| Islamic World News | |
| 26 Sep 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
India: West Bengal ups Muslim job quota from 7 to 17 per cent
German mosques to open doors for non-Muslims
Pakistan PM Gilani fires minister for criticising army, judiciary
Bahraini Shia Muslims Under Severe Pressure
Obama is an 'international villain': Iranian speaker
Texas school board to ditch pro-Islam textbooks
Salman Rushdie terms British monarchy 'stupid, archaic'
Don't delay Ayodhya verdict, Muslim bodies urge SC
US drone strike kills four in Miranshah
RIYADH: Shoura Council to focus on developing local human resources
Gunmen kill 2 people in attack on mosque
Govt balm for scalded Kashmir
Geelani calls it a move to buy time
Bomb blast kills 2 troops in Afghanistan: NATO
Pakistani court acquits Danish embassy bombing suspects
Zardari aide flees to US
Make Kashmir a national priority, says the Mirwaiz
Egypt and Mauritania speak out in UN Assembly against anti-Muslim sentiment
Iran's nuclear agency trying to stop computer worm
Yemen retakes town as ‘Qaeda’ ambush bus
Arabs: No peace talks if Israel continues building
Arab News is top English daily in Arab world
Video conference link in jail for Kasab underway
Pakistan flood donations nearing $616 million: UN
Red Cap families 'excluded' from Iraq trial
Barak says West Bank settlement deal has '50-50' chance
Americans for Peace and Tolerance: Propaganda is not education
Conference leader calls nations to fight 'pandemic of vilification' against Islamic faith
Iran revokes acclaimed director's filming permit
One arrested, two sued on war crime charges
Palestinians' new bid for unity
Wounded in Iraq, double-amputee returns to war
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: West Bengal Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
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Counter Islamophobia, Muslim nations urged
26 September 2010
Muslim nations must collectively resist growing Islamophobia in the US and Europe, the head of the world’s largest organization of Islamic countries told ministers from the 57 member nations.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to work with Western leaders to dispel misconceptions about their faith. They met on the edge of the UN General Assembly.
Ihsanoglu said on Saturday that he would be taking this message on the road next week to Chicago, where the OIC will host a major conference on Islam and Muslims in America at the American Islamic College.
Education, he said, is key in helping the West truly understand Islam.
He said his new book, “The Islamic World in the New Century: The Organization of the Islamic Conference, 1969-2009,” includes a whole chapter on the danger of growing Islamophobia in the West.
Islam has recently been under attack in America, especially with a controversy over a proposed Islamic center near the World Trade Center sites and threats by groups to burn the Holy Quran in a protest.
“The Muslim world is going through an unprecedented difficult and trying time,” Ihsanoglu told the ministers during their annual meeting on Friday. “We are facing daunting challenges and severe hardships. Islam and Muslims are under serious attack, and Islamophobia is growing and becoming more rampant and dangerous by the day.”
He said a “pandemic of Islam vilification” is sweeping through some parts of Europe and the United States, increasing misperceptions about Islam and eroding Muslims’ human rights.
“We need an all inclusive effort of OIC member states to stem this menace,” Ihsanoglu told the ministers. “That is why I firmly believe that this question of Islamophobia should figure prominently on the agenda of all OIC member states whenever they deal with their Western counterparts.”
Ihsanoglu, who is from Turkey, has headed the OIC since 2005. The group is seen as a moderate, collective voice for Islam.
“The OIC is a strategic and crucial partner of the United Nations and plays a significant role in helping to resolve a wide range of issues facing the world community,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement to the group when it met on Friday.
Member states reflect the reach of Islam across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, and include Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Morocco, Afghanistan, Syria, Chad, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Guyana and Surinam.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/September/international_September1207.xml§ion=international&col=
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Bengal ups Muslim quota from 7 to 17 per cent
By Anirban Roy
Sep 26, 2010
BENGAL’S ruling Left Front government, eyeing the 26 per cent Muslim vote- bank, has issued a notification to increase reservation in the OBC category from seven per cent to 17 per cent by introducing a “ more backward” classification.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee announced the reservation hike and said there would be classifications within the OBC category — backward and more backward — according to educational, financial and social status.
