Woman freed from sentence for being 'Christian'

An Egyptian woman sentenced to three years in prison for putting her religion as "Christian" on her marriage certificate more than two decades ago has been released, according to her lawyer.

The release of Shadia Nagui Ibrahim, 47, came only a few weeks after WND reported on plans for a rally in Egypt on behalf of the woman who was unaware that when she was two years old, her father briefly left Christianity to pursue Islam, before returning to Christianity.

Under Egyptian law, that made her a Muslim for life, so she was charged with, and convicted of, fraud for putting "Christian" as her religion on her marriage certificate in 1982.

Universal Islamic 'Blasphemy' Law ?

Almost two weeks ago, "three men with a Muslim background" were arrested by Danish police on anti-terrorism charges, suspected of having plotted to murder Kurt Westergaard, a cartoonist for Jyllands-Posten. Westergaard is one of the 12 cartoonists who on September 30, 2005 published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad to protest the tacit enforcement in Danish society of Islam's taboo on depictions of Muhammad, no matter how banal, or inoffensive, through intimidation -- a clear violation of Western freedom of expression.

Study: 3 in 4 U.S. mosques preach anti-West extremism

An undercover survey of more than 100 mosques and Islamic schools in America has exposed widespread radicalism, including the alarming finding that 3 in 4 Islamic centers are hotbeds of anti-Western extremism, WND has learned.

The Mapping Sharia in America Project, sponsored by the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, has trained former counterintelligence and counterterrorism agents from the FBI, CIA and U.S. military, who are skilled in Arabic and Urdu, to conduct undercover reconnaissance at some 2,300 mosques and Islamic centers and schools across the country.

Does Shariah Promote Human Rights?

The Archbishop of Canterbury says that implementing or permitting some parts of Shariah (Islamic law) is unavoidable. Is this wise?

It may be true that some parts of Islamic law are only about halal (permitted) foods, but other parts - not so.

Egyptian court makes converts from Islam show 'previous Muslim identity' on ID cards

An organization that reaches out to persecuted Christians worldwide, International Christian Concern, says a new Egyptian court ruling allowing 12 Christians who converted to Islam to return to Christianity actually isn't religious freedom, and will place them in grave danger.

Britain clears way for polygamy benefits

LONDON — The British government has cleared the way for husbands with multiple wives to claim welfare benefits for all their partners, fueling growing controversy over the role of Islamic Shariah law in the nation's cultural and legal framework.

Three held over 'plot to kill cartoonist'

Danish authorities today arrested two Tunisians and a Dane of Moroccan origin in an alleged plot to murder a cartoonist who drew a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, the police intelligence chief said.

Britain's Encounter with Islamic Law

Beneath the deceptively placid surface of everyday life, the British population is engaged in a momentous encounter with Islam. Three developments of the past week, each of them culminating years' long trends – and not just some odd occurrence – exemplify changes now underway.

Egypt to recognise Copt converts...

It appears, though, that the court's decision will have a limited application.
Reports say the judge decided that the Copts should not be considered apostates for converting from Islam, because they had been born Christian.

Muslim apostates threatened over Christianity

When Sofia Allam left the Muslim faith for Christianity, the response from her family was one of persecution and threats. Alasdair Palmer explores the dangers facing Islam's apostates [in Britain].

Sofia Allam simply could not believe it. Her kind, loving father was sitting in front of her threatening to kill her. He said she had brought shame and humiliation on him, that she was now "worse than the muck on their shoes" and she deserved to die.

Immigration out-paces British exodus

Britain is experiencing unprecedented levels of immigration with more than half a million foreigners arriving to live here in a single year, new figures show. Last year, 510,000 foreign migrants came to the UK to stay for at least 12 months, according to the Office for National Statistics. At the same time 400,000 people, more than half of whom were British, emigrated.

