Abdul Rahman Thanks the Pope for His Intervention

Photo of Abdul Rahman courtesy of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung

An Afghan man who could have faced the death penalty for becoming a Christian has said he would probably have been killed had he remained in Afghanistan.

Speaking to journalists in Italy, where he has been given asylum, Abdul Rahman, 41, thanked Pope Benedict XVI for leading the campaign to have him freed.

He said he never wanted to return to Afghanistan and was concerned for the safety of his family there.

Afghan MPs have condemned his release and said he should have not have left. read it all here: Afghan convert 'would be killed'

Mark Alexander

Is Iran in for it?

With thanks to the BBC

Iran has been given 30 days to return to the negotiating table or face isolation, foreign ministers from the US and five other major powers warned.

"Iran has a choice between isolation brought about through [uranium] enrichment" or a return to talks, Germany's foreign minister said.

His comments reinforced a deadline in a statement by the UN Security Council, which urged Iran to halt enrichment. read it all here: Iran given stark nuclear choice

Mark Alexander

American journalist released

A US reporter held hostage in Iraq for more than two months has been freed.

Jill Carroll, who works for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, was abducted by unknown gunmen in west Baghdad on 7 January.

She told Iraqi TV she had been treated well and said she was looking forward to being reunited with her family. Read it all here: US journalist released in Iraq

Mark Alexander

The Western Standard needs your help!

The Western Standard of Alberta, Canada is being sued for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Being a small publication, they are asking people for support and donations. I received this email from the publisher this morning. I am passing it on in case you feel moved to help them in their cause of fighting for free speech:

Dear Western Standard reader,

Our magazine has been sued for publishing the Danish cartoons, and I need your help to fight back!

As you know, the Western Standard was the only mainstream media organ in Canada to publish the Danish cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed.

We did so for a simple reason: the cartoons were the central fact in one of the largest news stories of the year, and we're a news magazine. We publish the facts and we let our readers make up their minds.

Advertisers stood with us. Readers loved the fact that we treated them like grown-ups. And we earned the respect of many other journalists in Canada who envied our independence. In fact, according to a COMPAS poll last month, fully 70% of Canada's working journalists supported our decision to publish the cartoons.

But not Syed Soharwardy, a radical Calgary Muslim imam.

He asked the police to arrest me for publishing the cartoons. They calmly explained to him that's not what police in Canada do.

So then he went to a far less liberal institution than the police: the Alberta Human Rights Commission. Unlike the Calgary Police Service, they didn't have the common sense to show him the door.

Earlier this month, I received a copy of Soharwardy's rambling, hand-scrawled complaint. It is truly an embarrassing document. He briefly complains that we published the Danish cartoons. But the bulk of his complaint is that we dared to try to justify it - that we dared to disagree with him.

Think about that: In Soharwardy's view, not only should the Canadian media be banned from publishing the cartoons, but we should be banned from defending our right to publish them. Perhaps the Charter of Rights that guarantees our freedom of the press should be banned, too.

Soharwardy's complaint goes further than just the cartoons. It refers to news articles we published about Hamas, a group labelled a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. By including those other articles, he shows his real agenda: censoring any criticism of Muslim extremists.

Perhaps the most embarrassing thing about Soharwardy's complaint is that he claims our cartoons caused him to receive hate mail. Indeed, his complaint includes copies of a few e-mails from strangers to him. Some of those e-mails even go so far as to call him "humourless" and tell him to "lighten up". Perhaps that's hateful. But all of those e-mails were sent to him before our magazine even published the cartoons. Soharwardy isn't even pretending that this is a legitimate complaint. He's not even trying to hide that this is a nuisance suit.

Soharwardy's complaint should have been thrown out immediately by the Alberta Human Rights Commission, just like the police did. But it wasn't. Which is why I'm writing to you today.

According to our lawyers, we will win this case. It's an infantile complaint, without basis in facts or law. Frankly, it's an embarrassment to the government of Alberta that their tribunal is open to abuse like this.

Our lawyers tell us we're going to win. But not before we have to spend hundreds of hours and up to $75,000 fighting this thing, at our own expense. Soharwardy doesn't have to spend a dime - now that his complaint has been filed, Alberta tax dollars will pay for the prosecution of his complaint. We have to pay for this on our own.

Look, $75,000 isn't going to bankrupt us. But it will sting. We're a small, independent magazine, not a huge company with deep pockets. All of our money is needed to produce the best possible editorial product, not to fight legal battles. This is clearly an abuse of process designed to punish us and deter other media from daring to cross that angry imam in the future.

One of the leaders in Canadian human rights law, Alan Borovoy, was so disturbed by Soharwardy's abuse of the human rights commission that he wrote a public letter about it in the Calgary Herald on March 16th. "During the years when my colleagues and I were labouring to create such commissions, we never imagined that they might ultimately be used against freedom of speech," wrote Borovoy, who is general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Censorship was "hardly the role we had envisioned for human rights commissions. There should be no question of the right to publish the impugned cartoons," he wrote.

Borovoy went even further - he said that the human rights laws should be changed to avoid this sort of abuse in the future. "It would be best, therefore, to change the provisions of the Human Rights Act to remove any such ambiguities of interpretation," he wrote. That's an amazing statement, coming from one of the fathers of the Canadian human rights movement.

I agree with Borovoy: the law should be changed to stop future abuses. But those changes will come too late for us - we're already under attack. The human rights laws, designed as a shield, are being used against us as a sword.

We will file our legal response to Soharwardy's shakedown this week. And we will fight this battle to the end - not just for our own sake, but to defend freedom of the press for all Canadians.

Do you believe that's important? If so, I'd ask you to help us defray our costs. We're accepting donations through our website. It's fast, easy and secure. Just click on http://www.westernstandard.ca/freedom

You can donate any amount from $10 to $10,000. Please help the Western Standard today - and protect freedom for all Canadians for years to come.

Yours gratefully,

Ezra Levant
Publisher

P.S. Remember, Soharwardy's complaint will be prosecuted using tax dollars and government lawyers. We have to rely on our own funds - and the generous support of readers like you.

Please help fight this case.

