The Streets of Britain Today
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: A leading British Asian organisation is warning that men, women and children are being abused, attacked and spat at, because they are low caste Hindus regarded as impure and untouchable.

They are the victims of the 2,000-year-old Indian caste system which activists say is flourishing on the streets of Britain, even though it is banned in India.

It is a form of social hierarchy and divided Hindus into four main categories; priests, warriors or ruling class, the merchants and then the unskilled labourers.

Below them were the untouchables, those people deemed so low that they could not be included in the system.

Two thousand years on, caste is an integral part of the Asian community, according to activists.

The country's first ever support group has been set up in Southall in West London to help victims of caste discrimination. British Hindus divided by caste >>> By Naresh Puri

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Germany’s Problem with Growing Radicalization of Its Muslim Community
Photo of radical Muslims demonstrating in Düsseldorf against the Danish cartoons of Muhammad courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A new study commissioned by Germany's Interior Ministry warns of a growing threat from the radicalization of Muslims in the country. Six percent of Muslims in Germany support violence in the name of Islam, the authors write.

A new study released by Germany's Interior Ministry has added new fuel to the debate about integration of Muslims in Germany, with the report warning about the danger of radicalization of Muslims.

According to the study, which was published Tuesday, around 40 percent of Muslims surveyed had a "fundamentalist orientation," which the authors defined as a strongly religious worldview and moral values. Interior Ministry Warns of Radicalization of Muslims >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Sarkozy: Bonked Out?
What do you think?

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Wafa Sultan on the Nature of Islam and the Rôle of Women in that 'Religion'
Hat Tip to Isaac Schrödinger of Infidel Bloggers Alliance for this GREAT video of Wafa Sultan. I should like to draw my readers' attention to the fact that I have always said that the problem is Islam itself, for Islam is indeed the BIGGEST PROBLEM facing the West TODAY:


Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The Thoughts of One Angry American Lady

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care !!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem" -- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.

"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Also by.. Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England 's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said: "A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom."

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

”Regressive Cultures”
Photo courtesy of SpiegelOnline International
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: An 11-year-old child bride sits next to her 40-year-old fiance. For UNICEF, this was the Photo of the Year. Dutch writer Leon de Winter laments the perversity of this wedding picture and the frightening relativism of the West.

There are people who will look at this image and be able to continue with business as usual -- without disgust, nausea and rage. We are beholding the fiercest barbarism imaginable. But a carefree cultural relativism -- which this age has donned as its outward manifestation of decadent indifference -- allows many to simply look away. They turn away from the sight of an 11-year-old girl, who is about to be raped by the man sitting next to her.

The girl was sold by her parents, even if they probably wouldn't use that word. The caption that came with the photo quoted the parents as saying that they "needed the money."

The girl's soon-to-be husband promised to send his 11-year-old bride to school, but the women living there in the village of Damarda in Afghanistan's Ghor province don't believe this fairytale. They predict that the girl will bear children soon. "Our men don't need educated women," they point out.

A dowry was paid for the girl. The dowry is part of the cultural fabric of the clan-based society. As producers of newborns, women are valuable possessions. A woman can bear sons and fighters, who will defend the family and its honor. Men are only charged with protecting them against kidnappers and thieves, and women need only accept the power of the male members of the family -- "for their own benefit." How a UNICEF Photo Makes the West’s Heart Ache >>> By Leon de Winter*

*Leon de Winter, 53, is a Dutch writer and best-selling author. He lives in Amsterdam and Los Angeles.

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Queen Elizabeth II Becomes Britain’s Longest Living Monarch
Photo of the glamorous Queen Elizabeth II courtesy of The Times
TIMESONLINE: Queen Elizabeth II became the longest living monarch in British history today.

AT 1700 GMT today, the Queen, 81, surpassed the 81 years and 243 days of Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, but there was no special event to commemorate the historic landmark.

