Islamic World News
18 Jun 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Qaeda militants ‘holed up’ near Delhi
French
tennis star says she is proud to be a Muslim
18 Jun 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Qaeda militants ‘holed up’ near Delhi
French
tennis star says she is proud to be a Muslim
2000 killed in Kyrgyzstan: Interim prez
Somalia's government orders probe into child
soldiers
Islamic world confidence in Obama is slipping:
poll
'Iran could fire hundreds of missiles at
Europe'
Birmingham stops camera surveillance in Muslim
areas
Pak minister Kaira stresses Ulema’s role in fighting
terrorists
Six of a family attempt suicide in Karachi
Al-Qaeda’s Harem
India gives Pakistan 11th dossier on Mumbai
attacks
J&K separatists protest against human rights
violations
Britain bans Islamic preacher Zakir Naik
Shaikh Mohammed’s poem on Gaza shakes conscience
Not just $1tn, Afghan ores worth $3tn,says minister
Hindu community in Pak's northwest demands basic
rights
Muslim community reacts to honour killings
Press Pakistan to bring Mumbai accused to book: Indian MPs to
US
Pakistani among two militants killed in Kashmir
UN backs Philippines amid row with church on sex
education
Iran Tests Iraqi Resolve at the Border
Hypocrisy of Pak, US gets exposed
South Punjabi anger in Pak feeds militants
Is that story really newsworthy for the Arab media?
Israel's easing of Gaza blockade is 'cosmetic'
Who is responsible for the plight of these
women?
Al-Qaida in Iraq claims deadly central bank
attack
Assad says Israeli raid raises war risk
CAIR tells US to allow Muslim American back
home
Govt committed to emancipation of women:
Gilani
Faisal Shahzad charged in NY bomb bid
18th amendment reflects public wishes: PM
Afghanistan hands over 14 missing personnel
No more Pakistanis in Osh: Foreign Office
World must accept Pakistan as nuclear power: Gen
Majid
Minorities in Fata seek right of domicile
Baby gasping for life
Egypt’s ‘invisible’ child workers focussed in rare
study
Two killed in separate incidents in Balochistan
Prophet should be teachers’ role model, says AIOU
VC
Woman attempts suicide along with five
children
Pakistan mindful of lopsided regional arms race:
CJCSC
250 students still trapped in Kyrgyzstan
Saudi Holy Sites Train to carry signs in?7 languages Habib Shaikh
Many countries support military action on Iran
Haj pilgrims face accommodation crisis
N-deal with Pak could hit ties, India cautions
China
Top cleric seen tipping Iraq's political
balance
Indonesia to ‘learn' from India's defence
sector
Salafism and Sufism- is there real
conflict?
Compiled by Asit kumar
Photo: Aravane Rezai of France with Commonwealth Bank Tournament of
Champions trophy,2009
----------
Qaeda militants ‘holed up’ near Delhi
By Akash Vashishtha
Jun 18, 2010
US WARNINGS of al- Qaeda militants sneaking into India seem to have
come true.
Intelligence inputs gathered by sleuths in New Delhi reveal that a
group of 140 militants have already crossed over into India from
Pakistan.
The militants reportedly intend to target Uttar Pradesh chief
minister Mayawati.
Besides, the Commonwealth Games and Kanwar pilgrims are also their
targets.
Starting from Karachi, the men sailed across the Arabian Sea and
landed on the coasts of Goa and Gujarat on February 23.
The militants then formed small groups and headed in different
directions for targeting various locations across the
country.
Of these 140 al- Qaeda militants, a group of 12 left for Moradabad on
April 14 after visiting Ajmer. This module is suspected to have taken shelter
around the Garhmukteswar stretch in Ghaziabad.
US defence secretary Robert Gates, during his India visit on January
20, had warned the country about the possibility of terror strikes engineered by
the outfit.
On February 10, in his first direct message to India, Mustafa Abu al-
Yazid, the commander of the al- Qaeda operations in Afghanistan, warned it of
“more Mumbaistyle terror strikes”, saying its economic interests would be
targeted if it retaliated against Pakistan.
The Union home ministry had apprised all state DGPs about the
infiltration and asked them to maintain vigil.
In response to the inputs, the Uttar Pradesh DGP sent letters to a
string of top officers on May 13, asking them to be on the guard. The DGP also
directed the Ghaziabad police to locate the militants and sought a report from
the police’s local intelligence unit about the network’s presence, a source
said.
The unit, in its report, admitted to the presence of the militants
hiding in the district and assured the DGP that it would gather more inputs
about them. “We had received this information and have been working on it. We
are tracking down the militants carefully,” a senior policeman
said.
SSP Ghaziabad Raghbir Lal said: “This is an internal matter. We are
treading with caution.” But DIG Meerut zone Chandra Prakash seemed to have taken
the letter lightly. “What’s new in it? We keep receiving such letters. We
forwarded this information to all the district superintendents,” he
said.
Mail Today
----------
French tennis star says she is proud to be a
Muslim
Jun 18 2010
London, Jun 18: French tennis star Aravane Rezai, the 18th women’s
seed at Wimbledon, is proud to be a Muslim and the fact that both of her parents
are Iranian.
Rezai, 23, has even represented Iran at the Women’s Islamic Games
twice.
She overcame lack of family money and initial racism from France’s
tennis authorities to become the country’s sporting golden girl and equally, is
now an inspiration for Muslim women around the world.
“There are a few but not too many Muslim women in sport. Sania Mirza,
who is Indian, also plays tennis but I am the first from a Persian background,”
The Sun quoted Rezai, as saying.
“I am proud to represent Muslim women. I know I am a model for other
girls and if I can give them power or any help to improve their life that is
good. I am here and I want to show on court I am a fighter. I fight for my
personal life and I fight for my tennis career. They are two things,” she said.
“I have two passports. When I play for France people said ‘she is
Iranian not French’. I am proud to be half-Iranian and that is why I have a
necklace from Iran around my neck at all times. Yet I play tennis for France,
the country where I grew up.
“So many people ask me whether I prefer France or Iran . I say: ‘do
you ask a mother which son she prefers?’ I love both countries,” Rezai said.
