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2012 NewsApril 5, 2012Egypt gives Christian student three years in jail for insulting Islam and MuhammadThis is the kind of free speech restriction that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is trying to compel Western states to adopt. "Egypt sends Christian student to jail for insulting Islam," from Reuters, April 4 (thanks to David): CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court on Wednesday sentenced a 17-year-old Christian boy to three years in jail for publishing cartoons on his Facebook page that mocked Islam and the Prophet Mohammad, actions that sparked sectarian violence. Gamal Abdou Massoud was also accused of distributing some of his cartoons to his school friends in a village in the southern city of Assiut, home to a large Christian population and the hometown of the late Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda. "Assiut child's court ordered the jailing of Gamal Abdou Massoud ... for three years after he insulted Islam and published and distributed pictures that insulted Islam and its Prophet," the court said in a statement seen by Reuters. The cartoons, published by Massoud in December, prompted some Muslims to attack Christians. Several Christian houses were burned and several Christians were injured in the violence. Human rights lawyer Negad al-Borai said the jail sentence was the maximum penalty under Egyptian law for such a crime. Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 80 million population, have long had a difficult relationship with Egypt's overwhelmingly Muslim majority. Tension between Muslims and Christians has simmered for years but has got worse since the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Christians have become increasingly worried by a surge in attacks on churches, which they blame on hardline Islamists, though experts say local disputes are often also to blame. February 27, 2012A Pakistani settled in Spain asks formally "the prohibition of Quran"“Imran Firasat” A Pakistani citizen with legal residence in Spain as a political refugee has presented an official petition to the numerous institutions of Spanish government for calling the prohibition of Quran. Imran has formally sent the petition to the President of Spain, Parliament of Spain, Ministry of exterior and also to the ministry of interior. A copy of the petition is attached at the end of this news. In the document presented to the government of Spain, Imran reveals 10 points which will support his petition for banning the Quran: (1) The Quran is not a sacred and religious book, but a violent book, full of hatred and discrimination. (2) The Quran is a horrible book which provokes a community calls Muslims to undertake Jihad, kill innocent people and destroy the peace of the world. (3) The Quran is responsible for all the terrorism we have seen in recent years in which thousands of people lost their lives. (4) The Quran is a book which contains evil teachings and forces its believers to capture the entire world and total power at any price. (5) The Quran is a book which legally permits and incites hatred and violence and for that reason it is not compatible with the modern world including Spain. (6) The Quran is a book which directly discriminates between human beings. (7) The Quran is a book which doesn´t allow the freedom of expression neither the religious freedom. (8) The Quran is a book which causes women to suffer and be tortured by means of its full of injustice and macho laws. (9) The Quran is a book which rather than teaching unity, teaches disunity and in this way it doesn´t allow it´s believers to form friendship with those who are not Muslims, because in the eyes of Quran they are infidels. (10) The Quran is a major threat to the free society of Spain. A book which clearly preach the messages of Jihad, killing, hate, discrimination and revenge. For that reason it can´t be compatible with the Spanish system in any sense. It is a book totally contrary to what the law and constitution of Spain say and it is inciting the hatred and violence in our country.
Thank you very much February 15, 2012Colorado student quits high school choir over Islamic song praising 'Allah'
A Colorado high school student quit the school choir after an Islamic song containing the lyric "there is no other truth except Allah" made it into the repertoire. James Harper, a senior at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, put his objection to singing "Zikr," a song written by Indian composer A.R. Rahman, in an email to Mesa County School District 51 officials. When the school stood by choir director Marcia Wieland's selection, Harper quit. "I don’t want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but I really don’t feel it is appropriate for students in a public high school to be singing an Islamic worship song,” Harper told KREX-TV. "This is worshipping another God, and even worshipping another prophet ... I think there would be a lot of outrage if we made a Muslim choir say Jesus Christ is the only truth." District spokesman Jeff Kirtland rejected Harper's analogy. "This is about bringing diversity to the students and showing them other things that are out there, ” Kirtland told KREX. "The teacher was open with the parents and students do not have to participate in this voluntary club choir." Kirtland did not return multiple calls for comment from FoxNews.com. Rahman, who has sold hundreds of millions of records and is well-known in his homeland, has said the song is not intended for a worship ceremony. Messages seeking comment from Rahman were not immediately returned. The song is written in Urdu, but one verse translates to "There is no truth except Allah" and "Allah is the only eternal and immortal. "Although the choir sang the original version, Wieland distributed translated lyrics. Grand Junction High School