| Islamic World News | |
| 24 Nov 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Afghanistan Postpones Trial of Christian Convert; Execution Pending
Saudi Arabian schoolbooks reveal rampant anti-Semitism gripping the Muslim world
Taliban true followers of Islamic ideology, US biggest terrorist: Pakistan minister
Shelling kills 14 militants in Orakzai Agency
Fake Taliban peace broker fooled West
Afghanistan air strikes kill 16 insurgents
New edition of Al-Qaeda magazine threatens West and mocks President
Italy: Muslim leader Deplores 'Cataloguing' of Muslims in Mosques
ISI, Lashkar sued in New York for 26/11
President Pratibha Patil inaugurates Indian Islamic Centre
Abused Indonesian maid’s Saudi employer jailed
'Women in Leadership' forum kicks off in Abu Dhabi
UN Initiative Would Protect Islamic Persecution of Christians in Middle East
Scrapping of blasphemy law not on the cards: minister
Wikileaks Set to Release New Iraq war Logs 'Seven Times Bigger Than the First'
Right-wing resort to Islamophobia in Park51 grant reaction
If you are a poor Shia Muslim, pray you don’t die in Lucknow
Syria’s nuclear stonewalling deepens: IAEA report
Pak perception of Indian role in Afghan a matter of concern: US
Court orders protection for sisters in swara case
Civics education at primary level stressed
Burney’s UK ban request puzzles Fazl
Sylhet BdDR mutiny: 36 of 44 accused plead guilty
America's Failed War of Attrition in Afghanistan
Kabul Is No Child's Playground
Babri stakeholders’ picture of unity at wedding
Lucknow Shia Waqf Board chairman resigns, crisis deepens
110,000 Basijs to meet Leader on Thursday
Oxfam, UNDP signed MoU on women economic empowerment
UK to Continue Deporting Failed Iraqi Asylum Seekers
U.S. raises security concerns for air travelers
J&K panchayat polls on non-party basis
Kasab stoic about his end
Security agencies carry out massive sweep for terrorists in European cities
BNM leader killed, another hurt in Ormara
Lawmaker blasts asylum offers for Iraqi Christians
Two ASWJ activists among nine killed in Karachi
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Site of the car bomb in Al Jawf province in Yemen
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Yemen car bomb attack 'kills 15'
Nov 24, 2010
A car bomb targeting a Shia religious procession has killed 15 people in the north of Yemen, reports say.
The bomb exploded in an area where rebels have been active but it is not clear who carried out the attack.
A rebel spokesman told AFP news agency that 30 people were also wounded in the attack, in al-Jawf province.
In addition to the northern rebels, Yemen's weak central government faces a southern separatist movement and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11827115
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Afghanistan Postpones Trial Christian Convert; Execution Pending
By Stefan J. Bos
Nov 24, 2010
Afghanistan has postponed the trial of a disabled man who faces the death penalty for allegedly converting from Islam to Christianity, trial observers and officials said Tuesday, November 23.
Said Musa, 45, was to appear without a lawyer Sunday, November 21, in front of a court where a judge was expected to use 'sharia', the word for Islamic law, to reach a verdict.
Officials suggested that the trial was delayed to give the court more time to study the case amid international concerns he may be executed under legislation that was introduced by the toppled Taliban regime.
The trial is expected to begin next Sunday, November 28, said Ann Buwalda
Executive Director of Jubilee Campaign USA, a major advocacy group supporting the Christian's case.
"Thanks be to God who answers prayer, the trial of Said Musa has been delayed until next Sunday," Buwalda told BosNewsLife in a statement. "This dear brother has been illegally imprisoned for six months, tortured, abused and threatened with death, all because he is a Christian."
Musa was detained in Kabul in May after footage was nationally televised of Muslim converts to Christianity being baptized. The broadcast triggered protests throughout the country and a national government crackdown against Christian converts, according to rights activists and Christians.
http://www.bosnewslife.com/14487-news-alert-afghanistan-postpones-trial-christian-convert-execution-pending
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Saudi Arabian schoolbooks reveal rampant anti-Semitism gripping the Muslim world
By Julian Kossoff
24 November 2010
The expose by BBC1’s Panorama documentary of Saudi run schools operating in Britain teaching lessons in Jew-hatred to six year-olds (as well as homophobia and instructions on how to amputate the hand of a thief) highlights several important themes.
