'EU Values' - Turkish Ruling party AKP MP considers homosexuality “one of the biggest threats against our society”.

'EU Values' - Turkish Ruling party AKP MP considers homosexuality “one of the biggest threats Against our society”. (kaosgl).

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Ayse Dogan made a homophobic statement during a meeting of the Turkish Parliament’s Committee on Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men meeting.

AKP MP Ayse Dogan objected to a suggestion by an opposition MP for the inclusion of LGBT people during a committee meeting on Tuesday, saying “There is no use of bringing up private genders and lives of different groups in their bedrooms. Everyone knows that these are one of the biggest threats to be posed against our society.”

Equality Agency without LGBTI rights?

The Committee on Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men discussed a draft proposing the foundation of Human Rights and Equality Agency, which is supposed to protect and improve human rights, ensure equal treatment and eliminate discrimination in exercising legal rights and freedoms.
According to daily Hurriyet, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) MP Candan Yuceer pointed at the fact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people face discrimination and killings. She added that ignoring them and interpreting the recommendations in international conventions arbitrarily means neglecting those who actually suffer from discrimination.
Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party MP Filiz Kerestecioglu emphasized that protection on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity should be added to the draft because “no one disappears just because you ignore them”.

AKP swings between pinkwashing and teargassing

Ruling party MP claimed that “sexual tendencies that are unnatural and against our traditions” should not be the focus of the committee.

The AKP government, which has been ruling Turkey since 2002, insistently ignored all calls and parliamentary questions for legal protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Although the party even portrayed the growing LGBTI activism in Turkey as a proof for the government’s tolerance and guarantee for “all sorts of lifestyles”, last year’s Istanbul Pride Parade was attacked by water cannons and tear gas by the police.

LGBT refugee shelter to open in Berlin after a considerable number of attacks against LGBT migrants.

LGBT refugee shelter to open in Berlin after a considerable number of attacks against LGBT migrants. (RT).

An LGBT-only dormitory is set to welcome 120 homo- and transsexual refugees in the Treptow-Köpenick borough of Berlin in March, local media report. The move comes amid a considerable number of attacks against LGBT migrants reported in refugee shelters.

From August to December 2015, the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) - the largest non-governmental lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organization in the country - received information on 95 accounts of violence towards LGBT refugees. The majority of those cases took place in asylums, local media report.

The number of LGBT asylum seekers in Berlin is estimated to be around 3,500. They are considered to be a group in need of special protection, and are therefore supposed to be provided with accommodation in hostels. However, every second LGBT refugee is denied this opportunity, according to Joana Hassoun, a LSVD representative.

“We are sure that this dormitory is necessary,” Marcel de Groot, director of the LGTB consultancy Schwulenberatung Berlin, said, as quoted by Die Welt. His organization will be in charge of running the dormitory as soon as its construction is completed.

“We are optimistic that it will be finished in March,” a spokesperson for Berlin's Senate Department for Labor, Women's Affairs and Integration said on Monday.

The German capital will become the country’s first federal area to house this type of shelter.
A scandal over cases of sexual abuse by refugees and police cover-ups is gathering pace across Europe.


Related: Pro Turkish 'Islamist' AKP Female supporter: "LGBT shouldn't be allowed on the streets"

Video - Hillary Clinton on Gay Marriage in 2004.

Kimmo Sasi: 2000 executions carried out in Iran under 'Obama's BFF Moderate' Rouhani.

Kimmo Sasi: 2000 executions carried out in Iran under 'Obama's BFF Moderate' Rouhani. (NCRI).

The human rights situation in Iran has not improved since Hassan Rouhani became President two years ago, Kimmo Sasi, a former Member of Parliament from Finland and Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has said. There have been 2000 executions since Rouhani took office, he added.

Mr. Sasi addressed a Geneva conference on September 18 on the sidelines of the 30th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Iranians plan to rally outside the United Nations in New York on September 28 to denounce the visit by the mullahs' President Hassan Rouhani to the UN General Assembly.

The rally, which is being organized by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC), will press the international community to hold the regime in Iran accountable for its abhorrent human rights record.

The mullahs' regime in Iran continues to execute more of its citizens per capita than any other U.N. member state.

Excerpt from the remarks by Mr. Kimmo Sasi, former Member of Parliament from Finland and Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe:

If we try to measure somehow what has happened, the fact is that there have been 2000 executions since he took office. And in fact the executions have been very brutal, there have been stonings and amputation of limbs of the human body of people. The latest statistics of Amnesty International shows there has been 699 executions from the beginning of this year until July 15. Why is all this done? It is to create fear so that people do not want to have any resistance in the country because they have to fear for their lives.

We have to do something and what should be done? The Council of Europe has very good and high human rights standards. And the Council of Europe’s legal rights committee has studied the situation in neighboring areas of the Council of Europe countries. And indeed if Iran would have the same standards as Council of Europe has for human rights, I think it would be the first step to create peace in the whole Middle East.

Mr. [Alejo] Vidal Quadras already mentioned the European Union, and he was in the right line at the moment. As the annual report of the European Union shows there is no human rights dialogue today between the European Union and Iran. In fact, it would be very important that in all relations, to have that human rights dialogue, and to put conditions on any improvement to any relations between Iran and the European Union and the European countries as a condition for improvement of the relations. In fact, the European Parliament has given a declaration in that direction in April 2014, saying that human rights should be an essential part of the relations and be conditioned.

But I plead with the national parliaments as well, that national parliaments would study Iran and put pressure on their own countries that they indeed require when they have relations with Iran so human rights will be part of the conditions in those negotiations. Also in the European Union, the Commission plays in important role and when the Foreign Minister [Federica] Mogherini was in Tehran for a visit, during her visit, 11 people were executed at the same time. That is not the right reflection of the Iranian government when the European Foreign Minister visits their country. There must be conditions for the relations. Hmmmm.....The EU would sell father, mother and the kids for financial gain, human rights are of no importance to them.Read the full story here.

Video - Iran Freedom TV, discussing the human rights situation in Iran - Live broadcast in One Hour.

NCR-Iran.org will on Wednesday broadcast online last week's major conference on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva discussing the human rights situation in Iran. The broadcast will commence at 2pm European time (8am EDT).

Video - Hungarian Imam Ahmed Miklós Kovács: Homosexuals Are the Filthiest Creatures

During a Friday sermon on July 10, 2015, Imam Ahmed Miklós Kovács, Vice President of the Hungarian Muslim Community, stated that homosexuals are "the filthiest of Allah's creatures," and that Muslims "must never accept this disease."He instructed followers not to paint their Facebook image with rainbow colors.

'Austrian grundlichheid' - Austria to sell Iran cranes for possible use in hangings.

'Austrian grundlichheid' - Austria to sell Iran cranes for possible use in hangings. (I24).

An Austrian company, Palfinger AG, whose crane equipment was used to for executions, is set to re-enter the Iranian market. Company head Herbert Ortner says there is strong demand for cranes in Iran because there is no local production, the Austria Press Agency reported.

Stefan Schaden, a spokesman for the Berlin-based European coalition Stop the Bomb, said, “Palfinger is one example, which clearly shows that Austrian companies do not care at all about the disastrous human rights situation when it comes to doing business in Iran. In fact they support the regime and its inhuman policies as long as it serves their profit interests.”

In response to criticism leveled at the company, Palfinger said a famed photograph showing one of its construction cranes from a man is hanging "is 25 years old. It was produced in Iran with a license. Palfinger already rescinded the license... No one can prevent customers from buying used cranes abroad and using them in Iran.”

The Islamic Republic is slated to execute as many as 1,000 people by the end of 2015, and nearly 700 Iranians were executed between January and July this year, Amnesty International says. Iran is believed to execute the most people per capita.

Writing Monday in The Jerusalem Post, Benjamin Weinthal, who reports on Iranian human rights, cited Schaden as being sharply critical of Austrian politicians and business leaders for their plans to visit Iran next month. “The Austrian Economic Chamber WKÖ and Austrian politics in general encourage this attitude with the planned visit to Iran of Austrian President Heinz Fischer, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner and WKO President Christoph Leitl. While European companies rush to do business with the Iranian regime, the Iranian population is thrown under the bus as the regime is enabled to continue with its brutal oppression.”

The Austrian Economic Chamber hopes for a five-fold increase in trade as a result of the sanctions relief promised Iran in exchange for its promise not to build nuclear weapons until 2025. Austria exported about $300 million in goods to Iran in 2014. Hmmm....As i said many times before EU politicians don't care about human rights only cold hard cash & profits. Read more below from he JPost.

Iran has executed 4,000 to 6,000 gays and lesbians. Some with a crane. Austrian crane company back in Iran's market http://t.co/iJBQrCqOGg

— Benjamin Weinthal (@BenWeinthal) August 2, 2015

Video - Imam Slams Homosexuals in Friday Sermon at the Hague, Adds: Unveiled Women Hurt Men's Feelings

Pro Turkish 'Islamist' AKP Female supporter: "LGBT shouldn't be allowed on the streets"

Pro Turkish 'Islamist' AKP Female supporter: "LGBT shouldn't be allowed on the streets". (BB).

The AKP rejects allegations of divisiveness, saying it represents all of Turkey’s citizens, according to a response to Bloomberg questions from its media office on Wednesday. Criticism of some of the opposition parties’ individual candidates is only meant to point out contradictions and hypocrisy in their campaigns, it said.

In Kurdish regions in the east, Erdogan strode across podiums with a Kurdish-language Koran in hand, a controversial act in a country where the president’s oath binds him to safeguard “the principles of the secular republic.” He warned crowds that opponents are anti-Muslim and worshippers of an ancient religion with origins in Iran.

“We have documents of them teaching Zoroastrianism in the mountains,” Erdogan shouted at a rally in Kars, northeast Turkey, on Tuesday, linking the HDP to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is outlawed and listed as a terrorist organization. “These people have no relationship whatsoever with Islam. My pious Kurdish brothers won’t get behind them.”

