Islamic mosque at 9/11 Ground Zero sparks protest
Mosque
madness at Ground Zero
Demolishing Al-Quds for shopping mall
offensive
Third world war underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Hoti
Let’s face facts, the burqa is an affront to
feminism
Misogynist Mullahs and their flurry of
fatwas
Fatwa against working women finds no takers
Pakistani Ulema: ‘West pursuing aggressive policies against
Muslims’
Pope asks humanity to turn from ‘death and terror’ to love of
God
Let’s clear Islam of prejudices
Tahir Khan: Terrorism has no place in Islam
Bangladesh arrests 400 in drive against schoolgirl
bullying
No difference between Hindutva terror:
Chidambaram
Order for more Muslim police
‘4 prime suspects in German Bakery blast fled to
Pakistan’
Sayeeda Warsi: a powerful Muslim woman in UK
cabinet
Dialogue initiative ‘reflects Abdullah’s strategic
vision’
30 Saudi students taking part in Intel show in
US
Concern over obstacles in women emancipation
A winning Saudi view: high quality of
imagery
Let Pakistan prove its credibility before talks:
BJP
Three arrested in Indonesia raids
Honour killing? Angry family hacks daughter, mother-in-law to
death
Khaps use same-gotra excuse to escape attacks for
fatwas
Prophet cartoonist defiant after attack
Pakistan: Three years of
12th May massacre
Obama deflects criticism of Pakistan
Israel plans to build 12,000 housing units in East
Jerusalem
Woman forces son, 5, to smoke
Military response to cyber attack possible: Pentagon
Terror in Times Square
Tensions rise at Philippine political
summit
Hamas accuses Egypt of torturing prisoners
‘Fight for power between feudal lords and the urban
elite’
102 Pakistanis in Thai jails
Israel criticises Russian talks with Hamas
Bulgarian woman has twins at 62
Northern Afhanistan needs major offensive: Nato
Compiled by Asit Kumar
Photo: Wreckage from plane that hit the twin towers fell on the same
building that may serve as an Islamic cultural
center
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Islamic mosque at 9/11 Ground Zero sparks
protest
By Chelsea Schilling
May 13, 2010
Wreckage from plane that hit the twin towers fell on the same
building that may serve as an Islamic cultural centre.
A human-rights group is calling on Americans – especially family and
friends of loved ones who were lost when Muslim terrorists murdered 2,751 people
in the name of Allah on Sept. 11, 2001 – to fight construction of a 13-story
Islamic mosque to be built just steps from Ground Zero.
The five-story building at Park Place, just blocks north of the
former World Trade Centre site, was the site of a Burlington Coat Factory. That
was, until a plane's landing-gear assembly crashed through the roof on the day
19 Muslim terrorists hijacked the airliners and flew them into the Twin Towers
in 2001.
Now Muslim worshippers currently occupy the building, and they plan
to turn it into a major Islamic cultural centre called the Cordoba
House.
The group Stop Islamization of America, or SIOA, led by Pamela
Geller, Atlas Shrugs blogger and columnist, is hosting a "No 9/11 Mosque" rally
at Ground Zero June 6 at noon to protest the construction.
"What could be more insulting and humiliating than a monster mosque
in the shadow of the World Trade Center buildings that were brought down by an
Islamic jihad attack?" asked Geller, executive director of SIOA. "Any decent,
American, Muslim or otherwise, wouldn't dream of such an insult. It's a stab in
eye of America."
As WND reported, the building – previously vacant since that fateful
day when time stood still as millions of Americans grieved the loss of loved
ones, friends, family members, co-workers and strangers – was purchased last
July by real-estate company Soho Properties, a business run by Muslims. Imam
Feisal Abdul Rauf, founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, or
ASMA, was an investor in that transaction.
Rauf has announced his plans to turn the building into a complete
Islamic cultural center, with a mosque, a museum, "merchandising options," and
room for seminars to reconcile religions, "to counteract the backlash against
Muslims in general, " Speigel reported. The project may cost as much as $150
million. Plans for the facility also include a 500-seat performing arts theater,
fitness center, swimming pool, library, public conference rooms, basketball
courts and restaurants, according to the Tribeca Tribune.
Rauf said the mosque is expected to be a major step forward in the
Americanization of the Muslim community and that if everything is done
correctly, his group intends to franchise the concept and build more Cordoba
Houses in other American cities and around the globe.
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=152913
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Mosque madness at Ground Zero
By ANDREA PEYSER
May 13, 2010
A mosque rises over Ground Zero. And fed-up New Yorkers are crying,
"No!"
A chorus of critics -- from neighbours to those who lost loved ones
on 9/11 to me -- feel as if they've received a swift kick in the
teeth.
Plans are under way for a Muslim house of worship, topped by a
13-story cultural centre with a swimming pool, in a building damaged by the
fuselage of a jet flown by extremists into the World Trade
Centre.
The opening date shall live in infamy: Sept. 11, 2011. The 10th
anniversary of the day a hole was punched in the city's
heart.
How the devil did this happen?