“I have made a lot of sacrifices in my life and I feel stronger than
so many other players. I have a different character. I am very strong. I like to
fight on the court. It comes from my double culture.
“Unfortunately I am not a practising Muslim but when I have finished
my tennis career, I will be,” she added.
Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/381729.php
----------
2000 killed in Kyrgyzstan: Interim prez
Jun 18, 2010
OSH (Kyrgyzstan): Kyrgyzstan's interim president said on Friday that
the death toll from the ethnic clashes that have rocked the country's south
could be near 2,000, as she made her first visit to a riot-hit city since the
unrest broke out.
Kyrgyz Health Ministry officials figures put the number of killed in
rampages led mainly by ethnic Kyrgyz against Uzbeks at 191.
``I would increase by ten times the official data on the number of
people killed,'' Interim President Roza Otunbayeva said, according to her
spokesman, Farid Niyazov. She said current figures don't take into account those
buried before sundown on the day of death, in keeping with Muslim tradition,
according to the spokesman.
The United Nations said as many as 1 million people may need aid in
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, including the potential number of refugees,
internally displaced, host families and others that may suffer in one way or
another from the unrest.
UNICEF spokeswoman Christiane Berthiaume said the figure was an
estimate to help agencies plan how much aid they need to prepare. She says the
actual number of people in need may be turn out to be higher or lower.
The aid agencies say those uprooted by the unrest most urgently need
food, water, medicine and shelter
Otumbayeva arrived early on Friday by helicopter in the central
square of Osh, a city of 250,000 where the violence began late last week. Parts
of the city have been reduced to rubble by roving mobs of young Kyrgyz men who
burned down Uzbek homes and attacked Uzbek-owned
businesses.
The United Nations estimates that 400,000 people fled the country's
south.
``We have to give hope that we shall restore the city, return all the
refugees and create all the conditions for that,'' she said.
She insisted good will between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks would end
hostilities.
Up to 100,000 people have crossed the nearby border into neighboring
Uzbekistan where they are getting food and water in specially created camps.
Thousands more remain camped out in squalid conditions on the Kyrgyz side of the
border, unable to cross due to Uzbek restrictions.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake, who was visiting a
refugee camp in Uzbekistan about five kilometers (3 miles) from the Kyrgyz
border, called for an investigation into the violence and said he was working to
ensure the refugees would be able to return home safely.
At one camp in Uzbekistan, in a former polymer plant near the Kyrgyz
border, Blake was swamped by throngs of crying refugees, mainly older woman and
children, complaining they were desperate to return home but too fearful of
fresh attacks to do so.
``We ... believe there should be an investigation,'' he said, an
Uzbek interpreter at his side. ``We are working with the government of
Kyrgyzstan to provide security so you can return home safely,''
Blake, who was accompanied by two-dozen-strong security detail,
appeared to be conducting his own probe, asking the refugees if they thought the
violence had been organized, as the United Nations and Kyrgyz authorities have
suggested.
``Yes, of course it was organized, it all happened so unexpectedly,''
answered one refugee, Nasiba Mamyrdzhanova, from Osh. ``We didn't have any
weapons, only sticks,'' said the refugee, wearing a traditional Uzbek
long-sleeved dress with a bright headscarf.
Kyrgyz authorities have said the violence was sparked deliberately by
associates of Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the president who was toppled in April in a
bloody uprising. The U.N. has said the unrest appeared orchestrated but has
stopped short of apportioning blame.
Ethnic Uzbeks on Thursday accused security forces of standing by or
even helping ethnic-majority Kyrgyz mobs as they slaughtered people and burned
down neighborhoods. Col. Iskander Ikramov, the chief of the Kyrgyz military in
the south, rejected allegations of troop involvement in the riots but said the
army didn't interfere in the conflict because it was not supposed to play the
role of a police force.
The military and police set up roadblocks and began patrols this week
after the worst violence was over.
Uzbeks interviewed by Associated Press journalists in Osh said that
on one street alone, ethnic Kyrgyz men sexually assaulted and beat more than 10
Uzbek women and girls, including some pregnant women and children as young as
12.
Members of the Kyrgyz community have denied accusations of brutality
and have accused Uzbeks of raping Kyrgyz women. Eyewitnesses and experts say
many Kyrgyz were killed in the unrest, but most victims appear to have been
Uzbeks, traditional farmers and traders who speak a different Turkic language
and have been more prosperous than the Kyrgyz, who come from a nomadic
tradition.
More than 1 million Uzbeks who lived in Kyrgyzstan before the crisis
had few representatives in power and pushed for broader political and cultural
rights. About 800,000 of them lived in the south, rivaling Kyrgyz in numbers in
Osh and Jalal-Abad. Both ethnic groups are predominantly Sunni Muslim.
Meanwhile, in Bishkek, the capital, human rights advocates were
gathering in the center to demand authorities probe the alleged arrest of their
colleague in the southern city of Jalal-Abad, who said he had filmed rioting
that spread there.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest-of-World/2000-killed-in-Kyrgyzstan-Interim-prez/articleshow/6063698.cms
----------
Somalia's government orders probe into child
soldiers
By MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED
Jun 17, 2010
NAIROBI, Kenya: Somalia's president has ordered an investigation into
reports that the Somali army is recruiting children in its fight against
powerful Islamic insurgents, a decision welcomed by rights groups on
Thursday.
The recruitment of child fighters in Somalia is on the rise. The
country's continuous violence appears to have increased recruiting efforts of
young fighters, minors who can easily be indoctrinated.
Human rights groups and media outlets have been reporting about the
existence of child soldiers in Somalia for years.
The Associated Press reported in May that militants are increasing
their use of the child soldiers, but that government forces also have minors in
their ranks. The New York Times reported this week that the Somali government is
using child soldiers and noted that the military is funded in part by the United
States.
Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed said late Wednesday that he
had ordered his army chief to conduct an investigation of the use of child
soldiers and report back to him in a month.
"The president also instructed the army to demobilize any underage
recruits without delay," a government statement said.
A Somali human rights group estimated that thousands of child
soldiers are used by both the government and Islamist militias like Al-Shabab.
