Is Europe about to be overrun by Muslims?
A number of prominent European, American politicians and journalists seem to think so. The historian Niall Ferguson has predicted that "a youthful Muslim society to the south and east of the Mediterranean is poised to colonize a senescent Europe ". And according to Christopher Caldwell, an American columnist with the Financial Times, Muslims are already "conquering Europe 's cities, street by street". So what if Muslims account for only 3 percent to 4 percent of the EU's total population of 493 million? In his book Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Can Europe Be the Same With Different People in It? - Caldwell writes: "Of course minorities can shape countries. Another worry is the growing Muslim population in Europe . Caldwell claims in his book, "have a long track record of underestimating their vulnerability to ‘primitive' ones". As the London Daily Telegraph, quoting Caldwell, asserted last weekend, Britain and the EU have simply ignored the "demographic time bomb" in their midst. Caldwell is convinced that

"Muslim culture is unusually full of messages laying out the practical advantages of procreation." Many Western thinkers are advocating radical measures to deal with this problem. Bruce Bawer, whose book While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West from Within suggests that European officials, who are "in a position to deport planeloads of people everyday", "could start rescuing Europe tomorrow".

So much for tolerant Europe - the harbinger of freedom and pluralism. Clearly when it comes to Muslims both at home and abroad, their ideals give way to demagoguery and bigotry. How can Europe claim to possess values that are universally applicable?

UK pushing for an attack on Iran
This week MI6 intelligence Chief Sir John Scarlett has been told that Saudi Arabia is ready to allow Israel to bomb Iran 's new nuclear site. The head of MI6 discussed the issue in London with Mossad chief Meir Dagan and Saudi officials after British intelligence officers helped to uncover the plant, in the side of a mountain near the ancient city of Qom . The site is seen as a major threat by Tel Aviv and Riyadh . Details of the talks emerged after John Bolton, America 's former UN ambassador, told a meeting of intelligence analysts that " Riyadh certainly approves" of Israel 's use of Saudi airspace. Foreign Secretary David Miliband acknowledged that the danger of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East was "particularly potent" and refused to rule out military action altogether but he insisted: "We are 100 per cent focused on a diplomatic solution." Gordon Brown, US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have warned Iran 's leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that he must allow in weapons inspectors or face more sanctions.
Contrary to public perception it is Britain and not the US that is pushing for a strike on Iran . America concessions over the past year or so, and its efforts to resume dialogue with Iran have angered Israel . Britain seeks to exploit this anger and instigate an attack on Iran 's nuclear plants.

Saudi praises Obama's peace overtures towards Muslims
Underscoring the widening reach of interfaith dialogue, a senior Saudi official praised the US president Barack Obama yesterday for infusing discussions among the faithful of various religions with new vigour. On the opening day of a two-day interfaith conference Abdullah al Turki, the secretary general of the Mecca-based Muslim World League, said the US leader had "contributed in creating an atmosphere of more understanding between the followers of religions and cultures through bridges of dialogue". The tribute to Mr Obama appeared to be a reciprocal gesture, for in his prepared remarks, Mr al Turki noted that the US leader, in his June speech to the Muslim world in Cairo , had singled out Saudi Arabia 's King Abdullah for undertaking his interfaith initiative. The conference, notably taking place in the heart of Protestant Christian Europe, is the fourth such meeting sponsored by Saudi Arabia and comes a week after King Abdullah dedicated a sprawling, state-of-the-art university for science and technology in the desert 80km from.

Afghanistan: Tensions between EU and US lead expulsion of UN official
As American troops move deeper into southern A senior United Nations official has been removed from his post after rowing with his superior and the Afghan government about how to deal with the fraud-riddled election. Peter Galbraith, the number two UN official in the country, agreed to temporarily leave Afghanistan earlier this month after a dispute with Kai Eide, the organisation's senior diplomat in Afghanistan . The American diplomat, who is a close friend of US envoy Richard Holbrooke, had angered the Afghan government by demanding a wholesale recount of votes in a heated meeting with electoral officials. State-owned Afghan newspapers went on to attack Mr Galbraith for interfering in Afghan affairs leaving Mr Ban to decide his position was untenable. The split between the top two in the UN Afghan mission has mirrored deep divisions in between the US and EU on over how to deal with an election mired in fraud.

US threatens to expand its war inside Pakistan
This week the US has told Pakistan that it may start launching drone attacks against the Taliban leadership in the city of Quetta in a major escalation of its operations in the country. The US State department and intelligence officials delivered the ultimatum to Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan 's president, last week as he visited the US for the United Nations' Security Council sessions and the G20 economic summit. US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson has said, amid reports that Washington may start drone attacks on Balochistan's capital. "In the past, we focused on Al-Qaeda because they were a threat to us. The Quetta Shura mattered less to us because we had no troops in the region," Ambassador Patterson was quoted as saying in the course of a dispatch in The Washington Post, which says that Taliban insurgents have a haven in Pakistan .
"Now our troops are there on the other side of the border, and the Quetta Shura is high on Washington 's list," she said.

