Decoding Facial Hair in the Arab World

BBC: During the Mubarak-era, beards were a no-no in Egypt - but now they're back in fashion with a vengeance. In the Arab and Muslim world, facial hair signifies a lot more than personal style, writes Cairo-based journalist Ashraf Khalil.

A couple of years ago, I was with my parents in a mosque near Chicago. They introduced me to an old family friend - a lady who'd known me since I was a kid but hadn't seen me for years. She embraced my mother and shook hands with my father, but when she turned to me she stood about a foot away from me, didn't offer to shake my hand and instead sort of awkwardly waved.

My father asked her why she had been so distant and she said it was because of my beard. She assumed that my facial hair was symbolic of a deep Islamic religiousness and was afraid that if she offered her hand to shake, I wouldn't take it. My father, who knows exactly how non-religious I am, still LOVES to tell this story.

In the Arab and Muslim world, facial hair means far more than just style and grooming. It's a sociological signifier, a shorthand that often tells you who you're dealing with and what they're all about before they can even speak. There are a couple of different styles in play, and as a journalist you learn to develop a sort of internal chart.

In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood members generally tend to go with the full but well-groomed beard and moustache. However Salafists - the ultraconservative fundamentalist Muslims - like to let their beards grow long and wild, often leaving their upper lip clean-shaven as a nod to how the Prophet Mohammed wore his own beard 1,400 years ago.

Some within the Salafist camp take things an extra step and dye their beards with henna, producing a range of colours from maroon to bright pumpkin orange. » | Ashraf Khalil | Saturday, February 02, 2013

Inside Story: What Does the Future Hold for Egypt?
As the country's reserves fall and unemployment increases, we ask if it is tipping towards an economic breaking point.

Jordan's Democracy Experiment Appears to Fail
The Prime Minister of Jordan has spent three weeks consulting members of parliament, on who to include in his new cabinet.

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Daredevil Saudi Arabian Craze of 'Sidewalk Skiing' Brings New Meaning to the Term 'Off-road' as Drivers Flip Car onto Just Two Wheels as Passengers Cling on Outside

MAIL ONLINE: Daredevil young men risk life, limb and licence with hair-raising stunts / Adrenaline junkies perform their 'dangerous driving' near city of Ha'il

Parallel parking is tricky enough for some motorists, but for others there is nothing more exhilarating than jumping behind the wheel and performing these death-defying stunts.

When it comes to such a hair-raising hobby, nothing stalls these adventurous youths in Saudi Arabia as they bring a whole new meaning to the term 'off road'.

The latest craze among young Saudi men is dubbed 'sidewalk skiing'. It involves a driver racing along before manouevring - most likely with the help of a ramp - the vehicle onto its side.

The daredevil group like nothing more than to step it up a gear when it comes to hitting the road near the northern city of Ha'il.

To describe it as 'dangerous driving' would be putting it mildly, with motorists who perform such stunts risking life and limb - not to mention their licence. » | Alex Gore | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Cardinal Timothy Dolan: Catholic Church’s Nature Means It Will be Out of Touch Sometimes

Watch More News Videos at ABC | Technology News | Celebrity News

Read ABC NEWS article here | Benjamin Bell | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Tristes Pâques pour les catholiques de Syrie
LE POINT: Le bourg chrétien d'Al-Ghassaniyé, qui comptait 10 000 habitants avant la guerre, est devenu une localité fantôme.


Célébration de Pâques à Damas en 2012. © AP/Bassem Tellawi
C'est un bourg chrétien situé à la limite de la province d'Idleb et de celle côtière de Lattaquié, dans le nord du pays. Al-Ghassaniyé comptait avant la guerre 10 000 habitants, dont une demi-douzaine de familles musulmanes. Il est devenu une localité fantôme où il ne reste plus que 15 personnes. Les festivités de Pâques, dans cette zone complètement dévastée par les violences, avaient un goût amer.