“There’s nothing the Queen is doing to mark the occasion, others have noticed the date but it’s nothing that we were thinking about marking. This is just another normal working day,” said a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman.

Just as she has done almost every day for the last 54 years, the Queen worked her way through official red boxes of letters, schedules and updates from her Government. Queen becomes longest living British monarch >>> By Nico Hines

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Sarkozy Meets Pope, But Without Carla Bruni
Photo of Sarkozy with Carla Bruni courtesy of The Times
TIMESONLINE: Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, was received by Pope Benedict XVI on an official visit to Rome this morning - but without Carla Bruni, his Italian-born girlfriend.

Both French and Italian media had speculated that Mr Sarkozy and Ms Bruni would enjoy a pre-Christmas “Roman holiday”.

Christophe Barbier, the editor of the French magazine L'Express, which broke the news of the Sarkozy-Bruni relationship, had suggested that Rome would be Ms Bruni's first appearance as unofficial “First Lady” of France.

However Vatican officials made clear to the Elysée Palace that Ms Bruni would not be welcome at the encounter because she and the French President are not married. Under Vatican protocol it was “inappropriate” for a head of state to meet the pontiff on an official visit accompanied by a girlfriend, sources said. Sarkozy meets Pope – but ex-model girlfriend Carla Bruni is not welcome >>> By Richard Owen in Rome

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Brown Betrays Stay-at-Home Mums!
This government is about as inept as any government could be! Children need mothers at home. It makes a huge difference to their development. Children do not, cannot, raise themselves! Hence, our government should enable and encourage mothers to stay at home to care for their children. Apart from children benefiting from stay-at-home mums – we can see the results of decades of the neglect of the rôle of conventional motherhood everywhere around us – the country benefits from them, too. Mothers who stay at home are far more likely to have more children. And the fact is that the United Kingdom needs children, children called Jack, Timothy, or Christian! The demographics are turning against the indigenous population. If things go on as they are, it won’t be long before an Islamic flag, depicting the ‘sword of Allah’, will be hoisted above Downing Street. What are our politicians thinking about? How idiotic it is for any government to to demean the rôle of motherhood! – ©Mark

DAILY MAIL: More than eight million women who took time out of work to care for their children have lost their chance of a full state pension after a Christmas u-turn by the Government.

Ministers have dropped plans to give women with a partial pension entitlement the chance to make up the shortfall before they retire, it emerged last night.

The decision was slipped out in the Lords as Parliament adjourned for the holiday break, to the astonishment of peers who had been promised action earlier this year.

The Government had offered to back an amendment to the Pensions Bill that would have allowed women to make up shortfalls in their state pension entitlement by paying in extra cash.

But in what the Tories claimed last night was a 'betrayal of stay at home mums', ministers said they have now decided not to back the scheme. Betrayal of stay-at-home mothers: 8m women lose state pensions after Government u-turn >>> By Benedict Brogan

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

O Mohammed Mine! One Day, My Boy, You'll Turn the UK into the United Islamic Kingdom!
DAILY MAIL: For the last 13 years Jack has been the most popular boys' name in the land.

But in multicultural Britain children named after the Muslim prophet Mohammed come a close second.

In a reflection of the increasing influence of Islam, figures released yesterday showed the most popular spelling of the name - Mohammed - had climbed five places to 17th in the annual list of top baby names.

However, when the seven other spellings of the name are taken into account, the total comes to 6,347 babies, making it the second most popular name of the year - up from 5,936 last year.

Although Jack topped the list with 6,772 babies, that figure fell 156 on last year, meaning if the trends were repeated next year, Mohammed and its variant spellings would be the most popular choice in England and Wales.

The other spellings are Muhammad, Mohammad, Muhammed, Mohamed, Mohamad, Muhamed and Mohammod.