In a speech to bus drivers at the drivers' federation in Ankara on May 28, Erdogan painted the HDP as hypocritical by pointing out that it had chosen an openly homosexual candidate for the western city of Eskisehir.

“I don’t exploit the feelings of my Kurdish brothers in the east and southeast, then clink glasses with White Turks in Istanbul,” Erdogan said. “We’re not the ones running a so-called mufti in Diyarbakir and a homosexual in Eskisehir.”

A mufti is an Islamic scholar, while the term “White Turk” generally refers to secularist, upper-class Turks. Baris Sulu, the HDP’s 37-year-old candidate in Eskisehir, said Turkey had outgrown that intolerance and such remarks were signs that the opposition was on the right path.

“Gay citizens live in this country and have for years,” Sulu, an architecture student who works for a transsexual advocacy group, said in a phone interview last week. “This is not an LGBT issue, it’s a human rights issue,” he said, using the abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

Yet the AKP message has resonance among some Turks. Cigdem Alpaslan, a home-maker in Ankara who’s the same age as Sulu, said she agreed with the party on homosexuality.

“I swear our president and the AKP are right,” Alpaslan said. “Forget about these types getting into parliament. They shouldn’t even be out on the streets.” Hmmmm.....Has of course nothing to do with Islam.

High level Yahoo female Executive Sued for Sexual Harassment

Maria Zhang, Founder and CEO of Alike

Yahoo female Executive Sued for Sexual Harassment. (NDTv)

A high-level woman Yahoo Inc executive has been sued in California by a woman who worked under her and is accusing her former boss of sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Maria Zhang, a senior director of engineering at Yahoo Mobile, has been sued by Nan Shi, who worked as a principal software engineer in Yahoo from February 2013, according to a complaint filed on July 8 in Santa Clara Superior Court in San Jose, California.

The complaint alleges that Zhang coerced Shi to have oral and digital sex with her on multiple occasions in Sunnyvale, California, and told her she would have a "bright future" at Yahoo if she had sex with Zhang.

Shi is seeking monetary as well as punitive damages. The lawsuit also names Yahoo as a defendant.

"There is absolutely no basis or truth to the allegations against Maria Zhang. Maria is an exemplary Yahoo executive and we intend to fight vigorously to clear her name," a Yahoo representative said in an email.Read the full story here.

Will Valley Park Middle School, with its Friday Muslim prayers, become a model for all Ontario public schools?

Ontario's first Lesbian Premier.

Will Valley Park Middle School, with its Friday Muslim prayers, become a model for all Ontario public schools?(TorontoSun).TarekFatah. As Ontario Liberals converged on Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens to elect their new leader, Kathleen Wynne’s team sent out a mass e-mail to delegates seeking their support. Nothing extraordinary, except this message was filtered so it would not reach all delegates, only the roughly 100 Muslims among them.
Here is part of that message:

“Dear Muslim Delegates, Assalamu Alaikum:

“We appeal to you all to join us in supporting Kathleen Wynne to become the leader of OLP and thus next premier of Ontario … She had openly defended Muslims’ religious rights for Friday prayers in Valley Park Middle School in her riding.” 

The bulk e-mail was followed by a direct letter from Wynne to Muslim delegates touting her credentials, specifically noting her support for “the Muslim prayer issue at Valley Park Middle School.” The fact many Liberal Muslims had vociferously opposed the mosque-in-school initiative was lost on Wynne.
This was actually a case of a Liberal candidate choosing to abandon Liberal Muslims in a bid for Muslim support.
The e-mail touting Wynne as a good-for-Muslims-candidate was signed, among others, by Abdulhuq Ingar, the man behind the establishment of the Mosque in Valley Park Middle School.
Salma Siddiqui, president of the Muslim Canadian Congress and a lifelong Liberal, was indignant.
“The hypocrisy of these Islamists is appalling. They (dislike) Irshad Manji because she is a lesbian, but endorse Wynne?” she asked. “How can Ingar, a supporter of Sharia law, which among other things considers gays as worthy of outright contempt ... become a spokesman for Wynne?” asked Siddiqui.Will Valley Park Middle School, that Wynne boasts of as one of her proud accomplishments, become a model for all Ontario public schools? Will the Friday ritual prayer asking Allah to bring victory to Muslims and defeat the “Kufaar” (Jews and Christians) ring out from all of them?Read the full story here.

Russian Duma Moves to Enact Anti-Gay Law Nationwide.

Russian Duma Moves to Enact Anti-Gay Law Nationwide.(MT).Kissing his boyfriend during a protest in front of the State Duma earned Pavel Samburov 30 hours of detention and the equivalent of a $16 fine on a charge of "hooliganism."
But if a bill that comes up for a first vote later this month becomes law, such a public kiss could be defined as illegal "homosexual propaganda" and bring a fine of up to $16,000.
The legislation, being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism."
It includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. St. Petersburg and a number of other cities already have similar laws on their books.
Samburov describes the bill as part of a Kremlin crackdown on minorities of any kind — political and religious as well as sexual — designed to divert public attention from growing discontent with Putin's rule. The lanky and long-haired Samburov is the founder of the Rainbow Association, which unites gay activists throughout Russia. The gay-rights group has joined anti-Putin marches in Moscow over the past year, its rainbow flag waving along with those of other opposition groups.
Denis Volkov, a sociologist for the Levada Center, an independent pollster, said the anti-homosexuality bill fits the "general logic" of a government intent on limiting various rights.
But in this case, the move has been met mostly with either indifference or open enthusiasm by average Russians. Levada polls conducted last year show that almost 67 percent of Russians find homosexuality "morally unacceptable and worth condemning." About half are against gay rallies and same-sex marriage. Almost a third think homosexuality is the result of "a sickness or a psychological trauma," the Levada surveys show.
Russia's widespread hostility to homosexuality is shared by the political and religious elite. Lawmakers have accused gays of decreasing Russia's already low birth rates and said they should be barred from government jobs, undergo forced medical treatment or be exiled. Orthodox activists criticized PepsiCo for using a "gay" rainbow on cartons of its dairy products.
The federal bill's expected adoption comes 20 years after a Stalinist-era law punishing homosexuality with up to five years in prison was removed from the Criminal Code as part of the democratic reforms that followed the Soviet Union's collapse.
Gays have been whipsawed by official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gays and lesbians live in Russia, and only a few big cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have gay nightclubs and gyms.
In other parts of Russia, gays feel even less secure. Bagaudin Abduljalilov moved to Moscow from Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region, where he says some gays have been beaten and had their hands cut off, sometimes by their own relatives, for bringing shame on their families.
"You don't have any human rights down there," he said. "Anything can be done to you with impunity."
Shortly before moving to Moscow, Abduljalilov left Islam to become a Christian, but he was expelled from a seminary after telling the dean he is gay. He also has had trouble finding a job as a television journalist because of discrimination against people from Dagestan. Read the full story here.

Malaysia’s ruling party says LGBT community “of the devil” - "LGBT is haram in Islam."

Malaysia’s ruling party says LGBT community “of the devil” - "LGBT is haram in Islam.".(BM).KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s ruling party, at its national conference, continued to attack the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, much to the anger of human rights activists in the country. The Umno, in ending its final assembly gathering ahead of elections that must take place before April next year, said that anti-Islamic elements threaten the country, singling out homosexuality and those who promote liberalism in “mainly Muslim Malaysia.”
One delegate called for a rehabilitation center for the LGBT community to “re-educate” them and bring them back to society. “We want to transform them from zaman kejahilan (dark age of ignorance),” Tanjong representative Mohd Shaharudin Mohd Hasan Tajudin told the over 2,000 delegates at Umno’s cavernous Putra World Trade Center (PWTC). Shaharudin also suggested that high school students be taught to reject the LGBT lifestyle — along with pluralism and liberalism — in their religious education.
Another delegate, Ariffin Mohd Arif from Kimanis, called for an official sanction against those who spread pluralism and liberalism, which he called a “teaching of the Devil.” “Just like al-Arqam … we must take action against these people. Our actions must be strict, and we must not budge,” Ariffin said. The religious issues elicited animated responses from the delegates, with Shaharudin exclaiming that Umno fighters shall be “bathed in blood” should anyone mock Islamic principles. “This LGBT is haram in Islam. (But the opposition) is making LGBT halal … they even said that the law on sodomy is obsolete,” said Pendang delegate Mohd Kamal Saidin, who accused Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim as the man responsible for the promotion of “vice.”
The ruling coalition and the opposition have been at loggerheads on the issues of LGBT, pluralism and liberalism, which are deemed sensitive in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
Earlier in the week, Muhyiddin Yassin had revealed that Prime Minister Najib Razak had objected to the inclusion of LGBT rights when signing ASEAN’s first human rights charter recently, saying Malaysia could not accept principles that go against the order of human nature.
The deputy prime minister took a swipe at Anwar when warning him against legitimizing these “twisted practices” just because they were accepted by western nations, suggesting that it was the opposition leader’s “hobby”.
The Malaysian government recently came under heavy fire again when it was reported to have endorsed a list of identifiable gay and lesbian traits for schools and parents, purportedly to prevent the spread of the phenomenon among teenagers, especially students.
In October, the country’s education minister said that being gay leads to HIV. Mohd Puad Zarkashi lashed out at a few campaigns that jokingly criticized the governments recent efforts to “educate” parents on how to catch “symptoms” of their children being gay or lesbian. He said that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues int he country “should not be a joking matter.” He was commenting on the recent campaigns that saw a local restaurant offer discounts and free biryani to men wearing V-neck t-shirts after the government labeled that one of the tell-tale signs of a potential gay child.
He added that his ministry is determined to push forward to “curb the trend of LGBT” in Malaysia’s schools.
He said this “trend” appears to be prevalent in society and popular media, making it imperative for the government to prevent it from penetrating schools.”
LGBT activists have laughed at his comments, but told Bikyamasr.com that the reality is the government continues to attack something as if it is a disease, “instead of understanding that it is not a choice.”
But the minister was obstinate.
“It is not prevalent in school yet but preventive action is needed to ensure that it does not spread among students,” he said.
When asked how prevalent the phenomenon is in schools, he said the ministry has no data currently.
“I don’t know because we don’t have the facts. We don’t have the data to show how serious it is,” he told the Sunday Star.
He added that when the issue “exploded” – specifically the disputed LGBT-symptom guidelines – he received a lot of criticism, but it has only made his belief that the LGBT lifestyle “is not a healthy way of life.”
“There are two reasons: it is the biggest cause of HIV after drugs. It also causes a lot of social problems such as broken marriages. That is why we need to nip it in the bud,” he said, even though international health professionals have dispelled the myth that being gay or lesbian is a cause of HIV.
Activists in the country have repeatedly spoken out against the continued crackdown on the LGBT community, which has seen ministers and officials level accusations against the community over the past few months ahead of a general election.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to its project, the minister stressed that it is crucial for parents to get exposure and knowledge of the LGBT trend so that they can be more vigilant of the signs and tackle the threat early.
However, he declined to elaborate on what action would be taken to “correct” or “prevent” LGBT in schools, arguing instead that the “science of it is debatable.”
“I don’t want to be drawn into the debate of whether it (LGBT) is a lifestyle or natural instinct. That is why we want to bring it out in the open because it can be debated on. However, it is not something that should be joked about,” he continued.Hmmmm.......Next they will be screening the movie "OutBreak of the LGBT Viurus"?Read the full story here.

