Fear of Deadly ‘Religious War’ between Jews and Muslims Raised after Synagogue Attack

THE WASHINGTON POST: JERUSALEM — Israelis and Palestinians expressed fear Wednesday that their decades-old conflict was moving beyond the traditional nationalist struggle between two peoples fighting for their homelands and spiraling into a raw and far-reaching religious confrontation between Jews and Muslims.

The threat — perhaps more accurately the dread — of an incipient but deadly “religious war” was expressed by Muslim clerics, Christian leaders and Jewish Israelis one day after a pair of Palestinian assailants, wielding meat cleavers and a gun, killed five Israelis, including a prominent American Israeli rabbi, in a Jerusalem synagogue.

“All of us are scared that there will be a religious war, that extremists from both sides will start fighting each other,” said Oded Wiener, an Israeli Jew from the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. » | William Booth and Ruth Eglash | Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Yes, Islam Is At War with the West

BREITBART: On Tuesday, four Jews, including three Americans and a British citizen, were murdered in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood while praying at synagogue. The murderers: Palestinian Muslims shouting “Allahu Akhbar” as they attacked the worshipers with machetes and a pistol.

Secretary of State John Kerry immediately condemned the attacks:

Innocent people who had come to worship died in the sanctuary of a synagogue. They were hatcheted, hacked and murdered in that holy place in an act of pure terror and senseless brutality and murder. I call on Palestinians at every single level of leadership to condemn this in the most powerful terms.

But, of course, Palestinian Muslims do not condemn such violence. They celebrate it. Hamas – the terrorist group running the Gaza Strip, and in doing so, receiving American aid – cheered the attack, and Palestinian Muslims in the Gaza Strip handed out candies to children. While headlines stated that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, his Fatah called the attacks “a natural response to the recent events.” And everyone in both Israel and the Palestinian territories knows that Fatah’s response reflects the official Palestinian position far better than the English comments designed for public consumption.

Nonetheless, Kerry will likely declare Abbas’ statements sufficient, and call for a renewed peace process. President Obama has already called on Israel to “work cooperatively…to lower tensions, reject violence, and seek a path forward towards peace.”

That’s because the West refuses to see the truth about the Muslim war on Israel and the United States: it is a religious war for our enemies. » | Ben Shapiro | Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Should Presidents Call Islam a 'Religion of Peace?' Two George W. Bush Officials Debate

THE CHRISTIAN POST: MIAMI BEACH — Two former George W. Bush administration officials, Elliot Abrams and Michael Gerson, debated Monday whether it is appropriate for presidents to call Islam a religion of peace.

"What is authentic Islam? Is ISIS an authentic form of Islam, or is it not? I think it's very important that the United States government shut-up about that question," Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, declared at the Ethics and Public Policy Center's Faith Angle Forum.

"It used to annoy me enormously when President [George W.] Bush, for whom I was working, would say, 'Islam is a religion of peace,'" continued Abrams, who served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser.

Abrams was speaking on a panel, "Religious Conflict and the Future of the Middle East," with Shadi Hamid, a fellow with the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

The "real response" to Bush, and later President Barack Obama, declaring the Islam is a religion of peace, he said, should be "where is their theology degree from?"

"For American government officials to be telling Muslims, 'I know real Islam' ... is ridiculous," he added. "... It would be an outrage about Judaism and Christianity as well. ... For government officials who are 99 percent Christians to be trying to find what is authentic in Islam seems to me to be a fool's errand." Read on and comment » | Napp Nazworth, Christian Post Reporter | Friday, November 21, 2014

Anjem Choudary Bail Restrictions Relaxed by Judge

Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Court hears that bail terms should allow Muslim extremist 'religious freedom'

One of Britain's most notorious hate clerics has been given permission to begin preaching on the streets again after a judge ruled he must be allowed "religious freedom".

Anjem Choudary was arrested on terror charges along with six others at the end of September.

The men are alleged to have been members of an organisation banned under the Terrorism Act and are said to have encouraged terrorism.

Howard Riddle, the chief magistrate and senior district judge, said a restriction on the men taking part in Muslim stalls to preach Islam and share religious material – known as Da’wah stalls - will end on December 18.

Mr Riddle said police allege the Da’wah stalls have been “misused to spread extremist literature”.

“The Da'wah stalls are a significant part of the current investigation,” the senior district judge said.

"However it is accepted that the Da'wah stall has an ostensible purpose to spread the word of Islam and to proselytise.

“Religious freedom is of considerable significance.” » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Monday, November 21, 2014

Muslims Chant to Remove Jesus at Washington’s National Cathedral

ISRAEL TODAY: It looked like a chilling scene from a Last Days, anti-Christ-takes-over-the-world disaster movie. Hundreds of Muslims take over America’s most notable church, prostrate on their prayer rugs as their unified chant echoes out in full volume: “There is only one god, he begets not and I bear witness that Muhammad is His only servant and Apostle."

Only this was not a movie. This was the scene, last Friday, for the first time in history, at the iconic National Cathedral in Washington, where orthodox Muslim clerics were invited to lead an Islamic prayer service. A congregation of hundreds were lead by an Imam in declaring that “god has no son, that Jesus Christ cannot be his son, and that there is no god like Allah.”

