27 Aug 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com
Nazrul’s death anniversary today
US drone strike kills four militants in Pakistan: Officials
Taliban strike at US Afghan military base
Eight killed in Iraq violence, Qaida militants arrested
Nails removed from 'tortured' Sri Lankan maid
Somali pirate admits attacking US warship
Call for inquiry into Iraq War civilian deaths
Afghanistan's Karzai criticises US troop pullout
EU rebukes Israel for convicting Palestinian protester
Pearl's father vetoes mosque near 9/11 site
Christians in Pakistan face aid discrimination: Vatican agency
PM says junk one size fits all line for Valley
EC rejects ‘prostitution’ as vocation
Scholar slams extremism on TV show
Blood donors come forward in big numbers at mosques
Preacher told not to issue unauthorized fatwas
Security Sciences University to set up women's sections
6 Sunni fighters killed in ambush in Iraq: Police
Soldiers plotted to kill Afghan civilians: Army
Bomb blasts kill three US soldiers in Afghanistan
Iran has material for atom bombs, says ex-IAEA aide
New York rider asks if cabbie is Muslim, stabs him
Minorities Ministry Sharpens Muslim Focus
Zionist court releases racist rabbi
CIA fears exporter of terror tag on US
Salman Rushdie’s ancestral villa in Himachal damaged
Ershad's regime “illegal”
U.S. concerned over Afghan voter turnout, violence
Violent jihad is tolerated for those who have resources: JAT leader
9/11 families and others rally in support of mosque location
Bahrain Shia Party Threatens Election Boycott
Sharia law threatens Moscow control in Chechnya
Balochistan towns shut to mark Bugti anniversary
Civilian government is best form of governance for Pak: US
Indian linked to new al-Qaida plot unearthed in Canada
Anti-Islamist march by BJP blocked
Baghdad can handle own security: White House
Zardari for early release of pledged flood aid
Taliban hint at attacks on foreign aid workers
Quarter of US Iraq deaths due to Iran groups
Palestinians torch cars in Jerusalem violence
By mercy, not by sword, Islam is spreading far
Mullahs should behave or the people will teach them a lesson they will never forget
Iranian Intelligence Minister Rejects Reports on Jundollah Infiltration
Meshaal urged Egyptian and Jordanian leaders on Tuesday to boycott resumption of direct talks
Islamic Conference to meet in Pakistan on relief effort
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Bengali poet Qazi Nazrul Islam
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Nazrul’s death anniv today
Aug 27, 2010
The 34th anniversary of the death of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam will be observed today. Nazrul, born on May 25, 1899 at Churulia in Bardwan of West Bengal, was invited to post-partition Bangladesh as the national poet. His work, which also includes about 3,000 songs, transcends sectarian boundaries.
He is often referred to as the rebel poet because of his most famous poem Bidrohi or The Rebel, and his strong sympathy and support for revolutionary activities leading to India’s independence from the British rule. His songs and poems were frequently used during the independence war of Bangladesh as well.
Nazrul was also writer, musician, journalist and philosopher. He was sent to jail for his literary works against the then prevailing British rule. He had been suffered from dementia and aphasia since 1942 till his death.
In recognition of his contribution to the Bangla literature and culture, Dhaka University awarded the poet the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature at a special convocation in 1974. In January 1976, the Bangladesh government granted him citizenship of Bangladesh and awarded him the Ekushey Padak.
Several government and non-government organisations and Nazrul enthusiasts will mark the occasion with cultural programmes across the country.
Cultural organisations, educational institutions and others will pay tribute to the poet by placing flowers at this grave by the Dhaka University mosque in the morning.
The Nazrul Institute, which conducted a weeklong programme beginning August 20 marking the occasion, will hold the closing and award ceremony at 4:00pm today. Prizes will be given to winners of recitation, drawing and music competitions.
The information and cultural affairs minister, Abul Kalam Azad, will attend as chief guest and the state minister for cultural affairs, Promod Mankin, will attend as special guest. Professor Rafiqul Islam, the chairman of the institute trust, will preside over the programme.
Abul Kalam Azad will also inaugurate then Nazrul Institute Centre at Darmasagar Park near Rani Kutir in Comilla at noon on August 28.
The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will hold a discussion and a cultural programme at the academy at 4:00pm.
The Bangla Academy will hold a discussion in its seminar room at 11:00am on August 29. Nazrul singer Leena Taposi Khan will present the keynote paper on the classification of Nazrul songs. A cultural programme will follow.
The Nazrul Academy will mark the day with a discussion in its office at Moghbazar. The academy will set rolling a year-long programme called Nazrul Utsab with a programme at 4:30pm. The academy will hold programmes every month as part of the initiative.
Nazrul Sangeet Shilpi Parishad has decided to mark the occasion by the end of September because of Ramadan.
Chhayanaut had observed the occasion on August 7 before Ramadan began. Chhayanaut will, however, hold a discussion on its premises at 10:30am today. Writer Mofidul Haq will preside over the programme.
Radio and television channels will air special programme highlighting the occasion.
The national poet of Bangladesh, Kazi Nazrul Islam was buried with state honours by the Dhaka University mosque.
Source: New Age, Dhaka
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US drone strike kills four militants in Pakistan: Officials
Aug 28, 2010
PESHAWAR: A US drone strike Saturday killed four militants in Pakistan's north-western tribal belt near the Afghan border, security officials said.