"Nous n'avons pu célébrer ni la Passion, ni la Crucifixion, nous n'osions pas quitter nos maisons", explique Giorgio, 88 ans, un des derniers habitants encore présents dans la localité dévastée par les bombardements. Vêtu d'un pantalon bleu et d'une veste beige, arborant le traditionnel foulard blanc tenu par un lacet noir, il s'est rendu quand même à l'église en ce dimanche pour célébrer Pâques aux côtés de quelques autres habitants, ainsi que quatre religieuses et deux prêtres. "Nous sommes un peuple de paix, pas de guerre. Nous voulons la paix pour le monde entier", affirme-t-il à l'AFP. Ses six enfants ont fui quand leurs maisons ont été détruites par les bombardements. » | Source AFP | dimanche 31 mars 2013

Accusé d'insultes à l'islam, un humoriste défie la justice égyptienne
LE POINT: Bassem Youssef a été entendu dimanche après avoir été accusé d'avoir insulté la religion. Il a tourné les juges en dérision, puis a été libéré sous caution.


Le parquet égyptien a entendu dimanche le célèbre animateur de télévision satirique Bassem Youssef, puis l'a libéré contre une caution de 15 000 livres (environ 1 700 euros), a annoncé une source judiciaire. L'humoriste avait fait l'objet de plaintes pour insultes à l'islam et au président issu des Frères musulmans Mohamed Morsi. Bassem Youssef, dont l'émission satirique Al-Bernameg ("L'émission"), inspirée du Daily Show américain de Jon Stewart, tourne en dérision les figures politiques du pays et n'épargne ni le président ni les Frères musulmans, a continué à se moquer des autorités lors de son arrivée au parquet.

Le cardiologue reconverti en humoriste s'est frayé un chemin à travers la foule de partisans venus le soutenir et de journalistes, avec sur la tête un chapeau démesuré, imitation d'un couvre-chef que M. Morsi a porté lors d'une visite au Pakistan mi-mars. Il a également continué à publier des commentaires ironiques sur son compte Twitter durant son interrogatoire. "Les officiers (de police) et les magistrats du parquet veulent se faire prendre en photo avec moi. Peut-être est-ce la raison pour laquelle j'ai été convoqué ?", a-t-il ainsi écrit. (+ vidéo) » | Source AFP | dimanche 31 mars 2013

Theologe Erwin Keller: Papst setzt neue Akzente

Papst wünscht der Welt Frieden

Santiago de Chile: Straßenproteste eskalieren
In der chilenischen Hauptstadt ist die Gewalt zwischen Studenten und der Polizei eskaliert. Die Demonstranten setzten Polizeifahrzeuge in Brand. Die Polizei setzte Tränengas ein.

“Hijab or Hell,” Say Egypt Salafists in Alexandria
BIKYA NEWS: Egyptian female students are now faced with threats of “going to Hell” if they continue to wear pants at an Alexandria university, north of Cairo, the New Women Foundation reported, citing a news article published by al-Youm al-Saba’a online website.

Female students were surprised to see threatening literature calling on them to abandon the “manly” look and go back to a more “Islamic way of dress.”

Although the majority of Egyptian women wear the head scarf, ultra-conservatives still complain about women’s attire and try, at every available chance, to limit women’s freedom in the country.

“Know women that it is either the hijab or Hell. Why do you refuse your God’s orders?” read one pamphlet. » | Manar Ammar | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Salafism On Rise in North Africa: Algeria Moves to Stem Imported Religious Ideas
MIDDLE EAST ONLINE: Algerian authorities give all-clear for union of imams to protect country's moderate form of Islam from teachings of hardline Salafists.

Algerian authorities have given the all-clear for a union of imams to protect the country's traditionally moderate form of Islam from the teachings of hardline Salafists whose influence is on the rise in North Africa.

The move comes two months after an Al-Qaeda-linked attack on a desert gas plant, where 37 foreign hostages were killed during a siege and army rescue operation, and amid fears of jihadist groups gaining ground in neighbouring Tunisia.

The union's "mission will be to defend the material and moral rights of the imams and to act as a bulwark against imported religious ideas, Salafist or other," its secretary general Sheikh Djelloul Hadjimi said.

The preacher of El Ouarthilani mosque, in the Telemly district of the capital Algiers, welcomes his followers over tea and dates, some of them seeking a fatwa, or religious edict, others asking for advice or material assistance.

He says he is used to receiving people suffering from psychological afflictions, including young people who have tried to commit suicide.

