Ayatollah Urges Western Youth to Examine Islam

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a public
gathering at his residence in Tehran, Jan. 7, 2015.

TIME: Khamenei encouraged Western youth to find out about Islam for themselves and not allow their image of it to be clouded by prejudice

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has appealed to youth in North America and Europe to seek out their own understanding of Islam and ignore prejudice in the media.

In the letter published on his Twitter account Wednesday night, Khamenei said he was addressing Western youth because “the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands.” » | Naina Bajekal | Thursday, January 22, 2015

Top US Academic: 'Let Me Be Lashed Instead Of Saudi Blogger'

Academics who have volunteered to take the lashes for Raif
Badawi, clockwise from top left: Richard P George, Hannah
Rosenthal, Mary Ann Glendon and Zuhdi Jasser

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Princeton professor Robert P George offers to take punishment issued to Raif Badawi, the Saudi liberal sentenced to 1,000 lashes

A group of top American intellectuals have volunteered to "take" the 1,000 lash sentence imposed by the Saudi government on a prominent liberal blogger.

In a remarkable intervention on behalf of Raif Badawi, who received the sentence for insulting his country's hardline Islamic clerics, seven US academics have agreed to take the flogging for him.

The move, which follows widespread international outrage at the sentence, is being led by Robert P George, a leading professor at Princeton University and vice-chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In an email to The Christian Post newspaper, Professor George said: "Together with six colleagues on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, I sent a letter to the Saudi Ambassador to the US calling on the Saudi government to stop the horrific torture of Raif Badawi — an advocate of religious freedom and freedom of expression in the Saudi Kingdom."

"If the Saudi government refuses, we each asked to take 100 of Mr. Badawi's lashes so that we could suffer with him. The seven of us include Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, Christians, Jews, and a Muslim." » | Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent | Thursday, January 22, 2015

What Is Salafism and Should We Be Worried by It?

THE WEEK: Salafi violence is on the rise across the Arab world - and may be gaining a dangerous foothold in Europe

In the days after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris, attention has focused on the rise of Salafism in Europe.

Salafism is described as "the fastest-growing Islamic movement in Europe" by Soren Kern of the New York Daily News. He accuses European leaders of failing to confront the rise of a dangerous ideology on their own turf.

Germany's intelligence chief, Hans-George Maassen, says the number of active Salafists in his country has grown from 3,800 to 6,300 in three years, according to Deutsche Welle.

Maassen says that most recruits are men aged from 18 to 30, with families from migrant backgrounds who have struggled to adjust to their new home. Salafism provides them with a sense of belonging and purpose, he said, "giving the impression that they will go from being underdogs to top dogs".

What is Salfism?

Salafis are fundamentalists who believe in a return to the original ways of Islam. The word 'Salafi' comes from the Arabic phrase, 'as-salaf as-saliheen', which refers to the first three generations of Muslims (starting with the Companions of the Prophet), otherwise known as the Pious Predecessors. » | Monday, January 19, 2015

Muslims in Fear: Anti-Islamist Sentiments Rise by 110% in France

RT: There has been a huge increase in anti-Muslim incidents in France following the Islamist attacks in Paris two weeks ago. At 116 confrontations this month, it’s more than double the amount recorded for the whole of January, 2014.

The National Observatory Against Islamophobia said over one hundred incidents have been reported to the police since the terrorist attacks of January 7-9. Three French Islamists killed 17 people during their shooting spree. The human rights group says there have been 28 attacks on places of worship and 88 threats have been made, as reported by AFP.

The rise in attacks over the last two weeks represents an increase of 110 percent over the whole of January 2014, the organization said on Monday. » | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Pegida-Demonstration: Wenige Tausend Legida-Anhänger versammelt

ZEIT ONLINE: Seit Stunden herrscht in Leipzig Ausnahmezustand, nun sammeln sich Legida-Demonstranten und -Gegner in der Stadt. Oberbürgermeister Jung gesteht, er sei etwas nervös.

