Mediterranean Union like Franco-German reconciliation
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday in the city state of Monaco compared the proposed Mediterranean Union to the beginning of the current friendship between France and Germany. Referring to the proposed union of European nations and countries along the Mediterranean rim, Sarkozy said: "It will certainly not be easier than the reconciliation between Germany and France," but added that in the end the Franco-German reconciliation was a success.
Sarkozy called the Mediterranean Union "one of France's most important political projects."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Mediterranean Union like Franco-German reconciliation
Showing posts with label france. Show all posts
Showing posts with label france. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
COMIC RELIEF: THE FRENCH STENCH ENGULFS ENGLAND...LOLOLOL...
Le Stink: England engulfed by terrible smell as freak weather blows in French stench
A foul smell enveloped London and the south east today but it has been blamed on a cloud of pungent fumes wafting over from France.
Experts warned the hundreds of thousands who wrinkled up their noses this morning not to panic.
The emergency services were flooded with calls from people across the capital who were alarmed by the stench.
The smell was caused by strange weather conditions bringing winds from France and continental Europe.
...
"When I left home this morning the smell was virtually unbearable but we haven't had any complaints from anyone so far. I think the Queen is in. I hope she has her windows closed."
Local authority staff across the region said they had also noticed the smell. A spokesman for Hart District Council, in Fleet, Hampshire, said: "One woman's little girl asked: 'Mummy, what's that smell of cows?'"
One said on a discussion board: "Yes, it smells horribly this morning - all the teachers I work with are talking about it."
"Only thing I can think of is a sewer main broke or something? It does smell specifically of dog poo, but I don't know of any canine who could spread his stench this far and wide!"
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Le Stink: England engulfed by terrible smell as freak weather blows in French stench
A foul smell enveloped London and the south east today but it has been blamed on a cloud of pungent fumes wafting over from France.
Experts warned the hundreds of thousands who wrinkled up their noses this morning not to panic.
The emergency services were flooded with calls from people across the capital who were alarmed by the stench.
The smell was caused by strange weather conditions bringing winds from France and continental Europe.
...
"When I left home this morning the smell was virtually unbearable but we haven't had any complaints from anyone so far. I think the Queen is in. I hope she has her windows closed."
Local authority staff across the region said they had also noticed the smell. A spokesman for Hart District Council, in Fleet, Hampshire, said: "One woman's little girl asked: 'Mummy, what's that smell of cows?'"
One said on a discussion board: "Yes, it smells horribly this morning - all the teachers I work with are talking about it."
"Only thing I can think of is a sewer main broke or something? It does smell specifically of dog poo, but I don't know of any canine who could spread his stench this far and wide!"
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Le Stink: England engulfed by terrible smell as freak weather blows in French stench
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: BRIGITTE BARDOT, AN ANTI-JIHADIST
Is Brigitte Bardot Bashing Islam?
By BRUCE CRUMLEY
She may be better remembered as the revolutionary sex kitten of 1960s French cinema, but these days Brigitte Bardot is better known as a standard-bearer of the anti-immigrant wing of France's political spectrum. Bardot went on trial Tuesday charged with "inciting racial hatred," and in view of her four previous convictions on similar charges, prosecutors sought exceptionally stiff penalties of $22,000 and a two month suspended sentence.
"I'm a bit tired of trying Madame Bardot," admitted assistant prosecutor Anne de Fonette, as she urged the court to impose "the most striking and remarkable" punishment in the case. A verdict is expected on June 3.
The current charge against Bardot was lodged by the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP), citing a letter Bardot wrote to French officials in 2004 in which she alluded to Muslims as "this population that leads us around by the nose, [and] which destroys our country." The former actress-turned-animal rights crusader had written that letter to protest the ritual slaughter of sheep during the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Kabir. Her missive, whose contents were later leaked to the media, had been sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, whose rising popularity was based in part on his hard line on immigration and tough stand against troublesome youths from immigrant backgrounds.
Lawyers for the 73 year-old Bardot, who did not attend the trial, argued the offending sections of the letter had been taken out of the context of her militant defense of animal rights over the years, a cause in support of which she has raised and spent millions of dollars. Her work in the area has been hailed by French political leaders and organizations around the world, although more recently French courts have interpreted some of her statements as Islamophobia.
Bardot's defense Tuesday was that her passionate denunciation of the ritual slaughter of Eid-al-Kabir had been misinterpreted as an attack on Islam in France. A similar defense had failed to spare her from conviction in four earlier trials.
...
Pertinent Links:
By BRUCE CRUMLEY
She may be better remembered as the revolutionary sex kitten of 1960s French cinema, but these days Brigitte Bardot is better known as a standard-bearer of the anti-immigrant wing of France's political spectrum. Bardot went on trial Tuesday charged with "inciting racial hatred," and in view of her four previous convictions on similar charges, prosecutors sought exceptionally stiff penalties of $22,000 and a two month suspended sentence.
"I'm a bit tired of trying Madame Bardot," admitted assistant prosecutor Anne de Fonette, as she urged the court to impose "the most striking and remarkable" punishment in the case. A verdict is expected on June 3.
The current charge against Bardot was lodged by the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples (MRAP), citing a letter Bardot wrote to French officials in 2004 in which she alluded to Muslims as "this population that leads us around by the nose, [and] which destroys our country." The former actress-turned-animal rights crusader had written that letter to protest the ritual slaughter of sheep during the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Kabir. Her missive, whose contents were later leaked to the media, had been sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, whose rising popularity was based in part on his hard line on immigration and tough stand against troublesome youths from immigrant backgrounds.
Lawyers for the 73 year-old Bardot, who did not attend the trial, argued the offending sections of the letter had been taken out of the context of her militant defense of animal rights over the years, a cause in support of which she has raised and spent millions of dollars. Her work in the area has been hailed by French political leaders and organizations around the world, although more recently French courts have interpreted some of her statements as Islamophobia.
Bardot's defense Tuesday was that her passionate denunciation of the ritual slaughter of Eid-al-Kabir had been misinterpreted as an attack on Islam in France. A similar defense had failed to spare her from conviction in four earlier trials.
...
Pertinent Links:
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
DAR AL HARB-EURABAI/E.U.: EURABAI BREATHES A SIGH OF RELIEF
Return of jihadists: Europe's fears subside
By Elaine Sciolino
After the Paris police smashed a cell suspected of sending insurgents to Iraq early in 2005, the French authorities predicted a new and dangerous threat: would-be fighters lured to the Iraqi battlefields who would return to use their newfound battlefield skills in terrorist acts inside France.
Dominique de Villepin, as interior minister, singled out the cell in a speech two months later as proof of a risk that Iraqi-trained jihadists would "come back to France, armed with their experience, to carry out attacks."
Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière, then France's senior counterterrorism magistrate, later warned that Iraq was a "black hole sucking up all the elements located in Europe." Some of them were coming back to Europe, he added, and some of those were armed with chemical and biological weapons training.
Now, as members of the cell are awaiting a verdict in their case, French and other European intelligence and law enforcement officials are adjusting their analysis. They say their fears of young would-be fighters from Europe traveling to Iraq and returning more radicalized and better trained were overblown.
