 92-jährige Mutter hat die Abschiedsrede von Joseph Ratzinger gehört. "Er sagte, dass man als Papst voll und ganz der Kirche gehört. Da gibt es kein Privatleben mehr." Wenn ihr Sohn Papst würde, "dann ist es für mich vorbei. Dann seh ich den Christoph überhaupt nicht mehr. Denn ich habe nicht mehr die Kraft, nach Rom zu fahren." » | Dienstag, 12. März 2013
L’ESSENTIEL ONLINE: La mère d'un des papables ne veut pas qu'il soit élu : Eleonore Schönborn, mère du cardinal autrichien craint de ne plus le revoir si ce dernier est élu au Saint-Siège et qu'il ne se perde dans les intrigues vaticanes. » | L'essentiel Online/AFP | mardi 12 mars 2013
KLEINE ZEITUNG – FOTO GALERIE: Papst-Wahl: So wohnen die Kardinäle: Während dem Konklave wohnen die Kardinäle in der Casa Santa Marta. »
Monday, March 11, 2013
WORLD TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON — Al Qaida has targeted Christians for recruitment in operations against the United States, according to a new report.
The Henry Jackson Society found that Al Qaida was wooing American Christians interested in Islam as potential recruits for operational and sleeper cells.
In a 720-page report, the society said nearly a quarter of all identified Al Qaida operatives in the United States were Christians who had converted to Islam.
“Maybe this is just one expression in a post-industrial society of how young people deal with alienation,” former CIA director Michael Hayden, co-author of the report, said. Read the complete article [password protected] » | Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com | Monday, March 11, 2013
BBC: Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose romance with husband Prince Bertil became one of Sweden's best-known love stories, has died at the age of 97.
Welsh-born Lilian met Prince Bertil in London during World War II, but they faced objections to their relationship because of the prince's obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner. They had to wait until 1976 to get married.
In 2010, it was announced she had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
James Savage, managing editor of English-language online newspaper The Local in Sweden, told BBC Radio Wales she was one of the most senior members of the Swedish royal family. (+ BBC audio) » | Monday, March 11, 2013
THE LOCAL SWEDEN: Princess Lilian funeral details released: Sweden's British-born Princess Lilian, who died on Sunday at the age of 97, will lie in state for well-wishers to pay their last respects on Friday, the Royal Court announced on Monday. » | Monday, March 11, 2013
BBC: Tributes have been paid to one of Swansea's "most famous daughters", Princess Lilian of Sweden, who has died at the age of 97. » | Monday, March 11, 2013
THE FIJI TIMES ONLINE: Love story ends as Princess Lilian dies: WELSH-BORN Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose decades-long love story with the king's uncle was one of the better kept secrets of the royal household, has died aged 97. » | News.Com.Au | Tuesday, March 12, 2013
TIMES HERALD RECORD: Princess whose forbidden love gripped Sweden dies » | The Associated Press | Sunday, March 10, 2013
BBC: The commoners who married royalty: Despite her Welsh background and fairytale life, the late Princess Lilian of Sweden was not a household name in the UK. She was also not the first commoner to marry royalty. The BBC looks at others, including the Duchess of Cambridge. » | Monday, March 11, 2013
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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama will be limited to an especially strict Kosher diet when he visits Israel for the first time as US president this month.
The stringent dietary restrictions will be dictated by the timing of Mr Obama's arrival at Jerusalem's landmark King David Hotel on March 20 – after it has changed to a full religious menu in preparation for the start of the annual Jewish Passover festival five days later.
Bosses at the 233-room King David say they are unable to make an exception for the presidential party.
Pasta dishes will be very much off the menu, while dishes rich in vegetables will predominate – even on room service, which will operate 24-hours-a-day for the duration of the president's visit.
"We're used to hosting heads of state and also American presidents, but this situation is very special for us because it's so close to Pesach [Passover]. For us it will be double the preparations," the hotel's manager, Dror Danino, told Haaretz [$] newspaper. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Monday, Marcj 11, 2013
THE JERUSALEM POST: Army of 10,000 police prepare for Obama visit: Police Spokesman says thousands of police will take part in securing the three-day visit by US president. » | Ben Hartman | Monday, March 11, 2013
YNET NEWS – OPINION: Progress or explosion: Op-ed: President Obama may as well postpone visit to region if he does not plan to advance peace process » | Emanuel Rosen | Sunday, March 10, 2013
ABC NEWS: Long thought to be a modern disease related to contemporary lifestyles, atherosclerosis was common among ancient people as well, a new study found.
