Islamic World News
24 May 2010, NewAgeIslam.com
Dubai bouncing back after financial woes
Saudi
women giving it back to moral police
NY plot probe shows radicalism creeping into Pak elite
circles
Cleric's jihad call for US troops
15 Somalis killed in attack on Presidency
Love for Rahman Baba prevails over terrorist
threats
Do clothes make a woman?
Loss of an era in Babylon
Bahraini women to step up nationality campaign
CPM accuses Jama’at of being two-faced
Jama Masjid beyond ASI reach
Trust deficit is biggest problem with Pakistan:
PM
Pak is united on the Kashmir issue: PM
Gilani
Kurdish children jailed in Turkey under anti-terror law
Opportunities Facing American Muslim Women
Key Mumbai attack suspect, Abdul Samad Bhatkal,
arrested
Top army brass wants tenure extension for
Kayani
Australia expels Israeli diplomat
Opposition Builds to 9/11 Mosque
YES,THESE SHAADIS ARE LEGAL!
Taliban up bounty to $2400 for each Nato soldier
killed
Obama seeks new global order to defeat Qaida’s small men
Times Square plot: Pak detains one more for links with Faisal
Miss Hezbollah US beauty queen not Right choice
Oxford: Debate on Islamic reform
The real culprits: Pakistan’s fixation with faith has nothing to do
with its creation
‘Quran can’t be compared with constitution’
US Itching to fight another Muslim enemy
PA to absorb 6,000 settlement workers
Artists from 17 nations in beautification
competition
Al-Sistani not taking sides, calls for unity:
Allawi
Iran says US hikers 'spies', proposes prisoner
swap
Compiled by: Asit Kumar
Photo: Burj Dubai
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Dubai bouncing back after financial woes
By SIRAJ WAHAB
May 24, 2010
DUBAI: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," said Mark
Twain, a famous quote that could also be applied to Dubai.
Everybody was quick to write the epitaph of this glitzy emirate. One
year later, Dubai seems to be getting back on its feet.
Hotels are reporting high occupancy rates, and financial experts are
revising their figures. Cranes are going up on the skylines once
again.
"The sentiment is not depressing anymore. Yes, we all know not
everything is all right, but what we also know is that there is light at the end
of the tunnel, and we can see it approaching," said John Wilkinson, who works as
a corporate manager at a Dubai firm.
He says his family of one wife and two children is very much with him
in the UAE.
"We have had pay cuts and some layoffs, as well. The perception that
everybody would just leave Dubai for good has not been borne out by facts of the
ground. Some longtime expatriates have dropped off their family members in their
home countries, and they themselves have come back to see how things work out,"
he added.
Things seem to be working out well. "Companies have started reporting
profits. Only the other day, Emirates Airlines reported a huge profit. The
newspapers are full of corporate advertisements, and these reports about Dubai
Metro in our newspapers have added to the emerging feel-good factor," said
Wilkinson, a British national who has been in Dubai since
1987.
"To be honest, some British friends of mine who went back to Britain
have come back with what to me are horror stories. I say with full guarantee
things are fine in Dubai, and those who have spoken ill about this place will
eventually eat crow."
Wilkinson is not alone. Afaqullah Khan, an Afghan national who works
at the Madinat Jumeirah five-star holiday resort, says this is the best place to
work in and make money.
"I have no complaints. In fact, this financial turmoil was a blessing
in disguise. Prices had gone up phenomenally. It was becoming difficult to save
money a year or so ago. Now wherever you go they have fantastic discounts. From
a consumer's point of view this was great," he said
Khan claimed the occupancy at the posh resorts, which are located
very close to the seven-star Burj Dubai Hotel, stands at 92 percent
today.
"Remember this is the off season. When winter sets in, things will
look up further," he added.
To the visitor, Dubai looks straight out of Europe. Its leaders had a
vision, and they were able to translate their vision into
reality.
"Some of their plans have not proved to be prudent as a result of
some of their key investors defaulting on their debt, resulting in all these
problems," says Mariyana Lubotovich, a journalist from the Czech Republic who is
in town to cover an energy conference.
"I keep visiting this place often. There are a number of reasons why
Dubai will always remain a favorite of people in Europe. First and foremost is
the easy visa procedure. That is a luxury not afforded by any other Middle
Eastern country. Of course, the other famous attraction is the
weather."
