Islamic Nations Relinquish Demand for Defamation Laws
VOICE OF AMERICA: WASHINGTON — In the wake of a U.N. resolution condemning discrimination on the basis of religion, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has stopped pushing for an international treaty banning the defamation of religion.

The 57-member confederation of Muslim countries has lobbied for years for an international treaty that would outlaw blasphemy against Islam and other religions.

Ufuk Gokcen, the OIC's Permanent Observer to the U.N., played a key role in that effort.

But the Turkish diplomat said the OIC is now satisfied with U.N. Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 adopted last year.

"I don't see any attempt to go back to the old controversy over defamation and blasphemy," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Resolution 16/18 recognizes that free expression plays an important role in bolstering religious tolerance. » | Gabe Joselow | Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Documenting the Holocaust: Auschwitz Photographer Wilhelm Brasse Dies

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The photographer who took pictures of tens of thousands of Auschwitz prisoners during World War II died on Tuesday. Almost seven decades after the end of the war, Wilhelm Brasse's pictures preserve the memory of Holocaust victims.

Wilhelm Brasse, the man responsible for innumerable photographs of prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp, died on Tuesday at the age of 95 in his hometown of Zywiec in Southern Poland. As a prisoner of the Nazis himself, Brasse took pictures of fellow inmates at the death camp as well as portraits of SS officers stationed at the infamous facility. He once estimated that he photographed between 40,000 to 50,000 prisoners.

Brasse was born in Austria in 1917 to an Austrian father and Polish mother and grew up in Southern Poland. He learned photography from [an] aunt in the Polish city of Katowice.

When the Nazi army invaded Poland in 1939 he refused to pledge his allegiance to the Germans and joined the Polish army instead. He was captured by the Nazis as he was trying to cross the Hungarian border in 1940. After again refusing to declare his loyalty to Adolf Hitler, he was sent to the newly opened camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in August 31, 1940. » | rr -- with wire reports | Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Returning to Auschwitz: Photographs from Hell »

At Airplane Hangar, Mitt Romney Makes Dramatic Iowa Entrance

DES MOINES REGISTER: After editor's blog, President Obama releases transcript of Register interview » | Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Henry Kissinger - Exclusive Interview
Former Secretary of State,Henry Kissinger sits down to discuss foreign policy issues facing the next president in the first of our series, "Unfolding: 2013 Challenges."

U.S. Election: Donald Trump Offers Barack Obama $5m 'Deal'

Exclusive: Laura Bush Talks Life after the White House
Former first lady on Bush Foundation, global health initiative

Hajj Pilgrims Offer Prayers for Muslim Unity

FOX NEWS: MECCA, Saudi Arabia – Millions of Muslim pilgrims converged Wednesday on the holy city of Mecca in preparation for the hajj pilgrimage, many of them praying for unity in the Islamic world at a time of turmoil.

Some of the estimated 3.4 million faithful attending this year's pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia circled the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine located in the grand mosque at Mecca's heart. Others headed to the rocky desert hill of Mount Arafat to spend the night before a day of prayer and contemplation that marks the start of the hajj.

Muslims believe the rituals, which begin Thursday and end Monday, trace the footsteps of the prophets Abraham, Ishmael and Muhammad.

Many say the experience of worshipping alongside hundreds of thousands of the faithful makes them feel as though Islam transcends the political and sectarian conflicts dividing the Muslim world.

Standing shoulder to shoulder in prayer, the pilgrims say that this year, more than ever, they are praying for unity among the Umma, an Arabic word related to "mother" and which refers to the global Islamic community. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Mémoire: Angela Merkel honore les Roms victimes de l’Holocauste

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: La chancelière allemande a rendu hommage aux Roms victimes de l’Holocauste mercredi lors de l’inauguration d’un monument à leur mémoire à Berlin, en promettant de les défendre face aux discriminations actuelles en Europe.

"Ce monument nous rappelle un peuple trop longtemps oublié. (...) L’hommage aux victimes comprend aussi une promesse, celle de protéger une minorité, un devoir pour aujourd’hui et demain", a déclaré Mme Merkel devant des survivants Roms des camps de concentration, leurs familles, et des élus allemands.

"Les Roms souffrent encore aujourd’hui de discrimination et de rejet, ils doivent aujourd’hui encore se battre pour leurs droits. C’est le devoir de l’Allemagne et de l’Europe de les soutenir", a dit la chancelière, plus de 65 ans après l’Holocauste dans lequel près de 500’000 Roms ont péri. » | mercredi 23 octobre 2012

North Korean Army Minister 'Executed with Mortar Round'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A North Korean army minister was executed with a mortar round for reportedly drinking and carousing during the official mourning period after Kim Jong-il's death.

Kim Chol, vice minister of the army, was taken into custody earlier this year on the orders of Kim Jong-un, who assumed the leadership after the death of his father in December.

On the orders of Kim Jong-un to leave "no trace of him behind, down to his hair," according to South Korean media, Kim Chol was forced to stand on a spot that had been zeroed in for a mortar round and "obliterated."

