Recently in Austria Category

Yet another convert to Islam misunderstands his peaceful new religion. "Austrian National Arrested For Planning Bundestag Attack," from AGI, June 18 (thanks to all who sent this in):

(AGI) Vienna- An Austrian national was arrested in Vienna and charged with terrorism. Detectives believe he was planning to crash a plane into the Bundestag, German parliament headquarters in Berlin. The suspect, 25-year-old Thomas al-J., is a young man who has converted to Islam. He was arrested Wednesday in his apartment in the Austrian capital and has also been accused of recruiting terrorists in order to send them to jihad training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and of funding terrorist organizations.....

What kind of "religious fundamentalist society"? Militant Methodists? Hardcore Jimmy Swaggart followers? AP doesn't get around to giving us a hint, as if we really needed one, until several paragraphs into the story, when we learn that they were involved with "the German Taliban Mujahideen." More Misunderstanders of Islam in Europe: "4 arrested on terrorism charges in Vienna," from The Associated Press, June 16 (thanks to Bill):

VIENNA—Austrian police have arrested four men suspected of involvement in a terrorist organization that is committed to founding a "religious fundamentalist society" in Afghanistan and responsible for attacks there.

Interior Ministry spokesman Rudolf Gollia told the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that three men were arrested at Vienna airport on suspicion they were heading off to train at terrorism camps in Afghanistan or Pakistan....

All four are suspected of involvement with the German Taliban Mujahideen....

Offensive, Islamophobic, inciteful yodeling commences around 1:00 in the video. Enjoy it while you can! An update on this story. "Austrian man convicted for yodelling while Muslim neighbours prayed," by Alex Hall for the Telegraph, December 16:

Austrian man convicted for yodelling while Muslim neighbours prayed An Austrian man has been fined for yodelling while mowing his lawn because it caused offence to his Muslim neighbours.

The retiree was accused trying to 'mock and imitate' the call of the Muezzin, who calls the faithful for prayer in mosques

Helmut Griese, 63, was found guilty of "ridiculing" their religious beliefs and fined nearly £700 by a court in Graz. Rather than face a protracted court case, with all its attendant legal costs, Mr Griese agreed to pay.

The court heard how the Muslim family regarded Mr Griese as a "grumpy old man" whose open-air Alpine chanting was intended as a taunt aimed at their religion. The retiree was accused trying to "mock and imitate" the call of the Muezzin, who calls the faithful for prayer in mosques. They alleged that he always began his yodelling just as they knelt down to pray.

Mr Griese, however, told the Austrian newspaper Kornen that "it was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood."

The court heard how things came to a head late in the summer when Griese was both mowing his lawn and yodelling as the Muslim family were praying. Police were called, and he was served with a summons.

Moral equivalence: Yodeling = grave desecration.

Mr Griese was charged the "disparagement of religious symbols" - an offence usually used to prosecute for neo-Nazis who desecrate Jewish graves - and hindering religious practice.

Austrian MP Ewald Stadler, addressing the Turkish ambassador to Austria, here dares to tell the truth about Islam in Turkey and in Europe. It's breathtaking. Ewald Stadler surely deserves to be nominated for Anti-Dhimmi Internationale of 2010.

(Video thanks to Pamela Geller.)

UPDATE December 5: I had never heard of Stadler before seeing this video, and since posting it have been apprised of some of his antisemitic and neofascist views. Obviously he should not be and will not be a candidate for the Jihad Watch Anti-Dhimmi Award.

"It was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood." Not anymore. "Yodelling offends praying Muslims, say judges," from the Austrian Times, November 29 (thanks to C. Cantoni):

An Austrian has been fined for yodelling while mowing his lawn, according to a report.

The Kronen Zeitung newspaper claims Helmut G. was told by a court in Graz, Styria, that his yodelling offended his next-door Muslim neighbours.

The men reportedly accused the 63-year-old of having tried to mock and imitate the call of the Muezzin. The daily paper writes the Austrian was fined 800 Euros after judges ruled he could have tried to offend them and ridicule their belief. The Muslims, whose nationalities were not revealed by the report, were right in the middle of a prayer when the Austrian started to yodel.

"It was not my intention to imitate or insult them. I simply started to yodel a few tunes because I was in such a good mood" the man told the newspaper today (Mon).