“ The backward group will enjoy seven per cent reservation, while the more backward group will enjoy 10 per cent reservation,” he said.
Currently, 108 communities are included in the OBC category, of which 56 are Muslim, nine Buddhist and one Jain.
With the new notification, 56 of the 108 communities — 49 Muslim, six Hindu and one Buddhist communities — have been regarded as “ more backward”. Forty- nine of the 56 Muslim communities regarded as “ more backward” account for 99 per cent of the Muslim population in the OBC category. There are 2.02 crore Muslims in West Bengal.
In addition to the OBC reservation, there is 22 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes and six per cent for Scheduled Tribes in government recruitment in the state.
Government officials claimed the Bengal government would now implement the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission.
Mail Today
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German mosques to open doors for non-Muslims
Sep 26, 2010
Hundreds of mosques throughout Germany will open their doors to the public next week amid mounting Islamophobia in the country.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency ; The focus of this year's 'Day of Open Mosques' on October 3 will be on the historical role of the Holy Quran.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to tour the Muslim houses of worship
and pose questions about Islam.
Many bigger mosques have organized exhibitions and will hold round-table discussions
on religion or information gatherings on integration and language courses.
The annual event which concides also with Germany's national day, comes in the
wake of the release of a highly controversial Islamophobic book which alleges Muslims were a threat to German society.
Most of the mosques in Germany are located in major cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Duisburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Essen and Offenbach.
The planned construction of new mosques in Germany has been overshadowed
by an Islamophobic debate geared at fanning anti-Muslim sentiments in the media.
While most Germans view positively the building of mosques, a marginal but vocal minority has lambasted it as a 'display of Muslim power'.
Supporters of new mosques point out Muslims had the right to build new worshipping houses, since they were forced for decades to pray in old warehouses or decrepit buildings because they were often denied new municipal construction permits.
There are 4.3 million Muslims living in Germany of which 2.5 million are Turks.
Most of Muslims live in what used to be traditional blue-collar cities like Cologne, Hamburg, Duisburg, Essen, Berlin, Frankfurt and Mannheim.
Islam has reportedly become one of the fastest growing religions in Germany.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=204536
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Pakistan PM Gilani fires minister for criticising army, judiciary
Sep 26, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani minister was on Saturday forced to resign after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani took serious notice of his comments criticising the army and the judiciary and calling for everyone to get a share of the benefits of corruption.
Addressing a news conference in the southwestern city of Quetta this afternoon, minister of state for defence production Abdul Qayyum Jatoi accused the army of targeting unarmed people instead of focussing on its duty of defending the country's borders.
Jatoi, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan People's Party, alleged that Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry belonged to Punjab but had resorted to unfair means to be appointed to the superior judiciary from the quota for Balochistan.
He also contended that everyone should have an equal right to corruption. Replying to a question, he said everyone - including Sindhis, Pashtuns, Balochis, Seraikis and Punjabis - should get a share of the benefits of corruption.
Jatoi repeatedly urged the media to report his comments. Within hours, Gilani took "serious notice" of Jatoi's statements and summoned the minister to Islamabad to explain his remarks.
Following a meeting with Gilani late in the night, Jatoi submitted his resignation. He said he had made the controversial remarks in a personal capacity.
Jatoi's remarks came at a time when the PPP-led government is facing pressure from the Supreme Court to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland.
The government has also had to contend with speculation about an intervention by the army due to its inept handling of recent floods and economic problems.
Information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said Jatoi's remarks did not reflect the view of the government.
Asked about a possible army intervention, Jatoi said: "Let them come, we don't fear the boots. We fought them for 60 years. We will fight them again. We provided them uniforms and boots not so that they can take away our rights and kill our people and leaders.
