Rape[Istan] India Blocks 857 Websites for 'Porn'.

Rape[Istan] India Blocks 857 Websites for 'Porn'. (NDTV).

Since Saturday, Indians have been unable to access more than 800 websites, blocked by a government order on the grounds that they host porn, though that is not against the law in India. Here is your 10-point cheat-sheet to this story:

1) The ban has provoked a furious debate online about extreme and unwarranted moral policing by the government.

2) The sites that are banned include some of the world's biggest porn sites like Pornhub and Xvideos.

3) But also included in the lengthy list are torrent sites, video sharing sites, as well as comedy and dating sites.

4) A copy of the government's order, which has been marked as 'restricted', has been leaked by the Centre of Internet Studies.

5) Dated Friday, July 31, the order is issued by the Ministry of IT's Department of Telecom (DoT), and is addressed to all Internet service providers (ISP) like Airtel and BSNL.

6) The order calls for "disablement of the following URLs under the provision of section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 as the content hosted on these websites relate to morality, decency as given in the Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India."

7) The order is a result of PIL pending before the Supreme Court, which seeks ban of child porn and other such sites. During the previous hearing of the case, the Court had asked government what action had been taken.

8) "We had given names of 800 websites," said Vijay Panjawani, lawyer of the PIL petitioner. As a counter to those who said the government has no business deciding what an adult does in the privacy of his home, the lawyer said, "How can one say fundamental rights are violated? If I sleep with a prostitute or a boy within the four corners of my room, it is an offense."

9) The Supreme Court recently refused an interim order to block porn websites in India. "Somebody may come to the court and say look, I am above 18, and how can you stop me from watching it within the four walls of my room. It is a violation of Article 21 [right to personal liberty]," Chief Justice HL Dattu reportedly said last month.

10) On Twitter, author Chetan Bhagat and film-maker Ram Gopal Verma are among those campaigning against the ban."Don't ban porn. Ban men ogling, leering, brushing past, groping, molesting, abusing, humiliating and raping women," Bhagat. 

Hmmm.....I don't know if the ban was imposed for 'religious' (Islam) reasons, but banning porn won't stop the rape epidemic in India, there is a rape 'culture' present and it needs re education.

Video - Egyptian Imam Abu Mu'adh Al-Dardiri Extols the Pleasures of Paradise: A Man Will Have 100 Virgins in One Morning

Hmmmm........Oh please NO.....Having to explain everything 100 times.....Every day ......for eternity??? No way!!

French Muslim grocery sparks outcry by introducing male & female shopping days.

French Muslim grocery sparks outcry by introducing male and female shopping days. (RT).

A grocery store in Bordeaux has caused a furor among local residents after the store's owners, who are newly converted to Islam, reserved gender-specific days for its customers to make sure that men's and women's paths never cross.

The “De L'Orient à L'Occidental” grocery in Bordeaux has put a sign on its front door saying that “sisters” can only shop during the weekend, while “brothers” are welcome at the store twice as often – on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Bordeaux Mayor Alain Juppé has condemned the initiative, calling it "unacceptable," and saying it "totally contradicts the republic's rules of equality and diversity."

The mayor has called on the authorities to "address this issue in order to stop such discriminatory practices and implement measures, which the law provides in such circumstances," LePoint.fr reported. Discrimination cases can see penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of up to €45,000.

The head of French equality group ACSE, Naima Charai, wrote on Twitter that gender-related opening hours are "unimaginable and unacceptable," adding that "respect for the republic" is supposed to be 24/7.

The owner of the business, Jean-Baptiste Michalon, has defended his move, telling French newspaper Sud Ouest that he "didn’t know it was forbidden" by law. "It was for a savvy public that knows that our practice of [Muslim] religion does not allow the mix.”

“It's not an obligation, everyone does what he wants," said Michalon, a recent convert Islam who has taken the name Yahya. The grocery store sells religious books, some traditional clothes and food. Michalon runs it with his wife Soumaya, who also recently converted to Islam (her name used to be Jessica).

"We have put it in place at the request of the 'sisters' who preferred to shop when my wife was behind the counter (...) This is a store which also sells clothes," he explained. "It shocks me to hear some calling it discrimination," Michalon told the Sud Ouest paper, citing the existence of "hammams with timetables for men and women."

The grand imam of Bordeaux, Tareq Oubrou, appeared to be among those who slammed gender-related opening hours at the “De L'Orient à L'Occidental” grocery store.