The logistical challenges and expense of reaching Iraq have been one deterrent, they said, particularly since Syria has made episodic efforts to halt the use of its territory as a transit route. Compared with the thousands of European Muslims who joined the fight in Afghanistan in the 1990s through networks in Britain , the numbers of fighters going to Iraq has been extremely small, according to senior French intelligence officials.
Another factor, the officials say, is that European Muslims lacking military training and good Arabic-language skills are neither needed nor welcomed by Iraqi insurgents - unless they are willing to be involved in suicide missions.
The nature of the battle has also changed, making Iraq an alien destination for many would-be insurgents. The fight in Iraq is no longer a pure jihad against foreign occupiers, but also a confusing civil war pitting Muslim against Muslim. Many young people have family and ethnic ties to Pakistan or North Africa, making those places more attractive destinations and further advancing those regions' potential for recruiting and radicalizing young Muslims.
"At the moment, the major threat to Europe is coming from elsewhere - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," the North-African-based terrorist organization - said Bruguière, who now investigates terror financing for the European Union.
He and other law enforcement authorities, particularly in countries like France, Italy and Spain, are convinced that their sweeping legal authority to eavesdrop, make arrests, hold suspects for long periods of time and win convictions on the vague charge of association with a terrorist enterprise has made it easier to take preventive action.
"It's impossible to give numbers, but fewer young people are leaving Italy and other European countries to wage jihad in Iraq," said Armando Spataro, Italy's senior counterterrorism magistrate. "I'm convinced part of the reason is that we've been successful in arresting and prosecuting people, even before they go to Iraq."
Even France's domestic intelligence service, known as the DST, has altered its analysis.
"It's not easy to get to Iraq - it's expensive and they have no family there," said one French intelligence official. "We haven't seen the waves we expected."
By contrast, the DST took a more alarmist line when it first authorized the undercover judicial investigation of the Paris group, nicknamed the "19th arrondissement cell" after the working-class Paris neighborhood where most of the suspects grew up and lived.
"The return on national territory of jihadists, strongly indoctrinated and trained in the handling of arms and explosives, obviously constitutes a grave threat for the national territory" of France, the DST wrote in a sealed document in July 2004 made available to The New York Times.
It argued that the investigation of the 19th arrondissement cell would give important evidence of individuals going to Iraq and "presenting a threat after their return."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Return of jihadists: Europe's fears subside
By Elaine Sciolino
After the Paris police smashed a cell suspected of sending insurgents to Iraq early in 2005, the French authorities predicted a new and dangerous threat: would-be fighters lured to the Iraqi battlefields who would return to use their newfound battlefield skills in terrorist acts inside France.
Dominique de Villepin, as interior minister, singled out the cell in a speech two months later as proof of a risk that Iraqi-trained jihadists would "come back to France, armed with their experience, to carry out attacks."
Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière, then France's senior counterterrorism magistrate, later warned that Iraq was a "black hole sucking up all the elements located in Europe." Some of them were coming back to Europe, he added, and some of those were armed with chemical and biological weapons training.
Now, as members of the cell are awaiting a verdict in their case, French and other European intelligence and law enforcement officials are adjusting their analysis. They say their fears of young would-be fighters from Europe traveling to Iraq and returning more radicalized and better trained were overblown.
The logistical challenges and expense of reaching Iraq have been one deterrent, they said, particularly since Syria has made episodic efforts to halt the use of its territory as a transit route. Compared with the thousands of European Muslims who joined the fight in Afghanistan in the 1990s through networks in Britain , the numbers of fighters going to Iraq has been extremely small, according to senior French intelligence officials.
Another factor, the officials say, is that European Muslims lacking military training and good Arabic-language skills are neither needed nor welcomed by Iraqi insurgents - unless they are willing to be involved in suicide missions.
The nature of the battle has also changed, making Iraq an alien destination for many would-be insurgents. The fight in Iraq is no longer a pure jihad against foreign occupiers, but also a confusing civil war pitting Muslim against Muslim. Many young people have family and ethnic ties to Pakistan or North Africa, making those places more attractive destinations and further advancing those regions' potential for recruiting and radicalizing young Muslims.
"At the moment, the major threat to Europe is coming from elsewhere - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb," the North-African-based terrorist organization - said Bruguière, who now investigates terror financing for the European Union.
He and other law enforcement authorities, particularly in countries like France, Italy and Spain, are convinced that their sweeping legal authority to eavesdrop, make arrests, hold suspects for long periods of time and win convictions on the vague charge of association with a terrorist enterprise has made it easier to take preventive action.
"It's impossible to give numbers, but fewer young people are leaving Italy and other European countries to wage jihad in Iraq," said Armando Spataro, Italy's senior counterterrorism magistrate. "I'm convinced part of the reason is that we've been successful in arresting and prosecuting people, even before they go to Iraq."
Even France's domestic intelligence service, known as the DST, has altered its analysis.
"It's not easy to get to Iraq - it's expensive and they have no family there," said one French intelligence official. "We haven't seen the waves we expected."
By contrast, the DST took a more alarmist line when it first authorized the undercover judicial investigation of the Paris group, nicknamed the "19th arrondissement cell" after the working-class Paris neighborhood where most of the suspects grew up and lived.
"The return on national territory of jihadists, strongly indoctrinated and trained in the handling of arms and explosives, obviously constitutes a grave threat for the national territory" of France, the DST wrote in a sealed document in July 2004 made available to The New York Times.
It argued that the investigation of the 19th arrondissement cell would give important evidence of individuals going to Iraq and "presenting a threat after their return."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Return of jihadists: Europe's fears subside
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-FRANCE/IRAQ: FRENCH MOSLEMS WAGING JIHAD IN IRAQ
French Muslims vent frustrations on Iraq battlefields
PARIS, March 31, (AP): Boubakeur el Hakim traded his Paris neighborhood of boulangeries and halal butcher shops for the insurgent camps of Iraq. When he came home, he told his war stories to other young men on the forgotten edges of French society, allegedly persuading some to follow in his footsteps. His younger brother did, and died fighting US forces. After years of investigation by French authorities, el Hakim, 24, went on trial this month in a case exposing how the Iraq war has sucked radical youths from Europe to a battlefield where they have learned skills that officials fear may one day be used in domestic terror attacks. Along with four other young Frenchmen, a Moroccan and an Algerian, el Hakim is accused of funneling French Muslim fighters to Iraq. All the Frenchmen except suspected ringleader Farid Benyettou, 26, have acknowledged going to Iraq or planning to go. All deny inciting others to go. All seven men are accused of criminal association with a terrorist enterprise, a vague charge that carries a maximum 10-year sentence, though the prosecutor only asked for between three and eight years.
Delicate
The case is a delicate one in France, which strongly opposed the US-led campaign in Iraq but has long struggled against homegrown terrorism. It also highlights a dilemma in many European nations with growing Muslim populations: Cracking down hard risks alienating or radicalizing moderate Muslims and betraying western ideals of tolerance. The suspected nucleus of the network, janitor-turned-street preacher Benyettou, told the court the case against him was “fantasy” and an affront to his freedom of speech. He told the judge he had served only as a friendly ear to young people in his neighborhood, answering questions about Islam that went ignored by France’s secular schools and institutions. In one interrogation session with anti-terrorist agents, however, Benyettou said: “I taught that suicide attacks are legitimate under Islam.”