She says she adores the place so much that she proposed to her future
husband in the city, adding financial recovery in the city is
imminent.
Her latter claim was supported by a report in English-language daily
Gulf News on Tuesday.
The newspaper quotes George Abed, a senior official at the Institute
of International Finance, as saying that the UAE's economic recovery has started
gaining momentum and that its real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to
grow 2 percent this year and 2.7 percent in 2011.
"The UAE and its Gulf neighbors will lead the Middle East in economic
recovery, and the growth in the Gulf region will be the second best in emerging
markets after Asia," says Abed.
In the report, Abed agrees that the ability of Dubai to continue to
attract foreign capital will suffer a temporary setback but says it could
recover soon if the restructuring of its government-related entities is
satisfactory to all stakeholders.
Dubai's GDP represents 33 percent of the Emirate's GDP and 55 percent
of the UAE's non-hydrocarbon GDP.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article55573.ece
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Saudi women giving it back to moral police
May 24, 2010
Dubai: Saudi Arabian women are reportedly fighting back against the
country’s religious police, with one married woman opening fire and another
punching an officer.
According to media reports, the incident involving the woman happened
when she was caught in an illegal seclusion with a man in Hail last week. She
shot at the officers to distract them and allow the man to escape instant
detention, the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mutlak al Nabet, a Commission for
the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice spokesman, as
saying.
The woman's husband has asked the police to punish his wife and strip
of her Saudi nationality, as it is illegal for women to socialise with unrelated
men or walk in public without a male guardian.
Earlier, another woman had reportedly punched an officer in Al
Mubarrazz so badly that he had to visit a hospital to be treated for
bruising.
Saudi newspaper Okaz wrote that the woman lashed out when the
policeman challenged on the relationship she had with a man she was with in a
public park. She now could face jail or the lash.
People are so fed up with these religious police, and now they have
to pay the price for the humiliation they put people through for years and
years, said Wajiha Huwaidar, a Saudi human rights
activist.
This is just the beginning and there will be more resistance,
Huwaidar added.
Times of India
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NY plot probe shows radicalism creeping into Pak elite
circles
May 24, 2010
LAHORE: Violence has steadily disturbed the lifestyles of the
Pakistani elite and expatriates in Islamabad, but now militancy may have
infiltrated one remaining social reserve of those groups: private, canapé-laden
parties in manicured compounds, said the Washington Post in a report on Sunday.
Pakistani intelligence
official told the paper on Saturday that the US-educated co-owner of a catering
firm to posh events, including American embassy functions, might have given
money to the suspect in the Times Square bomb plot and been asked to aid attacks
on diplomats’ gatherings.
Salman Ashraf Khan, 35, is among several detained in a widening
Pakistani probe into the attempted bombing in New York that has netted a former
army major, a computer salesman and other professionals.
Khan’s suspected involvement prompted the US embassy to warn
Americans to avoid the catering company, with the arrests adding to evidence
that the terrorism threat in Pakistan emanated not just from cave-dwelling
radicals, but from the Western-oriented upper crust as well.
Connections: “It’s not just an individual pulling strings,” a Western
official told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity. “There are an awful
lot of people connected.”
The precise ties between those recently detained in Pakistan and
Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American accused of the New York bomb attempt,
have not been established, and the intelligence official said none had confessed
to roles in the bomb plot.
But Khan and at least two of them knew Shahzad and all had lambasted
“anti-Muslim” US policies during interrogations, the official said.
In the US, investigations of Shahzad, and other terrorism suspects
have prompted concern about extremism among “assimilated” middle-class Muslims,
the paper said.
Rise: Muhammad Amir Rana, a terrorism researcher in Islamabad, told
the Washington Post that his recent surveys indicated that radicalisation was on
the rise among privileged Pakistani youth, who relate neither to the West nor to
Pakistan’s impoverished masses.
“They feel alienated,” Rana said, director of the Pak Institute for
Peace Studies, who added that such feelings have rarely led to violence. “So
they try to identify themselves through religion.”
Combating radicalisation is a focus of a new surge in US aid to
Pakistan, where polls repeatedly reveal deep anti-Americanism.