Only a single middle-age woman jumped up in the middle of the service and shouted, “America was founded on Christian principles. . . . Leave our church alone!” She was escorted quickly out of the church by security guards. » | David Lazarus | Thursday, November 20, 2014

New IS Video Calls On French Muslims To Carry Out Terror Attacks In France

Abu Maryam al-Faransi warns: "This is a message to all the
enemies of Islam and specifically France. The mujahedin
(militants) around the world will not hesitate to cut off
your heads."

RADIO FREE EUROPE: The Islamic State (IS) group's media wing, Al-Hayat, has released a new video calling on French Muslims to join Islamic State and go to Syria to fight, or if that's not possible to carry out terrorist attacks in France.

"Even poison is available, so poison the water and food of at least one of the enemies of Allah," one French militant says in the video.

The video -- titled What Are You Waiting For? -- is in French with Arabic and English subtitles. It's opening scenes show a group of French militants burning their passports to symbolize their rejection of the French government.

"As you have disbelieved in the Taghut [someone who worships anything except Allah], democracy, and man-made laws through your Hijra, today you disbelieve in these Tawagheet ['Taghut' leaders, i.e. the governments of the countries from which the militants have come] and their laws that they forced on us and these passports that they forced us to use," the French militant speaking in the video says.

The militant accuses the French government of oppressing Muslims and insulting the Prophet Muhammad. "And today, we disbelieve in you and your passports, and if you come here we will fight you," the militant adds.

"What are you waiting for? Why do you not perform Hijra [emigrate to Syria]," he asks. » | Joanna Paraszczuk | Thursday, November 20, 2014

Beautifying Islam

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Many people are understandably asking: What is the true nature of Islam? Is it that although there are many peaceful Muslims, Islam itself is not peaceful?

Classical Islamic law, developed over the history of Islam, is definitely not peaceful or benign, and therefore not suitable for this age; neither are its violent and grotesque progeny, such as Islamism and jihadism.

If Islam is a religion that stands for justice and peaceful coexistence, then this policy of jihad cannot be justified as sanctioned by a just and merciful creator.

Religious traditions have changed and evolved over time, therefore it is the duty of us Muslims, using reason and common sense, to reinterpret the scriptures to bring about an Islam that affirms and promotes universally accepted human rights and values. It is our duty to cleanse the traditional, literalist, classical Islam and purify it to make it an Islam that is worthy to be called a beautiful religion.

Looking at a year of beheadings by ISIS, child grooming abuses in the UK, judicial misconduct by the hanging judges of Iran, slaughtering and enslaving of Christians in Egypt and Africa, and various murders justified in the name of Islam throughout the world, many people are understandably asking: What is the true nature of Islam? Is it that although there are many peaceful Muslims, Islam itself is not peaceful?

If, for us Muslims, Islam is a religion of peace, justice, and mercy, how come the militants, who claim to be staunch Muslims -- who are ready to die for Islam and who claim to have established a state in the name of Islam in Iraq and Syria by sacrificing blood and lives -- are beheading journalists and aid workers, and enslaving religious minorities, all by citing Islamic Sharia Law? » | Ahmed Vanya | Thursday, November 20, 2014

«L’Occidental qui veut quitter le califat signe son arrêt de mort»

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Samuel Laurent publie un livre sur le groupe Etat islamique. Le visage qu'il donne à cet ennemi de l’Occident est terrifiant. Interview.

La France est clairement dans le viseur du groupe Etat islamique. Mercredi, les Français apprenaient qu’en plus du Normand Maxime, un deuxième converti, le parisien Mickael, était parmi les bourreaux de la terrible vidéo de décapitation diffusée le week-end dernier. Mercredi encore, le groupe Etat islamique postait une autre vidéo, dans laquelle trois Français du groupe terroriste poussent leurs compatriotes à attaquer la France. Consultant international, auteur de deux livres remarqués (Sahelistan en 2013 et Al-Qaida en France en 2014), Samuel Laurent connaît de l’intérieur la nébuleuse du terrorisme islamiste. » | Par Xavier Alonso | jeudi 20 novembre 2014

Jordan's Queen Rania in Powerful Attack on ISIS for 'Hijacking' the Arab World with Horror Beheadings on Social Media that 'Drag Us Back to the Dark Ages'

MAIL ONLINE: The 44-year-old monarch was speaking to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit / She said images posted by ISIS are 'alien and abhorrent to vast majority of Arabs' and should make 'every Arab seethe' / Queen said silence of moderates made them complicit in ISIS' success

The bloodthirsty killers of Islamic State are trying to ‘hijack’ the Arab world and ‘drag us back to the Dark Ages’ through social media, Queen Rania of Jordan believes.

During a powerful address to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the 44-year-old monarch spoke out against the horror videos of decapitated prisoners being promoted by ISIS on Twitter and Facebook.

'A minority of irreligious extremists is using social media to rewrite our narrative and hijack our identity,' Queen Rania said. 'That's what ISIS is doing to the Arab world and all of us'.

Referring specifically to the videos of beheadings, the Queen said: 'These images don't represent me anymore than they represent you.