Plans to bring what one critic calls a "monster mosque" to the site
of the old Burlington Coat Factory building, at a cost expected to top $100
million, moved along for months without a peep. All of a sudden, even members of
the community board that stupidly green-lighted the mosque this month are
tearing their hair out.
Paul Sipos, member of Community Board 1, said a mosque is a fine idea
-- someplace else.
"If the Japanese decided to open a cultural centre across from Pearl
Harbour, that would be insensitive," Sipos told me. "If the Germans opened a
Bach choral society across from Auschwitz, even after all these years, that
would be an insensitive setting. I have absolutely nothing against Islam. I just
think: Why there?"
Why, indeed.
A rally against the mosque is planned for June 6, D-Day, by the
human-rights group Stop Islamicization of America. Executive director Pamela
Geller said, "What could be more insulting and humiliating than a monster mosque
in the shadow of the World Trade Centre buildings that were brought down by an
Islamic jihad attack? Any decent American, Muslim or otherwise, wouldn't dream
of such an insult. It's a stab in the eye of America."
Called Cordoba House, the mosque and centre is the brainchild of the
American Society for Muslim Advancement. Executive director Daisy Khan insists
it's staying put.
"For us, it's a symbol, a platform that will give voice to the silent
majority of Muslims who suffer at the hands of extremists. A centre will show
that Muslims will be part of rebuilding lower Manhattan," said Khan, adding that
Cordoba will be open to everyone.
"We were pleased to see that the community welcomed us as an asset to
lower Manhattan," she added. "The community board approved
it."
Not so fast.
The Financial District Committee of Community Board 1 seems to have
gotten ensnared in a public-relations ploy by mosque-makers. At a May 5 meeting,
the committee gave the project an enthusiastic thumbs-up. But boards have zero
say over religious institutions.
Board chair Julie Menin, blind-sided by the move, predicts "this will
be overturned by the full board" later this month.
But the damage is done.
Wounds that have yet to heal are now opening, as mosque opponents are
branded, unfairly, as bigots.
"The worst tendency is the knee-jerk, emotional, angry, hateful
response to acts of violence and war," said Donna Marsh O'Connor, who lost
daughter Vanessa on 9/11 and supports the mosque. "I think it's racist
tendencies."
Many more feel like Bill Doyle -- doubly maimed as he's forced to
defend himself against charges of prejudice.
"I'm not a bigot. What I'm frightful about is, it's almost going to
be another protest zone. A meeting place for radicals," said Doyle, whose son,
Joseph, was murdered on 9/11.
"It's a slap in our face!" said Nelly Braginsky, who lost son
Alexander.
Unclear is how the mosque will raise the $100 million-plus it
needs.
"We would be seeking funding from anyone who would help," Khan told
me. "Seeking maybe some bonds or something like that." At the May 5 community
board meeting, she displayed a sign with names like "Rockefeller Brothers Fund"
and "Ford Foundation," which observers believed meant money is coming from those
organizations. But Khan says those groups merely gave money in the past, and no
funding is yet in place.
There are many questions about the Ground Zero mosque. But just one
answer.
Move it away.
Insanity at the Albany nuthouse
It's crazy.
The wildly successful Kendra's Law -- which allows New York judges to
force dangerous psychos to choose between taking their meds or bedding down in
padded cells -- ends next month. Families of the mentally ill love it. So do
crime victims.
But instead of insisting on making the law permanent, the state
Office of Mental Health and loony-tunes activists have ganged up to back a
compromise plan: Extend Kendra's Law five years, when it's likely to die. And
take some of us with it.
The law is named for Kendra Webdale, 29, who was pushed to her death
in front of a subway train in 1999 by a crazy man off his meds. It's drawn the
wrath of the straitjacket squad ever since. Brooklyn Assemblyman Felix Ortiz,
co-sponsor of the wimpy five-year-extension bill, sides with the
loons.
"I do believe that no one should be forced into treatment," he was
quoted in the Legislative Gazette.
There's still a chance for Albany to stop the insanity. Make Kendra's
Law forever.
The attorney gender-al
Working and shopping at American Eagle Outfitters just became more
fun for folks of all persuasions.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo persuaded the retailer to change its
policies forbidding men to dress like ladies and ladies to dress like the
attorney general. Plus, staffers will now be trained to watch whom they call
"he" and "she" and the immortal "heshe."
Thanks, Andy. Now if you call me "ma'am" I'll hurt
you.
Kagan a case of Amazin' grace
She has no judicial experience and a blank slate in place of written
opinion. But Elena Kagan, President Obama's pick for the US Supreme Court, has
demonstrated an affinity for the underdog: She's a Mets
fan.
It takes a strong, and probably crazy, New Yorker to love the Mets
(as I do). I'll reserve judgment on the lady's brains.
Pssst! Wanna buy a virgin?
He's got a camera and a Nevada brothel. Now, Australian filmmaker
Justin Sisley says he's found a clutch of virgins (or so they claim) eager to
give it up for a buck or $20,000 in a kind of modern-day slave auction that
pairs the legally blind with the seriously hard up. It's called reality
TV.
Sisley has three people lined up to sell their virginity to the
highest bidder, including Alex, who'll fly halfway around the globe because, he
says, he wants to meet chicks, suggesting this buck would be better served by a
warm bath and a call to his mom.