Mark Alexander

Abdul Rahman in Italien

Für das Foto, dankt man der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung

Streit wegen Rahmans Freilassung

Der zum christlichen Glauben übergetretene Afghane Abdul Rahman hat seine Heimat verlassen. Er traf am Abend mit einem Flugzeug in Italien ein. Dies bestätigte der italienische Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi. Italien hatte dem 41-Jährigen Asyl angeboten, nachdem er wegen seines Übertrittes mit dem Tode bedroht worden war. Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel hier: Christlicher Afghane in Italien

©Mark

Italy may become Abdul Rahman's new home

Italy is considering granting asylum to Abdul Rahman, the Afghan man who was released from jail yesterday in Kabul, where he had faced the death penalty for converting to Christianity.

He was staying in a safe house last night after prosecutors dropped the case against him under intense international pressure. But Mr Rahman will have to flee the country for his own safety, after several leading Muslim clerics called on Afghans to kill him.

Mr Rahman appealed for help to leave Afghanistan, and he is thought most likely to go to Italy, where the Foreign Minister, Gianfranco Fini is to ask the cabinet today to grant him asylum. Read all the article here: Italy may offer asylum to Afghan Christian convert

Mark

Britain always needs a Caspar

With thanks to PBS.org

"America never had a wiser patriot, nor Britain a truer friend." - Margaret Thatcher

Caspar Weinberger, who died yesterday aged 88, was US Secretary of Defence under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1987, and a loyal friend to Britain during the Falklands War.

Weinberger had a special admiration for Winston Churchill from the time when he had served as an Army officer in the Second World War, and often cited him as a significant influence. When Argentina invaded and occupied the Falklands in April 1982, Weinberger came down strongly on Britain's side and supported Margaret Thatcher's government when it decided to retake the islands.

From the first, he was in touch with Britain's ambassador in Washington, Sir Nico Henderson, saying that America could not put a Nato ally and long-standing friend on the same level as Argentina and that he would do his best to help. Read the rest of the obituary from The Telegraph here: Caspar Weinberger (1917 - 2006): America's erstwhile Secretary of State

FROM THE TIMES: CASPAR WEINBERGER was the US Secretary of Defence who built up the huge arsenal with which President Reagan confronted the military might of the Soviet Union in the last decade of its existence.

He was not the only American who believed passionately that the price of safety in the modern world was to sink dollars into arming men and developing ever more complex weapons systems. But he was more intelligent, more sophisticated and genuinely tougher than most of America’s hawks. American Secretary of Defence who created the military machine with which Ronald Reagan faced down the Soviet Union

Mark

No babies? No future!

News about the dwindling brithrates in Europe is enough to send anyone into a depression! No bonny babies like this one? No future!

With thanks to iVillage.com

Muslims in Europe are having babies; and their numbers in Europe are therefore increasing rapidly. Non-Muslims, however, are not. Their numbers decline by the year.

What has gone wrong with people's thinking? It seems that the educators have a lot to answer for. Girls in the education system have been pumped and primed with the idea that they can only be fulfilled outside of the home. Having a 'career' has been the buzzword for several decades. The policy of equal pay for women - not that I am advocating anything else! - has also played no small part in contributing to the small number of babies being born. By giving women equal pay, it has simply become too expensive for them to stay home and procreate.

How much more fulfilled women are, though, is a matter of speculation. But for sure, it can be said that the West in general, and Europe in particular, is paying a very high price for this kind of liberation.

The fact of the matter is clear to see: We are faced with the 'green peril': Islam. Muslims will not be slow to have more babies, and will therefore swell the population. This, of course, will change the demographics of Europe, and it will ultimately change the politics of the continent, too.

The reality is this: Without babies, we cannot survive. It was Churchill who said: There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies. And no finer, truer words have been spoken!

Italian women shun 'mamma' role

EU states are trying to understand why the birth rate is falling - and if anything can be done to stem the decline. All this week, the BBC News website is asking women in various countries about how they feel about being asked to have more babies, and how easy or difficult they find combining motherhood and work.

Here, the BBC's Rome correspondent Christian Fraser asks why Italy - a predominantly Roman Catholic country that has always loved children - has stopped having them.

Dwindling Germans review policies

In the latest in our series about motherhood and the role of the state in encouraging couples to have more children, the BBC's Tristana Moore in Berlin has been meeting women to find out why Germany has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe.

"Some German mothers say they are thought selfish for wanting to work." Perhaps there is some truth in this statement.

The EU's baby blues

Birth rates in the European Union are falling fast.

In the first of a series about motherhood and the role of the state in encouraging couples to have more children, the BBC News website's Clare Murphy asks why governments are so concerned about the size of their populations.

Mark

Dhimmi of the month?: News anchor wins the honour of Muslims

Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow was among the winners at the Muslim News Awards for Excellence.

Snow received the media award for his work "travelling extensively in the Muslim world, taking an in-depth look at events and developments".

Other winners included the solicitor for radical cleric Abu Hamza, Muddassar Arani, who took the citizenship award.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw praised the contribution of Muslims to British society, in a speech at the ceremony.

'Celebrate success'

Mr Straw said: "British Muslims are where Britain and Islam intersect. Celebrating their success is the best way of showing that these two identities can and do thrive in the same place and in the same person. Read the full article here: TV news anchor wins Muslim honour: Jon Snow was recognised for his reporting of the Muslim world

©Mark

Islam is a greater threat than Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union

Dennis Prager, in today's Townhall.com, writes that Islam is a greater threat than Germany was in 1939 and the Soviet Union subsequently.

In stating this, he agrees with my analysis in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age.

It is well worth your time to read his excellent article, The Islamic threat is greater than German and Soviet threats were.

I should like to take this opportunity to remind you that my book is available in paperback and hardback versions. Please see here:


Dawning of a New Dark Age: A Collection of Essays on Islam

©Mark Alexander

The unbelievable Tony Blair falls for the unbelievable!

"The most remarkable thing about reading the Koran - in so far as it can be truly translated from the original Arabic - is to understand how progressive it is. I speak with great diffidence and humility as a member of another faith. I am not qualified to make any judgements.

But as an outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return Judaism and Christianity to their origins, rather as reformers attempted with the Christian Church centuries later. It is inclusive. It extols science and knowledge and abhors superstition. It is practical and way ahead of its time in attitudes to marriage, women and governance.

Under its guidance, the spread of Islam and its dominance over previously Christian or pagan lands was breathtaking. Over centuries it founded an Empire, leading the world in discovery, art and culture. The standard bearers of tolerance in the early Middle Ages were far more likely to be found in Muslim lands than in Christian ..."