But since the union was officially announced in mid-March, he has struggled to cope with his daily agenda and the phone hasn't stopped ringing.

Sheikh Hadjimi has said that the bulk of the union's work must be focused on Algiers, "where a large majority of the mosques are hostage to Salafist imams." » | Abdelhafid Daamache | ALGIERS | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Mr Hate Sneers at the Cops
Hours after cops say they can't nick him, Choudary tells cronies: Be proud to call yourself terrorist

THE SUN: COCKY hate cleric Anjem Choudary has laughed at British justice only days after cops said they were powerless to arrest him,

The hate preacher urged his cronies to “be proud” to be called terrorists as he sneered on a trip abroad funded by benefits - when he also urged followers to “rise up”.

It came hours after police here admitted they were powerless to arrest him for saying he wanted David Cameron dead and urging Muslims to rake in handouts to fund holy war.

Choudary, who claims £25,000 a year in welfare, launched his tirade on a secret trip to Finland.

In an angry rant he said followers should “follow the message” and refuse to compromise in their fight to impose Muslim law in the West. » | Matt Wilkinson | Sunday, March 31, 2013

Conservative Knives Out for George Osborne
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: George Osborne faces a whispering campaign at the highest levels of the Conservative Party over his competence and judgment.

The Chancellor has been personally blamed for the party’s misfortunes and poor opinion poll ratings, with senior figures warning that change is needed ahead of the general election.

There are renewed calls for Mr Osborne to give up his role coordinating the party’s campaigning, as fears mount of disastrous results in May’s English local elections.

Some critics are demanding that he should be replaced as Chancellor by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary. Such a move would be a dramatic shift for the Prime Minister, as Mr Osborne is his closest political ally.

One senior Conservative at the heart of the party, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Telegraph: “George is the problem.”

Concerns centre on what is perceived to be his failure to understand the middle classes, their values, and their economic struggle.

Most notably, critics highlighted how the last budget in effect penalised rather than helped stay-at-home mothers and did not introduce recognition for marriage in the tax system.

This came on top of changes to child benefit which also penalise single-earner households.

Senior critics within the party were also unhappy with his flagship measure to boost the housing market, a mortgage guarantee scheme. There have been warnings that it could create a housing bubble, rather than help economic growth. » | Patrick Hennessy | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Return of the Far Right: Greece's Financial Crisis Has Led to a Rise in Violent Attacks on Refugees
THE INDEPENDENT: John Carlin reports from Athens on the return of the far right.

An Afghan who fled his country, fearing a lynching, after converting from Islam to Christianity. A Syrian who bolted across the border after a bomb destroyed his home. A Sudanese man who ran for his life after soldiers murdered his father and raped his sisters.

All three have joined the rivers of refugees that flow, now as ever, from the most wretched corners of the earth, converging today on Athens, the most wretched capital in Western Europe. Pursuing the European dream, they have run aground in the swamp of Greek's economic crisis: undocumented, unwanted, despised, hungry and under constant threat of the sort of violence they imagined they had left behind at home.

The bad guys of this story are not hard to identify. The far-right Golden Dawn party (Chrysi Avgi in Greek) captures votes by using foreign migrants in the same way the Nazis used the Jews: as scapegoats for the frustrations, insecurities and hardships of today's Greek population. They blame Arabs, Asians and Africans (or 'subhumans' as they call them) for their country's dire lot. Accusing them of infecting Greeks with diseases and of turning the centre of Athens into a criminal jungle, young Golden Dawn militants hunt down foreigners in the streets, markets, parks and buses.

The good guys of this story are the NGO workers and Greek volunteers who endeavour to help the refugees. Their altruism is especially impressive: they are also suffering the consequences of the economic crisis, they all know fellow Greeks who are competing with the refugees for food in the bins of Athens. Workers at Médecins Sans Frontières, for example, report Greek people coming to them and asking: "Why don't you help us instead of them? Who invited them, anyway?".