The last national census in 2001 put the UK Muslim population at 1.6million, but this will have grown substantially in the past five years. Mohammed now second most popular boys' name in Britain >>> By Andy Dolan

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

OBL: Message to the Peoples of Europe

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Pat Condell: A Word to Islamofascists

Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Mark Alexander (Hardback)

New Speculation: Did Unity Mitford Give Birth to Hitler’s Love Child?
Photo of Unity Mitford courtesy of Google Images
TIMESONLINE: She was the English aristocrat who became so enamoured with Hitler that she shot herself in the head at the outbreak of war.

Unity Mitford, the daughter of Lord Redesdale, had been so entwined in the Führer’s inner circle that British secret services described her as "more Nazi than the Nazis". But could this cousin of Winston Churchill have been closer to Hitler than anyone suspected?

An article published today raises the possibility that Mitford, who survived her suicide attempt, may have given birth to his child.

If the theory that this baby was born in a tiny Cotswolds village and rapidly adopted were true, Hitler’s child could be living somewhere in Britain today.

Unity Mitford was one of six well known – and somewhat politically diverse – sisters who included Diana, the wife of Sir Oswald Mosley, and Jessica, a committed communist.

She first went to Germany in the early 1930s, when the Nazis were on the rise, and the young woman was so overwhelmed by a visit to the Nuremberg rallies that she became determined to meet Hitler. This she managed in spectacular style, ingratiating herself to the point where he described her to friends as "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood". Did Unity Mitford have Adolf Hitler’s love child? >>>

Mark Alexander

Swiss Politics Gets Dirty
THE GUARDIAN: Christoph Blocher, Switzerland's hardline populist leader, was kicked out of the Swiss government yesterday in a coup that plunged Swiss politics into uncertain territory.

Despite leading his anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party (SVP) to a second general election victory seven weeks ago, Blocher, a billionaire businessman and justice minister in the outgoing government, was caught napping by a deft piece of overnight political manoeuvring by Social Democrats and Christian Democrats who blocked his path to cabinet by persuading a party colleague to stand against him.

The defeat for Blocher changed the rules of a normally staid and predictable political culture, and left his party pledging to go into opposition rather than take part in the coalition government that invariably rules Switzerland.

The defeat was due to political plotting by Social Democrats and Christian Democrats who vowed to oppose Blocher, but not his party, and sprang a surprise by backing one of Blocher's party colleagues for his cabinet seat. Switzerland's far-right leader is kicked out of cabinet >>> By Ian Traynor

BBC:
Far-right leaves Swiss government

NZZ:
Shwerer Gang in die Opposition

RADIO DRS:
Blochers Rede (Audio)

Mark Alexander

Blasphemous Behaviour! Naming Toys After Muhammad and All That
Question: Ever since this issue about the teddy bear named Muhammad has surfaced, I have grown concerned. I never thought about the issue like that before. I want to know what the ruling is. I have videos of "Adam's World" with a very fanciful looking puppet named Adam who teaches children about Islam. Is it right or wrong to name plush toys and puppets with the names of prophets? If not, should I dispose of these videos? Also, my daughter has named her plush toys with different names. She has a toy horse named Ahmed, a toy cat named Aisha, and a toy rabbit named Muhammad – these are the names of her uncles and her aunt. Is this alright? Am I sinning by letting her keep these names for her toys?

Answered by Sheikh Muhammad Muhammad Sâlim `Abd al-Wadûd

There are two issues that need to be addressed. The first is the question of whether or not the person incurs sin. The second is the appropriateness of the action itself.

With respect to the sinfulness of the act, the first thing to consider is who the person is who named the animal character with the name of one of the prophets (peace be upon them all). If the person who did so was a small child, then there is certainly no sin involved, since a small child is not legally accountable.

If the person is an adult, then the question of sinfulness rests with the person's intention. If the person intended by giving the character or toy a certain name as a means to insult or belittle one of the prophets, then the person has committed a sin. Deliberately insulting any of the prophets is a serious sin. It does not matter which of the prophets it is, since we as Muslims do not differentiate between the prophets in their right to be accorded our respect.

