Is the UK Still a Christian Country?

The number of people calling themselves Christian
is declining in the UK

BBC AMERICA: Are we losing our religion? The answer for the UK seems to be "Yes", while the answer for the developing world is a resounding "No".

That was the conclusion of a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center in the US.

It suggests that in the UK, if current trends continue, the proportion of the population identifying themselves as Christians will fall from 64% in 2010 to 45% by 2050, while the proportion of Muslims will rise from 5% to 11%.

The proportion of the population claiming no religion in the UK - the "unaffiliated" - will also rise significantly, from 28% to 39%.

Pew's research also suggests there are likely to be more Muslims than Christians in the world by 2070, with Islam's share of global population equalling that of Christianity at just above 30% each by 2050.

Equally eye-catching is its conclusion that by 2050, under half of the population will be Christian not just in the UK, but also France, the Netherlands, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Australia and New Zealand, while Muslims will make up about 10% of Europe's population, up from 6% now, thanks to higher birth rates.

However, Christianity globally will continue to grow, with the number of Christians projected to rise significantly in sub-Saharan Africa in particular.

According to demographer Conrad Hackett at Pew, in 1910 some 66% of the world's Christians lived in Europe. Now that has fallen to about 25%. » | Caroline Wyatt, Religious affairs correspondent | Monday, May 25, 2015

DANIEL PIPES: ISIS Attacks on the West

The May 3 assault on a Muhammad cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, prompted much discussion about the assailants' connections to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh. Did ISIS run them as agents? Are they part of a new network of terror in the West? Clearly, the Garland jihadis had some connections to…

Muslims Who Stop Shopping at Marks & Spencer Could Be Radicals, Warns Top Cop

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Britain’s most senior Muslim policeman says teenagers who stop drinking and wearing western clothes may also be becoming extremists in stark warning

Muslims who suddenly stop shopping at Marks & Spencer could be victims of radicalisation, Britain’s most senior Muslim policeman has warned.

Scotland Yard commander Mak Chishty said that teenagers who unexpectedly stop drinking, socialising with friends or wearing western clothes could also be becoming extremists.

Mr Chishty said the danger of radicalisation in Britain today is so steep that he fears even his own children could be influenced by propaganda from terror groups.

He said extremist messages posted via social media were becoming so effective that some British children as young as five believe celebrating Christmas is forbidden by Islam.

The stark warning came as the Mr Chishty used a Guardian interview to justify more intrusion into Muslims’s “private space” to counter extremism.

It comes with hundreds of Britain’s having fled to the Middle East to join Isis, also known as Islamic State, amid fears they could return to commit terrorist atrocities in the UK. » | Ben Riley-Smith, Political Correspondent | Sunday, May 24, 2015

'Burqa Not Conducive to Western Liberal Society': We Should Follow Ban Says Ukip

SUNDAY EXPRESS: THE wearing of the full face veil in public should be banned in Britain, said Ukip's acting leader Paul Nuttall last night.

His comments followed an announcement of a new law by the Government in the Netherlands, approved by the cabinet sitting in The Hague, which will ban the wearing of all face coverings including ski-masks and helmets in certain public places.

Mr Nuttall, the party's deputy leader, was recently placed in temporary charge of UKIP while Nigel Farage takes a break.

Last night he described the Dutch proposal as eminently sensible, noting that it echoed a decision by both France and Belgium to issue similar rulings.

Speaking to the Sunday Express, he said: Belgium and France and now the Netherlands have argued that the burqa is not conducive to western liberal society, and that people's faces need to be exposed so they can communicate and integrate.

This all sounds pretty sensible stuff to me. Leading French feminist groups supported the French and Belgian ban, with the International League for Women's Rights saying: The full-face veil, by literally burying the body and the face, constitutes a true deletion of the woman as an individual in public.

Mr Nuttall added: Should we follow this and ban the burqa in this country? Yes. Personally, I think this is about civility, not religion. » | Marco Giannangeli – Exclusive | Sunday, May 24, 2015

Just Days after Seizing Palmyra, Isis Massacres 400 People in the Ancient City

THE INDEPENDENT: Most of the people murdered were women and children

Isis has slaughtered more than 400 mostly women and children in the ancient city of Palmyra, two days after capturing the ancient city.

Syrian state television reported the massacre, quoting residents of the city.

The state news agency said: "The terrorists have killed more than 400 people.. and mutilated their bodies, under the pretext that they cooperated with the government and did not follow orders."

Opposition activists claimed that hundreds of bodies littered the streets. They said that many of the victims were from groups or families loyal to the government.

Amongst the dead were state employees - including the head of the nursing department at the city hospital, and all of her family members.

Isis supporters released videos of militants searching government buildings, looking for victims and pulling down pictures of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his father . » | Doug Bolton | Sunday, May 24, 2015

John McCain Mocks Obama for Calling Climate Change a Threat as Isis Advances

THE GUARDIAN: Republicans blame Obama after fall of Syrian and Iraqi cities / ‘The president is saying the biggest problem we have is climate change’

Senator John McCain on Sunday attacked the president for citing climate change as a threat to national security, suggesting that the Obama administration’s focus on environmental issues was detracting from the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

The comments by the Senate armed services committee chairman were part of a rotating blame game over the Memorial Day weekend about who is responsible for recent gains by Isis fighters, who last week took control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and the Iraqi city of Ramadi.

“There is no strategy, and anybody who says there is, I’d like to hear what it is,” McCain said, appearing on CBS News. “Because it certainly isn’t apparent. Right now we are seeing these horrible reports, in Palmyra, they’re executing people and leaving their bodies in the streets.

“Meanwhile the president of the United States is saying that the biggest problem we have is climate change.”

In a commencement address at the US Coast Guard Academy last week, President Barack Obama said climate change posed an “immediate risk”. » | Tom McCarthy in New York | Sunday, May 24, 2015

Mark Levin Roars for Obama to Wipe Out the ISIS "Islamo-Nazis"

Decrying the pathetic response of America's Commander-in-Chief to ongoing Islamo-Nazi atrocities, Mark Levin tells his listeners how he would deal with ISIS if he were Commander-in-Chief

Church in Ireland Needs 'Reality Check' after Gay Marriage Vote

BBC AMERICA – EXTRACT: The Republic of Ireland has a written constitution which can only be changed by referendum.