The Pakistani intelligence official told the Washington Post that
Khan and Shahzad were friends and probably met during Shahzad’s trip to Pakistan
earlier this year. Another man detained, Shoaib Mughal, owns a small
computer-sales firm in Islamabad and is suspected of linking Shahzad with the
Pakistani Taliban in the Tribal Areas. A third is Khan’s business partner; the
two provided food to the cafeteria of the headquarters of Mobilink, Khan’s
father has said.
The intelligence official said a former army major was also arrested
on suspicions of links to the plot. But another senior intelligence officer,
echoing military statements, said that arrest was unrelated to the Shahzad
probe.
The senior officer played down the Islamabad detentions, telling the
paper that investigators were questioning and releasing many people.
But the rare US alert on Friday about terrorists’ ties to Hanif
Rajput Catering Services, Khan’s firm, indicated that investigators were looking
at him more seriously. The family business caters to more than 200 events a
month for military, government and diplomatic circles in Islamabad, and the
intelligence official said terrorist organisations might have sought to “use”
Khan for access to them.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\24\story_24-5-2010_pg1_9
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Cleric's jihad call for US troops
May 24, 2010
DUBAI: Radical Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi has urged all Muslims
serving in the United States' army to follow the example of Major Nidal Hassan,
who stands accused of killing 13 of his comrades in November, in a video posted
on Sunday.
"What Nidal Hassan did was heroic ... and I call on all Muslims
serving in the US army to follow his path," he said in a video posted by
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula on jihadist websites, the US monitoring group
SITE reported. "Nidal Hassan is one of my students and I am honoured by that,"
Awlaqi said in the video, whose authenticity could not immediately be verified.
Major Nidal Hasan, a US army psychiatrist, is accused of having
opened fire on colleagues at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people in November.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Middle-East/Clerics-jihad-call-for-US-troops/articleshow/5966514.cms
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15 Somalis killed in attack on Presidency
May 24, 2010
MOGADISHU (Somalia)—Islamist militants attacked Somalia’s
presidential compound and other government positions in the capital Sunday, and
at least 15 people were killed and 30 others wounded, officials and witnesses
said.
President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed has been attending a
U.N.-sponsored conference in Turkey aimed at helping the lawless Horn of Africa
nation and was not in the palace at the time of the attack.
Somali insurgents have repeatedly targeted key government
installations, firing mortars at the presidential palace as well as the airport
and the seaport. And at least 16 civilians have been killed last weekend when
Islamic insurgents attacked a building where Somalia’s parliament was meeting.
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0510/24/FrontPage/FrontPage13.php
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Love for Rahman Baba prevails over terrorist
threats
By Akhtar Ali
May 24, 2010
PESHAWAR: Devotees and admirers from all walks of life still swarm
the shrine of mystic poet of Pashto language Abdur Rahman Baba to pay tribute to
him.
The poetry of Rahman Baba has been enchanting the minds and souls of
the people for the last many years. He was born in 1653 in Bahadar Kaley in
Peshawar. He passed away in 1711. The poetry of Rahman Baba preaches love,
humanity and tolerance. He is held in great esteem by the
Pakhtuns.
The shrine located in Hazarkhwani village on the outskirts of the
provincial metropolis was bombed by militants on 5th March. Local people say
some unidentified men had asked the caretaker of the mausoleum to bar women from
visiting the shrine otherwise they would blow it up.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\24\story_24-5-2010_pg7_27
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Do clothes make a woman?
Christopher Dickey
24 May 2010
Do clothes make the Muslim?
The French cabinet approved a draft law this week that would make it illegal for
women to veil their faces so that only their eyes—and sometimes not even their
eyes—are visible.
Wearing what are called
burqas or niqabs, the women in question keep their bodies cloaked and their
hands gloved even in the heat of summer. They say this is their religious duty
and their civil right.
In the United States, meanwhile, controversy continues about Rima
Fakih, a 24-year-old Arab-American from a Lebanese Shia family who won the Miss
USA beauty pageant on Sunday after her stellar appearance in a bikini. At least
one surly blonde tried to suggest Fakih has family ties to “Hezbollah
terrorists” in Lebanon, but the big question that briefly threatened her hold on
the crown was whether she was too sexy in a pole-dancing competition she entered
a couple of years ago.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2010/May/opinion_May149.xml§ion=opinion
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Loss of an era in Babylon
24 May 201
Iraq today is in a sordid
tale of destruction and deception. Not only has its sovereignty been encroached
in the post invasion era, it has also been robbed of its rich cultural
heritage.