No, Tone, the most remarkable thing about the Koran is precisely how regressive it is! What have you bin smokin’?

How can you possibly stand before an audience of educated, intelligent people and pronounce such balderdash?

If the Koran is so "progressive", and so "ahead of its time", then how come Muslims are so backward? How come Muslims wish to kill apostates, people who can no longer stomach the lies, the myths, the fairy stories propagated by the prophet of Islam? How come women, if they are not obedient, have to be beaten until they are prepared to be submissive to their husbands? How come women should be stoned to death for the ‘serious crime’ of adultery (while the men, the adulterers, will miraculously get away with it)? How come the Muslim world has contributed virtually nothing to human endeavour for approximately five hundred years? How come rates for adult illiteracy are so high in Muslim lands? How come? How come? How come?

Oh, and by the way: About that 'abhorring superstition' bit… Didn’t you know, Tone, that Muslims believe in Jinns? And didn’t you know, too, that they believe that two angels sit permanently on each person’s shoulders? The one on your left shoulder taking down notes on your bad deeds, and the one on your right shoulder taking down notes on your good deeds?

For God’s sake (not Allah’s), get real, will you?

You have disgraced yourself, and you have disgraced your office, too! It’s surely time for you to spend more time with your family now. It awaits you!

©Mark Alexander

Vatican Rethinks the Crusades
Image courtesy of Genealogy Source

THE Vatican has begun moves to rehabilitate the Crusaders by sponsoring a conference at the weekend that portrays the Crusades as wars fought with the “noble aim” of regaining the Holy Land for Christianity.

The Crusades are seen by many Muslims as acts of violence that have underpinned Western aggression towards the Arab world ever since. Followers of Osama bin Laden claim to be taking part in a latter-day “jihad against the Jews and Crusaders”. Read all of Richard Owen's article here: Vatican change of heart over 'barbaric' Crusades

Mark

Prince Charles shares his wisdom on Islam in Saudi Arabia

The meaning of God's word must be interpreted "for this time" as well as "for all time", Prince Charles has said in a speech to an Islamic university.

He became the first westerner to address the Imam Muhammad bin Saud University, in Saudi Arabia, which has worked to counter radicalisation.

Last week, in a speech to Egyptian scholars he talked about the row over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

It showed the danger "of our failure to listen" to others' views, he said.

The prince and the Duchess of Cornwall are in Riyadh as part of a two-week tour of the Middle East.

In his speech at the university, the prince spoke about the importance of interpreting religious texts. Read the article here: Prince's call over 'God's word'

Mark

Bangladesh's 'democracy' threatened by extremism

GAZIPUR, BANGLADESH — Nobody noticed the suicide bomber. He seemed to be an ordinary tea hawker: the poorest of the poor, dressed in dirty clothes and carrying a pair of tea flasks -- a common sight in the streets of Bangladesh.

As he tried to enter the local government headquarters, two policemen stopped him. His behaviour suddenly changed. "I will teach you a lesson," he shouted. He put down his tea flasks and yanked a wire device from one of them. There was a deafening explosion, and a crowd of people fell to the ground, covered in blood.

Mohammed Nurul Amin, a prominent lawyer, was just a few feet away. He was walking to a rally to protest a suicide bombing that had killed and injured dozens of lawyers just two days earlier in the same town. But as he tried to protest against one suicide bombing, he was caught in the devastation of another. "I couldn't imagine that he was carrying a bomb, even when I saw him pulling the wire from the tea flask," Mr. Amin said. Read all of Geoffrey York's article here: Extremism exploding in Bangladesh: Islamic militants turn to suicide bombings in threat to country's secular democracy

Mark

Adherents of the 'Religion of Peace' show their compassionate side!

Several hundred people have protested in northern Afghanistan against a decision to dismiss a case against a man who converted to Christianity.

Abdul Rahman's case has been handed back to the attorney-general because of gaps in the evidence, an official said.

The decision to release Mr Rahman came amid mounting international criticism over the issue.

Mr Rahman, a Christian for 16 years, was charged with rejecting Islam and potentially faced the death penalty.

Afghanistan's legal system is built on Islamic Sharia law, and Mr Rahman could have faced execution if he had refused to renounce Christianity. Read it all here: Afghans protest against convert: Many Afghans are not happy with the decision to dismiss the case

Mark

Cherie Down Under but certainly not down in the mouth!

Not all outgoing leaders are spent forces. It was in his last days in office that Ronald Reagan won the Cold War - arguably the greatest political achievement, as measured by its contribution to human happiness, of the 20th century. No one watching Reagan in Berlin as he demanded "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall" would have seen a lame duck.

Tony Blair, however, is no Reagan. As his end approaches, he must be wondering where his opportunities went. It was no mean achievement to win three consecutive elections; but what did he do with it? Mr Blair's position after 1997 was the strongest of any prime minister in 100 years. He had total control of his party, an unassailable Commons majority, a broken opposition and the goodwill of the country. Read the rest here: Blair has reached his Major moment

Mark

Abdul Rahman set to be freed

An Afghan man charged with converting to Christianity is set to be released from jail while his case is reviewed.

Abdul Rahman's case has been handed back to the attorney-general because of gaps in the evidence, an official said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that while the attorney-general looked at the papers, Mr Rahman did not need to be detained. Read the rest here: Afghan convert set to be freed

Mark

Pope appeals for clemency for Abdul Rahman

Pope Benedict XVI has asked the Afghan president to show clemency towards a man facing possible execution for converting to Christianity.

Abdul Rahman has been charged with apostasy, a religious offence.

The Vatican said the pontiff had appealed to President Hamid Karzai to respect human rights guarantees enshrined in the Afghan constitution. Read the rest here: Pope makes Afghan convert appeal

And this from Reuters

Mark

Blair says Koran is progressive and ahead of its time

There have been some who have doubted that Tony Blair could have said the things he did about the Koran being a progressive book, one ahead of its time. To put such doubts to rest, I have placed a link to the whole speech made to the Foreign Policy Centre on Tuesday, March 21, 2006.

"... This terrorism will not be defeated until its ideas, the poison that warps the minds of its adherents, are confronted, head-on, in their essence, at their core. By this I don't mean telling them terrorism is wrong.