"We never saw that at the time of the Prophet! The markets were mixed,” Oubrou told France 3 Aquitaine, adding that the practice of gender-specific days for customers "seemed a bit odd in a world where diversity is an established culture."

According to the imam, it was more like the owners' "psychological than theological choice." Read the full story here.

'Moderate' Iran: Hassan Rouhani government will not permit women to sing, minister says.

'Moderate' Iran: Hassan Rouhani government will not permit women to sing, minister says. (NCRI).

Hassan Rouhani’s government will not issue permits for women to sing solo, Ali Jannati, the minister of Culture and Guidance has declared.

Speaking in Isfahan on Friday, Ali Jannati said: “Those political currents that to seek to weaken and destroy the government offer incorrect information to religious scholars and members of parliament and distort the issue.”

He stressed that: “The Ministry of Guidance and Culture does not issue permits for women to sing solo.”

He added: “Ministry of Guidance works in adherence to Supreme Leader’s viewpoint.”

Jannati remarks followed statements by two senior clerics in Qom announcing that women cannot sing in Iran.

Nouri Hamedani and Makarem Shirazi in their lectures in Qom protested an album that had songs of a female singer, state-run news agency website Tabnak reported on February 4.

Nouri Hamedani said in his lecture: There is no problem with women talking, but “women singing cannot become common and we will stop it”. He continued: it is “religiously forbidden” for women to sing or play musical instruments in front of men.

“Any film, festival, book or music that is in contrast with revolutionary values will be stopped,” he reminded.

Makarem Shirazi, another senior mullah also showed his opposition to women singers in his lecture as a matter that “causes popular discontent”. Hmmm....Obama's new BFF Iran....Human rights? What human rights? Oh they're not the only ones ....here's another Obama BFF.

Obama's BFF IRAN: Senior clerics say: "Women can’t sing, it is religiously forbidden”

Obama's BFF IRAN: Senior clerics say: "Women can’t sing, it is religiously forbidden”.(NCRI).

Two senior clerics in Qom announced that women cannot sing in Iran.

Nouri Hamedani and Makarem Shirazi in their lectures in Qom protested an album that had songs of a female singer, state-run news agency website Tabnak reported on February 4.

The state TV and radio in Iran never broadcast songs of female singers, but at times CDs with female singers are semi-covertly sold in the market.

Last week an album was produced that had both male and female singers.

Nouri Hamedani said in his lecture: There is no problem with women talking, but “women singing cannot become common and we will stop it”. He continued: it is “religiously forbidden” for women to sing or play musical instruments in front of men.

“Any film, festival, book or music that is in contrast with revolutionary values will be stopped,” he reminded.

Makarem Shirazi, another senior mullah also showed his opposition to women singers in his lecture as a matter that “causes popular discontent”. Hmmm..........A look at the future for Turkey.

Saudi Arabia - Shoura denies recommending women be allowed to drive

Saudi Arabia - Shoura denies recommending women be allowed to drive. (Arabnews).

The Shoura Council on Saturday said it has not made any recommendation to lift the ban on female drivers in the Kingdom, contrary to a foreign press report.

An Associated Press report carried by international media outlets quoted an unnamed Shoura member as saying the king’s advisory council recommended that the government lift the ban, on condition that only women over 30 be allowed to drive.

Also, women drivers must be off the road by 8 p.m. and cannot wear makeup behind the wheel, said the report.

But Shoura spokesman Mohammed Al-Muhanna said the report is false and misleading as the council has not made any such decision at all. Hmmm....Sorry ladies :)

"Guinness record?" Turkish crime rate increases 400 percent in 20 years.

Figure 3. Homicide rate per 100,000 population, Africa region, by country (criminal justice, latest available year; public health, 2004)Source

"Guinness record?" Turkish crime rate increases 400 percent in 20 years. (Taz).

Turkey's population has increased by 26 percent in the last 20 years, and has also experienced dramatic increases in crime rates, with a 400 percent surge in drug-related crimes, theft and homicide, Today's Zaman reported.

In 1994, the number of arrested prisoners was recorded as 38,931; 20 years later, as of the beginning of October, the number of prisoners this year has reached 152,335.

Contrary to what Turkish leadership claims the more 'religious' the country became, the higher the overall crime rates.

Even during the Sept. 12, 1980 coup d'état period that lasted until 1983, though there were large numbers of innocent people arrested, it only amounted to 80,000 prisoners.