Wilders may be cleared soon, as prosecutors have recommended. Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is still in danger, as are free societies in Europe, with dhimmi authorities in Austria, the Netherlands, and no doubt elsewhere as well only too happy to do the bidding of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and move to curtail the freedom of speech regarding Islam in the West. "Lawfare in Austria: Is Truth Illegal?," by A. Millar for The Weekly Blitz, October 13 (thanks to Regina):

Although the trial of Dutch MP and critic of Islam, Geert Wilders, and its serious implications for free speech in Europe, is once again creating a furor in the press, another high-profile trial of a critic of Islam -- Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, in Austria -- is being overlooked.

Ms. Sabaditsch-Wolff now faces up to a three-year prison sentence if convicted of "inciting hatred against a religious group" and "defamation of religion" in a lecture in 2009 on the "Islamization of Europe."

As allegedly criminal statements fill the indictments of "hate speech" prosecutions, as in the case with Mr. Wilders, the Dutch MP says that he spoken the truth, and the truth cannot be illegal.

If the authorities in the states of the EU have taken note of this axiom, the Viennese state attorney has not. He has taken an even more sinister approach to prosecuting Mrs. Sabaditsch-Wolff: No statements are listed in the indictment. Instead, her entire three-part seminar has been designated as incriminating.

I am "always careful to distinguish between Muslims and Islam," Mrs. Sabaditsch-Wolff says. That, apparently, does not matter.

Having spent most of her life in Muslim-majority countries, she has had much time to get to know Muslims as individuals, and to experience contemporary Islamic culture. She has lived in Kuwait; in Iran, as a child, at the time of the Islamic revolution, and, during the 9/11 attacks, in Libya.

Her stories are undoubtedly disturbing: two of her non-Muslim friends were attacked for breaking the Ramadan fast - one, a Coptic Christian, was assaulted for licking stamps at a post office; the other, for chewing gum. On another occasion, apparently, when Mrs. Sabaditsch-Wolff sat in her apartment watching the 9/11 unfold on television, and her landlord burst in exclaiming that "the Jews did it," she asked him to leave.

Such events, she says, with the 9/11 attacks as a catalyst, made her want "to learn more." She began by researching Islam, sharia, and Islamism; and later became a critic of, and activist against, "Islamization."...

There is much more. Read it all.

Surprise, surprise -- it was the other way around. This kind of thing should not surprise anyone, in reality, since the Qur'an teaches Muslims that "strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews..." (5:82).

"Rabbi attacked at Vienna menorah lighting," from JTA, December 14 (thanks to Rob):

(JTA) -- A Chabad rabbi was attacked after presiding over a public Chanukah menorah lighting in Vienna.

The assailant who punched Rabbi Dov Gruzman and bit off part of the rabbi's finger following the lighting Saturday night in Stephansplatz Square was Muslim, according to reports.

Gruzman, principal of the Lauder Chabad High School in Vienna, underwent a partial amputation of his finger, Chabad.org reported....

Free Speech Death Watch Alert: "Interview with Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff," by S.M. Steinitz for profil (Austria's equivalent to "Time" magazine and "Der Spiegel"):

"I Am Against Dialogue"

A criminal complaint is being filed against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff for "hate speech" under Austrian law, essentially the same thing that Susanne Winter was convicted of early this year.

Elisabeth gave a presentation about Islam at an FPÖ-organized seminar, and said some of the usual things that anti-jihad advocates say when they talk about Islam. A left-wing magazine, which had planted someone in the audience, caused charges to be brought against her at the same time as they publicized it in their magazine.

Elisabeth held the controversial Islam Seminar at the FPÖ-political academy. Charges of defamation of a religious group have been filed against the daughter of a diplomat. This is her only interview in which she explains her views.

Mrs. Sabaditsch-Wolff, are you afraid of Muslims?

No, I am afraid of political Islam, which is massively gaining influence in Europe. That is what I am against.

What is your goal?

I want to preserve Europe and its democratic and secular values.

What bothers you about the Islamic way of life?

Islamic doctrine discriminates against women and non-Muslims. Islamic law, or shariah, cannot be reconciled with democratic principles and universal human rights.

Do you see the need for that?

There are powerful groups who are working towards the Islamization of Europe. That is a fact. What can we gain from closing our eyes and ignoring this? Even Libyan leader Muammar Ghadafi says: "There are signs that Allah will grant victory to Islam in Europe without swords, without guns, without conquest. We don't need terrorists, we don't need homicide bombers. The 50+ million Muslims [in Europe] will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades." A head of state confirms what our politicians deny. What else has to happen until we finally get it?

There are people who see the growth of Islam in Europe as an opportunity for a completely re-engineered pluralistic society.

