Ireland to vote on relaxing strict divorce laws

Yahoo – AFP, January 29, 2019

If a majority vote to amend the Irish constitution in May 2019, the government intends
 to introduce legislation shortening the mandated divorce separation time --
the so-called "pause period" -- to two out of the three previous years (AFP Photo/
Barry CRONIN)

Dublin (AFP) - Ireland will hold a referendum in May on relaxing its strict divorce laws, the government said Tuesday, the latest vote aimed at liberalising social rules in the Catholic country.

Couples are currently required under constitutional law to live separately for four out of the five previous years before they can be granted a divorce.

"Some marriages do break down irreconcilably, causing immense sadness and stress for all concerned," said justice minister Charles Flanagan.

"The government wishes to ensure that the process for obtaining a divorce is fair, dignified and humane and allows both parties to move forward with their lives within a reasonable timeframe."

If a majority vote to amend the constitution, the government intends to introduce legislation shortening the mandated separation time -- the so-called "pause period" -- to two out of the three previous years.

But there is likely to be resistance in parliament over any waiting period restrictions being enforced, given that divorces in neighbouring Great Britain can be secured in a matter of months.

Last May, a landslide referendum saw Ireland vote 66 percent in favour of repealing its constitutional ban on abortions.

And in October, voters lifted a rarely enforced constitutional ban on blasphemy.

The law outlining the "pause period" for divorces was introduced following a 1995 referendum, when Ireland backed the legalisation 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent.

Ireland votes to lift blasphemy ban: exit polls

Yahoo – AFP, October 27, 2018

Exit polls indicate that Irish voters support a repeal of a blasphemy law from
the constitution (AFP Photo/Paul FAITH)

Dublin (AFP) - Irish voters overwhelmingly backed the lifting of a constitutional ban on blasphemy, exit polls said Saturday, the latest reform relaxing the devout nation's historic ties to the Catholic Church.

An RTE television poll showed 71 percent of voters in Friday's referendum wanting to remove the 1937 constitutional provision and 26 percent choosing to keep it.

The Irish Times put the figures at 69 percent and 31 percent.

The referendum coincided with a presidential election in which incumbent Michael D Higgins was on course to be reinstated for another seven years in the largely ceremonial post, according to the polls.

Official results in both ballots are expected late Saturday or early Sunday.

In practice, the blasphemy ban is largely obsolete. There have been no successful prosecutions under the legislation since the birth of the Irish republic.

But some of its critics said the ban offered Ireland's tacit support to oppressive regimes around the world that restrict freedom of expression.

"The constitutional provision and Irish law on blasphemy gives comfort to countries where they have extremely draconian laws which are used to harass, to intimidate, to imprison, to subject people to violence,” Amnesty Ireland director Colm O'Gorman told AFP ahead of the vote.

The law was also heavily criticised in 2015 when police were forced to investigate British TV personality Stephen Fry for branding God "stupid" during an interview.

Politicians have long made it known they have intended to remove the provision.

The blasphemy referendum follows a landslide May referendum to repeal the country’s strict abortion laws.

Many saw that poll as an indication of the Catholic church's declining hold on Irish culture.

That vote was preceded by a vibrant campaign and national discussion, and enjoyed a turnout of 65 percent.

In the presidential ballot, RTE said the incumbent will receive 58 percent of the first-preference votes. The Irish Times put Higgins's support at 56 percent.

"If the exit polls are correct, and obviously they are very close together, I think that shows the people have voted for decency, for inclusiveness, for competency and experience that Michael D has brought to the role," presidential spokesman Bernard Harbour told RTE.

Yes campaigners rejoice ahead of the final result of a landmark referendum in which
Ireland voted by 66 percent to ditch its strict abortion laws (AFP Photo/Paul FAITH)

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Date set for Irish blasphemy referendum

Yahoo – AFP, September 21, 2018

Blasphemy involves acting or speaking in an offensive way about God or things
held to be sacred (AFP Photo/FRAN CAFFREY)

Dublin (AFP) - Ireland will hold a referendum on October 26 to repeal its constitutional law forbidding blasphemy, Dublin announced on Friday.

The constitution of the Irish state currently states: "The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law."

But the legislation is generally held to be ineffectual and outdated in contemporary Ireland.

