| Urdu Section | |
| 01 Nov 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Madrasa reform: Indian Muslim intellectuals express different opinions | |
| URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2029
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
New Indian Shia Personal Board Nikah Namah (Marriage Contract)
| Books and Documents | |
| 31 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| New Indian Shia Personal Board Nikah Namah (Marriage Contract) | |
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| In the Holy Quran importance and virtues of Nikah have been described in many occasions in very clear terms. In the Hadith (hadees) of Rasool-ul-lah and in the sermons of Imams importance and virtues of Nikah have repeatedly been told. URL of this page: http://newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2024 ------
New Indian Shia Personal Board Nikah Namah (Marriage Contract) Thu Oct 29, 2009 In The Name Of Allah The Beneficent And The Merciful
1. Within the bounds of the Shariah, the bridegroom will not impose unwarranted restrictions upon me. URL of this page: http://newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2024
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Shah Rukh Khan could be Lashkar target
| Islamic World News | |
| 01 Nov 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Shah Rukh Khan could be Lashkar target | |
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Muslim-Jewish Reflections: Zuleikha in the Qur'an and in the Bible 'Positive' Ramdev to address moulvis Muslims not monolithic in politics, culture, religion Abdullah Will Quit Afghan Election, Sources Say Fraud surrounds women voters in Afghan election US may grant asylum to battered spouses Vatican flays superstitious Halloween as anti-Christian India protests Pak's ceasefire violation India's fate linked with that of its neighbours: PM PM invites opposition to share dais in J&K Love Jihad: Muslim leaders making clean image for the culprits – BJP From Iraq, Lessons for the Next War 'Hard to believe Pak clueless on Qaida': Clinton Pakistan Ulema term Hillary Clinton's visit successful Clinton Makes Personal Bid to Resume Mideast Talks US in new push for Mid-East peace Indonesia on alert for tsunami drill Bomb kills soldiers in Pakistan Israel levels Palestinian homes Senior Iran MPs Reject U.N. Atom Fuel Plan U.S. Army Sending First Buddhist Chaplain to Iraq The Detroit 'Ummah' and Radical Islam in America 48 arrested in Manchester's anti-Islam demo Hijab should be allowed at work, says Muslim doc Historic mosque in Islamic Cairo undergoes an elaborate renewal Batla encounter: Apex court says no to plea for judicial probe Handler to 26/11 terrorist: Two Pak cricketers in Taj Racketeering counts considered; FBI upsets Muslims No pre-paid mobiles in J&K from Nov 1 British bullets too small to fell 'high' Taliban Pilgrimage to Mecca begins for Muslims Smooth rifts with Indonesians: expert Nawal Saadawi says no to Muslim Brotherhood Panthers' Muhammad, two others out for Sunday Radical Somali-Canadians potential threat: RCMP boss Dearborn Shoot-Out Opens a Window into Home-grown Terror Rally Behind Denmark ByDiana West Compiled by Aman Quadri URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2028 ---------
Shah Rukh Khan could be Lashkar target New Delhi, October 30, 2009 A US government source has said from Washington that the actor "Rahul" mentioned in one of arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley's emails could be Shah Rukh Khan.
The revelation comes as an Intelligence Bureau and Research & Analysis Wing team leaves for the US next week to meet FBI officials in connection with the arrest of the LeT operative. "We do not have many details yet," the source said over the phone, " but we have gathered that the ' Rahul' mentioned in the FBI affidavit could most possibly be Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan. We presume he was codenamed thus because his characters are often named Rahul in many of the movies he has acted in." The affidavit was filed by the FBI in a Chicago court, and mentions that Headley, in an email on July 8, said, " I think when we get a chance we should revisit our last location again and say Hi to Rahul." The email was addressed to a senior LeT leader whose name the FBI merely put as ' LeT Individual A'. Headley had confessed to the FBI that ' Rahul' referred to a "prominent Indian actor" but had not divulged his real name. He even asked the LeT leader he was conversing with whether he should stay in Rahul's city for long, to which the leader responded that it would take around two to four weeks and added he had real estate plans for a place outside Rahul's city. Meanwhile, in New Delhi on Thursday, home minister P. Chidambaram confirmed that the government is "working with the FBI to follow up on what needs to be done in India while they are investigating what needs to be done in the US". He also added that the FBI had shared with India documents, like the complaint and affidavit filed by it in the court, a little while before they were made public. Headley was arrested by the FBI earlier this month at Chicago's O'Hare airport while boarding a flight to Philadelphia scheduled to land in Pakistan. According to the FBI, the 49- year- old alleged LeT operative was also scheduled to visit India soon, presumably to execute the LeT's terror plans, most probably similar to the attacks on Mumbai's prominent locations last November. The FBI affidavit also mentions that Headley's prime contact in the LeT was Ilyas Kashmiri, the chief of Harkat- ul- Jihad- al Islami's ( HuJI) operations in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir. HuJI is a Pakistan- based terrorist organisation alleged to have links with the Al Qaeda. Headley was arrested along with a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin named Tahawar Rana, who owns grocery stores in Chicago. However, Rana's lawyer insists that his client was " duped" by Headley into a plan that included the killing of 74- year- old Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who drew a cartoon depicting Prophet Mohammed in a local newspaper. He is currently underground and under the protection of the Danish intelligence. Courtesy: Mail Today --- On Taliban hunt, troops find 9/11 link in passport Jane Perlez & Mark Mazzetti 31 Oct 2009 SHERWANGAI: Pakistani forces pushing toward a lair of hard-core Taliban fighters found documents this week linked to a member of the Hamburg cell of al-Qaida that is believed to have planned the September 11 terrorist attacks. In a small village in the dun-coloured hills of South Waziristan, soldiers found a German passport belonging to Said Bahaji, an associate of Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers. The passport was issued in Hamburg in August 2, 2001 and was accompanied by a Pakistani visa dated August 3, 2001. The documents indicated that Bahaji landed in Karachi from Istanbul on September 4, 2001. The apparent presence of Bahaji in the tribal areas of Pakistan is a clear indication that members of the Qaida network — including participants in the 9/11 plot — have taken refuge here, as US officials, like secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Thursday, have charged. There was no indication that Bahaji had left Pakistan, authorities said. Although Bahaji was not a central plotter in the 9/11 attacks, he lived for eight months in Hamburg with Atta and Ramzi bin al Shibh, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. He was described in the report as "an insecure follower with no personality and with limited knowledge of Islam." It added: "Atta and Binalshibh used Bahaji's computer for internet, as evidenced by diskettes seized by German authorities after 9/11." A US counterterrorism official said the documents "appear to be this guy," and that US officials believe "he's in Pakistan and is a senior Qaida propagandist". Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/On-Taliban-hunt-troops-find-9/11-link-in-passport/articleshow/5182292.cms ------ 'Positive' Ramdev to address moulvis New Delhi, Oct. 30: From L.K. Advani and N.D. Tiwari to Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav, they all swear by him. Now yoga guru Baba Ramdev, whose influence stretches across virtually the whole spectrum of Indian politics, will add another feather to his cap. Come November 3, he will address half a million moulvis together at Darul Uloom Deoband along with Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, the duo becoming the first non-Muslim religious leaders ever to speak at perhaps India's most influential Islamic seminary. The occasion is the annual conclave of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, the parent body of the seminary and one of the country's largest Muslim organisations. Sources said 5 lakh moulvis were expected at the general session, to be held on a huge ground in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh. "Baba Ramdev has kindly agreed to address our convention. We wanted him to be part of our programme as he is an important personality in today's India. He wields a lot of positive impact on a number of people. Moreover, he has great respect for Deoband and the Jamiat,'' said N.A. Farooquie of the Jamiat. The Ramdev-Deoband connection began apparently when the seminary issued a fatwa in favour of yoga after Malaysian clerics last year banned Muslims from practising the discipline. The Darul Uloom said it did not find anything objectionable in Muslims practising yoga, preventing the controversy from spilling over into India. "Yoga is a good form of exercise. If some words that are supposed to be chanted while performing it have religious connotations, then Muslims need not utter those. They can instead recite verses from the Quran or praise Allah or remain silent," the Darul Uloom had said. Ramdev too had declared that one could do yoga without pronouncing "Om", substituting for it a prolonged utterance of "Allah" or "God". The yoga guru and the Jamiat have agreed on other issues too. Both had backed Advani's demand earlier this year that the government try to bring back tainted Indian money stashed in Swiss banks. At the conclave, Ramdev is expected to speak on yoga as well as on issues that the Jamiat considers important to Indian Muslims. At the session, the Jamiat is expected to firm up its stand on the proposed Central Madrasa Board, communal rights bill, women's reservation bill and the Liberhan Commission report. Three central ministers —P. Chidambaram, Sachin Pilot and Farooq Abdullah — are expected at the convention and the Jamiat is trying to get Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "Since the Congress is desperately trying to get back its hold over Muslims, we hope the Congress president will come,'' a Jamiat official said. Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091031/jsp/frontpage/story_11682296.jsp ------ Muslims not monolithic in politics, culture, religion By Margee Ensign October 31, 2009 I wish every American could be with me at this moment. I am in the Dubai airport waiting to make a connecting flight. Located on the Arabian Peninsula, Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Thirty years ago, this desert state produced oil and little else. Now it is a global business hub that boasts having the world's tallest building. As I wait for my plane, thousands of people from every Middle Eastern country are walking by - Saudis on their way to an oil conference being held here in the city, Indians from America going home, and many traveling to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the dozens of countries in the area. For most Americans, the politics, economics, culture and especially religion of this entire area is confusing. The print and online media generally do not help build understanding of this critically important region where the U.S. is engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sending drone attacks into Pakistan, and trying to broker a peace settlement with Israel and Palestine. Not only is the Middle East misunderstood in the U.S., but also the religion of more than a fifth of the world, Islam, is even more distorted in the press. Think of the terms we hear most frequently and images that we see on television and the Internet referring to Muslims: "Islamic militants, Islamic terrorists, Jihadists and Islamofascism." Full Report at: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091031/A_OPINION0615/910310320/-1/A_OPINION#STS=g1g34tze.dlp ------ November 1, 2009 Abdullah Will Quit Afghan Election, Sources Say KABUL (AP) -- Afghan presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah plans to boycott next week's runoff against incumbent Hamid Karzai following a breakdown in talks on how to fix the country's electoral crisis, two people familiar with the discussions said. A boycott would severely undermine a vote intended to affirm the Afghan government's credibility. However, an Abdullah spokesman said no final decision had been made on the candidate's pullout, and that Abdullah will announce his decision Sunday morning. It was possible that word of the boycott was a negotiating tactic by the Abdullah camp. The political stalemate in Kabul comes as President Barack Obama has been meeting with his advisers to try to determine U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, including troop levels. A weakened Afghan government will make it harder for Obama to get public support for his efforts. October has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. The Afghan war has intensified this year as militants have stepped up attacks and more troops have arrived trying to stabilize the country. Abdullah, who was once Karzai's foreign minister, put forward several conditions this week to avoid a repeat of the massive fraud of the August presidential election, including the replacement of the top election official and the suspension of several ministers. He set Saturday as the deadline for his demands to be met. A Westerner close to talks between the two sides said their agenda also included a power-sharing proposal by the challenger and cited both Karzai and Abdullah as saying that talks broke down Friday, prompting Abdullah to decide on a boycott of the Nov. 7 runoff. An Afghan figure close to Abdullah said Saturday that the boycott decision came after a contentious and fruitless meeting Thursday over Abdullah's conditions for a runoff. Both spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that the announcement must come from Abdullah himself. The Afghan said a boycott was certain, and that Abdullah would likely tell his supporters to simply stay home during the vote. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/middleeast/01afghan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- Fraud surrounds women voters in Afghan election October 31, 2009 KABUL — One man cast 35 votes for female relatives. Others lugged in sacks full of voting cards they said were from women. And in a village of just 250 people, 200 women supposedly voted in three hours. In Afghanistan's recent presidential election in August, one of the ripest areas for fraud was women's voting. And the same is likely to be true again in the Nov. 7 runoff between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. The stakes are high. The Obama administration, which pushed Karzai to accept the runoff vote, is hoping it will restore legitimacy to a government that has been undermined by blatant ballot-box stuffing and Karzai's long delay in accepting fraud rulings that forced the runoff. Yet the problems of fraud related to women's voting cannot be changed in a few weeks. There's widespread acceptance of proxy voting by male relatives. Many women are reluctant to vote given threats of violence and polling centers swarming with men. And those who do cast ballots are usually uneducated and therefore more easily manipulated. It's unclear how large an impact fraud involving women voters had on the results because Afghan election officials have not released the list of women's polling stations. But many observers have said that women's polling stations were more problematic than men's. In August, men showed up with fistfuls of female voter cards and poll workers allowed them to cast multiple ballots without argument, according to a U.N. report. In some cases, men dragged in sacks full of cards supposedly for female relatives, Afghan monitors said. Empty women's polling stations also provided reams of blank ballots to unscrupulous local officials. Full Report at: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view.bg?&articleid=1208610&format=&page=2&listingType=intasia#articleFull ------ US may grant asylum to battered spouses Julia Preston 31 October 2009 In an unusually protracted and closely watched case, the Obama administration has recommended political asylum for a Guatemalan woman fleeing horrific abuse by her husband, the strongest signal yet that the administration is open to a variety of asylum claims from foreign women facing domestic abuse. The government's assent, lawyers said, virtually ensures that the woman, Rody Alvarado Pena, will be allowed to remain in the United States after battling in immigration court since 1995. Immigration lawyers said the administration had taken a major step toward clarifying a murky area of asylum law and defining the legal grounds on which battered and sexually abused women in foreign countries could seek protection here. After 14 years of legal indecision, during which several immigration courts and three attorneys general considered Alvarado's case, the department of homeland security cleared the way for her in a one-paragraph document filed late on Wednesday in immigration court in San Francisco. Alvarado, the department found, "is eligible for asylum and merits a grant of asylum as a matter of discretion". Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-may-grant-asylum-to-battered-spouses/articleshow/5182109.cms ------ Vatican flays Halloween as anti-Christian 31 October 2009 LONDON: Alarmed by the rapid spread of Halloween traditions around the world, the Roman Catholic Church has condemned it as anti-Christian, saying it is based on a sinister and dangerous "undercurrent of occultism". Halloween activities played out on October 31 include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires and visiting haunted attractions. The Vatican asked parents to discourage their children from dressing up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, describing Halloween a pagan celebration of "terror, fear and death", the Telegraph online reported. The church, in its official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said Halloween "is anti-Christian". "Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is anti-Christian," Joan Maria Canals, a liturgical expert, said in the newspaper. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com ------ India protests Pak's ceasefire violation 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan after its army indulged in a `serious' ceasefire violation on Thursday night in a bid to give covering fire to terrorists infiltrating across the Line of Control into Jammu and Kashmir. Interestingly enough, apart from two AK-47 rifles, ammunition, an UBGL (under-barrel grenade launcher), two radio sets and a mobile phone with an Indian SIM card, a Pakistan army identity card was also found on one of the two infiltrators killed in the retaliation by Indian Army in the Keran sector of north Kashmir. "The I-card is of Ayaz Zoheb of Pak army's Punjab Regiment. This has raised suspicion that the infiltrators could actually be Pak army regulars in disguise to bolster militancy in J&K," said an officer. The ceasefire violation took place around 8.30 pm when Pakistani soldiers fired over a dozen 82mm mortar shells at Indian troop positions. In the ensuing gunfight, which saw Indian soldiers retaliate with small arms fire, the two terrorists were gunned down. "Our protest over the incident was conveyed to Pakistan on Friday over the hotline. We have also sought an urgent flag meeting between the sector commanders," he added. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-protests-Paks-ceasefire-violation/articleshow/5181336.cms ------ India's fate linked with that of its neighbours: PM 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh again signalled his desire to re-engage with Pakistan pointing to the need for a leadership in south Asia that was prepared to take a long-term view so that the future was not hostage to the past. Emphasising that India sought peace and progress in the neighbourhood, the PM on Friday said the country's destiny was "intrinsically linked'' with that of its neighbours. Without naming Pakistan, Singh stated India wanted to resolve all outstanding issues with its neighbours through dialogue. "We seek good relations with each one of them. I have repeatedly said we see our security and prosperity in their progress and stability. We sincerely wish to resolve all outstanding issues with neighbours through dialogue and in the spirit of partnership and friendship that should rightly characterise our relations,'' Singh said while addressing a leadership summit organised by a media house. While replying to a question later, Singh noted that Pakistan was faced with many internal problems and wished it success in its fight against terrorism. He added the region needed leadership that could take a long-term view and muster the courage to take bold decisions. "We must not allow our past to limit our future,'' he said, as he outlined his vision for India 2020. In Srinagar on Thursday, the PM had spoken of his preparedness for talks without pre-conditions with Pakistan while adding important riders that this could not happen if terrorist attacks did not stop. In Delhi, he dwelled more on his essential desire to move ahead with Pakistan, bosltering the view that some developments could be on the cards if no big terror strike took place. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indias-fate-linked-with-that-of-its-neighbours-PM/articleshow/5181670.cms ------ PM invites opposition to share dais in J&K 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a quiet, but significant intervention during his two-day visit to Srinagar when he chose to overlook reservations of the state Congress and NC to invite PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to share the dias with him at Vanpoh. The Mufti's presence at the inauguration of the Anantnag-Qazigund rail link was seen as the PM's bid to include as wide a section of opinion on normalising Jammu and Kashmir as he even reached out to separatist groups. This merged with the developmental aspects of the visit which have spelt out specific initiatives for the youth. Singh is fully serious about a dialogue with separatists and is also trying to include mainstream outfits and so took an "above politics" line on the Mufti despite both state Congress and NC being unhappy with the party's role in agitations like the one over shelters for Amarnath yatra pilgrims. There is a view that despite Centre's efforts, separatists are not going to be easy to deal with given their internal divisions and vulnerability to jihadi groups though the PM is keen to reach out to "all stakeholders." There is a sense of satisfaction that Singh sent out the right message on Pakistan, adding important caveats that talks could not be unaffected by terror. In an attempt to keep Jammu and Kashmir's troubled youth off the street and help integrate them with the national mainstream, Singh's package contains a specific initiative for enrolling 8,000 young "volunteers" for public service functions and training at ITIs. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/PM-invites-opposition-to-share-dais-in-JK/articleshow/5181700.cms ------ Love Jihad: Muslim leaders making clean image for the culprits – BJP 31 October 2009 By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent, Kochi: The joint statement issued by the Muslim leaders regarding the love jihad is whitewashing the culprits, accused PK Krishnadas, BJP state president. Tensions are created in the society by those who work behind the 'Love Jihad'. The Muslim leaders are challenging the victims instead of expressing solidarity with them, he accused while speaking at the press club in Alappuzha. He attacked the CPI (M) and the Congress, saying they were keeping silent in order to gain the votes of the minorities. He expressed his hope that a majority in the Muslim community would oppose such 'dangerous trend'. "This is not a matter of religious belief. Every person has the right to accept any religion willingly. But forced conversion is not the right method. Hindus and Christians have been victims to the 'love jihad'. All religions should oppose such trends in unison," he said. He added that the DGP had expressed conflicting opinions in the matter. In another development, the People's Democratic Party spoke accused the RSS in the matter of 'love jihad'. PDP state general secretary KS Naser accused that it was the RSS which began to love girls and then leave them in the streets. The RSS began such activities in the 1980s and the government should conduct probe into the love marriages since that time, he demanded in the press conference held in Alappuzha. "Those who want a probe into the 'love jihad' should actually probe into the activities of the RSS. Muslim organisations responded against abusing the Muslim community through the imaginary organisation called 'love jihad'. Muslims do not encourage love relations on threatening. The BJP president PK Krishnadas has responded without really reading the statement of the Muslim leaders," he said. Mr Naser added that the organisations have also expressed opposition in the Court's mention of the 'love jihad' which is a creation of the Sangh Parivar. Source: http://twocircles.net/2009oct31/love_jihad_muslim_leaders_making_clean_image_culprits_bjp.html ------ November 1, 2009 From Iraq, Lessons for the Next War By ALISSA J. RUBIN I came to Iraq three days after Saddam Hussein fled Baghdad. It was April 12, 2003. At the time, Iraqis bristled when asked if they were Sunni, Shiite or Kurd. It made no difference, they said, they were brothers. And, in the heady aftermath of the war, for a short while it almost seemed true. That mood seems to be upon the country again, and it is most welcome after the last six years of bloody murders between Shiites and Sunnis; between Arabs and Kurds; between Muslims and Christians. Will it last? Or are Americans, as they have been in Kosovo and Bosnia and perhaps now in Afghanistan, turning away from the inconvenient realities of ethnic and religious differences, the depth of animosities, of struggles for power and territory? As the country's attention turns east to Afghanistan, I, too, have made the journey to Kabul, as my new assignment. It is tempting to make analogies between the two troubled places, and there are some, but there are at least as many differences. What are the lessons of Iraq that I carry with me? The cultures are as different as mountains and desert, and for outsiders, there is a familiar struggle to see the place as it truly is, not as we might wish it would be. Back in 2003, the Americans wanted to believe that an age of brotherhood and integration, loosed by American military might, had come to Iraq. Many Iraqis wanted to believe it, too. Thinking too much about the depth of distrust, long latent between sects and ethnicities, would mean acknowledging that a frenzy of violence waited in the wings. They swept into the desert sands the centuries-long struggle of Sunnis and Shiites for dominance in the fertile river basin between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It was as if officials thought that perhaps by saying they were brothers, they would become them. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/weekinreview/01RUBIN.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print
