If anyone wants a change from the Jihad, take a look at the story about the speeding Swedish models. In fact, if you’re a guy, you may want to do an image search on the young ladies’ names…Thanks to Abu Elvis, Amil Imani, C. Cantoni, Conservative Swede, Fausta, Henrik, Insubria, JD, Kahane Loyalist, TB, and all the other tipsters who sent these in. Headlines and articles are below the fold.
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Leftists: Obama’s Useful Idiots
by Amil Imani
A major problem with Obama is that there are as many different versions of Obama as there are leftist pundits and there are legions of them.
Another reason why Obamamania in engulfing this nation is because he is all things to all pundits. Even a cursory study on Mr. Obama’s past will reveal his abnormal body of contradictions and even outright deception. It is a fact that over the years a clique of masses on the left have been heavily indoctrinated with selective teachings that promote anti-Americanism, a love for socialism, hostility toward capitalism and free enterprise.
This bombardment of indoctrination combined with a siege mentality that creates the cradle of socialism which generates a fury of hatred , has the potential of devouring America. If only the far left Useful Idiots could purge the negative aspects of their dogma and practice the positive teaching of diversity, our community would be at peace with one another. This is the question. Is that possible or are we headed for the clash beyond the ideas?
The raw material for ideas and beliefs reaches us through the senses. The brain takes the massive barrage of input and attempts to organize it and incorporate it in an orderly fashion, a monumental task that is taken for granted until something goes seriously wrong. Relatively minor glitches in the working of the mind, such as misunderstanding, misperception, and making poor decisions, occur daily and may not present serious problems. Over time, however, even these minor glitches in the mind, caused by faulty input, poor processing or both, can add up and significantly compromise its integrity.
To make matters worse, a vociferous clique of local leftists with a suicide wish are doing all they can to take the country with them to the grave they so earnestly seek…
| — Hat tip: Amil Imani | [Return to headlines] |
Melanie Phillips: “is America Really Going to Do This?”
Obama thinks world conflicts are basically the west’s fault, and so it must right the injustices it has inflicted. That’s why he believes in ‘soft power’ ‘ diplomacy, aid, rectifying ‘grievances’ (thus legitimising them, encouraging terror and promoting injustice) and resolving conflict by talking. As a result, he will take an axe to America’s defences at the very time when they need to be built up. He has said he will ‘cut investments in unproven missile defense systems’; he will ‘not weaponize space’; he will ‘slow our development of future combat systems’; and he will also ‘not develop nuclear weapons,’ pledging to seek ‘deep cuts’ in America’s arsenal, thus unilaterally disabling its nuclear deterrent as Russia and China engage in massive military buildups.
McCain understands that an Islamic war of conquest is being waged on a number of diverse fronts which all have to be seen in relation to each other. For Obama, however, the real source of evil in the world is America. The evil represented by Iran and the Islamic jihadists is apparently all America’s fault. ‘A lot of evil’s been perpetuated based on the claim that we were fighting evil,’ he said. Last May, he dismissed Iran as a tiny place which posed no threat to the US — before reversing himself the very next day when he said Iran was a great threat which had to be defeated. He has also said that Hezbollah and Hamas have ‘legitimate grievances’. Really? And what might they be? Their grievances are a) the existence of Israel b) its support by America c) the absence of salafist Islam in the world. Does Obama think these ‘grievances’ are legitimate?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Brit Police to Get Handheld Fingerprinting Devices
LONDON (AP) — British police are getting a new weapon in their arsenal- handheld fingerprinting machines. Twenty forces across England and Wales are already testing the technology and other British police forces will get the machines within the next 18 months, the National Policing Improvement Agency announced Monday.
Civil rights groups, however, warned against using the tool to expand what is already the world’s largest surveillance database.
Britain has some of the most extensive surveillance powers in the world and has become a leader in what critics call “Big Brother” techniques ranging from secret listening devices to the more than 4.3 million closed-circuit cameras in operation.
The mobile fingerprinting devices allow officers to check identities within 5 minutes. The fingerprints will then be compared against the national police database, which holds information on nearly 8 million people and can interface with Interpol on international suspects, according to policing agency spokesman Valentine Murombe-Chivero.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Cop: Speeding Swedish Models ‘Drive Like Real Men’
Two buxom Swedish models have sparked a debate about the country’s traffic policing policies after they managed to escape fines despite admitting to driving twice the legal speed limit.
The incident in question took place last summer as photo models Anna Uhrdin and Andrea Felldin were driving home to Norrköping at 4:30am from a work assignment in Eskilstuna in central Sweden.
The pair are among Sweden’s most well known models, with Felldin having both posed partially clothed for the Swedish men’s magazine Slitz, as well as Playboy in the United States.
According to an account of the ordeal written by Felldin on her blog, she was asleep in the back seat while Uhrdin was at the wheel driving 140 kilometres an hour in a zone with a speed limit of 70 kilometres an hour.
“I awoke hearing Anna scream, ‘Shit! A damn cop!’ I saw a police car behind us and had a feeling we were screwed,” wrote Felldin.
While Uhrdin slammed on the brakes, Felldin estimated that the vehicle was still traveling 20 to 30 kilometres an hour too fast as the police car pulled up alongside.
“We see him laugh and give us a little wink. Great I thought, there go my earnings for the night,” Felldin wrote.
But much to the models’ surprise, the officer kept on driving instead of pulling them over.
Uhrdin and Felldin thought they’d avoided a traffic citation until a short time later when the police car pulled up once again as the two enjoyed a cigarette at the side of the road.
“But he stops and rolls down the window…checks out me and Anna. I’m still dressed in my work clothes…a short skirt and very low-cut chemise, half see-through,” wrote Felldin.
Flustered, Felldin immediately blamed Uhrdin for the reckless driving, to which the police officer responded, “I have to say you drive like a real man,” according to Felldin’s account.
Chuckling, the officer said he understood that sometimes “people are in a bit of a hurry at this time of night when they want to get home to bed”.
Felldin then agreed to pose for a quick photo with the officer before he drove off.
“I think Anna and I learned a lesson, but it was really nice of the police officer in any case…many thanks!” wrote Felldin.
While Felldin thought the speeding incident was behind her, a recent rediscovery of the matter by the Swedish press has sparked debate about the police officer’s behaviour in the case.
“This may be a case of professional misconduct,” said Norrköping police commissioner Torbjörn Pettersson to the Corren newspaper.
A lawyer with the Östgöta police department in Norrköping added that the fact that the officer’s car wasn’t equipped with a radar gun doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have issued a ticket to the models.
“There are many different ways to measure speed, said John Zacharias to the newspaper.
He continued by pointing out that police officers are supposed to be impartial, but that there’s no rule against being friendly.
“It’s not prohibited to behave nicely, quite the contrary. But it shouldn’t mean that you assess things differently,” said Zacharias.
In a new blog post following the Swedish press reports, Felldin said she regrets posting her description of the event and maintains that the reason she and Uhrdin weren’t issued tickets was due to a lack of hard evidence.
“I write my blog for my friends and acquaintances. I want to apologize to the police officer in question and to all the police in Östergötland,” she writes.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Danes Used Crappy Spying Tactics on Khrushchev
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service sifted through Khrushchev’s toilet contents for signs of illness, claims a new book
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service (FE) had some crappy assignments back in the 1960s according to a new book, detailing events of Danish spying during the Cold War.
In ‘Spionerne Krig’ (The Spies’ War’), Hans Davidsen-Nielsen describes the bizarre surveillance operation that FE undertook during Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Copenhagen in 1964. Intelligence operatives gathered the waste and urine from Khrushchev’s hotel toilet to investigate claims that he was seriously ill.
The Soviet leader’s visit came just six months after the assassination of President Kennedy, and following a tip from American intelligence agents about the health of Khrushchev, the Danes decided to put their operation into effect.
Khrushchev was staying in a luxury suite at the SAS Royal Hotel during his June visit. With the help of some ingenious plumbing, FE managed to ensure that the contents of his toilet would be stored for later inspection by the intelligence service.
Shortly after his return to the USSR, the Soviet leader was ousted from his position by his eventual successor Leonid Brezhnev, among others. The Kremlin cited his poor health at the time as one of the reasons for his forced resignation.
However, thanks to the unusual investigation by the Danes, Peter Ilsøe of FE was able to tell international intelligence colleagues at a Paris conference in November 1964 that this was not the case.
‘With reference to Khrushchev’s illness, as you might know, we made a special effort during his visit to clarify the state of his health….We reached the conclusion in June, taking his 70 years age into account, that he was in no way displaying signs of advanced hardening of the arteries,’ Ilsøe said at the time.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Courts Cleared to Deal With Family and Divorce Disputes as Government Endorses Sharia
Islamic courts will be able to decide how a Muslim couple divide their money and property and who gets the children
Islamic courts have been cleared to deal with family and divorce disputes.
Sharia tribunals will be able to decide how a Muslim couple divide their money and property and who gets the children.