In May, citizens voted to overturn an abortion ban by a landslide 66 percent, demonstrating the waning grip of the Catholic church on the once-devout nation.

Last year, Health Minister Simon Harris called the law "silly" and "a little embarrassing", according to The Irish Times.

Former justice minister Dermot Ahern reportedly wanted such a referendum in 2009, but was unable to hold one in the midst of the economic downturn.

The vote required to repeal the law -- a proposed 37th amendment to the constitution -- will now be held on the same day as Ireland's presidential election, in an apparent bid to reduce costs.

"Whatever your views are on the proposals in the referendum, can I take this opportunity to encourage voters to go to their polling station," said Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy in a statement.

There had also been speculation in the Irish press that a referendum would be held this autumn to remove wording in the constitution referring to a woman's place as "in the home".

But it was postponed earlier in September, as politicians continue mulling how to reword it.

Speaking to AFP, a government spokesman said there were no plans for such a vote "at this time".

Iceland MPs vote to abolish blasphemy laws

Iceland's parliament has abolished its 75-year-old laws against blasphemy, approving a bill introduced by the country's minority Pirate Party. The group says it is a step forward for freedom of expression.

Deutsche Welle, 4 July 2015

 

A photo taken on 27 October 2013 shows an exterior view of the Icelandic
Parliament building in the country's capital Reykjavik.

Parliamentarians in the Nordic country overwhelmingly passed the bill on Thursday, with 43 yes votes to just one no. Speaking to DW, Helgi Hrafn, a member of the party which proposed the bill, said it was a law he had been wanting to put forward for a long time.

"The Pirate Party in Iceland wishes to defend and expand freedom of expression. This particular article is the most glaring fault in the general criminal code, which is why we proposed it," he said. Legal protections from hate speech and incitement remain in place.

On its website the Pirate Party states its core policies are the protection of civil rights, freedom of information, transparency and direct democracy. The group brought up the legislation in January of this year, shortly after the extremist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Hrafn acknowledged that although there was "a connection with the timing" between the two, blasphemy being against the law is a "profoundly barbaric and backwards idea."

"We're not going to be scared of freedom of expression because somebody does something bad. We can't allow that," he told DW.

"Freedom of expression is not going to bow down to threats."

The group's ratings have surged since it won three parliamentary seats in 2013, with one recent opinion poll making the Pirates Iceland's most popular party.

OSCE media freedom representative (.@OSCE_RFoM) welcomes decriminalization of blasphemy in Iceland http://t.co/Vl2t0JKwAT

— OSCE (@OSCE) July 3, 2015

A dangerous precedent

Under the previous code, accused blasphemers could face prison time if found guilty. Hrafn argued the criticism that the law was rarely or never applied was untrue, and cited a 1997 case against an Icelandic comedy group as an example of it being used to silence people. "Because of pressure from the clergy the police questioned them, and for a few months they had to wonder if they would be prosecuted," he said.

Several countries have become notorious for their hardline stance on crimes such as blasphemy. In Pakistan on Friday, a Muslim cleric was arrested for supposedly leading a mob against a Christian couple accused of desecrating the Koran. It followed death sentences for a man with a history of mental illness and a Christian woman last year. In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, France has cracked down on anyone it sees as supporting terrorism, leading to comedian Dieudonne being convicted for Facebook comments he posted in the days after the attack.

Germany too has seen calls for its blasphemy laws to be scrapped, with a member of the country's Protestant church ealier this year saying that while it may be distasteful, legally it was "an exercise of fundamental rights." Those who break the country's 144-year-old law could be handed prison terms of up to three years, at least in theory. Yet Germany has been a vocal opponent of Saudi Arabia's jailing and flogging of blogger Raif Badawi for "insulting Islam."

Freedom of speech again became a 

hotly-debated topic following the Charlie

Hebdo attack

'Practice what we preach'

Hrafn says it was "obnoxious" laws like these that undermine complaints over other nations' curbs on free speech. "If we are to honor freedom of expression it's not enough for us to point at somebody else and brag about how Western culture is supposedly much better at freedom of speech, we have to practice what we preach," he told DW. "We have to allow speech that goes no further than to offend the occasional person.

"People do not have a right to never be offended."

The Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association described Thursday's decision as sending "a vital message to the rest of the world."