Now that the proposal has been passed, a marriage between two people of the same sex will have the same status under the Irish constitution as a marriage between a man and a woman.

They will be recognised as a family and be entitled to the constitutional protection for families.

Civil partnerships for same-sex couples have been legal in Ireland since 2010, giving couples legal protection which could be changed by the government.

However, married gay people will now have a constitutional standing that can only be removed by another popular vote. Read the whole article here » | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Islamic State Flag Flies at Palmyra Citadel

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Islamic State fighters have raised their flag over an ancient citadel in the historic Syrian city of Palmyra and destroyed statues in a local museum, pictures posted online overnight by the group's supporters showed.

The militants seized Palmyra, known as Tadmur in Arabic and strategically significant with nearby natural gas fields and roads leading south-west to Damascus, on Wednesday after days of heavy fighting with the Syrian army.

"Tadmur citadel under the control of the caliphate," read a caption on one picture posted on social media websites. In another, a smiling fighter is shown carrying the group's black flag and standing on one of the citadel's walls. » | Reuters | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Democrats Call for ‘Flood’ of Muslims to U.S.

WND: 'We must dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees that we accept'

A group of 14 Democrat senators has written a letter to President Obama urging him to “dramatically increase” the number of Syrian refugees being resettled into American cities and towns.

They say the U.S. needs to take in at least 65,000 Syrians as permanent refugees over the next year-and-a-half.

“While the United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees, we must also dramatically increase the number of Syrian refugees that we accept for resettlement,” says the four-page letter to Obama, copied to Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

More than 3.5 million Syrians are registered with the United Nations as refugees, and the U.N. wants to assign about 350,000 of them to so-called “third-party countries.”

The 14 senators, led by Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., cite the research of the Refugee Council USA to make their case for 65,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016. RCUSA is the main lobbying arm of the nine agencies that contract with the federal government to resettle refugees in cities and towns across America.

The more refugees brought into the country, the more government grants doled out to the nine resettlement agencies. Among them are the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Church World Service, International Rescue Committee and the National Association of Evangelicals’ World Relief.

More than 90 percent of Syrian refugees will be Muslim

Of the 843 Syrians resettled in the U.S. since the start of the Syrian civil war, 92 percent have been Muslim and about 7 percent Christian. Syria’s overall population is 90 percent Muslim and close to 10 percent Christian. » | Leo Hohmann | Saturday, May 23, 2015

20 Other Countries Where Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal Nationwide

Read the TIME article here | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Ireland Votes to Approve Gay Marriage, Putting Country in Vanguard

Read the New York Times article here | Saturday, May 23, 2015

Queen Rania of Jordan Calls on Muslims to Take a Stand against ISIS and Its 'Attack on Civilisation' after Fanatics Threaten to Destroy Ancient Ruins at Palmyra

DAILY MAIL: The most influential woman in the Arab world told MailOnline that it would be an 'enormous loss to humanity' if ISIS destroyed the World Heritage Site / Insisted that ISIS' cause is nothing to do with religion but driven by nothing more than 'greed and power' / Called on Muslims and Arabs to lead the fight with support from the West / The Queen was pictured comforting the wife of Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Muath al-Kasasbeh who was burned to death by ISIS / She said it was one of the most difficult periods of her life - but that we owe an immense debt to his bravery

Queen Rania of Jordan today called on Muslims around the world to take a stand against Islamic State and its 'attacks against civilisation'.

The 44-year-old royal, who is one of the most influential women in the Arab World, spoke out as ISIS threatened to destroy the Unesco World Heritage site at Palmyra, in Syria, after over-running forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline in her home country, the Queen said: 'It's an attack on civilisation, it is the latest in the atrocities that ISIS and groups like them have committed.

'Palmyra is one of the greatest treasures in the region and indeed in the world – it shows how we're facing a global threat, not just against Arabs or Muslims, but against the entire civilised world.'

Unesco said the destruction of the ancient buildings and artefacts at Palmyra would be 'an enormous loss to humanity'. World leaders like President Francois Hollande of France have called for direct action to save them.

'I absolutely agree with that,' said the Queen, who was attending the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea Resort in Sweimeh. » | Nabila Ramdani in Sweimeh, Dead Sea, Jordan | Saturday, May 23, 2015

ISIS in Nuke Boast: We Can Get Atomic Bomb 'Within a Year' from Corrupt Officials

DAILY EXPRESS: ISLAMIC State (ISIS) are poised to buy its first nuclear bomb "within a year", the terror group claimed tonight.

The jihadists are looking to get hold of an atomic weapon or thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate explosive.

The merciless organisation says it hopes to purchase a nuclear device “through weapons dealers with links to corrupt officials” in Pakistan.

But it admits that obtaining the deadly weapon may be a challenge and says it would settle for a “few thousand tons of ammonium nitrate explosive”.

The chilling boast was made in the latest edition of its propaganda ‘magazine’ circulated to publicise the group’s barbaric aims.

ISIS says it has already seized “tanks, rocket launchers, missile systems, anti-aircraft systems” – and is now setting its sights on the ultimate dirty bomb. » | Tom Batchelor | Friday, May 22, 2015

Several Killed and Injured after Suicide Bomber Strikes at Saudi Shia Mosque

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: One witness says he believes at least 30 were killed in a 'huge explosion' at the Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh

A suicide bomber set off an explosion during weekly prayers in a Shia mosque of eastern Saudi Arabia leaving many dead Friday, the interior ministry said.

"It has been established that an individual detonated a bomb he was wearing under his clothes during Friday prayers at Ali Ibn Abi Taleb mosque in Kudeih in Qatif province," the interior ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman, in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency, said the attack left many dead and wounded, without giving a specific toll.

An activist said at least four worshippers were killed and others wounded, and news websites in eastern Saudi Arabia posted photographs of bodies lying in pools of blood. » | AFP | Friday, May 22, 2015

Islamic State 'Seizes Key Syria-Iraq Border Crossing'

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants have seized the last Syrian government-controlled border crossing between Syria and Iraq, a Syria monitoring group says.

Government forces withdrew from al-Tanf - known as al-Waleed in Iraq - crossing as IS advanced, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The loss of al-Tanf to IS follows the group's takeover of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday.