Whole body CT scans of 137 mummies from four different ancient populations revealed heart and vascular calcifications consistent with atherosclerosis, reported Dr. Randall Thompson of St. Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues.
"We were most surprised to find atherosclerosis among hunter-gatherers, whose varied diet and active lifestyle would presumably place them at low risk," he told MedPage Today.
The findings were reported online in The Lancet and at the American College of Cardiology meeting in San Francisco.
"The presence of atherosclerosis in pre[-]modern human beings suggests that the disease is an inherent component of human aging and not associated with any specific diet or lifestyle," the researchers concluded. » | Charlene Laino | Monday, March 11, 2013
LE MONDE BLOGS: Son "nouveau départ", Arnoud van Doorn l'a annoncé sur son compte Twitter. Une formule lapidaire, mais lourde de sens pour celui qui n'était connu jusque là que pour son rôle de vice-président du Parti de la liberté (extrême droite néerlandaise) au sein du conseil municipal de La Haye, et sa grande proximité avec Geert Wilders, le chef de file du parti ultranationaliste.
A 46 ans, Arnoud van Doorn a pourtant fait mentir ses orientations politiques en annonçant s'être converti à l'islam. Une annonce qui a surpris la presse néerlandaise, notamment le Amsterdam Herald, qui revient sur cette affaire. Sur son compte Twitter toujours, l'homme a en effet écrit en arabe la phrase de la chahada, premier des cinq piliers de la religion musulmane : "Il n'y a pas d'autre dieu que dieu et Mahomet est son prophète." L'homme n'a pas précisé les raisons de sa conversion, affirmant qu'il s'agissait "d'une affaire personnelle". Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | lundi 11 mars 2013
TICINO LIVE: Il vice di Geert Wilders si converte all’Islam. Colpo di scena in Olanda: Dopo anni di propaganda contro il Corano, il vice presidente del movimento populista guidato da Geert Wilders si converte all’Islam. » | lunedi 11 marzo 2013
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THE GUARDIAN: One of royal households best-kept secrets, her relationship with Prince Bertil was seen as threat to Bernadotte dynasty
She was one of the better-kept secrets of Sweden's royal household: a commoner and divorcee whose relationship with Prince Bertil was seen as a threat to the Bernadotte dynasty.
In a touching royal romance, Welsh-born Princess Lilian and the prince kept their love unofficial for decades and were both in their 60s when they finally received the king's blessing to get married.
Lilian died in her Stockholm home on Sunday at the age of 97. The royal palace didn't give a cause of death but Lilian suffered from Alzheimer's disease and had been in poor health for several years.
She met Sweden's Prince Bertil in 1943, but his obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner prevented them from making their love public. The couple's sacrifices and lifelong dedication to one another gripped the hearts of Swedes.
"If I were to sum up my life, everything has been about my love," the princess said of her husband when she turned 80 in 1995. "He's a great man, and I love him." » | Associated Press | Monday, March 11, 2013
THE DAILY BEAST: Princess Lilian of Sweden: Beloved Princess who was banned from marrying her royal sweetheart for 30 years » | Tom Sykes | Monday, March 11, 2013
Related »
BBC: Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose romance with husband Prince Bertil became one of Sweden's best-known love stories, has died at the age of 97.
Welsh-born Lilian met Prince Bertil in London during World War II.
However, they faced objections to their relationship because of the prince's obligations to the throne and Lilian's status as a divorced commoner. They had to wait until 1976 to get married.
In 2010, it was announced she had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Princess Lilian was born Lilian Davies in Swansea in August 1915 and moved to London aged 16 to follow a modelling career. She was married to actor Ivan Craig when she met Prince Bertil in London in 1943.
The couple fell in love in what Swedish media described as a real-life Cinderella story. She divorced her British husband two years later.