Nothing has been spared from loot and plunder: museums, libraries,
archeological sites and other repositories, you name it. Many have been
shamefully exposed to destruction and have been ruined at the hands of marauders
of all sorts. There are unaccountable tales of burning ancient heritage,
including the National Library and looting artefacts from the National Museum in
Baghdad.
The height of contempt for local heritage is the military base that
has been constructed by the US army on a protected site of ancient Babylon
civilization, according to the New York Times. Absence of government writ and
lack of priorities for safeguarding the heritage, culture and monuments is
taking a heavy toll on Iraq. And there is no dearth of thieves, burglars and
faceless art collectors who have fled with thousands of precious relics. And
whatever was spared is now periodically annihilated by incidents of terrorism
and destruction. The country, once the cradle of civilization and boasted many
of world’s wonders, is in ruins, defaced and written off from the chapters ?of
antiquity.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/editorial/2010/May/editorial_May44.xml§ion=editorial&col=
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Bahraini women to step up nationality campaign
24 May 2010
MANAMA — Bahraini women
married to foreigners have vowed to step in during parliamentary elections to be
held this year to pressure the government to amend in the nationality
law.
During a meeting between the Bahraini women married to foreigners and
representatives of the Nationality Campaign, a panel of eight women was formed
to use power of their vote to get the law amended.
They warned of staging a boycott of the election if their demands
were not met. The women decided to coordinate their efforts through the panel of
eight of them to visit election campaigning sites, mainly tents erected in
neighbourhoods to push for Bahraini nationality for their children similar to
the children of male citizens married to foreigner women.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/May/middleeast_May386.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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CPM accuses Jama’at of being two-faced
May 24, 2010
Kerala CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday alleged that the
Jama’at-e-Islami had a face different from the one it was projecting in the
society. Inaugurating a party office building at Mylampady in the district,
Pinarayi asked the people to recognise the true face the Jama’at was allegedly
hiding behind its democratic mask.
“Even fascist organisations are now claiming to be democratic,” he
said, referring to Jama’at Kerala Amir T Arifali’s statement that his outfit did
not uphold the concept of a religious State.
To the Jama’at, Pinarayi said, “The Muslims have rejected you. You
have been exposed.” The CPI(M) has been on a campaign against Jama’at-e-Islami
since an agitation led by it against a mega road project in Kozhikode district
on May 6.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/257764/CPM-accuses-Jama%E2%80%99at-of-being-two-faced.html
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Jama Masjid beyond ASI reachs
MOHAMMED ANAS
May 24,
2010
The proposed National Monuments Authority, envisaged by the Ministry
of Culture headed by Pime Minister Manmohan Singh, is unlikely to have any say
over structures like Delhi's Jama Masjid. though promulgated to safeguard
ASI-protected ancient monuments, the body is said to be "relased" towards
religious and controversial structures despite t he most "balant" violations of
ASI norms in these places.
the proposed NMA legislatons, under the new Ancient Monuments and
Archaelogical Remains and Sites (Amendment and Validations) Act, 2010, stipulate
a penalty of Rs 1 lakh or imprisonment of two years for constructions or
encroachment within a 300-metre radius of an ASI-protected monument and
authorise the ASI to undertake the upkeep of its properties. But in the case of
Jama Masjid, an ASI protected monument and a Delhi Wakf Board property, the sole
authority is its Imam Ahmed Bukhari.
Full report at: The Sunday Guardian
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Trust deficit is biggest problem with Pakistan:
PM
May 24, 2010
NEW DELHI: Trust deficit is the biggest problem with Pakistan and no
progress can happen in negotiations unless this issue is addressed, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Monday.
"Trust deficit is the biggest problem," he said at the first major
press conference to mark the first year of the second term of the United
Progressive Alliance government.
"It is my conviction that ... why we haven't been able to make
headway in composite dialogue is that there has been lack of adequate trust," he
said.
Singh said trust deficit was identified as a core issue when he met
his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani in Bhutan last month.
