Indian Hindutva party plans Muslim cadre to woo Muslims
Pakistani in
custody in New York car bomb attempt
Muslim Extremists Execute a Somali
Christian
Jewish mystics on the Sufi path
Suntanned women to be arrested under Islamic dress code
Mumbai attacks: Kasab to be sentenced on May
6
It's a message to Pakistan
'Jihad is basic requirement to wipe out
terrorism'
Anti-Zionist rabbi Moshe Hirsch dies in
Jerusalem
Wife of Faheem says she expected verdict
FIFA allows caps for Iranian girls at Youth
Olympic
Swiss canton considers burqa ban
Baring Beauty or Brains? Debate Over “Earthquake” Comment Splits
Feminist Activists
What Does China Have to Do with Islam and
Democracy
Jihadi terrorist cell uncovered in Aceh
Benazir's assassins will be brought to justice:
Gilani
Pleas to reopen Sharifs’ cases rejected
Pakistani army kills 22 Taleban near Afghan
border
Why name Saeed, Lakhvi in 26/11 case, asks
Jamaat-ud-Dawa
Mumbai gunman 'should be hanged'
Police stop veiled woman in Italy
Police claim Hyderabad attacks foiled, arrest Lashkar
man
Terror has no religion, says BJP
Police look for Dangs Swami in Ajmer blast
Possible terror attack foiled with arrest of Lashkar
operative
Switzerland a mafia state: Qadhafi
38 militants die in Bajaur, Orakzai
Another human-rights irony at the U.N.
National ID must for immigration transactions Adel Arafa
'Modernists' should not be backed:
Al-Barrak
Thieves get 10 years jail, 1,000 lashes
Egyptian police clash with anti-government
protesters
Philippine troops stop potential deadly attack in
South
A new sexual ethic
Swati ‘helpless to monitor quality of packed
foods’
Compiled by Akshay Kumar
Ojha
Photo: BJP President Nitin
Gadkari
------
Indian Hindutva party plans Muslim cadre to woo
Muslims
05/04/2010
Bjp president Nitin Gadkari plans to build a cadre of 10-20,000-odd
Muslim BJP activists who will work to dispel the “wrong percep- tions“ many
Muslims have about his party.
Speaking to senior editors of Hindustan Times, Gadkari said: “The
BJP's tragedy is that of perception versus reality. We are not against Muslims.
Neither is the RSS against Muslims.“
How did he reconcile this with the BJP's avowed purpose of
propagating Hindutva? “Hindutva does not mean that only those going to temples
should stay in India,“ he said. “The Supreme Court has defined Hindutva, and
there is nothing in it that is anti-Muslim. Even following dharma means doing
one's duty according to one's calling and has nothing to do with
religion.“
What about the BJP's com- mitment to building a Ram temple in Ayodhya
-- a sore point with Muslims? Gadkari said the Ram temple was the aspiration of
crores of people, but all political parties should come together to find an ami-
cable solution to the dispute.
Gadkari said it was the Congress which had distorted the idea of
secularism by engaging in minority appease- ment, which had lately turned into
`terrorist appeasement', or else appeasement of infiltrators -- a reference to
illegal Bangladeshi immigra- tion into India.
Asked about the RSS micro-managing the BJP's affairs, Gadkari was
emphatic.
“I'm nobody's man,“ he said.
“Nor is the RSS trying to control me.“
“Today, politics has come to mean power politics,“ he added. “I want
to change this.
Politics for progress and development is my
agenda.“
Hindustan Times
------
May 4, 2010
NEW YORK: A US citizen has been arrested in connection with the
failed car bombing in New York's Times Square last weekend but investigators
continue to pursue leads,
Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday.
The suspect -- identified by Holder as Faisal Shahzad -- is of
Pakistani origin, a law enforcement official told said. The New York Times said
the man lives in neighboring Connecticut and recently returned from a trip to
Pakistan.
Holder said the suspect was arrested at John F. Kennedy International
Airport in New York as he tried to take a flight to Dubai. Authorities in New
York said he would appear in Manhattan Federal Court later on Tuesday.
"It's clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill
Americans," Holder said at a news conference. "We continue to gather leads in
this investigation, and it's important that the American people remain
vigilant."
Sources said the arrested man is believed to be the buyer of the 1993
Nissan sport utility vehicle used to carry the crude bomb made of fuel and
fireworks into Times Square as it was packed with people on a warm Saturday
evening.
