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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Islamic World News 05 May 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Probe in Times Square attack focusing on Pakistani Taliban

Pak producing 10,000 jihadists a year: Report
Dubai court clears sex-in-car couple
Now, Italy slaps fine over burqa
Iran civil rights activist could face 'honour killing' if deported from UK
Zulfikar Bhotto's daughter, nephew dispute claim in Fatima's book
Taliban leader Hakeemullah writes letter to Afia Siddiqui’s sister
Ajmer-Malegaon link: accused knew ‘bomb planter’ Kalsangra
Army to sack Purohit, but there's no proof he sourced explosives
Woman torture case: Two SPs among 31 booked
UKIP leader calls for burqa ban
Yarima’s Marriage: Why All The Propaganda
Boys’ bid to cross border foiled
All parties must stand up to Islamophobia
Ethnic Russian Muslims Grapple With The Question: Who Is A Russian        
Women have 'no dignity' in West: Ahmadinejad
Christian leader 'alarmed' about threats to Indonesia's pluralism
Deadly explosions hit Somalia mosques
Somalia gunmen shoot dead journalist
Faheem's acquittal honourable, all proof was planted, says wife
More Afghan schoolgirls ill in suspected gas attack
‘Mad dog’ Qasab should be hanged
'Modernists' should not be backed: Al-Barrak
Israel asks Egypt to rethink pressure on atom pact
Iraq Shia blocs to join forces in parliament
Rana seeks 'specific' details of terror charges against him
Spicejet flight makes priority landing in Kolkata, 2 passengers detained
Eight dead' in Afghan violence
Jihad Jane' won't get speedy trial
Counter-Terrorism In Indonesia: The Price Of Success
People of The Truth
African Islamic finance faces image problem: banker
Police confirm Pakistani engineer killed himself
Democracy icons' son poised to lead Philippines
Obama extends sanctions on Syria for one year
Iraq arrests network suspected in embassy bombings
Mosque arson casts shadow over new ME peace talks 
Compiled by Asit Kumar
Photo: Times square bomber Faisal Shahzad

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Probe in Times Square attack focusing on Pakistani Taliban
May 5, 2010
Jerry Markon and Spencer S Hsu (Washington Post)
Federal investigators focused on Tuesday on the possible involvement of the Pakistani Taliban in the failed Times Square bombing as they pieced together clues and charged a suspect pulled off an airplane as he headed to his native Pakistan, according to court documents and law enforcement sources.
Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old US citizen arrested late Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport, admitted his involvement in the plot, authorities said, and told FBI agents he received bomb-making training in a region of Pakistan known as a militant hotbed. Shahzad, who became a naturalized citizen last year, is from a military family in Pakistan, where he spent five months before returning in February to his home in a leafy, quiet neighborhood of Shelton, Conn.
His reported confession, combined with a series of phone calls he received from Pakistan the day he bought the Nissan Pathfinder used in the attempted bombing, has led investigators to zero in on the Pakistani Taliban connection as "a leading theory," a federal law enforcement official said.
"It's a leading line of inquiry," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the international probe is in its early stages. "There are only a few organizations in Pakistan that could provide training, and the Pakistani Taliban is ... one that has an ax to grind with us." Pakistani Taliban claims of responsibility for Saturday night's attempt, which investigators had played down, are being re-evaluated, said the official, who added that al-Qaida involvement "is a leap at this point."
The focus on a group that had been considered uninterested in launching attacks outside Pakistan or Afghanistan pointed up the gravity of an incident that authorities characterized as a potentially deadly strike against the United States, albeit with an unsophisticated homemade device that failed to detonate. Even as officials praised the rapid law enforcement response, the incident resurrected the controversy over the Obama administration's handling of the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day. Critics said the suspect in that case should have been placed in a military, rather than civilian, court.
Speaking at a news conference at which the government unveiled five felony counts against Shahzad, Attorney General Eric Holder, said, "It is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in our country." Shahzad was charged with attempting to detonate the sport-utility vehicle that was set ablaze on a tourist-crowded block in Midtown Manhattan and trying to kill bystanders and property.
The charges in federal court in Manhattan came on a day of familiar political and law enforcement rituals. Obama administration officials, seeking to navigate the perilous politics of terrorism, detailed their intensive involvement in Shahzad's apprehension and emphasized that he is providing useful intelligence to authorities. Some Republicans questioned whether key clues had been missed.
"Like the Christmas Day bomber, we were lucky that both of these folks were incompetent  they couldn't trigger the explosives," said Sen. Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, the ranking Republican on the Senate intelligence committee.
Multiple US law enforcement officials said Shahzad had attracted no significant law enforcement attention before the attempted bombing Saturday night. "He was not on the radar," one official said.
Also triggering debate was the decision to read Shahzad his Miranda rights against self-incrimination. The Miranda issue rose to prominence after the Nigerian suspect in the Christmas Day attack, Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, stopped cooperating with authorities after being read his rights. Some Republicans, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Shahzad should not have been afforded that constitutional right "until we find out what it's all about."
But administration officials said Shahzad, who, like Abdulmutallab, was initially questioned under a "public safety exception" to the Miranda rule, continued to cooperate even after his rights were read to him. They also pointed out that Shahzad is a US citizen and must be tried in civilian, not military, court.