"We agreed that trust deficit is a major problem blocking progress in
the direction of going forward and that it should be our common endeavour to
reduce the trust deficit. That's we agreed that the foreign ministers should
meet," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Trust-deficit-is-biggest-problem-with-Pakistan-PM/articleshow/5967498.cms
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Pak is united on the Kashmir issue: PM Gilani
May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday sought an end
to the "long legacy of hostility and distrust" between India and Pakistan so
that the two countries could work towards the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir
issue.
"There is an imperative need to end the long legacy of hostility and
distrust and to work towards a peaceful
resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the wishes of the
people of Jammu and Kashmir," Gilani was quoted as saying in a statement issued
by his media office.
Pakistan remains committed to the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir
issue through negotiations and dialogue despite the country's own regional
challenges, he said during a meeting with "president" Raja Zulqarnain Khan and
"prime minister" Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pak-is-united-on-the-Kashmir-issue-PM-Gilani/articleshow/5969246.cms
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Kurdish children jailed in Turkey under anti-terror
law
May 24, 2010
More than 340 children in the Kurdish south-east of Turkey have been
given long prison sentences in the past three years.
Most of them were detained for taking part in anti-government
protests, under a law banning any show of support for the outlawed Kurdish
Workers' Party, or PKK.
The government says it knows the law, which requires a minimum
five-year sentence, is too harsh, but it has yet to change
it.
Jonathan Head reports from Istanbul.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10145351.stm
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Opportunities Facing American Muslim Women
Asifa Quraishi
May 24, 2010
As Americans, we have a unique opportunity to practice Islam in its
true form -- without much of the cultural or traditional baggage that is
oppressive to women... Because we have these opportunities, we must use them to
clearly state our position and to fight to end the oppression suffered by
women.
We feel that we, as Muslim Americans, have opportunities to openly
address the challenges facing American Muslim women. As Americans we have access
to a legal system that was formulated to protect the rights of those who suffer
abuse. The laws of the United States guarantee us certain freedoms, such as the
freedoms of religion and speech. We have legal avenues to fight discrimination
and abuse. We also have the ability to engage in open and honest dialogues
without fear of retribution from the government.
Full report at:
http://www.islamfortoday.com/americanmuslimwomenopportunities.htm
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Key Mumbai attack suspect, Abdul Samad Bhatkal,
arrested
May 24, 2010
MANGALORE: Suspected terrorist Abdul Samad Bhatkal, believed to be
one of the conspirators of the Mumbai terror attack, was arrested by the Mumbai
Anti-Terror Squad at the Bajpe airport here on Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, the ATS arrested Bhatkal as soon as he landed
here from Dubai in the early hours, police said.
Bhatkal was immediately whisked away to an undisclosed location, they
said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/Key-Mumbai-attack-suspect-Abdul-Samad-Bhatkal-arrested/articleshow/5968196.cms
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Top army brass wants tenure extension for
Kayani
May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Amid speculation whether Pakistan government would grant
an extension to Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the powerful Army Chief seems to have
got the backing of his key commanders to prolong his tenure.
Army commanders have developed a consensus that COAS General Kayani
should continue till the ongoing war on terror takes a decisive turn so that the
achievements attained may be consolidated and not go waste, The News daily said.
Kayani is set to retire on November 28 this year and political
circles have been abuzz with speculation on whether the Pakistan People's
Party-led government will grant him an extension.
Kayani got the backing from his top brass during the Corps Commanders
and Formation Commanders' conference that concluded last week.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Top-army-brass-wants-tenure-extension-for-Kayani/articleshow/5968356.cms
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Australia expels Israeli diplomat
May 24, 2010
SYDNEY: Australia on Monday said it would expel an official from the
Israeli embassy, after finding the Jewish state was behind fake Australian
passports linked to the killing of a Hamas operative.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia remained a "firm
friend" of Israel but that no government could tolerate the abuse of its
passports.
"The government has asked that a member of the Israeli embassy in
Canberra be withdrawn from Australia," Smith told parliament, without
identifying the official.
"I have asked that the withdrawal be effected within a week."
An investigation into how four Australian passports were used by the
team that carried out the January killing of Hamas operative Mahmud al-Mabhuh in
a luxury Dubai hotel found the documents were forgeries, Smith said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Australia-expels-Israeli-diplomat/articleshow/5968921.cms
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Opposition Builds to 9/11 Mosque
By Audrey Hudson
05/24/2010
A Muslim couple say they want to “change the narrative” of the
September 11 terrorist attacks by building a mosque to tower over 45 Park
Avenue, just 600 feet from where the World Trade Center once
stood.