We have the army to fight on the borders and not with unarmed people."
Jatoi alleged that former President Pervez Musharraf, former premier Mir Zafarullah Jamali and former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao were involved in the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-PM-Gilani-fires-minister-for-criticising-army-judiciary/articleshow/6627934.cms#ixzz10dXHgaYO
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Bahraini Shia Muslims Under Severe Pressure
Sep 26, 2010
Human rights activists have expressed concern about the intensifying crackdown on the Shia community in Bahrain by the Sunni-dominated government.
Ahlul Bayt News Agency ; Human rights activists have expressed concern about the intensifying crackdown on the Shia community in Bahrain by the Sunni-dominated government.
The activists say the crackdown on the freedom of expression is fast escalating and broadening in scope.
"There is a continuous war against all Shias who are critics of the government," President of Bahrain Center for Human Rights Nabeel Rajab told Press TV on Tuesday.
Many of the opposition detainees were tortured and sexually assaulted, among them religious figures, he added.
Full report at:
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=204106
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Obama is an 'international villain': Iranian speaker
Sep 26, 2010
THERAN: Iran rejects US President Barack Obama's invitation to resolve differences because he is an "international villain," parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Saturday.
"How dare Obama announce that he wants to help the Iranian nation. He should know that he is an international villain," Larijani was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying during a visit to the southern city of Shiraz.
"The Americans are displaying an act that deserves an international evilness medal... Mr Obama should know that we do not need his message, what we need is to be able to trust the words he utters," he said.
Larijani's remarks came a day after the American leader told the BBC's Persian service that the door for diplomacy with Tehran was still open over its longstanding nuclear dispute with the international community.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Obama-is-an-international-villain-Iranian-speaker/articleshow/6627815.cms#ixzz10dX9CiYr
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Texas school board to ditch pro-Islam textbooks
Sep 26, 2010
CHICAGO: The Texas board of education voted on Friday to to reject any textbooks which paint Islam in too favourable of a light, vowing to curtail what it sees as a "pro-Islam/anti-Christian" bias in school books.
The move comes months after the socially-conservative board enacted new social studies standards which championed capitalism and Republican party values and questioned whether the country was truly founded on the separation of church and state.
Texas is the largest textbook market in the United States and its rules influence what children across the country will learn at school.
The resolution adopted Friday cites "politically-correct whitewashes of Islamic culture and stigmas on Christian civilization" in current textbooks and warns that "more such discriminatory treatment of religion may occur as Middle Easterners buy into the US public school textbook oligopoly."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Texas-school-board-to-ditch-pro-Islam-textbooks/articleshow/6625226.cms#ixzz10dWxpcFY
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Salman Rushdie terms British monarchy 'stupid, archaic'
Sep 26, 2010
LONDON: In comments that can rake up yet another controversy, Indian-origin author Salman Rushdie has termed the British monarchy and its traditions as "stupid" and "archaic".
The brilliant author, winner of the 'Booker of the Bookers', who has a penchant for controversy said in an interview to The Sunday Times: "The monarchy and its traditions are archaic.. stupid... a British oddity".
Asked, then why did he accept the knighthood, Sir Rushdie, now a British citizen, said he had received an honour from the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, and it would have been extraordinary to accept something from the French state and "then refuse something from my own country".
The 63-year-old author thought the ceremony itself was a bit ridiculous, "all structured around this furious archaic thing of queens and knights, all a bit stupid, but it's what we do. You take it for the spirit of it, which is to be complimentary about your work. And I think, thanks very much... We got our medal and left."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Salman-Rushdie-terms-British-monarchy-stupid-archaic/articleshow/6629498.cms#ixzz10dWle2t1
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Don't delay Ayodhya verdict, Muslim bodies urge SC
Manjari Mishra
Sep 26, 2010
LUCKNOW: Apprehending delay in judgment in Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi title suit, Darul Uloom Deoband has called upon the Supreme Court and the Centre to ensure that the matter is not allowed to linger on anymore.