According to the data provided by the Ministry of Justice, the crime rate is growing with each passing day.

Contrary to other European countries Crime rates did not go down but increased in 'Islamist' Turkey

According to the statistics provided, the population of Turkey has increased from 60 million to 76 million in 20 years and the crime rate has increased by 26 percent.

The number of people who have been arrested for robbery is 30,992, the number for drug trade offenses is 26,697, and the number of those arrested for homicide has reached 26,578 this year as of September.

Furthermore, according to the statistics there are 794 minors from the 12 to 17-year-old age group who have been convicted, and 7,018 convicts in the 18 to 20-year-old age group.

In comparison to previous years, this is a 40 percent increase in crimes like those related to the drug trade, robbery, extortion and homicide committed by minors and young adults.  Hmmm...If Europe needed another reason to keep Turkey out of Europe....here's one.

Islamic State magazine admits, justifies enslaving Yazidi women and children.

"double-check"ing if it's ok to have sex with Yazidi slave girls pic.twitter.com/jxdcRK6hLL” via @PalebluedotUK
— Zeynep Erdim (@zeynep_erdim) October 12, 2014

Islamic State magazine admits, justifies enslaving Yazidi women and children. (RT).

In an article published in the latest issue of the jihadist Dabiq magazine, a major PR instrument of ISIS, the group described the fate faced by the Yazidi minority after jihadists launched their onslaught on Sinjar region in Iraqi Kurdistan in August.

Following the attack, the article claims, “the Yazidi women and children were then divided according to the Shariah amongst the fighters of the Islamic State who participated in the Sinjar operations.”

“The enslaved Yazidi families are now sold by the Islamic State soldiers,” the author adds, noting that Sharia law saw is being observed and fighters did separate small children from their mothers.

Dabiq magazine goes to extensive ends to justify slavery using theological arguments while in another of the 70-page propagandist magazine authors quote Shaykh Abu Mahamed al-Adnani as saying: “We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted.”

On Sunday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report where it claims, based on a series of interviews that ISIS has “systematically” separated Yazidi young women and teenage girls from their families forcing them to marry its fighters.

HRW managed to track down 16 Yazidis who escaped Islamic State custody, and interviewed two detained women by phone.

None of the women admitted to have been raped, but four of them said they had fought off sexual assaults while confirming that other detained women told them that IS fighters had raped them. One interviewee said she witnessed a teenage girl being auctioned off to a fighter for $1,000. The women also attested to boys being forced to convert to Islam.

Seve, a 19-year-old who escaped ISIS captivity in late August, told Human Rights Watch that she watched the jihadis kill her husband before capturing her near Sinjar. She says that she was taken to Mosul, where ISIS forced her and others to marry them in group “weddings.”


Layla, another former captive said she and her sister were kept in a large hall in Mosul, alongside some 200 young women and girls. Each night, she said fighters came and chose a woman to take home with them.


“Every night the armed guards would say, ‘The mujahidin have arrived!’ They would enter the hall and pick those they desired, sometimes with force, other times just by pointing at them. When we asked the guards what was happening, they would say, ‘They are taking them to help the mujahidin at their houses’,” she told HRW.

The systematic abduction and abuse of Yazidi civilians “may amount” to crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said.
“Some specific abuses against civilians committed by members of Islamic State, as an armed group in a conflict, may amount to war crimes if committed with criminal intent, such as violence to life and person, including cruel treatment, and outrages against personal dignity.”


Since the ISIS lightning advance this year, Iraq's Yazidi minority have fallen victims to the extremists with reported cases of mass executions by Islamic State militants and kidnapping of women. More than 500,000 Yazidis and other religious minorities have fled Islamic State attacks in northern Iraq since June, most to the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, according to the United Nations and regional officials.

The 4th issue of Dabiq, ISIS English magazine. In it, slavery is justified based on close reading of Sunni sources. pic.twitter.com/sUB1iutW8e

— Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (@TusiPolymath) October 12, 2014

35 percent of married Iranian men are sexually incompetent, divorced women are harmful for the society Iran's Dep Min of Youth Affairs

Damn......makes you wonder why?

35 percent of married Iranian men are sexually incompetent, divorced women are harmful for the society  Iran's Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs. (Taz).

Iran's Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mahmoud Golzari said that nearly 35 percent of married Iranian men are sexually incompetent.

"Unfortunately 20-35 percent of marriages result in divorces," he said, Iran's ISNA News Agency reported on July 4.

