'Blasphemous' Christians killed outside Pakistan court

Islamic World News
20 Jul 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
'Blasphemous' Christians killed outside Pakistan court

Veil banned in Syrian universities

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown blasts British Minister who defended the Burka

Indonesian Muslims praying to Kenya, not Mecca, after faulty edict

New Yorkers reject Palin's blithering bigotry

Zawahiri slams Arab leaders as ‘Zionists’

Karzai opens Kabul Conference

Hillary believes Osama is in Pakistan

62nd Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA

Anti-Mosque Sentiments Countered With Interfaith Walk

International Sufi Council to be set up: PAL

MCOCA restored in Malegaon blast case

Headley: Pak navy trained 26/11 killers

Islam Experts: Ground Zero 'Mega Mosque' Is Political Statement

ISI chief met Mumbai attack accused in jail

US citizen behind al-Qaida magazine

UK contradicts minister, sees no role in Kashmir

Now, Qureshi asks US to mediate in J&K

Cops fire, kill one more protester in Baramulla

No immediate plan to question Rana

Afghan militants reject buyout deal

US: Pakistan must clear air on N-deal

For secular identity, Syria bans full-face veils at univs

US should pressure China to stop nuke sale to Pakistan: Thinktank

Indo-Pak dialogue must go on: US

Kashmir an impediment in ties: Hillary

Two terrorists perish as forces foil suicide attack

Expectations low as donors meet in Kabul

UAE urged to allow appeals for expelled Lebanese, Gazans

Qureshi meet may not figure in Krishna's Kabul trip

Iranian Man Says US Tortured Him

LeT Commander Shot Dead In Encounter

24 militants lay down arms in Bajaur

Allawi seeks Sadr’s support to become PM 

196 to face coup plot trial in Turkey 

Mogadishu fighting kills 14 civilians

‘US must drop ‘cowboy’ logic to talk with Iran’

Afghanistan plans ambitious future vision

Kader Molla, Qamaruzzaman remanded again

Mojahid remanded in sedition case

Five militants killed in Pakistan attack: officials

New Israeli rocket shield passes final test

Libya’s Gaddafi says will rein in Sudanese rebel

Mohammed, Mitchell discuss ? Middle East peace efforts

Israel to deploy new anti-missile system in November

Iran calls for world body free of big power control

Israel nabs Hamas cell accused of deadly shooting

Probe ordered into woman’s death in Madinah hospital

Lawyer threatens action against court over MBC lawsuit

90 held in clampdown on runaway maids

Ahmadinejad brands Iran's enemies 'idiots'

Locked up maid’s plea resounds overseas

Iran Guards pull out of giant gas field

Algeria denies minister’s son under probe

‘Hamas cell behind cop’s killing busted’

Pakistan violates ceasefire again, fires at border outpost in Poonch

21 cases of sexual abuse during UN missions in 2nd quarter

Raising Awareness On Islamic Teachings Amongst Women

Muslim Beheads Wife, Claims Victim Status

10 Police Killed In Gunmen Attacks On Yemeni Intelligence HQ

U.S. will get stuck in Yemen, al Qaeda-linked cleric says

YEMEN: One-third of Yemenis going hungry - report

Iran Prosecutor Wants 74 Lashes to Women With Tight Clothes or Loose Hair

Tennessee GOPer Zelenik Slams Opponents For Not Stopping Muslim Center, Campaign Warns Of Sharia Law

Govt encouraging tolerance to counter trends of sectarianism: Gilani       

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

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'Blasphemous' Christians killed outside Pakistan court

July 19, 2010

Lahore:  Two Christian brothers accused of writing a blasphemous pamphlet critical of the Prophet Mohammed were shot dead on Monday outside a court in eastern Pakistan, police and doctors said.

An unidentified youth shot dead pastor Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his brother Sajjad, and left their police escort critically wounded, as they left a court hearing in Faisalabad city, police official Amanullah Khan told AFP.

"Both brothers were rushed to hospital where they were pronounced dead," Khan said.

Doctor Rana Bashir, chief of main Allied Hospital in the city confirmed the deaths and said the wounded police officer was undergoing surgery.

The brothers were arrested on July 2, with their supporters claiming the charges against them were trumped up.

James Aftab, a senior church official in Faisalabad said the men had been "implicated in a fake case" while Atif Jamil Pagaan, a spokesman for Pakistan Minorities Democratic Foundation, also said the men had been set up.

"The charges levied on them are false as no evidence has been brought and no witness was present," he said, adding that the pamphlets were handwritten and photocopied, and anonymously distributed with the brothers' contact details.

Earlier this month, about 400 demonstrators burnt tyres and held protests in the low-income Waris Pura

neighbourhood of Faisalabad, a slum inhabited by nearly 100,000 Christians, demanding the death penalty for the accused.

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law carries the death penalty although no one has ever been sent to the gallows for the crime.

Human rights activists want the legislation repealed, saying it is exploited for personal enmity and encourages Islamist extremism.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/blasphemous-christians-killed-outside-pakistan-court-38472?cp

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Veil banned in Syrian universities

20 Jul, 2010

DAMASCUS, July 19: Syria has banned the face-covering veil from the country’s universities to prevent what it sees as a threat to its secular identity.

The education ministry issued the ban on Sunday, according to a government official.

The ban, which affects public and private universities, is only against the niqab – a full veil that reveals only a woman’s eyes – not headscarves, which are far more commonly worn by Syrian women.

The billowing black robe, known as a niqab, is not widespread in Syria, although it has become more common recently – a move that has not gone unnoticed in a country governed by a secular, authoritarian government.

“We have given directives to all universities to ban niqab-wearing women from registering,” the government official said.

The niqab “contradicts university ethics”, he added, saying the government was seeking to protect its secular identity.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/veil-banned-in-syrian-universities-070

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Yasmin Alibhai-Brown blasts British Minister who defended the Burka

By YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN

These British apologists for the burka make me see red, whatever side of the political spectrum they come from. They can be Left-wingers who'll countenance no criticism, however valid, of hardline Muslims. They can be Right-wing libertarians who insist any woman has the right to wear whatever she chooses.

And, as we discovered this week, they can be members of the British Cabinet who ludicrously claim the burka actually empowers women.

Yes, Caroline Spelman, the Environment Secretary, really did claim that the burka delivers its wearer blissful freedom. As a Muslim, you might expect me to agree with her, but I can't. She is wrong. Her fatuous and ill-conceived defence of the burka rendered me apoplectic with fury.

Does she even understand the harm she does by sanctioning this perversion of our faith?

Immigrant Muslims who came to Britain to get away from Stalinist ayatollahs, mullahs and women-hating fanatic regimes in their home countries must be spitting their teeth out after hearing Spelman's astounding endorsement of this dreadful garment.

We Muslims who came here wanted the freedom that Britain's proud history of democracy was renowned for. We wanted better education for our children and to live and pray in peace in a country which, for all its faults, gives us civil rights and equality between the sexes. Read more...

The Daily mail UK

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Indonesian Muslims praying to Kenya, not Mecca, after faulty edict

19 Jul 2010

Officials in the world's most populous Muslim country admitted on Monday that they made a mistake when issuing an edict in March saying the holy city in Saudi Arabia was to the country's west.

The Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI, has since asked followers to shift direction slightly northward during their daily prayers.

"After a thorough study with some cosmography and astronomy experts, we learned they've been facing southern Somalia and Kenya," said Ma'ruf Amin, a prominent cleric of the MUI.

"We've revised it now to the north-west."

He said Indonesians need not worry, however.

"Allah understands that humans make mistakes," he said. "Allah always hears their prayers."

Indonesia is a secular nation of 237 million people, 90 per cent of whom are Muslim, most of them moderate.

The influential Ulema Council often issues fatwas, or edicts.

Last month the leading Islamic group Muhammadiyah issued an edict against smoking, after a video showing a chain-smoking Indonesian toddler emerged.