However, Prince Bertil's father, King Gustaf VI Adolf, refused to give his blessing for the couple to get married. » | Sunday, March 10, 2013
Swansea-born Swedish Princess Dies Peacefully in Her Sleep »
LE MATIN: COEUR — Oskar Freysinger est passé sur le billard la veille du dépôt des listes au Conseil d’Etat valaisan. Conforté par le diagnostic, il se sent en forme pour cumuler les mandats.
Les faits sont largement passés inaperçus. Mais le champion du premier tour de l’élection au Conseil d’Etat valaisan, Oskar Freysinger, a eu deux opérations du cœur depuis le début de l’année! «La première s’est déroulée le jour avant le dépôt des listes, pour être sûr que cela n’était pas trop grave. Si cela avait nécessité un pontage, je n’aurais pas pu être candidat, c’est clair! Mais là, il s’agissait d’un rétrécissement coronarien. Mon médecin m’a rassuré en me disant qu’il n’y avait aucun souci. Ensuite, j’ai fait la deuxième opération durant la campagne pour poser deux stents.» » | Par Lise Bailat | jeudi 07 mars 2013
TAGES ANZEIGER: Freysinger will trotz Herzproblemen an mehreren Ämtern festhalten: Oskar Freysinger wurde in diesem Jahr zweimal am Herzen operiert. Bei einer Wahl zum Staatsrat will er auch an seinem Amt als Nationalrat festhalten. Ist er der Doppelbelastung gewachsen? » | Von Lise Ballat | Donnerstag, 07. März 2013
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WIKI: Oskar Freysinger – English, Deutsch, Français
OVB ONLINE: Verfassungsschutz: 4500 Islamisten sind ernste Gefahr [|] Berlin – Der starke Zulauf für potenziell bedrohliche Salafisten in Deutschland beunruhigt die Sicherheitsbehörden.
Verfassungsschutz: 4500 Islamisten sind ernste Gefahr[.]
Berlin – Der starke Zulauf für potenziell bedrohliche Salafisten in Deutschland beunruhigt die Sicherheitsbehörden. Ihre Zahl hat sich laut Verfassungsschutz im vergangenen Jahr von 3800 auf 4500 erhöht. Zusammen mit etwa 1000 gewaltbereiten Islamisten stellten sie „eine ernst zu nehmende Gefahr“ dar, sagte Verfassungsschutzchef Hans-Georg Maaßen dem Nachrichtenmagazin „Focus“. „Wenn der Staat gegenüber salafistischen Bestrebungen nicht klare Kante zeigt, besteht die Gefahr, dass diese Gruppen weiter wachsen. Es ist denkbar, dass die Bereitschaft zur Gewalt, auch zu Anschlägen, zunimmt.“ » | ovb-online | Montag, 11. März 2013
ABNA: In Holland, a major Islamophobic political and social activist, former member of parliament from a right-wing party, Arnoud van Doorn accepted Islam.
The former Islamophobe announced his decision to accept Islam on his Twitter profile. He says it is a new beginning of his life and published the declaration of Shahada (the words on monotheism to become a Muslim) in Arabic.
At first, other users took the news as a joke. After all, an active supporter of a notorious Dutch hater of Islam, Wilders, has repeatedly approved Islamophobic statements and public actions, and personally participated in them.
But van Doorn, who now serves as a regional adviser at the City Hall in The Hague, personally confirmed his decision to practice Islam in an official letter to the city Mayor.
Most recently, the politician filed a formal application to the mayor of the city to allow him to perform prayers obligatory for Muslims during his working hours.
The information on conversion of van Doorn to Islam was confirmed on the official website of the mosque Al-Yaqeen in The Hague. » | Source: News Agencies | Monday, March 11, 2013
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BBC: The Queen has delivered her annual Commonwealth Day message with a focus on equality.
The organisation is adopting a new charter committing all Commonwealth countries to uphold human rights and oppose all forms of discrimination.
This is seen as an important milestone for gay rights but is a sensitive issue as some member states still regard homosexuality as a criminal offence.
The Queen said, "Our shared values of peace, democracy, development, justice and human rights... mean that we can place special emphasis on including everyone in this goal especially those who are vulnerable". (+BBC audio) » | Monday, March 11, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: In an interview, Luxembourg prime minister and former Euro Group chief Jean-Claude Juncker, 58, urges other EU countries to push ahead with structural reforms, explains why he sees parallels between 2013 and the year preceeding World War I and throws his election support behind Angela Merkel's re-election campaign.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Prime Minister, it has been seven weeks since you stepped down as head of the Euro Group. Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and think: I absolutely have to give another interview on the euro crisis? Juncker: No, I'm not suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I would say that I have a balanced state of mind. My life is less hectic and I'm calmer and more relaxed.