For New Yorkers who bore the brunt of the Sept. 11 attacks by
al-Qaida militants in 2001, the scare was a reminder that their city of 8
million people is under constant threat.
"Investigators who were tracking the man were also exploring whether
he or others who might have been involved in the attempted bombing had been in
contact with people or groups overseas," the Times said, citing unnamed federal
officials.
Law enforcement sources told Reuters that Saturday's attempted attack
may have involved more than one person and could have international ties. The
hunt for the suspects has now been taken over by the Joint Terrorism Task Force,
led by the Justice Department, as investigators pore over surveillance camera
footage, the Pathfinder and the bomb parts for clues. Pakistan is a key ally to the United States
and other NATO countries fighting the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan but is
also seen as a training ground for Islamist militants.
'INTENDED TO TERRORIZE'
Street vendors selling T-shirts and handbags alerted police to the
smoking and sparking Nissan Pathfinder that was parked awkwardly with its engine
running and hazard lights on near a Broadway theater where Disney's "The Lion
King" is performed.
The Pathfinder, with a license plate taken from a car now in a repair
shop in Connecticut, was rigged with propane gas cylinders, gasoline cans,
fertilizer, fireworks and timing devices when it was found in Times Square.
"I
would say that that was intended to terrorize," White House spokesman Robert
Gibbs said on Monday. "And I would say that whoever did that would be
categorized as a terrorist."
The Taliban in Pakistan said on Sunday it planted the bomb to avenge
the killing in April of al-Qaida's two top leaders in Iraq. New York Police
Commissioner Ray Kelly and Bloomberg have said there was "no evidence" to
support that claim.
But former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel, who oversaw an Obama
administration strategy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan last year, cautioned
against dismissing a possible role of the Pakistani Taliban in the failed car
bomb.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/Pakistani-in-custody-in-New-York-car-bomb-attempt-Officials/articleshow/5888656.cms
------
Dan Wooding
May 4, 2010
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on March 23,
2010, members of al-Shabaab (an Al-Qaeda linked Islamic extremist group)
executed another Somali Christian in Afgoye, Somalia.
ICC, a Christian human rights group based in Washington, DC, told ANS
that three gunmen from al-Shabaab killed Mu'awiye Hilowle Ali in front of his
house. They executed him by firing from close range and hitting his head and
chest. He died on the spot.
The Islamists had previously accused Ali and his family of spreading
fitna (an Arabic word for religious discord). Trained in the former Soviet
Union, Ali had served in the Somali armed forces. He converted to Christianity
in 2006.
"His body has temporarily been buried in the compound of his
residential house after members of Al Shabaab refused to allow his burial to be
conducted in a public burial place, calling it Muslim territory," an ICC
spokesperson told ANS.
Ali is survived by a wife and ten children.
ICC states that al-Shabaab is waging jihad in Somalia to establish an
Islamic government based on Sharia law. The Somali church has been the most
visible victim of the al-Shabaab "holy-war" in Somalia. Al-Shabaab and members
of other Islamic extremists have killed more than a dozen Christians in Somalia
over last year alone.
Speaking to ICC, a Somali church leader in Mogadishu said, "Ali's
martyrdom will only strengthen the Somali church and that such violence will
never succeed in stopping the church planting movement we see in Somalia
today."
ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, Jonathan Racho, said, "The plight
of Christians and other innocent Somalis is increasing by the day as Al-Shabaab
intensifies its jihad attacks. The situation in Somalia will continue to
deteriorate unless the international community steps up its effort to contain
the influence of Al-Shabaab. We urge the international community not to turn a
blind eye to the crisis in Somalia."
"Please pray for the Somali Church, which is arguably the most
persecuted church in the world today. Pray also for Ali's widow and his
children," said the ICC spokesperson.
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11631123/
------
Jewish mystics on the Sufi path
Haroon Moghul
May 4, 2010
Jews do not traditionally destroy texts that include the name of God
– even when they are no longer needed. Such texts are kept in the synagogue in a
special room called the geniza (hiding place in Hebrew). Over 100 years ago, the
geniza of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo was opened, and extraordinary things
came to light.
The brick room contained works in Arabic and Hebrew by medieval
Muslim mystics and pious texts by Jewish writers that were clearly inspired by
Sufism.