The US says that fighting the militants will be a "difficult challenge". Islamic State now controls "more than 95,000 sq km (36,679 sq miles)" of Syria, which is 50% of the country's entire territory, the UK-based SOHR said.

The militants dominate the provinces of Deir al-Zour and Raqqa and have a strong presence in Hasakeh, Aleppo, Homs and Hama. » | Friday, May 22, 2015

French Term 'Rights of Man' Is Sexist and Must Go, Say Feminist Campaigners

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Feminists in France launch campaign calling on government to shelve the "sexist" expression "rights of man" in favour of "human rights"

France must drop the “sexist” term “rights of man” in favour of “human rights”, a group of feminists said in a campaign launched on Thursday.

In a petition it intends to send to the French government, the Droits Humains collective called for “human rights for all”, and said the term "Droits de l’Homme" should be removed from all official documentation.

They argued that the francophone countries of Canada and Switzerland, along with Germany, Spain and other EU states, have already made the linguistic shift to human rights, as have “les Anglo-Saxons” like Britain.

The expression, however, runs deep in France as it was inscribed on the country’s 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man at the time of the French revolution.

The group said that while the declaration may have been revolutionary, it was sexist and “specifically and unambiguously designated people of the male gender to the exclusion of women”. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Finland Tells 900,000 Reservists Their Roles 'In the Event of War'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Amid rising tension with Russia, Finland takes the rare step of sending letters to every military reservist

Finland has sent letters to nearly a million military reservists, setting out their roles “in the event of war” amid rising tension with neighbouring Russia.

The letters have been dispatched to 900,000 former conscripts in the armed forces, including to Finns living abroad.

The first were sent earlier this month, with the final batch distributed in the last few days.

Finland is not a member of Nato and the country shares an 830-mile border with Russia – the longest of any European nation apart from Ukraine.

In the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine, Finland is uniquely vulnerable to any further aggression.

The letter tells the reservists which regiment or unit to report to in the event of hostilities. “Attached you will find your personal details as well as your role in the event of war,” it reads. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Tobacco Companies Prepare Multi-billion Compensation Claims over UK Plain Packaging

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Taxpayers could be forced to pay tobacco industry up to £11 billion industry for trademark losses

Tobacco companies are preparing to launch what could be one of the biggest ever legal claims against the British Government for losses as a result of the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes.

They are expected to begin lodging papers at the High Court as early as Friday, seeking a multi-billion compensation payout for being stripped of the right to use instantly recognisable brands.

Lawyers will argue that forcing them to use entirely unbranded packaging would amount to deprivation of a highly valuable intellectual property.

Although the companies would leave it to the court to determine the exact level of compensation, industry analysts have suggested their combined value of the industry in the UK could be as much as £11 billion.

A collective payout on that scale would wipe out almost the whole of the Government’s planned £12 billion welfare savings and dwarf the £8 billion of extra cash for the NHS promised by the Conservatives at the General Election. » | By John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Ireland Expected to Vote 'Yes' in Historic Referendum on Gay Marriage

A graffiti artist finishes a Yes campaign piece in
central Dublin, Ireland

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Traditionalists do not want homosexuals to be able to take wedding vows, but majority of voters seem likely to say "We Do"

Judging by the number of posters urging a "Yes" vote in Friday's referendum on same-sex marriage, the Ireland of today is no longer a place where homosexuals are not welcome.

Yet while Dublin has no shortage of gay-friendly restaurants, bars and hotels, there are still some locals who think that God has made a reservation for them somewhere altogether hotter and more uncomfortable.

"This whole referendum thing stinks from hell," said Mary Delaney, a retired secretary, as she came out of St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, just off O'Connell Street in downtown Dublin.

"This thing is messing up the whole of Creation, and the culture of sex is so strong in our society today that it's impossible to protest."

Ms Delaney, who wore a "Vote No to Protect Marriage" sticker on her lapel, had just finished attending the 10am mass at St Mary's - one of five daily services still held here even on weekdays.

Yet while the Catholic church still remains strong in Ireland, the pews at St Mary's are not as full as they once were, and with the dwindling numbers has gone much of the opposition to homosexuality. Read on and comment » | Colin Freeman, Dublin | Thursday, May 21, 2015

Terrormiliz: Kreml verspricht Irak Hilfe beim Kampf gegen den IS

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Russland und der Irak wollen ihre militärische Zusammenarbeit ausbauen - beim Kampf gegen die IS-Terrormiliz erklärte sich Moskau zu Waffenlieferungen bereit.

Die irakische Armee kann bei ihrem Kampf gegen die Terrormiliz "Islamischer Staat" (IS) auf Unterstützung durch Moskau hoffen. Russland sei bereit, Irak mit Waffen zu versorgen, sagte der russische Außenminister Sergej Lawrow in Moskau. Sein Land werde alles tun, um der irakischen Regierung dabei zu helfen, den IS zurückzudrängen. » | anr/Reuters | Donnerstag, 21. Mai 2015

Razzien: Großbritannien geht gegen illegale Einwanderer vor

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Großbritanniens Premier Cameron verspricht kurz nach seiner Wiederwahl schärfere Gesetze gegen illegale Einwanderer. Die Polizei demonstriert bereits Härte. Bei Razzien wurden zahlreiche Migranten festgenommen.

Die britische Regierung will Migranten abschrecken - und gegen solche, die bereits ohne gültige Papiere im Land leben, hart vorgehen. Premierminister David Cameron kündigte Gesetzesverschärfungen an. Wer illegal nach Großbritannien komme und arbeite, dessen Lohn werde künftig beschlagnahmt, so der konservative Regierungschef. Vermieter sollen künftig noch strikter verpflichtet werden, die Einreisepapiere ihrer ausländischen Mieter zu prüfen. "Unkontrollierte Einwanderung kann unseren Arbeitsmarkt schädigen und zum Sinken von Löhnen führen", sagte er. » | anr/AFP/dpa | Donnerstag, 21. Mai 2015

Osama bin Laden a Paedophile? Terror Leader’s Extreme Porn Stash Revealed

DAILY EXPRESS: A MASSIVE haul of hardcore pornography was seized from the Pakistan hiding place of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden after he was shot dead by US Navy SEALs.