He went on to note that divorced women are harmful for the society.
"The youth's interest in social networks like Facebook, high rate of HIV infections, sexual relations before marriage, and an increase in violence are among the other problems of the young generation," he said.

Golzari said some 24 million Iranians are aged 15-30, and the figure will rise in the country in 30 to 40 years.
In 2013, Golzari was quoted as saying that about 20 percent of marriages in Iran end in divorces. He said at the time that according to the official statistics, the number of divorces has increased by 35-40 percent in Tehran.

"Islamist Turkey" - Rize Mufti’s office to condemn Valentine’s Day in Friday speech

"Islamist Turkey" - Rize Mufti’s office to condemn Valentine’s Day in Friday speech.(HD).

The Mufti’s Office in the Black Sea province of Rize has sent mosques in the city a text condemning Valentine’s Day, which will be read by imams during their Friday sermon.

The special day falls on Friday this year, the Muslim holy day and the day on which imams give weekly sermons to the community. The text sent by the Mufti’s Office explains that there is no Valentine’s Day in Islam.

“In our religious ideology, there is no Valentine’s Day, because you cannot assign a day for love. The love for which a day is assigned is a lost treasure. The best gift to our dear spouses is our heart, full of love and loyalty. The most beautiful bouquet is a warm heart and a smiling face,” the sermon stated.

“In a world where betrayal and violence have been rising, how much is the fictional Valentine’s Day worth?” it added.

Hmmm...... Corinthians 13:4-7. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

"Moderate" Iran's repression of women places it 130th in world gender equality.

"Moderate" Iran's repression of women places it 130th in world gender equality. (NCRI).

Iran under mullahs' rule has been ranked a lowly 130th in a new international survey of gender equality in society.

The regime was placed almost bottom out of the 136 nations assessed in the 2013 Global Gender Gap report by the World Economic Forum.

The study measures the access and opportunities for women in four key areas of health, education, economics and politics.

At the top of the table were the northern European nations of Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
But Iran was ahead only of Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Syria, Chad and Yemen in the study which has again highlighted the repressive measures against women in Iranian society.

The survey comes after a separate report last week ranked Iran 94th in world index of 'skilled and productive' workforces.

The report measured the skills and capital that reside in people and that are put to productive use.
Iran highest ranking was 68th for the level of education of workers, followed by 87th for the physical and mental health of the employed population and 88th the state of environment in which they work.
But the regime was in 119th place - third from bottom across all 122 countries - for the quantity, talent and knowledge of the workforce.

Turkey’s religious head refuses UN fund for violence against women project.

Turkey’s religious head refuses UN fund for violence against women project. (HD).

President of the Directorate General for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Mehmet Görmez declared that the department would refuse to continue receiving loans for an ongoing United Nations-led project in Turkey. The gesture is in line with Turkey’s blunt criticism of the U.N. for its perceived lack of action regarding the turmoil in Syria.

“I will not spend a single lira of the U.N.’s money,” Görmez said on Aug. 22 during a signing ceremony for the “Cooperation Protocol for Providing Contribution of Religious Officials in Protection of Family and Preventing Violence against Women,” which was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ and Family, Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin.

The UN should care about crimes against humanity before violence against women, Görmez said, as reported by the Doğan News Agency.

“How can the organizations, institutions who cannot prevent murder against humanity, prevent subjects such as societies’ violence against women, human rights, domestic violence and the like?” he said. The remarks drew a strong reaction from social media users in Turkey, who slammed Görmez’s apparent underestimation of the fight against violence against women.

“From now on, at least on the part regarding the Diyanet, I will not spend a single penny of the U.N.’s money; I do not accept that money. I will spend it from the Diyanet foundation. They should use that money to prevent gross crimes and murders against humanity. Thank God, we have the belief, spirituality, materiality to explain to our nation the harm of violence against women, sympathy and compassion toward humanity,” Görmez added.

Related: 34 percent of Turkish men : "Domestic violence OK sometimes"

"Rape[Istan] - Advertising agency sacks employees after sexist Ford ads in India.

"Rape[Istan] - Advertising agency sacks employees after sexist Ford ads in India.(NDtv).

Mumbai: An Indian unit of advertising group WPP has sacked employees over a series of ads, including one showing women tied up in the trunk of a Ford driven by ex-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The ads were published days after India approved a tougher new law to punish sex crimes, following the fatal gang rape of a student in December. That attack sparked unprecedented protests over the treatment of women in the country.