The vision of a pluralistic society does not withstand a reality check. Show me one example where this has been a success. Wherever Muslims have been given the opportunity for self-organization they have established parallel societies. See Berlin-Kreuzberg, see Lyon. See also Great Britain, where parts of shariah have been implemented.

Do you really think that Austrian culture is endangered?

I see signs of an erosion of our way of life. In large cities massive changes are evident in the streets. There are discussions about a ban on teaching the Turkish sieges of Vienna; St. Nicholas is banned from visiting children in [public] kindergartens.

And you want to change that.

Yes, very much. But why is that so bad? In Bhutan, the king is applauded because he allows only a certain number of foreigners into the country. He prescribes a certain dress code and mandatory cultural events. Bhutan is a small country that wants to retain its cultural identity in a globalized world. Austria is also a small country with similar challenges. Why is the one country commended and the other berated?

According to NEWS, you defamed Islam. That is why NEWS has filed charges citing defamation of religion. Your reply?

One can report anyone to the authorities. I am not guilty of defamation. And even if some consider my words harsh, I definitely did not make them in a public forum since the seminars were held before a group of people who registered beforehand.

You are accused of making the following statements, among others: "Muslims rape children because of their religion", or "Mohammed enjoyed contact with children." Why the polemics?

This is a clever strategy. You and all the others who are now crying wolf are locked in a choice of words. As a result you are able to maneuver yourselves away from the main point. It is a fact that Mohammed married a six-year-old at the age of 56. To this day men in Islamic countries view this as legitimizing marriage to a minor, thereby causing rape and life-long trauma. This is the problem we need to address, and not how circumscribe this bitter reality.

Are you afraid that these customs will become part of Europe?

There are groups who have this goal. In every Islamic system you find that human rights of young girls are in grave danger. Look at Saudi Arabia. Look at the former socialist South Yemen. When Khomeini came to power he lowered the minimum age for girls to get married to nine years.

You are being accused of Islamophobia. Does this bother you?

A phobia is an irrational fear. My worries are not irrational, but justified. One of these days our politicians will have to recognize this fact. People like me are not right-wing xenophobes.

But what are you?

We are people defending the principles of freedom and equality in a secular society. I criticize political Islam and its political manifestations. No democratic country can take this right away from anyone.

Why do critics of Islam nearly always use polemics?

And what [if not polemics] did the article in NEWS use? There are comments about my body, there is ridicule about how I eat. Sexist attacks below the belt against women making unpopular statements are a manifestation of a male-dominated system. There are many critics of Islam. However, it's always women like Brigitte Bardot or Oriana Fallaci who are attacked below the belt.

Leading politicians have sharply criticized your seminars. Are they all members of a male-dominated system?

These politicians do not know the contents of my seminars. All they know are out-of-context quotes from an article in a glossy magazine. I also find the reaction of these politicians strange. They get away with much worse.

For instance?

SPÖ secretary general Laura Rudas, who calls for a public ban of the headscarf. I would not do something like that.

On the other hand, you are being compared to Susanne Winter (FPÖ). She was convicted of defamation because she accused the prophet Mohammed of pedophilia.

I do not want to be compared to Susanne Winter. There are no similarities between us. She is an active politician, she acts in a public forum. I do not.

You hold your seminars for the FPÖ-Political Academy.

But I am not politically active. I am also not a member of FPÖ. What I do is offer seminars on the topic of Islam and I can be booked. The FPÖ academy did just that. I do not want to comment on Susanne Winter's statements. But in my opinion she does not know much about Islam.

In what way are you qualified to hold these seminars?

I have an M.A. in Diplomatic and Strategic Studies. I spent part of my childhood in Islamic countries, worked and lived there. I have personally experienced life in Islamic societies and I see evidence of a trend towards the Islamization of Europe.

How do you view yourself?

I am a mother and a feminist. I want my daughter and my niece to grow up in freedom and dignity. I want the same for all Austrian citizens, and that includes Austrian Muslims.

In your seminar you do not distinguish between Muslims and Islamists.

Oh yes, I do. I do that because I know how much Muslims worldwide are suffering under the Islamic yoke. I say that in all my seminars, only NEWS did not bother to quote that. Why do think so many Muslims try to escape from Islamic countries like Iran and Afghanistan? Because life there is unbearable.

So you want to liberate Muslims from Islam?