Malaysia charges Borders manager with selling Canadian Muslim lesbian activist Irshad Manji 'banned book'.

Malaysia charges Borders manager with selling Canadian Muslim lesbian activist Irshad Manji 'banned book'.(BP).Nik Raina Nik Abdul Aziz, who manages the bookstore chain outlet in the capital Kuala Lumpur, is accused of distributing Irshad Manji's "Allah, Liberty and Love." The Home Ministry banned the book last month after it was deemed offensive to Islam, contained "elements that could mislead the public," and was "detrimental to public order". According to Manji's website, the book "shows all of us how to reconcile faith and freedom in a world seething with repressive dogmas". Nik Raina faces up to two years in jail and a fine if the Islamic court finds her guilty, her lawyer Rosli Dahlan said. No plea was recorded Tuesday with the next court date set for September 19. Rosli said Islamic officials raided the store before the book ban was officially announced, and the shop had filed a court case to declare the raid illegal. Rosli added that Nik Raina had no authority over deciding which books to sell and was being singled out because those in charge of merchandising were ethnic Chinese non-Muslims. Non-Muslims cannot be charged in Islamic courts. Malaysia has a system of Islamic courts that run parallel to the country's civil courts and administer civil matters for Muslims who make up some 60 percent of the country's 28 million people.New York-based Human Rights Watch has called on the government to reverse the book ban, saying it was "old-fashioned state repression" and "cowardly".Hmmmm..........Sounds like 'life and times' of Tomás de Torquemada.Read the full story here.

Malaysia government "LGBT not protected by Federal Constitution".

Malaysia government "LGBT not protected by Federal Constitution".(FMT).Kuala Lumpur: The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is not protected by clauses in the Federal Constitution that protects Malaysians against discrimination, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mashitah Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat today. Mashitah said that Article 8 of the constitution, which talks about equality, has never been interpreted to mean sexual preference and only applies to gender. “Article 8 of the Federal Constitution says there must be no discrimination of citizens in terms of religion or sex. ‘Sex’ has never been interpreted to mean sexual orientation; it has always been interpreted to mean either male or female, and they are [the only ones] protected by the constitution,” said Mashitah.
Clause 1 of Article 8 states that “all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law”.
Clause 2 states that “there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent, place of birth or gender”. She said this in reply to a supplementary question from Ngeh Khoo Ham (DAP-Beruas) during question time this morning. Ngeh had asked whether it was right for the government to respond to the LGBT issue based on religious doctrine.
Mashitah earlier said that the government is serious in tackling the issue of LGBT as it went against the constitution of the country, which states that Islam is the official federal religion. She said that through the many government initiatives, including rehabilitation and other programmes, “many have returned to the path [pangkalan]“.
“We see that LGBT happens following what is happening in Europe. It is not only individual but a movement. They are being mobilised to come out, as if they have been oppressed, on the excuse that their human rights have been taken away. “We are against the mobilisation of this movement to spread this ideology,” she said. Ngeh had also asked if any study had been done to show that the person is born this way or if it was a choice of lifestyles. “It is wrong for the government to state that it is western problem, because this was even present in Malaysia 50-60 years ago,” he said.
Mashitah said that such studies were not done in Malaysia but an Australian study had stated that LGBTs were not born with their sexual preferences, but “it is more the tendency to be this way”. Answering another supplementary question from Mohd Jidin Shafee (BN-Setiu), Mashitah said that Malaysia does not allow men or women who change their sex via surgical operations to also change their gender in registration documents. She said sex-change operations have been declared haram in syariah by the Fatwa Council in an edict.Hmmm........Study Says Lesbians and Heterosexual Men Are the Same in Their Perception of Smells.So much for the 'ideology' thesis.Read the full story here.

UNESCO pushes for international anti-LGBT bullying legislation.

UNESCO pushes for international anti-LGBT bullying legislation.(BM).The United Nations Education group UNESCO met on May 16, ahead of IDAHOT on Thursday, to discuss how to effectively combat anti-LGBT bullying across the globe.
A meeting on Effective Policy and Practice to Address Homophobic Bullying in Educational Institutions is set to take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on Wednesday, the eve of International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia.
The UNESCO meeting will mark the launch of the Good Policy and Practice in HIV and Health Education guide, a Education Sector Responses to Homophobic Bullying (GPP8) guide, and what is being called the “IDAHO Lesson Plan.”
The meeting will feature UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information and other key speakers including Louis-George Tin, founder of IDAHO and President of the IDAHO Committee, as well as Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education.
During the meeting there will be a series of discussions aimed at tackling a variety of issues, including:

• The nature and scale of homophobic bullying in educational institutions across memberstates;
• Effective approaches and ways to begin tackling homophobic bullying;
• How to develop and enforce policies on homophobic bullying;

• Providing examples of services for victims of bullying, bullies and bystanders;
• Highlighting examples of successful outreach programs that, in cooperation with groups like LGBT education charities, can help to combat anti-LGBT bullying.

The round-table discussions will also place a focus on designing curricula and teaching methods that can tackle bullying, and anti-LGBT bullying in particular, as well as highlighting crucial teacher training and support.
As part of this, UNESCO will also launch the IDAHO Lesson Plan. This will be a collection of four activities “for educators to use with primary and secondary level learners to create safer learning environments, address discrimination and encourage respect and tolerance between and amongst learners.”
A variety of educational experts will be at the meeting in order to discuss how this lesson plan might be adapted to meet the particular needs of individual schools.
According to UNESCO, this meeting follows a consultation convened by UNESCO in Rio de Janeiro in December 2011, which was the United Nations’ first-ever international consultation to address homophobia in educational institutions.
The meeting brought together teaching experts and UN agency officials, NGOs and heads of academia from more than 25 countries. The consultation, for the first time, exposed the breadth of the anti-LGBT bullying problem across the world and therein began the process of enabling experts to form good practice policies and intervention strategies to try and address the situation.
This follows Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon calling anti-LGBT laws and homophobia and transphobia in general “a moral outrage, a grave violation of human rights,” whereby he urged countries to “take the necessary measures to protect people – all people – from violence and discrimination, including on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.”Hmmmm.........I presume all the Islamic Members of the UNESCO were Applauding the innitiative. Read the full story here.

Some 30 LGBT arrested from Dubai hotel, reports indicate.

Some 30 LGBT arrested from Dubai hotel, reports indicate. (BM).The United Arab Emirates Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender group has received reports that 30 people who are believed may be gay were arrested in private ‘after’ party last at 5 AM, last Friday (March 9) in the Shangri La Hotel, Dubai.
It was said the party was ambushed and all present were taken for questioning. Some of the men are reported to be from prominent Emirati families.
It is unclear at this point if the men are still in detention or have been freed, nor if any charges have been brought against them. Neither UAE LGBT nor Gay Middle East have not been able to verify the details and hotel staff were cagey when questioned about the incident by us.
The United Arab Emirates has strict federal laws regarding homosexuality and each emirate has their own specific laws. While the Emirate of Dubai has technically severe laws they are usually not strictly enforced.“It was a private party in a private hired space where people were behaving and not even engaging in any public display of affection, so I can’t imagine why they got arrested,” said Adilah, a lesbian member of UAE LGBT to GME.
“The CID [police] don’t just bust private parties, either someone ratted the party out or some hotels guests or staff complained about the noise in the middle of the night, I am just shocked that this happened!” she protested.“We waited a few days,” she continued, “to see if it would get a note in the press. It didn’t as the authorities knew it would create uproar. We only knew that they were kept in detention for a few days, but have no idea if they are still locked up.“Plus some of the boys are from prominent Emirati families, so something may have been arranged with the police and the press to silence this story, its very difficult to find out accurate details.
“My heart goes out to the boys, who must be feeling humiliated and in terror have sat or even still sitting in a cell. No one deserves to be incarcerated for being who they are, especially when it doesn’t hurt anyone around them.“This was a private party, one amongst hundreds if not thousands taking place in the UAE on a Friday night. The boys risk huge consequences and discriminations in their future careers if their names get out, not to mention the lives of some of them are at risk if their families are conservatives, as it may lead to so called ‘honor killings’.”
Abdulla, the chair of UAE LGBT told GME: “As an activist This is disheartening, the government’s actions towards our community are horrid and deplorable especially at a time where the public has expressed willingness to engage in a debate about the issues our community faces, just for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender!”Hmmmm........."The religion of peace".Read the full story here.

Muslim envoys walk out in protests at U.N. gay rights debate.