Ali Yasin Gedi of Elman Peace and Human Rights Center welcomed the government's
announcement.
"It is a victory for us, human rights groups, that called time and
time again to demobilize children," said Gedi.
"Our children have borne the burden of the conflict in this country
far too long." Ahmed, in his announcement, also asked the international
community to provide his cash-strapped government with the resources it needs to
deal with about 100,000 armed militiamen of all ages in the
country.
Ahmed accused Al-Shabab militants of "intentionally and many times
forcefully" enlisting underage children.
Children make up the bulk of Somalia's estimated 7.5 million
residents.
Gedi said Al-Shabab's recruitment of children may partly stem from a
lack of willing adults alienated by the group's extremist views. But the
government is also so desperate for fighters that it has been reluctant to kick
out gun-carrying children from its ranks.
"The only chance open for the children in Somalia is to join the army
— be they the government's or its enemies'," Gedi said. "The children get
excited whenever recruitment opportunities beckons, because they don't have any
other opportunities." The UN believes that children as young as nine are being
targeted and often taken through force or deception.
On Wednesday, the Security Council approved a presidential statement
urging the UN's most powerful body to consider tough measures — including
possible sanctions — against countries and insurgent groups that recruit child
soldiers and violate international law on the rights and protection of children
in armed conflicts.
In a recent report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused both
Somalia's government and its enemy, Al-Shabab Islamist militants, of trying to
maim or kill children by putting them in the line of fire.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based
warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each
other, sinking the Horn of Africa nation into chaos.
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article67747.ece
----------
Islamic world confidence in Obama is slipping:
poll
Jun 17, 2010
WASHINGTON: A year after President Barack Obama sought a new
beginning with the Islamic world in a speech from Cairo, confidence in the US
leader has dropped sharply in many Muslim countries, according to surveys
released on Thursday.
US favorability ratings in allies Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan hover at
about 17 percent, while confidence in Obama in those three countries was 33
percent, 23 percent and 8 percent respectively, surveys by the Pew Global
Attitudes project found.
Obama's favorability ratings in each of the Muslim countries fell
between 2009 and 2010 as his plans for advancing the Middle East peace process
stalled and he continued ahead with wars in two Muslim countries: Afghanistan
and Iraq.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article67756.ece
----------
'Iran could fire hundreds of missiles at
Europe'
18 June 2010
WASHINGTON - US intelligence
has shown Iran could launch an attack against Europe with “scores or hundreds”
of missiles, prompting major changes to US missile defenses, Pentagon chief
Robert Gates said on Thursday.
President Barack Obama in September cited a mounting danger from
Iran’s arsenal of short and medium-range missiles when he announced an overhaul
of US missile defense plans.
The new program, called the “phased adaptive approach,” uses sea and
land-based interceptors to protect NATO allies in the region, instead of mainly
larger weapons designed to counter long-range missiles.
“One of the elements of the intelligence that contributed to the
decision on the phased adaptive array was the realization that if Iran were
actually to launch a missile attack on Europe, it wouldn’t be just one or two
missiles or a handful,” Gates told a senate hearing.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June525.xml§ion=middleeast
----------
Birmingham stops camera surveillance in Muslim
areas
Paul Lewis
Jun 18, 2010
Project halted after Guardian exposed use of 200-plus cameras in
predominantly Muslim areas for counterterrorism
An automatic numberplate
recognition camera to the right of a conventional CCTV camera in the mainly
Asian area of Sparkbrook in Birmingham. Photograph: Andrew FoxA project to spy
on two Muslim areas in Birmingham using more than 200 CCTV cameras has been
dramatically halted after an investigation by the Guardian revealed it was a
counterterrorism initiative.
Bags are being placed over the cameras, recently installed in the
neighbourhoods of Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook, to reassure the community their
movements are not being monitored while a “full and in-depth consultation” takes
place.
Full report at:
http://mmabbasi.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/birmingham-council-and-cops-stops-spying-on-muslims/
----------
Pak minister Kaira stresses Ulema’s role in fighting
terrorists
June 17, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Minister for
Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira Thursday urged religious scholars
to play their role for changing mindset of the people to end terrorism and
extremism from the society.
Addressing the participants of a condolence reference arranged on the
first death anniversary Shaheed Dr. Sarfaraz Naeemi here at National Press Club
he said, “Extremism has turned into a monster and the entire nation and Ulema
will have to fight united to purge country of extremist organisations and reform
mindset of the people.”
He opined that Ulema and religious scholars can play key role in
fighting terrorist and extremist elements in the country.
He viewed the extremism as the biggest challenge confronting the
nation, stressing the conscious efforts to reverse the tide.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-17-2010/66897.htm
----------
Six of a family attempt suicide in Karachi
18 Jun, 2010
KARACHI: A woman tried to commit suicide with her four teenage
daughters and a six-year-old son in Safoora Goth on Thursday by consuming
sleeping pills due to domestic problems.
Although all six members of the family survived due to timely
treatment, the incident came as a grim reminder of Wednesday’s episode in Lahore
where a rickshaw driver committed suicide after allegedly poisoning his three
little daughters and wife in Shahpur Kanjran locality of Chuhng. Only the
40-year-old man’s wife survived the suicide attempt.
“The woman named Samina with his four daughters and a son was taken
to a nearby hospital by the neighbors from where we got the call,” said an
official at the Sachal police station. “We found them unconscious but gradually
turning better after the first aid. They are residents of flat 308 in Ghazyani
Arcade near Safoora Chowrangi in Scheme 33.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/six-of-a-family-attempt-suicide-860
----------
Al-Qaeda’s Harem
Jun 18 2010
The Saudi female Al-Qaeda operative Hayla Al-Qassir, known as "Um
al-Rabab", stirred quite a controversy when she claimed to be one of the most
active operatives in recruiting, preaching and funding for the terrorist
organization, three months after her arrest by Saudi security authorities, notes
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid for Asharq Alawsat.
Although Al-Qassir's identity was previously kept under secrecy by
the authorities, allegedly to preserve her reputation and the name of her
family, Al-Qaeda recently released an audio tape on Al-Arabiya revealing her
name in an attempt to rally members of the organization “to carry out crimes
such as kidnapping princes, assassinating state officials and bombing buildings
until [her] released.”