The sole proviso from Jack Straw’s Justice Ministry is that a formal law court must rubber-stamp the ruling.
This would be in the form of a two-page form sent to a judge sitting in a family court. The divorcing couple would not need to attend.
The decision follows nine months of controversy over the role of tribunals run according to Islamic strictures.
In February, Downing Street slapped down the Archbishop of Canterbury when he suggested the rise of sharia law seemed ‘unavoidable’.
But in July, Lord Phillips, who has since retired as Lord Chief Justice, said sharia principles could be the basis for resolving family and business disputes.
Muslim ministers have warned that sharia should not have an official role because it accords unequal status to men and women.
Giving more weight to evidence from men could hand them a greater share of property and enhanced custody rights…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: the Strange Islamist/Communist Alliance
By Lorenzo Vidino
In June 2005 David Kaplan reported on US News about Ten Euros for the Resistance/Iraq Libero, a campaign led by an odd collection of European (mostly Italian, German and Austrian) “Marxists and Maoists, sprinkled with an array of Arab emigres and aging, old-school fascists,” to raise money for the “Iraqi resistance.” While never raising big sums, the informal network was active in organizing meetings and setting up stands in various European cities. The story generated quite a bit of attention and in the following weeks 44 members of Congress sent a letter to Italy’s ambassador to the United States, expressing “concern” about the Ten Euros campaign. Moreover the network’s main website was shut down and a few addresses in Italy were raided.
Almost two years later, the Iraq Libero network is more than active and last weekend it organized a conference in Chianciano, a charming Tuscan town. The main organizers are the Committees for the Support of the Resistance for Communism (CARC), whose website shows various anti-American initiatives. In the communiqué announcing the Chianciano conference, the CARC express “our determination to support, with the resources at our disposal, the resistance of the popular masses in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon against the aggressions of the imperialists of the USA and of any other country.”
Among the speakers in Chianciano, beside self-proclaimed leaders of the Iraqi resistance, we find Hamza Piccardo, the Secretary General of the UCOII (Unione delle Comunità e Organizzazioni Islamiche in Italia), the Italian branch of the international Muslim Brotherhood network. Addressing an audience filled with Communist militants, Piccardo gave a powerful and telling speech. “The young Muslims of Europe,” said the 55-year-old UCOII leader in a speech broadcasted by Italian TV, “can be companions of street and of struggle and we saw it in a remarkable way in France, two years ago. Those that set on fire 36.000 cars in a few days. This is a strength that immigrant communities have in them, their demographic strength, their courage. With this strength, with these youths, we must interact. Anti-Imperialism is in them.”
Piccardo’s speech seems that of a Communist leader, rather than that of the leader of one of Italy’s most important Muslim organization. An explanation can be found in Piccardo’s past involvement in the militant Communist underworld. Before his conversion to Islam in 1975, Piccardo had been a member of Autonomia Operaia, one of Italy’s most radical leftist formations during the 1970s. Piccardo, like other UCOII members that come from the radical left, dreams of a fusion of Communist and Islamist ideologies, with anti-capitalism, anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism as the glues for this odd marriage. The UCOII case is not an isolated example of the alliance between far left and radical Islam in Europe. Another notorious example is Respect, the unlikely political formation borne out of the alliance between the Brotherhood-linked Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and fringe leftist groups headed by George Galloway. The phenomenon needs to be monitored, as the repercussions for both the security and the social cohesion of Europe can be serious.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Mortgage Crisis: Noyer, Banks Not Recapitalised for Fragility
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, OCTOBER 21 — The injection of 10.5 billion euro into the most important French banks is not aimed at “rectifying defects or weaknesses” in the six financial institutions which are “solid and profitable” but are “not immune to the crisis”, declared Christian Noyer, Governor of the Bank of France, the day after the government announced the massive recapitalisation of the banks Credit Agricole, BNP Paribas, Societé Generale, Caisse d’Epargne, Credit Mutuel and Banque Populaire. Different, he said, from the case of Dexia in which “public recapitalisation was absolutely necessary”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mortgage Crisis: Housing Credit Market Crashes in France
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, OCTOBER 22 — The housing credit market has crashed to a level not seen before in France, after it fell by 26.3% in the third quarter compared to the year before, due to restrictions in offers by the banks. Over one year the fall is 16.4% in volume of loans. The Observatoire Credit Logement reported the figures, remarking that the market had fallen to the lowest level ever in the country. The federation of building promoters (FPC) Jean-Francois Gabilla said that the fall in sales of new houses in the third quarter was between 40 and 50%, due to the difficulty in obtaining credit and the increase in the cost of money. “The third quarter marks a sharp speeding up in the deterioration of credit agreements where the drop was 11% in the first quarter” said the author of the report, economist Michel Mouillart. The document also shows that 70.3% of average interest rates are over 5% compared to only 0.1% in 2006. According to Mouillart the fourth quarter “has started very badly with a speeding up of the fall in credit from the beginning of the crisis in mid-September”. His predictions for the whole of 2008 are a fall of between 20 and 225 in the value of credit, “not seen since the creation of these statistics in 1974”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mortgage Crisis: USA Summit,Sarkozy Supports Spanish Presence
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, OCTOBER 22 — Nicolas Sarkozy will support the participation of Spain in a world summit on the international financial crisis. In a phone conversation — reported sources from the French government — Sarkozy, temporary EU president assured Spanish premier, José Luis Zapatero: “Spain has its place in the summit, taking into account its influence on the world economy”, communicated the French presidency. Yesterday Zapatero asserted the presence of Spain in the meetings, underlining that the country is the “eight largest economic power”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mortgage Crisis: Almunia, Opportunity to Impose EU Model
(ANSAmed) — MADRID, OCTOBER 27 — Current economic trends have to serve so “the United States recognise that they cannot dictate rules in a unilateral way” and Europe “has a magnificent opportunity to demonstrate that our ideas and our economic and social model are able to open the doors for the future”. This was stated today by the European Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia in an on-line interview with the readers of El Pais, saying that he is sure that “the economic system will change” and that these changes “have to open the door to a better governance of the global economy and the creation of more solid foundations for future economic growth”. Stressing that “lower costs of financing are necessary”, the EU Commissioner said that he was contrary to “interest rates falling to negative levels”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: RNW Launches Arabic Radio Programmeby Nicolien Den Boer
27-10-2008
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is launching an Arabic radio programme called ‘Huna Amsterdam’ (This is Amsterdam calling). The Arabic department is venturing into a thick jungle of satellite and radio stations with its programme of daily news and current affairs. Nevertheless, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) believes it has something to add to the media landscape.
The Arabic media landscape has changed considerably since the 1990s. Government-controlled state radio and television has made way for hundreds of border-crossing satellite stations such as al Jazeera and al Arabiyya: an enormous boost for press freedom in the Middle East. Nevertheless, these satellite stations are also struggling with the limitations placed on press freedom and the need for self-censorship, as they are often financed by Arab governments.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Mourners Seek Lessons From Ibrahim Murder
The day after his funeral, friends and family of Ahmed Ibrahim are still wondering why the 23-year-old was stabbed to death in a Stockholm suburb and why the case has drawn such limited attention.
black Audi in front of Karolinska University Hospital.
Two other victims were stabbed in what police are calling a brawl which erupted in the Stockholm suburb of Kista.
Seven suspects ages 16 to 25 are in custody as police continue their efforts to piece together the events which led to Ibrahim’s stabbing.
“We still don’t know why it happened or why it ended so tragically. The suspects have told us what they were up to, but each one remembers things differently,” said police spokesperson Mona Johansson to the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper.
Those who knew Ibrahim, a skilled footballer who played for Djibouti’s national side, are at a loss to explain how the popular figure from Stockholm’s predominantly immigrant suburb of Husby, known affectionately as “Romario” in honour of the Brazilian star, died under such tragic circumstances.
“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not even the guys that murdered him wanted to kill him, that’s why they drove him to the hospital,” said Abdulkadir Kasim to the Aftonbladet newspaper following Ibrahim’s funeral, which drew around 1,000 mourners to the Råcksta cemetery northwest of Stockholm.
Childhood friend Arian Albazi also remembers Ibrahim warmly, and is puzzled as to why his case hasn’t received the same attention as the October 2007 beating death of 16-year-old Riccardo Campogiani.
The Campogiani case was headline news for weeks, sparking massive demonstrations in Stockholm as well as a nation-wide debate about how to address youth violence.
And while Ibrahim’s case has received more media attention than many other stabbing deaths, Albazi wonders if his late-friend’s immigrant background might have devalued Ibrahim’s death relative to Campogiani’s, who hailed from the posh Östermalm district of central Stockholm.
“There were big headlines back then,” he told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper, referring to the time of Campogiani’s death.
“Why? Aren’t all young people’s lives of equal value, regardless of where they live? Every time a young person loses his life in this way, the media ought to stress its importance so that politicians understand that you can’t keep cutting back on funds for children’s and youth activities in absurdum.”