Officials canceled Shahzad's scheduled appearance in Manhattan federal court amid his reported dialogue with agents. It was unclear whether a lawyer had been appointed for him; he is now scheduled to face a judge on Thursday at the earliest.
US investigators located Shahzad after a two-day investigation combining old-fashioned shoe-leather detective work, sophisticated searches through telephone and electronic records, and the latest linkups between federal immigration, travel and border databases.
Authorities said they had identified Shahzad by Sunday night as "someone we wanted to talk to," FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole said. Tracing the origins of the Pathfinder was a crucial part of the probe. The car's vehicle identification number had been removed from a dashboard plate. But authorities were able to find the seller by using a decal on the tailgate to trace the car to a Connecticut used-car dealer, who early Sunday gave them sales records on two cars matching the Pathfinder's description.
Authorities then found the vehicle's registered owner in Connecticut. Police officials said that was a major break in the case. Another key step was finding an e-mail from Shahzad to the car's seller. Although Shahzad used a fake name, he included a number from a disposable cellphone, which investigators used to determine his identity.
Investigators served a search warrant Tuesday at Shahzad's home and visited a gun shop in Sheltonwhere he bought a 9mm Kel-Tec rifle in March. Court documents said investigators found an unspecified gun in a car that Shahzad left at the airport.
The probe also extended to Pakistan, where officials said FBI agents were expected to push their Pakistani counterparts for access to intelligence about the Pakistani Taliban and its possible involvement in the plot. Pakistani officials pledged cooperation.
A Pakistani intelligence official said Tuesday that authorities had arrested at least two people in the southern port city of Karachi in connection with the Times Square plot. But a US law enforcement official said the arrest was "not at our behest."
http://www.hindustantimes.com/rssfeed/americas/Probe-in-Times-Square-attack-focusing-on-Pakistani-Taliban/Article1-539539.aspx
Times Square suspect faces terror charges
May 5, 2010
A Pakistani-born U.S. citizen was hauled off a plane about to fly to the Middle East and will face terrorism charges in the failed attempt to explode a bomb-laden SUV in the heart of Times Square, authorities said Tuesday. One official said he claimed to be acting alone.
Faisal Shahzad has admitted his role in the botched bombing attempt and is talking to investigators, providing them with valuable information, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
Shahzad was on board a Dubai-bound flight that was taxiing away from the gate at Kennedy Airport late Monday when the plane was stopped and FBI agents and New York Police Department detectives took him into custody, law enforcement officials said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/253751/Times-Square-suspect-faces-terror-charges.html
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Pak producing 10,000 jihadists a year: Report
May 05, 2010
Pakistan is still producing an estimated 10,000 potential jihadis a year despite claims made by Islamabad of taking strong action against terrorists in the country.
"Pakistan is still producing an estimated 10,000 potential jihadis a year out of 500,000 graduates from Pakistan's 11,000 madrassas - young gung-ho boys, mostly 16-year-olds..." wrote Arnaud de Borchgrave, foreign affairs columnist and editor-at-large at The Washington Times.
"A true-green jihadi believes the enemies of Islam (principally the United States, India and Israel) are on a crusade to push back the frontiers of Islam and deprive the Muslim world of its principal means of defence - Pakistan's nuclear arsenal," Borchgrave wrote in hard hitting column.
Borchgrave said the motto of the Pakistani army is "faith, piety and jihad in the path of Allah."
A military manual on jihad, "The Quranic Concept of War," is required reading at officers training schools.
"Mercifully, the United States is no longer seen as the enemy by most Pakistanis. Taliban, an organization originally patented by Pakistan's intelligence service (ISI), is now Public Enemy No.1," he said.
"The game-changer is the Pakistani army, whose volunteers came principally from the ranks of the poor. But the officers, if not the rank and file, now understand that religious extremists are no longer their allies," he wrote.
"With 3,500 killed by terrorists in a year and more than 10,000 injured and many small businesses closed, coupled with the government's neglect of their plight for lack of funds, and US aid spread thin over a multitude of unrelated projects, those who cherry-pick suicide targets to make matters worse are faced with an embarrassment of riches.
"The government, such as it exists, is left with a grim menu of inadequate medical and police responses, followed by vigils and commemorations," Borchgrave said.
Meanwhile, Daniel Benjamin, Coordinator of Office of Coordinator for Counterterrorism, has said that the threat of al-Qaeda has morphed despite the setbacks suffered by the group in recent times.
"Al-Qaeda has proven to be an adaptable and resilient terrorist group whose desire to attack the United States and US interests abroad remains as strong as ever," he said.
The group remained under pressure due to Pakistani military operations aimed at eliminating them in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and as a result, it's had a number of leadership losses and is finding it more difficult to raise money, recruit and plan attacks outside the region, he said.
"Despite these setbacks, the al-Qaeda threat has morphed, which partially offset the losses suffered by al-Qaeda's core in Pakistan," Benjamin said.
indianexpress.com/news/Pak-producing-10-000-jihadists-a-year--Report/615366
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 Dubai court clears sex-in-car couple
May 5, 2010
DUBAI: A Dubai appeals court has thrown out a public indecency conviction and a month's prison sentence for a Pakistani couple accused of having sex in their car after the pair claimed they were together in a private place, their lawyer said on Tuesday.
The newlywed couple hailing from Pakistan had been sentenced to one month in prison and deportation for public indecency.