The edict prompted a counter protest by 10,000 tobacco farmers who demanded government protection.

Last year, the MUI issued an edict banning the practice of yoga over fears that the use of Hindu prayers could "erode" Muslims' faith.

While the edicts are not legally binding, many Muslims follow such decrees, because ignoring them is considered a sin.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/indonesia/7898338/Indonesian-Muslims-praying-to-Kenya-not-Mecca-after-faulty-edict.html

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New Yorkers reject Palin's blithering bigotry

BY JOE CONASON

Sarah Palin’s semiliterate yet somehow Shakespearian tweet protesting the "Ground Zero mosque" has drawn fresh attention to a cause that excites bigots across the country. Her friend Mark Williams, the racist loudmouth expelled from the Tea Party movement over the weekend, is already leading a national campaign of agitation against the "mosque" and the worshippers of Islam’s "monkey god." Florida evangelist William Keller wants a piece of the fame and fortune, too. New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio even seems to believe that opposing the mosque — and perhaps all mosques — will revive his stagnating candidacy.

Like so much right-wing agitation, the campaign against the mosque in lower Manhattan — actually an interfaith community center known as the Cordoba House that will include a mosque — depends on fear and misinformation. Its political purpose is to demonize Islam and its adherents, no matter how peaceful and moderate, by pandering to prejudice and inflaming emotions left raw by the losses of 9/11.

Full report at:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joe_conason/2010/07/19/mosque

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Zawahiri slams Arab leaders as ‘Zionists’

20 July 2010

 DUBAI — Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri slammed Arab leaders as “Zionists” who are helping Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip, in his first message since December posted online Monday.

“These Arab Zionists are more dangerous than Jewish Zionists,” Zawahiri said in the audiotape posted on an Islamist website that stated the message was produced by Al-Qaeda’s Al-Fajr media arm.

He hit out at Egypt in particular for planning to build an underground metal fence with Gaza to curb cross-border smuggling — the only lifeline for the Hamas-run enclave amid Israel’s blockade.

“Who is besieging our people in Gaza and is surrounding them with an underground metal fence? Is he not the chief of Arab Zionistss (Egyptian President) Hosni Mubarak?” he charged.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July342.xml&section=middleeast

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Karzai opens Kabul Conference

Jul 20, 2010

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai opened an international conference on Tuesday aimed at charting a new course on how billions in development aid are to be spent in the next few years.

Enhancing the capacity of the Afghan security forces, political reform, reconciliation with Taliban militants and improving governance, including the fight against endemic administrative corruption, are high on the agenda of the Kabul Conference, attended by nearly 70 international representatives.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Karzai-opens-Kabul-Conference/articleshow/6190172.cms

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Hillary believes Osama is in Pakistan

Anita Joshua

Jul 20, 2010

ISLAMABAD: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday said she believed that Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and Taliban spiritual head Mullah Omar were in Pakistan and, asserted that it would be helpful to the war on terror if “we could take them.”

Ms. Clinton made this observation during an interaction with Pakistanis here.

Elaborating on the ongoing efforts at reconciliation in Afghanistan, she sought to counter misgivings about contradictions in the U.S. policy of continuing its war on terror while entering into dialogue with the Taliban.

No contradiction

“There is no contradiction in defeating those who want to fight and opening the door for dialogue to those who want to reconcile.”

As to whether the U.S. would allow Pakistan or Afghanistan to negotiate with the Haqqani network, she advocated extreme caution; stating that they should enter into negotiations with great care.

Full report at:

http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/20/stories/2010072062221200.htm

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62nd Annual Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA

July 20, 2010

 American Muslims Gathered for Spiritual Rejuvenation

The 62nd annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA at the Dulles Expo and Conference Center in Chantilly, Virginia, ended today. More than 6,000 delegates from all over the United States attended the three-day event.

The convention commenced with a flag-hoisting ceremony, followed by Friday prayers. Speeches on Friday afternoon covered divine forgiveness, integration and individualism, and how to handle trials and adversity.

On Saturday morning, men and women hosted concurrent sessions. Speeches covered topics such as religious freedom in America and its parallels to Islam, Islam beyond culture and ethnicity and the importance of righteousness in a Muslim's life.

Concurrent sessions continued on Saturday afternoon. Dr. Shanaz Butt, the National President of the women's auxiliary, delivered the ladies' keynote address on the importance of reforming one's self in order to defend Islam.

Full report at:

http://www.pr.com/press-release/249716

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Anti-Mosque Sentiments Countered With Interfaith Walk

by Nicole Ferguson

Jul 20, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In direct response to recent outcry against building several mosques across Middle Tennessee, a group of interfaith congregants marched in peace from a Nashville Christian church to an Islamic Center.

"I think the main focus here is ignorance, said Yasser Arafat, vice president of the Islamic Center of Tennessee. "A lot of people don't know what Islam is. They associate Islam with extremism."

The walk began Monday evening at the Belmont United Methodist Church, and continued a mile and a half to the Islamic Center of Tennessee. More than 150 people, among them people of Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths, showed up to show their support of religious tolerance and understanding.

Full report at:

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12836110

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International Sufi Council to be set up: PAL

20 Jul, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Writers and intellectuals from France, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Germany and Hungry have agreed with the idea to set up an International Sufi Council for spreading the message of peace through Sufism, said Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL)

Chairman Fakhar Zaman on Monday after his return from tour to Europe.

Briefing about his meetings with delegates of International "Sufism ? Peace Conference" he said that the delegates were of the view that they had discovered a new Pakistan, which was a messenger of love, brotherhood and peace.

Zaman said he also got a chance to discuss the idea of International Literary and Cultural Festival with the delegates. They appreciated this idea a lot, he said, adding, he also gave briefing about PAL's publications in international languages, literary TV channel and other activities to the writers unions and cultural ministries of European countries.

Zaman said he also discussed with them the writers exchange programmes and translations of literary writings. Writers council of these countries have agreed to the proposal of writers exchange programmes and translations.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\20\story_20-7-2010_pg11_6

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MCOCA restored in Malegaon blast case

Jul 20, 2010

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday reapplied the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast case. The case, as a result, has been transferred back to the Special MCOCA court. The High Court also held that the bail applications of the accused would be heard afresh by the MCOCA court.

The court's order was with reference to an appeal filed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), challenging the revocation of the MCOCA.

A Division Bench of Justices B.H. Marlapalle and Anoop V. Mohta noted that “all the orders [of the Special Court] are required to be quashed and set aside and all the bail applications would stand restored to the file of the Special court for being decided afresh on their own merits.”

Full report at:

http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/20/stories/2010072062231200.htm

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Headley: Pak navy trained 26/11 killers

Jul 20, 2010

New Delhi: American terrorist David Coleman Headley has nailed the Pakistani navy as well for its role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks,in yet another confirmation of the involvement of Pakistans state actors in the carnage.

Corroborating what lone surviving attacker Ajmal Kasab confessed in Mumbai,Headley had told National Investigation Agency sleuths in Chicago last month that all 10 attackers had got intensive training from Pakistani navy frogmen.Kasab had confessed that he and 9 others,who attacked Mumbai,were trained in swimming and underwater diving by the frogmen.

Times of India

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Islam Experts: Ground Zero 'Mega Mosque' Is Political Statement

By Michelle A. Vu|Christian Post Reporter

Several experts on Islam, including the Son of Hamas author, are opposed to the idea of building a “mega mosque” near Ground Zero because they say the motivation is political not reconciliation.

“Why was this particular site selected? Because the need for a $100 million mosque is so great? Because 45-47 Park Place is the only place left in Manhattan to put a mosque?” posed Mosab Hassan Yousef, author of the bestselling book Son of Hamas, on his blog Friday.

“No. Because it will make a powerful political and religious statement.”

