Monday, February 09, 2015
Queen Rania Addresses Government Summit Delegates
Austrians Say Islam Does Not Belong In Their Nation: Poll
In the survey, 69 percent of those polled said they did not believe Islam belonged in Austria, a strong rise on previous polls taken before the Charlie Hebdo attacks made earlier in the year, reports TheLocal.at. Even more than that – around three quarters – thought if a citizen left Austria to fight for extremist groups such as the Islamic State, they should have their citizenship withdrawn completely.
Of the nearly seven in ten people who believed Islam didn’t belong in Austria, a sizeable minority went even further, with 42 percent of those polled saying there should “definitely” be no Islam in the country. A similar proportion of people felt Islam was a “threat” to Austria. Read on and comment » | Oliver Lane | Monday, February 09, 2015
Sunday, February 08, 2015
Should British Muslims Follow 'Values That We Hold Dear'?
Related »
Prince Charles Tells British Muslims 'If You Live in Our Country, Abide by Our Values'
The heir to the throne railed against the radicalisation of young British men by Islamist extremists as he launched an impassioned defence of Britain's "Christian" heritage.
Telling British muslims that they should show more respect for "the values we hold dear," the Prince revealed that he was terrified by the influence of radical preachers who spread their teachings on the internet.
In an unprecedented outburst, he said: "The radicalisation of people in Britain is a great worry, and the extent to which this is happening is alarming, particularly in a country like ours where we hold values dear.
"You would think the people who have come here, or are born here, and go to school here, would abide by those values and outlooks."
He added that it was "frightening" that young British Muslims were being radicalised by "crazy stuff on the internet".
The outspoken comments are a further sign that the Prince is not prepared to keep quiet on political causes close to his heart, despite assuming more and more responsibility from the Queen.
They came as he started a six-day tour of the Middle East in his mother's place, during which he has been urged to speak out against the barbaric practises of some Gulf states.
It is understood that the Prince will challenge new Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud over the terrible punishment handed down to blogger Raif Badawi when the pair meet face to face this week. » | Nick Gutteridge | Sunday, February 08, 2015
Related »
Austria Threatens to Close Saudi-Backed Interfaith Dialogue Center
"Saudi Arabia practices a form of Sharia law that is one of the most brutal systems in the world... Does the Austrian Foreign Ministry really want to give such a state the opportunity to build an international propaganda center in Austria?" — Editorial, Die Presse.
"An inter-religious dialogue center that remains silent when it is time to speak out clearly for human rights is not worthy of being called a dialogue center. It is a silence center." — Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann.
"If the center wants to remain only an economic center with a religious fig leaf, then Austria should no longer be a part of it. In any event, Austria will not allow itself to be threatened or blackmailed." — Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann.
The Austrian government has threatened to close a controversial Saudi-sponsored religious dialogue center because of the latter's failure to condemn the flogging of a Saudi human rights activist and blogger.
Saudi Arabia has responded to the threat by issuing a counter-threat to move the permanent headquarters of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries [OPEC] out of the Austrian capital of Vienna. » | Soeren Kern | Sunday, February 08, 2015
The Radical Cleric Building a Militia in the Heart of Islamabad
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| Cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz shows religious books to the media during a news conference in Islamabad on Friday. |
He is one of the most dangerous men in Pakistan and is supposed to be in police detention.
Instead, as several thousand hardline Muslim worshippers knelt in prayer at the Red Mosque in the heart of Islamabad, the voice of Maulana Abdul Aziz called out over them defiantly.
Seven years ago, the radical cleric led heavily armed al-Qaeda gunmen in a bloody siege at the Red Mosque, or Lal Masjid in Urdu, which left more than a hundred children, soldiers and militants dead.
The brutal denouement, including the killing of his brother and son, set off a wave of Taliban suicide bombings which struck at the heart of Pakistan's military establishment.
Now Pakistan’s intelligence services believe he is building a new militia, grabbing land for more madrassas and preparing for another tilt at forcing the country to adopt strict Islamic law. Eyewitnesses said they had seen 30 to 40 heavily armed men from the militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba inside the mosque.
Once again, he is a reminder that one of the West's most important allies against the forces of terror has a problem dealing with militant voices even in the middle of its own capital. In December, a Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant for Aziz but the police have been unable to enforce it. “We are trying out best to implement it,” a police official said. » | Dean Nelson, Islamabad | Sunday, February 08, 2015
Huge Crowd of Muslim Protesters Picket Downing Street to Protest at Charlie Hebdo Cartoons
At least 1,000 Muslim protesters gathered outside the gates of Downing Street to protest against the depictions of the Prophet Mohammed in Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine.