Purchasing sex is nothing new (see, allegedly, Lawrence Taylor), but
rarely has it been so public and sad. Since swimsuit models and George Clooney
are unlikely to bid on this bunch, I hope the virgins have strong gag reflexes
and plenty of credit-card debt.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/mosque_madness_at_ground_zero_OQ34EB0MWS0lXuAnQau5uL
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Demolishing Al-Quds for shopping mall
offensive
13 May 2010
As more Palestinian homes are slated to be demolished in East al-Quds
(Jerusalem) despite the ongoing indirect talks between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, Press TV interviewed Professor William Beeman from
University of Minnesota. The following is the transcript:
Press TV: Israel has expropriated more than one-third of Palestinian
land in East al-Quds, building more than 50,000 homes, and now, construction for
the largest settlement in East Jerusalem al-Quds has begun. With the Jerusalem
being a sticking point between the two sides, what aims and goals can these
proximity talks going to play to?
Beeman: It is a very good question because it seems that are forces
within Israel that really designed to try to undermine those talks. The
demolition of the houses in East Jerusalem had been held off in order to allow
envoy Jorge Mitchell from the United States trying to get the peace talks off
the ground but the announcement was made today that there was no law or there
was no probation against going ahead with the demolition of the houses. And it
seems to me, like Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has lost control, some parts of
his government, because they are acting either with his knowledge or without his
overt knowledge or without his overt agreement or they acting without his
knowledge all together or without his permission. So it is really a very
difficult situation. It's bound to make the people in the United States very
angry, because right now the American public in general is not happy with the
settlement program being taken by the Israelis. I should mention some thing else
too and that the house that haven been demolished are on the religious bequest
land that is being held for more than 400 years by the Islamic religious bequest
and demolishing these houses to build a shopping mall which is really quiet
offensive a sort of development, building a shopping mall in religious land
which is bound to make people very, very angry.
Press TV: Following the announcement of these demolitions, the United
States warned Israel of taking inciting steps in Jerusalem. Israel continues to
defy international law in the West Bank and Jerusalem with impunity everyday.
With US's inability to any action against Israel, how is this time going to be
any different?
Beeman: Well this is really the problem. The United States has been,
since the beginning of Obama administration, has been putting pressure on
Israel. And Israel has been resisting this pressure on the part of the United
States in order to try to demonstrate their strength to show that the United
States is not pushing them around. Nevertheless, the Israelis have got to be
really concerned about making the Obama administration too angry with them. The
Israeli government depends very, very heavily on US aid especially US military
support. They can only this kind of action so far before it is going to start
creating difficulties for them domestically.
Press TV: There is systematic discrimination by Israel in planning
and construction, expropriation of land, provision of social services and
minimal investment in physical infrastructure of East al-Quds. Israel has
clearly been trying to change the demographics of east Jerusalem over the past
40 years, why has there been such inaction on the part of the int'l community?
Beeman: Well I think that the international community has not been
very involved with Israel or Palestinians at all. The United States has been a
principle actor with regards to the Palestinian and Israeli question. Other
nations have expressed their opinions but they haven't been able to engage
directly with Israel on this nor with the Palestinians, and it is because of
this inability to actually engage with Israel that other nations haven't really
said very much. You get occasional actions in the United Nations, you get
condemnations especially from the Arab world, you occasionally get condemnation
from the former east block, expressions are concerned from Europe but no one
seems to be willing to actually step up and take any serious action against
Israel and in the United States of course the Obama administration is really
hampered by the fact that we have such a strong pro-Israeli faction in the US
government and in the electorate. So that any time that the Obama administration
actually does take strong action against the Israeli government then there is a
domestic political price to be paid for that.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=126352
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Third world war underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Hoti
May 13, 2010
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti has
said that an undeclared third world war was underway in the province and the
world should play a part to resolve the conflict. Addressing a ceremony of the
Charsadda District Bar Association at the Chief Minister House on Wednesday,
Hoti said non-state actors were involved in the war. He said the provincial
government had achieved 80 percent of its targets within a short span of two
years. The chief minister praised lawyers’ role for the revival of an
independent judiciary. Hoti said the government was committed to eliminating
unemployment, poverty, backwardness and illiteracy, but collective efforts were
needed to secure national interests and root out terrorism. The chief minister
approved a Rs 10 million-grant for the district bar association. Hoti said peace
accords were signed with terrorist, but they were sabotaged by “external
elements sitting in Waziristan”.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\13\story_13-5-2010_pg7_30
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Let's face facts, the burqa is an affront to
feminism
May 13, 2010
Who knows the difference between ethics and morality? Belgium does,
for one. Technically, there's not a lot in it. The dictionary makes ethics and
morality synonyms, each relating to our cumulative attempts to tell right from
wrong and act accordingly.
Aristotle's Ethics examines what it means to be good; for him, and
many thinkers since, ethics and moral philosophy are one.
