Brazilian President Seeks to Secure Abortion as “Right,” Ban Crucifixes in Government Buildings

BRAZILIA, January 22, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva has introduced a massive legislative reform package in the last year of his term that would secure abortion as a "human right," impose socialist and homosexualist ideology in the schools and media, and ban crucifixes from government facilities, among other measures.

The legislative program, which is called the Third National Program for Human Rights (PNDH-3), would establish a level of control over the media and private property that is being called a nonviolent "coup d'etat" and a socialist party "dictatorship." It has elicited widespread protest from institutions ranging from the Catholic Church to military leaders, the agricultural sector, and even members of the president's own cabinet.

The leadership of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) has issued a declaration "reaffirming its position, manifested many times, in defense of life and the family, and against the decriminalization of abortion, against marriage between people of the same sex and the right of adoption of children by homosexual couples."

The CNBB leadership "also rejects the creation of 'mechanisms to impede the display of religious symbols in public establishments of the Union,' because it regards such an intolerant measure as ignoring our historical roots."

A Socialist Party Dictatorship?

If the Brazilian Labor Party succeeds in imposing the legislative package contained in the PNDH-3, it will receive broad powers to shut down media outlets that disagree with its ideology, impose its pro-abortion and homosexualist political agenda on the entire country, and undermine the rights of private property. The extensive powers proposed by the government have led at least one prominent Brazilian commentator to speak of a party "dictatorship."

For example, the Program treats the killing of unborn children as a "human right," to be protected by the state. Directive 9 includes "supporting the approval of legislation that decriminalizes abortion, considering the autonomy of women to make decisions concerning their bodies."

It also orders the creation of "campaigns and educational actions to deconstruct the stereotypes related to sex professionals."

Education and Culture in Human Rights," the fifth "axis" in the Program, directs that children from "infancy" (early childhood) must be taught the government's concept of "human rights," which includes "the study of themes of gender and sexual orientation" for the purpose of "combating prejudice, which is sometimes rooted in the family itself."

Directive 10 strikes a decisive blow against the Brazilian tradition of displaying crucifixes in public facilities, mandating the creation of "mechanisms to impede the display of religious symbols in public establishments of the Union (Brazil)."

It also proposes to "carry out campaigns and educational activities to deconstruct the stereotypes related to ... sexual identity and orientation."

The Program's Directive 19 requires the creation of curricula "for all of the levels and forms of teaching for basic education," for "promoting the recognition and/or respect for the diversities of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity…"

The Program's educational directives will have an even greater impact given the fact that the government recently passed a constitutional amendment requiring that all children be sent to school at the age of four.

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Egypt coach wants only players who observe Islam on national team - Christians not allowed

Muslims can discriminate against others - and the world turn a blind eye ... because you know it is WE who need to UNDERSTAND them more !!

If the Egyptian team wants to select ALL MUSLIM PLAYERS - it is YOU who could be accused of Islamophobia making mention of that! BUT if another African country like ~ say... SOUTH AFRICA had an ALL WHITE TEAM ~ talk of boycotts and condemnations would be all round.


CAIRO, Egypt (CP)— Egypt coach Hassan Shehata wants only players who observe Islam, and says team selection is based equally on religious piety and skill.

Shehata's comments, published Thursday in Egyptian newspapers, show how sports and religion are increasingly mixing in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation of 80 million.

The intrusion of religion into sports is part of the country's gradual movement toward religious conservatism over the last few decades, with more people praying at mosques, most women adopting the Islamic veil in public, and diminishing tolerance for secular Muslims or minority Christians.

There are no Christians on the squad defending its African Cup of Nations title in Angola.

For years, Egyptian athletes have demonstrated their piety in front of fans and the media - kneeling down to offer a prayer of thanks after scoring or winning, or praying before games to implore God to come to their team's aid.

Shehata's comments take religion in sports to a whole new level. He was quoted by Cairo newspapers as saying skill alone won't guarantee anyone a place on the national team.

He said "pious behaviour" was the main reason for selection.

"Without it, we will never select any player regardless of his potential," he said. "I always strive to make sure that those who wear the Egypt jersey are on good terms with God."