The strike hit Shahidano village in Kurram tribal district, 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of Peshawar.
"Four militants have been killed in this drone attack," a security official in Peshawar said.
Another security official in Peshawar said the US drone fired four missiles, hitting two vehicles near a house.
"All those killed were militants of Tehreek-e- Taliban," the official said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-drone-strike-kills-four-militants-in-Pakistan-Officials-/articleshow/6449303.cms#ixzz0xrvLGROq
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Taliban strike at US Afghan military base
28 August 2010
Suspected Taliban insurgents have attacked a US military base in the east of Afghanistan, reports say.
Militants attacked the base in Khost province, south-east of the capital Kabul towards the border with Pakistan.
A Taliban spokesman told news agencies that at least 28 fighters were involved, including suicide bombers.
A spokeswoman for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said the attack was still ongoing but there was no information about casualties.
"There is ongoing activity there, but it is fresh and I can't give more details," Lt Commander Katie Kendrick told Reuters news agency.
Local police chief Adbul Hakim Is'haqzai told AFP news agency that the insurgents launched rockets and began shooting at the base in the early hours of Saturday.
The militants had pulled back after a period of fighting, he said, and were now occupying a school near the base.
One local resident, Amir Shah, told AFP: "There are gunshots being heard all around my home. I'm scared of the attackers entering my home and of being bombarded by coalition forces."
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told journalists that at least 28 heavily armed fighters had been sent to the area, but his claims could not be verified.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11118459
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Eight killed in Iraq violence, Qaida militants arrested
Aug 28, 2010
TIKRIT, IRAQ: At least eight people were killed in violence across Iraq on Friday, including three anti- Al-Qaida militiamen, a week before the US military is due to end its combat mission in the country.
Iraqi forces also arrested five al-Qaida militants linked to deadly attacks on Wednesday -- when 53 people were killed in a spate of car bombings blamed on the Islamists.
The three Sahwa (Awakening) militiamen were killed in a midnight (2100 GMT Thursday) attack in northern Iraq, in the latest revenge attack against the force credited with turning the tide against al-Qaida.
Police said three other militiamen were wounded in the attack on a checkpoint in the centre of the mainly Sunni Arab town of Al-Sharqat, north of Baghdad.
The Sahwa, also known as the Sons of Iraq, was recruited by the US military among Sunni Arab tribesmen and former insurgents, and was instrumental in curbing violence that claimed thousands of lives in 2006 and 2007.
Dozens of Sahwa fighters have been killed in acts of retaliation in recent months.
Meanwhile three soldiers were also killed on Friday in a pre-dawn attack in the volatile northern province of Nineveh, when gunmen attacked a patrol near the town of Al-Baaj close to the Syrian border, police said.
A policeman was also killed and another wounded when a homemade bomb exploded in the central of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh, police said.
Elsewhere in northern Iraq, a nine-year-old boy was killed by gunmen who also wounded three people when they opened fire indiscriminately in Yarmuk, a village west of Kirkuk, Sarhad Qader, a police brigadier general, said.
A Christian glazier who was abducted a week ago by someone posing as a prospective client, was found dead, his head riddled with bullets, despite his family paying a 15,000-dollar ransom for his release, police said.
Luay Barham al-Malik's decomposed body was found in a field in Nimrud, south of Mosul, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Omar al-Juburi said.
Also on Friday, Iraqi police arrested three suspected al-Qaida members who confessed to masterminding Wednesday's bombing in the city of Kut, southeast of Baghdad, police Lieutenant Colonel Aziz al-Imara said.
"They admitted being behind the suicide attack against a police station in Kut and said the bomber was Sudanese," he said. Twenty people were killed and 90 others wounded in that bombing.
Imara said the suspects admitted "they had liaised with the terrorists who carried out the other attacks against security forces elsewhere in Iraq on Wednesday."
The Kut bombing was among more than a dozen apparently coordinated car bombs targeting Iraqi police and other attacks blamed on al-Qaida which killed 53 people on Wednesday and wounded 300.
Five of Wednesday's victims died in Fallujah and Ramadi, west of Baghdad, and Fallujah police chief Faisal al-Issawi said two suspected al-Qaida operatives have been arrested in connection with these attacks.
The bloodshed has triggered concern that Iraqi forces are not yet ready to handle security on their own, especially with no new government formed in Baghdad since a March 7 general election.
But the White House insisted on Thursday that Iraq is capable of meeting its own security needs despite the drawdown of US force levels to fewer than 50,000 troops, who from next month will be deployed on an "advise and assist" mission.
US President Barack Obama thanked US troops back from Iraq in a YouTube message on Friday.
"Your dedication, your bravery, your courage, has made America safer and has helped stand up democracy in Iraq," said Obama, who will end US combat operations in Iraq on August 31 with a speech from the Oval Office.
ttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Eight-killed-in-Iraq-violence-Qaida-militants-arrested/articleshow/6448776.cms#ixzz0xrvCtxLc
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Nails removed from 'tortured' Sri Lankan maid
Aug 28, 2010
Doctors have removed 13 nails and five needles from a Sri Lankan housemaid who said her employer in Saudi Arabia hammered them into her body.