The protestors, many of whom were divided into groups of men and women, gathered just yards from the Cenotaph which remembers Britain’s war dead, and blocked half of Whitehall as they demonstated.
It comes weeks after two terrorists attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the Paris-based satirical magazine which had published images of the Prophet Muhammad, killing 12 staff and wounding 11 others.
The protest was organised by the Muslim Action Forum, which said that the Charlie Hebdo cartoons had helped “sow the seeds of hatred” and had damaged community relations.
One young child, who appeared to be under the age of 10, stood next to a placard displaying the message: “Charlie and the abuse factory”. A series of Muslim leaders addressed the crowd from a platform outside the Ministry of Defence, with the message “Be careful with Muhammad”. » | Christopher Hope, Chief Political Correspodnent | Sunday, February 08, 2015
Prince Charles Says Radicalisation of Young People 'Alarming'
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| Prince Charles also discussed the work of his charity The Prince's Trust in combatting radicalisation |
In an interview with Radio 2's The Sunday Hour, Prince Charles spoke of his hopes to "build bridges" between different faiths.
He also spoke of his "deep concern" for the suffering of Christian churches in the Middle East.
He is currently in Jordan on a six-day tour of the region.
The prince arrived in the capital Amman on Saturday night and is due to hold talks with King Abdullah II later.
The Radio 2 programme covers visits by the prince to Armenian, Roman Catholic Chaldean and Syrian Orthodox churches in the UK, and contains accounts from members of these denominations who have had to flee persecution in Syria and Iraq.
On the radicalisation of young people, Prince Charles says: "Well of course, this is one of the greatest worries I think, and the extent to which this is happening is the alarming part.
"And particularly in a country like ours where you know the values we hold dear.
"You think that the people who have come here, [are] born here, go to school here, would abide by those values and outlooks."
He told the BBC programme he believed part of the reason some young people are radicalised is a "search for adventure and excitement at a particular age". » | Saturday, February 07, 2015
Saturday, February 07, 2015
How Saudi Arabia Financed Global Terror
Richard Dawkins: Islam Is Not a Religion of Peace, It Was Founded On War & Spread by War
'US & UK Try to Sabotage Any Ukraine Peace Agreement'
Putin, Hollande, Merkel Talks on Ukraine ‘Constructive’, Possible Document 'In Progress'
Das deutsch-amerikanische Zerwürfnis auf offener Bühne
Es war ein Konflikt auf offener Bühne zwischen Amerika und Deutschland, der sich auf der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz abgespielt hat. Die Bundeskanzlerin hatte sich noch einmal vehement gegen Waffenlieferungen an die Ukraine gewandt. Und sie wiederholte ihr Mantra, es könne keine militärische Lösung dieses Konfliktes geben. "Ich kann mir keine Situation vorstellen, in der eine verbesserte Ausrüstung der ukrainischen Armee dazu führt, dass Putin annimmt, diesen Konflikt militärisch zu verlieren", begründete sie ihre Haltung. » | Von Clemens Wergin | Korrespondent in Washington | Samstag, 07. Februar 2015
Après la mort de son pilote, la Jordanie promet d'"éradiquer" l'EI
La Jordanie a affirmé vendredi que les frappes contre le groupe État islamique (EI) n'étaient que le début de sa "vengeance" pour l'exécution de son pilote, promettant d'"éradiquer" l'organisation djihadiste. "La Jordanie pourchassera avec toutes ses forces l'organisation (EI) n'importe où", a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie Nasser Joudeh à la chaîne de télévision américaine CNN. "Tout membre de Daesh (acronyme en arabe de l'EI) est une cible pour nous. Nous les pourchasserons et nous les éradiquerons; (...) Nous sommes en première ligne, c'est notre bataille", a ajouté le ministre dont le pays participe aux frappes en Syrie contre l'EI dans le cadre de la coalition internationale dirigée par les États-Unis. Il a affirmé que son pays avait tenté de sauver le pilote Maaz al-Kassasbeh, capturé en décembre par l'EI en Syrie après le crash de son avion, mais sans fournir d'autres détails. » | Source AFP | vendredi 06 février 2015
Ukraine Crisis Will Not Be Solved By Military Means, Says Angela Merkel
Friday, February 06, 2015
Obama's 'High Horse': IS, the Crusades and Moral Equivalency
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During a speech Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, President Barack Obama leavened his condemnation of the Islamic State's recent atrocities with a word of warning to his fellow Christians who wish to conflate the militant group's actions with Islam as a whole.
"Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ," the president said. "In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ."
Murderous extremism, he continued, "is not unique to one group or one religion. There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith."
The comments prompted an angry reaction - bordering on apoplexy - from many on the right.
Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer called the president's comments "banal and offensive" and "adolescent stuff".
"Christianity no longer goes on Crusades," he said on Fox News "The story of today, of our generation, is the fact that the overwhelming volume of the violence and the barbarism that we are seeing in the world from Nigeria to Paris all the way to Pakistan and even to the Philippines, the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, is coming from one source, and that's from inside Islam."
Others, such as conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, took issue with the president's contention that IS is not reflective of Islam as a whole. "Sharia law is the present day threat to individual and civil liberties all over the world," he said. "Sharia is not a narrow cult. Sharia law is Islam." » | Anthony Zurcher | Editor | Echo Chambers | Friday, February 06, 2015
Front National's Le Pen on Charlie Hebdo Shootings
Marine Le Pen said the Schengen agreement, which allows open borders across most of Europe outside the UK and Ireland, should be suspended.
And she claimed that terrorism was "only a means of Islamic fundamentalism" which France had not faced up to, due to "political correctness and fear".
She was not invited to the display of international political leaders in Paris following the shootings which led to 17 deaths last week.
In a Daily Politics film from Strasbourg, Adam Fleming spoke to the leader of the Front National who explained France did not have a crime of blasphemy, and it had the "freedom to talk about religion and this won't change". (+ BBC video) » | Thursday, January 15, 2015
Marine Le Pen: Fundamentalism Is 'Internal Threat'
Marine Le Pen rejected accusations of racism from protesters outside the Oxford Union where she spoke on Thursday night, and in turn accused the demonstrators of being the enemies of liberty and free speech.
She has enjoyed strong support among French voters over the past year and her current poll ratings suggest she might be a serious candidate for the presidency in 2017.
She spoke to the BBC's Huw Edwards. (+ BBC) » | Friday, February 06, 2015
Anjem Choudary, Radical Muslim Cleric: Quran Justifies Jordanian Pilot Burning
Speaking with NewsmaxTV host Steve Malzberg, Mr. Choudary said the video showing the pilot burning to death “has several intended affects.”
“One of them, of course, is to terrorize the enemy, and I think it’s had that effect,” he said, the Daily Caller reported. “It’s had a huge propaganda effect all around the world. Now, if you want to look at this from a Islamic perspective, what they are arguing is that it is reciprocation. » | Jessica Chasmar | The Washington Times | Thursday, February 05, 2015
French Far-right Leader Marine Le Pen Mobbed by Oxford Union Protesters
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| Leader of the French party National Front (FN) Marine Le Pen (C) arrives to give a speech at the Oxford Union's prestigious debating society in Oxford |
French far-right political leader Marine Le Pen has received a hostile reception at the Oxford Union where she was was [sic] invited to discuss western values.
Crowds of protesters gathered outside the building to denounce the controversial leader of France's far-right Front National.
Her speech to gathered union members was delayed by over one hour as the angry crowd attempted to block entrances.
Union officials have faced criticism for inviting Ms Le Pen to speak uninterrupted for five minutes, rather than insisting on a more traditional debate format where an opponent would have also been heard.
The disruption meant that many of those with tickets for her speech were unable to attend. Similarly the scrum outside the union meant that reporters were unable to get inside.
She is believed to have used her speech to blame Islamic ideology for the issues facing western society. » | Gregory Walton | Thursday, February 05, 2015
Thursday, February 05, 2015
President Obama Speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast
Saudi King's Ex-Wife Speaks Out
The Wonderful Conversion Story Of A Saudi Christian Lady
Obama FINALLY Acknowledges ISIS Is Linked to 'Islam' – Then Compares It to the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and American Slavery as He Says: 'No God Condones Terror'
The burning alive of a Muslim man by the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has jolted the president of the United States into acknowledging publicly that the world's chief terror threat comes from people who 'profess to stand up for Islam but instead betray it.'
But that stark conclusion, long missing in the White House, was followed by a litany of other wrongs done in the name of religion.
'Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place,' Obama told the National Prayer breakfast on Thursday morning, 'remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.'
'In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ.'