I mean telling them their attitude to America is absurd; their concept of governance pre-feudal; their positions on women and other faiths, reactionary and regressive; and then since only by Muslims can this be done: standing up for and supporting those within Islam who will tell them all of this but more, namely that the extremist view of Islam is not just theologically backward but completely contrary to the spirit and teaching of the Koran.

"The most remarkable thing about reading the Koran - in so far as it can be truly translated from the original Arabic - is to understand how progressive it is. I speak with great diffidence and humility as a member of another faith. I am not qualified to make any judgements.

But as an outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return Judaism and Christianity to their origins, rather as reformers attempted with the Christian Church centuries later. It is inclusive. It extols science and knowledge and abhors superstition. It is practical and way ahead of its time in attitudes to marriage, women and governance.

Under its guidance, the spread of Islam and its dominance over previously Christian or pagan lands was breathtaking. Over centuries it founded an Empire, leading the world in discovery, art and culture. The standard bearers of tolerance in the early Middle Ages were far more likely to be found in Muslim lands than in Christian ..." Read the whole speech here: Tony Blair's speech to the Foreign Policy centre

Mark

Blair praises the Qur'an

I first came across this item on Robert Spencer's excellent website, Dhimmi Watch this morning. The original article is to be found here: The Qur'an "is practical and way ahead of its time".

The item is not for the weak of stomach!



"The most remarkable thing about reading the Koran – in so far as it can be truly translated from the original Arabic - is to understand how progressive it is ... I speak with great diffidence and humility as a member of another faith. I am not qualified to make any judgements. But as an outsider, the Koran strikes me as a reforming book, trying to return Judaism and Christianity to their origins, ..."

Really, Tony? Is this why apostates like Abdul Rahman have to be put to death under Islamic, or Shariah, law? Is this what you call progressive? Is this what you call 'being ahead of its time'?

Mark

Petition for Abdul Rahman

A kind visitor, 'Very concerned', brought this petition to my attention this morning. I have already signed it. Perhaps YOU, too, would be so kind as to sign it to help this man. He's in terrible distress. This is the least we can do to help him get released.

Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with him at this time.

The Petition

Mark

Talk of release

The latest on the fate of Abdul Rahman...

Afghan government officials are meeting in the capital, Kabul, to discuss the fate of a man facing execution for converting to Christianity.

Earlier, a senior government official told the BBC that the man, Abdul Rahman, "could be released soon".

Mr Rahman is on trial charged with rejecting Islam. He could be executed under Sharia law unless he reconverts.

Read it all here: Afghan convert 'may be released'

Karzai 'gives pledge' to save Christian convert from execution

Jack is a man of straw when Muslims talk of killing converts

Mark

Test of commitment to democracy



Our prayers should be with this poor, poor man:

Mood hardens against Christian convert

Mark

A message to all my visitors

Earlier this week, I started having problems with this website. The result: The template will not allow me to make any changes. All I can do is post a new article or blog, and post and receive comments. So, for the time being, all links will have to remain as they are.

On top of this, my browser, Internet Explorer, is no longer supported by Microsoft for Apple computers. It as been so since January 31, 2006. My browser is no longer functioning as it should and, as I use the Classic operating system, not Mac OS X, I am limited in my choice of browsers to replace IE.

I am working to correct this matter as soon as possible. I ask you for your patience while this problem is being corrected.

Mark

The chic jilbab goes oh so sportif

It's a sign of the times, folks! But it was bound to come. It really was. The jilbab is now to liberate the Muslimah! Nike have come up with ever such an exciting range of colourful jilbabs for the gay (old-fashioned meaning!), liberated and lithesome, bejilbabbed ladies of a certain persuasion. Thoroughly modern Farida!

Jilbabs for the daring! Look out for them! Coming soon to sports shops near YOU! Don't miss out!



Girls in a refugee camp in northern Kenya have started playing volleyball for the first time thanks to specially designed sportswear for Muslim women.

Some Muslims believe girls should wear a jilbab - a traditional Islamic dress - which hampers agility.

Sports wear company Nike worked with the girls to find something appropriate and presented the designs last year.

Initially camp leaders renounced the outfits, but the girls have now convinced them of their suitability.

Read it all here: Muslim girls don sporting jilbabs

Mark

Hush Shabina!

Two wasted years of court battles, and God knows how much taxpayers' money! Are we going to continue to finance this jihad against ourselves?

From The Telegraph today:



Common sense wins

The Shabina Begum case never had anything to do with modesty

Mark

Britain toughens its stance on Iran

BRITAIN is pressing for a United Nations resolution that would open the way for punitive sanctions and even the use of force if Iran were to refuse to halt its controversial nuclear programme.

In a confidential letter obtained by The Times, a leading British diplomat outlines a strategy for winning Russian and Chinese support by early summer for a so-called Chapter VII resolution demanding that Iran cease its nuclear activities.

Read it all here: Britain pushes for military option to restrain Tehran

Mark

Where's the money going to come from to police all this?

A terrorist cell allegedly linked to al-Qa'eda planned to blow up pubs, nightclubs and trains in a bombing campaign in Britain, the Old Bailey was told yesterday.


Some of the seven-strong gang, all British citizens, had trained at terrorist camps in Pakistan where they hatched the plot after practising causing explosions with ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder, it was alleged.

The plot to kill and maim is said to have involved more than half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertiliser and they planned to smuggle detonators into Britain through Belgium hidden in small radios, the court was told.

Read it all here: Terror plot aginst pubs and trains

Mark

Anti-dhimmitude in Britain and a kick in the teeth for Cherie Blair

Cherie Blair's defence of Shabina Begum's 'right' to wear her jilbab to school is in tatters. The Law Lords have overturned the court ruling last year which had been in her favour.

It is a disgrace that taxpayers' money should be wasted on such frivolous cases in courts which are already chock-full with more important issues. This from The Times today:


Photo by Richard Pohle

The Law Lords today overturned a court ruling that a teenager's human rights were violated when she was banned from wearing full-length Islamic dress at school.

In a ruling which many teachers will see as reaffirming the authority of schools and headteachers, the House of Lords allowed an appeal by Denbigh High School in Luton, Bedfordshire.

Lord Bingham said the school was fully justified in acting as it did when it sent Shabina Begum, then 14, home for refusing to adhere to the school uniform policy.

Read it all here: Law Lords overturn school uniform 'jilbab' ruling

Mark

Camilla in Egypt

Mark

More evidence of the 'New Dark Age'

A man is being held by German police after walking into a petrol station with his wife's severed head in a bag.