'Hard to believe Pak clueless on Qaida' Chidanand Rajghatta 31 October 2009 WASHINGTON: It was supposed to be a charm offensive, but as the day wore on she put away her charm and went on the offensive. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton's public dressing down of Pakistan during a three-day visit there, including virtually accusing the country of complicity with al-Qaida, has shaken Washington as much as it stunned her hosts. "Her inner voice became her outer voice," Martha Raddatz, a veteran NBC correspondent said on the network. Officials in Washington were trying to keep a straight face, but there were a few gasps, she added. Clinton's blunt remarks came during a pow-wow with half-dozen combative senior Pakistani journalists who harried her about US policy in the region. "Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002", she finally asserted when challenged about Washington's tough prescriptions for Islamabad. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to". After having publicly doubted the bona fides of her hosts, she added, as an afterthought: "Maybe that's the case; maybe they're not gettable... I don't know. As far as we know, they are in Pakistan". At one point during the exchanges, when a journalist spoke about all the services rendered by Pakistan for the US, Clinton snapped, "We have also given you billions." Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hard-to-believe-Pak-clueless-on-Qaida/articleshow/5182276.cms ------ Ulema term Hillary Clinton's visit successful Oct 31, 2009 ISLAMABAD, Oct 31 (APP): Terming the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan as successful, several ulema have hoped that it would help promote goodwill friendship for US among the Pakistani masses. They expressed these views during a meeting with Chairman Tehrik-e-Akhuwat-e-Islami (TAI), Allama Inayat Ali Shakir here Saturday at his residence, the organization said in a press release. The Ulema said that US Secretary of State's visit to religious and spiritual places gave a positive message about Islam and Pakistan. Talking to the ulema, Allama Inayat Ali Shakir said that basic purpose of the visit was to reach out to the people of Pakistan and remove misunderstandings about the US. He hoped the visit would have positive impact on Pak-US ties and said that it helped remove misgivings regarding Kerry Lugar bill. He felicitated US Secretary of State on and also applauded the endeavors of Ambassador Ann W. Peterson and Political Councilor Mr. Bryan D Hunt. The TAI chairman said the visit reflected President Barrack Obama's postive approach towards relations with Muslim world and towards. He said there was need to promote interfaith harmony to foil nefarious designs of the terrorists. He also said people have taken a sigh of relief after Swat operation and Waziristan operation would also yield positive results. Source: http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88886&Itemid=1 ------ October 31, 2009 Clinton Makes Personal Bid to Resume Mideast Talks ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- U.S. hopes of reviving Mideast peace talks appeared shaky Saturday after a senior Palestinian official said the Palestinians are unlikely to resume negotiations if Israel does not halt Jewish settlement building. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and aides in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi on Saturday before flying to Israel, where she is expected to meet senior Israeli officials in a push to restart peace negotiations. A top aide to Abbas, Saeb Erekat, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press that Clinton had asked Abbas to allow Israel's government to complete building 3,000 units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and to allow the government to construct public buildings and continue construction in east Jerusalem -- a territory Palestinians hope will be their future capital. Clinton's request would be a major change for the U.S. administration, which previously had demanded Israel halt all settlement building before negotiations could resume. ''This is a nonstarter,'' Erekat said. ''And that's why it's unlikely to restart negotiations.'' U.S. officials did not speak to reporters after the Abu Dhabi meeting. Abbas later told a press conference that he had reiterated his position to Clinton that ''peace must have its commitments -- (that) being the complete halt to settlement building.'' Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/31/world/AP-ML-Clinton.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- US in new push for Mid-East peace US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Middle East for talks aimed at unblocking the peace process. She met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the United Arab Emirates before heading to Jerusalem to see Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking earlier to the BBC, Mrs Clinton said a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians remained a "high priority" for the United States. The US remains committed to plans for a two-state solution, Mrs Clinton added. Before Mrs Clinton's arrival in the region, Mr Netanyahu said he hoped for a resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible. However, a key sticking point is Israel's refusal to freeze settlement building on the occupied West Bank. During their talks, Mr Abbas told Mrs Clinton that Palestinians would not agree to re-launch peace talks with Israel without a complete freeze of Jewish settlements, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said on Saturday. 'Little urgency' Mrs Clinton's visit is part of a weekend of discussions to try to restart the stalled peace process. Full Report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8335211.stm ---- Indonesia on alert for tsunami drill By Karishma Vaswani Indonesians are still reeling from the devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of Sumatra last month, killing at least 1,100 people and injuring many more. However, as efforts shift from rescuing survivors to rebuilding the provincial capital, Padang, and outlying villages, some people have already begun to discuss whether the country is sufficiently prepared for another natural disaster. Now a tsunami drill being held on Wednesday in 18 countries around the Indian Ocean rim aims to test the responses of local authorities and the public. "We urgently need systems in place to test the public's response to disasters like this, to see how they will react " Fauzi Indonesian Seismological Agency Experts are agreed that another powerful earthquake could hit the area anytime in the near future. But they are unsure if the Indonesian emergency response teams are equipped to react quickly and effectively to a crisis on a similar scale. The country's National Disaster Management Agency has acknowledged that it was too slow to respond to the Sumatra earthquake, which brought down hospitals, schools and shopping malls, cut power lines and triggered landslides. Full Report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8305829.stm ---- Bomb kills soldiers in Pakistan At least seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb blast in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan, officials say. The vehicle was travelling in Pakistan's Khyber region on Saturday when it was struck about 15km west of the city of Peshawar. "Seven paramilitary soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the remote-control bomb attack," Shafirullah Khan, the chief administrative official of Khyber tribal district, told the AFP news agency. Khyber is on the main supply route through Pakistan to Afghanistan, where international military forces are fighting the Taliban. The bomb blast came as Pakistan's military continued its offensive against Taliban fighters in South Waziristan, in the country's northwest. Ongoing offensive Pakistani fighter jets bombed three suspected Taliban positions in the Orkazai tribal region on Saturday, the Associated Press news agency reported. At least eight fighters were killed and several others wounded, the news agency cited intelligence officials as saying. The military launched the offensive two weeks ago, pitting about 30,000 Pakistani troops against an estimated 10 to 12,000 members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Full Report at: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/10/2009103173228537551.html ---- Israel levels Palestinian homes Israeli authorities have torn down several Palestinian houses in occupied east Jerusalem, defying international calls to halt the demolitions in the disputed city. Gidi Schmerling, a Jerusalem municipality spokesman, said the houses in the Shuafat, Zur Baher, Silwan and Jabel Mukabar neighbourhoods were pulled down on Tuesday because they had been built illegally. "All the houses were demolished in accordance with a court order," he said in a statement to the AFP news agency. Palestinians say that the municipality discriminates against them, making it virtually impossible for them to get legal permits for new homes or extensions to existing ones. As a result, thousands of effectively illegal structures have been built in recent decades with Israel responding by destroying dozens of houses each year. Construction crackdown Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, had vowed to crack down on illegal construction in the city, including east Jerusalem, whose fate is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the United Nations on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to all forced evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the area, which was seized by Israel in the 1967 war. "Such actions run counter to international law and have a serious and long-term negative impact on Palestinian families and communities," the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. Full Report at: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/10/200910282211496109.html ---- October 31, 2009 Senior Iran MPs Reject U.N. Atom Fuel Plan TEHRAN (Reuters) - Senior Iranian lawmakers voiced opposition on Saturday to a U.N.-drafted nuclear fuel deal, casting further doubt on a proposal aimed at easing international tension over Tehran's atomic activities. Under the U.S.-backed plan, Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further processing to turn it into more refined fuel for a Tehran research reactor. The West's priority is to reduce Iran's LEU stockpile to prevent any danger that the Islamic Republic might turn it into the highly enriched uranium needed for a nuclear bomb. But politicians in Iran, which says its nuclear programme is a peaceful drive to produce electricity, have voiced deep misgivings about the idea of parting with the bulk of what is seen as a strategic asset and a strong bargaining chip. Several MPs have said Iran should buy the reactor fuel it needs rather than send its own uranium out of the country. "We are completely opposed to the proposal on delivering uranium with 3.5 percent enrichment in exchange for uranium with 20 percent enrichment," said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of parliament's national security and foreign policy committee. "There is no guarantee they would give us fuel with 20 percent enrichment in exchange for our delivered LEU," ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. The committee's spokesman, MP Kazem Jalali, echoed that view, saying "the demand that we should deliver all enriched nuclear material to other countries ... is completely out of the question," ILNA news agency reported. On Friday, diplomats said Iran had told the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it wanted fresh fuel for the Tehran reactor before it would agree to ship most of its enriched uranium to Russia and France. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/10/31/world/international-uk-iran-nuclear-mp.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ----- U.S. Army Sending First Buddhist Chaplain to Iraq Friday, October 30, 2009 By Lauren Green Chaplain Thomas Dyer is the first Buddhist chaplain in the U.S. Army's history. He will be commissioned to Iraq in December. All Army chaplains wear the same uniform, and all of them answer to the same calling: to provide comfort and to relieve the suffering of American soldiers. But one chaplain stands out from the crowd. Thomas Dyer is the first and only Buddhist chaplain in the history of the U.S. Army. Dyer will be deployed to the Middle East in December along with the 278th Armored Calvary Regiment. Although his faith is grounded in pacifism, the 43-year-old Dyer says war has become a necessary part of peace. "My teacher has concluded that without the military, without civil protection, the world would enter into a very dark place very quickly," Dyer told Fox News. "There aren't that many caves to run to, there aren't that many mountains to go to anymore. And if we don't have protection, we suffer greatly." A former Baptist preacher, Dyer found his new faith a few years ago through the practice of intense meditation. Born in Nashville, Tenn., he says his Christian background gives him an advantage in meeting the demands of a military with diverse spiritual needs. "It has made me kind of like someone who is bilingual, where they can speak two languages, or bicultural," he said. "I am kind of like a bi-religious person, so I am able to make connections with soldiers in a way that is very familiar to them, so I don't look so scary or ... strange." Full Report at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,570499,00.html?test=faces ------ The Detroit 'Ummah' and Radical Islam in America Friday, October 30, 2009 Full details about the FBI's arrest in Detroit yesterday of a group of radical Muslims, during which their leader was killed in a shootout, are yet to become available, and it is too early to judge the real significance of these events. Nonetheless, what we already know is sufficient to make some general observations on the growing threat that home grown radical Islam poses to America. It's a question that is generally absent from both government discussions and media coverage, even though all the American wannabe terrorists recently exposed by the authorities were radicalized in this country long before seeking contacts with al-Qaeda abroad. Media spin already has it that the group was just a bunch of bumbling African-American ex-con converts who engaged in some heated Islamist rhetoric but were guilty of little more than petty criminal activity. They had nothing to do with terrorism, it is being argued, and are certainly not representative of either African-American Muslims or American Muslims more generally. Both points are true to a degree, but they serve to obscure a larger reality. None of these people had committed a terrorist act yet, at least to our current knowledge, but people who believe in violent jihad against their fellow citizens and train in the use of firearms are just a small step from becoming terrorists. After all, the shariah law that they dreamed of imposing on the ummah that they fancied gives only three options to infidels: Convert to Islam, submit to Muslim rule and discrimination, or be killed. It is true that most American Muslims hold views that are far from the radical mindset governing the Al-Haqq mosque. Yet it is also true that radical Islam has become the dominant idiom in the American Muslim establishment, particularly among African-American Muslims. For instance, the slain leader of this group, Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, was a high official of the top national organization of African-American Muslims, the Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA), a group founded and led by radical Islamists such as the notorious Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj. Full Report at: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTQ0Y2IyOGQ3N2Y1ZDBlYjVkZDkzNWJlZGM5MDRkZmU= ------ 48 arrested in Manchester's anti-Islam demo By Elham Asaad Buaras 30 October 2009 Forty eight man have been arrested after 2000 demonstrators took to the streets ahead of rival protests by the English Defence League (EDL) and Unite against Fascism (UAF) in Manchester. Most have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. Very few Muslims turned up at the demonstration. Trouble flared as the EDL, which is opposed to what it calls 'radical Islam', were met by activists from UAF in Manchester city centre on October 10. The groups were separated by a heavy riot police line in Piccadilly Gardens. Police imposed a lockdown around the area where an estimated 2,000 protesters gathered. The perimeter of Piccadilly Gardens was blockaded by Greater Manchester Police. A small group of EDL protesters walked among the throng of shoppers chanting, "We love our country." Small-scale disruption took place on the streets of the city centre, causing riot officers wearing hard helmets and carrying batons to go running after suspects. James carter, 23, from Chorlton, Manchester, said, "I'm down here to stop the Nazis. I think the turnout on this side (UAF) symbolises the perception of Manchester and how we feel about racism." Full Report at: http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=4347 ------ Hijab should be allowed at work, says Muslim doc October 31, 2009 DALLAS -- A Muslim doctor interviewing for a job at a suburban Dallas medical clinic says officials there told her she couldn't wear her headscarf in the workplace. Dr. Hena Zaki of Plano, Texas, said Friday that she was shocked when CareNow officials told her that a no-hat policy extended to her hijab. The 29-year-old doctor wants an apology and a change in CareNow's policy. However, CareNow President Tim Miller says he sees nothing wrong with the policy and feels no need to apologize. In a statement, his company says it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin in employment decisions. The Council on American-Islamic Relations calls CareNow's policy "a blatant violation" of federal law. Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1857312,CST-NWS-scarf01.article ------ Historic mosque in Islamic Cairo undergoes an elaborate renewal By Joseph Freeman October 31st, 2009 14th century Cairo mosque restored to glory CAIRO — Developers unveiled the restoration of a 650-year-old mosque in Cairo's old city, part of an effort to revitalize the impoverished district and boost tourism to the country's treasure trove of Islamic sites. The three-year, $1.4 million project restored the Aslam al-Silahdar Mosque, built in 1344-1345 by Aslam al-Bahai, an amir or nobleman who rose to the position of "silahdar," or "swordbearer" for Sultan al-Nasir Mohammed, one of the most powerful of Egypt's Mamluk rulers. It is tucked into Cairo's al-Darb al-Ahmar district, a dense warren of narrow, dusty alleyways. Many of its 92,000 inhabitants are among the poorest in Egypt, living on less than $1 a day, according to the Canadian Development Agency, which works in the community. The neighborhood is also packed with antiquities — an Islamic monument about every 20 yards (meters), ranging from Cairo's early days in the 11th century to more modern times. The area is "comparable to Rome" in terms of monuments, said Luis Monreal, the general manager of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, which directed the renovation of the Aslam Mosque, unveiled on Wednesday. Full Report at: http://blog.taragana.com/n/historic-mosque-in-islamic-cairo-undergoes-an-elaborate-renewal-213560/ ------ Batla encounter: Apex court says no to plea for judicial probe Oct 31, 2009 New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition seeking a judicial probe into the controversial Batla House encounter on Friday, observing that any such direction "will adversely affect the morale of the police". In response to the petition by the non-governmental organisation, Act Now For Harmony and Democracy, the Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan took strong exception to the argument that the encounter of September 18, 2008, shook the faith and confidence of a particular community. "This is the problem," the Court said, "you must not identify any section of the society. Criminals are criminals, why do you identify a community (with it)?" The Bench, also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, refused to entertain the plea for an independent inquiry as well. "Thousands of police officers are being killed by criminals and terrorists," the Bench said. "It will adversely affect the morale of the police." Representing the NGO, advocate Prashant Bhushan had appealed against the Delhi High Court's clean chit to the Delhi Police. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), too, had refused to order an independent judicial inquiry. The Court said acceding to the plea and ordering such an inquiry will also lead to embarrassment. "It is all so unfortunate that people including a police officer were killed. But anything can happen in the encounter," the Court said to Bhushan's submission that it was impossible to have four bullet holes on the forehead of one of the suspected militants. In its petition, the NGO had alleged that the NHRC probe was based only on the police version and as such, cannot be said to have been conducted on expected lines. The NHRC, it said, had overlooked its own guidelines for the inquiry by not taking the help of an independent agency and relied on the version of the Deputy Commissioner of Police who was entrusted with the case. ------ Handler to 26/11 terrorist: Two Pak cricketers in Taj Mustafa Plumber Posted online: Saturday, Oct 31, 2009 at 0935 hrs Mumbai: The Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists who attacked the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on 26/11 were told by their handlers in Pakistan that there were two Pakistani cricketers staying there and the gunmen planned to eliminate them, according to intercepts of their phone conversations presented in court today. But Mumbai Police said they had since probed this information and found that no Pakistani cricketers were at the hotel during the attack. The intercepts, considered crucial evidence in the trial, were submitted to the Special Sessions Court by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The conversations reveal that the four attackers seemed scared at times despite their rigorous training and had to be motivated by their handlers to hold their positions at the hotel. The handlers, apparently monitoring TV coverage of the attack, constantly passed on specific instructions — from telling the gunmen that the Taj was the media's most-watched site to briefing them on the killing of the top police brass. The following is the conversation that refers to the Pakistani cricketers: • Handler: "Do Pakistani cricket khelne waale bhi hain aapke paas" (You have two Pakistani cricketers with you). • Terrorist: "Bas ab aagey se nahi khelenge cricket, Insha Allah" (Now they won't play cricket in the future, God willing) The intercepts also reveal that the Pak-based handlers had instructed the terrorists to "blackmail" relatives of hostages to speak to the police and get them to stop the counter-terror operation. In an indication of how closely the TV news coverage of the attack was being monitored by the Pakistan-based handlers to guide the terrorists, the intercepts show that real-time inputs were passed on about the positions of the police. Full Report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/handler-to-26-11-terrorist-two-pak-cricketers-in-taj/535552/ ------ Racketeering counts considered; FBI upsets Muslims Jim Lynch October 31. 