The nature of the pornography is considered so extreme that American officials refuse to release details, leading to intense speculation that it involves children or animals.

Under strict versions of Sharia law - of the type lauded by hardline Islamist groups ISIS and al-Qaeda - bin Laden would almost certainly have been beheaded, stoned to death, or thrown from a high building for possessing such material.

The Department of National Intelligence (DNI) has released today a list of books the 9/11 mastermind was reading when he was killed four years ago.

But they confirmed Navy SEALs also recovered a large digital collection of sex videos from the compound when they staged a secret mission to kill bin Laden in 2011.

However, the US Government says it is not going to describe or release details on any of the pornographic materials.

DNI spokesman Brian Hale said: “We have no plans to release that at this point in time[.] » | Thursday, May 21, 2015

L'Etat islamique s'empare de Palmyre en Syrie

REUTERS FRANCE: BEYROUTH (Reuters) - Les djihadistes de l'Etat islamique (EI) se sont emparés mercredi de Palmyre, où se trouve le site archéologique le plus célèbre de Syrie, dont les forces gouvernementales se sont retirées après avoir évacué les civils, rapporte la télévision nationale.

C'est la première fois que l'EI prend une localité à l'armée ou à ses supplétifs, qui avaient déjà cédé du terrain à d'autres groupes armés dans le Nord-Ouest et le Sud, ces dernières semaines.

Située à 240 kilomètres au nord-est de Damas, Palmyre se trouve au carrefour stratégique de routes menant à Homs et à la capitale. Outre les ruines antiques, voisines du centre qui est également nommé Tadmour, elle abrite des installations militaires récentes.

Selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme (OSDH), l'EI tient la majeure partie de l'agglomération.

On ignore ce que sont devenus les militaires syriens qui étaient stationnés aux abords de la ville, souligne l'organisation basée à Londres qui dispose d'un réseau d'informateurs sur place.

"Grâce à Dieu, (Palmyre) a été libérée", a déclaré un membre de l'Etat islamique sur internet, ajoutant que le mouvement s'était emparé d'un hôpital où l'armée avait pris ses quartiers avant de se retirer.

D'autres djihadistes ont publié sur Twitter des photos d'hommes armés dans des rues qu'ils disent être celles de Palmyre. Les djihadistes de l'EI avaient déjà pénétré sur le site classé au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco le week-end dernier, mais en avaient été repoussés par les forces gouvernementales.

Maamoun Abdoulkarim, chef du service des Antiquités syriennes, a lancé un appel à la préservation de la cité et de ses monuments. » | Par Sylvia Westall et Tom Perry | mercredi 20 mai 2015

Le guide suprême refuse l'inspection de sites

L'ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Iran – Le guide suprême Ali Khamenei a exclu mercredi l'inspection de sites militaires de Téhéran et l'interrogation de scientifiques iraniens.

Cette déclaration survient alors que l'Iran est en pleines négociations avec les grandes puissances sur un accord nucléaire qui doit être finalisé avant fin juin.

«Nous avons déjà dit que nous ne permettrons aucune inspection des sites militaires de la part des étrangers (...). Ils disent aussi qu'il faut autoriser des interviews avec les scientifiques nucléaires. C'est de l'interrogatoire», a déclaré l'ayatollah Khamenei qui s'exprimait lors d'une cérémonie de remise de diplômes à des cadets militaires.

Il a assuré qu'aucun «gouvernement intelligent» ne permettrait une telle chose et qu'il fallait résister «face à ces demandes excessives». Les autres pays «cachent l'identité même de leurs scientifiques nucléaires», a-t-il ajouté. » | mercredi 20 mai 2015

Palmyra: IS Threat to 'Venice of the Sands'

Palmyra is one of the best-known ancient sites in the world

BBC AMERICA: Palmyra is in danger. As Islamic State fighters clash with Syrian government forces around the historic site, it is worth considering what the loss of this wonder, dubbed the "Venice of the Sands", would mean for the world's cultural heritage.

Palmyra is the last place anyone would expect to find a forest of stone columns and arches. Travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries were repeatedly astonished by what they saw: a vast field of ruins in the middle of the Syrian desert, roughly half-way between the Mediterranean coast and the valley of the River Euphrates.

For anyone visiting, however, the key reason for the site's prosperity is immediately apparent: ancient Palmyra sits at the edge of an oasis of date palms and gardens.

It was as a watering place on a trade route from the east that Palmyra's story begins, and the very name Palmyra refers to the date palms that still dominate the area (the origin of its Semitic name, Tadmor, is less certain; a derivation from tamar - date palm - is favoured). » | By Prof Kevin Butcher *, Warwick University | Friday, May 15, 2015

* Kevin Butcher is a Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick and a specialist in the Roman Near East. He is author of Roman Syria and the Near East (2003).

Islamic State 'Enters Town Next to Syria's Palmyra'

Rising out of the Syrian desert, Palmyra contains the
monumental ruins of a great city

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State militants are reported to have seized a third of the Syrian town next to Palmyra, one of the the Middle East's greatest archaeological sites.

Activists said IS had overrun much of the north of Tadmur after fierce clashes with government forces.

Syria's head of antiquities said the world had a responsibility to save Palmyra, a Unesco World Heritage site.

Hundreds of statues had been moved to safety, but large monuments could not be moved, Maamoun Abdul Karim warned.

IS militants have ransacked and demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including Hatra and Nimrud, leading to fears that it might attempt to damage or destroy Palmyra. » | Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Almost a Third of School Pupils Believe 'Muslims Are Taking Over Our Country', Study Claims

THE INDEPENDENT: Charity sent questionnaires to just under 6,000 pupils across England

Almost a third of schoolchildren believe that Muslims are “taking over our country” according to the largest study of its kind carried out in the UK.

A survey of almost 6,000 children aged 10 to 16 across England found that negative attitudes towards migrants and Muslims were widespread among school pupils. » | Rose Ytroup Buchanan | Tuesday, May 19, 2015

'A Crime Is a Crime Is a Crime': Tony Abbott Warns No Mercy for Remorseful Jihadis

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Remorseful jihadis who have joined Islamic State but want to return home will be welcomed back only to a jail cell, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned.