Yousef, like several other Christian scholars with expertise on Islamic strategies, warns that despite appealing reasons given for the mosque – such as improving interfaith relations and promoting tolerance – it will stand as a “bold affirmation” of the same Quran cited by the Muslim extremists who brought down the World Trade Center and killed thousands of American civilians in 2001.

Full report at:

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100719/islam-expertsground-zero-mega-mosque-is-political-statement/

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ISI chiefmet Mumbai attack accused in jail

By Aman Sharma

Jul 20th, 2010

Home ministry finds that Pasha secretly visited Lakhvi &Mir at their prison recently Pasha

PAKISTAN’S ISI chief Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha met 26/ 11 accused Zaki- Ur- Rehman Lakhvi and Sajid Mir in a Pakistani jail recently, a Union home ministry official said on Monday.

The official also revealed that besides the ISI, a specialised unit of the Pakistani navy, too, was involved in the 26/ 11 conspiracy.

The source said it was David Coleman Headley who had disclosed that the Frogman unit of the Pakistani navy had trained the Mumbai attack terrorists in marine combat.

The Frogmen are believed to be a unit of the Pakistan Special Service Group Navy ( SSGN), which is headed by a navy commander.

While India knows for a fact that ISI chief Pasha met Lakhvi and Mir in jail, it is unaware of what transpired during the meeting.

Full report at:

Mail Today

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US citizen behind al-Qaida magazine

Jul 20, 2010

WASHINGTON: A Saudi-born American citizen may be behind the new online English magazine published by terror outfit al-Qaida, US officials claimed.

Samir Khan, who left the US in 2009 and now lives in Yemen, is responsible for several of the online blogs, Herald Sun quoted unnamed US officials as telling Fox News.

The online magazine Inspire was posted by the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemeni branch connected to US-born cleric Anwar al Awlaki, linked to both the Fort Hood massacre and the failed attempt to detonate a car bomb in New York's Times Square.

Intelligence officials became aware of Khan several years ago when he began publishing English translations of al-Qaida propaganda and videos produced by other militant groups.

Inspire, an anti-US blog, publishes articles with titles such as "How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom".

Khan, who was born in Saudi Arabia and moved to the US when he was seven, had earlier started another blog called "Inshallahshaheed" in 2004.

Officials suspect Khan is involved with Inspire, because its content is similar in tone to work he published in his previous blog and posts on other Islamist sites.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/US-citizen-behind-al-Qaida-magazine/articleshow/6189803.cms

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UK contradicts minister,sees no role in Kashmir

Ashis Ray

Jul 20, 2010

London: The British foreign ministry contradicted one of its cabinet ministers,Baroness Sayeeda Warsi,by clarifying that Britain does not wish to play any role in resolving the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

Over the weekend,minister without portfolio,Warsi,who is of Pakistani origin,told an audience during a visit to Mirpur in PoK: Britain will play its due role to ensure the early resolution of the Kashmir issue.

She,then,proceeded to assure her listeners that UK will take necessary effective steps in connection with the resolution of the Kashmir conflict.

The British high commission in Pakistan did not deny this.It said it has no transcript of her statements.The British high commissioner was apparently present when she spoke at the function.

Full report at:

Times of India

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Now, Qureshi asks US to mediate in J&K

Jul 20, 2010

New Delhi: With US secretary of state Hillary Clinton by his side,Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi engaged in another spot of ambush diplomacy only to have Clinton publicly rebuff him.

At a joint press conference in Islamabad,Qureshi said sustaining dialogue with India and finding a just solution to the Kashmir dispute was part of the convergent interest of US and Pakistan.This vision is driven by our convergent interest in the present day including fighting the twin menace of extremism and terrorism, Qureshi said.It was his way of bringing US back into the J&K dispute.

Full report at:

Times of India

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Cops fire,kill one more protester in Baramulla

M Saleem Pandit

Jul 20, 2010

Srinagar: With street violence showing no sign of abating,one person was killed and several others injured when protesters in Baramulla clashed with the police on Monday evening.Thirty-year-old Fayaz Ahmad Khanday was shot dead and scores injured when the police were forced to fire at a mob that turned violent while demonstrating with the body of 13-year-old Faizan Ahmad Buhroo,who allegedly drowned on Saturday after being chased by the cops.

In the last two months,17 people,including Khanday,have been killed with law and order situation deteriorating sharply.With Khandays death,the administration is bracing itself for another spiral of street violence throughout this week.

The authorities fished out the body of Faizan Ahmad from Jhelum on Monday after he drowned in the river on Saturday evening.The residents of Baramulla thereafter marched with the body towards police headquarters which triggered clashes between protesters and the police,an eyewitness said.

The clashes between the protesters and the security forces were continuing in Baramulla until late Monday evening.Normal life was disrupted across the Valley on Monday which observed a general strike.

Times of India

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No immediate plan to question Rana

Jul 20, 2010

New Delhi: Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headleys statement to National Investigation Agency interrogators that Pakistani navy frogmen trained 26/11 attackers is being seen as another clear indication of the Pakistani establishments involvement in the Mumbai terror attack,which claimed 166 lives.

The role of frogmen was confirmed by Headley when the Indian investigators interrogated him in the US last month, a senior official said.A frogman is someone who is trained to dive,swim and combat the enemy.

Headley,currently in a Chicago jail,had also told the NIA team that Pakistans intelligence agency ISI had been involved in planning and execution of the Mumbai terror attacks.Referring to Headleys interrogation report,home secretary G K Pillai had recently said that the ISI was literally controlling and coordinating the 26/11 attack from beginning to end.

Sources said that the Indian investigators so far have no plan to interrogate Headleys accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana as his involvement in the Mumbai attack conspiracy was limited to providing finance.If necessary,we may interrogate Rana also,though we have no immediate plan to do so, the official said.

Times of India

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Afghan militants reject buyout deal

20 Jul. 10

Afghan militant leaders have rejected a new peace offer made to them on the eve of an international conference in Kabul.Representatives from 60 countries will attend the conference on Tuesday,which will also discuss the merits of negotiating with the Taliban and other insurgent groups fighting coalition forces there.According to Sky News,the militants dismissed President Hamid Karzais offer of money and land for peace,saying we cant be bought.ANI

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US: Pakistan must clear air on N-deal

20 Jul. 10

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Monday said the world community has reservations about a Pakistan-China deal for the supply of nuclear reactors and wants Islamabad to respond to these concerns.Hillary indicated that there were a series of questions about the nuclear arrangement with China that need to be addressed by Pakistan

Times of India

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For secular identity,Syria bans full-face veils at univs

Jul 20, 2010

Damascus: Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from the countrys universities.

The education ministrys ban on the niqab comes as similar moves in Europe spark cries of discrimination against Muslims.An official at the ministry says the ban,which affects public and private universities,is only against the niqab a full veil that reveals only a womans eyes not headscarves,and aims to protect Syrias secular identity.The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

The niqab is inconsistent with the values and ethics of academic traditions,said minister of higher education,Ghaith Barakat.

The billowing black robe known as a niqab is not widespread in Syria,although it has become more common recently.Its growing popularity has not gone unnoticed in a country governed by a secular,authoritarian regime.AP

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Burqa empowers women,says British minister:

Jul 20, 2010

As debate intensifies across Europe on banning the Islamic full-body veil at public places,evironment secretary Caroline Spelman has defended womans right to wear the burqa and says it is empowering.We are a free country,we attach importance to people being free and for a woman it is empowering to be able to choose each morning when you wake up what you wear, she said.

Times of India

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US should pressure China to stop nuke sale to Pakistan: Thinktank

Jul 20, 2010

WASHINGTON: Noting that China's potential sale of two nuclear reactors to Pakistan has created great unease in the international non-proliferation community, a leading American thinktank has urged the US to put pressure China to reverse course.

"The US should oppose the transaction in its current form and pressure China to reverse course," eminent American scholar Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think-tank, said in a paper titled "The China-Pakistan Nuclear 'Deal': Separating Fact From Fiction."