Majid Al Kabban, the lawyer representing the husband and wife, said the ruling by the lower court was overturned last week. The couple were initially sentenced to a month in prison and deportation.
The pair successfully argued their car should be treated like a private house. Their lawyers argued that because of the car's tinted windows, a policeman who had raised the charge could not have seen what the couple were doing inside.
Police arrested the 28-year-old man and his 24-year-old wife in May 2009, accusing them of having sex in a vehicle in a car park at the Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Police twice attempted to peer inside the vehicle, and when they eventually knocked, a naked man rolled down the window, the court heard.
The couple's lawyer, Majid Al Kabban, argued successfully that this was a breach of human rights and a violation of his clients' privacy.
He argued that the car was a private place, and what the pair did behind the darkened windows did not violate the emirate's strict public indecency laws.
The couple's lawyer said: "We're definitely happy and a little bit surprised. Usually this type of thing goes in a different way."
It was not clear on Tuesday if the Pakistani couple was still in Dubai.
The ruling is the latest in a string of cases involving sex in Dubai, a cosmopolitan city with the most lenient social codes in the Gulf but a tendency to crackdown on frisky foreigners. In March this year, a British couple was found guilty of kissing in public. agencieshttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5891059.cms?prtpage=1
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Iran civil rights activist could face 'honour killing' if deported from UK
Karen McVeigh
5 May 2010
An Iranian civil rights activist who is due to be deported from the UK tomorrow could face the death penalty and fears being murdered by her family in an "honour killing" if she is sent back to Iran, according to her British partner.
Bita Ghaedi, 34, fled Iran to the UK in 2005 to escape a forced marriage and in fear of her family discovering she had a secret lover. She has since spoken out against sharia law, forced marriage and human rights abuses in her homeland and has been filmed criticising the regime for TV channels widely available across the Middle East. She is currently in Yarl's Wood detention centre awaiting deportation, which is scheduled for 7pm tomorrow following the failure of a fresh asylum claim.
Her partner, Mohsen Zadshir, from Barnet, a member of the Iranian opposition who gained political asylum in 1999, said that if deported, her life is "finished".
Ghaedi has transgressed the strict traditional code under which Iranian women are supposed to adhere. Not only has she brought "shame" on her family by having a relationship with a man who was not her husband, but she has participated in the anti-government protests which have grown more vociferous after the disputed 2009 presidential election result. Each of these transgressions would be enough to put her life in danger if she is deported, according to Zadshir, a former Iranian politician who is now a British citizen.
Zadshir said: "Her life depends on a click on the internet. If they click on Iran, they can find out about her protests outside the Iranian embassy and her association with the PMOI (People's Mujahedin of Iran, which is opposed to the Iranian regime) and her photograph will be displayed. After the last election they announced that everyone who had any connection with the PMOI was 'mohareb' which means fighting against God and the sentence is death."
He said the Iranian government could arrest her immediately, because she had been out of the country without the permission of her husband or father. In Iran adultery is punishable by stoning and "honour killings" are common.
"If she wasn't arrested, she could be killed by her family in an honour killing," said Zadshir. "She has brought 'shame' on them by leaving her husband."
Ghaedi told IKWRO, a charity campaigning against honour killings among Kurdish and Iranian women: "It is frightful to live in Iran for any female. There is not any law, organisation or community which supports them and it is a nightmare for me to think about my father, brother and my husband. I am sure it is benevolent, advisable and godly for them to kill me if I won't be arrested."
Today her lawyer received a letter from the Home Office which states: "We do not accept that your client has provided any evidence to show that her life will be at risk on her return to Iran."
It argues that Ghaedi failed to bring up her part in anti-government protests until she was arrested and detained in May 2009, and concluded that the evidence submitted "did not provide any evidence to show that the Iranian authorities will have any interest in your client on her removal to Iran either because of her alleged adulterous relationship or because of her involvement in anti-regime protest."
It refers to a film which Ghaedi took part in about forced marriages which her lawyer argues will be shown on Al Jazeera and that will bring further "shame" on her family's honour, but it concludes: "However, no dates have been provided to show … that the programme will be published before Ms Ghaedi's removal."
Dave Vasoodaven, of solicitors Gulbenkian Andonian, said he found it incomprehensible that the Home Office has stated that Ghaedi is not at risk.
He said: "She has opposed the Iranian regime, she has spoken out about sharia law, and about forced marriage. We have a lot of evidence to show that the Iranian regime would by now know about her activities. As soon as she arrives she is going to be arrested. I do not foresee any result other than her death."
Vasoodaven has issued a high court injunction to halt her deportation and is awaiting the result.
In recent weeks many Iranians outside the country have reported receiving threats in person or by telephone.
Demonstrators at a protest against violations in Iran held in 2009 in the UK outside Amnesty International's offices told the organisation that unknown people whom they believed to be members of Iranian intelligence forces attended the protest and made threatening comments to some of them.
Iranians who have fled Iran since the election and are seeking asylum have also told Amnesty International that people they suspect to be Iranian security officials have approached them and made comments in Persian such as "Don't think you're safe here".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/04/iran-civil-rights-activist-honour-killing
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Hakeemullah writes letter to Afia’s sister
By Azaz Syed
05 May, 2010
ISLAMABAD, May 4: Hakeemullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, has said his comrades are determined to teach the Americans a lesson.
A letter written by the TTP chief to the sister of Aafia Siddiqui, under detention in the United States, carried the warning.