'They’re alien and abhorrent to the vast majority of Arabs – Muslims and Christians. And they should make every Arab across this region seethe.

'Because they're an attack on our values as a people and on our collective story. This is their version of the Arab world’s story, their plot, their narrative, their heroes, and the rest of the world is listening and watching.' Read on and comment » | Nabila Ramdani in Abu Dhabi for MailOnline | Thursday, November 20, 2014

'If My Son Is in Jihadi John Beheading Video, He Should Be Executed,' Says Father

Nasser Methane appeared to be among 16 jihadists
who were filmed beheading Syrian soldiers

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The father of a medical student turned jihadist from Cardiff fears his son appears in the Islamic State's latest execution video and says "he must face up to what he has done".

The father of a British medical student turned jihadist has said his son should face execution himself if he is proved to be a killer appearing in an Islamic State execution video alongside 'Jihadi John'.

Ahmed Muthana, said he fears his son, Nasser Muthana, is one of a gang of camouflaged Isil fighters who line up to behead Syrian military captives in a horrific video released at the weekend.

Muthana, from Cardiff, is suspected of appearing standing alongside the masked militant known as Jihadi John in the video, which also announces the death of American hostage Peter Kassig.

His father said he had seen stills of the video and was unable to confirm the man was his 20-year-old son, but feared it was. He said his son should face a death sentence if proven to be a killer.

Mr Muthana, 57, said: "If that's what he has done to someone then that is what should be done to him. » | Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent | Monday, November 17, 2014

Erdoğan Says Muslims Discovered America, Wants Mosque in Cuba

TODAY’S ZAMAN: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Muslims, not Christopher Columbus, were the first foreigners to set foot in America, suggesting the construction of a mosque on a hill in Cuba where he said there used to be a mosque.

“Latin America's contact with Islam dates back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus. Muslim sailors arrived in America in 1178. Christopher Columbus mentions the existence of a mosque on a hill along the Cuban coast. I will talk to my brothers in Cuba and a mosque would suit the top of that hill today as well. We would build it if they [the Cuban government] say so. Islam had expanded in the American continent before Columbus arrived,” Erdoğan said on Saturday while speaking in İstanbul at the 1st Latin American Muslim Religious Leaders Summit, hosted by Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate. » | Today’s Zaman | Saturday, November 15, 2014

Peter Kassig’s Parents Pay Emotional Tribute to Their Murdered Son

Peter Kassig's parents pay tribute to humanitarian
son beheaded by Islamic State

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Ed and Paula Kassig express their pride at Peter’s humanitarian work in Syria

The parents of Peter Kassig, the American aid worker who became the fifth hostage to be beheaded by the Islamic State, recalled the selfless work he performed in Syria.

Mr Kassig, who converted to Islam and changed his name from Peter to Abdul-Rahman, was captured in October last year while travelling in an ambulance to deliver medical supplies to stricken civilians in the east of the country.

The 26 year old former army ranger from Indianapolis, who served in Iraq in 2007, became an aid worker after leaving the army.

He devoted himself to providing support to a country where more than nine million civilians had been forced out of their homes during a savage civil war.

The plight of the Syrians was also recalled by Mr and Mrs Kassig in a statement they issued on Facebook paying tribute to their son. » | David Millward, US Correspondent | Sunday, November 16, 2014

Isil Threatens Slaughter in the Streets of the West

A still from a video issued by the Islamic State of the terrorist
referred to as 'Jihadi John'

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: 'Jihadi John' threatens to bring slaughter to the streets of the West as he announces the death of American aid worker Peter Kassig

The Islamic State militant known as Jihadi John has threatened to bring slaughter to the streets of Britain and the West in a new video announcing the murder of an American aid worker.

The video, featuring the masked militant, marks the group’s most explicit threats yet to attack the UK and America and dismisses David Cameron as a puppet of Barack Obama.

It endorses the Prime Minister’s earlier warnings of terrorist attacks in the UK and says the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) will soon begin attacks against the West.

The graphic footage shows what it claims to be the severed head of Peter Kassig, a US special forces soldier turned aid worker, and the beheading of at least 18 Syrian military prisoners.

Mr Cameron condemned the “depravity” of the Isil militants and said he was horrified by Mr Kassig's cold-blooded murder. He said Mr Kassig was a "selfless humanitarian worker who had gone to the region to help care for those fleeing the Syrian conflict." » | Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent, and Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Sunday, November 16, 2014

Condoleezza Rice on America's Standing in the World

Nov. 10, 2014 - 4:45 - Former secretary of state reacts to ISIS, world crises

EU Considering 'Sanctions' against Israel over Settlements

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Potential penalties in response to measures that would make a two-state solution impractical are being proposed in a paper prepared in conditons of secrecy

The European Union has set itself on a collision course with Israel after drawing up a list of sanctions to be imposed if the country takes steps that would make the establishment of a Palestinian state impossible.

In what amounts to Europe's toughest-ever line with the Israelis, punishments such as trade restrictions could result if continued settlement building on occupied land is deemed to be at odds with reaching a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict - defined as an independent Palestine alongside Israel.