The execution of Kim Chol is just one example of a purge of members of the North Korean military or party who threatened the fledgling regime of Kim Jong-un. » | Julian Ryall, Tokyo | Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Mali: No Rhythm or Reason as Militants Declare War on Music

THE GUARDIAN: Islamist militants are banning music in northern Mali, a chilling proposition for a country where music is akin to mineral wealth

The pickup halted in Kidal, the far-flung Malian desert town that is home to members of the Grammy award-winning band Tinariwen. Seven AK47-toting militiamen got out and marched to the family home of a local musician. He wasn't home, but the message delivered to his sister was chilling: "If you speak to him, tell him that if he ever shows his face in this town again, we'll cut off all the fingers he uses to play his guitar with."

The gang then removed guitars, amplifiers, speakers, microphones and a drum kit from the house, doused them with petrol, and set them ablaze. In northern Mali, religious war has been declared on music.

When a rabble of different Islamist groups took control of the region in April there were fears that its rich culture would suffer. But no one imagined that music would almost cease to exist – not in Mali, a country that has become internationally renowned for its sound.

…

The ban comes in the context of a horrifically literal and gratuitous application of Sharia law in all aspects of daily life. Militiamen are cutting off the hands and feet of thieves or stoning adulterers. Smokers, alcohol drinkers and women who are not properly attired are being publicly whipped. As one well-known Touareg musician from Kidal says: "There's a lack of joy. No one is dancing. There are no parties. Everybody's under this kind of spell. It's strange." » | Andy Morgan | Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Demokratie in Tunesien bedroht
Ein Jahr nach den ersten freien Wahlen in Tunesien schlägt die Menschenrechtsorganisation Amnesty International Alarm: Sie sieht die Demokratie im nordafrikanischen Staat bedroht. Die tunesischen Sicherheitskräfte neigten zu übertriebener Härte, schreibt Amnesty International. Und die Frauen müssten für ihre Rechte kämpfen.

Qatari Emir on Historic Visit to Gaza Strip
The Emir of Qatar is in the Gaza Strip. He's the first head of state to visit the territory since Hamas took control in 2007. But his visit won't be taking him to the West Bank to meet Fatah. And as Nicole Johnston reports, that's causing quite a regional stir.

La Syrie accuse la France d'encourager le "terrorisme"

LE POINT: Damas en appelle à l'ONU pour traiter la question du rôle de la France qui "empêche l'arrêt des violences" dans le pays.

La Syrie a accusé mardi la France d'entraver les efforts visant à l'arrêt des violences en soutenant les "terroristes" dans le pays, en référence aux rebelles engagés dans des combats contre les troupes du régime. "La Syrie en appelle à la communauté internationale, et en particulier au Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU pour traiter de manière sérieuse la question du rôle de la France qui empêche l'arrêt des violences et du terrorisme en Syrie", a indiqué un communiqué du ministère des Affaires étrangères repris par l'agence officielle Sana. » | LePoint.fr | mardi 23 octobre 2012

Somalian Al-Shabaab Group in New Attack Threat to Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Somalia's al-Qaeda-allied Islamists have threatened to "eclipse the horrors of 7/7" with an attack on Britain in revenge for the extradition of the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza to the United States.

A High Court ruling overturning attempts to stop the Egyptian-born imam being sent to the US was “a testament to the reality of the west’s vicious war against Islam and the Muslims”, al-Shabaab said.

For this, the group said on its official Twitter feed, Britain faced another terror attack that would be deadlier than those on July 7 and July 21, 2005.

“Britain will pay the heftiest price for its brazen role in the war against Islam and endless brutality against innocent Muslims,” al-Shabaab’s press office tweeted on Monday. “We remind the British government that we’re a nation that doesn’t tolerate oppression [and] their actions will be repaid in retaliatory measure.

“The nightmare that surreptitiously looms on British shores is bound to eclipse the horrors of 7/7 and 21/7 combined, insh’allah.” Security agencies have long feared that terror cells trained in Somalia, some comprising British citizens, were planning attacks in Britain. » | Mike Pflanz, Mogadishu | Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Islam has cast a pall over the civilised world. – © Mark

Israelis Favour Discrimination against Arabs - Poll
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A majority of Israeli Jews favour introducing discriminatory policies against the country's Arab population and would support an "apartheid" system in the West Bank if it were ever annexed, an opinion poll has shown.

With three months to go before a general election, a survey reported in the Haaretz newspaper shows further evidence of a sharp tilt towards nationalism in Israeli society.

More than two-thirds of those questioned by Dialog, an opinion pollster, said they would oppose suffrage for the 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank were it to be annexed to Israel.

Nearly three-quarters -- 74 per cent -- say they also support a system of segregated roads for Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank, although the majority say they would view such a policy as “necessary” rather than “good”.

Although favoured by some nationalist Jews, the prospect of Israel annexing the West Bank, which it has occupied since the Six-Day War of 1967, remains a distant one.