“Jihad is justified,” he said in another session in the days following his January 2005 arrest, according to the depositions viewed by The Associated Press. El Hakim described placing and detonating roadside bombs with equipment that resembled a cordless phone, the transcript of one deposition says. He claimed 10 American troops were killed in the last three operations he took part in, it says. In a French radio interview broadcast from Baghdad in 2003, he urged Parisian friends to join him on the battlefields. “I’m ready to set off dynamite and boom! Boom! We kill all the Americans!” he said on RTL radio. In court, while he didn’t deny his radio appeal, el Hakim said some of his statements to police were made under duress and that his role in Iraq was primarily “humanitarian.”
Alleged
Investigators say the alleged network funneled about a dozen French fighters to camps linked to al-Qaida in Iraq head Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and sought to send more before he was killed in a US airstrike in 2006. At least seven French insurgents have died, some in suicide bombings, police say.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) French Muslims vent frustrations on Iraq battlefields
PARIS, March 31, (AP): Boubakeur el Hakim traded his Paris neighborhood of boulangeries and halal butcher shops for the insurgent camps of Iraq. When he came home, he told his war stories to other young men on the forgotten edges of French society, allegedly persuading some to follow in his footsteps. His younger brother did, and died fighting US forces. After years of investigation by French authorities, el Hakim, 24, went on trial this month in a case exposing how the Iraq war has sucked radical youths from Europe to a battlefield where they have learned skills that officials fear may one day be used in domestic terror attacks. Along with four other young Frenchmen, a Moroccan and an Algerian, el Hakim is accused of funneling French Muslim fighters to Iraq. All the Frenchmen except suspected ringleader Farid Benyettou, 26, have acknowledged going to Iraq or planning to go. All deny inciting others to go. All seven men are accused of criminal association with a terrorist enterprise, a vague charge that carries a maximum 10-year sentence, though the prosecutor only asked for between three and eight years.
Delicate
The case is a delicate one in France, which strongly opposed the US-led campaign in Iraq but has long struggled against homegrown terrorism. It also highlights a dilemma in many European nations with growing Muslim populations: Cracking down hard risks alienating or radicalizing moderate Muslims and betraying western ideals of tolerance. The suspected nucleus of the network, janitor-turned-street preacher Benyettou, told the court the case against him was “fantasy” and an affront to his freedom of speech. He told the judge he had served only as a friendly ear to young people in his neighborhood, answering questions about Islam that went ignored by France’s secular schools and institutions. In one interrogation session with anti-terrorist agents, however, Benyettou said: “I taught that suicide attacks are legitimate under Islam.”
“Jihad is justified,” he said in another session in the days following his January 2005 arrest, according to the depositions viewed by The Associated Press. El Hakim described placing and detonating roadside bombs with equipment that resembled a cordless phone, the transcript of one deposition says. He claimed 10 American troops were killed in the last three operations he took part in, it says. In a French radio interview broadcast from Baghdad in 2003, he urged Parisian friends to join him on the battlefields. “I’m ready to set off dynamite and boom! Boom! We kill all the Americans!” he said on RTL radio. In court, while he didn’t deny his radio appeal, el Hakim said some of his statements to police were made under duress and that his role in Iraq was primarily “humanitarian.”
Alleged
Investigators say the alleged network funneled about a dozen French fighters to camps linked to al-Qaida in Iraq head Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and sought to send more before he was killed in a US airstrike in 2006. At least seven French insurgents have died, some in suicide bombings, police say.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) French Muslims vent frustrations on Iraq battlefields
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY A LA SARKOZY
France's nuclear diplomacy
By Michelle M. Smith and Charles D. Ferguson
The recent war games in the Gulf with France, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are connected to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's nuclear diplomacy. Sarkozy has been leveraging France's leading civilian nuclear technology to gain diplomatic, commercial and military advantages with countries in the Middle East, as well parts of Africa and Asia.
In response, nonproliferation experts have voiced their unease at the idea of exporting potentially nuclear bomb-usable technologies to proliferation-prone regions. In particular, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, recently expressed concern that Sarkozy's aggressive sales campaign in the Muslim world was moving "too fast." A number of German politicians have advised France to "weigh the risks," especially when it comes to nuclear deals with the Libyan regime of Muammar el-Qaddafi.
Despite these fears, Sarkozy's nuclear energy proselytizing will not convert any new countries to acquiring nuclear weapons any time soon, if ever, and France will face financial and technical hurdles in building many nuclear power plants in these countries.
Since taking office last May, Sarkozy has signed deals worth billions of dollars to build nuclear power reactors or offer technical advice to a number of Arab states, including Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia and Turkey also have considered the purchase of such technology from France. Although the French nuclear group Areva reported strong annual profits in 2007 and pledged to double in size within the next five years, serious constraints limit the realization of the global promises made by Sarkozy and Areva's chief executive, Anne Lauvergeon. Aside from the obvious political and financial barriers that complicate the construction of nuclear power plants, many practical difficulties stand between France and its ambitious goals in the developing world.
With the exception of a regional uranium enrichment consortium proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, few of the states Sarkozy visited have plans to develop indigenous enrichment facilities. Overall, this is good news for nonproliferation because as long as individual countries do not enrich their own uranium, they are much less likely to acquire bomb-usable materials.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) France's nuclear diplomacy
By Michelle M. Smith and Charles D. Ferguson
The recent war games in the Gulf with France, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are connected to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's nuclear diplomacy. Sarkozy has been leveraging France's leading civilian nuclear technology to gain diplomatic, commercial and military advantages with countries in the Middle East, as well parts of Africa and Asia.
In response, nonproliferation experts have voiced their unease at the idea of exporting potentially nuclear bomb-usable technologies to proliferation-prone regions. In particular, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, recently expressed concern that Sarkozy's aggressive sales campaign in the Muslim world was moving "too fast." A number of German politicians have advised France to "weigh the risks," especially when it comes to nuclear deals with the Libyan regime of Muammar el-Qaddafi.
Despite these fears, Sarkozy's nuclear energy proselytizing will not convert any new countries to acquiring nuclear weapons any time soon, if ever, and France will face financial and technical hurdles in building many nuclear power plants in these countries.
Since taking office last May, Sarkozy has signed deals worth billions of dollars to build nuclear power reactors or offer technical advice to a number of Arab states, including Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia and Turkey also have considered the purchase of such technology from France. Although the French nuclear group Areva reported strong annual profits in 2007 and pledged to double in size within the next five years, serious constraints limit the realization of the global promises made by Sarkozy and Areva's chief executive, Anne Lauvergeon. Aside from the obvious political and financial barriers that complicate the construction of nuclear power plants, many practical difficulties stand between France and its ambitious goals in the developing world.
With the exception of a regional uranium enrichment consortium proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, few of the states Sarkozy visited have plans to develop indigenous enrichment facilities. Overall, this is good news for nonproliferation because as long as individual countries do not enrich their own uranium, they are much less likely to acquire bomb-usable materials.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) France's nuclear diplomacy
Thursday, March 06, 2008
DAR AL HARB-NETHERLANDS: WE WILL NEED FRENCH LESSONS ON HOW TO GROVEL PROPERLY AFTER GEERT WILDERS RELEASES FITNA---OUR MOSLEM OVERLORDS WILL BE ANGRY
Dutch PM seeks French help over anti-Islam film
PARIS (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende asked France Wednesday to show solidarity with his country if there is any fallout over an anti-Islamic film made by a Dutch right-wing politician.
Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, who has called for the Koran to be banned, has made a film in which he presents his views about Islam's holy text and is in negotiations with TV stations over its broadcast.
Balkenende has warned that Dutch citizens and businesses risk attack because of the film and Wednesday asked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for backing.
"We have indicated that if necessary we will need diplomatic support," Balkenende told reporters after the meeting, without going into further detail of what this might entail.
"We know nothing for now about the content (of the film). We will have to wait and see," he said, adding: "Mr. Wilders's point of view does not reflect that of the Dutch government and we are totally opposed to his vision of Islam."
Wilders has accused Balkenende of worrying more about the reaction of the Islamic world instead of defending Dutch democratic values and rights. "Let me make one thing clear: the film will be broadcast," Wilders said last week.
Media reported he expected it to air in March or April.
...
PARIS (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende asked France Wednesday to show solidarity with his country if there is any fallout over an anti-Islamic film made by a Dutch right-wing politician.
Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders, who has called for the Koran to be banned, has made a film in which he presents his views about Islam's holy text and is in negotiations with TV stations over its broadcast.
Balkenende has warned that Dutch citizens and businesses risk attack because of the film and Wednesday asked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for backing.
"We have indicated that if necessary we will need diplomatic support," Balkenende told reporters after the meeting, without going into further detail of what this might entail.
"We know nothing for now about the content (of the film). We will have to wait and see," he said, adding: "Mr. Wilders's point of view does not reflect that of the Dutch government and we are totally opposed to his vision of Islam."
Wilders has accused Balkenende of worrying more about the reaction of the Islamic world instead of defending Dutch democratic values and rights. "Let me make one thing clear: the film will be broadcast," Wilders said last week.
Media reported he expected it to air in March or April.
...
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: 'MODERATE' MOSLEM OVERLORDS THROWING THEIR WEIGHT AROUND IN EURABIA
Islamic group calls for boycott of event
By Angela Doland
PARIS -- Israeli writers will be the toast of the Salon du Livre international book fair this month, but some Arab intellectuals argue that honoring Israel's literature has brought dishonor upon France.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has urged its 50 member states to boycott the March 14-19 event. The fair's organizer said that he regrets the uproar: He wanted to honor books, not take sides in international politics.
"I'm not a government minister. My job is to bring literature to readers," Serge Eyrolles said. "I'm very surprised by how political this is getting."
Each year, the international fair puts the spotlight on one country. This year, it is inviting 39 writers from Israel, including David Grossman, Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua and Aharon Appelfeld. A similar controversy is brewing about the May book fair in Turin, Italy, which is also highlighting Israeli works.
The Islamic organization said its boycott call was a "response to the special standing (the fair) gives to Israel despite its atrocities, oppression and imposed starvation and siege against the Palestinian people."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Islamic group calls for boycott of event
By Angela Doland
PARIS -- Israeli writers will be the toast of the Salon du Livre international book fair this month, but some Arab intellectuals argue that honoring Israel's literature has brought dishonor upon France.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has urged its 50 member states to boycott the March 14-19 event. The fair's organizer said that he regrets the uproar: He wanted to honor books, not take sides in international politics.
"I'm not a government minister. My job is to bring literature to readers," Serge Eyrolles said. "I'm very surprised by how political this is getting."
Each year, the international fair puts the spotlight on one country. This year, it is inviting 39 writers from Israel, including David Grossman, Amos Oz, A.B. Yehoshua and Aharon Appelfeld. A similar controversy is brewing about the May book fair in Turin, Italy, which is also highlighting Israeli works.
The Islamic organization said its boycott call was a "response to the special standing (the fair) gives to Israel despite its atrocities, oppression and imposed starvation and siege against the Palestinian people."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Islamic group calls for boycott of event
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: SELLING "COOL ISLAM" TO THE STUPID & IGNORANT FRENCH DHIMMI
French Muslims promote 'cool Islam'
By Robert Pigott
...
'Common values'
Medine - whose rap is more pleading than angry - is also part of a generational shift.
I've decided to talk about some of my values in my album - but it's not to say that my religion is best, or to say 'join my religion'
His raps set out to "sell" Islam to French society. But he doesn't emphasise Islam's religious dogma, stressing instead what he says are the universal principles it shares with Western society.
"I think that in all religions today, there are common human values", says Medine.
"I don't think that sharing is unique to Islam, or that generosity is unique to Catholicism, or love is unique to Judaism."
"I've decided to talk about some of my values in my album, but it's not to say that my religion is best or to say 'join my religion'. Not at all."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) French Muslims promote 'cool Islam'
By Robert Pigott
...
'Common values'
Medine - whose rap is more pleading than angry - is also part of a generational shift.
I've decided to talk about some of my values in my album - but it's not to say that my religion is best, or to say 'join my religion'
His raps set out to "sell" Islam to French society. But he doesn't emphasise Islam's religious dogma, stressing instead what he says are the universal principles it shares with Western society.
"I think that in all religions today, there are common human values", says Medine.
"I don't think that sharing is unique to Islam, or that generosity is unique to Catholicism, or love is unique to Judaism."
"I've decided to talk about some of my values in my album, but it's not to say that my religion is best or to say 'join my religion'. Not at all."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) French Muslims promote 'cool Islam'
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: THE 'NO GO ZONES' OF FRANCE
The French "No Go Zones":
ATLAS DES ZONES URBAINES SENSIBLES
Perhaps the French police need to keep that in mind when they respond to calls for help:
Paris police ambushed by hooded attackers
PARIS -- Dozens of hooded attackers fired buckshot and nails at police this weekend, wounding four officers, France's interior minister said.
Michele Alliot-Marie called the Sunday afternoon attack an "ambush," saying that about 30 people, some of them armed, were waiting for the officers in the southern Paris suburb of Grigny. The officers were responding to a call about vandalism at a local bakery.
Three officers were hit in face with buckshot; another was hit in the leg with buckshot and nails and was hospitalized, Sunday's statement said.
The minister expressed "total support" for the officers, who she said work under "particularly difficult conditions."
...
Isn't it grand when your moslem minority reaches the tipping point of around 10%?!?
The French have an 'intifada' on their hands...
Pertinent Links:
1) Paris police ambushed by hooded attackers
ATLAS DES ZONES URBAINES SENSIBLES
Perhaps the French police need to keep that in mind when they respond to calls for help:
Paris police ambushed by hooded attackers
PARIS -- Dozens of hooded attackers fired buckshot and nails at police this weekend, wounding four officers, France's interior minister said.
Michele Alliot-Marie called the Sunday afternoon attack an "ambush," saying that about 30 people, some of them armed, were waiting for the officers in the southern Paris suburb of Grigny. The officers were responding to a call about vandalism at a local bakery.
Three officers were hit in face with buckshot; another was hit in the leg with buckshot and nails and was hospitalized, Sunday's statement said.
The minister expressed "total support" for the officers, who she said work under "particularly difficult conditions."