Many of the texts date from the lifetime of Rabbi Abraham Maimonides
(1186–1237), the son of the Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides. Rabbi Abraham
he-Chassid was the religious and political leader of the Jewish community at the
time, and was a significant proponent of a Sufi form of Jewish piety which the
Jewish texts call chassidut. The title “he-Chassid” indicates someone pious who
follows a spiritual path, similar to that of the Muslim
Sufis.
Abraham wrote openly in his works of his admiration for the Sufis. He
described biblical figures with Sufi characteristics as pious and saw the Sufis
as the real heirs to the traditions of Israel. He considered important Sufi
rituals as based on the lives of the Jewish prophets, and thought that, through
the sufferings of exile, Jews had forgotten this spiritual tradition and now had
to rediscover it.
Abraham did not just see the matter theoretically; he introduced a
number of practical changes to synagogue services such as the washing of hands
and feet before prayer, which is not a tradition in Judaism; ordering the
congregation in rows, as in Muslim practice; facing Jerusalem in prayer, as
Muslims face Mecca; and various other gestures, such as standing, kneeling,
bowing and stretching out the hands during prayer.
Most noticeable were typical Sufi practices such as hitbodedut,
solitary meditation in the dark, and the ritual of dhkir (Arabic for
"remembrance of God"). Abraham found sources for all these new practices, which
he rediscovered in Islam, within the Jewish Bible.
The family of Abraham Maimonides continued these Sufi-influenced
traditions for another 200 years. And this Sufi-Jewish piety was not a local
Egyptian phenomenon: there is evidence of Sufi-based Jewish mysticism among the
Jews of Andalusia, Damascus, Yemen, Palestine and Persia.
The esoteric teachings of the Spanish Jewish Kabbalists around the
time of the 13th century Rabbi Abraham Abulafia exhibit considerable
similarities to the rituals of Muslim mystics. They include, for example,
complicated songs, controlled breathing techniques and head movements – all
practices that did not exist in Kabbalah before the Middle Ages. Abulafia
introduced into Judaism the ecstatic aspects of the Sufi dhikr rituals, in which
the name of God is repeated so often that one reaches a trance-like
state.
The famous Kabbalistic school of Safed in Galilee also seems to have
been influenced by Sufism. During the 16th century, when Isaac Luria, considered
the father of contemporary Kabbalah, was active, Safed was also a flourishing
centre of Muslim mysticism. It boasted a Sufi convent, as reported by the
Turkish traveller Evliya Chelebi.
There are striking parallels: the Kabbalists held spiritual concerts
at which mystical verses were sung, as did the dervishes. Spiritual brotherhoods
were established around a saint, and here too there was the practice of solitary
mediation and the repetition of God’s name.
During his exile to Ottoman Adrianople (current day Edirne in
Turkey), the mystic Jewish Messiah Shabbatai Tzvi, who later converted to Islam,
took part in dhikr rituals with the Bektashi dervishes, part of a Sufi order
that venerates the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, Ali, in particular. His followers
adopted some Bektashi rituals and spiritual songs in their own ceremonies.
Those who speak of the "Judeo-Christian roots” of Western culture
close their eyes to its Judeo-Muslim roots and the common spiritual and
philosophical tradition of the two religions. So often, as well as that which
divides, there is also much that unites them.
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewarticles.php?editorialid=1032
------
Suntanned women to be arrested under Islamic dress
code
Damien McElroy and Ahmad Vahdat
May 4, 2010
Brig Hossien Sajedinia, Tehran's police chief, said a national
crackdown on opposition sympathisers would be extended to women who have been
deemed to be violating the spirit of Islamic laws. He said: "The public expects
us to act firmly and swiftly if we see any social misbehaviour by women, and
men, who defy our Islamic values. In some areas of north Tehran we can see many
suntanned women and young girls who look like walking
mannequins.
"We are not going to tolerate this situation and will first warn
those found in this manner and then arrest and imprison
them."
Full report
at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/7639728/Suntanned-women-to-be-arrested-under-Islamic-dress-code.html
------
Mumbai attacks: Kasab to be sentenced on May 6
May 4, 2010
MUMBAI: Ajmal Kasab, who has been convicted for the offence of waging
war against India, murder of many and acts of terror during the Mumbai terror
attacks on November 26, 2008, would be sentenced on May 6.