Talking to TOI on Saturday, deputy vice-chancellor of the Islamic seminary, Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi said, "A delayed verdict will only vitiate communal peace and harmony apart from creating an atmosphere of mutual mistrust."
"This issue has been kept alive for the last 60 years, which is a long enough period. Therefore, it is time the matter is sorted out," he said adding, "We certainly don't want it to be needlessly prolonged for another 10-20 years." Maulana Khaliq urged both the 'huqoomat' and the 'adalat' to expedite the process of justice so that normalcy was restored in the nation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dont-delay-Ayodhya-verdict-Muslim-bodies-urge-SC/articleshow/6628187.cms#ixzz10dXMPgDo
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US drone strike kills four in Miranshah
Sep 26, 2010
MIR ALI: Suspected US missiles targeted a vehicle on Saturday in North Waziristan, killing four alleged terrorists, intelligence officials said. It had been the seventeenth such attack this month – the most intense barrage since the air strikes began in 2004. Shortly before the attack, the vehicle left a terrorist hideout in Datta Khel, a town in the North Waziristan tribal area, controlled by insurgents focused on attacking NATO troops in Afghanistan, the two intelligence officials said. It is not clear exactly why the attacks have spiked, but most of this month’s strikes had targeted forces led by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a commander who was once supported by Pakistan and the US during the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Haqqani has since turned against the US, and American military officials have said his network – now effectively led by his son, Sirajuddin – presents one of the greatest threats to foreign forces in Afghanistan.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\26\story_26-9-2010_pg7_4
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Shoura Council to focus on developing local human resources
Sep 26, 2010
RIYADH: The Shoura Council is to focus on developing local human resources with public and private sector participation in the Kingdom, according to a decision taken Saturday at its general committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Shoura Council Chairman Abdullah Al-Asheikh.
" This is an important sector that needs the attention of members of the public and private sector so that local human human resources can be harnessed for the betterment of the country," Shoura Council Secretary General Muhammed Al-Ghamdi said in a statement issued on Saturday.
The Shoura Council will study some suggestions from its Human Resources Committee as to how the private and public sector institutions should be made accountable in training and employing local manpower, he said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article147078.ece
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Gunmen kill 2 people in attack on mosque
Sep 26, 2010
BAHAWALPUR: Three unidentified men on Saturday opened fire at worshippers inside a mosque in Bahawalpur killing two people and injuring seven others, police said.
“Three men armed with pistols entered Al Qamar mosque and fired at worshippers and as a result of the firing two men died while seven others were wounded,” Bahawalpur district police chief Babar Bakht said. “Two of the wounded were in critical condition,” he added.
After the attack, people gathered in the streets to protest the incident and blocked roads. They shouted slogans against the district administration for its failure to maintain law and order.
Regional Police Officer Ahmad Raza Qadri and rescue teams reached the spot and dispersed the crowd, after ensuring them to arrest the perpetrators behind the attack at earliest.
Police officials said the incident was not a terrorist act but the real picture would emerge after investigation.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\09\26\story_26-9-2010_pg1_5
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Govt balm for scalded Kashmir
By Aman Sharma
Sep 26, 2010
THE Centre has unveiled a key eight- point initiative for Kashmir, involving descaling the presence of securitymen and appointing a group of interlocutors for talks with all separatist groups.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said this was not just a window but a door opened by the Centre for a political solution to the vexed Kashmir problem.
Eager not to lose the momentum built after the visit of the all- party delegation to the state last week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday convened a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security ( CCS), which approved the package for the state stuck in a vicious cycle of violence.
Though the formulae announced by Union home minister P. Chidambaram came more than a fortnight after Eid, it is still a major move, if backed up by political measures.
In a major move, the Centre will, for the first time ever, appoint a group of interlocutors for talks with all stake- holders in Kashmir. A politician could be a part of this group of interlocutors, a source said.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Geelani calls it a move to buy time
Sep 26, 2010
KUDOS from political parties but brickbats from separatists — Delhi’s peace initiative was received by Jammu and Kashmir in an expected manner.
