How Qasabs are manufactured in Pakistan

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad How Qasabs are manufactured in Pakistan "With poverty having driven young Ajmal from his home, he was easy prey for these jihad-manufacturers. He was already on his way as a petty robber when they got him. Life as a jihadist gave Ajmal a livelihood, money for his family (they were able to marry off his sister Ruqaiya), respect, a sense of belonging and importantly, independence from the local landowner. No longer would he or his father have to go and sit at Mian Manzoor Wattoo's feet (landlord and village Shylock), waiting for hours in his dera, for petty favours. No longer would they be herded at election time to the Pakistan People's Party booth or to the Muslim League's stall to cast their vote in line with the current allegiance of their overlord. No longer would they be bullied or their votes bought." Despite reform efforts in India the Barelvi and Ahl-e-Hadith managed madrasas continue to teach hate-curricula on the lines of majority of madrasas in Pakistan and Qwami madrasas in Bangladesh. While in Pakistan about 60 lakh students study in madrasas, in Bangladesh about 35 lakh students undergo fundamentalist education in madrasas. In India the approximate number of students undergoing Dars-e-Nizami and Nasiruddin Tusi streams of madrasa education is about 25 lakh. Most of these are breeding grounds of fundamentalism and radicalism. -- Editorial staff, SOHU.COM More...

Urdu Section War within Islam: "Bareilvis are violent, aggressive, extremely bitter manufacturers of Kafirs in Indian Islam" Maulana Nadeemul Wajidi responds to Maulana Mohammad Nasir Misbahi's charges of Kufr against Deobandis and Wahhabiis   More...

Islamic Sharia Laws Why Islamic Law Is the Antithesis of Equal Justice proclaimed by Muslims A Muslim man will never be sentenced to be flogged for wearing pants, just as a Muslim Imam will never be tried for blasphemy no matter how many ugly things he says about Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism. Blasphemy is a charge that is meaningful only in relation to the doctrine that is at the heart of Islamic law that is Islam itself. Islamic law is law made by Muslim men for the benefit of Muslim men, and the detriment of everyone else. It is the product of an inherently unequal system, designed to perpetuate that system. Islam does not recognize human equality. It is premised on human inequality. Women cannot be subject to the same laws as men, just as Mohammed was not subject to the same laws as men. Indeed the Koran records that Mohammed explicitly had the law rewritten on his behalf when he desired something, such as Zaynab, who happened to be married to his adopted son. A minor matter for the Prophet. The Koran also limited the number of permissible wives to four. This did not stop Mohammed from marrying as many as fifteen women. Muslims do not see the contradiction in any of this, because there is no premise of equality under Islamic law. You are only as "equal" as your spiritual standing within the Ummah permits. -- Sultan Knish More...

Islam and Pluralism In Decline: Zoroastrians in Iran According to estimates, the number of Zoroastrians in Iran has decreased from 60,000 in the late 1970s to 30,000 today. Most adherents now live in the Diaspora. Bombay, above all, has developed into a pivotal hub for the exiled Iranian community. Yet, says Mehraban Firouzgary, there are additional factors responsible for the loss of community members. "Many Zoroastrians have emigrated, but we are also a dwindling community because nowadays the younger generation in Iran marry later and have fewer children," he explains. "Our resources are extremely limited – even when it comes to disseminating our faith." In addition, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that so many marriages are taking place outside of the Zoroastrian community, says Firouzgary. Today, a number of Zoroastrians have Muslim spouses or have themselves converted to Islam. -- Arian Fariborz More...

Islamic World News ALGERIA TURNS TO SUFISM TO FIGHT SALAFI EXTREMISM Economic Terrorism: Fake currency made in Pakistan flowing into India Discovery of mass graves in Swat' Pakistanis oppose Taliban, still revile US Political activity allowed in FATA: I've abolished 100-year-old system: Zardari 'Pak army still dictating vital policy decisions' Terrorists in Pakistan making 'dirty bomb': Analyst PAKISTAN: A human rights activist faces terrorism charges for publicising the murder of Christians, while the mullahs who encouraged the violence remain free Al Shabaab Beheads 4 Christians, Rips Gold Teeth From Locals' Mouths Yale Press Bans Images of Muhammad Banten `debus' martial art form haram: MUI Iran cleric: obeying Ahmadinejad like obeying God Somalia: Fresh Fighting and Unlikely Victims  'Vande Mataram' no taboo for Muslim BJP leaders Muslims shine in Kerala entrance tests Muslim women uncover myths about the hijab Muslim state delegate takes controversial stand on gay marriage Islamic Sect Mosque Stormed By Nigerian Forces Compiled by Syed Asadulah More...