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam demanded the death penalty by
hanging for Kasab in court. Court-appointed defence lawyer for Kasab, K P Pawar,
expects leniency for his client.
Seeking death for the Pakistani terrorist, Nikam called Kasab a
killing machine manufactured in Pakistan.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Mumbai-attacks-Kasab-to-be-sentenced-on-May-6/articleshow/5890128.cms
------
It's a message to Pakistan
May 04, 2010
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday said the
conviction of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab and the acquittal of two persons
in the 26/11 case showed India is governed by rule of law. It also sent a strong
message to Pakistan that it should not export terror.“The court has convicted
certain accused. It has also acquitted two accused. That shows the independence,
fearlessness and integrity of the court,'' the Minister told
journalists.
Mr. Chidambaram said it was an open trial in accordance with the law
and full opportunities were given to the accused to defend themselves. “I am
satisfied that within a year we have been able to bring a verdict of conviction
of a large number of accused in perhaps a very complex trial. The trial
underlines the fact that India is a country governed by rule of law. A criminal
trial can only proceed step by step and within a year, the prosecution has been
able to get conviction,” Mr. Chidambaram said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/04/stories/2010050463190100.htm
------
'Jihad is basic requirement to wipe out
terrorism'
May 4, 2010
Hubli: “Taking up fight against those who violated the basic tenets
of religion and those who advocated violence and injustice is jihad or
dharmayuddha” said Lal Hussain Kandagal, an expert of Quran while quoting the
verses from the Holy Quran.
He was giving a lecture on “Morality, human rights and women's
rights” here on Friday. The discourse was a part of a three-day lecture
programme in Kannada organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Hubli, to inform the
people of various communities about the teachings of the Holy
Quran.
While citing that Jihad was usually equated with terrorism, he
clarified that jihad was actually the opposite of terrorism and it was a basic
requirement to wipe out terrorism. Morality is the basic tenet of all religions
and the Quran is no different, he added.
Full report at:
http://www.sahilonline.org/english/news.php?catID=statenews&nid=7936&viewed=0
------
Anti-Zionist rabbi Moshe Hirsch dies in
Jerusalem
May 4, 2010
JERUSALEM: Moshe Hirsch, an American-born anti-Zionist rabbi and
close associate of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, has died in
Jerusalem, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group said Monday. He was
86.
Hirsch was a leading figure in Neturei Karta, a tiny ultra-Orthodox
sect that opposes Israel's existence as a Jewish state and has embraced its
enemies. He was born in New York and attended a rabbinical academy in New
Jersey.
Arafat, who died in 2004, appointed Hirsch his adviser on Jewish
affairs.
The group is known for its members' 2006 trip to Iran, where they
embraced the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a Holocaust-denying conference. It
also supports Gaza's Hamas rulers and the Lebanese Hezbollah
militants.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article49695.ece
------
Wife of Faheem says she expected verdict
04 MAY 2010
MUMBAI, May 3: Yasmeen Ansari, wife of Faheem Ansari who was
acquitted by the court on Monday said that she had expected the verdict. Yasmeen
said that the police had framed Faheem and couldn’t stand their ground on the
false case.
“We have been saying this right from the beginning that Faheem has
been framed in the case. We were always sure that he could not be involved in
something like this. Our prayers have finally been heard by God and we are
hopeful that he would be accepted in our society as well,” she
said.
Full report at:
http://beta.asianage.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11211:wife-of-faheem-says-she-expected-verdict&catid=35:india&Itemid=60
-------
FIFA allows caps for Iranian girls at Youth
Olympic
May 4, 2010
PARIS: The Iranian girls' football team will be allowed to take part
in the Youth Olympics if players wear caps for covering hair instead of
headscarves.
World football governing body FIFA said that the Football Federation
of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) had agreed to the decision, Press TV
reported.
"This decision was taken after both the Iran Football Federation and
the Iran National Olympic Committee confirmed in writing that they will accept a
solution whereby the players will not wear their Islamic 'hijab' during the
matches of the competition," FIFA said in a statement on Monday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/SPORTS/Football/Top-Stories/FIFA-allows-caps-for-Iranian-girls-at-Youth-Olympic/articleshow/5888757.cms
------
Swiss canton considers burqa ban
2010-05-04
Geneva - A Swiss canton on Tuesday passed legislation preparing the
groundwork for a possible ban on the Islamic burqa.
