hat tip Rut A firm of Saudi Arabian lawyers has demanded that Danish newspapers apologise for re-printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. A firm of Saudi lawyers, purportedly acting on behalf of descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, has demanded printed and multi-lingual apologies from Danish newspapers who re-printed cartoons of the Prophet, as well as undertakings that all Internet pictures of the caricatures be removed in perpetuity. The demand from the Saudi Arabian legal firm of A.Z. Yamani, is contained in letters sent to about a dozen Danish editors-in-chief and gives the end of September as a deadline for compliance. The A.Z. Yamani firm was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia’s former Oil Minister from 1962 and until 1986 when he was summarily dismissed. The letter in question was sent by his lawyer son Faisal Yamani. MinistriesThe Danish Newspapers Association said at the weekend that it plans to contact the Danish foreign and justice ministries to discuss the issue after finding out exactly how many newspapers had received the letter in question. Some Danish newspapers re-printed one of the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed as an illustration in connection with the police discovery of plans to murder Kurt Westergaard, a cartoonist who originally produced one of the caricatures. Front pageDemands in the letter from the Yamani lawyers require newspapers who reproduced the cartoons to print an unconditional apology in Danish, Arabic, French and English for having offended alleged descendants of the Prophet Mohammed, as well as undertaking never again to reproduce similar drawings or material. The demand includes a requirement that a front page reference to the apology must also be made. Newspaper AssociationThe Danish Newspaper Association says it doubts that newspapers will comply. »Everything has to be looked into and it is clear that we will be speaking with the Justice and Foreign ministries in a case like this – but first of all we have to get an overview of the situation«, says Newspaper Association Chairman Ebbe Dahl. But he adds that the Saudi legal firm’s demands are ‘clearly unacceptable’ and he is in no doubt that newspapers will stand fast. »It’s completely natural that media use the core of the issue when something like this comes up«, says Dahl referring to the murder plans.
 by Ryan Mauro Some updates on the Rifqa case: The court has decided that custody is not to be given back to her parents.
Rifqa’s lawyer is also saying that she was beaten by her father and brother and was sexually abused by her uncle back in Sri Lanka. Her father, who she claims threatened to kill her upon finding out about her conversion to Christianity, is tied to a radical mosque with Muslim Brotherhood connections. Stemberger said in the petition the Bary family’s mosque – Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Columbus – was home to Salah Sultan as “resident scholar” before being banned from the U.S. and “is known as a global terrorist who publicly advocates the killing of Americans and Jews.” The petition also claims Columbus is under investigation for U.S. operations of Al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America… …With regard to the alleged threat facing Rifqa in Columbus, Stemberger told the Witness, “The documentation shows that this is a mosque that has ties to extreme Muslim groups and terrorist activity. The CEO and spiritual leader is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood … a group that is actually banned in most Muslim countries because of how extreme it is.” Source: World Threats 
By Bassma Al Jandaly Dubai: All female staff at Dubai Bank, Muslim and non-Muslim, must wear a shailah (head scarf) and abaya (black cloak covering the whole body) starting this Ramadan, Gulf News has learnt. A memo sent to staff on Thursday says the bank has decided that all Muslim and non-Muslim female staff must wear a shailah and abaya. A Dubai Bank official who would not reveal his name said a memo was issued to this effect by the human resources manager, informing employees that starting from the first day of Ramadan all female employees must wear a shailah and abaya regardless of their religion. "Our bank is Islamic and must follow Sharia in all respects, which will satisfy our clients," he said. While the decision takes effect beginning first of Ramadan, it has become a rule and part of the dress code for female employees at all times. Gulf News contacted Dubai Bank on several occasions, but officials would not comment on the memo. Read more ...Source: Gulf NewsDubai Bank
Latest recipient of the Distinguished Islamofascist Award
One of the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations is worming its way toward a seat at the UN Security CouncilBy W. Thomas Smith, Jr. Though barely registering a blip in Western media this week, there have been several reports – primarily throughout a variety of Middle East media – that Lebanon may well be a candidate for membership (though non-permanent) on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). According to several publications this week, Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh says the UNSC membership would comply with a “contract” between members of the Arab League and the rotation of seats in the UNSC every two years, adding that the Arab League “has supported Lebanon's application.” Read more ... Source: FSM
 By Dr. Walid Phares The release by Scottish authorities of convicted Libyan intelligence agent Abdel Baset al-Megrahi from prison has created one of the most negative emotional reactions in the United States and other countries. Moved by anger toward the injustice displayed by Scottish authorities to the families and survivors of the victims of the terror attack against Pan Am Flight 103, Americans and large segments of international public opinion are infuriated by the freeing of the convicted terrorist, even under the so-called Scottish legal values based on compassionate release due to terminal illness. These exceptional stipulations, when applicable, are designed for criminal cases where one person killed another individual under complex circumstances. A sudden terminal illness is perceived as enough punishment by nature or the divine to grant a severely conditioned release to the family, without any affront to justice and pain to the survivors of the victim. But that is one thing. Granting freedom to a terrorist who murdered hundreds of innocents civilians bound on an airplane is something that no Scottish, British, American, or international legal value permits. The statements made by Scotland’s minister of justice should not stand in this case. This was no regular murder. This was a mass murder, and compassionate release can only be granted by the survivors of the victims, and should have been legally considered by the national legislatures in Britain and the United States. Read more ...Source: FSMScottish Government
Latest recipient of The Dhimmi Award
By David Pryce-Jones In a world where the strident demands of Islamic extremists capture the media’s attention, the courageous protests of Muslim reformers barely receive any notice. These include a surprising number of women who are prepared to challenge institutionalized persecution, risking derision, arrest, physical harm, and even death.
