Muslim countries seek to ban blasphemy world wide through UN.

Demonstration in London 2007

Four years after Danish cartoons lampooning Mohammed, the prophet and founder of Islam - prompting angry mobs to attack Western embassies in Muslim countries, including Lebanon, Iran, and Indonesia - Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West. Algeria and Pakistan in coordination with the OIC (the 56 - member Organization of the Islamic Conference) have taken the lead in lobbying to eventually bring the proposal to a vote in the U.N. General Assembly.


It’s obvious that the Organization of the Islamic Conference have long-term plans - plans which they will pursue tenaciously - to gain the moral high ground in their own draconian restrictions on freedom of speech, and to obtain what further restrictions they can, even in the West, on speech that criticizes or satirizes religion. The aim is to silence serious criticism of Islam, and if that means silencing serious criticism of other religions, too ...The problem with these so called ‘Muslim’ countries, who are always eager to name every and each country which is not Muslim, Christian, is that they have such a bad track record over human rights, women rights, minority rights and a disgusting approach of Jewish and Christian people in their press, that asking for a ban on blasphemy (of course Islam) is just too hypocrite for words. We don’t talk here about Hindus and Buddhists etcetera since those people are not even in their vocabulary. And second In their mosques, media and schools, Muslims regularly and officially denigrate Christian, Jews, the USA, Israel and in fact each developed country in the world.

Also, this is an issue that we should not lose sight of. Deep concern about the implications for freedom of speech - especially for freedom of speech that criticizes religious doctrines, practices, leaders, organizations, etc. - is totally appropriate. This is not just paranoia on the part of some scattered free speech advocates; it's very serious!

This is another attempt to impose theocratic rule upon non-theocratic nations. One of the few balances against rule by religious people and religious hysteria is that they are subject to criticism, wit and even satire. These help to deflate the self-important egos of religious charismatic’s who believe that they are divinely appointed. Look at Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, etc.

What are leaders of Muslim countries afraid of? Legitimate criticism of their religion in the form of cartoons that justifiably challenges Islam and, in effect, their leadership? Right!

Day Opening - November 22

Autumn by Andey Litov.

Day Opening - November 21

The most beautiful eyes in the world?

Girl in Afghanistan

EU leaders chose path of least resistance

By Petra de Koning and Jeroen van der Kris in Brussels (for nrc.nl)

Anyone who had said six months ago that Herman Van Rompuy would be the first president of the European Union would have been called quite mad. The 62-year-old Belgian only became prime minister of his own country in December last year. He restored calm to Belgium, which was going through the longest political crisis in its history at the time. This is a considerable achievement, but in the rest of Europe all people may know about him is he is fond of the haiku, a short Japanese poetry form.

The new face of Europe has been appointed according to old rules. The presidency went to the candidate who met with the least resistance. Van Rompuy has not been around long enough as a European head of government to quarrel with his colleagues – the very ones who chose him for the job on Thursday.

All the other candidates had marks against them: former British prime minister Tony Blair was considered too high-profile and too headstrong, Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker got into a tiffle with French president Nicolas Sarkozy over European budget rules, and Jan Peter Balkenende comes from a country that voted against the European constitution.

Blair too ambitious

The British stood behind Blair's candidature until the very end, but that problem was solved by offering Britain the other top job, that of high representative for foreign affairs. The position went to baroness Catherine Ashton (53), another fairly obscure figure.

For a while it was assumed that if the colourless Van Rompuy was chosen as president, a much stronger candidate would be picked for high representative. But Ashton had little or no foreign policy experience before she was appointed EU Commissioner for foreign trade last year. In the Brussels corridors little could be learnt about her on Thursday evening other than that "she is good with people".

Ashton's appointment is good news for Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso. He is under pressure from the European parliament to appoint more female Commissioners, and since the high representative also serves as the vice-president of the Commission, he can scratch one if his list.

According to insiders Barroso is also quite pleased that Tony Blair didn't become EU president because he would have stolen the limelight from Barroso. That sentiment was likely shared by more than one European leader: the heads of government wanted a president, but they preferred someone less star-struck than Blair. This is a cardinal rule in European politics: the ideal candidate should not be overly ambitious so as not to get in the way of the heads of government.

Wanted: PM for Belgium

Meanwhile Belgium is left without a prime minister. Van Rompuy was offered the job last year after Yves Leterme, an outspoken Flemish politician who had antagonised the French-speaking part of Belgium, was forced to resign over alleged interference with the judicial inquiry into the sale of the Belgian Fortis bank to French PNB Baribas. (He has since been cleared.)

Van Rompuy was quietly finishing his political career as chairman of the Belgian federal parliament when he was unexpectedly catapulted first to Belgian prime minister and now to EU president. In all probability Yves Leterme, who got a monster number of votes in the last legislative elections, will now return as prime minister of Belgium.