The paper was released a day after, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said that the world community has reservations about a Pakistan-China deal for the supply of nuclear reactors.

"While some observers believe that the US-India civil nuclear deal complicates Washington's ability to credibly resist the China-Pakistan agreement, the two deals are fundamentally different," Tellis said in the paper.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-should-pressure-China-to-stop-nuke-sale-to-Pakistan-Thinktank/articleshow/6189578.cms

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Indo-Pak dialogue must go on: US

Jul 20, 2010

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday told the Pakistani leadership that the US wants a continuation of Indo-Pak dialogue so that the two sides could amicably resolve their outstanding problems, diplomatic sources said here today.

Clinton, who is currently here for the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, made the remarks after a delegation-led by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi briefed her on the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan here on July 15.

"The Secretary of State made it clear that the US is interested that the process between Pakistan and India should be sustained," a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions told PTI.

The Pakistani delegation told Clinton about the reasons why the Foreign Ministers had been unable to make any headway in their talks.

The Pakistani side contended that the Indian team led by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had focussed only on the issue of terrorism and shown no interest in addressing Pakistan's concerns, including the Kashmir issue, Siachen and the need for a regional strategic restraint regime, the sources said.

Clinton responded to these issues by saying that the US would like India and Pakistan to amicably resolve their outstanding problems and address issues between the two countries, the diplomatic sources said.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/270215/Indo-Pak-dialogue-must-go-on-US.html

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Kashmir an impediment in ties: Hillary

Jul 20 2010

Islamabad: US secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Pakistan on Monday that the US wants a continuation of Indo-Pak dialogue so that the two sides could amicably resolve their outstanding problems, diplomatic sources in Islamabad said.

Hillary, currently is Islamabad for the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, made the remarks after a delegation-led by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi briefed her on the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan on July 15.

Hillary responded saying that the US would like India and Pakistan to amicably resolve their outstanding problems.

She also said that the Kashmir issue is an “impediment” in developing a relationship be beneficial to both India and Pakistan.

“Kashmir... divided India and Pakistan and in my view, are impediments to developing a relationship that would be beneficial to both countries,” she said.

No mediation

Hillary made it clear that the US has no desire to mediate between India and Pakistan.

During a town hall meeting with members of civil society later in the day, Hillary said: “We can only encourage, we can’t solve (the Kashmir issue) because at the end of the day, this is an issue (to which) there is no dictated response.”

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/kashmir-an-impediment-in-ties-hillary/648992/

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Two terrorists perish as forces foil suicide attack

July 20, 2010

 MARDAN: A suicide plot, which might prove to be deadly, was foiled when two suicide bombers were killed in a bid to carry out a suicide attack on security forces present within Punjab Regiment Center (PRC) here in Mardan, Geo news reported Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, four security men sustained minor injuries in retaliatory firing, Geo news reported.

According to details so far reached here, terrorists launched a suicide attack on PRC in Mardan, injuring four security soldiers on Thursday morning, but failed to obtain ill-desired results as security forces retaliated in be-fitting passion, killing both suicide bomber on the spot.

Heavy contingents of police and rangers have placed a stern cordon around the incident site with some reports of exchange of fire between forces and miscreants, it has been learnt.

http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/7-20-2010/68638.htm

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Expectations low as donors meet in Kabul

July 20, 2010

 KABUL: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Kabul Monday for an international donors' conference that will host dozens of foreign ministers.

Diplomats called the meeting Tuesday a symbolic success even before it began, just by the fact that it's possible to hold it Kabul — past donor meetings have been in London or Tokyo.

Afghan civilians are not so quick to accept that praise, since nine donors' conferences in nine years have left them deeply disappointed.

Since 2002, such conferences have pledged over $40 billion in reconstruction aid to Afghanistan, though the Afghan government estimates that only $35 billion has been delivered.

For the donors' conference Tuesday, the road from the airport to the venue is freshly painted with red and white stripes and decked out with smart new Afghan flags. But the rest of Kabul's roads aren't getting the same treatment.

The dust-choked dirt roads of the capital are often the first thing Afghans mention in their list of questions about where the billions of dollars in donor money have gone and why there isn't more to show for it.

http://www.thenews.jang.com.pk/7-20-2010/68632.htm

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UAE urged to allow appeals for expelled Lebanese, Gazans

July 20, 2010

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS/WASHINGTON: Israel will deploy in November its anti-missile system designed to combat threats from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the defence ministry said on Monday.      

“The Iron Dome interceptor, in conjunction with air force and anti-aircraft systems, successfully downed a large number of threats in fully operational mode,” the ministry said in statement.   

“The first two batteries will become operational in November 2010,” it said adding that “the defence ministry will soon place orders for additional batteries.”   

The system is designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells, of which Hamas and the Hizbullah have fired thousands at Israel in the past.

The system is expected to be first deployed along the border of Hamas-run Gaza from where a daily barrage of home-made rockets fired at the Jewish state prompted Israel to launch a devastating 22-day offensive on December 27, 2008. 

It will then be deployed on Israel’s border with Lebanon, where the Lebanese group Hiezbullah fired some 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during a 2006 war. Israel believes Hizbullah now has an arsenal of some 40,000 rockets.       

Full report at:

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=251764

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Qureshi meet may not figure in Krishna's Kabul trip

Jul 20, 2010

Kabul : External Affairs Minister S M Krishna is unlikely to meet his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi though both of them are here for a conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday, days after their talks in Islamabad descended into acrimony.

An indication to this effect was given today by Krishna, who said "I do not know whether time will permit me to talk to him(Qureshi)."

Officials accompanying Krishna said the meeting was unlikely. The Pakistani side has not sought any meeting with Krishna nor has the Indian side shown any interest, they said.

Let us wait and watch, Indian officials said, adding the roadmap for talks with Pakistan would be decided "as we go along".

Krishna and Qureshi are here to attend a one-day international conference on Afghanistan along with a host of other foreign leaders tomorrow. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is among the leaders.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/qureshi-meet-may-not-figure-in-krishnas-kabul-trip/648821/

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Iranian Man Says US Tortured Him

Jul 20th, 2010

Tehran, July 19: The Iranian scientist who American officials say defected to the United States only to be pressured by Iran to return home has made his first appearance since his arrival last week in Tehran, adding details to what he says was his abduction, psychological torture and eventual release by American intelligence agents.

In a videotaped interview, the scientist, Mr Shahram Amiri, accused American agents of trying to coerce him to confess to being a spy so they could try to exchange him for three young hikers from the United States who have been held by Iran since they wandered over the border from Iraq in July 2009.

“They told me that if I confess to being an Iranian intelligence agent, they could trade me with the three spies who were caught near the Iraqi border,” Mr Amiri told the interviewer, who then asked him whether the US agents had specifically used the term “spy” to describe the hikers.

“Yes, they used the word ‘spy’ and told me

that trading spies between countries is quite normal,” he replied.

Mr Amiri has said that he was kidnapped by the CIA and Saudi agents while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in June 2009, then tortured by CIA agents.

http://www.asianage.com/international/iranian-man-says-us-tortured-him-069

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LeT Commander Shot Dead In Encounter

Jul 20th, 2010

In what the officials claimed is a major breakthrough against the militants, the security forces on Monday shot dead a top commander of LeT in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipore area, 52 km north of here.

The police here said that after receiving information about the presence of the Lashkar’s “divisional commander” Ajmal Shah, alias Abu Darar, with two other militants in village Garoora Aragam outside the Bandipore town, the soldiers of Army’s 10 Gharwal and 14 Rashtriya Rifles along with the members of local police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group laid siege to it during the intervening night of July 17 and 18 but the searches yielded no result and the soldiers returned to a nearby camp. As their source insisted on the presence of Abu Darar and two of accomplices, they again relocated to the village on Monday morning.

http://www.asianage.com/india/let-commander-shot-dead-encounter-092

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24 militants lay down arms in Bajaur

20 Jul, 2010

KHAR/MARDAN, July 19: Twenty-four militants laid down arms and surrendered to security forces in Bajaur tribal region on Monday.