...
Isn't it grand when your moslem minority reaches the tipping point of around 10%?!?
The French have an 'intifada' on their hands...
Pertinent Links:
1) Paris police ambushed by hooded attackers
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: MOSLEM 'JEW HATRED' ON THE WORLD STAGE - - - IS ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION?!?
Muslim Protest At Paris Book Fair
A book fair in Paris has become the subject of controversy with several Muslim countries announcing boycotts because the guest of honour is Israel.
Saudi Arabia has become the latest to withdraw, following Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim Protest At Paris Book Fair
A book fair in Paris has become the subject of controversy with several Muslim countries announcing boycotts because the guest of honour is Israel.
Saudi Arabia has become the latest to withdraw, following Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim Protest At Paris Book Fair
Sunday, March 02, 2008
DAR AL HARB-FRANCE: OSCAR WINNING CHEESE EATING SURRENDER MONKEY SAYS 9-11 INSIDE JOB & MAN DID NOT WALK ON THE MOON
'9/11 attacks made up, ' says French best actress Oscar-winner
By PETER ALLEN
Actress Marion Cotillard sparked a political row yesterday after accusing America of fabricating the 9/11 attacks.
...
"I think we're lied to about a number of things," Cotillard said, singling out the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center as an example of the US making up horror stories for political ends.
...
"We see other towers of the same kind being hit by planes. Are they burned? They [sic] was a tower, I believe it was in Spain, which burnt for 24 hours. It never collapsed. None of these towers collapsed. And there [in New York], in a few minutes, the whole thing collapsed."
She added that the towers, planned in the early Sixties, were an outdated "money-sucker" that would have cost more to modernise than to rebuild altogether, which is why they were destroyed.
She said: "It was a money-sucker because they were finished, it seems to me, by 1973, and to re-cable all that, to bring up-to-date all the technology and everything, it was a lot more expensive, that work, than destroying them."
...
She said: "Did a man really walk on the Moon? I saw plenty of documentaries on it, and I really wondered. And in any case I don't believe all they tell me, that's for sure."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) '9/11 attacks made up, ' says French best actress Oscar-winner
By PETER ALLEN
Actress Marion Cotillard sparked a political row yesterday after accusing America of fabricating the 9/11 attacks.
...
"I think we're lied to about a number of things," Cotillard said, singling out the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center as an example of the US making up horror stories for political ends.
...
"We see other towers of the same kind being hit by planes. Are they burned? They [sic] was a tower, I believe it was in Spain, which burnt for 24 hours. It never collapsed. None of these towers collapsed. And there [in New York], in a few minutes, the whole thing collapsed."
She added that the towers, planned in the early Sixties, were an outdated "money-sucker" that would have cost more to modernise than to rebuild altogether, which is why they were destroyed.
She said: "It was a money-sucker because they were finished, it seems to me, by 1973, and to re-cable all that, to bring up-to-date all the technology and everything, it was a lot more expensive, that work, than destroying them."
...
She said: "Did a man really walk on the Moon? I saw plenty of documentaries on it, and I really wondered. And in any case I don't believe all they tell me, that's for sure."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) '9/11 attacks made up, ' says French best actress Oscar-winner
Thursday, February 28, 2008
DAR AL HARB-E.U.: AN INTACT HYMEN IS A 'MUST HAVE'
Keeping a hymen intact to avoid being labeled a "whore"
by Habibou Bangré
Women mostly muslim seek solutions to remain virgin
Certain muslims weigh a woman’s intergrity by virtue of their virginity, thereby, prompting those who may have succumbed to carnal pleasures to find ways of bleeding artificially during their wedding night, thus, giving the impression that their hymen have remained intact. Others opt for sexual lifestyles that preserve the membrane.
“In fact, the biggest mistake i made was not telling him right from the onset. There was, however, a risk involved due to his closeness to my family. My reputation would have taken a downturn if he ever let the cat out of the bag”, says Lamina*, a 19 year old Moroccan living in Paris. “Being taken for a whore”, evokes obsessive fear among many women, mostly muslim, who lost their virginities in an abusive encounter or with another man other than their boyfriends or future husbands.
A crime of honour to cover the shame
Sandwiched between tradition and their european culture, these young women – mostly north africans – feel guilty for giving way to sexual pleasures while they doubt a bright future. This is because their future husbands may be seeking virgins to marry, even if they themselves are experienced sexually. In the final analysis, those who are deflowered live with a sharpened sword of damocles hung right above their heads. They would hate disappointing their families as well as their in-laws nor would they like provoking a scandal.
Others strive to prevent the worst from happening. “It is so anguishing. Some girls are disowned by their families or even shot by brothers upon their return home, to their countries. Others come asking for help because they may have heard of a sister or cousin who might have undergone this predicament” explains Dr. Stéphane Saint-Léger, who works at the Robert Ballanger hospital located in the Parisian surburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.
Surprisingly, islam does not provide any historical reference about a hymen staying intact, nor bleeding nor an unbroken hymen to prove one’s virginity nor does it give anyone the right to scrutinise someone’s body to verify their virginity.” States the league of french muslim women’s site. In real life, however, things happen differently ; the backward practice of stained bedsheets on wedding nights still remains unperturbed. There are even places where matrons have the right to slip their hands into the brides private parts to check for blood …
Brief penetrations and sodomy
These customs are not just, in that, not all females bleed when penetrated for the first time. There are in fact the so called “complacent” hymen, they are large and do not give in to pressure exerted by the penis. “it was well known in north africa. In Egypte, doctors were called upon to check virginity” said a gynaecologist who asked for anonymity. Families aware of these differences in anatomies ask for virginity checks from doctors on the D day.
It seems though that the vivacity of the myth surrounding the membrane about profuse bleeding remains uncontested. This has led certain women to strive against all odds to “keep themselves”. “there is such anguish, anxiety and obsessive fear, that they only allow short penetrations so as to keep their hymen intact. Others have admitted resorting to sodomy” comments François Mulet, a general practioner from Angers who specialises in birth control (gynaecological follow ups, volontary abortions, family planning...)
...
Hymenoplasty and a Virginity Certificate
In 2003, the vice-president of the national council of medical order (France) explained on the organisation’s site that “pratitioners must refuse this type of operation and the issue of virginity certificates if the reason behind it is of a religious nature”. Dr Jean Pouillard underlined “that responding to such requests constituted an infringement on the dignity of the young woman, often underage, who is forced by her entourage to subject herself to such ordeals”. However, doctors continue the issue of such certificates on ‘humanitarian’ grounds. “for the sake of the code of ethics governing the medical profession, i do not say that the girl isn’t a virgin, but then there is also no element to prove the contrary”, says Dr. François Mulet.
Another subterfuge :
reparing the hymen, or hymenoplasty. This surgical operation consists of an artificial reconstruction of the membrane to provoke bleeding for the required ‘first’ penetration. Just like the certificate of virginity, this rather expensive practice divides the medical body. Lamia, our young Moroccan woman, did not think it over. According to her, “the need for this operation is unquestionable”, as her family prepares to celebrate her engagement in great pomp, knowing that her boyfriend would snub her should he learn the gospel truth.
*Lamia’s name has been changed.
