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And demands the EU prevent it from taking place. More on this story. "Tehran demands EU halt anti-Islam congress planned in Germany," by Sahil Nagpal for Deutsche Presse Agentur, September 4:
Tehran/Berlin - The Iranian Foreign Ministry called in the French charge d'affaires in Tehran Wednesday to demand that the European Union (EU) prevent the holding of an "anti-Islam congress" planned for the German city of Cologne later this month.The Foreign Ministry voiced concern about what it called the "growing anti-Islam trend" in Europe, appealing to the current French presidency of the EU to act, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA reported that the French diplomat had condemned all forms of racism, pledging that the Iranian request would be followed up and Tehran would be kept informed about the congress.
The congress has been called by the right-wing, Cologne-based, activist group Pro-Cologne, which last month failed in its attempts to halt the building of a large mosque in the western German city.
Pro-Cologne has called a three-day anti-Islam congress for September 19-21, drawing support from the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe) and the Belgian-Flemish right-wing Vlaams Belang Party, as well as prominent French right-winger Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the Front National (FN).
"The time has come to draw the line: Europe and Germany say 'no' to Islamification and immigrant invasion," the organization proclaims in German, French, Italian and English in advertising the congress on its website.
The congress, which culminates in a mass rally on Cologne's Haymarket square on September 20, is aimed at promoting "Western values and Christian traditions." Le Pen is expected to speak.
Pro-Cologne uses as its logo a mosque with a red line drawn through it in the shape of a traffic sign.
Left-wing groups have called counter-demonstrations to coincide with the rally.
Yes, as opposed to censoring, that's how things usually work in the West: anyone disagreeing with your views is welcome to "demonstrate," peacefully.
The Interior Ministry of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, within which Cologne falls, said it had looked into banning the congress, but had come to the conclusion that there were insufficient grounds to do so.
Because it has nothing to do with "race," but rather political ideologies in the guise of religion.
The German constitution gave strong protection to freedom of assembly, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Carola Holzberg said.Holzberg said pro-Köln had informed police they were expecting around 1,000 supporters to attend the September 20 rally.
Police are expecting up to 40,000 to protest against the congress.
On August 28, the Cologne City Council gave the go-ahead for a controversial mosque with a dome 37 metres high and two minarets rising to 55 metres to be built in the suburb of Ehrenfeld. (dpa)
Posted by Raymond at September 4, 2008 11:44 AM
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Racist? What race is Islam? I know that it is not really a religion, but when did it become a race? Besides we're all members of the human race? That's it! What these apologists are saying is that, by the tenets of Islam, we are superior to other humans to the point of being a separate race.
I understand now.
Posted by: tanstaafl![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 4, 2008 12:18 PM
Police are expecting up to 40,000 to protest against the congress.
Most of them raged muslims fresh out of their Friday ROP prayer session.
Trouble brewing in Cologne.
Posted by: walterc at September 4, 2008 12:22 PM
"The congress has been called by the right-wing, Cologne-based, activist group Pro-Cologne, which last month failed in its attempts to halt the building of a large mosque in the western German city.
Pro-Cologne has called a three-day anti-Islam congress for September 19-21, drawing support from the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPOe) and the Belgian-Flemish right-wing Vlaams Belang Party, as well as prominent French right-winger Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of the Front National (FN)."
I have a new game: drink a shot of whiskey every time they write "right-wing".
Posted by: DenverRodeo at September 4, 2008 12:23 PM
These anti-Islamic sentiments must be held by a very tiny minority of Germans.
Turkey has had no better friend than Germany.
Germany is home to millions of Turks.
Germany advised and even assisted Turkey with their "Armenian problem".
Germans should embrace their Muslim Turkish residents and make the feel more at home.
One and a half million murdered Christian Armenians want it that way.
at September 4, 2008 12:59 PM
"anti-Islam" congress as "racist
bu;l s;it islam is (imo) a cult masquerading as a religion but its not a race
at September 4, 2008 1:16 PM
"Police are expecting up to 40,000 to protest against the congress.