The ads, uploaded on an industry website, were created by individuals within JWT India, a unit of WPP, the world's biggest advertising group.

"We deeply regret the publishing of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency at JWT," a company statement said.

"These were never intended for paid publication, were never requested by our Ford client and should never have been created, let alone uploaded to the Internet.

"These posters were created by individuals within the agency and did not go through the normal review and oversight process. "After a thorough internal review, we have taken appropriate disciplinary action with those involved, which included the exit of employees at JWT," it said.

Ford India also issued a statement expressing regret over the incident, but did not comment on whether it was taking any action against the agency.

One of the ads shows Berlusconi, charged in Italy with paying for sex with a minor, sitting in the front seat of a Ford Figo hatchback flashing a victory sign, with a trio of half-dressed women bound and gagged in the trunk.

Another featured a caricature of celebrity Paris Hilton in the driver's seat, and three women resembling the Kardashian sisters bound in the trunk with the tagline "Leave your worries behind with Figo's extra large boot".

"This was the result of individuals acting without proper oversight and appropriate actions have been taken within the agency where they work to deal with the situation," WPP said.

Comments on Twitter and Facebook dismissed the ads as "shameful" and "disgusting".

"If this is what Ford represents, I will never buy Ford again, and try my best not to sit in one," a Facebook user said.Hmmmm.....It's becoming pretty obvious that India has a major 'Rape Culture' problem , but are they actually doing something about it?Read the full story here.

Rape[Istan] - Blame the rape victim? Foreign tourists we're not following rules, says Madhya Pradesh minister.

Rape[Istan] - Blame the rape victim? Foreign tourists we're not following rules, says Madhya Pradesh minister.(NDtv).

Bhopal: Terming as "unfortunate" the incident of gangrape of a Swiss woman, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Uma Shankar Gupta today said foreign tourists were not following rules about informing local police about their movements.

"What happened is unfortunate for our nation. When foreign tourists come, they should inform the SP (Superintendent of Police) about their plans. This is the system but it is not being followed," he said.

The Swiss female tourist, on a cycling trip along with her husband, was allegedly gangraped by seven to eight men at a forest area in Datia district, on the night of March 15.

The Minister said they will be taking steps to ensure such incidents do not recur.

"They had their tent in the outer area of the city but the incident should not happen, so we will think what more can be done for foreign tourists," he said.

The alleged offence took place at Jhadia village, eight kms from Datia town, at around 9 pm on March 15, when the 39-year-old woman along with her partner was touring the region on a bicycle as part of their India tour.

The couple, who are adventure tourists, was camping at a forest area for the night while on their way back from Orchha, home to temples of Lord Ram, and were proceeding to Agra when they were attacked and looted by some persons, who took away their laptops and other valuables.Hmmmmm.......Indeed India has a 'Rape Culture' and it doesn't sound like this will change anytime soon.Read the full story here.

"Rape[Istan]" - Swiss woman 'gang-raped' in central India.

"Rape[Istan]" - Swiss woman 'gang-raped' in central India.(NDtv).A 39-year-old Swiss national was gang-raped by a group of men in Madhya Pradesh last night. The men assaulted the woman after thrashing her husband with lathis (wooden sticks)and robbing the couple of their valuables.

The incident happened at a village near Datia where the woman and her husband were camping. They had halted there while on their way from Orchha to Agra. They had planned to cover the 250-km stretch on bicycles.

The victim, who is reported to be 39 years old, has been admitted to hospital in Gwalior. She is conscious and has spoken to the authorities.

The woman was taken to a hospital in Gwalior where her medical examination confirmed that she was gang-raped.

One report cited the victim's husband as saying that the group of men had approached them at about 21:30 (16:00 GMT). They then began beating him with wooden sticks before tying him up and sexually assaulting his wife in front of him, he is reported to have added.

The assailants stole the couple's valuables, including 10,000 rupees ($185) and a mobile phone, before fleeing into the woods.

Based on her husband's complaint, police in Datia have detained eight men. The couple will now be asked to identify the accused.Read the full story here, more here.

Updated More here from Russia Today.

Canada - Ontario Lib minister writes support letter for controversial Islamic book.

Canada - Ontario Lib minister writes support letter for controversial Islamic book.(SNN).TORONTO -- A letter of support from Ontario's labour minister appears in the latest edition of a book on Islam which condones men physically punishing their wives.