Locals said that the 24 militants wanted by the government in various cases of violence including kidnappings, target killings, destroying schools and other government buildings laid down arms voluntarily and surrendered to security forces through a tribal jirga.

They also handed over one Kalashnikov riffle each as fine to the authorities. They took oath in the presence of elders of the jirga that they would remain loyal to government and abide by the law of the land.

More than 900 militants have surrendered to security forces so far in Bajaur tribal region. The security forces also seized huge cache of arms including rockets, missiles, mortar guns, anti-aircraft guns, mines, Kalashnikovs, explosive and a large number of cartridges during search operation in Meena area of tehsil Mamond.

Meanwhile, Police claimed to have arrested two persons and recovered eight bundles of wire, used in making bombs, from their possession at a checkpost near Dobai Bus Stand in Mardan on Monday.

Police stopped a Suzuki pick-up at the checkpost and recovered 20,000 feet long wire consisting of eight bundles from the vehicle. Police also arrested two persons riding the vehicle.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/24-militants-lay-down-arms-in-bajaur-070

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Allawi seeks Sadr’s support to become PM

20 Jul, 2010

 DAMASCUS, July 19: Pro-western Iraqi politician Iyad Allawi sought support on Monday to form a government from Iranian-backed cleric Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, in the first meeting between the once bitter rivals.

Sadr, an anti-US figure who has emerged as a kingmaker in Iraqi politics, did not endorse Allawi but said Allawi had shown more willingness to compromise than Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki, who is trying to cling to power after an inconclusive election in March.

Sadr and Allawi met at a hotel in the Syrian capital after they had separately been received by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. They later met Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who was on a brief visit to Syria.

Iraq has been gripped by violence and political intrigue since the election, which failed to produce an outright winner.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/allawi-seeks-sadrs-support-to-become-pm-070

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196 to face coup plot trial in Turkey

20 Jul, 2010

ISTANBUL, July 19: Turkish prosecutors have indicted 196 people, including several former senior officers, over accusations they plotted a coup against the Islamist-rooted government, reports said on Monday.

According to the indictment cited by the Anatolia news agency, the plan was drawn up at the Istanbul base of the First Army shortly after the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002.

First Army’s former top general Cetin Dogan was singled out in the charge sheet as the chief suspect and the mastermind behind the alleged plan to oust the AKP, the offshoot of a banned Islamist movement that many accuse of undermining the country’s secular order.

The coup plan was drawn up by Dogan on the grounds that “the Turkish state had begun to come under the influence of anti-secular and reactionary elements” after the election of the AKP, Anatolia quoted the indictment as saying.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/196-to-face-coup-plot-trial-in-turkey-070

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Mogadishu fighting kills 14 civilians

20 Jul, 2010

* Ambulance services head says citizens bore the brunt of the attack * Senior Shebab commander says they are in control of the area

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Shebab insurgents have launched a fresh drive to topple the country’s weak president, sparking fighting in Mogadishu that killed at least 14 civilians, medics and witnesses said on Monday.

The al Qaeda-inspired militants, who last week claimed deadly suicide bombings in Kampala, rekindled their bid to seize northeastern neighbourhoods from which they could directly threaten the transitional government’s key infrastructure.

“The fighting broke out late on Sunday and stopped overnight but resumed early on Monday when the terrorist groups attacked our positions in Shibis and Abdulaziz neighbourhoods,” government security official Ali Mohamed Dhere told AFP.

Both sides, which have been battling for the same districts for months, claimed victory after exchanging artillery and gunfire for hours, often causing collateral damage and civilian casualties beyond the contested areas.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\20\story_20-7-2010_pg4_1

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‘US must drop ‘cowboy’ logic to talk with Iran’

20 Jul, 2010

* President Ahmadinejad says Washington’s real concern is that Tehran is fast rising as a regional power g Iran’s parliament speaker Larijani says international bodies are instruments of the US g Says the UN, IPU should form a new body to strip out ‘shortcomings’ of the UN, international agencies

TEHRAN: The US must drop its “cowboy” attitude if it wants to hold dialogue with Iran over its nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday.

“We are for negotiations, but to do so you have to sit down like a good boy,” Ahmadinejad said, referring to the US, in a speech broadcast live on state television.

“They adopt a resolution to force a dialogue, but this cowboy logic has no place in Iran.”

World powers led by the US voted for new UN sanctions against Iran on June 9 in a bid to force it to stop its nuclear programme which they suspect is aimed at making weapons. Iran denies its atomic drive has military aims. Following up on the UN sanctions, US President Barack Obama on July 1 imposed Washington’s toughest-ever unilateral punitive measures against Iran.

Ahmadinejad said Washington’s real concern was not that Iran might make an atom bomb but that Tehran is fast rising as a regional power.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\07\20\story_20-7-2010_pg20_2

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Afghanistan plans ambitious future vision

20 Jul, 2010

KABUL—Afghanistan will seek greater control of billions in development funds at a major international meeting on Tuesday, promising in return to take on more responsibility for security as well as generate economic growth. The ambitious pledges will be made at the Kabul Conference, where President Hamid Karzai will plead for more say in $13 billion in international funding to use on programs he hopes will boost economic growth and lure fighters from the insurgency.

With governments anxious to withdraw from the 150,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sooner than later, they are keen too for assurances the country won't slide back into the isolation that allowed al Qaeda to flourish and launch the September 11, 2001 attacks. But the Taliban, treating any talk of withdrawal timetables as signs of weakness, have spurned any peace overtures and insist they will fight until all foreigners leave.

A tightly woven security blanket has been thrown over the city for the conference, Afghanistan's biggest in over three decades and attended by representatives from over 60 countries or international organizations, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "We are 100 percent prepared but this doesn't mean everything will go exactly to plan," said Zemarai Bashary, spokesman for the Interior Ministry which runs the police force.

Full report at:

http://dailymailnews.com/0710/20/FrontPage/index.php?id=7

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Kader Molla, Qamaruzzaman remanded again

20 Jul, 2010

A Dhaka court on Monday remanded Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretaries general Mohammad Qamaruzzaman and Abdul Kader Molla in police custody for three days each in another case, concerning the reported attack on the president’s motorcade early this year.

Dhaka’s chief metropolitan magistrate Abdul Mazid gave the order in the afternoon following a request for 10 days by the case investigation officer, subinspector Shamsur Rahman Khan, rejecting a petition on cancelling remand.

They were earlier remanded in a 1971 genocide case filed with the Pallabi police station.

According to the case details, some activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, students’ wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, attacked the president’s motorcade near the city’s Paltan area on February 12 this year.

Subinspector of Paltan police station, Shamsur Rahman Khan, filed a case in this connection the same day.

‘Shibir had its protest programme on the same day and they had attacked the motorcade of the president on his way to the airport,’ Moyez Uddin, constable of court police’s general recording office, told bdnews24.com.

They leaders were arrested on July 13 from outside the High Court premises.

Earlier, two top Jamaat leaders Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and Delwar Hossain Saydee were taken into remand for questioning in the same case.

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/jul/20/front.html

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Mojahid remanded in sedition case

United News f Bangladesh . Dhaka

A Dhaka court on Monday placed Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid on three-day fresh remand in sedition case filed with Airport police station.

Metropolitan Magistrate Kamrunnahar Rumi passed the order when police produced Mojahid in it with a 5-day remand prayer.

Earlier, the same court denied the bail prayer of Mojahid and Jamaat nayeb-e amir Delwar Hossain Saydee and sent them to jail hajat when they were produced in the court on completion of 3-day remand in a case filed with Uttara thana under anti-terrorism act.

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/jul/20/front.html

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Five militants killed in Pakistan attack: officials

20 July 2010

 PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Five militants, three of them wearing suicide bomb vests, were killed on Tuesday when they attacked a military training centre in northwest Pakistan, officials said.

