Rethinking Islam with Sultan Shahin

Islamic World News

19 Dec 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com

UK: Muslim mom dismembered 4 year old daughter, listened to Koran recordings

Top Islamic body proposes changes in blasphemy law

NATO kills 20 insurgents in eastern Afghanistan

Taliban kill 10 Afghan soldiers in 2 attacks

Making Sense of Radical Islam

America’s fight is against radicals, not Muslims

Feminism, cry of crushed women's protest in capitalism: Ahmadinejad

Gwent muslims brave cold for historic march

Muslim Group Takes Message of Peace to Times Square

Ex-NSA also shared views on Hindutva terror with US

Paris conference targets ‘Islamization’ of Europe

WikiLeaks sheds light on Bangladesh

18th "Great Islamic Encyclopedia" released

"Islam Record Book" reprinted

Monastery excavation in UAE island shows Christianity preceded Islam in area

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir may have stolen $9 bn: US cable

Foreign troop 2010 toll hits 700 in Afghanistan

Child labour helps war-torn Afghan families survive

Iraq lifts ban on Sunni politicians

Experts propose monorail for Makkah

Pak envoy hailed 26/11 response

Govt orders probe to nab US ‘ mole’

Pakistani spy agency denies it unmasked CIA chief

Al-Qaida leadership based in Pak unable to plot attacks: US

US won't object to N-deal between Pakistan and China: US envoy

Bomb hits US Embassy vehicle in Yemen

Links between RSS and terror groups need to be probed: Cong

Israeli airstrike kills five in Gaza

Interpol after doctor who is responsible for 10 deaths

Two dead as suicide bombers storm Afghan recruitment centre

US Afghan war review is propaganda: Taliban

Gilani raises Kashmir at banquet for Wen

Arrest warrant against SQ Chy

BJP, Sena flay Rahul for ‘Hindu terror' remark

Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau

Photo: Aasia Bibi

--------------- UK: Muslim mom dismembered 4 year old daughter, listened to Koran recordings Dec 19, 2010 LONDON: In a gruesome incident, a mother in Britain has killed her four-year-old daughter, and then cut out her heart and other vital organs as an apparent " religious offering", a media report said. 35-year-old Shayna Bharuchi of Somali origin was arrested after her daughter's body was found stabbed to death in the kitchen with her heart and other vital organs cut out and strewn around her flat, the 'Daily Mail' reported. The woman was allegedly chanting verses of the Koran as her daughter's disembowelled corpse lay next to her in the home in East London; she had her MP3 player on full blast as she listened to the Muslim holy book, the report said. The woman was arrested on Thursday after her partner Jerome Negney, believed to be a Muslim convert, had informed the police after seeing the mother of two teenage children clutching a kitchen knife in their home. He dialled 999 and paramedics pronounced the girl dead at the scene, the report said. The Metropolitan Police's Child Abuse Investigation Command is leading the murder inquiry. They are not believed to be looking for anybody else. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/Mom-cuts-out-daughters-heart-as-religious-offering/articleshow/7127891.cms --------------- Top Islamic body proposes changes in blasphemy law Dec 19, 2010 ISLAMABAD: To stop the abuse of the controversial blasphemy laws, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has recommended several amendments, but it is still opposed to their repeal. The CII, Pakistan’s top constitutional advisory body on Islamic injunctions, made the recommendations on a reference sent by the federal government. The Council has instead suggested certain procedural amendments to ensure that the laws are not misused against any individual irrespective of his religion. Capital punishment should be retained for offenders, the CCI maintained in its proposal. The government faces vociferous criticism by world human rights bodies against the alleged misuse of the laws. Several domestic civil liberties associations have also opposed the laws on account of the inherent discrimination. The United States and the United Kingdom consider the laws to be anti-Christian and have requested Islamabad for their repeal. However official record of cases registered under blasphemy laws in show that majority of the cases are against Muslims. The CCI had asked the government to amend the laws after examining the grievances, according to a source in the federal ministry of law. These recommendations were sent to the government by the CII before the appointment of Maulana Sherani as its chief. “The government should not allow anyone to misuse the blasphemy Law and it should take all appropriate measures whether administrative, procedural or legislative to stop incidents of mishandling the blasphemy Law,” the CII has written in its recommendations. The CII has recommended a change in the procedure for the registration of cases under the blasphemy Laws. The police must investigate the complaint systematically before registering the case. “It should be made obligatory for the complainant to produce concrete evidence to substantiate the charges while lodging a First Information Report with the police. The accused persons must be given the right of defence through a legal adviser and a First Class magistrate should supervise the police investigations prior to the registration of the case,” according to the proposal. Blasphemy cases should be tried by the High Courts, members of the CII have observed in the document. A few members of the CII were of the view that a committee comprising leading scholars should be set up by the federal government to draw up its recommendations in consultation with political parties and stakeholders. Several sections of Pakistan’s Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) cover the offence of blasphemy. Section 