LP Ariyawathie, 49, told staff at Kamburupitiya Hospital her employer inflicted the injuries as a punishment.
X-rays showed that there were 24 nails and needles in her body. Doctors said those remaining inside her body posed no immediate threat to her life.
The nails were up to 2in (5cm) long, a hospital official said.
"The surgery is successful and she is recovering now," Dr Satharasinghe said, according to news agency Associated Press.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11109726
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Somali pirate admits attacking US warship
Aug 28, 2010
A Somali man has admitted attacking a US warship in April after mistaking it for a merchant vessel.
Jama Idle Ibrahim and five others chased the USS Ashland and opened fire on it before being captured, court papers said.
He pleaded guilty to piracy-related charges in Norfolk, Virginia, and faces 30 years in jail. Five other Somalis also face charges over the attack.
"Modern-day pirates must be held accountable," said Neil MacBride, prosecuting.
After making a deal with the authorities, Ibrahim pleaded guilty to attacking to plunder a vessel, engaging in an act of violence against people on a vessel, and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11118396
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Call for inquiry into Iraq War civilian deaths
27 August 2010
Iraq Body Count says there have been at least 106,000 civilian deaths in Iraq since 2003
A full judicial inquiry into all those killed in the war in Iraq should be held, a campaign group has said.
The UK-based Iraq Body Count group said the Chilcot inquiry into the war had paid only "derisory" attention to Iraqi casualties in the conflict.
The group said the inquiry had instead "obsessed minutely" over conflicts between politicians and generals.
"One would almost think that the Iraq war largely took place in Britain," Iraq Body Count said in a statement.
The organisation said there had been at least 106,000 civilian deaths in Iraq since 2003 when the war started.
Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11105428
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Afghanistan's Karzai criticises US troop pullout
Aug 28, 2010
Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, has criticised the US military's plans to begin withdrawing troops from the country in July 2011.
Mr Karzai said that announcing a date for the withdrawal had given the Taliban insurgency "a morale boost".
He also said the war could not be won as long as the Taliban were able to take refuge in neighbouring Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Mr Karzai's national security adviser denied one of his colleagues was on the CIA payroll.
Mr Karzai's comments were made at a meeting in Kabul with a group of visiting members of the US Congress, and repeated in a statement from his office.
The US has sent an extra 30,000 troops to Afghanistan since December 2009 in an effort to defeat the Taliban.
In the statement, Mr Karzai said progress had been made in rebuilding the country after decades of war, but that Afghan civilian casualties caused by Nato military operations were hampering progress in the war on terrorism.
Full report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11106895
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EU rebukes Israel for convicting Palestinian protester
Aug 28, 2010
Israel has called Lady Ashton's "interference" highly improper
The European Union has criticised Israel for convicting an organiser of weekly Palestinian protests against the West Bank separation barrier.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "deeply concerned" about Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, who now faces several years in prison.
She said he was a "human rights defender" committed to non-violent protest.
Israel's foreign ministry described her statement as highly improper.
Jailed since December, Abdullah Abu Rahmeh was convicted by a military court on Tuesday of inciting protests in the West Bank village of Bilin and of participating in the protests without a legal permit.
Lady Ashton expressed deep concern "that the possible imprisonment of Mr Abu Rahmeh is intended to prevent him and other Palestinians from exercising their legitimate right to protest against the existence of the separation barriers in a non-violent manner," her office said.
Full report at: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11099394
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Pearl's father vetoes mosque near 9/11 site
Aug 28, 2010
NEW YORK: The father of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has said that public reaction suggests that a proposed mosque and Islamic centre to come up near Ground Zero, should not be considered and be moved elsewhere.
"Public reaction tells us that it is not the right time, and that it will create further animosity and division in this country," Judea Pearl told Jewish Telegraph Agency. "If I were mayor Bloomberg, I would reassert the right to build the mosque, but I would expend same energy trying to convince them to put it somewhere else," the New York Post quoted Pearl, as saying.
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by terrorists. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation. His captors subsequently beheaded him. ani
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Pearls-father-vetoes-mosque-near-9/11-site/articleshow/6448427.cms#ixzz0xrvRL2bM
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Christians in Pakistan face aid discrimination: Vatican agency
Aug 27, 2010
VATICAN CITY: Christians affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan face systematic discrimination in the distribution of aid, the news agency of a Vatican missionary body reported on Thursday. The Fides news agency, a branch of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, said aid was handled either by Muslim relief organisations or by government officials close to fundamentalists. Both discriminated against Christians and other minorities in distributing aid essential to survival, it said. About 200,000 Christian refugees in Punjab and about 600,000 Christians and Hindus in Sindh are affected by the phenomenon, Fides said, citing NGO sources on the ground. “Christian refugees are often ignored. They are purposely not identified and registered. Thus, they are automatically excluded from any healthcare or food, as they supposedly do not exist,” said a local NGO worker.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\27\story_27-8-2010_pg1_7
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PM says junk one size fits all line for Valley
By Aman Sharma
Aug 27, 2010
AS THE death toll in strife- torn Kashmir climbed to 64, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said security forces needed to change their ‘ one- sizefits- all’ approach when it comes to handling public protests.
He asked home minister P. Chidambaram to establish a high- power task force to come out with a set of recommendations about dealing with such agitations with effective but non- lethal measures in the next twothree months.