The letter, a copy of which has been obtained by Dawn, was apparently written two months ago and handed over to Khalid Khawaja, the former ISI official who was recently killed by an unknown militant group, Asian Tigers.
The letter surfaced after a botched terrorist attack on New York’s Times Square. Pakistani national Faisal Shahzad was arrested. The TTP has claimed responsibility for the terrorist plot.
The letter expressed sympathy with Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, Aafia’s sister, for the ordeal the latter had suffered in the US and offered all kind of assistance to her.
Written in Urdu, the letter said: “You (Dr Fauzia) are my (Hakeemullah) sister and I share the pain and grief that you are undergoing. And God willing we will teach a lesson to the US and cruel rulers of Pakistan — a lesson to be remembered by them.”
Hakeemullah also asked Dr Fauzia that she could contact him through the person who delivered the letter to her.
Dr Fauzia confirmed to Dawn that she had been contacted by Khalid Khawaja, who told her that he had a letter for her.
“Mr Khawaja called me and said he had some letter for me. He wanted to personally hand over the letter to me, but I avoided meeting him,” she added.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/hakeemullah-writes-letter-to-afias-sister-550
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Ajmer-Malegaon link: Devendra Gupta knew ‘bomb planter’ Kalsangra
Smita Nair
May 05, 2010
Mumbai : A new link has emerged between the Ajmer dargah blast of October 2007 and the Malegaon bombing of September 2008.
The Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is understood to have discovered that Sunil Joshi — the Madhya Pradesh man to whom Sadhvi Pragyasingh Thakur claimed she had sold the motorbike used to plant the Malegaon bomb — had introduced Ramnarayan Kalsangra, the alleged planter of the bomb, to Devendra Gupta, one of the three men arrested in connection with the Ajmer blast last week.
The CBI has already confirmed that there are “links” between the Ajmer bombing and the terrorist attack on the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on May 18, 2007. The Sunil Joshi-Devendra Gupta connection has brought into sharper focus the Malegaon threads in the web — and with it, the role of the radical Hindu Abhinav Bharat organisation and its key members, the Sadhvi and Lt Col Shrikant Purohit.
Devendra Gupta, who is believed to have Abhinav Bharat links, was arrested in Ajmer on April 28 on the charge of purchasing the SIM card used in the mobile phone that triggered the dargah bomb.
Sunil Joshi was an RSS pracharak from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, who was mysteriously shot dead in December 2007. Sources said Joshi met Gupta, who was also an RSS pracharak, in Mhow in 2006.
Joshi was friends with Kalsangra, the alleged planter of the Malegaon bomb. He introduced Gupta to Kalsangra in a Jharkhand village, the sources said.
Gupta and Kalsangra are believed to have kept in regular touch after that. Gupta, a bachelor, is believed to have procured 11 mobile phone SIM cards from Jharkhand, one of which was used as a trigger for the Ajmer bomb.
During the probe into the Malegaon blast, the Maharashtra ATS had found that Kalsangra and his brother Shivnarayan owned a mobile phone shop and dealt in SIM cards. Kalsangra is also accused of procuring SIM cards allegedly used by the Malegaon blast conspirators to communicate with each other.
Sources said they suspect Kalsangra introduced Gupta to Sadhvi Pragyasingh Thakur. With Kalsangra still wanted for the Malegaon blast, they said Gupta’s arrest could throw some new light on his whereabouts.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ajmermalegaon-link-devendra-gupta-knew-bomb-planter-kalsangra/615234/
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Army to sack Purohit, but there's no proof he sourced explosives
Manu Pubby
May 05, 2010
New Delhi : The Army has decided to sack Military Intelligence officer Lt Col Srikant Purohit who was arrested in November 2008 for his alleged involvement in the Malegaon blasts in September that year.
The Army took the decision after a court of inquiry found Purohit blameworthy on several counts. It has recommended that Purohit should be dismissed at the earliest by withdrawal of the ‘President’s pleasure’, a stringent clause that is usually applied in serious matters like sedition and spying that require immediate dismissal.
There will be no need for a formal court martial. The final decision will be taken by the Defence Ministry, which will have to forward the matter to the President.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/army-to-sack-purohit-but-theres-no-proof-he-sourced-explosives/615236/
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Kashmir boys’ bid to cross border foiled
By Naseer Ganai
May 05, 2010
THE Imam of a mosque in Regipora in Kupwara district near here recently stopped six minors from crossing to Pakistan- occupied Kashmir.
According to the Imam, six boys aged between 8 and 13 approached him asking for money late on May 1. The Imam, who suspected the intentions of these strangers, handed them over to the Kupwara police. The police said these minors were from Palhalan village of Pattan Tehsil in Baramulla district and were students of New Islamia Model School there.
The boys had decided to cross the border with an intention to escape schooling. They left home on the pretext of playing a cricket match. They took the prize money won from an earlier match to meet travel expenses. When the children did not return, their parents filed missing complaints with the Pattan police who, in turn, alerted other units in Baramulla and Kupwara.
“ We were sick of beatings at school and constant taunts at home. We decided to stay in Pakistan for some time to teach our parents and teachers a lesson,” said Muhammad Saleem Sheikh, an 8th standard student in the group. The other boys have been identified as Muhammad Yaqoob Bhat, son of Ghulam Muhammad; Shareeq Ahmad Mir, son of Showkat Ahmad Mir; Umar Sultan Mir, son of Muhammad Sultan; Abdul Rashid Sheikh, son of Farooq Ahmad Sheikh; and Ilhaq Ahmad Tantray, son of Habibullah Tantray.