Full report at:
http://www.layalina.tv/publications/review/PR_VI.12/article6.html
----------
India gives Pakistan 11th dossier on Mumbai
attacks
Jun 18, 2010
NEW DELHI: On the eve of the meeting of Foreign Secretaries, India on
Friday handed over the eleventh dossier to Pakistan containing response to
points raised by Islamabad over the Mumbai terror strikes and providing
"additional information" on those involved in the attacks.
"The Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan was called in the afternoon
and handed over a set of responses to the six dossiers received from Pakistan on
April 25, 2010 on the Mumbai terror attacks," External Affairs Ministry
spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
The dossier was handed over Tuesday by Y K Sinha, Joint Secretary
in-charge of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, to Pakistan's Deputy High
Commissioner Riffat Masood.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-gives-Pakistan-11th-dossier-on-Mumbai-attacks/articleshow/6064070.cms
----------
J&K separatists protest against human rights
violations
Jun 18, 2010
SRINAGAR: Separatists on Friday launched a peaceful campaign against
"unabated" human rights violations by courting arrest and staging a peaceful
sit-in at two places here.
While Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) commenced its
fill-the-jail campaign with over 40 persons courting arrest at Lal Chowk ,
chairman of hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani and
his supporters staged a peaceful hour-long dharna at Magarmalbagh.
Shortly after Friday prayers, supporters of JKLF took out a
procession from the party headquarters at Maisuma to Lal Chowk, where party
Chief Mohammad Yaseen Malik and over 40 others presented themselves for the
arrest.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/JK-separatists-protest-against-human-rights-violations/articleshow/6064186.cms
----------
Britain bans Islamic preacher Zakir Naik
Jun 18, 2010
LONDON: Britain has banned controversial Indian Islamic televangelist
Zakir Naik, who once claimed that "every Muslim should be a terrorist," from
entering the country, citing his "unacceptable behaviour".
Home Secretary Theresa May said 44-year-old Naik would not be allowed
to enter the country under laws that can exclude anyone who writes or publishes
material that can "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence".
Indian television preacher Naik was due to give a series of lectures
at arenas in Wembley and Sheffield.
May said the doctor was being excluded because repeated comments
attributed to him was evidence of his "unacceptable behaviour".
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Britain-bans-Islamic-preacher-Zakir-Naik/articleshow/6064154.cms
----------
Shaikh Mohammed’s poem on Gaza shakes conscience
18 June 2010
Obviously very moved and hurt by the Israeli attack on the Gaza peace
flotilla and equally disturbed by the lack of concerted response to the barbaric
attack on civilians, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has published a
poem on Thursday criticising Israel’s blockade and urging the Arabs to come to
the aid of the captive territory.
His views on issues of regional importance have been always forceful
and committed but the lyrical words of this poem hark back to Greek and Roman
verse and even the title is reflective of Homer’s Iliad and the siege of
Troy.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/June/theuae_June486.xml§ion=theuae
----------
Not just $1tn, Afghan ores worth $3tn, says
minister
Jun 18, 2010
Kabul: Afghanistans untapped mineral wealth is worth at least $3
trillion triple a US estimate,according to the governments top mining
official,who is going to Britain next week to attract investors to mine one of
the worlds largest iron ore deposits in the war-torn
nation.
Geologists have known for decades that Afghanistan has vast deposits
of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and other prized minerals, but a US department of
defense briefing this week put a startling, nearly $1 trillion price tag on the
reserves. Minister of mines Wahidullah Shahrani said on Thursday that has seen
geological assessments and industry estimates that the minerals are worth at
least $3 trillion.
Full report at: Times of India
----------
Hindu community in Pak's northwest demands basic
rights
Jun 18 2010
Peshawar : The minority Hindu community in northwest Pakistan has
demanded that it should be provided the same basic rights as Christians living
in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
Hindus in northwest Pakistan have no cremation grounds, scholarships
for students or special schools in the entire tribal belt, community leader
Pandit Jay Gopal said during a dialogue on the rights of minorities in the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
The seminar held here yesterday was also addressed by the Bishop of
the Orthodox Church of Pakistan, Ernest Jacob, and people from different walks
of life.
They stressed that the rights of Christians must be
protected.
Minority community leader Arshad Masih argued that minorities living
in the tribal areas are not issued domicile certificates and this negates their
basic human rights.
The children of minority communities are not admitted to schools and
youths are not given jobs because they do not have domicile certificates, he
contended.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hindu-community-in-paks-northwest-demands-basic-rights/635580/
----------
Muslim community reacts to honour killings
Jun 18 2010
In December 2007, 16-year-old Aqsa Parvez was murdered in her Ontario
home. Everyone was shocked to find out the killers were her own father and
brother. Their reasoning: Aqsa wanted to wear western clothing, work part-time
and had run away from home. It was an honour killing.
The term that became nationally known after Aqsa’s death. In the past
decade, there have been up to a dozen honour killings in Canada. Most of them
are tied to conservative Islamic tradition clashing with western
culture.
Just as shocked as everyone, the Muslim community said nothing in
Islam sanctions these kinds of killing. Dr. Samiul Hague from the Islamic
Association of Saskatchewan says the term is very
troubling.
Full report at:
http://www.globalsaskatoon.com/Sask+Muslim+community+reacts+honour+killings/3163222/story.html
----------
Press Pakistan to bring Mumbai accused to book: Indian MPs to
US
Jun 18, 2010
WASHINGTON: A delegation of Indian lawmakers have asked secretary of
State Hillary Clinton to press Pakistan to bring Mumbai attack accused like
Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to book and ensure that Islamabad does not
divert US aid for anti-India activities.
The delegation led by Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi met
Clinton here and also expressed concern over the proposed China-Pakistan nuclear
deal.
The visiting MPs also raised these issues during a series of meetings
with Congressmen, policy makers and officials of the Obama administration.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Press-Pakistan-to-bring-Mumbai-accused-to-book-Indian-MPs-to-US-/articleshow/6062986.cms
----------
Pakistani among two militants killed in Kashmir
Jun 18, 2010
SRINAGAR: A Pakistani was among two Islamist separatists gunned down
by Indian security forces early on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir, where a second
gunfight erupted only hours later.