The 40-year-old man, of Turkish origin, was covered in blood when he approached the night counter at about 0400 GMT and asked the attendant to call the police.

Hamburg police said officers found the head in a bag on a grass verge and arrested the man, who was in a confused state and admitted killing his wife.

The body of the woman, aged 39, was found in their nearby flat.

Read it all: Man found with wife's head in bag

Mark

Civil War in Iraq?

Iyad Allawi believes that civil war has already begun in Iraq! This from The Times today:

IYAD ALLAWI, Iraq’s former Prime Minister, chose the third anniversary of the invasion yesterday to say that he believed that civil war had begun.

John Reid, the Defence Secretary, spent the day in Iraq insisting that it had not, and that Iraqis were bravely resisting terrorist efforts to provoke them into a destructive sectarian conflict.

Mr Reid, who shuttled around southern Iraq in a helicopter, visiting British troops, appeared surprised that Mr Allawi had issued the warning a day after the two had met in Baghdad to discuss the political situation.

Three months after December’s election, a new government has not been formed, despite alarming levels of sectarian violence. The violence has thrown a long shadow over the anniversary, with Iraqis complaining bitterly of a terrible security situation, a continuing political vacuum, dire power and fuel shortages, economic problems and a growing fear of civil war.

Mr Allawi told the BBC that civil war had already started and that violence could spread to Europe and the US. He said: "We are losing each day an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." As he made his comments yesterday, 12 Iraqis were killed in insurgent attacks and a US raid north of Baghdad. Four bodies turned up in a sewage plant and Shia pilgrims were attacked with a mortar.

Read the article here: Three years after Iraq invasion leader says civil war has begun And this one from The Telegraph Iraq is now 'in a terrible civil war', admits Allawi

Mark

Darkness to fall on Britain!

In an excellent article in today's Daily Telegraph, Philip Johnston shows the stupidity that has befallen the British, and European, lawmakers. One can only ask oneself one question: Is this a process to inure the british (and Europeans) to the Draconian laws that will inevitably be put in place once Europe becomes Eurabia?...

For the greatest part of human existence, we have lived our nights in almost total darkness, brightened occasionally by a full moon or the glow of a fire.

We came to fear and distrust the dark and the dangers it shrouded: bandits or wild animals in the countryside; footpads in the towns.

Only in the past 200 years have our cities been properly lit, from the introduction of gas lamps to London in 1807 through to the all-encompassing glare that can now be seen from miles away. Those of us who live in big towns rarely see the night sky any more, but its disappearance was a trade-off for safety and ease of movement.

Over many years, astronomers and groups such as the Campaign for Dark Skies have agitated against this "light pollution", at which our forefathers would have marvelled, and have pressed for new legislation to stop it. From April 6, it will duly arrive.

Light pollution will become a statutory nuisance for the first time and refusal to obey an order to dim an offending illumination is to be a criminal offence, punishable by a fine of up to £50,000. Read it all here: Benighted laws that oppress us all

Mark

Turkey: Too conservative to join the liberal EU?

Did we really need a poll to inform us that the Turks are conservative? Isn't it ludicrous even to think of allowing Turkey to accede to the EU?

This from the BBC:

An opinion poll in Turkey has revealed deep conservatism on all matters concerning the family and sexuality.

The survey from across the country showed a strong intolerance towards homosexuality and co-habitation.

The survey, which polled over-18s of both sexes in 15 regions, also revealed a considerable fall in support for European Union membership.

There were also signs of strong scepticism about some of the EU's intentions towards Turkey.

You would not know it from a night out in cosmopolitan Istanbul, but it seems two-thirds of Turks across the country disapprove of people who go to bars and nightclubs.

Even more are apparently uncomfortable with homosexuality. And 56% say they disapprove of men who wear earrings.

Read it all here: Poll reveals Turkish conservatism

Mark

Major US air assault in Iraq underway

The US military has launched its biggest air offensive in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

A military statement said that the operation, which involves more than 50 aircraft and 1,500 Iraqi and US troops, is targeting suspected insurgents operating near the town of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.

Two-hundred tactical vehicles are also taking part in the operation.

The US military says it has already captured a number of weapons caches, containing artillery shells, explosives, bomb-making materials, and military uniforms.

There is no immediate word on casualties.

The US statement said "Operation Swarmer" was launched this morning and is "expected to continue for several days as a thorough search of the objective area is conducted."

Read it all in The Daily Telegraph here: US launches massive Iraq air assault

Und von der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung:

Luft- und Bodentruppen im Einsatz

Die amerikanische Armee hat im Irak nach eigenen Angaben den grössten Luftangriff seit ihrem Einmarsch in den Golfstaat vor gut drei Jahren gestartet. Mehr als 50 Maschinen sowie 1500 irakische und amerikanische Soldaten seien an der Offensive beteiligt.

Den Artikel im ganzen hier lesen: USA starten im Irak grösste Offensive seit Einmarsch

Mark

Saudi Billionaire who buys up Western assets opts for Saudi stocks this time

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal continues to buy up the world, but this time in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam, the 'religion of love and peace and tolerance'! The West can breathe a sigh of relief for now, but not for long! Rest assured: His spending spree in the West will continue apace. At the rate these people are buying up our assets, will we own anything of value in the West for much longer? We should, perhaps, note the old saying, He who pays the piper calls the tune!

Saudi stocks have rebounded after Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal announced he would invest significantly in the Saudi bourse.

Kingdom Holding, the Prince's business, could invest up to 10bn Riyals ($2.7bn)(£1.54bn) in the near future.

Stocks across the region had been at an 11 month low, but rose by over 4% after Prince Alwaleed's statements.

Read it all! Billionaire boosts Saudi stocks

Mark

A recent email exchange with a Pakistani

Since my article, Islam: The enemy of democracy and freedom appeared on FaithFreedom.org, I have been locked in an exchange with a Muslim from Pakistan. We'll call him Abdullah. He asks me why I am against Islam! I should like to share my last two emails to him with you. You can guess what is being discussed from the emails.

The exchange between us pulls no punches...

Dear Mr. Abdullah,

Thank you for your email, received this morning.

