Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Islamic World News

15 Nov 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com

Avoid cow slaughter on Eid, says Darul Uloom

Talaq uttered by Muslim man on cellphone valid: Deoband

Engage Pak for a lasting K-solution: Interlocutor

Pakistan's sole export is terror: Pakistani daily

Couple face lash for 'unlawful sex' in UAE

Iraq violence kills five, including senior prison official

Pak can make progress if it changes approach towards India: US

Mexico hotel blast kills 5 Canadians, 2 Mexicans

Be sensitive on J-K just as we are on Tibet: India to China

Pakistan: persecution in the name of Islam

Two killed in Pak bomb blast

Blasphemy case: Christian woman moves high court

Jinnah House belongs to Govt, HC told

Violence in Lucknow over Shia cleric arrest

Karzai wants US to cut military ops in Afghanistan

Waiting for deportation,man gets help from Pak PMO

Top Afghan diplomat abducted in Pak released after 2 years

Taliban motivated by revenge more than Islam: study

Muslim explains faith’s Sharia law

CAIR Fights Oklahoma Anti-Sharia Law, Not Jihadis

West cannot defeat al-Qaida: UK armed forces chief

Somali pirates free Brit couple after 388 days

Ayodhya verdict: SC to hear 1st appeal today

Sonia is the real power: Khurshid

Fatwa issued against families of Sara, Ali

Stop violence; sue RSS if not satisfied with Sangh regret’

NIA has proof of Pak hand in terror training

Pakistan seeks waiver of $50 bn foreign debt

US dilemma on pressuring Pak over Sajid Mir: Report

Pakistani Hizb militant arrested in Delhi after shoot-out

JuD defies Pak ban to raise funds

Zardari for empowerment of women through education

Iraq violence kills eight

Nine years on, the Taliban have a message for West

Musharraf era was best in 63-year history of Pakistan: Dr Salman

Mina reverberates with 'Labbaik'

How Malaysia’s Tabung Haji could provide Haj financing a Shariah-compliant model

Lebanon’s Hariri vows he won’t give in to ‘threats’