In everyday life, though, we tend to distinguish on a public-private
basis. ''Morality'' tends to imply a code that is personal, often sexual and,
just as often, religious in origin. ''Ethics'' meanwhile, denotes a public and
generally secular amalgam of these values. The baked crust, if you will, atop
the pie. Hence talk of professional and corporate ethics, ethical investing and,
of course, ethics taught in religion's place in schools.
Full report at:
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/lets-face-facts-the-burqa-is-an-affront-to-feminism-20100512-uxy4.html
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Misogynist Mullahs and their flurry of fatwas
Yoginder Sikand
May 13, 2010
Over the years, I have read considerable material by and about the
madrassas and visited several dozens of them across India. Although charges
about madrassas being involved in training terrorists are unfounded, the
allegation that they teach obscurantist and ultra-reactionary beliefs in the
garb of Islam can't be dismissed. Nor can the assertion that such beliefs lead
to extremism and even violence be ignored. Such beliefs constitute a major
hurdle in Muslims' progress and play a vital role in keeping Muslims shackled
under the sway of a class of patriarchal and narrow-minded clerics.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Misogynist-Mullahs-and-their-flurry-of-fatwas/articleshow/5924096.cms
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Fatwa against working women finds no takers
Bushra Baseerat
May 13, 2010
HYDERABAD: Front office executive Saira Fatima has been the sole
bread winner of her family for the last one year after her husband disappeared
leaving her alone to fend for herself and their two children. On Wednesday,
amidst incessant calls beeping on her desk and handling visitor queries, she
questioned the sudden need for Darul Uloom Deoband to issue the fatwa declaring
earnings of women like her to be 'haram'.
A bench of three clerics had issued a fatwa stating that it was
"unlawful'' for Muslim women to work with men without the veil as per the Sharia
law. But the diktat found no takers among urban Muslim working women like Saira,
who has kept the veil aside at the workplace. "In a job like this I am not
supposed to wear a hijab (burqa) since I have to interact with people all day.
This job is important since I have to feed my children and lead a life of
dignity," says Saira.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Fatwa-against-working-women-finds-no-takers/articleshow/5923896.cms
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Pakistani Ulema: 'West pursuing aggressive policies against
Muslims'
Ahlul Bayt
May 13, 2010
Lahore Pakistan -- Referring
to the challenges faced by Muslim Ummah and their possible solutions, speakers
at a debate have stressed upon following teachings of Islam, unity among Muslim
countries, rejecting dictation and slavery of the United States and reliance on
own resources.
Nawa-i-Waqt, The Nation and Waqt News jointly organised the debate on
the topic ‘Challenges to Ummah and its Solution’ here at Hameed Nizami Hall on
Wednesday.
Senior leader Jama’at-ud-Da’wa Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, Chairman
Idara Minhajul Hussain Dr Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Ameer Tanzeem-i-Islami Hafiz
Akif Saeed and Administrator Jamia Naeemia Raghib Naeemi participated in the
debate.
Addressing the participants, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki said that the
Muslim Ummah was facing onslaught of Jews and Christians while the United
Nations and its allied departments were giving helping hand to
aggressors.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=188000
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Pope asks humanity to turn from 'death and terror' to love of
God
13 May 2010
Fatima, Portugal- Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday urged humanity to
turn away from selfishness, death and terror to the love of God, as he spoke at
a gigantic open-air mass in Fatima.
"At a time when the human family was ready to sacrifice all that was
most sacred on the altar of the petty and selfish interests of nations, races,
ideologies, groups and individuals, our Blessed Mother came from heaven,"
Benedict told hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.
He was referring to the supposed apparition of the Virgin Mary to
three Portuguese shepherd children in Fatima on May, 13, 1917, during World War
I.
Full report at:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/323505,pope-asks-humanity-to-turn-from-death-and-terror-to.html#
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Let's clear Islam of prejudices
Nuzhat AzizDate
2010-05-13
Why is it that every other day an irrational, prejudiced outfit rears
its ugly head and projects Islam in a conservative and prejudiced light? Why is
it that a certain outfit, apparently the self-appointed guardian for Indian
Muslims has the power to issue a fatwa denying Muslim women to work outside home
and state that it is illegal in Shariah for a family to accept a woman's
earnings? A couple of hours later, another report denies issuing of the fatwa
was published justifying that it was merely a suggestion so that working women
should dress properly.
According to the Wikipedia, Shariah refers to the sacred law of
Islam. All Muslims believe Sharia is God's law, but they have differences
between themselves as to exactly what it entails. Modernists, traditionalists
and fundamentalists all hold different views of Sharia, as do adherents to
different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries and
cultures have varying interpretations of Sharia, as well.
Full report at:
http://www.mid-day.com/opinion/2010/may/130510-Nuzat-Aziz-Islam-Fatwa-Shariah-Opinion.htm
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Tahir Khan: Terrorism has no place in Islam
May 13, 2010
Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-American Muslim, has been linked to the
failed Times Square car bombing.
It has always baffled me why these terrorists continue to use the
religion of Islam, one that requires all its followers to be loyal, law-abiding
and peace-loving citizens of their countries, to promote
violence.
