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Top U.S. officials in Afghanistan on Sunday condemned the burning of a Quran in the United States that sparked three days of protests in which more than 20 people died. Burning the Muslim holy book "was hateful, it was intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful and again, we condemn it in the strongest manner possible," said Gen. David Petraeus, who heads the U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan. U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry said in a statement that Americans respect the Quran "and all religious texts and deplore any action that shows disrespect to any religious faith." "At the same time, I...

The Church of Sweden has advised pastors to avoid christening asylum seekers that have converted to Christianity due to the risk of reprisals in the case of repatriation, reported news agency TT. One of the reasons for the recommendation is because it can cause danger and increase risks if a person who has converted to Christianity is later sent back to their home country. Another reason is that the motive for the christening can be questioned by some who suggest that asylum seekers convert to Christianity to increase their chances of staying in Sweden. The issue is being addressed in...

SAN FRANCISCO—A federal appeals court says Southern California jailers violated the religious freedom of a Muslim woman who was ordered to take off her headscarf in a courthouse holding cell. An 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously reinstated a civil rights lawsuit Tuesday filed by Souhair Khatib in 2007 . . .

As Libya's bloody conflict rages on, important lessons for U.S. foreign policy are emerging from the past month's Middle East turmoil. Starting with Tunisia, the Obama administration has seemed repeatedly surprised by anti-regime demonstrations, unsure of the stakes for America and its allies and unprepared conceptually and operationally to deal with the consequences. In Egypt, there was contradictory, unhelpful White House rhetoric when silence would have been prudent - and in Libya, silence when strong American words (and actions) were amply warranted. The truth is, while regional turmoil ignited nearly simultaneously in several countries, the causes of the uprisings require...

His remarks, made to a group that included influential Jewish donors, reveal how the president sees populist uprising in the Arab world affecting U.S. national security and that of allies in the region. In his remarks to the donors, Obama described a White House meeting with the leaders of Jewish American organizations held earlier in the week, noting that he encouraged the attendees “not to be afraid” of the changes the world is observing. “I told them we have to be sober, we can’t be naive about the changes that are taking place in the Middle East. Our commitment to...

Of all the people in all the world, NBC chooses to honor the provocateur behind one of the most controversial projects in America. On Thanksgiving. This morning I spent a few minutes on the Pat Campbell Show in Tulsa, discussing the outrageous decision by the Park51 group — the group that’s developing the Ground Zero Mosque — to apply for $5 million in taxpayer funds to continue development of that monument. That has certainly reignited the debate over the mosque project itself, which is a $100 million effort that so far has a whopping $20,000 banked. Well, guess what? Park51...

The MSM continues to fawn over this outrage at Ground Zero to show us common folk how “progressive” they are…Via Pundit Press:NBC and its affiliates have been trounced in ratings over the last several years. With stations like MSNBC under their belt and liberals such as Matt Lauer and Keith Olbermann hosting programs, NBC is clearly disconnected with the average American. Another clear sign of their mismanagement: naming Sharif El-Gamal, developer of the Ground Zero Mosque, one of their “People of the Year.” In an interview set to air on Thanksgiving Day, Matt Lauer sat down with El-Gamal and discussed...

ANAHEIM — Disneyland officials have reached an agreement with a Muslim college intern allowing her to wear a head covering while on the job, Muslim community leaders and Disney officials said Monday. Officials with the Council on American-Islamic Relations say the scarf acts as an Islamic head covering, called a hijab, in accordance with her Muslim religion. Disney officials don’t call it a hijab — just a head scarf to accommodate an employees needs. The woman, who was not identified by name, is the second Disney employee in recent weeks to complain that Disney did not allow her to wear...

At his White House press conference Friday, President Obama once again endorsed the placement of a triumphalist mosque in immediate proximity to Ground Zero, declaring it the “inalienable right” of the increasingly transparently immoderate imam determined to build it there. Troubling as this evidence is of Mr. Obama’s submission to shariah – the supremacist political-military-legal code of places like Saudi Arabia and Iran that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf says he wants to bring to America, even more worrisome is something else he at least implied: He was prepared as “Commander-in-Chief” to prevent the burning of Qurans by a pastor in...