2009 Detroit --Federal officials say they may levy more charges against members of a mosque whose leader was killed in a gunbattle with the FBI, amid criticism that authorities are injecting religion into the case. During a hearing Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Oberg said federal agents could add racketeering charges against some or all of the 11 charged in the case involving the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit. The majority faces charges of conspiracy to sell stolen goods, which are punishable by up to five years. Racketeering carries a 20-year sentence. Oberg insisted the case isn't about religion, but a 45-page complaint accused the mosque's leader, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, of leading a radical Sunni sect that advocated violent jihad. He was shot and killed in a warehouse in Dearborn during raids Wednesday. Muslim groups calling for an investigation into his death say they're offended the FBI is linking religion to a stolen goods case. "Unless the FBI has evidence linking the criminal allegations to the religious affiliation of the suspects, we ask that federal authorities stop injecting religion into this case," the American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections said in a statement Friday. "The unjustified linkage of this case to the faith Islam will only serve to promote an increase in existing anti-Muslim stereotyping and bias in our society." A lawyer for Abdullah's son, Mujahid Carswell, 30, of Detroit made similar arguments during a detention hearing Friday. Conspiracy charges against him would net a first offender no more than three years, said attorney Jill Leslie Price. Late Friday, Carswell was set to be released on a $100,000 bond and wear an electronic tether. But it was unclear whether he could be arraigned in time to attend his father's 10 a.m. funeral at the Muslim Center in Detroit. ------ No pre-paid mobiles in J&K from Nov 1 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Pre-paid mobile connections are banned in Jammu and Kashmir from November 1 and the government may decide to extend the ban to the northeast sooner rather than later. The move comes as the government found that such connections were being given out without verification in the insurgency-hit areas. Home minister P Chidambaram said pre-paid connections were banned because they were ``prone to misuse''. He added that service providers were in the loop and any individual who was capable of paying for his connection in advance (pre-paid) should be able to do so later in the month as well. Asked if the security situation in the northeast lent itself to a similar ban, the home minister said, ``Not yet. But it may be necessary to do the same in NE also.'' The ban in J&K is likely to affect 38 lakh subscribers. The ministry has ordered that no fresh pre-paid mobile connections be issued and that existing pre-paid SIM cards not be renewed in the state after November 1. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-pre-paid-mobiles-in-JK-from-Nov-1/articleshow/5182237.cms ------ British bullets too small to fell 'high' Taliban 31 October 2009 LONDON: The bullets used by British forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan has been dubbed too small, because soldiers claim that it requires at least five direct hits to bring down the militants who are high on opium. According to a report, British soldiers in Afghanistan use small 5.56mm calibre rounds also tail off after 300 metres and can easily be blown off the target. Half of all fire fights in Helmand are fought between 300 and 900 metres. Meanwhile, Taliban marksmen use powerful 7.62mm ammunition for their AK47 machine guns, the Sun reports.The report calls for guns that take larger ammunition to replace all standard-issue SA80 rifles — which many believe were exposed as inadequate in Iraq in 2003. Report co-author Nicholas Drummond, a strategy consultant and ex-Welsh Guards officer, secretly questioned more than 50 soldiers who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. "A British soldier's rifle is not much more useful than a peashooter. He can't attack with any certainty that if he hits the enemy he will kill or incapacitate him," he said. One soldier in 2nd Battalion, the Rifles in Helmand, shot a Taliban fighter five times and he still got up to dive for cover, researchers were told. The study claims car doors easily stop the ammunition. It added that Javelin anti-tank missiles — at £100,000 apiece are often fired at lone gunmen. Just one in four British, US and German troops has been issued with guns using 7.62mm ammo. ------ Pilgrimage to Mecca begins for Muslims October 31. 2009 THE flight with 332 passengers took off at 3:30pm yesterday from Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, marking the start of Chinese Muslims' pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year. Until November 18, about 12,700 Muslims will go to the holy city in 41 chartered flights from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions, Gansu, southwest China's Yunnan Province and Beijing. The number of pilgrims is 700 more than last year. Male Muslims wore gray robes and white hats, while the women were in traditional scarves and blue vests. Each of them had a symbol of China's national flag embroidered on their clothes. As average age of the Muslims was 60 and they lacked experience in traveling abroad, training programs had been offered before their departure, said Xiao Yuchuan, head of the Gansu religion bureau. Gao Zhanfu, vice president of the China Islamic Institute, said the Muslims were lucky. "This year, more than 12,000 people have the chance to visit Mecca, while 10 years ago, the number was just 3,000," he said. Full Report at: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=418057&type=National ------ Smooth rifts with Indonesians: expert DELLARAM JAMALI AND HARI RAJ October 31, 2009 CULTURAL links between Australia and Indonesia must be improved if they are to avoid further problems such as the stand-off over asylum seekers, a regional political scientist and historian says. Dr Farish Noor, whose many roles include teaching at universities in Singapore and Indonesia, said the squabble over the fate of 78 Sri Lankans on a customs vessel showed how quickly conflicts could flare up. ''What you have to do when you have a climate of distress and misunderstanding is to re-emphasise the humanity of the other,'' Dr Noor said. ''These Sri Lankan refugees have been publicly dehumanised. They are the commodity; the buck is being passed from one table to the other. Neither side has taken into account the humanity of the people involved.'' Visiting Melbourne this week for discussions on South-East Asia's influence on modern Islam, Dr Noor said the asylum-seeker stand-off also highlighted a wider cultural rift between Australia and Indonesia. ''There is a misunderstanding that Indonesia is a land of beaches, foot massages, Balinese dancing and occasionally the odd terrorist or two who spoils your holiday,'' he said. ''That really has to be contextualised, and it has to go beyond that level of trivialities. ''One has to understand the history of violence in Indonesia, and its very painful and laborious struggle towards democracy.'' Full Report at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/smooth-rifts-with-indonesians-expert-20091030-hpwb.html ------ Nawal Saadawi says no to Muslim Brotherhood Bikya Masr 31 October 2009 Nawal el-SaadawiCAIRO: Prominent Egyptian feminist and writer Nawal al-Saadawi criticized what she called "the unclean coalition" of some political movements that have allied with the Muslim Brotherhood under the pretext of fighting against the succession of power from President Hosni Mubarak to his younger son, Gamal. Her comments come only weeks after dozens of political groups and leaders formed a coalition to combat Gamal's move to power, including the Islamic Muslim Brotherhood. She told Egyptian newspaper al-Youm al-Saba'a that the political movements in Egypt do not have enough popularity compared to the Muslim Brotherhood and that the Islamic group has been working and gaining much respect on the streets since the 1970s. She said that these movements "circumvent [other groups] to establish such coalitions with the MB because they lack popularity." In a way, she argued, the opposition is using the Brotherhood to get their legitimacy with the people increased, but this will lead to coercion by the Brotherhood. Full Report at: http://bikyamasr.com/?p=5362 ------
Panthers' Muhammad, two others out for Sunday Friday, October 30, 2009 Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Carolina Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad is out for Sunday's contest at Arizona with a knee injury. Muhammad did not practice at all this week despite having played in all six of Carolina's games this season. Also set to miss the game are safety Charles Godfrey (ankle) and tight end Dante Rosario (knee). Listed as questionable for the game are linebackers Thomas Davis (hamstring) and Landon Johnson (shoulder), and running backs Brad Hoover (back) and Jonathan Stewart (heel). Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/scorecard/nflnews.asp?articleID=266921 ------ Radical Somali-Canadians potential threat: RCMP boss By Ian MacLeod October 31, 2009 Islamic radicalization of Canada's Somali community is becoming a national security concern, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Friday. The potential of Somali-Canadians adopting the extremist ideology of the Islamist insurgency ravaging the failed state is on an evolving list of national security issues and threats Elliott outlined in a sobering speech to an Ottawa conference of security intelligence specialists. Despite recent successes such as thwarting the Toronto 18 and Momin Khawaja terrorism plots, he said the current threat environment remains severe, from a resurgent al-Qaeda and fugitive Tamil Tigers to nuclear technology smuggling and border concerns. Success in countering the dangers will require police to take on more of national security role and, "put more terrorism cases before the courts and more terrorists in jail." That includes possibly arresting people involved in the trafficking and use of Afghan heroin, a major source of Taliban revenue, and charging them under Canada's terrorism financing laws, he said. "The Taliban survives, and is able to continue to kill Canadian soldiers, because it is funded by the Afghan drug trade," he said. Arresting those involved in Canada, "would help send a strong message to the world that we are serious about prosecuting accomplices to terror." While disrupting credible and imminent threats without sufficient evidence to justify criminal charges is sometimes necessary, he said, "counter-terrorism measures based exclusively on intelligence that falls short of the evidentiary threshold are fraught with danger and difficulty." Full Report at: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Radical+Somali+Canadians+potential+threat+RCMP+boss/2168117/story.html ------ Dearborn Shoot-Out Opens a Window into Homegrown Terror by Robert Knight October 30, 2009 Luqman Ameen Abdullah, who was the Imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit, died in a shoot-out on Wednesday after firing on FBI agents during a raid in Dearborn, Michigan. Another seven Muslims were apprehended and various weapons seized. Arguing with Idiots By Glenn Beck "We're not any fake terrorists, we're the real terrorists," Abdullah (aka Christopher Thomas) once bragged to an undercover informant, according to an FBI affidavit. Abdullah, 53, was a disciple of none other than H. Rap Brown. If you ever wondered what had become of the'60s Black Panther leader, well, he converted to Islam while in prison in the 1970s. And he apparently has not changed his mind about what he'd like to do to America. Famous for saying, "Violence is necessary. It's as American as cherry pie," he goes by the moniker Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, and runs a Sunni group called Ummah ("community"). The Black Muslim organization's goal is to establish an Islamic regime with Sharia Law within the United States. Brown is doing this from his prison cell at the ADX Florence supermax federal prison in Colorado, where he's serving a state-imposed sentence for shooting two black police officers in Fulton County, Georgia in 2000. In Wednesday's raid, the agents targeted a Dearborn warehouse and two Detroit homes after a two-year investigation of the Ummah offshoot. A total of 11 Muslims (three were still at large) were charged with various conspiracy felonies involving stolen goods and firearms. Speaking of conspiracies, Abdullah is on tape saying that the FBI was behind Timothy McVeigh's 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. The 43-page criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Attorney's Office, and which contains eyewitness accounts, says that boys as young as 7 were beaten "severely" (p. 24) and that Abdullah encouraged his followers to "pick up guns and do something." (p. 3) He also said, "If they are coming to get me, I'll just strap a bomb on and blow up everybody." (p. 10) He also said while watching a TV show featuring a nuclear bomb that he would like to acquire a "little bomb" and target Washington, D.C. (page 18). Full Report at: http://townhall.com/columnists/RobertKnight/2009/10/30/dearborn_shoot-out_opens_a_window_into_homegrown_terror?page=2 ------ Rally Behind Denmark Diana West October 30, 2009 Pakistani jihad death squads were much in the news this week. In Peshawar, Pakistan, they bombed a marketplace, claiming more than 100 lives, and in Chicago, they were thwarted, according to an FBI affidavit, from carrying out a planned attack on a newspaper in Denmark to kill two Danish journalists, cartoonist Kurt Westergaard and cultural editor, Flemming Rose. Arguing with Idiots By Glenn Beck It's important to link these events to put them into proper perspective. According to the FBI, the Danish operation -- busted in Chicago with arrests of David Coleman Headley (aka Daood Gilani) and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, both of Pakistani origin with American and Canadian citizenship, respectively -- was planned in conjunction with Pakistani jihadists. One is identified as Individual A, a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the jihadist group behind the 2008 Mumbai massacre, among other atrocities. The other is identified as Ilyas Kashmiri, operations chief of Harakat-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI). Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal writes that Kashmiri is "considered by U.S. intelligence to be one of Al Qaeda's most dangerous commanders." Roggio further notes that LeT and HUJI, along with several other Pakistan jihadist groups, including Laskhar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed, have merged with Al Qaeda in Pakistan and operate under the name Brigade 313. While the triggermen behind the Peshawar carnage have not been identified yet, it is highly likely, to say the least, that they come from this same jihad network. So, let's probe a little. Let's think beyond the scenes of the Pakistani market-turned-charnel-house and the newspaper office in Denmark spared a similar fate. Let's think beyond the "terror" to the point of the terror -- a place we as politically correct multiculturalists are never supposed to go: The point of Islamic terror is to assert Islamic law. Period. Full Report at: http://townhall.com/columnists/DianaWest/2009/10/30/rally_behind_denmark?page=1 ------ URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2028
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On Taliban hunt, troops find 9/11 link in passportRise of Fascism in UK: Why British Muslims should intensify war against Islamist radicals
| The War within Islam | |
| 31 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Rise of Fascism in UK: Why British Muslims should intensify war against Islamist radicals | |
| Rapid fire with UK far-right party chief
Apart from these MPs, the British Muslim population ought to take serious note of it. The counter argument to the BNP's poison has to encompass an absolute distinction between the positions and plans of Islamists and those of the Muslim communities of Britain. Such a distinction can only emerge dynamically from within the Muslim community itself and is long overdue. -- Farrukh Dhondy URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2025 ---
Rapid fire with UK far-right party chief By Farrukh Dhondy Oct 31 2009
The BBC invited Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party (BNP), to participate in a TV debate as a panelist on their prestigious current affairs show Question Time. The format, chaired by veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby, features each week a politician from the main parties and one or perhaps two people from wider political persuasions who have some track record of holding opinions of interest. They answer questions from a studio audience. The debate can sometimes get heated but is, in the British way, always contained.
Following the dictates of its Charter, which requires the BBC to give proportional air time on radio and TV to elected representatives of the population, invited the far-right BNP to participate. The party, hitherto restricted to representing patches of communities on local councils, won two seats in the last election to the European Parliament and as such was a candidate for air-time.
The BBC must also have known that the controversy would boost viewing figures. For weeks before the programme, after Griffin accepted their invitation, there were protests against his appearance on a "respectable" platform. The party was denounced as racist, fascist, homophobic and misogynist — all with plenty of justification.
The Labour, Conservative and Liberal politicians who accepted the invitation to share a platform with Griffin argued that challenging his views publicly would expose the BNP's policies for what they are. Their contention was that the people who voted for them had done so out of an ignorance of their origins and the true nature of their intentions. A TV debate would act as an X-ray and expose, if one can tolerate the metaphor, the skeletons in their cupboard, their Nazi past and persuasions.
There is no doubt that the BNP is the successor organisation to the British Union of Fascists founded by Oswald Mosley, a dissident semi-aristocratic former scion of Britain's Labour Party. It is a bastard great-grandchild of Mosley and espouses the causes that he first put forward and came, in these fair and fecund isles, inevitably to grief. In his heyday, extolling Hitler, marching with a small army of black-shirted thugs, preaching against the supposed influence of universal Jewry and marching to terrorise and victimise the poor and toiling minority of Jewish immigrants of East London, he won the support of a few thousand mentally or rationally damaged people. When Britain went to war against the Nazis, Mosley was jailed.
After the war, Britain was in no mood to tolerate a "Nazi party". The nutters who longed for their black shirts and square moustaches only returned to the political stage with the advent of immigration from the ex-colonies in the 50s and 60s.
These Fascists regrouped under the banner of The National Front. Through the 60s and 70s it was the nasty party whose only platform was the repatriation of black and brown people to India, Pakistan and the West Indies. They demanded an immediate halt to all immigration into the UK. They were vociferously opposed by the Left and a trifle haughtily by the Labour, Conservative and Liberal party establishments.
The National Front, a rump of a party with no electoral success of any sort, split and gave rise to several nastier formations. The latest progeny of this fascist movement is the BNP even though its leader Nick Griffin, a Cambridge graduate, has attempted to rid it of its criminal image and has induced its members to wear suits and get rid of their skinhead haircuts. He can't, of course, erase the criminal records that very many of those in the leadership of the BNP hold.
The Question Time on which Griffin appeared became a national affair. There were demonstrations and a police presence outside the BBC's studios. Griffin arrived with six bodyguards. The format was certainly loaded against him. The studio audience was uniformly hostile with a more than fair representation of black and Asian people. The programme, which normally covers four or five topics of the day, was distorted entirely into denunciations of Griffin and the BNP's attitudes. The fellow defended himself and tried to appear "moderate". Panelists quoted from Griffin's own pronouncements against immigration, against black people, against Islam. Griffin tried to make the racial point about an "indigenous" population of Britain being displaced and challenged by the arrival of immigrants and was faced with the argument that Britain had always been, from Celtic and Roman times, invaded or settled by different nations.
The argument may be academically sound, but television is not the forum for the persuasion of reason. Though the programme did expose Griffin as an undesirable racist, his appearance and arguments on it have, according to neutral polls taken after the transmission, not detracted from but mildly boosted the BNP's support.
Griffin and his party are no doubt aware of the psyphological research done by Manchester University into the popular appeal of the BNP. The research demonstrates that the BNP has, in the last decade, acquired a new "votebank" as we would call it in India. This is centred around Yorkshire and the Northwest, communities which used to be solidly working class and voted Labour. Support for the party is highest in areas with high Pakistani or Bangladeshi concentration, the mill-and-mosque towns of what used to be manufacturing England. There is very little or no support for the BNP in areas where Indians, mostly Sikhs and Hindus, are concentrated or in areas where people of Afro-Caribbean origin form a proportion of the community.
The BNP's support arises then from an anti-Muslim stance. The party has succeeded in channelling the anti-terrorist, anti-Islamist sentiment of the working class into an anti-Muslim political base. The main political parties, whose MPs are elected from several of these constituencies with significant Muslim populations, have taken very little heed of this particular development.
Apart from these MPs, the British Muslim population ought to take serious note of it. The counter argument to the BNP's poison has to encompass an absolute distinction between the positions and plans of Islamists and those of the Muslim communities of Britain. Such a distinction can only emerge dynamically from within the Muslim community itself and is long overdue. Source: Deccan Chronicle URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2025 |
The BNP's support arises then from an anti-Muslim stance. The party has succeeded in channelling the anti-terrorist, anti-Islamist sentiment of the working class into an anti-Muslim political base. The main political parties, whose MPs are elected from several of these constituencies with significant Muslim populations, have taken very little heed of this particular development.Isolation of madrasas as Driving Force behind Extremism: Film-maker Shaheen Dill-Riaz
| Interview | |
| 31 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Isolation of madrasas as Driving Force behind Extremism: Film-maker Shaheen Dill-Riaz | |
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The "Qaumi" madrasas are still today the dominant tradition throughout the subcontinent. They are largely insulated from any State influence. In colonial times the English already left the "Qaumi" madrasas alone to do as they pleased. They have never been subject to any controls. The government of Bangladesh still has no control mechanisms with which to register these schools. -- Shaheen Dill-Riaz URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2027 -------
Isolation as Driving Force behind Extremism Interview with Film-maker Shaheen Dill-Riaz by Eren Güvercin
What happens behind closed doors at Islamic schools Filmmaker Shaheen Dill-Riaz looks for answers to this question in Bangladesh in his new film, "Korankinder". Eren Güvercin spoke with the filmmaker Mr. Dill-Riaz, your new documentary, "Korankinder", has just been released. What inspired you to make a film about madrasas, the Islamic schools in Bangladesh? Shaheen Dill-Riaz: The film isn't just about Islamic schools. I try in each of my films to discover a world where I have never been before and where I can take European audiences along with me on the adventure. That's how I came up with the idea of Islamic schools, because it also has something to do with the present situation in Bangladesh.
