| Islamic World News | |
| 04 Jul 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Kyrgyzstan inaugurates first female presidentLebanon’s senior Shia cleric dies
Indonesian Islamists eye proselytizing Christians
20 militants killed in air attacks in Pak
Indian children attending daily classes of madrasas in Bangladesh
It’s not Muslim Kashmir Vs Hindu India: Mirwaiz
12 arrested over Pak shrine blasts
Iran unveils human-like robot
Egyptian policemen charged with beating blogger to death
Saddam spy receives Kuwaiti citizenship
Religion and the imagination
Thomas Jefferson and Mohammed Ali Jinnah: Dreams from two founding fathers
Jaswant’s Jinnah book issue a closed chapter: Gadkari
At least 12 dead in targeted killings in Karachi
Tahirul Qadiri says Parliament failed on terror issue
Terrorists are just terrorists: Nawaz
Tibetan boy chosen as 6th ‘Living Buddha’ by China
Pak govt should hold talks with Taliban: Sharif
Iran says it has ‘evidence’ its scientist abducted by CIA
Iran remembers victims of airliner shot down by US
UN warns of possible new Lebanon-Israel conflict
Saudi Arabia: Domestic tourism likely to fetch SR13bn this summer
Mystery surrounds bid on Saudi lawyer’s life in Syria
Yemen arrests Qaeda militants over officer’s death
Hamas welcomes European ministers’ intended visit to Gaza
Planner of Munich Olympics attack dies in Syria
Egypt releases 7 Bedouin detainees to ease tension
Shutters down in Pakistani city over shrine bombing
Somali PM shuffles cabinet, two peacekeepers killed
Israel expands powers of Gaza flotilla panel
New Afghan commander formally takes reins
Syria sentences leading lawyer Maleh to 3 years
At least 10 hurt in Iraq suicide attack
Amarnath yatra on despite curfew in Anantnag
Kashmir is a political issue, says Mirwaiz
Bangladesh Rifles trying to encroach on Indian land: BSF
Compiled by New Age Islam Bureau
Photo: Kyrgyzstan’s first female President Roza Otunbayeva
------ Jeddah:Mother of eight takes refuge on hill to escape domestic violence By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN Jul 4, 2010 JEDDAH: A Saudi mother with five daughters and three sons have not been able to find place to stay except the mountains near Al-Fayha land plot close to the Makkah entrance from Jeddah. She was escaping from her own brother who threatened to kill her and her children. Human Rights Commission member Muhammad Al-Suhaili told Arab News that while on his way to his home in Makkah from a meeting of the commission in Jeddah after Maghreb prayer, he spotted the woman and her children in an open and deserted area near a mountain close to the entrance of Makkah. Al-Suhaili , who is a staff member of Umm Al-Qura University and the imam of Princess Sheikha Mosque, said he went to them and asked the woman why she was in this deserted place that is unsafe for women. He said the woman told him that the general court in Jeddah divorced her from her husband, who is the father of her eight children, after the court received sufficient evidence of his constant abuse. She said after the divorce, she stayed in a shelter home in Jeddah but after some time moved out to stay with her mother. “My own brother who was staying in the same house was as bad to us as my husband,” she reportedly told Al-Suhaili. “He threatened to kill me and my children if we did not move out of the house. So, I have nowhere to go except this deserted mountainous area.” Al-Suhaili said he took them in his car to Makkah and began looking for a home for them. He said one of her mother’s friends accepted to host them temporarily until a home is found for them. “I have not yet approached any of the concerned government departments but I addressed a number of philanthropists to help this poor family,” he said. He recalled that about six months back the commission was able to secure a home for a Saudi mother with a number of children through the help of philanthropist Muhammad Ahmad Jamal. http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article77977.ece ------ Kyrgyzstan inaugurates first female president Sunday, July 04, 2010 BISHKEK: Career diplomat Roza Otunbayeva was sworn in as conflict-torn Kyrgyzstan’s president on Saturday, making her the first female leader in the history of ex-Soviet Central Asia. Standing before an audience of more than 1,000 cheering onlookers in a packed Soviet-era concert hall in the capital Bishkek, Otunbayeva solemnly took her oath and promised a new political era for increasingly-unstable Kyrgyzstan. “As president, I will spare no effort to create a new political culture for the country based on a strict adherence to the rule of law,” she told the assembled crowd. “I must be principled and consistently make demands on all branches of government to ensure it. The new policy cannot be built on fantasies and illusions. It must become real and effective.” A former foreign minister and ambassador to Britain who was swept to power in a wave of bloody street riots in April that ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, Otunbayeva takes office at a delicate moment. Kyrgyzstan has been wracked by violence and political instability in recent months, and the inauguration comes just days after the approval of a new constitution making Kyrgyzstan the region’s first parliamentary democracy. The new charter, passed overwhelmingly in a referendum on Sunday, slashes the powers of the president and sets the stage for parliamentary elections that authorities have scheduled for early October to bring in a permanent government. Otunbayeva will serve as the country’s caretaker president until after 2011 presidential elections, a position granted to her by last week’s referendum, under which she has no right to stand in the next presidential polls. Her government must also work to ease tensions in the south of the country, where deadly clashes between ethnic majority Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks in and around the cities of Osh and Jalalabad may have killed as many as 2,000 people last month. At least 75,000 fled to neighbouring Uzbekistan but all of these have now returned, leading international aid