Pertinent Links:
1) Keeping a hymen intact to avoid being labeled a "whore"
by Habibou Bangré
Women mostly muslim seek solutions to remain virgin
Certain muslims weigh a woman’s intergrity by virtue of their virginity, thereby, prompting those who may have succumbed to carnal pleasures to find ways of bleeding artificially during their wedding night, thus, giving the impression that their hymen have remained intact. Others opt for sexual lifestyles that preserve the membrane.
“In fact, the biggest mistake i made was not telling him right from the onset. There was, however, a risk involved due to his closeness to my family. My reputation would have taken a downturn if he ever let the cat out of the bag”, says Lamina*, a 19 year old Moroccan living in Paris. “Being taken for a whore”, evokes obsessive fear among many women, mostly muslim, who lost their virginities in an abusive encounter or with another man other than their boyfriends or future husbands.
A crime of honour to cover the shame
Sandwiched between tradition and their european culture, these young women – mostly north africans – feel guilty for giving way to sexual pleasures while they doubt a bright future. This is because their future husbands may be seeking virgins to marry, even if they themselves are experienced sexually. In the final analysis, those who are deflowered live with a sharpened sword of damocles hung right above their heads. They would hate disappointing their families as well as their in-laws nor would they like provoking a scandal.
Others strive to prevent the worst from happening. “It is so anguishing. Some girls are disowned by their families or even shot by brothers upon their return home, to their countries. Others come asking for help because they may have heard of a sister or cousin who might have undergone this predicament” explains Dr. Stéphane Saint-Léger, who works at the Robert Ballanger hospital located in the Parisian surburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois.
Surprisingly, islam does not provide any historical reference about a hymen staying intact, nor bleeding nor an unbroken hymen to prove one’s virginity nor does it give anyone the right to scrutinise someone’s body to verify their virginity.” States the league of french muslim women’s site. In real life, however, things happen differently ; the backward practice of stained bedsheets on wedding nights still remains unperturbed. There are even places where matrons have the right to slip their hands into the brides private parts to check for blood …
Brief penetrations and sodomy
These customs are not just, in that, not all females bleed when penetrated for the first time. There are in fact the so called “complacent” hymen, they are large and do not give in to pressure exerted by the penis. “it was well known in north africa. In Egypte, doctors were called upon to check virginity” said a gynaecologist who asked for anonymity. Families aware of these differences in anatomies ask for virginity checks from doctors on the D day.
It seems though that the vivacity of the myth surrounding the membrane about profuse bleeding remains uncontested. This has led certain women to strive against all odds to “keep themselves”. “there is such anguish, anxiety and obsessive fear, that they only allow short penetrations so as to keep their hymen intact. Others have admitted resorting to sodomy” comments François Mulet, a general practioner from Angers who specialises in birth control (gynaecological follow ups, volontary abortions, family planning...)
...
Hymenoplasty and a Virginity Certificate
In 2003, the vice-president of the national council of medical order (France) explained on the organisation’s site that “pratitioners must refuse this type of operation and the issue of virginity certificates if the reason behind it is of a religious nature”. Dr Jean Pouillard underlined “that responding to such requests constituted an infringement on the dignity of the young woman, often underage, who is forced by her entourage to subject herself to such ordeals”. However, doctors continue the issue of such certificates on ‘humanitarian’ grounds. “for the sake of the code of ethics governing the medical profession, i do not say that the girl isn’t a virgin, but then there is also no element to prove the contrary”, says Dr. François Mulet.
Another subterfuge :
reparing the hymen, or hymenoplasty. This surgical operation consists of an artificial reconstruction of the membrane to provoke bleeding for the required ‘first’ penetration. Just like the certificate of virginity, this rather expensive practice divides the medical body. Lamia, our young Moroccan woman, did not think it over. According to her, “the need for this operation is unquestionable”, as her family prepares to celebrate her engagement in great pomp, knowing that her boyfriend would snub her should he learn the gospel truth.
*Lamia’s name has been changed.
Pertinent Links:
1) Keeping a hymen intact to avoid being labeled a "whore"
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
DAR AL HARB-NETHERLANDS/FRANCE: A NEW HOMELAND FOR AYAN HIRSI ALI?!?
Hirsi Ali Exposes Netherlands' Intellectual Contrast with France
THE HAGUE, 13/02/08 - The Lower House has reacted with a shrug of the shoulders to the flirtation between France and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Only the centre-left D66 and leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) believe the Netherlands should be ashamed.
An army of French intellectuals adores Hirsi Ali and wants Paris to give her French nationality. While the government of President Sarkozy has not yet commented on this, his Human Rights State Secretary, Rama Yade, praised the former Dutch MP at length last Sunday as a freedom fighter. Rama said that she, though herself a Muslim, had admiration for the former Dutch MP. "I am on your side".
The majority of the Lower House in The Hague had a conspicuously inconspicuous reaction. The Christian democrats (CDA), conservatives (VVD) and Labour (PvdA) combined a laconic attitude with held-back irritation. The general tenor among MPs is that Hirsi Ali is free to do as she pleases.
Ironically, according to many French intellectuals, she is not. Hirsi Ali is constantly seeking money for her security in the US, since the Netherlands decided only to provide for her guarding on Dutch soil.
Previously, 139 of the 150 MPs decided that she should no longer be protected when outside the Netherlands. The 11 others were the MPs of GroenLinks and D66 and PvdA dissident Paul Kalma.
If it helps to guarantee her safety, Hirsi Ali would like to adopt French nationality. "That is her good right," commented CDA MP Sybrand van Haersma Buma. "French intellectuals may point the finger at the Netherlands now, but we have done the utmost for her."
Also illustrative was the reaction of VVD MP Hans van Baalen. Hirsi Ali's former fellow-party member said the French offer was a "cheap stunt" whereby the French want to show that they are morally superior to the Dutch.
French socialist leader Segolene Royal would like to make Hirsi Ali a Frenchwoman. PvdA MP Dijsselbloem believes his political kindred spirits in France will be sorry for this. Once Hirsi Ali starts to speak about Islam, her views will scare the socialists, he suggested.
Whereas Hirsi Ali is primarily seen in France as a champion of free speech, in the Netherlands she is usually portrayed as a troublemaker who needlessly offends Muslims. Typical of the contrast between French and Dutch intellectuals is the view of political philosophy professor Henk Woldring of Amsterdam's Free University. In NRC Handelsblad, he warned France against her: "Look at the fires in the French suburbs. Democracy is vulnerable, you should handle each other with care."
Whether Hirsi Ali will be given French nationality is questionable. In a letter, Sarkozy praised her at length last Sunday, but he said nothing about naturalisation. He does want to push for a European fund for the protection of threatened persons, when France takes over the presidency of the EU in the second half of the year. The Dutch Lower House sees nothing in this either.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hirsi Ali Exposes Netherlands' Intellectual Contrast with France
THE HAGUE, 13/02/08 - The Lower House has reacted with a shrug of the shoulders to the flirtation between France and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Only the centre-left D66 and leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) believe the Netherlands should be ashamed.
An army of French intellectuals adores Hirsi Ali and wants Paris to give her French nationality. While the government of President Sarkozy has not yet commented on this, his Human Rights State Secretary, Rama Yade, praised the former Dutch MP at length last Sunday as a freedom fighter. Rama said that she, though herself a Muslim, had admiration for the former Dutch MP. "I am on your side".