You frequently hear that there are more and more Islamic schools there. And very often people also accuse these Islamic schools, although they don't have direct ties with extremists, of being politically active, something I was unable to prove in my film. I was interested above all in what madrasas actually are and what kind of standing they have in Bangladesh.
Islamic schools are regarded as very close-doored. How did you manage to obtain permission to shoot a film? How were you able to gain the trust of the people in charge? Dill-Riaz: It was very difficult. In the beginning the schools completely refused to allow any filming to take place. Some of them said that this was not possible due to Islam's prohibition of imagery. I tried to contact several Islamic schools and make use of my personal connections.
This prompted an interesting discussion between the various schools because they actually started to fight about this issue. One group was against the film, while the others said that it was important to open the doors, because other journalists would write whatever they wanted to and people would think there was really something to hide. In the end a few schools gave me permission to shoot. Were there any problems during the shooting, any efforts at manipulation? Were you able to move about freely? Dill-Riaz: I was fairly free to move around as I chose. I had the impression that the people had no idea what journalists can actually do with a camera and what they can create out of the pictures they record.
What were some of the reactions of the people in the madrasas? Dill-Riaz: It was interesting to see that people immediately tried to defend themselves in all the schools even before I asked any questions about extremism. There were the usual answers, that they did not want anything to do with extremists as their faith forbid it. I did not use these comments because it is simply not the theme of the film.
During the shooting people at the schools were very friendly and helpful. They were delighted that a camera team would want to spend so much time there. Most journalists up until then had only come for one day, and they all wanted to talk about the accusation that Koran schools were involved in training terrorists. The schools were surprised that I didn't even broach that issue. I wanted to do something completely different. I wanted to observe and to find out more about these people, about their traditions.
The Koran schools have acquired a bad reputation, especially in recent times. What was your impression? Do these madrasas really represent a threat? Dill-Riaz: There are many generalisations, that Islamic schools are instrumentalised for political ends, that radical groups use them for their own purposes. That is also true in part. But that's not what my film is about. I wanted first of all to get to know the Koran schools and to gain a deeper insight into what goes on there. Where do the madrasas come from? What do they have to do with our history on the Indian subcontinent? What role do they play today in Bangladeshi society? Koran schools look back on a very long history. Such schools already existed in the 12th century on the Indian subcontinent. There also used to be the so-called "Tol", elementary schools founded by Hindus. And then there were the "madrasas", which literally means "place of instruction". These two types of educational institution were extremely widespread on the Indian subcontinent.
During the colonial era the English tried to establish reformed Koran school models. They needed them for a practical reason: many texts and the tax system were in Persian and only Muslims could speak that language, not Hindus. The Hindus integrated themselves much more rapidly into the colonial structure. They quickly learned English and they sent their children to the missionary schools run by the English. The Muslims by contrast isolated themselves, because they were disenfranchised. The madrasas that were newly founded through the colonial power, the so-called "Aliya" madrasas or high madrasas, served to educate Persian-speaking civil servants so that Muslims could also later be integrated into the administrative apparatus and the English would have access to their language. As a reaction, the Muslims in Bangladesh established their own so-called "Qaumi", or people's madrassas, in an effort to provide an alternative to the British educational system.
The "Qaumi" madrasas are still today the dominant tradition throughout the subcontinent. They are largely insulated from any State influence. In colonial times the English already left the "Qaumi" madrasas alone to do as they pleased. They have never been subject to any controls. The government of Bangladesh still has no control mechanisms with which to register these schools.
What is everyday life like for the children at these Koran schools? Dill-Riaz: The children usually have to get up at four–thirty in the morning, and instruction then goes on until ten o'clock at night – with two or three breaks. This is a very intensive kind of learning because the children have to memorise everything. They even sleep in the classroom.
In Europe, too, there is much discussion about Koran schools set up in the back courtyards of mosques. Fears are voiced that these schools exert an ideological influence on Muslim youth and introduce them to radical ideas. What do you think of such viewpoints? Do these schools really pose this kind of threat? Dill-Riaz: A threat only arises when we force people to isolate themselves. This is the case for many ethnic and religious minorities. I think this is a serious issue. I don't know to what extent such influence exists in Europe, but I can imagine that tradition-minded Muslims would tend to be in favour of their children learning the Koran by heart.
Such an extreme religious practice always comes about when the observance of religion disappears from our everyday lives. If the thousand-year-old traditions associated with this religion are lost, people will want to retrieve them somehow. This serves as compensation for a situation in which people are not allowed to really live out their religion in their daily lives. What role is played by Saudi Arabia, which has built and finances Koran schools in many areas of the world, in the spreading of Wahhabism in countries such as Bangladesh or India? Do the Saudi Wahhabis have much influence there? Dill-Riaz: I believe there are many madrasas that are financed by Saudi Arabia. People suspect that the Wahhabist interpretation of Islam is preached there. You hear rumours that madrasa teachers from Saudi Arabia are flown into these countries.
I think it's a shame that something like this is not monitored. It's up to the State to keep watch over what is taught at educational institutions. But this unfortunately doesn't happen. Naturally, we shouldn't object to Saudi Arabia supporting a good-quality basic education – as long as the country doesn't propagate any kind of orthodox curriculum purporting to teach Muslims how to live by their religion. © Qantara.de 2009 "Korankinder" (Children of the Koran), (Bangladesh/Germany 2008), Director: Shaheen Dill-Riaz, Cast: Mohammed Ismael, Kamrul Hassan, Rayhan Hossain, Prof. Salimullah Khan, Sharfuddin URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2027
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The madrasas that were newly founded through the colonial power, the so-called "Aliya" madrasas or high madrasas, served to educate Persian-speaking civil servants so that Muslims could also later be integrated into the administrative apparatus and the English would have access to their language. As a reaction, the Muslims in Bangladesh established their own so-called "Qaumi", or people's madrasas, in an effort to provide an alternative to the British educational system.Madrasa Reform: Indian Muslim intellectuals, divines oppose one another
| Urdu Section | |
| 31 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Madrasa Reform: Indian Muslim intellectuals, divines oppose one another | |
| URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2026
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Friday, October 30, 2009
| Islamic World News | |
| 31 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| India reaches out to Muslim clerics for anti-terror campaign: Home Minister to address Deoband Ulema Conference | |
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Xinjiang violence: Views from China Quran doesn't justify crime, Muslims say Islam, the imperative of global peace, security Muslim Woman Tries to Kill Husband; Claims He Fed Her Pork, Liquor Female cartoonist's provocative work challenges Saudi society Serbia's mixed feelings on trial of Karadzic, allegedly responsible for killing tens of thousands of Muslims Missing: British Girl of 14 who found Islam Hillary Clinton says Pakistan does not really want to stop al-Qaeda Clinton opposes Islamic 'defamation of religions' push Taliban, Qaida disown blast in Peshawar Peshawar: Terror unlimited Beyonce causing controversy in Egypt Saudis Try to Head Off Swine Flu Fears Before Hajj The state of occupied Iraq In Military Campaign, Pakistan Finds Hint of 9/11 Commentary: Stop religious persecution in Iran Muslim women film series dispels stereotypes Islamist leader seeks to turn Buckingham Palace into mosque 61 security force members held over Baghdad bombs: Army spokesman UN re-evaluates Afghan mission after attack Detroit mosque leader killed in shootout with FBI Sikhs ignore advisory, 165 leave for Pak 'Terrorists sending coded messages in blog rants' FBI: Islamic group leader killed in shootout Iran - Young scholars boost hope for better future Italy: Al-Qaeda linked terror suspects go on trial Pen Season on Jews: Two Men Shot At Prayer in Los Angeles Muslim women's sports foundation score with football grant Smooth rifts with Indonesians: expert Compiled bySultan Shahin URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamWarOnTerror_1.aspx?ArticleID=2023 --------
UPA reaches out to Muslim clerics for anti-terror campaign: Home Minister to address Deoband Ulema Conference 30 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Realising that the war on terror needs to be fought as much on the ground as inside the mind, the UPA regime has sought to reach out to Muslim clerics and opinion makers as part of a strategy. Home minister P Chidambaram will address a massive gathering of clerics and followers of the Deoband seminary at the Islamic institute on November 3. Though the organisers of the gathering, Jamiat-Ulema-i-Hind, has invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as well, sources on Thursday confirmed that the two would not travel to Deoband in western Uttar Pradesh. A Jamiat spokesman said this would be the first annual meeting of the organisation being held at Deoband. While 10,000 clerics and Islamic scholars are expected to attend the session, the turnout of Deobandi Muslims can cross the five-lakh mark, he said. The presence of the home minister at the gathering clearly assumes significance. Many see the gesture as indicative of the government's effort to reach out to Muslim religious leaders and seek their support in the war against the shadowy jihadis. The Jamiat meet is taking place in the backdrop of a series of conferences of Islamic scholars of different schools and activists explaining why Islam and terror of the jihadi brand were mutually exclusive. After Sufi scholars offered their philosophy and worldview at a recent seminar as an instrument to counter terrorism, eminent Muslim personalities at a conference earlier this week deliberated whether it was possible to announce a religious edict against suicide bombers. ----- October 30, 2009 Ethnic Uighur Journalist Detained in China BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese police have jailed an outspoken Uighur journalist for allegedly endangering national security, a colleague said Friday, adding to the scores of detentions reported in the restive Xinjiang region since deadly ethnic rioting erupted there four months ago. Well-known academic Ilham Tohti said Hailaite Niyazi, the former manager of his Web site, was taken from his home in the regional capital of Urumqi on Oct. 1. He said Niyazi's family was informed Oct. 4 that he was suspected of endangering national security. Tohti said Niyazi's wife believes the allegation is linked to interviews Niyazi gave to foreign media following the riots that broke out July 5. Uighurs are a Turkic Muslim ethnic group linguistically and culturally distinct from China's majority Han. The July riots, in which Uighurs (WEE'-gurs) attacked Han, who then launched revenge attacks days later, killed nearly 200 people in China's worst ethnic unrest in decades. Hundreds of people have been rounded up since and the government has smothered much of Xinjiang with security. Xinjiang's High Court on Friday upheld death penalties for nine people convicted earlier this month of committing murder and other crimes during the riots, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The decisions still require a Supreme Court review. China blames the rioting on overseas-based groups agitating for greater Uighur rights in Xinjiang, but has presented no direct evidence. One of those figures blamed by Beijing, exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, said Friday during a visit to Tokyo that there should be an independent investigation into the treatment of Uighurs since the riots. She denounced the death sentences handed down so far, saying the accused have been denied due legal process. ''The international community must investigate what has been happening since July 5 in Uighur areas,'' she said in a speech to the Foreign Correspondent's Club. Kadeer has also condemned as unfair reports of a closed eight-hour trial in Xinjiang's remote Yili city last week where 19 Uighur men were convicted of endangering state security for planning a protest in Yili the day after the Urumqi riots. The men allegedly bought gasoline and clocks with the intention of making explosives, state media said last week. Although they abandoned the plan due to the high level of security in Yili, they alleged leader of the group was sentenced to life in prison while the other men were sentenced to between three and 15 years in jail, the Yili News Net report said. Endangering state security is a vaguely worded charge often used in China to silence dissident voices. A woman with the Xinjiang Public Security Department said she was unable to confirm the journalist, Niyazi, had been detained and refused to give her name. During an interview with The Associated Press on July 9, Niyazi was cautiously critical of the regional government's inability to tolerate dissent. ''In China, sometimes even if you are just defending human rights, if you say something a little bit extreme, you'll be in trouble,'' he said. Tohti said he didn't publicize the detention earlier because he thought it would damage his friend's case. Niyazi, 50, was a manager and editor for Tohti's Uighurbiz Web site until June of this year and has also worked for the state-run newspapers Xinjiang Legal News and the Xinjiang Economic Daily. Tohti, a Beijing-based economics professor, was himself detained after the riots for more than a month of questioning by secret police but not charged. Web sites such as Tohti's were accused by the government of whipping up Uighur fury and organizing the July unrest. Internet service in Xinjiang was shut down shortly after the riots and the region remains largely offline, to the frustration of many residents and businesses. Along with Tohti's Uighurbiz, authorities also targeted Diyarim.com, whose manager Dilixiati Paerhati was taken from his apartment on Aug. 7 by unidentified men and has not been heard from since, according to an Amnesty International statement last week that cited his older brother. ''He only edits a Web site, he hasn't done anything wrong,'' Dilixiati Paerhati's brother, Dilimulati, a student in England, was quoted as saying by the group. ''There has been trouble in Xinjiang but my brother wasn't part of it,'' he said. Associated Press writer Malcolm Foster in Tokyo contributed to this report. ---- Xinjiang violence: Views from China As the situation in Xinjiang calms down, people from across China discuss the cause of the unrest and the impact it might have on social stability in the future. Harry He, tradesman, Xian I used to work for a travel company, so I've travelled to Xinjiang a lot. I was totally shocked when I heard what happened there. Uighurs believe this is their land, and it is. But Han Chinese have been settling down there since the Tang dynasty, when the Silk Route opened up new cities and new opportunities. Maybe the Chinese did rule Xinjiang with an iron first. But we are learning the lesson Things have already got better for ethnic minorities. In some ways, they enjoy more privileges. For example I have to study really hard to get into university while it's easier for Uighurs, as there is a reserved quota for them regardless of how well they've performed. Uighurs have a bad reputation in the rest of China. They get involved in criminal activities. They also don't speak Mandarin well. That's why many Han Chinese have little respect for them and some even hate them. Urumqi is a wealthy, modern city. Twenty years ago you couldn't see such prosperity. All this wealth goes back into their education and social welfare. I've been reading blogs and I know that so many people want to talk about it. But I also know that if I post a comment, it will disappear in two minutes. The government is controlling the information in order to contain the violence. Information should be released step by step, not at once. If they let people comment freely, anger and hatred will spread quickly and some Han Chinese might want to retaliate against Uighurs. I am confident that my government is doing the right thing to bring harmony. Kalder, IT engineer, Beijing, originally from Urumqi I belong to the Hui minority group. Back in Urumqi I've got friends from the Hui, Han and Uighur groups. Relations between us have always been fine, that's why I was totally shocked when I heard what happened earlier in the week. "The most important thing for the stability of Xinjiang is economic prosperity benefiting everyone" I don't think the rioters represent the Uighur minority. Most of the Uighurs are good people and they don't want such things to happen. I feel that both Uighurs and Hui people are supported by the government. It's easier for us to get into university and there are more opportunities. It's true that many Han people have come to Xinjiang in the last few years and that more Han Chinese live in Urumqi than Uighurs. But I don't mind that. If I can come to Beijing, why can't Han Chinese go to Urumqi? I don't feel anybody is looking down on me here because I am from the Hui ethnic group. But I know that Han Chinese look down on Uighurs, because some Uighurs do bad things, like stealing, so they attract bad feelings. The situation in Xinjiang is getting better and better. People earn more money, their life style is better than before and they are happier. The visitors from other parts of China create more, not less, opportunities. So I think that the most important thing for the future stability of Xinjiang is economic prosperity benefiting everyone. I am a little bit worried about stability in the short term. My parents told me that they feel much safer now that the army is there. So I think that the army should stay there for a few months at least to ensure the safety of the people there. Uighur migrant worker, Dongguan, Guangdong province This Uighur man, who has been working in Guangdong province for five years, wanted to remain anonymous. I was shocked to hear about the recent unrest in Xinjiang. Violence is wrong, from whichever side. It's obvious that just a handful of people took part in the rioting. My friends told me that they didn't recognise any of the guys that they saw in the TV reports - where were they from? Attacking people and ransacking shops is definitely wrong, because it undermines national unity. I have many classmates and friends from many nationalities, and we all enjoy good relationships. We cannot really tell what's happening from the reports on TV. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes. It must have been premeditated; otherwise, how come there were so many people? I have many friends in Urumqi, but I haven't heard about these reports of large numbers of people at train stations and airports trying to leave. July and August have always been popular with travellers, and people come and go. It is always difficult to get tickets during these months, and transport terminals are busy when things are normal. Wang Bin, student, Chongqing, originally from Ningxia I believe in what the government is saying - that the riots are caused by the World Uighur Congress, which used the Guangdong factory incident to fuel anger among Uighurs. I think that Uighurs are angry because of the failure of the government's ethnic policy. China has given many privileges to minority groups. When Uighurs break the law, for example, they don't get punished as heavily as Han Chinese would. "I think that Uighurs can benefit more from the prosperity of Xinjiang" Wang Bin But these privileges fail to bring true benefits to the Uighur people. As the economy develops, the gap between poor and rich within the Uighur ethnic group has become very big, just like anywhere else in China. And some of them feel that they have been marginalised. I think this is the fundamental reason for the unrest. In addition, it's true that there are many Han Chinese who went to Xinjiang in the last few years and in some industries there are more Han Chinese than Uighurs. So I think that Uighurs can benefit more from the prosperity of Xinjiang. I think that the government should start treating all ethnic groups equally. There shouldn't be any preferential treatment for anyone, so that all ethnicities can live together in harmony. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8143107.stm ----=-- Quran doesn't justify crime, Muslims say Niraj Warikoo Oct. 30, 2009 According to a criminal complaint, Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah said that stories from the Quran and the life of the prophet Muhammad "justified stealing, robbing and other illegal acts, as long as they profit Islam." But other local Muslims say -- assuming the allegations against Abdullah are true -- his interpretation is wrong. "The Quran patently forbids things like stealing," said Nadir Muhsin, who teaches Islam at Wayne County Community College. Someone who would use the Quran to justify criminal activity "would actually be putting words in the Quran" that are not there. Victor Ghalib Begg, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan, cited a hadith, a saying of Muhammad, in which he said that even if his daughter stole, it wouldn't be excused under Islam. He also quoted a verse from the Quran that says: "If you have killed one person unjustly, it is as though you killed the entire world." ----- Islam, the imperative of global peace, security By Afis Oladosu October 30, 2009 In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the world. We testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that the prophet Muhammad (SAW) is His last messenger. ON the 8th of October, the Norwegian Committee in charge of Nobel Awards decided to award the 2009 Prize for Peace to Mr. Barrack Obama, the President of the United States (U.S.). Obama was awarded the Prize in appreciation of the change which he has brought to the world, the improved cooperation among nations, the unprecedented multilateral efforts to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms which the U.S. now leads, the new positive rapprochement between the U.S. and the Moslem world and the new American initiative and interest to, in league with the United Nations, combat global warming. The award immediately generated reactions from across the world, some positive and others extremely negative. It was applauded by those who are entranced and enchanted by the Obama-"magic" - men and women in the East and the West who are suffering from "Obamamania"; it was dismissed by critics and pundits in the North and the South most of whom love to hate the first black-American president - men and women who are held hostage, as it were, in "Obamaphobia". The first group celebrated the award not only because it spoke to their vision and perception of the persona of Obama but equally for setting a new record as the first American President to receive such a global award even as he is yet to complete his first year in office; the second considered the award as premature, extremely patronising and totally misplaced. "America is still in Afghanistan promoting violence and here is Mr. Obama being given an award for promoting global peace...what type of peace is this?" the other group queried. ----- Muslim Woman Tries to Kill Husband; Claims He Fed Her Pork, Liquor By Roy Edroso Oct. 30 2009 Rabia Sarwar says she thought she was marrying a devout Muslim who, even though he taught in a godless Western high school on Staten Island, had traditional values. After all, it was a good old-fashioned arranged marriage -- what could go wrong? She, or whatever village elders arranged the union, seems somehow to have missed that her new husband, Sheik Nassem, was a Unitarian (!), had been married twice before to non-observant-Muslim women, and had, the New York Post tells us, "a taste for barbecued ribs." Alas, soon after their May wedding, Sarwar claims Nassem was pressuring her to do sacrilegious things -- such as, according to a source, "eating pork, drinking alcohol, wearing short clothes," etc. So, Wednesday morning, Sarwar tried to cut his throat while he was sleeping. Cops say she also yelled, "It's time for you to die!" (Unconfirmed reports have her yelling "AIEEE!" as well.) Her lawyer, perhaps cognizant of the fact that religious unorthodoxy is not at present a credible defense for attempted murder in Western countries, adds that Nassem "literally threatened to have her parents mutilated." Sarwar, who has in the past been treated for depression, is charged with attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon. Source: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/10/muslim_woman_tr.php ----- Female cartoonist's provocative work challenges Saudi society By Olivia Sterns, CNN LONDON, England (CNN) -- For Saudi Arabia's lone female cartoonist drawing is more than just satire, it's "a duty." "I think men have put women in an unfavourable position in this part of the world. They've put women in an oppressive situation," said Hana Hajjar, who works for the English-language newspaper Arab News. "I feel it is my duty towards women to speak out on their behalf, because I have the tools and venue to do so," she told CNN. Hajjar's drawings both challenge gender roles and critique political policy, often depicting inequality between the sexes and support for the Palestinian people, but she is careful not to push too far. "I like to draw thought-provoking and argument-provoking caricatures. I like to see how much I can push people to think, but am mindful never to cross societal red lines," she said. For a woman in the conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be dealing with such issues represents a significant break in cultural convention. "The general attitude in Saudi about caricaturists is that women don't have the stamina and inspiration to last long in this field, unlike their male counterparts," Hajjar explained, adding that luckily her parents had always been supportive of her career. "Caricature is regarded as a man's profession, which has discouraged women in the past from entering the field but I hope my presence is a dent in that armor and will open up the path for others." Over the past five years, Saudi society has made some modest progress toward greater gender equality. There are now a handful of prominent women sitting in the Chamber of Commerce, working in the media and there is even a woman in government, the Deputy Minister of Education. Hajjar has one female colleague at the newspaper where she works. Nonetheless social change is slow and resistance is strong. The opening of an elite new university in September caused uproar for offering mixed-gender classes and allowing women to drive on the campus. Full Report at: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/27/hajjar.female.cartoonist/index.html ---- Karadzic: Serbia's mixed feelings Mark Lowen October 29, 2009 In the Luda Kuca bar — or "mad house" — in New Belgrade, life has slowly returned to normal. Just over a year ago, this cramped, shack-like place was invaded by a world media desperate to find out more about the elaborate double-life of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader now on trial in The Hague for war crimes. For years one of Europe's most wanted men had regularly come here to enjoy a glass of red wine. All the time Mr. Karadzic was hidden behind a heavy beard, high pony tail and thick-rimmed glasses, presenting himself as an alternative healer, Dragan "David" Dabic. He had sat beneath the photos of Serb strongmen that adorn the walls of the bar: the former Serbian President, Slobodan Milosevic — himself tried at The Hague — the former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, and pictures of Karadzic himself. Since his arrest in July last year, a new portrait has hung on the walls: of the friendly doctor, Dragan Dabic, who nobody here suspected of being Radovan Karadzic. In the corner of the bar, 29-year-old Djordje and his friends try their hand at the "Gusle" — a traditional Serbian one-stringed musical instrument. They tell me proudly how Mr Karadzic himself would entertain customers here with performances on the instrument. "It's absolutely right that he boycotted the start of his trial," Djordje says. "That's the only way to show his anger at the injustice of this quasi-court. Throughout the 1990s wars, Serbs only defended our land, our people and our faith," he adds. Away from this hotbed of Serb nationalism, the start of the Karadzic trial has had a rather more mixed reaction here. Radovan Karadzic does still have a network of supporters — but he was never as popular in Serbia as his military commander, Mr. Mladic. Many Serbs feel indifferent towards the whole affair. When I asked one Belgrade taxi driver how he would feel when he sees Karadzic in the dock on television, he replied: "I'll just change channels." 'Divided opinion' Full Report at: http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/29/stories/2009102954310900.htm ----- Missing: British Girl of 14 who found Islam 30 Oct 2009 A 14-YEAR-OLD girl has vanished after becoming obsessed with Islam. Sarah Dunn had argued with her mother about her decision to study the Koran. Friends and family fear Sarah may have been brainwashed by hard-line Muslims. A pal said yesterday: "No one has heard from her. She was really into Islam and was interested in the Koran. I think it was a bit of an obsession. "But whenever anyone tried to talk to her she'd get very defensive. We're worried about her." It emerged yesterday that Sarah lived in foster care but visited her mum Christine regularly in Dudley, West Midlands. Christine, 40, appealed for Sarah to contact her. A family friend added: "Christine was concerned about her daughter becoming interested in Islam but wanted to talk it through with her to make sure it was what she wanted to do." Sarah was last seen being dropped at school in Leintwardine, Herefordshire, on September 28. But she did not go to class and CCTV later that day showed her 20 miles away in Wellington buying a Muslim prayer mat. A spokesman for the local Muslim Association urged the Islamic community to help find Sarah. Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2705681/Missing-Girl-of-14-who-found-Islam.html ----- Islamabad: Hillary Clinton says Pakistan does not really want to stop al-Qaeda October 30, 2009 By Zahid Hussain Hilary Clinton chastised Pakistan today for not making enough effort to seize senior al-Qaeda leaders who she said were hiding in the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and could not get them if they really wanted to," the US Secretary of State told a group of Pakistani newspaper editors. Her comments came as the Pakistani military said that Said Bahaji, a member of a Hamburg terrorist cell linked to the 9/11 attacks, could be involved with the militants fighting the Pakistani forces in South Waziristan. US intelligence officials have repeatedly said they believe that Osama bin Laden and his associates were hiding near the border with Afghanistan but this was the first time a senior American official has accused Pakistan of not trying hard enough to apprehend them. "May be that is the case, may be they are not getable. I don't know," Mrs Clinton said. "As far as we know they are in Pakistan." During a visit to the eastern city of Lahore, Mrs Clinton also warned that Pakistanis that they must get their act together to solve the challenges facing Islamabad. Her outburst has been poorly received by many Pakistanis, who blame US policy for most of their country's problems in dealing with rising terrorism. A senior security official said: "Pakistan has done far more than any other country in combating al-Qaeda, capturing at least 700 of its activists." Mrs Clinton was on a three-day visit to Pakistan designed to shore up the US relationship with Pakistan and offer help in its military campaign against Taleban militants. Full Report at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6896956.ece ----- Clinton opposes Islamic 'defamation of religions' push Oct 29, 2009 By Tom Strode WASHINGTON (BP)--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke forcefully against international efforts to adopt policies outlawing the defamation of religions while presenting the Obama administration's first report on global religious freedom. The State Department issued its annual assessment of the conditions for religious expression in 198 countries, the first such report since President Obama took office in January. The report, issued Oct. 26, demonstrates there have been both positive and negative trends in the last year, a State Department official told reporters. Clinton, in introducing the report, took the opportunity to express her disapproval of the defamation of religions movement. Led by the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the effort promotes the condemnation of messages that defame religions and can lead to violence. "[S]ome claim that the best way to protect the freedom of religion is to implement so-called anti-defamation policies that would restrict freedom of expression and the freedom of religion. I strongly disagree," Clinton said. "The United States will always seek to counter negative stereotypes of individuals based on their religion and will stand against discrimination and persecution. But an individual's ability to practice his or her religion has no bearing on others' freedom of speech," Clinton told reporters. "The protection of speech about religion is particularly important since persons of different faiths will inevitably hold divergent views on religious questions. These differences should be met with tolerance, not with the suppression of discourse." The American experience shows "the best antidote to intolerance is not the defamation of religions approach of banning and punishing offensive speech but, rather, a combination of robust legal protections against discrimination and hate crimes, proactive government outreach to minority religious groups and the vigorous defense of both freedom of religion and expression," Clinton said. The OIC may introduce a defamation of religions resolution at the United Nations any day, according to an Oct. 28 report by the American Center for Law and Justice. Such a resolution "stifles the religious freedoms of millions of Christians around the world," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow said. It could encourage U.N. members to enact laws barring defamation of religions, empowering Islamic states that seek to ban the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus, he said. Full Report at: http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=31573 ----- Taliban, Qaida disown blast in Peshawar 30 October 2009 ISLAMABAD: The Taliban and the al-Qaida have distanced themselves from the deadly market blast in Peshawar that claimed 105 lives, saying they don't explode bombs in such areas, reported a Pakistani paper on Thursday. The News quoted an al-Qaida statement as saying the group was not involved in the killing of innocent people. Most of those killed in the blast were women and children. According to al-Qaida sources cited by the newspaper, elements who want to defame jihad were behind the Peshawar blast. The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in an email sent to the media, also condemned the Peshawar blast and denied its involvement. ----- Peshawar: Terror unlimited October 30, 2009 Even by terror's gory standards, the bomb attack in Peshawar city that killed 105 people was of an order of savagery that surpassed anything Pakistan had seen before. It targeted the most vulnerable among civilians — women and children — and capped a month-long orgy of violence unleashed by extremist militants across the country. The timing of the attack with the arrival in Pakistan of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton might have been a coincidence. Even so, it was a horrific demonstration of the challenges to the U.S.-Pakistan partnership in the "war on terror." The terror attacks are clearly aimed at sapping the nation's morale as its army, under pressure from the U.S., battles the Taliban in its South Waziristan stronghold. The thinking seems to be that a terrorised nation will lose the stomach for military operations against the militants — but the attacks are having the opposite effect. Pakistanis are asking what kind of beasts are these who deliberately set out to target young students, women, and children. The suicide bombings at the International Islamic University earlier this month was an indication that the militants would stop at nothing. Full Report at: http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/30/stories/2009103053840800.htm ----- Beyonce causing controversy in Egypt By Daniela Deane, CNN (CNN) -- Diva Beyonce Knowles strutting her stuff in the conservative Middle East? Looks like it. Even though not everyone is looking forward to the show. Beyonce's worldwide, year-long "I am ..." tour, which has taken her from Canada to China since March, is due in Egypt on November 6 at the Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib. The single show will mark Beyonce's first-ever concert in the land of pyramids. Tickets have reached $400, according to the Al Arabiya television station. But even before she starts shaking her booty on the Egyptian stage, the scantily dressed superstar singer has created controversy. Last week, Islamist Egyptian Member of Parliament Hamdi Hassan, part of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood, slammed the government for allowing a singer "who appears naked in her clips" to perform in Egypt, saying it was violating Sharia law. Sharia, or Islamic religious law, covers many aspects of daily life, including family, sexuality, hygiene and social issues. "The government is trying to make people indulge in sin and licentiousness to cover up the other crimes it is committing against them," Hassan said in a parliamentary session. Hassan accused the government of a double standard for allowing Beyonce to perform, but at the same time refusing permission to an Islamic band that sings religious songs for children. Full Report at: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/29/beyonce/index.html ---- October 30, 2009 Saudis Try to Head Off Swine Flu Fears Before Hajj By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Every year, the single largest gathering on the planet is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca: 2.5 million people from 160 countries packed into a small city in Saudi Arabia for five days. This year, some will be bringing swine flu. The Saudi authorities, fearing that the hajj could turn their holy city into a petri dish for viral mutations and a hub for spreading a new pandemic wave around the world, are working hard to head that off. They have asked some worshipers, including pregnant women and the elderly, not to make the trip, which is scheduled for the last week of November. "The hajj is a central ritual of Islam, and our country tries to make it easy for everyone to come," said Dr. Ziad A. Memish, the country's assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine. "We've said we won't turn away anyone who arrives at our borders. But we are recommending to other countries whom they should let come." Although the Saudis have turned to the World Health Organization and other health agencies for help in previous public health threats to the hajj, this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American government's lead disease-fighting agency, is more deeply involved because it has so much experience with this new flu strain. Consultants for the centers have gone back and forth to Riyadh, flu experts at American medical schools have been called in and the United States Navy's medical laboratory in Cairo is preparing to help with any complex flu testing that is beyond what Saudi laboratories can do. While religious pilgrimages feed the souls of those who attend, they often endanger the bodies. There have been several outbreaks of meningitis in Mecca since 1987, and in 2004, Muslim pilgrims spread polio from northern Nigeria across Africa to Saudi Arabia and from there outward to Yemen and Indonesia. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/world/middleeast/30flu.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- The state of occupied Iraq October 29, 2009 The suicide bombings in Baghdad on October 25 were the worst in the city for over two years. They reveal serious holes in Iraqi security as well as the continuing political problems posed by the United States-led military occupation of Iraq. The facts are that a van and a minibus, each carrying a tonne or more of explosives, passed through several checkpoints before being detonated near the Justice Ministry and several provincial council buildings. Trucks are banned from Baghdad during daylight hours without military permits, which are to be examined at every checkpoint. The terror vehicles got through in what looks like an expert attack. The Defence and Interior Ministries are investigating possible collusion or negligence by Iraqi security forces. The estimated death toll is 155, including several children at two day-care centres in the Justice Ministry building. Over 500 people were injured and an unknown number are missing. The buildings of the Justice Ministry and the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, both seven storeys high, were destroyed in the blasts, as was a third government building. Full Report at: http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/29/stories/2009102954230800.htm ----- October 30, 2009 In Military Campaign, Pakistan Finds Hint of 9/11 By JANE PERLEZ and MARK MAZZETTI SHERWANGAI, Pakistan — Pakistani forces pushing toward a lair of hard-core Taliban fighters found documents this week linked to a member of the Hamburg cell of Al Qaeda that is believed to have planned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In a small village in the dun-colored hills of South Waziristan, soldiers found a German passport belonging to Said Bahaji, a German citizen and associate of Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers. The passport was issued in Hamburg in August 2, 2001 and was accompanied by a Pakistani visa dated August 3, 2001. The documents indicated that Mr. Bahaji landed in Karachi from Istanbul on Sept. 4, 2001. The apparent presence of Mr. Bahaji in the tribal areas of Pakistan is a clear indication that members of the Qaeda network — including participants in the 9/11 plot — have taken refuge here, as American officials, like Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday, have charged. There was no indication that Mr. Bahaji had left Pakistan, authorities said. Although Mr. Bahaji was not a central plotter in the Sept. 11 attacks, he lived for eight months in Hamburg with Mr. Atta and Ramzi bin al Shibh, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. He was described in the report as "an insecure follower with no personality and with limited knowledge of Islam." It added: "Atta and Binalshibh used Bahaji's computer for Internet research, as evidenced by documents and diskettes seized by German authorities after 9/11." A United States counterterrorism official said the documents "appear to be this guy," and that American officials believe "he's in Pakistan and is a senior Qaeda propagandist." The official spoke anonymously to discuss classified assessments of Al Qaeda. Soldiers also found a Spanish passport belonging to Raquel Burgos Garcia, who is believed to be Mr. Bahaji's wife. She wore an Islamic headscarf in her passport photo; an accompanying identity card showed that she had attended school in Morocco. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/world/asia/30pstan.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- Commentary: Stop religious persecution in Iran By Rainn Wilson Editor's note: Actor Rainn Wilson plays paper salesman Dwight Schrute in the television comedy "The Office." (CNN) -- Why is Rainn Wilson, "Dwight" on "The Office," writing a news commentary for CNN? Good question. It's a bit strange for me, to say the least; a comic character actor best known for playing weirdos with bad haircuts getting all serious to talk about the persecution of the fellow members of his religious faith. Dear readers of CNN, I assure you that what I'm writing about is no joking matter or some hoax perpetrated by a paper-sellin', bear-fearin', Battlestar-Galactica obsessed beet farmer. I am a member of the Baha'i faith. What is that, you ask? Well, long story short, it's an independent world religion that began in the mid-1800s in Iran. Baha'is believe that there is only one God and therefore only one religion. All of the world's divine teachers (Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Moses, Abraham, Krishna, etc.) bring essentially the same message -- one of unity, love and knowledge of God or the divine. This constantly updated faith of God, Baha'is believe, has been refreshed for this day and age by our founder, Baha'u'llah. There. Nutshell version. Now, as I mentioned, this all happened in Iran, and needless to say the Muslim authorities did not like the Baha'is very much, accusing them of heresy and apostasy. Tens of thousands were killed in the early years of the faith, and the persecutions have continued off and on for the past 150 years. Full Report at: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/02/17/wilson.faith/index.html ---- Muslim women film series dispels stereotypes By Ivy Lamb Oct. 30 2009 The IDS 485: Arab and Islamic Feminisms class, taught by Assistant Professor of English Diya Abdo, is presenting a Muslim women film series. The film series challenges stereotypes about Muslim women by exploring the lives of Muslim women around the world. "They Call Me Muslim," the first film in the series, was screened in Bryan Jr. Auditorium on Oct. 6. Directed by Diana Ferrero, the film examines the debate over the Muslim headscarf by interviewing two women; one in France who is forced to remove her hijab, and another woman in Iran who is forced to put it on. A small group of students gathered to watch the film and afterwards participated in a discussion that was led by four seniors from Abdo's IDS class. The discussion focused on how the hijab relates to oppression, identity, and anti-Muslim sentiments. "For many women, the veil is liberating," said presenting senior Lee Cornett, addressing the common Western misconception that the hijab is a symbol of oppression. "We all place different ideologies on the same piece of clothing." Competing religious, political, and feminist ideologies have singled out the hijab as a controversial piece of clothing, even though many religions have mandates for women to cover themselves. Full Report at: http://media.www.guilfordian.com/media/storage/paper281/news/2009/10/30/News/Muslim.Women.Film.Series.Dispels.Stereotypes-3816136.shtml ----- Islamist leader seeks to turn Buckingham Palace into mosque London, October 29, 2009 An extremist Islamist leader, who is campaigning to introduce sharia courts in the UK, seeks to turn Buckingham Palace into a mosque, a news report said on Thursday. Days before a potentially incendiary rally in central London to demand the introduction of sharia courts in Britain, Anjem Choudary claims to have uncovered historical evidence which challenges the right of Queen Elizabeth II to live at the royal palace. Choudary, the right-hand man of exiled Islamist cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, demanded the palace be renamed Buckingham Masjid, and the Mall, which approaches the palace, would become Masjid Road, the Daily Express newspaper