Principal Jon Bilbo did not return calls for comment. School officials told KREX-TV that Wieland -- aware that there would be questions regarding the song -- asked her students to watch a YouTube videoof the song prior to performing it. February 13, 2012Egyptian village expels Coptic families amid sectarian tensionsThe police and army forces failed to protect Christian residents' homes and property. REPORTING FROM CAIRO -- Eight Christian Coptic families have been evicted from their village in the coastal governorate of Alexandria after violence erupted last month amid rumors of an affair between a Coptic man and a Muslim woman. A report issued by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) confirmed Sunday that the Coptic residents had been told to leave their homes after a reconciliation session sponsored by local police, Muslim clerics and a Coptic priest was held Feb. 1. The unrest stems from a Jan. 27 incident when homes and shops owned by Copts were looted and attacked by hundreds of Muslims angry over the alleged romance. One Coptic home was set ablaze. In its report, the EIPR condemned the "collective punishment" of Christians in the village of Ameriya based on an "individual act of social dishonor" by one Copt. The report criticized police for not only failing to protect Copts from assault by Muslims, but also for overseeing and supporting an agreement that forced the deportation of Copts from their homes. "The EIPR harshly condemns the failure of police and army forces to protect Christian residents' homes and property," the report said. Clashes between Copts, who make up about 10% of the population, and majority Muslims have intensified in recent years over alleged romantic affairs or the conversion of Copts to Islam or vice-versa. Such cases have sharpened sectarian tensions, especially since last year's overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak and the rise of Islamist political parties. Extremists Muslims set fire to churches in a poor Cairo neighborhood in May, and 24 Coptic protesters were killed by thugs and security forces during a demonstration calling for Christian rights in October. The Mubarak regime had long been criticized by human rights advocates for skirting national laws and constitutional rights by sponsoring customary and local settlements of religious-related disputes. "The EIPR utterly rejects the perpetuation of Mubarak-era policies that force victims of sectarian attacks — particularly those who have no stake in the original dispute — to accept the outcomes of illegal reconciliation processes and thus compel them to abandon their rights and accept the assaults on them," the report added. A number of political parties and movements have also expressed exasperation over authorities' handling of the conflict. A joint statement issued by movements including the Popular Socialist Coalition Party, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and the Egyptians Against Religious Discrimination Movement, condemned the eviction of Coptic families. January 10, 2012Court: Oklahoma can't enforce Sharia law ban
DENVER (Reuters) - A federal appeals court upheld an injunction against a voter-approved ban on Islamic law in Oklahoma on Tuesday, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution by discriminating against religion. A three-member panel of the Denver-based U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that the rights of plaintiff Muneer Awad, a Muslim man living in Oklahoma City, likely would be violated if the ban on Sharia law takes effect. The decision upholds the ruling of a lower federal court. "While the public has an interest in the will of the voters being carried out ... the public has a more profound and long-term interest in upholding an individual's constitutional rights," the appeals court said in a 37-page written decision. The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations welcomed the ruling, calling it "a victory for the Constitution and for the right of all Americans to freely practice their faith." Oklahoma's "Save Our State Amendment," which was approved by 70 percent of state voters in 2010, bars Oklahoma state courts from considering or using Sharia law. The lawsuit challenging the measure was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Awad, who is director of the Oklahoma chapter of CAIR. A federal judge in Oklahoma City issued a court order in November 2010 barring the measure from taking effect while the case is under review, finding a substantial likelihood that Awad would prevail on the merits. The Council said the Oklahoma amendment is among 20 similar proposed laws introduced in state legislatures nationwide. Defenders of the amendment say they want to prevent foreign laws in general, and Islamic Sharia law in particular, from overriding state or U.S. laws. But foes of the Oklahoma measure, also called State Question 755, have argued that it stigmatizes Islam and its adherents and violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibition against the government favoring one religion over another. State Senator Anthony Sykes, one of the measure's sponsors, called the decision an attempt "to silence the voice of 70 percent of Oklahoma voters. At some point we have to decide whether this is a country of, by and for the judges, or of, by and for the people." Opponents also say it could nullify wills or legal contracts between Muslims because they incorporate by reference specific elements of Islamic prophetic traditions. (Editing by Mary Slosson and Paul Thomasch) January 2, 2012Court orders Google and Facebook to remove all anti Islamic contenthttp://yourjewishnews.com/14903.aspxSocial
websites including Google and Facebook have been ordered by an Indian court
to remove all 'anti-religious' and 'anti-social' content within six weeks.
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