If the person did not intend any insult by doing so, then the person incurs no sin.

Now, we shall turn our attention to the appropriateness of naming cartoon characters or toy characters by the names of the prophets.

It is certainly wrong to make any inappropriate representation of any of the prophets. If a person presents a cartoon character, a puppet, or an animal character as representing one of the prophets, then the person is doing something wrong. The person might have a good intention behind doing so, but the act itself is incorrect. If the person does so in ignorance and without any bad intention, the person will not be sinning. However the person should be informed of the mistake and should cease doing so as soon as his or her attention is drawn to the matter.

As for naming cartoon characters and toy animals by these names as simple names for the characters, there is nothing inherently wrong with this. For instance, in the show "Adam's World", the name is not being used to suggest that the character is the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him).
The name is used to suggest that the character is a Muslim.

The same would be said for an Arabic television cartoon where cartoon people or cartoon animals are given Arabic names – including those names that are names of prophets – since these names are common names of people in the world, and these names are not understood to indicate prophets except when they are used expressly in reference to the prophets.

Cartoon animal characters and toy animal characters – since they are characters in a story or are used for imaginative play – are naturally given names and personalities that are customarily associated with people. Therefore, names that people customarily have can be given to fanciful characters in the same context.

Therefore, we see nothing wrong with these shows as long as their content is wholesome, and we see no objection to your allowing your daughter to give her toys the names of her aunts and uncles.

However, we still need to pay heed to both general sensibilities and cultural norms.

For instance, it would certainly be wrong to give a cartoon or toy animal that is seen as unclean in Islam – like a pig – the name of a prophet, regardless of the context in which it is presented, since this is inherently injurious to Muslim sensibilities. Also, with respect to any toy or cartoon character, the various sensibilities of the local communities – which differ from country to country – should be respected. A Muslim should never knowingly and unnecessarily insult or offend other people.

And Allah knows best. [Source: Children & Family >>>]

Mark Alexander

Phew! You Got Me Worried for a Moment!
ISLAMTODAY.COM: British Muslim leaders, along with leaders of other minoroty faiths, joined Britain's equality watchdog on Monday in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas without worrying about offending non-Christians.

In the wake of politically correct attempts to play down Christams celebrations in Britain, Muslim leaders voiced their assurances that they are not offended when their fellow Britishs [sic] citizens celebrate Christmas.

Attempts to downgrade the festival include Birmingham's 1998 decision to rename it "Winterval" and the South London borough of Lambeth's "winter lights" of 2004.

The Red Cross banned Christmas decorations from its shops and, in 2003, High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire refused to allow a church to advertise a carol service in a library for fear of offending other religions.

Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Shayk Ibrahim Mogra said "To suggest celebrating Christmas and having decorations offends Muslims is absurd. Why can't we have more nativity scenes in Britain?"

Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who headed the clarification effort, reflect on media reports of schools scrapping nativity plays and local councils celebrating "Winterval" instead of Christmas, and feared there might an underlying agenda -- to use the Christmas issue to increase inter-religious tensions in Britain." British Muslims Not Offended by Christmas Celebrations >>>

Mark Alexander

Saudi Author Expresses His Opinion About Westerners
Might I suggest that this author look at the sexual practices of his own people – Muslims in general and Saudis in particular - before he starts criticizing the sexual practices of Westerners, i.e. infidels? He has his work cut out bringing morality to his own people! People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones!


Mark Alexander

Saudi Cleric: Educating Jihad & World Conquest - Not Enough!

Mark Alexander

Salman Rushdie at Hofstra University

Mark Alexander

Sporadic Postings
I should like to make my visitors and readers aware that, at the moment, I am able to post far less frequently than I usually do. This, for two reasons: First, I am experiencing computer problems, computer hardware problems which are currently being fixed; and two, with the run-up to Christmas, I have much to do, many preparations for the festive season.

