Archive for October 15th, 2009

Moderate, Secular Turkey™ slides further toward Islamism:

New prime-time program on Ankara’s state-sponsored channel TRT1 depicts [a] monstrous image of Israeli military as bloodthirsty [and] murderous. Foreign Minister [Avi] Lieberman summons acting Turkish ambassador following Ynet report, says ‘This is a serious case of state-sponsored incitement’.

Seeing is believing? A new television show which debuted in Turkey recently may provide a partial answer to the recent spike in anti-Israeli sentiment evident in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

"The White House will look so much better after the refit, don't you think, Secretary Clinton?"

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, pictured yesterday in Kazan, the capital of Tartarstan (a federal republic of Russia), which she hailed as a “ model for tolerance and coexistence between Muslims and Christians”.

Clinton made the statement after talks with Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiyev in Kazan, the Tatar capital.

During her visit, Clinton went to the Kazan Kremlin, the Blagoveshchensk Orthodox Cathedral, and the newly built Kol Sharif Mosque, one of the largest in Europe.

She later went to Kazan State University, where she met with representatives of local nongovernmental organizations, students, and teachers.

Clinton arrived in Russia late on October 12 and held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow the following day.

It’s significant that in their desperate search to find examples of peace and harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims, the Obama administration had to send Hillary to somewhere no-one has ever heard of.

Captions please.

[Source: Radio Free Europe]

Rumoured dead: Ayatolah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran

This is still a rumour – and speculation around Khamanei’s death has surfaced before, notably in 2007.

If he is dead, there is likely to be a power struggle in Iran among the Mullahs, with the added dynamic of the still-smouldering protest movement in the country. If true his death could prove to herald even more interesting times ahead in Iran and the region.

More if/when we have it.