Muslims have to liberate themselves; from this static and tenacious Islam that is hellbent on following norms from the seventh century. The result is that wherever there are Islamic societies there is no progress, but steps backwards, especially in the realm of human rights and democracy.

But isn't the referendum on the minaret ban in Switzerland also a step backwards?

The result of the referendum is the best proof that politicians should finally take the Islamization of Europe seriously.

What do you think about the reaction from the Islamic world regarding the referendum?

The Islamic world leads in discrimination against religious minorities. Christians are persecuted and discriminated against in all Islamic countries. You have to remember that the Christian culture is not one that immigrated or is foreign; it is indigenous. There is a complete ban on building churches in Turkey. And now Erdogan speaks of discrimination against Muslims in Switzerland? Where are Muslims being discriminated against in Switzerland? The European elite allows the Islamic countries to walk all over themselves while bowing down to them.

Are you in favor of a ban on minarets in Austria?

I will not answer that. Instead, I will quote the now so agitated Turkish prime minister who once said, "The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers."

Do you feel misunderstood?

Above all, I believe that my rights are being curtailed. Currently I do not notice that I have freedom of speech or opinion.

Haven't you yourself strained this right?

No, I don't believe I did. Above all, I did not speak publicly. What is all the commotion about?

But now it has become public.

I only say out loud what others are thinking. But these concerns are not taken seriously.

Are you against a dialogue with the Islamic world?

I am against a dialogue with political Islam. I am, however, in favor of a broad discussion about human rights and personal freedoms.

You criticize Islam as discriminating. What do mean by that?

Just one example: In Islam non-Muslims are called kuffar, non-believers. These infidels are all defamed and not considered equal. This is offensive. Where are the protests?

What are your negative experiences in Islamic countries?

People in these countries are continuously restricted. This leads to aggressions and reporting people to the authorities and other absurd situations. For example, a (Coptic) member of the Austrian embassy in Kuwait was verbally abused at the post office because he was mailing Christmas letters. It was Ramadan and he must not eat or drink publicly. He said, surprised, "But I am not eating!" "Oh yes, you are. You are licking off the adhesive part of the stamp." This is daily routine in an Islamic society.

Can you really use a single occurrence as an example?

I can tell you hundreds of similar single occurrences. This story is not a single case, but a social program.

Will you continue with your seminars?

Yes. There are requests coming in from all over Austria. I will continue to defend my right to freedom of speech. I will not be gagged.

Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, 38, is the daughter of a retired diplomat. She spent parts of her childhood during the Khomeini Revolution in Iran. She later spent time in Iraq and Kuwait. In 1990, she and other Austrians were held hostage during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. She was employed at the Austrian embassies in Kuwait and Libya. From 1995-7 she was a member of the then-vice-chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel. Sabaditsch-Wolff represents the Citizens' Movement Pax Europa on an international level.

The question is, is the Thug-in-Chief going to try to move it out of its present location himself. From AFP, with thanks to all who sent this in:

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that if Germany and Austria feel responsible for massacring Jews during World War II, a state of Israel should be established on their soil. Ahmadinejad, who sparked an international outcry in October when he said Israel "must be wiped off the map", also repeated his view Thursday that the Jewish state was a "tumour".

"Now that you believe the Jews were oppressed, why should the Palestinian Muslims have to pay the price?" the hardline president asked in an interview with Iran's Arabic-language satellite channel, Al-Alam.

"Why did you come to give a piece of Islamic land and the territory of the Palestinian people to them?

"You oppressed them, so give a part of Europe to the Zionist regime so they can establish any government they want. We would support it," he said, according to a transcript of his original Farsi-language comments given to AFP.

"So, Germany and Austria, come and give one, two or any number of your provinces to the Zionist regime so they can create a country there which all of Europe will support and the problem will be solved at its root," he said.

"Why do they insist on imposing themselves on other powers and creating a tumour so there is always tension and conflict?"

Of course, there wouldn't be a conflict were Ahmadinejad's side willing to make peace -- but it isn't.

Ahmadinejad has more to answer for than just his alleged role in the 1979 hostage crisis. From AP, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:

VIENNA, Austria - Austrian authorities have classified documents suggesting that Iran's president-elect may have played a key role in the 1989 execution-style slayings of an Iranian Kurdish leader and two associates in Vienna, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Austria's Interior Ministry and the public prosecutor's office are investigating alleged evidence pointing to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's possible involvement in the attack, the daily Der Standard reported.

Officials were not immediately available to comment on the report Saturday.