"Nations which maintain blasphemy laws with serious consequences should not be able to point to Iceland and say that it has the same kind of law," a statement read.

Despite the law's abolishment, Hrafn insists that Iceland is far from perfect. "Iceland is by no means any sort of a role model when it comes to freedom of expression - not on the legal books," he said. "There are many problems here, and this is the most silly one, but there are more to be fixed."

Sweden ends Saudi military ties over human rights issues

Yahoo – AFP. 10 March 2015

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Loefven gives a press conference at the 

Rosenbad government office in Stockholm, October 27, 2014 (AFP Photo/

Jonathan Nackstrand)

Stockholm (AFP) - Sweden announced Tuesday it will not renew a military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, effectively ending defence ties due to mounting concerns over rights issues.

"It will be broken off," Prime Minister Stefan Loefven said on public radio of a 2005 Saudi-Swedish agreement.

The Social-Democrat premier spoke a day after Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstroem accused Saudi Arabia of blocking her speech at an Arab League meeting.

Saudi Arabia is the third largest non-Western buyer of Swedish arms. In 2014, Riyadh bought equipment worth 338 million kroner (37 million euros, $39 million).

The deal, which was due for renewal for another five years in May, has come under fire within Loefven's Social Democrats, while their Green Party coalition partners oppose it categorically.

Wallstroem has rarely commented on Saudi Arabia but in January she slammed the kingdom's treatment of blogger Raef Badawi, who had been sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in prison for insulting Islam.

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Scrap Germany's blasphemy law to promote tolerance, legal expert demands

The German Protestant church's top jurist says Germany should remove blasphemy from its penal code. The post-attack edition of Paris' Charlie Hebdo magazine has reached 7 million despite Muslim protest worldwide.

Deutsche Welle, 24 Jan 2015

Protestant legal institute director Hans Michael Heinig wrote in Saturday's edition of the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) daily that Germany's blasphemy paragraph should be deleted.

It did not fit Germany's secular constitutional form of statehood and Paragraph 166's removal from Germany's penal code would be a "tangible signal" for press and artist freedoms in the face of the recent terror attacks in Paris, Heinig wrote.

Since Europe's religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, the constitutional state had developed instruments to protect the freedom of all religions and systems of belief. Likewise, the state protected itself against "enemies of the constitution," even when they used religious motives, while also safeguarding the bodily integrity and personal dignity of individuals, for example by banning incitement to violence, Heinig pointed out.

Blasphemy has existed in German penal code since 1871, but in 1969 the definition of insulting religious belief was reduced from the denial of God to merely situations in which insults against any religion which could endanger the peace or public order. Currently, the violation of Paragraph 166 carries a 3-year jail term.

Distasteful, but must be tolerated

"Blasphemy may by distasteful; but from a legal viewpoint, it is an exercise of fundamental rights," Heinig said.

Virtues such as tolerance and regard for others could only be achieved through education and role models and not legal steps. Paragraph 166 had become "almost irrelevant" in criminal statistics, he added.

Tackle tensions with secular
principles, argues Heinig

The canon law institute headed by Heinig and based in the northern German university city of Göttigen advises Germany's EKD Protestant federation which comprises 20 regional churches.

Liberal also calls for paragraph's removal

A similar call to remove blasphemy from Germany's penal code was made by Germany's liberal Free Democrats' party leader, Christian Lindner, four days after jihadi gunmen murdered 12 people, including four cartoonists, inside the Paris office of satire magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7.

Lindner told the Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper on January 11 that basic rights to free expression and media independence must not be curtailed by religious belief.

Religious communities must endure satire and ridicule just like any citizen, any political party and any institution, he added.

Retain paragraph, say Catholic bishops

Earlier this week, Germany's Catholic Bishops' Conference called on Germany to retain the penal code's blasphemy paragraph. Spokesman Mathias Kopp said it represented a "prudent balance between highly placed constitutional values such free expression, artistic and press freedoms versus freedoms of religion and thought."

Shortly after the Paris attacks, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Bavarian partner party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) rejected such calls. CSU interior affairs spokesman Stephan Mayer said penalties for blasphemy should be extended, not reduced.

But the interior affairs spokesman in Merkel's own Christian Democratic (CDU) party Wolfgang Bosbach said the CSU's demand was not a majority view among conservatives.