Another childhood friend, Paolo Noscimento, echoed Albazi’s sentiment that the loss of Ibrahim should serve as a wake-up call about the need for sufficient funding and quality teachers in area schools.
“Politicians need to understand that schools need more resources. And most of all they need teachers like we had, who dared to take off their gloves, who taught us discipline, who were engaged and unafraid,” he told the DN.
Said Ali, who played on the Atletico Husby football team with Ibrahim, emphasized the scope of his friend’s loss.
“He wasn’t just taken away from his family, or Husby, but he was taken away from a whole generation,” he told Aftonbladet.
Despite the low-level of attention Ibrahim’s case has garnered in the press thus far, his teammates and friends are vowing to honour their slain companion’s memory by arranging an anti-violence demonstration as well as a memorial football tournament.
Nevertheless, Ace Billefält, an administrator from the Reactor youth centre in Husby, says that many members of the community are sceptical as to whether the tragedy of Ahmed Ibrahim will generate the same kind of attention as Campogiani.
“They’re asking themselves whether anyone will care. Or whether it’s simply the case that out here people like Romario can die without society getting engaged or even taking notice,” he told SvD.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Worries That the London Olympics Might Offend Muslims
Over the years the United Kingdom has made a habit of catering to Muslims more than any other group of people in the UK. Some extraordinary examples of this are giving Muslims special housing with toilets that face away from Mecca and kitchens that are specially designed for halal cuisine . The UK has refurbished prisons by making sure that the toilets do not face Mecca…
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Why No One Protested Against Germany’s Biggest Mosque
The biggest mosque in Germany opened in the city of Duisburg on Sunday and has already become a symbol of successful integration. Unlike other mosque projects in Germany, there was virtually no protest from the local community.
The tent next to the mosque in the Marxloh district of Duisburg, an industrial and mining town in the Ruhr region of Germany, can accommodate 3,500 people but it wasn’t big enough for the crowd that turned out on Sunday.
Thousands of Duisburg citizens had to stand outside to witness this historic day on a giant public viewing screen. The biggest mosque in Germany has been opened and it includes a meeting center for the whole district — an unprecedented project in Germany…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Euromed: Quintieri, Barcelona Failed, Relaunch Objectives
(ANSAmed) — RENDE (COSENZA), OCTOBER 24 — If it is “certain by now” that “the objectives from Barcelona will not be realised in 2010”, it is “otherwise important that there be a further push towards a greater economic integration between Europe and the Mediterranean”: these objectives, in short, “should not be abandoned” but must have “more adequate and tools than in the past”. This is the opinion of Beniamino Quintieri, general commissioner of the Italian government for the 2010 Universal Exposition of Shanghai, speaking today in Rende, at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference for the non-profit sector to illustrate in detail the economic scenario of the relations between the two shores of the “common sea”. Starting from its beginning in 1995, the Euro-Mediterranean partnership with the ‘Barcelona process’, which planned by 2010 for the creation of a largest area of free trade in the world (40 countries with 400 million inhabitants), Quintieri underlined the disappointing results 13 years later: “In 2010 there will not be a free trade area — and some of the objectives will be pushed further ahead”. Add to say that “the free trade area would bring benefits to Europe, but even more so to the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean”. These countries, today, who even boast an average economic growth of 3pct annually, are being effected by a population growth that is impeding an increase of pro-capita wealth. Furthermore, even with low labour costs, western investments, mainly in terms of productive delocalisation, have taken other roads, like eastern Europe and Asia. And this is why in the southern Mediterranean countries “there is no market, there are no guarantees of commercial expansion for those who want to start businesses, there is no trade with neighbouring countries, a strongly discouraging aspect for companies that want to invest”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Med Union: Arab League as Active Member, Napolitano Says
(ANSAmed) — CAIRO, OCTOBER 27 — Addressing the General Council of the Arab League, an honour until now reserved solely to Brazil’s Lula Da Silva, Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano expressed his appreciation at the setting up of the Mediterranean Union, hoping also that the role of the Arab League as an active partner in all its activities would be fully recognised. Napolitano also said that the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians ‘‘is essential for the entire Middle East’’, that we must urgently find a solution and that ‘‘Europe is ready to do its part’’ by showing the same sense of initiative given proof of in the international financial crisis and the recent conflict in Lebanon. The EU, he added, will contribute by way of economic aid, mediation and ‘‘by its willingness to study any measure potentially suitable to encourage and support the bringing-in of agreements for those involved.’’ Arab countries would also be expected to back peace efforts with generosity and sizeable support.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Mediterranean Union: Water Conference in Jordan Postponed
(ANSAmed) — PARIS, OCTOBER 27 — The Euro-Mediterranean conference on water which was to have taken place on Wednesday in Jordan has been put off indefinitely due to “regional tensions between the Arab League and Israel,” upon the request of the Jordanian government. This was announced by sources at the French Ecology Ministry, which added that despite the annulment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo would travel to Amman anyway to meet with King Abdullah II. Israel is against the Arab League participation in the Mediterranean Union (UPM) meetings, the latter instead supported by member states of the Pan-Arab organisation due to “its central role in efforts for stability in the Mediterranean,” said Egyptian vice minister for Foreign Affairs and coordinator of the UPM Arab Group Fatima Ezzahraa. The Arab League has obtained a position as Med Union observer, but Israel holds the view that the organisation is “trying to kick us out of the Union”. The conference was one of the first initiatives of the Mediterranean Union, called for in the July 13 statement approved at the Paris summit for the founding of the UPM, jointly presided over by France and Egypt. It was to have taken place in Swaimeh on the banks of the Dead Sea, with the declared aim of setting down a framework for the long-term strategy for water resources exploitation in the Mediterranean, and of deciding on the first concrete projects to undertake. In particular, on the agenda of the conference there is the plan for a canal between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, which border on Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, called ‘The Peace Canal’. A meeting of Euro-Mediterranean foreign ministers, crucial for the UPM, is to be held in Marseilles on November 3-4 to decide on fundamental issues including the headquarters, composition and powers of the secretariat general, which will be in charge of handling UPM projects. Taking part will also be Arab League secretary general Amr Mussa, who said that he is “amazed that certain European countries take the Israeli point of view.” (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Books:International Fair in Algiers Starts Amid Controversy
(by Laura De Santi) (ANSAmed) — ALGIERS, OCTOBER 27 — More than 500 publishing houses from 23 countries are present at the International Book Fair (Sila) which got underway today in Algiers, but a block on the latest work by Mohamed Benchicou, prohibited by authorities while it was being published, risks tarnishing the fair, marked this year by the exclusion on 100 books, considered religiously “subversive”. The XIII edition of the Sila, inaugurated this afternoon by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, is dedicated to the theme “Tell me about a book!” and for the first time has a special space for children, the “readers of tomorrow”, explained the director of the expo, Mohamed Boucenna. “We want a healthy exposition — said Boucenna — even if it is possible for a few books to get by inspections”. Some books which “incite extremism do not have to come into Algeria”, said the Religious Minister, Bouabdallah Ghlamallah, cited by Liberté, explaining that “all of the publishing houses that want to be present on the Algerian market or at the Sila have to be authorised” by the inter-ministerial Commission for the inspection of religious texts. Among the books prohibited this year, revealed Echourouk who cited Algerian customs, “text that exalt Bin Laden and terrorism, that glorify the State of Israel, that damage the Muslim religion or promote Salafism or Wahhabism” but also “copies of the Koran with incorrect verses” and “books on sexuality”. Absent, but for all other reasons, “Journal d’un Homme libre” by Benchicou, who was already imprisoned for two years, officially for the “illegal transfer of capital”. If at the 2007 Sila the Inas publishing houses’ stand was closed and “Le Geoles d’Alger”, also by Benchicou, was seized, this year the Le Matin’s director’s book was blocked while it was still in the publishing phase. “I assume the responsibility of the ban, I wanted to avoid Benchicou from going to prison again”, declared the Culture Minister, Khalida Toumi, provoking bitter reactions from numerous international like Reporters san frontieres. The book, specified Toumi, was blocked for “the trivialisation of the colonial crimes”, “anti-Semitism”, and “offence to the honour” of individuals, among whom was the Interior Minister. Today, some Algerian newspapers wrote about a sudden change head of the International Library of Algeriàs, managed since 2002 by writer Amine Zaoui: according to some, Zaoui was reportedly substituted for having authorised the publishing of Benchicoùs book, for Liberté it was “the organisation of a conference by Syrian poet Adonis on the division between Islam and Institutions to have provoked protests, particularly by the association of Algerian Ulemas”. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Chaldean Bishop: Appeal for Mosul, Emptied of Christians
Urged by the appeal of Benedict XVI, Rabban Al Qas, bishop of Ammadiya and Erbil, asks prime minister al Maliki and the American forces to accept responsibility for the violence afflicting Christians, the result of an intolerant fundamentalism that has never been halted. A request to the Islamic world as well, that it condemn what is taking place in Mosul. Tomorrow in Erbil, a meeting of Chaldean bishops and of the Vatican nuncio.