A catalogue of measures has been set out in a secret document prepared by the European External Action Service and distributed to the EU's 28 member states.

While diplomats are shying away from characterising them as "sanctions", the paper - whose contents are said at the early discussion stage - advocates a "carrot and stick" approach to relations with Israel. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Sunday, November 16, 2014

Ak Saray: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s New Little Town House!

The president has called the palace a "show of the country's prestige".

Read the BBC article Turkey President Erdogan's palace costs to soar » | Friday, November 14, 2014

Unbelievable! Listen to the Words of the Deluded Prime Minister of the United Kingdom!

Peter Kassig's Family Call for Restraint after Beheading Video

An undated photograph of Peter Kassig with his parents
Ed and Paula Kassig

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Parents of US army veteran ask for video of their son's apparent beheading not to be shared or distributed

The parents of the American hostage in Syria, Peter Kassig, have called for restraint in publishing the jihadist propaganda video released on Sunday which claims that he has been killed and beheaded.

The video, more graphic than those showing previous murders of hostages, shows 18 Syrian soldiers having their heads cut off by jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

It concludes with the British-accented fighter known as Jihadist John standing over what appears to be the head of Mr Kassig.

"This is Peter Edward Kassig, a U.S. citizen, of your country," he says, pointing his knife at the camera as he did in previous films, and addressing himself to President Barack Obama. "To Obama, the dog of Rome, today we are slaughtering the soldiers of Bashar and tomorrow we will be slaughtering your soldiers."

The American and British governments both said they were examining the video and trying to authenticate it. Ed and Paula Kassig, who had made personal appeals to Isil to release their son, said in a statement they were aware of the news and awaiting confirmation. » | Richard Spencer in Gaziantep, Magdy Samaan, Andrew Marszal and Louisa Loveluck | Sunday, November 16, 2014

GOP Warns Obama: Executive Action on Immigration Breaks Law

Nov. 13, 2014 - 3:34 - Republicans warn president that only Congress can change laws and acting unilaterally will not help anyone

The Making of St Moritz: How a Bet with Pioneer Victorian Tourists Launched Winter Haven for the Rich

Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St Moritz is where winter
tourism began in the Swiss resort.

THE OBSERVER: The Swiss playground of the rich and famous is marking 150 years since a celebrated hotelier opened his doors to British visitors in winter

In September 1864 Johannes Badrutt, owner of the Faller pension in St Moritz, was bidding auf wiedersehen to his last British summer visitors, and pondering how to fill his rooms during the winter.

“Come back and spend Christmas in St Moritz. It’s sunnier and less rainy than London,” he suggested. “If you don’t like it, I’ll pay your travel costs. If you do, you can stay as long as you like.” It was an offer, so local legend goes, that the four English guests could not refuse. They returned to St Moritz in December and stayed until Easter.

And so, 150 years ago, the Swiss hotelier and the English tourists created what would become Europe’s first winter holiday resort and an Alpine playground for the international wealthy and famous.

The 2014-5 season, which opens next weekend, will be celebrated with a comprehensive programme of events marking the town’s glorious past and intended as a thank-you to those first visitors.

In 1864 local people used skis or sledge to get from A to B, but there were no established winter sports. After Badrutt’s gambit, however, going to St Moritz caught on among the British upper classes, who flocked to the village of 200 residents, attracting notables including Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II (who was overthrown before he saw the magnificent palace he commissioned overlooking Lake St Moritz), Friedrich Nietzsche, conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Shah of Iran. » | Kim Willsher | Sunday, November 16, 2014

Revealed: How Coalition Has Helped Rich by Hitting Poor

George Osborne's claim that 'we are all in this together' in
economic terms is damaged by the findings of a new report.

THE OBSERVER: Study shows gains for wealthier half of population, delivering a blow to George Osborne’s claims on fairness

A landmark study of the coalition’s tax and welfare policies six months before the general election reveals how money has been transferred from the poorest to the better off, apparently refuting the chancellor of the exchequer’s claims that the country has been “all in it together”.

According to independent research to be published on Monday and seen by the Observer, George Osborne has been engaged in a significant transfer of income from the least well-off half of the population to the more affluent in the past four years. Those with the lowest incomes have been hit hardest.

In an intervention that will come as a major blow to the government’s claim to have shared out the burden of austerity equally, the report by economists at the London School of Economics and the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex finds that: » | Daniel Boffey, policy editor | Saturday, November 15, 2014

Erdogan Claims Muslims Beat Columbus to the Americas

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that
Muslims discovered the Americas before Christopher Columbus

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Turkish president revives disputed evidence that famous explorer found a mosque when he arrived on Cuban shore in 15th century

Muslims discovered the Americas in the 12 century, nearly 300 years before Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage there, according to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey.

His words, delivered in a televised speech, will lend support to a controversial theory that has been debunked repeatedly by historians.

That did not seem to bother the conservative Turkish president during a summit in Istanbul of Muslim leaders from Latin America.

"Contacts between Latin America and Islam date back to the 12th century. Muslims discovered America in 1178, not Christopher Columbus," he said.

Mr Erdogan went on to say that Columbus descibed the existence of a mosque on a hill by the Cuban site and that Ankara was prepared to fund a new place of worship for Muslims there.