Muslim pilgrims flood Mount Arafat as Hajj reaches peak

Full veil, burqa, niqab, hijab… a challenge to ‘European’ values

US, West ignored threat potential of LeT before 26/11

Benazir assassination part of conspiracy: FIA

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

---------- Avoid cow slaughter on Eid, says Darul Uloom 15-Nov-2010 Deoband: Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband asked Muslims not to slaughter cows on occasion of Id-ul-Adha to respect sentiments of Hindus. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Maulana Abdul Khalique said guidlines in "ahkame idul zuah (concept of sacrifice), an instruction book brought out by the seminary, say that Muslims should avoid slaughtering cows where ever it is banned." To respect the law and in view of feelings of Hindus, he said cow slaughter should be avoided as it does not have any added significance in the rituals. "Other cattle can be used for scarifice so as not to breach the law," he told PTI. Id-ul-Adha will be celebrated on Wednesday. http://www.mynews.in/News/avoid_cow_slaughter_on_id_says_darul_uloom_N110017.htm ------------ Somalia tops terrorism risk list, Pakistan second 16 Nov, 2010 * Maplecroft says threat increasing in Russia, Greece and Yemen, falling in India LONDON: Somalia has replaced Iraq as the state most at risk from terrorist attack, according to a ranking by global analysts Maplecroft, which sees threats also rising in Russia, Greece and Yemen but falling in India and Algeria. Pakistan has jumped one place to the second position. A statement by the consultancy about its latest Terrorism Risk Index said increased dangers seen in Somalia and Yemen were caused by al Qaeda-associated violence while those in Russia stemmed from attacks by separatists from the North Caucasus. The largest change in the rankings was Greece, which moved from 57 to 24 to become the European country most at risk, a trend the consultancy said was due to violent left-wing groups. Pakistan, where more than 2,000 people have been killed in a wave of deadly attacks by terrorists since 2007, moved up one place to become the country second most at risk, while Afghanistan slipped from second place to fourth. Iraq, where sectarian carnage unleashed after the 2003 US-led invasion is receding, is now in the third place. Maplecroft said Somalia suffered 556 terrorist incidents, in which 1,437 people had been killed and 3,408 wounded between June 2009 and June 2010, the period on which the rankings are based. “Somalia is the most extreme risk country,” it said. “It has the highest number of deaths from terrorism per population and surpassed Iraq and Afghanistan in the number of fatalities per terrorist attack.” Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden, worries the West because it is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed the failed cargo plane attack and a botched plot by a Nigerian student to bomb an airliner over Detroit on December 25, 2009. The UK-based company’s index rates 196 countries on the number, frequency and intensity of terrorism attacks, plus the likelihood of mass casualties occurring. While based on historical data, it is intended as a forward-looking assessment. None of the main Western economies fall within the ranking’s high or extreme risk bracket. The United States is at 33, France 44 and Britain 46 – all in the medium risk category – while Canada at 67, and Germany at 70 are rated as low risk. The index lists 16 countries as extreme risk – topped by Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan and followed by the Palestinian Territories in fifth place, Colombia 6, Thailand 7, Philippines 8, Yemen 9, Russia 10. The company saw an increase in risk in Russia, which rose to 10 from 15, was due to a rise in big attacks by separatists from the North Caucasus, including twin suicide bombings on the Moscow metro in March this year, which killed 40 people. Other major movers in the index included Algeria, which fell to 36 from 7, and India, which dropped to 15 from 6. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\16\story_16-11-2010_pg7_6 ------------ UN takes dozens of names off terrorist sanctions list 16 Nov, 2010 UNITED NATIONS: A UN committee has taken dozens of Taliban and al Qaeda names off a terrorism sanctions list and said, on Monday, that many of those remaining may be dead. The committee is investigating into how many of the terror suspects have died since they were put on the list - many after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, its chairman Thomas Mayr-Harting told the UN Security Council. There are now 433 Taliban and al Qaeda individuals and entities on the UN sanctions list, Mayr-Harting, the Austrian ambassador to the UN, told the council. He said 45 entries had been taken off and that 58 other requests were being studied. Eight individuals - two Taliban and six al Qaeda – on the list have died, Mayr-Harting added. He gave none of the identities. “There remain a considerable number of deceased persons on the list which is why the committee will conduct a specific review of deceased persons” in coming months, he told the council. Of the individuals and groups on the list, more than 200 are linked to al Qaeda and about 130 to the Taliban, according to the Austrian envoy. The committee was set up under UN Security Council resolution 1267 in 1999. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\16\story_16-11-2010_pg7_7 ------------ Militants blow up school in Mohmand 16 Nov, 2010 LAHORE: Unidentified miscreants blew up a government primary school in Safi tehsil of the Mohmand Agency, a private TV channel reported on Monday. According to reports, some militants planted explosive material in the premises of the school and blew it up with a time device. The number of schools destroyed by extremists over the last two years rose to 68, out of which 24 were girls and 44 were boys’ schools, the channel reported. daily times monitor http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\16\story_16-11-2010_pg7_9 ------------ Forces kill two terrorists in Swat 16 Nov, 2010 SWAT: Security forces on Monday killed two terrorists when they refused to surrender after being caught by the force in the Madyan area, security officials said. The forces surrounded Pia village after receiving a tip off about the presence of some terrorists in a house. The security personnel went to the house and after besieging it asked the terrorists to surrender. The terrorists, however, started firing at the forces. The personnel retaliated as a result of which both terrorists were killed. The deceased were identified as Fazal Rabi and Jameer, the security official said. He added that two guns and lots of ammunition was seized from the house. Separately, security forces