Erbil (AsiaNews) — The situation in Mosul (in northern Iraq) remains incendiary. In just a few weeks, there have been 14 deaths and more than 10,000 Christians have left. The authorities are shuffling the responsibility to each other, while the carnage worsens. Rabban Al Qas, bishop of Arbil, has sent us this appeal, which we gladly publish. Meanwhile, the bishop also says that starting tomorrow, for three days, 12 Chaldean bishops will meet in Erbil together with the Vatican nuncio in Iraq to evaluate the situation.
Through the agency AsiaNews, I wish to call upon all men of good will, those who respect man, and all believers in God to forcefully condemn the crimes that are being perpetrated against the Christians in Iraq, and in particular those taking place in Mosul in recent days.
I have been encouraged by the appeal that the Holy Father Benedict XVI issued yesterday at the Angelus. The pope is the only one who is not forgetting us, and his words demonstrate how close we are to his heart.
His appeal yesterday also asked for a more decisive commitment on the part of “civil and religious authorities” to reestablish the rule of law and coexistence.
What is taking place in Mosul today is precisely a result of this immobility on the part of the state, together with a distorted, fanatical, and fundamentalist mentality.
This tragedy — which recalls the situation of the Christians in the early centuries — began immediately after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Thousands of Christians and Muslim Kurds have been driven out, killed, kidnapped, forced to leave Mosul. Less than one quarter of the former Christian population has remained.
Threats, sanctions, discrimination, blackmail, Islamic propaganda in the schools, slogans on the walls, have driven even the moderate Muslims to stop defending their Christian brothers from intolerance. Once they used to open their homes to the Christians; now, out of fear of fanaticism and terrorism, they do not even dare show that they are friends or acquaintances of Christians.
What is taking place in these days is the result of a long silence on the part of the Iraqi prime minister and of the government of Baghdad, which has been unable to stop the wave of violence against Christians. What is taking place in these days is their responsibility, without forgetting the responsibilities of the American forces and representatives of the United Nations. What is taking place in Mosul is happening right in front of their eyes: the terrorists are killing, placing bombs in homes and churches, driving out the Christians without the slightest effort by the authorities of Mosul to defend those whose only fault is that they are disciples of Jesus Christ.
In the face of this sad and terrible picture, I renew my appeal to Prime Minister al-Maliki, who has said that “Al Qaeda is responsible for all of this.” Instead, it is up to him, as the authority, to reestablish peace without shirking his responsibility toward the Christians. The constitution must recognize and ensure the rights of all, including the Christians. Until now, the only safe haven for Iraqi Christians has been the area of Kurdistan.
My appeal is also addressed to the Muslim world, that they may denounce what is taking place in Mosul, and so that love and respect of the other may make all men happier as they live in peace.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan: Amman; Police Launches Campaign Against Homosexuals
(ANSAmed) — AMMAN, OCTOBER 27 — Police authorities launched a crackdown campaign against homosexual men who gather in public places in Amman as part of official efforts to fight “immoral behavior,” a police source said today. Four gay men were arrested earlier this week after they were ambushed by secret service in a public garden in west Amman, the source was quoted by al Ghad Arbic daily today. “The men were each kept in solitary confinement at Jweideh prison, south Amman, in order to separate them from other prisoners to avoid sexual relation with other inmates,” said the police source. The four men, whose names were kept secret due to sensitivity of the issue in this tribal country, remain in prison without charges and authorizes refuse to release them on bail. Amman military governor, Saad Manasir vowed to continue the campaign “until all forms of sexual misconduct are ended.” The governor has the right to send citizens to prison for two months without charges “if he felt their freedom represents danger the society,” according to the Jordanian law. “Homosexuality is on the rise in Jordan and they have certain gathering areas as they look for a chance to practice immoral actions,” the police source was quoted as saying, as he indicated number of homosexuals is believed to be 600. Jordan’s law bans homosexuality and any man caught having sex with another man faces up to four years behind bars, but the law is rarely practiced. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Syria: Damascus Denounces USA Raid as ‘Terrorism’
(by Stefano de Paolis) (ANSAmed) — BEIRUT/DAMASCUS, OCTOBER 27 — “War crimes”, “terrorist aggression”, “political folly”: Damascus did not sugar coat its denouncing of yesterdays US helicopter raid from Iraq into Syrian territory, in which eight people died, but for Washington it was a ‘successful’ operation against al Qaida. Syrian reactions were almost immediate. Yesterday, a few hours after the attack, the official Sana press agency reported on the situation: 4 aircrafts arrived at the village of Sukkariya, 8 kilometres from the border, where a group landed and assaulted a building which was under construction. The action lasted only a few minutes and brought “eight civilians to martyrdom”. Shortly after, the same agency reported that the Foreign Minister called the US and Iraqi chargé d’affaires to make an official protest. This morning, crossfire from high officers and the official press: “While the Bush administration is getting ready to leave the White House, it seems to insist on committing political folly”, wrote the Baath newspaper, of the Baath political party. But the toughest reaction came from Foreign Minister Walid al Mouallim, who while in London, spoke about “terrorist aggression” causing the Foreign Office to cancel a joint press conference with British colleague David Miliband “because it would not have been appropriate”. Washington waited almost 24 hours to take a stance. In expectation, Iraqi spokesperson Ali Debbagh spoke to state that it was an action conducted against “terrorist groups against Iraq” and that Baghdad had asked Syrian authorities to hand over members of these groups who “utilise Syria as a base for their terrorist activities against Iraq”. Finally, in the evening, the American response arrived, through an anonymous source in the administration according to whom “the operation was a success”, because it allowed us to strike an important arms dealer tied to Al Qaida, Abu Ghaduya, who reportedly was killed. “When you have an important chance, you have to take it… particularly when yoùre talking about fighting against foreigners who enter into Iraq and threaten its armed forces”, said the source. But in Damascus, it was not just about criticising Washington. The official newspaper, Thawra, bitterly criticised Arab leaders, denouncing their “silence” and asking if this “encourages the forces of occupation and encroachment to committing bigger acts”. Also in this case, several hours were necessary until an official stance was taken by the Arab league in the afternoon, through its secretary general Amr Mussa, who expressed a condemnation “for these serious American violations of Syrian borders and sovereignty… which provokes tension in an already tense region”. Faster was the condemnation coming from Iran and Lebanon, as well as Russia while France asked that “full light” be shed on the affair. Finally, from London, a joint message from Minister Mouallim and Milliband, expressed his “regret” for civilian losses. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey: Only One-Fifth of Arab Capital Target Achieved
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, OCTOBER 21 — Turkey has failed to meet its goal of attracting USD 100 billion in Arab investment despite high hopes at the start of the year, Sedat Kutlu, president of the Turkish-Arab Businessmen’s Association’s (TURAB) advisory council, has said. Kutlu, s Today’s Zaman reports, stated that Turkey has managed to attract less than USD 20 billion from the oil-rich Arab countries to date this year, most of which came in the form of portfolio investments rather than foreign investment. Arab investors are one of the wealthiest sources of capital and are seeking a “safe haven” for investment, he said, adding that Turkish incentives and promotions must be increased during the campaign to lure Arab capital to Turkey in 2009. “If Turkey had established stronger relations with the Arab world, we could have been a hub of investment and commerce for the oil-rich countries,” he said. Kutlu maintained that Turkey failed to implement the incentives expected by Arab investors in 2008. “However, it is not too late. If we start to work for the coming year and implement incentives and promotions, we can easily attract USD 100 billion worth of Arab investment,” he added. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey’s Trade With Islamic Countries Reached USD 41.8 Bln
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, OCTOBER 22 — “While Turkey’s trade volume with Islamic countries was worth USD 15.4 billion in 2003, this amount rose to USD 41.8 billion in 2008.” So stated Turkish Foreign Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen. Speaking at the 12th Congress of the International Business Forum organized by the Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MUSIAD) in Istanbul, Tuzmen said that Turkey took important steps to not only develop bilateral relations but also to promote bilateral cooperation among Islamic countries. “Turkish investments in Islamic countries reached USD 8.5 billion as of March 2008. Our goal is to increase Turkish investments in Islamic countries, from Africa to the Middle East, from Central Asia to the Caucasus and the Far East,” Tuzmen said. “Turkey, today, has one of the strongest financial sectors in the world. However, this reality does not guarantee that we would not meet any difficulties,” Tuzmen added as reported by Anatolia news agency. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Turkish Minister Calls to Lift Trade Barriers With Muslims
(ANSAmed) — ANKARA, OCTOBER 27 — Turkey should create a free trade zone with the Muslim world and abolish all customs, said Minister of Foreign Trade, Kursad Tuzmen. The minister was speaking with reporters from the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Permanent Committee of the Organization of Islamic Conference (ISEDAK), in Istanbul to attend the 12th International Business Forum which ended in the weekend. “If we can accomplish this, trade between us will expand rapidly,” he added as Anatolia news agency reported. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Bali Attackers: for Islam, Are They Heroes or Criminals?