But opponents of the project say the location is not an appropriate
site and question the motives of the couple as well as those who would donate
money for the $100 million project to construct the Islamic cultural
center.
“We decided we wanted to look at the legacy of 9/11 and do something
positive,” Daisy Kahn, executive director of the American Society for Muslim
Advancement said in an interview with the Wall Street
Journal.
Kahn said the group, founded with her husband Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf,
represents moderate Muslims who want “to reverse the trend of extremism and the
kind of ideology that the extremists are spreading.”
Full report at:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37142
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YES, THESE SHAADIS ARE LEGAL!
DEVANSHI SETH
May 24, 2010
Despite the Allahabad HCs ruling that non-Muslim women need to
convert before marrying a Muslim. Heres the fine print...
There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip. For everyone who was
jumping to hurried conclusions that the Allahabad High Court’s ruling saying
marriages between non-Muslim girls and Muslim boys would be considered void,if
the girl did not convert to Islam, was reason enough to raise questions about
the validity of Hindu-Muslim celebrity weddings, it’s time to pause and do a
reality check.Because the weddings of Gauri and Shah Rukh Khan, Iran Rao and
Aamir Khan,Malaika Arora Khan and Arbaaz Khan, Sangeeta Bijlani and Mohamamd
Azharuddin, Amrita Arora and Shakeel Ladak, Mini Mathur and Kabir Khan, aren’t
really under the legal scanner even if all these women didn’t convert to their
husband’s religion. But how can that be, you ask, if the Allahabad High Court’s
ruling holds true Here’s how.
Full report at: The Times of India
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Taliban up bounty to $2400 for each Nato soldier
killed
Miles Amoore
May 24, 2010
Taliban rebels are earning a bounty of up to 200,000 Pakistani rupees
($2,400) for each Nato soldier they kill, according to insurgent commanders.
The money is said to come from protection rackets, taxes imposed on
opium farmers, donors in the Gulf states who channel money through Dubai and
from the senior Taliban leadership in Pakistan.
So far this year 211 Nato soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan,
including 41 British troops, bringing the potential rewards for the Taliban to
$500,000. Taliban commanders said the bounty had more than doubled since the
beginning of last year.
The insurgents, who employ "hit and run" tactics against foot patrols
and convoys, use paid informants, media reports and the local population to
confirm the deaths of Nato soldiers.
"We can't lie to our commanders: they can check to see if there was a
fight in that area. We get money if we capture equipment too. A gun can fetch
$1,000," said a commander from Khost province who controls about 60 fighters.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/South-Asia/Taliban-up-bounty-to-2400-for-each-Nato-soldier-killed/articleshow/5966507.cms
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Obama seeks new global order to defeat Qaida’s small
men
May 24, 2010
West Point: President Barack Obama dismissed terror tactics of
al-Qaidas small men in a rallying cry to military cadets Saturday to help shape
an international order to resolve global problems.
The threat will not go away soon, but lets be clear: Al-Qaida and its
affiliates are small men on the wrong side of history, Obama told graduates of
the prestigious US Military Academy at West Point.
They lead no nation.They lead no religion.We need not give in to fear
every time a terrorist tries to scare us.
With the commencement address, Obama returned to the site of his
landmark December speech announcing a dramatic rise in the number of US troops
in Afghanistan in a bid to bring an end-game to the bloody war with US forces
now nearing its ninth year. We must... shape an international order that can
meet the challenges of our generation, Obama urged the graduates as he vowed to
strengthen alliances with global partners in Afghanistan and
beyond.
Full report at: Times of India
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Times Square plot: Pak detains one more for links with
Faisal
May 24, 2010
Islamabad: Pakistani police have detained another man on suspicion of
having links with Pakistani-American terror suspect Faisal Shahzad, who
allegedly tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square in New York, from a market
in the heart of the federal capital.
Over two dozen policemen, some in civilian clothes, raided the posh
Kohsar Market on Friday night and took the man into custody, officials and a
witness were quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
The man put up some resistance, which led to an exchange of harsh
words. He was handcuffed and taken in a vehicle to an undisclosed
place.