Addressing the conference of directors general and inspectors general of police in the Capital, the PM said: “ Despite the curtailment of militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir, the public order dimension in the state has become a cause for serious concern. We need to revisit standard operating procedures and crowd control measures to deal with public agitations with non- lethal, yet effective and more focused measures. We also cannot have an approach of one size fits all.” The PM’s comments reflect concerns in the government over the deteriorating situation in the Valley with the rising death toll in firing by security personnel.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11105428Mail Today
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EC rejects ‘prostitution’ as vocation
Aug 27, 2010
The Election Commission has rejected the proposal to include prostitution in the central database of voters’ roll.
Election commissioner Sohul Hossain said the vocation ‘sex worker’ was omitted from voter registration forms to discourage it.
He said during the formulation of the voters’ list in 2007, 14 vocations were included in the registration form — government employee, private sector employee, physician, engineer, teacher, lawyer, banker, trade, labour, farmer, student, housewife, daily wage workers and unemployed.
People not falling under these categories would have to resort to ‘others’ for indicating profession.
The Photograph with Electoral Roll Project had proposed that the Election Commission to include 30 vocations in the registration form including prostitution. EC approved 29 of them, omitting prostitution.
Full report at: The Times of India
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Scholar slams extremism on TV show
Aug 27, 2010
JEDDAH: A Saudi scholar has slammed intellectuals who misinterpret religious texts for the promotion of extremist ideologies.
Abdul Aziz Al-Humaidi, who was a guest on the “Humumuna (Our Worries)” program, was discussing the ideological traps Muslim youths, particularly in the Kingdom, could fall into if they were influenced by incorrect interpretations of the Holy Qur’an and hadiths of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Al-Humaidi, who is also an assistant professor specializing in the fundamental principles of Islam at Umm Al-Qura University, singled out scholars who promote extremism for criticism, Al-Watan daily reported.
In a series of discussions on the program, which started on the first Friday of Ramadan, Al-Humaidi aims to lay bare the fallacious foundations of extremist ideologies attributed to Islam.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article114979.ece
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Blood donors come forward in big numbers at mosques
27 August 2010
DUBAI — The number of blood donors has increased in the UAE as a result of the blood donation campaign in mosques during Taraweeh prayers.
The Executive Director for Medical Practices at the UAE Ministry of Health and Chairman of Blood Transfusion Committee, Dr Amin Al Amiri, has lauded the campaign initiated by the Blood Transfusion Centre and Research in Sharjah in cooperation with Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai. He also thanked the preachers of the mosques for announcing the campaigns during Taraweeh prayers to assure the participation and solidarity of all parties in this regard and the efforts of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai in Nad Al Qusais, Al Rashidiya and Al Karama mosques.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August735.xml§ion=theuae&col=
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Preacher told not to issue unauthorized fatwas
Aug 27, 2010
RIYADH/JEDDAH: The Kingdom's most senior religious scholar has ordered a preacher to stop giving unauthorized fatwas (religious edicts) after he called for boycotting a supermarket chain that employs women as cashiers.
Youssef Al-Ahmed had urged people not to shop at Panda stores because women there work in jobs that allow for the mingling of the sexes. Al-Ahmed says this is a violation of Islamic law.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheik's office confirmed Thursday that Al-Ahmed had been ordered to refrain from issuing fatwas without authorization.
Saudi media said the fatwa forced the chain to reassign 11 women employees on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article114951.ece
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Security Sciences University to set up women's sections
Aug 27, 2010
JEDDAH: Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, has announced that Naif Arab University for Security Sciences will soon establish special sections for women, particularly as a number of them have expressed an interest in studying there.
Prince Naif was talking at the 39th session of the university’s supreme council, which he chaired in Jeddah on Wednesday.
“The university intends to accept more part-time students, especially after the new headquarters are completed. It will also set up sections for women. Society needs more women in specializations in which they excel,” he said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article114944.ece
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6 Sunni fighters killed in ambush in Iraq: Police
Aug 27, 2010
BAGHDAD: Insurgents killed six members of a government-allied Sunni militia in an ambush northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, police said, offering no respite to a nation still reeling from a spate of attacks on police and soldiers a day earlier that left at least 56 dead.
Diyala police spokesman Maj. Ghalib Al-Karkhi said the government-allied fighters, known as Sahwa or Awakening Councils, were driving near the town of Muqdadiyah around 1:30 a.m. when their car hit a roadside bomb.
The explosion killed four of the guards immediately, Al-Karkhi said. Gunmen then attacked the two survivors, killing them, he said.
Muqdadiyah is about 60 miles (90 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article114772.ece
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Soldiers plotted to kill Afghan civilians: Army
Aug 27, 2010
SEATTLE: Five soldiers accused of killing civilians in Afghanistan are now facing additional charges of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder — a plot that allegedly began when one soldier discussed how easy it would be to "toss a grenade" at Afghan civilians, The Seattle Times reported Wednesday.
The five soldiers were charged with murder in June for the deaths of three Afghan civilians in Kandahar Province this year. According to charging summaries newly released by the Army, additional allegations of conspiracy have since been filed against those soldiers, and seven others have been charged in connection with the conspiracy or with attempting to cover it up.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article114831.ece
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Bomb blasts kill three US soldiers in Afghanistan
27 Aug, 2010
KABUL: Three American soldiers were killed Friday in separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan, Nato said.