Conflicting opinions among Indonesian Muslims over the methods used by Amrozi and his companions to promote “holy war.” Some consider them “pioneers in the struggle,” while others call their act “disproportionate.” Their execution has been set for early November; growing alarm over security in the country.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) — Contrasting reactions among Indonesian Muslims to the news of the execution, set for early November, of the three people responsible for the massacre in Bali in 2002, in which more than 200 people died. If some of the fundamentalist Koranic schools celebrate the attackers as “heroes” and pioneers of the “holy war,” others define the attack as “a disproportionate response” to the oppression of the Islamic world, and stigmatize the killing of innocent people.
Last October 24, General Bambang Hendarso Danuri, Indonesia’s chief of police, confirmed that the elite police corps, which goes by the name of Brimob, is making final preparations to proceed with the execution of Amrozi, Imam Samudra, and Ali Gufron, Amrozi’s older brother, also known as Mukhias. “They will face the firing squad in early November,” says General Danuri, without giving an exact date. He also says that the three men have asked personally to have their bodies buried in their home town. For Amrozi and Mukhlas, that is in Lamongan in the province of East Java, and for Imam Samudra, in Serang, in the province of Banten.
General Danuri confirms that there has been a general reinforcement in security measures in the country; new “sensitive targets” are under observation, added to the places where there are American citizens or institutions, the possible targets of terrorist attacks. On October 21, the security forces stopped an attack on a large fuel depot north of the capital.
Amrozi’s relatives say they want to visit him “for the last time” at the maximum-security prison of Nusakambangan, in the district of Cilacap; Lulu Jamaluddin, Imam Samudra’s younger brother, reiterates his absolute innocence: “I strongly believe that the bombing attack was not done by them,” he says.
A growing number of Indonesian Muslims are speaking out in support of Amrozi and his companions. The students of the Islamic school Darusy Syahadah are expressing their solidarity, calling them “holy warriors.” “They are like us, they wanted to do good deeds,” says one 18-year-old student, Nawawi. Experts on terrorism explained that the Koranic school of Darusy Syahadah has long been a center for recruiting and indoctrination for Jemaah Islamiah, the Indonesian fundamentalist group connected to al Qaeda. Its graduates include Salik Firdaus, the suicide attacker who blew himself up in Bali in 2005, killing 20 people.
Experts on international terrorism emphasize, however, that the situation in the country is much more “complex and intricate,” and that support for the struggle advocated by Jemaah Islamiah has collapsed after the repeated attacks that have caused numerous deaths among civilians. In fact, many schools, although they support “holy war,” have come under the influence of the government policy aimed at “uprooting” terrorism, which has partly stemmed the bloodshed. The principal of the Darusy Syahadah Islamic school, Mustaquim, confirms that the motivations behind the suicide attacks are “noble,” but the “method” is wrong.
The Koranic school al-Mukmin, in Ngriki, founded by the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakar Bashir, is paying homage to the terrorists, but the opinions there are at odds. According to fundamentalist leader Bashir, the 2002 attack in Bali was the result of a “micro-nuclear” device planted by the CIA, because the bomb set off by Amrozi and his companions only “shattered glass and didn’t wound people, or at most wounded them a little.” But the headmaster of the school, Wahyudin, expresses a different opinion, calling the indiscriminate bombing attacks at bars and nightclubs on the island of Bali a disproportionate response to the global oppression of Muslims.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Nepal Fears Global Financial Crisis, Looks to China
So far, the tiny country has remained immune from the upheavals in the global economy. The Maoist government has not yet taken any measures to avoid repercussions on life in the country. But the fear is that the collapse of main donor countries will also drag Kathmandu into the crisis. The government counts on being supported by China.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) — The tiny country of Nepal is also trembling over the financial crisis. Scrunched between its gigantic neighbors, India and China, the country hopes to avoid being overturned by recent events that are shaking the global economy.
The government of Kathmandu has not yet approved any plan to address the situation. For now, the crisis has had no repercussions in Nepal, but the fear is that it could soon share in the fate of its neighbors. Economist Bishwambhar Pyakurel says: “So far our economic market is safe, especially, because of our small market in Kathmandu.” But, he adds, “we have no any measure to check this crisis. If the government doesn’t introduce certain policies, we will not remain untouched for long.”
Former minister of the economy Ramsharan Mahat also says that for now, “the fall in the global economy has littlue influence on Nepal.” The former director of the national economic planning commission, Jagadish Pokharel, is of the same opinion, but adds: “Most of the country’s plans depend on foreign economic donation and now our donors are themselves bankrupted. So, our development plans seem about to fail.” According to Pokharel, prospects could darken quickly: “We are not observing heavy impact now, but if such conditions remain for more than a week, our market is nowhere.”
One of the poorest countries on the planet, Nepal has a backward economy, based on farming and livestock. Industrial development is concentrated in the area around the capital. The Nepal stock exchange (Nepse) is a tiny market that has been regulated according to international standards for only 15 years (in the photo, Nepse personnel in 1995).
The current trade minister, Baburam Bhattarai, is confident that “world economic leaders will improve their condition, and we hope Nepal will not be influenced.” He sees the future of Nepal in relation to the markets of the country’s two gigantic neighbors: China and India. A member of the Maoist government in power since April of this year, the minister says that “until China falls hard, we can defend our country.”
The Nepse fell slightly this morning, by 0.5%. For now, right in the thick of the global crisis, the country continues to hold its breath in expectation that it will not be thrown into disarray, and in anticipation of encouraging signs from the Eurasian meeting underway in Beijing.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Orissa; I, Sr. Meena, Raped by Hindus While Police Stood Watching
The following is the statement that Sr. Meena Barwa read yesterday at the Indian Social Institute. Overcoming her shock and shame, the sister, two months after the incident and for the first time, agreed to speak about the violence and rape that she suffered at the hands of radical Hindus last August, accusing the police of Orissa of conniving with her attackers. Sr. Meena worked at the Divyajyoti pastoral center in K Nuagaon, in the district of Kandhamal (Orissa), together with Fr. Thomas Chellan, who was also mistreated and humiliated. Sr. Meena’s public statement was necessary because the police in Orissa are trying to cover up the case. Among the Hindu fundamentalists are some who say that the sister “consented” to sex.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) — Here is the complete statement by Sr. Meena Barwa:
On 24th August, around 4:30 pm, hearing the shouting of a large crowd, at the gate of Divyajyoti Pastoral Centre, I ran out through the back door and escaped to the forest along with others. We saw our house going up in flames. Around 8:30 pm we came out of the forest and went to the house of a Hindu gentleman who gave us shelter.
On 25th August, around1:30 pm, the mob entered the room where I was staying in that house, one of them stopped me on my face, caught my hair and pulled me out of the house. Two of them were holding my neck to cut off my head with axe. Others told them to take me out to the road; I saw Fr. Chellan also being taken out and being beaten. The mob consisting of 40-50 men was armed with lathis, axes, spades, crowbars, iron-rods, sickles etc.They took both of us to the main road. Then they led us to the burnt down Janavikas building saying that they were going to throw us into the smouldering fire.
When we reached the Janavikas building, they threw me to the verandah on the way to the dining room which was full of ashes and broken glass pieces. One of them tore my blouse and others my undergarments. Father Chellan protested and they beat him and pulled him out from there. They pulled out my saree and one of the stepped on my right hand and another on my left hand and then a third person raped me on the verandah mentioned above. When it was over, I managed to get up and put my petticoat and saree. Then another young man caught me and took me to a room near the staircase. He opened his pants and was attempting to rape me when they reached there.
I hid myself under the staircase. The crowd was shouting “where is that sister, come let us rape her, at least 100 people should rape.” They found me under the staircase and took me out to the road. There I saw Fr. Chellan was kneeling down and the crowd was beating him. They were searching for a rope to tie us both of us together to burn us in fire. Someone suggested to make us parade naked. They made us walk on the road till Nuagoan market which was half a kilometer from there. They made to fold our hands and walk. I was with petticoat and saree as they had already torn away my blouse and undergarments. They tried to strip even there and I resisted and they went on beating me with hands on my cheeks and head and with sticks on my back several times.
When I reached the market the market place about a dozen of OSAP policemen were there. I went to them asking to protect me and I sat in between two policemen but they did not move. One from the crowd again pulled out from there and they wanted to lock us in their temple mandap. The crowd led me and Fr. Chellan to the Nuagaon block building saying that they will hand us over to BDO. From there along with the block officer the mob took us to police outpost Nuagaon, other policemen remained far.