The local council in Aargau, a canton (state) in the north of
Switzerland along the German border, voted overwhelmingly to work on a state
initiative to make wearing the burqa in public places illegal. Most major
parties backed the move.
Pushing the motion forward, the centrist and right wing parties in
favour said the garment was a "symbol of male dominance over women," according
to the Swiss news agency SDA.
The parties also said the full body veil prevents the integration of
migrants into Swiss society.
Full report at:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321920,swiss-canton-considers-burqa-ban.html#
------
Baring Beauty or Brains? Debate Over “Earthquake” Comment Splits
Feminist Activists
By Kirsten Brownrigg
May 4, 2010
COLUMBUS, OH (Herald de Paris) – Just as a fault line fractures the
earth, an Iranian cleric’s comment blaming earthquakes on promiscuous dress has
caused a rift between two camps of feminists. At the core of this split lies the
question: can a woman flaunt her brains while baring her body, and does vaunting
the latter really do Iranian women any good?
For Golbarg Bashi, a professor of Iranian studies at Rutgers
University, the answer is a resounding “no.”
“One hundred more Britney Spears will not do a thing to help the
women in Iran,” Bashi says with conviction.
She is referring to the “Boobquake” campaign, a feminist movement to
expose theocrat Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi’s ignorance by exposing your cleavage
… or legs, depending on your preference.
Full report at:
http://www.heralddeparis.com/baring-beauty-or-brains-debate-over-%E2%80%9Cearthquake%E2%80%9D-comment-splits-feminist-activists/86350
------
What Does China Have to Do with Islam and
Democracy
May 4, 2010
In the most recent The American Interest, Charles Horner and Eric
Brown discuss how and why Communist China is fearful of Muslims ("Beijing's
Islamic Complex"). Inside China, the Uighur Muslims of Xinjiang, or Turkestan,
who came onto many people's radars for the first time after last summer's riots
in Urumqi, might be a threat to the People's Republic, though I cannot imagine
so tiny a minority challenging so giant a state. More plausibly, the authors
argue that global Muslim awareness of Uighur oppression jeopardizes China's
outreach to the Islamic world. And China may need Islam to become a true
superpower: "The Xinjiang episode drew somewhat less harsh comment from
Washington, Tokyo and Sydney, but it engaged official and popular interest in
predominantly Muslim countries in an unprecedented way."
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/haroon-moghul/what-does-china-have-to-d_b_561823.html
------
------
Jihadi terrorist cell uncovered in Aceh
Matt Brown
May 4, 2010
Indonesian police have discovered new evidence of links between
Islamic fundamentalists and terrorists in Aceh.
The ABC has obtained a video which shows members of a new terrorist
cell in Aceh in north Sumatra in the early stages of their
training.
The religious study camp opened when Israel attacked Gaza last year
and was purportedly established to train fighters to go to
Gaza.
But the footage also shows the leader urging followers to take up the
fight in Aceh as well, by setting up a jungle hideout for
jihadis.
Most cell members are former prisoners and many of them are still at
large.
Most people first heard of Aceh in 2004 when the Boxing Day tsunami
killed 170,000 Acehnese.
Full report at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/04/2889802.htm?section=world
------
Benazir's assassins will be brought to justice:
Gilani
May 4, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Monday categorically stated that anybody involved in
assassination of Benazir Bhutto would be brought to
justice.
Speaking in National Assembly, the Prime Minister said, "anybody who
will be found involved in her assassination, will not be spared. He will be
brought to justice. Her blood will not be squandered."
"She has sacrificed for democracy, Parliament and the people. It is
our responsibility to reach to those people who hatched a conspiracy for her
death," he said in response to certain points raised by Leader of the Opposition
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/5-3-2010/64279.htm
-------
Pleas to reopen Sharifs’ cases rejected
May 4, 2010
RAWALPINDI—Accountability Court has rejected the NAB’s pleas seeking
the restoration of three pending corruption references against Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz Chief Nawaz Sharif and his family on Monday.
According to the details, Judge of Rawalpindi Accountability Court #2
Justice Wamiq Javed announced the verdict, saying that there was no signature of
Chairman NAB in the petition, seeking restoration of corruption references
against Sharif brothers therefore references can not be reopened.
