Western civilization is under assault and bowing is not a solution

As we in the United States sat in horror, watching the views of a dozen people mowed down by Islamic gunmen in the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine, we were confronted once again, with the stark fact that there is a civilizational clash between Western liberal democracies and the world of Islamism.

Many of us first became aware of the disproportionate extent of rage that the Islamists have over any depiction of their prophet in 1988, when Salman Rushdie first published his Satanic Verses. This fictionalized account of the prophet Mohammed led to a fatwa calling for his assassination, bringing the writer into hiding for most of his life. This was the opening salvo on our Western freedoms, fired from Tehran, by none other than the Iranian Supreme leader, the late Ayatollah Rouhella Khomeini on Feb. 14, 1989.

Rupert Murdoch lost his Saudi prince and his Australian media empire is now vulnerable

The Sun King, Rupert Murdoch, lost the support of his prince last week – and almost lost control of his media empire as a result.

But the real problem for Murdoch is that this war is far from over, and there are serious implications for News Corp’s struggling print empire in Australia – the weak underbelly that will be targeted by investors.

Long time Murdoch backer, the Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, kept on the sidelines last week as the News Corp founder faced an unprecedented investor revolt against the structure that entrenches his family’s control of the company with a minority stake.

The Murdoch family owns just 12 per cent of News Corp, but they own 40 per cent of the shares which control the company.