The mob said that they will come back after eating and one of them who attacked me remained back in the police outpost. Policemen then came to police outpost. They were talking very friendly with the man who had attacked me and stayed back. In police outpost we remained until the inspector in charge of Balliguda with his police team came and took us to Balliguda. They were afraid to take us straight to the police station and they kept us sometimes in jeep. In the garage, from there, they brought us to the station. The inspector in charge and other government officers took me privately and asked whatever happened to me. I narrated everything in detail to the police, how I was attacked, raped, taken away from policemen paraded half naked and how the policemen did not help me when I asked for help while weeping bitterly. I saw the inspector writing down. The inspector asked me “are you interested in filing FIR? Do you know what will be the consequence?” At about 10:00 pm I was taken for medical check-up accompanied by a lady police officer to Balliguda Hospital. They were afraid to keep us in police station, saying the mob may attack police station. So the police took us to the IB (Inspection Bungalow) where CRP men were camping.
On 26th August around 9:00 am, we were taken to Balliguda police station. When I was writing the FIR, the IIC asked me to hurry up and not to write in detail. When I started writing about the police, the IIC told me “this is not the way to write FIR, make it short”. So I re-wrote it for the third time in one and half page. I filed the FIR but I was not given a copy of it.
At around 4:00 pm the inspector in charge of Balliguda police station along with some other government officers put us in the OSRTC bus to Bhubaneswar along with other stranded passengers. Police were there till Rangamati where all passengers had their supper. After that I did not see the police. We got down near Nayagarh and traveled in a private vehicle and reached Bhubaneswar around 2:00 am on 27th August.
State Police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers. They tried their best that I did best that I did not register an FIR, not make complaints against police, police did not take down my statement as I narrated in detail and they abandoned me half of the way. I was raped and now I don’t want to be victimized by the Orissa police. I want CBI enquiry.
God bless India, God bless you all.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Sister Raped in Orissa Accuses Police of Being “Friendly” Toward Rapists
For the first time, after almost two months, the religious testifies in public to the violence she suffered at the beginning of the fundamentalist Hindu attacks in the district of Kandhamal.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) — Facing the public after two months of silence, Sister Meena Barwa, who was raped by Hindu fundamentalists last August 25, read a statement calling for justice. Sister Meena, 29, was one of the first victims of the pogrom against the Christians launched by radical Hindu groups in Orissa almost two months ago. In addition to accusing her attackers, the religious, under a great deal of stress and in tears, also accused the police of being too “friendly” toward her rapists.
Sr. Meena Barwa, of the Servite religious order, worked at the Divyajyoti pastoral center in K Nuagaon, in the district of Kandhamal, together with Fr. Thomas Chellan (cf. Orissa: after his calvary Father Thomas willing to go back to serve those who hurt him). The sister was born in the district of Sambalpur, and took her final vows last April. Last August 25, together with the priest who worked at the center, she was seized, beaten, stripped naked, and paraded around the village. At one point, the fundamentalists wanted to burn her alive together with the priest. Instead, they raped her. Only much later, at night, after the beating and mistreatment continued, were the two freed by the police.
The press conference took place at the Indian Social Institute. Together with the sister were some women and the bishop of Bhubaneshwar, Raphael Cheenath, and Fr. Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman of the Indian bishops’ conference. Sr. Meena had a shawl wrapped around her head and face, leaving only an opening for her eyes so that she could read her statement.
The sister recalled that the police did not believe what she told them, and even advised her not to file a report on the violence. “They tried their best to keep me from registering a formal investigation request. I was raped, and now I don’t want to be victimized by the Orissa police. I want an investigation.”
The testimony of Sr. Meena confirms many of the testimonies gathered in recent months, about the lack of neutrality on the part of the police, and their connivance or silence in the face of violence by Hindu fundamentalists. The sister noted that the police were “were friendly with the attackers,” and even warned her about the consequences a filing a complaint. “I narrated everything in detail to the police, how I was attacked, raped, taken away from policemen, paraded half naked and how the policemen did not help me when I asked for help while weeping bitterly . . . They were afraid to keep us at the police station, saying the mob might attack the police station.”
Archbishop Cheenath comments: “I want the people who are involved in the crime to be brought to light, and for justice to be done for Sr. Meena.”
The sister’s testimony was necessary because until now, she had not wanted to work with the police, who had wanted her to identify her attackers from among nine people arrested over the incident. Sr. Meena, who has been living in a state of great distress for two months, had refused because she did not trust the attitude of the security forces.
Archbishop Cheenath says: “The sister has has lost her faith in the Orissa police, so she is not interested in assisting them in the investigation.”
The investigatory group has said that it is ready to identify the attackers, whether they are in Orissa or outside of it.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Philippines: South of Country Haven for Foreign Militants, Says Official
Jakarta, 28 Oct. (AKI/The Jakarta Post) — Scores of Indonesian and Malaysian extremists remain in hiding in the southern Philippines, a Filipino anti-terror squad officer said recently.
Philippine National Counter Terrorism Action Group (Nactag) chairman Arturo Lomibao said that foreign militants remained a major threat to the region, referring in particular to foreign militants visiting the Indonesian Bali bombing fugitive, Umar Patek, in Mindanao.
The 2002 Bali bomb attacks occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali.
“I think he’s right that there’s still trafficking taking place,” International Crisis Group senior advisor Sydney Jones told Radio Australia, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Tuesday.
“It’s much less than it has been in previous years, but it’s clear there are still people finding their way to the Philippines from Indonesia,” she said, adding that the newcomers do not pose a threat to the Philippines albeit their links to radical Muslim groups.
However, there have yet to be any on the ground reports of incoming foreign terrorists, army spokesman Major Eugene Batara said.
“So far we haven’t monitored any movements of militants coming from Indonesia or Malaysia, but our people are monitoring the movements of those who are already here in southern Mindanao,” he said.
According to local intelligence reports, around 60 foreign militants are currently hiding out in the southern Philippines.
The Bali bombing attack was the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people, 164 of whom were foreign nationals. A further 209 people were injured.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Islamists Stone to Death Somali Woman in Public
Somali Islamists have stoned to death a woman accused of adultery in the first such public killing by the militants for about two years.
The 23-year-old woman was executed late on Monday in front of hundreds of people in the southern port of Kismayu, which the Islamist insurgents captured in August, witnesses said.
Guards opened fire when a relative ran forward, killing a child, they said.
“A woman in green veil and black mask was brought in a car as we waited to watch the merciless act of stoning,” one local resident, Abdullahi Aden, told reporters.
“We were told she submitted herself to be punished, yet we could see her screaming as she was forcefully bound, legs and hands. A relative of hers ran towards her, but the Islamists opened fire and killed a child.”
The Islamists last carried out public executions when they ruled Mogadishu and most of south Somalia for half of 2006.
Allied Ethiopian and Somali government forces toppled them at the end of that year, but they have waged an Iraq-style guerrilla campaign since then, gradually taking territory back.
As when they ruled Mogadishu in 2006, the Islamists now controlling the Kismayu area are again providing much-needed security, but also imposing fundamentalist practices such as banning entertainment seen as anti-Islamic.
Relatives of the woman executed in Kismayu, whom they named as Asha Ibrahim Dhuhulow, said she was unfairly treated.
“The stoning was totally irreligious and illogical,” said her sister, who asked not to be named. “Islam does not execute a woman for adultery unless four witnesses and the man with whom she committed sex are brought forward publicly.”
Islamist leaders at the execution said the woman had breached Islamic law. They promised to punish the guard who had shot the child in the melee around the execution.
“We apologize for killing the child. And we promise we shall bring the one who opened fire before the courts and deal with him accordingly,” one unnamed Islamist leader told the crowd.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Immigration: 218 Arrive in Lampedusa, 1,700 in Centre
(ANSAmed) — ROME, OCTOBER 28 — In the past hours just under 300 non-EU citizen migrants have landed in Sicily. The largest landing was on the island of Lampedusa, where a large boat with 218 migrants on board (18 of which are women), entered the port, without having been detected before by sighting systems. With this arrival, the situation of the immigration Centre on the island is again critical, even if 50 migrants have been transferred to Porto Empedocle on a ferry boat, while in the evening another 90 were transferred on a flight. Last night the 57 migrants — among which were 5 women — landed in Portopalo di Capo Passero, near the city of Siracusa. They were on a 12 metre dinghy that set sail from a central African port. After the arrival of the police, the arrival of police and the inter-force group to oppose clandestine immigration of the Siracusa public prosecutor’s office, three Somalis were stopped between 22 and 24 years of age, believed to be the human traffickers. The three suspects were taken to prison while the other 54 non-EU citizens were transferred to a temporary stay centre in Cassibile. (ANSAmed)
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Immigration: ‘Group of 4’ Could Expand to Spain
(ANSAmed) — VALLETTA, OCTOBER 28 — The Italian-Maltese proposal to form the ‘Group of Four’, that is to involve Italy, Malta, Cyprus and Greece as a common front in Brussels in order to heighten the European Union’s awareness of problems in the Mediterranean, could extend to include Spain. So said the Maltese Interior Minister, Carmelo Misfud Bonnici, at the end of the visit to Malta by his Italian counterpart, Roberto Maroni. “Every voice from the Mediterranean would be important during negotiations in Brussels to keep our agenda regarding the problems that afflict the region a priority, starting with that of illegal immigration”, Minister Mifsud Bonnici said. After Cyprus’ ok to the Italian-Maltese proposal, Minister Misfu Bonnici will be in Athens on Thursday to discuss the issue with his Greek counterpart, Prokopis Pavlopoulous, while a meeting of all four is already being talked about for Rome in a few weeks. In the meantime, Bonnici will meet the Spanish Interior Minister in Madrid in the next couple of days. (ANSAmed).