Before the raid, police cordoned off the Sector F-6 /3 area, which
has several embassies and residences of diplomats. According to witnesses, the
man in his mid-30 s came to the market at about 7pm local time and sat in an
open area. He remained busy with his mobile phone, calling or sending messages,
before the raid at about 10.30pm,they said.
Full report at: Times of India
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Miss Hezbollah US beauty queen not Right choice
Tony Allen-Mills
May 24, 2010
She isn’t the first American beauty queen to be caught out by racy
photographs from her past but Rima Fakih, who was crowned Miss USA last week, is
certainly the first to be plunged into a political controversy about radical
Islam, affirmative action and her family’s supposed links to the Hezbollah
political and paramilitary organisation in Lebanon.
After her success as the first Muslim immigrant to win the Miss USA
title, Fakih swiftly shrugged off the mildly salacious pole-dancing pictures
that were leaked by someone she had considered a friend.
Less easy to dispel was an outburst of right-wing anger over a beauty
pageant result that some believed had more to do with political correctness and
commercial calculation than feminine appeal. If I had lost,people would have
said, oh,its because you are a Muslim, Fakih said. It’s funny, because now they
are saying instead, oh, its because you are a Muslim that you won.
Full report at: Times of India
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Oxford: Debate on Islamic reform
By Yahya Birt
24 May, 2010
THIS week in Oxford, England, two of western Islam’s leading
religious thinkers — Hamza Yusuf and Tariq Ramadan — will come together for the
first time to discuss the hotly debated topic of Islamic reform. Does it matter?
And why should we pay attention to what they have to say?
For the generation of western-born Muslims who came of age in Europe
and North America in the ’90s, Yusuf and Ramadan are leading figureheads in
Islamic revivalism in the West. Charismatic and eloquent, their call for an
authentic western Islam has resonated with their young
audiences.
They are likely to emphasise their commonalities but Yusuf and
Ramadan approach religious revival from different traditions and locations.
Yusuf is a traditionally trained American imam who focuses on personal spiritual
reform and education, while Ramadan is a European philosopher who speaks of
legal reform and the public engagement of western Muslims as active
citizens.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/editorial/debate-on-islamic-reform-450
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The real culprits: Pakistan’s fixation with faith has nothing to do
with its creation
Yasser Latif Hamdani
May 24, 2010
As the second most populous Muslim nation state after Indonesia, our
dilemma is no different from the confessional states of Europe that over time
became the staunchest defenders of civil liberties and
secularism
Rakesh Mani was kind enough to mention my article ‘Faisal Shahzad’s
radicalisation’, (Daily Times, May 10, 2010) in his article ‘The University of
God’ (Daily Times, May 20, 2010). While I agree with most of his observations
about Islamic organisations on American university campuses, I must raise a note
of dissent in so far as his treatment of Pakistan and Pakistanis is
concerned.
First of all, Pakistan’s fixation with faith has nothing to do with
the creation of Pakistan, which was in any event not on the basis of religious
ideology. This is a moot point for most objective historians studying the
creation of Pakistan. Indeed the champions of religious ideology were entirely
opposed to the creation of Pakistan. Jinnah’s references to Islam — few and far
between — were to reinforce the idea that a pluralistic constitutional democracy
is indeed a cardinal principle of the dominant religio-cultural system to which
his constituency belonged.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\24\story_24-5-2010_pg3_5
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‘Quran can’t be compared with constitution’
May 24, 2010
PAKISTAN Muslim League-Quaid President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has
said that the Holy Quran cannot be compared with the constitution or any other
book for that matter, therefore, the debate in this regard should be stopped.
According to a press statement issued on Sunday, he said that no Muslim could
deny the fact that we all accepted the Holy Quran as the ultimate and optimum
code of life and the act of comparing it with any other book or document was an
unpardonable sin in itself. He condemned any statement issued in this regard in
its totality.
JTA flays: JAMIAT-E-TALABA ARABIYA (JTA) Muntazim-e-Aala Mohammad
Ghayas has condemned the statement of Central Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab
and has said that she should refrain from making any such statement regarding
the Holy Quran in future. He said nobody could question the validity of the Holy
Quran, or deem any other document superior to it. He said the JTA did not
approve of any such act or statement. He further said that a more stern approach
would be adopted in the event of another such statement.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=240901
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US Itching to fight another Muslim enemy
By ROBERT PARRY
May 24, 2010
Nobody in the major US media or in politics will ever be hurt by
talking tough and flexing muscles
If you read the major American newspapers or watch the propaganda on
cable TV, it’s pretty clear that the US foreign policy establishment is again
spoiling for a fight, this time in Iran.