"I would like to talk about it to my Cuban brothers. A mosque would go perfectly on the hill today," the Turkish leader said. » | Rob Crilly, New York, and agencies | Saturday, November 15, 2014

NHS Doctor Flees UK to Join Taliban

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anger over how surgeon skipped bail to work with terrorists

A British surgeon who was due to stand trial for assault has fled the country and become a senior leader of the Taliban in Pakistan.

Mirza Tariq Ali, 39, who practised in the NHS, evaded the UK authorities despite having his passport taken from him while awaiting trial at the Old Bailey.

He resurfaced last week in a recruitment video for a Taliban splinter group, urging foreign jihadists to join him.

The doctor has become a mouthpiece for the terrorist organisation and under a new name — Dr Abu Obaidah Al-Islamabadi — has begun publishing an English-language jihadist magazine online, aimed at recruiting Muslim youths from the West.

Ali, who lived in Walthamstow, east London, arrived in Britain in 2004, having previously been a doctor in the Pakistan army. He worked shifts as a locum surgeon in London and Cambridge, having trained at a London teaching hospital.

Police and security services are now facing embarrassing questions over how he was able to flee. The surgeon is one of a growing number of known extremists who have skipped bail or surveillance to wage “holy war” abroad. » | Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter, Robert Verkaik and Duncan Gardham | Saturday, November 15, 2014

Welcome to Hotel Sharia: No More Bacon or Booze as Trendy Venue Bought Out by a Muslim Multi-millionaire

MAIL ONLINE: Strict Islamic policy is imposed at London's Bermondsey Square Hotel / Bar and grill at hotel previously run by Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace / New Middle Eastern owner wants to run it 'in accordance with Sharia law' / Drinkers were offered only non-alcoholic beer and elderflower cordial / Diners denied dishes that used traces of alcohol such as beer-battered fish / Nearby restaurants said they saw a surge in business when customers walked out of the hotel’s grill on Tuesday

An exclusive hotel has banned alcohol and pork after being taken over by a Middle Eastern businessman who wants to run it ‘in accordance with Sharia law’.

The strict Islamic policy was imposed without warning this week at London’s Bermondsey Square Hotel – where the bar and grill was previously run by Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace.

Staff said the new rules were swiftly implemented on Tuesday on the orders of the new Muslim owner, forcing waiters to tell disgruntled guests that much of the menu was no longer available.

Diners were denied dishes that used only traces of alcohol – such as beer-battered fish, a pudding with ‘drunken cherries’ and rum ice cream. Drinkers were offered only non-alcoholic beer and elderflower cordial.

Forced to improvise, chefs are now trying to source chicken and beef sausages instead of pork varieties for breakfast and have replaced the popular hog roast with rabbit terrine.

The £220-a-night hotel is believed to be one of the first in the country to introduce the strict Muslim policy but staff say the changes have caused business to plummet, with many reservations cancelled. » | Tom Kelly and Emily Kent Smith for The Daily Mail | Friday, November 14, 2014

President Obama On Collision Course with GOP Congress

Nov. 15, 2014 - 6:15 - Democrats respond to midterm rout by moving further left

Pope Francis Denounces Euthanasia as 'Sin against God'

Pope Francis delivers his speech during a special audience he
held for members of Catholic medical associations

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Pope strongly condemns the 'right to die' movement, and warns against abortion, IVF and stem cell research

Pope Francis denounced the right to die movement on Saturday, saying that euthanasia is a sin against God and creation.

The Latin American pontiff said it was a “false sense of compassion” to consider euthanasia as an act of dignity.

Earlier this month, the Vatican’s top bioethics official condemned as “reprehensible” the death by assisted suicide of a 29-year-old American woman, Brittany Maynard, who was suffering terminal brain cancer and said she wanted to die with dignity.

“This woman (took her own life) thinking she would die with dignity, but this is the error,” said Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

“Suicide is ... a bad thing because it is saying no to life and to everything it means with respect to our mission in the world and towards those around us,” he said, describing assisted suicide as “an absurdity”. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Saturday, November 15, 2014

G20-Gipfel: Merkel spricht mit Putin lange unter vier Augen

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Das Treffen dauerte deutlich länger als erwartet: Fast vier Stunden sprach Kanzlerin Merkel im Hotel mit Wladimir Putin. Es ging um die Ukraine-Krise.

Das Hilton in der Elisabeth Street im Stadtzentrum von Brisbane ist ein hoher Hotelturm inklusive Parkhaus und Shoppingmall. Am Samstagabend gleicht der Komplex einer Festung. Ein Schutzwall aus Plexiglas umgibt die Einfahrt, daneben mehrere Metalltore, davor zwei Dutzend Polizisten. Die Straße ist zeitweise komplett gesperrt.

Um 21.40 Uhr fährt die Limousine von Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin ins Hotel, vier Minuten später der weiße BMW der deutschen Kanzlerin, auch mit Polizei-Eskorte. Auf dem Rücksitz neben der Kanzlerin sitzt Christoph Heusgen, Merkels Außenpolitikberater. Die beiden besprechen die letzten Details für das Treffen mit dem Kreml-Herrscher.

