Muslim girl, 19, 'stoned to death after taking part in beauty contest'

A teenage Muslim girl was stoned to death under 'Sharia law' after taking part in a beauty contest in Ukraine.

Katya Koren, 19, was found dead in a village in the Crimea region near her home.

Friends said she liked wearing fashionable clothes and had come seventh in a beauty contest.

Murdered: Katya Koren was attacked after taking part in a beauty contest which her friends said angered hardline Muslims

French ban on full veil goes into force

The full-face veil that France is banning , triggering a call for civil disobedience.

France’s ban on full-face veils, a first in Europe, went into force today, exposing anyone who wears the Muslim niqab or burqa in public to fines of €150 (RM653).

A Muslim property dealer, who is urging women to keep wearing the veil if they want to, has urged supporters to go to Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris for a silent prayer during the day, and is also offering to help people pay the fines.

The five million Muslim minority in France is the largest in Western Europe, but fewer than 2,000 women are believed actually to wear a full-face veil.

Many Muslim leaders have said they support neither the veil nor the law banning it.

Pastor Terry Jones defiantly refuses to stop his campaign even if it means American soldiers will die

The controversial pastor who has sparked riots in Afghanistan which have left at least 20 dead has said he would rather die than stop preaching against Islam.

Reverend Terry Jones said his right to speak out was more important than the lives of those who had died during the unrest - or any American soldiers who might be killed in the future.

He said he would continue his campaign against Muslims even though every single one of his 30 parishioners had deserted him.

The 59-year-old did however admit that he now carries a gun everywhere he goes because he has received more than 300 death threats and has a $2.4million bounty put on his head by the Taliban.

Seven UN workers and at least 13 others in Afghanistan were killed over the weekend when an anti-Jones mob attacked their compound in Mazar-e Sharif, the largest city in the north of the country.

More than 150 others were injured in related protests that spread to the capital Kandahar over three days.

They were furious after Jones burned a copy of the Koran at his Dove Outreach Centre in Gainesville, Florida, on March 20.

Insist: Interview with Pastor Terry Jones in which he said he will not stop preaching against Islam even if it means innocent lives are at stake.Protest: A boy holds a copy of the Koran as he takes part in a rally against Terry Jones days before 20 people were killed, including seven UN workers.Reaction: Pakistani Christians burn an effigy depicting U.S. pastor Terry Jones in response to him burning the Koran outside his church in Gainesville, Florida.Defiant: Terry Jones said he is prepared to die for the cause and will not stop preaching against Islam even if it means more deaths

Radical Islamists aim to infiltrate Hamburg mosques

Radical Islamists from a shut down Hamburg mosque linked to the September 11 attacks on the United States are now trying to infiltrate other mosques in and around the German city, according to officials and Muslim leaders.

Small groups of radicals have turned up at several mosques trying to establish a new meeting place since the Taiba Mosque, where the 9/11 leader Mohammad Atta once prayed, was raided and closed by police in August, they told Reuters.

With radicals no longer grouped around one mosque near the city’s main train station, security services have stepped up their observation of Islamists around the city and Muslim associations are on the lookout for suspicious newcomers.

“There are small groups of three to five people from the former Taiba Mosque who have gone to other mosques,” said Ralf Kunz, internal affairs spokesman for the city government.

Individual radicals have turned up “at lots of mosques, both in Hamburg and the surrounding region,” he said. “They have not been able to assemble at any mosque.”

People walk past the entrance of the Taiba Mosque in Hamburg October 6, 2010.

India court to rule on mosque row on Thursday

An Indian court will rule on Thursday whether Hindus or Muslims own land around a demolished mosque in northern India, a judgement haunted by memories of a 1992 riot, some of the country’s worst violence since the partition.

The verdict could add to the security worries of the government, which already has its hands full dealing with the preparations for the Commonwealth Games that are bedeviled by concerns over filthy accommodation, health and security.