Muslim envoys walk out in protests at U.N. gay rights debate.(AA).African and Arab states walked out in protest Wednesday during a U.N. Human Rights Council debate on gay rights, saying that they could not legitimize homosexuality.
The 47-member state council was holding a session on sexual orientation-based discrimination for the first time after a historic resolution seeking equal rights for everyone was passed in June 2011, to the consternation of Muslim states.
On Wednesday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab group and the African group made their opposition clear, by walking out during the meeting.
“Licentious behavior promoted under the concept of ‘sexual orientation’ is against the fundamental teachings of various religions including Islam,” Pakistan’s envoy said.

“From this perspective, legitimizing homosexuality and other personal sexual behaviors in the name of sexual orientation is unacceptable to the OIC,” he added.

At the opening of the debate, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon signaled his support for homosexuals and transgender people in their struggle against discrimination.“To those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, let me say: you are not alone. Your struggle for an end to violence and discrimination is a shared struggle,” he said.

“Any attack on you is an attack on the universal values the United Nations that I have sworn to defend and uphold. Today, I stand with you -- and I call upon all countries and people to stand with you, too,” he said.For U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay, it was clear that sexual orientation-driven discrimination was prevalent across the world.
“What emerges from all of the material we gathered is a pattern -- a clear pattern of targeted violence and discrimination directed at people because they are, or perceived to be LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender).“It is a pattern too-long overlooked by many states and one that this Council has a duty to address,” she added.Hmmmm........Good luck with that one, perhaps when crows wear stiletto heels?Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                    Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity situation tonga 5.3 - 5.1 !More info here.

• The Last Incarnation of Barack Obama.(Heritage).If there was any doubt where President Barack Obama’s ideological heart lies, yesterday he let it be known loud and clear in a wide-ranging speech in Osawatomie, Kansas. President Obama is at his core a dyed-in-the-wool progressive who sees the federal government as the answer to all of America’s problems. And he is charging full steam ahead on this far-left course toward Election Day 2012, despite the total failure of his big-government policies and an American people who have flatly rejected the message he is trying to sell.True to form, President Obama yesterday did what he does best: He delivered a flowery speech and flexed his rhetorical muscles. It’s a talent that won him the presidency, but unfortunately it hasn’t won the future for the American people. And that’s because the President’s underlying philosophy is terribly flawed. After three years of a massive expansion of government, the enactment of Obamacare, hundreds of billions of dollars in failed stimulus spending, government ownership of General Motors, a Big Labor/pro-unionization onslaught, threats of even higher taxation, the promulgation of more unnecessary regulations, and a total failure to confront the entitlement challenge, the verdict is in on President Obama’s record and the soundness of his statist, progressive philosophy. Deficits are soaring, the economy is stagnant, 13.3 million Americans are out of work, and job growth is flat. Not surprisingly, the President’s speech did not touch on those facts.Ironically, the President’s conception of America–that it is a land of no opportunity–stands in stark contrast to his own personal story, which he even trumpeted in his speech. Barack Obama came from meager beginnings and now sits in the Oval Office. There are countless stories of other Americans who have risen and found success on their own merit in this fertile land. But speaking to America’s rugged individualism and the notion of achieving success without the helping hand of the government would not serve President Obama’s progressive agenda. In his world, the government is the giver of all things, the defender of the middle class, and the architect of prosperity. Likewise, success is not something to be championed but to be demagogued in the name of the expansion of the state.Over the past three years, we have seen the President articulate many ideas and cloak himself in many different philosophies. Of late, he has even called himself a tax-cutter and posed as a deficit hawk, all while calling for massive amounts of new spending. But with yesterday’s speech, he has emerged in his truest incarnation–a hard-line progressive to the core. The speech fits perfectly with reports that the Obama 2012 campaign has come to the realization that it will lose white blue-collar voters by large margins and is concentrating instead on cobbling together a coalition of culture elites and racial minorities. The abandonment of the middle class–or, rather, the fact that the middle class has abandoned him–puts in context this latest incarnation of the President as he prepares to run next year.This is not the way to lead America to prosperity, to stand the economy on its feet, or to put the millions of unemployed Americans back to work. Rather than make government bigger and more intrusive, now is the time to make it smaller and more responsible so that entrepreneurs can achieve what Washington cannot manufacture: new jobs, new ideas, and a better America for future generations. But that America is quite different from the one President Obama envisions.Hmmmm....."CHAINS you can believe in"?Read the full story here.

• GOP senator says support for Obama Iran policy 'has collapsed'.(TheHill).The Obama administration’s strategy for securing congressional support for its Iran policy “has collapsed,” a GOP senator charged Tuesday.Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) offered harsh words for the White House, which he said should support tougher Senate sanctions meant to curtail Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons.“Not one senator stood with the administration” last week when the upper chamber unanimously approved a plan to sanction firms and other governments that do business with the Central Bank of Iran, Kirk said.He said the 100-0 vote in the Senate on that language “sent a message” that senators feel the administration is not moving aggressively enough with Iran.Kirk and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) pushed the measure, which would prohibit any U.S. financial entity from engaging in transactions with any foreign government, central bank or other financial firm that does business with the Central Bank of Iran.In the current era of ultra-partisan politics, Kirk said, “you don’t get any better than 100-to-zero.”Administration officials strongly oppose the new sanctions, saying it could drive up global oil prices and dissuade allies from joining efforts to further isolate Tehran. The amendment was added to a Defense authorization bill that must still be approved after a conference between House and Senate lawmakers.Menendez and Kirk say the White House negotiated with them on the final language of their amendment and signaled their approval, only to slam it last week in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez publicly rebuked administration officials during that hearing.The senators had added a provision to allow the White House to waive the terms of the sanctions should oil market conditions or a national security crisis occur, and they believed these had been enough to secure administration support.But the administration stepped up its effort to kill the plan this week by sending a letter to House and Senate conferees hammering out the final 2012 Pentagon authorization bill. Kirk and Menendez responded on Tuesday with a letter of their own arguing that the Senate language approved last week on Iran should be rolled into the final Defense authorization bill.Lawmakers can no longer afford to “listen and nod while the administration talks of incrementalism … and engagement,” Kirk said. “Time is running out.”Pressure on the administration has stepped up since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed Iran is closer than ever to fielding a nuclear weapon. Kirk’s comments came during a forum on Capitol Hill where the American Enterprise Institute rolled out a new report about how a nuclear-armed Iran might be contained.There is a growing consensus in Washington and other Western nations “that preemptive military action is unappealing, leading many to suggest that containing a nuclear Iran is a reasonable option,” states the AEI report.But, the conservative think tank warns, “containment is hardly a cost-free policy.”Such a policy would require enhanced diplomatic efforts and economic sanctions, but it also would require “increased efforts on other fronts,” including diminishing Iran’s economic efforts and its influence in energy markets, the think tank said.“The keystone of any containment policy is a military strategy of deterrence,” AEI said.The U.S. would have to beef up its own nuclear arsenal — at a time when further cuts there are possible — while also committing to “prolonged” counterintelligence, counterterrorism and counterinsurgency presence “around Iran’s perimeter,” according to the report.AEI said a containment strategy also would require “a large and persistent conventional covering force operating throughout the region and a reinforcing force capable of assured regime change.”But the Obama administration is shifting its foreign policy focus toward the Asia-Pacific region, which will include moving some military forces and platforms out of the Middle East.Hmmmm.....The 'king' won't like this, how dare you.Read the full story here.

• The State Department vs. Free Speech.(Hudson).By Nina Shea, Paul Marshall.Last July in Istanbul, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton co-chaired a "High-Level Meeting on Combating Religious Intolerance" with the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Mrs. Clinton invited the OIC to Washington for a conference to build "muscles of respect and empathy and tolerance." That conference is scheduled for Dec. 12 through Dec. 14.For more than 20 years, the OIC has pressed Western governments to restrict speech about Islam. Its charter commits it "to combat defamation of Islam," and its current action plan calls for "deterrent punishments" by all states to counter purported Islamophobia.In 2009, the "International Islamic Fiqh [Jurisprudence] Academy," an official OIC organ, issued fatwas calling for free speech bans, including "international legislation" aimed at protecting "the interests and values of [Islamic] society," and for judicial punishment for public expression of apostasy from Islam. OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu emphasizes that "no one has the right to insult another for their beliefs."The OIC does not define what speech should be outlawed, but its leading member states' practices are illustrative. Millions of Baha'is and Ahmadis, religious movements arising after Muhammad, are condemned as de facto "insulters" of Islam, frequently persecuted by OIC governments, and attacked by vigilantes. Those seeking to leave Islam face similar fates.Muslim reformers are widely and specifically targeted for supposedly anti-Islamic speech. In Afghanistan, Ali Mohaqeq Nasab, editor of "Haqooq-i-Zen" ("Women's Rights") magazine, was imprisoned by the Karzai government for publishing "un-Islamic" articles criticizing stoning as a punishment for adultery. In Iran, Ayatollah Boroujerdi was imprisoned for arguing that "political leadership by clergy" was contrary to Islam. In Bangladesh, Salahudddin Choudhury was imprisoned for hurting "religious feelings" by advocating peaceful relations between Bangladesh and Israel.Egypt bans books and imprisons Muslims whose views are contrary to the state-funded Sunni center, Al-Azhar. Others are similarly punished for deviating from locally dominant Islamic sects not only in repressive Pakistan and Sudan, but also in Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria and other ostensibly moderate countries.OIC pressure on European countries to ban "negative stereotyping of Islam" has increased since the 2004 murder of Theo Van Gogh for his film "Submission" and the Danish Muhammad cartoon imbroglio of 2005. Many countries (such as France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy and Sweden), hoping to ensure social peace, now prosecute people for "vilifying" Islam or insulting Muslims' religious feelings.Encouraging a more civil discourse is commendable, and First Amendment freedoms mean the U.S. won't veer down Europe's path anytime soon. But if the Obama administration is committed to defending constitutional rights, why is it, as the OIC's Mr. Ihsanoglu wrote in the Turkish Weekly after the Istanbul meeting, standing "united" on speech issues with an organization trying to undercut our freedoms? Mr. Ihsanoglu celebrates this partnership even while lamenting in his op-ed that America permits "Islamophobia" under "the banner of freedom of expression."President Obama should put a stop to this nonsense and declare that in free societies all views and religions are subject to contradiction and critique—and the OIC must learn to tolerate that. The alternative is what the late Indonesian Muslim President Abdurrahman Wahid called "a narrow suffocating chamber of dogmatism.Nina Shea is a Senior Fellow and Director of Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom.Paul Marshall is a Senior Fellow with Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom.."Hmmmm......The problem is that President Obama a.k.a. Barry Soetoroe was raised as a Muslim in Indonesia.Read the full story here.