SPIEGEL: For eight years, you were a kind of informal president of the monetary union. When you take stock of your accomplishments during this period, don't you have to admit that Europe has tended to drift apart rather than become more close-knit?
Juncker: For my generation, the monetary union has always been about forging peace. Today, I notice with a certain sense of regret that far too many Europeans are returning to a regional and national mindset. SPIEGEL: What do you mean by that? » | Translated from the German by Paul Cohen | Monday, March 11, 2013
Verwandt »
EUR ACTIV: Thousands of Hungarians protested in central Budapest on Saturday (9 March) against imminent changes to the country's constitution which they fear would curb democratic rights, echoing worries this week from the European Union and the United States.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling center-right Fidesz party has used its unprecedented two-thirds parliamentary majority to make laws that critics say limit citizens' freedoms.
Parliament is scheduled to hold a final vote on the constitutional changes today (11 March).
Decisions of the country's top Constitutional Court made before the new constitution entered into force in 2012 will no longer be valid, discarding an important body of law often used as reference before. Restrictive new regulation may now appear in higher education, homelessness, electoral law and family law.
"We really have had enough of this," said 17-year-old student Luca Cseh, adding the changes limited her prospects of going to university as state subsidies would only be available to students who pledge to work in Hungary after graduation.
"They oppress students, but also the homeless or homosexuals," she said. » | EurActiv.com with Reuters | Monday, March 11, 2013
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Drastische Warnung des Ex-Euro-Gruppenchefs: Jean-Claude Juncker sagte dem SPIEGEL, die Konflikte in Europa könnten sich gefährlich zuspitzen. "Wer glaubt, dass sich die Frage von Krieg und Frieden nie mehr stellt, könnte sich gewaltig irren."
Hamburg - Luxemburgs Premierminister Jean-Claude Juncker will im Bundestagswahlkampf dafür werben, dass Angela Merkel Kanzlerin bleibt. "Man hat mich bereits gebeten, und ich habe bereits zugesagt", verriet Juncker in einem SPIEGEL-Interview. "Ich fühle mich der Kanzlerin und der CDU sehr verbunden." Er habe zwar auch schon auf Veranstaltungen der SPD und der Grünen geredet, habe aber nicht vor, den Wahlkampf der Sozialdemokraten und der Grünen zu animieren.
In der Debatte um die Zukunft der Währungsunion warnte Juncker im SPIEGEL davor, dass sich die Konflikte in Europa gefährlich zuspitzen könnten. "Wer glaubt, dass sich die ewige Frage von Krieg und Frieden in Europa nie mehr stellt, könnte sich gewaltig irren. Die Dämonen sind nicht weg, sie schlafen nur." » | cte | Sonntag, 10. März 2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A Saudi newspaper says a ministerial committee is looking into formally dropping public beheadings as a method of execution in the oil-rich kingdom.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where a death sentence results in beheading in a public square.
The authoritative daily Al-Watan says in its Sunday edition that the ministerial committee is considering fatal shootings as an alternative.
There have been calls in the kingdom for replacing public beheadings with lethal injections carried out in prisons. » | AP | Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been accused of betraying Islam after he was pictured in an emotional embrace with the mother of Hugo Chavez at the late Venezuelan leader's funeral.
The Iranian president's domestic opponents reacted furiously after photos emerged of him giving Elena Frias de Chavez, 78, a consoling hug at last Friday's funeral in Caracas - at which he also kissed Mr Chavez's coffin.
Religious conservatives said the act insulted Iran's religious dignity and amounted to "haram" – a term used to describe a religiously forbidden act under Islamic rules.
Mohammad Taghi Rahbar, the Friday prayer leader of Iran's second city, Isfahan, told Mehr news agency that Mr Ahmadinejad had "lost control".