The Congress- National Conference ( NC) combine gave its thumbs- up to the agenda, Opposition People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) surprisingly gave its guarded nod, but the separatist hardliners rubbished it as “ eyewash” and vowed to continue the protests.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman of the hardline faction of the separatist All Parties Hurriyat Conference, rejected the Cabinet Committee on Security ( CCS) decisions and iterated that New Delhi should accept Kashmir as a disputed territory.
He said as long as five points proposed by him would not be accepted, the protests would continue. His demands are: India should accept Kashmir as disputed, completely demilitarise the Valley, release political prisoners, punish the security personnel “ responsible” for the recent deaths and that the PM should announce that no further killing will take place.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Bomb blast kills 2 troops in Afghanistan: NATO
Sep 26, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan: Two NATO service members were killed in a bomb blast in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the military alliance said.
NATO said the troops were killed by an improvised explosive device, but provided no further details. The nationalities of NATO deaths are not generally released until after the next of kin have been contacted.
This year is already the deadliest of the war, with more than 530 international forces killed.
NATO also said it launched an air strike late Saturday in Kunar province, along the Pakistan border, that targeted a senior al-Qaida commander who coordinates a group of Arab fighters in the area, saying he routinely helped them travel into the region.
It did not say whether the commander was killed in the attack, but said his compound was destroyed. It said collateral damage was kept to a minimum, but did not provide further information.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Bomb-blast-kills-2-troops-in-Afghanistan-NATO/articleshow/6629364.cms#ixzz10dWhnWeo
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Pakistani court acquits Danish embassy bombing suspects
Sep 26, 2010
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Saturday acquitted three men charged over a deadly suicide car bomb attack near the Danish embassy in Islamabad in 2008, but prosecutors said they would appeal the verdict.
"The court observed that the prosecution failed to prove the charges and acquitted the three accused men," senior prosecutor Mohammad Tayyab said.
"We will file an appeal in the high court within the 30 days' stipulated period," Tayyab said.
Six people were killed, including a Dane, and about 27 wounded when the devastating car bomb exploded outside the embassy in June 2008 amid anger in the Muslim world over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed first printed in Danish newspapers in 2005.
The bomb damaged the mission and the residences of the Indian and Dutch ambassadors, and almost destroyed a nearby UN agency.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistani-court-acquits-Danish-embassy-bombing-suspects/articleshow/6627237.cms#ixzz10dX4fhw1
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Zardari aide flees to US
By AZHAR MASOOD
Sep 26, 2010
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari's aide Suleman Farooqi, who has been one of the key beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), fled to the United States Saturday.
Calls to his office and home went unanswered. Farooqi' s staff also did not respond to calls.
Federal Minister for Privatization Waqar Khan confirmed the report, saying: "Yes he has fled to the United States. Being the beneficiary of NRO, he was to face the Supreme Court and orders from the prime minister."
Khan added: "Prime Minister (Yousaf Raza Gilani) will sack all NRO beneficiaries on Monday because he has committed on the floor of the Senate that NRO beneficiaries have no place in the government."
A presidential spokesman, who requested anonymity, said Farooqi has gone to the United States for a medical checkup."
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article147081.ece
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Make Kashmir a national priority, says the Mirwaiz
M Saleem Pandit
Sep 26, 2010
Though Kashmir seems perpetually on the boil, it is not to say that attempts to cool tempers are not being made. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference, for example, believes a shared commitment for dialogue is a step in the right direction.