Three Australians who have joined Islamic State in Syria or Iraq are in talks with the government about potentially returning home.

Officials are suspicious about whether the trio is genuinely reformed and the immediate danger they could pose for embassy staff in the event they were assisted in coming back to Australia.

Mr Abbott said the men would be "arrested, prosecuted and jailed" should they return home, because they could easily "become a terrorist in Australia".

"A crime is a crime is a crime," Mr Abbott said. » | Latika Bourke, Marissa Calligeros | Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Aldi Apologises after Black Pudding Is Incorrectly Labelled as Halal-certified

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Muslim customers were left fuming by the blunder that saw supposedly halal black pudding being sold containing pig blood and skins

A supermarket chain has apologised after a black pudding product was incorrectly labelled as halal-certified.

Muslim customers at Aldi were left fuming by the blunder that saw supposedly halal black pudding being sold containing pig blood and skins, the Mirror reported. Pork is forbidden in Islam.

"This is absolutely outrageous and I am deeply offended by this," Manahil Khan told the Mirror.

"I am pretty sure many others of the Muslim community are also very offended by this.

"It is demoralising and goes against one's religious morals and scripture.... and I speak on behalf of every Muslim and human that does not deserve to be misled by any sort of false claim of halal food or lies about what we consume."

Manufacturer Punjab Pakora, based in Ayr, apologised for the incident, saying it was a printing mistake which had now been rectified, as did Aldi. Read on and comment » | Agency | Monday, May 18, 2015

Saudi Arabia a 'Prime Target' for Islamic State

Saudi Arabia is a member of the US-led coalition battling the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria.

However there has long been concern that ultra-conservative Saudi theologians foster the ideology that fuels such Islamist extremism. Barbara Plett Usher reports.

Why Saudi Arabia Has Lost Faith in the US

Gulf leaders perceive the Americans to be naive when
it comes to Iran

BBC AMERICA: One key sentence in President Barack Obama's press conference at Camp David last week clearly illustrates the gulf between Washington and its allies on the Arabian Peninsula when it comes to Iran.

"We gave [our allies] our best analysis of the enormous needs that Iran has internally and the commitment that Iran has made to its people in terms of shoring up its economy and improving economic growth," said President Obama, when asked about concerns that Iran would use the money from sanctions relief for nefarious aims in the region.

He added that "most of the destabilising activity that Iran engages in is low-tech, low-cost activity".

It was just as well that Mr Obama gave the press conference on his own. The Gulf leaders had just departed after a full day of talks at the Maryland retreat or they would have had a hard time resisting a collective eye roll at what they perceive to be American naivety about Tehran.

As it pursues a nuclear deal with Iran, Washington has been trying hard not to adhere to the positions, fears and sometimes paranoia of Arab countries vis-à-vis Iran.

At Camp David, the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council received assurances that Washington had their backs, with pledges about more military cooperation and hardware. But nothing can bridge what are essentially opposing world views.

Riyadh has accepted that there is little it can do about stopping a nuclear deal, but it's gearing up to push back more forcefully against its arch-nemesis, as Tehran boasts of a new Persian empire with influence over four capitals: Beirut, Baghdad, Damascus and Sanaa. » | Kim Ghattas, BBC News, Washington | Monday, May 18, 2015

«Homeschooling» - Privatschule für kleine Leute

Mütter oder Väter, die ihre Kinder zu Hause unterrichten, machen «Homeschooling». In der Schweiz ist dieses nicht einheitlich geregelt. Als besonders liberal bei der Zulassung von Heimunterricht gelten die Kantone Bern, Aargau und Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Im Appenzellerland hat sich die Zahl der Kinder, die daheim zur Schule gehen, vervielfacht.

Schwule Ehen im katholischen Irland

Die homosexuelle soll der heterosexuellen Ehe gleichgestellt werden: Über drei Millionen Bürgerinnen und Bürger der Republik Irland sind am 22. Mai aufgerufen, über diesen Verfassungszusatz abzustimmen. Meinungsumfragen verheissen der Reform einen klaren Durchbruch.

Anjem Choudary: Bill O’Reilly Defiles Islam

BREITBART.COM: (THE UNITED WEST) According to UK Imam Anjem Choudary, Bill O’Reilly has defiled Islam by displaying the image of the Islamic Prophet Isa (Jesus) in his movie and Killing Jesus. Choudary stated, “The depiction of Mohammad, Moses, or Isa requires the death penalty.” » | Breitbart TV | Thursday, May 07, 2015

French Mayor Suspended after Calling for Islam to Be Banned

THE INDEPENDENT: Robert Chardon tweeted the extreme view as part of a discussion with former president Nicolas Sarkozy

A French mayor has been suspended from his party after calling for the country to ban Islam.

Robert Chardon, the UMP mayor of Venelles in southern France, tweeted: “The Muslim religion must be banned in France” and added that anyone practising the religion must be “immediately escorted to the border”.

He also claimed Islam will be banned in France by 2027. » | Ben Tuffy | Sunday, May 17, 2015

Related »

Saudi Arabia Advertises for Eight New Executioners

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic kingdom advertises for eight new executioners amid sharp increase in number of death sentences

Saudi Arabia is advertising for eight new executioners, recruiting extra staff to carry out an increasing number of death sentences, usually done by public beheading.

No special qualifications are needed for the jobs whose main role is "executing a judgement of death" but also involve performing amputations on those convicted of lesser offences, the advert, posted on the civil service jobs portal, said. » | Reuters | Monday, May 18, 2015

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Steep rise in Saudi Arabia executions as 2015 tally reaches 45: The Gulf kingdom has executed 80 people annually since 2011, with 87 recorded in 2014 » | AFP | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Queen's Germany Trip Will Include Tour of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp

During her trip to the concentration and prisoner of war camps,
the Queen will lay a wreath at a memorial dedicated to Anne Frank.

THE GUARDIAN: British monarch to visit site, liberated by British troops 70 years ago, as part of four-day trip which will also involve a meeting with chancellor Angela Merkel

The Queen will visit the site of the Bergen-Belsen prisoner of war and concentration camps during her state visit to Germany, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The camps were liberated 70 years ago by British troops and the Queen will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh during her tour of the site, now a memorial to those who died at the hands of the Nazis. It will be a personal and reflective visit for the monarch and will be kept low-key.