The International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), Nato's counter-insurgency mission in Afghanistan, said two of the soldiers died in a Taliban-type roadside bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan.
The third died in a similar bombing in the volatile south.
An Isaf spokesman confirmed to AFP that all three were Americans.
Their deaths took to 465 the number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year, compared to 521 for the whole of last year, according to an AFP count based on the independenticasualties.org website.
There are nearly 150,000 US-led foreign troops in Afghanistan fighting to reverse an escalating Taliban-led insurgency and to train Afghan government forces so they can take responsibility for national security.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/world/04-afghanistan-us-soldiers-three-killed-qs-05
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Iran has material for atom bombs, says ex-IAEA aide
Aug 27, 2010
PARIS: Iran has stockpiled enough low-enriched uranium for 1-2 nuclear arms but it would not make sense for it to cross the bomb-making threshold with only this amount, a former top UN nuclear official was quoted as saying.
In unusual public remarks about Iran's disputed nuclear program Olli Heinonen, the former chief of UN nuclear inspections worldwide, told Le Monde newspaper that Iran's uranium reserve still represented a "threat."
Until he stepped down earlier this month for personal reasons, Heinonen was deputy director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency and head of its nuclear safeguards department, which verifies that countries' nuclear programs are not being diverted for military use.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article114913.ece
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New York rider asks if cabbie is Muslim, stabs him
Chidanand Rajghatta
Aug 27, 2010
WASHINGTON: It's a slash that has cut deep into New York City's storied reputation as the world's greatest ethnic and cultural melting pot.
A crazed, and possibly drunk, 21-year old wingnut pulled a knife on a New York City cabbie and slashed him multiple times during evening rush hour on Wednesday after inquiring if he was a Muslim.
The incident, coming amid a fervid debate over a proposed mosque close to the site of the 9/11 tragedy, sparked off an tortured debate about possible growing Islamophobia in the United States, even as it stunned the city known as Big Apple, almost 40% of whose residents are foreign-born and hail from nearly every corner of the world.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/New-York-rider-asks-if-cabbie-is-Muslim-stabs-him/articleshow/6442568.cms#ixzz0xmQHQJOa
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Minorities Ministry Sharpens Muslim Focus
Aug 27th, 2010
In keeping with the Prime Minister’s “New 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities”, the Union ministry of minority affairs (MoMA) is busy chalking out strategy to help improve the condition of the country’s minorities. It is also focusing on the proper implementation of various schemes already introduced by it to help improve the lot of the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims.
The focus on the Muslim community, the largest minority in India, got a fillip following the report of the Sachar Committee, commissioned during the tenure of UPA-I, which highlighted the poor socio-economic and educational condition of the country’s Muslims.
With the PM’s new programme having among its objectives the goals of “enhancing opportunities for education”, the ministry, headed by Mr Salman Khurshid, is focusing on helping meritorious minority students pursue their education.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/india/minorities-ministry-sharpens-muslim-focus-995
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Zionist court releases racist rabbi
Aug 27, 2010
An Israeli court has ordered the release of an extremist rabbi who sparked outrage across the globe for inciting Jews to kill non-Jews, even children.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Yossi (Yosef) Elitzur, a resident of the hardline Yitzhar settlement in the north of the occupied West Bank, was arrested on Thursday for incitement to racism and violence, AFP reported.
But a court in Rishon LeZion, near Tel Aviv, ordered that the rabbi be released the same day, saying police had failed to call him in first for questioning.
The King's Torah, a controversial book Elitzur co-authored with another rabbi, says Jews are allowed to kill "those who, by speech, weaken our sovereignty," adding that it is permissible "to kill the righteous among nations even if they are not responsible for the threatening situation."
Full report at:
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CIA fears exporter of terror tag on US
Aug 27, 2010
THE CIA fears that the growing instances of homegrown terrorists like David Headley would make other nations believe that the US is an exporter of terrorism and prompt them to reduce co- operation with it, according to fresh secret documents posted by WikiLeaks.
In the classified papers posted by the whistleblower website, the CIA concludes that foreign governments would be less likely to cooperate with the US on detention, intelligence- sharing and other issues in the wake of increasing number of homegrown terrorists.
“ Primarily, we have been concerned about the al- Qaeda infiltrating operatives into the US to conduct terrorist attacks, but it may be increasingly looking for Americans to operate overseas,” the document notes.
Referring to Lashkar- e- Tayyeba ( LeT) operative Headley, the documents state that the LeT induced him to change his name from Daood Gilani to David Headley to facilitate his movement between the US, Pakistan and India.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Salman Rushdie’s ancestral villa in Himachal damaged
By Manjeet Sehgal
Aug 27, 2010
THE ancestral house of British- Indian novelist Salman Rushdie in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, was partially damaged when a giant eucalyptus tree fell on it on Thursday.
However, no one was injured in the incident. The main gate of the villa, however, was mangled apart from a partial damage to the roof.
“ I was sleeping when I heard a thundering noise and came out to see a huge eucalyptus tree uprooted by the rain had fallen on the house. Fortunately none of us was outside the house. The gate has been destroyed completely,” said Vyasa Devi, wife of Govind Ram, the watchman of the house.