Firstly, anti-Semitism (which, whatever the literal translation, in this context means attacking Jews) is rampant in the Arab/Muslim world. The text books being used at the “weekend schools” revealed by Panorama were from the Saudi national curriculum and portrayed Jewish people as “monkeys and pigs” bent on world domination.
Building on the anti-Jewish strands that exist in the Koran, modern hate-texts, including the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Mein Kampf, Did Six Million Really Die?, are widely promoted and consumed from Riyadh to Jakarta. The poison is pumped out to the masses looking for fantastical excuses as to why Israel has been able to defeat all the Arab armies sent against it and to channel rage over the dispossesion of the Palestinians.
Ironically, this toxic cocktail of enmity serves the ultra-Jewish nationalists. So lurid and bloodthirsty is much of the anti-Israel/Jewish rhetoric pouring from the Muslim world that it is easy to convince Jewish public opinion that “Arabs don’t want peace” and are bent on “driving the Jews into the sea”. (In fact, peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt have proven to be incredibly robust and should be seen as reassuring precedents.)
Secondly, the Panorama investigation touched on another anti-Zionist paradox. While opponents of Israel like to portray the Jewish Diaspora’s Zionism in sinister term (the “all-powerful lobby” myth), the petro-power that the Saudis flex in London and Washington is unctuously indulged.
Hence, the British government – no doubt egged on by the Foreign Office’s “camel corps” – caved when it came to pressing the corruption case of BAe allegedly greasing Saudi palms over multi-billion defence contracts, and the Bush family’s close and profitable relationships with the bin Ladens remains shrouded in mystery.
Meanwhile, as Bush and Blair bamboozled us that the Iraq invasion was a battle for freedom and democracy, much of the military campaign was launched from a Saudi Arabia ruled by an absolute Muslim monarchy which holds and promotes anti-western values across the Muslim world.
This hypocrisy is echoed on the anti-Zionist Left that has sold out its core principles of anti-racism, feminism and human rights to support the fundamentalist Muslim terrorists of Hamas, generously funded by Saudis.
At least there is now some attempt to restore sanity on this front. The anti-fascist organisation Searchlight, which was behind the “Hope Not Hate” campaign to stop the British National Party, is to expand its operation to oppose the Islamophobic English Defence League and Islamic extremism itself.
Writing on his blog, Searchlight editor Nick Lowles attacked both the EDL and the Islamic extremists of Muslims Against Crusades, who burned poppies, denied the Holocaust and called for a new Muslim fascism.
Mr Lowles said: “Everyone knows it is wrong and it is actually part of the problem but people have either been bullied into silence or lack the confidence to speak out. Islamist extremism is no friend of a progressive society. Staying silent on attitudes and behaviour that is both wrong, offensive and downright dangerous is abandoning one’s own progressive values and moral compass.”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/juliankossoff/100064707/saudi-arabian-schoolbooks-reveal-rampant-anti-semitism-gripping-the-muslim-world/
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Taliban true followers of Islamic ideology, US biggest terrorist: Pakistan minister
Nov 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban are "the true followers of Islamic ideology", says a Pakistan minister who also believes that "America is the biggest terrorist of the world".
According to federal minister for tourism Maulana Attaur Rehman: "Ulema and Taliban are the true followers of Islamic ideology and America is the biggest terrorist of the world, which is creating hatred against them."
Dawn quoted Rehman as saying at a public gathering in Allai area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Tuesday that terrorism could not be brought to an end until the US and the world gave equal rights and respect to the Muslims.
"It is a misconception that ulema and Taliban are against co-existence of people with different religions. In fact it is America which is against the interfaith harmony to maintain its hegemony on the world," said Rehman.
The Pakistan army has been battling heavily armed Taliban guerrillas in the mountainous Waziristan region. The well-entrenched rebels put up a stiff resistance against the advancing soldiers.
The country has faced a string of terror strikes and the Taliban has been blamed for the Dec 27, 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Taliban-true-followers-of-Islamic-ideology-US-biggest-terrorist-Pakistan-minister/articleshow/6980843.cms#ixzz16BuxgdSY
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Shelling kills 14 militants in Orakzai Agency
24 November 2010
PESHAWAR: Fourteen militants were killed and six others were injured in shelling by gunship helicopters in upper parts of Orakzai Agency on Monday, official sources said. According to details, the choppers targeted the hideouts of militants in Kot Killay and Khadizai areas, killing 14 militants and injuring six others. Four hideouts of insurgents were also destroyed. Meanwhile, security forces launched a full-scale operation in Torkanri, Narek and Mazidgarhi areas and seized huge quantity of explosives. app
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\24\story_24-11-2010_pg7_12
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Fake Taliban peace broker fooled West
Nov 24, 2010
THE SECRET talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban to end the conflict in the country — that were “showing promise” — seem to have hit a dead end, with a revelation that the militant leader at the other end of the table was an imposter.