Most of them raged muslims fresh out of their Friday ROP prayer session."
I wish it will be the muslims but unfortunately it will be stupid non-muslim people on the far left that has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE about the religion of islam. They are really keen on abusing anybody for anything though.
If muslims would attack this congress, it will most definately be a win for our cause.
SwedishWiking
Posted by: SwedishWiking at September 4, 2008 2:15 PM
"The time has come to draw the line: Europe and Germany say 'no' to Islamification and immigrant invasion,"
That line should have been drawn years ago, it's maybe too late. French authorities have already caved into this mosque with its absurd 55 meter high minarets. Their purpose is not the obsolete traditional one - a high place to call for prayers - but to dominate the skyline as if to say, "we are dominating this land and to hell with traditional French style and culture".
Don't let this ugly anti-West domination happen here!
at September 4, 2008 2:29 PM
I think of "race" as a way to define ones ethnic background; whether you might be black, white, yellow, brown, etc, not a way to define your religious background; so the race card should not be played in this context, because there are black Muslims, white Muslims, yellow Muslims, brown Muslims, and so on.
To be sure....
Muslims are not an ethnic group, either, but they are a group of Ideologists. Sorry, race does not apply; not now, not ever.
Oh, and Islam is a cult, lets not forget that. But THAT is another story....
at September 4, 2008 2:37 PM
NIMBY-Mosque
Posted by: Pippi at September 4, 2008 3:06 PM
If this Conference is left solely in the hands of those who are not only certifiably "right-wing" but lepenesque, and therefore disreputable, then it is the duty of others, the respectale anti-Islam legions, not to ignore the Conference or to stay morally pure, but rather to attend, even to swell its numbers, and change its nature, by appearing in force. Show Cologne, show Germany, show the E.U. that one can be just as sweet and liberal and anti-Fascist as all get out, and also want, for those very reasons, a complete halt to Muslim migration to Europe, and a deliberate policy of countering the Money Weapon, campaigns of Da'wa, and demographic conquest -- all over Western Europe, resulting in a greatly diminished Muslim presence in the Lands of the Infidels. This has to be done. It will have to be done now, peacefully, or later, less peacefully. It can't be avoided. It's what's to come. It is not still unsure. But, to quote an old poet, and to appropriate his more traditional use of the carpe-diem imperative, in delay there lies no plenty. \
So get cracking.
Posted by: Hugh at September 4, 2008 3:42 PM
Tehran decries upcoming "anti-Islam" congress as "racist"
... which underscores the problem of why an "anti-Islam" congress is needed in the first place...
Posted by: RalphInfidel at September 4, 2008 6:31 PM
"Holzberg said pro-Köln had informed police they were expecting around 1,000 supporters to attend the September 20 rally.
Police are expecting up to 40,000 to protest against the congress."
Ouch! Those are not happy numbers. Just a bit lop-sided, it seems to me. Let's hope the larger one was significantly inflated for reporting purposes.
Oh, and SwedishViking, you are seriously non-PC to describe "non-muslims on the far left." That should be, as you well know, "on the LEFT WING!"
at September 4, 2008 6:38 PM
Ummah is the Muslim "race".
Posted by: PMK at September 4, 2008 6:46 PM
SIOE is looking for speakers...
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at September 4, 2008 7:28 PM
Keep fighting, Germany! Because, quite literally, your lives depend on it!
Posted by: Callidus at September 4, 2008 7:31 PM
What Hugh said.
I'm not in Europe. I'm in Australia. But my ancestors came here from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark and...Germany. One set of great-great-grandparents came from Germany, a newly-graduated Lutheran pastor and his 17 year-old bride, both of them full of a high idealism and passionate piety, leaving their families behind forever to serve the Lord in an utterly alien land on the other side of the world. I'm named after one of their daughters.
I'm not ashamed to honour my ancestors.
