Views on the News 12/12/2008
- Published in News & Comment
- |
Britain throws more money at fighting Islam in the communities
On 10/12/2008 Britain's Home Secretary; Jacqui Smith said that the government's counter-terrorism strategy had to extend to challenging non-violent extremist groups that "skirt the fringes of the law ... to promote hate-filled ideologies". She urged local authorities and the police to tackle extremist groups that were targeting mosques and community centres to create the idea that being Muslim and being British were incompatible. She also announced that a further £13.8m would be made available to disrupt radicalisers, challenge the rhetoric of extremists and support vulnerable individuals locally. The failure of Britain and other western countries to prevent Muslims from turning to Islam comes as no surprise. The failure stems from the inability western liberalism to convince young Muslim minds that it has the capacity to provide cogent solutions for mankind. The spectacular collapse of the free market will only accentuate this perception amongst young Muslims living in Britain.
Germany attacks Britain's EU stimulus plan
On 11/12/08 Steffen Kampeter, the budget spokesman for Ms Merkel's Christian Democrats, said, "After years of lecturing us on how we need to share in the gains of uncontrolled financial markets, the Labour politicians can't now expect us to share in its losses. The tremendous amount of debt being offered by Britain shows a complete failure of Labour policy." Kampeter's remarks are just some of the comments expressed by German politicians with regards to Britain's proposal to get European countries to throw more money at their economies by borrowing more money. Earlier in the week, Germany's finance minister ridiculed British proposals. He said, "The speed at which proposals are put together under pressure that don't even pass an economic test is breathtaking and depressing." The dispute between the two countries is based upon the different nature of the economies. Britain by and large is a service base economy-especially financial services- with very little manufacturing output and requires large injections of cash to offset recession. Germany has a powerful manufacturing and industrial base at the heart of its economy and requires incremental economic solutions. However, in both economies, reducing in interest rates and taxes are the standard means of increasing money supply and kick starting economic growth.
US proposes draft resolution to hunt Islamists in Somalia
On 10/12/2008 the US presented a draft resolution before the UN Security Council calling for stronger measures against Somali pirates. The American-drafted resolution proposes countries should be able to pursue pirates onto land if necessary, provided that the Somali government agrees. In June 2008, the UN Security Council passed a resolution permitting countries operating with the consent of Somalia's transitional government to go into Somalia's territorial waters and use force to capture pirates. America's latest proposal coincides with the declaration by the African Union of troop withdrawal from Somalia and the inability of the pro-American Somalia's transitional government to extend its writ both over land and its coastal waters. Leading up to the latest US proposal, American efforts to curb piracy off Somalia's coastline have been extremely poor. So far 120 attacks have been reported in 2008, and at least 16 ships are still being held, including a Saudi tanker. By stoking fears of an immediate pullout of African peace keepers, America is hoping that the proposals receive wide support. If adopted, the new proposals from America's perspective will do little to stop the piracy. Rather, America covets international legitimacy to seek and destroy the Islamists who oppose its surrogate transitional government in Somalia. Fighting pirates is a mere pretext to accomplish this aim.
Saudi's favours non-Muslims to redevelop Mecca
This week British architect Lord Foster was embroiled in religious and political controversy about a multimillion-pound project to redevelop Mecca. Leaked reports suggest that the Saudi government has favoured infidels to partake in the project. A report by the Saudi British Bank, estimated this year that £15 billion would be invested by foreign and Saudi companies in construction and infrastructure in Mecca by 2012. Homes and hills are to be replaced by about 130 skyscrapers, including the Abraj al-Bait Towers, which is to be one of the biggest buildings in the world. The seven towers will include a 2,000-room hotel, a convention centre big enough for 1,500 people, heliports and a four-storey shopping mall. According to The Architects' Journal the first part of the project will increase the capacity of the Al haram from 900,000 to 1.5 million. Once the scheme is completed capacity for the district should be 3 million. The proposals have been split into two. Foster & Partners, which is headed by Lord Foster, is one of ten practices that will look at alternatives for the northern expansion of the Haram mosque. In the past Western companies have redeveloped parts of Mecca. Ten years ago United Automation, a Los Angeles company, won a bid to rewire the sound system in the masjids of Mecca. After all, if the Saudi's can invite the Americans to station their troops in the Arabian peninsula and wage war against Iraq, actively provide money and intelligence to spill Muslim blood then the matter of Mecca's reconstruction by infidels is a small matter for them.