"Deep wounds," says Hamburg-based imam

Ahead of this week's Friday prayers, the head of a Hamburg Islamic center, Ayatollah Reza Ramezani said on Wednesday that the Charlie Hebdo magazine's post-attack caricature showing the Prophet Muhammad had left "deep wounds" among Muslims.

Basic freedoms must not be
curtailed, says Lindner

Ramezani, who in Germany is a leading cleric among Shiites, said the fundamental rights of free expression and religious freedom must both be respected.

Muslim feelings should not be injured in the name of freedom as it was understood in Western terms, he said, while urging Muslims when condemning such caricatures to work within the framework of Germany's constitution via legal channels.

Seven million copies

MLP, the firm distributing Charlie Hebdo's special, post-attack edition said it expected the seventh million copy to be sold this Saturday. Some 6.3 million were intended for release within France, and 700,000 abroad.

Charlie Hebdo had had a circulation of about 60,000 before the January 7 attack.

The magazine's defiant so-called "survivors issue" published last week showed a caricatured Muhammad with a tear rolling down his cheek and holding a sign that read "Je suis Charlie" - under the words: "All is forgiven."

Many followers of Islam regard as offensive any depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.

On Friday, tens of thousands of people protested in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir over the magazine's latest issue.

ipj/sb (epd, AFP, KNA, AP)

Related Article:

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version) 

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

Pope in Philippines says there are 'limits' to free speech

Yahoo – AFP, Jean-Louis De La Vaissiere, 15 Jan 2015

Pope Francis waves to Filipino Catholics as his motorcade passes by

in Manila on January 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Noel Celis)

Manila (AFP) - Pope Francis on Thursday condemned killing in God's name but warned religion could not be insulted, weighing into a global debate on free speech ahead of a rapturous welcome in the Philippines.

The pontiff made the comments to reporters as he flew from Sri Lanka to begin a five-day visit in the Catholic Church's Asian stronghold that is tipped to attract a world-record papal crowd.

Filipino Catholics gather after Pope Francis' 

motorcade passed by in Manila on January

15, 2015 (AFP Photo/Noel Celis)

"To kill in the name of God is an absurdity," Francis said when asked about last week's assault by Islamist gunmen on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people died.

But the 78-year-old pontiff also said "each religion has its dignity" and "there are limits".

"If a good friend speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched, and that's normal. You cannot provoke, you cannot insult other people's faith, you cannot mock it," he said.

Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stormed Charlie Hebdo's Paris office on January 7, killing some of France's most loved satirical cartoonists in their outrage over the magazine's repeated depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.

The assault was followed two days later by an attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris by a gunman claiming to have coordinated his actions with the brothers.

In all, 17 people died over three days in the bloodiest attacks in France in half a century, sparking a global debate on the limits of free speech.

Charlie Hebdo drew ire from religious groups again this week when it published a "survivors" issue featuring an image of the prophet weeping on the cover.

The cartoon depicts Mohammed holding a sign reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie), which became a global rallying cry for those expressing sympathy for the victims and support for freedom of expression.

The cover sparked a backlash in some parts of the Muslim world, where depicting the prophet is seen as blasphemous.

Well-wishers line the streets to catch a 

glimpse of Pope Francis in Manila on

 January 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/

Martin Bureau)

Pope Francis, seen by many around the world as more progressive than many of his predecessors, said freedom of speech should be tempered by respect for faith.

"Freedom of speech is a right and a duty that must be displayed without offending," he said just before arriving in the Philippine capital of Manila.

Francis on Thursday began the second leg of his Asia tour after a successful visit to Sri Lanka, where he preached on reconciliation and religious tolerance.

Passionate welcome

Church bells tolled across the Philippines as his plane touched down, as hundreds of children on the tarmac chanted: "Welcome Pope Francis".

Hundreds of thousands of people then crowded the closed-off route the pope passed as he made a 35-minute trip in a "popemobile" from the airport to the Vatican's embassy to rest overnight.

The pope stood on the back of the vehicle, which had no walls, waving and smiling constantly to the crowd.

"When I saw him wave, it was like a thrill went through me," 35-year-old housewife Ivy Japlos told AFP.

Francis has said his two-nation tour is aimed at adding momentum to the Church's already impressive growth in Asia, with its support in the Philippines the benchmark for the rest of the region.