295 forbids damaging or defiling a place of worship or a sacred object. Section 295-A forbids outraging religious feelings, 295-B forbids defiling the Quran and 295-C forbids defaming Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Except for 295-C of the CrPC), the provisions of section 295 require that an offence be a consequence of the intent of the accused. Defiling the Quran merits imprisonment for life. Defaming Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) merits death with or without a fine. If a charge is filed under 295-C, the trial must take place in a Sessions Court presided by a Muslim judge. The police and law enforcement agencies have charged 1,274 people with offences under the blasphemy laws from 1986 to 2010. Sixty per cent of the people charged were non-Muslims. Several of the accused were murdered according to media reports. No judicial execution of a person charged with blasphemy has occurred in Pakistan so far. Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2010. http://tribune.com.pk/story/91838/council-of-islamic-ideology-top-islamic-body-proposes-changes-in-blasphemy-law/ --------------- NATO kills 20 insurgents in eastern Afghanistan Dec 19, 2010 KANDAHAR: NATO troops killed more than 20 insurgents in fighting in eastern Afghanistan Saturday after a patrol came under fire, the coalition said, while in the north, Germany's chancellor made a surprise visit to her nation's troops. In southern Afghanistan, a suicide bomber targeting a district chief in the city of Kandahar killed two passers-by, including a child, and wounded at least nine more people, authorities said. Saturday's gunbattle between NATO forces and insurgents took place in the Tagab district of Kapisa province, where coalition forces called in air support after their patrol came under fire, NATO said. It added that Taliban commanders were among the more than 20 insurgents killed. The fighting came a day after more than five insurgents were killed in a three-hour firefight in the same district following sniper fire on Afghan and international forces manning a checkpoint, NATO said. The coalition did not say what nationality the international troops were, but French forces are stationed in the area. About 3,850 French troops are deployed in Afghanistan, mainly in Kapisa and the Surobi district north and east of Kabul. A French soldier was killed Friday after a reconnaissance mission came under fire in the neighboring district of Alasay in Kapisa, bringing the total number of French soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 51. Separately NATO said a coalition soldier was killed in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan Saturday, but it did not release the nationality of the casualty or the location of the attack. Another soldier died of a noncombat injury in the north of the country on Friday, NATO said. The German military said one of its soldiers, a 21-year-old, died of a gunshot wound that appeared to be the result of an accident at a military post in Baghlan Province, but the matter was being investigated. More than 670 international troops have died in Afghanistan so far this year. Germany currently has nearly 4,700 troops serving in Afghanistan and plans to start gradually withdrawing in late 2011. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her defense minister and the military's chief of staff arrived in Kunduz, in northern Afghanistan where Germany has a base, on a surprise visit early Saturday. She later continued to another German base at Mazar-i-Sharif, also in the north, where she met Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Before meeting Karzai, she said she planned to discuss administration and corruption with the Afghan leader. "The progress here is not as we would envision," she said. Merkel thanked troops in Kunduz for their "extremely dangerous" deployment. "You are embroiled in battles of the kind one has in war," Merkel said. "That is an entirely new experience for us." Later, in Mazar-i-Sharif, she said that "we haven't known something like this since the second World War." To the south, a suicide bomber blew himself up Saturday near an armored car carrying a district chief in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing two civilians - including a child - and wounding at least another nine, Afghan authorities said. NATO said the bombing had wounded 11 children. The bomber targeted Ahmadullah Nazak's car in a residential and shopping area of the city as the official was traveling to a meeting, said Zalmai Ayubi, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor. Nazak was unharmed. "I am safe and sound, and all of those who were in the car are also safe and sound," Nazak told The Associated Press shortly after the explosion. He did not say how many people had been in the car with him. Irfan Hameed, a doctor at the local hospital, said the bodies of a man and a boy killed in the blast were taken to the hospital, which was also treating five men and four children wounded in the attack. Violence has been on the rise across much of Afghanistan, with the southern provinces of Kandahar - the birthplace of the Taliban - and Helmand seeing much of the fighting. NATO forces have poured troops into both provinces. Separately, NATO said Saturday it had killed a senior Taliban leader in an airstrike in Badghis province in northern Afghanistan the previous day. The military coalition said in a statement that the Taliban leader, Mullah Tor Jan, had been appointed by the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban command council based in Pakistan. The airstrike that killed him followed a firefight that broke out as Afghan and international forces pursued "an armed individual" to a cave complex, the coalition said. Badghis deputy chief of police, Abdul Jabar Khan, said Tor Jan was a senior Taliban commander responsible for planting mines along routes used by Afghan and international forces and for organizing attacks on police stations. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/NATO-kills-20-insurgents-in-eastern-Afghanistan/articleshow/7124666.cms#ixzz18YbN8Q6R --------------- Taliban kill 10 Afghan soldiers in 2 attacks Dec 19, 2010 KABUL: Taliban militants struck at Afghan security forces Sunday, storming an army recruiting center in the north and ambushing a bus carrying army officers in the capital - the first major attack in Kabul in months. At least 10 Afghan security forces were killed in the two attacks, while the storming of the recruiting center in the northern province of Kunduz led to a fierce firefight lasting at least five hours, officials said. Both operations were claimed by the Taliban. In Kabul, two insurgents strapped with explosives ambushed a bus carrying Afghan army officers to work during the morning rush hour on the outskirts of the capital, killing five and wounding nine, said defense ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi. The two attackers first opened fire on the bus before one of them detonated his explosives near the vehicle. Soldiers shot the second dead, Azimi said. The Afghan capital has been relatively peaceful for several months aside from some scattered attacks with few casualties. The last major attack in the Kabul was a suicide bombing against a NATO convoy in May that killed 18 people, including six NATO troops - three American colonels and a Canadian colonel among them. A witness, Hamidullah Khan, said the gunmen ambushed the bus as it was heading down Jalalabad Road, a main route into the city center. "The army vehicles were passing this road and then the Taliban or some sort of insurgents started shooting at them," Khan said. Most of the fighting in Afghanistan has been concentrated in the south. An internal review of President Barack Obama's year-old war strategy unveiled Thursday noted progress against Taliban momentum, particularly in southern areas which saw a surge of international troop levels. But violence has increased elsewhere in the country this year - which has become the deadliest in the nearly 10-year war for foreign troops. NATO said an international service member died in a bomb attack in the south Sunday, bringing the total number of foreign troops killed in Afghanistan in 2010 to 690, according to an Associated Press count. Previously the worst year of war was 2009, which saw 502 foreign troops killed. Other news organizations count deaths suffered by service members assigned elsewhere as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, which includes operations in the Philippines, the Horn of Africa and at the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Obama administration's review of the war was mostly upbeat, although it suggest tough combat will continue for years and says gains made could be reversed. The Afghan forces, which must take over responsibility for security in the country if international troops are to pull out, are frequently targeted. In Sunday's attack in Kunduz, four militants stormed an army recruitment center at daybreak, with two managing to detonate their suicide vests, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The initial assault killed three Afghan soldiers and two police officers, the ministry said. At least one of the attackers survived and fierce fighting broke out inside the compound and the gunbattle continued for several hours, provincial deputy governor Hamdullah Danishi said. Danishi said initial reports indicated the attackers were dressed in army uniforms. Those killed all died just outside the center, he said, adding that 20 recent recruits were also wounded in the attack. The Kunduz assault came a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited her country's troops stationed in the province - a trip referred to by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in his claim of responsibility for the two attacks. "The purpose of her trip was to give morale to her soldiers. But today the successful attack is shaking the hearts of the occupation soldiers," Mujahid said. President Hamid Karzai condemned the assaults. Separately in the south, a roadside bomb in the province of Kandahar blew up a passing civilian car, killing the driver and wounding four children, said Panjwai district chief Haji Baran. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Taliban-kill-10-Afghan-soldiers-in-2-attacks/articleshow/7128098.cms#ixzz18YgEbDrn --------------- Making Sense of Radical Islam By Manoj Joshi Dec 19, 2010 Here’s a book that helps readers contextualise Islamic militancy and not see it as the product of the faith itself TALMIZ Ahmad belongs to the class of polite, soft-spoken diplomats who, in the best tradition of their service develop a depth of understanding of their subjects. His study on how the tradition of the Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — has arisen from his professional service in which he has served mainly in the Arab world, where he has risen to the post of Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and currently, to the United Arab Emirates. The important point he makes in the book is that while the focus of the world has been on radical Islam, it must not ignore the historical and cultural context in which that radicalization has occurred. To claim that radicalization is a result of the Muslim community’s inability to cope with modernization is simplistic. Its roots not only go back to Islamic history and thought, but the genuine grievances of the Muslim community which have arisen, more often than not, because of the radical trends in Christian and Jewish thought. Full report at: Mail Today --------------- America’s fight is against radicals, not Muslims Dec 19, 2010 As Americans, as Texans and