Free Republic

Sept. 6, 1955 started just like any other day for the Greeks, Armenians, and Jews of ‎Istanbul—or Constantinople. ‎‎”I resided in Cengelkoy with my wife and two children back then,” wrote Apostolos Nikolaidis ‎in the book I Nihta ton Kristallon. ‎”Just as protests were starting in Taksim, I left my shop in Karakoy and went home.”Nikolaidis did not know that a horrid ethnic cleansing campaign was on the way. Just like Nikolaidis, ‎thousands of non-Muslims in Istanbul were not yet aware of the intent of their own state to ‎destroy their private property, businesses, and places of worship, to terrorize...

Jean Poholsky looks forward to dining at Iron Bridge Wine Co. for the upscale ambience as well as for the food. So when she arrived at the Columbia restaurant for lunch with friends Monday, she was shocked to see glass shards covering a stone walkway that had been spray-painted in red with the words "Get rid of the foie gras." An admitted lover of the French delicacy made from the livers of ducks and geese, Poholsky concurred with the restaurant's owners that whoever was responsible for the overnight vandalism could have expressed their opinion differently. "It is like saying, 'It's...

MOSCOW, Russia (UPI) -- Several leaders of conflict-ridden regions have left the political scene recently, with each man`s departure emphasizing how important or relative the influence of the individual on history can be. The demise of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat removed a big obstacle from the path to settlement, but it was only one of many. Disease has disabled Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose will and influence allowed peacekeepers to make a few more difficult steps on this road. But his departure from the political scene will not change the situation a great deal. Sharon has done the...

Minutes after a piece of concrete block was thrown through a window at the Alachua County Republican headquarters early this morning, a man was arrested and told officers he was upset about the election. The incident occured about 3:15 a.m. today at 1212 N. Main Street in the Gainesville Shopping Center, said Sgt. Keith Kameg of the Gainesville Police Department. He said two people were inside the building watching election returns and saw the man walk up and throw the block. The people, Nicholas Biltz, 27, and Katherine Vitale, 19, both of Gainesville, were not injured. "They gave a very...

OSLO, July 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Some supermarkets in Norway are identifying goods from Israel by sticking yellow labels on them, to give consumers the option of purchasing or not purchasing them, a Palestinian website reported. In an editorial published on its website, the Palestine Chronicle said that there should be no action against products that are made by the U.S. , or any other country, by firms owned by loyal citizens who happen to be Jewish, Islamic, or Christian. However, the paper added, if there are products from Israeli firms in the world marketplace, and people wish...