The armed attackers tried to enter the training ground in the northwestern town of Mardan and a gun battle with security forces ensued, leaving all five militants dead and four soldiers wounded, a senior security official told.

“An attack on the Punjab regiment centre in Mardan was averted this morning by security forces,” the official said.

“Five militants including three suicide attackers were killed when they tried to enter the training area. Four soldiers were injured,” the official said.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/July/international_July832.xml&section=international&col=

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New Israeli rocket shield passes final test

20 July 2010

 JERUSALEM - An Israeli system that shoots down short-range rockets passed final tests on Monday and will be deployed near Israel’s borders by November, the Defence Ministry said.

U.S. President Barack Obama in May asked Congress for $205 million to support the development of “Iron Dome”, which intercepts short-range rockets like those used by Palestinian militants in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The system successfully shot down multiple rockets simultaneously for the first time in testing this week, Israel’s Defence Ministry said.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak has argued Iron Dome could be a necessary safeguard to reassure Israelis in the event of a withdrawal from the occupied-West Bank that comes in the framework of a peace deal with the Palestinians.

Senior U.S. State Department official Andrew Shapiro said last week that U.S. support for Iron Dome will, “provide Israel with the capabilities and the confidence that it needs to take the tough decisions ahead for a comprehensive peace.”

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July340.xml&section=middleeast

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Libya’s Gaddafi says will rein in Sudanese rebel

20 July 2010

 ALGIERS - Libya has told a Sudanese rebel leader staying on its territory he must do nothing to jeopardise peace talks in Sudan, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says in an interview to be broadcast later on Monday.

Gaddafi has come under pressure from Sudan’s government to expel Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Darfur region’s rebel Justice and Equality Movement, given refuge in Libya in May.

“He (Ibrahim) has stayed in Libya and all our brothers in Sudan and Chad are right to be sensitive about that,” Gaddafi said in an interview with the France 24 television station and radio stations RFI and Monte Carlo.

“We told him that, to serve peace and to lay down arms, it’s forbidden for him to issue orders from Libya or make any comments,” Gaddafi said in a recording of the interview provided to Reuters.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/July/international_July812.xml&section=international

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Mohammed, Mitchell discuss ?Middle East peace efforts

20 July 2010

 ABU DHABI - General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, met the US’ Middle East envoy, Senator George Mitchell, here on Monday.

The US envoy briefed Shaikh Mohammed on the results of his talks with Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, as well as with Palestinian and Israeli sides within the framework of his efforts to push forward the peace negotiations aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict .

General Shaikh Mohammed and Mitchell discussed the recent developments in the peace process and the reconciliation efforts between Palestinian and Israeli sides. They also pondered over the steps to be taken in order to achieve concrete progress in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to ensure an independent and viable Palestinian state.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/July/theuae_July486.xml&section=theuae&col=

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Israel to deploy new anti-missile system in November

20 July 2010

 JERUSALEM — Israel will deploy in November its anti-missile system designed to combat threats from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the defence ministry said on Monday.

“The Iron Dome interceptor, in conjunction with air force and anti-aircraft systems, successfully downed a large number of threats in fully operational mode,” the ministry said in statement.

“The first two batteries will become operational in November 2010,” it said adding that “the defence ministry will soon place orders for additional batteries.”

The system is designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells, of which Hamas and the Hezbollah have fired thousands at Israel in the past.

The system is expected to be first deployed along the border of Hamas-run Gaza from where a daily barrage of home-made rockets fired at the Jewish state prompted Israel to launch a devastating 22-day offensive on December 27, 2008.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July336.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Iran calls for world body free of big power control

20 July 2010

GENEVA - Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani, whose country is under strong pressure from the United Nations over its nuclear programme, called on Monday for a more powerful global body free of big-power domination.

Speaking to an audience including U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, Larijani said the new body should comprise “the elites” of the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and ensure more fairness in the global system.

“The current prevailing structure of power has not only been unable to secure international peace and security, but has also led to the emergence of such new phenomena as terrorism in a very dangerous and organised framework,” he declared.

“No doubt this inability is due to the double standards and unilateral policies exercised by the big powers, including the USA,” Larijani added.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July333.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Israel nabs Hamas cell accused of deadly shooting

20 July 2010

 JERUSALEM — Israel has arrested five Palestinians accused of being members of a Hamas cell responsible for killing an Israeli policeman in the West Bank, the Shin Bet security service said Monday.

It said the men, all in their 20s, confessed to killing the policeman near the West Bank town of Hebron on June 14 and handed over three Kalashnikov rifles they used. The arrests were carried out a week after the attack, which wounded two other policemen, but were only made public Monday in a statement released to the media.

The names of the arrested men were not released, and it was not possible to confirm the details with their families or lawyers. Hamas Web sites mentioned the arrests but did not explicitly link the group to the attack Monday.

The men were from the southern West Bank village of Deir Samit, which is under full Israeli security control, according to Palestinian security officials. The officials said the Israelis arrested around 20 men and they did not know which of them had confessed to shooting the police officer.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July329.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Probe ordered into woman’s death in Madinah hospital

Jul 20, 2010

MADINAH: Police have launched an investigation into the death of a 23-year-old expatriate woman due to alleged medical negligence at a private hospital in Madinah, Al-Watan newspaper reported.

Medical staff at Al-Safa Hospital, on the other hand, say the woman died before reaching the hospital. This is, however, contradicted by the hospital’s medical director who said she died sometime after arriving there. The woman’s family filed a complaint with the police alleging the woman died in the hospital’s reception hall after waiting there for over one hour. The woman had been suffering from anemia after delivering a baby some days ago.

The family also accuses the hospital staff of rejecting their request to take the patient to the emergency section after her condition deteriorated and she showed signs of fatigue. After sometime she fainted and was taken to the hospital’s emergency section where she was pronounced dead by the doctor on duty.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article86943.ece

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Lawyer threatens action against court over MBC lawsuit

By MD HUMAIDAN

Jul 20, 2010

JEDDAH: A Saudi lawyer has said he will sue Riyadh’s summary court after it refused to consider his lawsuit against satellite television channel MBC.

Ahmad Al-Rashid told Arab News on Monday that the court told him to contact the Ministry of Culture and Information’s media violations committee. He had accused MBC of encouraging deviant behavior in Saudi society.

He also threatened to take his case to the Supreme Judicial Council, adding that the summary court had told him it was not the relevant judiciary to hear his lawsuit.

“I will not go to the ministry. The court should have heard my case as it did with other similar cases, including the case against the sex braggart Mazen Abdul Jawad, which involved another television channel,” he said.

He added that he was not convinced that the ministry’s media violations committee was the right body to examine the case.

“I will voice my objections against the summary court to the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council and will call for a review of the entire judicial system. It is not logical that one rule is applied only for certain cases and not for other similar ones,” he said.

Al-Rashid criticized perceived double standards in the legal system and also called on the Commission for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice to intervene in such matters to protect society against immoral behavior.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article86893.ece

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90 held in clampdown on runaway maids

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN

Jul 20, 2010

JEDDAH: Riyadh police said on Monday they had caught several housemaids who escaped from their sponsors to work for other employers.

Officers said it had combed a number of residential areas in the capital over the last two days and caught more than 90 illegal foreigners of Arab and Asian nationalities who had been promised high salaries during Ramadan.

According to acting spokesman First Lt. Muhammad bin Ali Abdul Rahman, most of those arrested were wanted by police on charges of escaping from their sponsors or illegally staying in the Kingdom.

He said many of them were holding forged iqamas, which contained their pictures but had personal data belonging to other people.

The wages of housemaids increase dramatically during Ramadan, with some of them demanding monthly salaries of up to SR3,500.