Golden Dawn are the bad guys, but it is not hard to grasp why they are now the third biggest party in the country, well on their way to becoming the second. At a time of awful confusion and uncertainty, they offer simple solutions to complex problems. Linked to neo-Nazi groups in Germany, they have learnt the populist lessons of the Hitler era. They magnify the danger posed by refugees and present themselves as the only true defenders of the people. » | John Carlin | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Euro Crisis: After the Cyprus Bank Raid Fiasco, Germany Is Being Painted as the EU’s Chief Villain
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: It’s easy to see why German taxpayers have had enough, argues Mats Persson. But the Cyprus bailout has ended with their government being painted as the EU’s chief villain - an accolade that should belong to the architects of the euro.


In the running blame-game that is the eurozone crisis, Germany has now emerged as the chief villain. In many parts of Europe, the country has been outright blamed for the Cypriot crisis, which saw Berlin demand that Cypriot depositors be taxed in return for a €10bn bailout.

A commentator in Spanish daily El País went the furthest. “Like Hitler,” he wrote, “German Chancellor Angela Merkel has declared war on the rest of Europe.”

The piece was quickly withdrawn but the damage had been done. In Britain, commentators across the political spectrum have lined up to criticise Germany. The New Statesman recently labelled Merkel “the biggest threat to global order and prosperity” - ahead of notorious dictators such as Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

Most comments have been far more level-headed but anti-Germany sentiments have reached levels not seen in a long time. Within Germany itself, however, the decision to tax Cypriot depositors continue to enjoy wide-ranging support, as does the wider austerity-driven approach to the crisis.

What’s more, many Germans would echo the country’s justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, who called on the EU to “also display solidarity with us and defend the Germans against unjust accusations”. » | Mats Persson *, director of Open Europe | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Mats Persson is the director of Open Europe, an independent think tank that campaigns for EU reform.

'I Was Sexually Assaulted & Tortured to Extract False Confession' - Bahraini Medic
In Bahrain, 21 doctors have been cleared of involvement in illegal anti-government protests. The medics have spent more than a year and a half behind bars, for as they say treating injured demonstrators. Dozens of health workers along with opposition activists have been arrested and charged, since the uprising began more than two years ago. Doctor Fatima Haji faced similar charges to the acquitted medics, and she told RT what she had to go through during her confinement.

Gay Marriage: How Gay Marriage Won

TIME cover story photo
TIME: Eager to be eyewitnesses to history, people camped for days in the dismal cold, shivering in the slanting shadow of the Capitol dome, to claim tickets for the Supreme Court’s historic oral arguments on same-sex marriage. Some hoped that the Justices would extend marriage rights; others prayed that they would not. When at last the doors of the white marble temple swung open on March 26 for the first of two sessions devoted to the subject, the lucky ones found seats in time to hear Justice Anthony Kennedy — author of two important earlier decisions in favor of gay rights and likely a key vote this time as well — turn the tables on the attorney defending the traditionalist view. Charles Cooper was extolling heterosexual marriage as the best arrangement in which to raise children when Kennedy interjected: What about the roughly 40,000 children of gay and lesbian couples living in California? “They want their parents to have full recognition and full status,” Kennedy said. “The voice of those children is important in this case, don’t you think?” Nearly as ominous for the folks against change was the fact that Chief Justice John Roberts plunged into a discussion of simply dismissing the California case. That would let stand a lower-court ruling, and same-sex couples could add America’s most populous state to the growing list of jurisdictions where they can be lawfully hitched.

A court still stinging from controversies over Obamacare, campaign financing and the 2000 presidential election may be leery of removing an issue from voters’ control. Yet no matter what the Justices decide after withdrawing behind their velvet curtain, the courtroom debate — and the period leading up to it — made clear that we have all been eyewitnesses to history. In recent days, weeks and months, the verdict on same-sex marriage has been rendered by rapidly shifting public opinion and by the spectacle of swing-vote politicians scrambling to keep up with it. With stunning speed, a concept dismissed even by most gay-rights leaders just 20 years ago is now embraced by half or more of all Americans, with support among young voters running as high as 4 to 1. Beginning with the Netherlands in 2001, countries from Argentina to Belgium to Canada — along with nine states and the District of Columbia — have extended marriage rights to lesbian and gay couples. » | David von Drehle | Thursday, March 28, 2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Pride and Prejudice: An Interactive Timeline of the Fight for Gay Rights » | TIME staff | Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Bosnian Serb Commander Jailed for War Crimes
Veselin Vlahović was known as the Monster of Grabavica. That was the area of Sarajevo that he terrorised during the war, from 1992 to 1995

N. Korea Severs Military Hotline with South
Pyongyang cuts off last direct communication link between two countries, and warns of "simmering nuclear war".