You accuse me of being biassed. Mr. Fayyaz, I can assure you that I am NOT. I can understand why you think I might be, because you have been raised in an Islamic country. Islam is your religion, and children in your country are raised to believe that Islam is the perfection of religion for man for all time. Islam is believed by Muslims to be 'ad din al kamal'. Well, that's an opinion; and it's your opinion, no doubt. We Christians, naturally, do not subscribe to this view. How could we? We would have to convert to Islam were we to believe that.

Can you assure me that you are not biassed? I have yet to meet a Muslim who isn't! After all is said and done, isn't this one of the reasons why Muslims believe in the jihad, or holy war, in a constant struggle to bring Islam to all parts of the non-Islamized world? To Dar ul Harb? To the lands of the 'Kuffar'?

You say that poverty, illiteracy and ignorance are the root causes of all the violence perpetrated by Muslims throughout the world. I disagree. And strongly! The jihad is the root cause of all the violence. You can hardly suggest that Osama bin Laden is poor, illiterate or ignorant, can you? On the contrary, he is an extremely rich man, and he is using his riches to wreak havoc everywhere in the world!

Moreover, it is Wahhabi ideology which is causing much of the trouble. Wahhabi ideology, as you know, is not only puritanical, but expansive in its aims, too. There are very many Wahhabis, especially in Saudi Arabia, who are neither poor, nor illiterate, nor ignorant.

You say that you are a Pakistani Muslim, and that you do not have anything against anybody of any religion. I am so glad to learn that. I also believe you. However, the same cannot be said for many of your countrymen. Look at how Christians are being persecuted in your country. Churches are often burned down, and Christians are killed in the name of Islam.

I do not absolve the West of all responsibility. As you rightly say, Westerners also have to shoulder some of the blame. But not for terrorism! If the West is to blame for anything, then it is to blame for allowing - out of ignorance of the nature of the faith - Islam to grow in the West. It has allowed the darkness of Islam to penetrate our more enlightened countries. This is indeed reprehensible.

You say that whatever is happening around the world is due to politics. I agree with you. But you do realize that it is the politics of Islam which has to shoulder the lion's share of the blame. And, as you know, Islam understands no separation of politics and religion; so, wherever there are Muslims, Islamic politics comes into play. This is the sad part.

With many thanks for your thoughts.

Kind regards,

Mark Alexander

A New Dark Age Is Dawning

Then there was this email this morning:

Dear Mr. Abdullah,

For your information, I have lived in the Middle East for MANY years. I KNOW what the REAL Islam is: It's harsh and brutal, fanatical and hypocritical, loveless and merciless! Witness the beheadings, the stonings to death, and the amputations.

You say the vast majority of Muslims have nothing against Christianity. Then why do they continue to call us infidels in such a derogatory way? That word is a disgusting word, since it has all kinds of overtones and connotations for Muslims. It means also that non-believers are unclean! It is an insult indeed!

Further, why do your moderate brothers and sisters not speak up against the atrocities such as the beheadings of 'infidels' committed in the name of your faith? Personally, I should be ashamed to call myself a Muslim right now! No right thinking, reasonable person could ever feel comfortable as a Muslim today with all these disgusting crimes being committed in its name!

Your people go out onto the streets to demonstrate against the cartoons because their 'feelings have been hurt'. So what? What about our feelings being hurt when you call us disgusting names? What about the feelings of the families being hurt when Muslims kill and maim innocent people in their bombings? Do you see Westerners out on the streets demonstrating? No! We have a more mature outlook! And why don't Muslims go out onto the streets to demonstrate against the beheadings and suicide bombings committed in the name of Islam?

Be sure of this: If Islam were ever to rule the world, the world would be plunged into DARKNESS! A pall has already come over the world because of your faith. Your faith is joyless and bloody and cruel!

If you wish to practise a faith, then may I suggest that you find another one? Perhaps you could find the love of Jesus. Accept Him as your Saviour and Redeemer. After all, Jesus brought only love into the world. He was no warrior, no politician, and no marauder. He came to save our souls. What did Muhammad come for?

If Muslims started living like reasonable people, then others would start treating them in a reasonable manner. Sadly, Islam doesn't allow for this. To Muslims, it is far more important to spread the word and Islamize the world.

One can only fear for the future peace and security of this world!

May you find the love of Jesus!

Sincerely,

Mark Alexander
Author: The Dawning of a New Dark Age

A New Dark Age Is Dawning
Book in Focus 1
Book in Focus 2
Book in Focus 3

Boycotting the Fruit of the Infidel Mind

To the Muslims of the world, who have participated in, or endorse by their silence, the protests concerning the cartoons depicting Muhammed bin Abdullah, and who are engaging in the boycott of Danish goods, this is an appeal from the heart: Please, please demonstrate your rationality and capacity for logical consistency. After all, it is this capacity for rationality, together with the refusal to fall into the inconsistency of a double standard of morality, which separates us humans both from animals, and your average bully, despot, tyrant and psychopath.

Therefore, all the fruits of the enquiring human mind, (which accepts no authority beyond what can be proven by rational means to be true) should also be boycotted. So Muslims of the world, unite and boycott western goods invented and developed by the infidel mind - for example, no more flying in aeroplanes - try instead to locate that horse with the face of a woman, which you believe, Muhammad bin Abdullah used to visit, his 7th layer of heaven. No more microwaves and gas cookers and air conditioners - use the heat of firewood, and hand held fans - they were good enough for your Prophet, and his Allah in His Infinite Wisdom, did not think otherwise. You don’t like images of the human form? No more TV, DVD’s and whatnots. No more phones and cameras too. Cars, motorbikes, bicycles - why do you use them when your Allah’s Prophet got by on camels? Even in emergency situations, when he was battling the infidels of that time, he did not call for a Ferrari car to get him out of trouble, or machine guns to see to the Kaffirs. Newspapers and the internet for the dissemination of facts, ideas, and information and opinion? Well, your Prophet and his God found writing on bones, leaves and bits of parchment good enough. Finally, to the rich Muslim intellectuals and other such elites, don’t come to the West for medical treatments using the latest infra scan and phamaceutical developments - instead, stick to black mustard seeds as recommended for all maladies by your esteemed and learned Prophet.

In the name not of beneficence or mercy but in the name of the defining characteristic of homo sapiens, demonstrate your rationality and capacity for logical consistency.

