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TAGS: OPRC KPAO AU
 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS: September 14, 2007 
 
 
Young Muslims Reject Violence 
 
¶1. A recent survey carried out by the University of Vienna's 
Institute of Sociology has revealed that the majority of 
second-generation Muslims living in Austria rejects and condemns 
violence as a tool to spread their faith. In addition, 77 percent of 
the interviewees have distanced themselves from Muslims carrying out 
attacks in Europe. The number of Muslims living in Austria has risen 
sharply over the past decades, Austrian media note. 
According to mass-circulation daily Kurier, the Islamic Community in 
Austria, and with it the about 40,000 Muslims living in the country, 
is in a difficult situation, given its fragmentation, which makes 
certain groups prone to reactionary or extremist forces. Turkish 
Muslims in particular are critical of the Islamic community and its 
leader Anas Shakfeh, claiming that "the community only speaks for a 
small fraction of Muslims in Austria - for those who pay the 
membership fee. All others have no say at all," complains Yavuz 
Kuscu, the President of the Turkish-Austrian Trade Association. 
Kuscu points to the "poor training of teachers" of Islam in Austria, 
with about "30 to 40 percent preaching a one-sided and 
fundamentalist interpretation of the Koran," and warns that "if 
reforms are not carried out soon, Austria will become a breeding 
ground for fundamentalists." 
 
 
Fourth Arrest in Terror Suspect Case 
 
¶2. Police in Canada have arrested a man in connection with the three 
suspected Austrian militants taken into custody in Vienna on 
Wednesday. The man arrested in Ottawa was in close contact via the 
internet with the group in Vienna, according to the Austrian 
Interior Ministry. The main suspect among the three persons arrested 
in Austria has been identified as the leader of an Islamist 
organization, the Islamic Youth Austria (IJOe), which had drawn 
attention to itself with extremist and anti-democratic statements in 
the past. The Muslim community in Austria has repeatedly distanced 
itself from the group. 
Semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung, reporting on the arrest of four 
suspected militants, three in Austria and one in Canada, says that 
the Austrian and international intelligence services had had their 
sights on the key suspect and his father for years. The 22-year-old 
founder of the Muslim youth organization IJOe has been known to 
glorify the Taliban and also called for a boycott of the 2006 
general election in Austria, which he labeled "un-Islamic." The 
Wiener Zeitung also quotes the head of the Islamic Community in 
Austria, Anas Shakfeh, as stressing that he welcomed the arrests. 
Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen also applauded the move, but 
cautioned against "hysteria" that could lead to a backlash against 
Austria's Muslim residents. Meanwhile, FPOe boss Heinz-Christian 
Strache has demanded that the Islamic community be stripped of its 
rights as a "statutory body," including its right to collect 
membership fees. Mass-circulation daily Kurier writes that the BZOe 
has called for the introduction of a "special commission on Islam" 
in Austria, as well as round-the-clock observation of Islamic 
institutions in the country. Justice Minister Maria Berger and the 
SPOe have dismissed the call for harsh measures as proposed by the 
FPOe and BZOe. SPOe floor leader Josef Cap argues that "it would be 
dangerous to marginalize Islam as such, because that would only 
benefit the radical forces' goals." Similarly, in independent 
provincial daily Salzburger Nachrichte, political analyst and 
religious expert Michael Ley warns against marginalizing Muslims or 
forcing them into illegality, and calls for a state-run training 
program for imams. According to Ley, "Austria is probably less of a 
potential target than Germany or France. But whether it is safe, is 
hard to say." A really important step, the expert continues, would 
be "to establish close cooperation of Muslim circles with the 
Austrian authorities. This would be decisive, because the Muslim 
population is much more aware of threat potentials within their own 
circles." However, "outlawing mosques," as some far-right 
politicians in Austria have called for, "would accomplish nothing." 
 