The letter from Liberal Yasir Naqvi appears in the reviews section of Islam: Balancing Life and Beyond.
The book says it is within the tenants of Islam to "lightly" strike your spouse if she exhibits "serious moral misconduct."

Naqvi congratulates author Suhail Kapoor on the release of the new edition.

"I admire your drive to reach out to the public and promote values of tolerance, understanding and respect," Naqvi said in the letter.Kapoor told QMI Agency he wrote Naqvi asking for a review of his book. When he received a response to his request more than two years ago, he asked permission to reprint it and said it was granted by the Ottawa-Centre MPP's office.

But Naqvi said Monday he hasn't read the book and didn't authorize use of his response.

Naqvi said he has never read Kapoor's work and has brought forward several private member's bills to help victims of domestic violence."I strongly condemn violence against women," Naqvi said in a statement to QMI Agency. "I believe that abuse of any kind is unacceptable and I do not share the views expressed in this book."

In a chapter, entitled "Does Islam Allow Wife Beating?" Kapoor outlines the circumstances under which it is appropriate for a man to punish his wife using "light" slaps on the wrist with a small wooden stick."That is part of my faith. That is what the Qur'an says. But we have to understand the context of it."
Kapoor said those measures are a last resort if "lewd" or "disobedient" behaviour persists. It must first be discussed and then, failing a resolution, the husband must remove himself from the marital bed, he said.
If that doesn't work, then "light strikes" are permitted."No marks should come from that strike. Nothing on the face, nothing on the body, nothing on the private parts or areas, just on the hands."Read the full story here.

UNRWA cancels Gaza marathon after Hamas ban on women participation.

UNRWA cancels Gaza marathon after Hamas ban on women participation.(AA).GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza's third international marathon has been cancelled after the ruling Hamas movement refused to allow women to run, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Tuesday. UNRWA officials said more than 800 people, nearly half of them women, had signed up to participate in this year's race, which runs the entire length of the coastal territory and was to have taken place on April 10.

"UNRWA regrets to announce that it has had to cancel the third UNRWA marathon which was to be held on 10 April," a statement said. "This disappointing decision follows discussions with the authorities in Gaza who have insisted that no women should participate."

UNRWA officials say 807 people had entered this year's race - 551 locals and 256 international runners. Of that number, 385 are female - 266 from Gaza and 119 from overseas.

Another 1,600 schoolchildren, girls and boys, were also to have joined the race. Speaking to AFP, UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said the decision to cancel was taken after the ruling Islamist movement refused to back down over the issue of women and men running together.
"Hamas refused to let women participate in this very important marathon. They told us about this condition several days ago and we went into long negotiations but we failed," he said.

"They pushed us to cancel the marathon and I'm very sorry because it is a very important event for Palestinian refugees." "Hamas claims that women have never been allowed to run, which is not true, then they decided that only local women could run. Then they decided not to let any women participate," a diplomatic source in Gaza told AFP.

A senior Hamas official confirmed the ban on women runners but expressed regret that UNRWA had cancelled the entire event."We regret this decision to cancel the marathon but we don't want men and women running together," said Abdessalam Siyyam, cabinet secretary of the Hamas government.

"We did not tell UNRWA to cancel the marathon and we haven't prevented it, but we laid down some conditions: We don't want women and men mixing in the same place," he told AFP, citing Islamic law and traditions.
"We don't want any women running uncovered," he said, indicating the ban was only in place for female runners aged 16 and over.Hmmmm.....Obama says the Koran teaches that, "Be it man or woman, each of you is equal to the other."Read the full story here.

Egypt - "You know you're in an Islamist Country when: They delete Women's Rights Heroines From School Textbooks."

Egypt - "You know you're in an Islamist Country when: They delete Women's Rights Heroines From School Textbooks."(WC).CAIRO - It was a landmark day when prominent women’s rights activist Doria Shafiq bravely led a march of 1,500 women to storm the gates of the Egyptian Parliament on Feb. 19, 1951.

After several hours of unrelenting protest, Shafiq was finally received inside Parliament, where the council agreed to consider the demands of Egyptian women.

Along with her predecessors, including Hoda Shaarawi, Nabawiya Moussa and Ceza Nabarawi, Shafiq remains one of the 20th-century pioneers of the women’s liberation movement in Egypt. Her march to Parliament later led to the inclusion of women’s suffrage in the 1956 Constitution.

