Free Republic

A poll published on Monday by the newspaper Bild put the Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 16 percent, showing that they are currently more popular than the Social Democrats (SPD). The poll, conducted by INSA, put the AfD at 16 percent, just ahead of the SPD at 15.5 percent. The poll marks the lowest support ever achieved by the SPD, traditionally one of the two major parties of German politics. According to the poll, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats are the most popular party in the country and would secure 32 percent of the vote were elections to be held tomorrow....

At past inaugurations, ceremonial prayers uttered on behalf of the incoming president drew about as much attention as the flags on the podium. Not this year. Barack Obama's choice of clergy is under scrutiny like no other president-elect before him, alternately outraging Americans on the left and the right as he navigates the minefield of U.S. religion. "I can't recall any prayers drawing so much attention," said Charles Haynes, senior scholar at the First Amendment Center who specializes in religion in public life. Gay advocates assailed Obama, while many conservative Christians were heartened, when he invited the Rev. Rick Warren,...

By James A. Barnes, National Journal © National Journal Group Inc. Monday, March 31, 2008 If potential presidents can be judged by how they run their campaigns, then how they staff those efforts may provide important clues to the kinds of talent they would recruit for their administrations. Because Democratic front-runner Barack Obama is a relative newcomer to national politics, an examination of his inner circle of political and policy advisers offers new windows into his thinking, leadership style, and sources of expertise. The Democratic front-runner's team has a relatively shallow bench, but its political achievements thus far are quite...

The State Department investigation into how and why the passport files of three presidential candidates were breached is scrutinizing an employee at a Virginia-based company, which is headed by an adviser to Barack Obama’s campaign. The Washington Times, which broke the news Thursday that Obama’s files were improperly accessed, reported Saturday that the State Department inspector general’s internal probe will include polygraph tests of supervisors to determine whether there was a political motive behind the breaches. The article said a focal point of the probe will be an employee who works for The Analysis Corporation and is still with the...

In its latest filing before the federal district court in Dallas on behalf of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and its affiliate organization, the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) in the Hamas-terrorism financing case, the ACLU has made a noteworthy admission. Rather than deny that there is copious evidence tying ISNA and NAIT to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, the brief argues that such evidence is merely dated. In a curious footnote on page 7, the reply states:

A few days ago I received an e-mail from Homa Arjomand. She is a Canadian, Muslim lady who has been working to assure that some Canadian Muslims were not successful in getting the Canadian government to accept the Sharia (Muslim law) to be put in place for Muslims there. The e-mail was to announce the success of her efforts, as Canada just shot down this effort. There are many more than one billion Muslims (just the Sunnis number a billion) around the world. Despite the scenes of death and destruction we see almost every day, carried out by some portion...

Adam Gadahn, the American who converted to Islam and is currently one of 7 wanted by the FBI in a worldwide manhunt, converted to Islam at the Islamic Society of Orange Co. Muzammil Siddiqi is head of the Islamic Society of Orange Co. where Gadahn received his religious instruction in Islam. Interestingly enough, Siddiqi is also a past President of the Islamic Society of North America and is currently on the ISNA Executive Council, (www.isna.net).

Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi is a gentleman and a scholar of Islam . He also has been president for the past three years of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest Muslim organization in the Americas and the roof organization that backstops about 1,100 of the 2,000 mosques in the United States and Canada with education, supplies and guidance. And he hopes that as a result of his tenure, more Muslims will ?take full advantage of the freedom and technology that is available here and develop themselves into highly educated professional people while carrying with them the lofty moral ...