British troops arrived at the site in northern Germany on 15 April, 1945 to find thousands of unburied bodies and severely ill prisoners who had been interned there.

Tens of thousands of prisoners from across Europe were killed at Bergen-Belsen or died following is liberation as a result of their treatment. » | Press Association | Sunday, May 17, 2015

Verwandt »

Royaler Reiseplan in Deutschland: So bekommen Sie ein Date mit der Queen

Queen Elizabeth und Prinz Philip: Vier Tage zu Besuch in Deutschland

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Staatsbankett, Sightseeing und viel Bürgernähe: Der Terminplan für die Deutschlandreise von Queen Elizabeth II. steht. In vier Tagen besucht die Monarchin drei Städte - und sucht noch Menschen, die sich mit ihr treffen wollen.

Deutschland bekommt wieder Besuch von einer Königin - und nun steht auch fest, wo Queen Elizabeth II. und Prinz Philip sich im Juni zeigen werden. Laut offiziellem Reiseplan bereisen die 89-Jährige und ihr vier Jahre älterer Ehemann drei Bundesländer in vier Tagen. Vom 23. bis 26. Juni kommen die beiden nach Berlin und nach Frankfurt am Main, sie besichtigen die KZ-Gedenkstätte Bergen-Belsen bei Celle und treffen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel sowie Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck.

"Das Programm ist so angelegt, dass möglichst viele Menschen Gelegenheit erhalten, die Königin zu sehen", versicherte der britische Botschafter Simon McDonald. Zuletzt hatte die Queen Deutschland 2004 besucht. » | brk/dpa | Montag, 18. Mai 2015

Islamic State 'Seizes Iraqi City of Ramadi'

BBC AMERICA: The Iraqi city of Ramadi has fallen to Islamic State (IS) after government forces abandoned their positions, officials say.

The police and military made a chaotic retreat after days of intense fighting.

But the US refused to confirm the capture, saying the situation was "fluid and contested" and it was too early to make "definitive statements".

Ramadi is the capital of Iraq's largest province, Anbar, and is just 70 miles (112km) west of Baghdad.

A statement purportedly from IS said its fighters had "purged the entire city". It said IS had taken the 8th Brigade army base, along with tanks and missile launchers left behind by troops.

A very well-placed source in the Anbar governor's office told the BBC Ramadi was now under the full control of Islamic State, and all government troops had withdrawn. (+ BBC video) » | Sunday, May 17, 2015

L'Europe divorcée sur le mariage homo

LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE: François Clemenceau, rédacteur en chef du service "International" du JDD, décrypte chaque semaine les photos de l'actualité mondiale ou de ses coulisses. Cette semaine, il revient sur le mariage gay, qui divise l'Europe.

Les Irlandais s’apprêtent à voter par référendum le 22 mai pour ou contre la légalisation du mariage homosexuel. Le oui est en tête dans les sondages, et s’il l’emporte, l’Irlande sera le 12ème pays membre de l’Union européenne à autoriser le mariage gay. Mais il reste encore une dizaine d’Etats réfractaires, et pas forcément pour des raisons religieuses.

C’est d’ailleurs intéressant de noter que parmi les premiers pays à avoir adopté le mariage homosexuel depuis 2001, certains abritent des populations à forte pratique religieuse. C’est le cas de l’Espagne en 2005 ou du Portugal en 2010. En France, en revanche, où la pratique religieuse est en baisse, il a fallu attendre 2013. Idem pour la Finlande qui a légalisé le mariage gay cette année et qui attendra 2017 pour sa mise en œuvre. » | François Clemenceau - leJDD.fr | samedi 16 mai 2015

A Palmyre, "la perte d'un trésor inestimable"

LE JOURNAL DU DIMANCHE: INTERVIEW - Cheikhmous Ali, docteur en archéologie du Proche-Orient ancien et fondateur de l’Association pour la protection de l’archéologie syrienne, s’alarme de la situation à Palmyre.

La cité antique de Palmyre, chef-d'œuvre archéologique miraculeusement préservé au cœur du désert syrien, sera-t-elle à son tour victime de la guerre civile qui déchire le pays depuis 2011? Samedi soir, les djihadistes du groupe État islamique, déjà auteurs de destructions de sites emblématiques comme Nimroud, Hatra ou ­Mossoul, auraient pris le contrôle du nord de la ville selon l'Observatoire syrien des Droits de l'homme. Dimanche, les forces armée du régime ont repoussé les djihadistes au nord de la ville. L'Unesco, qui a classé le site au patrimoine mondial de l'humanité en 1980, avait sonné l'alerte vendredi. En contact quotidien depuis la France avec ses correspondants à Palmyre, l'archéologue d'origine syrienne Cheikhmous Ali est consterné. » | Juliette Demey - Le Journal du Dimanche | dimanche 17 mai 2015

Charlie Hebdo Accused of Hypocrisy as It Suspends Journalist after Death Threats over Her Articles Attacking Islam

Charlie Hebdo columnist Zineb El Rhazoui, 33, (center) has
been suspended by the satirical magazine

DAILY MAIL: Charlie Hebdo columnist Zineb El Rhazoui, 33, has been suspended / She has received death threats for her articles attacking Islamic extremism / Thousands have accused magazine of 'hypocrisy' for not supporting writer / Mrs El Rhazoui 'shocked' by decision which comes months after attack

Satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been accused of hypocrisy after it suspended a journalist who has received death threats for her articles attacking Islamic extremism.

Zineb El Rhazoui, 33, was called to a preliminary dismissal hearing to remind her of her 'obligations' towards the French weekly following 'numerous incidents'.

The French-Moroccan columnist accused her employers of trying to 'punish her' for speaking out about the direction of the magazine four months after the jihadist attack which left 12 dead.

'I am shocked and appalled that a management that has received so much support after the January attacks could show so little support for one of its employees, who is under pressure like everyone in the team and has faced threats,' she told Le Monde.

'My husband lost his job and had to leave Morocco because the jihadists revealed his workplace. I am under threat and having to live with friends or in a hotel and the management is thinking of firing me. Bravo Charlie.'