In order to sustain it, he says, there needs to be a process whereby all views, opinions and aspirations are considered before working towards a solution. "Resolving the Kashmir problem should be done in line with what the people want. There should be a Common Minimum Programme, supported by political parties in India and in Pakistan. Our political system needs to rise above vote-bank politics and consider Kashmir a national priority," he says.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Make-Kashmir-a-national-priority-says-the-Mirwaiz/articleshow/6628379.cms#ixzz10dWt4obA
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Egypt and Mauritania speak out in UN Assembly against anti-Muslim sentiment
25 September 2010
Egypt’s Foreign Minister today stressed the need to propagate a global culture of religious tolerance, telling the General Assembly that Muslims have been subjected to ridicule and harassment because of their faith in some States in the West, and their religious icons disrespected.
“We find the West, in general, being drawn into a clash with the Muslim world,” Ahmed Abdoul Gheit said on the third day of the General Assembly’s high-level debate.
“This clash will serve no one except extremists and those who hold perverted ideas on both sides. It will not be in the interest of security and stability of the world. It will not be in the interest of moderates. In such a clash, the winner is a loser and the victor is defeated,” Mr. Gheit said.
Full report at:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=36190&Cr=General+Assembly&Cr1=
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Iran's nuclear agency trying to stop computer worm
Sep 26, 2010
TEHRAN: Iran's nuclear agency is trying to combat a complex computer worm that has affected industrial sites throughout the country and is capable of taking over power plants, Iranian media reports said.
Experts from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran met this week to discuss how to remove the malicious computer code, or worm, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Friday.
The computer worm, dubbed Stuxnet, can take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants.
Experts in Germany discovered the worm in July, and it has since shown up in a number of attacks — primarily in Iran, Indonesia, India and the US.
The ISNA report said the malware had spread throughout Iran, but did not name specific sites affected. Foreign media reports have speculated the worm was aimed at disrupting Iran's first nuclear power plant, which is to go online in October in the southern port city of Bushehr.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article146773.ece
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Yemen retakes town as ‘Qaeda’ ambush bus
Sep 26, 2010
Soldiers regained control of a besieged southern town from Al Qaeda, Yemeni authorities said, as militants staged a dawn attack on a bus in the capital, wounding 10 intelligence agents.
‘Security forces backed by army units succeeded to clear out the city of Huta where Al Qaeda terrorist elements were holed up’ since September 18, an interior ministry spokesman said.
Forces were now pursuing ‘terrorist elements who fled to the mountains surrounding the city,’ added the spokesman, whose statement was carried by the official Saba news agency.
The military’s reported advances in the south were followed by a setback in Sanaa, however, when two unidentified gunmen in the northwest of the city ambushed a bus taking intelligence agents to work at dawn on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/September/middleeast_September511.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
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Arabs: No peace talks if Israel continues building
Sep 26, 2010
UNITED NATIONS: The newly started Israeli-Palestinian talks will fail unless Israel extends a partial ban on settlement building in the West Bank, territory the Palestinians want for a future state, Arab League chief Amr Moussa warned Friday.
Moussa also reacted angrily to a vote earlier in the day in the UN nuclear agency in Vienna that defeated an Arab call for Israel to join the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations annual summit in New York, Moussa said negotiations could not proceed if building of settlements continued on the occupied West Bank because it would threaten "the territorial integrity of the new state of Palestine." "Negotiations cannot go with settlements," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as said a partial moratorium on settlement construction will not be extended when it expires on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article146467.ece
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Arab News is top English daily in Arab world
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
Sep 26, 2010
JEDDAH: Arab News has won fifth position among a list of top 10 newspapers in the Arab world in terms of readership, according to a survey conducted by 4 International Media and Newspapers. Arab News is the first English language daily on the list.
Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, got second position while another Saudi newspaper, Al-Jazirah, came fourth, sabq.org e-newspaper reported Saturday. Al-Ahram of Egypt won the top position while Al-Watan of Kuwait came third.
4imn.com includes 7,000 Newspapers, ranked by web popularity, in 200 countries. "The ranking is based on an algorithm including three unbiased and independent web metrics extracted from three different search engines: Google Page Rank, Yahoo Inbound Link and Alexa Traffic Rank," the directory's website said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article147154.ece
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Video conference link in jail for Kasab underway
Sep 26, 2010
MUMBAI: Preparations are underway in the high security Central Prison for a video conference link to enable Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab hear proceedings in Bombay High Court pertaining to confirmation of death sentence imposed on him for his role in the 26/11 attack.