A trader waits for customers as he sells photos of Hindu Gods in the Indian town of Ayodhya September 22, 2010. A court will rule this Thursday whether Hindus or Muslims own land around a demolished mosque in Ayodhya, a judgement haunted by memories of a 1992 riot.

Mosques to become bigger part of German life-Merkel

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germans had for too long failed to grasp how immigration was changing their country and would have to get used to the sight of more mosques in their cities, according to a newspaper.

Germany, home to at least 4 million Muslims, has been divided in recent weeks by a debate over integration sparked by disparaging remarks about Muslim immigrants by an outspoken member of the country’s central bank.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a news conference

Protester who burned pages of Koran at Ground Zero mosque site is sacked from his job

A protester who burned pages of the Koran outside the site of the planned mosque near Ground Zero has been sacked from his job as a train conductor.

Derek Fenton, 39, of Bloomingdale, New Jersey, was photographed ripping up pages from the Muslim holy book and setting them alight on September 11.

He was removed from outside Park51, the site where the controversial mosque could be built, by police but was later released without charge.

But it now appears his former employer NJ Transit has taken more drastic action after confirming he had been dismissed.

A statement from the company said: 'Mr Fenton's public actions violated New Jersey Transit's code of ethics.

Defiant: Derek Fenton was moved away by police after burning pages of the Koran near the planned mosque site in New York

Salman Rushdie backs Ground Zero mosque but attacks Pastor Terry Jones for threatened Koran-burning

Salman Rushdie backs Ground Zero mosque but attacks Pastor Terry Jones for threatened Koran-burning



The controversial mosque set to be build near Ground Zero has received the backing of author Sir Salman Rushdie.

The acclaimed author who was made the subject of fatwa after publishing the book The Satanic Verses said the row was pointless - because the Twin Towers contained a mosque.

He told the New York Post: 'It's just a stupid argument. Of course they should be able to build a mosque there.'

Praising the U.S. First Amendment rights which guarantee freedom of religious belief, he also criticised Pastor Terry Jones for threatening to burn the Koran.

Support: Sir Salman Rushdie has come out in favour of the mosque but criticised Pastor Terry Jones for threatening to burn the Koran

Strong opposition: Americans travelled from across the country to participate at a rally against the mosque on the ninth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on New York

President Obama: 9/11 a Day to Remember Religious Tolerance - Obama: America's Enemy Is Al-Qaida, Not Islam

Muslim Scholar: Don't Build Islamic Center - Says Plans for Controversial Center Near Ground Zero Grow From "War of Ideas" Among Muslims Worldwide

A respected Muslim scholar has a message for those planning to build an Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York: It's a bad idea, and a window on sharply differing thinking among Muslims worldwide on how to best go about promoting Islam - and peace.

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, in Phoenix, a former Muslim U.S. Navy Commander, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Friday sharply critical of the planned Islamic center, urging organizer Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Muslims all over the world to show compassion and understand the American separation of church and state.

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, in Phoenix, on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," explaining why he opposes the proposed Islamic Center two blocks from Ground Zero in New York

Koran burning Pastor arrives in New York - Pastor's Son: 'No Quran Burning' for Now - Quran burning called off again

Florida pastor terry Jones will 'not today, not ever' burn Quran

A Florida pastor says his church will "not today, not ever" burn a Quran, even if a mosque is built near ground zero.

Pastor Terry Jones had threatened to burn the Muslim holy book on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks over plans to build an Islamic center near where terrorists brought down the World Trade Center nine years ago.

He flew to New York and appeared on NBC's "Today" show. He says that his Gainesville, Fla., church's goal was "to expose that there is an element of Islam that is very dangerous and very radical."

He tells NBC that "we have definitely accomplished that mission." He says no meeting is planned with the imam leading the center but he hopes one will take place.

A "Burn a Koran Day" banner outside his church has been taken down.

Pastor Terry Jones is surrounded by reporters as he arrives at Laguardia airport, Friday, Sept. 10, 2010 in New York

Koran Burning Pastor arrive in New York

'Army' of police to keep rival groups separate at Ground Zero 9/11 anniversary demonstrations

* Donald Trump's bid to buy into mosque site rejected

New York authorities are preparing an 'army' of police officers for large-scale rival demonstrations at Ground Zero.