 
 
No GM-Free Zone 
 
¶3. The European Court of Justice has ruled that Upper Austria may 
not impose a complete ban on genetically modified farming, thereby 
isolating itself as a "GM free zone." Upper Austria introduced a ban 
in 2002, which was rejected by the EU Commission in 2003 and 
unsuccessfully appealed by the province in 2005. The final ruling 
has now put an end to Upper Austria's latest plea of annulment. 
Like several Austrian media, semi-official daily Wiener Zeitung 
reports on the European Court of Justice's rejection of Upper 
Austria's ban on genetically modified farming. Within the EU, Upper 
Austria has earned a reputation as a "Gallic village" for its 
campaign against the use of genetically modified plants. The region 
sees itself as a pioneer of GM-free farming, for which it also has 
the broad support of residents and farmers. In light of strict EU 
import restrictions on GM foods, the court's decision seems somewhat 
paradoxical, the Wiener Zeitung argues. Despite the ruling, 
precautionary legislation in Upper Austria, which remains 
uncontested by the EU, makes it difficult for farmers to get 
permission to use GM seeds and plants. 
 
 
Bush Pledges Iraq Troop Reduction 
 
¶4. US President George Bush has announced the limited withdrawal of 
US troops from Iraq. In a televised address to the nation Thursday, 
the President said he had accepted the recommendations of the top US 
military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, that over 5,000 
personnel could be home bQristmas, while thousands more may be 
withdrawn by summer next year. A commentator for ORF radio argues 
that President Bush's announcement of a partial withdrawal is "not 
really surprising." The commentator suggests there is "no genuine 
change of course" in the Bush administration's Iraq policy. He also 
quotes the US President as stressing that the US presence in Iraq 
would continue beyond his presidency. 
"Successor to inherit Iraq," headlines mass-circulation provincial 
daily Kleine Zeitung, reporting like several major Austrian media on 
President Bush's televised address on Iraq Thursday.  The US 
President, the daily continues, is "stubbornly sticking to his 
notorious mistakes."  The "real problem for whoever succeeds Bush 
will be that any kind of solution for Iraq will have a series of 
harmful side-effects," says the daily. Centrist daily Die Presse 
runs the headlinQBush's Iraq plan under fire," and explains that 
for the Democrats, the partial troop withdrawal as announced by the 
US President is not far-reaching enough. The daily quotes 
presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton as criticizing the President's 
plan as "too little, too late," and "unacceptable for Congress and 
the people, who have made it clear they want to bring the troops 
home and end the war." Independent provincial daily Salzburger 
Nachrichten reports on what it calls a "Democrat counterstrike." 
According to the newspaper, the "US Democrats are changing their 
strategy: Instead of calling for a definite date for the pullout of 
US forces from Iraq, they now want to re-define the military's 
mandate in Iraq." At the heart of their strategy is the so-called 
"Mission Transmission," which envisaged putting US troops in charge 
of controlling Iraq's borders, training Iraqi security forces and 
fighting terrorists. This, the Democrats argue, could be done with 
less than half of the 130,000 troops. 
 
 
Iraqi Insurgents Kill Key US Ally 
 
¶5. An Iraqi tribal leader and key Sunni ally of the US and Iraqi 
governments has been killed in a bomb attack in the city of Ramadi 
in the western Iraqi province of Anbar. Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu 
Risha was the leader of an alliance of Sunni Arab tribes that rose 
up against al Qaeda in Iraq. The White House has harshly condemned 
the attack, Austrian media say, according to ORF online news. 
 
 
Interview with General Obering 
 
¶6. A leading Austrian daily publishes an interview with General 
Henry Obering, who has been heading the US Missile Defense Agency 
MDA since 2004. Gen. Obering said the US welcomed the Russian 
missile defense system, and warned against the growing threat from 
Iran, which will "become quite apparent." He also discussed topics 
including Austrian Defense Minister Darbos' statements on the US 
missile defense plans. 
In an interview with centrist daily Die Presse, General Henry 
Obering, the head of the US Missile Defense Agency, said that he is 
"confident" regarding the acceptance of the US missile defense 
plans. "In the coming months, the threat will become more apparent - 
to the extent that we can't ignore it any longer. On the other hand, 
support from the governments of NATO members for the project is 
growing." Iran "will make that clear. Even now, they have a very 
intensive missile development program. Taking their progress and 
developments into account, I assume Iran will soon take steps that 
will make the danger apparent." The General also believes that in 
the case of Tehran, deterrence won't work: "Not with this kind of 
government. We cannot count on reasonable governments or leaders 
here. Just listen to the rhetoric: North Korea sees itself at war 
with the US, but Iran is talking about wiping entire countries off 
the map. Besides, the missiles were developed and distributed in 
large numbers. So there's the threat that terrorists could gain 
access to the missiles, or that a radical Islamic group within a 
government gains control of them and launches an attack to further 
its own interests." 
McCaw