L'état de santé du blogueur Raef Badaoui se détériore

Raef Badaoui devait subir une deuxième séance de 50 coups de
fouet vendredi 30 janvier. Ici, une manifestation d'Amnesty au Québec.

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Arabie SaouditeCondamné à dix ans de prison et 1000 coups de fouet pour «insulte à l'islam», le blogueur risque de ne pas y survivre, selon son épouse.

L'état de santé de Raef Badaoui, le blogueur saoudien condamné à dix ans de prison et 1000 coups de fouet en Arabie saoudite pour «insulte à l'islam», empire, a estimé jeudi 29 novembre à Ottawa son épouse Ensaf Haidar.

Raef Badaoui, qui devait subir une deuxième séance de 50 coups de fouet vendredi, souffrirait d'hypertension et une nouvelle flagellation risquerait de l'affaiblir davantage, a-t-elle indiqué lors d'une conférence de presse entourée de parlementaires canadiens.

«L'état de santé de Raef est mauvais et il empire», a déclaré Ensaf Haidar, réfugiée au Québec avec ses trois enfants. » | jeudi 29 janvier 2015

King Abdullah Embodied the Wickedness of Saudi Arabia’s Regime

Members of the Saudi police force in Mecca. 'Saudi Arabia's
influence is almost wholly malign.'

THE GUARDIAN: Change may be looming for Saudi Arabia, but reforming a country where torture, corruption and judicial murder are commonplace won’t be easy

We can always look on the bright side of the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the accession of Prince Salman. It shows that, if reports of his ill-health are true, dementia can’t stop you reaching the very top – at least if you have the right parents. It is a danger for many political systems that they end up being run by men whose faculties are no longer up to it: think of Pope John Paul II in his long decline, Churchill after his strokes, Ronald Reagan or the Soviet gerontocracy. But Saudi is unique in the modern world in choosing as leader a man believed to be in decline even before he comes to power.

It is a final touch of absurdity in a kingdom that is wicked in itself, and a source of wickedness and corruption elsewhere in the world. Saudi Arabia practices torture and arbitrary judicial murder. Women are beheaded in the street, liberal thought is punishable by flogging, which can be a death sentence even more horrific, because it is more prolonged than having your head hacked off with a sword. It is a raft of fear and hatred lashed together, floating on unimaginable amounts of money, at least for the lucky few. Among the poor, not all of whom are slaves or foreigners, there is tufshan, a special word defined by an anthropologist as “subtle and incapacitating torpor”. » | Andrew Brown | Friday, January 23, 2015

Holocaust Survivor Ellen Brandt Testimony

West's Nauseating Hypocrisy Sucking Up to the Saudis

BELFAST TELEGRAPH: What do you call the unelected leader of a state that beheads people in public, permits only one faith and exports an extreme form of Islam to other countries?

If he happens to be Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, self-appointed caliph of Islamic State (Isis), the answer is one of the world's most wanted terrorists. If he is King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the proper form of address is "Your Majesty". Are we all clear about that? Me neither.

The Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister turned up in Riyadh at the weekend to pay their respects to Salman's half-brother, King Abdullah, whose death was announced on Friday. Abdullah's demise at the age of 90 unleashed a nauseating display of hypocrisy among world leaders.

Flags flew at half-mast in Whitehall while David Cameron - sorry, pass-the-sick-bag moment coming up - praised the deceased despot's efforts towards "strengthening understanding between faiths".

This is the same David Cameron who marched in Paris two weeks ago in solidarity with the victims of al-Qaida-inspired terrorism. Then, there was much talk about human rights and free expression, both of which get short shrift in Saudi Arabia. Barack Obama - a conspicuous no-show in Paris - found the time to praise the absolute monarch and hailed the US-Saudi relationship "as a force for stability and security in the Middle East".

Funnily enough, none of these busy men had time to mention Raif Badawi, the Saudi blogger whose flogging was postponed on the very same day because he hadn't recovered from the 50 lashes he received two weeks earlier. » | Joan Smith | Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Protester at Texas Muslim Capitol Day

THE TEXAS TRIBUNE: Rep to Staff: Ask Muslim Visitors to Pledge Allegiance » | Reeve Hamilton and Alexa Ura | Thursday, January 29, 2015

Germany After The War, 1945-49

This powerful documentary explores the condition of Germany when the fighting stopped in 1945 and the subsequent four years of occupation and reconstruction. Views are taken from all sides, but German voices are given predominance. With some remarkable footage and moving testimony, this film is an important addition to the history of post-war Europe.

Österreich ist immer noch ein Raucherparadies

Facebook to Censor Images of Prophet Mohammed in Turkey Just Two Weeks after Mark Zuckerberg Wrote Passionate Message Defending Right to Free Speech

MAIL ONLINE: Facebook will ban pages in Turkey which 'insult Prophet Mohammed' / Comes weeks after Zuckerberg defended right to be offensive in post / Turkey also banned web access to cover of Charlie Hebdo magazine / Move is seen as the latest in crackdown on 'offending religious material'

Facebook has reportedly agreed to censor cartoons of Prophet Mohammed just two weeks after its founder defended the right to free speech in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks.