Thousands of opponents and supporters of a planned 13-storey Islamic centre set to be built nearby are expected to flood the site on the site on the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.

'We want to keep everyone in their corners. You don't want the opposing sides to clash,' an NYPD spokesman told the New York Post.

Anger: Previous protests have taken place by opponents of the planned mosque near Ground Zero and police have drafted in officers to deal with tomorrow's anniversary demonstration

Anti-Islam US pastor called controlling, ‘mad’

The Florida Christian preacher who has received world fame and condemnation by threatening to burn a pile of Al-Qurans demands strict obedience and unpaid labour from his tiny flock and sells used furniture out of his sanctuary, those who know him say.

He was ejected from a church he headed in Germany by his own followers. Even his daughter says she believes he has lost his mind in his fanatical crusade against Islam.

Sarah Palin slams U.S. pastor's plan to burn the Koran on 9/11 as 'provocative... like building a mosque at Ground Zero'

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has slammed the leader of a tiny U.S. church's plans to burn the Koran on September 11.

The conservative leader, who is the darling of the Right-wing Tea Party movement, slammed Reverend Terry Jones' plans as 'counter-productive'.

She added that the plan was 'insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at Ground Zero.'

Addressing the pastor directly on her Facebook page last night, she said his plan would 'feed the fire of caustic rhetoric and appear as nothing more than mean-spirited religious intolerance.'

Don't feed that fire,' she urged him.

Call to reconsider: Sarah Palin has called on Reverend Terry Jones to give up his plan to burn the Koran on September 11

Defiant: The Reverend Terry Jones outside his church with a sign advertising his September 11 book-burning protest

Pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center burn Koran Day - Safety concern for Florida government over 9/11 Quran burn

Florida's governor is concerned about safety at home and around the world, a feeling shared by national and
world leaders, over a plan by the head of a small church to burn copies of Islam's holiest text to mark the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he would closely monitor what happens Saturday at the Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville to try to ensure people are safe. U.S. embassies around the world will be doing the same after being ordered by the State Department to assess their security. Officials fear the burning could spark anti-American violence, including against soldiers, a concern shared by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan.



Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center speaks at a news conference in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010. Jones said that he is going forward with a plan to burn copies of the Quran at his church on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Nato chief condemns US church’s plans to burn Koran

The head of Nato today condemned a small Florida church’s plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, saying it was disrespectful and could endanger Western troops.

The Florida-based Dove World Outreach Centre church plans to go ahead with the torching of the Koran on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the 2001 attacks against the United States by the militant Islamist group al Qaeda. The church’s plans have been the subject of an angry protest in Afghanistan on Monday and condemned by top US military commanders there.

Religious leaders reaching out to pastor who aims to burn Korans on Sept. 11

Florida pastor not backing down on Koran-burning

The Florida pastor who plans to burn the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11 is rooted in Pentecostal tradition that believes Christians are engaged in a modern-day spiritual battle with evil.

For Terry Jones and his Dove World Outreach Center, Islam is that evil, a world view drawn from his politics and theology — as well as an apparent thirst for publicity for his tiny, independent church.

"Our burning of the Quran is to call the attention that something is wrong," Jones said Wednesday at a brief news conference outside his Gainesville church. "It is possibly time for us in a new way to stand up and confront terrorism."

Jones is under worldwide pressure to drop his plan to burn copies of the Muslim holy book Saturday. Condemnations have poured in from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; the Vatican; and elsewhere.

"As of this time, we have no intention of canceling," Jones said.


Pastor Terry Jones, right, of the Dove World Outreach Center arrives at a news conference with an armed escort in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010. Jones stated that he is going forward with a scheduled burning of copies of the Quran at his church on Saturday, Sept. 11.


Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center speaks at a news conference in Gainesville, Fla., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010. Jones says that he is going forward with a scheduled burning of copies of the Quran at his church on Saturday, Sept. 11