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Saudi women face gyms ban

published by You on 27 April, 2009 - 00:22

Action taken to shut down unlicensed, all-women fitness clubs, condemned as 'shameless' by Saudi Arabia's clerics

Saudi women could see their private sports clubs and gyms closed down because the government seems likely to agree licensing of the clubs for men only.

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Saudi Arabia's austere brand of Wahhabi Islam forbids the mixing of unrelated members of the opposite sex. In the ­presence of strange men, women must remain covered.

The problem that has emerged in recent months is that women's gyms are unlicensed and so illegal. Female fitness fans complain of a lack of places to exercise outside the home since they cannot use men's clubs.

UAE Shaykh linked to gruesome 'torture tape'

published by You on 27 April, 2009 - 00:15

US calls for freeze on government aid to UAE and international anger grows as the half-brother of Manchester City's owner is seen on video shooting at, setting fire to and running over a helpless Afghan he had accused of cheating him in a business deal

A shocking videotape showing a wealthy prince from the United Arab Emirates brutally torturing a man in the desert has brought a sharp focus on western dealings with the oil-rich Gulf state.

Uncomfortable/amusing plot summaries.

published by You on 24 April, 2009 - 20:05

Mainly from here, but feel free to add your own.

A few that I liked:

  • ALIEN: Ship fails to deliver cargo, crew don’t get bonus.
  • ALIENS: An unplanned pregnancy leads to complications.
  • BATMAN: Wealthy man assaults the mentally ill.
  • DEMOLITION MAN: In a future where crime is completely eradicated, a black man steals and murders.
  • DIE HARD: Dysfunctional cop saves marriage by murdering foreign national.

ok, max 5 per person, otherwise I would post the full list.

PS I think I need to watch Blade Runner to see what all the fuss is about.

Pakistan's Swat dream turns into a nightmare

published by You on 24 April, 2009 - 17:48

he Taliban has failed to keep its side of the bargain in the Swat Valley – and Pakistan is facing criticism at home and abroad

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Rather than endlessly engage in inconclusive, on-off guerrilla warfare with Taliban insurgents, Pakistan's security forces cut a deal. The Islamists would have de facto local administrative control, including implementation of sharia law. In return, they would accept federal government authority, stop fighting, and lay down their arms.

Gay marriage row at Miss USA show

published by You on 21 April, 2009 - 20:03

The runner-up at the Miss USA beauty pageant says her outspoken opposition to gay marriage cost her first place in the competition.

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"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage," said Ms Prejean, in a section of the show that has become a popular clip on YouTube.

"I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman," she continued.

"No offence to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

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Hilton said he had been "floored" by Ms Prejean's answer, which, he said, "alienated millions of gay and lesbian Americans, their families and their supporters".

He told ABC News: "She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that."

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Racist escapes terror charge after threat to behead and bomb Muslims

published by You on 18 April, 2009 - 22:26

THE Crown Office has been accused of double standards by Scotland's biggest Islamic group for not bringing terrorism charges against a man who threatened to blow up a mosque and behead Muslims.

The Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF) has written to Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini querying the decision to prosecute Neil MacGregor for a breach of the peace, not terrorism offences.

MacGregor, 35, has admitted threatening to blow up Scotland's biggest mosque and to behead one Muslim a week until every mosque was shut down...

Read more @ The Scotsman

Freed Red Mosque cleric defiant

published by You on 17 April, 2009 - 21:31

A hardline Pakistani cleric has delivered a defiant sermon at the Red Mosque, his first since being freed from house arrest over a 2007 siege.

Chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz had been detained when troops stormed the Islamabad mosque to end the siege.

He told thousands of supporters at the mosque on Friday: "The day is not far away when Islam will be enforced in the whole of the country."

The storming of the mosque left more than 100 people dead.

The action led to a wave of suicide bombings by militant groups in the north-west.

'Peaceful work'

Religious eulogies rang out from loudspeakers as Maulana Aziz arrived to deliver his Friday afternoon sermon.

His followers said they were in memory of those "martyred" two years ago.

Man bites snake in epic struggle

published by You on 16 April, 2009 - 00:04

Man bites snake in epic struggle

A Kenyan man bit a python which wrapped him in its coils and dragged him up a tree during a fierce three-hour struggle, police have told the BBC.

The serpent seized farm worker Ben Nyaumbe in the Malindi area of Kenya's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend.

Mr Nyaumbe bit the snake on the tip of the tail during the exhausting battle in the village of Sabaki.

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He added: "It's very mysterious, this ability to lift the man onto the tree. I've never heard of this before."

The police officer said they took the snake to a sanctuary in Malindi town but it escaped overnight, probably from a gap under the door in the room where it was kept.

Mutual friends: secularism and Islam

published by You on 14 April, 2009 - 17:51

The Middle East will only be convinced by Islamic arguments for a secular state

On the first page of his book, Islam and the Secular State, Abdullahi an-Na'im writes: "In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be a Muslim, I need a secular state."

He explains that he is not advocating a secular society but a state which is neutral with regard to religion – a state whose institutions "neither favour nor disfavour any religious doctrine or principle", a state that has no enforcing role in religious matters.

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