One newspaper, the independent al-Shorouk, quoted Shehata as saying that striker Ahmed "Mido," on loan from England's Middlesborough to Cairo's Zamalek, was cut four days after his initial selection because he did not fit the manager's prerequisite for piety.

The move last month came as a surprise because Egypt already was missing injured striker Amr Zaki, formerly with England's Wigan, and attacking midfielder Mohammed Abu Trekka.

Mido, who enjoys a reputation for hard partying, said he was insulted by his exclusion.

Shehata, a former Egypt international best remembered for his midfield creativity, has not made a secret of the role religion plays in what he does. He is often seen by millions of fans and TV viewers praying during games, and asks supporters to pray for the national side.

In Thursday's comments, Shehata boasted of how he convinced Egypt striker Mohammed Zidan, who plays for the German club Dortmund, to begin praying.

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Turkish apostate of Islam from Germany

I've only known the world through the mosque or the Turks or the Muslims. German kids or families, I knew nothing about that.

Betuel is 23, single, and was born and raised in Germany. She began her university studies in chemistry one year ago.

When I was young, I wanted to wear a headscarf, because my mother wore a headscarf and kids often want to do things they see their mothers do. Also, it wasn't as though I looked any different from the other kids in my community.

Betuel's parents, who immigrated to Germany from Turkey, are deeply religious. Since Betuel was five, she wore a headscarf, prayed five times a day, and attended a Koran school every weekend.

I embraced the fundamentalist idea since I was a kid. I accepted and believed everything that I was told. I never questioned the preaching, even if they were preaching hate. My parents deemed them righteous and irreproachable, and I simply accepted that.

In Betuel's childhood years, she had no exposure to the life outside of the Turkish community. This was the case even in her elementary school. She was raised in an isolated, religious, fundamentalist environment and spoke very little German. It was only when she entered high school that her classmates were predominantly German, and she was introduced to the world outside the strict teachings of her religion and her community.

In high school, I distanced myself from my German classmates who were Christians. I didn't want anything to do with these awful, unbelieving Germans, whom I believed were going straight to hell. They avoided me too; I dressed differently and had different beliefs and views on everything. So, the hate and rejection went both ways – from my side and from their side also.

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Hurray for polar bears! Growing population negates climate-change hysteria

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES

It's a good time to be a polar bear. Unusually cool temperatures in the northern climes last winter produced thicker-than-usual polar ice. This gave the lucky bears an extra two weeks to roam the ice floes to hunt ringed seals. As a result, adult bears are better fed and more cubs are surviving their first year. The bears will go into the winter with greater energy stores, which will mean a better chance of survival and even more cubs.

Last May, the Obama administration took some heat for continuing the Bush-era polar-bear policy. On May 8, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that his department would maintain a rule adopted in 2007 that barred the Endangered Species Act from being used to try to force carbon-emission limitations. This rule was put in place when the administration listed the polar bear as "threatened" to prevent activists from using the law as a back-door method to force carbon caps on businesses. Mr. Salazar offered an original-intent defense of continuing the policy, saying that when the Endangered Species Act was passed, "it was not contemplated it would be the tool to address the issue of climate change."

This is highly uncharacteristic reasoning from a liberal administration, but we definitely approve.

The polar bear was chosen as a marketing tool for the global-warming alarmists since they are more cuddly looking than, say, the Burrington jumping slug. But if numbers begin to increase significantly, the Arctic mammals could be equally effective as symbols of global cooling. Activists dismiss this year's cold conditions as a blip, but global temperatures have generally been declining over the last decade, an inconvenient truth for those who like to think in terms of "tipping points" and other panicky cliches.

The global-warming religion is highly resistant to facts. This came home to us recently when Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat, told the Detroit News that global warming is increasing "volatility" in the atmosphere. "I feel it when I'm flying," she claimed. "We are paying the price in more hurricanes and tornadoes." The notion that Mrs. Stabenow can sense climate volatility while jetting about is risible, but the fact that she serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is a leading proponent of the job-killing, growth-destroying cap-and-trade legislation is no laughing matter.

Compare the senator's sensory perception to hard data. In the past three years, the number of hurricanes has fallen dramatically, and tropical-cyclone activity is at one of the lowest points in the last 50 years. We hope that facts such as thickening Arctic ice and decreasing climate volatility can overcome the almost mystical attachment some politicians have to global-warming orthodoxy.

