NEWS ABOUT MASONS AND FREEMASONRY
Freemasons condemn Togo election
BBC - May 17/05 - Freemasons in Benin have said they are unhappy with last month's elections in neighbouring Togo and condemned the world's acceptance of the results.
Marius Adjovi, the master of the Grand Benin lodge, told the BBC that he was shocked at the support given to the regime, which officially won the poll.
He said he was speaking to freemasons in France and West Africa with the aim of encouraging talks in Togo.
Freemasons are very influential in French-speaking African countries.
Last year, Presidents Omar Bongo of Gabon and Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Congo publicly attended a freemasons meeting in Nice.
'Dangerous'
Faure Gnassingbe, ruling party candidate and son of the long-time president who died in February, won more than 60% of the votes, according to official results.
The opposition, however, allege widespread fraud.
Thousands have fled Togo since the election
Violent protests at the results left at least 22 people dead.
Most of the 26,000 people who have fled Togo since the elections have sought refuge in Benin.
Mr Adjovi told BBC Afrique that the situation remained "potentially dangerous".
"We express our outrage at the support given by the African Union, Ecowas [West Africa's regional body] and western organisations to the regime in place," he said.
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Man killed in Masonic gun ritual
BBC - Mar 10/04 - An initiation ceremony at a Masonic Lodge in New York has ended in tragedy after a man was killed during a ritual for new members.
William James was accidentally shot in the head when a lodge member used a real gun instead of a blank pistol by mistake.
The alleged gunman, a freemason aged 74, has been charged with manslaughter.
It was supposed to have been the climax of the initiation rituals at the Southside Masonic Lodge in Long Island.
Police said that William James was forced to sit in a chair with a gun pointed straight at him.
Aim was to frighten
Cans were placed on a small platform around his head.
When the gun was fired another member was supposed to knock the cans off as if they had been hit by bullets.
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QC hits back over Freemasons link
Gerard Elias "surprised" to be called a prominent freemason
Mar 2004 - BBC - A top barrister at the centre of an assembly appointments row has hit back at the First Secretary Rhodri Morgan.
It follows suggestions that he was prominently linked with freemasonry and hunting.
Gerard Elias QC was responding to an assembly statement by Mr Morgan, explaining why he did not want the post of the assembly counsel general to go to him.
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Scotland - Masons in Legal Professions allowed to Conceal Membership
and Influence
BBC - Nov 4 / 2002 - Councillors in Scotland will not be forced to declare membership of the freemasons, according to the new standards watchdog for local government.
Professor Hugh Begg will take up the post in the next few weeks.
In his first newspaper interview he ruled out drawing up a list of organisations in which councillors ought to declare an interest.
The statement was greeted with disappointment by the convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee, Mike Rumbles.
Mike Rumbles said he was disappointed
Professor Begg said it will be left up to Scotland's 1,200 councillors to declare any memberships they personally believe to be relevant.
Professor Begg told the Herald newspaper that councillors would be told to err on the side of caution and declare any interests which "members of the public might reasonably think could influence their actions".
Scottish Parliament - Freemasons Come Out of the Closet
BBC - Feb1/2002 - Four Scottish Tories have become the first members of the Scottish Parliament to reveal themselves as freemasons.
Keith Harding, the MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, said he was proud to be a mason, but that it had "no influence whatsoever" on his political life.
Mr Harding was prompted to register his membership of the masons after the standards committee earlier this week cast what he called "aspersions" on the secret organisation.
Fellow MSPs Phil Gallie, Jamie McGrigor and Brian Monteith later declared themselves as masons but have not registered their memberships with the committee.
The party's chief whip, Alex Johnstone, estimated that about a third of Tory MSPs were masons, although he said he was not.
Mr Harding said that if a fellow mason tried to influence him in his political role - or in his former role as a magistrate - he would ignore him.
He went on: "I am not afraid to declare the fact that I am a mason and if they (the committee) want to know, then I will tell them
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Scotland - Scottish Tory Party Leader David McLetchie has revealed that he was a freemason.
BBC - Feb 6/2002 - Last week, after four Tory MSPs declared their masonic membership, Mr McLetchie told BBC Scotland that he was not in the organisation.
Keith Harding, the Tory MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife, last week said he was proud to be a mason, but that it had "no influence whatsoever" on his political life.
Mr Harding registered his membership of the masons after the standards committee cast what he described as "aspersions" on the secret organisation.
Fellow MSPs Phil Gallie, Jamie McGrigor and Brian Monteith then declared themselves as masons but had not registered their memberships with the committee.
The controversy began when Scottish National Party MSP Tricia Marwick challenged fellow MSPs to declare membership of organisatons like the freemasons and the Knights of St Columba.
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Al-Qaddafi/Kaddafi claimed to be a Mason
ArabicNews - Sep 28/2000 - Libyan separatist Abdul Majid al-Ja'eika, the main witness in the trial of the two Libyans who are suspected to be involved in the Lockerbie case at the Scottish court in Holland claimed that the Libyan President Muammar
al-Qaddafi is a Mason.
The defendant lawyer Richard Keen asked al-Jai'eika " How did you discovered that col. Qaddafi is a Mason?" He replied that a person that he cannot disclose his identity for " security reasons" told him that Qaddafi is a Mason.