Two militants from the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), including a
Pakistani national, were killed in a fierce gun battle in Baramulla that began
late Thursday and ended on Friday morning.
Security forces encircled a house in Poshnag Kreeri village in
Baramulla district, about 60 km from here, overnight after learning about the
presence of the militants inside.
"As the security forces challenged the gunmen to surrender, they
opened fire. The house in which the militants were hiding was destroyed," said a
police officer.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistani-among-two-militants-killed-in-Kashmir/articleshow/6062621.cms
----------
UN backs Philippines amid row with church on sex
education
Jun 18, 2010
MANILA: The United Nations on Friday backed a move by the Philippines
to introduce sex education among primary and high school students that has
sparked a row with the influential Catholic church.
The UN stressed that the Philippines was a signatory to an
international treaty on the rights of children that commits member countries to
providing proper information to girls and boys about their bodies.
"It is the obligation of the state to ensure that all adolescent
girls and boys are provided with accurate and appropriate information on how to
protect their health and practice healthy behaviours," the UN said in a
statement.
"The United Nations will continue to work with government... to
respect, fulfill and protect the rights of girls and boys to comprehensive
information regarding their health and their bodies.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/UN-backs-Philippines-amid-row-with-church-on-sex-education-/articleshow/6062649.cms
----------
Iran Tests Iraqi Resolve at the Border
TIMOTHY WILLIAMS and NAMO ABDULLA
June 18th, 2010
ALI RASH, Iraq — This remote village high in the rugged mountains
along the border with Iran has been deserted, its people having fled Iranian air
and artillery bombardments with everything they could carry and whatever
livestock that could be coaxed down the steep mountain
trails.
Now the hundreds of Kurds who left Ali Rash and other mountain
villages are living in sweltering refugee camp tents. They are at the center of
questions about whether Iraq is willing or able to defend its borders with Iran
— which has repeatedly breached the frontier in recent
months.
Full report at: The Asian Age
----------
Hypocrisy of Pak, US gets exposed
June 18th, 2010
There is predictable unease in Pakistan — in official circles as well
as analytical comments — with the key finding of a Harvard scholar’s report
prepared for the London School of Economics that the relationship of Pakistan’s
Inter-Services Intelligence with the Taliban and the Haqqani group is anchored
in official policy — that it “goes beyond contact and coexistence”. This would
be a seriously damaging appraisal if it were new.
The truth is that scholars and observers of the Afghan-Pakistan scene
have attempted to say exactly this for years, although with varying degrees of
definitiveness. As for the historical record, there has never been any ambiguity
that Pakistan created the Taliban to bolster its regional ambitions. However,
Pakistan has sought to deflect attention by suggesting that only rogue elements,
or some retired personnel of its security apparatus, were mixed up with the
jihadist insurgents. Publicly, the West, and the US more specifically, bought
this line for reasons of expediency as America believed it simply could not
afford to show up Pakistan’s falsity as it needed the assistance of the Pakistan
Army to pursue its objectives in the Afghan theatre.
Full report at: The Asian Age
----------
South Punjabi anger in Pak feeds militants
June 18th, 2010
It is an irony, says Muhammad Ali Durrani, that while South Punjab
region has produced a number of Presidents and Prime Ministers for Pakistan,
none has done anything for the region which is considered one of the most
backward areas of the country.
Even today, Prime Minister Gilani and Foreign Minister Qureshi both
hail from South Punjab but are silent on the issue of “Seraikistan” — the
province which locals demand should be formed here.
“There is a reason why this is so,” says Tariq Ali, a Lahore-based
analyst. Unlike other parts of Punjab where businessmen, lawyers and other
professionals managed to be elected as MPs, from South Punjab “mostly it is
landlords and Pirs who have been voted into power.”
Both Gilani and Qureshi are Pirs — spiritual leaders. They are also
big landlords of the areas around Multan.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/pakistan/South-Punjabi-anger-feeds-militants/Article1-559305.aspx
----------
Is that story really newsworthy for the Arab
media?
Jun 17, 2010
Women in Business International and The Middle East Association invite you to attend their Summer Networking
Reception and ‘Question Time’ on Monday 14 June, from 4.30-7.30 pm at The Middle
East Association, 33 Bury Street, St James’s, London SW1.
The main theme of the event, which will be run on a dynamic,
interactive ‘Question Time’ format, will be the development of media and
communications in the Arab world and will address such issues as,
- What makes a story newsworthy for the Arab media, and how does it
differ from the UK?
- How do I communicate my message effectively in the Arab world, and
how can I raise my company’s profile?
- How does the media and communications industry work in the
region?
Full report at: Global Arab Network
----------
Israel's easing of Gaza blockade is 'cosmetic'
By HISHAM ABU TAHA & MOHAMMED MAR'I
Jun 17, 2010
GAZA CITY/ RAMALLAH: Israel announced Thursday it is easing its
blockade of the Gaza Strip, but its allies and Arab neighbors said it did not go
far enough and demanded a complete lifting of the embargo.
In a statement issued by the Israeli prime minister's office, the
government said it had agreed to expand the range of goods that could enter
Gaza. The statement emphasized that the materials are for civilian projects and
the transfer will be under international supervision.
The new Israeli-approved product list includes all food items, toys,
stationary, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels, according to the
Palestinian coordinator of supplies in the Gaza Strip, Raed
Fattouh.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article67834.ece
----------
Who is responsible for the plight of these
women?
By SURAJ HUSSAIN FATHI
Jun 18, 2010
HOW many of our women work away from their homes teaching our youths
while commuting tens or even hundreds of kilometers day and
night?
How many of them have to get up before dawn to prepare themselves for
work and then wait for the driver to come before sunrise and to return just
before sunset?
How many of them have been subjected to inflexible drivers and their
machinations if not to say their sexual harassment?