I should like to ask you, therefore, to bear with me. Soon, I shall be back posting with my usually frequency.

Many thanks

Mark

Muslims Confer on Politics and Rights
MARLBORO— The leader of a Muslim organization said Muslims made a costly error in supporting George W. Bush for president in 2000 and cautioned American followers of the Islamic faith that the current field of presidential candidates is filled with closed-minded racists.

"After 9-11, there is a new America and new challenges for us (Muslims) to face," said Agha Saeed, founder and chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, Saturday night at the organization’s East Coast regional conference at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites.

Mr. Saeed, a professor of political science and sociology at the University of California at Berkeley, did not identify the candidates with alleged racial prejudices but urged conference attendees to closely examine the track records and rhetoric of presidential hopefuls who espouse security, immigration and other policies that would impinge on the civil rights of Muslims.

He said Muslims must educate themselves about the American political system and must forge partnerships with African-American and other minority groups in a bid to protect their liberties. Mr. Saeed also warned conference participants of candidates seeking the support of evangelical groups. Muslims confer on politics and rights: Group discusses candidates, issues >>> By Bronislaus B. Kush

Mark Alexander

Michael Savage: Islam and CAIR
With thanks to Anonymous for drawing our attention to this hard-hitting audio:


MY ESSAY:
Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom

Mark Alexander

Amil Imani: Who's the Bigger Threat: The Moderate Muslims or the Jihadists?

ISLAM WATCH: Humanity has suffered horrific wars in the past. Yet, the present multi-form and multi-front war waged by Islamists has the potential of inflicting more suffering and destroying more lives than ever before. Ruthless Islamic forces are advancing rapidly in their conquests while those of freedom are acquiescing and retreating. Before long, Islamism is poised to achieve its Allah-mandated goal of cleansing the earth of all non-Muslims. Any and all means and weapons are to be enlisted in the service of this final holy war that aims to establish the Islamic Ummeh.

Is "Moderate Islam" an illusion? Moderate Islam is a wedge that will jam open the door to Jihad. The great majority of Muslims are not adherents of the radical line. Yet, because the Islamists wage their war under the name of Islam, they receive immense direct and indirect support from the rank-and-file ordinary Muslims. It is this support of moderate Muslims that keeps the Jihadists alive. And it is the Jihadists who intend to show no mercy to any and all who do not share their theology, be they Muslims or not.

For the record, all Muslims, moderates, radicals, Shiite, Sunnis and other sects and sub-sects of Islam are in unanimous agreement that the Quran is the word of "Allah." All Muslims are also in agreement that "Allah" spoke through the Angel Gabriel to Muhammad. Allah declares, "The book is not to be doubted."

To be a loyal and faithful Muslim, one must adhere to and perform many rituals, as specified in the Quran by Allah and the Hadiths/Sunna, every waking moment of his entire life. Disobeying these rituals does not make one a moderate Muslim, but rather it would make him a non-Muslim, facing an uncertain future. Who's the Bigger Threat: The Moderate Muslims or the Jihadists? >>> By Amil Imani (28 Nov, 2007)

Mark Alexander

Hell Will Freeze Before a BBC Mohammed Film
THE TELEGRAPH: Until recently, people who wrote letters protesting about insults to decency, the Royal Family, God, and so on, often used to end with the words: "Is nothing sacred?" I notice that they have mostly given up doing so. This must be because, in British public space today, the answer to their question is so clearly: "No - nothing at all."

This week, the High Court upheld a district judge's decision to refuse an attempt to prosecute the BBC for blasphemy in broadcasting Jerry Springer - The Opera. In the show, an adult Jesus was depicted as wearing a nappy.