Germany attacks UK ahead of the G20 meeting
This week, German finance minister Peer Steinbrueck launched an outspoken attack on the City of London, saying the financial lobby is 'doing its best' to block the introduction of stricter financial market regulations. 'There is clearly a lobby in London that wants to defend its competitive advantage tooth and nail,' Steinbrueck told Germany's Stern magazine. He singled out Britain's approach to hedge funds, claiming the UK is fighting tougher regulations because it is worried about suffering from an exodus of talent. He said the financial sector accounted for 15% of the UK's gross domestic product (GDP) in contrast to just 6% in Germany. Steinbrueck last year poured scorn on Gordon Brown's bank and business bailout plans. His attack came as the European Commission unveiled detailed proposals to create new pan-European authorities with the authority to oversee and intervene in national financial markets. There are concerns in the UK that these plans could give the Commission too much influence over Treasury interventions in the banking system.

Is Turkey part of Obama's regional missile defense programme?
Less than two weeks before Turkey is likely to host new international talks about the Iranian nuclear programme, Ankara's stated interest in buying four missile defence batteries has raised a big question: why does the country think it needs a missile shield? "We will procure four batteries," Gen Metin Gurak, the spokesman of the general staff in Ankara, said during a regular media briefing on Friday. "The missiles are not directed against any country in particular. They are mobile and can be used on every front."Gen Gurak said the system would cost around US$1billion (Dh3.67bn), much less than the sum of around $8bn that had been reported by the Turkish press earlier. The general said the higher number had been included in a notification sent by the US government to Congress and had referred to 13 batteries, not four. He said a decision on the tender for the system of four batteries would be made by October 13. Two US companies, including Raytheon, the maker of the Patriot system, as well as a company from China and one from Russia have put in bids. There is also speculation that Turkey, the only Nato country bordering Iran, could be playing a key role in a new US missile defence strategy after the cancellation of planned missile deployments in Eastern Europe. Turkey's territory lies within range of Iranian short and medium-range missiles. "We have updated our intelligence assessment of Iran's missile programmes, which emphasises the threat posed by Iran's short and medium-range missiles, which are capable of reaching Europe," the US President Barack Obama said last Thursday.

McChrystal paints a grim picture of America in Afghanistan
The Afghan war will be lost unless more troops are sent to pursue a radically revised strategy, the top U.S. and NATO commander said in a confidential assessment that offers stark choices for President Barack Obama. In the assessment, sent to Washington last month and leaked on Monday, Army General Stanley McChrystal said failure to reverse "insurgent momentum" in the near term risked an outcome where "defeating the insurgency is no longer possible." A copy of the 66-page assessment was obtained by The Washington Post and published on its website with some parts removed at the request of the government for security reasons."Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it," McChrystal wrote. "Failure to provide adequate resources also risks a longer conflict, greater casualties, higher overall costs and ultimately, a critical loss of political support. Any of these risks, in turn, are likely to result in mission failure." McChrystal, who commands more than 100,000 Western troops, two-thirds of them American, has drafted a separate request spelling out how many more he needs but has not sent it to the Pentagon, which says it is considering how he should submit it. In his assessment, McChrystal painted a grim picture of the war so far, saying "the overall situation is deteriorating" and calling for a "revolutionary" shift putting more emphasis on protecting Afghans than on killing insurgents. "Our objective must be the population," he wrote. "The objective is the will of the people, our conventional warfare culture is part of the problem. The Afghans must ultimately defeat the insurgency."

Zardari's empty begging bowl
President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday called upon the US to fast track reimbursement of outstanding Coalition Support Fund of $1.6billion and early realization of the Tokyo pledges to ensure economic stability of Pakistan. The President said this while talking to the US President Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke, who called on him here Tuesday afternoon and discussed a wide range of issues concerning the two countries. The President also asked for the passage of the Biden-Lugar Bill, which is constantly being thrown in Pakistan's face as reflecting the commitment of the US to Pakistan but which still remains to be passed by Congress. The case of the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) Bill is suffering the same fate. But despite this humiliation, Zardari is pressing ahead with the first summit of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. Like a true beggar, Zardari will plead for money with promises of spilling more Muslim blood. The event will be chaired jointly by President Asif Ali Zardari, and crusaders US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

China prepare to flex its military might
China on Wednesday promised military watchers a real show in the National Day parade on October 1, with a host of new equipment to be rolled out, most of which has never before been seen in public. "The equipment we will unveil is 100 percent China-made and close to 90 percent will be paraded for the first time," Gao Jianguo, spokesman for the office of the National Day Military Parade Joint Command, told reporters. China will stage a huge military parade and pageant in Beijing on October 1 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the communist People's Republic. Gao said new equipment unveiled to the public would include nuclear, conventional and cruise missiles, as well as fighter jets, radar systems and surface-to-air missiles -- without offering any specifics. "We will unveil some new weapons during this parade and this is the concrete reflection of China's economic and technological development and progress in the military field," he said. China's military spending rose 15.3 percent in 2009 to 69 billion dollars, according to a budget submitted to parliament in March, the latest in a string of double-digit increases. Earlier a defence ministry spokesman in Beijing rejected US Defence Secretary Robert Gates' comments that US naval carriers and air bases in the Pacific faced new threats from China's modernisation. The US National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said that China's military modernisation programme posed a threat and that China's involvement in cyber technology had become aggressive.