“In an episode that could have been lifted from a spy novel, US and Afghan officials now say the Afghan man was an imposter,” The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, one of the seniormost commanders of the Taliban, took part in the discussions with the government.
Mansour is reportedly the second-ranked official in the Taliban, only behind the founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar. But the report now says Mansour was “apparently not Mansour at all”.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Afghanistan air strikes kill 16 insurgents
Nov 24, 2010
KANDAHAR: Two air strikes over the weekend in southern Afghanistan killed 16 insurgents, Afghan officials said.
A statement released late Tuesday by the governor of southern Helmand province said 13 militants were killed in a Nato air strike on a bazaar in Kajaki district. The statement said the Taliban were using the targeted site as a control centre and to hold meetings.
The same day, an air strike in Nad-i-Ali district killed three local Taliban leaders. The statement said the targeted leaders had coordinated attacks on Afghan army forces and Nato troops.
The governor’s office said no civilians were injured in Sunday’s strikes.
Nato did not immediately respond to requests to confirm the two incidents.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/24/afghanistan-air-strikes-kill-16-insurgents.html
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New edition of Al-Qaeda magazine threatens West and mocks President
Nov 24, 2010
SANA’A, Nov. 21 – A new edition of the jihadist magazine Inspire, released on Saturday, outlines the plan of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular (AQAP) to “bleed the enemy to death” in a “strategy of a thousand cuts.”
The English language ‘special issue’ provides a detailed account of the failed parcel bomb plot in October, called Operation Hemorrhage by the magazine’s authors. The operation cost USD 4,200, according to a source quoted in Inspire.
“Two Nokia mobiles, USD 150 each, two HP printers, USD 300 each, plus shipping, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses add up to a total bill of USD 4,200. That is all what Operation Hemorrhage cost us,” the magazine said.
This was the third issue of Inspire magazine, a title originating from a verse in the Qur’an, “Inspire the believers to fight”, according to its creators. The publication, aimed at British and American readers, was launched in July and released by AQAP media outlet, the Al-Malahem Media Foundation. The magazine is believed by US federal authorities to be edited by American Samir Khan. The second issue was released on Oct. 11.
Full report at: http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=35089
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Italy: Muslim leader Deplores 'Cataloguing' of Muslims in Mosques
Nov 24, 2010
A Muslim leader in Italy has deplored the 'cataloguing' by police in recent weeks of Muslims attending mosque in the northern city of Treviso and surrounding areas. Treviso is a stronghold of the anti-immigrant Northern League party
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A Muslim leader in Italy has deplored the 'cataloguing' by police in recent weeks of Muslims attending mosque in the northern city of Treviso and surrounding areas. Treviso is a stronghold of the anti-immigrant Northern League party.
"The incidents reported of what amounts to the mass catalogues of Muslims in the province of Treviso are of unpredecented in gravity," the spokesman for Italy's largest Muslim umbrella group UCOII, Hamza Piccardo, told Adnkronos International (AKI).
Piccardo, a Muslim convert said he had only learned of the situation on Friday when a Muslim told him police stopped him outside a mosque in Montebello in the province of Treviso and asked to see his documents.
The police also photographed all the Muslims attending Friday prayers at the Montebello mosque, Piccardo said.
http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=214316
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ISI, Lashkar sued in New York for 26/11
Narayan Lakshman
24 November 2010
Moshe Holtzberg, who survived the attack on the Chabad Lubavitch by terrorists in Mumbai in November 2008, is seen with his grandfather Shimon Rozenberg in the city after the terror strike. (Right) Moshe's parents, Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and Rivka, who were killed.
Washington: Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba are being sued by the family of an American couple and their unborn child who were slain by militants during the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday afternoon last week, alleges wrongful death on behalf of Rabbi Gavriel Noah Holtzberg and his wife Rivka, who was pregnant at the time. Both were both gunned down at the Chabad Lubavitch in Mumbai.
Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/24/stories/2010112454151600.htm
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President Pratibha Patil inaugurates Indian Islamic Centre
24 November 2010
ABU DHABI - In the presence of a large number of people, Indian President, Pratibha Patil, inaugurated the Indian Islamic Centre in the Capital, on Tuesday.
The students of the centre welcomed her with an Arabic song along with traditional drum based music.
Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, Hamdan Musallam, Chairman, General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf (GAIAA), were among the dignitaries who accompanied Pratibha Patil for the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Patil paid glowing tribute to the late, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for donating the land for setting up an Islamic centre.
The foundation stone of the centre was laid in 1982 by then prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/November/theuae_November654.xml§ion=theuae
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Abused Indonesian maid’s Saudi employer jailed
24 November 2010
RIYADH — A Saudi woman accused of torturing her Indonesian maid has been sent to jail while the maid receives extensive hospital treatment for burns and broken bones, Saudi media said on Tuesday.
Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, 23, has received skin grafts in the intensive care unit of King Fahd Hospital in the holy city of Medina after being burned with a hot iron by her employer, Al-Watan newspaper said.
She was also treated for fractures in her hands and ribs, the daily added. Her employer, an unidentified Saudi woman of 53, is in prison and undergoing psychiatric evaluation, Al-Watan said.
Saudi and Indonesian officials met in Medina on Tuesday to discuss the case, which has caused shock in both countries for the brutal treatment of Sumiati, one of more than one million Indonesian expat workers in Saudi Arabia.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/
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'Women in Leadership' forum kicks off in Abu Dhabi
24 November 2010
ABU DHABI - Arab businesswomen and aspiring leaders attending the Women in Leadership (WIL) Forum which opened today at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel in Abu Dhabi, were being urged to share their experiences and offer advice, but most of all they must provide solidarity if women are to make genuine strides towards the boardroom.
Delivering the opening keynote by video, Christine Lagarde, the French Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment said it was essential that women that had climbed the corporate ladder should support the sisterhood in business. “Madeleine Albright, (former US Secretary of State) once said, ‘there is a special place in Hell reserved for women who don’t help other women’. We must support each other,” said Lagarde.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/November/theuae
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UN Initiative Would Protect Islamic Persecution of Christians in Middle East
24 November 2010
At its meeting in Mexico in December, the members of the United Nations General Assembly will vote on an initiative sponsored by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) entitled the “Elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief(document A/C.3/65/L.32/Rev.1).”
In advance of that vote, a draft of the resolution was presented Monday for provisional approval to the members of the Third Committee of the United Nations. The proposed text was approved without a vote by the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee).
For six consecutive years the OIC-sponsored measure has been approved by the General Assembly. Lately, judging by the behavior of the principal sponsors of the initiative, there is a feeling among Islamic supporters that the streak will not extend to a seventh year.
Full report at: http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-
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Scrapping of blasphemy law not on the cards: minister
Nov 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD, Nov 23: Pakistan would not repeal blasphemy law but might amend it to prevent abuse because scrapping the legislation could fuel militancy, a minister said on Tuesday.
The law has come under the spotlight this month after a court sentenced a Christian mother of four, Asia Bibi, to death in a case stemming from a village dispute.
Widespread media attention on the case has led to renewed appeals by human rights groups for the repeal of the law but Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti said that would not happen.
“(Repeal) is not being considered though we are considering changing it so that misuse of the law should be stopped,” Mr Bhatti said. Blasphemy convictions are common although the death sentence has never been carried out. Most convictions are thrown out on appeal, but angry mobs have killed many people accused of blasphemy.
He said consultations with Ulema on amending the law would soon be undertaken.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/24/scrapping-of-blasphemy-law-not-on-the-cards-minister.html
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Wikileaks Set to Release New Iraq war Logs 'Seven Times Bigger Than the First'
Daniel Bates
Nov 24, 2010
Wikileaks has announced it is to release a second batch of Iraq war logs which will be seven times bigger than the first.
The Twitter post from Wikileaks which promises to redefine 'global history'In a defiant posting on its official Twitter account, the website's founders said it was ‘under intense pressure' over the disclosure but vowed to press ahead anyway.
‘The coming months will see a new world, where global history is redefined. Keep us strong,' they added.
Such a vast information dump would create another firestorm in Britain and the U.S. where generals are still furious over the first set of 400,000 classified documents, the biggest military leak of all time.