Mail Today
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Now, Italy slaps fine over burqa
May 5, 2010
ROME: Italian police fined a woman $650 for wearing a full Islamic veil — the first punishment of its kind in Italy but the latest in a wave of sanctions against the burqa in Europe.
The Tunisian woman was walking in a street in Novara on Monday when she was stopped by a patrol, local police said. "City police ticketed her last night and she will have to pay a $650 fine," Novara municipal police official Mauro Franzinelli said. "As far as I know this is a first in Italy."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Now-Italy-slaps-fine-over-burqa/articleshow/5891058.cms
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All parties must stand up to Islamophobia
5 May 2010
The intolerance towards Muslims must not be tolerated, but the main political parties have not pledged to take sufficient action to combat anti-Muslim prejudice. Legitimate criticism of Muslims who spew extremist rhetoric and commit criminal acts is acceptable. However, the ugly trend of bigotry against law-abiding Muslims sweeping Europe should not be ignored by whoever comes into power as it is influencing debate here in the UK.
In Europe extreme rightwing parties have won significant gains in regional and parliamentary elections because they have been exploiting fears and capitalising on anti-Muslim sentiments. Debates on Muslims have become irrational and there are calls to ban anything connected to Muslims – minarets, headscarves, veils and even the Qur'an.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/04/parties-fight-islamophobia
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Ethnic Russian Muslims Grapple With The Question: Who Is A Russian
By Paul Goble
5 May 2010
Even as more and more Russians are concerned about reports that Russians are converting to Islam and that radical Islamists are recruiting Russians into their networks, the Russian Federation’s oldest organization for ethnic Russian Muslims is struggling with the question: who is a Russian?
While the leader of NORM, the National Organization of Russian Muslims, Kharun Sidorov, says that in principle any Muslim can join his group, he stresses that its primary membership is drawn from ethnic Russians, making the definition of just who those people are especially critical (www.pravoverie.org/articles/106/).
And while Sidorov’s group is relatively small – although he insists it is now growing rapidly – his comments on this issue provide an interesting counterpoint to the larger debate in Russian society concerning the relationship between ethnic Russians, cultural Russians and political ones.
Full report at:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/2010/05/ethnic-russian-muslims-grapple-with.html
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Women have 'no dignity' in West: Ahmadinejad
May 05, 2010
New York : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that rights of women and girls in his country are highly respected unlike the West where, he claimed, women had "no dignity".
Human rights groups have rallied against Iran's election to the UN Commission on the Status of Women on the grounds that the Islamic Republic is oppressive when it comes to women's rights.
"What is left of women's dignity in the West? Is there any generation left? Is there any love and kindness left," Ahmadinejad told reporters.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/women-have-no-dignity-in-west-ahmadinejad/615394/
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Christian leader 'alarmed' about threats to Indonesia's pluralism
5 May 2010
Life is becoming difficult and dangerous for Christians in Indonesia because of outside extremists, the head of a grouping of churches in the Muslim-majority nation has warned.
"For centuries, Muslims and Christians have been living in harmony and have been coexisting peacefully, but agents (from outside) of extremism and uniformity based on Islamic Shariah law are threatening the peace and harmony of our country," said the Rev. Gomar Gultom, general secretary of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia.
Mr Gultom was interviewed by Ecumenical News International during the April 14-21 general assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Full report at:
http://news.nsw.uca.org.au/2010/christian-leader-alarmed_05-05-2010.htm
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Deadly explosions hit Somalia mosques
By Tristan McConnell
May 5, 2010
NAIROBI, Kenya — Another bloody week in Mogadishu was on the face of it like so many others: dozens of civilians blown to pieces or maimed by explosions, shot to death or injured.
But this week’s attacks were different, signalling a change in the fighting that rages between Islamist insurgents and the United Nations and Western-backed government.
The recent bombings indicate bitter faction fighting within the Islamist fundamentalist rebels of Al Shabaab, according to local residents.
Last Tuesday, April 27, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a new detachment established by African Union peacekeepers (AMISOM) who are attempting to gradually expand their tiny zone of control in the capital city. It was the first suicide attack in months. Later that day a landmine exploded outside the Abu Hureyra mosque in Bakara Market, an insurgent stronghold, killing one and wounding eight as they made their way to prayers.
Full report at:
http://www.globalpost.com/print/5548120
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Somalia gunmen shoot dead journalist
5 May 2010
Gunmen in Somalia have killed a prominent journalist who worked at the state-run radio station in the capital.
Sheikh Nur Abkey was abducted on Tuesday and his body was found dumped in the street later that evening.
It is unclear who killed him, but his colleagues believe was targeted because he worked for Radio Mogadishu which is critical of Islamist militants.
They control large swathes of country, with the UN-backed interim government limited to sections of the capital.
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8661809.stm
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Zulfikar's daughter, nephew dispute claim in Fatima's book
Anita Joshua
May 5, 2010
ISLAMABAD: As their political dynasty lives on despite one Bhutto dying a violent death every decade since the 1970s, Fatima Bhutto's month-old book “Songs of Blood and Sword'' appears to have opened up barely concealed differences within Pakistan's first family.