Keen reminded al-Jai'eika that he in the past introduced himself to his heads
[bosses] that he is a relative for King Idris al-Sanousi, the last Libyan King,
al-Jai'eika said that " this is not correct." The lawyer replies " Mr. Jai'eika " you are a liar. Are not you and the latter replied " I have never lied."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/000928/2000092815.html
Call to uncover freemason judges
BBC - Oct 12/2000 - A man who is facing trial in Scotland has begun legal proceedings which could force judges to put on record if they are freemasons or members of a secret society.
Thomas Monogue, 55, from Dunfermline, faces a housebreaking charge, but he claims that if his hearing is presided over by a freemason it will not be impartial.
The company director is using the European Convention on Human Rights to make his claim.
He told Sheriff Stuart Forbes at Dunfermline on Thursday: "I contend there is a possibility that a court presided over by a freemason deciding my guilt would not be impartial to me as a non-freemason or could discriminate against me.
A sheriff's membership of a masonic brotherhood infringes my human rights and damages the impartiality of the court.
Thomas Monogue
"This is based on my understanding of the promise freemasons make, swearing in effect that they will give a brother mason the benefit of the doubt in interpreting all things, including the law.
"In the event this request is refused, before I take the oath, or at some other early stage in my defence, I or my counsel be granted the opportunity to address the learned judge who is conducting my trial, with the question, 'are you a freemasons?'."
Mr Monogue said that if the judge declines to answer the question then he will not co-operate or recognise the impartiality of the court.
"A sheriff's membership of a masonic brotherhood infringes my human rights and damages the impartiality of the court," he added.
Human rights law
The case is due to be heard on 27 October by Sheriff Isabella McColl.
But a preliminary hearing will now take place on 19 October in which Mr Monogue, managing director of Kingdom Engineering, will argue his case based on the human rights law.
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Masonic activities banned in Jordan
ArabicNews - Sep 6/99 - Jordan - Jordanian Minister of the Interior Nayef
al-Qadi has asserted that his ministry will not permit any activity to be carried out by Masonic circles in the Jordanian territories, SANA reported.
In statements to reporters in Amman on Tuesday, the Jordanian minister added that these "Masonic activities" are within the activities that are banned in Jordan.
The assertions of the Jordanian minister came following news rumored on the intention of the Masons' headquarters in Jordan to hold a celebration tomorrow, during which the investiture ceremony of the chairman of the Mason headquarters will be held in the presence of the representatives of Masons' headquarters in certain Arab states and the chairman of the Masons of the world, Lord Burton.
The Jordanian minister asserted that the security forces will prevent such a meeting.
Top judge backs Concealing secret Masons' membership
BBC- Mar 18/1998 - The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Bingham, has said he sees no reason why judges should declare their membership of the Freemasons.
Lord Bingham: "one should be entitled to privacy"
Lord Bingham said: "Our position is and has always been that no-one has ever been able to suggest that there has ever been a vestige of evidence that any judge in any case ever in this country has been diverted from his duty by any conflict arising from Freemasonic association."
The Lord Chief Justice, the most senior judge in England and Wales, was appearing before the Home Affairs Select committee of MPs on the eve of a meeting of The Judges' Council.
Following its recommendations, the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, said new judges would be forced to reveal whether they were masons.
The United Grand Lodge - masonry's governing body - will be asked to provide lists of sitting judges who are in the secret society.
Jack Straw wants to see Freemasons out in the open
If the lodge refuses, judges will be asked to reveal their membership. If that fails, legislation may follow to force them to do so.
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New judges must declare masonic membership
BBC - Mar 5/1998 - Jack Straw's move follows a 1997 Home Affairs Committee report into masons and the judiciary
Freemasons who join the police or judiciary in England have to declare their membership of the ancient fraternal society.
The move, which was introduced last month by Home Secretary Jack Straw, means serving judges will also be asked to make a voluntary declaration but will not be compelled to do so.
It will also apply to magistrates, crown prosecutors, prison staff and probation officers.
Mr Straw said recently that the government would create a register of masons working in the criminal justice system unless they were prepared to name themselves.
He said: "Membership of secret societies such as freemasonry can raise suspicions of a lack of impartiality or objectivity. It is therefore important the public know the facts."
A society with secrets
Mr Straw added: "...I think it is widely accepted that one secret they should not be keeping is who their members are in the criminal justice system."
Last year's Home Affairs Committee report into "Freemasons in the Police and the Judiciary" found widespread suspicion about masonic links.
It recommended judges and police officers be forced to declare masonic membership but the measure was delayed for months because of a row between Mr Straw and the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, over whether judges should be included.
Freemasons - moral guardians or
centers of corruption?
BBC - Mar 18/1998 - Masonic rules state that members must do all they can to support each other, to look after each other and to keep each others' lawful secrets.
For those breaking the rules, the penalties are outlined in bizarre initiation rituals.
New members are blindfolded, wearing a hangman's noose and are warned their throat will be slit, their tongue torn out and then they will be buried in the sand.
The rituals are all too similar to those of the Cosa Nostra and the Triads....
They say all that is needed to join is a belief in a god, not necessarily the Christian God, and a good reputation.
They insist a mason who is a judge, for example, could not be put in a compromising position because freemasonry demands members respect the law.
Masons date with destiny
There have also been questions about masonic involvement in the John Stalker disciplinary hearing, which forced the former Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester to abandon his inquiry into an alleged shoot-to-kill policy being operated in Northern Ireland.
So far the masons summoned, Commander Michael Higham, Grand Secretary of the United Lodge of England, and John Hamill, the lodge's librarian have refused to reveal the names of masons involved in the cases.
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