The majority of the Lower House in The Hague had a conspicuously inconspicuous reaction. The Christian democrats (CDA), conservatives (VVD) and Labour (PvdA) combined a laconic attitude with held-back irritation. The general tenor among MPs is that Hirsi Ali is free to do as she pleases.
Ironically, according to many French intellectuals, she is not. Hirsi Ali is constantly seeking money for her security in the US, since the Netherlands decided only to provide for her guarding on Dutch soil.
Previously, 139 of the 150 MPs decided that she should no longer be protected when outside the Netherlands. The 11 others were the MPs of GroenLinks and D66 and PvdA dissident Paul Kalma.
If it helps to guarantee her safety, Hirsi Ali would like to adopt French nationality. "That is her good right," commented CDA MP Sybrand van Haersma Buma. "French intellectuals may point the finger at the Netherlands now, but we have done the utmost for her."
Also illustrative was the reaction of VVD MP Hans van Baalen. Hirsi Ali's former fellow-party member said the French offer was a "cheap stunt" whereby the French want to show that they are morally superior to the Dutch.
French socialist leader Segolene Royal would like to make Hirsi Ali a Frenchwoman. PvdA MP Dijsselbloem believes his political kindred spirits in France will be sorry for this. Once Hirsi Ali starts to speak about Islam, her views will scare the socialists, he suggested.
Whereas Hirsi Ali is primarily seen in France as a champion of free speech, in the Netherlands she is usually portrayed as a troublemaker who needlessly offends Muslims. Typical of the contrast between French and Dutch intellectuals is the view of political philosophy professor Henk Woldring of Amsterdam's Free University. In NRC Handelsblad, he warned France against her: "Look at the fires in the French suburbs. Democracy is vulnerable, you should handle each other with care."
Whether Hirsi Ali will be given French nationality is questionable. In a letter, Sarkozy praised her at length last Sunday, but he said nothing about naturalisation. He does want to push for a European fund for the protection of threatened persons, when France takes over the presidency of the EU in the second half of the year. The Dutch Lower House sees nothing in this either.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hirsi Ali Exposes Netherlands' Intellectual Contrast with France
Friday, February 08, 2008
DAR AL HARB - FRANCE: FRENCH POLICE OFFICERS SUSPENDED FOR ANTI-SEMITIC SLOGANS & ACTIONS
French police suspended over anti-Semitic rant
By Tom Chivers and agencies
Three police officers in Amiens, France, have been suspended from duty following a racist outburst in a bar in the town, the French ministry of the interior has said.
The three men shouted anti-Semitic and white supremacist slogans, and made Nazi salutes, after bursting in to Le Goodness bar last Friday, AFP reports.
...
An account on the website of the National Office for Vigilance against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) said that five people, including three police officers, shouted "sieg heil" and "heil Hitler" before shouting "violently anti-Semitic" slogans and throwing several Nazi salutes.
According to the BNVCA report the slogans included "death to the Jews" and "we need to open the gas chambers".
The interior ministry confirmed the account, adding that the men responsible had been suspended from their duties.
Michele Alliot-Marie, the Interior Minister, issued a statement strongly condemning "this intolerable behaviour ... which is in total contradiction with the police force's code of ethics."
...
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, it appears that the French authorities didn't feel it behooved them to release the names of the officers that were suspended...
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, could it be that they are 'moderate' moslems?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) French police suspended over anti-Semitic rant
By Tom Chivers and agencies
Three police officers in Amiens, France, have been suspended from duty following a racist outburst in a bar in the town, the French ministry of the interior has said.
The three men shouted anti-Semitic and white supremacist slogans, and made Nazi salutes, after bursting in to Le Goodness bar last Friday, AFP reports.
...
An account on the website of the National Office for Vigilance against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) said that five people, including three police officers, shouted "sieg heil" and "heil Hitler" before shouting "violently anti-Semitic" slogans and throwing several Nazi salutes.
According to the BNVCA report the slogans included "death to the Jews" and "we need to open the gas chambers".
The interior ministry confirmed the account, adding that the men responsible had been suspended from their duties.
Michele Alliot-Marie, the Interior Minister, issued a statement strongly condemning "this intolerable behaviour ... which is in total contradiction with the police force's code of ethics."
...
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, it appears that the French authorities didn't feel it behooved them to release the names of the officers that were suspended...
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, could it be that they are 'moderate' moslems?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) French police suspended over anti-Semitic rant
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
DAR AL HARB - FRANCE: ROMAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY TO TRAIN IMAMS - - - THIS TYPE OF INSANITY NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE
Focus - Imam course at Catholic university sparks controversy
Paris, 1 Feb. (AKI) - The president of France's largest Muslim group the Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF), Thami Breze, and other prominent Muslims have defended a new course for would-be imams at the Catholic Insitute in Paris.
"Why attach such importance to the location of this course?" said Breze to Adnkronos International (AKI), referring to recent media controversy about the course.
"These people are students, not imams."
Djelloul Sedeki, director of the al-Ghazali institute for the training of imams in Paris which has fed into the new course told AKI that the Catholic Institute was the only place that had agreed to host it.
Other French institutions, including the Sorbonne, Paris 8 and other state universities had declined to be involved, citing the strict separation of Church and State which prohibits any kind of proselytising in public buildings.
Sedeki dismissed qualms expressed by some Muslims at the choice of venue for the course."The lessons at the Catholic Institute do not in any way clash with the training programme for imams run by the Paris Mosque," he said.
Many Islamic universities in the Muslim world have endorsed the course curriculum, which includes sociology, psychology and history among other subjects.
The course is being taught in the Catholic Institute's Humanities Faculty. It contains 400 hours of study, at the end of which students gain a diploma.
"We want imams to be open to the world, and especially to French society," Sedeki said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Focus - Imam course at Catholic university sparks controversy
Paris, 1 Feb. (AKI) - The president of France's largest Muslim group the Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF), Thami Breze, and other prominent Muslims have defended a new course for would-be imams at the Catholic Insitute in Paris.
"Why attach such importance to the location of this course?" said Breze to Adnkronos International (AKI), referring to recent media controversy about the course.
"These people are students, not imams."
Djelloul Sedeki, director of the al-Ghazali institute for the training of imams in Paris which has fed into the new course told AKI that the Catholic Institute was the only place that had agreed to host it.
Other French institutions, including the Sorbonne, Paris 8 and other state universities had declined to be involved, citing the strict separation of Church and State which prohibits any kind of proselytising in public buildings.
Sedeki dismissed qualms expressed by some Muslims at the choice of venue for the course."The lessons at the Catholic Institute do not in any way clash with the training programme for imams run by the Paris Mosque," he said.
Many Islamic universities in the Muslim world have endorsed the course curriculum, which includes sociology, psychology and history among other subjects.
The course is being taught in the Catholic Institute's Humanities Faculty. It contains 400 hours of study, at the end of which students gain a diploma.
"We want imams to be open to the world, and especially to French society," Sedeki said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Focus - Imam course at Catholic university sparks controversy
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - FRANCE/E.U./IRAN: CORRECT YOUR APPROACH TOWARDS IRAN SAYS AHMADINEJAD, ESPECIALLY YOU FRENCHIES
President urges Europe to revise Iran policy
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran is rapidly progressing in different areas, calling on the European states to correct their mistakes about Iran.