Many Saudi families consider the presence of a housemaid during the fasting month unavoidable, as their house chores usually increase.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article86887.ece

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Ahmadinejad brands Iran's enemies 'idiots'

Jul 20, 2010

TEHRAN, Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran's enemies are "idiots" and that UN sanctions will not make his country abandon its nuclear program.

Addressing industrialists in northern Iran Monday, the Iranian leader says the sanctions will only help Iran, forcing it toward achieving greater economic self-sufficiency. The president's speech was broadcast live on state television.

The United States and its allies say Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charge, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

The United Nations last month slapped a fourth round of sanctions on Tehran over its disputed nuclear program.

Mosque bombings

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article86666.ece

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Locked up maid’s plea resounds overseas

By ARJUWAN LAKKDAWALA

Jul 20, 2010

JEDDAH: An Indian maid in the Kingdom has claimed she has been locked up in a house for the last nine months after her sponsor “sold her” to a labor placement agency.

Laila Beevi says the agency hired her out to a woman who has since kept her under lock and key, without proper food or access to medical facilities.

“I have no food, my son comes from outside and throws bread over the wall for me to eat,” Beevi told Arab News via telephone.

The Federation of Kerala Association Saudi Arabia (Fokasa) has been trying to help Beevi.

Beevi’s son, who is a laborer, submitted petitions to the Riyadh Governorate and National Society of Human Rights with the help of Fokasa.

According to the petition, Beevi is locked up in a house in the Al-Nakheel residential area under the jurisdiction of Al-Maazar police station. The Indian Embassy had sent a fax to the police station asking them to help free Beevi from captivity, but to no avail.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article86945.ece

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Iran Guards pull out of giant gas field

By RAMIN MOSTAFAVI

Jul 20, 2010

ASSALUYEH, Iran: Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards will not be involved in developing Tehran's part of the world's largest gas field, said a senior gas official on Monday.

"Khatam Al-Anbia has pulled out of developing all phases of the South Pars gas field," Mohammad Hassan Mousavizadeh told reporters. Khatam Al-Anbia is an engineering and construction arm of the Guards.

The Guards, hit by sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the United States, has played a growing economic role in the Islamic Republic since hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad first took office in 2005.

Mousavizadeh did not make clear why Khatam Al-Anbia pulled out of the project.

"The withdrawal was not because of financial problems of the Guards ... it will not create any problems for the development of the field," the official said.

After Norway's Kvaerner pulled out, development of phases 15 and 16 of South Pars were handed over to Khatam Al-Anbia in 2006.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article87005.ece

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Algeria denies minister’s son under probe

By LAMINE CHIKHI

Jul 20, 2010

ALGIERS: Algerian prosecutors denied a local newspaper report on Monday that the son of a minister allied to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika had been placed under criminal investigation.

El-Watan, quoting unnamed sources close to the case, said justice officials were investigating an allegation that the son of Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz was involved in laundering drug money.

“The Prosecutor-General.... at the Oran court formally denies any involvement or judicial charges with regard to the son of the Justice Minister,” the prosecutor-general’s office in Oran, western Algeria, said in a statement faxed to Reuters.

It said there had been a case of mistaken identity, and the newspaper had confused the minister’s son with someone with the same family name from the Oran region who had been detained on charges related to drug trafficking.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article86922.ece

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‘Hamas cell behind cop’s killing busted’

By MOHAMMED MAR’I

Jul 20, 2010

RAMALLAH: The Israeli Army and internal intelligence agency Shin Beth arrested several members of a Hamas cell that was allegedly responsible for the killing of a policeman last month.

The 39-year-old officer Yehoshua Sofer was killed and two others were injured in mid June as Palestinian fighters opened fire at a police car near the West Bank refugee camp of Al-Fawwar, south Hebron.

The officers were making their way to Hebron from the southern city of Beersheba A Palestinian group called “Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Shin Bet said that the joint forces detained several Hamas members in the village of Dair Samit on June 22, six days after Sofer was killed. The detainees told investigators that they were members of a military cell formed last year with the intention of carrying out attacks in the southern Hebron Hills.

It added that four members of the group took part in the attack that killed Sofer. One allegedly served as a lookout while three others sat in a car at the side of the road to open fire on the passing police vehicle.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article86917.ece

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Ausaf Sayeed appointed as India's envoy to Yemen

By SIRAJ WAHAB

Jul 20, 2010

ALKHOBAR: Seasoned Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Ausaf Sayeed was named as India's next ambassador to Yemen on Monday.

The 1989-batch officer, currently serving as joint secretary for west African affairs in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, is expected to take up his new assignment in Sanaa in mid-September.

Sayeed is one of the youngest IFS officers to be appointed as an ambassador. He earlier worked in the Indian missions in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Denmark in various capacities. His last assignment was as consul general of India in Jeddah (from August 2004 to July 2008) during which he was widely credited for bringing about considerable improvements in the management of Haj.

He is seen as a role model by the large Indian diaspora in the Gulf and is described by his friends as a connoisseur of art, culture and literature "who works tirelessly to promote India's rich cultural heritage abroad." Among his many diplomatic and cultural accomplishments have been the successful organization of the "India Week" in Qatar in 1999, "India Festival" in Jeddah in 2005 and the "Asian Film Festival" in Jeddah in 2008. He also played a key role in the formation of the Saudi-India Friendship Society in 2006.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article86910.ece

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Saudi family discovers maid is a dude

Jul 19, 2010

RIYADH: For seven months “she” cleaned the house, served tea to guests and even looked after their children. But when it was time to go back home, a Saudi family in the capital were in for a surprise: Their maid was in fact a guy.

The Arabic daily Al-Jazirah reported on Sunday that a Saudi family who employed a housemaid from the Philippines did not realize that the woman who had been serving them for seven months was a man.

“No one in the family had any doubts about the gender of the housemaid. She had smooth skin and had a beautiful face. She would not mix with men in the family,” the newspaper said.

After seven months the housemaid decided that she had have enough of house chores and said she wanted to go back home.

While her final exit procedures were being completed, her sponsor handed her over to the Passport Department who discovered that the beautiful maid was in fact a man.

http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/sidelights/article86321.ece

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Pakistan violates ceasefire again, fires at border outpost in Poonch

Jul 20, 2010

JAMMU: Violating the ceasefire for the seventh time this month, Pakistani troops fired on a forward defence location along the border in Jammu sector late on Monday night, drawing retaliation from Indian troops.

Pakistani troops targeted the Chak Phagwari Border Out Post (BoP) in Pargawal sub-sector, 20 kms from here, with mortars and small arms fire around 2200 hours last night, BSF officials said on Tuesday.

Indian troops guarding the border retaliated and the firing continued for over two-and-a-half hours intermittently.

"It ended late in the night and there was no casualty or injury to anyone in the firing", they said.

BSF officials said the issued would be raised with Pakistani Rangers and a protest will be registered with them at a flag meeting.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Pakistan-violates-ceasefire-again-fires-at-border-outpost-in-Poonch/articleshow/6189969.cms

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21 cases of sexual abuse during UN missions in 2nd quarter

Jul 20, 2010

UNITED NATIONS: Just a few days after an Indian peacekeeper was accused of sexual misconduct in Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations is finding itself embroiled in 21 allegations of sexual abuse during its field missions in second quarter of this year.

Out of these 21 cases, 8 charges concern minors, departments of peacekeeping operations and field support at the UN have said. In the first three months of 2010, 24 such allegations were made, in which 10 accusations involved minors.

"Overall, the number of allegations during the first half of this year is roughly the same as that of the first half of 2009," UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said.

Last week, an Indian peacekeeper was identified as one of the two men accused of sexual misconduct in the peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/US/21-cases-of-sexual-abuse-during-UN-missions-in-2nd-quarter/articleshow/6189848.cms

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India to resume medical mission work in Afghanistan

Jul 20, 2010

KABUL: India is set to resume its much-acclaimed medical mission work in Afghanistan which was scaled down following the terror attack in Kabul early this year that left nine Indians dead, senior officials said here on Tuesday.