Es steht viel auf dem Spiel. » | Aus Brisbane berichtet Peter Müller | Mit Material von dpa | Samstag, November 15, 2014

Critiqué par les occidentaux, Poutine écourte sa présence au G20

LE POINT: Accablé par les pays anglo-saxons, qui fustigent l'action de la Russie dans la crise ukrainienne, il quitte prématurément le sommet.

Sous le feu nourri de très vives critiques des pays anglo-saxons critiquant l'action de la Russie dans la crise ukrainienne, Vladimir Poutine a décidé d'écourter sa présence au sommet du G20 de Brisbane, plombé par une ambiance de guerre froide. "Le programme pour la deuxième journée a changé. Il a été raccourci", a déclaré une source au sein de la délégation russe sous couvert d'anonymat, à propos de dimanche.

Le président russe participera aux réunions du sommet, mais ne sera pas présent lors d'un déjeuner officiel prévu à 12 h 30 et parlera devant la presse plus tôt que prévu. "Ce déjeuner est plus une sorte de divertissement", a justifié la source. Depuis vendredi, veille de l'ouverture du sommet dans cette ville de l'est de l'Australie, les pays anglo-saxons ont multiplié les charges en règle contre la Russie et son rôle dans la crise ukrainienne. "Menace pour le monde", quête de "gloire perdue du tsarisme", agresseur de pays plus petits : États-Unis, Australie et Grande-Bretagne n'ont pas mâché leurs mots. » | Source AFP | Saturday, November 15, 2014

Europe and Islam: Degrees of Separation

THE ECONOMIST – ERASMUS BLOG: AS NEWS reports from different countries remind us every day, the political, legal and educational institutions of Europe are struggling hard to find ways of incorporating the new reality of Islam into older systems for regulating religion.

In Britain this week, a lobby group called the Lawyers' Secular Society reacted with indignation when an event it was planning at the University of West London was cancelled by the hosts at the last moment. The event was intended to launch a report that drew attention to the number of Islamist figures with hard-line views on gender, sexuality and relations with other faiths who were gaining access and influence on British campuses. The meeting's cancellation seemed to confirm their apprehension. The campus insisted that its decision was made on purely technical and procedural grounds: the organisers had not gone through the proper channels to book the room. Read on and comment » | Friday, November 14, 2014

France Compares David Cameron to Far-Right Leader Following His Fury at the EU Budget

The figure compared Mr Cameron to Mrs Le Pen, left, who
leads the Front National party in France

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France risks diplomatic row with Britain after comparing the Prime Minister to far-Right leader Marine Le Pen

France has risked a major diplomatic row with the UK after a senior government figure likened David Cameron to far-Right leader Marine Le Pen, saying his handling of a row over whether Britain should pay a £1.7 billion bill was “nationalistic” and “Byzantine”.

The French figure, who is close to President Francois Hollande, said that the Prime Minister had displayed “no European solidarity” when he hit out against the budget bill demanded by the EU because of the success of Britain’s economy.

In comments that will prompt outrage in Downing Street, the figure compared Mr Cameron to Miss Le Pen, who leads the Front National party in France.

Mr Cameron last month raised hackles among his European counterparts by suggesting the surcharge was “making thousands of voters believe the country should leave the European Union”.

He called the bill “outrageous” and refused to pay “anything like” the amount demanded by Brussels. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, November 14, 2014

Isis Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Calls on Followers to 'Erupt Volcanoes of Jihad Everywhere' in Newly Released Recording

THE INDEPENDENT: It is unclear when the recording was made, but whether he is alive or dead, wounded or healthy, the tone of the message was deliberately defiant and incendiary

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis, has purportedly issued a defiant call for followers to “erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere”.

The 17-minute audio recording, in which he vowed to fight to the last man, was his first public statement since Iraqi officials reported he had been injured in air strikes last week.

In the recording, which appeared to be genuine but has still to be confirmed, the self-appointed “caliph” claimed the group now has bases in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Algeria.
Br /> He specifically called on Isis fighters to launch attacks in Saudi Arabia, particularly on its rulers, and in Yemen. A previous broadcast by al-Baghdadi is thought to have inspired militants in Algeria to kill and behead a Frenchman. » | Lewis Smith | Thursday, November 13, 2014

David Cameron: I Will Ban British Jihadists Who Fight for Isil in Syria and Iraq for Two Years

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Prime Minister unveiled a raft of new anti-terror laws including powers to strip teenage jihadists of their passports and bar airlines from landing in the UK if they fail to provide passenger information

British jihadists who fight for Isil in Syria and Iraq will be barred from returning to this country for at least two years to prevent terror attacks, David Cameron has announced.

The Prime Minister has unveiled a raft of new anti-terror laws including powers to strip teenage jihadists of their passports and bar airlines from landing in the UK if they fail to provide passenger information.