apprehended 120 suspects during a search operation in the Shoqdara area, out of which a majority were released after preliminary investigations. app http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\16\story_16-11-2010_pg7_10 ------------ No terrorism in Islam: Saudi grand mufti 16 Nov, 2010 LAHORE/ARAFAT: Islam is a religion based on justice and equity, which does not admit terrorism, extremism and injustice, a private TV channel quoted Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Sheikh as saying on Monday. Delivering a Hajj sermon at the Nimra Mosque at Mount Arafat, the grand mufti said that Allah had endowed the people with a host of blessings and boons and that guidance of Islam was one of them. He added that Islam is not a theoretical but a practicable religion. He said Islam impressed upon its followers to take better care of their families and societies, adding that the religion had discrete ways of worshipping God and five-time prayers, fasting, zakat, charities and calling on people to do good and avoid bad were among them. Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\16\story_16-11-2010_pg7_35 ------------ Talaq uttered by Muslim man on cellphone valid: Deoband Nov 15, 2010 DEOBAND: Talaq uttered thrice by a Muslim man on a mobile phone will be considered valid even if his wife is unable to hear it all the three times due to network and other problems, a fresh fatwa has ruled. The fatwa was given by Darul-Ifta, the fatwa department of leading Sunni Islamic seminary Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband, in reply to a query by a man. The man in his query had asked that in case no witness was present when he utters talaq thrice to his wife over phone whether it would be considered valid or not. "I angrily said talaq three times to my wife on cell phone but she claimed that she didn't hear it even once and nobody was around both of us. Please tell me whether talaq has taken place," he asked. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Talaq-uttered-by-Muslim-man-on-cellphone-valid-Deoband/articleshow/6930276.cms#ixzz15LsUjyRt ---------- Engage Pak for a lasting K-solution: Interlocutor Nov 15, 2010 SRINAGAR: Academic Radha Kumar, one of the three Kashmir interlocutors, on Sunday called for engaging Pakistan for a durable solution to the Kashmir problem. ''The situation in the state had improved after New Delhi engaged Islamabad between 2003 and 2006,'' said Kumar, who is in Srinagar along with another interlocutor M M Ansari. She favoured confidence-building measures like release of political prisoners to bridge the trust deficit. ''These are essential part of finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir problem,'' Kumar said. She said Kashmiris want a comprehensive political settlement of the problem. ''The settlement is possible only when there is change on the ground,'' she said, and added that the turmoil had added layers of mistrust in the Valley. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Engage-Pak-for-a-lasting-K-solution-Interlocutor/articleshow/6927179.cms#ixzz15KHAdbK8 ---------- Pakistan's sole export is terror: Pakistani daily 2010-11-15 Islamabad: Pakistan's 'sole export seems to have become terror', an article in a Pakistan daily said and added that the country's 'very existence has become India-centric'. The article in the Express Tribune titled 'Wake up and smell the failure' said the symbolism of US President Barack Obama's visit to India is 'bigger than the expansive trade deals and kind words'. Obama declared India a world power, and the India-US alliance 'one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century'. Pakistani Hizbul terrorist arrested in Delhi 'On the other hand, Pakistan was snubbed when we were told to do more in the war against militancy during his visit....Obama went further than any US president before by backing India's pursuit for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. So much for the Kashmir dispute.' Full report at: http://sify.com/news/pakistan-s-sole-export-is-terror-pakistani-daily-news-international-klplEkfjgdi.html ---------- Couple face lash for 'unlawful sex' in UAE Nov 15 2010 A Filipina maid and her Bangladeshi lover will receive 100 lashes and be deported for having sex out of wedlock in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, a newspaper said on Monday. The Sharjah Sharia Court ordered the Filipina to be lashed 100 times and deported for "unlawful sex," said the Gulf News report. The Bangladeshi would be lashed for adultery and jailed for a year for entering the house belonging to the Filipina's sponsor without permission before being deported. Foreign workers in the UAE and most other Gulf states must be sponsored by an employer to work in the country. In some cases, employers hold the worker's passport and can deny permission to change jobs. Full report at: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8141082/couple-face-lash-for-unlawful-sex-in-uae ---------- Iraq violence kills five, including senior prison official 15 November 2010 MOSUL, Iraq — Violence across Iraq on Monday killed five people, including a senior prison official at a jail in the restive north of the country, and wounded 28, security officials said. In the town of Badoush, just outside the main northern city of Mosul, two car bombs at the residential compound for Badoush prison security guards killed two and wounded 16, police Major Khalid Jamal al-Din said. “Two car bombs detonated today (Monday) at around 9:00 am (0600 GMT) in a residential compound for prison security guards in Badoush,” Din told AFP. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/middleeast_November312.xml&section=middleeast ---------- Pak can make progress if it changes approach towards India: US Nov 15 2010 Islamabad : In a pep talk to Pakistan, US Ambassador to Islamabad Cameron Munter has said the country could make "remarkable progress" if it changes its approach towards India. Munter made the remarks while interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a dinner hosted last night by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for participants of the Pakistan Development Forum. "It (better relations with India) would also help in lessening (Pakistan's) huge spendings on defence and on other factors," Munter was quoted as saying by The News daily. The country can make remarkable progress if it changes its approach towards India, he said. Responding to a question about the nature of changes that should be made in Pakistan's approach towards India, Munter said he had no specifics in mind though he seriously and sincerely felt such a change would greatly help Islamabad. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-can-make-progress-if-it-changes-approach-towards-india-us/711510/ ---------- Mexico hotel blast kills 5 Canadians, 2 Mexicans Nov 15, 2010 PLAYA DE CARMEN, MEXICO: A powerful explosion Sunday likely caused by an accumulation of gas killed 7 people, including five Canadian tourists, at a large resort hotel on Mexico's Caribbean coast, authorities said. Two Mexican employees of the 676-room hotel Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, were killed in the explosion, said Francisco Alor, attorney general of Quintana Roo, where the resorts are located. Two other Canadians suffered severe injuries and were listed in critical condition. Ten others, including two U.S. citizens and eight Mexican employees of the hotel, suffered less serious wounds and were listed as stable. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Mexico-hotel-blast-kills-5-Canadians-2-Mexicans/articleshow/6927435.cms#ixzz15KGMVqRj ---------- Be sensitive on J-K just as we are on Tibet: India to China Pranab Dhal Samanta Nov 15 2010 Wuhan : Barely a month ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to India next month, New Delhi has made it clear that it expects Beijing to set the record straight on Jammu & Kashmir by reciprocating just the way India has done in the case of Chinese sensitivities in Tibet and Taiwan. This was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in the course a 70-minute bilateral conversation on the margins of the Russia-India-China trilateral meet here on Sunday. However, Yang continued to be ambiguous in his response and did not even raise the issue of New Delhi having frozen high-level military exchanges after Beijing conveyed that the Northern Army Commander would have to be considered for a stapled visa as he is in-charge of a “disputed area”. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/india-equates-jammu-&-kashmir-with-tibet/711151/ ---------- Pakistan: persecution in the name of Islam Fiorello Provera 15 November 2010 Earlier this year the European Parliament passed a resolution highlighting the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan. For the European Union, and in particular for MEPs, the right to freedom of worship is fundamental, universal and non-negotiable. In Pakistan, however, the free practice of religion - at least for non-Muslims - is difficult, hazardous and rare. Part of the problem of religious persecution in Pakistan stems from the establishment of the country itself in 1947 and the promulgation of its constitution in 1956. It is officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which, in effect, makes the state indivisible from Islam. Pakistan placed religion at the heart of its raison d'être in order to distinguish itself from its rival India, from which it had been separated. But whereas India has developed into a sophisticated democracy in which people of all religions and none live side by side in relative harmony, Pakistan has gone the opposite way. Indeed, Pakistan's attitude to religious freedom stems also from its attitude to political freedom. Full report at: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/Pakistan-persecution-in-the-name-of-Islam/103693.php ---------- Two killed in Pak bomb blast Nov 15, 2010 PESHAWAR: A powerful bomb went off near the home of a slain tribal elder in a Taliban-infested area in northwest Pakistan on Monday, killing at least two persons, including the imam of a mosque, and injuring three others. The blast occurred at Adezai, located 20 km south of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. The imam of a mosque was among two persons killed, they said. The bomb went off near the home of slain tribal elder Abdul Malik, who was spearheading an anti-Taliban campaign in the area. Malik was killed in a suicide attack in 2009 The tribal elder's son Noor Malik was getting into his car when Monday's attack occurred, though he was not hurt. One of his bodyguards was among the three people injured. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Two-killed-in-Pak-bomb-blast/articleshow/6929546.cms#ixzz15LRdS9hF ---------- Blasphemy case: Christian woman moves high court Nov 15 2010 15 November 2010 ISLAMABAD — The Christian woman, who was awarded death sentence on charge of blasphemy by a district court in Sheikhupura, has moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) against her conviction. The case was registered on the complaint of Qari Salam, the Imam of a mosque in Ittanwali village near Sheikhupur, about 40km from Lahore. Qari Salam alleged that Asia Bibi had uttered blasphemous words in the presence of several village women working in a garden. The case was tried by the additional district and sessions judge who sentenced her to death and fine of Rs100,000. Asia’s husband Ashiq told reporters that village chief Tufail had implicated Asia in a false case for personal reasons. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2010/November/international_November702.xml&section=international&col= ---------- Jinnah House belongs to Govt, HC told Nov 15, 2010 Mumbai, Nov 14 (PTI) The central government has told the Bombay High Court that it had gained total legal ownership of the historic Jinnah House which is mired in controversy after heirs of the original house-owner Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah staked claim to the property. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in an affidavit filed recently before the High Court, claimed that the government had acquired the Jinnah House in Mumbai as evacuee property and hence all rights of evacuee and others stood extinguished. The affidavit was filed in response to a petition by Dina Wadia, daughter of Jinnah, laid claim to Jinnah House which stands on a 2.5 acre plot in posh Malabar Hill area of South Mumbai. Ninety one-year-old Dina, who lives in New York, has contended that she was the sole heir to her father''s property. Full report at: http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20101114/1416/tnl-jinnah-house-belongs-to-govt-hc-told.html ---------- Violence in Lucknow over cleric arrest Nov 15, 2010 Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad was on Sunday (November 14) detained as a preventive measure during a demonstration against alleged irregularities in a college in Hassanganj area, triggering violent protests by his supporters who indulged in arson and vandalism. The protestors were baton-charged by the police which also lobbed tear gas shells. The cleric was later released. Alleging large-scale irregularities in Shia Post Graduate College, Jawwad along with others religious leaders and supporters staged a demonstration to protest a Board meeting of trustees this morning. Full report at: http://www.timesnow.tv/Violence-in-Lucknow-over-cleric-arrest/articleshow/4358329.cms ---------- Karzai wants US to cut military