Magic Statistics

“I accept no responsibility for statistics, which are a form of magic beyond my comprehension.” — Robertson Davies

June 21st, 2006 at 8:04 pm

Bat Ye’or on the Islamisation of Europe

After France lost her colonies in the 1960s, Charles de Gaulle decided to initiate an alliance with the Arab-Muslim world as a countervailing force against the United States and the Soviet Union.  Thus, says Bat Ye’or, was born the process that now threatens to transform Europe into a political satellite of Islam.

"This is a matter of a total transformation of Europe, which is the result of an intentional policy," says Bat Ye'or in an interview. "We are now heading towards a total change in Europe, which will be more and more Islamicized and will become a political satellite of the Arab and Muslim world. The European leaders have decided on an alliance with the Arab world, through which they have committed to accept the Arab and Muslim approach toward the United States and Israel. This is not only with respect to foreign policy, but also on issues engaging European society from within, such as immigration, the integration of the immigrants and the idea that Islam is part of Europe."
. . .
"If it keeps on this way, Europe will become a vassal, a satellite of the Arab world, which is larger in terms of numbers. Demographically, we are already losing. The vacuum that has been created in Europe will be filled by the children of immigrants. Today we already know that in France the children of the immigrants are opposed to the French curriculum and do not want to learn about the Holocaust. They want Arab-Muslim history and are opposed to European history. This is the Islamization of the culture.

Bat Ye’or is the pseudonym of a Jewish intellectual born in Egypt, now a British citizen, who has researched and written extensively on the life of Christian and Jewish minorities in Muslim regimes.  It was she who in 1983 coined the term “dhimmitude” to refer to the inferior legal status of Jews and Christians under Islamic rule.  Her most recent book is Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis, published in English in 2005.

Read the whole thing.

via Dhimmi Watch.

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June 21st, 2006 at 5:14 pm

Once again, Canadian newspapers elaborate UK arrests

Last week, British press reports about arrests of UK residents on terrorism charges contained significant gaps that were filled in the following day by a Canadian newspaper.  The same thing has happened again.

As I blogged yesterday evening, The Times of London carried a very sketchy story about four men picked up on the streets of London.  Today, two Toronto newspapers, the Globe and Mail and The Star, provide important information not reported by The Times.  First up, the Globe:

The arrest of four British men on the streets of London by anti-terrorism police appears to have widened the web of suspects who may be linked to an alleged bombing ring in the Toronto area.

A West Yorkshire police spokesman confirmed last night that the arrests are part of a larger international operation that includes some Toronto-area suspects. He said that because further operations are currently taking place, including the raids of several London houses last night, further information could not be given.

Police from West Yorkshire swooped into London late Monday night and arrested three men in the rough-and-tumble Hackney area of the city's northeast on suspicion of "commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism."

Two 21-year-old men and a 29-year-old man are now being held in the high-security Paddington Green police station in London.

They were joined yesterday afternoon by a 28-year-old man who was picked up by London's metropolitan police in the city's southeast. All the suspects are British citizens.

And here's a snippet from The Star's report:

The arrests were part of a British investigation that led to charges earlier this month against a 21-year-old and 16-year-old, who face allegations of conspiracy to murder and cause public nuisance by using poisons or explosives.

At the time, sources told the Star, officials believed the 21-year-old had connections to the group of 17 Ontario suspects now in custody.

The two Canadian newspapers thus connect yesterday's arrests to:

  • the 17 Canadians arrested on terrorism charges in the Toronto area on 2 June.
  • two British citizens—a 21-year-old and a 16-year-old—arrested in the UK on terrorism charges on 6 June.

Why did The Times neglect to mention those important links?  Interestingly, none of the newspapers—not The Times nor the Globe and Mail nor The Star—mentions that all those arrested earlier this month are Muslim, nor does any divulge the religious or ethnic background of the four apprehended yesterday in London.

The BBC plays catch-up.

Margaret Gilmore, BBC home affairs correspondent, said the arrested men were being held at Paddington Green police station in west London.

She said: "Police are trying to establish whether they [the arrested men] were giving support to an alleged al-Qaeda cell in Canada. The operation leading to their arrests involved West Yorkshire Police, MI5 and Scotland Yard."

The BBC's mention of "an alleged al-Qaeda cell" points to a commonality among the 23 arrestees thus far in Canada and the UK.

Aabid Hussain Khan, the 21-year-old arrested at Manchester airport on 6 June, will next appear in court on 30 June.  He has been charged with conspiracy to murder under Britain's Terrorism Act.

Previous related post: Men held in UK linked to Canadian terror arrests

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June 21st, 2006 at 4:46 pm

House of Deputies rejects “salvation in Christ alone” resolution

Yesterday evening, a last-ditch attempt was made to get the Episcopal Church General Convention to affirm that salvation is found in Christ alone.  It failed.  The House of Deputies voted to discharge—i.e., refuse to consider, i.e., kill—the controversial resolution, entitled "Salvation Through Christ alone".

To me, that epitomises the disaster that this entire convention has been.

via GenCon06 blog.

Previous related post: Bloggers at Episcopal Church General Convention 2006

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June 21st, 2006 at 4:40 pm

Anglican Essentials Canada: Episcopal Church has decided to walk apart

Anglican Essentials Canada today issued a statement on the events of the past week at The Episcopal Church General Convention in Columbus.

Anglican Essentials Canada expresses solidarity and empathy with our orthodox brothers and sisters in the U.S. who are grieving the actions of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church (TEC formerly ECUSA) this week. These actions make clear the intention of TEC to “walk apart” or separate from the global Anglican Communion.

While we hoped and prayed that they would repent and accept the recommendations of the Windsor Report, we are thankful for the clarity given by their actions.
. . .
The actions of the Episcopal Church this week have increased greatly our concern for the Anglican Church of Canada, which has also been called to address and respond to the recommendations of the Windsor Report at our General Synod in 2007. Anglican Essentials Canada is strengthened in our resolve to remain in full communion with the global Anglican Communion and we pray that the Anglican Church of Canada will not vote to “walk apart” from that Communion as TEC has done.

Amen to that!

via GenCon06 blog

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