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Deported Romanians ‘Finding Safe Haven in Spain’
Madrid, 28 Oct. (AKI) — Dozens of Romanian citizens who have been deported from Italy have moved to the outskirts of Spain’s capital Madrid, Spanish police claim.
According to Spanish daily ABC, Romanians have recently begun arriving in Spain by bus and settling in Canada Real and San Sebastian de los Reyes, areas traditionally inhabited by Spaniards and Moroccans.
The report does not specify whether the Romanians that moved to Spain are mainly of Gypsy ethnicity.
In early October, Italy’s Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said that Roma Gypsies have left the country and gone to ‘permissive Spain’.
“We thought there were 120,000 (Roma Gypsies in Italy). There are fewer. Many of them have gone to the more permissive Spain of Zapatero,” said Maroni, referring to Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
At least 70,000 Roma Gypsies are Italian citizens, and many others come from European Union countries such as Romania or from countries of the former Yugoslavia.
Meanwhile, the Romanian government has been desperately trying to lure Romanian migrants to return to their country, due to a chronic shortage of labour, especially in the construction sector.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Luther City Revisits the Reformation
Martin Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation in the German city of Wittenberg 500 years ago. But, today, only 10 percent of its population is Protestant. Church leaders have launched a major drive to change that — but have come up against the city’s communist past.
It’s impossible to walk through Wittenberg, also known as “Luther City,” without stumbling across reminders of Martin Luther. There’s the “Luther oak,” then Luther Street, which leads to the Luther House. Along the way are restaurants offering a “Luther menu” (choice of meat or fish) and a travel agency touting a tour boat named after the city, which couples can book for their weddings. The bars serve Luther beer; the bakery has Luther bread. There’s a huge memorial to Luther in the main marketplace. And the city is crawling with guides decked out in long frocks à la Luther. The city has been completely Lutherized…
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Man Sends Livni a Diamond Ring
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni received a rather unusual gift this week — a diamond ring sent to her by a Canadian man.
The package, sent to Livni’s office by FedEx, included an 18 carat gold ring crowned with a diamond, a photo of the sender, Quebec resident Laurent Belanger, and a handwritten note on his personalized stationary saying, “I am aware of what I’m doing.”
Initially Livni’s security guards approached the package with caution, for fear that it may have contained an explosive device. Upon opening the package, the guards were surprised to discover a ring placed on a cushion in a tin box.
The authenticity of the diamond itself has not been verified, and the note enclosed provided no explanation as to what the gift meant, but Livni’s associates believe it could have been some sort of marriage proposal.
After seeing the gift, Livni, who is married with two children, told her staff to thank the man for the gift, but to send it back to him.
| — Hat tip: Abu Elvis | [Return to headlines] |
Cinema: Story of Pakistani Child Slave to Become a Cartoon
Tehran, 28 Oct. (AKI) — The story of Iqbal Massih, the murdered Pakistani boy who became a symbol in the fight for children’s rights, is being turned into an animated cartoon. Production will begin soon on ‘The story of a Boy who had no Fear’, an animated cartoon to be created by Frenchman Michel Fuzellier and Iranian Babak Payami. The film will be produced by France and Canada and is expected to be released in 2010.
Backed by UNICEF, it will be based on the Italian children’s book written by Francesco D’Adamo called ‘The Story of Iqbal’ and is expected to be released in 2010.
Iqbal was a Pakistani boy sold to the carpet industry as a child slave at the age of four. He was forced to work twelve hours a day and at the age of 10, he escaped and later joined the Bonded Labour Liberation Front of Pakistan to help stop child labour around the world.
Iqbal is reported to have helped over 3,000 Pakistani children in bonded labour escape to freedom and gave talks about child labour all around the world.
But a rebellion led by 12-year-old Iqbal in 1995 cost him his life. He was believed to have been murdered by members of the so called ‘Carpet Mafia’ because of the negative publicity he created for the child labour industry.
Some locals were accused of the crime, however.
In 1994, Iqbal was awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award. In 2000, he was posthumously awarded The World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child.
D’Adamo’s book tells Iqbal’s story, narrated by Fatima, a child who worked with him at the carpet factory.
In the animated cartoon dedicated to him, Iqbal wins his battle and flies to New York to speak to the United Nations against this new form of slavery.
“The film will not be tear-jerker about the exploitation of child workers and on the lives of little slaves,” Payami told Adnkronos International (AKI).
“In our version, set in an imaginary eastern country, we will emphasise the right of children to happiness, even if their world is bitter-sweet.”
Much has been written about Iqbal, his humanity and awareness and his high expectations of childhood. In his brief but rich life, he made a dramatic impact on children’s rights.
The film will be made with traditional methods and designs mixed with innovative 3D in which all the images are created almost like a sculpture or work of architecture or mechanical engineering.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Eastern Christians, Victims of Intolerance and Cruel Violence, Says Pope
Benedict XVI launches a fresh appeal on behalf of the Church in Iraq and India so that Christians can be guaranteed, not privileges, but the dignity of living in and working for their own country. He calls upon civilian authorities “to spare no effort” to uphold the law, and calls on religious authorities to take “explicit” steps of friendship towards Christians. He mentions his upcoming plans for Africa in 2009. He mentions a Franciscan missionary, martyred in China.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) — In referring to the Bishops’ Synod on the “Word of God in the life and mission of the Church” Benedict XVI dedicated his last remarks to the situation of persecution of the Church in Iraq and India. Speaking before the Angelus prayer in front of tens of thousands of pilgrims who had gathered in St Peter’s Square he made his own the appeal launched two days ago by the patriarchs of Eastern Churches at the end of the Synod, reminding the international community, religious leaders and every man and woman of good will “about the tragedy that is being perpetrated in every country of the East, where Christians are victims of intolerance and cruel violence; killed, threatened and forced to abandon their homes and wander the land in search of refuge. [. . .] I am thinking especially about Iraq and India.”
“I am certain that the ancient and noble populations of these nations have learnt through centuries of respectful coexistence to appreciate the contribution made by the small but hard-working and skilled Christian minorities to the development of their common homeland. They do not ask for privileges; they only want to continue to live in their own country alongside with their fellow countrymen and women, as they have always done.”
In Iraq and India, violence appears to be spreading also because of the silence and inaction of political authorities. For this reason the Pontiff said: “I call upon the concerned civilian and religious authorities to spare no effort so that legality and civil coexistence be restored and honest and loyal citizens count on an appropriate level of protection by government institutions. I hope that those in charge of civil and religious affairs, cognizant of their role as leaders and as a reference for the populations, can take significant and explicit steps of friendship and consideration towards Christian and non-Christian minorities, and make it a point of honour to defend their legitimate rights.”
Benedict XVI also mentioned his future plans for Africa, to which he had already alluded during the Mass celebrated a few hours earlier in St Peter’s Basilica, at the end of the Synod.
“In October of next year the 2nd Special Assembly of the Synod for Africa will take place in Rome. Before that, God willing, I shall travel to Africa in March, visiting Cameron first, where I shall hand over the Synod’s Instrumentum laboris to the continent’s bishops. Afterwards I shall be in Angola for the 500th anniversary of the evangelisation of the country.”
By way of conclusion the Holy Father said: “I entrust the hitherto mentioned suffering as well as the hopes that dwell in our hearts, in particular for the African Synod, to the intercession of the Holiest Mary.”
Following the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI greeted the pilgrims in various languages. In Italian he mentioned the faithful of Velletri-Segni, who came with Bishop Mgr Vincenzo Apicella to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Servant of God Father Ginepro Cocchi, Minor Friar, priest and missionary to China, where he died, faithful to Christ, in 1939.”
“May Father Ginepro’s example,” noted the Pope, “always be for you an incentive and a courageous witness of the Gospel.”
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Iran: Tehran Protests Against Italian Support for Dissident
Tehran, 27 Oct. (AKI) — Iran on Monday issued a formal protest to the Italian government for supporting the People’s Mujahadeen Organization of Iran, a resistance movement banned in Iran. The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s protest came after the leader of the dissident movement , Maryam Rajavi, visited the Italian capital, Rome, on Thursday to appeal for support. “We have expressed our protest through diplomatic channels to say that the sectarian and terrorist nature of MKO (the name used by Iran to describe the PMOI) has not changed,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi, quoted by official Iranian news agency Irna.
Rajavi’s visit coincided with a crucial legal victory that could see her resistance group legitimised. She is the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the political wing of the PMOI.