Mr Cameron made the announcement in an address to the Australian Parliament in which he said Britain had to take action to deal with the threat posed by “foreign fighters planning attacks against our people”. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent in Canberra | Thursday, November 13, 2014

Report: Obama Seeking New Syria Strategy to Deal with ISIS

Nov. 13, 2014 - 5:13 - House hearing set on U.S. military campaign

GOP Warns of ‘Explosion’ If Obama Rushes Immigration Executive Action

Read the FoxNews article here | Thursday, November 13, 2014

Islamic State Leader Baghdadi Reportedly Resurfaces after Claims US Strike Killed Him

THE GUARDIAN: Recording purporting to be of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released after rumours he was injured or killed in air strike

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State (Isis), has apparently surfaced alive after he was rumoured to have been killed in a US air strike last week, calling for attacks in Saudi Arabia and for “volcanoes of jihad” across the world.

Baghdadi’s call, in a defiant speech purported to be in his name, claimed that the “crusader” US-led military campaign against Isis was failing. “America and its allies are terrified, weak, and powerless,” he said, repeatedly attacking “the Jews” and “apostate” and “treacherous” Muslim (Arab) leaders who feared the return of the Muslim faithful to the ways of the caliphate.

In a 17-minute audio tape released by al-Furqan media — a jihadi site — Baghdadi was described as “commander of the faithful” and “Caliph of the Muslims”. It was not immediately possible to determine the tape’s authenticity but the voice, articulation and tone all appeared close to his prior speech patterns.

“Oh soldiers of the Islamic State, continue to harvest the [enemy] soldiers,” the recording exhorted in a key passage. “Erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the earth with fire under all the tyrants and their soldiers and supporters.” (+ video) » | Ian Black, Middle East editor | Thursday, November 13, 2014

Déclarée morte, elle se réveille à la morgue 11 heures après

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Une nonagénaire déclarée morte à son domicile et transportée à la morgue, s'y est réveillée onze heures plus tard.

Une Polonaise âgée de 91 ans, déclarée morte à son domicile par une femme médecin et transportée à la morgue, s'y est réveillée onze heures plus tard, a rapporté jeudi la télévision publique TVP. La police a ouvert une enquête sur cette histoire inhabituelle et le médecin risque des poursuites pénales. » | ats/Newsnet | jeudi 13 novembre 2014

Sir John Major Tells Germans: Britain Has a 50-50 Chance of Quitting EU

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sir John also warned that 'our small island simply cannot absorb the present and projected numbers at the current speed: it is not physically or politically possible without huge public disquiet'

Britain has just a 50-50 chance of remaining in the European Union, Sir John Major has warned, saying that opposition to continued membership of the European Union has reached “a critical mass”.

In a speech in Berlin on Thursday Sir John warned that Britain’s frustration was “no game”, adding: “There is a very real risk of separation that could damage the future of the United Kingdom – and Europe as a whole.”

Sir John - who was a pro-European during his time as Prime Minister from 1990 and 1997 - also said that it was time officials in the European Union recognised real concern in the UK about immigration.

He said: “Our small island simply cannot absorb the present and projected numbers at the current speed: it is not physically or politically possible without huge public disquiet.”

Sir John’s speech – “Britain and the EU: In or Out” – is the most significant speech on Europe by the former Tory Prime Minister for two decades. » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Thursday, November 13, 2014

Has Sainsbury’s Christmas Ad Left John Lewis Out in the Cold?

The supermarket group's take on Christmas Day 1914 in the trenches has upped the ante in the seasonal adverts battle

Read the Telegraph article and comment here | Elizabeth Anderson | Thursday, November 13, 2014

Muslim Outrage Just Caused An Awful Thing To Happen To Christmas

DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
Read the Western Journalism article here | Wednesday, November 12, 2014

L'Europe, "autoroute du djihad" ?

LE POINT: Un élu américain estime que les pays de l'UE n'ont pas pris assez au sérieux la menace posée par les combattants djihadistes de retour de Syrie.

Les pays de l'Union européenne n'ont pas pris assez au sérieux la menace posée par les combattants djihadistes de retour de Syrie, estime un important élu américain mercredi, qui appelle l'UE à mieux contrôler ses frontières. "Certains de nos partenaires européens ne se mobilisent pas assez vite pour faire face au retour de combattants étrangers. Les extrémistes exploitent déjà les failles de sécurité européennes pour transformer l'Europe en une autoroute du jihad", écrit Michael McCaul, président républicain de la commission de la Sécurité intérieure de la Chambre des représentants, dans une tribune publiée par le magazine Time. "La voie en direction de la Syrie est évidemment très chargée, mais c'est l'autre sens qui devrait nous inquiéter le plus", écrit-il. » | Source AFP | mercredi 12 novembre 2014

Fundamentalist Islam and the Roots of Terrorism

HUFFINGTON POST – THE BLOG: After witnessing the Islamic Republic of Iran violate human rights, persecute other religions, adopt sharia law, murder dissenters, and compel the judiciary to serve the Ministry of Intelligence, I am now convinced that the worst thing that can happen to a free Western country is to allow Islamic fundamentalists to have a say in government.

Most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims pray in Arabic, but they do not speak Arabic as their mother tongue; that includes most Iranians. Yet the problem isn't in the translation, rather the problem rests with bad ideology.

Fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian, two more were from the United Arab Emirates, one was from Egypt, and one from Lebanon. They were all from Arabic-speaking countries, and presumably the terrorists read Islamic scripture in the original Arabic. Muslim scholars did not unite to protest this act of terrorism. Instead, many celebrated a victory, because the Quran permits violence to expand Islam.

Most so-called Muslims are peace-loving, because they do not follow the rules. They practice Islam à la carte, a new religion. » | Janet Tavakoli * | Tuesday, November 11, 2014

* Janet Tavakoli is the author of Unveiled Threat: A Personal Experience of Fundamentalist Islam and the Roots of Terrorism, a newly-released non-fiction book about the current negative implications of Islamic fundamentalism for the United States.

Now ISIS Wants to Introduce Its Own Currency: Plans to Bring Back Solid Gold and Silver Dinar Coins Announced in Iraqi Mosques

MAIL ONLINE: ISIS said to be planning to introduce its own currency to areas it controls / Militants allegedly want to bring back the dinar - an ancient Islamic currency / The original dinar currency consisted of purely gold and silver round coins

ISIS wants to introduce its own currency and plans to bring back solid gold and silver dinar coins, it has emerged.

The Middle East terror group apparently wants to introduce its own Islamic currency as part of its attempts to solidify its makeshift caliphate.

Militants are said to want to bring back the original dinar, which is an ancient currency from early Islam, and religious figures in Mosul and Iraq’s Nineveh province have apparently announced its return in mosques.

The currency known as the dinar, which once consisted purely of gold and silver coins, is today used by a variety of countries, but the coins are created from different materials to the originals.

However, the jihadi group is understood to be planning to return to the original gold and silver coins, which were first introduced during the Caliphate of Uthman in 634 CE. Read on and comment » Emma Glanfield for MailOnline | Monday, November 10, 2014

David Cameron Avoids Humiliating Defeat over European Arrest Warrant

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: House of Commons debate over the European Arrest Warrant descends into chaos, acrimony and bitter recriminations as Government narrowly avoids defeat

David Cameron has narrowly avoided a humiliating defeat over the European Arrest Warrant in unprecedented Commons scenes which saw Tory ministers accused of “tricking” their own MPs.

The debate on the arrest warrant descended into bitter acrimony as MPs from all parties reacted with fury when it emerged that they would not be given an individual vote on the justice measure.

Mr Cameron was forced to return to the Commons dressed in white tie from a speech he was giving at the Lord Mayor's banquet as Government whips found themselves scrambling to shore up support and prevent Labour delaying the vote by a day.

MPs described it as the most “disorderly debate” seen in the Commons for 20 years.

The Government victory, which will mean Britain opts back into the European Arrest Warrant, was followed by an immediate blame-game from all parties. » | Peter Dominiczak and David Barrett | Monday, November 10, 2014

Growing Calls for Jean-Claude Juncker Resignation

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bloomberg, the financial newswire, says Mr Juncker 'needs to go' and has been 'foisted on' the countries of the EU

There were growing calls for Jean-Claude Juncker to resign as President of the European Commission last night amid allegations that he presided over potentially illegal tax breaks given to multinational companies operating in Luxembourg.

Bloomberg, the influential financial newswire, devoted its editorial to a call for Mr Juncker’s resignation over revelations multinational companies were allegedly allowed to create complicated structures to avoid billions of pounds of tax when he was Prime Minister of the country.

It follows outrage from Conservatives MPs who see him an arch-federalist who believes in an "ever-closer" European Union, who will make it more difficult for David Cameron to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels before holding an in-out referendum in 2017 over his appointment.

The editorial, entitled “Jean-Claude Juncker Needs to Go”, describes Mr Juncker as a “bad choice for the job” who has been “foisted on the bloc's 28 national governments by a European Parliament eager to expand its powers.”

The editors of the financial wire say it is now “becoming clear now just how poor a decision” the appointment of Mr Juncker was after details emerged of revelations of potentially illegal tax breaks given to multinationals in Luxembourg, of which he was prime minister for almost 20 years. » | Georgia Graham, Political Correspondent | Monday, November 10, 2014

For All Those Who Want Sharia Law: Chris De Burgh: Lady In Red

Significance of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to ISIS

Nov. 10, 2014 - 2:38 - Insight from James Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service at American University

Gratis-Koran wird auch in Österreich gedruckt

"Gedruckt in Europa" wird in einem Exemplar
des Gratis-Koran angegeben

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Sie ziehen durch Europa und verteilen Korane – mit der "Lies"- Kampagne sorgen Salafisten gerade in Zeiten wie diesen für Unmut. Denn laut Experten habe die Aktion nur einen Zweck: die Rekrutierung von Islamisten. Der Nachschub an deutschen Ausgaben soll aus Österreich kommen.

Drei von acht Gotteskriegern aus Deutschland, die jüngst zu Selbstmordattentätern wurden, waren Mitglieder des "Lies!"- Projekts – so der deutsche Geheimdienst. Seit Jahren schon zieht die von Austro- Islamist Mohamed M. einst mobilisierte Salafistenszene von Stadt zu Stadt und verteilt Gratiskorane. » | Klaus Loibnegger, Kronen Zeitung | Montag, 10 November 2014