The High Court would conduct a daily hearing of the matter from October 18 and has directed the state to provide a video conference facility in the court and in the jail so that Kasab can attend proceedings without being physically present.
"We are making arrangements for a video conference facility near the cell of Kasab so that the security provided to him is not exposed to any risk," official sources said.
Already there exists a facility of video conference for prisoners in the jail but for Kasab special arrangements are being made separately so that the security measures are not compromised, they added.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Video-conference-link-in-jail-for-Kasab-underway-/articleshow/6630113.cms#ixzz10dWoabrp
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Pakistan flood donations nearing $616 million: UN
Sep 26, 2010
NEW YORK: United Nations member states have pledged just under $616 million in aid for flood-devastated Pakistan, the organization's new emergency aid coordinator, Valerie Amos, said on Saturday in New York.
The UN has appealed for more than $2 billion to assist the estimated 14 million Pakistanis whose living conditions have been severely affected by the country's worst-ever natural disaster.
The latest call for aid came one week ago, with the UN increasing its appeal to its 192 members by $1.6 billion - the largest in UN history.
The move came two months after severe flooding began ravaging the country along the Indus River, exacerbated by seasonal rains.
The UN said the $2 billion will cover 483 projects to be implemented by 15 UN organizations, the International Organization of Migration and 156 non-governmental organizations.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-flood-donations-nearing-616-million-UN/articleshow/6629129.cms#ixzz10dX16awW
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Red Cap families 'excluded' from Iraq trial
25 September 2010
The parents of six Royal Military Police soldiers killed in Iraq say they are being "excluded" from the trial of the men accused of their murder.
The Red Caps were killed by a mob in the town of Majar al-Kabir in the south of the country in 2003.
Their relatives say they are not allowed access to the court, or any form of live video of the proceedings, only a daily email summary of events.
The Ministry of Defence said it was for the Iraqi judge to rule on the matter.
The trial is due to begin in Iraq on 29 September.
Mike Aston, whose son Russell was one of those killed, said the parents were told two years ago they would be taken to see part of the trial process by the then-defence secretary John Hutton.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11411032
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Barak says West Bank settlement deal has '50-50' chance
26 September 2010
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has told the BBC there is a "50-50" chance of reaching a deal with Palestinians about Israel's settlement moratorium as a 10-month partial ban winds down.
Palestinians have said they could leave recently resumed peace talks if the construction freeze is not extended.
West Bank settlers are preparing to resume building if no deal is reached.
Mr Barak is returning home from the UN in New York, where he has been leading Israel's negotiating team.
Israel says the settlements are no bar to talks, but US negotiators have been working intensively to secure a deal.
Speaking exclusively to the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall, Mr Barak said he was heading back to Israel to try to convince members of the Israeli government of the need for a compromise, but that he was not confident of success.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11413138
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Americans for Peace and Tolerance: Propaganda is not education
Sep 26, 2010
Our video about the Wellesley Middle School was meant to expose more than inappropriate praying. While we cannot know if any students were harmed by the experience, it is clear that they were mislead by the obvious propaganda being fobbed off as "education" about Islam.
Why are interfaith leaders and the media not curious about such lies? Can anyone actually believe that women voted in 7th Century Arabia? And if the Center will promote such deliberate untruths, can its leaders be relied upon to tell the truth about other things?
It's hard to understand why so many in the interfaith community and the media seem addicted to politically correct reporting about groups like the Muslim American Society, which has been described by federal prosecutors as the "overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America."