The court had earlier reserved its judgment and was then scheduled to
announce it on April 26 (Monday), however, the decision was again put off until
May 3.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0510/04/FrontPage/FrontPage4.php
-------
Pakistani army kills 22 Taleban near Afghan
border
May 4, 2010
PARACHINAR, Pakistan: Army helicopter gunships pounded insurgent
hideouts in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least 22 militants, a
government official said.
Samiullah Khan said the hideouts hit were in the Dabori area and its
neighboring villages of the Orakzai tribal region near the Afghan border. He
added the aerial strikes also destroyed six militant
compounds.
Khan said the militants fired mortars at an army checkpoint in Mishti
Mela area in Lower Orakzai, wounding two soldiers.
Pakistani forces launched an operation in Orakzai in mid-March to
flush out militants who last year fled an army offensive in South Waziristan.
The troops are believed to have retaken several areas from the Taleban in the
region.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article49445.ece
------
Why name Saeed, Lakhvi in 26/11 case, asks
Jamaat-ud-Dawa
May 4, 2010
LAHORE: India has "unjustifiably" named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders
Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the Mumbai terror attack case, a
Jamaat-ud-Dawa spokesperson said after an Indian court held Pakistani national
Ajmal Amir Kasab guilty of the 26/11 mayhem.
A special court in Mumbai on Monday pronounced Kasab, who was the
lone terrorist arrested for the November 2008 attack that left 166 people dead,
guilty while acquitting the two Indian co-accused - Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin
Ahmed. It also found the involvement of 20 other Pakistanis, including Lakhvi,
Saeed and Abu Hamza.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Why-name-Saeed-Lakhvi-in-26/11-case-asks-Jamaat-ud-Dawa/articleshow/5888682.cms
------
Mumbai gunman 'should be hanged'
May 4, 2010
The sole surviving gunman who attacked the Indian city of Mumbai
(Bombay) in 2008 should be hanged, prosecutors say.
"It would be a mockery of justice if the death penalty is not
imposed," chief prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, a Pakistani aged 22, was found guilty on
Monday of charges including murder, waging war on India and possessing
explosives.
The attacks left 174 people - including nine other gunmen - dead and
soured relations between India and Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8658885.stm
------
Police stop veiled woman in Italy
May 4, 2010
A woman visiting a post office in Novara, north-western Italy, has
been stopped by police for wearing an Islamic veil covering her
face.
A police official told the AFP news agency the woman would have to
pay a 500-euro (£430) fine.
It is the first such police action since Novara brought in a by-law
in January banning clothing preventing immediate identification in
public.
The city is run by the anti-immigration Northern
League.
The party is a powerful junior coalition partner in Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi's national government.
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8658017.stm
------
Police claim Hyderabad attacks foiled, arrest Lashkar
man
Sreenivas Janyala
May 04, 2010
Hyderabad : The Hyderabad Police on Monday said they have arrested a
Lashkar-e-Toiba operative who was allegedly planning to carry out bomb blasts in
crowded areas of the city.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan said Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq, 34,
was arrested during searches conducted in the city during the past two days in
view of terror alerts. Haq was also involved in the 2006 grenade attack in Odeon
Cinema theatre in Hyderabad in which two persons were injured, the police
added.
From Khanapur in Adilabad district, Haq had been using various
aliases including Abu Abdullah. He lived at Edibazar in Bhavaninagar and worked
as a cab driver with a travel agency.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/police-claim-hyderabad-attacks-foiled-arrest-lashkar-man/614737/
------
Terror has no religion, says BJP
May 04, 2010
New Delhi : The BJP on Monday said that terror has no religion and
that all terrorist activities, and those found to be indulging in them, must be
dealt with firmly. This came on a day the RSS admitted, without naming the 2007
Ajmer blast, that one of those charged in the recent blasts had been associated
with the Sangh, but added that he had been stripped of all responsibilities, and
that the organisation was against illegal or violent
activities.
Former BJP president, M Venkaiah Naidu said, “Terrorist is a
terrorist, whatever religion he belongs to. This is the stand of the BJP. Don’t
label him Muslim or Hindu. By labelling terrorists on basis of religion, you are
playing into the hands of Pakistan.”