These teachers may often be forced to neglect their duties toward
their husbands and homes. They might, on many occasions, leave their sons,
daughters and babies with their own mothers or
mothers-in-law.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article67844.ece
----------
Al-Qaida in Iraq claims deadly central bank
attack
By HAMID AHMED
Jun 17, 2010
BAGHDAD: Al-Qaida's front group in Iraq claimed responsibility on
Thursday for a deadly daylight attack on Iraq's Central Bank. In a statement
posted on a militant website, the Islamic State of Iraq said it sent five men
dressed in army uniforms and armed with weapons and explosive belts to attack
the financial institution.
Photos posted on the same website showed the disfigured heads and
body parts of men dressed in army fatigues buried among rubble of what Al-Qaeda
said is the Central Bank.
Sunday's assault sparked clashes between militants and Iraqi security
forces that lasted more than three hours and left more than 20 people
dead.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article67669.ece
----------
Assad says Israeli raid raises war risk
Jun 17, 2010
LONDON: Syria's President Bashar Assad has said Israel is being run
by a "pyromaniac government" and its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla had
increased the risks of war in the region.
The Israeli commando attack on a flotilla in which nine peace
activists were killed had "destroyed any chance for peace in the near future",
Assad told the BBC in a television interview aired on
Thursday.
He said this was so "mainly because it proved that this government is
another pyromaniac government, and you cannot achieve peace with such (a)
government".
Israel, under mounting international pressure, has formed a
five-person panel — including two foreign observers — to investigate events
surrounding its May 31 interception of a six-ship convoy heading to the Gaza
Strip.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article67725.ece
----------
CAIR tells US to allow Muslim American back
home
By BARBARA FERGUSON
Jun 17, 2010
WASHINGTON: An American Muslim from Virginia is currently in legal
limbo in Egypt after being placed on a no-fly list and subjected to repeated FBI
interrogations.
For six weeks, Yahya Wehelie has been in limbo in the Egyptian
capital. US officials told him he is on the no-fly list because of people he met
in Yemen during his time there. He and his parents say he has no radical views,
despises Al-Qaeda and merely wants to get home to complete his education and get
a job.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has
called for the return of 26-year-old Wehelie to the United
States.
CAIR said Wehelie and his younger brother, both of Somali heritage,
were stopped by FBI agents as they traveled home from Yemen. Agents told Wehelie
that his name was on the "no-fly list." The younger brother, Yusuf, was allowed
to return to the US, but only after he was held in an Egyptian policy facility
for several days.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article67846.ece
----------
Govt committed to emancipation of women: Gilani
June 18, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said
his government had always worked for the emancipation of women and believes they
can achieve unprecedented prominence in every field if provided equal
opportunities.
He expressed these views during a meeting with Namira Salim, the
first Pakistani astronaut here at the Prime Minister’s House.He said Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto Shaheed’s vision for the future included women
emancipation.
The prime minister commended Namira Salim’s daring spirit and her
accomplishment that generated a positive press for Pakistan internationally.He
wished her good luck in her future endeavours.
Full report at:
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=245701
----------
Faisal Shahzad charged in NY bomb bid
June 18, 2010
NEW YORK: An
American-Pakistani has been formally indicted on 10 charges in last month's
botched car bombing in New York's Times Square, the Department of Justice said
Thursday.
Faisal Shahzad has been in custody since being arrested at New York's
John F. Kennedy airport on May 3 as he tried to board a flight to Dubai, two
days after a car laden with a homemade explosive device was parked in Times
Square.
The indictment unveiled by the Department of Justice linked Shahzad
to the Pakistan Taliban, saying he had received explosives training in
Waziristan, as well as cash from co-conspirators who he believed worked for the
group.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-18-2010/66903.htm
----------
18th amendment reflects public wishes: PM
June 18, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister
Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said 18th Amendment has reflected the voice and
wishes of public and the Amendment Implementation Commission (AIC) is fully
independent, Geo news reported Thursday.
He, however, said in the event of legislation aimed at change in
authorities of any ministry or division or in case of any conflict, the solution
would be sought from Council of Common Interest (CCI).
This PM Gilani said while chairing a meeting of AIC here at PM House
in Islamabad.
He said that the government had set up an Implementation Commission
(IC) under the guidance of Senator Raza Rabbani, to consider and recommend steps
in this regard. Gilani directed the ministries and departments whose
responsibilities are to be devolved, to sift out issues to be referred to the
Council of Common Interests (CCI).
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/6-18-2010/66900.htm
----------
Afghanistan hands over 14 missing personnel
By Fauzee Khan Mohmand
18 Jun, 2010
GHALANAI: The Afghan authorities have handed over 14 of the 65
Pakistani soldiers who had gone missing after a militant attack on a border
checkpoint on Sunday.
The soldiers are expected to arrive on Friday.
A security official said that a helicopter had been dispatched to
Jalalabad, Afghanistan, to bring back the soldiers to
Peshawar.
According to last reports, their departure from Jalalabad was delayed
because of the arrival of 12 militiamen from Kabul. The soldiers were shifted to
Kabul from Kunar. Two of them were kept in Jalalabad, he
said.
Another official said that 65 personnel of the Mohmand Rifles had
gone missing following Sunday night’s simultaneous attack on border posts at
Mattak, Goraparai, Shokarai and Marjhana.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/afghanistan-hands-over-14-missing-personnel-860
----------
No more Pakistanis in Osh: Foreign Office
17 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit on Thursday said
that all Pakistanis who were stranded in the town of Osh in Kyrgyzstan had been
brought back home and there were no more Pakistanis in the
city.
He said, however, there were still 894 Pakistanis stuck in Bishkek
and “we are in contact with the officials for the safety of our
people.”
While talking about Pak-India dialogue, Basit said there was a lack
of confidence between the two neighbours.
He said that the Pak-China nuclear project had been in process for
several years and was according to international law.
The foreign office spokesman asked the international community for
more cooperation in the war on terror and said that the war was our own. He also
rejected the report of London School of Economics regarding contacts between ISI
and Taliban.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/16-no+more+pakistanis+in+osh+foreign+office-hs-03
----------
World must accept Pakistan as nuclear power: Gen
Majid
18 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
(CJCSC), Gen Tariq Majid, said on Thursday that retention of nuclear capability
as a credible deterrent against a possible aggression was a compulsion, and not
a choice for Pakistan.