• Correction from White House: President didn’t say he’s ‘mad living here’.(TheHill).By Judy Kurtz.Note to critics of President Obama and any remaining birthers out there: Contrary to what the White House originally claimed, the president didn’t actually say he was “mad” living here. An oficial transcript from the White House from a Sunday event recognizing the Kennedy Center Honorees sent out that night quoted Obama saying during his remarks, “I’m mad living here a little bit.”What? The leader of the country is actually angered by residing here? The horror!But before any Obama opponents could start getting that quote printed on bumper stickers, the White House sent out a correction. On Monday morning, the White House’s Office of the Press Secretary blasted out an email with a subject line that read: “CORRECTION: Remarks by the President at Reception for Kennedy Center Honorees.” Got to love the all-caps sense of urgency.It turns out that Obama didn’t tell the crowd, “I’m mad living here a little bit,” but instead said, “I’m ad-libbing here a little bit.”Read the full story here.

• Perry: Obama 'at war' with Christians.(WE).Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, who is increasingly emphasizing religion in his appeal to Iowa Christian conservatives, said today that President Obama's use of foreign aid to promote international gay rights demonstrates that the president "is at war with people of faith."This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country," Perry said in a statement. "Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many Americans of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong."Perry added that the policy consideration shows that Obama is "out of touch with America's values."He concluded by saying that "President Obama has again mistaken America's tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles."Read the full story here.

• Obama Issuing Memo Making It Official U.S. Policy To Consider a Country’s Treatment of Gays And Transgenders a Precondition To Foreign Aid.(Politico).President Barack Obama is issuing a memo today that will make it official U.S. policy to consider a country’s treatment of gay, lesbian and transgender bias a condition of foreign aid while making it easier for those being persecuted for their sexual preference to be granted asylum.Obama’s memo, which will be followed by a speech in Geneva by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “will coordinate US government agencies with respect to LGBT Issues and make it a component of US foreign policy to decriminalize LGBT status, make it a consideration for foreign aid and coordinate the asylum process for those who are being persecuted,” according to a person familiar with the policy.“The Obama Administration has made a tremendous difference in the lives of LGBT people in the United States and this new strategy helps to extend that presidential leadership across the globe,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, who met with Secretary Clinton earlier today in Geneva. “There is no question that the administration’s record of advancing equality for LGBT people has been enhanced by the leadership of Secretary Clinton who consistently underscores the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights.”Read the full story here.

• 'White House pushes to weaken Iran sanction'.(Ynet).The Obama administration is pressuring Congress to ease the potential impact of crippling sanctions on Iran's Central Bank, arguing that the restrictions will drive up oil prices and wind up being a boon for Tehran and its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. In a plea to House and Senate negotiators writing a broad defense bill, the administration has asked for substantive changes to a provision that would target foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank of Iran, including a six-month delay for all the penalties. But the chief sponsors of the sanctions, which the Senate resoundingly backed last week on a 100-0 vote, are resisting the request.In a letter late Monday to House and Senate negotiators, Sens. Mark Kirk, a Republican, and Bob Menendez, a Democrat, pleaded with them to leave the sanctions intact. The penalties are "tough, responsible and, most importantly, bipartisan," the two lawmakers wrote. "It provides the administration another key tool to curb Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, while keeping oil markets stable and encouraging other nations to reduce Iranian oil purchases. With the support of every single United States senator, it needs no alternations." Lawmakers said they hope to complete work on the massive, $662 billion defense bill by the end of the week. Tougher sanctions against Iran have widespread support in Congress, reflecting concerns not only for US national security but also ally Israel's as well. Two weeks ago, the Obama administration announced a new set of penalties against Iran, including identifying for the first time Iran's entire banking sector as a "primary money laundering concern." This requires increased monitoring by US banks to ensure that they and their foreign affiliates avoid dealing with Iranian financial institutions. But lawmakers in the House and Senate have pressed ahead with even tougher penalties despite reservations by the administration. Lawmakers cited the recent International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran is suspected of clandestine work that is "specific to nuclear weapons," its alleged role in the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in the United States and the attack on the British Embassy in Tehran. "If this brutal and terrorism-sponsoring regime achieves this goal, if Iran gets the bomb, we in the US and freedom-loving nations around the world would have failed what is our generation's greatest test for securing the 21st century," Kirk said Tuesday at a forum sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute.The Kirk-Menendez measure added to the defense bill would target foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank of Iran, barring them from opening or maintaining correspondent operations in the United States. It would apply to foreign central banks only for transactions that involve the sale or purchase of petroleum or petroleum products. The sanctions on petroleum would only apply if the president, in six months, determines there is a sufficient alternative supply and if the country with jurisdiction over the financial institution has not significantly reduced its purchases of Iranian oil. It also allows the president to waive the penalties based on national security.Read the full story here.

• Mitt Romney blasts Obama on Israel, Iran. Ahmadinejad "should be indicted for the crime of incitement to genocide."(Yahoo).Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney blasted President Barack Obama's approach to Israel, charging he has "immeasurably" damaged Middle East peace prospects and failed to confront Iran.The former Massachusetts governor, in excerpts of a speech to be delivered on Wednesday to the Republican Jewish Coalition, also declared Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "should be indicted for the crime of incitement to genocide.""I want every country in the region that harbors aggressive designs against Israel to understand their quest is futile and that continuing it will cost them dearly," he said in the remarks, which his campaign made public.Romney accused Obama of having called on Israel to "adopt indefensible borders," having "insulted" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and having been "timid and weak in the face of the existential threat of a nuclear Iran.""These actions have emboldened Palestinian hard-liners who now are poised to form a unity government with terrorist Hamas and feel they can bypass Israel at the bargaining table," he said in a reference to the Palestinians' push for UN membership, which Obama has vowed to block.Obama "has immeasurably set back the prospect of peace in the Middle East," Romney charged in excerpts of his speech to the group, which was holding a forum for Republican presidential candidates in Washington on Wednesday.Romney, who recently lost the frontrunner's mantle to former House speaker Newt Gingrich, said Israel would be his first foreign trip as president and vowed to reaffirm that the staunch US ally must exist as "a Jewish state."Still, some Democrats have joined Republicans in openly worrying that the Obama administration has not shown sufficient "urgency" about tackling the issue, in part because it has resisted new sanctions on Tehran's central bank."A nuclear-armed Iran is not only an Israel problem, it is problem for the United States and all the decent countries of the world," said Romney.Romney said Ahmadinejad should not "be invited into polite society" but pursued for past comments against Israel under Article 3 of the UN-approved Genocide Convention of 1948, to which Iran is a party, that makes "direct and public incitement to commit genocide" a crime.With an eye on the November 2012 elections, Republicans energized by Obama's low popularity have slammed his Middle East policy, hoping to pump up Christian conservatives and erode Democrats' usually strong support from Jewish voters.They have argued that Obama has placed undue pressure on Israel while seeking little from the Palestinians as he has sought to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.Read the full story here.

• Do American Muslims Want To Take Over Our Country?(DocsTalk).By Michael Brown.Do Muslims living in our land want to see an Islamic America, with prominent mosques dotting the landscape of every major city, with Islamic laws instituted throughout the nation, with the name of Muhammad revered throughout society, with the Koran memorized by children, with American men stopping five times daily to pray to Allah, with American women dressing modestly, with Islamic dietary practices strictly followed and the whole nation fasting during the daylight hours of Ramadan? Of course they do, unless they are more nominal, secular Muslims. Those who are deeply devoted to their faith certainly want to convert us to Islam and bring us into submission to Allah. You might say, “So what’s the big deal? Islam, like Christianity, is a missionary religion, and both want to spread their faith around the world. Don’t devoted Christians have similar ambitions?”Yes and no. On the one hand, conservative Christians and Muslims both believe they have the true revelation of God for the world, the former in the Bible, the latter in the Koran. They both believe that their way is the best way, and they both believe in proselytizing.On the other hand, Islam is a law-based religion (similar to Judaism, except that Judaism is not devoted to converting the world), and “Islam” actually means “submission,” specifically, submission to Allah and his law. And so for Muslims, this is not simply a matter of converting people to a faith but also of bringing the society under Islamic rule.That’s why it’s easy to name countries that are Muslim, like Iran or Saudi Arabia, in which the citizens are required to live by Islamic law, whereas there’s not a country on the planet that is “Christian” in a parallel sense.As explained by JihadWatch.org, “There is no separation between the religious and the political in Islam; rather Islam and Sharia [law] constitute a comprehensive means of ordering society at every level.”In keeping with this, “Islamic scholarship divides the world into dar al-Islam (the House of Islam, i.e., those nations who have submitted to Allah) and dar al-harb (the House of War, i.e., those who have not). . . . Then as now, Islam’s message to the unbelieving world is the same: submit or be conquered” (ibid.).As expressed by the late Ayatollah Khomeini, the man who spearheaded the radical Islamic revolution that toppled the Shah in the late 1970’s and from there spread worldwide, “those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world. All the countries conquered by Islam or to be conquered in the future will be marked for everlasting salvation” (from his book Key to the Secrets).Islam doesn’t just look to convert people, it looks to convert countries, and conversion means conquest.Even when Muslims are in the great minority, they have a way of exerting a disproportionate influence and making disproportionate demands. That’s why here in America, Butterball turkeys are being slaughtered in conformity with Islamic law, which presumably means they were slaughtered in Allah’s name. And that’s why the name Muhammad (or, Mohammed) has become the most popular boy’s name in countries like England (surpassing Jack in 2010) or in cities like Oslo and Amsterdam.And let’s not forget that radical Muslims number at least 150 million worldwide, to use a very low number. For them, Islam can also advance by the sword. (In contrast with Islam, such views are almost universally repudiated by Christians today as standing in clear violation of the teaching and example of Jesus who urged his followers to put down the sword and take up the cross.)As Khomeini stated: “Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those [who say this] are witless. Islam says: Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! . . . Islam says: Kill in the service of Allah those who may want to kill you! . . . Islam says: Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and in the shadow of the sword! People cannot be made obedient except with the sword! . . . There are hundreds of other psalms [from the Koran] and Hadiths [sayings and acts of Muhammad] urging Muslims to value war and to fight. Does all that mean that Islam is a religion that prevents men from waging war? I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim.”In all probability, the more secular Muslims among us would strongly reject these words, but there are tens of millions of Muslims (perhaps several hundred million) who are in complete harmony with Khomeini, and it is foolish to ignore the violent rhetoric of a people so numerous and passionate.The stark reality is that Muslims worldwide are working to turn America into an Islamic nation, whether by proselytism, societal influence, ideological dominance, legal imposition, or, in some cases, even the sword. And that includes plenty of Muslims living in our midst today.Hmmm......"An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam". ~ Ayatollah KhomeiniRead the full story here.