If you find that you can’t live very well without the material fruit of infidel minds then please, do not have tantrums and issue threats concerning their moral, spiritual and aesthetic sensibilities either. Instead, that time could be used more wisely, to ponder on why, for centuries, Muslim minds have contributed virtually nothing to Humanity’s progress.

©Azadi-Ruh-Alam

Email Azadi-Ruh-Alam

Is Britain about to break relations with Palestine?

Even before the dramatic events at Jericho prison in the West Bank, Britain's support for the Palestinian Authority had been strained by Gaza's gradual descent into chaos before the Palestinian elections and by the election of the extremist Hamas.

Kidnappings - including the abduction of the British aid worker Kate Burton and her parents in December - blood feuds and violence linked to the non-payment of wages meant the number of international staff remaining in Gaza had declined to only a few dozen in the past year.

Read the whole story from The Independent here: British relations with Palestinians at breaking point

Mark

A reader's viewpoint

In response to my article, Islamism: A concept invented by the infidel for the infidel!, I received this wonderful email this morning. I would like to share it with you.

Hi Mark,

I was impressed by your blog, Islamism: A Concept invented by the infidel for the infidel!. Well done. Congratulations.

You have taken the discussion of the Muslim, Islamic, threat further from an incoherent expression of disgust at - or the simple acknowledgment of - their repeated atrocities. Of course, the mainstream media lacks even this simple, truthful acknowledgment. Your forward step is in your pointing out the irrefutable truth of euphemism on the subject of Islam. Many blogs also allude to it, but none, as far as I know, have dealt with it in the seriousness you have.

When the consequences of any logic is grave, civilised human beings are reluctant to agree with such logic unless it is unequivocally and conclusively established. The truth of the Islam ideology is certainly very grave. An acceptance of this truth of Islam is full of foreboding to all persons who do not share in this destructive ideology.

From the countries in the Far East to the Americas, from the Scandinavian countries to the tip of Africa, all the peoples are hesitant to contemplate this one fact. The consequences are far too dire by conceding it. In light of this truth also, another important step suggests itself.

The truth of Islam may be better admitted by all when all the peoples, of whom mainstream media commentators are but a part, will see that facing up to this malignant force is better than continuing our illusions.

In short, yes, of course, the atrocities committed by the followers of Islam has to be broadcast again and again - as the ReligionOfPeace.com does; of course, such atrocities must not be dismissed as aberrations but the general rule - as JihadWatch.org does; and, of course, the truth must be faced - just as you have done; but a voice must also go out that emphasises the much worse outcome of continued denial.

This is no Star Wars. Ours is not a drama with superhuman heroes. Yet there is a way to face up to and defeat the forces that threaten all civilized aims of life. This way lies in all the peoples of the world uniting their efforts against Islam and all that it stands for.

An argument has to be made that reveals this truth: that we will all fall singly or attain victory over Islam together. This unity of purpose is needed. Whilst there remain any significant and vocal apologists for Islam among the non-Muslims, this unity will to elude us. Whilst non-Muslims are content to delude themselves in transitory material distractions - from toys to cars, from Hollywood to Bollywood, from individual to corporate greed - this unity will elude us. Yet, it is in unity only that the Islam ideology will be challenged and defeated.

Media commentators, politicians and the general public have to wake up from the illusion of comfortable world. The values that we aspire for will have to be fought for. By our minds, words and deeds.

Sir, I commend your efforts.

Regards,

Hari

And here is the original article:

Islamism’: A Concept invented by the infidel for the infidel!

The mantra, ‘Islamism’, is repeated time and time again, over and over, ad nauseum, ad infinitum, especially by those who are in denial: ‘Islamism’, they say, not Islam, is the source of our problems. It is what feeds the perpetrators of Islamic terror.

The liberal media, in particular, love this word, since it allows them to talk about the problems we face with Islam, without causing offence to Muslims throughout the world. It creates a distinction between good, practising Muslims and their extremist co-religionists. Alas, it is a false distinction!

Our politicians love the term, because it allows them to duck the obvious need to come to terms with the fact that a major world religion – Islam – is out to destroy our way of life, out to destroy our social structure, out to destroy our civilization! In short, ‘Islamism’ is a concept dreamt up by the infidel for the infidel. It lets him off the hook!

The fact of the matter, however, is that the use of the term ‘Islamism’ obfuscates the true problem we face, namely the growth of Islam in the West, and therefore the increasing Islamization of our societies and our civilization. It also obfuscates the causes of the jihad itself – the tool of the Muslim to bring Islam to the rest of the world, the tool to turn Dar ul Harb, the House of War, into Dar ul Islam, the House of Islam, the tool to Islamize the regions of the world which have yet to be Islamized, to Islamize the regions of the world still living, in their opinion, in a state of moral chaos, in a state of pre-Islamic disorder, otherwise known among Muslims as a state of Jahiliyyah.

Our real problem is Islam, the real thing. Muslims do not use the term ‘Islamism’. The concept is unknown to them, other than as a term used by the infidel to try and make sense of the aggressive nature of their faith.

Let us, for goodness' sake, think clearly, for without clear-thinking, we shall never overcome this grave threat to our civilization. To talk of 'Islamism', and make a false distinction between that and Islam, is like making a false distinction between Christianity and 'Christianism'! We don't do this with Christianity, so why should we do it with Islam?

The jihad is fed by nothing other than Islam itself! That means to say that it is fed by the Qur'an, the teachings and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Ahadith), and the life of the Prophet (As Sirah). These are the sources of the problem - die Quelle des Übels, la source du mal! It is what so-called 'Islamism' is based on! ‘Islamism', if it is anything at all, is not a source, but the result of taking the religion of Islam literally; and that's what all true Muslims do anyway.

The Jihad is a duty resting on the shoulders of all Muslims. It is a must, or wajib. It is an integral part of the faith of Islam. One cannot be a true, practising Muslim and reject the call to Jihad, or holy war.

To accept this term ‘Islamism’ is tantamount to playing with the meaning of words; to use the term is tantamount to engaging in semantics! One is engaging in verbal acrobatics; one is contorting the brain!

Our problem is Islam. Islam, based as it is on al Qur’an, Ahadith, and as Sirah, is the source of the Jihad, and inspiration for it. Nothing else!

We must come to terms with this fact if we ever wish to get a handle on the problems facing us. To talk in riddles helps not a soul, and it certainly doesn’t help the war effort!

©Mark Alexander

Our stalwart 'friends' in the Gulf!