But with little progress being made in resurrecting the Middle East peace process, the possibility of annexation is viewed by some as increasingly likely. » | Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem | Tuesday, October 23, 2012

World's Oldest Survivor of Auschwitz Death Camp Dies at the Age of 108
FOX NEWS: WARSAW, Poland – The oldest known survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp — a teacher who gave lessons in defiance of his native Poland's Nazi occupiers — has died at the age of 108, an official said Monday.

Antoni Dobrowolski died Sunday in the northwestern Polish town of Debno, according to Jaroslaw Mensfelt, a spokesman at the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum.

After invading Poland in 1939, sparking World War II, the Germans banned anything beyond four years of elementary education in a bid to crush Polish culture and the country's intelligentsia. The Germans considered the Poles inferior beings, and the education policy was part of a plan to use Poles as a "slave race."

An underground effort by Poles to continue to teach children immediately emerged, with those caught punished by being sent to concentration camps or prisons. Dobrowolski was among the Poles engaged in the underground effort, and he was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz in June 1942. » | Associate Press | Monday, October 22, 2012

Church Marquee Calls Obama 'Muslim,' 'Communist'
ABC NEWS: A pastor is causing a commotion in his Texas town – and possibly hurting with his non-profit status – because of a politically motivated church marquee.

The Church in the Valley marquee reads, "VOTE FOR THE MORMON, NOT THE MUSLIM! THE CAPITALIST, NOT THE COMMUNIST!"

The sign was an obvious reference to President Barack Obama, who conservatives say is a secret Muslim even though he says he is a Christian and attends church with his family. He said in an August interview with a religious magazine that it's not his job to convince people he's Christian. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a Mormon. » | Sydney Lupkin | Saturday, October 20, 2012

Mariage gay : la justice étudie les conséquences de la loi
LE FIGARO: INFO LE FIGARO - Augmentation des divorces, changements dans la politique d'adoption, travail supplémentaire pour les communes… Le Figaro s'est procuré ce document qui fait le tour des changements concrets liés au projet de loi.

Le Figaro s'est procuré l'étude d'impact du gouvernement sur le mariage homosexuel. Ce document interne d'une cinquantaine de pages, daté d'octobre 2012, décortique les répercussions du projet de loi sur le droit, la nationalité, la fiscalité, les administrations ou encore la diplomatie. Il ignore cependant les enjeux sociétaux et les grands débats sur le bouleversement du droit de la famille, l'avenir du couple, l'intérêt de l'enfant. Cette étude recèle une foule de détails très concrets, à mille lieues du cliché du couple posant tout sourire sur le perron d'une mairie, entouré d'amis et de parents. En voici quelques extraits. » | Par Agnès Leclair | mardi 23 octobre 2012

German Jewish Leader: 'Jews Don't Need Any Tutoring in Democracy'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Ahead of her 80th birthday, Charlotte Knobloch, one of Germany's most prominent Jewish leaders, talks with SPIEGEL about her relationship with the country, her outrage over the recent circumcision debate and the former housemaid in Bavaria who saved her from the Nazis.

Anyone who visits Charlotte Knobloch at the Jewish Center in Munich must first pass through security and be checked by guards. Since 1985, Knobloch has been the head of the Jewish community in Munich, and from 2006 to 2010, she was the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Next Monday, she will turn 80 years old. Knobloch says she doesn't want to be the focus of attention, but allowed herself to be persuaded to publish her memoirs, released in German on Monday by the DVA publishing house under the title "In Deutschland angekommen," or "Arriving in Germany." In an interview with SPIEGEL, she discusses her relationship with the country and her outrage over the recent debate over the legality of circumcision. » |Interview conducted by Susanne Beyer. Translated from the German by Paul Cohen. | Monday, October 22, 2012

Madonna and Milk Cartons: Russia's War on Gays and Lesbians Intensifies

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Obscure conservative groups in Russia have intensified their fight against homosexuality, recently going after the pop-singer Madonna as well as an allegedly offensive milk carton label. The developments underscore a growing atmosphere of intolerance in the country.

Russia's self-proclaimed morality police have discovered a new danger to the people's health and values, and it is to be found in the country's supermarkets -- in the form of dairy products from the American company PepsiCo. Activists from the Orthodox group called the People's Council have even gotten Russia prosecutors involved.

"The packaging of these dairy products with the label 'Vesyoly Molochnik' have long been a thorn in my side," says Anatoly Artyuch, of the People's Council. The brand means "happy milkman" in English.

Pepsi uses the brand to sell all manner of dairy products, including milk, yoghurt and kefir. Packages portray a smiling, slightly rotund milkman wearing a chef's hat. Behind him is a green meadow with a rainbow stretching across the sky. Artyuch believes that the rainbow isn't quite as innocent as it might seem. He thinks it is "the global symbol of the sodomite movement." Russia's judiciary is currently looking into the claims. » | Benjamin Bidder in Moscow | Monday, October 22, 2012