• 24 Hours in Pakistan – Rumors of a Creeping Military Coup.(Memri).By: Tufail Ahmad.On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, President Asif Zardari left Pakistan for treatment at a hospital in Dubai following the reported development of a heart condition the previous night. Given the recent volatility of the political situation in Pakistan, speculative reports quickly emerged on social networking sites and in the Pakistani and international media of a creeping military coup in Pakistan. December 6 was a public holiday in Pakistan, the 10th of the Islamic month of Muharram, when Muslims – mostly Shi'ites – mark the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Most Pakistani newspapers were not published on December 7, the day after Zardari's departure for Dubai. On December 7, Dubai ruler Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashed Al-Maktoum visited Zardari in the hospital. Sheikh Muhammad, who also the UAE vice president and prime minister, wished President Zardari a "speedy recovery," according to the official WAM news agency, which gave no further details about the Pakistani president's condition.The civilian government led by Zardari and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has been under near-fatal pressure from the Pakistani military and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) following the recent Memogate, a controversy over the possibility that Zardari and Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani were behind a secret memo delivered to U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen this summer seeking his intervention to prevent a military coup in Pakistan. Ambassador Haqqani had been forced to quit over the issue. According to a report on the website of the Urdu-language daily Roznama Jang, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that Zardari was taken to hospital, presumably in Islamabad, following a "heart discomfort" and was treated there. Babar further clarified that the president had walked by himself to the hospital from the presidential residence, and also had walked to his departure for Dubai, and added that he is "healthy" and that there was no truth to media reports referring to a brain hemorrhage.Mian Muneer Hans, a Dubai-based member of Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), said that the president landed in Dubai around 7:30 pm on December 6, adding: "He walked to his car in the airport and was not in any ambulance."Mian Muneer Hans said that Zardari, who was accompanied by his doctor and Pakistani Petroleum Minister Asim Hussain, was taken straight to the American Hospital in Dubai.The Pakistani president is in a tricky situation, in which his alleged good health adds to rumors about recent pressures by the Pakistan Army on the civilian government, notably after the Memogate scandal, forcing him to leave for Dubai. However, if he actually is ill, there has been no factual clarification from the government; nor has the Dubai hospital come forth to stop the rumors. Coincidentally, Pakistani Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, who often speaks the mind of the civilian government, was injured in a car crash on December 7 – possibly unconnected to the Zardari health issue. According to a report, doctors in Dubai "are yet to determine whether the president's condition was due to an adverse reaction to the medication he was taking or a development related to his pre-existing cardiac condition."A statement from Prime Minister Gilani's media office today said that "the president went to Dubai following symptoms related to his pre-existing heart condition… The president will remain under observation and return to resume his normal functions as advised by the doctors."Soon after Zardari left for Dubai, the U.S. media raised a question mark concerning the continuity of the civilian government. A blog on the website of the influential Foreign Policy magazine, to which most of speculative Pakistani media reports referred, published a blog titled "President Zardari suddenly leaves Pakistan – is he on the way out?"The blog quoted "a former U.S. government official" with access to the White House as saying that when President Barack Obama spoke with Zardari to convey his condolences over the weekend regarding the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in the November 26 NATO raid, the Pakistani president was "incoherent."According to Foreign Policy, the former U.S. official said that "the noose was getting tighter – it was only a matter of time" before President Zardari could be forced out by resigning from Dubai on account of "ill health."Adding to the difficulties of the civilian government, Pakistan's main opposition leader and former two-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif demanded that removal of the Zardari government is "necessary" to protect the country's "sovereignty." Speaking within hours of Zardari's departure, Nawaz Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party has recently not been on good terms with the Pakistani military, said that the "failed and self-directed policies of sitting rulers have led the country to the verge of destruction, and the departure of the PPP-led allied government is vital to protect the country's sovereignty and stability."The fast-spreading rumors in Pakistan gain strength because of the unique situation in Pakistan, especially with regard to the Pakistani military's near-total control on foreign policy-making, which has isolated the civilian government. Commenting on the reason behind the mushrooming rumors regarding a likely military coup, Badar Alam, editor of Herald magazine, said that there is a perception that the civilian government is on its last legs, adding: "Look at what has happened in the last two months. The memo scandal, last month's NATO border attack, corruption cases against the government in the Supreme Court, the rallies by the opposition in the streets, and reports of pressure within the ruling party. All these create an atmosphere of uncertainty… "I don't know who is behind the rumors. But they definitely weaken the government further. It creates an image of instability in the country and gives the impression that anything can happen at any time."Read the full story here.

• Russian navy squadron sails to Syrian port; Damascus deploys tanks on Turkey border.(AlArabiya).Russia’s Defense Ministry said a navy squadron has set off for the Mediterranean as an Egyptian official said that a U.S. nuclear submarine has passed through the Suez Canal earlier this week heading to the Mediterranean. Russian news reports quoted the ministry as saying that the squadron was to make a call at the Syrian port of Tartus to replenish supplies. The ministry said the visit had been planned long ago and had no relation to the Syrian crisis, The Associated Press reported.Russian television stations showed the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft cruiser sailing off Tuesday from Severomorsk, the Arctic base of Russia’s Northern Fleet. The carrier is being escorted by a destroyer and several supply ships and will be joined later by several other warships.Moscow has strongly opposed the Western push for international sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government for its violent crackdown on protests. Although the U.S. and the European Union imposed waves of sanctions against Syria in the past months, Washington and its allies have shown little appetite for intervening in another Arab nation in turmoil. However, an Egyptian navigational source said that a U.S. nuclear submarine has set off from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, according to Al Arabiya. The source said it might be heading to the Syrian coasts.The news comes almost two weeks after the U.S. carrier George Bush crossed the Suez Canal on Nov. 20, heading to the Mediterranean and accompanied by five warships. Syria’s state-run media said on Monday that the country’s military has held war games during which the army test-fired missiles and the air force and ground troops conducted operations “similar to a real battle.” State TV said the exercise was meant to test “the capabilities and readiness of missile systems to respond to any possible aggression.” It said the war games were held on Sunday.In October, Assad warned the Middle East “would burn” if the West intervenes in Syria, according to The Associated Press.Syria is known to have surface-to-surface missiles such as Scuds capable of hitting deep inside its archenemy Israel. State TV said the exercise was meant to test “the capabilities and the readiness of missile systems to respond to any possible aggression.”The drill showed Syrian missiles and troops were “ready to defend the nation and deter anyone who dares to endanger its security” and that the missiles hit their test targets with precision, the TV said.State-run news agency SANA quoted Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha as telling the forces that participated in the maneuvers “to be in full readiness to carry out any orders give to them.”Meanwhile, there were reports of a move by a huge number of Syrian tanks from the Maaret al-Numan in Idlib to the borders with Turkey, Al Arabiya reported. On Tuesday, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported that Syrian border guards blocked an infiltration attempt from Turkey by about 35 “armed terrorists”It said some of those who came over the border were wounded and escaped back to Turkey, where they received aid from the Turkish army. The wounded were transported in Turkish military vehicles, SANA said.“The border guards forces suffered no injuries or losses. They warned they would stop anyone who even thinks of touching Syria’s security or its citizens,” SANA said.On Tuesday, clashes erupted between army defectors and security forces in the town of Dael in southern Deraa province, the activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters.“There were raids and arrests ... and random gunfire and stun grenades exploding to terrify the people,” it said. All telephone lines and mobile phone connections were cut off.The Syrian news agency earlier reported the funerals of seven army and police members killed in fighting with armed rebels. Syria says the latter are “terrorists” organized and financed from abroad.Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have stalled and Syria is now the target of international economic sanctions and a travel ban on senior officials.Read the full story here.