The Man Who Will Make the Pope's Chalice
Skilled artisans from Pope Francis's homeland, Argentina, are celebrating his election. Many have been commissioned to make beautiful objects.

Top US Court Weighs In On Gay Marriage Ban
The United States supreme court has heard for the second day final arguments for and against gay marriage.

Konflikt spitzt sich zu: Nordkorea verkündet Kriegszustand mit Südkorea
30.03.2013 - Neue Eskalation auf der koreanischen Halbinsel: das Regime in Pjöngjang erklärte am Samstag, das Land sei in den Kriegszustand mit Südkorea eingetreten. Jede Angelegenheit zwischen beiden Staaten würden ab sofort entsprechend behandelt, hieß es in einer von Staatsmedien verbreiteten Erklärung.

La Corée du Nord simule une attaque massive de Séoul

LE PARISIEN: La France demande à la Corée du Nord de «s'abstenir de toute provocation» » | samedi 30 mars 2013

Shroud of Turin to Be Shown on TV

Shroud of Turin website »

Franklin Graham: President Should Listen to Dennis Rodman

Wife of Imprisoned Pastor Saeed Abedini Speaks Out

Chris Kluwe: Risk in Being Openly Gay in NFL

Pilgrims Re-enact Passion of Christ in Jerusalem on Good Friday
A Christian pilgrim reenacts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ along the path where Jesus walked, now known as the "Via Dolorosa", or the "Way of Suffering", on Good Friday in Jerusalem's Old City.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Source: APTN | Good Friday | Friday, March 29, 2013

Queen Hands Out Maundy Money at ChristChurch Cathedral
The Queen distributes Maundy money to members of the congregation at the traditional Royal Maundy Service at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Source: PA | Maundy Thursday | Thursday, March 28, 2013

North Korea Enters 'State of War' Against South Korea
North Korea announced early on Saturday morning that it was entering a “state of war” against South Korea, hours after Kim Jong-un said he would “settle accounts” with Washington for threatening him with nuclear-capable stealth bombers.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here | Barney Henderson, and agencies | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Cameron Accused of Betraying Christians: Astonishing Easter Attack on the PM by Former Archbishop of Canterbury
MAIL ONLINE: Lord Carey accused ministers of 'aiding and abetting' the discrimination / Poll: More than two-thirds of Christians feel are a ‘persecuted minority'

Many Christians doubt David Cameron’s sincerity in pledging to protect their freedoms, former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey says today.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Lord Carey squarely accuses ministers of ‘aiding and abetting’ discrimination against Christians.

He says he believes there is an ‘aggressive secularist and relativist approach’ behind the Government plans to legalise gay marriage and says the Prime Minister has ‘done more than any other recent political leader’ to ‘feed’ Christian anxieties.

As a dramatic new poll released on the eve of Easter Sunday revealed that more than two-thirds of Christians feel they are now part of a ‘persecuted minority’, Lord Carey insists the Government must do more to demonstrate its commitment to pledges to stand up for faith. » | James Chapman | Friday, March 29, 2013

New Dark Age Alert! 'Arrest the Atheists Who Insulted Islam!' Tens of Thousands of Muslim Activists Hold Prayers on Streets of Bangladesh Capital to Call for New Blasphemy Laws against Bloggers

MAIL ONLINE: Tens of thousands of Islamic activists prayed on the streets of the Bangladeshi capital today during a rally calling for the introduction of blaspemy laws and the restoration of a caretaker government.

Members of the Islami Andolan Bangladesh are demanding the arrest of 'atheist bloggers who insulted Islam' and to pass laws punishing those who 'insulted Islam in the parliament'.

They have announced plans to 'lay siege' to the office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on April 25 if their demands are not met.

They include the restoration of the phrase 'absolute trust and faith upon Almighty Allah' in basic principles of the constitution; passing laws to punish atheists; holding of national elections under an impartial government; ensuring good governance and justice, uprooting terrorism and corruption; and establishing Islamic rule for a prosperous and welfare state.