Urdu Section Dr. Zakir Nayak's Peace TV spreading Disaffection towards the Prophet (pbuh) By Maulana Dr. Yasin Ali Usmani 1 Comments More...

Current affairs CHINA' S GRAND STRATEGY TO SPLIT INDIA Try to break India into 30 parts, Chinese official think tank tells govt In April last year, Zhan wrote an article, 'A Warning to the Indian Government: Don't Be Evil!', which accused India of adopting the "same old path of confrontation with China" that had led to war in 1962 by reinforcing its troops in Arunachal Pradesh. At the time Indian officials had pointed out that the CIISS was always headed by a senior party functionary and "several senior members from the Chinese Communist Party are known to write under aliases on its website." They had suspected that Zhan was a senior party member writing under a pseudonym. Taken together, the Zhan Lue articles and the Global Times editorials suggest serious undercurrents of anti- Indianism in China. -- Manoj Joshi The tense relations between the Han Chinese and the ethnic minorities — particularly the Uighurs and the Tibetans — are historical and China for decades kept these under wraps using brutal methods and by killing their identities, culture, language. For years, Beijing demonised them as terrorists. Chinese officials had said the country is facing a "life- and- death struggle" in Tibet and southern Xinjiang. China's traditional practice of killing domestic issues through international support, especially from the Muslim states, may be getting dated now. Sympathy for the Tibetans and Uyghur's is growing even among the Muslim countries. -- P. Stobdan More...

Islamic World News Jihadis thrice attacked Pakistan nuclear sites Cracks in Iran's establishment are growing American Girl Says Muslim Family Wants to kill her for converting to Christianity Islamic radicals hack news website Paris pool bans Muslim woman in 'burqini' swimsuit Preacher groomed boys for jihad Taliban torch 7 schools in Buner Hapless women: Pakistan's crying shame Saudi Arabia's young population: hope or risk? Dispute over a Script Seminar for Muslim Students Michael Jackson reincarnation of Egyptian princess? Somali Islamists pull out gold teeth of 'sinners' The Two-State Solution Doesn't Solve Anything Moral brigade wants Indian films off Pakistan cables Muslims in European peace drive 5 foreign Islamic preachers killed in Somalia Pak suspects al-Qaida group killed Christians Nigeria Violence Sparks New Concerns Pakistan's crying shame D Suba Chandran Compiled by: Syed Asadullah 1 Comments More...

Urdu Section Trapped in tradition Muslims blame media prejudice By Prof. Tahir Mahmood   More...

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad The all-new, same old Taliban? The Taliban's new manifesto looks like an attempt to engage Afghan hearts and minds, but is it worth the paper it's written on? In theory, the upcoming election is irrelevant from a Taliban point of view for three reasons. First, as Afghan analyst Wahid Mojdah pointed out in a recent article in Dari, the Taliban believe that only practicing and pious Muslims should be given the right to vote. Hence a leader chosen by a majority regardless of their religious credentials is lacking legitimacy. Second, the Taliban believe that Washington pays only lip service to democracy, failing to accept democratically elected groups such as Hamas or the Iranian government, for ideological reasons. Third, an election campaign held in a country under occupation is by definition meaningless, as the nation is not sovereign. -- Nushin Arbabzadah More...

Current affairs Egypt and global Islam: The battle for a religion's heart Jihadist ideology has also been facing what may prove to be bigger threats than those posed by military setbacks or defections. Clerics from the broader ideological mainstream of Islam, where most Muslims put themselves, are condemning nihilist extremism with greater boldness. The strongest recent critique of global jihadism has come from a figure who is himself controversial in the West: Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an 82-year-old Egyptian who lives in Qatar, and a familiar figure, through his broadcasts, to Muslims across the world. He is a canny, theologically conservative populist, whose scathing references to Jews and homosexuals have made him persona non grata in America and, as of 2008, Britain. -- Report 1 Comments More...