reported today. The protest on Saturday outside the British Parliament, less than a mile from Buckingham Palace, has raise Concerns over security, the report said. "There is a spark that has ignited and its flame has become unstoppable," Choudary wrote on the Islam4UK website. "We find ourselves in the year 2009, waiting for Rome to fall, waiting for the White House to fall and indeed waiting for Buckingham Palace to fall," he was quoted as saying by the British tabloid. Choudary said once the sharia was established the Queen's official residence in London would have a dome fitted and a tannoy system to call followers to prayer. The Islam4UK movement is made up of leading members of the banned radical al-Muhajiroun group which was once led by Choudary. Around 15 per cent of people convicted in the UK of terrorism-related offences in the last decade were either members of the group or had links to it, the report claimed. ----- 61 security force members held over Baghdad bombs: Army spokesman 29 October 2009 BAGHDAD: More than 60 security force members including 11 officers have been arrested over twin bombings in Baghdad that killed 153 people, army spokesman General Qasim Atta said on Thursday. Those arrested were deployed in the Salhiya section of the capital where the devastating suicide blasts on Sunday targeted government buildings and wrought havoc in the streets, said Atta, spokesman for Baghdad military command. "The commission of inquiry into the double attack on Sunday ordered the arrest of 11 officers of various ranks and 50 members of the security forces responsible for the protection of Salhiya," he said. The health ministry said on Thursday the toll from the attacks claimed by al-Qaida but blamed by the government on members of the outlawed Baath party stood at 153 people killed and more than 500 wounded. Among those arrested, said Atta, are four senior army officers and seven senior policemen, including the chief of police of Salhiya under whose jurisdiction the justice ministry, one of the targets of the attacks, falls. Also rounded up, he added, are the commanders of 15 security checkpoints in Salhiya. Baghdad's governor, Salah Abdul Razzaq, on Monday blamed negligence or even collusion by the security forces for the bombings in the heart of the capital, Iraq's deadliest day in more than two years. "It's a human failure... It can only be negligence or collusion," Razzaq said, noting that footage showed a white Renault truck carrying two tonnes of explosives driving up to the justice ministry building. The logo of the Department of Water in Fallujah, a former insurgent bastion west of Baghdad, was painted on the side of the truck, he said. "How did it get from Fallujah to here?" Trucks are barred from entering Baghdad, especially Salhiya neighbourhood, during daylight hours. Razzaq said that the vehicle that was blown up in front of the other target, a provincial government building, was a Kia minibus. Defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari told AFP earlier this week that security forces raided two houses in Baghdad, where they found bomb-making materials, and made arrests, but did not specify how many. "It looks like the same materials used on Bloody Wednesday," he said, referring to August 19 bombings at government ministries in Baghdad that killed around 100 people. Askari said the evidence found confirmed the bombers were linked to al-Qaida and supporters of the Baath Party of ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. ----- UN re-evaluates Afghan mission after attack 30 October 2009 KABUL: Traumatized UN staff in Afghanistan were under orders to stay home on Thursday, one day after Taliban militants stormed a guest house in the capital and killed eight people in a brazen attack that is forcing the world body to re-evaluate its mission in the war-ravaged nation. The attack underscored the risks facing UN officials in organizing a runoff election following the fraud-marred first-round vote on August 20. A UN spokesman said at least nine UN staff who survived the assault will be evacuated to Dubai. The UN has ordered its employees to remain on "lockdown," with their movements restricted. A memo said UN departments will be reviewing lists of critical and nonessential personnel, suggesting some may be moved out of the country. ----- Detroit mosque leader killed in shootout with FBI 29 October 2009 WASHINGTON: A Detroit mosque leader accused of heading a Muslim militant group died Wednesday in a shootout with federal agents conducting raids that led to the arrests of eight suspects. Three additional suspects are wanted on charges including conspiracy, weapons violations and trafficking in stolen goods. There were no terrorism charges, though court documents alleged that the leader had threatened terrorist actions in conversations with FBI informants and undercover agents. Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, who was also known as Christopher Thomas, died after allegedly firing on FBI agents executing a search warrant on a warehouse in Dearborn, Michigan, outside Detroit. Abdullah led the Masjid al-Haqq, a mosque in Detroit of predominantly African-American converts to Islam. "The 11 defendants are members of a group that is alleged to have engaged in violent activity over a period of many years and known to be armed," the FBI and federal prosecutors said in a statement. ----- Sikhs ignore advisory, 165 leave for Pak 30 October 2009 ATTARI: Ignoring the Union government's advisory against travelling to Pakistan, 165 Sikh devotees left for Nankana Saheb in Lahore to observe the 540th birth anniversary of the first Sikh preceptor, Guru Nanak Dev, who was born there. The Centre had issued the advisory after a spate of terror attacks in Pakistan over the last few weeks. The Sikh jatha comprising groups from Taran Taran's Baba Sewa Singh Kar Sewa and Sri Guru Nanak Dev Yatra boarded Samjhauta Express for Lahore at Attari station. SGPC will send its jatha on October 31. ----- 'Terrorists sending coded messages in blog rants' Mateen Hafeez 30 October 2009 MUMBAI: Provocative rants by bloggers are a familiar sight to regular surfers of the internet. But some of these diatribes are more than simply a matter of disgruntled people venting their spleen — police say blogs have emerged as the favoured mode of communication of terrorists seeking to convey hidden messages to accomplices. Police officers are now busy scouring provocative blogs for such messages. ''Earlier, terrorists used email and social networking websites to chat. However, in some cases, the modules were busted precisely with the help of web chat. To avoid this pitfall, terrorists have begun relying on blogs now,'' said an anti-terrorism squad (ATS) officer. It may be recalled several Indian Mujahideen operatives were caught after the police engaged them in chat while posing as their associates. Similarly, police zeroed in on the location of a suspect in the 7/11 train bombing case after resorting to web chat. Police explained that blogs made it harder for police to tune in to chatter. An officer said, ''In emails, many other email IDs can be traced. But a blog could be read by anyone, and all the police will get is internet protocol address of the blog's readers. It will not give us exact email ID to identify the person. Moreover, blogs are being written in such a manner that the content looks religious or fanatical, but it actually contains coded messages for terrorists,'' added an officer. Officers of the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell (CCIC) scan blogs and websites that contain remarks aimed at offending someone's religious sentiment. They search them and send a request to the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to block it. Meanwhile, the National Technology Research Organisation (NTRO), the country's secret agency that monitors cyber crime, also tracks cyber terrorists. But many cyber experts are not reassured by the investigations of NTRO and other agencies, saying there's need for more investment and training. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Terrorists-sending-coded-messages-in-blog-rants/articleshow/5178538.cms ----- FBI: Islamic group leader killed in shootout 30 Oct 2009 The FBI in Detroit updated the fatal shooting of a leader of a radical Sunni-Islam group during a news briefing Thursday. Officials said Luqman Ameen Abdullah was fatally shot Wednesday after resisting arrest and firing at agents in suburban Detroit. Investigators were attempting to arrest him on numerous charges ranging from conspiracy to sell stolen goods to possession of illegal firearms. "In the course of the arrest search warrants yesterday, there was obviously a shooting that occurred at an undercover location which the FBI controls and unfortunately one of the subjects was killed in that exchange," said Andrew Arena, head of the FBI office in Detroit. Ten followers also face charges. The alleged sect is not charged with terrorism. However, the FBI said the group intended to commit violence against the United States. One report said the group plotted an attack on the 2006 Super Bowl, held in Detroit. No incident occurred. Source: http://www.necn.com/Boston/Nation/2009/10/29/FBI-Islamic-group-leader/1256844211.html ----- Iran - Young scholars boost hope for better future 30 Oct, 2009 The Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei received hundreds of young Iranian scholars on Wednesday. Ayatollah Khamenei described the visit as "sweet as ever" and said, the educated youth who had combined knowledge with devotion to their country have boosted high hopes for a better future. The Leader of Islamic Revolution pointed out that the youth attitude towards different issues was becoming more sophisticated every year and that it was a sign of advancement. Ayatollah Khamenei referred to issues raised by some of the youths in the meeting prior to his speech including necessity of putting high priority on domestic needs, and fostering religious spirituality and culture and said the were issues of utmost importance that must be thoroughly considered by the officials. "It is a reality that as a result of experiencing various difficulties imposed by political, security, and media powers of the world in the past 30 years as well as recent political incidents, the Islamic Administration has become immune," The IRI Leader stated. Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the enemy's conspiracies against Iran as an undeniable reality, adding that some individuals might not be aware of the reality but that would not refute the whole thing. Ayatollah Khamenei said by making fuss about trifles, the situation would be made worse. Full Report at: http://www.isria.com/pages/29_October_2009_43.php ----- Italy: Al-Qaeda linked terror suspects go on trial Bologna, 29 October The trial of five Muslim terrorism suspects has began in the northern Italian city of Bologna. The suspects were arrested in 2007 by Italian anti-terrorism police in the cities of Ravenna and Imola in the Emilia-Romagna region. They have been charged with subversion aimed at committing acts of international terrorism and fraud. An unnamed sixth suspect who is on the run is being tried in absentia. The defendants are accused of plotting terrorist acts in Iraq and Afghanistan and recruiting other jihadist sympathisers to carry out the planned attacks, according to prosecutors. Following a three-year investigation, prosecutors issued police with six arrest warrants in August 2007. The five suspects were named as: Khalil Jarraya, head of a suspected jihadist-Salafite cell with links to Al-Qaeda; fellow Tunisians Hecmi Msaadi, Mohamed Chabchoub and Chedli Ben Bergaoui; and Moroccan national Mourad Mazi. Jarraya, known as 'the colonel' because he had fought on the side of Muslims during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, is an illegal immigrant from the Tunisian city of Sfax. He was living on 'zakat' or alms given to him by pious Muslims who attended the mosque in the city of Faenza, where he lived with his family, according to investigators. Full Report at: http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=3.0.3923939077 -----
Pen Season on Jews: Two Men Shot At Prayer in Los Angeles By Phyllis Chesler October 29, 2009 Early this morning, as Jewish men gathered for their morning prayers, a lone gunman entered the Adat Yeshurun Valley synagogue in North Hollywood (or entered it's parking lot) and, without saying a word, shot and wounded two men [1]. The gunman, described as an African-American teenager wearing a hood, apparently fled. (By the next day, police claimed they were not certain if the shooter was African-American). At first, they arrested an African-American man who resembled the ostensible description of the shooter; they have since released him. The police are calling this a "hate crime" since no other motive appears to have been involved. (The police have subsequently said that they are not sure of the motive). Thankfully, the wounded men, Maor Ben-Nissan and Allen Lasry, were hospitalized and will recover. (Thank you Dymphna for posting their names here). Yesterday there was a shootout in Detroit at a mosque largely peopled by African-American converts to Islam and led by the former Black Panther H. Rap Brown, who converted to Islam in jail while serving a life sentence. If a convert to Islam was involved in the LA synagogue shooting (and it is totally unclear whether this is the case), I would view this shooting as one lone individual's version of "political" payback. Recently, in 2009, four African-American prison converts to Islam plotted to blow up two Riverdale synagogues and an American military base. Blame the Jews, target the Jews—even when they are not involved, especially when they aren't. Even when the Jews are not Israelis and are not necessarily "Zionists." Even when the Jews may themselves be Arabs of many skin-colors. Full Report at: http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler/2009/10/29/open-season-on-jews-two-men-shot-at-prayer-in-los-angeles/ ----- Muslim women's sports foundation score with football grant October 30, 2009 THE Muslim Women's Sports Foundation (MWSF) is celebrating following a £235k grant awarded by the Football Foundation, the UK's largest sports charity. The grant will allow the the group to embark on the the Born to Succeed project - a three year plan aiming to increase the number of black, minority ethnic women in sport. The MWSF hopes to provide facilities and support that take into consideration religious and cultural sensitivities of black, minority ethnic women - by developing a number of futsal and basketball clubs, introducing summer and year-round leagues, engaging in school outreach programmes, conducting research projects and in recruiting and training volunteers, coaches and referees. It will also allow increasing access to player pathways, promoting healthy living in the community, providing alternative social activities in mainstream society, promoting cohesion and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities, and developing role models for future generations of women. Full Report at: http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/sport/s/1180021_muslim_womens_sports_foundation_score_with_football_grant ----- Smooth rifts with Indonesians: expert DELLARAM JAMALI AND HARI RAJ October 31, 2009 CULTURAL links between Australia and Indonesia must be improved if they are to avoid further problems such as the stand-off over asylum seekers, a regional political scientist and historian says. Dr Farish Noor, whose many roles include teaching at universities in Singapore and Indonesia, said the squabble over the fate of 78 Sri Lankans on a customs vessel showed how quickly conflicts could flare up. ''What you have to do when you have a climate of distress and misunderstanding is to re-emphasise the humanity of the other,'' Dr Noor said. ''These Sri Lankan refugees have been publicly dehumanised. They are the commodity; the buck is being passed from one table to the other. Neither side has taken into account the humanity of the people involved.'' Visiting Melbourne this week for discussions on South-East Asia's influence on modern Islam, Dr Noor said the asylum-seeker stand-off also highlighted a wider cultural rift between Australia and Indonesia. ''There is a misunderstanding that Indonesia is a land of beaches, foot massages, Balinese dancing and occasionally the odd terrorist or two who spoils your holiday,'' he said. ''That really has to be contextualised, and it has to go beyond that level of trivialities.
Full Report at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/smooth-rifts-with-indonesians-expert-20091030-hpwb.html ------ URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamWarOnTerror_1.aspx?ArticleID=2023
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Ethnic Uighur Journalist Detained in ChinaManmohan ready to move on ‘humanitarian’ talks agenda
| Current affairs | |
| 30 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Manmohan ready to move on 'humanitarian' talks agenda | |
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URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2017 ------
Manmohan ready to move on 'humanitarian' talks agenda By Siddharth Varadarajan Oct 28, 2009
'Sharm el-Shaken' but not stirred, Prime Minister makes fresh pitch for peace with Pakistan.
LATEST PEACE OVERTURES: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a public platform in Kashmir Valley with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. In signalling his government's readiness to discuss initiatives to strengthen people-to-people interaction across the Line of Control, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may just have hit upon a magic formula that could potentially advance the peace process with Pakistan and make life easier for the beleaguered people of Jammu and Kashmir. Without diluting New Delhi's key demand that Islamabad act to eliminate the threat that Pakistan-based terrorist groups pose to India. Carefully structured speech It has taken Dr. Singh three months to put the ghost of the Sharm el-Sheikh controversy behind him and he did so in a way that political India could best understand: his latest peace overture was made from a public platform in the Valley with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, on the dais beside him.
Considerable care seems to have gone in to the structure of the Prime Minister's speech. He first noted the advances that were made bilaterally on all issues, including on a permanent resolution of Kashmir, between 2004 and 2007. This was a time when militancy and violence began to decline. Trade with Pakistan went up three times but, more importantly for Kashmir, trade between the two sides of the divided state began. Since then, however, terrorist activities increased, eventually bringing a halt to this process of constructive engagement.
Next, the Prime Minister pointed out that existing cross-LoC initiatives are not as people-friendly as they could be. "Trade facilities at the border are inadequate. There are no banking channels. Customs facilities need to be strengthened. There are no trade fairs. The lists of tradable commodities need to be increased. Clearances for travel take time. Prisoners of India and Pakistan are languishing in each other's jails even after completing their sentences". In sum, "these are humanitarian issues whose resolution requires the cooperation of Pakistan", he said, adding that India is "ready to discuss these and other issues with the Government of Pakistan. I hope that as a result things will be made easier for our traders, divided families, prisoners and travellers". He added that for a "productive dialogue" it is "essential that terrorism must be brought under control".
What the Prime Minister has essentially done is to separate out the strands of the dialogue process as it existed prior to its suspension following the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 2008 and raised the possibility of forward movement on the "humanitarian" strands even as substantive political engagement, or "productive dialogue," must await the action that India has asked Pakistan to take against the camps and infrastructure of terrorist groups and other hostile non-state actors on its territory. In re-examining India's options in this manner, Dr. Singh is responding to the demands of various stakeholders in Jammu and Kashmir who have been arguing for some time that trade and other forms of cross-LoC interaction should not be held hostage to the activities of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and other extremist organisations. The Jammu Traders Association, for example, would like the current weight restriction on trucks involved in cross-LoC trade to be increased from 1.5 tonnes to 10 tonnes. There have also been demands for the two governments to work out arrangements so that Letters of Credit could be used for two-way trade. No hectoring tone
Apart from this instrumental distinction between "humanitarian" and political issues as far as the dialogue process is concerned, Dr. Singh's speech was also significant for the absence of accusatory language and a hectoring tone. Instead, the Prime Minister gently reminded Pakistan of the consequences of compromising with terrorism — "Eventually they turn against you and bring only death and destruction. The real face of the terrorists is clear for the people of Pakistan to see with their own eyes."
For years, the Pakistani military has backed extremist groups in the hope that they would weaken India's hold over Jammu and Kashmir and force New Delhi to reach a negotiated territorial settlement. Not only was that strategy a failure as far as the India front was concerned, the growing number of terrorist attacks within Pakistan is proof that the blowback from this policy has been extremely costly. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought to assure Pakistan that if it takes its "ongoing actions against the terrorist groups to their logical conclusion [and] destroy these groups wherever they are operating and for whatever misguided purpose," India will not be found wanting in its response. The fact is that the "intensive dialogue" on Kashmir between 2004 and 2007 that Dr. Singh referred to did more to address Pakistan's core concerns than two decades of terrorist violence. If Pakistan acts against these groups now, there is no reason why the threads of that process cannot be picked up. And in the interim, as a demonstration of the two countries' stated commitment to the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, discussions on making existing cross-LoC initiatives more "people friendly" can begin more or less immediately. Source: http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/29/stories/2009102954300900.htm URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2017
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For years, the Pakistani military has backed extremist groups in the hope that they would weaken India's hold over Jammu and Kashmir and force New Delhi to reach a negotiated territorial settlement. Not only was that strategy a failure as far as the India front was concerned, the growing number of terrorist attacks within Pakistan is proof that the blowback from this policy has been extremely costly. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought to assure Pakistan that if it takes its "ongoing actions against the terrorist groups to their logical conclusion [and] destroy these groups wherever they are operating and for whatever misguided purpose," India will not be found wanting in its response. The fact is that the "intensive dialogue" on Kashmir between 2004 and 2007 that Dr. Singh referred to did more to address Pakistan's core concerns than two decades of terrorist violence. If Pakistan acts against these groups now, there is no reason why the threads of that process cannot be picked up. And in the interim, as a demonstration of the two countries' stated commitment to the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, discussions on making existing cross-LoC initiatives more "people friendly" can begin more or less immediatelyHillary Clinton in Pakistan in the midst of unprecedented anti- Americanism
| War on Terror | |
| 30 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Hillary Clinton in Pakistan in the midst of unprecedented anti- Americanism | |
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URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2020 -----
Lessons For Hillary Clinton by Najam Sethi
THE US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is visiting Pakistan at a critical time.
