Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Islamic World News

14 Mar 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com Bombers kill 100 as Taliban hits back ‘Sir, don’t... I am not a terrorist,’ pleaded ATS inspector as DCP shot him twice Another blast in Pakistan: 14 killed, 52 injured in Swat Iran arrests 30 accused of U.S.-backed cyber war Senior Hamas leader seized in West Bank - Israeli army Dark forces’ in Pak scuttle our efforts for peace: India Iraq PM Nouri al-Maliki's coalition takes early vote lead Israel restricts access to Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem ‘Lahore blasts: India rejects Pak allegations Pak court accepts plea for declaring Kasab fugitive LeT training Taliban with 'eye on India' South Asian 'slave brides' causing concern in UK Political one-upmanship in tense Bareilly Taliban assault on Afghanistan's Kandahar kills 35 Christian-Muslim clashes leave 24 injured in Egypt Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood members Indonesia hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake For united Muslim stand on women’s Bill, Deobandis extend a hand to Barelvis U.S. Muslim convert among 7 arrested in Ireland Islamic History: Azmet making documentary film on last Nizam Another Jihad Jane held for plotting murder High on Afghan success, US mulls talks with Taliban Ancient wooden sarcophagus returned to Egypt from US Hindu girl weds Muslim boy; now fears for safety of in-laws Kosel Rav Asks Muslim Leaders to Cooperate to Prevent Violence To know Islam, you must be Islamic Pakistani jets pound Taliban hide-outs Martin Amis comes close to apology over Islam comments Khamenei tells Iranians to shun fire festival Compiled by Aman Quadre Photo: Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers stand guard at the site of a suicide attack in Kandahar. URL: http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2579 ----- Bombers kill 100 as Taliban hits back Amanda Hodge, March 15, 2010 TERRORISTS struck across Afghanistan and Pakistan at the weekend in suicide bombings that claimed up to 100 lives. The latest attack occurred in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, where a suicide squad staged co-ordinated bombings on at least six locations around the city, including a newly fortified prison, a police headquarters and a wedding party. A further two car-bombs and four improvised explosive devices were detonated across the former Taliban capital. An estimated 33 people were killed in Saturday's blasts, the biggest attack in Afghanistan this year, which prompted the Kandahar authorities to demand all health workers report for duty. A further 50 or more were injured. "We have now received 27 bodies and there are at least 52 people wounded, all figures include civilians and policemen," Kandahar's public health director, Abdul Qayoom Pukhla, said earlier in the day. The figure continued to rise yesterday as bodies were pulled from the rubble and more wounded came to hospitals. Most of the blasts were believed to have been intended to draw police away from Kandahar prison -- the scene of a mass jail break in 2008, when the Taliban stormed the building and freed up to 1000 prisoners, including hundreds of rebels. No prisoners escaped in the latest attack. "They wanted to keep people busy in the city and break the prison, but the Canadians did a good job last time," said Ahmed Wali Karzai, a Kandahar councillor and half-brother to President Hamid Karzai. "They did a lot of reconstruction so they couldn't break the prison this time." He said another explosion took place early yesterday close to the Kandahar office of a Japanese construction company, injuring five workers, including four Pakistanis and one Afghan. Across the border in the former Pakistan Taliban stronghold of Swat Valley, a suicide bomber driving a rickshaw killed 13 people on Saturday after detonating more than 15kg of explosives at a security forces building on the edge of the region's main town of Mingora. It was the country's second serious attack in less than 24 hours after as many as 55 people were killed and 120 injured in twin attacks in the Pakistan city of Lahore. Militants struck to maximum effect on Friday, targeting Lahore's bustling military district just as residents were sitting down to eat before the traditional Muslim prayers. In Kandahar yesterday, provincial governor Turyakai Wesa called for more troops to secure the region, known as the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban. Tens of thousands of additional US troops are arriving in Afghanistan to shore up the new US-led military strategy, which is aimed at bringing a speedy end to the war on the Taliban insurgency, now in its ninth year. The first big offensive has focused on neighbouring Helmand province and the poppy-growing region of Marjah, which has provided a constant source of income for the Taliban insurgents. Kandahar, which was the capital of the Taliban government from 1996 to 2001, is expected to be the next major target. Meanwhile, Mr Karzai bowed to international pressure yesterday, and agreed to allow independent foreign observers to monitor the Afghan parliamentary elections due in September. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/bombers-kill-100-as-taliban-hits-back/story-e6frg6so-1225840637863 -------  ‘Sir, don’t... I am not a terrorist,’ pleaded ATS inspector as DCP shot him twice Kamaal Saiyed March 14 2010 Surat : “Sir, don’t... I am not a terrorist.” This is what Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) inspector Shabbirali Saiyed says he had shouted, just before Deputy Commissioner of Police Subhash Trivedi shot him twice in the abdomen from point blank range during the mock anti-terror drill that went haywire at the Surat Airport on February 24. Saiyed still cannot comprehend how and why he was shot by the senior officer. No officer was supposed to carry or use live arms and ammunition. That apart, Saiyed told The Sunday Express that the entire drill had been meticulously planned, including the exact role each cop would play. “All the officials in the drill had been briefed thoroughly about the role of each. I was to be only an observer tasked to find out what mistakes the commandos and other officials commit during rescue operations.” DCP Subhash Trivedi, SP Barot of ATS and a few other officers were tasked to act as doctors and rush to a bus in the parking lot of the airport in which some officials acting as terrorists were holding ‘passengers’ hostage. Saiyed recalled: “Subhash Trivedi rushed to the bus and caught hold of me tightly, though I was supposed to be only an obeserver. I pleaded, “Sir , don’t... I am not a terrorist, I am the observer.” But he refused to let go of me and we had a scuffle. I was left struggling to get out of his clutches when he pulled out his service revolver and opened fire, from point blank range. I fell and lost consciousness.” The .38 calibre bullet entered through his stomach and exited. Saiyed is still to recover but is now out of danger. Interestingly, the DCP, according to Saiyed, was not even tasked to take on or grapple with any ‘terrorist’ in the drill, since he was acting as a member of a team of ‘doctors’ at the spot who would only recce the scene to find out how many hostages and terrorists were in the bus. “He was to have only ascertained their numbers to pass on the information to the others in the actual rescue team, so that they could plan and execute the operation,” according to Inspector Saiyed. Surat police Commisioner Shivanand Jha confirmed it. “Saiyed was deputed as an observer on the spot. He was standing near the entry door of bus. DCP Subhash Trivedi was tasked to act as a doctor to recce the scene and find out how many hostages were being held by how many terrorists, and the weapons they possessed.” The ‘doctor’, apparently, was not expected to carry any weapon, much less a loaded service revolver. So what went horribly wrong? The police claim they have no answers to share, yet. “We are still doing a free and fair investigation. At this moment it is difficult to come to any conclusion. We have taken the statements of several airport staff who were also present there and statements of several police officials who witnessed the incident,” Jha said. When The Sunday Express contacted Trivedi, he refused to comment. The investigation is being headed by Jha’s deputy and ATS chief Ajay Tomar. A complaint was registered at Umra police station soon after Saiyed was shot while state DGP S S Khandwawala directed Tomar to carry out a departmental inquiry. “After preliminary investigations, we have found that the incident was an accident and the firing had not been done deliberately. But we are waiting for the final report and the report from ballistic experts before coming to any conclusion,” said Khandwawala. Asked if an FIR would be registered against DCP Trivedi, Khandwawala said: “Let the report come and later, on its basis, we will take further action. Both the officials are from police department _ they are not some criminals _ so it is premature to say anything at this juncture.” http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-Sir--don-t----I-am-not-a-terrorist---pleaded-ATS-inspector-as-DCP-shot-him-twice/590554 ------ Another blast in Pakistan: 14 killed, 52 injured in Swat March 14 2010 At least 14 people were killed and 52 wounded when a suicide bomber targeted a security checkpost in Pakistan’s Mingora town in restive Swat Valley on Saturday, a day after twin blasts claimed 57 lives in Lahore. Three security personnel were among those killed in the blast. Swat police chief Ghulam Farooq told reporters the blast occurred when a suicide bomber who was walking towards a crowded court building was challenged by the security forces. “The security forces opened fire at him and the bomber detonated his explosives,” Online news agency quoted Farooq as saying. The checkpost went up in flames after the blast and thick smoke was billowing from the area. Television footage showed several vehicles burning as rescue workers were putting victims into ambulances. A nearby public library and a hotel were also damaged. Pakistan has been rocked by a series of terror attacks since the military launched a massive operation against Taliban strongholds in the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in June last year. http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/Another-blast-in-Pak-14-killed-in-Swat/Article1-518803.aspx ------ Iran arrests 30 accused of U.S.-backed cyber war March 14 2010 (CNN) -- Iran has arrested 30 people for waging what it called an organized, U.S.-backed cyber war against the nation, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday. Iran's judiciary said those arrested were funded by the United States beginning in 2006 and that they planned to destabilize the country, according to Fars. A State Department spokesman declined to comment on the report Saturday night. The Iranian judiciary said that former President George W. Bush supplied $400 million for the cyber war project, Fars reported. One branch of the project, dubbed the "Iran Proxy," was capable of infiltrating Iran's data banks, sabotaging its Web sites, and facilitating contacts between Iranian opposition figures and U.S.