This report from the BBC shows us the level of co-operation the US, the EU, and the rest of the West can depend on from our 'friends and allies' in Saudi Arabia...

Hamas has claimed "excellent" Saudi backing for the Palestinian Authority amid US and EU threats to cut funding after the group's election win.

A delegation of Hamas leaders has been visiting Riyadh as part of a tour to enlist financial and political support for the new government it is forming.

Saudi Arabia has traditionally been one of the biggest financial backers of the Palestinian Authority.

Read it all here: Hamas claims strong Saudi support

Mark

Is Denmark now opting for dhimmitude, too?

Denmark is hosting a conference aimed at improving its ties with the Muslim world, after the uproar over cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

The talks are being attended by Muslim and Christian scholars and clerics, including a popular Egyptian preacher.

Read it all here: Danes in bid to boost Muslim ties

Mark

Civil War in Iraq?

America may be terrified of admitting it, but the Shia-Sunni violence has reached a new pitch

CIVIL WAR occurs when the last vestige of civility collapses. It is the merciless, intimate, internecine “war of every man against every man” imagined by Thomas Hobbes: “No arts, no letters, no society, and which is worst of all, continual fear of danger and violent death.” Civil war is the war of brother against brother, neighbour against neighbour, tribe against tribe. It often begins in ideology or ethnicity, but it is sustained by vengeance, feud building on feud, in a cycle of murder that can last for generations.

We think of civil war as the ultimate barbarity, yet it is the rule more than the exception in recent history. Over the past half century, about 3.3 million people have died in battle as a result of wars between countries, each lasting on average for three months; during the same period, about 16 million people perished in 127 civil wars, with an average duration of six years. Civil war is far more widespread, bloody and sustained than war itself.

In Britain and America, civil war comes freighted with historical resonance, the very antithesis of a society that is stable and free. Britain’s parliamentary democracy was profoundly shaped by a gruesome civil war; America’s ideal of nationhood was founded on the resolution of a civil war that nearly shattered the country.

For months, we have heard that Iraq is on the brink, the cusp, the verge of civil war. But the ugly truth is that by every practical definition — historical, numerical and political — Iraq is already in the grip of a civil war.

Read the whole article in The Times: The brutal truth: it's civil war

Mark

A letter from a reader

I’d like to share with you all this very interesting email* I received from a reader – we’ll call here Christine to preserve her identity – only yesterday, as a response to my article, Islam: The enemy of democracy and freedom! which appears on FaithFreedom.org.

Hello Mark,

Your view on Islam and the West is very precise. I could not agree with you more. I am married to an Egyptian Muslim. I am, and will always be, a devoted Christian.

One thing is true about MODERATE Muslims...

My husband has never read the Quran. Ask him about Jesus or about Mohammad and he knows very little, only what he has been taught by his parents and his role-playing. I have studied Islam, and have read the Quran and much of the Hadith. It’s extremely alarming. I cannot believe how little we know about this enemy of ours! I think a lot of the people here in the US are brainwashed by President Bush that Islam is a peaceful religion. Little do they now that it is a cult!

I have learned that a Muslim is a solider for Allah and will never believe in our way of life. Yes, any person that believes in the Quran and Hadith, etc., is, or has the potential to be, a terrorist! They come in all sizes, colors and genders! Because they are willing to deceive and lie and cheat, they are the most dangerous of the human species! I care about the world and every day I pray that we open our eyes and stop sucking up to these people. We are pathetic. Is it all for money?

Have we forgotten what humanity is, or how to feel compassion for our fellow brother and sister? Once, I asked my husband a question after 9/11: Could you strap on a bomb to yourself and detonate it? His reply: Only if I had to! Those words stay with me always. I shall never forget the potential of a moderate Muslim to crack.

I believe that the fuss over those cartoons to be a way of educating the West before we will all be having to pray 5 times a day, before our women will be enslaved. Wait till the world religion is Islam! If we do nothing, it will happen. I once read an article by a Muslim politician. He claimed that Muslims are great in number here in the US, and if Muslims had more knowledge of the political system, they could take over the US permanently! He kids us not!

We must inform the public about this impending disaster. I beg my husband to read this Quran of his, which he knows nothing about. So he knows nothing of the evil in it. Only that it’s God’s last word and that Mohammad is the prophet to the world as they understand it.

I do not hate anyone but no-one has the right to take another's life and be the judge and jury. Do we retaliate when our citizens get captured and are beheaded? Is that not permissible because we are less than human? Who made them God, and who gives them this right? One diseased and deranged man called Mohammad. He is the culprit. I know a lot of people, and when I speak to them about Mohammad and Islam, it is always the same: Oh they are not all bad, or terrorists. Wrong! There’s always that potential for the weak-minded just to snap. The imams here in the US have the power to abuse and brainwash that moderate Muslim to spring him into action here in the States, and all around the world. I pray for us, and for them, every day, that they come out of the devil's powers.

Again, I have enjoyed your article. Keep up the good work.

Christine

* Please note: When emails or letters appear on this site, this does not mean that I endorse each and every point expressed in them. They are, and remain, the views of the writer, and the writer alone!

Can we really engage successfully in interfaith dialogue with followers of Muhammad?

From The Times today:

EVEN the Rev Julie Nicholson’s Christian faith has not helped her to forgive the suicide bombers who took her daughter’s life. Perhaps that would be too much to expect of any mother.
Exactly eight months since the London bombings on July 7 last year, Mrs Nicholson has given up her job as an inner-city vicar because she feels unable to preach a message of peace and reconciliation when she does not feel it in her heart.

Jennifer Nicholson, her talented, vivacious, 24-year-old daughter, was one of 56 people who died in the bombings.

Read it the whole article here: Vicar grappling with grief stands down over bombers who took her daughter's life

‘It’s hard to preach forgiveness when I feel far from it myself’

Mark

How times change!

Fashion just keeps on evolving and changing and moving forward!

Vogue Autumn 1939:



Vogue Autumn 1997:



Vogue Winter 2006:



Mark

Churchill speech a lesson for the present

I stated in my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, that an 'Iron Veil' needs to be dropped between the West and the Islamic world.

It is therefore interesting to read the following article from the BBC: Churchill's speech on the 'Iron Curtain'. It's interesting, too, that the BBC finds it so relevant at this time!

Read the article in full: Churchill speech a lesson for the present

Mark Alexander