• Russia is behind Syria’s conditional approval of an observers’ committee.(AlArabiya).Russia was the main reason behind Syria’s conditional approval of the Arab League’s initiative and its willingness to allow a committee of observers to monitor the situation in the country, diplomatic sources told Al Arabiya.According to the sources, Moscow put intense pressure on Damascus and took part in drafting a response to the Arab League in a way that allows for more maneuvering on Syria’s part with both Arab and foreign countries.The sources explained that Russia’s stance reflects its attempt to strike a balance between its interests in the Middle East and its reputation on the international level, especially in the light of worldwide reports about the violations of the Syrian regime.Russia, the sources added, intentionally leaked reports about its role in lobbying for giving the committee of observers access to Syria. This was clear in statements made by the Russian deputy foreign minister, Mikhail Bogdanov.Reports that reached Al Arabiya said that Syria and Russia have formed “a crisis cell” and that the hot line between the two countries is open 24/7.Al Arabiya learned from both these sources and other Arab and regional contacts that the Russian leadership is working on two fronts: the first is providing Syria with a defense line, and the second is pushing the Syrian regime to offer some concessions provided that they do not include the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad or the questioning of his legitimacy.Al Arabiya also learned from reliable sources that Russia is counting on some kind of compromise to be reached between the Syrian regime and the Arab League that would allow the observers to enter the country under certain conditions. The decision by Washington, London, and Paris to return their ambassadors to Damascus, sources argue, demonstrates that observers might be in Syria soon and that the diplomats of the three countries want to make sure they are there when and if the committee’s work starts.Read the full story here.

• Muslim Brotherhood: Subverting Free Societies from Within.(MEForum).By Raymond Ibrahim.The online version of the long-running Arabic journal Ruz al-Yusif carries an exclusive interview with Sheikh Osama al-Qusi entitled, "Former Salafi: Salafis Have Distorted Islam." In the interview, Qusi discusses the "true thoughts" of the various Islamic groups, which "they conceal under a political mask"; he insists they have "distorted and exploited" Islam.What he says concerning the Muslim Brotherhood and its methods of indoctrination and subversion are particularly noteworthy—notwithstanding Obama's Director of National Intelligence's assurances that the Brotherhood is a "largely secular" organization.First, about Sheikh al-Qusi. He spent the last 39 years in different Islamic organizations in Egypt—beginning with the Brotherhood in the 1970s and ending with the more extreme Salafis. He still claims to be, not just a Muslim, but a Salafi—a sincere follower of "pure" Islam, as dictated by its prophet Muhammad. But he maintains that all Islamic groups are "manipulating" Islam for their own political ambitions. Accordingly, he "announced his break and washed his hands of them all, refusing to be a merchant of religion." If laudable, some of his positions are unorthodox, for instance, that it is permissible to have a Christian or female for a leader.When asked to discuss "how it all began" for him, Qusi reminisced:In the beginning, one is a born Muslim; then you begin to be lured, from whence, you do not know.I was a medical student in the 1970s and the Muslim Brotherhood lured me to them from within the university. Nor did I even realize they were the Brotherhood. Anwar Sadat was president during this time, when he committed his greatest mistake—a mistake he paid for with his life. Not that he released these groups from the prisons after [his predecessor] Abdul Nasser had incarcerated them; but rather for giving them the green light to work in all fields of Egyptian society, thinking he would use them to get rid of his Socialist and Communist opponents. So he permitted them to work in trade unions, school unions—giving them every opportunity to hold official positions [Emphasis added].As a student I had noticed that some of my fellow classmates were considerably older, eventually realizing they were former prison inmates. They began to distribute hand-written copies of Sayyid Qutb's books, which were banned at the time. And we thought that they were heroes, imprisoned for their commitment and intellectual rigor, persecuted by the regime for their patriotism. Unfortunately, they greatly influenced us, since, at the time, we did not know how to differentiate truth from falsehood in regards to the ideas, principles, and pronouncements they exposed us to—to the point that religion and politics became one and the same for us. This was the beginning of my deviation.When asked how he would describe the Muslim Brotherhood, Qusi cautiously answered: "All these organizations—without exception—are not without radicalism."Here, then, is firsthand testimonial from someone closely affiliated with the Brotherhood on how born Muslims can be lured and indoctrinated from within—and all in a very legal, peaceful manner. Sadat's fault was less that he freed the Brotherhood, more that he allowed them legitimacy.Qusi went on to discuss how these groups learned that the assassination of Sadat and the strikes of 9/11 were nothing to celebrate, to the point that some of those involved renounced these acts, having learned that stealth and patience are more effective than open warfare, which only brings unwanted attention.All this is a warning to the West, where Muslim organizations, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim Brotherhood front group, implement the strategy their parent organization has perfected over the course of decades—incrementally subverting free societies from within.Read the full story here.

• Euro Crisis Uncertainty.Anxious Greeks Emptying Their Bank Accounts.(Spiegel).Many Greeks are draining their savings accounts because they are out of work, face rising taxes or are afraid the country will be forced to leave the euro zone. By withdrawing money, they are forcing banks to scale back their lending -- and are inadvertently making the recession even worse.Georgios Provopoulos, the governor of the central bank of Greece, is a man of statistics, and they speak a clear language. "In September and October, savings and time deposits fell by a further 13 to 14 billion euros. In the first 10 days of November the decline continued on a large scale," he recently told the economic affairs committee of the Greek parliament.With disarming honesty, the central banker explained to the lawmakers why the Greek economy isn't managing to recover from a recession that has gone on for three years now: "Our banking system lacks the scope to finance growth." He means that the outflow of funds from Greek bank accounts has been accelerating rapidly. At the start of 2010, savings and time deposits held by private households in Greece totalled €237.7 billion -- by the end of 2011, they had fallen by €49 billion. Since then, the decline has been gaining momentum. Savings fell by a further €5.4 billion in September and by an estimated €8.5 billion in October -- the biggest monthly outflow of funds since the start of the debt crisis in late 2009.Nevertheless, the Greeks today only have €170 billion in savings -- almost 30 percent less than at the start of 2010.The hemorrhaging of bank savings has had a disastrous impact on the economy. Many companies have had to tap into their reserves during the recession because banks have become more reluctant to lend. More Greek families are now living off their savings because they have lost their jobs or have had their salaries or pensions cut. In August, unemployment reached 18.4 percent. Many Greeks now hoard their savings in their homes because they are worried the banking system may collapse. Those who can are trying to shift their funds abroad. The Greek central bank estimates that around a fifth of the deposits withdrawn have been moved out of the country. "There is a lot of uncertainty," says Panagiotis Nikoloudis, president of the National Agency for Combating Money Laundering.The banks are exploiting that insecurity. "They are asking their customers whether they wouldn't rather invest their money in Liechtenstein, Switzerland or Germany."Nikoloudis has detected a further trend. At first, it was just a few people trying to withdraw large sums of money. Now it's large numbers of people moving small sums. Ypatia K., a 55-year-old bank worker from Athens, can confirm that. "The customers, especially small savers, have recently been withdrawing sums of €3,000, €4,000 or €5,000. That was panic," she said. Marina S., a 74-year-old widow from Athens, said she has to be extra careful with money these days. "I have no choice but to withdraw money from my savings," she said.Read the full story here.

• Syria reports gunbattle on Turkish border.(TodaysZaman).Syrian border guards blocked an infiltration attempt from Turkey by about 35 "armed terrorists", the official Syrian news agency SANA said on Tuesday, as Syria forces battle a growing threat from army defectors and rebel fighters. SANA said some of those who came over the border were wounded and escaped back to Turkey where they received aid from the Turkish army. The wounded were transported in Turkish military vehicles, SANA said. Relations between Syria and Turkey have disintegrated since the government of President Bashar al-Assad began using force to suppress a popular revolt. Turkey has said a buffer zone may be required on its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria if the violence causes a mass exodus of Syrians fleeing the cities.A rebel Free Syrian Army of defectors and Assad opponents is believed to be smuggling fighters and weapons into Syria from Turkey to launch attacks on Assad's forces. "The border guards forces suffered no injuries or losses. They warned they would stop anyone who even thinks of touching Syria's security or its citizens," SANA said.The agency earlier reported the funerals of seven army and police members killed in fighting with armed rebels. Syria says the latter are "terrorists" organised and financed from abroad. Clashes erupted on Tuesday between army defectors and security forces in the town of Dael in southern Deraa province, the activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "There were raids and arrests ... and random gunfire and stun grenades exploding to terrify the people," it said. All phone lines and mobile phone connections were cut off.  What began nearly nine months ago as a peaceful protest against Assad, inspired by the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, has slid closer to civil war as armed opposition groups organise and protect city districts.Read the full story here.

• Australian man to get lashed for ‘blasphemy’ in Saudi Arabia.(BikyaMasr).An Australian man arrested in Saudi Arabia last month while performing the Islamic pilgrimage, or Hajj, is to be lashed 500 times for alleged “blasphemy.”Mansour Almaribe was on Tuesday found guilty of blasphemy in a Saudi court, but according to The Australian, his family fears that the 45-year-old will not survive the lashes and a subsequent one-year in prison.Almaribe is a father of five and was charged with insulting companions of the Prophet Mohamed.According to eyewitness accounts, the Australian was arrested while he was praying in a group.Australia’s department of foreign affairs said the Australian ambassador in the ultra-conservative Gulf kingdom, Neil Hawkins, was discussing the situation with local authorities and was urging the Saudi government to release Almaribe.“The Australian ambassador has been in touch with Saudi authorities after a 45-year-old Australian man was sentenced by a court in Saudi Arabia to one-year in jail and 500 lashes,” a department spokeswoman was quoted by The Australian as saying.According to ABC News, Almaribe has serious health problems and his son, Mohamed, said that he doubts his father would survie the lashing sentence.“500 slashes on his back and he has back problems. I wouldn’t think he’d survive 50,” the son told ABC News.Read the full story here.