-funded media like Voice of America radio and Radio Farda, according to Fars. The judiciary also said the United States used anti-filtering software during recent demonstrations against the Iranian government to wage psychological war against the nation, Fars reported. Iranian media reported last month that individuals alleged to have ties with Radio Farda -- which means Radio Tomorrow in Iran's Farsi language -- were among seven arrested by the Iranian government. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/13/iran.cyber.arrests/index.html?hpt=T2 ------ Senior Hamas leader seized in West Bank - Israeli army 13 March 2010 A leading member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been arrested in the West Bank, Israel's army says. It says Mahar Uda, 47, was seized overnight in the Ramallah region. He is said to be one of the founders of Hamas' armed wing in the West Bank. Hamas said Palestinian security forces helped Israel arrest Mr Uda. Israeli forces have been hunting for him for more than 10 years in connection with a series of deadly attacks in Israel. "He had been on the wanted list since the end of the 1990s for his implication in a series of suicide attacks in Israel which claimed 70 lives," an Israeli military spokesman told the AFP news agency. Militants under Mr Uda's command also allegedly gathered ammunition for Hamas attacks against Israel and kidnapped Palestinians suspected of co-operating with Israel. A statement from Hamas said Mr Uda had been seized in a village under the control of the Palestinian Authority, which is headed by Mahmoud Abbas, and that Palestinian forces had assisted in the arrest. Full report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8566628.stm ------ Dark forces’ in Pak scuttle our efforts for peace: India March 13 2010 India said on Saturday that while it had made repeated efforts to have peace with Pakistan, certain “dark forces” operating in that country which encouraged terrorism were consistently undermining these attempts. Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor, in a statement at a function here, also justified the recent foreign secretary-level talks, saying that the dialogue with Pakistan will have to be kept going to ensure that peace and stability were maintained. The Indian government on Saturday also categorically rejected allegations made in Pakistan about its involvement in Friday’s spate of blasts in Lahore (in which the toll went up to 59 on Saturday), telling Islamabad that it should focus on dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism directed against India instead of repeating “unfounded and unsubstantiated”  which were only “putting a strain” on the bilateral relations. The external affairs ministry, in a statement here, said New Delhi was “deeply disappointed” by statements from Pakistan alleging an Indian hand in the Lahore attacks and terrorist acts and disturbances elsewhere in Pakistan. “We categorically reject, once again, the allegations of India’s involvement in such acts or activities. The government has reiterated on several occasions, and at the highest level, that India has no interest in destabilising  Pakistan,” the statement noted. Full report at: http://www.asianage.com ------ Iraq PM Nouri al-Maliki's coalition takes early vote lead AP, Mar 14, 2010 BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's political coalition took an early vote lead Saturday in the election's all-important battleground of Baghdad, pulling away from its two closest rivals in the latest indication that Iraqis want a moderate government instead of Shiite religious hard-liners leading the postwar nation. Partial results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission showed the State of Law coalition with about a 60,000-vote edge nationwide over its main moderate challenger, the secular Iraqiya coalition. The Shiite fundamentalist Iraqi National Alliance was in third place. The partial Baghdad vote was released amid utter disarray in the election commission's headquarters, where the results were flashed on big-screen TVs but yanked down moments later, only to be released yet again. It was the latest in a series of blunders marring the counting process as results have trickled out slowly. The chairman of the electoral commission, Faraj al-Haidari, said preliminary nationwide results could be released as early as Sunday - a full week after the vote for a 325-member parliament that will choose a prime minister to form a government that will lead the country as U.S. troops prepare to go home. Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iraq-PM-Nouri-al-Malikis-coalition-takes-early-vote-lead/articleshow/5681229.cms ------ Israel restricts access to Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem March 13 2010 JERUSALEM — Israeli police said on Saturday access to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem -- Islam's third holiest site -- would be restricted on Sunday to men under 50 amid fears of fresh violence there. "Because of information that Palestinians may cause trouble, the police have decided to restrict access on Sunday for those wanting to pray at Al-Aqsa to men under the age of 50," Micky Rosenfeld told AFP. Muslim women will not be affected, Rosenfeld said, adding however that "visitors from other religions will be barred from entering" the compound. Police had barred men under 50 from praying at the site on Friday, the weekly day of rest for Muslims. Restrictions have been enforced since March 5 when police battled Muslim protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque after weekly prayers. The compound housing Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock is Islam's third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Jews call the site Temple Mount and consider it to be Judaism's holiest site. Jerusalem police said they intervened on March 5 when Palestinians hurled stones over a wall dividing the mosque enclosure from a neighbouring Jewish site. Tensions have spiralled following Israel's announcement on Tuesday that it will build 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in mostly Arab east Jerusalem, which Palestinians consider to be the capital of their future state. Police reinforcements deployed around east Jerusalem amid the tensions in the city will remain in place, Rosenfeld said. Copyright © 2010 AFP. ------  ‘Lahore blasts: India rejects Pak allegations March 14 2010 Strongly condemning the multiple bombings in Lahore, India on Saturday rejected Pakistani allegations of an Indian hand in the attack and stressed that such loose statements were putting a strain on bilateral ties.  Making it clear that India had no interest in destabilising Pakistan, New Delhi reminded Islamabad that it should concentrate "on dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism directed against India and adversely impacting on Pakistan itself".  "The government of India unequivocally condemns the series of bomb blasts in Lahore which claimed the lives of scores of people, including innocent civilians, and injured many more, among them women and children," the external affairs ministry said in a statement here.  "Our condolences go out to the families of those killed by these acts of terrorism," the ministry said.  The twin suicide bombings Friday targeting an army convoy killed at least 57 people in Lahore and came barely four days after a terror attack at an intelligence service facility in the city.  Full report at: www.dailypioneer.com/241951/Lahore-blasts-India-rejects-Pak-allegations.html ------ Pak court accepts plea for declaring Kasab fugitive March 14 2010 A Pakistani anti-terror court conducting the trial of seven suspects for their involvement in the 26/11 attacks, on Saturday accepted an application from the prosecution for Ajmal Kasab to be declared a fugitive and adjourned the case for a week. The Federal Investigation Agency, which probed Pakistani links to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, submitted an application in the anti-terrorism court of Judge Malik Muhammad Akram Awan asking for Kasab to be declared a “proclaimed offender” or a fugitive. The court admitted the application and scheduled the next hearing for March 20, when it will hear arguments on the plea by the prosecution and defence lawyers. “The application was taken up first as it was a procedural matter,” Shahbaz Rajput, a lawyer representing some of the accused, said. Sources said several witnesses were scheduled to testify during saturday’s hearing but could not do so as the court took up the FIA’s application. The FIA’s plea had become necessary as a bench of the Lahore HC had ruled earlier this week that Kasab’s trial could not be separated from that of the seven accused - Lashker-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu al-Qama, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jamil Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younas Anjum. Full report at: www.dailypioneer.com/241987/Pak-court-accepts-plea-for-declaring-Kasab-fugitive.html ------ LeT training Taliban with 'eye on India' March 14 2010 NEW DELHI: Terror attacks in India have graduated from the bombs-on-trains variety to commando-like operations in Mumbai, or blasts like the Germany Bakery in Pune.  But thus far, India has been spared the suicide bomber - the kind that rammed into the Indian embassy in Kabul, or into the CIA tent in Khost, or even in the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.  That could change. In a development that has raised concerns in the Indian security establishment, recent intelligence reports from Pakistan point to the Lashkar-e-Taiba now targeting Taliban militants as recruits.  Officials tracking developments in Pakistan said LeT has been training 130 Taliban militants who have surrendered to the Pakistan establishment. The training programme, being held at an "institute" in Lahore, has been going on for the past three months and is even now under way.  Officials believe these militants - who are already radicalized and motivated - could be used to do LeT's work in India and Afghanistan. This could add a whole new dimension to terror attacks in India.  Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/LeT-training-Taliban-with-eye-on-India/articleshow/5680787.cms ------ South Asian 'slave brides' causing concern in UK 14 March 2010 Hundreds of women who came to the UK from South Asia to marry say they have been treated as domestic slaves by their in-laws, the BBC has learned. More than 500 who applied for residence in 2008-09 after their marriages broke down were deported because they could not prove any abuse had taken place. Police and charities are concerned the incidents are not reported because of family pressure and fear of reprisals. The UK Border Agency said measures were in place to try to prevent such abuse. 