According to www.thedailystar.net, the party's Amir Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karimalso told the rally: 'The incumbent and previous governments have nurtured corruption, violence, nepotism and other different evil practices during last few decades. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Friday, March 29, 2013

New Dark Age Alert! Bishop Warns of Consequences If Christian Faith Fades
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain risks “falling into darkness” with its citizens unable to distinguish between good and evil due to the marginalisation of Christianity, a Roman Catholic bishop will warn tomorrow.

The Rt Rev Mark Davies, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, will say the country was at a crossroads and that the fate of future generations rested on the decisions made today about how we choose to live our lives.

He will use his Easter homily to highlight how the Christian faith has sustained and underpinned British life, its laws and aspirations for centuries.

Without it, he will warn, there will be nothing to defend the value of human life.

“Commentators have been puzzled that the Church and the Pope’s concern for the poorest is combined with an uncompromising defence of marriage as the union of man and woman; of the family as the vital unit of society; of the unborn routinely destroyed, frozen, manipulated for our purposes; and of the dignity of the aged threatened in many societies by a killing which calls itself ‘mercy’,” he will tell the congregation at Shrewsbury Cathedral. » | Victoria Ward | Saturday, March 30, 2013

Papst Franziskus: Frauen-Fußwaschung verärgert konservative Katholiken
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Es war ein Bruch mit dem Kirchenrecht: Papst Franziskus feierte die Abendmahlmesse in einem Jugendgefängnis bei Rom - und wusch zwei Frauen die Füße. Die Liturgie sieht vor, dass nur Männern die Füße gewaschen werden dürfen. Nun muss der Vatikan die konservativen Kritiker beschwichtigen.


Rom - Papst Franziskus hat offenbar den konservativen Flügel der katholischen Kirche verärgert. Am Gründonnerstagabend feierte er in der Kapelle des römischen Jugendgefängnis Casal del Marmo die Abendmahlmesse. Er wusch zwölf Häftlingen die Füße. Der Tabubruch: Unter ihnen waren auch zwei Frauen. Die Liturgie für Ostern sieht jedoch ausdrücklich vor, dass nur Männern die Füße gewaschen werden dürfen.

"Er setzt ein fragwürdiges Beispiel", schrieb Edward Peters, ein Berater des Vatikans über das Kirchenrecht, auf seinem Blog. "Es ist eine Frage mit Auswirkungen weit über die Fußwaschung hinaus", warnte Peters. Im Grunde sende der Papst damit das Signal: "Warum sich um eine notwendige aber schwierige Reform eines Gesetzes bemühen, wenn man dieses einfacher ignorieren kann?" » | Mit Material von AP und dpa | Freitag, 29. März 2013

The Pope Holds Good Friday Mass in the Vatican - Live
Watch live as Pope Francis presides over his first Good Friday observances as pontiff, which will culminate in a torch-lit procession at Rome's Colosseum and prayers for peace in the Middle East.

Read the article here | Good Friday, Friday March 29, 2013

The Passion of the Christ (2004) – Full English Movie (HD)

Pakistan: Taliban erschiessen Lehrerin
Weil sie an einer Mädchenschule unterrichtete, wurde in Pakistan eine Lehrerin von den Taliban erschossen. Ihr Sohn stand neben ihr und musste zu sehen [sic], wie seine Mutter starb.

Pourquoi la Birmanie tue ses musulmans
LE POINT: La minorité musulmane birmane est la cible depuis la semaine dernière de véritables pogroms instigués par des moines extrémistes. Décryptage.


La voie vers la démocratie est un long chemin semé d'embûches. Les musulmans de Birmanie en font l'amère expérience depuis deux ans. Quartiers éventrés, mosquées parties en fumée, et corps calcinés gisant à même le sol..., cette minorité, qui représente 4 % des 55 millions de Birmans, est de nouveau victime de véritables pogroms perpétrés par la population bouddhiste. Quarante personnes ont été tuées la semaine dernière et plus de 12 000 déplacées dans la ville de Meiktila dans le centre du pays, forçant l'armée à instaurer l'état d'urgence. Les violences ont depuis gagné d'autres villages et se rapprochent désormais dangereusement de l'ancienne capitale, Rangoun.