Leipzig gleicht seit Stunden einer Festung: Die Polizei ist mit einem Großaufgebot in der Stadt, Läden haben geschlossen, Straßen wurden gesperrt, Hubschrauber kreisen über der Stadt. Rund 4.000 Polizisten aus ganz Deutschland sind im Einsatz, darunter etwa 1.000 Bundespolizisten. Sie haben bis zu 100.000 Teilnehmer bei der Legida-Demonstration und den 19 Gegenveranstaltungen erwartet.

In der Stadt ist kaum ein Durchkommen, vereinzelt ist es bereits zu Zusammenstößen zwischen Legida-Anhängern und Gegendemonstranten gekommen. Offenbar weil mehrere Zugänge zur Legida-Demonstration blockiert sind, versuchen deren Anhänger auf anderen Wegen zu ihrer Veranstaltung zu gelangen. Der Auftakt der Legida-Kundgebung auf dem Augustusplatz begann etwas verspätet gegen 18:45 Uhr, nur wenige tausend Menschen waren bis dahin auf dem Platz versammelt. Sie skandierten "Wir sind das Volk". » | Quelle: ZeitOnline, dpa, AFP, sk | Mittwoch, 21. Januar 2015

Germany Pegida: Protest Leader Quits in 'Hitler' Row

BBC AMERICA: The head of German "anti-Islamisation" movement Pegida, Lutz Bachmann, has resigned after a photo of him apparently posing as Hitler emerged.

Mr Bachmann stepped down just as tens of thousands of people were expected to rally in the eastern city of Leipzig for the latest Pegida rally.

Prosecutors are investigating insulting comments about refugees attributed to him by German newspapers.

A Pegida spokeswoman sought to play down the Facebook photo as a "joke".

But the German government condemned the photo. Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told Bild: "Anyone in politics who poses as Hitler is either a total idiot or a Nazi. Reasonable people do not follow idiots, and decent people don't follow Nazis." » | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Hate Attacks on Jews Soared 94% Last Year, Police Figures Show

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hate crimes against Jews increased to almost 300 incidents in London while crimes against Muslims dipped slightly, Scotland Yard data indicates

The number of hate crimes against Jews nearly doubled last year, according to latest police statistics.

Figures from the Metropolitan Police, released amid growing concern over anti-Semitic attacks in the wake of the Paris terrorist atrocities, showed there were 297 hate crimes against Jewish people in the year to August.

The figure was up from 153 in the previous 12 months, a rise of 94 per cent.

In the same period the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the capital dipped slightly from 518 to 495 last year, a four per cent fall.

Last week police announced they were stepping up patrols in areas with large Jewish populations. » | David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

John Boehner Invites Netanyahu to Congress on Iran

BBC AMERICA: US House Speaker John Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress on Iran.

The move is seen as a rebuke to President Barack Obama's threat to veto any additional sanctions on the country during his State of the Union address.

The White House has said it believes new sanctions will be harmful to negotiations on its nuclear programme.

Mr Boehner also criticised the president's other proposals, including a tax hike for the rich.

He confirmed on Wednesday he had invited Mr Netanyahu to speak to Congress "on the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life".

The Speaker accused Mr Obama of "papering over" the threat of both militant Islamic groups and Iran's nuclear programme in his speech. Congree in Netanyahu snub to Obama » | Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Kampf gegen Islamismus: Le Pen will Grenzkontrollen wieder einführen

Die Vorsitzende des Front National, Marine Le Pen, macht
die EU für die Schwäche Frankreichs in der Bekämpfung
mitverantwortlich.

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Marine Le Pen hat die Wiedereinführung nationaler Grenzkontrollen gefordert. Französischen Dschihadisten solle die Staatsbürgerschaft entzogen werden, schreibt die Vorsitzende des Front National.