The move has prompted outrage on social media with thousands calling the decision 'absurd' and bewildering'. Read on and comment » | Jenny Awford for MailOnline | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Islamists Warn of Backlash over Mohamed Morsi Death Sentence

THE OBSERVER: Muslim Brotherhood say prison break sentences are act of revenge by Egyptian regime as crackdown intensifies


Egyptian Islamists have warned that the world should brace itself for a backlash after the country’s first freely elected president, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, was given a provisional death sentence nearly two years after he was overthrown by the army following mass protests against his rule.

Morsi was among over 100 men sentenced to death on Saturday for allegedly escaping prison during the 2011 uprising that toppled Morsi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. Morsi and his colleagues were convicted of conspiring with Hamas, the Brotherhood’s Palestinian offshoot, whom judges decided had helped the prisoners leave jail in January 2011.

The sentence is provisional until the government’s most senior Islamic cleric gives his opinion. A final decision is due on 2 June. Even if the execution is upheld, analysts doubt that the Egyptian regime will follow through with such a provocative act. In a separate espionage case on Saturday, Morsi was sentenced to life in prison and, in a third case last month, to 20 years for incitement to violence. » | Patrick Kingsley in Cairo | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Islamic State Militants 'Smuggled to Europe'

Smugglers hide IS militants on boats filled with migrants,
Abdul Basit Haroun says

BBC AMERICA: Islamic State (IS) fighters are being smuggled into Europe by gangs in the Mediterranean, a Libyan official has told the BBC.

Government adviser Abdul Basit Haroun said smugglers were hiding IS militants on boats filled with migrants.

He based his claim on conversations with boat owners in parts of North Africa controlled by the militants.

He alleged that IS was allowing them to continue their operations in exchange for 50% of their income.

The UN estimates that 60,000 people have already tried to cross the Mediterranean this year. » | Sunday, May 17, 2015

ISIS Barbarism. When Will the Civilised World Put a Stop to This Crap?

Read the Daily Mail article here | Jay Akbar for MailOnline | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Bill Maher Asks Ayaan Hirsi Ali Why Liberals 'Blame the Victim' When It Comes to Radical Islam

HBO "Real Time" host Bill Maher criticized liberals on Friday for "blaming the victim" when it comes to radical Islam. Speaking with author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Mr. Maher asked why so many liberals, who normally "hate blaming the victim," do so when it comes to radical Islam. He cited liberals who criticized the Muhammad cartoon contest…

Pope Calls Palestinian Leader Abbas 'Angel of Peace' at Vatican Meeting

Pope Francis meets Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
during an audience in the Vatican

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Meeting comes days after Vatican recognises "Palestinian state" in treaty, and precedes canonisation of first Palestinian Arab saints

Pope Francis met Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority leader, in the Vatican on Saturday, calling him "an angel of peace".

The meeting between the Pope – who visited both Israel and the occupied West Bank a year ago – and Mr Abbas came days after the Vatican confirmed it had concluded a treaty which effectively recognises Palestinian statehood.

The treaty – which has yet to be signed – states that the Vatican has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestine Liberation Organisation to the "state of Palestine", thus giving further impetus to growing international calls to recognise a Palestinian state. » | AFP | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Iranian Official Says Saudi King 'Traitor to Islam,' Iterates Support for Assad

Saudi King Salman

THE JERUSALEM POST: "He should be called the traitor of the Islamic nation and against all the teachings," Iranian official says.

DAMASCUS - A senior Iranian official branded Saudi Arabia's King Salman a traitor to Islam on Thursday and equated the Gulf state's military assault on Iranian-allied fighters in Yemen with Israeli actions against Palestinians.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran's national security and foreign policy committee, speaking in Damascus, also reiterated his country's support for the Syrian government, which is battling an insurgency backed by Saudi Arabia.

Shi'ite Islamist Iran has been a vital ally for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the four-year Syrian war, providing crucial military and economic support.

Syria is a focal point in a wider regional struggle between Tehran and Riyadh and which is also playing out in Yemen.

"We are here to announced anew that our support for Syria - government and nation - is solid and continuous, and we are proud of this support," Boroujerdi said, according to a report on the Syrian state news agency SANA.

In fierce rhetoric, Boroujerdi said "God would take revenge" against the Saudi monarch for serving what he called US-Israeli interests in the war against the Shi'ite Houthi rebels. » | Reuters | Thursday, May 14, 2015

Rachida Dati Embroiled in Row over Thousands Spent on Luxury Clothes and Gifts While Justice Minister

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's state auditor refuses to validate €9,000 spent on luxury clothes, accessories, gifts and food and drink while Rachida Dati was justice minister as the glamorous MEP claims she is the victim of a "political cabal".

Rachida Dati, France's glamorous former justice minister, has hit back at the country's state auditor after it refused to pay for almost €9,000 (£6,500) her ministry spent on luxury clothes, scarves, "gifts", restaurants and patisserie while she was in office.

The Cour des Comptes ruled the state should not pay for Hermès scarves, ties and other luxury items, and also rejected a further €180,000 Ms Dati's ministry spent on "communication consulting" between 2007 and 2010 – most of it going to a company run by a friend of then-president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Ms Dati, whose love of designer clothes saw her appear in a Dior dress and fishnet stockings on the front page of Paris Match while in office, furiously denied any of the luxury garments were for her, saying they were all "presents" for foreign judicial dignitaries. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, May 14, 2015

Schwuler EU-Regierungschef: Luxemburgs Premier Bettel heiratet langjährigen Freund

Ehemänner Destenay, Bettel: Hochzeit in der
luxemburgischen Hauptstadt

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Xavier Bettel hat als erster Regierungschef in Europa einen Ehemann: Der luxemburgische Premier hat seinen langjährigen Partner Gauthier Destenay geheiratet. Die Flitterwochen fallen allerdings aus.