agencies to warn of an impending humanitarian crisis in dealing with the thousands of families left homeless. Victims have told AFP the violence was an orchestrated campaign by armed Kyrgyz militias targeting Uzbeks, who make up about 14 per cent of Kyrgyzstan’s population of 5.3 million. Otunbayeva struck a conciliatory tone over the violence, carefully avoiding attributing blame to any ethnic group, while promising that the government would do more to ensure the return of services to its citizens in the devastated south. “Today Kyrgyzstan is going through one of the most dramatic periods in its history. Unfortunately, tragic events took place in the Osh and Jalalabad regions.... Dark forces have spilled blood of many innocent people,” she said. “For my part, I give my word that the state will do everything possible, as soon as possible to overcome the consequences of the tragedy.” But Otunbayeva faces a series of daunting tasks not limited to the violence if she is to bring a measure of stability to the country, said independent Bishkek-based political analyst Marat Kazakbayev. “The hardest things now for Otunbayeva are to raise the national economy, resolve security issues and social problems and to prove to the world her ability to govern in difficult conditions,” he told AFP. Opinions on Otunbayeva varied throughout Bishkek, but the historic nature of her status as the first female president in a region dominated by men seemed to be on everyone’s lips. “For the first time we have a female leader, and this can be an interesting lesson to the men, whom she can teach how to lead the country,” said pensioner Irina Sidorkina. Former soldier Marat Zhusupov said he saw things differently. “A female president — this is totally frivolous.... Maybe she could have come in during peace time, but on the brink of civil war it is not acceptable to be experimenting with an inexperienced woman,” he said. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=248824 ------ Lebanon's senior Shia cleric dies 04 Jul. 10 Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's most influential Shia cleric, has died in Beirut at the age of 74. Hospital sources in Beirut confirmed his death on Sunday after being admitted last month suffering from internal bleeding. Fadlallah was born in 1935 in Najaf, the centre of Shia scholarship in Iraq. He spent more than two decades studying Islam there before moving to Lebanon, where he spent most of his adult life. He attained the status of marja, or "source of emulation," the highest level of authority amongst Shia clerics. Fadlallah had a wide following, not just in Lebanon but among Shia communities in the Gulf and Central Asia. Many of his sermons, widely distributed on audiotapes in Lebanon the 1980s, helped to spark increased political awareness among Lebanon's Shia population. Critic of US and Israel Fadlallah was often described as Hezbollah's "spiritual guide," but he never held a role within the organisation. However, he did support some of its actions, endorsing suicide attacks against Israel, and issuing a ruling in 2009 that forbade normalised relations with the Jewish state. At the same time, he condemned other suicide attacks that targeted civilians, like the Moscow subway bombings earlier this year. He also condemned the September 11 attacks on the United States, saying they were "not compatible with sharia law." His outspoken political views made him a target. A 200kg car bomb exploded near Fadlallah's Beirut home in 1985. He was unharmed, but dozens of people were killed in a nearby apartment building, which was demolished by the blast. Bob Woodward, an American investigative journalist, linked the blast to the US Central Intelligence Agency, though US officials have long denied any involvement. Fadlallah was also a staunch critic of American foreign policy in the Middle East, accusing it of bias in favour of Israel. "I have not found in the whole long history of the Arab-Israeli conflict even one neutral American position," Fadlallah said in a 2009 interview with the Wall Street Journal. He wrote a letter last year to Barack Obama, the US president, in which he accused US policies of contributing to "the loss of the Palestinian cause". Relatively liberal social views While the West criticised him for his politics, conservative Islamic scholars often condemned Fadlallah for his moderate views. Fadlallah was widely known for his views on women, describing men and women as equals, and issuing a ruling in 2007 which encouraged women to defend themselves against violence. He also issued a ruling banning female circumcision. His extensive charitable works added to his popularity. Fadlallah established a network of schools and orphanages in Shia suburbs of Beirut and in southern Lebanon. Fadlallah initially supported Iran's revolution, but later became a critic of Khomeini [AFP] Fadlallah was an early supporter of the Iranian revolution and of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's first supreme leader. But he eventually became a critic of the concept of wilayat al-faqih, the Iranian system of government in which the top Shia religious leader exercises absolute authority. "[He] now argues that no Shia religious leader, not even Khomeini and definitely not his successor, Ayatollah [Ali] Khamenei, has a monopoly on the truth," Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American academic, wrote in his book The Shia Revival. "Like all other believers, says Fadlallah, leaders are fallible and open to criticism." His relationship with Hezbollah also grew strained as the group increased its ties to Iran. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/20107354240249363.html ------ Indonesian Islamists eye proselytizing Christians By NINIEK KARMINI BEKASI, Indonesia — A banner with a picture of a young, bespectacled Christian man is draped in front of a mosque, a fiery noose around his neck and the words, "This man deserves the death penalty!" Churches are shut down. And an Islamic youth militia held its first day of training. Though the events all occurred less than nine miles (15 kilometers) from Indonesia's bustling capital, making headlines in local papers and dominating chats on social networking sites such as Facebook, they've sparked little public debate in the halls of power. "I really see this as a threat to democracy," said Arbi Sanit, a political analyst, noting leaders never like to say anything that can be perceived as "un-Islamic," because they depend heavily on the support of Muslim parties in parliament. "Being popular is more important to them than punishing those who are clearly breaking the law," Sanit said. Indonesia, a secular nation with more Muslims than any other in the world, has a long history of religious tolerance, though a small extremist fringe has become more vocal in recent years. Members of the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, have been known to smash bars, attack transvestites and go after minority sects with bamboo clubs and stones. Now, they are targeting Christians in the fast-growing industrial city of Bekasi. Outsiders have steadily poured into the Jakarta suburb in search of work, bringing with them their own religions, traditions and values. That has made conservative Islamic clerics nervous. Some have used sermons to warn their flock to be on the lookout for signs of proselytization. So, when 14 busloads of villagers arrived on June 30 at the home of Henry Sutanto, who heads the Christian-run Mahanaim Foundation, rumors quickly spread that he and Andreas Sanau, the condemned man whose face appeared on the mosque banner, were planning a mass baptism. A spokeswoman for the group, Marya Irawan, insisted the crowds were invited as part of efforts to reach out to the poor. The FPI was not convinced. Video footage provided by the hard-line group shows hundreds of people getting off buses and entering the residential complex, many of them women in headscarves holding babies in slings, and milling about the pool. When a questioner thrust the camera in their faces, demanding to know why they came, most just looked bewildered. "Someone asked if I wanted to come," one woman said with a shrug. Others accepted a ride into the city because they were bored, and thought they would at least get a free lunch out of it. When the questioner found Sanau, who had one ear to a phone, he asked if baptisms would be taking place. The 29-year-old Christian's brow furrowed. He shook his head, "No, no." Asked if he had an ID card, Sanau flashed it at the interviewer, who zoomed in on his home address. The house has since been abandoned. "He should be executed!" said Murhali Barda, who heads the Bekasi chapter of the FPI. "He tried to carry out mass baptisms!" Days later, Barda's group joined nine others in recommending at a local congress that Bekasi mosques help set up youth militias to act as moral police and to intimidate Christians who are trying to convert Muslims. They started training Saturday morning, about 100 young men turning out on a field wearing martial arts uniforms. Barda stressed there was no plan to arm them. "We're doing this because we want to strike fear in the hearts of Christians who behave in such a way," he said. "If they refuse to stop what they're doing, we're ready to fight." A regional leader of the Indonesian Muslim Forum, Bernard Abdul Jabbar, said the youths were given physical training and taught about Islam. "They will guard the Islamic faith and preach the right path to the people," he said. Priest Andreas Yewangoe, a chairman of the Communion of Indonesian Churches, said the militia will only create fear, nervousness and unrest in the nation. "The government must protect all citizens from anarchist action as mandated by the constitution," Yewangoe said. Religious-led violence has been on the rise for months in Bekasi. Mobs have forced shut two churches this year. Last month, a statue of three women was torn down by authorities after hundreds of hard-liners wearing skull caps and white robes took to the streets, claiming the monument symbolized the Holy Trinity. Weeks earlier, black-clad youths attacked a Catholic-run school over an anonymous blogger's "blasphemous" website. Increasingly, the public has jumped into the debate. Stories appear regularly on the front pages of newspapers about FPI. Opinion pages are filled with letters calling for the group to be banned. More than 50,000 people signed petitions on Facebook, which has turned into a portent political force. The government has made no public comment except when three lawmakers were attacked by FPI during a meeting in East Java. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. ------ 20 militants killed in air attacks in Pak Jul 4, 2010 PESHAWAR: At least 20 militants were killed and their six hideouts were destroyed when combat jets struck Taliban positions in the restive Orakzai tribal region in northwest Pakistan, officials said. The jets pounded militant positions at Dabori, Ghiljo, Mulla Patti, Mamozai and Khadezai areas of Orakzai Agency on Saturday, which borders Afghanistan. Pakistani troops launched an operation in mid-March in Orakzai Agency against Taliban fighters who fled an army offensive in South Waziristan last year. The army says it has killed hundreds of militants in the operation. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/20-militants-killed-in-air-attacks-in-Pak/articleshow/6127102.cms ------- Indian children attending daily classes of madrasas in Bangladesh 04 Jul. 10 Border villages in North Bengal do not have even Primary Schools IT is a known fact that minorities especially Muslims are creating all sorts of problems in the border districts of West Bengal. Qurbani of cow in open places of border villages is a common sight. In almost all the border villages of the state Hindus have become minority. For all practical purposes, they are living at the mercy of Muslims. Hindu married women are not allowed to put vermillion (sindur) on their forehead. These women cannot wear white bangles made out of conch shell which is customary for a Bengali woman. Lungi has become a common dress for Hindu men. In Bengal, lungi is considered to be the exclusive dress of Muslims. In many