The Obama administration is once again reviewing its Af- Pak policy to determine whether to send more US troops to Afghanistan or risk relying upon Pakistan to "do more" in Waziristan against the Al- Qaeda- Taliban network that is threatening to overrun the country. But Pakistan has its hands full as it is. It is reeling from a murderous bombing offensive by the Taliban that has claimed over 250 lives in the last two weeks.
Indeed, Mrs Clinton's arrival in Islamabad was greeted by a suicide bombing in a crowded street in Peshawar, barely 100 km away, that left over 100 dead.
But rising political tensions within Pakistan's body politics aren't making America's job any easier. The government of President Asif Zardari is largely viewed in Pakistan as incompetent and untrustworthy. Worse, in the midst of unprecedented anti- Americanism in the country, it is portrayed by a religio- nationalist media as being "servile" in its dealings with the US. The latest example of this is the near- universal rejection of the Kerry- Lugar Bill which aims to cough up US$ 1.5 billion a year over the next five years for bankrupt Pakistan from America's ailing exchequer because some of the conditions attached to it, which the government has shrugged away as being inconsequential, are seen as " humiliatingly intrusive". The Pakistan army, which doesn't see eye to eye with America about its Af- Pak strategy and wanted to send an indirect signal of its unhappiness, exploited the situation recently by egging on the media and opposition to "reject" the aid and put the Zardari government on the defensive.
BESIDES, the army and opposition are trying to drive a wedge between President Zardari and his hand- picked prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, in order to weaken the government and have their way. The army still doesn't sufficiently see America's war on terror as being its own war — some of the Afghan Taliban groups in safe havens in Waziristan which are creating the greatest trouble for NATO forces in Afghanistan are allegedly protected by Pakistan's security services because of their anti- India stance — while the opposition is in a hurry to trigger mid- term elections and change its fortunes dramatically.
But if Mrs Clinton had her job cut out for her, she shouldn't expect to see quick results after her visit. She tried to assure the Pakistanis that the US aid bill was a strong gesture of support in the war against terrorism that has laid their country low. But the heated controversy over the bill has left the lasting impression that the aid is contaminated in some sense. Her pledge to route it transparently for economic development and poverty alleviation is being taken with more than a pinch of salt: the government through which the funds must pass lacks credibility; and a significant chunk of it is likely to go to a horde of expensive American officials, consultants and auditors who are descending upon Islamabad in droves. The worst aspect of this development is the bad taste left in the mouth of US legislators who drafted the bill and sanctioned the money in the interests of both Pakistan and the US. Therefore they are not likely to be as forthcoming or generous when President Obama's administration asks Congress for supplementary grants for the Pakistan military, or when the US administration has to quickly disburse money by relaxing the auditing criteria, thereby reinforcing the suspicions already in the mind of Pakistanis today.
Mrs Clinton spent all her time explaining things to, and fending hard questions from, the media, civil society and students. She also met with the leaders of the opposition PMLN who need to be taken on board the proposed US- Pak partnership. But it is equally important to note the message she was given wherever she went. First, Pakistan today is acutely in the grip of religious- nationalist passion and rhetoric.
So US policymakers must be sensitised to this development. Second, a regional approach involves bringing India on board, however difficult that may prove to be the case, and nudging the two neighbours to restart the composite dialogue unconditionally so that conflict resolution leads to building trust and the terrorists are unable to derail the war on terror by driving a wedge between them. Indeed, an end to the proxy wars between them in Afghanistan is a pre- requisite to winning the war on terror. Third, the next big issue after the Kerry Lugar Bill is likely to be the role of private security companies in protecting American diplomats and officials in Pakistan. The US needs to sit down with Pakistani security officials and chart out a suitable modus operandi regarding the conduct of these private security companies so that no untoward incident happens.
President Obama's Democratic administration has to clean up the mess left in this region by the neo- cons of the Bush era. This is not going to be easy. But the responsibility cannot be shirked. The US must not cut its losses and run away from the region as proposed by some liberals in America. The sooner Mr Obama announces his decision about the US presence in Afghanistan, and takes Pakistan's security concerns into consideration, the better. The writer is the editor of Friday Times and The Daily Times (Lahore) Source: Mail Today, New Delhi URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2020
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Worse, in the midst of unprecedented anti- Americanism in the country, it is portrayed by a religio- nationalist media as being "servile" in its dealings with the US. The latest example of this is the near- universal rejection of the Kerry- Lugar Bill which aims to cough up US$ 1.5 billion a year over the next five years for bankrupt Pakistan from America's ailing exchequer because some of the conditions attached to it, which the government has shrugged away as being inconsequential, are seen as " humiliatingly intrusive". The Pakistan army, which doesn't see eye to eye with America about its Af- Pak strategy and wanted to send an indirect signal of its unhappiness, exploited the situation recently by egging on the media and pposition to "reject" the aid and put the Zardari government on the defensivePakistan: The great denial
| Islam,Terrorism and Jihad | |
| 30 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Pakistan: The great denial | |
| After Wednesday's devastating Jihadi bombing in Peshawar, what does it look like within Pakistan?
URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2018 ---------
The great denial By Nadeem F. Paracha 15 Oct, 2009
In Pakistan, the audacious has become the norm. The terrorist attack in Lahore today – along with the many that have taken place in the last many years in this unfortunate country – may seem something out of ordinary anywhere else in the world, but not in Pakistan.
Pakistan it seems stopped being part of the 'normal' world a long time ago. Nothing's impossible here when it comes to faith-driven terrorism. Now every day the terrorists manage to mock and dodge the government and the state, almost at will. Nobody and nothing's safe. One can go on criticizing the state's many intelligence agencies and the government for exhibiting utter ignorance and helplessness in anticipating terrorist acts that have been repeated over and over again using almost exactly the same ways and techniques and impacting the same venerable areas and spots, but I'd rather take a more self-critical view of the whole damn nightmare.
What is it that makes these terrorists so sure and confident about themselves? It's simple. We do!
It is the sheer hesitancy that we show towards fully realizing the grave dangers these terrorists hold, and a weird, inexplicable sense and understanding of reality that most Pakistanis look to be suffering from, that gives these terrorists the psychological edge and opening; providing them as convoluted a justification to commit acts of barbarism in the fine name of God, as is our own habit of ending up actually recognizing their many deeds as being either a sympathetic socio-political outcome, or, of course, a wild conspiracy by our many (largely imagined) enemies lingering on our borders.
The TV channels and drawing-rooms will be abuzz for a day or two discussing the mayhem, but very few Pakistanis actually take the time they get during the lull periods to reflect as to what has happened to their country and its people.
Instead, these lull periods are spent going right back to flexing our pulpy rhetorical muscles and sharpening of our non-existent teeth against our 'enemies.'
Amazingly, as politicians, TV talk show hosts, clerics, the chattering classes and journalists all get together for a collective show of inspired morning and bemoaning against our 'corrupt politicians' and 'government of beggars,' we so conveniently forget that at the moment nothing's as bad or more troublesome an issue in this country as terrorism. But it is not general apathy or distracted energies of the people that the extremists are feeding on; it is a collective case of denial on the part of an increasing number of Pakistanis that is strengthening these extremists.
First of all, it is a fact that violence-prone extremism was ironically the creation of the CIA, with patronage provided by Arab petro-dollars and the local intelligence agencies such as the ISI. There is not an iota of doubt about the history of these agencies using the concept of jihad as a calling card to gather fighters for the so-called 'Afghan jihad' in the 1980s. A string of radical Islamic scholars were used along with the state-owned media and madressahs to fervently indoctrinate a huge number of young Muslims. More dangerous was the way droplets of this aggressive strain started to trickle down to shape the sociology and politics of Pakistanis who are not extremists. That's why, for example, today, if you mention names like Musharraf, Zardari. Altaf Hussain or Nawaz Sharif, one won't be surprised to see a number of Pakistanis leap into to action, getting into an animated mode, criticising and lambasting corrupt politicians and power-hungry generals. However, the moment you try to discuss a recent episode of suicide bombing, most Pakistanis can then be seen suddenly going into a shell, trying to avoid the topic.
The majority will not condone suicide bombings and terrorism, but they will not condemn it either – or at least the way it should be condemned. No wonder, according to a recent survey, most Pakistanis actually believe terrorism is a secondary problem in their country – rather obnoxious a delusion indeed. And that's dangerous. Some Pakistanis would avoid discussing the issue altogether, actually believing that maybe criticising the 'holy warriors' (no matter how violent they may be), is like criticising Islam, while some would gladly become navel-gazing apologists of such acts, pointing their finger at the every ready list of imagined enemies who want to 'destabilise Pakistan.'
Whom should we blame, seems to be the question on their mind. The thinking is that blaming the extremists is perhaps equal to agreeing with Zardari and the US. It is this narrow, egocentric mentality, coupled with echoes of years and years of indoctrination of a contradictory and xenophobic strain of Islam that has left a bulk of Pakistanis apathetically suffering from and subdued by matters such as extremism and terrorism. What Musharraf represented or what this present government is all about in the form of the establishment comes with a historical and visible baggage. It is thus a target that can be clearly seen, pinpointed and attacked, whereas extremism remains an elusive enemy. Some would even go to the extent of negating its very existence, in spite of the ubiquitous sights of blood, bodies and limbs quivering on blackened streets. So, it is not general apathy or distracted energies of the people that the extremists are feeding on; it is a collective case of denial on the part of an increasing number of Pakistanis that is strengthening the extremists. A denial made worse by the animated apologists found babbling and foaming incoherent and unsubstantiated drivel across the many TV screens and channels of the nation.
Though it is true the terrorists are not overwhelmingly popular with the masses, it is also true that most Pakistanis have yet to perceive the extremists as the kind of enemy that they really are. With ready-made explanations like RAW, CIA and that 'fellow Muslims are being subjected to state atrocities in the north' spiel being their best answers to the madness of extremism and terrorism, it is highly unlikely to expect Pakistanis to tackle the issue anytime soon – in spite the fact that maybe it's already too late. Source: Dawn, Karachi URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2018
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The majority in Pakistan will not condone suicide bombings and terrorism, but they will not condemn it either—or at least the way it should be condemned. No wonder, according to a recent survey, most Pakistanis actually believe terrorism is a secondary problem in their country. Though it is true the terrorists are not overwhelmingly popular with the masses, it is also true that most Pakistanis have yet to perceive the extremists as the kind of enemy that they really are. With ready-made explanations like RAW, CIA and that 'fellow Muslims are being subjected to state atrocities in the north' spiel being their best answers to the madness of extremism and terrorism, it is highly unlikely to expect Pakistanis to tackle the issue anytime soon – in spite the fact that maybe it's already too lateWhy must America bleed for Afghanistan?
| War on Terror | |
| 30 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Why must America bleed for Afghanistan? | |
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The US military has given its assessment. It said that stabilising Afghanistan and removing it as a threat requires rebuilding that whole country. Unfortunately, that is a 20-year project at best, and we can't afford it. So our political leadership needs to insist on a strategy that will get the most security for less money and less presence. We simply don't have the surplus we had when we started the war on terrorism after 9/11 — and we desperately need nation-building at home. We have to be smarter. Let's finish Iraq, because a decent outcome there really could positively impact the whole Arab-Muslim world, and limit our exposure elsewhere. Iraq matters. -- Thomas L. Friedman URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2019 -----
Why must America bleed for Afghanistan? October 29th, 2009 By Thomas L. Friedman
It is crunch time on Afghanistan, so here's my vote: We need to be thinking about how to reduce our footprint and our goals there in a responsible way, not dig in deeper. We simply do not have the Afghan partners, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies, the domestic support, the financial resources or the national interests to justify an enlarged and prolonged nation-building effort in Afghanistan.
I base this conclusion on three principles. First, when I think back on all the moments of progress in that part of the world — all the times when a key player in West Asia actually did something that put a smile on my face — all of them have one thing in common: America had nothing to do with it.
America helped build out what they started, but the breakthrough didn't start with us. We can fan the flames, but the parties themselves have to light the fires of moderation. And whenever we try to do it for them, whenever we want it more than they do, we fail and they languish. The Camp David peace treaty was not initiated by Jimmy Carter. Rather, the Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, went to Jerusalem in 1977 after Israel's Moshe Dayan held secret talks in Morocco with Sadat aide Hassan Tuhami. Both countries decided that they wanted a separate peace — outside of the Geneva comprehensive framework pushed by Mr Carter. The Oslo peace accords started in Oslo — in secret 1992-93 talks between the Palestine Liberation Organisation representative, Ahmed Qurei, and the Israeli professor Yair Hirschfeld. Israelis and Palestinians alone hammered out a broad deal and unveiled it to the Americans in the summer of 1993, much to Washington's surprise. The US surge in Iraq was militarily successful because it was preceded by an Iraqi uprising sparked by a Sunni tribal leader, Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, who, using his own forces, set out to evict the pro-Al Qaeda thugs who had taken over Sunni towns and were imposing a fundamentalist lifestyle. The US surge gave that movement vital assistance to grow. But the spark was lit by the Iraqis.
The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, the Israeli withdrawals from Gaza and Lebanon, the Green Revolution in Iran and the Pakistani decision to finally fight their own Taliban in Waziristan — because those Taliban were threatening the Pakistani middle class — were all examples of moderate, silent majorities acting on their own. The message: "People do not change when we tell them they should", said the Johns Hopkins University foreign policy expert Michael Mandelbaum. "They change when they tell themselves they must".
And when the moderate silent majorities take ownership of their own futures, we win. When they won't, when we want them to compromise more than they do, we lose. The locals sense they have us over a barrel, so they exploit our naive goodwill and presence to loot their countries and to defeat their internal foes. That's how I see Afghanistan today. I see no moderate spark. I see our secretary of state pleading with President Hamid Karzai to re-do an election that he blatantly stole. I also see us begging Israelis to stop building more crazy settlements or Palestinians to come to negotiations. It is time to stop subsidising their nonsense. Let them all start paying retail for their extremism, not wholesale. Then you'll see movement.
What if we shrink our presence in Afghanistan? Won't Al Qaeda return, the Taliban be energised and Pakistan collapse? Maybe. Maybe not. This gets to my second principle: In West Asia all politics — everything that matters — happens the morning after the morning after. Be patient. Yes, the morning after we shrink down in Afghanistan, the Taliban will celebrate, Pakistan will quake and Osama bin Laden will issue an exultant video.
And the morning after the morning after, the Taliban factions will start fighting each other, the Pakistani Army will have to destroy their Taliban, or be destroyed by them, Afghanistan's warlords will carve up the country, and, if Bin Laden comes out of his cave, he'll get zapped by a drone. My last guiding principle: We are the world. A strong, healthy and self-confident America is what holds the world together and on a decent path. A weak America would be a disaster for us and the world. China, Russia and Al Qaeda all love the idea of America doing a long, slow bleed in Afghanistan. I don't.
The US military has given its assessment. It said that stabilising Afghanistan and removing it as a threat requires rebuilding that whole country. Unfortunately, that is a 20-year project at best, and we can't afford it. So our political leadership needs to insist on a strategy that will get the most security for less money and less presence. We simply don't have the surplus we had when we started the war on terrorism after 9/11 — and we desperately need nation-building at home. We have to be smarter. Let's finish Iraq, because a decent outcome there really could positively impact the whole Arab-Muslim world, and limit our exposure elsewhere. Iraq matters.
Yes, shrinking down in Afghanistan will create new threats, but expanding there will, too. I'd rather deal with the new threats with a stronger America. Source:http://www.deccanchronicle.com/dc-comment/why-must-america-bleed-afghanistan-017 URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2019
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My last guiding principle: We are the world. A strong, healthy and self-confident America is what holds the world together and on a decent path. A weak America would be a disaster for us and the world. China, Russia and Al Qaeda all love the idea of America doing a long, slow bleed in Afghanistan. I don't.American soldier embraces Islam in Guantanamo Jail
| Urdu Section | |
| 30 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| American soldier embraces Islam in Guantanamo Jail | |
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| By Ishteyaq Beg
URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamWarOnTerror_1.aspx?ArticleID=2022
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Pakistani people's responsibility in fighting Jihadi terrorists
| Urdu Section | |
| 30 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Pakistani people's responsibility in fighting Jihadi terrorists | |
| By Raoof Aamir Papabaryad
URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamWarOnTerror_1.aspx?ArticleID=2021
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WHY THIS FRENZY IN PAKISTAN?
| Urdu Section | |
| 29 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| WHY THIS FRENZY IN PAKISTAN? | |
| A medieval state Thank God, I am NOT a citizen of the Islamic state of Pakistan. Imagine if my parents had been enamoured of Jaswant Singh's newfound hero Mohammad Ali Jinnah and migrated to the Islamic State of Pakistan. What a tragedy could have befallen my family and me! I could have either myself turned into a bigot or my kids could have taken up guns in the pursuit of a puritanical Islamic state like Saudi Arabia. I am extremely indebted to my parents for sticking to their roots in Allahabad and happily accepting the citizenship of 'Hindu India' instead of saltanat-e-khudadad-e-Pakistan (godly kingdom of Pakistan). Ironically, there is nothing godly or saintly about Pakistan today. Pakistan could never become a modern republican state. So the state eventually withered away and got out of everyone's control. There was a time not too long ago when the world believed that it was the Pakistan army whose writ ran the country. How naive was this understanding. -- Zafar AghaURL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2012 ----------
A medieval state Zafar Agha October 16, 2009
Thank God, I am not a citizen of the Islamic state of Pakistan. Imagine if my parents had been enamoured of Jaswant Singh's newfound hero Mohammad Ali Jinnah and migrated to the Islamic State of Pakistan.
What a tragedy could have befallen my family and me! I could have either myself turned into a bigot or my kids could have taken up guns in the pursuit of a puritanical Islamic state like Saudi Arabia. I am extremely indebted to my parents for sticking to their roots in Allahabad and happily accepting the citizenship of 'Hindu India' instead of saltanat-e-khudadad-e-Pakistan (godly kingdom of Pakistan). Ironically, there is nothing godly or saintly about Pakistan today. Pakistan could never become a modern republican state. So the state eventually withered away and got out of everyone's control. There was a time not too long ago when the world believed that it was the Pakistan army whose writ ran the country. How naive was this understanding.
Once considered the most powerful power centre, the Pakistan army headquarters in Rawalpindi is now under attack from Pakistani jihadis. The world also thought that the Punjabi elite had a tight grip over Pakistan establishment. Now the Punjabis themselves are not secure in their beloved town of Lahore where terrorists' strike at will. Who then controls Pakistan? Is it the democratic establishment led by Asif Zardari? No, not at all! There is no consensus between Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, the two leading rival democratic parties, even in these moments of grave internal crisis. Are the executive and judiciary now acting as the watchdog? Well, both sympathise with the likes of Hafiz Saeed and nuclear technology smuggler AQ Khan more than the state of Pakistan. Saeed and Khan are the two ideological masters of Pakistani jihadi philosophy.
All the Pakistani terror groups revere them. So it is neither army, nor the Punjabi elite that controls Pakistan any longer. Instead it is men like Saeed and Khan who do, ideologically at least. You cannot arrest Saeed in Pakistan because he is the ideological pope of jihad. You cannot prosecute him either. The police would make such a weak case that it won't stand in a court of law for a minute. The judiciary would let him walk out because of his 'heroic services' in 'destabilising India'. And even America cannot harm Khan.