Luxemburgs Ministerpräsident Xavier Bettel hat seinen Lebensgefährten Gauthier Destenay geheiratet. Das Paar trat am Freitagnachmittag nach der standesamtlichen Trauung vor das Rathaus der luxemburgischen Hauptstadt. Es folgte ein Fotoshooting, anschließend wurde im privaten Kreis gefeiert. Die Eheschließung übernahm die Bürgermeisterin der Stadt, Lydie Polfer. » | mxw/dpa/AFP | Freitag, 15. Mai 2015

Verwandt »

Le Congrès des Etats-Unis va contrôler Obama sur l’Iran

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Accord sur le nucléaire – Une loi approuvée jeudi permet aux parlementaires de refuser, sous certaines conditions, un accord sur le nucléaire iranien

Le Congrès américain s’est offert jeudi un droit de regard sur l’accord nucléaire avec l’Iran. La Chambre des représentants a accepté à une large majorité (400 voix contre 25) un projet de loi qui empêchera Barack Obama de lever les sanctions visant Téhéran pendant les trente jours suivants la signature de l’accord. La démarche a pour but de permettre aux parlementaires d’accepter ou de désapprouver le deal. » | Par Jean-Cosme Delaloye | vendredi 15 mai 2015

Mayor Wants to BAN Islam 'To Solve the Country's Problems'

Robert Chardon is the mayor of Venelles,
a town in southern France

DAILY EXPRESS: A MAYOR is pushing for a law to ban Islam – explaining that it is "the only solution for most of France's problems".

Robert Chardon, mayor of Venelles, a town in the south of France, tweeted: "We must ban the Muslim faith in France."

He called for the country to removal a secularism law dating back to 1905 – and instead "promote the practice of the Christian faith".

Chardon added: "We also need a Marshall Plan to send Muslims to countries where the religion is practiced." » | Tom Parfitt | Saturday, May 16, 2015

Luxemburger Regierungschef heiratet seinen Freund

Frischvermählt: Xavier Bettel (r.) mit seinem Mann
Gauthier Destenay

DIE WELT: Erst seit Kurzem erlaubt Luxemburg die Ehe auch für gleichgeschlechtliche Paare. Nun nimmt Regierungschef Bettel das neue Recht in Anspruch: Er gibt seinem belgischen Lebenspartner das Ja-Wort.

Luxemburgs Ministerpräsident Xavier Bettel (42) hat seinen Lebensgefährten Gauthier Destenay geheiratet. Das Paar trat am Freitagnachmittag nach der standesamtlichen Trauung vor das Rathaus der luxemburgischen Hauptstadt.

Es folgte ein Fotoshooting, anschließend wurde im privaten Kreis gefeiert. Die Eheschließung übernahm die Bürgermeisterin der Stadt, Lydie Polfer. In Luxemburg können sich homosexuelle Paare seit Anfang des Jahres das Jawort geben. Bettel und der belgische Architekt Destenay waren seit August verlobt, seit 2010 lebten sie in einer eingetragenen Partnerschaft. » | dpa/AP/mak | Freitag, 15. Mai 2015

Islamists Eat Your Bloody Hearts Out! Heidis Erben - Mein Vater ist ein Wandersmann / Wo ist die Kokosnuss

Slain Charlie Hebdo Editor's Lover Releases Book Criticising Islamists' Treatment of Women

The partner of slain Charlie Hebdo editor Charb, Jeannette Bougrab

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Jeannette Bougrab, ex-lover of Charlie Hebdo editor Charb, claims her dead partner's entourage cut her out because her Right-wing credentials didn't fit his image as a Leftist "womanising bachelor"

Jeanette Bougrab, the ex-lover of slain Charlie Hebdo editor Charb, has released a book criticising Muslim countries’ treatment of women and Islamists who brandish the Prophet Mohammed's marriage to a child as sanctioning child brides.

Ms Bougrab, 41, a minister of Algerian origin in the previous administration of conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy, also hit back at the entourage of Charb, whose real name was Stéphane Charbonnier, saying they had excommunicated her after his death because she was a Right-winger.

In Maudites (Cursed), out on Wednesday, Ms Bougrab wrote about what she says is the misfortune of many girls born in Muslim countries, from Yemen to Pakistan. She paid tribute to a series of women including her mother, Zohra Trari, who was forcibly married at 13, abused, and today has terminal cancer.

“Is it blasphemy to say we should move away from the archaic practices of seventh century Arabia?,” she asked, referring to the Prophet Mohammed’s marriage to Aisha, adding that she has no intention of dropping her fight for secularism and women’s rights. Charlie Hebdo was targeted by Islamists after publishing front page cartoons depicting the Prophet. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, May 15, 2015

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Gets Death Penalty in Boston Marathon Bombing

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

THE NEW YORK TIMES: BOSTON — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sat stone-faced in a federal court here on Friday as a jury sentenced him to death for setting off bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured hundreds more in the worst terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

The jury of seven women and five men, which last month convicted Mr. Tsarnaev, 21, of all 30 charges against him, 17 of which carry the death penalty, took more than 14 hours to reach its decision.

In reaching its decision, the jury found that Mr. Tsarnaev had shown no remorse for actions, and it rejected the defense argument that his older brother, Tamerlan, had brainwashed him into joining in the bombings.

It was the first time a federal jury had sentenced a terrorist to death in the post-Sept. 11 era, according to Kevin McNally, director of the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project, which coordinates the defense in capital punishment cases.

Prosecutors portrayed Mr. Tsarnaev, who immigrated to Cambridge, Mass., from the Russian Caucasus with his family in 2002, as a coldblooded, unrepentant jihadist who sought to kill innocent Americans in retaliation for the deaths of innocent Muslims in American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. » | Katharine Q. Seelye | Friday, May 15, 2015

Nicolas Sarkozy's #NSDIRECT Twitter Q&A Backfires Wildly

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's bid to harness the power of Twitter backfires when his #NSDIRECT account is flooded with spoofs and a call by a fellow Right-wing mayor to ban Islam in France

Nicolas Sarkozy’s bid to engage with public via a Twitter chat backfired wildly on Friday after his account flooded with trolls and a Right-wing mayor dropped an unwanted bombshell by calling for Islam to be outlawed in France[.]

The communications team of France’s former president and current leader of the centre-Right UMP opposition thought it would a good idea to spruce up his image by asking the public to pose questions via Twitter, ahead of a key party conference on May 30.

However, it appears they got more than they bargained for when the #NSDIRECT hashtag - where Twitter users were told to pose their questions - was inundated with tens of thousands of spoof questions, jokes and cartoons - many of them unflattering to say the least. » | Henry Samuel | Friday, May 15, 2015