'Bloodied nose' The women complaining of being treated as slaves by their families come from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. One woman in her 20s says she was imprisoned by her mother-in-law for three years at their house in the north of England. She does not want to be named. She has now started to come to terms with her ordeal, a year after her mother-in-law was prosecuted, but she says she still lives with the fear inside her. "One day my mother-in-law beat me up really badly," she says. "There was a lot of blood coming out of my mouth and nose - I couldn't tell anyone, call anyone or go anywhere. "I used to get up at dawn and clean the whole house, scrub the floors, clean the windows, do the washing, cook. In between I'd have to sew." Full report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8566102.stm ------ Political one-upmanship in tense Bareilly 14 Mar 2010 Even as curfew continues in riot-hit Bareilly for the 14th consecutive day Sunday (March 14), the town has become a ripe ground for political one-upmanship. The BJP has appointed a three-member panel to probe events that led to the violence. The party claims to be unhappy with the way state chief minister, BSP supremo Mayawati has handled the violence. The three-member team is being led by Maneka Gandhi and will submit a report on the events to the high command after its visit. "We will be leaving tomorrow for Bareilly and will be back by evening," Gandhi told news agencies last evening. The team, consisting of Gandhi, Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath and Meerut MP Rajendra Agarwal, is expected to submit a report to the party president on the steps taken to control the riots and the relief given to the affected people. Gandhi is an MP from Aaonla, which is adjacent to Bareilly. Meanwhile, Congress leaders are also trying to reach Bareilly because staying away could be a political setback in a state where Muslim politics is a big decider. Full report at: www.timesnow.tv/Political-one-upmanship-in-tense-Bareilly/articleshow/4340565.cms ------ Christian-Muslim clashes leave 24 injured in Egypt (AFP) March 13. 2010 CAIRO — Twenty-four people were injured in clashes between Christians and Muslims in northern Egypt, a security official said on Saturday. Twenty people, both Coptic Christians and Muslim, were also arrested in Friday's troubles, the official said. Fighting broke out in the northwestern province of Mersa Matrouh when Muslim residents began to hurl stones at Christian construction workers they thought were building a church. The Christians said they were building a wall for a hospice, not a church, the official said. "Around 400 people were involved in the fighting. Twenty people were arrested, both Muslims and Christians, and 24 were injured," the official said. "A heavy security presence was deployed to the town and remained overnight to make sure there are no more clashes," he said. The Copts, the Middle East's largest Christian community, make up between six and 10 percent of Egypt's 80 million people but complain of frequent discrimination and harassment. In the worst sectarian attack in years, six Copts and one Muslim policeman were killed when gunmen raked worshippers emerging from a Christmas Eve service in the southern town of Nagaa Hammadi in January. Three people are on trial over the attack. Copts are considered equal to Muslims under the Egyptian constitution but must gain presidential permission to build churches and clearance from a governor to renovate them. Copyright © 2010 AFP ------ Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood members Sunday, 14 March 2010 The arrests came after the detention of 30 members after Friday prayers for protesting recent Israel raid into the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. Egypt arrested 42 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group, the group's lawyer said on Saturday. The arrests came after the detention of 30 members after Friday prayers for protesting recent Israel raid into the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. The Muslim Brotherhood's Ikhwanweb news site said Friday was declared "Rage Day" in protest of desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel on Friday ordered the army to seal off the West Bank in the occupied Palestinian territory for 48 hours. There have been clashes after Friday prayers at mosques in Jerusalem and elsewhere in recent weeks, sparked by more settler plans. Israeli police also banned men under the age of 50 from Muslim prayers at the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Detentions The predawn detentions took place in at least five northern provinces. Full report at: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=55474 ------ Indonesia hit by 6.4-magnitude earthquake March 14 2010 (CNN) -- A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia on Sunday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries, deaths, or damages on the island nation. The quake struck at 9:57 a.m. local time (7:57 p.m. ET Saturday). The epicenter was 285 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Ternate, on Indonesia's Moluccas island group, and 2,415 kilometers (1,500 miles) east of Jakarta, the nation's capital. The quake struck at a depth of 52.4 kilometers (32.6 miles). No tsunami warning was issued following the quake. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/13/indonesia.quake/index.html?hpt=T2 ------ For united Muslim stand on women’s Bill, Deobandis extend a hand to Barelvis Manoj C G March 14 2010 New Delhi : In a development that could worry the Congress which is trying to revive itself in the Hindi heartland, the warring, but influential, Deobandi and Barelvi sects are warming up to each other to oppose the Women’s Reservation Bill which has already created unrest among Islamic scholars and bodies. Despite both being Sunnis, the Deobandis and Barelvis have been traditionally opposed to each other. It is virtually a no-no for both sects to intermingle, sometimes even while the last prayers of a dead person are in progress. The differences between the two sects owe their origin to their respective interpretations of Islam, with Deobandis taking a more austere view of the tenets and Barelvis having been more influenced by other practices and ceremonies that they have adopted over the years. Indications about the thaw came when prominent Muslim leaders belonging to the Deobandi school of thought condemned the arrest of noted Barelvi cleric Maulana Tauqueer Raza Khan by the UP Police on March 8, following incidents of communal violence and rushed to Bareilly to meet him in a show of support. He was subsequently released. Raza, the great grandson of Barelvi sect founder Maulana Ali Shah Mufti Ahmad Raza Khan, has been at loggerheads with the Deobandi leadership ever since he came out of the All India Muslim Personnel Law Board and floated a parallel board in 2004 reflecting the rift among Muslim clergy on issues involving Shariat. Full report at: www.indianexpress.com/news/for-united-muslim-stand-on-womens-bill-deobandis-extend-a-hand-to-barelvis/590518/2 ------ U.S. Muslim convert among 7 arrested in Ireland Keith Coffman Sat Mar 13, 201 A Colorado woman who converted to Islam last year and was lured to Europe by online extremists was among seven people arrested in Ireland in connection with a suspected plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist, her parents said on Saturday. The arrest of Jamie Paulin Ramirez, a 31-year-old mother, confirmed by a U.S. law enforcement source who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, marks the second American woman linked to such a conspiracy in recent days. The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it has charged Colleen LaRose, a suburban Philadelphia woman who used the online pseudonyms "Fatima LaRose" and "JihadJane," with plotting to kill an unnamed Swedish man and using the Internet to enlist co-conspirators. Separately, Irish police said on Tuesday they had detained seven individuals as part of an investigation into a plot to assassinate cartoonist Lars Vilks of Sweden in retaliation for a drawing that depicted the Prophet Mohammad with dog's body. Full report at: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62C0X920100314 ------ Islamic History: Azmet making documentary film on last Nizam March 14 2010 HYDERABAD: Azmet Jah, the son of Prince Mukarram Jah, is making a documentary film on the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan.  "I am in talks with Lion Television of London. The deal is expected to be sealed once we work out a few more details," he said.  Mir Osman Ali Khan, who ruled Hyderabad from 1911 to 1948, was considered the richest man in the world during his time. Azmet Jah, his great grandson, is an accomplished photographer who has worked with top Hollywood film-makers like Richard Attenborough and Steven Spielberg. He said he believes that there is no authentic documentation of the lives and times of Mir Osman Ali Khan whose Hyderabad was the biggest princely state in the British India.  "The history of Hyderabad is a glorious one and at the same time complex. The seventh Nizam played a key role when India was going through the freedom struggle. The writers have not been fair to him. He is always shown in bad light as a miser stooped with a walking stick in hand. All this is not true. There is lot which has to be brought to public notice," he pointed out.  "I have already interviewed my father and a few other members of my family. Once the deal is done, the pace of filming would automatically pick up. I hope to do it as soon as possible," Azmet Jah who accompanied his father for a brief visit to Hyderabad said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Azmet-making-documentary-film-on-last-Nizam/articleshow/5681335.cms ------ Another Jihad Jane held for plotting murder March 14 2010  WASHINGTON: A 31-year-old Colorado woman has been arrested by Irish authorities for allegedly plotting a conspiracy to murder a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed. Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, who had a 30,000-dollars-a-year job as a medical assistant, is in the custody of the Irish police, along with six other individuals, arrested as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit murder, according to the Wall street Journal. Last Easter, the mum-of-one announced to her family that she had converted to Islam. A few months later, she began posting messages to Facebook forums whose headings included "Stop Calling Muslims Terrorists!" On Sept 11, she suddenly left Leadville, Colo., a small town in the Rocky Mountains, for Denver, then for New York, to meet and marry a Muslim man she connected with online. Now, she has been arrested by the Irish authorities, but the nature of their suspicions about Paulin-Ramirez couldn't be confirmed. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Another-Jihad-Jane-held-for-plotting-murder/articleshow/5681107.cms ------ High on Afghan success, US mulls talks with Taliban Helene Cooper & Mark Landler Mar 14, 2010 WASHINGTON: With American troops pouring into insurgent strongholds in Afghanistan and the United States succeeding in killing insurgent leaders with drone attacks in Pakistan, the Obama administration is beginning to consider whether it has gained the upper hand sufficiently to justify an effort to begin talks with the Taliban. President Obama met with his war cabinet on Friday, and the issue of reconciling with the Taliban is gaining traction, even as administration officials debate whether the time is right. A senior administration official pointed to recent successes by American and Pakistani forces in capturing and interrogating senior Taliban leaders in Pakistan. In addition, administration officials have sought to maintain a full-court press to persuade their Pakistani counterparts to keep attacking Taliban operatives, the official said. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Gen. James L. Jones, the national security adviser, and Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have all traveled to the region recently to try to keep the pressure on both Afghan and Pakistani officials. "It is now more a question of 'when' than a question of 'if'," the administration official said, when asked about the idea of reconciliation talks with senior Taliban officials. Full report at: /timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/High-on-Afghan-success-US-mulls-talks-with-Taliban/articleshow/5681087.cms ------ Ancient wooden sarcophagus returned to Egypt from US 13 March 2010 A 3,000-year-old wooden sarcophagus stolen from Egypt more than 125 years ago has been returned from the US. It was confiscated at Miami airport by customs officials after it arrived in a shipment from Spain in 2008 and the importer was unable to prove ownership. The sarcophagus dates back to the 21st Dynasty (1070-945BC) and is thought to have belonged to a noble called Imesy. The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities travelled to Washington on Wednesday to lobby for its return. Zahi Hawass accompanied the item on its return to Cairo on Saturday, when he announced that Egypt would also take back a number of other antiquities illegally shipped to the US, including coffins, pottery and art. Investigations had found that the coffin was stolen more than 100 years ago and taken to Spain, before it was shipped to the US in recent years. Thousands of antiquities were taken from Egypt during its colonial era by archaeologists, adventurers and thieves. During the past few years, the Egyptian authorities have stepped up their efforts to recover stolen artefacts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8566538.stm ------ Hindu girl weds Muslim boy; now fears for safety of in-laws March 14, 2010 Nagpur: A Hindu girl who married  a Muslim boy against the wishes of her parents has moved the High Court praying for protection of her in-laws and husband from the police and her own family members. A division bench of Justice AP Lavande and Justice Pramod Kode issued notices to the respondents including state home secretary and Amravati Commissioner of Police among others and ordered against taking any action till pendency of the petition. Petitioner Ayesha Fatima who belonged to a Hindu family (Maternal name Sonal Jayaswal) was in a steady relationship with Sajjad Hussein, both residents of Amravati, for last couple of years, which was not acceptable to her family. When her parents refused to let her marry Sajjad, the couple fled and entered into wedlock as per Muslim rituals on February 17 this year. Full report at: http://www.zeenews.com/news611041.html ------ Kosel Rav Asks Muslim Leaders to Cooperate to Prevent Violence March 14, 2010 Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rav of the Kosel and holy sites, has turned to senior Muslim leaders asking them to ensure the Monday evening re-dedication of the Churva Shul in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City passes without Islamic violence. In his request, the rav pointed out the Old City is a symbol of dual existence and marring such an event with violence would be troublesome and most unwanted. The ceremony marks the refurbishing of the shul that was defiled by the late King Hussein of Jordan, the father of the current Jordanian leader King Abdullah. It was the very same King Hussein, who Israeli leaders hailed a “champion of peace”, who used matzeivos from Har HaZeisim for urinals during the Jordanian occupation of Yerushalayim and the Kosel from 1948 until paratroopers liberated it in the June 1967 Six Day War. (Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel) http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/51113/Kosel-Rav-Asks-Muslim-Leaders-to-Cooperate-to-Prevent-Violence.html ------ To know Islam, you must be Islamic MAUREEN DOWD Mar 14 2010 I WAS tempted to turn my abaya into a black masquerade cloak and sneak into Mecca, just hop over the Tropic of Cancer to the Red Sea and crash the ultimate heaven’s gate. Sir Richard Burton, the 19th-century British adventurer, translator of The Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra and self-described "amateur barbarian," was an illicit pilgrim to the sacred black granite cube. He wore Arab garb and infiltrated the holiest place in Islam, the Kaaba, the "centre of the Earth," as he called it, in the