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/terror-has-no-religion-says-bjp/614743/
------
Police look for Dangs Swami in Ajmer blast
Kamaal Saiyed
May 04, 2010
Jaipur/Surat : While the Rajasthan ATS is on a lookout for Swami
Asimanand, based in the southern tribal district of the Dangs in Gujarat, in
connection with the Ajmer blasts, it was the Mumbai ATS which was on his heels
in November 2008 in connection with the Malegaon blasts. Rajasthan’s senior
officials on Monday confirmed that a team of ATS officials is on a lookout for
Swami Asimanand and are in the Dangs. His name cropped up after three arrests by
Rajasthan ATS, confirmed the officials.
Rajasthan Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal also confirmed that the state
ATS was on a lookout for Asimanand in connection with the Ajmer blasts. “It
seems he has disappeared, teams have been sent to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra,” said Dhariwal, adding that the Gujarat and MP governments were not
co-operating with the ATS.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/police-look-for-dangs-swami-in-ajmer-blast/614745/
------
Possible terror attack foiled with arrest of Lashkar
operative
May 4, 2010
HYDERABAD: In a major breakthrough, the Hyderabad police arrested a
hardcore Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, Mohd Zia-ul-Haq, from Edibazar in the
city. They seized two Chinese-make grenades, a 7.4 mm pistol with six live
rounds and a cellphone from him.
Briefing the media, city police commissioner A K Khan said, "We had
information that a few suspected terror elements were planning to strike at
thickly populated areas. We foiled their bid and arrested Zia-ul-Haq."
On a tip-off, police picked up a few suspects. Of them, 34-year-old
Haq, resident of Edibazar, was found to be an LeT operative. A native of
Khanapur in Adilabad district, he was working as a cab driver in the city.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Hyderabad/LeT-operative-arrested-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/5887865.cms
------
Switzerland a mafia state: Qadhafi
04 May, 2010
GENEVA: Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi was quoted on Monday as saying
Switzerland is behaving like a criminal organisation and it is involved in money
laundering, assassinations and terrorism.
In the latest instalment of a long-running dispute between the two
nations, Qadhafi called Switzerland a “mafia” state and repeated a previous call
for it to be divided up among France, Italy and Germany, according to the
interview published by German news weekly Der Spiegel.
“Switzerland is a state that stands apart from the world community,”
the respected Hamburg-based magazine quoted him as saying. Qadhafi said
Switzerland was a haven for large scale money laundering where laws allowing
assisted suicide are used as a cover for the assassination of rich foreigners
with Swiss bank accounts.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/switzerland-a-mafia-state-qadhafi-450
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38 militants die in Bajaur, Orakzai
May 4, 2010
KHAR/KALAYA—At least 38 militants including a top commander and his
son were killed and dozen other sustained serious injuries in fresh offensive of
security forces in Bajaur and Orakzai tribal agency, bordering Afghanistan.
The security forces backed by gunship helicopters hit militants
hideouts in different areas of Bajaur tribal region, killing at least 25
militants and injuring several others. A top militant commander Parvez and his
son was also among the dead, a Private TV Channel reported.
On the other hand, the security forces and militants traded heavy
fire in Stori-Khel area of lower Orakzai agency. During the clash, 13 militants
lost their lives while two security Personnel also embraced martyrdom. The
bodies of martyred security men has been dispatched to hospital.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0510/04/FrontPage/FrontPage8.php
------
Another human-rights irony at the U.N.
By Anne Applebaum
May 4, 2010
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad campaigned in Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Behind the scenes, his flunkies twisted arms and offered favors. For weeks,
feelers were sent out to all kinds of unlikely allies. What was the diplomatic
prize at stake? Nothing less than a seat on the United Nations council on human
rights.
Which was perfectly appropriate: Despite its title, this is a
committee whose past members -- Syria, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe among them -- have
not been renowned for their adherence to the Universal Declaration on Human
Rights. On the contrary, authoritarian regimes have long battled to join the
council and its predecessor organizations, the better to prevent any outsiders
from investigating their own governments. Once they became members, much of
their time was spent denouncing Israel and the United States, while studiously
avoiding anything that might sound like, say, criticism of Russian behavior in
Chechnya.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR2010050303950.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
------
National ID must for immigration transactions Adel
Arafa
4 May 2010
EIDA has announced that ID
cards will be compulsory to stamp, renew residence visa at all naturalisation
and residency departments countrywide.
Starting before the end of this year with the Abu Dhabi
department.
