Thursday, May 24, 2012

Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/24/2012

Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/24/2012Belgian health minister Laurette Onkelinx was upset when the visiting deputy health minister of Israel refused to shake hands with her. He represents the haredi Torah Judaism party, whose orthodoxy forbids touching members of the opposite sex.

In other news, about 15,000 Muslims will be at this weekend’s 37th annual convention of the Islamic Circle of North America in Hartford, Connecticut. The main topic of discussion at the meeting will be how to defend freedom of religion and thereby counter Islamophobic opponents of sharia.

To see the headlines and the articles, open the full news post.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Insubria, JP, Mary Abdelmassih, McR, Nick, Steen, TV, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

2 comments:

Qualis Rex said...

Regarding the Haredi, on the one hand I do not feel obligated to touch anyone, regardless of social context. If there is a Mohammedan (or anyone else) that I want to pay a token courtesy to I simply place my hand on my heart and give a slight nod. However, the Haredi was a minister and member/dignitary of the Israeli government visiting Belgium and should be mindful of local custom-- a reminder there are dangerous zealots to be found in all religions.

As an aside, when I, a Christian, was staying in Israel, I can assure you that no Jew (Haredi or otherwise) thought twice about asking me for documents/identification or invading my personal space.

Anonymous said...

Working for the police
Raped three women


The person in question no longer works for the Norwegian police, PST

This does not sound like a Norwegian policeman. There is a certain standard. Three rapes is a lot, in particular for somebody who has been trusted as a policeman. Something to do with culture? Diversity?