But 'no God condones terror,' he insisted. Read on and comment » | David Martosko, US Political Editor for Daily Mail | Thursday, February 05, 2015
Haarkippa: Schützt vor Nässe, Kälte und Antisemitismus
GB: manif anti-Marine Le Pen à Oxford
Terrorismus: Saudiarabiens späte Notbremse
Kairo/Riad. Er habe mit tiefer Trauer von dem Schicksal von Muath al-Kasaesbeh gehört, kabelte der neue saudische König Salman am Mittwoch von Riad nach Amman und nannte den Mord an dem jordanischen Piloten ein „widerliches Verbrechen“, das gegen den Islam verstoße und gegen alle menschlichen Werte. Dabei ist der 78-jährige Monarch offenbar tief verwickelt in die Aufzucht der mordlustigen Jihadisten in der Region.
Jahrzehntelang gehörte er angeblich zu den aktivsten Spendern und Geldsammlern. Erst seit die dritte Generation von Gotteskriegern des Islamischen Staates (IS) nun auch das Haus Saud offen bedroht, geht Saudiarabien entschiedener gegen private Terrorfinanzierer vor. » | “Die Presse”, Print-Ausgabe | Freitag, 06. Februar 2015
Editor at Centre of Mohammed Cartoons Controversy in Denmark Nominated for Nobel Prize
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| Flemming Rose |
The Danish newspaper editor who published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed nearly a decade ago has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in France.
Flemming Rose, 58, who still lives under police guard because of death threats, was put forward for this year's award by Michael Tetzschner, a Norwegian MP.
The move was a response to the attack by Islamist gunmen on cartoonists at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris last month.
"Giving the prize to a consistent defender of freedom of expression, even at a personal cost, would give a sign that those who try to muzzle that freedom through cowardly attacks against civilians, thus undermining peace between peoples, cannot ever succeed," Mr Tetzschner wrote in his letter to the Nobel committee, according to Norway's NTB news agency.
As cultural editor of Denmark's Jyllands-Posten, Mr Rose he was principally responsible for commissioning a series of drawings of Mohammed that were published in September 2005. Most strands of Islam disapprove of depictions of Mohammed, viewing it as akin to idolatry. » | Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent | Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Saudi Princes 'Supported Al-Qaeda Before 9/11' Claims Twentieth Hijacker
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| September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui |
Senior members of the Saudi royal family were major al-Qaeda donors and were intimately involved with Osama bin Laden's terror network in the 1990s, one of the group's former members has testified to a New York court.
Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called "twentieth hijacker" who had taken flying lessons but was arrested weeks before the September 11 attacks, made the claims in a long-running lawsuit alleging Saudi Arabian involvement in the plot to bring down the World Trade Centre.
Moussaoui, a 46-year-old French national who was diagnosed with delusional paranoid schizophrenia but declared mentally fit to stand trial in 2006, told lawyers that he had been ordered by bin Laden to compile a database of influential supporters.
"Shaykh Osama wanted to keep a record who give money ... who is to be listened to or who contribute to – to the jihad," he said in broken English, according to the testimony that was first reported by the New York Times and has been seen by The Telegraph.
Among those listed were Prince Turki al-Faisal, then the Saudi intelligence chief; Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the longtime Saudi ambassador to the United States and Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, a prominent billionaire investor. » | Peter Foster, Washington | Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Jordan Must Avenge Pilot's Death, Says Muath al-Kasasbeh's Father
Isil 'Broadcast Video of Pilot Burning on Giant Public Screen to Young Children'
Isil broadcast the horrific video of a Jordanian pilot being burned to death on giant public screens to crowds that included young children, it has emerged.
Footage appeared on Wednesday purporting to show a crowd cheering and chanting as the murder was projected onto an outdoor screen at night in Raqqa, the de facto capital of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The new five-minute film includes interviews with those in attendance at the screening, who appear to be giving their verdict on the murder. While some appear serious in their response, others - including a young boy seemingly no older than eight - smile as they discuss the footage.
"If he was here, I'd burn him by my hand. I wish to capture pilots and burn them”, the child says. » | Andrew Marszal, and AP | Wednesday, February 04, 2015
Jordan to Execute Isil Prisoner Immediately In Response to Pilot Burned Alive by Jihadists
Jordan on Tuesday night announced it would execute a female failed suicide bomber and other jihadists in retaliation for the killing of its hostage pilot, Lt Moaz Kasaesbeh, after pictures were posted of him being burned alive.
Officials reacted furiously to the pictures and film, which went beyond anything yet seen in the "execution videos" of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
They were particularly angry as the unusual method of death seemed to confirm reports that he had been killed several weeks ago. There had been rumours in early January that he had been burned, and officials said last night they now believed he died on January 3.
That made a mockery of Isil's demands last week that the woman suicide bomber, Sajida al-Rishawi, be released in return for Lt Kasaesbeh's safety, as well as the release of Kenji Goto, the Japanese journalist.