'No one leaves Islam,' judge rules

No one ever leaves Islam, according to a judge in Egypt who has cited Islamic religious law in rejecting a request from a Muslim convert to Christianity to be allowed to change his religious affiliation on his national identification card.

Kafkaesque ordeal awaits Egypt's converts

Cairo - When Rami Naim walked into the office of the Civil Affairs Department in 1999 to apply for a new identity card, he did not know that his life would never be the same again.

MIGRATION: Italy to Be Home to 10 Million

ROME, Oct 31 (IPS) - Regular migrants have reached 6.2 percent of the population of Italy, above the European average of 5.6 percent. In the next 20-30 years, Italy is destined to become one of the EU countries with the highest population of migrants and people of migrant origin -- more that 10 million -- according to an annual report on migrations released Tuesday.

Europe's plunging birth rate 'will lead to pensions crisis'

Europe is getting old, and fast. Birth rates are falling below those necessary to replace older people as they die. The average birth rate in the European Union is down to 1.5 children per woman, and officials warn that unless it rises to 1.7, the EU will have difficulty financing its pension system.

In Europe, skylines reflect the rise of Islam

Wiesbaden, Germany - In the Rhine Valley city of Mannheim, the glittering minaret of Germany's biggest mosque overshadows what was once the region's most vibrant church, testifying to Muslims' new confidence as Christian churches are closing down.

Muhammad is No 2 in boy's names

Muhammad is now second only to Jack as the most popular name for baby boys in Britain and is likely to rise to No 1 by next year, a study by The Times has found. The name, if all 14 different spellings are included, was shared by 5,991 newborn boys last year, beating Thomas into third place, followed by Joshua and Oliver.

The vanishing jihad exposés

How will we lose the war against "radical Islam"?
Well, it won't be in a tank battle. Or in the Sunni Triangle or the caves of Bora Bora. It won't be because terrorists fly three jets into the Oval Office, Buckingham Palace and the Basilica of St Peter's on the same Tuesday morning.

The war will be lost incrementally because we are unable to reverse the ongoing radicalization of Muslim populations in South Asia, Indonesia, the Balkans, Western Europe and, yes, North America. And who's behind that radicalization? Who funds the mosques and Islamic centers that in the past 30 years have set up shop on just about every Main Street around the planet?

Is European Civil War Inevitable by 2025

If I were to tell you that within twenty years Europe could find itself engaged in a civil war so bloody it made WWII look like a bun fight, you might logically consider me a candidate for the men in white coats. You would be wrong, however. Based on the demographic evidence collated for this article, such a scenario looks not merely possible, but inevitable. In 2005 European males aged 20-40 outnumbered Muslim males of a similar age by 18:1. By 2025 this ratio could drop to a mere 2:1.

Muslim Immigration Changing the Face of Europe

There was an interesting radio interview earlier this week with Father Joseph Fessio, provost of Ave Maria University and also a student and close friend of Pope Benedict XVI on the subject of Islam in Europe. Particularly interesting is that Father Fessio participated in a September 2005 seminar with the Pope to discuss the topic of Western Civilization and Islam. The essence of Father Fessio's interview was that during this Papal seminar the discussion centered on how the demographics of Muslim immigration will radically change the culture of Europe. He suggests that Europe will eventually look like North Africa.

Italy: Muslims Beat Christian Convert

This is more of a story within a story. The Pope, Benedict XVi has been on a tour of Italy over the weekend. Today, he visited the burial place of St. Augustine (ex-Manichaean, formerly Bishop of Hippo in North Africa, the author of "City of God", "Confessions" etc) in Pavia, southwest of Milan. He said mass for 20,000 people in a field beside a river. Augustine had died in Algeria in the 5th century AD, and his remains had been brought to Pavia for reburial.

Old Church Becomes Mosque in Uneasy Britain

CLITHEROE, England — On a chilly night this winter, this pristine town in some of Britain’s most untouched countryside voted to allow a former Christian church to become a mosque.