Located on the outskirts of Solan, 42 kms from Shimla, Rushdie’s ancestral house is known as Anees Villa. The house was built by the novelist’s grandfather in 1929 and it is spread over 2,439 sq metre.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Ershad's regime “illegal”
Haroon Habib
Aug 27, 2010
DHAKA: In a landmark verdict, the High Court of Bangladesh on Thursday declared illegal the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution that legalised the autocratic regime of General Hussein Muhammad Ershad.
The appellate division of the country's Supreme Court had in February declared illegal the Fifth Amendment, which legalised the regime of General Ziaur Rahman.
The ruling came in response to a petition filed by Siddique Ahmed, a resident of Chittagong who was convicted of murder during General Ershad's martial law tenure.
The court observed that General Ershad, who ruled Bangladesh for nearly nine years, had made the country's Constitution subordinate to the martial law, which is illegal and unconstitutional. It also observed the government would decide the fate of General Ershad, whose Jatiya Party is an ally of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling grand alliance.
Full report at:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/27/stories/2010082753090900.htm
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U.S. concerned over Afghan voter turnout, violence
27 August 2010
WASHINGTON - The United States expects the Taliban to increase attacks in next month’s parliamentary elections, including in Afghanistan’s north where insurgents have made inroads, a senior U.S. defense official said on Thursday.
The parliamentary poll will be a litmus test for stability in Afghanistan as well as the credibility of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was roundly criticized over the handling of last year’s fraud-marred presidential elections.
“The biggest single variable that is important to watch is the degree of security that there is for the elections,” the defense official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
The official said the Taliban had, for example, put an “extra effort” in the once peaceful north since last year’s presidential election.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/August/international_August1450.xml§ion=international
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Violent jihad is tolerated for those who have resources: JAT leader
Aug 27, 2010
Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) is part of a consortium of extremist movement vying to turn Indonesia into an Islamic state. The Jakarta Post’s Rendi A. Witular recently interviewed newly appointed JAT leader Mochammad Achwan, former terrorist convict, at the National Police mosque over the organization’s course.
Question: How devastating is the arrest of JAT founder and first leader Abu Bakar Ba’asyir to the organization?
Answer: The arrest has no impact at all on the organization’s day-to-day operation. The organization is not relying on Ba’asyir’s figure but on the principle of governance under sharia law. There is no grooming of future leaderships in JAT because if this existed, it would only create ambitious people who would eventually ignite friction in the organization. Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/27/violent-jihad-tolerated-those-who-have-resources-jat-leader.html
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9/11 families and others rally in support of mosque location
Aug 27, 2010
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, NEW YORK — The planned mosque and Islamic center blocks from ground zero got a new boost Wednesday from a coalition of supporters that includes families of Sept. 11 victims.
New York Neighbors for American Values rallied for the first time at a municipal building near ground zero.
"I lost a 23-year-old son, a paramedic who gave his life saving Americans and their values," Talat Hamdani said, and supporting the Islamic center and mosque "has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with standing up for our human rights, including freedom of religion."
Among the nearly 2,800 people killed when the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001 were more than 30 Muslims, she noted.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=201022
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Bahrain Shia Party Threatens Election Boycott
Aug 27, 2010
Quraeah, Bahrain - A Shiite Muslim opposition party Wednesday threatened to boycott Bahrain's parliamentary elections, due in October, unless democratic reforms are introduced.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Quraeah, Bahrain - A Shiite Muslim opposition party Wednesday threatened to boycott Bahrain's parliamentary elections, due in October, unless democratic reforms are introduced.
The Islamic Action Society (Amal) said it wanted to see constitutional reforms aimed at making parliament more independent.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=201016
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Sharia law threatens Moscow control in Chechnya
By Amie Ferris-Rotman
Aug 27, 2010
MOSCOW: Aspects of sharia law imposed in Muslim Chechnya in recent months are inching the republic closer to autonomy and posing a renewed threat to Kremlin control, analysts say.
The Kremlin relies on its hardline Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, to maintain order in the violent region in the North Caucasus, where separatists were driven from power a decade ago after two wars.
Analysts say Kadyrov’s methods to tame the region include a crackdown on opponents and imposing his radical vision of Islam, which could push Chechnya again towards separatism.
Kadyrov, who fought Russian forces during the first Chechen separatist war in the early 1990s but switched to Moscow’s side when the conflict reignited in 1999, says the claims are an attempt to blacken his name.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/sharia-law-threatens-moscow-control-in-chechnya-780
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US-led troops kill Afghan Muslim protesters
Aug 27, 2010
US-led troops have opened fire at demonstrators in northern Afghanistan, killing dozens of people and wounding more than 20 other civilians.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Thousands of people protested near a NATO base in Badghis province after NATO forces killed an Afghan police trainee, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The Afghan trainee had fired on foreign troops, killing two Spanish soldiers and their interpreter.
Afghan media said that the Afghan soldier shot and killed the Spaniards when they tried to remove an Afghan woman's veil by force.
The protesters also called on the Afghan government to help send Spanish troops to their country.
Some 140,000 US-led troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan. A further 10,000 are expected to be deployed to the war-ravaged country in the coming weeks.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=201018
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Balochistan towns shut to mark Bugti anniversary
Aug 27, 2010
QUETTA, Aug 26: A strike was observed in several towns of Balochistan on Thursday in response to a call by nationalist parties to mark the death anniversary of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) founder Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Condolence meetings were held to pay homage to the late leader for his struggle for the rights of Balochistan.