• Tunisia's Religious Police Is This the Fate of Tunisia?"(HudsonNY).A"committee for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice" has been launched in Tunisia. It is not an official committee, but it is supported by Salafist groups there. Political parties are remaining astonishingly idle, totally incompetent to stop a violent minority that it is threatening personal liberties. The Tunisian civil society is active against the committee, but does not have the political instruments to take action against this newly formed organization.These self-appointed custodians of Islamic virtues are aggressively intervening in public life: They occupy mosques and Quranic schools, and are trying to impose on them imams with Salafist views. They are verbally and physically aggressive towards women who do not abide by their code of dress, they also physically and psychologically assault intellectuals and film makers.Lately, they have come under the spotlight after they decided to forbid Professor Ikbal Gharbi, appointed by the government to the post of director of the religious radio station Zitouna FM, to enter her office. The reason, according to them, was that Prof. Gharbi had no religious background, despite her being an eminent professor of at the Theological Zitouna University in Tunis. In reality, this committee objects to a woman being in charge of a religious radio station, and for Prof. Gharbi being known as a reformist with a modernist interpretation of the Quran.The Tunisian media outlet Kapitalis asks in an article what the objectives are of such a committee and what the effects will be over the different classes of the population. The editorial writer, Meriem.Kh, on the media outlet Investir en Tunisie reminds us that the religious police were created in Saudi Arabia in 1940 to implement Islamic rules and prescriptions, and that nowadays there are still countries with special police forces dedicated to force people to observe religious rules. But then she asks the central question: "Is this the fate of Tunisia? Is this post-revolutionary Tunisia?"Only a firm reaction from the secular and liberal sector of the country -- a majority if only they had been united and not fragmented into a myriad tiny parties -- can prevent Tunisia from becoming a confessional country. This is the second phase of the revolution after the fall of former dictator Zine Abidine Ben Ali -- the real battle ahead for democracy in Tunisia.Hmmmm.......Read the full story here.

• Belarus - Off with their heads.(MoscowNews).by Andrew Roth.Two men convicted of a bombing that killed 15 people and injured hundreds more in the Minsk Oktyabrskaya metro station in April were sentenced to death without a chance to appeal yesterday. Belarusian rights activists have responded that the case was “hastily” concluded and that the death penalty will put an end to any further investigation into a bomb blast for which there is still no established motive. While the terrorist attack was one of the worst in Belarus in recent years, public support for the death penalty may be waning in the country today.Cited as posing an “exceptional risk” to society, the two men, Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov, both 25, were sentenced last week to be shot by a firing squad. Both men were convicted of making the bomb, although it was Konovalov who planted the device in the metro, said the court. Konovalov was also convicted of a series of earlier bombings, including one in Minsk that injured 54 people in 2008 and one in his native city of Vitebsk in 2005 that wounded nearly the same number.Prosecutors offered no motives for the attacks and the case has been dogged by accusations of coerced testimony and little physical evidence that the pair actually constructed the bomb. “For me, the most important thing is that this crime, in my view, wasn’t investigated in full,” said Henri Malosse, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee.A representative of the Belarus based rights network Vysna told Russia Profile that the case exhibited many of the irregularities and abuses regularly associated with law enforcement in the country. But “when the death penalty is applied, that’s the end of it. Any further investigation into the case will just stop,” he added.Belarus, often called the last dictatorship in Europe, also remains the last country in Europe to employ the death penalty. According to the multinational rights organization Amnesty International, more than 400 individuals have been put to death in the country since Belarus emerged independent from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991. Capital punishment was far more prevalent in the beginning of the decade than it is now.The high-profile case has generated a strong reaction from the European community, which has issued declarations asking the Alexander Lukashenko government to commute the two men’s sentences. “The crime they were found guilty of was barbaric, but their punishment should not be the same,” said the council’s general secretary, adding that Belarus should introduce an “immediate moratorium” on the use of the death penalty.It’s unclear whether Belarusian society is interested in abolishing the death penalty. Anatoly Glaz, a local Public Chamber member and the deputy head of the Belarus Commission for Human Rights, said: “For the kinds of crimes that they committed, I don’t think anyone would be of a different opinion [than the death penalty]. Let God be their judge,” Interfax-West quoted him as saying. While government polls suggest that only 4.5 percent of Belarusians support immediate abolition, independent polls suggest that that number may be as high as half of the population.The tradition of requests for clemency and mercy from the Tsar has a long history in Russia. In Belarus, Lukashenko has only commuted one sentence since the fall of the USSR. Nonetheless, the mother of the accomplice in the case, Kovalyov, has written to Lukashenko, maintaining her son’s innocence and requesting that the investigation continue. “I am asking you not to kill my son Uladzislau Kavaliou and Dzmitry Kanavalau, but instead to find those who are actually responsible for these terrorist crimes,” she wrote. Hmmm......From kolkhonik....to judge - Jury and executioner.Read the full story here.

• Organ Gangs Force Poor to Sell Kidneys for Desperate Israelis.(Stratrisks).S ource: BloombergAliaksei Yafimau shudders at the memory of the burly thug who threatened to kill his relatives. Yafimau, who installs satellite television systems in Babrujsk, Belarus, answered an advertisement in 2010 offering easy money to anyone willing to sell a kidney.He saw it as a step toward getting out of poverty. Instead, Yafimau, 30, was thrust into a dark journey around the globe that had him, at one point, locked in a hotel room for a month in Quito, Ecuador, waiting for surgeons to cut out an organ, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its December issue.The man holding Yafimau against his will was Roini Shimshilashvili, a former kickboxer who was an enforcer for an international organ-trafficking ring, according to evidence gathered by police in Kiev. Yafimau says that when he pleaded with Shimshilashvili to let him get out of the deal and go home, the big man sliced the air with Thai-boxing moves and threatened him.“He said if I didn’t go through with it, he would leave me in Ecuador and kill my family,” Yafimau says.Doctors removed Yafimau’s left kidney in July 2010 and transplanted it into an Israeli woman, according to the Kiev police investigation. On the plane back to Belarus, on the western border of Russia, Shimshilashvili told Yafimau that if he wanted to live, he shouldn’t talk to police.“I am afraid for my life,” says Yafimau, standing outside his mother’s Babrujsk apartment building, a nine-story, Soviet- era edifice that’s surrounded by weeds and trash. The traffickers paid Yafimau $10,000. He says it wasn’t worth the fear that haunts him today.Organ trafficking is on the rise, as desperate people seek transplants in a world that doesn’t have enough donors. About 5,000 people sell organs on the black market each year, according to Francis Delmonico, an adviser on transplants to the World Health Organization.It’s against the law to buy or sell an organ in every country except Iran, says Delmonico, who is president-elect of the Montreal-basedTransplantation Society, which lobbies governments to crack down on illicit procedures.Bloomberg Markets reported in June that U.S. citizens and others from the Americas suffering from kidney failure were going to Nicaragua and Peru to buy organs in a shadowy trade that injured and killed donors and recipients.That U.S.-Latin American connection is dwarfed by a network of organ-trafficking organizations whose reach extends from former Soviet Republics such as Azerbaijan, Belarus and Moldova to Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa and beyond, a Bloomberg Markets investigation shows.Many of the black-market kidneys harvested by these gangs are destined for people who live in Israel.In Kosovo, Ratel, who has dual citizenship in Canada and Great Britain and was appointed by the European Union to help restore the country’s criminal justice system, is overseeing a pivotal organ-trafficking case. It includes participants and victims from Belarus, Moldova, Turkey and four other countries.The EU has administered the courts in Kosovo since 2008, the year the country the size ofConnecticut declared independence from Serbia after a civil war. Ratel, who arrived in March 2010 as part of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, says the country has become a center for organ trafficking.Ratel built a case against nine doctors, hospital administrators and recruiters on charges of buying and selling kidneys for patients in Georgia, Germany, Israel, Poland and Ukraine, as well as Canada and the United States.In Israel, an unresolved religious debate hampers organ donation — from both the living and the dead. Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, a leading arbiter of Jewish law in Israel, advises that donating body parts violates religious tradition, which holds that upon death, a body should be buried intact.“It is not permitted to remove any organ,” Elyashiv, who’s 101 years old, said in a public statement in March 2008.Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Safed, Israel, is leading a drive to get 100 colleagues to sign a document advocating organ donation. He says the Torah tells people to help others when they can, especially if it means saving a life. He says donating an organ is a mitzvah, or good deed.“I hope that many more Jews will become part of the organ donation network,” Eliyahu says.Doctors performed 24 illegal transplants at Medicus Clinic in 2008, for patients from Canada, Israel, Germany, Poland and the U.S. who paid for the life-saving operations, according to the Kosovo criminal charges. Ratel’s office accused Harel on June 6 of leading that organ-trafficking gang.The laws and rules designed to prevent the trafficking in organs aren’t working. While prosecutors in places such as Israel, Brazil, Kosovo and Ukraine have successfully crippled some of the organ-trading gangs, they’re fighting powerful economic forces.As long as there’s a worldwide shortage of legal donors for life-saving transplants, the exploitation of the poor will only grow, Kosovo-based prosecutor Ratel says.“There’s burgeoning organized-crime activity in trafficking of human organs,” he says. “It will take serious efforts by governments and hospitals to stop it.”Hmmmm....Turkish “Doctor Mengele” Claims Innocence".Read the full story here.

• Belgium: Islam discriminated, says researcher.(IIE).Via GvA (Dutch): "Islam is discriminated in Belgium. It's never recognized in a true multicultural fashion," writes researcher Jonathan Debeer (Policy Research Centre on Equal Opportunities, Antwerp University) in a recently published book. His study also shows that Muslims reject the Muslim Executive.Debeer sees discrimination of Islam in many fields:

1. Islam was recognized already back in 1974, but mosques were only recognized in 2007.
2. The newly recognized religious community have to satisfy various formalities that didn't apply in the past (such as submitting annual budgets).
3. The Muslim Executive represents the whole of Islam, but all candidates are screened by State Security and many democratically elected persons are rejected. That doesn't happen by other religions.
4. The Flemish decree of public worship was written for Catholicism with its hierarchical structure, and hasn't been adapted to Islam.
5. His research also showed that Muslims themselves are critical of the Muslim Executive. They don't agree on its functions (administrative or also religious?), they think it's inefficient, they think that they delay the recognition of new mosques and imams. Above all, Muslims say that the Executive is not representative. The Turks and Moroccan in the Executive fail to agree on things.Debeer criticizes the Magits report, which calls for one representative body for every recognized religion. Debeer says this fits the Catholic mold, and that religions should be represented by multiple bodies.Read the full story here.