America needs you, CIA chief tells Arabs

In a historic visit to Dearborn Detroit, CIA Director Leon Panetta reached out to metro Detroiters with roots in the Middle East at a Ramadan dinner aimed at engaging Arab Americans. "The reason I'm here ... is very simple: Your country needs you," he told a crowd of about 150 Arab Americans and Chaldeans on Wednesday at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center. "It needs your ingenuity; it needs your wisdom; it needs the skills of your communities to help protect the way of life that all of us hold dear." Panetta's speech was believed to be the first time a CIA head has held a public Ramadan dinner, said CIA official George Little. And it comes at a time when the CIA finds itself involved in conflicts across the Muslim world. "I am particularly honored to be with you on this night, which I understand is the Night of Power, which holds such deep spiritual meaning for all Muslims," Panetta said. In order for the CIA to get better, "we have to reflect the face of this nation, we have to reflect the face of the world," he said. "Our goal is to substantially increase diversity."

UK Police Chiefs brace for riots between Muslims and English fascists

This week UK police chiefs up and down the country warned to brace them- selves for a winter of race riots. UK police forces have been put on alert amid growing concerns about violent clashes between Muslims and far-Right thugs.  Trouble has already occurred in several UK cities where the English Defense League(EDL) has protested against the Islamisation of the UK. The EDL is an umbrella organisation which attracts far-Right activists, neo-Nazis and football hooligans with a shared hatred of "Islamic extremism". EDL has set up divisions in Luton, north London,  Bristol, Portsmouth, Southampton, Derby, Cardiff and across the West Midlands. Four national police units, including experts on soccer hooliganism and  terrorism, are investigating the group. John Denham, the secretary of state for communities and local government, warned that there were strong parallels between the group, which is planning protests in Muslim neighbour- hoods, and Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists, who sparked fighting when they marched through Jewish areas of London's East End in the Thirties. Mr Denham said: "If you look at their [EDL]demonstrations they've organised, it is clear that it's a tactic designed to provoke and to get a response and hopefully create violence."

Belgium bans the wearing of hijjab

Schools in the Belgian Dutch-speaking region of Flanders have banned the wearing of the Muslim headscarf. After a decision by the region's school board, around a fifth of schools say they will implement the ban immediately - others have up to a year to follow. Two schools are already enforcing the ban. Head teacher Chris Weyers explained: "96 percent of the pupils were Muslims. And it was a great pressure on the students who weren't Muslims, or that were Muslims but did not wear the scarf, and so our pupils weren't free anymore." While some girls have complied with the ban - removing their scarves while in school - Muslim groups have strongly condemned the move. Angry pupils have staged protests outside the school and one girl has filed a complaint with the Belgian Council of State to contest the ban. While protests are expected to continue, Belgium is not the first to ban the scarf. France, Germany and the UK have various types of bans in place that forbid the wearing of hijjab and the niqab.

Petraeus: Taliban have grown stronger

General David Petraeus, the overall commander of troops in Afghanistan, has painted a bleak picture of the security situation admitting that the Taliban has "without question" increased its strength in the country. Gen Petraeus said the current security situation in the country was equivalent to the most violent period in Iraq said during a speech in London this week."The Taliban without question have expanded their strength and influence" in certain districts of Afghanistan," he told a select audience of military, security services and political figures at the Policy Exchange think tank. In many districts there was the feeling of a "downward spiral present" in terms of progress. The Taliban were funding their campaign not only by the drugs trade and crime but also with "donations from outsiders". Petraeus remarks coincide with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledge of withdrawing at least 500 of the country's 3,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan "in the next few weeks". The move is bound to further strengthen the Taleban.

Zardari government paid 3bn dollars to wage war against Islam

The United States has provided more than $3bn in aid to Pakistan since President Zardari came to power a year ago, its ambassador in Islamabad says. Anne W Patterson said the money was given in "combined security, economic and development assistance". "The US government will continue to deliver assistance to Pakistan through a variety of long-standing vectors as required by American law to ensure transparency and accountability, and is not depriving the Pakistani government any degree of direct funding as a result of a lack of confidence or trust," the US ambassador said. Meanwhile according to ‘US Arms Sales to Pakistan' report, the major arms purchase agreement by Pakistan signed in 2006, was in excess of $3.5 billion, ranking Pakistan first among all arms clients of the US during that calendar year. So it is pretty evident where the money paid to the Zardari government will end up.