Pope Francis smiles, flanked by Head of 

Vatican Security Domenico Giani, as he

arrives at a military airbase in Manila

 on January 15, 2015 (AFP Photo/

Giuseppe Cacace)

Eighty percent of the former Spanish colony's 100 million people practise a famously fervent brand of Catholicism, and the pope is set to enjoy thunderously enthusiastic crowds throughout his stay.

The high-point of his trip is expected to be an open-air mass on Sunday at a park in Manila, with organisers preparing for up to six million people despite a forecast of rain and security concerns.

Organisers have said that, if the crowd is as big as expected, it will surpass the previous record for a papal gathering of five million during a mass by John Paul II at the same venue in 1995.

'Still suffering'

Francis, who is the fourth pope to visit the Philippines, is also due to visit communities devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,350 people dead or missing in 2013.

On Saturday, he is scheduled to deliver a mass to tens of thousands of people in Tacloban, one of the worst-hit cities in the central Philippines, and have an intimate lunch with 30 typhoon survivors.

"The heart of the message will be the poor, the poor who want to move forward, who have suffered from the typhoon and are still suffering its consequences," the pope told reporters on way to the Philippines.

The main scheduled events on Friday included a state welcome at the presidential palace, a mass at Manila Cathedral and a meeting at a shopping mall with thousands of families.

Pope Francis waves to students delivering

a performance shortly after arriving at a 

military airbase in Manila on January 15,

2015, where he was greeted by President

benigno Aquino (R) (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)

Authorities have expressed major concerns over the pope's security in the Philippines, where attempts have been made to kill visiting pontiffs twice before.

Nearly 40,000 soldiers and police are being deployed to protect Francis in what Philippine military chief General Gregorio Catapang described as a "security nightmare".

Potential stampedes from the giant crowds, as well as the threat of Islamic militants or lone-wolf assailants, are among the concerns.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino made a nationally televised address this week specifically to highlight the security threats for the pope and call on all Filipinos to help protect him.

Adding to the concerns, the pontiff has insisted he will not travel in a bullet-proof vehicle during his big events so he can be closer to the faithful.

Related Articles:

"2015" (3) - Jan 10/11, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - New


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."

Charlie Hebdo lives on, as blasphemous as ever

The Parisian satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo will appear on schedule on Wednesday, even though half of its editorial team were killed by Islamists last week. It's a triumph for press freedom - and laughter.

Deutsche Welle, 14 Jan 2015

If the Islamist terrorists meant to silence Charlie Hebdo by killing 12 people in its offices, they failed. In fact, quite the opposite: the satirical magazine has hit the market with three million copies: 50 times as large a circulation as before the attack. The prophet Muhammad, whose depiction conservative Muslims consider offensive, is on the cover. Charlie Hebdo, which has traditionally lampooned various religions, will be translated into various languages, including Arabic.

Staying funny

The surviving editors and cartoonists began working on the new edition two days after the attack. The whole of France was waiting for Charlie Hebdo, because its punctual appearance would be a signal to show that press freedom is stronger than terrorism.

'It's a completely normal issue,' said
editor Gerard Biard

The right to blasphemy must be defended, editor Gerard Biard said. "Of course we want this to be a funny issue. We'll make you laugh, because we can't do anything else. That says that they didn't kill Charlie," said Biard after the editorial meeting, which French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also attended.

'I had to cry'

The cover of the new issue shows the prophet Muhammad crying and holding up the "Je suis Charlie" sign that has become a symbol of resistance to the violence in the past few days. Above Muhammad, the headline reads, "All is forgiven." Even the prophet is crying over what the terrorists did, is how cartoonist Luz explained his idea. "There was this idea of 'Je suis Charlie,' and I drew a crying Muhammad. Then I wrote 'All is forgiven,' and I had to cry myself. And then the cover was finished!"

Luz said that the team had to work hard to get the magazine ready in time. There wasn't much time to mourn. It felt, he said, as though their dead friends were still there. Biard said that material and ideas of those killed was also used. "No one was dead in this issue," he said. "They're still here. They'll be in this issue, because they were always with us."

This issue has only eight pages, rather than the usual 16, but it consists of the same mix of comic strips and biting texts. The attacks and terrorism are the main themes, but the issue is completely normal, insists Biard. "It's not a memorial issue. There are no obituaries. We do what we always do on Wednesdays."