villages, worship of Hindu Gods and Goddesses has become difficult if not impossible. Young girls after attaining the age of 12 or 13 years are not safe to be kept in houses. They are being frequently abducted and in the name of "love marriages" by Muslim youths. Hindus have become ‘individuals’ as they are not united or organised. Hence they have to tolerate and tolerance at what price, at a price of motherland, mother, wives, daughters, sisters, cow and what not and they simply go on tolerating everything. Once English historian Arnold Toynbee had commented, "Hindus are liberal at their fault." The villages of West Bengal are worst testimony of this heinous premise. Organisation is the mantra to overcome this curse. Unfortunately, a wrong notion has been propagated by a motivated section of people that Hindus cannot be ‘communal’; if they go for organisation it would mean that they are discarding the lofty ideals of liberalism. Full report at: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=352&page=8 ------ It's not Muslim Kashmir Vs Hindu India: Mirwaiz 04 Jul. 10 Mirwaiz Umar Farooq briefing media at his Srinagar residence. / Photo: Zulfiqar Khan Chairman of moderate faction of Kashmiri’s main separatist alliance Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Saturday said Kashmir was a political issue not a fight between Muslim Kashmir and Hindu India. “Kashmir is a political issue ripe for resolution not a fight between Muslim Kashmir and Hindu India. Resolving Kashmir is in the national interest of India,” said Farooq addressing a press conference at his residence in the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir. Farooq also rejected the statements of Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram and Indian Home Secretary G K Pillai that external agents were sponsoring protests in Kashmir. Chidambaram and Pillai had blamed external elements like Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit of sponsoring Kashmir protests. Full report at: http://www.kashmirnewz.com/n000417.html ------ 12 arrested over Pak shrine blasts Jul 03 2010 Lahore : Pakistani law enforcement agencies have arrested 12 suspects in connection with the twin suicide bombings at a famous Sufi shrine here and recovered sophisticated weapons and explosives from them, an official said on Saturday. The suspects included "suicide bombers and their handlers," a Punjab government spokesman said. "They are key members of a number of gangs involved in major incidents of terrorism in the province," the spokesman said. Those arrested included terrorists and their accomplices who were allegedly involved in attacks on other places of worship and on a mosque at Parade Lane in Rawalpindi. A huge quantity of sophisticated weapons and explosives as well as uniforms of various security agencies were recovered from the arrested persons, he said. "Similarly, valuable information about various gangs of terrorists has been received," he said. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/641854/ ------ Iran unveils human-like robot 4 July 2010 TEHRAN - Iran has developed a new human-like walking robot to be used in “sensitive jobs,” government newspaper Iran reported on Sunday. Soorena-2, named after an ancient Persian warrior, was unveiled by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday. It is 1.45 metres (4.7 feet) tall and weighs 45 kilograms (99 pounds), the report said. “Walking slowly like human beings with regular arm and leg movements are among its characteristics,” it said. “Such robots are designed and developed to be used in sensitive and difficult jobs on behalf of a person or as help.” The report did not elaborate on the robot’s capabilities. Iran has pursued a number of scientific projects in recent years such as cloning, stem cell research and satellite technology while it has come under increasing international pressure over its controversial nuclear programme. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July59.xml§ion=middleeast ------ Egyptian policemen charged with beating blogger to death Jul 4, 2010 CAIRO: Two Egyptian policemen have been charged with torturing a young blogger and allegedly beating him to death, the prosecution said. Mahmoud Salah Mahmoud and Awad Ismail Suleiman face charges of unwarranted arrest of Khaled Mohamed Said, 28, and torturing him. The act was revenge against Said for posting a video on the internet showing policemen dividing the profit of a drug bust among themselves, Xinhua reported citing state-run MENA news agency. The two policemen dragged Said out of an internet cafe and allegedly beat him to death in June, the prosecution said. However, according to the results of an autopsy ordered by the court, injuries found on Said's body were not the cause of his death. Officials said Said swallowed a narcotic joint during his arrest, and may have died of asphyxia. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egyptian-policemen-charged-with-beating-blogger-to-death/articleshow/6126311.cms ------ Saddam spy receives Kuwaiti citizenship Jul 4, 2010 DUBAI: An Iraqi resident, who is believed to have worked as a spy for Saddam Hussain, was recently awarded Kuwaiti citizenship, along with his family. It is believed that the man, whose identity has not been revealed, also played a large role in assisting Iraqi troops during the 1990 Invasion, documents recently obtained have said. The man is assumed to have been the head of the Saddam Martyrs Brigades during the invasion and was employed by the Iraq regime's office in Basra at the time, an Arabic 'Al-Watan Daily' report has said. He and his family are thought to have worked as spies for the Baath Party in Kuwait and to have received letters of acknowledgment from the Iraqi regime until it fell in 2001. Letters obtained by the daily said that the individual provided the head of the Basra governorate's organizations supervisor the locations of Husainiyas, or Shiite mosques, in Kuwait and areas with Shiite majorities. One such letter, dated September 1, 1990, contained mentioning of condolences from the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for the death of the suspect's brother during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In another letter, the suspect mentions being honoured by the former Iraqi regime for his role in assisting Iraqi troops during the invasion. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Saddam-spy-receives-Kuwaiti-citizenship/articleshow/6127367.cms ------ Religion and the imagination 04 july 2010 PROFESSOR GAURI VISWANATHAN Relativism is the death of liberalism, says acclaimed novelist Salman Rushdie. It is possible to argue for the universality of certain rights, like the right to language, to dream, to imagine, he says, in an interview with Professor Gauri Viswanathan of Columbia University. We carry below excerpts, edited from a longer conversation... To defend the freedom of language as a universal human right is justifiable not by appeal to this or that cultural tradition but simply to the biology of the beast. Photo: AFP The need for sacred spaces of debate: Salman Rushdie. Introduced by Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University, and Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Laureate. Gauri Viswanathan: In The Ground Beneath Her Feet you depict contrasting characters, such as the ultra rationalist Sir Darius and his miracles-chasing wife, Lady Spenta. For Sir Darius, every intellectual effort begins with the death of the gods, whereas his wife searches for enchantment. And in The Enchantress of Florence, your most recent novel, you have Akbar as a modern man who questions the existence of God and presides over spirited debates of the Tent of the New Worship between competing philosophical schools. And yet the same rationalist skeptic has created his imaginary Queen Jodha, and he lives in a world that is steeped in magic and miracles. How do you reconcile these two images, which co-habit the same world in your novels? Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/lr/2010/07/04/stories/2010070450010100.htm ------ Thomas Jefferson and Mohammed Ali Jinnah: Dreams from two founding fathers By Akbar Ahmed July 4, 2010; B03 "You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship. . . . We are starting in the days when there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one state." These are the words of a founding father -- but not one of the founders that America will be celebrating this Fourth of July weekend. They were uttered by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, founder of the state of Pakistan in 1947 and the Muslim world's answer to Thomas Jefferson. When Americans think of famous leaders from the Muslim world, many picture only those figures who have become archetypes of evil (such as Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden) or corruption (such as Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf). Meanwhile, many in the Muslim world remember American leaders such as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, whom they regard as arrogant warriors against Islam, or Bill Clinton, whom they see as flawed and weak. Even President Obama, despite his rhetoric of outreach, has seen his standing plummet in Muslim nations over the past year. Full report at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/02/AR2010070202442_pf.html ------ Jaswant's Jinnah book issue a closed chapter: Gadkari Jul 4, 2010 NEW DELHI: BJP president Nitin Gadkari has termed as "closed" the issue of Jaswant Singh's book praising Pakistan founder M A Jinnah and said return of leaders like him will strengthen the party. "To add people to the party is going to strengthen it... It is a good thing for the party," Gadkari said when asked about return of leaders like Jaswant Singh and Ram Jethmalani to BJP. On the former defence minister not apologising for writing the book praising Jinnah which had led to his expulsion ten months ago, Gadkari said, "These are old issues. The issue is closed. Apart from the views, he is loyal to the party. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Jaswants-Jinnah-book-issue-a-closed-chapter-Gadkari/articleshow/6126681.cms ------ At least 12 dead in targeted killings in Karachi 04 Jul, 2010 KARACHI: At least 12 people were killed by unknown assailants in Karachi different incidents of targeted killings in the past 24 hours, DawnNews reported. Gunmen shot and killed one man in Pak Colony's Purana Golimar area. The victim, 40-year-old Mohammad Ejaz, was a resident of Orangi Town. One man was gunned down in Lyari's Nawaleen area. The victim, Mohammad Ali, was a resident of Lyari. Separately, on Saturday, another man was shot dead in Lyari. Meanwhile, in the city's Memon Goth area, unknown assailants shot and killed the area's former union councillor Shoaib Baloch. In Bhens Colony, unknown armed men gunned down one Mohammad Nasir, report said. One man was killed in Saudabad's Malir area. The victim, Sher Baloch, was gunned down by unknown assailants. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/metropolitan/04-khi-12-dead-qs-03 ------ Tahirul Qadiri says Parliament failed on terror issue July 04, 2010 LAHORE: Tehreek Minhajul Quran founder Dr Tahirul Qadiri said the parliament has failed in stemming the wave of terrorism and there is no dearth of ulema giving Sharai (religious) cover to the menace, Geo News reported Sunday. Addressing Tehreek’s Central Executive Committee here via telephone from Canada, he said the Parliament is the main culprit, which should announce its failure in tackling the issue. Political leadership failed to put an end to corruption and terrorism, he maintained adding all the members of national and provincial assemblies know the hideouts and hotbeds of terrorism. Tahirui Qadiri said, ‘Media in today’s world is playing role of Parliament. It should guide the nation.’ The TMQ chief demanded the formation of a national commission headed by Chief Justice to eliminate the terrorism. http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=107911 ------ Terrorists are just terrorists: Nawaz Sunday, July 04, 2010 Takes exception to use of term Punjabi Taliban; says Centre not cooperating with Punjab; blames federal govt policies for attacks By Babar Dogar LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif has said there is no safe haven for the Taliban in south Punjab. Responding to a question during a press conference on Saturday, Nawaz Sharif said: “We are fighting a battle against terrorism. It is our duty to eliminate it from wherever it is breeding. But we are not witnessing any evidence of terrorism in south Punjab. “The terrorists are recruiting from different places all over the country and no operation is going on in the areas from where they are being recruited.” Full report at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=29827 ------ Tibetan boy chosen as 6th 'Living Buddha' by China Jul 4, 2010 BEIJING: After years of search by top monks, a 4-year-old Tibetan boy was today chosen as the sixth 'Living Buddha' in the Tibetan capital Lhasa through a lot-drawing system of two candidates conducted by the 11th Panchen Lama who is being projected by China as the Dalai Lama's successor. In a ceremony that took place in Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, two slips bearing names of the two candidates were separately sealed in silk bags and put in a golden urn after being carefully examined by their family members, government representatives and senior monks. Bainqen Erdini Qoigyijabu, the Chinese Government-appointed 11th Panchen Lama, picked a silk bag out of the urn, which confirmed Losang Doje as the reincarnation of the fifth Living Buddha. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/Tibetan-boy-chosen-as-6th-Living-Buddha-by-China/articleshow/6127354.cms ------ Pak govt should hold talks with Taliban: Sharif Jul 4, 2010 LAHORE: Pakistan government should hold negotiations with the Taliban as part of efforts to tackle terrorism as even the US has indicated its willingness to talk to militants, top opposition leader and former premier Nawaz Sharif has said. "If Washington says it is prepared to talk to the Taliban who are willing to listen, then a similar initiative should also come from Islamabad. We should not only see what decision they (the Western countries) will make about our fate. We should decide our own fate," said Sharif, the chief of man opposition PML-N. "We have this problem at home. Why don't we take initiatives? Why should we wait for others' initiatives?" he told a news conference at his home here last evening. Asked about failed peace attempts in the past, Sharif, a two-time former premier, said: Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-govt-should-hold-talks-with-Taliban-Sharif/articleshow/6126941.cms ------ Iran says it has 'evidence' its scientist abducted by CIA Jul 4, 2010 TEHRAN: Iran has submitted "evidence" to the Swiss embassy that its nuclear scientist was abducted by US intelligence agents, the English language Press TV website reported on Sunday. "The evidence related to the abduction of Shahram Amiri by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) has been handed over to the Swiss embassy in Tehran," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanaparast was quoted as saying. The Swiss embassy manages US interests in Iran since Washington and Tehran have no diplomatic ties. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-says-it-has-evidence-its-scientist-abducted-by-CIA/articleshow/6127071.cms ------ Iran remembers victims of airliner shot down by US Jul 3, 2010 BANDAR ABBAS, Iran: Iranian helicopters scattered flowers into the Persian Gulf waters on Saturday as family members and relatives remembered the 290 passengers killed when a US warship shot down an Iranian airliner 22 years ago. About 250 relatives of victims and officials sailed from the southern port city of Bandar Abbas to the spot where the Iran Air A300 Airbus was downed on July 3, 1988 — just a month before the end of the Iraq-Iran war. The USS Vincennes shot down the airliner shortly after it took off from Bandar Abbas for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Washington said the Vincennes mistook the airliner for a hostile Iranian fighter jet. Iran maintains it was a deliberate attack. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article77959.ece ------ UN warns of possible new Lebanon-Israel conflict Jul 4, 2010 UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned Friday that an increase in tensions between Lebanon and Israel could lead to a new conflict with potentially devastating consequences. In a report to the UN Security Council, Ban accused both countries of violating the 2006 cease-fire resolution that ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. The UN chief said Hezbollah continues to maintain "a substantial military capacity" in violation of UN resolutions and an arms embargo, and he again called for Hezbollah and other militias to be disarmed "through a Lebanese-led political process." Ban said Israel continues to violate the cease-fire by conducting daily overflights of Lebanon and refuses to withdraw from the disputed northern border village of Ghajar. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78043.ece ------ Saudi Arabia: Domestic tourism likely to fetch SR13bn this summer Jul 4, 2010 JEDDAH: Saudis and expatriates are expected to spend SR13.2 billion on domestic tourism over this summer (from July to September), according to a report issued by the Information & Research Center of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). “Tourists are expected to spend 79.5 million nights during the peak tourism season against 75 million nights last year,” the report said, showing a six percent growth. It also predicted that each tourist would spend an average of SR169 each night. Makkah province is expected to draw the largest number (47 percent) of domestic tourism flights, followed by the Eastern Province at 13 percent, Asir at 12 percent, Riyadh at 11 percent, and Madinah and Hail provinces at five percent each, the report said. About 51 percent of domestic tourists will use their trips to enjoy their holidays and shopping while 25 percent on visiting friends and relatives and 23 percent on religious rites, the report pointed out. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article78013.ece ------ Mystery surrounds bid on Saudi lawyer’s life in Syria By WALAA HAWARI Jul 3, 2010 RIYADH: There are many questions surrounding the shooting of a Saudi holidaymaker on Thursday morning in Syria. While some reports say the man, a lawyer, was shot in an attempted armed robbery that went wrong, the man’s brother said police investigators have doubts about the actual reason. Saudi lawyer Batea Al-Shammari was shot while on holiday in Syria at a location some 45 km from Damascus. Batea was shot when he came to a window of the house he had rented to investigate some noise outside. He was shot five times by gunmen standing outside. Neighbors confirmed the shooting. One of the shots entered Batea’s body, rupturing his spleen, breaking a rib and exiting through his back. The lawyer was taken to hospital where he has undergone surgery. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article77993.ece ------ Yemen arrests Qaeda militants over officer's death Jul 4, 2010 SANAA: Yemen has arrested four militants over the drive-by killing of a senior intelligence officer, including two suspects that police believe are linked to Al-Qaeda, security sources said on Saturday. Two motorcycle gunmen shot dead Col. Saleh Amtheib on Thursday as he relaxed outside his home after lunch. He was the second security officer gunned down in the southern Abyan province in less than a month. Two of those arrested over the attack were previously suspected of belonging to Al-Qaeda, while the others had been unknown to authorities, the sources said. Security forces also confiscated a gun they said was used in the shooting. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78050.ece ------ Hamas welcomes European ministers’ intended visit to Gaza By HISHAM ABU TAHA Jul 3, 2010 GAZA CITY: Hamas welcomed on Saturday the intention of a European ministerial delegation to visit the Gaza Strip and described the step as “positive.” “It’s a good chance that European ministers see the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza with their own eyes,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. “This is should be the beginning of ending the unjust siege,” he said. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article77958.ece ------ Planner of Munich Olympics attack dies in Syria By ALBERT AJI Jul 4, 2010 DAMASCUS, Syria: Mohammed Oudeh, the key planner of the 1972 Munich Olympics attack that killed 11 Israeli athletes, died Saturday morning in Damascus, his daughter said. He was 73. Oudeh died of kidney failure a day after he was rushed to Damascus' Andalus hospital after falling sick, Hana Oudeh told The Associated Press . Mohammed Oudeh — also known under his guerrilla name Abu Daoud — did not participate in the Sept. 5, 1972 attack. Two Israeli athletes were killed in the assault, and nine others died in a botched rescue attempt by the German police. A German policeman and five Palestinian gunmen also were killed. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article78044.ece ------ Egypt releases 7 Bedouin detainees to ease tension Jul 3, 2010 ISMAILIA, Egypt: Egypt released seven Bedouin detainees on Saturday in an effort to improve tense relations between the Bedouin and the government, security sources said. The Bedouin — nomadic Arab tribes of the Sinai — asked the government on Thursday to release some Bedouin detainees and investigate several policemen they say were involved in the killing of three tribesmen in 2007. They made the request at a conference after a delegation of Bedouin elders met Interior Minister Habib el-Adly in Cairo. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article77810.ece ------ Shutters down in Pakistani city over shrine bombing By MUBASHIR BUKHARI Jul 3, 2010 LAHORE: Shops and business centers were shut in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday to protest against suicide bombings that have raised fresh questions about Pakistan's ability to contain militant violence. At least 42 people were killed and 175 wounded when two suicide bombers struck Pakistan's most important Sufi shrine on Thursday night, the second major attack on Pakistan's cultural hub and traditional seat of power, Punjab, in a month. The violence followed offensives that the army said had weakened the Al-Qaeda-linked Taleban. All major markets and business centers were closed in Lahore for the strike called by a religious alliance. A mob of baton-wielding protesters forced people who did not join the protest action to close their shops at a major market area. Police detained around 10 protesters after they smashed windows of parked cars. No one was hurt, police said. Emotions are running high among followers of the Sufi strand of Islam after the attack, which may have been the aim of militants seeking to destablise nuclear-armed US ally Pakistan. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article77747.ece ------ Somali PM shuffles cabinet, two peacekeepers killed Jul 3, 2010 MOGADISHU: Somalia's prime minister has named two ministers from the moderate pro-government group Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca in a power-sharing deal, a government spokesman said on Saturday, but the group rejected his choices. Ahmed Abdi Salan was named security minister and Yusuf Dhulow was named planning and international cooperation minister. Both are from Ahlu Sunna, but the group, made up of Sufi Muslims, said it did not support their nominations. "The ministers the government appointed today do not represent Ahlu Sunna. This makes the power sharing agreement null and void," sheikh Abdullahi sheikh Abu Yusuf, the spokesman of Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca, told Reuters. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/world/article77877.ece ------ Israel expands powers of Gaza flotilla panel 4 July 2010 Israel’s cabinet backed a plan to grant broader powers to the committee investigating a deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, an official statement said. “The government has unanimously decided to extend the powers of the Tirkel Commission,” it said. “The commission of inquiry will be joined by two experts and will hear witnesses speaking under oath.” Israel set up the Tirkel Commission in the wake of growing global pressure to look into its botched operation of May 31 in which Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists while intercepting a fleet carrying aid to Gaza. Last week, the committee’s chairman, Yaakov Tirkel, threatened to resign unless his panel was given wider powers. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July54.xml§ion=middleeast ------ New Afghan commander formally takes reins 4 July 2010 US General Petraeus formally took up his new role of commander of the Afghan war during a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Kabul, saying the campaign faced “a critical moment”. The ceremony in which colours of US and NATO forces were handed to him by General Egon Ramms, Commander of NATO’s Joint Forces Command Brunssum, marked Petraeus’s assumption of command over the 140,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan. Wearing fatigues and addressing a small crowd of Afghan military, civilian VIPs and diplomats, Petraeus reiterated his call for a united effort against the Taliban-led insurgency in the country. “We have arrived at a critical moment. We must demonstrate to Al-Qaeda and its network of extremist allies that they will not be allowed to establish safe havens in Afghanistan from which they can launch attacks,” he said. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/July/international_July150.xml§ion=international ------ Syria sentences leading lawyer Maleh to 3 years 4 July 2010 DAMASCUS - A Syrian military court on Sunday sentenced a 79-year old lawyer who campaigned for decades to lift an emergency law to three years in prison on charges of “weakening national morale”, defence lawyers said. “This is tragic. Haitham Maleh is an old and ill man,” one of the lawyers said. Maleh, who spent six years as a political prisoner in the 1980s and was banned from leaving Syria, was awarded the Dutch Geuzen Medal in 2006, named after resistance fighters against the Nazis. Numerous international organisations and Western governments have been calling for his release. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July60.xml§ion=middleeast ------ At least 10 hurt in Iraq suicide attack (AFP) 4 July 2010 RAMADI - A suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to government offices in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday wounding at least 10 people, a local official said. “At least 10 people, including women and children, were wounded in the suicide attack at the entrance to the provincial government building,” said Mohammed Fathi, a spokesman for the Anbar provincial authorities. The western province of Anbar, and its capital Ramadi, was once the epicentre of Al-Qaeda activity and insurgent violence in Iraq. It is there also that the US-trained and financed anti-Qaeda Sahwa militia was first set up. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/July/middleeast_July58.xml§ion=middleeast ------ Amarnath yatra on despite curfew in Anantnag Shujaat Bukhari PAHALGAM: Despite the volatile situation in Anantnag following violence and the resultant curfew, Amarnath pilgrims are passing through it without any problem. On Saturday, over 6,000 pilgrims reached the Nunwan base camp here. The pilgrims do not feel they are in a “hostile” area as is being given to understand in the rest of the country. “We did not face any problem. We enjoyed the journey,” said Sushila from Nagpur. She is travelling in a group of 10 for the pilgrimage. Another pilgrim, Suresh, said television news channels had given an impression that Kashmir “is burning,” but “the reality is different.” “We have full faith in Baba Amarnath and our journey will be smooth,” said Mr. Suresh. But some pilgrims are upset that security forces had advised them against visiting Shalimar and Nishat Bagh. Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/04/stories/2010070454271200.htm ------ Kashmir is a political issue, says Mirwaiz Shujaat Bukhari SRINAGAR: Chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Saturday said Kashmir was a political issue. He accused New Delhi of projecting the anger in a wrong way to befool the people of India. The Mirwaiz, restrictions on whom were eased by the government on Saturday, told a news conference that use of force against unarmed civilians would prove counter-productive. “Peaceful protests against the killing of innocent youth are genuine and should be allowed.” Stating that “civil disobedience” called by him would continue, he said “the peaceful protesters are not hooligans, gangsters or mobsters. They are common youth protesting against the killing of their innocent brethren. The statements of the Home Minister and the Home Secretary are false and far from reality. Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/04/stories/2010070454101000.htm ------ Bangladesh Rifles trying to encroach on Indian land: BSF Jul 04 2010 Bangladesh Rifles has been making attempts to encroach on Indian territory and obstructing Indian farmers from cultivating their land, the BSF said on Sunday. "There have been numerous occasions during the last six months when BDR fired at Indian nationals to prevent them from cultivating their land. BDR has been trying to encroach on Indian territory following such firing," a BSF statement said here. Claiming that Indian villagers have been cultivating their land well inside Indian territory since decades, the BSF said the Bangladesh border guards have been resorting to unprovoked firing to terrorise the border populace. Accusing the BDR of providing Bangladesh media "concocted information" to malign the image of the BSF, it said the border guards of the neighbouring country were trying to sensationalise the issue of adverse possession of land. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bdr-trying-to-encroach-on-indian-land-bsf/642092/ |
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