In this inspiring compilation of Muslim women’s stories from around the world, the voices of these long-oppressed women ring loud and clear as they question ideology and culture, patriarchal and religious beliefs, and demand the social and political rights women lack in many Muslim countries. The reformers speak out with passion, humanity, and sometimes humor in these compact and often poignant biographies, bringing alive the harsh realities for women in many parts of the world.
By surveying a wide range of Muslim reformers, not only in the Middle East but also in Europe and North America, author Ida Lichter uncovers some significant emerging trends. For example, she notes that the majority of Muslim feminists would like to see reform contained within Islam. Many criticize their patriarchal culture for suppressing egalitarian views that they believe the Koran expresses and so they advocate a reinterpretation of the holy text. Some demand changes to discriminatory Sharia-based laws. Others campaign openly for political and educational reforms.
Complete with a glossary and a list of helpful Web sites, this vibrant anthology makes use of reliable translations from original languages to demonstrate the groundswell of grassroots change that promises eventually to bring even the most conservative sectors of Islam into the twenty-first century. Source: Prometheus Books
 By David J. Rusin The ongoing saga of Rifqa Bary — the teenager who fled from Ohio to Florida, citing fears that her Muslim parents would murder her for becoming a Christian — has underlined the dangers associated with leaving Islam. A 2008 Islamist Watch article summarizes the problem: All major schools of Islamic jurisprudence stipulate that a sane adult male must be put to death for abandoning Islam, though varying interpretations persist on whether females should be killed or merely imprisoned. Many Islamic states outlaw apostasy and seven list it as a capital offense. However, freelancers such as angry relatives present the greatest danger to ex-Muslims, as Sunni and Shiite scholars largely agree that Shari'a empowers individuals to punish converts. This tradition has followed Muslims to the Western world. A related menace is that Islamists often employ accusations of apostasy as weapons against moderate Muslims. Given the perils faced by converts from Islam, such charges are meant to intimidate anti-Islamist Muslims into silence — or worse. Islamic scholar Khalid Durán was an early Western target; in 2001 a Jordanian cleric deemed him an apostate following an attack on one of his books by CAIR. Two recent events indicate that Islamists continue to use similar tactics against those whom Durán would term "critical Muslims": - Taj Hargey — a British imam who has opposed the niqab, endorsed the marriage of Muslim women to non-Muslim men, and promoted gender equality in mosques — won a lawsuit in April against the Muslim Weekly, which had asserted that he belongs to a splinter sect whose members are considered by Islamists to be apostates. (On a side note, last year the same paper apologized for defaming Daniel Pipes.) Hargey lamented that "iconoclastic thinkers, liberals, and non-conformists who dare to challenge this self-assumed religious authority in Islam by presenting a rational or alternative interpretation of their faith are invariably branded as apostates, heretics, and non-believers."
- Souad Sbai, an Italian MP and prominent activist for Muslim women's rights, went to court in June to testify against a man charged with appealing for her death. "I have heard very bad things about you and you have thus been exposed as a Christian," he wrote. "The claim by Akrane is an accusation of apostasy," Adnkronos International reported, "which under Islamic law calls for the death penalty, which can be carried out by any Muslim at any time." Sbai also criticized anti-terrorism police for "underestimating the 'Islamic value' of his words."
Why do Islamists label Durán, Hargey, Sbai, and other moderates as apostates? Because they fear them. We must respond by working not only to protect anti-Islamist Muslims from violence, but also to support and amplify their vital message of reform. Source: Islamist Watch
 Par Jeff Diamant La mosquée Dar-ul-Islam située à Elizabeth est le fer de lance d'une assemblée nationale de prière qui se tiendra le mois prochain à Washington, DC. Selon les organisateurs, il s’agit du premier événement du genre – l’organisation de la prière pour des dizaines de milliers de musulmans sur la colline du Capitole. Il n’y aura pas de discours politiques ni de pancartes, juste la prière, a déclaré Hassen Abdellah, président de Dar-ul-Islam et le principal organisateur de l'événement, prévu pour le 25 septembre.
