Monday, October 17, 2005

Round 'em up!


Have got a houseful of company this week so things are going to be skimpy on the the blog front. Here's a miscellaneous round up of things that caught my eye today:

Things are still rotten in Denmark where honor killings flourish and Immigrant Taxi Drivers act as accessories to murder. Sickening.

The Danish nation-wide organisation of Women's Crisis Centres, LOKK, claims that a number of taxi drivers with immigrant backgrounds are spying on female immigrants who are hiding from their families. According to the organisation, the problem is especially rife in larger Danish cities.

Taxi drivers using mobile phones are photographing females, who are seeking asylum in crisis centres, and their whereabouts are being sent onto their families, the president of LOKK told reporters.

According to the daily B.T. it was a group of Taxi drivers who informed a Pakistani man recently, who was looking for his sister, where she could be found. The man murdered his sister three weeks ago outside Slagelse train station because she had married a man from Afghanistan against her families orders.


In Somalia, Islamic 'Militants' raid a movie studio
Dozens of gunmen loyal to Islamic courts (ed. note: that's Sharia, people) stormed a video studio in Somalia's capital on Monday, destroying equipment and confiscating hundreds of tapes that were being translated into the Somali language. The courts consider watching movies, listening to music, dancing and many other forms of entertainment un-Islamic.

"We are very proud that we closed down the biggest movie translating firm," said Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Union of the Islamic Courts. "What's considered as harmful to the public will be destroyed."

Of course, the only thing you'll hear from the Hollywood crowd about this is - crickets.

Speaking of un-Islamic entertainment, how about this from those deranged hell-raisers over at Hamas? Hamas would ban men and women dancing.($ to read whole article - here's the snip - you'll get the gist)
If Hamas were to win control of the Palestinian Authority in coming elections, it would ban men and women from dancing together and deny specific rights to gay people, according to Mahmoud Zahar, the faction's leader in Gaza.

Dr Zahar is quoted on the Arabic language Ilaf website as suggesting that a Hamas-run Palestinian state would gradually outlaw co-operation with Israel.


Meanwhile, in China: Ghosts are calling for Saddam's Blood. Aw Heck. I say take all of him...

There's some good news from Afghanistan and there's some bad news from Afghanistan. The good news? Female Foe of Warlords Faces Them in Afghan Assembly
A young woman activist who is an outspoken critic of warlords has become one of the first candidates elected to Afghanistan’s new parliament, according to provisional results released yesterday.

Malalai Joya shot to fame when she stood up during deliberations to approve a new constitution in 2003 and denounced factional commanders as criminals who should be put on trial.

And then there's the bad news: Karzai aides slams women for showing some skin.
Kabul - An aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai has denounced two women who appeared "half naked" last week at a beauty contest and fashion show, saying their actions were illegal under Islamic law.

Sutara Bahramia wore a bikini at the Miss Earth beauty pageant in Manila while Vida Samadzai appeared in a bra and loose skirt at a fashion show in India.

"I heard that they have come out half naked in public. Curse be to those who appear this way in front of the public," said Mohaiuddin Baloch, a religious adviser to Karzai. "This is totally illegitimate from the view point of sharia (Islamic law). This is a crime and illegal." Afghanistan is a deeply Islamic country and many still remain conservative four years after the fall of the Taliban who had barred women from outdoor work, education and forced them to wear a coverall burqa when outdoors. Both Bahramia and Samadzai have lived abroad for many years.
(Of course, that explains their sluttishness)