But, despite her many feats, Shafiq is likely to be forgotten in the minds of future generations in Egypt.

The 2013–2014 editions of the Egyptian National Education textbooks have been edited to delete the picture of Doriya Shafiq and pictures of those killed during the Jan. 25 revolution. Shafiq’s image was removed from the high-school textbook because she was not veiled.

But, as the subversion of Egyptian women continues, local human rights activists have become more creative in their fight for women’s equality, representation and rights.

Seen through local street art collectives like Noon El Neswa, the Mona Lisa Brigades and various independent efforts, a new wave of street art and visual campaigns seeks to challenge the low status of Egyptian women by painting them in a positive light.

“They are already deleting female activists from our history books,” says Shady Khalil, co-founder of Noon El Neswa, a gender-sensitive street art collective. “In order to help reverse the effects of this and many other attacks on women’s rights, we have been creating graffiti campaigns with the purpose of reclaiming women’s rightful position in public spaces.”Hmmmm.....Obama: Moris is a 'straight shooter'.....Yup you just did not mention the 'targets' Mr President.Read the full story here.

Turkish politician - Female Syrian refugees in Turkey being sold to Arab states.

Turkish politician - Female Syrian refugees in Turkey being sold to Arab states.(Presstv).The deputy chairman of the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party, Faruq Logoglu, says female Syrian refugees in Turkish camps are being sold to rich sheikhs in Arab countries.
Addressing the parliament on Tuesday, the Turkish official criticized the violation of human rights in the refugee camps in Turkey, saying women and girls are being sent to neighboring rich Arab states in exchange for money, Turkish Taraf daily reported on Tuesday.
He said refugee children from Syria are also being trained to use guns and are sent to Syria to fight against Syrian government forces.
Turkey is home to 180,000 of the Syrian refugees in camps in the south of the country.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 75 percent of the Syrian refugees who have taken shelter in Turkey are women and children.
The Turkish Republican People’s Party has repeatedly pronounced its opposition to Turkey’s stance on Syria, calling for an end to the Syrian conflict and a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis in the country.
Since the start of the unrest in Syria, Turkey has thrown its weight behind the militants fighting the Syrian government.The Syrian government says the chaos, which began in the country in March 2011, is being orchestrated from outside and there are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals.Hmmmm.....2013 slave market.Read the full story here.

"Arab Spring " - ‘Project Chastity:’ Algeria launches ‘hijab’ campaign for minor girls.

"Arab Spring " - ‘Project Chastity:’ Algeria launches ‘hijab’ campaign for minor girls.(AA).An Islamic group in Algeria has mobilized an army of sociologists, psychologists and religious preachers from inside and outside the country in a campaign urging girls as young as 10-years old to wear the religious headscarf, a moved decried by rights activists as irresponsible and counterproductive.
Hisham Ben Khouda, secretary general of ‘al-Daawa’ group behind the “chastity” campaign, told Algeria’s Echorouk newspaper that his group has managed to convince 300 girls between the ages of 10 and 15 to wear the veil.
He said the campaign has been going on for five years and that this year it has taken a national dimension with the participation of many preachers from inside and outside Algeria.
Radical Kuwaiti preacher Nabil al-Awadhi is scheduled to attend the ‘chastity’ ceremony on April 12 in Algeria’s el-Boulaida where the Islamic headscarf will be introduced to little girls who are “convinced” by preachers, sociologists and psychologists to wear it.
The Kuwaiti preacher, in a recent visit to Tunisia, called on young girls to wear the hijab, raising anger among human rights activists in the once secular North African state.
Awadhi said he was in Tunisia to deliver “educational lessons,” but activists and even lawmakers in the constituent assembly urged the government to expel him.
Organizers of the ‘chastity’ campaign in Algeria say girls are asked to fill out an application answering questions regarding their understanding of Hijab. They also changed the targeted age group from 8-12 to 10-15 based “specialists’ advice.”
Yousif Hantablawi, a sociologist at Boulaida University, criticized the campaign saying it will have negative effects on little girls. He said minors cannot make such life-changing decisions and the campaigners cannot claim to have “convinced” any girl. Djaâfri Djadi Chayaa, the president of the Algerian Observatory of Women, told Echorouk that the project will hurt the girls more than it will benefit them, adding that campaign should’ve tried to educate the girls and teach them social values and proper behavior instead of encouraging them to change their looks by wearing the hijab.Hmmmm.....What's your Jihad?Read the full story here.