The social network made the decision after Turkish authorities threatened to block the site entirely if it did not remove the images - some of which come from Charlie Hebdo magazine.

The dramatic about-face will be personally embarrassing for Zuckerberg, coming weeks after he defiantly said: '[Facebook] will never let one country or group dictate what people can share.' » | Chris Pleasance for MailOnline | Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Newt for President! Newt Gingrich: We Are At War with Radical Islamism

National Security Speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit

Michelle Obama Cocks a Snook at Outdated, Ante-Diluvian Saudi Customs

On the Streets with Far-right Extremists Britain First | Channel 4 News

Channel 4 News follows a group of hardline religious extremists who intimidate Muslims, as they go out on a mission on the streets of London.

Saudi TV BLURS Michelle Obama's FACE As Barack Meets King

La France lance un clip choc contre le djihadisme

24 HEURES: Enrôlement des jeunes no decoration id «Tu découvriras l'enfer sur Terre et mourras seul, loin de chez toi»: le gouvernement français a dévoilé un clip fort pour lutter contre l'embrigadement des jeunes par l'Etat islamique.


#Stopdjihadisme : Ils te disent… by gouvernementFR
«Ils te disent : sacrifie-toi à nos côtés, tu défendras une juste cause. En réalité, tu découvriras l'enfer sur terre et mourras seul loin de chez toi.» Le gouvernement français vient de lancer ce mercredi 28 janvier un clip choc, empruntant aux codes de la propagande djihadiste, pour tenter de dissuader les jeunes de s'enrôler dans les rangs du groupe Etat islamique.

La vidéo, qui fait environ 2 minutes a été publiée sur le site stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr. Elle sort trois semaines après les attentats de Paris perpétrés par les frères Kouachi et Amedy Coulibaly. Paris veut ainsi affronter les djihadistes sur le web, terrain de prédilection pour séduire les jeunes. » | Par Christine Talos | mercredi 28 janvier 2015

STOP-DJIHADISME.gouv.fr : Agir contre la menace terroriste »

Pegida Loses Second Leader in a Week

Kathrin Oertel has quit the leadership of Pegida
'due to massive hostility'.

THE GUARDIAN: Kathrin Oertel quits German far-right group’s leadership just days after resignation of founder Lutz Bachmann

German anti-Islam movement Pegida lost its second leader in a week on Wednesday when Kathrin Oertel, who took over after the founder quit for posing as Hitler, also stepped down, citing media pressure.

The Dresden-based group announced on its Facebook page that Oertel and another board member were resigning. The 37-year-old became Pegida’s national figurehead after founder Lutz Bachmann resigned a week ago after news that he was being investigated.

Pegida said that Oertel had quit “due to the massive hostility, threats and career disadvantages”, adding: “Even the strongest of women has to take time out when at night photographers and other strange figures are sneaking around outside her house.”

The group added that its cause remained “good and just”. » | Reuters in Berlin | Wednesday, January 28, 2015

YNET NEWS: PEGIDA spokesman: We are no Nazis: In exclusive Ynetnews interview, spokesperson of anti-Islamization grassroots initiative addresses Jewish world's concerns about the movement, says 'we want Jews and Israelis to feel safe in Europe.'‬‬ » | Moritz Josef Schulman | Saturday, January 24, 2015

Egyptian Poet Goes On Trial Accused of Contempt of Islam

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - A prominent Egyptian poet could face up to three years in jail over a Facebook post in which she criticized the slaughter of animals at a Muslim festival, a case which rights activists say shows how the government is muzzling free speech.

Fatima Naoot described the Prophet Abraham's dream - in which, according to Islamic belief, God tells him to sacrifice his son as a test of his faith - as a "nightmare". Before Abraham can carry out the deed, God provided a sheep instead as a sacrifice.

In her post, the poet criticized the sacrifice of animals at Eid al-Adha, also called the Feast of the Sacrifice, a festival that honors Abraham's willingness to obey God.

"Millions of innocent creatures will be driven to the most horrible massacre committed by humans for ten-and-a-half centuries," she said. "A massacre which is repeated every year because of the nightmare of a righteous man about his good son."

The poet - whose trial began on Wednesday - has been charged with contempt of Islam, spreading sectarian strife and disturbing public peace, judicial sources and Naoot said.

She denies the charges. If convicted she could face jail terms ranging from six months to three years, the sources said.

"I will not be defeated even if I'm imprisoned," Naoot, who did not appear in court, told Reuters on Wednesday. "The loser will be the cultural movement." » | Mahmoud Mourad | Cairo | Wednesday, January 28, 2015

GULF NEWS: Egypt writer Fatima Naoot’s trial for Islam defamation started: Case raises rights advocates’ concerns over free speech » | Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent | Wednesday, January 28, 2015

German Football Player Converts to Islam

MOROCCO WORLD NEWS: The player described Islam as a religion of hope and strength.

“Islam gave me strength. Pray calms my soul,” the 24-year-old said.

“I was short tempered, erratic and did not know where I belong,” he added.