Marine Le Pen hat der französischen Regierung, namentlich Außenminister Laurent Fabius, vorgeworfen, auch nach den Anschlägen in Paris die Augen vor der Realität zu verschließen und die Probleme Frankreichs nicht beim Namen zu nennen. Die Vorsitzende des Front National schreibt in einem Gastbeitrag für die New York Times, anstatt die Terroristen als „Islamisten“ zu bezeichnen und ihre Organisation, den Islamischen Staat, offen zu nennen, wage Fabius es nur, von „Mördern„ oder „Daesh-Mördern“ zu sprechen („Daesh“ beziehungsweise „Da’ish“ entspricht den Anfangsbuchstaben der alten Bezeichnung ISIS im Arabischen: ad-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah fī al-’Irāq wash-Shām). Den Grund hierfür sieht Le Pen in der Angst, die Begriffe Islam und Islamismus zu vermischen. » | Susanne Kusicke | Montag, 19. Januar 2015

Radical Islamic Cleric Anjem Choudary vs. Rabbis Ari & Jeremy

Read the BreakingIsraelNews article here | Voice if Israel | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

George Galloway on Charlie Hebdo Attack - Comment - Press TV - 8th January 2015

George Galloway on Charlie Hebdo Attack – BBC Radio Leeds – 8th January 2015

George Galloway Speech at Anti-Charlie Hebdo Rally – 17th January 2015

Earnest: "The World Is Not At War With Islam;" We're At War With Those Who Carry Out Attacks In The Name Of Islam

Read the RealClearPolitics article here | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Rich Lowry: Of Course It Is Islam

THE BEMIDJI PIONEER: It is settled: The Paris terror attacks had almost nothing to do with Islam.

Consider that on the one hand, you have the chilling new tape of the Charlie Hebdo attackers declaring, "We have avenged the Prophet Muhammad," and on the other, you have the tortured assurances of White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Which are you going to believe?

The Obama administration's mind-bogglingly determined refusal to say that we are at war with "radical Islam," together with the left's evasions about Islamic terrorism, means that there has been a haze of euphemism around what should be a galvanizing event in the West's fight against terror.

In the aftermath of the attack, Howard Dean opined on "Morning Joe" that the Muslims who had killed the staff of Charlie Hebdo aren't Muslims. Not usually known as a leading Orientalist, the former Vermont governor shared his interpretation of one of the world's leading Islamic terror groups: "I think ISIS is a cult. Not an Islamic cult. I think it's a cult."

Dean didn't specify what kind of cult ISIS is, if not Islamic. Or what otherwise accounts for its strange obsession with taking over territory in Syria and Iraq to establish a caliphate and to impose a harsh version of Islamic law. » | Rich Lowry | Monday, January 19, 2015

‘Anti-Islamization’ Demos Spread in Europe as PEGIDA Voices Agenda

RT: German ‘anti-Islamization’ movement Pegida is expanding into other European nations, with its Danish branch staging its first rally on Monday. Opposition to their message is also growing stronger, as people viewing them as bigots take to the streets.

Initially based in Dresden, the self-styled "Patriotic Europeans Against Islamization of the West" (PEGIDA) is spreading its weekly ‘night strolls’ into other European countries. In Copenhagen, the Danish PEGIDA branch staged its inaugural rally on Monday. » | Tuesday, January 20, 2015

US Governor Denounces So-called Muslim 'No-go Zones' in London Speech

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bobby Jindal insists Islamic-controlled enclaves exist in Britain and western Europe despite recent controversy over "Muslim-only" Birmingham claims on Fox News

A leading US Republican governor has condemned the alleged existence of so-called Muslim “no-go zones” in Britain and western Europe during a visit to Parliament in London.

Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, made his claims that such areas existed in British cities, even though an assertion last week by a right-wing US terrorism commentator that Birmingham was a Muslim-only city has been widely ridiculed.

The Louisiana governor decried the existence of the “no-go zones” in a speech to the Henry Jackson Society in the House of Commons on Monday.

Asked later in an interview with CNN on Parliament Green whether he would back away from his claims following the recent controversy, he said: “Not at all.” He declined to name specific examples to illustrate his claims, but said: “I’ve heard from folks here [in London] that there are neighbourhoods where women don’t feel comfortable going in without veils.

“That’s wrong. We all know that there are neighbourhoods where police are less likely to go into. » | Philip Sherwell, New York | Monday, January 19, 2015

Unschuldige geköpft? Skandal um verpfuschte Saudi-Hinrichtung

So läuft eine offentliche Hinrichtung in Saudi-Arabien ab.

