Top Items:
Claus Christian Malzahn / Spiegel Online:
Rushdie, Hirsi Ali, the Pope — Who's Next? — The pope has apologized for the outrage amongst Muslims sparked by his recent comments. But the episode proves once again that criticizing Islam is dangerous. — Twenty years ago in the German city of Bremen, Dutch comedian Rudi Carrell's life depended on police protection.
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Lee Keath / Associated Press:
Iranian leader urges more papal protests — CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that its war against Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world, and Iran's supreme leader called for more protests over the pontiff's remarks on Islam.
Karen Armstrong / Guardian:
We cannot afford to maintain these ancient prejudices against Islam — The Pope's remarks were dangerous, and will convince many more Muslims that the west is incurably Islamophobic — In the 12th century, Peter the Venerable, Abbot of Cluny, initiated a dialogue with the Islamic world.
Donald Sensing / Winds of Change.NET:
Muslims bomb, burn, shoot and threaten for being called "violent"
Muslims bomb, burn, shoot and threaten for being called "violent"
Discussion:
Dean's World, Mirror of Justice, The Moderate Voice, rightlinx.com, Murdoc Online and Tim Blair
Doug Struck / Washington Post:
Canadian Was Falsely Accused, Panel Says — After Tip From Ally, U.S. Sent Muslim to Syria for Questioning — Canadian intelligence officials passed false warnings and bad information to American agents about a Muslim Canadian citizen, after which U.S. authorities secretly whisked him to Syria …
Discussion:
TPMmuckraker, The Huffington Post, Inactivist, TalkLeft, The Peking Duck, Eschaton, Matthew Yglesias and The Heretik
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Ian Austen / New York Times:
Canadians Fault U.S. for Its Role in Torture Case — A government commission on Monday exonerated a Canadian computer engineer of any ties to terrorism and issued a scathing report that faulted Canada and the United States for his deportation four years ago to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured.
Discussion:
Unclaimed Territory, PoliBlog, Bench Conference, Is That Legal?, Think Progress and State of the Day
Washington Post:
McCain's Stand On Detainees May Pose Risk For 2008 Bid — Opposition to Bush Could Alienate Republican Base — Sen. John McCain's bid to position himself as the natural heir to President Bush as a wartime commander in chief and to court conservative leaders in advance …
Discussion:
The Strata-Sphere, The Moderate Voice, Taylor Marsh, TIME, The RBC, Blue Crab Boulevard and Liberal Values
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Washington Post:
Bush Detainee Plan Adds to World Doubts Of U.S., Powell Says — Ex-Secretary of State Defends Conventions — Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell said yesterday that he decided to publicly oppose the Bush administration's proposed rules for the treatment of terrorism suspects in part …
Christopher Hitchens / Slate:
Papal Bull — JOSEPH RATZINGER'S LATEST OFFENSE. — There are many popes within Christianity—the Coptic Church has one, and the Eastern Orthodox Church also boasts a patriarch or holy father—but we have acquired the habit of using the term to describe only the bishop of Rome …
Discussion:
Mere Rhetoric, ++ relapsed catholic …, Hot Air, INDCJournal, Andrew Sullivan, Argghhh! and The Peking Duck
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Robert T. Miller / FIRST THINGS:
The Pope's New Approach to Christian-Muslim Relations
The Pope's New Approach to Christian-Muslim Relations
Discussion:
Dinocrat
Guardian:
Revealed: the tough interrogation techniques the CIA wants to use — Ed Pilkington in New York and Clare Dyer — Details emerged yesterday about the seven interrogation techniques the CIA is seeking to be allowed to apply to terror suspects. Newsweek magazine reported that a New York lawyer …
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USA Today:
Poll finds rebound in Bush approval — WASHINGTON — Amid falling gas prices and a two-week drive to highlight his administration's efforts to fight terrorism, President Bush's approval rating has risen to 44% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. That's his highest rating in a year.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Townhall, Pollster, crawfordslist, The Bullwinkle Blog and BrothersJudd Blog
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Jamie Holly / Crooks and Liars:
Olbermann: "The President of the United States owes this country an apology" — Keith Olbermann delivered another stunning special comment tonight, this time attacking Bush's Rose Garden press conference from last Friday. — Olbermann: Finally tonight, a Special Comment about the Rose Garden news conference last Friday.
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MSNBC:
Bush owes us an apology — Sept. 11: A special comment about 9/11 five years after the terrorist attacks. — MSNBC TV — • Have you no sense of decency, sir? — Sept. 5: Keith Olbermann says Bush will regret following in the footsteps of Donald Rumsfeld in comparing war critics to Nazis.
Anne Applebaum / Washington Post:
Enough Apologies — Already, angry Palestinian militants have assaulted seven West Bank and Gaza churches, destroying two of them. In Somalia, gunmen shot dead an elderly Italian nun. Radical clerics from Qatar to Qom have called, variously, for a "day of anger" or for worshipers to "hunt down" the pope and his followers.
BBC:
Budapest clashes as protest grows — Police in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, have used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw bottles and stones and set cars alight. — Thousands of demonstrators had gathered in the city, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany.
Senator Bill Frist:
Americans Deserve Secure Borders — Bringing the "Secure Fence Act of 2006" to the Floor — A nation that can't secure its borders can't secure its destiny or administer its laws. And the reality is that America's borders today are inexcusably porous. — One of the most important …