A European Union court ruled in Brussels on Thursday that European governments illegally froze the funds of the Iranian opposition group with which she is affiliated.
According to Irna, the PMOI “is recognised as a terrorist group for many cases of bombings, killings and attacks against civilians and government officials.”
Irna also claimed that the group is well-known for collaborating with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to suppress the Iraqi Kurds.
Qashqavi also said that the PMOI was responsible for killing over 12,000 Iranians, Kurds and Iraqi Shias and was still considered a terrorist organisation by the Iranian government.
“The western intelligence agencies have massive information about the MKO’s (or PMOI’s) crimes and cannot claim that it has gone through any change,” concluded Qashqavi.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Middle East: Bin Laden Writing Book, Sources Say
Dubai, 27 Oct. (AKI) — Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is writing a new book, ‘Nidal’, as a response to “negative propaganda and insufficient information” about the terrorism network, citing unnamed Pakistani sources.
The book, whose title means ‘Struggle’, comes as Al-Qaeda’s success in Iraq is dwindling and just days before the United States presidential election in early November.
According to various media reports, Bin Laden (photo) is reported to be writing the book in Arabic with the help of a young man with a Middle Eastern background who will translate the text into English.
“‘Nidal’ looks at the atrocities committed against Muslims by the West and how the Crusaders have harmed world development with their objective of boosting the West’s global influence that ultimately helped the United States to seize the Muslim world’s oil reserves,” said pan-Arab daily, Al-Quds al-Arabi.
The book also holds the US responsible for the present global financial crisis and claims to shed light on Al-Qaeda’s evolution and the 11 September 2001 attacks on US cities.
Websites close to Al-Qaeda have not yet confirmed the imminent publication of ‘Nidal’ but many of Bin Laden’s followers are expecting a new message from him to mark the US presidential polls on 4 November like he did in 2004.
Jihadist websites, notably al-Hesbah — one of the most widely used jihadist sites — are backing the Republican Party’s candidate John McCain in the hope that a win by McCain in next month’s ballot will boost Al-Qaeda’s war with the US.
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Mossad Spied on Jörg Haider
THE ISRAELI secret service spied on Jörg Haider, the right-wing Austrian populist, using one of his closest aides to gather information on his contacts with Arab dictators. Peter Sichrovsky said that he had been a Mossad informant for five years until retiring from politics in 2002.
“I wanted to help Israel and certainly did not do anything wrong,” said Herr Sichrovsky who was secretary-general of Herr Haider’s Freedom party and a member of the European Parliament. The Austrian state prosecutor said yesterday that he would open an investigation to determine whether Herr Sichrovsky should be prosecuted. Spying for a foreign power carries a jail sentence of up to three years in Austria.
The revelations, in the news weekly Profil, stunned the Austrian political class. Herr Sichrovsky, who is of Jewish origin, was a controversial figure for the conservative Right. The Jewish community regarded him as a traitor for working with Herr Haider, while anti-Semitic Freedom party activists made no secret of their distrust.
The Freedom party became a member of Austria’s governing coalition in 1999, prompting a diplomatic boycott by the European Union. Herr Haider had publicly praised the SS and Hitler’s employment policies. Israel withdrew its ambassador.
Herr Sichrovsky was supposed to help Herr Haider to make peace with the Jewish community. But at the same time the Israeli secret service was anxious to know what Herr Haider was up to.
“I was certainly not a James Bond,” said Herr Sichrovsky, now a businessman concerned with military co-operation between Israel and China. “It’s true, though, that I co-operated with Mossad until my withdrawal from politics in 2002.”
Herr Haider had extensive contacts with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, and enjoyed a close friendship with one of the dictator’s sons. “Israel wanted to use Haider as a bridge to Arab countries with which it did not have official contacts,” Herr Sichrovsky said…
| — Hat tip: Henrik | [Return to headlines] |
Movie Planned on Life of Prophet Mohammad
DUBAI (Reuters) — A movie drama about the life of the Prophet Mohammad is to go into production soon, and will be only the second English-language film of its kind ever made, its producers said on Monday.
“The Messenger of Peace” will be a remake of Moustapha Akkad’s “The Message,” a 1977 Hollywood classic starring Anthony Quinn which is often applauded by Muslims as an example of how commercial Western cinema can respect Islam.
“We have only the utmost respect for Akkad’s work but technology in cinema has advanced since the 1970s and this latest project will employ modern film techniques in its renewal of the first film’s core messages,” producer Oscar Zoghbi, who worked on the original, said in a statement.
Akkad, the Syrian-born executive producer of Hollywood’s “Halloween” horror films, was killed in a suicide bomb attack by al Qaeda on a luxury hotel in Jordan’s capital Amman in 2005.
In the original “Message,” the Prophet and his companions were heard speaking off-camera but never directly shown, in accordance with Muslim conventions forbidding their visual depiction.
Portrayals of Mohammad have triggered anger in recent years. Danish cartoons of him ignited protests, some deadly, by Muslims in many countries in 2006. The offices of a British publisher were attacked in September over a novel about the Prophet’s child bride.
“In the 21st century there is a real need for a film that emotionally engages audiences on the journey that led to the birth of Islam,” the statement quoted the film’s scriptwriter Ramsey Thomas as saying.
A spokesman for the producers said in an email to Reuters that details of the funding and production of the planned film would be released “in due course.”
The events of the Prophet’s life took place mainly in Mecca and Medina, Islamic holy cities in modern Saudi Arabia.
| — Hat tip: TB | [Return to headlines] |
Opposition to “Obsession”
[Video]
The movie Obsession is being distributed free of charge; naturally this annoys some people. In this interview Wayne Kopping defends his documentary and talks of a planned sequel.
| — Hat tip: Kahane Loyalist | [Return to headlines] |
Sources: Sarkozy Views Obama Stance on Iran as ‘Utterly Immature’
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama’s positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel’s government.
Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France. But according to a senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate’s stance on Iran as “utterly immature” and comprised of “formulations empty of all content.”
Obama visited Paris in July, and the Iranian issue was at the heart of his meeting with Sarkozy. At a joint press conference afterward, Obama urged Iran to accept the West’s proposal on its nuclear program, saying that Iran was creating a serious situation that endangered both Israel and the West.
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According to the reports reaching Israel, Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country’s policy toward Iran, that would be “very problematic.”
Until now, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have tried to maintain a united front on Iran. But according to the senior Israeli source, Sarkozy fears that Obama might “arrogantly” ignore the other members of this front and open a direct dialogue with Iran without preconditions.
Following their July meeting, Sarkozy repeatedly expressed disappointment with Obama’s positions on Iran, concluding that they were “not crystallized, and therefore many issues remain open,” the Israeli source said. Advisors to the French president who held separate meetings with Obama’s advisors came away with similar impressions and expressed similar disappointment.
According to the Israeli source, Sarkozy plans to begin intensive negotiations with the new American administration, regardless of whether it is headed by Obama or Republican Sen. John McCain, even before the new president takes office in January, with the goal of persuading him to continue the current policy on Iran…
| — Hat tip: Fausta | [Return to headlines] |
The German Question
By George Friedman
“In one sense, Merkel’s reasons for her stance are simple. Germany is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas. If the supply were cut off, Germany’s situation would be desperate — or at least close enough that the distinction would be academic. Russia might decide it could not afford to cut off natural gas exports, but Merkel is dealing with a fundamental German interest, and risking that for Ukrainian or Georgian membership in NATO is not something she is prepared to do.
[…]
The German move is not just about natural gas, however. Germany views the U.S. obsession with NATO expansion as simply not in Germany’s interests.
First, expanding NATO guarantees to Ukraine and Georgia is meaningless. NATO and the United States don’t have the military means to protect Ukraine or Georgia, and incorporating them into the alliance would not increase European security. From a military standpoint, NATO membership for the two former Soviet republics is an empty gesture, while from a political standpoint, Berlin sees it as designed to irritate the Russians for no clear purpose.
Next, were NATO prepared to protect Ukraine and Georgia, all NATO countries including Germany would be forced to increase defense expenditures substantially. This is not something that Germany and the rest of NATO want to do.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Germany spent 1945-1992 being the potential prime battleground of the Cold War. It spent 1992-2008 not being the potential prime battleground. Germany prefers the latter, and it does not intend to be drawn into a new Cold War under any circumstances. This has profound implications for the future of both NATO and U.S.-German relations.
[…]
Everything in German history has led to this moment. The country is united and wants to be secure. It will not play the role it was forced into during the Cold War, nor will it play geopolitical poker as it did in the first and second world wars. And that means NATO is permanently and profoundly broken. The German question now turns into the Russian question: If Germany is out of the game, what is to be done about Russia?”
| — Hat tip: Conservative Swede | [Return to headlines] |
1 comment:
Bali Attackers: for Islam, Are They Heroes or Criminals?
That this question even arose is positive proof of Islam's complete and total moral bankruptcy.
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