Day Opening - November 20

One of the many harbors in Istanbul, by Hakan Gil

The New EU President: van Rompuy

And the British Euro Eurocommissionair Catherine Ashton get the job of the  EU Foreign minister.

Day Opening - November 19

Potter, picture taken by Taci Yuksel

Cyprus and the EU - What matters is the perception

I found the links of the serie of articles I wrote as guest columnist for Turkish Daily news (now Hurriyet Daily news) between 2007 and 2008. Today no. 6.

Cyprus and the EU - What matters is the perception

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

HANS A.H.C. de WIT

The world really doesn’t know what really happened in Cyprus and why Turks occupied it. A paradigm shift within the EU on how to perceive Cyprus is needed, and the only one who can do this are the Turks, who should tell their story more effectively.

I was 16 years old when first I heard about Cyprus, the divided island. The only thing I understood what that Turks had invaded it. “Ah, the Turks did it again!” That was the perception in my country, the Netherlands. There was no internet, no international television channels like the CNN or BBC World. We were solely dependent on printed media. There was no real-time coverage.

Continue reading herrreeeee

Just My Two Cents: Right Wing Porn Now Available

Just My Two Cents: Right Wing Porn Now Available

Day Opening - November 18

A new airline?

The Spy-Box for cars - A new Dutch invention

Last Friday, the Dutch government announced its plans to replace car tax with a system charging motorists for their use of the roads per kilometre. Let say a ‘spy box’.


Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurling's plan to equip all Dutch cars with a GPS box by 2018, which will register every kilometre driven, which has unleashed a storm of criticism. Motorists in the Netherlands already pay 70 percent in taxes on petrol. Not only will they now have to pay to be allowed to drive to work, but family visits and even voluntary work will be hit, your private life will be tracked de facto.

What the plan will mean?

Charges will depend on time and place, with environmentally friendly cars charged at a lower rate. Driving gas-guzzling SUVs during the rush-hour in the major cities will become expensive. The Dutch government reckons the system will bring about a 15 percent reduction in use of the roads, which, in turn, will mean traffic jams will be cut by half. Environmental pollution and noise should also fall.

The costs are complicated, with the minister claiming that, while driving a car will on average become more expensive, 59 percent of the motoring public will actually end up paying less than at present. Meanwhile, the scrapping of purchase tax on new cars will make them considerably cheaper.

But ending with a negative note, the Belgian government announced last Saturday that it too plans to introduce a compatible system. The Dutch enjoy making trips into Belgium to sample their southerly neighbours' good food and general bon vivre. Do the Dutch soon also to be charged for driving in Belgium. Which country is next? And will this a good system for the USA? Dunno, not, that will cause a revolution!!

Day Opening - November 17

The European Union by night.)!

Arash's World: All you need is Awe and Humility – Finding the Right Attitude towards Life's Marvels

Arash's World: All you need is Awe and Humility – Finding the Right Attitude towards Life's Marvels

Who are the most prejudices people in Europe; a survey

When it comes to human dignity, Western European societies agree without questioning. In this line, the European Union stated their goals to combat a broad spectrum of discrimination in article 13 of the 1997 Amsterdam Declaration: “Without prejudice to the other provisions of this Treaty and within the limits of the powers conferred by it upon the Community, the Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the European Parliament, may take appropriate action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.”

The Amsterdam declaration was a consequence of observable increasing prejudices and discriminations of minority groups in Western and Eastern Europe.

But  a recent  survey by Bielefeld Institute held among 8000 EU citizens in 8 of the 27 EU countries reveals that almost 50 percent of them believe there are too many immigrants in their countries. Forty-three percent reject equal rights for gays and lesbians.

Prejudice was strongest in East European countries. People in the Netherlands were the least prejudiced.

Most prejudice was demonstrated against Islam. More than half the people interviewed thought Islam is an intolerant religion. And 22 percent thought most Muslims feel terrorism is justified.

Attitudes to Judaism are more positive with 62 percent of people saying the religion enriched their culture.

There are huge differences between various EU countries. For instance 88 percent of Poles oppose single sex marriages, whereas in the Netherlands 83 percent were positive about gay marriage.

You can simple not talk about ONE European or Europeans are all the same.

Recent surveys in Turkey show more dramatically figures with 70% of the people don't want to live near a Jew and around 50% don't want to live next to a Christian. But state neighbours?.)!

Another interesting fact is that 87 percent of Poles think women should take their role as mothers more seriously. In Germany 50 percent of people share these conservative views and in the Netherlands 36 percent do.
I think Poland, one of the few EU countries I never visited, are on the same level and to a certain degree share the same conservative views as Turkey.

Day Opening - November 16

Just reading