The allegations against Ahmadinejad come as some of the Americans who were taken captive in Iran in 1979 implicate the newly elected leader in the hostage crisis. Radical Iranian students took over the U.S. Embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

In Austria, Green Party leader Peter Pilz told the newspaper he wants a warrant issued for the arrest of Ahmadinejad, who he alleged "stands under strong suspicion of having been involved."

Pilz accused the hard-liner of planning the murders of Kurdish resistance leader Abdul-Rahman Ghassemlou and two of his colleagues, all of whom were shot in the head at a Vienna apartment by Iranian commandos on July 13, 1989. A fourth victim survived the attack and was able to crawl out of the apartment and alert Austrian authorities.

From IslamOnline, with thanks to the Norwegian Kafir:

VIENNA, March 16, 2205 - Austrian Interior Minister Liese Prokop has backtracked on anti-hijab statements, thanks to immediate and astute action from the Muslim minority in the south-central European country.

"I respect Muslim women and their right to choose their attire," Prokop said in press statements carried by IslamOnline.net Tuesday, March 15.

She shifted her ground following a visit by a delegation led by Amina
Baghajati, the media spokeswoman for the Islamic Religious Authority (IGG), the main representative body of the Muslim minority in Austria.

Prokop told the state-run Falter magazine on March 8 that she strongly supported banning hijab-clad women from teaching in schools.

"I consider now the legality of banning hijab in schools," Prokop told the state-run Falter Magazine Tuesday, March 8. "But, anyhow, I will throw my weight about the ban."

Expectedly, the minister's statements raised the ire of the Muslim minority and government officials with Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel saying Prokop was in no position to address such an issue.

Reinforcing the eminent status they enjoy under Islam, Austrian Muslim women established last month the Muslim Women Forum in Austria (FMFO) as an affiliate to the IGG to get the message across.

"The eminent status they enjoy under Islam"? The eminence of getting beaten for disobedience (cf. Qur'an 4:34)?

Internet Haganah (thanks to Ron for the heads-up) notes that an Al-Qaeda site has posted a map of Vienna with a site marked:

This is an underground parking garage [tiefgarage] in the center of Vienna in the immediate vicinity of the Vienna State Opera House, the Grand Hotel and numerous other tourist attractions. We don't have enough information yet about the file, who posted it, who is linking to it, etc., to be able to accurately assess whether this is a potential target, and if so, how great and imminent a threat it is. However, in light of what is above the tiefgarage...

Herzl (AP)

From AP, with thanks to Mary Lou:

VIENNA, Austria -- Plans to name a Vienna square after Zionist Theodor Herzl drew protest Tuesday from the Arab League, which urged city fathers to reconsider for the sake of continued "good relations" with the Arab world.

Representatives of Vienna's Islamic community also opposed the plan to honor the founder of Zionism, the movement to establish the state of Israel.

But municipal officials said Islamic opposition came late and was unlikely to derail the plan, which is part of celebrations to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death on July 3.

The plan is expected to be put to a vote this week in the council, which is dominated by Social Democratic allies of Mayor Michael Haeupl. Most other parties in the council also back the proposal.

The Vienna mission of the 22-nation Arab League sent a letter to Haeupl expressing its "regret" at the decision to honor a man whose name "represents a sad memory for Arabs and Muslims."

The letter, which was dated April 29, also suggested the plan could lead to terrorism.

Is that a threat?

"We believe that this plan is bad timing because of the tense situation in the Middle East and Iraq and therefore will not serve the cause of good relations between Austria and the Arab-Islamic world," said the letter, made available to The Associated Press.

It contrasted the plan with the "clever politics that has protected Austria up until today from conflicts and problems."

But Arab League spokesman Ali Maan conceded that "we can do nothing" beyond urging the Austrian capital to reconsider.

With Austria moving from denial to acceptance of its part in the Holocaust over the past two decades, Vienna's decision to commemorate Herzl is the latest in a series of posthumous honors bestowed on the country's famous Jews.

Carna Amina Baghajati, a spokeswoman for Vienna's 120,000-strong Islamic community, also criticized the plan.

She suggested a square be named instead for Mohammad Asad, the Austrian-born Jew who changed his name from Leopold Weiss, converted to Islam and went on to become an honored 19th century Muslim scholar.

Interesting suggestion. Vienna is honoring "the country's famous Jews," in a belated acknowledgement of all that they contributed to the city and to Europe in the past. Baghajati wants them instead to honor a Jew who became a Muslim -- perhaps a fitting emblem of what lies ahead for Europe.