Saudi city where the Prophet Muhammad was born. But in the end, it seemed disrespectful, not to mention dangerous. So on my odyssey to Saudi Arabia, I tried to learn about the religion that smashed into the American consciousness on 9-11 in a less sneaky way. And that’s when the paradox sunk in: It was nearly impossible for me to experience Islam in the cradle of Islam. You don’t have to be a Catholic to go to the Vatican. You don’t have to be Jewish to go to the Western Wall (although if you’re a woman, you’re squeezed into a slice of it at the side). You don’t have to be Buddhist to hear the Dalai Lama speak — and have your picture snapped with him afterward. A friend who often travels to Saudi Arabia for business said he thought that Medina, the site of Muhammad’s tomb, was beginning to "loosen up" for non-Muslims. (As the second holiest city in Islam, maybe they needed to try harder). But the Saudis nixed a trip there. Full report at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotian/1172174.html ------ Pakistani jets pound Taliban hide-outs Mar 14 2010 PARACHINAR, Pakistan — Pakistani fighter jets pounded a series of Taliban hide-outs near the Afghan border Sunday, killing nine insurgents, a local official said. The hide-outs were in the village of Mero Bak in the Taliban stronghold of the Lower Orakzai tribal region, said Rasheed Khan, an Orakzai official. One of the bombed houses belonged to a local Taliban commander, Aslam Farooqi, but it was not clear if he was among those killed. Orakzai is the base of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who officials believe was killed in a U.S. missile strike early this year. The group insists he is alive, but has not provided any evidence to back up its claims. Violence has surged in Pakistan in recent days as militants — thought to be part of a loose network of Islamist insurgents fighting the U.S.-allied Islamabad government — launched a wave of suicide bombings. The attacks have killed 88 people in a little over a week. On Saturday, a suicide bomber killed 13 people at a security checkpoint in the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan. Elsewhere in Pakistan, suspected militants tried to blow up a NATO oil tanker Sunday in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, near the Afghan border, police official Zia Mandokhel said. A bomb, planted in the truck's undercarriage, misfired, causing just a hole in the tanker and an oil spill, he said. One person, a civilian, was injured. The incident occurred in the border town of Chaman along an important route for NATO supplies heading into Afghanistan. Militants regularly target trucks taking supplies to U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. ------ Martin Amis comes close to apology over Islam comments March 13. 2010 DUBAI // The British author Martin Amis has come close to apologising for his strong views on the Muslim faith. It came in a staged discussion at the International Festival of Literature this week in Dubai. Four years ago, Amis said in an interview about terrorism: “There is a definite urge to say, ‘The Muslim community will have to suffer until it gets its house in order’. “Not letting them travel. Deportation further down the road. Curtailing of freedoms. Strip searching people who look like they’re from the Middle East or from Pakistan. Discriminatory stuff, until it hurts the whole community and they start getting tough with their children.” His comments, following a terrorist attack in London that killed 52 people, caused outrage among British Muslims and criticism from academics. But at this week’s festival, the 60-year-old author, whose books include Money and London Fields, seemed somewhat penitent. He said: “It was a rash remark made at a terrible time. Ten years on from September 2001, we have still not got a usable word for what we mean. People think you are talking about Islam but you are not. “‘Islamism’ is hopeless because it has got too many letters in common with Islam. I suggest we call it al Qa’eda.” Full report at: www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100313/NATIONAL/703129825/0/national ------ Khamenei tells Iranians to shun fire festival March 14. 2010 TEHRAN — Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday urged Iranians to shun next week's Persian fire festival as an un-Islamic event which causes "a lot of harm." Seven people have already been reported killed in the runup to the festival, ISNA news agency said, quoting a police chief. Charshanbe Soori, an ancient pagan festival, is held on the eve of the last Wednesday of the Persian calendar year. This year, the ritual falls on the night of March 16. Khamenei, Iran's all-powerful cleric, said on his website that Charshanbe Soori has "no basis in sharia (Islamic religious law) and creates a lot of harm and corruption, (which is why) it is appropriate to avoid it." The festival is a prelude to Nowrouz, the Persian New Year which starts on March 21 and marks the arrival of spring. In the past few years, local municipalities have helped Iranians organise the festival but it is unclear whether they will do so this year in the wake of Khamenei's remarks. Iranians celebrate the fire festival by lighting bonfires in public places on the night before the last Wednesday and leaping over the flames shouting "Sorkhiye to az man, Zardiye man az to (Give me your redness and I will give you my paleness)." Full report at: Copyright © 2010 AFP. URL: http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2579