Addressing a convocation ceremony of National Defence Course, Armed
Forces War Course and Allied Officers’ War Course at the National Defence
University here, he stressed that Pakistan had to be mindful of a blatant
pursuit of military preponderance in its eastern
neighbourhood.
“Growing power imbalance due to continuing build-up of massive
military machine, including both hi-tech conventional and nuclear forces,
adoption of dangerous cold start doctrine and proactive strategy, more assertive
posturing especially after very exceptional civil nuclear deal and notions of a
two-front war are all destabilising trends, carrying implications for Pakistan’s
security,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/world-must-accept-pakistan-as-nuclear-power-gen-majid-860
----------
Minorities in Fata seek right of domicile
18 Jun, 2010
PESHAWAR, June 17: Minority communities settled in Fata have demanded
that the government should give them the right of getting domicile certificates
in order to avail job opportunities in their areas.
Taking part in a dialogue at the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday,
members of Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities said they had been living in
the tribal region for decades but the government had not given them the right to
get domicile certificates.
“No facilities are available to minorities, particularly Christians,
in the region,” they said.
The dialogue was arranged by the Tribal Development Network and South
Asian Partnership (SAP), Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/minorities-in-fata-seek-right-of-domicile-860
----------
Baby gasping for life
18 Jun, 2010
FAISALABAD, June 17: An infant is fighting for her life at Allied
Hospital after she was mistakenly given acid instead of medicine for diarrhoea.
The doctor whom the family consulted for her treatment denied giving
acid to the girl.
Firdous, a one-and-a-half-year old resident of Chak 597-GB (in the
Bahlak police precinct), was brought to the hospital on Wednesday night with
lower part of her face, arms and neck partially burnt because of acid
consumption.
Zohra Bibi, the girl’s mother, told Dawn her husband, Munawwar
Husain, took Firdous to the ‘clinic’ of Zulfiqar as she was suffering from
diarrhoea. He returned home after a few minutes with a bottle of ‘medicine’
which was given to the girl.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/baby-gasping-for-life-860
----------
Egypt’s ‘invisible’ child workers focussed in rare
study
By Christophe de Roquefeuil
18 Jun, 2010
CAIRO: Thirteen-year-old Rasha thought she was leaving her home in
rural Egypt to help out an elderly aunt in the city for the summer and would
return in time for the new school year.
“This summer never ended, and I understood I had become a domestic
worker,” said Rasha, one of tens of thousands of child domestic workers across
Egypt, working without supervision or legal protection in an industry that is
only discussed in whispers.Her testimony appeared in a rare study on child
domestic workers in Egypt which was compiled by the Centre for Migration and
Refugee Studies of the American University in Cairo.
Noha, a 27-year-old Egyptian woman who employs a child-worker to
clean her house, said she preferred to deal with children.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/egypts-invisible-child-workers-focussed-in-rare-study-860
----------
Two killed in separate incidents in Balochistan
18 Jun, 2010
QUETTA: Two people were killed and two others injured, including a
woman, in three separate incidents in different parts of Balochistan on
Thursday.
Two motorcyclists crashed into each other on the Aliabad Road in
Ustah Muhammad area. As a result, a man identified as Younas died on the spot
and another man Lakhmir was injured.
A man was gunned down in the Sohran area of Dhaddar in Bolan
district. According to details, unidentified men shot victim Yar Muhammad who
died on the spot. Separately, a woman was injured when unidentified men hurled a
hand grenade at a house in Aminabad Street at the Brewery Road. The hand grenade
exploded in the courtyard of Muhammad Asif’s house injuring Riffat Firdous. Also
on Tuesday, unidentified men hurled two hand grenades at two different houses in
Dera Bugti.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\18\story_18-6-2010_pg7_13
----------
Prophet should be teachers’ role model, says AIOU
VC
18 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD: Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) life is a source of
inspiration for all human beings especially teachers, said Allama Iqbal Open
University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi on
Thursday.
Presiding over a national seminar on ‘The Role Islamic Studies
Departments of Pakistani Universities Play in The Promotion of Religious
Harmony’ held at the university’s premises, he said teachers should follow in
the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to improve manners and etiquettes of
their students so that human friendly society could be
evolved.
The seminar comprised two sessions. Riphah International University
Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Anees Ahmed participated as a chief guest in the
first session, while Supreme Court’s Shariat Appellant Bench Judge Justice Fida
Muhammad Khan was the chief guest in second session of the
seminar.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\18\story_18-6-2010_pg11_11
----------
Woman attempts suicide along with five children
18 Jun, 2010
KARACHI: A woman and her five children fell unconscious after taking
sleeping pills allegedly over a domestic dispute with the man of the house
Thursday evening.
The incident took place in Safoora Goth where the family resided in a
residential apartment named Rehman Arcade. The victims were first taken to the
nearest private hospital and later shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical
Centre for further treatment, where the doctors pronounced them out of
danger.
The victims included Zubaida, 35, her four daughters, Amna, 18,
Javeria, 17, Maryam, 16, Imama, 9, and Ahmed Wasim, 6.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\06\18\story_18-6-2010_pg12_5
----------
Pakistan mindful of lopsided regional arms race:
CJCSC
18 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD—Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General
Tariq Majid on Thursday said the world must realize the daunting internal and
external challenge that Pakistan faces, are largely intertwined and it is in
vortex not by choice, but because of regional and international circumstances
which in many ways are beyond its control.
Addressing the convocation at National Defence University (NDU), he
said “Our future counter insurgency actions have to keep in perspective the
larger strategic picture, especially the unfolding of events in Afghanistan and
sustainability of domestic support for our counter insurgency strategy in an
environment of possibly increased reactive violence and a fragile economy.”