«La plupart du temps, les musulmans qui se rendent à Washington le font pour protester contre un événement quelconque », a déclaré Abdellah. « Il ne s'agit pas ici d'une manifestation. La communauté musulmane n’a jamais prié pour l'âme de l'Amérique sur la colline du Capitole. Nous sommes Américains. Nous devons changer le visage de l'islam afin que les gens ne pensent pas que tous les musulmans voient l'Amérique comme « le grand Satan », car nous aimons l'Amérique. »
Abdellah a dit s'attendre à ce que 50.000 personnes se présentent, en provenance de mosquées à travers le pays, mais que les non-musulmans sont également les bienvenus. Environ 400 personnes de sa propre mosquée viendront. Sa mosquée collecte des fonds pour aider à payer le coût de l'événement, qui devrait dépasser les 200 mille dollars. Lire la suite...
Source: New Jersey News (traduction par Poste de veille)
 The Afghan government desperately needs to attain legitimacy from the recent poll to counter the effects of out-governing by the Taliban, a leading analyst says. Dr David Kilcullen, a former Australian army officer and adviser to former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, says the Taliban remain deeply unpopular, but the Afghan government is very corrupt. "I often ask Afghans 'if someone stole your goat or bicycle, who would you go to?' - they never say the police. They laugh at the idea of going to the police," Dr Kilcullen said in an address to the National Press Club. "They say the police would just beat you up for bothering them, but if you go to the Taliban, you will get it back - it might have blood on it, but you'll get it back." The counter-insurgency expert says what is needed from the recent poll is a legitimate government that Afghans believe has been fairly elected. "If you don't have a legitimate local Afghan government to support, then you don't have a counter-insurgency campaign," he said. "The most critical thing in the campaign right now is how this election plays out." Read more here,,,, Source: ABC Online
 Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, has said much of Africa's violence is due to foreign meddling, pointing the accusing finger at Israel. Gaddafi, who is also chairman of the African Union (AU), was speaking on Monday at a special summit of the group, which is coinciding with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought him to power. Israel is "behind all of Africa's conflicts", Gaddafi told about 30 African leaders gathered under a huge tent at Tripoli airport.
"As African brothers, we must find solutions to stop the superpowers who are pillaging our continent," he said. He demanded the closure of all Israeli embassies across Africa, describing Israel as a "gang" and saying it uses "the protection of minorities as an excuse to launch conflicts".
Israel has acknowledged operating what it called a forward policy in Africa between the 1960s and 1980s, intervening in wars in Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan. Gaddafi claimed that a Darfur rebel group had opened an office in Tel Aviv while its leader lives under French protection, a reference to Abdelwahid Mohammed Nur, the head of the Sudan Liberation Army who lives in exile in Paris, France. Al Jazeera's Amr El-Kahky, reporting from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, said: "Libya is portraying itself as opening up, but it is still holding to the same principle: which is anti-Israel feeling, and that is what we have heard from Colonel Gaddafi today, saying that people - the African nations - should shy away from the Israelis because they are the ones behind all the African problems." Read more here,,,, Source: Al Jazeera (English)
 Germany and France on Monday reinforced a call for Iran to respond to concerns about its nuclear program in September or face tougher sanctions, and said they wanted wide international agreement on those measures. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed to a Group of Eight leaders' agreement in July to reevaluate their position on Iran at a G-20 summit in late September. President Barack Obama has set a Sept. 15 deadline for Iran to respond to US overtures about negotiating over its nuclear program. "Initiatives must be taken during the month of September which take account of Iran's will or otherwise to cooperate," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said after meeting Merkel. If it does not, he said, "Germany and France will be united in calling for a strengthening of sanctions." "Iran should know that we mean this very seriously," Merkel said. Teheran "must not again let the deadline elapse at will," she added. Merkel last week urged Iran to stop its nuclear program and return to negotiations in September, or risk facing stiffer sanctions "in the energy, financial and other important sectors." Read more here,,,, Source: JPost
 By Jeff Diamant A mosque in Elizabeth, Dar-ul-Islam, is spearheading a national prayer gathering next month in Washington, D.C., that organizers are billing as the first event of its kind — organized prayer for tens of thousands of Muslims outside the U.S. Capitol building. The event will not include political speeches or placards, just prayer, said Hassen Abdellah, president of Dar-ul-Islam and a main organizer of the event, which is scheduled for Sept. 25. A permit from the Capitol Hill police, granted July 28, allows access to the area by the West Front of the Capitol building from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 25, but the main gathering will occur at 1 p.m., for the Friday prayer service. Abdellah said he expects 50,000 people to attend, from mosques around the country, though non-Muslims are welcome, too. About 400 people are expected from his own mosque, which is raising money from donors to help pay the cost of the event, expected to surpass $200,000. The gathering will occur by the site where presidents have been inaugurated since 1981. In fact, it was President Obama’s words at his inauguration in January, and then his speech in Egypt in June, that led Abdellah and an area imam, Abdul Malik, to begin discussing the idea, Abdellah said. “For the first time in my lifetime,” Abdellah said, “I heard someone of his stature speaking about Islam and Muslims not in an adversarial sense, but in the sense of being welcome and acknowledging we are integral citizens in the society — that we’re gainfully employed, we’re educated.” Read more here ...
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