The judges were Mr Justice Collins, who is the son of the famous nuclear disarmer, Canon Collins, and Lord Justice Hughes, who lists "bellringing" as one of his recreations in Who's Who. It seems unlikely that either is ignorant of, or unsympathetic to, the claims of Christianity. But both took the view that, in modern society, an attack on Christianity (which, by the way, they thought Jerry Springer - The Opera was not) did not necessarily endanger society. They said that "the identity of Church and state and the near universality of Christian conviction in this country" no longer existed. Hell will freeze before a BBC Mohammed film >>> By Charles Moore

Mark Alexander

Eat Your Heart Out, Muhammad! The Bible Fires New Revolution of Faith in China
TIMESONLINE: In China it is known as the "sacred doctrine" and it has become one of the country’s bestselling books. Yet it has nothing to do with the thoughts of Chairman Mao and its teachings have been in conflict with the forces of Communism for generations.

Demand for the Bible is soaring in China, at a time when meteoric economic growth is testing the country’s allegiance to Communist doctrine. Today the 50 millionth Bible will roll off the presses of China’s only authorised publisher, Amity Printing, amid public fanfare and celebration. The book they used to burn now fires new revolution of faith in China >>> By Jane Macartney in Nanjing

Mark Alexander

Glenn Beck: Gays in Iran

Mark Alexander

Bombenexplosion in Paris
NZZ: Bei der Explosion einer Paketbombe im Zentrum von Paris ist eine Person getötet worden. Mindestens eine weitere Person sei schwer verletzt worden, verlautete aus Justizkreisen. Der Sprengsatz explodierte in einer Anwaltskanzlei im 8. Pariser Arrondissement. Laut Medienberichten wurden sechs Menschen verletzt. Bombenexplosion in Paris: Ein Person getötet, fünf weitere verletzt >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

Victor Davis Hanson* on the Teddy Bear Affair
TOWNHALL.COM: Here we go again. Thousands of Sudanese Muslims took to the street last week to threaten death to a British schoolteacher in Khartoum.

Her crime? She inadvertently committed the felony of allowing her class to name a teddy bear “Muhammad.”

The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, has been pardoned by Sudan’s president (after initially being sentenced to 15 days in prison) and sent home to England. Yet that happy ending doesn’t erase the reaction in the streets of Khartoum. The tired story behind irrational anger in much of the Muslim world remains the same.

Watch out if Westerners somewhere are judged blasphemous to Islam when they draw a cartoon, write a novel, make a movie or discuss history.

In their furious reaction, thin-skinned Muslims may issue death threats. And they expect apologies. Sometimes the offense — like the reporting of a Koran flushed down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay — turns out to be false but still causes riots and murdering thousands of miles away.

Likewise, the reaction to this madness is now stereotyped. Often apologies — not condemnation — follow from contrite Westerners. To prevent a recurrence, Western writers, filmmakers, teachers and religious figures quietly edit their work and restrict their speech — but only when Islam is involved. Of Teddy Bears and Cartoons >>>

*Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)

A Political Reversal
THE JERUSALEM POST - Opinion: We assess that Teheran is determined to develop nuclear weapons - despite its international obligations and international pressure. It is continuing to pursue uranium enrichment and has shown more interest in protracting negotiations than reaching an acceptable diplomatic solution.

This is a grave concern to the other countries in the region whose security would be threatened by Iranian nuclear weapons.
Any such development could prompt dangerous and destabilizing countermoves in a volatile region that is, because of its energy reserves, critical to the global economy.... - Annual Threat Assessment of the US Director of National Intelligence, January 11, 2007

We assess with moderate confidence Teheran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons. - National Intelligence Estimate, dated November 2007 (released December 3)

If one were looking for a new definition of chutzpa, it would be hard to do better than the latest US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran. This document declares that Iran successfully hid its military nuclear program from the US for years, while claiming "moderate confidence" that Iran is not hiding such a program now.

On what basis can the US intelligence community declare that it knows, with any of degree of confidence, that Iran has no covert weapons program? A political reversal >>>

Mark Alexander (Hardback)
Mark Alexander (Paperback)