Ali Mohamed Al Khouri, Deputy Chairman of Higher Management Committee
at The Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), told mediapersons on the sidelines of
the ID World Abu Dhabi 2010 forum on Monday that the ID cards will be eventually
obligatory to process any transaction at any ministry.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/May/theuae_May101.xml§ion=theuae
------
'Modernists' should not be backed: Al-Barrak
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
May 4, 2010
JEDDAH: Saudi Islamic scholar Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak has urged
Minister of Justice Muhammad Al-Eissa and two other leading scholars, Eissa
Al-Ghaith and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, not to support
“modernists.”
In a statement on Monday, Al-Ghaith denounced Al-Barrak’s arrogant
attitude and asked him not to adopt extreme views, make false allegations and
provoke people against the Kingdom and its rulers.
“We are living in an Islamic country where Shariah is being
implemented in all walks of life. Our ruler, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Abdullah, is carrying out his duty in the best manner. So, it is our duty
to obey and support him,” Al-Ghaith said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article49853.ece
------
Thieves get 10 years jail, 1,000 lashes
By MD RASOOLDEEN
May 4, 2010
RIYADH: The Court of Cassation confirmed last week a verdict from the
General Court in Riyadh which convicted three men who had been instrumental in a
chain of burglaries in the city, police sources said here on
Monday.
According to the verdict, the first accused was sentenced to 10 years
imprisonment with 1,000 lashes,while the other two were each jailed for eight
years and were sentenced to 1,000 lashes.
The police said that the arrest of the criminals was made because of
a complaint made by a Saudi man whose house in Olaya was burgled. The thieves
broke the back door of the villa and escaped with gold jewelry, expensive
watches, electronic items and cash from
the safe. Investigations revealed that the robbers entered the house after
disconnecting the power supply.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article49843.ece
------
Egyptian police clash with anti-government
protesters
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI
May 4, 2010
CAIRO: Egyptian police on Monday beat anti-government protesters who
were demanding an end to the country’s 30-year emergency law that restricts
civil freedoms in the latest challenge to the authorities from the streets of
Cairo.
The scuffle erupted after several hundred policemen, dressed in black
uniforms, pushed back about 150 protesters who had gathered in the downtown and
tried to break through a security barrier.
The police beat members of the pro-reform youth April 6 movement,
prompting some demonstrators to hurl sticks and plastic bottles back at the
officers. One protester was badly bruised and bloodied, and another was
arrested.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article49744.ece
------
Philippine troops stop potential deadly attack in
South
By AL JACINTO
May 4, 2010
Philippine troops stopped a potential deadly attack after they
recovered an improvised explosive planted at a roadside frequently used by
civilians, officials said Monday.
Officials quickly blamed communist New People’s Army rebels for the
failed weekend bombing in the village of Kauswagan in Davao Oriental’s Lupon
town. It was the 17th explosive device recovered by troops in Davao region,
south of Mindanao Island, since early this year.
“Troops from the Army’s 28th Infantry Battalion discovered the IED
while on clearing operation. Residents said they have noticed suspicious
individuals frequenting their village but were not aware that some of them may
have planted the IED,” said Army Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the
10th Infantry Division.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article49745.ece
------
A new sexual ethic
By Rev. Debra W. Haffner
May 4, 2010
On Faith recently posed a provocative question to its panelists: "Can
religion handle sex?" I was impressed by the diversity of voices that responded
to the question. But I was dismayed (though not surprised) at the lack of
diversity in their answers.
There were differing opinions, of course. Roman Catholics view sex
through a different lens than their Christian counterparts in the United Church
of Christ, and different still from Reform Jews, Muslims and Secular Humanists.
No, what struck me was that virtually every one of the respondents took a
question about sex and focused almost entirely on sexual
intercourse.
Full report at:
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/05/by_rev_debra_w_haffner.html?hpid=talkbox1
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Swati ‘helpless to monitor quality of packed
foods’
May 4, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Muhammad Azam Khan
Swati on Monday expressed his helplessness in monitoring the quality and
quantity of packed food, packed spices and toffees as his ministry has only 25
inspectors for the purpose across the country.
Responding to questions of members in the National Assembly during
the question hour, he expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of packed milk.
However, he said that his ministry was taking all appropriate measures in this
regard. Riaz Hussain Pirzada said that sub-standard packed milk was the main
factor behind miscarriages amongst the women of the
country.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\04\story_4-5-2010_pg7_29
10:30 PM
Sultan Shahin
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