In an exclusive interview with French daily Le Monde, he said that Iran has made opportunity for European states to revise their own policy.
He stressed that ground has been paved for European states and France, in particular, to revise their past approach towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Outlining Iran's economic development, he said that Iran has made great strides in investment in the field of scientific studies.
President Ahmadinejad further stressed Iran's right to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes and condemned approach of certain European states and the US to exert pressure on the Security Council to issue resolutions against Iran.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) President urges Europe to revise Iran policy
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran is rapidly progressing in different areas, calling on the European states to correct their mistakes about Iran.
In an exclusive interview with French daily Le Monde, he said that Iran has made opportunity for European states to revise their own policy.
He stressed that ground has been paved for European states and France, in particular, to revise their past approach towards the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Outlining Iran's economic development, he said that Iran has made great strides in investment in the field of scientific studies.
President Ahmadinejad further stressed Iran's right to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes and condemned approach of certain European states and the US to exert pressure on the Security Council to issue resolutions against Iran.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) President urges Europe to revise Iran policy
Monday, February 04, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./FRANCE/IRAN: THE FRENCH THINK THAT IRAN IS CONTINUING THEIR PURSUIT OF NUKES
France: Iran Still Pursuing Nuclear Arms
WASHINGTON — French Defense Minister Herve Morin cast doubt on reports that Iran had halted its suspected nuclear weapons drive, speaking Jan. 31 on a visit to Washington.
“Coordinated information from a number of intelligence services leads us to believe that Iran has not given up its wish to pursue its [nuclear] program,” and is “continuing to develop” it, Morin told reporters.
The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, a consensus finding of all 16 U.S. spy agencies, released last month, said that Tehran shelved its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
It also noted, however, that Tehran has refused to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be a key step toward a nuclear arsenal.
Morin said France wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, to “continue carrying out all the necessary investigations” into Iran’s nuclear activities.
Iran has insisted these are aimed at generating power for civilian purposes.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) France: Iran Still Pursuing Nuclear Arms
WASHINGTON — French Defense Minister Herve Morin cast doubt on reports that Iran had halted its suspected nuclear weapons drive, speaking Jan. 31 on a visit to Washington.
“Coordinated information from a number of intelligence services leads us to believe that Iran has not given up its wish to pursue its [nuclear] program,” and is “continuing to develop” it, Morin told reporters.
The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, a consensus finding of all 16 U.S. spy agencies, released last month, said that Tehran shelved its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
It also noted, however, that Tehran has refused to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be a key step toward a nuclear arsenal.
Morin said France wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, to “continue carrying out all the necessary investigations” into Iran’s nuclear activities.
Iran has insisted these are aimed at generating power for civilian purposes.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) France: Iran Still Pursuing Nuclear Arms
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - FRANCE/IRAN: FRANCE PLANS A MILITARY BASE IN THE U.A.E., IRAN IS FIT TO BE TIED
Iran Slams French Plans for Gulf Base
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran lashed out on Sunday at French plans to set up a military base in the United Arab Emirates, saying it would only cause instability in the Gulf region.
"We are against military expansion in the region and we think the presence of foreign forces will not contribute to stability but on the contrary, will be a factor of insecurity and instability," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a press conference.
France announced during a January visit to the UAE by President Nicolas Sarkozy that it would set up a military base in the capital Abu Dhabi to become operational in 2009.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Iran Slams French Plans for Gulf Base
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran lashed out on Sunday at French plans to set up a military base in the United Arab Emirates, saying it would only cause instability in the Gulf region.
"We are against military expansion in the region and we think the presence of foreign forces will not contribute to stability but on the contrary, will be a factor of insecurity and instability," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a press conference.
France announced during a January visit to the UAE by President Nicolas Sarkozy that it would set up a military base in the capital Abu Dhabi to become operational in 2009.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Iran Slams French Plans for Gulf Base
Saturday, February 02, 2008
DAR AL HARB - FRANCE: SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE?!? NOT IF MUFTI, OF PARIS MOSQUE, DALIL BOUBAKEUR HAS HIS WAY
Can of Worms: Mufti Wants Moratorium on French Law Separating Church and State
From the desk of Tiberge on Fri, 2008-02-01 13:06
The mufti of the Paris mosque, Dalil Boubakeur, has dropped what amounts to a political and religious bomb. He proposes a moratorium on the French law of 1905 separating Church and State, because not enough mosques are being built in France.
Besides his position as mufti, he is the president of the CFCM (French Council of the Muslim Faith), an association officially established in 2003 thanks to the efforts of Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy.
Questioned by Le Monde, Mr. Boubakeur set forth the idea of a “moratorium of 10 to 20 years” on the 1905 law, which forbids all public funding of places of worship, so that Islam can “catch up” on its needs. “The associations that administer houses of worship need to be given air to breathe,” he says.
This has to be one of the most daring statements made yet by a Muslim leader in France. There are at least 1500 mosques and prayer rooms in France, 75 in Paris alone.
Dalil Boubakeur’s proposal to suspend the 1905 law has incensed France’s radical secularists, the advocates of “laïcité,” who see in his words a predictable maneuver, welcomed by the State and Churches alike, for the purpose of restoring the power of religion to all spheres of French life.
Militants of “laïcité” are convinced that Nicolas Sarkozy intends, through modifications to the existing law, to impose his view of the equality of all religions onto the French people, instead of maintaining the strict separation that has been enforced until recently when Islam came into the picture.
...
Make sure to go and read the rest...
Hat Tip:
The Religion of Peace
Pertinent Links:
1) Can of Worms: Mufti Wants Moratorium on French Law Separating Church and State
From the desk of Tiberge on Fri, 2008-02-01 13:06
The mufti of the Paris mosque, Dalil Boubakeur, has dropped what amounts to a political and religious bomb. He proposes a moratorium on the French law of 1905 separating Church and State, because not enough mosques are being built in France.
Besides his position as mufti, he is the president of the CFCM (French Council of the Muslim Faith), an association officially established in 2003 thanks to the efforts of Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy.
Questioned by Le Monde, Mr. Boubakeur set forth the idea of a “moratorium of 10 to 20 years” on the 1905 law, which forbids all public funding of places of worship, so that Islam can “catch up” on its needs. “The associations that administer houses of worship need to be given air to breathe,” he says.
This has to be one of the most daring statements made yet by a Muslim leader in France. There are at least 1500 mosques and prayer rooms in France, 75 in Paris alone.
Dalil Boubakeur’s proposal to suspend the 1905 law has incensed France’s radical secularists, the advocates of “laïcité,” who see in his words a predictable maneuver, welcomed by the State and Churches alike, for the purpose of restoring the power of religion to all spheres of French life.
Militants of “laïcité” are convinced that Nicolas Sarkozy intends, through modifications to the existing law, to impose his view of the equality of all religions onto the French people, instead of maintaining the strict separation that has been enforced until recently when Islam came into the picture.
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The Religion of Peace
Pertinent Links:
1) Can of Worms: Mufti Wants Moratorium on French Law Separating Church and State
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