"There is no scaling back. We are in the process of resuming full-fledged operations in Afghanistan," a senior Indian official said.

India launched the medical missions in Afghanistan in 2001-2002 and was operating five such missions in Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Though the Mazar-e-Sharif medical mission is functioning normally, the other four missions spread around the war-torn Afghanistan were temporarily suspended, the officials said.

The operation of the Indian medical mission at Kabul was suspended temporarily as the required staff and security was not available after the February 26 coordinated suicide attacks by Taliban at two hotels in Kabul that killed nine Indians, including two Major rank Army officers.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/India-to-resume-medical-mission-work-in-Afghanistan/articleshow/6190273.cms

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Raising Awareness on Islamic Teachings Amongst Women

Hj Ahmed Shaheeb

20 July 2010

Bandar Seri Begawan - To Raise the level of awareness of Islamic teachings amongst women associations in the country a "Pengukuhan Keluarga Menurut Perspektif Islam" or. "strengthening family from the Islamic perspective" course as part of the Tarbiyah Wanita "Majlis Ta' lim" programme was held at the Ministry of Religious Affairs yesterday.

Some 40 women representatives from WI, PGGMB, PERTI WI, PERBEKAL, Biro Wanita Muara, Biro Wanita Rimba and Biro Wanita Kampong are currently attending the five-day course, which will end on July 24.

The course, which is organised by the Da'wah Unit under the Islamic Da'wah Centre, aims to instil a sense of confidence in women in carrying out their daily "ibadah" and to allow them better insights into women's' rights under Islamic Syariah.

Full report at:

http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010071925408/Local-News/v.html

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Muslim Beheads Wife, Claims Victim Status

By Robert Spencer

Jul 20, 2010

In February 2009, Aasiya Z. Hassan, a 37-year-old Muslim woman, was founded decapitated in Orchard Park, N.Y., a village near Buffalo. Her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, admits that he beheaded his wife. Yet now, in a bizarre turn in the case, Muzzammil Hassan has claimed that he was the real victim in the case, driven to murder his wife after enduring years of her emotional and physical abuse.

The case stands as a classic example of the universal tendency on the part of Islamic supemacists and jihadists to blame everyone but themselves for what they have done.

In a larger sense, Muzzammil Hassan’s attempt to claim that he was actually the victim of the woman he beheaded is exactly like the jihadis blaming American foreign policy for the global jihad, and is related to the campaign to get the West to "stop linking Islam with terrorism."

Islamic jihadists link Islam with terrorism with consistency and religious fervor, but if a Western non-Muslim notices this, he is "hateful," "bigoted," "Islamophobic," "ignorant of Islam," etc. Never would the Muslims who accuse non-Muslims of "hate" for "linking Islam with terrorism" ever look to themselves, see the responsibility for the link as being within the Muslim community rather than outside it, and challenge those jihadists instead.

Full report at:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38133

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10 Police Killed In Gunmen Attacks On Yemeni Intelligence HQ

Jul 20, 2010

 Two coordinated gun attacks targeted the intelligence headquarters in Yemen’s southern troubled province of Abyan on Wednesday, killing at least 10 intelligence personnel and wounding 13 others, a provincial security official said.

The official said the assailants carried out coordinated attacks against the two neighboring buildings of the intelligence office and the general security camp in Zinjubar city of Abyan early Wednesday.

The attackers launched serious shootings by heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades from four cars and broke into the two buildings.

The dead and injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, said the official.

The attackers managed to flee while backup security forces were sent immediately to the scene.

“The pair attacks were spectacular, it’s Al-Qaeda again, it’s the second of its kind in less than one month against the Yemeni southern intelligence headquarters’ buildings,” said the official who asked not to be named.

Full report at:

http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=34411

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YEMEN: One-third of Yemenis going hungry - report

Jul 20, 2010

SANAA- Water scarcity, rapid population growth and internal conflicts are some of the main factors causing an “alarming state of food insecurity” at national and local levels, a new report has warned.

Rural areas are particularly affected with five times as many food-insecure people as in urban areas, it said.

"If no action is taken, food security is projected to remain at extremely low levels through 2020 and Yemen will remain highly vulnerable to external shocks and disasters," the report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said.

The study revealed that at the household level, 32.1 percent (7.5 million) of the country's 23 million people do not have enough food to satisfy their needs. It puts Yemen among the 10 most food-insecure countries in the world.

According to the government's Central Statistical Organization, Yemen has been experiencing a steady decline in grain production since 2007 as a result of internal conflicts, dwindling water resources and the increased cultivation of `qat’, a mildly narcotic, water-thirsty plant chewed by many Yemenis.

Full report at:

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89884

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Iran Prosecutor Wants 74 Lashes to Women With Tight Clothes or Loose Hair

by Alex DiBranco

July 20, 2010

Iranian general prosecutor Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei is really ticked off about the lax enforcement of the law in his country. Are violent criminals going free left and right? Are thieves allowed to walk off with everything plus the kitchen sink? Are government officials mired in corruption and enjoying opulent lives from bribe money?

No idea. What Mohseni-Ejei is concerned about is all the tight clothes and free-flowing hair he observes in Iranian women.

Mohseni-Ejei deems it unfortunate that the Islamic dress code hasn't been enforced well enough on women's bodies in the past 15 years, and longs for violators of "public chastity" to be punished by "two months in jail or 74 lashes." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been in office since 2005, is considered a traditionalist who is willing to take a hard-line stance against violations of religious Sharia law, giving people like Mohseni-Ejei hope for more opportunities for violence against women in the future.

Full report at:

http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/iran_prosecutor_wants_74_lashes_to_women_with_tight_clothes_or_loose_hair

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Tennessee GOPer Zelenik Slams Opponents For Not Stopping Muslim Center, Campaign Warns Of Sharia Law

Eric Kleefeld | July 19, 2010

The proposed construction of a Muslim community center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has become a hot issue in the Republican primary for the open Dem-held TN-06 district. One candidate, Lou Ann Zelenik, has been accusing her rivals of not taking a strong enough stand against it -- and her campaign is also warning against the possibility of Sharia law being instituted in Tennessee.

As the Daily News Journal reports, Zelenik joined a march last week to oppose construction of the center. During the march, she accused her two main opponents, state Sens. Diane Black and Jim Tracy, of not doing anything to stop it.

In an interview with TPMDC, Zelenik's campaign manager Jay Heine summed up the problem: "Here's what we're seeing. We're seeing it as -- this isn't a mosque. They're building an Islamic center to teach Sharia law. That is what we stand in opposition to. And this is one of the largest Islamic centers in the country, at 53,000 square feet on 15 acres."

Black's campaign has responded that she has in fact spoken on the subject, the Daily News Journal notes. They pointed out to the paper that Black had released this balanced statement in late June: "I will always follow the wisdom of our forefathers as laid down in the Constitution, and that means I believe that all Americans must be free to practice their faith as long it does not threaten other Americans or our national security.

Full report at:

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/tennessee-goper-zelenik-slams-opponents-for-not-stopping-muslim-center-campaign-warns-of-sharia-law.php

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Govt encouraging tolerance to counter trends of sectarianism: Gilani

July 20, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Tuesday said the government was making efforts at bringing tolerance and understanding in the society in a phased manner to counter trends of sectarianism.Addressing a book launching ceremony here at the PM Secretariat on “Subjects in Quran” by Zahid Malik, the Prime Minister said measures were being taken to make Pakistan a true citadel of Islam, by encouraging all to put aside their differences.Gilani lauded the task of imparting knowledge about Quran in an easily understandable manner and assured that his government would do all within its means to support the sacred cause.

He noted that the book reflected the knowledge and insight of Zahid Malik on the subject and said over the ages all religious books have brought the same message of love, brotherhood, peace, tolerance and understanding that has been culminated in the Holy Quran.

Full report at:

http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=109837&Itemi

URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3168