Bad legislation based on faulty science is something our country simply cannot bear.

UK Party Leader Says Faith Schools Must Teach Homosexuality is "Normal and Harmless"

LONDON, January 13, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – U.K. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is wooing the vote of British homosexuals by stating that his party (the third largest party in the U.K.) would legislate that all faith schools in the UK would be legally obliged to teach their students that homosexuality is normal and without any risk to physical or mental health.

In an interview with the gay lifestyle magazine Attitude, Clegg outlined a number of proposals to advance '"gay rights" in the UK, including forcing all schools, including faith-based schools, to implement anti-homophobia bullying policies and to teach that homosexuality is "normal and harmless."

Clegg said that faith schools must not become "asylums of insular religious identity."

"If they're suffering higher rates of homophobic bullying and violence then we need to put serious pressure on them. It needs to be a requirement; it just needs to be a requirement across the piece."

He also proposed to end the ban on homosexual men being allowed to give blood, and to allow same-sex couples the same legal rights as heterosexual married couples and the right to use the word "marriage" rather than civil partnership.

Clegg's proposals were quickly condemned by church leaders and pro-family groups.

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85-year-old woman asked to unzip her pants so an inspector could poke her abdomen

When Cynthia Sutcliffe took her 85-year-old aunt to Ottawa Airport for a flight to Toronto on Dec. 28, she expected the 4-foot-10 woman would have a smooth and uneventful trip home.

Instead, the elderly woman was pulled out of the security lineup for the Air Canada flight and told to remove her boots and unzip her pants so a female inspector could poke her abdomen.

Sutcliffe, 55, said she can't understand why her white-haired, 90-pound aunt was singled out because she is no security threat to anyone. She said the woman was badly frightened by the experience and is afraid to be named publicly or to complain because she fears being placed on a no-fly list.

"She is white, Caucasian, worked as a federal government secretary in Toronto and never even had a parking ticket because she didn't drive a car," Sutcliffe said. "Now she is terrified that she will be searched again.

"It is a lot for a little old lady to take a limousine to the airport in Toronto and fly to Ottawa. This kind of search is too much."

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Ninth Church Vandalized in Malaysia as Tensions Rise Over Use of Word Allah

BANGKOK — A ninth church was vandalized Monday in Malaysia in a series of arson attacks that have raised religious tensions surrounding a dispute over the use of the word “Allah” by Christians in this mostly Muslim nation.


Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) leaves after visiting the torched Metro Tabernacle church in Desa Melawati in Kuala Lumpur, January 9, 2010. Arsonists in Malaysia struck another church on Saturday, bringing the attacks on churches to four in two days as a row escalates over the use of the word Allah to refer to the Christian God.

Though the Malaysia truly Asia PM is standing in front of this burnt out church looking baffled - his own government's policies have contributed to this - they have been confiscating bibles and harassing churches because of the use of the word Allah. But when the court overturned these actions - the people then responded by destroying the local churches.

“Allah” is the common term for God in Malay-language Bibles, but the government and many Muslim groups insist that the word should be reserved for use in Islam.

The attacks, which began on Friday, came after a court ruling on Dec. 31 that overturned a government ban on the use of “Allah” by Christians. That ruling has been stayed while the government appeals.

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School bans girl from wearing crucifix - but allows Sikh pupils to wear bangles

A school told a child to remove a Christian cross she was wearing even though it lets Sikh children wear bangles as part of their religion.

Lauren Grimshaw-Brown was told to take off a necklace with a cross on it because of health and safety fears.

But the eight-year-old's furious mother has accused the school of double standards because they allow children following other faiths to wear jewellery on religious grounds.

The mother-of-two says Lauren and brother Callan, five, have always worn crosses at St Peter's CE School in Chorley, Lancashire.

'We're a Christian family and my children wear the necklaces underneath their tops,' she said.

'On Thursday Lauren was told by a teacher to take it off because apparently they're not allowed to wear jewellery.

'I could understand it if it was a fashion accessory or a High School Musical necklace, but it's part of our faith.'