They detailed what Wikileaks founder Julian Assange called 'compelling evidence of war crimes' by the U.S. led coalition and the Iraq government and sparked calls for a full inquiry.
Full report at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/22-0
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Right-wing resort to Islamophobia in Park51 grant reaction
Nov 24, 2010
Geller: "Jihadist Developers of Ground Zero Mosque Hit Up 9/11 Fund to Rebuild Lower Manhattan for $5 Million Jizya to Erect Islamic Supremacist Mega-Mosque." In a November 22 Atlas Shrugs post, titled, "Jihadist Developers of Ground Zero Mosque Hit Up 9/11 Fund to Rebuild Lower Manhattan for $5 Million Jizya to Erect Islamic Supremacist Mega-Mosque," Pamela Geller wrote, "Imagine the gall of these Islamic supremacists." She went on to describe the center as "the second wave of 911 attacks on the American people"; referred to Park51's Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's recent State Department-sponsored Islamic outreach efforts as "jihad junkets"; and included a picture of a 9-11 victim falling from the World Trade Center in her post.
Hoft responds to grant by posting a picture of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center. In a November 22 Gateway Pundit post, Jim Hoft wrote, "So what are the odds that Team Obama honors this request?" and posted a picture of an airplane flying into the World Trade Center.
Full report at: http://mediamatters.org/research/201011230025
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If you are a poor Shia Muslim, pray you don’t die in Lucknow
Nov 24, 2010
LUCKNOW, India(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Skyrocketing land prices have not only made dwelling for the living difficult but even the dead ones are facing the pinch of spiraling rates in Lucknow. Prices for a grave in any Shia graveyard may ranges anywhere between Rs one thousand to one lakh.
A group of Shia Muslims raised the issue during a dharna at Shaheed Smarak in Lucknow on Monday. The protestors demanded that prices of graves should be reduced and the poor should be provided land for grave free of cost. "It is pathetic that graves are beyond the approach of common man in Lucknow. Getting land in any karbala or qabristan in Lucknow will cost around Rs 50,000-60,000," said Syed Naseer Hussain Rizvi, whose organisation Idara-e-Sakina staged dharna against the practice on Monday.
Full report at: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=214235
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Syria’s nuclear stonewalling deepens: IAEA report
24 November 2010
VIENNA - Syria is refusing UN nuclear inspectors access to numerous suspect sites and has provided scant or inconsistent information about its atomic activities, an International Atomic Energy Agency report showed.
For more than two years Syria has blocked IAEA access to the remains of a desert site which US intelligence reports say was a nascent North Korean-designed nuclear reactor intended to produce bomb fuel.
The site, known as either al-Kibar or Dair Alzour, was bombed to rubble by Israel in 2007. Syria, an ally of Iran, denies ever having an atom bomb programme.
Earlier this year the IAEA gave some weight to suspicions of illicit atomic work at the site by saying that uranium traces found during a 2008 visit by inspectors pointed to nuclear-related activity.
Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/November/
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Pak perception of Indian role in Afghan a matter of concern: US
Nov 24 2010
Washington : Pakistan's negative perception of India's role in Afghanistan is a matter of "continuing concern," a Pentagon official has said, while appreciating the development assistance being offered by New Delhi to the war-torn country.
The comments came as Pentagon released a report on Afghanistan where US-led NATO forces are battling the Taliban amid efforts to rebuild the infrastructure torn down by years of war.
"We value very highly the developmental work that India's doing in Afghanistan. It's been a key, one of the major contributors, and the kind of developmental work that India has done in Afghanistan is really vital to the success of the effort there," the senior Defence Department official said.
Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-perception-of-indian-role-in-
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Court orders protection for sisters in swara case
Nov 24, 2010
PESHAWAR, Nov 23: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday directed the police high-ups in Buner District to provide protection to two sisters who had challenged a jirga decision to hand them over to a rival family as swara for settling a dispute.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Yahya Afridi directed the Buner DPO to take action against the members of the said jirga who had made the controversial decision 17 years ago.
The court directed the DPO to provide protection to the two females so that the said decision could not be implemented. It was also ordered that the two sisters should appear on next hearing.
The bench was hearing a writ petition filed by Advocate Fazal Ilahi Khan on behalf of the two sisters, Basmeena and Ghasiba, who had requested the court to provide them protection against the inhuman custom of swara .