Working under police protection

The new cover could
offend some Muslims

The editorial team found space to work at the daily newspaper Liberation. Other media outlets donated computers and other equipment. "They didn't have anything. The bloody pencils and laptops are sealed off at the crime scene," said Pierre Fraididenraich of Liberation. The newspaper's building, printers, and distribution center are all heavily guarded by police. There is real fear of another attack.

The French government intends to donate a million euros ($1.2 million) to Charlie Hebdo. If the entire circulation is sold, the magazine will take in as much as it would otherwise make in an entire year.

Keep calm! And why?

Islamic organizations in France have called on French Muslims to stay calm and to accept the publication of the magazine. The cartoonist behind the new drawing of the crying Muhammad can't understand all the excitement. "It's not a cover showing a terrorist," Luz told an improvised press conference. "There's no terrorist at all. It's just a man crying. A good man, crying. I'm sorry if someone was expecting something else. That's our choice."

Biard declared that his magazine would not spare any religion in future. The right to blasphemy had to be defended. "Secularism isn't some vague concept," he said. "It's a system of values. We have to be clear that the separation of state and church is the most important principle of our republic. Without it, freedom, equality, and brotherhood are impossible."

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Charlie Hebdo 'survivors' special' sells out in France within hours


"2015" (3) - Jan 10/11, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - New

German Muslims denounce Paris attack as 'abuse of the religion of peace'

German Muslims have sharply condemned Wednesday's attack at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris. But while denouncing terrorism, they have also warned of a split in society and urge a united approach.

Deutsche Welle, 10 Jan 2015

About a dozen German Muslim organizations met in Cologne on Friday to sign a joint declaration against terrorism, sharply condemning the attack on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead.

Speaking at a news conference, Bekir Alboga, secretary general of the Ditib Turkish Islam Union, called the tragedy "an attack on everyone's freedom" and "an abuse of the religion of peace."

Alboga warned against the instrumentalization of the "abominable act" by groups critical of or hostile towards Islam, like the PEGIDA movement (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West) which has gained momentum in Germany in recent months.

Soykan fears the Paris bloodbath could
fan the flames of the far-right movement

Fresh impetus for PEGIDA?

Nurhan Soykan, secretary general of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said she fears the Paris bloodbath could fan the flames of the PEGIDA and far-right protests. But she told DW that she is also aware that there are people in society who stand up for the Muslims, "people who said, we can't lump them all together, we can't suspect them as a group."

Soykan emphasized that it wasn't just the leaders of the Muslim organizations in Germany that denounced the attack: even tiny communities have supported the calls for solemn vigils, voicing their own condemnation of the attack. She said the center of society must be strengthened against extremism on the fringes, whether from the far-right or from the Islamists.

At the press conference, several Muslim representatives recalled the large anti-PEGIDA protest in Cologne on Monday - and the sense of power that emanated from the united action supported by Christians, Jews, Muslims and dedicated people from various other backgrounds.

We can't let the attack be crowned by the success "of tearing our society apart," said Ali Kizilkaya, chairman of the Islamic Council of Germany.

Representatives of around a dozen German Muslim organizations
met in Cologne

Committed to freedom of opinion

The Islamic representatives also spoke of their common commitment to freedom of the press and freedom of expression. But when asked whether this commitment included caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, their answers were not so clear cut.

For Seyfi Ögütlü, secretary general of the Union of Islamic Cultural Associations, freedom of expression also includes making fun of religion. But he also called for respect and sensitivity toward religious beliefs, and not just Islam.

But Murat Gümüs, deputy secretary general of the Islamic religious community Milli Görüs, thinks caricatures of the prophet, insulting or otherwise, are unacceptable. The clearest commitment to freedom of speech, however, came from Nurhan Soykan of the Central Council of Muslims.

Referencing the Prophet Muhammad, Soykan said that "he has endured much ridicule and mockery himself, and we must also bear this. Even if it hurts." Incidentally, Soykan herself did not think the cartoons were so bad - especially when compared with the hate mail she has received.

The Central Council of Muslims has called for a vigil at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Monday to remember the victims of the attacks in France. Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Sigmar Gabriel has said he plans to attend, along with many others.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."