Just as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was the designated target of American
hate in 2002 and 2003, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is playing that
role now. Back then, any event in Iraq was cast in the harshest possible light;
today, the same is done with Iran.
Anyone who dares suggest that the situation on the ground might not
be as black and white as the Washington Post’s editors claim it is must be an
“apologist” for the enemy regime. It’s also not very smart for one’s reputation
to question the certainty of the reporting in the New York Times, whether about
Iraq’s “aluminum tubes” for nuclear centrifuges in 2002 or regarding Iran’s
“rigged” election in 2009.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/opinion/columns/article56924.ece
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PA to absorb 6,000 settlement workers
By MOHAMMED MAR'I
May 23, 2010
RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian Minister of Social Affairs Majedah
Al-Masri said Sunday that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had taken practical
steps to absorb 6,000 Palestinians working in Jewish settlements in the West
Bank.
Al-Masri said in a press statement that the PA would create jobs for
6,000 of the 25,000 Palestinians who now work in the settlements. She called on
Palestinian workers, particularly women, to fill out a form her ministry had
prepared for this purpose.
She added that the number of women workers in Jewish settlements is
small compared to the number of men. Al-Masri said the Ministry of Social
Affairs would coordinate with the Palestinian private sector and the national
institutions to absorb the workers.
The PA has established a national empowerment fund to help create
jobs for the remainder of the 25,000 Palestinians, but that remains a long-term
goal. For now, many Palestinian workers have no choice but to earn a living
however they can.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article56872.ece
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Artists from 17 nations in beautification
competition
By FATIMA SIDIYA
May 23, 2010
JEDDAH: Participants from 17 countries from around the globe have so
far entered an Islamic art competition that is being held to beautify Makkah and
turn it into an open Islamic art museum.
The competition — entitled “In the Love of Makkah We Meet” — is still
accepting entrants until June 1, said Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar, the
competition’s supervisor. He added that the next step is to begin receiving
participants’ works.
The competition is open to Muslims, regardless of nationality, age or
gender, said Emad Al-Baili, the executive manager of Arabian Company, which is
organizing the competition.
Al-Baili said five judges from Malaysia, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and
Saudi Arabia will judge the submitted artwork. He, however, refused to divulge
the names of the judges saying they are well known in art. These countries, said
Al-Baili, were chosen as they have their own independent art schools. Winners
will be announced at a grand ceremony either in Makkah or Jeddah. The ceremony
will be accompanied with an art gallery that will then tour the Kingdom’s main
cities.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article56907.ece
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Al-Sistani not taking sides, calls for unity:
Allawi
May 23, 2010
BAGHDAD: Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric assured leaders of the
Sunni-backed coalition that narrowly won the March election that no group will
be excluded from the new government, representatives of the Iraqiya list said
Sunday.
The 83-year-old Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani carries great weight
with the country's Shiite politicians, who have dominated the Iraqi government
since the US invasion in 2003 that overthrew Saddam Hussein's
regime.
"Al-Sistani stressed national unity and ... the importance of forming
the government as soon as possible," said Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite who
heads the Iraqiya coalition.
Speaking to reporters in Najaf after the meeting, Allawi said the
cleric emphasized the next government should serve the people without "excluding
and marginalizing any group," in an apparent reference to the minority Sunnis,
who have felt politically sidelined since 2003.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article56883.ece
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Iran says US hikers 'spies', proposes prisoner
swap
By HOSSEIN JASSEB
May 23, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran's intelligence minister said on Sunday he had no doubt
three US citizens arrested last July near the Iraq border were spies and called
on Washington to propose a prisoner swap to secure their
release.
Relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic are
strained by what Western powers believe are Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear
weapon. Iran denies the accusation, but US-led efforts are afoot to impose new
sanctions on Tehran.
The US State Department has called for the freeing of the three, who
entered Iran from northern Iraq. Iran's judiciary has laid espionage charges
against Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal,
27.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article56878.ece
10:21 PM
Sultan Shahin
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