KRONEN ZEITUNG: Saudi- Zentrum, aufgepasst! Die Frau schreit bis zur letzten Sekunde: "Ich bin keine Mörderin!", "Ich habe niemanden umgebracht!", "Ich bin unschuldig!", als sie zum Richtplatz gezerrt wird. Dann saust das Schwert des Henkers nieder. Dieser verpfuscht die Hinrichtung - erst beim dritten Hieb fällt der Kopf.

Ärzte mit weißen Handschuhen treten hinzu und prüfen den Vollzug der Hinrichtung. Der Henker wischt mit einem Tuch das Blut vom Schwert, die im Staub liegende Leiche wird weggeschafft.

Vergangenes Jahr gab es in Saudi- Arabien 87 derartige Hinrichtungen, allein heuer schon elf.

Diese skandalöse Hinrichtung einer mutmaßlich unschuldigen Frau aus Myanmar ereignete sich am vergangenen Montag in Mekka, der heiligen Stadt des Islam. Es wird also tatsächlich nicht jeden Freitag geköpft, wie die Ex- Vizechefin des Wiener Saudi- Zentrums, Claudia Bandion- Ortner , verkündet hatte. » | Kurt Seinitz, Kronen Zeitung/red | Montag, 19. Januar 2015

Trotz Absage in Dresden: Tausende Pegida-Gegner gehen bundesweit auf die Straße

FOCUS ONLINE: Während am Montag in Dresden der "Abendspaziergang" von Pegida nicht stattfand, wurde es in vielen anderen Städten Deutschlands laut: In München versammelten sich rund 12.000 Menschen, in Wiesbaden und Bielefeld gingen jeweils 10.000 Menschen auf die Straßen.

Begleitet von Sorgen um die Versammlungsfreiheit hat die Polizei in Dresden das dort für Montag verhängte Demonstrationsverbot durchgesetzt. Außer "einigen wenigen Schaulustigen" auf dem Theaterplatz habe es weder von Anhängern der islamfeindlichen Pegida-Bewegung noch von deren Gegnern Versammlungen gegeben, sagte ein Polizeisprecher. In anderen Städten demonstrierten derweil zehntausende Pegida-Gegner. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) betonte die Bedeutung des Grundrechts auf Versammlungsfreiheit. » | Montag, 19. Januar 2015

'Religion of Peace' Is Not a Harmless Platitude

THE SPECTATOR: To face Islamist terror, we must face the facts about Islam's history

The West’s movement towards the truth is remarkably slow. We drag ourselves towards it painfully, inch by inch, after each bloody Islamist assault.

In France, Britain, Germany, America and nearly every other country in the world it remains government policy to say that any and all attacks carried out in the name of Mohammed have ‘nothing to do with Islam’. It was said by George W. Bush after 9/11, Tony Blair after 7/7 and Tony Abbott after the Sydney attack last month. It is what David Cameron said after two British extremists cut off the head of Drummer Lee Rigby in London, when ‘Jihadi John’ cut off the head of aid worker Alan Henning in the ‘Islamic State’ and when Islamic extremists attacked a Kenyan mall, separated the Muslims from the Christians and shot the latter in the head. And, of course, it is what President François Hollande said after the massacre of journalists and Jews in Paris last week.

All these leaders are wrong. In private, they and their senior advisers often concede that they are telling a lie. The most sympathetic explanation is that they are telling a ‘noble lie’, provoked by a fear that we — the general public — are a lynch mob in waiting. ‘Noble’ or not, this lie is a mistake. First, because the general public do not rely on politicians for their information and can perfectly well read articles and books about Islam for themselves. Secondly, because the lie helps no one understand the threat we face. Thirdly, because it takes any heat off Muslims to deal with the bad traditions in their own religion. And fourthly, because unless mainstream politicians address these matters then one day perhaps the public will overtake their politicians to a truly alarming extent. » | Douglas Murray | Saturday, January 17, 2015