He added: "Shaking hands with a non-mahram (unrelated by family) woman, under any circumstances, whether young or old, is not allowed. Hugging or expressing emotions is improper for the dignity of the president of a country like the Islamic Republic of Iran." » | Robert Tait, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, March 10, 2013
EMIRATES 24|7: Experts at American University of Sharjah (AUS) and the University of Cambridge presented their insights based on the report Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain: Female Perspectives, which was prepared by Professor Yasir Suleiman, Project Leader and Founding Director at the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge, in association with The New Muslims Project, Markfield. This report was officially released at the panel for the first time.
The panel discussion was part of the two-day AUS–University of Cambridge joint conference on Perspectives on Middle Eastern Studies that brought the latest research and insight on several topics that are shaping global discussions on Middle Eastern studies.
Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain: Female Perspectives is based on original research done in the UK, narrating stories of women who have converted to Islam. It deals with a host of issues, including hijab, marriage, divorce, polygyny, sexuality, domestic violence, mosque provisions for female converts, the challenges facing the children of convert mothers and the role converts play as bridges between heritage Muslims and non-Muslims in society. The report is exclusively about female converts to Islam in Britain, although the converts who took part in the project came from different ethnic, national, faith and no-faith backgrounds that characterize the plurality of British society.
Introducing the report at the panel, Professor Yasir Suleiman said, “Whether a woman converts to Islam through marriage, or for some other reason, no one route into the faith is considered to be more worthy than the others and there was unanimous agreement among the participants on this issue. However, one of the consistent messages from participants in this project, British women from various faiths who had converted to Islam, was their conversion was not the result of any single theme but of various revelations. We have endeavored to describe the experience of women converts to Islam in contemporary British society and the relationship between the convert, the heritage Muslim communities and wider society is explored with reference to their political, social and religious contexts.” » | Staff | Sunday, March 10, 2013
LE POINT: Ils ont voulu se venger des propos "blasphématoires" qu'un chrétien est accusé d'avoir tenus contre leur religion. Aucune victime n'est à déplorer.
Une vive discussion sur la religion entre deux amis pris de boisson est à l'origine d'une émeute samedi à Lahore, au Pakistan, au cours de laquelle des musulmans ont incendié plus de 100 maisons appartenant à des chrétiens, ont indiqué dimanche la police et des témoins. Plus de 3 000 musulmans en colère ont pris d'assaut Joseph Colony, un quartier chrétien de Lahore (est), après l'arrestation d'un chrétien accusé d'avoir tenu trois jours auparavant des propos blasphématoires contre le prophète Mahomet. Les violences n'ont pas fait de victimes. » | Source AFP | dimanche 10 mars 2013
MAIL ONLINE: First time Her Majesty has signalled support for gay rights in 61-year reign / Also promotes 'empowerment' of women in drive to boost human rights / Insiders say her decision to highlight the event is a 'watershed' moment
The Queen will tomorrow back an historic pledge to promote gay rights and ‘gender equality’ in one of the most controversial acts of her reign.
In a live television broadcast, she will sign a new charter designed to stamp out discrimination against homosexual people and promote the ‘empowerment’ of women – a key part of a new drive to boost human rights and living standards across the Commonwealth.
In her first public appearance since she had hospital treatment for a stomach bug, the Queen will sign the new Commonwealth Charter and make a speech explaining her passionate commitment to it.
Insiders say her decision to highlight the event is a ‘watershed’ moment – the first time she has clearly signalled her support for gay rights in her 61-year reign.
The charter, dubbed a ‘21st Century Commonwealth Magna Carta’ declares: ‘We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds.’
The ‘other grounds’ is intended to refer to sexuality – but specific reference to ‘gays and lesbians’ was omitted in deference to Commonwealth countries with draconian anti-gay laws.
Sources close to the Royal Household said she is aware of the implications of the charter’s implicit support of gay rights and commitment to gender equality.
In her speech, the Queen is expected to stress that the rights must ‘include everyone’ - and this is seen as an implicit nod to the agenda of inclusivity, usually championed by the Left. Read on and comment » | Simon Walters | Saturday, March 09, 2013
BBC: A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced two human rights and political activists to lengthy jail terms for setting up an illegal organisation and rebelling against the authority of the king.
Mohammed al-Qahtani was given 10 years, while Mohammed al-Hamid's earlier sentence of six years was upheld and a further five-year term added.
The court also disbanded their organisation, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).
An appeal will be heard next month. » | Saturday, March 09, 2013
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