Supporters of nationalist parties hoisted black flags atop party offices and their houses and observed the day as a ‘black day’ in protest against Mr Bugti’s murder.
Shops remained closed in Quetta, Nushki, Dalbandin, Chagai, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Hub, Panjgur, Pasni, Turbat, Kharan, Mach and Sibi.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/balochistan-towns-shut-to-mark-bugti-anniversary-780
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Civilian government is best form of governance for Pak: US
Aug 27, 2010
WASHINGTON: Ruling out extending support to any military coup in Pakistan, US has said that it believes civilian government is the best form of governance in this South Asian country right now.
" Pakistan has a civilian government and we think it is the best form of government to take," state department spokesman, P J Crowley, told reporters at his daily news conference.
Early this week, a Pentagon spokesman too had ruled out supporting any military coup in Pakistan; that has been under military rule for the major part of its post-independence history.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Civilian-government-is-best-form-of-governance-for-Pak-US/articleshow/6443446.cms#ixzz0xmSXq8T7
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Indian linked to new al-Qaida plot unearthed in Canada
Aug 27, 2010
TORONTO: An al-Qaida-linked terror plot was unearthed by Canadian security agencies on Wednesday, with one of the suspects reportedly hailing from India.
Under what is curiously called " Operation Samosa,'' the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested two suspects early on Wednesday. One of them said to be named Misbahuddin Ahmed who reportedly comes from India. Search for more suspects is on.
It is the second al-Qaida-linked terror plot to be unearthed in Canada after the Toronto-18 plot of 2006 in which 18 Toronto-area Muslims were arrested for plotting to blow up Canadian targets, storm parliament, take leaders hostage and behead the prime minister. Eleven of these plotters were convicted.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Indian-linked-to-new-al-Qaida-plot-unearthed-in-Canada/articleshow/6437047.cms#ixzz0xmQKztjS
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Anti-Islamist march by BJP blocked
VR Jayaraj
Aug 27, 2010
The Kerala Police on Thursday blocked a BJP protest march towards Green Valley, said to be training facility of Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) in Manjeri in the Muslim-majority Malappuram district on Thursday even as the NIA said it had no plans to take over the case of the July 4 attack on a professor in Muvattupuzha.
Police blocked the march of the BJP demanding stern action against terror outfits and a ban on them immediately after it began. The Popular Front is facing investigations in connection with the attack on Prof TJ Joseph for preparing a question paper which allegedly blasphemed Prophet Muhammad. All the accused in the case are PFI leaders and activists.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/278856/Anti-Islamist-march-by-BJP-blocked.html
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Baghdad can handle own security: White House
Aug 27, 2010
VINEYARD HAVEN: Iraq is capable of meeting its own security needs, the White House said on Thursday, as the United States finalised preparations to remove its combat troops from country.
Asked in the aftermath of a bloody attack Al Qaeda attack on Wednesday that killed 53 people and wounded 250 more whether the Iraqi government is able to maintain its own security, White House deputy spokesman Bill Burton insisted it is, as he condemned “the people who are trying to derail the march to democracy that Iraq has been on.”
“The president is confident that the effort to transition from a combat role in Iraq to Iraqi forces being in charge of their own security has been a successful one, and they are capable of taking on their own security,” President Barack Obama’s spokesman told reporters.
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/international/baghdad-can-handle-own-security-white-house-780
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Zardari for early release of pledged flood aid
Aug 27, 2010
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday called for “fast-paced” disbursement of the pledged flood aid to allow the government to formulate an effective strategy for the rehabilitation of the affected people.
At a meeting with representatives of donor organisations and ambassadors of various countries at the President’s House, Zardari appreciated the international community for their support to meet challenge of the “slow motion tsunami”.
The president said that the assistance by the international community was a short-term measure to provide immediate relief to the affected people. “However, the long-term remedy to compensate such losses consists of allowing enhanced market access for Pakistani products, according preferential trade facilities, creating reconstruction opportunity zones and bringing in more investment to the country,” the president said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\27\story_27-8-2010_pg1_3
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Taliban hint at attacks on foreign aid workers
Aug 27, 2010
MIR ALI: The Taliban hinted on Thursday they may launch attacks against foreigners helping in the flood relief efforts, saying their presence was “unacceptable.” The UN rejected the warning saying it would not be deterred by violent threats. UN spokesman Maurizio Giulano said the international organisation cannot let violent threats deter its relief effort. “We would find it inhumane for someone to target us and our work, effectively harming the millions of people whose lives we strive to save”. Pakistani Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq claimed the US and other countries that have pledged support are not really focused on providing aid to flood victims but had other motives he did not specify. “No relief is reaching the affected people, and when the victims are not receiving help, then this horde of foreigners is not acceptable to us at all.” Tariq told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location. He strongly hinted that the militants could resort to violence, saying “When we say something is unacceptable to us, one can draw his own conclusion”.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\08\27\story_27-8-2010_pg1_4
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Quarter of US Iraq deaths due to Iran groups
27 August 2010
The new U.S. ambassador to Iraq said on Thursday he believed groups backed by Iran were responsible for a quarter of U.S. casualties in the Iraq war.
