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In this mailing:
by Soeren Kern
• September 4, 2016 at 5:30 am
- "We will
colonize you with your democratic laws." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi,
Egyptian Islamic cleric and chairman of the International Union of
Muslim Scholars.
- "Beaches,
like any public space, must be protected from religious claims. The
burkini is an anti-social political project aimed in particular at
subjugating women... It is not compatible with the values of France and the Republic. Faced with
such provocations, the Republic must defend itself." —
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
- According to the
mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, the high court's ruling against burkini
bans, "far from appeasing [Muslims], will instead increase
passions and tensions."
- "Beaches are
equated with streets, where the wearing of ostentatious religious
symbols is also rejected by two-thirds of the French." — Jérôme
Fourquet, director of the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop).
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls recently stated that
"the burkini is an anti-social political project aimed in particular
at subjugating women... It is not compatible with the values of France
and the Republic. Faced with such provocations, the Republic must defend
itself." Pictured above: Four policemen in Nice, France, are pictured
forcing a woman to remove part of her clothes because her outfit violated
the city's burkini ban, on August 23. They also fined her for the
violation. (Image source: NBC News video screenshot)
The French city of Nice has lifted a controversial ban on Muslim
burkinis after a court ruled such prohibitions illegal. Bans on the
full-body swimsuits have also been annulled in Cannes, Fréjus, Roquebrune
and Villeneuve-Loubet, but they remain in place in at least 25 other French
coastal towns.
The row over burkinis — a neologism blending burka and bikini — has
reignited a long-running debate over Islamic dress codes in France and
other secular European states (see Appendix below).
by George Igler
• September 4, 2016 at 4:00 am
- The fate of the
Middle East's remaining Christians appears little these days in
mainstream media news stories, which presently focus on terrorist
outrages in Europe instead. Given the recent targeting of churches in
several European nations, the omission is unfortunate.
- Rather than
candidly facing up to the religious roots which motivate terrorist
outrages, politicians and the press in Europe often pick up on
outpourings of grief and express the need for "unity" as a
means of dealing with such violence.
- The Australian
academic, Dr. Mark Durie, has noted that this perspective contains a
grave error: it is often used "as a pretext to censor those who
ask the hard questions."
- "Fight those
who do not believe in Allah ... those who have been given the Book
[Jews and Christians] until they pay the tax [jizya tribute]
... and they are in a state of subjection." – Koran, 9:29,
(Shakir translation)
Heavily armed German police guard the Cathedral in
Bremen in March 2015, after receiving intelligence information that
jihadists planned to attack the city's Cathedral and synagogue. (Image
source: Tagesschau video screenshot)
In the north-eastern Syrian city of Al-Qamishli, nestled on the border
with Turkey, Islamic fundamentalists bombed St. Charnel Church, an ancient
site of worship for the Assyrian Orthodox Christians.
On July 18, reported ARA News, gunmen detonated explosives inside the
church. Activists point the finger of responsibility at ISIS. "We saw
a huge fire and security forces arrived and extinguished the fire. But the
church was completely destroyed, you can see only ashes here,"
remarked one eyewitness to the attack.
The fate of the Middle East's remaining Christians -- often open to
abuse and attack at any moment -- appears little these days in mainstream
media news stories, which presently focus on terrorist outrages in Europe
instead. Reporting has likewise been dominated, since 2015, by coverage of
the continuing Muslim migration from Africa and Asia into Europe.
Given the recent targeting of churches in several European nations,
the omission is unfortunate.
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