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/24/court-orders-protection-for-sisters-in-
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Civics education at primary level stressed
Nov 24, 2010
LAHORE, Nov 23: Schoolchildren must be taught elementary civics at an early stage to instill in them a sense of good citizenship and the curriculum and textbooks must sow the seeds of tolerance, gender equality and human rights.
This was the crux of speeches delivered at a seminar on “Civic Education in Schools”, organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Tuesday.
Educationists, senior teachers, curriculum experts and human rights observers attended the seminar, says an HRCP press statement.
Speakers took note of the fact that civic education at schools started in the ninth class and underscored the need for review of the curriculum to introduce civics education at the primary level. They also recommended that civics must be made a compulsory subject because of its significance in producing good citizens regardless of the profession one chooses.
Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/24/civics-education-at-primary-level-stressed-2.html
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Burney`s UK ban request puzzles Fazl
Nov 24, 2010
LAHORE, Nov 23: JUI-F President Maulana Fazlur Rehman says rights activist Ansar Burni`s plea to the United Kingdom government to ban his (Maulana`s) entry into Britain for having contacts with Taliban carries no weight.
Talking to the media here on Tuesday, he said he respected Burni as rights activist but failed to understand his (Burni`s) plea to a foreign country to ban his (Fazl`s) entry.
“If I am an enemy, an extremist or has relations with militants, he should have talked of expelling me from the country.”
“Pakistan is more important for me than Britain. I`m a member of the parliament and chairman of one of the most important parliamentary committees. My whole life is open to the public and people know how much contacts I have with the forces Burni is attributing to me.”
To a question about his party`s stance on the proposed reformed general sales tax, he said a senator of the party had been tasked with approaching the finance minister and the FBR chairman to understand the whole issue, and if the step was found pro-public, the JUI-F would support it. However, he added, no decision would be taken blindly.
http://www.dawn.com/2010/11/24/burney-s-uk-ban-request-puzzles-fazl.html
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Sylhet BDR mutiny 36 of 44 accused plead guilty
Nov 24, 2010
Thirty-six out of the 44 BDR soldiers being tried on charges for staging the February 2009 mutiny in Sylhet on Tuesday pleaded guilty and sought clemency from a special court.
The special court-14 at BDR Sylhet sector headquarters sat at 8.30am to hear the charge-framing against the 44 accused soldiers.
The court sent one of the accused, lance nayek Abdus Salam, to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital as he became unconscious during the proceedings.
Another accused soldier, however, sought time to inform the court whether the allegations against him were true or not.
Presiding judge of the court SM Farhad, also commander of the BDR Comilla sector, framed the charges against the 44 BDR personnel in their presence.
Full report at: Bangladesh News
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America's Failed War of Attrition in Afghanistan
Jeremy Scahill
Nov 24, 2010
At the end of the NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal this weekend, the leadership of the Afghan Taliban issued a statement characterizing the alliance's adoption of a loose timeline for a 2014 end to combat operations as "good news" for Afghans and "a sign of failure for the American government." At the summit, President Barack Obama said that 2011 will begin "a transition to full Afghan lead" in security operations, while the Taliban declared: "In the past nine years, the invaders could not establish any system of governance in Kabul and they will never be able to do so in future."
While Obama claimed that the US and its allies are "breaking the Taliban's momentum," the reality on the ground tells a different story. Despite increased Special Operations Forces raids and, under Gen. David Petraeus, a return to regular US-led airstrikes, the insurgency in Afghanistan is spreading and growing stronger.
Full report at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/22-5
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Kabul Is No Child's Playground
Sue Turton
Nov 24, 2010
Nato's top civilian spokesperson in Afghanistan has come under fire for playing down the country's level of danger over the weekend.
"The children are probably safer here [Kabul] than they would be in London, New York or Glasgow or many other cities," Mark Sedwill told CBBC Newsround, the televised news programme for youngsters.
"Here in Kabul and the other big cities (in Afghanistan) actually there are very few of those bombs," he added.
But Sedwill tried to clarify the comments to reporters on Monday, saying they were taken out of context.
"I was trying to explain to an audience of British children how uneven violence is across Afghanistan," he said.
Full report at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/22-3
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Babri stakeholders’ picture of unity at wedding
By Piyush Srivastava
Nov 24, 2010
IN TIMES of religious bigotry, this is one heartwarming tale. The event is bound to ruffle a few feathers among the zealots in the Hindu and Muslim communities, but its significance can be wide- reaching.
