Swiss minaret ban condemned by Vatican

The comment by a Vatican spokesman followed criticism from across Europe.

On Sunday voters in Switzerland voted yes to a referendum which bans the building of minarets on top of mosques used by the country's small Muslim minority.

Earlier on Monday the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said he was "scandalised" by the Swiss decision and said it represented a "show of intolerance" by France's neighbour.

He said it was a "negative" move because banning the construction of Muslim mosque towers amounts to "oppressing a religion".

He told France's RTL radio: "I hope that the Swiss will go back on this decision rather quickly."

Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as anti-Islamic.

In staunchly secular France, legislators are holding discussions that could lead to a ban on the burka - the face-covering Islamic veil.

Telegraph

Australian Jews condemn Israel's attack on Gaza

January 06, 2009

MORE than 100 Australian Jews have condemned Israel's invasion of Gaza, describing the action as "inhuman" and "abominable."

They include two authors and a former federal minister.

"We are Australian Jews who join thousands in Israel and around the world condemning ongoing Israeli military attacks on Gaza," the signatories said in a statement today.

"Together with Israeli peace group Gush Shalom, we condemn the current war as 'inhuman, superfluous' and 'abominable."'

The group, which includes the Australian environment minister from 1972-1975 Moss Cass, novelists Linda Jaivin and Sara Dowse and Australian Greens politician Ian Cohen, acknowledged Israel's right to protect itself.

But it said rockets launched from the Palestinian territory into Israel could not be used to justify the "grossly disproportionate military assault on Gaza," saying Israel had violated a fragile truce with Hamas in November.

The group said the Israeli attacks would not bring about peace.

"On the contrary, the assault on the population of Gaza will only inflame hatred of Jews and of the state of Israel while doing nothing to protect the lives of Israelis," they said.

"Above all, it will undermine the prospects of joining with peace-seeking Palestinians to negotiate a lasting, just solution to the conflict."

The signatories called for an immediate end to the attacks on civilians by Palestinians and Israelis.

The statement was rejected by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council as ill-informed and indifferent to Israel's suffering.

About 84,000 Australians, accounting for 0.4 percent of the population, identified themselves as Jewish in the 2001 census.

Source: The Australian

Hypocrisy in Action

Source: Middle East Online

Time for the Silent Muslim Majority to get Vociferous

The terrible tragedy that befell Mumbai last week when terrorists took over luxury hotels, a Jewish center and a number of other popular sites in India's commercial capital causing mayhem and death, is beyond comprehension to any sane mind.

How can one even begin to try to understand such senseless butchery? It matters not what religion the attackers claim to represent, because in reality, those who carried out the heinous acts of cowardice have only one religion, death, and one aim, destruction, and one political agenda, the demise of democracy.

Religion is supposed to be about love, whereas these cold-blooded assassins who brought havoc and destruction to Mumbai, were motivated by unadulterated hate. The attackers killed more than 183 innocent people and wounded several hundred more. Show us the pages in the Koran justifying such blind violence. There can be no glory in shooting at unarmed women and children. Read more ...

Source: Middle East Times

Mumbai: What's Islam Got To Do With It?If Muslims want to prove Islam is peaceful, here's one concrete action they can take.

By Robert Spencer

"Unfortunately, we have yet to see a distinguished popular condemnation in the traditional Arab or Muslim communities that strongly rejects what is happening in the name of Islam"

Who said that? What Islamophobe dared to call into question the sincerity or adequacy of Muslim condemnations of terrorism?

Would you believe Khaled al-Jenfawi, a columnist for Kuwait's Al-Seyassah daily?

Anyway, in this story, "Muslims condemn Mumbai attacks, worry about image," by Karin Laub for The Associated Press, November 30, Muslim leaders and spokesmen worry a great deal about the possibility that the jihad attacks in Mumbai by a Tiny Minority of Extremists™ will lead people to think ill of Islam.

Of course, there is one thing they could do about that that would actually begin to make people think better of Islam, but no one even whispers anything about doing it in this article or anywhere else. Imams could begin to saturate mosques and madrassas with the message that jihad warfare is never justified, that the imperative to subjugate unbelievers under the rule of Islamic law must be decisively rejected, and that peaceful coexistence as equals with unbelievers is to be maintained indefinitely. If Islamic clerics stopped talking about conquering Europe and America, and began to teach the opposite, things might begin to improve. If Muslim leaders worldwide energetically pronounced takfir upon -- that is, declared to be non-Muslim -- all those who maintained belief in the Qur'an's literal words of warfare, and in the traditional Islamic doctrines regarding jihad warfare (whether hot war or otherwise), and upon anyone who wished to impose Shari'a upon unbelievers by whatever means and at whatever speed, and if those leaders demonstrated their sincerity by actions instead of mere words, informed non-Muslims might begin to think better of Islam.

But these things will not happen. They're not even on the table. Instead, many of the same people quoted in this article work to brand any non-Muslim who points out the ways in which jihadists use Islamic texts and teachings to justify violence and supremacism as a "bigot" or a "racist." And that in itself, however effective a tactic it may be among the ignorant and easily intimidated, is revealing.

Source: FrontPage Magazine

Suicide bomber kills at least 39 in Karbala

Dozens wounded in attack near mosque as worshippers gathered at cafe

Iraqis remove some of the dead and wounded after a suicide bombing Monday in Karbala.

BAGHDAD - A female suicide bomber blew herself up Monday amid a group of Shiite worshippers near a mosque in Karbala, killing at least 39 people and wounding 54, officials said.

The worshippers were gathered at a cafe about a half mile from the Imam Hussein shrine, one of the holiest sites for Shiites.

"I was talking with a friend and eating bread a few meters away from the cafe and I suddenly heard a huge explosion and I was thrown to the floor. I saw smoke and bodies," said Mohammed Kadhem. Read more ...

Source: MSNBC

Muslims Against Sharia condemn the murderers responsible for the homicide bombing in Karbala.

Our prayers are with the victims of this atrocity. We send our condolences to their loved ones.

May the homicide bomber rot in hell for eternity. May her accomplices join her soon!