Full report at:
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinions/letters_to_the_editor/x358496940/Americans-for-Peace-and-Tolerance-Propaganda-is-not-education
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Conference leader calls nations to fight 'pandemic of vilification' against Islamic faith
By Anita Snow
Sep 26, 2010
Muslim nations must collectively resist growing Islamophobia in the U.S. and Europe, the head of the world's largest organization of Islamic countries told ministers from the 57 member nations gathered here this week.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to work with Western leaders to dispel misconceptions about their faith. They met on the edge of the U.N. General Assembly.
Ihsanoglu told The Associated Press on Saturday that he would be taking this message on the road next week to Chicago, where the OIC will host a major conference on Islam and Muslims in America at the American Islamic College.
Education, he said, is key in helping the West truly understand Islam.
He said his new book, "The Islamic World in the New Century: The Organization of the Islamic Conference, 1969-2009," includes a whole chapter on the danger of growing Islamophobia in the West.
Full report at:
Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Iran revokes acclaimed director's filming permit
Sep 26, 2010
TEHRAN — Iranian authorities have revoked the filming permit for internationally acclaimed director Asghar Farhadi's unfinished movie over his support for dissident filmmakers, newspapers reported on Sunday.
The Shargh newspaper quoted deputy culture minister Javad Shamaqdari as saying that authorities had revoked a permit for "Nader divorces Simin," which is still in production, because of the director's "inappropriate" comments at a recent awards ceremony.
"The decision was made over his comments at the ceremony which were not nice. He was given a week to correct his remarks but he did not," Shamaqdari said.
"Those were really inappropriate comments," the official said, also quoted by Arman and Tehran Emrouz papers.
Full report at:
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.
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One arrested, two sued on war crime charges
Sep 26, 2010
A man was arrested in Patuakhali while a case was filed against two others in Sylhet on Wednesday on charges of war crimes in 1971.
Patuakhali DB police on Wednesday arrested an elderly man from Bridgeghat area in the district town on charge of war crimes, reports our correspondent.
Detective Branch police arrested Rustom Sikder, 70, of east Telikhali village under Sadar upazila.
Earlier Reaz, son of late Sahabuddin of Khalishakhali village under the upazila filed a case with judicial magistrate court in Galachipa upazila on March 16 accusing Rustom and 11 others of war crimes in the district.
The arrestee was handed over to Galachipa police station, said OC Noresh Chandra Karmoker.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=155931
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Palestinians' new bid for unity
Sep 26, 2010
Hamas and Fatah officials meet in Syria in their latest attempt to restart reconciliation talks that stalled in October
High-level officials from Hamas and Fatah have launched the latest of several efforts to restart stalled talks between the two Palestinian factions with a "friendly" meeting in the Syrian capital.
Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas, hosted Fatah representative Azzam al-Ahmad at his office in Damascus on Friday. The two men said their groups would "hold a meeting shortly" to outline a deal, and then travel to Cairo "to sign a reconciliation agreement".
"An agreement was reached for a course and the steps to be taken toward reconciliation," the two men said in a joint statement.
Hamas and Fatah have been estranged for years, and differences sharpened in 2006, when Hamas won elections that would have given it control of the Palestinian legislature. Their split was finalised in 2007, after a year of infighting, when Hamas expelled Fatah from the Gaza Strip.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=156007
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Wounded in Iraq, double-amputee returns to war
Sep 26, 2010
ASHOQEH, Afghanistan — When a bomb exploded under Dan Luckett’s Army Humvee in Iraq two years ago — blowing off one of his legs and part of his foot — the first thing he thought was: ‘That’s it. You’re done. No more Army for you.’
But two years later, the 27-year-old Norcross, Georgia, native is back on duty — a double-amputee fighting on the front lines of America’s Afghan surge in one of the most dangerous parts of this volatile country.
Luckett’s remarkable recovery can be attributed in part to dogged self-determination. But technological advances have been crucial: Artificial limbs today are so effective, some war-wounded like Luckett are not only able to do intensive sports like snow skiing, they can return to active duty as fully operational soldiers. The Pentagon says 41 American amputee veterans are now serving in combat zones worldwide.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/September/international_September1204.xml§ion=international&col=
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3470
9:47 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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