That deal fell through after the jihadists were unable to provide Jordan with proof of life of the pilot, and Mr Goto's killing was confirmed on Saturday night. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor | Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Isis Video Shows Jordanian Hostage Being Burned to Death
The Jordanian government has vowed “punishment and revenge” against Islamic State after the jihadi group released a video showing a Jordanian pilot they were holding hostage being burned to death inside a locked cage.
Displaying a level of brutality shocking even by the standards of the group’s previous killings, the murder of First Lieutenant Muadh al-Kasasbeh is likely to heighten tensions further in Jordan, a key Arab member of US-led coalition against Isis. The kingdom has rounded up scores of jihadist sympathisers since the summer.
Jordan responded immediately by scheduling for Wednesday the executions of five convicted terrorists, including the failed suicide bomber whom the group had wanted to trade. Sajida al-Rishawi, whom Isis had wanted to swap for Japanese journalist, Kenji Goto, was one of five death row inmates moved to a prison where executions are carried out. The group was transferred to Wastaqa prison within hours of the video being uploaded.
In a short televised address, Jordan’s King Abdullah II called Kasasbeh’s killing an act of “cowardly terror by a criminal group that has no relation to Islam ... It’s the duty of all citizens to stand together”. Abdullah cut short a visit to the United States to return home after the video was released, but the White House said he would meet Barack Obama before he left. » | Martin Chulov in Beirut and Shiv Malik in London | Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Jordanian Pilot 'Burned Alive' in New Isil Video
Isil jihadists have released a video that shows the Jordanian pilot they have been holding hostage being burned alive.
Moaz al-Kasaesbeh, a pilot in the Jordanian air force, was captured by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on December 24.
His death, if confirmed, marks the failure of a proposed prisoner exchange for a woman failed suicide bomber being held in Jordan. Known social media feeds of Isil members also posted photographs of the event.
In it, Lt Kasaesbeh is standing in a cage, with a line of armed and masked jihadists looking on.
A trail of flames is then lit around him, and eventually he is burned too.
Throughout, he stands erect and apparently defiant.
The Jordanian authorities, working on the assumption that the photographs were real, informed his family of his death this afternoon. » | Andrew Marszal, and Richard Spencer | Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Muslim Convert 'Stabs Controlling Boyfriend to Death in Row about Western Lifestyle'
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| Sarah Willis, left in court, told the court she was forced to comply with Islamic standards of dress |
A teenage girl who converted to Islam stabbed her Muslim boyfriend to death after they encountered "cultural difficulties" over her Westernised lifestyle, a court heard.
Law firm worker Sarah Willis, 19, claimed BT engineer Bilal Saddique was a "controlling man" who had wanted her to comply with Islamic standards of dress and hated her wearing "tight and short clothing" because "other men looked at her", jurors were told.
Later during a violent row over her friendship with a work colleague, Willis stabbed 29-year old Mr Saddique in the leg at the home they shared in Blackburn, Lancashire, causing a wound that severed an artery, a jury was told.
He was found collapsed on the kitchen floor as she attempted to stem the flow of blood with a towel. He died in hospital an hour later despite attempts to revive him.
Preston Crown Court was told last year's tragedy was the climax of the couple's stormy three year on-off relationship that began after Wills converted to Islam when she was a schoolgirl. » | Agency | Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Secret Halal Slaughterhouse Film Reveals 'Horrific' Animal Abuse
Disturbing footage showing "routine abuse" of sheep in a halal slaughterhouse has reignited the debate over whether animals should be stunned before they are killed for meat.
Under halal law, animals are supposed to be killed quickly by single cut from a surgically-sharp knife.
Although 80 per cent of halal meat is stunned, the number of sheep killed without stunning is rising due to campaigning by Muslims, figures show.
Secret filming in an halal abattoir in Yorkshire showed "horrifying" treatment of animals killed without stunning.
Workers were shown hacking and sawing at the animals' throats with apparently blunt knives. In one instance the procedure, which according to Islamic law should be instantaneous, took five attempts.
Halal rules also state that animals should never see the knife or witness others being killed, protecting them against unnecessary trauma.
But the footage showed a man wearing a Muslim kufi skullcap at Bowood Lamb abattoir in Thirsk regularly sharpening knives in front of the sheep. Due to the design of the slaughterhouse, in which animals were forced on to conveyor belts, the sheep typically saw another member of the flock having its throat cut, bleeding on the floor and being hoisted and shackled. Read on and comment » | Dan Hyde, Consumer Affairs Editor, video courtesy of Animal Aid | Tuesday, February 03, 2015
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