Ms. Fatima Bhutto's claim that her grandfather, the former Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), had asked his son and her father, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, to go to Afghanistan and avenge his execution by the then President, Zia-ul-Haq, is being hotly contested by ZAB's lone surviving daughter, Sanam Bhutto and nephew Tariq Islam.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/05/stories/2010050551752200.htm
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Faheem's acquittal honourable, all proof was planted, says wife
Mateen Hafeez
May 5, 2010
MUMBAI: Faheem Ansari's acquittal in the 26/11 case has come as a breather for his wife Yasmin. "On the morning of November 26, I met Ansari for the first time after his arrest (in the CRPF attack case). We met him in a Rampur (UP) jail. The next morning, when we were heading for Lucknow, we learnt about the terror attack in Mumbai," says the 32-year-old Yasmin.
Shortly before heading to meet him in prison on Tuesday, Yasmin was bracing herself to face another spell alone, for Ansari would now be taken to Rampur in connection with the CRPF camp attack case.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Faheems-acquittal-honourable-all-proof-was-planted-says-wife-/articleshow/5891382.cms
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More Afghan schoolgirls ill in suspected gas attack
5 May 2010
KABUL - Twenty-two Kabul schoolgirls and three teachers fell suddenly ill and were hospitalised on Tuesday in what Afghan authorities described as the fourth suspected poison gas attack on a girls’ school in weeks.
The incident was the first in the comparatively secure capital after three suspected poison attacks on girls’ schools in the northern city of Kunduz over the past few weeks, and several at provincial schools last year.
Authorities have failed to identify the substance they say caused girls and teachers to fall unconscious, but say it could be a poison gas released by opponents of girls’ education.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/May/international_May206.xml&section=international&col=
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‘Mad dog’Qasab should be hanged
By Krishna Kumar
May 05, 2010
AS EXPECTED the prosecution in the 26/11 terror attack case has sought death penalty for Mohammed Ajmal Qasab, the sole terrorist caught and the only accused in the case. But a zealous Ujjwal Nikam, the public prosecutor, in his arguments went overboard with his epithets for Qasab calling him a “mad dog”, a “demon”, and a “venomous snake”.
Nikam began his nearly two-hour long arguments in the court of special judge M.L. Tahaliyani with the assertion that he was “not seeking the death penalty as an act of revenge”. “We do not seek barbaric justice, but the society wants justice, justice to stop this killer by awarding him the death penalty,” he said.
Full report at:
Mail Today
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'Modernists' should not be backed: Al-Barrak
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI
May 05, 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
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Israel asks Egypt to rethink pressure on atom pact
May 05, 2010
 JERUSALEM - Israel has tried to defuse Egyptian lobbying against it at a U.N. nuclear review meeting by urging Cairo at top-level talks to view Iran’s atomic ambitions as the regional threat, an Israeli official said on Tuesday.
The message was relayed by the delegation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday as the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference began in New York. While both sides said the Sharm talks focused on peace efforts with the Palestinians, there was also a brief discussion of Egypt’s call on Western powers to support its longstanding demand that Israel join the NPT, a senior Israeli official said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/May/middleeast_May59.xml&section=middleeast&col=
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Iraq Shia blocs to join forces in parliament
5 May 2010
Iraq’s two big Shia political coalitions, one led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and one whose leaders have close ties to Iran, agreed on Tuesday on an alliance to form a single bloc in parliament, officials said.
But the two groups have not yet agreed on the contentious issue of a nominee for prime minister, the major stumbling block in talks so far, an official with Maliki’s State of Law said.
The announcement, nearly two months after a parliamentary election Iraqis hoped would bring stability after years of war, could signify a breakthrough in stalled negotiations to form the next government amid fears of renewed sectarian violence.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/May/middleeast_May64.xml&section=middleeast&col=
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Rana seeks 'specific' details of terror charges against him
May 5, 2010
CHICAGO: Citing the need to be better prepared for trial, Pakistani-Canadian terror suspect Tahawwur Rana has asked the US government to provide him "specific" details of the kind of "material support" he provided to terror acts, saying so far the prosecution's allegations in the superseding indictment have been "vague".
In a 10-page motion filed in a court here, Rana's lawyer Patrick Blegen said given the "complexity of the case", his client should be entitled to know "with specificity what material support he is alleged to have provided" to terrorism.
"The superseding indictment is not a clear apprisal of the allegations against the Defendant. Rather, by simply reciting the language of the statute, the superseding indictment keeps the allegations vague and prevents Defendant from properly preparing a defence," Blegen said in the motion.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Rana-seeks-specific-details-of-terror-charges-against-him/articleshow/5892481.cms
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Spicejet flight makes priority landing in Kolkata, 2 passengers detained
May 5, 2010
KOLKATA: Two passengers of a Spicejet flight were detained for suspicious activities after it made a 'priority landing' in Kolkata on Wednesday, airport sources said.
The pilot of the New Delhi-Kolkata Spicejet flight 203 radioed the ATC at the NSC Bose International Airport about the suspicious activities and was immediately allowed to make a priority landing, the sources said.
The aircraft landed at Kolkata airport at around noon and was immediately cordoned off on the runway by CSIF, bomb squad, fire brigade and police.
The number of passengers and crew on board are yet to be ascertained.