Mrs Grimshaw-Brown complained directly to the headteacher, Helen Wright, who referred the matter to the school's chairman of governors, Father Atherton. He upheld the ban.

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School Suspends Eight Year Old for Drawing Jesus on the Cross

TAUNTON, Massachusetts, December 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com & cnews.canoe.ca)

An 8-year-old boy was sent home from Maxham Elementary School and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after he drew a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The boy's father, Chester Johnson, said he got a call earlier this month from the school informing him that his son, a second-grade student with special education needs, had created a violent drawing and was being sent home. The image depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross.

"As far as I'm concerned, they're violating his religion," Johnson said. "They told me he would have to leave the school and get a psychological evaluation, which I didn't see necessary for the picture that was drawn. Especially after I told them he went to the La Salette on Thanksgiving with his mom. I didn't see anything wrong with the picture that was drawn."

The boy and his family had recently gone to see a Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Catholic retreat center in Attleboro.

Toni Saunders, an educational consultant with the Associated Advocacy Center who is working with the boy and his parents, told the Taunton Gazette, "I think what happened is that because he put Xs in the eyes of Jesus, the teacher was alarmed and they told the parents they thought it was violent. They weren't looking at the fact that this is an 8-year-old child with special needs."

"They made him leave school, and they recommended that a psychiatrist do an evaluation," Saunders said. "When I got that call, I was so appalled that I had to do something," she added.

Maxham School principal Rebecca Couet refused to comment to the media about the event and referred all questions to the superintendent's office.

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Persecution List: N. Korea, Iran Top Oppressors of Christians

North Korea is for the eighth straight year the world’s top persecutor of Christians, according to Open Doors' 2010 World Watch List.

The notoriously restrictive regime bans all religions other than a semi-personality cult centered around the current leader, Kim Jong-Il, and his father, Kim Il-Sung. It is illegal to be a Christian in North Korea and authorities have executed people found to possess a Bible.

An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 Christians are currently in prison labor camps because of their faith.

“Christians are the target of fierce government action, and once caught, are not regarded as human,” said a veteran North Korean watcher, who is not identified for security reasons, to Open Doors. “Last year we had evidence that some were used as guinea pigs to test chemical and biological weapons.”

Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, commented that it is “certainly not a shock” that North Korea is ranked No. 1 on the list.

“There is no other country in the world where Christians are persecuted in such a horrible and systematic manner,” Moeller said. “Three generations of a family are often thrown into prison when one member is incarcerated.”

But Moeller noted that despite the intense persecution, the group of Christians in North Korea is “strong” and actually growing in number.

Following North Korea on the World Watch List is Iran, which jumped to the No. 2 spot from No. 3.

Open Doors explained that Iran moved up because of the increased number of arrests of Christians beginning in 2008 and continuing into 2009. At least 85 Christians were arrested in Iran during this time period, the watchdog reported.

Among those arrested were two young women who converted from Islam to Christianity. The case of Maryam Rustampoor and Marzieh Amirzadeh, who were released two months ago, attracted international attention. Open Doors was among the groups that advocated for the release of the two women who were arrested simply for being Christian.

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Chopping off hands of thieves is 'deserving punishment' - Imam

Imam Mohamed El Sadi, the Muslim leader in Malta, believes chopping off the hands of thieves is a "deserving punishment".

Mr El Sadi made the statement during Monday's television programme Bondiplus, where he defended Sharia law, a judicial system used in some Islamic states and which can involve severe corporal punishments.

Contacted yesterday, Mr El Sadi stood by his comments and added the world was incurring the "wrath of God" through its permissiveness and destruction of spiritual and moral values, namely through the acceptance of "same-sex marriages, homosexuality, adultery and abortion".

Under Sharia law, such things are considered crimes that may even be punishable by death. When asked if the he agreed with such punishments he said: "Yes, of course. I agree with everything Islamic."

The TV show discussed whether crucifixes should be banned from classrooms. When presenter Lou Bondì asked Mr El Sadi if Muslims could be more tolerant and "light-hearted" in their reactions to parody and criticism, Mr El Sadi said Europe's permissive values were not necessarily ideal.

"Are same-sex marriages a value? What is this value? If in the future the majority of people want the right for men to marry cats, dogs or horses, will we make a law to fulfil these wishes," Mr El Sadi asked.