as proud Houstonians, we have been saddened and alarmed by the growing hostility — in word, and in deed - being directed against Muslims in the United States. In case you are unaware, several media reports from the past year underscore a deeply troubling trend. For example: ?"A group of children leaving a Connecticut mosque had to brace themselves as they walked past a group of about a dozen protesters yelling 'Islam is a lie' and 'Jesus hates Muslims.' One man shoved his sign at them and yelled, 'Murderers!'" ?"A mosque was bombed in Florida, several mosques have been vandalized across the country and a Quran was burned at the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing (Michigan) with apparent fecal matter smeared on pages that were ripped out of it." ?"A 24-year-old Seattle man [was] accused of threatening to cut a woman and her infant because she is Muslim." Full report at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7345602.html --------------- Feminism, cry of crushed women's protest in capitalism: Ahmadinejad Dec 19, 2010 TEHRAN (ISNA)-Irania n President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called feminism “cry of protest of crushed women in capitalism system.” Speaking in the third meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) female ministers opened in Tehran on Sunday, Ahmadinejad criticized countries which have banned women from education and send them away in far areas for tough and hard military operations. “Women are main victims of the ruling bullying policies, actually feminism is the cry of protest of crushed women in capitalism system,” Ahmadinejad said in the first day of the three-day conference. He called for drawing up a charter on the role of women and family in survival of human being. Iranian President then asked for arranging a roadmap to launch a global movement to secure rights of human being and women. Representatives of 37 member states of the OIC took part in the session joined also by the wife of Ahmadinejad. http://www.isna.ir/ISNA/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-1676709&Lang=E --------------- Gwent muslims brave cold for historic march Dec 19, 2010 AROUND 500 Gwent muslims braved bitter temperatures on Friday for the annual Martyr’s March through Newport city centre. The march organised by the Islamic Society for Gwent commemorates the life of Imam Hussain - the grandson of the Prophet - who was among 73 muslims slaughtered in Iraq more than 1400 years ago. Men, women and children from Muslim communities across Gwent, as well as Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol, met on Hill Street in Newport at 1pm to walk the circular route along Commercial Street, Charles Street, Stow Hill and Victoria Place. The marchers carried banners and placed their hands on their chests as a mark of respect, commemoration and mourning for Imam Hussain. Full report at: http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/gwentnews/8746886.Gwent_muslims_brave_cold --------------- Muslim Group Takes Message of Peace to Times Square By Annmarie Fertoli Dec 19, 2010 There's a new message in Times Square. It's a scrolling, 50-second graphic that reads: 'Muslims for Love, Loyalty and Peace.' It also features pictures of a dove, an American flag and a peace sign. And it's in rotation on an electronic billboard on 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th avenues, from six o'clock in the morning to midnight now through January 17. The electronic billboard is part of the Muslims for Peace Campaign, sponsored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Nushrat Qadir said her group wants to clear up misconceptions about Islam -- for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. "I really would hope that people will remember and keep in mind that Islam is a religion of peace, its teachings are of peace and that's what it means, and that a few extremists do not represent all of us," she said. Full report at: http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/dec/18/muslim-group-takes- --------------- Ex-NSA also shared views on Hindutva terror with US By Aman Sharma Dec 19, 2010 THE ISSUE of terror with a Hindutva imprint, which has pitchforked Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi into the thick of controversy, was also discussed more than four months earlier by the then national security adviser (NSA), M.K. Narayanan, with a top US official. The matter was raised shortly after the Maharashtra ATS arrested several persons with saffron links for their role in the 2008 Malegaon blast, WikiLeaks has revealed. Rahul has been under fire ever since a leaked US cable revealed that he talked to US ambassador Timothy J. Roemer on July 20, 2009, about “radicalised Hindu groups” being a bigger danger than Islamist terrorists. Narayanan — who was India’s most powerful authority on security at the time — held a similar discussion with FBI director Robert Mueller on March 3 last year. Full report at: Mail Today --------------- Paris conference targets ‘Islamization’ of Europe Dec 19, 2010 PARIS: About 150 people have been protesting outside the site of a conference in Paris against the ”Islamization” of Europe. Protesters are waving banners reading ”United Against Islamophobia” and ”Fascists get out of our neighborhoods.” Socialist Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe had asked police to ban the conference, but police allowed it to go forward under surveillance. Saturday’s conference of about 300 participants included speakers from beyond France. It was organized by several French groups that frequently complain about Islam’s growing influence over traditional French values. France has Western Europe’s largest Muslim population. http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/18/paris-conference-targets-islamization-of-europe.html --------------- WikiLeaks sheds light on Bangladesh Dec 19, 2010 The first batch of US embassy cables related to Bangladesh released on WikiLeaks reveals the role of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) in an effort to absorb the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) into mainstream politics through forming the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), just before the 2008 general elections. The cable originating from the US mission in New Delhi on April 27, 2007, describes the thoughts of the US, the UK and India in the aftermath of the '1/11' political changeover in 2007. It was four days after the arrest warrant issued against Sheikh Hasina was suspended, and two days after the ban on her re-entering the country was lifted. The subject of the cable is given as “Indian official sees Bangladesh at crossroads, Sri Lanka deteriorating, Burma becoming one-dimensional.” Full report at: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=166522 --------------- 18th "Great Islamic Encyclopedia" released Dec 19, 2010 IBNA: According to the Majlis Library Website, the book holds 255 entries. The Great Islamic Encyclopedia contains various entries in different fields including Islamic culture and civilization. For instance Quranic studies, political and social history, historical geography, Islam and its sects, philosophy and mysticism, Islamic land's literature and language, the history of mathematics and nature, arts and architecture in Islamic lands, anthropology as well as the cultural aspects of Muslim tribes. The Great Islamic Encyclopedia center is a research-scientific organization which was established in Tehran in 1983 in order to compile and publish Islamic, public and specialized encyclopedias. Its first research work was "Great Islamic Encyclopedia" which is published in English, Persian and Arabic. The 18th volume of "Great Islamic Encyclopedia" has been marketed in 5000 versions and 777 pages. http://www.ibna.ir/vdca0wno.49n6u1gtk4.html --------------- "Islam Record Book" reprinted Dec 19, 2010 IBNA: "Islam Record Book" deals with different subjects such as lofty status of knowledge in Islam, Islamic culture and civilization, miracle of Islamic culture, scientific movement of Muslims, history writing, fine arts, Islamic mysticism and Islam and West culture. Iranologist, historian, researcher and writer Abdolhossein Zarrinkoub was born in Boroujerd, Lorestan province, in 1922. He received a Ph.D. in Persian language and literature from Tehran University. Zarrinkoub is also known for his profound research on revered Iranian poet Molana Jalaleddin Rumi and his works. He authored two creditable books on Rumi namely ’A Sea in a Jug’ and ’Step by Step to Visiting God’. Full report at: http://www.ibna.ir/vdchxwnw.23nvmd10t2.html --------------- Monastery excavation in UAE island shows Christianity preceded Islam in area Dec 19, 2010 Archeologists uncovered a pre-Islamic monastery on an island in the United Arab Emirates, belying common belief that Islam reached the place before Christianity did. Dr. Joseph Elders, archaeological director of the program, said that the monastery, found on Sir Bani Yas island, dates as far back as 600 AD and was probably settled in by some 30-40 monks, The National said. Elders told The National, “Twenty years ago, we had no idea that Christians came this far south and east in the Arabian Gulf. This shows that Christianity had penetrated far further than we thought before … We don’t have many monasteries from this period.” Of note, the monks lived peacefully with Muslims even as Islam spread through the Gulf, but was later abandoned in 750, most likely because as Islam grew stronger, it was harder to find new recruits, The National said. Full report at: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/12/monastery-excavation-in- --------------- Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir may have stolen $9 bn: US cable Dec 19, 2010 LONDON: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir siphoned off USD nine billion (6.79 billion euros) of oil money into British bank accounts, according to US diplomatic cables revealed by WikiLeaks on Saturday. The document quotes the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court as saying that US officials should go public with the allegations about Bashir in order to turn Sudanese public opinion against him. It said the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, told US officials that the figure allegedly put away by Bashir was possibly nine billion and "would change Sudanese public opinion from him being a 'crusader' to that of a thief." The document, released by the whistleblowing website a day after its founder Julian Assange was released on bail in Britain over allegations of sex crimes in Sweden, said that Britain's Lloyds Banking Group "may be holding or knowledgeable of the whereabouts of his money". Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Sudans-President- --------------- Foreign troop 2010 toll hits 700 in Afghanistan Dec 19, 2010 KABUL: A member of the Nato-led force in Afghanistan was killed on Sunday, taking the total number of foreign troops killed in 2010 to 700, by far the deadliest year of the war since the Taliban were toppled in 2001 . The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said one service member was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. It gave no other details. A total of 521 foreign troops were killed in 2009, previously the worst year of the war, but operations against the Taliban-led insurgency have increased dramatically over the past 18 months. About 2,270 foreign troops have been killed since the war began, roughly two-thirds of them Americans. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/19/foreign-troop-2010-toll-hits-700-in- --------------- Child labour helps war-torn Afghan families survive Dec 19, 2010 KABUL: Afghan Abdul Wahab swings a heavy sledgehammer down onto a red hot piece of metal to mould it into a truck part, sweat dripping down a face marked with grime and soot from the fire, and with a focus rare for an 11-year-old. Wahab is one of about 1.2 million Afghan children in part or full time work, the government says, in a country where war, poverty, widespread unemployment and a preference for large families have created a huge underage labour market. A 2010 study by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission found that an even larger portion of the country’s 15 million children — up to 40 per cent — were likely to be engaged in some sort of paid work. And aid and rights groups say child labour laws are routinely flouted. While Afghan children can legally work up to 35 hours a week from the age of 14, they are not allowed to do hazardous jobs like Wahab’s work in his father’s Kabul blacksmith shop. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/18/child-labour-helps-war-torn-afghan- --------------- Iraq lifts ban on Sunni politicians Dec 19, 2010 BAGHDAD: Iraq's Parliament took a major step Saturday toward creating a unity government, lifting a ban on three Sunni politicians who were barred from running in national elections last March after being accused of having ties to Saddam Hussein's ousted regime. The vote brings Iraq closer to ending months of political turmoil following the March 7 election, which failed to produce a clear winner. It also paves the way for broader Sunni participation in the emerging government, headed by Shiite incumbent Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. At the start of the session, Al-Maliki told lawmakers he would announce his new Cabinet on Monday — five days before a constitutional deadline. Parliament must then approve the candidates for 36 ministries, three deputy prime ministers and at least two vice presidents before the government can get to work. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article218560.ece --------------- Experts propose monorail for Makkah Dec 19, 2010 JEDDAH: Studies have been conducted on prospects of establishing an inner-city monorail system for the holy city of Makkah to facilitate transportation of pilgrims and worshippers to the Grand Mosque and reduce traffic congestion in the city. "We have proposed this project as part of our efforts to introduce advanced and safe transport systems in Makkah," said Adnan Gutub, director of the Center of Research Excellence in Haj and Umrah, at Makkah's Umm Al-Qura University. The project is significant as it would provide additional transport means for the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and worshippers who come to the city every day and help reduce traffic jams. Gutub did not give details of the project as it is still at the planning stage. Along with the ongoing projects of Mashair Railway and Haramain Railway, the new monorail system would contribute to further smoothing traffic in the holy city. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article218563.ece --------------- Pak envoy hailed 26/11 response By Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury Dec 19, 2010 INDIA’S restraint and show of maturity after the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai came in for praise from none other than a Pakistani diplomat based in Delhi. A US embassy cable — dated December 1, 2008 — put into the public domain by WikiLeaks recently said the Pak diplomat had hailed India for acting responsibly and maturely following the Mumbai attacks. The audacious 26/11 attack had triggered public outrage and, sensing the widespread anger, the government had declared that all options were open in dealing with Pakistan where the plot was hatched. But the aggression was limited to tough talking by the leadership — including then foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee — and the air force being put on alert. The diplomat, whose name did not figure in the cable, praised New Delhi for acting “more responsibly” than it did after the embassy attack in Kabul in July 2008. At that time, both India and the US had blamed Pakistan’s ISI for the terror strike. Full report at: Mail Today --------------- Govt orders probe to nab US ‘ mole’ Dec 19, 2010 THE WIKILEAKS revelation that the US had a ‘ mole’ in the Delhi Police’s special cell has prompted the government to order an inquiry. According to sources, the Union home ministry has said an officer of the rank of a deputy commissioner of police ( DCP) will conduct an inquiry and ascertain the authenticity of the information. However, the ministry maintained that no information was leaked and that national security was not compromised. The whistleblower website leaked cables sent from the US embassy in New Delhi in 2006 which show that the diplomatic mission’s regional security office ( RSO) was in touch with a special cell officer who gave away information regarding terrorrelated investigations. Full report at: Mail Today --------------- Pakistani spy agency denies it unmasked CIA chief Dec 19, 2010 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top spy agency, ISI, denied speculation on Saturday that it helped unmask the CIA's station chief in Islamabad in retaliation for a New York City lawsuit linking Pakistan's intelligence chief to the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. The CIA ordered its station chief out of Pakistan because his life was threatened after a Pakistani lawsuit revealed his name. His recall comes at a delicate time, as the White House presses Islamabad to rid its lawless tribal regions of safe havens for militants fighting in Afghanistan, where the US is grappling with an exit strategy. The station chief's name was revealed by a Pakistani man threatening to sue the CIA over the deaths of his son and brother in a 2009 US missile strike. The attorney involved with the legal complaint said he learned the name from Pakistani journalists. Pakistan's spy agencies have kept ties to a number of Pakistani journalists as a way to influence coverage. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistani-spy-agency- --------------- Al-Qaida leadership based in Pak unable to plot attacks: US Dec 19, 2010 WASHINGTON: The top al-Qaida leadership based in Pakistani tribal area bordering Afghanistan is "under more pressure than at any point" since the 9/11 strikes in the US as it is unable to recruit and train terrorists and plot attacks, a key American counter-terrorism official has said. "In the tribal regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the core of al-Qaida is under more pressure than at any point since it fled Afghanistan nine years ago. Senior leaders have been killed," said John Brennan, chief counter-terrorism adviser to US President Barack Obama. "It's harder for them to recruit, to travel and train, to plot and launch attacks. In short, al-Qaida is hunkered down," Brennan said in his speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Al-Qaida-leadership-based-in- --------------- US won't object to N-deal between Pakistan and China: US envoy Dec 19, 2010 ISLAMABAD: The US will not object to any civil nuclear deal between Pakistan and China if it abides by international rules of such agreements, and chances of the US making such a deal with Pakistan too cannot be ruled out, the American envoy here has said. US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter said Friday that the US had recently made a civil nuclear deal with India and the chances of such a deal with Pakistan also cannot be ruled out, the Express Tribune reported. Munter made the remarks while talking to media here. Answering a question on the Pakistan's efforts to fight terrorism, he said the US wants Pakistan to launch a military operation in North Waziristan soon. Munter said he would leave it to the Pakistan Army to decide when to launch such an operation. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-wont-object-to-N-deal- --------------- Bomb hits US Embassy vehicle in Yemen Dec 19, 2010 SANAA: A group of American embassy staffers came under attack when a bomb was thrown near their vehicle outside a restaurant in Yemen's capital, U.S. and Yemeni officials said Thursday. No one was hurt in the attack Wednesday evening in Hadda, a commercial district in the capital, said U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley. ``Those in the vehicle were not injured. We have an ongoing investigation. The attack occurred in Hadda,'' he said, adding that ``the bomb went off outside the vehicle.'' Two Yemeni security officials said that several suspects were arrested, including a Jordanian in his 20s. Another U.S. official said the blast disabled the vehicle, adding that the embassy believes it was ``likely'' an attempt to target U.S. interests. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Bomb-hits-US- --------------- Links between RSS and terror groups need to be probed: Cong Dec 19, 2010 NEW DELHI: Virtually toeing Rahul Gandhi's line on Hindu radical groups posing bigger threat, Congress today said the links between terrorists and the RSS and its sister organisations needed to be investigated. "The Indian National Congress calls upon the government to tackle this menace in the strongest possible manner and investigate links between terrorists and the RSS and its sister organisations that have been uncovered in some recent cases," the party said in its draft Political Resolution moved in the Plenary. The resolution was proposed by senior leader Pranab Mukherjee and seconded by Digvijay Singh. The resolution noted that the role of religious fundamentalist organizations in challenging the security of the nation can no longer be ignored. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Links-between-RSS-and-terror- --------------- Israeli airstrike kills five in Gaza Dec 19, 2010 GAZA: An Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian activists in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said. ?The Israeli military said in a statement that its aircraft "targeted and identified hitting a squad of terror operatives who were preparing to launch rockets toward Israeli territory." Palestinian hospital officials said the five were activists.? The Hamas Islamist group, which rules the Gaza Strip, says it has tried to curb rocket fire at Israel, but smaller groups continue to carry out such attacks.? They identified the five dead as members of the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees.? Israel's military said more than 200 cross-border missiles, rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza this year. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article218639.ece --------------- Interpol after doctor who is responsible for 10 deaths Dec 19, 2010 JEDDAH: The Jeddah branch of the Saudi Shariah Medical Authority has urged Saudi Interpol to arrest an Arab doctor who has been on the run after being accused of committing a number of medical errors that have led to the death of some 10 Saudi women. The man, who was employed at a private hospital, carried out cosmetic surgery on the women who were obese and wanted to have their abdominal distention reduced, Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported. “The authority has indicted the doctor and the hospital after finding out that he did not have a license to carry out cosmetic surgery at the hospital,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement. The ministry also issued a circular on Thursday banning all private hospitals in the western region from conducting cosmetic surgery on obese women. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article218573.ece --------------- Two dead as suicide bombers storm Afghan recruitment centre Dec 19, 2010 KUNDUZ, Afghanistan: Four suicide attackers stormed an army recruitment centre in northern Afghanistan early Sunday sparking a gun battle that left two soldiers dead and three others wounded, officials said. “Four bombers attacked the recruitment centre. Three of them have been shot dead and one is still resisting,” Hameedullah Danishi, the deputy provincial governor, told AFP. Kunduz is one of the most volatile provinces in the relatively peaceful north of Afghanistan. “So far two Afghan soldiers have been killed and three are wounded,” Mahboubullah Saeedi, the spokesman for the provincial governor, said. In a separate assault, a suicide attacker opened fire on an army bus in the capital Kabul. He was shot by policemen and his explosives detonated setting two vehicles ablaze, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashari told AFP. Bashary did not give any figures on casualties and said police had cordoned off the area and were still assessing the damage and impact of the blast.? http://www.dawn.com/2010/12/19/two-dead-as-suicide-bombers-storm-afghan-recruitment-centre.html --------------- US Afghan war review is propaganda: Taliban Dec 19, 2010 KABUL: The Taliban said on Friday a US Afghan war review was propaganda designed to create “baseless hope”, as Afghans, analysts and aid groups warned that US strategy failed to tackle critical problems. US President Barack Obama’s review, released on Thursday, found NATO-led forces were making headway against the Taliban but serious challenges remained. It said the terrorists’ momentum had been arrested in much of Afghanistan and reversed in some areas. But Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called the document a morale-boosting propaganda effort. He said American casualties were rising and nine years of escalating conflict showed increasing troop numbers could not guarantee success. “The review spoke about success in some unidentified areas, but it is clear to every one that losses among Americans are rising,” he said, adding the hardline terrorists would fight until all foreign troops had left Afghanistan. Full report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\12\19\story_19-12- --------------- Gilani raises Kashmir at banquet for Wen Anita Joshua Dec 19, 2010 ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Saturday reiterated Pakistan's desire to strive for a peaceful resolution of all issues with India including “the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute.'' He brought up the K word in his speech at the banquet he hosted for visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Maintaining that the Pakistan-China relationship is not directed against any country – Mr. Gilani said: “Peace and stability in our region is inextricably linked to the constructive role being played by China.'' Making the reference to Kashmir while asserting Pakistan's desire for a peaceful environment in the region, he went on to add that success in resolving the issue would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in South Asia. Describing China as Pakistan's “most trusted and reliable friend,'' the Prime Minister articulated Islamabad's appreciation for Beijing's support on various regional and international issues. He extended Pakistan's support to China on all its core issues; specifically the ‘One China' policy while condemning “any attempt to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.'' Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/19/stories/2010121964721200.htm --------------- Arrest warrant against SQ Chy Dec 19, 2010 The International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday issued warrant of arrest against senior BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury in connection with his links to crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. The court also directed the authorities concerned to produce BNP standing committee member SQ Chowdhury before this court on December 30. The tribunal passed the order after hearing a petition filed by investigation agency on December 15 seeking permission from it to detain SQ Chowdhury in connection with the war crime charges. In the petition, the agency sought the court's permission to detain SQ Chowdhury for his alleged involvement in the killings of Nutan Chandra Kundu, founder of herbal medicine factory Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya at Raozan in Chittagong, on April 13, 1971, and 107 others during the Liberation War. Full report at: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=27507 --------------- BJP, Sena flay Rahul for ‘Hindu terror' remark December 19, 2010 Notwithstanding the Congress treating Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Hindu terror as a closed chapter, the scion of Nehru-Gandhi family came under attack from the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi launched a veiled attack saying Wikileaks exposes have revealed who was responsible for US' "pro-Pakistan policies". Former BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, former BJP leader Uma Bharti and BJP's youth-wing chief Anurag Thakur also had Rahul in their line of fire. "Now it is clear who was prompting USA to speak in favour of Pakistan," Modi said in Mumbai without taking Rahul's name. Claiming he used to wonder why Americans supported Pakistan all through despite the widely acknowledged fact, Modi maintained, "After Wikileaks' release, it is known who was guiding USA and providing information about Pakistan, based on which America made an opinion about the country...This is the biggest loss for the country." Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/304729/BJP-Sena-flay-Rahul-for URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3807