As a member and office holder of Wisconsin's Ahmadiyya Muslim
Community, I would like to take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest
words possible any and all acts of terrorism.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/mailbag/article_8db12ace-5e1f-11df-807a-001cc4c03286.html
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BD arrests 400 in drive against schoolgirl
bullying
May 13, 2010
DHAKA: Bangladesh has arrested more than 400 men as part of a
nationwide crackdown on the bullying of schoolgirls after a spate of teenage
suicides blamed on harassment, police said on Wednesday.
Many of the men were arrested outside girls’ schools as police across
the Muslim-majority nation of 144 million continue their month-old campaign, a
police spokesman said.
“The police are investigating 558 people nationwide and have arrested
432 of these targets,” senior information officer for the Bangladesh police,
Kamrul Ahsan, told AFP.
At least half a dozen girls have committed suicide since January due
to bullying by boys, according to media reports, prompting a public outcry and
strict orders from the home ministry last month for police to take
action.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=238969
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No difference between Hindutva terror:
Chidambaram
13 May 2010
New Delhi: UNION home minister P. Chidambaram equated Hindutva
terrorism with crossborder jihadi extremism and said it was a key threat to
national security.
"There are four types of terror threats that the country is facing.
There is crossborder jihadi terrorism, insurgency in the North- East, Naxalism
and terrorism sponsored by Hindu extremist groups,” Chidambaram said, addressing
a book release event on Tuesday.
This was perhaps the first time the Union home minister raised the
red flag on Hindutva terror groups.
Chidambaram said: “ Homegrown Muslim and Sikh extremist groups pose a
threat. The policymakers must assess the threat and factor them in while framing
future strategies.” Full report at:
http://www.siasat.com/english/news/no-difference-between-hindutva-terror-chidambaram
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Order for more Muslim police
13 May 2010
New Delhi: The Centre has asked the states and Union territories to
post more Muslim policemen in areas with large minority populations so the force
acts more impartially, especially in tense and violent
situations.
The directive is part of a larger plan to have more Muslims in the
administrative machinery at large, and to "sensitise" all government cadres to
communal issues right from the training stage, officials
said.
The states have been asked by the department of personnel and
training to update it every three months on the progress made in recruiting
Muslims in their police forces, where the community is poorly
represented.
Full report at:
http://www.siasat.com/english/news/order-more-muslim-police
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'4 prime suspects in German Bakery blast fled to
Pakistan'
Asseem Shaikh
May 13, 2010
PUNE: Officers probing the deadly German Bakery blast that killed 17
people on February 13 have claimed that four prime suspects in the attack have
fled to Pakistan.
Initial suspicion had fallen on the Indian Mujahideen group and
police leaks had hinted at the involvement of the terror group's founder Riyaz
Bhatkal, his brother Iqbal and Yaseen, who is said to be a relative of the
Bhatkal brothers. But for months there has been little headway into the case and
the cops now privately admit that the IM may have little to do with it.
In that light, the sudden talk of four prime suspects fleeing to
Pakistan could also indicate a failure by the Anti-Terror Squad to find enough
evidence to nail any suspect and fend criticism by saying that the main
attackers had fled.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/4-prime-suspects-in-German-Bakery-blast-fled-to-Pakistan/articleshow/5923773.cms
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Sayeeda Warsi: a powerful Muslim woman in UK
cabinet
May 13, 2010
LONDON: Sayeeda Hussain Warsi is Shadow Minister for Community
Cohesion and Social Action and is a member of David Cameron’s Shadow Cabinet.
Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi (born March 28, 1971) is a British
politician for the Conservative Party and a lawyer. Since the UK General
Election, 2010 she has been the Chairman of the Conservative Party, sitting in
the cabinet. She is the first Muslim woman to sit in the cabinet She is a former
Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party and is the Shadow Member for the City of
Sheffield.
Sayeeda Warsi has been politically active from her early college days
and was subsequently instrumental in the launch of Operation Black Vote in West
Yorkshire in 1996 and stood as a candidate in the 2005 General
Election.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=238893
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Dialogue initiative ‘reflects Abdullah’s strategic
vision’
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
May 13, 2010
JEDDAH: Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense
and aviation, has commended Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s
efforts to promote dialogue between Saudis as well as the followers of different
faiths.
Prince Sultan made this comment in the forword of a book titled
“Dialogue in the Thought of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin
Abdul Aziz Al-Saud” authored by Saeed bin Nasser Abumilha. He said King
Abdullah’s dialogue initiative reflects his strategic vision to realize global
peace.
“King Abdullah has given the Kingdom what is required to take it to
the level of advanced countries and societies while preserving its Islamic
principles and values and cultural identity,” the crown prince said,
underscoring the king’s important role in establishing channels of dialogue
within and outside the Kingdom.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article53031.ece
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30 Saudi students taking part in Intel show in
US
By GALAL FAKKAR
May 13, 2010
JEDDAH: Thirty talented Saudi students will participate in the Intel
International Science and Engineering Fair (ISSF), to be held in San Jose,
California, from May 9 to 14.
Intel ISEF is considered the world’s largest pre-college science and
engineering competition.
The event typically brings together 1,500 young scientists and
engineers from up to 50 countries annually. The participants showcase their
cutting-edge science and engineering projects and compete for nearly $4 million
in awards and scholarships.
The Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a non-profit
organization based in Washington, D.C., has owned and administered the fair
since its inception in 1950.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article53042.ece
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Concern over obstacles in women emancipation
13 May 2010
MANAMA — A Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO) has expressed concern over what it said obstacles in women
empowerment after a recent study revealed that majority of Bahrainis do not
consider court testimonies by women as valid.
Released this week by the Bahrain Women Society for Human
Development, the study highlighted the underestimation of women potentials in
the country.
Sixty-one per cent of 846 individuals surveyed in the study thought
that court testimonies by women couldn’t be considered equal to those made by
men. Some of them said that the testimonies by two women should be considered as
one, while the rest said that females shouldn’t be allowed to testify in legal
cases.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/May/middleeast_May204.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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A winning Saudi view: high quality of imagery
By Molouk Y. Ba-Isa,
13 May 2010
Canon Middle East has announced that engineer and photographer Latif
Al-Obaida’s shot titled “Holy Haram,” has been selected as the country winner
for Saudi Arabia in “Celebrating My City,” Canon’s regional photography
competition.
The grand prize winner in the competition was Sue Azmi, representing
Kuwait with her photograph “Walking into Colours.” See the 13 national winning
photos as well as the grand prize winner by clicking to:
www.gulfphotoplus.com/canoncompetition/winners.php. The annual Canon photography
competition encouraged photographers of all abilities to submit a city inspired
image from across the region for a chance to win the EOS 500 D a DSLR Canon
camera, or a Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II professional photo
printer.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/science_technology/article52728.ece
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Let Pakistan prove its credibility before talks:
BJP
May 13, 2010
Chandigarh, May 13 – The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday questioned
the basis on which India agreed to hold the foreign ministerial level talks with
Pakistan, saying Islamabad should first prove its credibility before any talks
are held.
‘The Pakistan government should first prove its credibility on the
issue of terrorism. This should be through action on terrorism. Only then, we
(India and Pakistan) can talk,’ BJP president Nitin Gadkari said at a
meet-the-press programme at the Chandigarh Press Club
here.
‘The Pakistan government has supported and sponsored terrorism. India
has faced cross-border terrorism – a proxy war by Pakistan. We want good
relations between both countries. But for that the Pakistan government should
prove its credibility and have a strict attitude against
terror.’
Full report at:
http://www.indiatalkies.com/2010/05/pakistan-prove-credibility-talks-bjp.html
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Three arrested in Indonesia raids
By Karishma Vaswani
May 13, 2010
Police have been carrying out a series of raids against suspected
extremists
Indonesian security forces say they have arrested three terror
suspects in a police raid in central Java.
The raid comes a day after at least two men were shot dead in another
security action.
The operations followed a major raid in Aceh province in February,
when security forces clamped down on what they said was a militant training
camp.
The discovery of the camp has raised fears that terror networks are
alive and re-emerging in Indonesia.
The three men were arrested in central Java in a police raid that
took place in the early hours of Thursday.
Full report at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8679862.stm
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Honour killing? Angry family hacks daughter, mother-in-law to
death
Yudhvir Rana
May 13, 2010
TARN TARAN: A newly married woman and her mother-in-law were killed
on Wednesday in Tarn Taran district allegedly by the girl's family members for
marrying against their wishes.
The woman's husband, a resident of Brahmaniwala village, has been
admitted to a private hospital in Amritsar with serious gunshot injuries. "It is
a clear case of honour killing," said P S Virk, SSP, Tarn Taran. The police have
registered a case and detained some of the accused.
The couple, Gurleen Kaur (22) and Amarpal Singh (25), got married
about three months ago in a court following objections from girl's family. A
marriage ceremony was held in Tarn Taran, after girl's parents agreed to the
alliance.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Honour-killing-Angry-family-hacks-daughter-mother-in-law-to-death/articleshow/5924034.cms
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Khaps use same-gotra excuse to escape attacks for
fatwas
May 13, 2010
CHANDIGARH: Haryana's notorious khaps are going all out against the
same-gotra marriages apparently to divert the attention from their controversial
diktats on honour killings based on same-village marriages. In the last one
decade, scores of killings have been traced to khap 'fatwas' that cannot be
linked to the same-gotra dispute.
Some of the recent diktats of khaps reveal that except for one case
of Manoj and Babli, there has been no instance of same-gotra marriage in
Haryana. Inquiries reveal that most of the diktats are against couples who are
not from same gotra.
"Among the many instances, not even one was for the same gotra
marriage, yet the couples were declared siblings and families made to suffer
excommunication from villages," said Jagmati Sangwan, director of Women's Study
Centre, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Khaps-use-same-gotra-excuse-to-escape-attacks-for-fatwas/articleshow/5923995.cms
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Prophet cartoonist defiant after attack
May 13, 2010
STOCKHOLM: A Swedish artist whose drawing of the Prophet Muhammad
offended Muslims said today he hopes to get another chance to deliver a lecture
on free-speech that was interrupted by violent protests.