Mr Bondì then asked whether religion should dictate the laws of the country, through, say, Sharia law.

"What is wrong with Sharia law? If someone steals, he is taking from the country or the poor, so why is it wrong to cut off his hand?" the Imam replied.

Mr El Sadi said the punishment should terrify thieves and criminals, "not the good people".

When speaking to The Times about his remarks, the Imam said: "Why don't you concentrate on what is common rather than pick on what is controversial?"

He said he was not proposing this system for Europe because it would be undemocratic. But it was also undemocratic for Muslim countries not to use it because most Muslims wanted it.

The system was practised in Saudi Arabia for centuries and yielded results but many Muslim-majority countries believed in secularism and did not employ such practice, he said.

He conceded there were different kinds of Muslims who thought of Sharia differently. "But whoever denies this is not a Muslim," he said, adding the law of God was perfect.

He said there were many safeguards to ensure Sharia law was applied justly, through a court system that depended on having several witnesses. "This does not apply to thieves who are poor or hungry. This is for people who have everything and want more; people who are greedy... The point is to frighten criminals."

Fr Renè Camilleri, who was also a guest on the programme, said he was "shocked" by the Imam's comments.

"I tried to insist violence is unacceptable. The concept is horrific to me. It is equivalent to the death penalty. I know it is what Sharia law dictates but, coming from him, such a moderate and tolerant person, I was shocked," he said, adding he never considered the Imam to be a fundamentalist.

Reacting to the television debate, anthropologist Ranier Fsadni warned against "misunderstanding" the comments and said such views were probably not shared by all Muslims in Europe.

He said many migrated because they did not like the society they lived in, while a large number of others came from countries that did not believe Sharia was prescribed by the Quran or meant to be taken literally without taking the culture of the time into context.

"Just as a priest does not necessarily represent all his community, the Imam does not necessarily represent all Muslims in Malta. Then, again, he is respected and appreciated as a pastoral leader."

Mr Fsadni said the Imam was simply being "intellectually honest" and defending his belief and was not proposing the system for Malta. He was also honest about his views of democracy and the rule of the majority.

A video clip with the Imam's comment can be viewed on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e2gtOO029U .

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091119/local/chopping-off-hands-of-thieves-is-deserving-punishment-imam

'Sharia' law in Spain. Islamists decided to condemn a woman to death

FROM: http://teaandpolitics.wordpress.com/

An Islamist procedure in full. Like the ones held by the Talibans in Afghanistan or by extremist militias in Somalia. But this time it was held in an isolated masía (sort of cottage typical of Catalonia). There, 9 islamists, all of Maghrebi origin, had kidnapped a woman and retained her.

The woman was judged by her captors, who had decided to held a procedure in which they accused her of adultery. Supporting an extremist version of the Islamic law, the Sharia, the kidnappers decided to condemn her to death, according to investigation’s sources.

Luckily, she escaped and went to a police station (Mossos d’Esquadra). According to the agents, her kidnappers were planning to execute her in a short period of time.

After carrying an investigation on the woman’s statement, the Mossos entered on Nov 14th’s midnight in three apartments, located in Reus (Baix Camp) and Valls (Alt Camp) and arrested 9 men, all of them linked to the Salafist movement, an ultraorthodox Islamic school very spread throughout Tarragona. No violent incident have been previously reported as committed by this movement in these surroundings.

Criminal Judge no. 1 from Tarragona has believed what the woman denounced and has ordered imprisonment without bail of 7 of the 9 arrested Islamists. They are accused of performing an ilegal arrest, attempted murder and illicit association.

The special circumstances of this case -1st time it happens in Spain- made the Information Division of the Mossos d’Esquadra, take charge of the case. This is the unit in charge of the Islamist extremism and terrorism. The whole operation was carried out by the Brigada Mòbil of the Mossos, in absolute secrecy (of course, this measures the high quality of Spanish MSM… how on earth they want a police operation to be carried out?).

Once they were arrested, and in a non-very common practice, each one of the arrested was taken to a different police station to prevent them from speaking with each other.

The circumstances of the operation led to the general belief of this being a terrorist-linked operation, but police has denied it from the first day.