The US president said at a memorial service at the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed: "As Americans, we will not and never will be at war with Islam. It was not a religion that attacked us that September day. It was Al-Qaeda, a sorry band of men which perverts religion."

Socialist Barack Hussein Obama will again not go to 9/11 ceremonies at Ground Zero. Obama was too busy to attend last year also. Obama can play golf, have parties, and campaign across America. What Obama won’t do is be an American. What beliefs does he have that he refuses to accept the Muslims destroyed buildings and killed approximately 3,000 Americans? For the first time in America’s history we have a president who cares nothing about America.

ISLAM CASTS SHADOW OVER 9/11 ****************************************************** NEW YORK – Hundreds of family members of Sept. 11 victims recited loved ones' names through tears on the ninth anniversary of the attacks Saturday, avoiding direct mention of the political furor over plans for a mosque that later drew thousands of protesters on both sides.After the ceremony, around 1,000 activists rallied about five blocks from the site of the 2001 attacks to support the proposed Islamic community center. Several hundred others rallied nearby, chanting "USA, USA" and "No mosque here."Speaking at the Pentagon, President Barack Obama alluded to the controversy over the mosque...

I just watched our "president" give his 9/11 address, and I was amazed. I have seen this man twist and distort and outright lie for five years now. I am still stunned at what I just heard. As tone-deaf and arrogant as we have come to know this empty-suit to be, he just set a new low for even himself. The thrust of his entire 9/11 address was a very thinly-veiled scolding for those who oppose the Ground Zero Mosque. The man is a shameless pig who routinely defiles the office he feigns to hold. I am going to be...

The president calls for a renewal of religious tolerance and a cooling of tempers as he attempts to defuse the furor over plans to build an Islamic prayer center and mosque in New York and threats to burn copies of the Koran. As a candidate, Barack Obama passionately defended the importance of religion in his life and in the nation's politics. As president, Obama on Friday called for a renewal of religious tolerance and a cooling of tempers against Muslims as he tried to defuse the furor over plans to build an Islamic prayer center and mosque in New York...

A Florida pastor backed away from plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11 after U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates phoned him, capping several surreal days of drama in which his plans ricocheted around the world, sowing anger among Muslims and concern at the Pentagon. Mr. Gates's phone call, in which he warned Rev. Terry Jones that the planned event could imperil U.S. troops, came hours after President Barack Obama slammed Mr. Jones's plan as a "stunt" and "a recruitment bonanza for al Qaeda." "Secretary Gates reached out to Pastor Jones this afternoon," a Pentagon official said....

In a bold move that is likely to be much discussed in coming days, Fox News said today that it will not cover the burning of the Quran on Saturday if Pastor Terry Jones follows through on his plan to burn copies of Islam's sacred book. The proposed book burning by the Florida minister and his congregation has become a topic of heated conversation and coverage with everyone from President Barack Obama to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and two generals weighing in.

Obama comments as Christian leaders make pleas urging pastor to stop Koran burning event. Florida - Pastor - United States - Terry Jones - President

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is exhorting a Florida minister to "listen to those better angels" and call off his plan to engage in a Quran-burning protest this weekend. Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Thursday that he hopes the Rev. Terry Jones of Florida listens to the pleas of people who have asked him to call off the plan. The president called it a "stunt."

Funny how he never implored anyone to build that ground zero mosque.

President Obama urged a Florida pastor Thursday to call off a plan to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11, warning that such a "stunt" would amount to a "recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda" and would endanger Americans. Obama added his voice to a chorus of criticism of the proposed Koran-burning in an interview broadcast Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America" program. He urged Terry Jones, pastor of a small evangelical church in Gainesville, Fla., to listen to his "better angels" and cancel his plan to burn copies of the Muslim holy book on the ninth anniversary of the Sept....