But officials at Uppsala University said they doubted they would
invite Lars Vilks again after police used pepper spray and batons to help him
escape a furious crowd Tuesday.
"It's nothing that we're discussing right now, but it's not very
likely given how it turned out here," university spokeswoman Anneli Vaara said.
While Vilks escaped the incident with broken glasses and a degree of
shock, he said it raised concerns about the freedom of expression at Sweden's
oldest and most prestigious institute of higher learning.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Prophet-cartoonist-defiant-after-attack/articleshow/5923835.cms
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Pakistan:Three years of 12th May massacre
by Farhad Jarral
13 May 2010
Today is the third anniversary of a black day in the history of
Pakistan. As Information Secretary of PSF District Malir, I attended the rally
of PPP towards airport from District Malir Karachi to receive Chief Justice
Iftikhar Chaudhary. Sajid Jokhio ( Now Minister of Zakat and Usher, Sindh) and
Raja Razzak (President District Malir PPP) were leading the rally. It is an
unforgettable day for those who participated in various rallies to receive Chief Justice and they were struggling for an
independent judiciary.
I am an eye witness of the massacre which was carefully planned by
those who did not want to see a successful rally in support of independent
judiciary; they had got orders from their big boss in khaki, General Musharraf,
who was at that time addressing the state-engineered ‘Istehkam-e-Pakistan’
(stability of Pakistan) rally in Islamabad.
Full report at:
http://criticalppp.org/lubp/archives/10840
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Obama deflects criticism of Pakistan
By Anwar Iqbal
13 May, 2010
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that his
administration was working with both Pakistan and Afghanistan to break down some
of their old suspicions and bad habits.
At a White House news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai,
the US president also indicated that Pakistan dominated at least part of his
almost three-hour long consultations with the Afghan leader and his
team.
“In support of the final part of our strategy, a regional approach,
we discussed the importance of Afghanistan’s neighbours supporting Afghan
sovereignty and security,” he said.
He then recalled that he had hosted President Karzai and President
Asif Ali Zardari together at the White House a year ago. “And our trilateral
cooperation will continue,” he declared.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/obama-deflects-criticism-of-pakistan-350
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Israel plans to build 12,000 housing units in East
Jerusalem
By MOHAMMED MAR’I
13 May 2010
RAMALLAH: The Islamic Christian Commission for Support of Jerusalem
and Holy Places on Wednesday revealed a new Israel plan for the construction of
12,000 housing units in East Jerusalem.
Hassan Khater, the secretary- general of the commission, told a press
conference in Ramallah that the Israeli authorities will allocate 3,000 dunams
(741 acres) for the construction of the new settlement of Givat Yael, which will
be home for 40,000 Israeli settlers.
Khater added that the new settlement will be constructed on lands
far-right Jewish investors, most notably the self-proclaimed Zionist Irving
Moskowitz, claim they bought from the West Bank village of Walajeh, to the
southeast of Jerusalem.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article52957.ece
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Woman forces son, 5, to smoke
May 13, 2010
ELIZABETHTON, Tennessee: An East Tennessee woman has been charged
with forcing her 5-year-old son to smoke a cigarette.
A Carter County deputy told the Johnson City Press that a 24-year-old
woman was arrested Tuesday night on charges of child abuse and neglect,
disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana. A jail officer said the woman
was being held on a $12,500 bond. Jail records did not show if the woman hired a
lawyer. Deputy Cory Tidwell said that in response to a complaint by a witness he
stopped the woman in a car and she told him she she had forced her son to smoke
a cigarette because "she was teaching him not to smoke." Tidwell also said he
found a small bag of marijuana in the car.
http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/article53049.ece
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Military response to cyber attack possible:
Pentagon
13 May 2010
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon
would consider a military response in the case of a cyber attack against the
United States, a US defense official said on Wednesday.
Asked about the possibility of using military force after a cyber
assault, James Miller, undersecretary of defense for policy, said: “Yes, we need
to think about the potential for responses that are not limited to the cyber
domain.”
But he said it remained unclear what constituted an act of war in
cyberspace.
“Those are legal questions that we are attempting to address,” Miller
said at a conference in Washington, adding that “there are certainly a lot of
grey areas in this field.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/May/international_May711.xml§ion=international&col=
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Terror in Times Square
Aijaz Zaka Syed
13 May 2010
It’s the stuff legends are
made of. Two men, born and raised thousands of miles apart in worlds that
couldn’t have been more different yet connected by a common, unseen
bond.
The stories of Faisal Shahzad and Shah Faisal remind me of Jeffrey
Archer’s fantastic novel, Kane and Abel. The Pakistani American and Indian
Kashmiri doctor are both young and share a name that is one of the most popular
in the Muslim world. Faisal literally means someone who speaks or upholds the
truth.
Faisal One, the Pakistani American who refreshed and brought home the
horror of the 9/11 last week for Americans with the Times Square bombing plot,
ostensibly got the best of everything that the great American dream could
offer.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2010/May/opinion_May82.xml§ion=opinion&col=
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Tensions rise at Philippine political summit
13 May 2010
MANILA - Tensions at the
summit of Philippine politics mounted on Thursday as presidential frontrunner
Benigno Aquino’s team vowed to use the “enormous powers” of office to probe
outgoing leader Gloria Arroyo.