ops in Afghanist Joshua Partlow Nov 15, 2010 President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday that the United States must reduce visibility and intensity of its military operations in Afghanistan and end the increased US Special Operations forces night raids that aggravate Afghans and could exacerbate the Taliban insurgency. In an interview with The Washington Post, Karzai said that he wanted American troops off the roads and out of Afghan homes and that the long-term presence of so many foreign soldiers would only worsen the war. Full report at: Hindustan Times ---------- Waiting for deportation,man gets help from Pak PMO Smriti Singh Nov 15, 2010 New Delhi: While more and more foreign nationals are waiting in vain at detention centres in the capital for their deportation,one Pakistani national has been lucky to have found support from Pakistans prime ministers office. Saif-ul-Malook,who has finished his jail term after pleading guilty in a case of attempted jail break in Jammu four years ago and is now waiting for his deportation,never thought the letter he wrote to the Pakistani government will find some takers.After seeing no sign of being deported any time soon,Malook had sent a plea of the Pakistan authorities,seeking help. Much to his surprise,the prime ministers secretariat not only wrote back,but also sent a letter a rare step to a Delhi-based lawyer to take appropriate action on his request.The Overseas Grievances Wing,Islamabad,also forwarded the Pak nationals letter to Indian authorities. Full report at: Times of India ---------- Top Afghan diplomat abducted in Pak released after 2 years Nov 15, 2010 Kabul (Afghanistan): Afghanistans former ambassador-designate to Pakistan,seized by gunmen two years ago in the Pakistani city of Peshawar,has been released and is back home safe,the presidents office said on Sunday.The diplomat,Abdul Khaliq Farahi,was freed in eastern Afghanistan late Saturday in a joint effort by officials from both countries and has returned to Kabul,where he met Sunday with President Hamid Karzai,his office said.A brief statement gave no details on how he was freed. Farahi was heading from the Afghan consulate toward his home in the border city of Peshawar on September 22,2008,when gunmen stopped the vehicle and killed his driver.Abdul Khaliq Farahi is in good condition and right now he is in Kabul with his family, Karzais office said. Times of India ---------- Taliban motivated by revenge against Western armies more than Islam: study By: Murray Brewster Nov 15, 2010 KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A new report, partly funded by the Foreign Affairs Department, says western nations have misunderstood the war aims of the Taliban and it cautions any potential peace deal with them could be a threat to human rights. The study, initiated by the U.S. Institute for Peace with help from Ottawa's Global Peace and Security Fund, comes as the Karzai government made more attempts over the weekend at reconciliation with top insurgents. The report suggests many insurgent fighters have taken up arms in retaliation for perceived military aggression by NATO — a sentiment echoed Sunday when the Afghan president asked western armies to restrain their operations. Full report at: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/taliban-motivated-by-revenge-against-western-armies-more-than-islam-study-107980494.html ---------- Muslim explains faith’s Sharia law BY BARBARA HOBEROCK Nov 15, 2010 The man behind a lawsuit seeking to overturn a controversial ballot measure has a passion for the law and his Islamic faith. Muneer Awad, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter on the Council for American-Islamic Relations, filed suit last week in federal court to overturn State Question 755. The measure bans state courts from the use of Sharia and international law in deciding cases. It passed Nov. 2 with slightly more than 70 percent of the vote. Sharia law is not used in state courts, but supporters said SQ 755 was needed as a preventive measure. U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange granted a temporary restraining order putting implementation on hold. A hearing for an injunction is set for Nov. 22. Awad, who has been on the job with the council’s Oklahoma chapter since Oct. 14, said Sharia law could never replace federal or state laws. Full report at: http://newsok.com/muslim-explains-faiths-sharia-law/article/3514360#ixzz15KhnRofQ ---------- CAIR Fights Oklahoma Anti-Sharia Law, Not Jihadis By Pamela Geller Nov 15, 2010 Oklahoma became the first state to pass a proposition that Sharia-based court decisions and foreign law should be banned, an idea any patriot could love. But on Monday morning a federal judge, Vicki Miles-LaGrange, issued a temporary restraining order blocking Oklahoma’s new state constitutional amendment—that had just been approved by 70% of the vote—which forbids courts to decide cases using Islamic law (Sharia). The Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is trying to block the law, and for now they’ve succeeded: The restraining order will remain in place until another hearing on November 22. Yet whatever temporary successes Muslim supremacists appear to attain, I believe that the suit and other actions like it are a good thing. The Islamic supremacists are showing their hand and revealing their agenda. Full report at: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39951 ---------- West cannot defeat al-Qaida: UK armed forces chief Nov 15, 2010 LONDON: The head of Britain's armed forces has warned that the West can never defeat al-Qaida and other militant Islamic groups, only contain them. Gen. David Richards is reported as saying in interviews with British media published Sunday that defeating Islamist militancy is ``unnecessary and would never be achieved.'' But The Sunday Telegraph quoted him as saying that although a clear-cut victory is impossible, forces can still contain al-Qaida to an extent that Britons can lead secure lives. Richards added that Britain did not "fully understand what was at stake'' in Afghanistan and that the Afghan people were beginning to tire of NATO's inability to deliver on its promises. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/West-cannot-defeat-al-Qaida-UK-armed-forces-chief/articleshow/6926071.cms#ixzz15KG82xv6 ---------- Somali pirates free Brit couple after 388 days Nov 15, 2010 LONDON: Somalian pirates have freed Kent couple Paul and Rachel Chandler 388 days after they were kidnapped from their yacht. According to The Telegraph, the Chandlers are now under the protection of local government officials close to Somalia's border with Ethiopia, and are expected to fly to safety in Kenya later on Sunday. It is understood that a ransom was paid. The British Foreign Office did not confirm this, and only said they were "investigating" the reports. A spokesman for the Chandlers' family could not immediately be reached. Sources in the Somali town of Adado, 220 miles northwest of Mogadishu, said the Chandlers were "safe and well" and would be offered food and a shower at the home of the town's governor, Mohamed Aden Tiiceey. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Somali-pirates-free-Brit-couple-after-388-days/articleshow/6925045.cms#ixzz15KGAWlmX ---------- Ayodhya verdict: SC to hear 1st appeal today Dhananjay Mahapatra Nov 15, 2010 NEW DELHI: The first appeal against the landmark Allahabad High Court verdict partitioning the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi area in Ayodhya will be filed in Supreme Court on Monday by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JuH), which was plaintiff number two before the HC. JuH, which had filed the original suit in 1961 before the HC claiming ownership over the disputed area housing the disputed structure, assailed the HC verdict on the ground that by ordering partition of the area, it travelled beyond the pleadings of the parties as none of them had ever argued for it. The appeal, which will be filed in the apex court on Monday, focusses on how the HC veered away from the facts and law and concentrated more on circumstances and extraneous material, counsel Anis Suhrawardy told TOI. "The permission to perform puja cannot change the undisputed character of the structure, which had been consistently recorded in official records as a mosque," JuH said in its petition. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ayodhya-verdict-SC-to-hear-1st-appeal-today/articleshow/6927334.cms#ixzz15KH53o1m ---------- Sonia is the real power: Khurshid Nov 15, 2010 NEW DELHI: Minister for corporate affairs Salman Khurshid has admitted that Congress chief Sonia Gandhi wields the 'real power' in the UPA coalition. In a television interview on Sunday, Khurshid made it clear that while PM Manmohan Singh was very much in charge of the government, Sonia was the supreme leader. "Sonia Gandhi is the real power, everybody knows that, but the PM is the real PM," he said, artfully nuancing the roles of the two in the ruling coalition. While paying rich compliments to Singh, Khurshid pointed out that as far as decision making was concerned, it was a collective process between the two. "They decide together," he said in reply to a question. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sonia-is-the-real-power-Khurshid/articleshow/6927415.cms#ixzz15KH7powq ---------- Fatwa issued against families of Sara, Ali Zafar Alam Khan Nov 15, 2010 Adding a fresh chapter to the ongoing drama over the televised Nikah of actors Sara Khan with Ali Merchant on reality show Bigg Boss 4, a city-based Muslim organisation on Sunday issued a fatwa, excommunicating the newly-weds’ families. Fuming at the mockery, the two actors subjected to the institution of Nikah, the All India Muslim Tehwar Committee (AIMTC) on Sunday said it had banished the Khan and Merchant families from the community. Controversy first erupted over the televised Nikah earlier this week, when accusations, flying fast and thick, suggested that the couple had already entered a marriage contract as per Shariah provisions two years ago, but had refrained from announcing it, due to their acting careers. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/296616/Fatwa-issued-against-families-of-Sara-Ali.html ---------- Stop violence; sue RSS if not satisfied with Sangh regret’ November 15, 2010 The BJP on Sunday advised the Congress to explore “social, political or legal” options if it was not satisfied with the RSS expressing regret over KS Sudarshan’s controversial remarks and maintained that “violent protests” by ruling party were the symbol of its hatred for the Sangh and other Hindu outfits. “If the Congress feels, clarification and regrets expressed by Sangh were not enough, then it can choose between the social political or legal options available to them. Violence and extremism has no place in democracy,” former BJP chief Rajnath Singh said on Sunday. He reminded that when the Congress leaders equated Sangh with terror groups, the RSS staged peaceful demonstrations across the country, quite unlike the Congress that was “attacking” Sangh offices. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/296485/%E2%80%98Stop-violence;-sue-RSS-if-not-satisfied-with-Sangh-regret%E2%80%99.html ---------- NIA has proof of Pak hand in terror training November 15, 2010 VR Jayaraj The NIA has got credible proofs of Pakistan’s hand in the recruitment of Kerala youths into the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) for training in Kashmir. NIA chief of operations Loknath Behra also said there were no technical hindrances for the NIA to take over the probe into the attack on Prof TJ Joseph of Muvattupuzha. In Kochi on Sunday, Behra said the agency had got evidences for the role of Pakistani citizen “Wali” Abdul Rehman in the recruitment of Keralite youths for terror training in Kashmir. Wali could be named as one of the accused in the case of terror recruitment, which the agency was probing in Kerala, he said. The agency got the proofs of Pakistani hand in the terror recruitment from the interrogation of LeT operative David Coleman Headley, arrested in the US, he said. The terror recruitment had come to the knowledge of the security agencies after four militants from Kerala were killed in encounters in Kupwara, Kashmir in October, 2008. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/296462/NIA-has-proof-of-Pak-hand-in-terror-training.html ---------- Pakistan seeks waiver of $50 bn foreign debt November 15, 2010 Pakistan on Sunday urged the international community to waive its debt of over $50 billion to ease the financial burden on the country and enable it to combat terrorism and other challenges. The country has paid a “heavy price” after becoming part of the war on terror in 2001, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said at the inauguration of the two-day Pakistan Development Forum here. “The waived-off foreign debt will be utilised in the fight against terrorism,” he said adding: “We need trade instead of aid.” The Minister said, “Terrorism in Pakistan is being exported from Afghanistan as around 50,000 people crossover daily to the Pakistani side from the porous borders with Afghanistan.” Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/296484/Pakistan-seeks-waiver-of-$50-bn-foreign-debt.html ---------- US dilemma on pressuring Pak over Sajid Mir: Report November 15, 2010 S Rajagopalan About two years after the Mumbai attacks and elaborate FBI investigations, the United States is wrestling with the dilemma over how much to pressure Pakistan to bring to justice LeT’s mastermind Sajid Mir and other key suspects who still remain “free and dangerous”. A new report by the ProPublica investigative news organisation focuses on the “wrenching national security dilemma confronting the Obama administration” on this issue despite all the incriminating information it has gathered on all the key players of 26/11. “It’s a balancing act. We can only push so far. It’s very political. Sajid Mir is too powerful for them to go after. Too well-connected. We need the Pakistanis to go after the Taliban and Al Qaeda,” the report quotes a high-ranking US law enforcement official as saying. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/296461/US-dilemma-on-pressuring-Pak-over-Sajid-Mir-Report.html ---------- Pakistani Hizb militant arrested in Delhi after shoot-out Nov 15 2010 New Delhi : A suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militant hailing from Pakistan, wanted in many cases in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested near IIT campus in south Delhi after a shoot-out, police said today. Abdullah Inquilabi, a self-styled divisional commander of the outfit in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri, was caught by Delhi Police's Special Cell, the elite anti-terror wing, last night from Deer Park near Indian Institute of Technology soon after he alighted from a bus. "As soon as he alighted, we tried to catch him. He tried to escape and went inside the park and we chased him. In a bid to escape, he opened fire. Three-four rounds were fired," a senior police official said. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pakistani-hizb-militant-arrested-in-delhi-after-shootout/711318/ ---------- JuD defies Pak ban to raise funds Nov 15 2010 BANNED Islamic organisation Jama’at ud Da’wah ( JuD) is openly running a public campaign to collect donations and hides of sacrificial animals ahead of the eid- ul- azha festival, despite Pakistan’s interior ministry placing it on a list of 16 militant groups barred from such activities. The JuD has set up at least seven camps in Lahore - including two on The Mall, the city’s main thoroughfare and two more at Moon Market - to collect funds and animal hides that are later sold to raise money for the group. The camps are marked with large banners, either of the JuD or its frontal organisation, the Falah- e- Insaniyat Foundation, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday. The camps also have JuD's black and white flags featuring swords and are operating under the supervision of JuD activist Abu Hashim. Full report at: Mail Today ---------- Zardari for empowerment of women through education Nov 15 2010 LONDON: President Asif Ali Zardari, in his message on the occasion of the Commonwealth Countries League International Fair, has urged that women throughout the world must be provided education so that they become well-equipped to face the challenges that lie ahead and participate in the development of their society. Underscoring the dedication of Benazir Bhutto and her contribution to the empowerment of women, President Zardari in his message, said, “Pakistan’s twice elected and Muslim World’s first women prime minister Benazir Bhutto devoted her life to the cause of improving the role of women in a society, where extremists have often used religion to disempower and subjugate women. She courageously led from the fight for women emancipation and empowerment. Inspired by her example and leadership, the present government has launched in her name, a programme for uplifting women, called the Benazir Income Support Programme.” Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\15\story_15-11-2010_pg7_36 ---------- Iraq violence kills eight Nov 15 2010 KIRKUK: Violence in central and northern Iraq killed eight people on Sunday. Four out of the eight were troops, security officials said. In the deadliest attack, a roadside bomb killed three soldiers in a town south of the ethnically mixed northern oil hub of Kirkuk, police Colonel Ahmed al-Barazanchi said. “An IED (improvised explosive device) hit a dismounted army patrol in Rashad,” he said. “Three soldiers were killed,” he added. Also near Kirkuk, in the town of Leylan, a drive-by shooting killed a civilian, Barazanchi said. It was unclear why the victim was targeted. Kirkuk lies in the heart of an oil-producing province, which is in the centre of a dispute between Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds. Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\15\story_15-11-2010_pg7_40 ---------- Nine years on, the Taliban have a message for West Nov 15 2010 KABUL: When Nato leaders gather for a summit in Lisbon next week, where Afghanistan will top the agenda, they can expect a message waiting for them from the Taliban. That message may well be a violent demonstration of their staying power, even though Washington and US and Nato commanders have been talking up recent successes in Afghanistan before the summit and a strategy review by President Barack Obama next month. This comes as many European Nato members begin to look at how long they can keep justifying their commitments to an increasingly unpopular war, and as Obama remains committed to beginning a gradual drawdown of US troops from July 2011 before the 2014 goal set by Kabul to take total security responsibility. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/13/nine-years-on-the-taliban-have-a-message-for-west.html ---------- Musharraf era was best in 63-year history of Pakistan: Dr Salman By Shabbir Sarwar Nov 15 2010 LAHORE: Former finance minister Dr Salman Shah on Sunday claimed that the Musharraf regime was the best in over 60 years history of the country as far as the economic indicators and growth rate were concerned. Addressing a discussion titled “Pakistan’s economic crisis and its solution: Who is responsible for price hike in Pakistan”, he said Shaukat Tareen’s policies brought a downfall to the national economy. “We had left $16 billion reserves in 2007 which have now fell to only $6 billion and ultimately the government has to beg form the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” he said, adding that the IMF had offered loan on soft conditions in 2005 after the earthquake but the Musharraf government had rejected it. Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\15\story_15-11-2010_pg7_20 ---------- Mina reverberates with 'Labbaik' Nov 15 2010 MINA: The valley of Mina, which otherwise remains deserted throughout the year, came alive Sunday as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims poured into the city chanting “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik” (O God, here I am answering Your call). Official estimates have put the number of pilgrims at 2.5 million. Mina is the first stop for pilgrims on the way to the Plains of Arafat for the Haj climax on Monday. Once in the city and in their fireproof tents, the pilgrims busied themselves reciting the Holy Qur’an and performing prayers or with efforts to locate relatives. Many tried to catch some sleep after a tiring journey from Jeddah and Makkah. Till late afternoon, pilgrims were still making their way into the holy city. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article190955.ece ---------- How Malaysia’s Tabung Haji could provide Haj financing a Shariah-compliant model By MUSHTAK PARKER Nov 15 2010 THE annual pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia takes place this week when up to three million Muslims from all over the world converge on the holy places in Makkah and Madinah and its satellite towns to perform Haj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. While the Haj is deemed a spiritual journey, since its inception, it has always been associated with economic activity such as trade when Muslims converged on Makkah from all parts of the Ummah trading with each other and of course at the same time performing rituals of Haj. While Saudi Arabia as the birthplace of Islam and the host of the religion’s holiest sites has spent billions of dollars in improving the transport, accommodation, health and other infrastructure associated with the Haj over the last three decades, the external management of Haj, especially the travel packages and cultural awareness and education programs, need further improvement. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/economy/islamicfinance/article190862.ece ---------- Lebanon’s Hariri vows he won’t give in to ‘threats’ Nov 15 2010 14 November 2010 BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has vowed not to give in to ‘threats’ in a television interview, after his Hezbollah rivals ramped up rhetoric against a UN-backed probe into his father’s murder. ‘Nobody can threaten me to force my hand. I don’t act according to this logic. I don’t give in to threats,’ Hariri told the Arabic-language service of Russia Today ahead of a two-day visit to Moscow from Monday. ‘I’m ready for calm and constructive dialogue, but if someone comes to me and puts a knife to my throat and tells me how to work, this is unacceptable, Lebanon is not like that,’ he said, according to a transcript of the interview provided by his office. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned on Thursday that his powerful Shia group would ‘cut off the hand’ of anyone who tried to arrest any of its partisans over the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/middleeast_November298.xml&section=middleeast&col= ---------- Muslim pilgrims flood Mount Arafat as Hajj reaches peak November 15, 2010 Around two million white-robed pilgrims flooded Mount Arafat and its surrounding plain on Monday as the Hajj, the world's largest annual pilgrimage, converged on the site of the Prophet Mohammed's last sermon. Chanting the Talbiyah, "O God, here we come, answering your call," pilgrims set off before dawn in a bid to reach the top of Mount Arafat, a hill dominating the plain of Arafat. Those who did manage to jostle their way through the heaving crowds to the top of the hill, which is also known as Jabal al-Rahma, or the Mount of Mercy, sat on the rocky edges reciting Koranic verses and praying. Some used their mobile phones to take pictures. Others lay down on straw mats spread over the rocks. Full report at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Muslim-pilgrims-flood-Mount-Arafat-as-Hajj-reaches-peak/Article1-626571.aspx ---------- Full veil, burqa, niqab, hijab… a challenge to ‘European’ values? 15 November 2010 The recent adoption of a law banning the burqa (1) in the public square in France is posing the problem of the intersectionality of religious freedom, cultural rights and women’s rights, one of the most complex human rights issues in today’s global world. The religious, sacred and cultural are sometimes so intimately interwoven that it is difficult to differentiate between them. Societies dominated by men and by the rule of religion have adopted a number of practices which are not explicitly prescribed by their holy books, such as the preservation of girls’ virginity by genital mutilation, or the eradication of sinful sexual relations by honor killings. Clothing restrictions and obligations imposed by states or by religious groups (but also freely chosen by women), whether they are rooted in religious principles or not, are debated publicly, not only in Muslim countries but also in European, American and Asian countries where Islam is a minority religion. Full report at: http://www.neurope.eu/articles/Full-veil-burqa-niqab-hijab-a-challenge-to-European-values/103686.php ---------- US, West ignored threat potential of LeT before 26/11 November 15, 2010 Prior to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the US and Western countries quietly ignored the threat potential of LeT, despite having enough intelligence against the terrorist outfit and repeated assertion in this regard by India, according to an investigative report. This was primarily because the Pakistani leadership --ISI and army in particular -- were successful in convincing the West and US, which relied heavily on Islamabad on the war on terror in Afghanistan -- that LeT was solely focussed on India, including Kashmir, and had nothing to do with al-Qaeda and Taliban, the report by investigative American journalist Sebastian Rotella said. Full report at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/US-West-ignored-threat-potential-of-LeT-before-26-11/Article1-626457.aspx ---------- Benazir assassination part of conspiracy: FIA Nov 15 2010 ISLAMABAD: The investigation team of the FIA probing Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, revealed on Monday that police officers had demonstrated criminal negligence in the case, while Benazir Bhutto’s killing was part of a conspiracy. In the report presented by the FIA investigation team to a special court in Rawalpindi, it was stated that washing the scene of the crime immediately after the Liaquat Bagh tragedy was a serious offense. The report said that not conducting a post-mortem on the former prime minister was also a crime. According to the chief of Rawalpindi General Hospital, the former DPO Rawalpindi, Saud Aziz had given instructions to the administration of the hospital to not conduct a post-mortem and halt further investigations. Meanwhile, according to police officials, instructions had been given by the former CPO Rawalpindi remove Benazir Bhutto’s security. http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/15/benazir-assassination-part-of-conspiracy-fia.html URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3681