For more than six decades the two communities have been fighting over the Ram Janmabhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute.
But the two people who have been at the forefront of this struggle presented a picture of unity on Monday night.
The occasion was the wedding of the grandson of Mohammad Hashim Ansari, the oldest surviving plaintiff in the Ayodhya court case. And leading the wedding procession was none other than Mahant Gyan Das, chairman of the All India Akhara Parishad who wields considerable influence among the religious leaders.
The marriage procession started from Maya Bazar in Ayodhya around 9pm and reached Katra Mohalla at 11.30pm.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Lucknow Shia Waqf Board chairman resigns, crisis deepens
Nov 24, 2010
Chairman of Shia Central Board of Waqf (SCBW), Kamaluddin Akbar, along with a member of the board, resigned on Monday. Officials of the board confirmed that they have received the resignation letters.
LUCKNOW, India (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Chairman of Shia Central Board of Waqf (SCBW), Kamaluddin Akbar, along with a member of the board, resigned on Monday. Officials of the board confirmed that they have received the resignation letters.
As per reports, Akbar, who was perturbed over mudslinging by some members of the board, submitted his papers through courier to the state government. Another member former Principal Secretary (Law) Mazhar Abbas Abedi too has resigned from his post.
Full report at: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=214249
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110,000 Basijs to meet Leader on Thursday
Nov 24, 2010
110,000 Basij (volunteer) members from Tehran will meet Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday on the occasion of Eid al-Qadir event, the IRGC commander announced.
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - 110,000 Basij (volunteer) members from Tehran will meet Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday on the occasion of Eid al-Qadir event, the IRGC commander announced.
Eid al-Ghadir is the anniversary commemorating the last sermon of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his household) at Ghadir Khumm on Dhul Hijjah 18, in the year 10 AH. It is celebrated mainly by Shias, who regard it as confirmation that Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) was to succeed Prophet Muhammad (S).
Full report at: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=214362
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Oxfam, UNDP signed MoU on women economic empowerment
Nov 24, 2010
SANA'A, Nov. 23 (Saba) - Oxfam International and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - project of gender and economic empowerment, signed in here on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding on enhancing women's economic empowerment in Hadramout.
The memo was signed by the UNDP's Country Director Randa Abu al-Hassan and Oxfam Yemen Country Director El Tayeb Musa.
It stipulated the implementation of a number of activities and procedures aiming to establish partnership between the UNDP project and Oxfam related projects.
Full report at: http://www.sabanews.net/en/news229281.htm
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UK to Continue Deporting Failed Iraqi Asylum Seekers
Nov 24, 2010
The UK will "continue deporting failed Iraqi asylum seekers' a British minister has said.
The announcement comes despite the European Court of Human Rights effectively calling for a freeze on the practice.
Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt told the BBC Iraq was now considered safe enough for people to return to.
The UK first started returning Iraqis to Baghdad last year.
However, despite security improvements in Baghdad and elsewhere, explosions and shootings remain a daily occurrence in much of Iraq.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has objected to the policy of returning failed asylum seekers to central Iraq - enforced by the UK as well as other European countries - as it maintains that it is still not safe to do so.
Full report at: http://www.saudinewstoday.com/article/38799__UK+to+Continue+Deporting+Failed+Iraqi
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U.S. raises security concerns for air travelers
Nov 24, 2010
As millions of Americans prepare to take to the skies for Thanksgiving travel, a U.S. official says security concerns have risen again because of an article published in an online magazine produced by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The latest issue of Inspire magazine gives detailed instructions on how to construct a toner cartridge bomb and encourages sympathizers to mount smaller, more frequent operations, the U.S. official told CNN on Tuesday.
Officials have said in the past that the recent cargo plot, the Christmas Day bomber and the heightened security threat in Europe also are reasons for concern. The Transportation Security Administration has imposed restrictions on toner cartridges on airplanes since the cargo plot was uncovered. U.S. officials would not comment on whether any specific threat led to enhanced pat downs.
Full report at: http://us.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/23/holiday.travel/index.html
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J&K panchayat polls on non-party basis
24 November 2010
The Jammu and Kashvernment has decided to hold village council (panchayat) polls on non-party basis next year for the first time since 2001.