Arroyo has promised a smooth transition, but she angered Aquino this
week by appointing a new Supreme Court chief justice in a move seen as trying to
retain influence and secure legal protection after she steps down on June
30.
Aquino triggered their feud when he said Tuesday he would ensure as
president that Arroyo was investigated over alleged vote-rigging in the 2004
presidential election, and that suspect government contracts would be
reviewed.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/May/international_May723.xml§ion=international
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Hamas accuses Egypt of torturing prisoners
13 May 2010
GAZA CITY - Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose relations with Cairo are
growing increasingly tense, on Tuesday accused Egypt of torturing Palestinian
prisoners.
“They are subjected to horrible methods of torture, electrocuted,
hung by their limbs for long periods, beaten,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman
for the Islamist movement.
“The situation of the detainees in the Egyptian prisons is
catastrophic,” he told AFP. “Arrests and torture are
increasing.”
He said 30 members of Palestinians factions, including 11 from Hamas,
are held in Egyptian prisons, where they have served from one to six
years.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/May/middleeast_May203.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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‘Fight for power between
feudal lords and the urban elite’
By Jan Khaskheli
May 13, 2010
The MQM and the PPP may have different stances on the restoration of
Hyderabad’s old status the residents of Hyderabad believe that the division of
the district or restoration of its old boundaries will not bring any improvement
in the lives of common people. They say that they were neither in favour of the
division of Hyderabad into four separate districts in the first place, nor they
now like it to see a reversal of that decision.
“The PPP government should tell benefits the commoners will get after
the restoration of the old boundaries of the (Hyderabad) district,” suggested a
renowned Sindhi writer, Rauf Nizamani. He told The News that the people of the
district were already facing a number of problems including, poverty,
unemployment, price hike and power shortages, and this decision would do nothing
but create more problems. Why doesn’t the government initiate development
projects, and provide relief to the people through creating more job resources
and other schemes, he asked.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=238815
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102 Pakistanis in Thai jails
By Aamir Yasin
13 May, 2010
ISLAMABAD, May 12: At least 102 Pakistanis are languishing in
Thailand’s jails, awaiting the implementation of a treaty for exchange of
inmates between the two countries.
According to a non-governmental organisation, the Global Foundation,
the agreement was signed on Dec 20, 2007, by Thai interior minister Pibble
Songram and Pakistani ambassador Lt-Gen (retd) Khateer Hussain Khan and all
arrangements regarding the prisoners’ return were finalised in November.
Ulfat Kazmi, executive director of the NGO, claimed on Wednesday that
seven Pakistani prisoners had lost their lives while completion of file work had
been delayed by the government.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/102-pakistanis-in-thai-jails-350
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Israel criticises Russian talks with Hamas
13 May, 2010
JERUSALEM: Israel sharply criticised Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev on Wednesday for having met the exiled Hamas supremo Khaled Meshaal in
the Syrian capital Damascus.
The foreign ministry also sharply rejected what it said was a call
from Medvedev and his Turkish countepart Abdullah Gul to include Hamas in the
peace process.
“There is no difference between Hamas actions against Israel and
Chechen terror against Russia,” a ministry statement said.
“The foreign ministry vehemently rejects the call from the presidents
of Russia and Turkey to include Hamas in the peace process and expresses deep
disappointment over the meeting between the president of Russia and Khaled
Meshaal in Damascus.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/israel-criticises-russian-talks-with-hamas-350
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Bulgarian woman has twins at 62
13 May, 2010
SOFIA: A 62-year-old Bulgarian woman has become the country’s oldest
first-time mother by giving birth to twins following an embryo transfer, the
daily 24 Hours reported on Wednesday.
Krasimira Dimitrova, a psychiatrist from the northern city of Ruse,
gave birth by caesarian section on May 5 to twin baby girls, named Mary and
Jacqueline, who each weighed less than one kilogramme (2.2 pounds).
Her pregnancy was the result of an embryo transfer, Dimitrova told
the newspaper in an interview, adding that she was initially impregnated with
triplets but doctors decided to remove one of the embryos.
“Age was not an obstacle for me... I so much wanted to have
children,” she said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/bulgarian-woman-has-twins-at-62-350
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Northern Afhanistan needs major offensive: Nato
13 May, 2010
KUNDUZ, May 12: As Nato troops battle a escalating insurgency in
northern Afghanistan, a senior military official said on Wednesday a major
offensive was necessary in the once relatively peaceful region.
Taliban activity in Afghanistan has traditionally been concentrated
in the south, base of the Islamists battling to unseat the western-backed
government.
The north, currently under German command, was until recently
regarded as the safest part of the country.
But a rise in militant activity has seen the Germans engaged in major
battles for the first time since World War II.
Seven German soldiers were killed last month in heavy fighting in
Kunduz province, and Germany’s most senior military officer in Afghanistan on
Wednesday raised the prospect of the first major anti-Taliban offensive in the
north.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/northern-afhanistan-needs-major-offensive-nato-350
9:51 PM
Sultan Shahin
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