Full report at:
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/18/FrontPage/FrontPage5.php
----------
250 students still trapped in Kyrgyzstan
18 Jun, 2010
ISLAMABAD—More than 250 Pakistanis students are still trapped in
Kyrgyzstan a besieged student claimed. Talking to a private TV channel Adnan ul
Haq revealed that fifty females were among these students and a number of these
were without a residence. He said some people even did not have money to support
them back through commercial flights adding, “They are in dilemma”. He said that
the Embassy has claimed that students of Osh city were being back sent back He
requested the government to make urgent arrangement for their immediate
return.
http://dailymailnews.com/0610/18/Brief/Brief4.php
----------
Saudi Holy Sites Train to carry signs in 7 languages
18 June 2010
JEDDAH — Seven languages will
be used on all signs on the Holy Sites Train and on those inside and outside the
nine stations in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifa to guide pilgrims to the train
stations, according to Dr Habeeb Zain Al-Abdeen, Under-Secretary of the Ministry
of Municipal and Rural Affairs and supervisor of the Holy Sites Train
development project.
He said that signs in Arabic, English, Urdu, French, Turkish, Persian
and Indonesian will guide pilgrims to the railway stations and give them
instructions on commuting on the train.
He however, added that Arabic and English are the only official
languages for the operation of the train system.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June520.xml§ion=middleeast
----------
Many countries support military action on Iran
18 June 2010
Majorities in many Western and some Muslim countries are willing to
consider military action against Iran to prevent the Islamic republic from
obtaining nuclear weapons, a global poll showed Thursday.
The Pew Research Center’s poll conducted in 22 countries found
majorities or pluralities in 16 countries endorsing the possibility of military
intervention.
Americans are among the most supportive of a military option to deal
with Iran with 66 percent of those who oppose a nuclear-armed Iran saying they
would consider the use of force, a figure second only to Nigeria’s 71
percent.
Among Europeans, the views are more mixed. In France, 59 percent said
they would consider the use of military force to prevent Iran from developing
nuclear weapons, but a sizeable minority of 41 percent rejected this
option.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/June/middleeast_June523.xml§ion=middleeast
----------
Haj pilgrims face accommodation crisis
Daniel P George
Jun 18, 2010
Chennai: Tens of thousands of Indian pilgrims intending to perform
the Haj this year are threatened by a looming crisis as they may find no
accommodation in the holy cities in Saudi Arabia when they reach there in
November.
Diplomatic sources said almost all available accommodation at Mecca
and Medinah have been taken over for pilgrims from other countries,and the
1,16,000 pilgrims who would go through the Haj Committee of India this year
would find it difficult to find convenient buildings.
Normally,accommodation arrangements are done 10 months before the Haj
commences.But following a Delhi High Court stay order restraining the two top
office-bearers of the Haj Committee of India from functioning,all work has come
to a standstill.On March 26,the High Court turned down a plea by the Haj
committee to vacate the stay on the functioning of its chairperson and
vice-chairperson and asked the external affairs ministry to temporarily oversee
arrangements for the annual pilgrimage.A division bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan
Kaul and Justice Valmiki J Mehta said the interim order restraining them from
discharging official duties which came soon after the committee elections in
March would continue till the disposal of the case.
Full report at: Times of India
----------
N-deal with Pak could hit ties, India cautions
China
C. Raja Mohan
Jun 18 2010
New Delhi : As Pakistan Army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani steps up
pressure on the Chinese leadership to formalise a nuclear deal similar to the
Indo-US civil nuclear initiative, the UPA government has cautioned Beijing about
the negative fall-out of such a move on Sino-Indian
relations.
Such a move, which could be announced this week during Gen Kayani’s
visit to China or held back for a later date, is bound to set back the current
efforts by Delhi and Beijing to normalise bilateral
relations.
In the last few weeks, there has been a steady stream of reports that
China is about to clinch a new deal to sell two nuclear power reactors to
Pakistan in violation of the current rules of international nuclear
commerce.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ndeal-with-pak-could-hit-ties-india-cautions-china/635436/
----------
Top cleric seen tipping Iraq's political
balance
Jun 17 2010
Najaf, Iraq: Iraqis hoping for a secular, nonsectarian government are
worried about signs that the country's most revered Shiite cleric has stepped
into the postelection fray with moves that appear aligned with Iran's own
ambitions in Iraq.
The March 7 election gave a narrow victory to a bloc led by Ayad
Allawi, a secular Shiite with Sunni backing. But Allawi's chances of heading the
next government were dampened when two major Shiite blocs, one of them overtly
religious, struck an alliance after the votes were in.
Now Allawi faces a fresh challenge in the shape of Grand Ayatollah
Ali Al-Sistani, the 83-year-old sage who was revered by Sunnis and Shiites alike
as a uniter standing above politics, but who is now seen by many as the man who
shut out Allawi and brokered the alliance that put the Shiites on
top.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/top-cleric-seen-tipping-iraqs-political-balance/635051/
----------
Indonesia to ‘learn' from India's defence
sector
P.S. Suryanarayana
Jun 18, 2010
SINGAPORE: Indonesia seeks to “become an appropriate medium power”
and it wants to “learn from India” on how to attain “stand-alone defence
capabilities.”
Spelling out such an agenda, Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo
Yusgiantoro told The Hindu that Jakarta would also focus on cooperation with
India in “human resource development” in the defence
sector.
Speaking on the sidelines of the recent Asia Security Summit here,
the Minister said Jakarta would raise this issue during the Joint Defence
Coordinating Committee meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
On Jakarta's priorities for new links with India, he said, the
objective now was to explore the full range of possibilities for
cooperation.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/18/stories/2010061855622200.htm
----------
Salafism and Sufism- is there real conflict?
By Asghar Ali Engineer
Jun 18 2010
Salafism or Wahabism, also referred to as cult of Ahl-e-Hadith is
supposed to be directly opposed to the sufi strain of Islam. In India too the
two sects are opposed to each other though here, due to democratic secular
polity, nature of conflict is not very aggravated or violent. The partisans of
both the ideologies apart, it confuses many Muslims as to what are their
differences about and why they condemn each other?
The word salafi means what pertains to our forefathers – aslaf i.e.
we have strayed from the pure Islam practiced by our early ancestors and must be
restored. According to the ideologues of Salafi Islam, our practices should be
based only on Qur’an and hadith, not on any fiqhi mazhab or school of
jurisprudence like Hanafi, Shafi’i etc. Hence they are also known as
Ahl-e-Hadith as they base all their juristic decisions on Qur’an and
hadith.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2010jun03/salafism_and_sufism_there_real_conflict.html
5:32 AM
Sultan Shahin
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