Blum joined his team FC Nurnberg last year. The team plays in the German Bundesliga’s Second Division. » | Tuesday, January 27, 2015


BILD: Nürnberg-Profi 
wechselt zum Islam: Danny Blum (24) steht in einer Moschee im türkischen Belek. Er schließt die Augen, hält die Handflächen vor sich nach oben gerichtet. Er streicht sich die Hände durchs Gesicht, über den Oberkörper, dann kniet er nieder. Danny Blum betet. » | Montag, 26. Januar 2015

The Female Face of Terror

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: If we don't act now, it may not be long before we see women committing acts of terror in Western cities

Since last summer, hardly a week has passed without news of a woman participating in extremism or terrorism. The violent group Boko Haram is using female suicide bombers to wreak havoc in Nigeria. From Denver to Vienna, "Caliphettes" – young girls pledging their support to Isil’s so called "Caliphate" on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr – are escaping to marry Jihadis in Syria.

And most recently, Hayat Boumeddiene, the wife of one of the perpetrators of the recent terrorist atrocities in Paris, is the most wanted terror suspect in the world today.

Despite this growing trend, women have largely failed to be incorporated into counter-extremism strategies.

For too long Western societies have viewed women, particularly Muslim women, singularly as victims of fundamentalist ideology. There is collective shock over the fact that they are now proving to be as much agents of that ideology as men – as proxy soapbox orators, encouraging those who cannot get to the battleground, to do as much damage as possible at home, as brutal, sometimes violent, enforcers of strict Islamic codes (the Al-Khansaa all-female moral brigade in Raqqa), and as the mothers of the next generation of Jihadists. Online, where Institute for Strategic Dialogue has been tracking the social media accounts of women living in Isil territory, a Jihadi girl power subculture has emerged: becoming a Caliphette is portrayed as empowering.
Indeed, the spectre of radicalised Western women streaming to the battlegrounds of Syria should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Isil’s highly sophisticated, tech[-]savvy radicalisation and recruitment machinery. They deploy peer-to-peer, in this case girl-to-girl, marketing strategies, Twitter amplification apps, iconic memes, gaming imagery and go-pro footage from the field. » | Farah Pandith and Sasha Havlicek | Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Michelle Obama Causes Outrage in Saudi Arabia by Not Wearing Headscarf

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: First Lady draws criticism for not wearing headscarf in highly conservative country


In a show of solidarity with Saudi Arabia, President Barack Obama cut short his visit to India and led a parade of American dignitaries in Riyadh on Tuesday to pay respects after King Abdullah's death.

But it was the presence - and attire - of his wife Michelle which drew the most attention in the ultraconservative desert kingdom.

The First Lady dressed conservatively in black trousers and a long jacket, wearing loose clothing that fully covered her arms, but did not cover her head.

It is forbidden for Saudi women to appear in public without their heads covered, and most Saudi women wear niqabs.

Hundreds of Saudis took to Twitter using hashtags translating to “#Michelle_Obama_Immodest” and "#Michelle_Obama_NotVeiled” to voice their disapproval of her decision not to observe Saudi customs. » | Andrew Marszal, and agencies | Wednesday, January 28, 2015

ISIS Threatens Obama, Japanese and Jordanian Hostages in New Online Messages

FOX NEWS: A new, grisly beheading video from ISIS includes a direct threat against President Obama and is one of at least three new warnings from the terror organization, including pledges to kill Jordanian and Japanese hostages if a hostage held by Jordan is not freed.

In a new online video discovered by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) on Tuesday, three Islamic State fighters stand behind a kneeling Kurdish fighter as one of the extremists launches into a diatribe against the U.S. and other Western nations.

“Know, oh Obama, that will reach America,” says one of the fighters, clad in black and wearing a balaclava, in a translation from Arabic provided by MEMRI. “Know also that we will cut off your head in the White House, and transform America into a Muslim Province.”

The extremist also issued warnings to European nations.

“And this is my message to France and to its sister, Belgium,” he said. “We advise you that we will come to you with car bombs and explosive charges, and will cut off your heads.” » | FoxNews.com | Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Actress Maureen Lipman May Leave Britain Over Attacks On Jews

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Figures released in December showed that the number of anti-Semitic attacks in the UK in 2014 is set to be the highest recorded in the past three decades

Maureen Lipman, the actress, has said she is considering leaving Britain because of a “worrying” rise in attacks on Jews.

The 71-year-old star said she could desert the UK to live abroad because of a rising tide of anti-Semitism.

Speaking to the LBC radio station, she said: "When the economy dries up, then they turn on the usual scapegoat. The usual suspect. The Jew.

"There is one school of thought that says it's because of Israeli policies in the West Bank, it isn't. There's been anti-Semitism for the past 4,000 years.

"When the going gets tough, the Jews get packing...it's crossed my mind that it's time to have a look around for another place to live. I've thought about going to New York, I've thought about going to Israel."

Mrs Lipman said the Jewish community in Britain "give, give and give" and described the recent rise in anti-Semitic attacks as "very very depressing". » | Bill Gardner | Tuesday, January 27, 2015