More than 4,400 U.S. soldiers have been killed since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, battling Shia militia the U.S. military has long said were armed, funded and trained by Iran, and Sunni Islamist insurgents.
The U.S. military will formally end its combat operations in Iraq on Aug. 31 as President Barack Obama seeks to fulfil a promise to U.S. voters to end the war, despite continuing insecurity and political instability in Iraq.
Ambassador James Jeffrey said Tehran had not been able to dictate the outcome of Iraqi coalition talks after an election in March, despite efforts and widespread beliefs that Shi’ite Iran gained unprecedented influence in Iraq after the invasion.
The ousting of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein propelled Iraq’s previously oppressed Shi’ite majority into power.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August544.xml§ion=middleeast
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Palestinians torch cars in Jerusalem violence
Aug 27, 2010
JERUSALEM - Palestinians torched half a dozen vehicles in East Jerusalem on Thursday and threw stones and firebombs at Israeli police after Jewish settlers approached a mosque, local residents and police said.
There were no reported injuries in the incident in the volatile Silwan neighbourhood, where tensions have flared between Palestinians and a small group of settlers who have moved there in the past two decades.
Local residents said settlers tried to reach a spring, which religious Jews view as a biblical site, by crossing through a mosque courtyard.
Israeli police said Palestinians then took to the streets in violent demonstrations, throwing rocks and firebombs at police and vehicles, burning six cars.
Israel captured East Jerusalem along with the West Bank in a 1967 war and regards all of Jerusalem as its capital, a claim that is not recognised internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of the state they intend to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/August/middleeast_August527.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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By mercy, not by sword, Islam is spreading far Ahmed Shaaban
27 August 2010
By mercy not by sword, Islam has been spreading in every nook and corner, according to a lecture given on Wednesday night as part of the ninth Ramadan Forum at Al Twar-2 area.
Before he started his speech, renowned scholar Abdul Raheem McCarthy helped seven women declare their conversion to Islam. With these, 23 people have embraced Islam in five days here.
In his lecture ‘A Mercy to Mankind’, Sheikh Abdul Raheem said Dubai plays a crucial role in presenting the bright face of Islam and defending it against the misconceptions prevailing in the Western media.
“The message of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is to bring mercy to all Muslims and non Muslims.”
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/August/theuae_August736.xml§ion=theuae&col=
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Mullahs should behave or the people will teach them a lesson they will never forget
Aug 27, 2010
TTP plan to attack foreign aid workers in Pakistan: US
WASHINGTON: The Pakistani Taliban is planning attacks on foreigners participating in flood relief operations in Pakistan, a US official warned Wednesday.
“According to information available to the US government, Tehrik-e Taliban plans to conduct attacks against foreigners participating in the ongoing flood relief operations in Pakistan,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Tehreek-e-Taliban also may be making plans to attack federal and provincial ministers in Islamabad,” the official warned.
The floods have affected an estimated 17.2 million people, of whom at least eight million are believed to need life-saving humanitarian assistance.
http://mmabbasi.com/2010/08/26/mullahs-should-behave-or-the-people-will-teach-them-a-lesson-they-will-never-forget/
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Iranian Intelligence Minister Rejects Reports on Jundollah Infiltration
Aug 27, 2010
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, "This is not true at all," Fars News Agency quoted Heidar Moslehi as saying on Thursday.
"Iran's intelligence and security (forces) are closely monitoring moves by members of this terrorist group. We maintain complete dominance over all their activities," he added.
Certain media reports had claimed that the remaining members of Jundallah terrorist cell have infiltrated into Iran during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on August 12.
Jundallah is a Pakistan-based terrorist group which has carried out numerous bombings, assassination attempts, and terrorist attacks in Iran.
The group's ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi was arrested by Iranian intelligence forces in February 2010 and executed in June over 79 counts of crimes, including armed robbery, bombing operations and armed attacks on police and civilians.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=201058
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Meshaal urged Egyptian and Jordanian leaders on Tuesday to boycott resumption of direct talks
Aug 27, 2010
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Hamas Poliical Bureau Chief Exiled Khaled Meshaal urged the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders on Tuesday to boycott a resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian talks to be hosted by Washington.
"I appeal to President Hosni Mubarak (of Egypt) and (Jordan's) King Abdullah II not to back these negotiations which are rejected by the Palestinians," Meshaal said in Damascus.
Mubarak and the Jordanian monarch have been invited by the United States to join a summit in Washington on September 2 during which Israel and the acting Palestinian Authority head are due to resume their direct peace talks after a 20-month hiatus.
"The results of these negotiations will be catastrophic for the interests and the security of Jordan and Egypt and are aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause,” Meshaal said in a speech.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=201055
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Islamic Conference to meet in Pakistan on relief effort
Aug 27, 2010
Muslim humanitarian aid agencies will hold a meeting in Pakistan next week to help coordinate relief efforts for the millions of flood victims there, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) announced Wednesday.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency, Muslim humanitarian aid agencies will hold a meeting in Pakistan next week to help coordinate relief efforts for the millions of flood victims there, the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) announced Wednesday.
The OIC, which has 56 member states, said the conference will be opened Sunday by Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani. Red Crescent societies and other relief bodies from the Muslim world were invited to attend.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=201039
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3350
10:54 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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