Elections to the state's 2,700 panchayats will be held in March-April, minister for rural development and panchayats Ali Mohammad Sagar said after a meeting on Monday evening.
“It was a unanimous decision and has been conveyed to the cabinet,“ he said. “All necessary amendments are being made in the constitution to strengthen the democracy at grassroots level.“
The National Conference (NC) government had recently called a meeting of all recognised parties in the state to propose holding the polls on a nonparty basis.
Full report at: Hindustan Times
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Kasab stoic about his end
November 24, 2010
Ahead of the second anniversary of 26/11 attack, convicted Pakistani terrorist struck a philosophical note, saying, “As you sow so shall you reap.” But he also appeared unrepentant about the killing of innocents.
Kasab gave an inkling of his mindset when Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Eknath Khadse of the BJP met him at Arthur Road jail on Tuesday.
Khadse elicited interesting replies from Kasab, when he quizzed the latter briefly. “Initially, he told us he came from a poor family, was jobless and that he took to terrorism for money. Reflecting on his current situation, Kasab went on to tell us, ‘Jaisa boya, waisa kata’,” Khadse told The Pioneer.
Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/298606/Kasab-stoic-about-his-end.html
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Security agencies carry out massive sweep for terrorists in European cities
24 November 2010
LONDON/BERLIN: Security agencies carried out major sweeps in European cities today arresting 10 Islamic radical suspects in Belgium and Spain after highest level security alert was sounded of a possible Mumbai-style terror attack.
Raids were also carried out in Netherlands and Germany where the Reichstag building housing the parliament was closed down and security beefed up at all metro stations in view of threats of attacks by the al-Qaeda terrorists trained in Pakistani camps, officials said.
"The arrests were part of an inquiry into international jihadists terror," German TV quoted Belgian prosecutors as saying.
The police carried out massive raids into colonies in the Belgian port city of Antwerp where Chechen refugees are housed.
Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Security-agencies-carry-
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BNM leader killed, another hurt in Ormara
24 November 2010
QUETTA: A Baloch National Movement leader was shot dead and another injured in a firing incident in Ormara on Tuesday. According to a police official, unidentified gunmen opened indiscriminate fire at Shahnawaz Baloch, a BNM leader, who was on his way home along with a friend. Resultantly, he died on the spot while his friend sustained bullet wounds. Police reached the spot and shifted Baloch’s body and the injured to a nearby hospital. The motive behind the attack could not be ascertained. A case has been registered against the unidentified accused. app
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\24\story_24-11-2010_pg7_11
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Lawmaker blasts asylum offers for Iraqi Christians
24 November 2010
BAGHDAD: A Christian lawmaker called on Iraq’s government Tuesday to better protect its dwindling Christian community, lambasting the nations that have offered asylum to the minority as meddling in Iraq’s problems.
The comments by lawmaker Younadem Kana, from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, come after a spate of violent attacks on Iraqi Christians — including a Catholic church attack last month that killed 68 people. Earlier this week, two Christian brothers in Kana’s hometown were fatally shot by unknown gunmen who raided their auto mechanic shop.
Officials in France and Germany have offered asylum to Iraq’s Christians, an estimated one million of whom have already left their homeland since 2003.
Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article199016.ece
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Two ASWJ activists among nine killed in Karachi
24 November 2010
KARACHI: Nine people were killed in different target killing incidents in the city Tuesday.
Two brothers affiliated with the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) were gunned down in the limits of Gulberg police station.
Police said that unidentified armed men on a motorcycle shot dead Qari Ammad Gul and Mohammad Shoaib Gul, sons of Gul Mohammad, who were sitting outside an oil depot near Landi Kotal Chowrangi.
ASWJ spokesman Taj Mohammad Hanafi confirmed the affiliation of the deceased with the religious organisation.
In a separate incident, two brothers were gunned down inside their house in Bhittaiabad.
Sacchal police informed that in the early hours of Tuesday, unidentified armed men knocked on the door of a house on Street No 8, Bhittaiabad. When Rizwan, 25, opened the door, the assailants opened fire on him. On hearing the gunshots, his elder brother Owais came at the door and was also shot dead by the culprits.
Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\11\24\story_24-11-
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3719
8:57 PM
Moderate Islamist here
1 comments:
Great post but I think it would be prudent to re-word it so more people will catch your wit! Your article was very interesting. Great write-up. Much appreciated.Thank you for the wonderful article. Thought provoking stuff. Thanks.
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