7 Muslims Arrested in Ireland in Plot to Kill Swedish Cartoonist

Breaking news from the BBC:

Seven people have been arrested in the Irish Republic over an alleged plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist for depicting the Prophet Muhammad, police say.

The four men and three women are all Muslim, according to media reports, though a police statement did not confirm this.

Cartoonist Lars Vilks had depicted the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog in the Nerikes Allehanda newspaper.

Islamic militants then put a $100,000 (£67,000) bounty on his head.

Irish police said the seven suspects were arrested after an investigation that also involved police in the US and other European countries.

The suspects ranged in age from their mid-20s to late-40s.

Ireland's RTE news network reported that five were detained in Waterford and two others in Cork.

An update from the BBC news site:

RTE said those in custody were originally refugees from Morocco and Yemen, but had gained asylum and were in the Republic of Ireland legally.

Mr Vilks has been under police protection in Sweden since threats were made against his life.

In 2007 a group linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq offered a $100,000 reward for killing Mr Vilks, and a 50% bonus if he was "slaughtered like a lamb" by having his throat cut.

It offered another $50,000 for the murder of Ulf Johansson, editor-in-chief of the regional newspaper, Nerikes Allehanda.

News on Lisbon from Ireland

On 2nd October 2009, the people of Ireland will be given their second opportunity to vote on The Treaty of Lisbon, i.e. the European Constitution Mark II.

The very fact that they have to vote again after rejecting the treaty (which must be ratified by all EU member states to become binding) speaks volumes, but many predict that this time the 'yes' campaign could clinch the deal.

The economic crisis and the idea that Ireland would be cast out of the European Union in every meaningful sense if they vote no a second time seems to have somewhat overshadowed the flagrant bullying and double standards meted out since the people last spoke their minds.

Most of the threats are implicit; "What would Ireland's place in Europe be if it rejected the Treaty a second time?"

Never mind the right of the Irish people to decide the fate and direction of their own nation. Never mind the blood spilt in the struggle for Irish sovereignty, independence, freedom, nationhood. Never mind that the voters of France and The Netherlands have already rejected the thing, resoundingly, when given the opportunity.

This time, once more, the Irish are the only voters in the entire EU who get a democratic say on the ratification of a document which purports to 'tidy up' the EU's powers, but will actually see powerful centralisation and further integration occur.

We have already had an unelected Prime Minister speak on our behalf, despite promising a referendum on the Treaty.

Despite all of this, as I said, many have predicted the 'yes' side have it all sewn up this time. Of my two Irish friends, one is in favour of 'yes' and already jubilant at the scent of victory, and the other favours 'no' - but still thinks it is a lost cause.

But is it? The latest poll results look promising:

A new opinion poll shows that there has been a massive surge in support for the No side, which, if it holds till voting day would result in the Lisbon Treaty being heavily defeated by a margin of 59% NO ‘V’ 41% YES.

In one of the largest polls of its kind ever carried out: Gael Poll polled 1,500 respondents in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny, Galway, Athlone, Tralee, Dundalk and Letterkenny over the course of six days last week.The respondents were asked one single question: How do you intend to vote in the Lisbon Treaty Referendum?

A substantial 723 (59 %) said they intended voting No as opposed to 502 (41%) who indicated that they would vote Yes. The survey also showed that 15% percent of voters were still undecided. When pollsters discounted the don't knows: an overwhelming 59% of people would vote No in the referendum as opposed to 41% who indicated that they would vote Yes.

The last Gael Poll which was published in the Irish Sun (June 4th 2008)
accurately predicted that the Lisbon Treaty would be defeated by a margin of 54 % for the No side versus 46% for Yes campaigners.

On the day of the count -which took place nine days later- the actual result was 53.4% No and 46.6 % Yes.

The uncanny poll prediction which was out by only a half a percent was the
most accurate poll in the country.

It seems there is certainly cause for hope.

For any undecided Irish voters who may stumble across this, I urge you to watch Daniel Hannan's appeal to the people of Ireland:

I too have faith in the outcome - the people of Ireland know more than most the price of freedom and the cost of servitude.

Local Residents Force Closure of Unofficial Mosque

The following story comes to us from Ireland via the Times:

A mosque operating from a house in Lucan, Co Dublin, has been forced to close following complaints by local residents and the intervention of a local TD and a minister of state.

The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland (ICCI) has for the past six years operated a prayer centre at a detached house in Liffey Road, at the edge of a residential estate. It has now been closed after officials from South Dublin county council discovered that it had no planning permission, following a tip-off from residents.

Relations between locals and those using the mosque have deteriorated in recent months, with the residents’ association claiming that some of its members were verbally abused and one assaulted after complaining about illegal parking outside the mosque.

Residents, who insist their objections are not motivated by religious discrimination, claim the use of the property by more than 30 people at “unsociable hours” is causing persistent disturbance and damaging community relations.

Until it was closed, prayers were said five times daily at the mosque, beginning an hour before dawn and ending one-and-a-half hours after sunset. Residents complained that cars arriving for the earliest prayer in particular disrupted their sleep. They said they were compelled to report planning violations by users of the mosque to the local council after “exhausting all other options”.

Last week, the council refused the ICCI permission to turn the house into a purpose-built cultural, social and prayer centre after politicians, including Fianna Fail’s John Curran, a junior minister with responsibility for drugs and community affairs, and Paul Gogarty, a Green party TD, added their objections to those of residents.

In a letter signed by more than 150 people, the Liffey Valley Park Residents’ Association objected to the use of the house as a place of worship, claiming that the “unofficial mosque” had caused chaos for residents and was creating divisions in the community because of its fundamental unsuitability. In a letter from the Green party, Gogarty, Dr Kevin Farrell and Councillor Dorothy Corrigan said they supported the submission made by the association. Eamon Tuffy, a Labour councillor, also stated objections to the planning application.

The council ruled last week that turning the house into a mosque would have a negative impact on neighbouring properties and set an undesirable precedent.

In its planning application, the ICCI said there was a pressing need for a prayer centre for the approximately 150 Muslims living in the area, 30 of them in Liffey Valley Park. It said that the centre would only be used by between 15 and 20 people most days, with 30 to 35 attending during the holy month of Ramadan.

A letter accompanying the ICCI’s planning application stated: “Many other organisations and families that dwell in housing estates around the country — whether it is religious, recreational activities such as yoga or simply birthday parties — can cause high levels of traffic at a certain time. This development is no different and should not be refused on the grounds of insufficient parking.”

It also argued that there were currently no facilities in Lucan dedicated to the Muslim faith, “where members can meet in a place of peace and tranquillity for reflection”.

It is good news that the council saw through the 'this is just like having a birthday party' ruse - most people have one per year if that, not one for each day of the year beginning at dawn.

Still, it is sad that Ireland needs an organisation dedicated to Islamic 'culture'.