Islam and the West Hypothesizing on the Iran-Russia-U.S. Triangle The real nuclear option for Iran does not involve nuclear weapons. It would involve mining the Strait of Hormuz and the narrow navigational channels that make up the Persian Gulf. During the 1980s, when Iran and Iraq were at war, both sides attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. This raised havoc on oil prices and insurance rates. If the Iranians were to successfully mine these waters, the disruption to 40 percent of the world's oil flow would be immediate and dramatic. The nastiest part of the equation would be that in mine warfare, it is very hard to know when all the mines have been cleared. It is the risk, not the explosions, which causes insurance companies to withdraw insurance on vastly expensive tankers and their loads. It is insurance that allows the oil to flow. -- George Friedman, Stratfor More...

Islamic World News Pakistanis see US as biggest threat: Al Jazeera-Gallup Poll Iran Detains Christian Converts New Fatah leadership boosts Mideast peace Borneo Man impressed by Islamic way of life converts Radical Islam regeneration remains risk in Indonesia Saudi Arabia arrests thousands without trial Jamaat Tabligh Members convicted in Tajikistan Islamic bank ratings remain stable with growth Saudi Distribution of Holy Quran Copies in Algeria Gilani, Kayani make a confidence-building visit to Swat Iran: 4,000 arrested in election riots, most released Urumqi riot not to affect ties with Islamic countries Extraordinary Women from the Muslim World Iran's Women Football Team Visits Assembly Albanian shamans and Islamic pluralism Ghana Muslim students hint of pressure to convert Muslim woman 'told to take off veil' in Australia 'Muslim Camp' draws UK teens to combat extremism Taliban gaining upper hand, says US commander Researchers doubt Saudi Curriculum Problems Solved Mehsud's £25m fortune triggers Taliban infighting Shiites in Iraq Restrained as Sunnis Keep Attacking Police register case against Musharraf Compiled by Syed Asadullah More...

Islam and the West Western Suicide Bombers: John Feffer contemplates Western Jihad Later, suicide missions played a key role in European history. "Books written in the post-9/11 period tend to place suicide bombings only in the context of Eastern history and limit them to the exotic rebels against modernism," writes Niccolo Caldararo in an essay on suicide bombers. "A study of the late 19th century and early 20th would provide a spate of examples of suicide bombers and assassins in the heart of Europe." These included various European nationalists, Russian anarchists, and other early practitioners of terrorism.     Given the plethora of suicide missions in the Western tradition, it should be difficult to argue that the tactic is unique to Islam or to fundamentalists. Yet some scholars enjoy constructing a restrictive genealogy for such missions that connects the Assassin sect (which went after the great Sultan Saladin in the Levant in the twelfth century) to Muslim suicide guerrillas of the Philippines (first against the Spanish and then, in the early twentieth century, against Americans). They take this genealogy all the way up to more recent suicide campaigns by Hezbollah, Hamas, al-Qaeda, and Islamic rebels in the Russian province of Chechnya. The Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, who used suicide bombers in a profligate fashion, are ordinarily the only major non-Muslim outlier included in this series. -- John Feffer 4 Comments More...

Current affairs Egypt and India: How the future of Islam works Egyptian ulema surprised at Indian ulema's obsession with beard and external appearance My next question was about the dress code — beards and external appearance — and I was answered by a puzzled dean of Arabic studies: "most Egyptian Muslims dress modestly in modern western wear, after all. Even in the mosque." I was baffled. I enquired about the clergy in India that deride people for what they wear. The Dean pulled no punches. "We believe in inner cleanliness and purity of the mind, maybe in India external appearance and beards are important to your Ulema; in our mosques and schools what you wear is secondary. Cover your head, as most religions advise, and pray for all humanity." Women were everywhere on the campus. I asked the mufti why. "Islam makes no difference based on gender" he said, pointing out that Egypt has recently set aside about 12 per cent reservation for women in parliament. I kept silent when the mufti asked me about reservation for women in ours. In Egypt more women than men are employed in both the public and the private sector — except in defence and oil. – Aijaz Ilmi 1 Comments More...