After all, he delivered a nuclear bomb to the insecure Pakistanis, stealing and smuggling nuclear technology from all over the world. The world is convinced that he smuggled dreaded technology to North Korea and Iran. He is the last hope of the jihadis who believe that Khan would one day deliver them a nuclear device to destroy their hated enemy, America. Pakistan is today controlled by the syndicate of Taliban, al Qaeda and Punjabi terror outfits like Jaish e Mohammad. But why is it that Pakistan has failed in modern sense of the word state? A modern state in the post renaissance and post industrial revolution world is essentially run by the will of the people through democracy.
Pakistan has nothing to do both with renaissance and industrial revolution. Its ideological frontier very soon after its inception was a medieval Islamic state whose only function was to destroy India. So the people were always kept at the margin of state affairs. Pakistan elite facilitated the military takeover of the establishment to fight India and 'liberate Muslim Kashmir from Hindu hands'. When the entire Pakistani establishment failed to harm an emerging modern Indian state and got truncated in 1971, it vengefully came up with the idea of jihad against India 'to bleed India in Kashmir'. A jihad genie like Jaish e Mohammed was created with the ideological training from men like Saeed and Talibani madrasas spread across the tribal belt of Pakistan to harm India. The genie is now out of the bottle consuming the state that created it. A medieval Pakistani state, run by an army and ideologically driven by myopic people like Saeed and terror outfits like Jaish, has had to finally come to this pass where no one now understands who runs Pakistan.
Pakistan shunned renaissance wisdom and post-industrial democratic institutions.Such a medieval state has had to run out of steam sooner or later. So it is now implodingand being consumed by the medieval and tribal hatred it nurtured against India. Thank you mom and pop, for not migrating to Islamic state of Pakistan because I would have also exploded if not imploded by the jihadi forces that are consuming Pakistan now. The writer is a commentator on political affairs Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_a-medieval-state_1299884 URL of this page: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2012
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The Jihad Is Joined At Temple University As Muslim Students Try To Shut Down
| Islam and Politics | |
| 29 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| The Jihad Is Joined At Temple University As Muslim Students Try To Shut Down | |
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In point of fact Wilders has not been tried by any Dutch court, and was recently exonerated by a British court which declared the ban on his entry illegal. The Temple community should reject the call by the MSA to censor free speech on the Temple campus, and should recognize it for what it is - an assault on the right of all Americans to have a democracy that is inclusive, tolerant and respectful of the rights of others. -- David Horowitz URL of this page: http://newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2015 --------
The Jihad Is Joined At Temple University As Muslim Students Try To Shut Down By David Horowitz 15 Oct, 2009
The Temple Muslim Students Association is attempting to shut down the scheduled appearance of Geert Wilders on October 20. As part of its Islamic-Fascism Awareness Week, and its campaign to Stop the Campus War Against Israel and the Jews, the David Horowitz Freedom Centre is sponsoring appearances by Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders at Temple and Columbia university's (October 20 and 21). The Muslim Students Association has issued a statement condemning the event and calling on the Temple Administration to close it down. The MSA statement can be found at the end of this post. The David Horowitz Freedom Centre statement follows: David Horowitz Freedom Centre Response to the Muslim Students Association The Temple Muslim Students Association has issued a call to the Temple University administration to censor the forthcoming campus appearance of Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders on the 20th of October, which is sponsored by the David Horowitz Freedom Centre. The Temple administration should reject this attack on the First Amendment rights of all members of the Temple community. It is not surprising that the Muslim Students Association would seek to shut down the free speech of Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders who has been an outspoken critic of Islamic terrorists and Islamic attacks on Jews and other religions. Assaults on the First Amendment and efforts to censor critics of radical Islam are, in fact, typical of the tactics used by the Muslim Students Association, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim American Society, all groups which support the jihad against the west and are part of the network created by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the parent organization of the terrorist groups al-Qaeda and Hamas. The faculty advisor for Temple MSA is presently a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is the height of hypocrisy for the Muslim Students Association to accuse Geert Wilders of spreading hate or anyone of being a hate group. Chapters of MSA at UC Irvine and Ohio State have raised money for the terrorist group Hamas whose goal - as stated in its official charter - is the destruction of the Jewish state and the extermination of the Jews. Speakers sponsored by the MSA have called for the execution of homosexuals, war against the United States and the destruction of the Jewish state and the extermination of the Jews. Every year, on the day commemorating the birth of the Jewish state, the MSA sponsors nationwide campus protests against the existence of the Jewish state calling its creation the "nakba" - the catastrophe. This is an act of genocidal hate. Temple MSA refers to the fact that security will be necessary at the event as proof that Geert Wilders is dangerous. This is the perfect Orwellian mindset of supporters of the jihad. The threat to the Wilders event making security measures necessary comes from Muslim radicals who have already assassinated two prominent Dutch critics of Islamic terrorism - Pym Fortun and Theo Van Gogh (who not incidentally both happened to be gay). In point of fact Wilders has not been tried by any Dutch court, and was recently exonerated by a British court which declared the ban on his entry illegal. The Temple community should reject the call by the MSA to censor free speech on the Temple campus, and should recognize it for what it is - an assault on the right of all Americans to have a democracy that is inclusive, tolerant and respectful of the rights of others. David Horowitz, Craig Snider For the David Horowitz Freedom Centre Philadelphia Statement from the Muslim Students Association on Geert Wilder's visit From: Monira Gamal-Eldin < mgamal@temple.edu b.walsh@temple.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 9:52 PM Subject: Statement from the Muslim Students Association on Geert Wilder's visit To: barry.scatton@temple.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it, b.walsh@temple.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , cherij@temple.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it, tua36511@temple.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , info@horowitzfreedomcenter.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , press@temple-news.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it October 14, 2009 The Temple University Muslim Students Association (MSA), one of the largest, most active and socially conscious student organizations on Temple's campus, is issuing this public statement of protest concerning the invitation of Geert Wilders to address the Temple community on October 20, 2009. Geert Wilders is a far-right Dutch MP who is infamous for his anti-Islamic rhetoric and extreme hatred towards Muslims. A person who has been tried in the Netherlands Supreme Court for his hate speech concerning Islam, banned from the United Kingdom due to the threat he poses to community harmony, and is concurrently being charged for violating anti-hate laws in the European Union, should not be allowed to address the Temple community. Temple MSA speaks for the many Muslims and socially conscious students and faculty on campus when we say that the presence of Geert Wilders on our campus is a breach of Temple University's pledge to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all students and faculty on campus. The Muslim population at Temple feels attacked, threatened, and ultimately unsafe that Mr. Wilders has been invited to voice his hate-driven opinions. The fact alone that backpacks are prohibited for entry to this event reinforces our argument that this creates an unsafe atmosphere where prejudiced, racist and vehemently hateful words will be disguised under the veil of academia. Temple MSA deplores the decision made by Temple College Republicans, The David Horowitz Freedom Centre, Temple University Purpose, Temple Student Activities, and Temple University as an institution of higher learning, for welcoming Geert Wilders when so many have found his speech to be repugnant to society as a whole. We condemn Temple University for being the first university in the United States to allow Mr. Wilders to address their population and hope that the administration realizes the reputation and ideologies they are fostering not only to the Temple community, but to the world. The decision to allow Mr. Wilders to share his viewpoints is a danger not only for the public safety of Muslims and the honour of the core principles of Islam, but also for academic integrity and objectivity on campus. We strongly urge that his invitation be rescinded immediately in order to foster appreciation of free speech that is not based on hatred and discrimination. Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter. Monira Gamal-Eldin President of the Temple Muslim Students Association - Monira Gamal-Eldin mgamal@temple.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
[Editor's Note: I find it interesting that the Muslim Students Association has no compunction about twisting our Constitutional right to Free Speech and then tries to legitimize their warped interpretation of that Constitutional Right by saying that it can only be allowed if it is a certain kind of "free speech" as they define it: "free speech that is not based on hatred and discrimination". I hate to break it to them but what part of "FREE" speech is incomprehensible to them? Just because someone does not like or agree with what a person says does NOT make it "based on hatred and discrimination" and therefore disallowed. Even if it were, THAT still does NOT mean that it cannot be spoken. Currently, in the United States of America, people have the right to speak their mind, and if they HATE a certain thing, idea, person or group, it is their right to say so. While they do not have the right to incite violence against or advocate death for what they hate, they do have the right to express their opinions, their feelings, their thoughts. Free Speech is NOT limited by someone else's definition of what may or may not be talked about or what they believe to be "politically correct". THAT is why it is FREE, unfettered, uncensored. From all appearances Islam and it's supporters seem to wrap themselves in this country's freedoms all the while working diligently to destroy those very freedoms for others. Just judging by their actions, Islam is the most intolerant, hate-filled, war-mongering ideology on the globe, demanding special status, special consideration and seeking to force acceptance of their ideology on all others. They seem not content with being equal to and free to practice their religion as everyone else in this country is allowed. Rather they seek to deprive everyone else of the very freedoms they demand. These groups, Muslim Student Association, Muslim Brotherhood, and CAIR, should all be investigated as hate-groups advocating violence against anyone who commits no crime other than to speak the truth or who might choose to disagree with their ideology. Anyone interested in voicing their support of Geert Wilders and this country's First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech is encouraged to email to those same recipients noted at the beginning of the above Muslim Students Association thinly veiled threat (no hijab pun intended). ] URL of this page: http://newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2015
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Temple MSA refers to the fact that security will be necessary at the event as proof that Geert Wilders is dangerous. This is the perfect Orwellian mindset of supporters of the jihad. The threat to the Wilders event making security measures necessary comes from Muslim radicals who have already assassinated two prominent Dutch critics of Islamic terrorism - Pym Fortun and Theo Van Gogh (who not incidentally both happened to be gay).Can the idea of martial races be dismissed: British Indian Army experiences in World War II
| Current affairs | |
| 29 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Can the idea of martial races be dismissed: British Indian Army experiences in World War II | |
| Over a period of five years, 617,353 Muslims volunteered.[8] The vast majority were recruited from modern day Pakistan, particularly the Punjab and the North West Frontier, home to some of the world's most formidable martial traditions: the Pashtun, Rajput, Awan and Jat.[9] Ian Sumner suggests that 'Muslim regiments provided 65 per cent of Indian troops fighting in North Africa, Italy and Burma'. [10] Although it has been fashionable to some scholars to dismiss the idea of martial races, the key point here is that, for peoples of the sub-continent, these military values were not only real but deeply held. Indeed they went to the very heart of certain communities; for Pashtuns and Rajputs in particular, the martial tradition has been an intrinsic aspect of their life and sense of identity. -- Jahan Mahmood URL of this page: http://newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2013 ---------
Britain's Pakistani communities and their contribution to the Italian Campaign of World War II [1] by Jahan Mahmood, Visiting Lecturer, University of Birmingham, April 2009 Paper given at All Souls College, University of Oxford, 3 April 2009, (re-edited on 23rd April 2009) http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/bmh/BMH-Britains-Pakistani-communities-and-their-contribution.htm Britain 'couldn't have come through both wars if they hadn't the Indian army' Field Marshall Sir Claude Auchinleck[2]
This paper explains the historical and political reasons behind Muslim recruitment during the Second World War. It provides a breakdown of Muslim casualties in the Italian Campaign according to recruitment areas within British India and it highlights the contributions made by communities from these regions. Most significantly, because of the pressing need to restore a sense of identity and self-esteem for young British Muslims today, an attempt is made to establish a link between contemporary British Pakistani communities and these very same regions of recruitment. The statistics presented here are based on the casualty records of more than 5,000 soldiers who fell liberating Italy. These records were provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).[3] Unfortunately, so far, it has not been possible to locate the files of British Indian servicemen serving in Europe. However, it is hoped that this work will allow British Muslims and other British communities to celebrate a shared past, which would increase mutual understanding and provide a platform for dialogue and the development of a post-colonial British Muslim identity. Therefore this work is part of the story of the sacrifices of Muslim soldiers from territories that are now part of modern-day Pakistan.
In September 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe, Lord Linlithgow, the Viceroy of India, declared that India would join the war effort alongside Britain. Mahatma Gandhi opposed any military support from Indians by advocating a non-violent approach to Hitler's aggressive expansion. Mohammed Ali Jinnah [4], on the other hand, supported involvement. He was fully aware that Britain's defeat could threaten the position of the minority Muslims by removing the constraint of British rule in a society where the majority voice was Hindu. Britain's position was further strengthened with the addition of another Muslim politician, Sikander Hayat Khan, head of the Punjab Unionist Party.[5] The Muslim community in South Asia was important to Britain not just because of their political backing, since they also provided the bulk of the manpower for the Indian Army. In short, Britain could not afford to lose support of the Muslim population. During the Second World War the Indian Army expanded from a force of 200,000 in 1939 to 2,500,000 in 1945. The army was an entirely volunteer force and conscription was never imposed.[6] According to Marston, the Indian Army 'ended the war as the largest all-volunteer force the world had ever seen….'.[7] Over a period of five years, 617,353 Muslims volunteered.[8] The vast majority were recruited from modern day Pakistan, particularly the Punjab and the North West Frontier, home to some of the world's most formidable martial traditions: the Pashtun, Rajput, Awan and Jat.[9] Ian Sumner suggests that 'Muslim regiments provided 65 per cent of Indian troops fighting in North Africa, Italy and Burma'. [10] Although it has been fashionable to some scholars to dismiss the idea of martial races, the key point here is that, for peoples of the sub-continent, these military values were not only real but deeply held. Indeed they went to the very heart of certain communities; for Pashtuns and Rajputs in particular, the martial tradition has been an intrinsic aspect of their life and sense of identity.
After the great successes of British Indian units in North Africa in 1940-42, three battle hardened Indian divisions were deployed to Italy where they fought some of the most determined Nazi troops. Paratroopers and Panzer Grenadiers, themselves bloodied by campaigns in the Mediterranean and northwest Europe, were just some of the specialist formations the Indians had to encounter. [11] The first Indian units arrived in Italy in the summer of 1943, but it was clear from the outset that this campaign would be the scene of some of the most intense fighting of World War II. Casualties were high and the terrain provided almost as great an obstacle to the allies as the Germans. High peaks, hill-top positions and river crossings were fraught with danger; waters rose in a matter of minutes, soldiers drowned and others became sitting ducks for incessant spandau machine gun fire. During the Italian campaign, the Eighth Indian division, confronted by the toughest conditions, became legendary as 'the river crossing division'. On 9 April 1945, a Pashtun soldier by the name of Ali Haidar, alongside his battalion, the 6/13 Frontier Force Rifles, attempted to cross the Senio River. On their left 6/13 Frontier Force Rifles likewise carried the near slope in the first surge. But as they topped the bank, the trough of the river was lashed by a score of machine-guns, firing from portholes in both inner banks, and from enfilade positions on the left. The Frontiersmen dashed into the stream, where many fell dead and wounded...Sepoy Ali Haidar and two others were all of one platoon to reach the far bank. From thirty yards away a machine-gun nest spat death. Bidding his comrades give him covering fire, Ali Haidar lopped a grenade and followed in under it. Although wounded by a stick bomb he closed and destroyed the post. Without pause he charged the next weapon pit, from whence four machine-guns played on his comrades. He was struck twice and fell, but he crawled forward, pulled the pin of a Mills' bomb with his teeth, and hurled it into the spandau nest. Weak with loss of blood he pulled himself to his feet, staggered forward and threw himself upon the gunners. The two surviving Germans surrendered. [12]
After recovering from his wounds, Ali Haidar was awarded the Victoria Cross by King George VI for bravery in the field of battle. There were three 'great' Indian divisions in Italy; the Fourth, Eighth and Tenth, all of which were able to refer proudly to similar acts of courage. However, these battles came with a dreadful cost. In total there were approximately 60,000 Indians present in Italy. Over a period of 22 months, more than 20,000[13] were injured and 7,000 died. The CWGC holds the details of 5,500 personnel, but curiously some 1,500 remain unaccounted for. [14] What follows is a ground-breaking attempt to analyse the statistics on the ethnic and regional composition of British Indian casualties in Italy. This is followed by a breakdown of the Muslim youth contribution. Table 1 shows the ethnic composition of the 5,500 Indian casualties provided by the CWGC. Table 1 Indian casualties from 1943 to 1945 Ethnicity Casualties British – Eng, Scots, Irish, Welsh 100 Hindus other Indian religions[15] 1650 Muslims 1413 Nepalese 1500 Sikh[16] 850 Muslims recruited from what was to become Pakistan territory (namely Punjab, Azad Kashmir, North West Province, and Baluchistan): 1187; Muslims recruited from what became India 192; Muslims belonging to modern day regions of Bangladesh: 5; Muslims belonging to unknown territories: 29. The ratio of recruitment from India compared to those drawn from what was to become Pakistan is approximately 1: 6. This indicates that Britain relied on the Muslim population from a particular region even though a larger number of Muslims resided within the boundaries of modern day India. Table 2 shows top six Pakistani territories responsible for the largest number of Muslim casualties. Table 2 Muslim causalities from the Punjab and the N.W.F.P Regions Casualties Attock (Punjab) 155 Hazara (NWFP) 98 Jhelum (Punjab) 153 Kohat (NWFP) 145 Peshawar (NWFP) 46 Rawalpindi (Punjab) 200 The cities of Attock, Hazara, Jhelum, Kohat, Peshawar and Rawalpindi[17] provided the bulk of volunteers. These cities are located at strategic crossroads, constantly pressured by invasions these communities were forced to develop a martial culture. Attock, Kohat, Peshawar and Hazara are locations in north Pakistan with a large population of tribal and non-tribal Pashtuns. Jhelum and Rawalpindi[18] on the other hand was an ideal region to recruit 'Punjabi Mussalmans'; mainly Rajputs and Jats. Table 3 shows the ethnicity/religion of the youngest casualties of the Italian campaign Table 3 Ethnicity/religion of casualties under the age of 18 Ethnicity 15yr olds 16yr olds 17yr old Total Indian (religion unsure) 1 3 4 7 Muslims 3 9 78 90 Nepalese 3 16 19 Sikhs 1 4 5 4 16 102 Total NB. Ninety out of a possible 122 youth casualties were of Muslim origin. All of these with the exception of one (unrecorded) were from the territories of modern day Pakistan; Punjab, Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province. Table 4, shows the exact regions of recruitment for these ninety young volunteers Table 4. Youth casualties from cities (province) situated in modern day Pakistan Regions 15 year olds 16 year olds 17 year olds Total Attock (Punjab) 1 1 13 15 Gujrat (Punjab) 2 2 Hazara (NWFP) 1 1 Jhelum (Punjab) 2 5 7 Kohat (NWFP) 1 1 19 21 Khurram Agency 1 1 Llyalpur (Punjab) 1 1 Mianwali (Punjab) 6 6 Mardan (NWFP) 1 1 Mirpur (Kashmir) 1 1 2 Peshawar (NWFP) 2 2 Poonch (Kashmir) 1 1 Rawalpindi (Punjab) 1 4 18 23 Sargodha (Punjab) 2 2 Shahpur (Punjab) 2 2 Sheikhupura (Punjab) 1 1 Sialkot (Punjab) 1 1 Unknown 1 1 Total 3 9 |