Flights at the airport remained unaffected.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata-/Manly-Russian-in-burqa-grounds-SpiceJet-flight/articleshow/5893053.cms
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'Eight dead' in Afghan violence
May 5, 2010
Seven suicide bombers have been killed along with a government official in an attack on government buildings in the Afghan city of Zaranj, officials say.
They say the bombers blew themselves up outside the governor's compound and a gun battle between insurgents and security forces is ongoing.
A Taliban spokesman confirmed to the Reuters news agency that they were responsible for the attack.
Taliban militants are active in much of south-west Afghanistan.
The scene of the attack - in Nimroz province - has traditionally been seen as their stronghold along with nearby Kandahar province.
Multiple fighters
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8661674.stm

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Woman torture case: Two SPs among 31 booked
By Mohammad Saleem
05 May, 2010
FAISALABAD, May 4: The Rail Bazaar police registered a case against 31 people, including two SPs, three DSPs, as many inspectors and an additional director of Anti Corruption Establishment, in connection with torture of a woman at the Civil Lines police station some two years ago.
The victim, Abida Hameed, in her application filed at Rail Bazaar police station said that on Aug 6, 2008, she was returning home from the court of Additional District and Session’s Judge Khizar Hayyat Sial after attending proceedings of a writ petition (420/08) when some armed policemen including sub-inspectors Raja Toheed and Mohammad Akram, along with women police station’s SHO Zahida Tariq and Gulnaz, intercepted her.
In her petition she had alleged that the Civil Lines police were favouring her maids whom she had accused of a theft.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/woman-torture-case-two-sps-among-31-booked-550
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UKIP leader calls for burqa ban
Nandini Jawli
May 5, 2010
The leader of the UK Independence Party has called for the burqa to be banned, following the Belgium example, as it represents fear and is a security risk. Speaking in a phone-in on BBC 5 live, Lord Pearson of Rannoch said there was a “problem” within Islam because some people used the Koran to justify terrorist acts.
Addressing Muslims listeners, Pearson said, “You must realise that we do not hate you, but we fear your violent co-religionists and we have good reason to do that. And we see the burqa in public and the niqab as a symbol of that and we fear it. The hatred is coming towards us.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/253588/UKIP-leader-calls-for-burqa-ban.html
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Yarima’s Marriage: Why All The Propaganda
Written by Yusuf Dingyadi
5 May 2010
It is disheartening to hear that some people across the country are campaigning for the prosecution of Senator Ahmed Sani (Yariman Bakura) over his celebrated marriage of an Egyptian girl, about which the Nigerian media are awash with negative reports. For while the media continue to say it loudly to all those that care to listen that the girl is 13 years of age, Yarima has insisted that she is not. (See Daily Trust, April 29, 2010).
Yarima who maintained that his said marriage to the 13-year- old girl are speculations by the media. But he said anyone who decides to judge him according to rules other than those prescribed by Allah and the Holy Prophet is wasting his time. Senator Yarima assured that his wife is already back to school in Egypt, in spite of the propaganda by the Western media against the marriage, and described the ongoing propaganda as invasion of his privacy by poking into his wife's age.
Full report at:
http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/columns/views/perspective/14637-yarimas-marriage-why-all-the-propaganda
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'Jihad Jane' won't get speedy trial
5 May 2010
Two U.S. women accused of plotting to kill a Swedish artist for insulting Islam waived their right to a speedy trial Monday, officials said.
Terror suspects Colleen LaRose, 46, of Pennsburg, Pa., also known as "Jihad Jane," and Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 31, formerly of Colorado, appeared in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia
The trial for the two alleged jihadists will be delayed for months to allow attorneys for both sides to go through evidence taken from a dozen computer hard drives, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Full report at:
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/05/03/Jihad-Jane-wont-get-speedy-trial/UPI-91171272906370/
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Muslim woman fined for wearing burqa in northern Italy
Peter Walker
5 May 2010
A Muslim woman in northern Italy has been given a €500 (£430) on-the-spot fine under anti-terrorism laws for wearing a face-covering burqa in public, according to reports.
In what is reported to be the first such case amid proposals for sanctions against traditional Islamic dress in a series of European countries, the 26-year-old Tunisian woman was stopped by police in the city of Novara, a stronghold of the anti-immigration Northern League.
The woman was wearing a full-length burqa with a niqab-type veil covering all her face apart from her eyes. She and her husband, both legal residents, were en route to Friday prayers when they were stopped by police for an identity check. Some reports said the pair were inside a post office at the time, while others said they were standing near it.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/05/woman-fined-burqa-italy
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Counter-Terrorism In Indonesia: The Price Of Success
By Chloe Choquier
5 May 2010
On 22 February 2010, a series of Indonesian police operations led to the discovery of an alleged militant training camp in the Jalin Forest of the province of Aceh. The operations revealed the existence of a previously unknown group calling itself al Qaeda in Aceh, whose supposed leader, top-ranked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant Dulmatin was killed in a shootout with Indonesian police on 9 March 2010. One of the most wanted terrorist in Southeast Asia, he was suspected of being the mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombings. Much-praised by Washington and Canberra, this success is nevertheless challenged by the continued presence of al Qaeda in Aceh, which shows “the strengthening of the terrorist network in Indonesia, not it’s weakening” said Andi Widjajanto, a military analyst at the University of Indonesia. A new unity among extremist groups questions the degree to which offensive counterterrorism measures actually damage the terrorists’ ability to perpetrate attacks. Does the number of arrests and police raids actually reduce the terrorist threat in the country?