À l'origine, une simple querelle entre un vendeur musulman et des clients bouddhistes, qui a dégénéré en affrontements. Pendant trois jours, des groupes d'émeutiers ont détruit tout ce qu'il y avait de musulman sur leur passage, transformant la ville de Meiktila en véritable coupe-gorge. "Ces groupes de civils bouddhistes ont été fanatisés par une minorité de moines extrémistes", explique au Point.fr Maël Raynaud, analyste indépendant spécialiste de la Birmanie. "Ces religieux tirent parti du profond racisme existant au sein de la société birmane." » | Par Armin Arefi | vendredi 29 mars 2013

Jerusalem's Christian Population Dwindles
As Christians mark Easter this weekend, in Jerusalem, the city where Jesus died, the number of his followers has fallen below ten thousand.

Pope Brings Easter 'Hope'
The Pope broke with tradition by visiting a juvenile detention centre in Rome as part of his first Easter Mass.

Bulgaria Bus Attack: Berlin Wants Hezbollah On EU Terrorist Group List
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The German Interior and Foreign ministries want Lebanon's Hezbollah movement to be placed on the EU's list of terrorist groups if suspicions are confirmed that the organization was behind the bus bombing in Bulgaria last year in which five Israeli tourists were killed.


The German government wants to push for Lebanon's Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah to be added to the list of European Union terrorist organizations. After talks with representatives of the American Jewish Committee and security experts, German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said he favored banning the group in Europe. » | SPIEGEL | Friday, March 29, 2013

North Koreans Stage Mass Rally in Support of Kim Jong-un’s Call to Arms
Thousands of North Koreans turned out on Friday for a mass rally in the main square of the capital Pyongyang to show support for their leader's call to arms.

Read the short article here | Source: APTN | Friday, March 29, 2013
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: North Korea puts rockets on standby to attack US bases: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last night ordered the country's rocket units to be on standby to attack US military targets in response to Washington's announcement that it had flown B2 stealth bomber "deterrence" missions over South Korea. » | Barney Henderson | Thursday, March 28, 2013

Islam Leader Calls for Muslim Holidays in Germany
SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Germany is home to some 4 million Muslims. With the long Easter weekend around the corner, a leading member of the country's Muslim community has called for legal recognition of two Muslim holidays, drawing criticism from among Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling conservatives.

In 2010 former German President Christian Wulff made the assertion that, "Islam belongs in Germany," provoking something of a conservative backlash. Now, Germany's Central Council of Muslims (ZMD) is bringing the topic back into the public eye -- and suggesting the introduction of statutory Muslim holidays throughout Germany.

Council chairman Aiman Mazyek told the Thursday edition of the regional daily Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) that granting one day during the holy month of Ramadan and another on the fast-breaking day of Eid would be "an important sign of integration" and "would emphasize tolerance in our society."

These holidays would not be work-free days for all citizens, specified Mazyek, but rather would serve to give Muslims the legal right not to work on these days. He added that Muslims in public services such as police could stand in for colleagues over Christian holidays like Easter.

The legal recognition of Islam has been a controversial issue in Germany, home to a population of 4 million Muslims which it has been accused of not doing enough to integrate. Public unease with this growing population came to the fore in 2010 when a book by former German central bank board member Thilo Sarrazin, in which he accused Muslims of sponging off welfare and refusing to integrate, was a huge commercial success. » | chw -- with wire reports | Thursday, March 28, 2013

Cyprus Banks Reopen Amid Simmering Tension
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH – EXTRACT: Cypriots formed orderly queues outside the country’s banks after they reopened for the first time in nearly two weeks on Thursday, confounding fears that there would be scenes of unrest and violence.

…

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, was the target of particular resentment.

“Merkel says every single Cypriot is guilty of dirty banking. But it is the Germans who should be ashamed for the greatest evil in the history of Europe – the Holocaust,” said a furious Cleri Machlouzarides, a chartered architect, outside a branch of Laiki Bank.

“Tell the bloody Nazis to go home. Germany should go and find someone their own size to pick on instead of trying to strangle us. Europeans should know it’s not going to stop here. “Luxembourg is next, then Spain, Portugal, Ireland.” … » | Nick Squires, in Nicosia | Thursday, March 28, 2013