Germany committed the appalling sin of the Shoah; but Germany also gave the world the ecstatic music and paintings of Hildegard of Bingen, and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and the etchings of Albrecht Durer, the theology of Karl Barth and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Michael Ende's "Die Unendliche Geschichte" (never mind the film, the book is brilliant). And the Cathedral in Koln is one of the most richly beautiful things humans have ever imagined or slowly, over the centuries, created and re-created.
It is all of that, that vast collective and cumulative human work of art which is 'Europe', which Islam desires to conquer, and pillage, and smash, and grind into dust, as it has already done to so much else that was beautiful and holy, in so many other places. The sculptures and paintings destroyed, the cathedral bells and the organ and the orchestras and choirs silenced, the thought and the questioning and the songs ended for ever.
Please, anyone reading this who is in Europe; if you can, go to Koln, be there at the Haymarket Square on 20 September.
If you're reading this and you're an Aussie or American or Canadian or, well, from any non-Muslim country, and you'll be in Germany at the right time...be there, at the Haymarket Square.
But make sure you get to the city in the morning; and before you go to the rally in the square, go to the earliest scheduled service at the Cathedral. And there, if you are a believer, light a candle and say a prayer in honour of all the saints, confessors and martyrs of Europe, and in memory of all the victims of Jihad, from three continents and from every non-Muslim faith. Light another one on my behalf, because I can't be there.
40 000 fools are supposed to be turning up to urge a total and abject surrender to the Jihad.
Well: it would be a surprise, wouldn't it, if 100 000 people of all complexions, not only European Christians but Jews and Sikhs and Hindus and Buddhists and those of dhimmi ancestry who took refuge in Europe and are now once more assailed by the Muslims who have pursued them, turned up in the Haymarket, all proclaiming 'Lan Astaslem'!!! and affirming their commitment to defend human rights - such as freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience, and the right not to be enslaved.
Posted by: dumbledoresarmy at September 5, 2008 12:39 AM
SwedishWiking:
... it [the 40,000 protesters] will be stupid non-muslim people on the far left that has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE about the religion of islam.
I agree. The communists seem more interested in sticking up for Muslims than the Muslims do themselves. This is because the communist view is that all cultures are equally valid and must all be equally encouraged, the ultimate aim being a homogenous planet consisting of just one world culture, with all nations and distinctive cultures eradicated.
Of course, those holding the anti-Islam congress are nationalists, whom the communists despise.
Posted by: watling at September 5, 2008 5:29 AM
Sure, Iran should dictate German internal policy and restrict the freedom of German citizens to assemble where they like and say what they like.
Islamophobia is "racist", whilst "Israel will be wiped off the map" is not.
Posted by: Stefcho at September 5, 2008 5:32 AM
Race!
OK; one could say that Arabs constitute a race. However, Iranians typically do not consider themselves to be Arabs--rather, Persians. Yet the common thread is islamic theocracy. So I don't understand why the race card is being thrown out onto the table.
On second thought, it is probably just another excuse to justify saber rattling. Yeah; that's it!
Posted by: MadAggie at September 5, 2008 8:47 AM
Please, would some kind soul explain to me "what race is Islam?"
If it is a race then those people who think they are members of Islam but are not of that race (Arabic, I would guess) are in trouble.
Islam is a political ideology. If being against Islam is racist then so is being against Republicans or Democrats. It is then even racist to be against Communism.
It must be racist to use your brain to decide one product in the store is better than another. After all, you are "discriminating" when you do so.
No matter how you cut it, Muslims calling others who criticize Islam "racist" are revealing their own agendas. Either they are a race (presumably Arabic since it's language is Arabic) or they are a political ideology. Either way, it's rhetoric against other races, Caucasian, Negroid, Oriental, Democrat, Republican, and so forth, is as racist as any of their rhetoric against Islam.
May Allah lovingly roast them like chestnuts in the fires of Allah's favorite home, Hell.
{^_^}
Posted by: jdow at September 5, 2008 9:54 AM
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