Full report at:
http://www.eurasiareview.com/2010/05/counter-terrorism-in-indonesia-price-of.html
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People of The Truth
Amira el-Noshokaty
5 May 2010
In Hakaza Takalam Ibn Arabi (That's How Ibn Arabi Spoke, Al-Markaz Al-Thaqafi Al-Arabi, 2004) Nasr Hamid Abu Zeid writes,"It's difficult for any Muslim to separate in his religious experience between the spiritualities and logical fundamentals that gradually create his religious conscious." Abu Zeid's statement is an important one for Sufis.
Abu Zeid explains how he, like his fellow villagers, grew up watching Sufi practices as part of the village's daily rituals, where the talk of prophets and supernatural gifts of the awlia(blessed ones) and hadrat al-zikr (assembly of remembrance) were held every Thursday night. The grown ups would stand in a circle and move side to side while chanting religious songs led by the sheikh of the hadra. Then gradually they sped up their movement, almost dancing, as it became impossible to understand the chants.
Full report at:
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/38986
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African Islamic finance faces image problem: banker
05 May 2010
Africa's Islamic finance industry needs to overcome negative perceptions among non-Muslims to successfully expand into predominantly Christian sub-Saharan Africa, an industry leader said.
Northern Africa is largely Muslim and countries such as Egypt and Sudan have offered Islamic banking for decades. Now some lenders are looking to expand into sub-Saharan nations, such as Uganda which is 80% Christian.
Islamic finance caters for customers who want to avoid earning interest, which is viewed as usury under Islamic law.
Full report at:
http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7777:african-islamic-finance-faces-image-problem-banker&catid=52:Human%20Security&Itemid=114
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Police confirm Pakistani engineer killed himself
By SIRAJ WAHAB
May 4, 2010
ALKHOBAR: Police have confirmed that the death of a middle-aged Pakistani engineer in Alkhobar last month was suicide.
Faqir Hussain stabbed himself to death on April 23, Alkhobar police spokesman Lt. Mohammad Al-Shehri said on Tuesday.
The police statement is expected to end intense speculation within the expatriate community that foul play may have played a part in his death. Hussain’s suicide had been a major talking point among the community for the last few days.
One of the reasons for the intense speculation was the violent manner in which Hussain ended his life.
He stabbed himself in the stomach seven times with a kitchen knife at around 7 a.m. on that fateful Friday morning.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article50152.ece
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Democracy icons' son poised to lead Philippines
By JIM GOMEZ
May 5, 2010
MANILA: Returning to the Manila highway where 1986 “people power” protests led by his mother ousted a dictator and swept her to power, Benigno Aquino III asked a huge yellow-clad crowd to seize the moment and help him win next week's presidential election.
“My parents were my role models,” he told some 10,000 supporters at Sunday's rally. “They could have chosen to live a life of luxury, shut their eyes, played deaf, sealed their lips and forget that multitudes of Filipinos have been neglected. But no, they chose the thorny path and made painful sacrifices.” Aquino, seldom considered as a presidential candidate less than a year ago, only decided to enter the race in September, after his mother's death sparked an outpouring of national grief.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article50110.ece
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Obama extends sanctions on Syria for one year
May 5, 2010
WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS: President Barack Obama Monday renewed US sanctions on Syria for a year, accusing Damascus of supporting "terrorist" groups and pursuing missile programs and weapons of mass destruction.
There had been no expectation that Obama was ready to lift the measures, but the renewal comes at an especially sensitive time in US-Syria relations, despite efforts by the administration to return an ambassador to Damascus.
Obama said in a message to Congress renewing the sanctions imposed by former president George W. Bush in 2004, that the Syrian government had made "some progress" in suppressing the infiltration of foreign fighters bound for Iraq.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article50070.ece
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Iraq arrests network suspected in embassy bombings
May 05, 2010
BAGHDAD: A top Iraqi security official said Tuesday that authorities have dismantled the militant network allegedly behind suicide car bombings in April against three embassies in Baghdad, which killed 46 people.
Military operations spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim Al-Moussawi said police on April 14 arrested members of the network based on evidence given by a failed bomber caught on the day of the attacks against German, Iranian and Egyptian embassies.
In the course of his news conference, Al-Moussawi showed videotaped confessions of a man he identified as the failed suicide bomber, Haitham Ahmed Khalaf, and the network's alleged ringleader, Mubarak Mohammed Abbas.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article50068.ece
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Mosque arson casts shadow over new ME peace talks
05 May, 2010
JERUSALEM/RIYADH, May 4: Efforts to revive the Middle East peace process took another blow on Tuesday after Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas accused settlers of torching a West Bank mosque as a US envoy arrived in the region.
The flare-up occurred just hours after George Mitchell arrived in Israel to finalise preparations for a new round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians that were called off two months ago due to a bitter row over settlement building.
The US envoy’s return came as both sides were poised to start “proximity talks” – indirect negotiations aimed at kick-starting the peace process which broke down 18 months ago.
The mosque, located in the northern West Bank town of Lubban ash-Sharqiya, went up in flames in the early hours of Tuesday morning in an attack by radical Jewish settlers in the Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/mosque-arson-casts-shadow-over-new-me-peace-talks-550

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