| Islamic World News | |
| 07 Jan 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
Petition in SC claims disputed site in Ayodhya belongs to Buddhists
Mawlavi and Shariati liquating false Sufism
Why the Pahlavi Dynasty Still Haunts Iranians
Salman Taseer killer's case should be decided as per Shariah law: JuD
Taliban faction claims responsibility for killing Taseer
At least three gunned down in Karachi violence
Four killed in North Waziristan drone strike
Suicide attack kills 17 at Afghan public bath
Another journalist found dead in Balochistan
Marriage of India and Iran in Parekh’s book
Doubts emerge over whether Qadri acted alone
‘Dirty hands’ behind Taseer’s murder will be exposed: Zardari
Balochistan shuts to protest killing of Baloch students
Don’t politicise Salmaan’s murder, says Nisar
Sadr tells Iraqi followers to curb enthusiasm
Alleged physical violence: Chained far away from home
Solution to Askari Masjid and gurudwara in sight
Maya government won’t give jobs to the Urdu community
Recommendations for the welfare of minorities implemented in Kerala
Dr Moidul Hasan granted fellowship by American college
Blasphemy convict was ‘black magician’
Pakistan: Jehar Khan Hoti shot dead in Mardan
Pakistan negotiating drone deal with US
APNS calls it attack on freedom of expression
Most of French, Germans consider Islam 'a threat' to national identity: Poll
Haj scam: Pak PM's son accused of corruption
The Role of Egyptian Militants in Developing al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Al-Shabaab Desertions Increase in Southern Somalia
Passengers foil Turkish Airlines hijack attempt
Iran detains US woman for spying
Sound & light show brings Purana Qila alive
Day after suicide bid,Pragya aide out of AIIMS
Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank: witnesses
Lonely Malaysian man looks for a wife at 110
Indian missions in Afghanistan under constant threat: Krishna
India not satisfied with progress in Mumbai trial in Pak: PM
RSS shorts won't be held up by leather belts
Taseer assassination raises spectre of N-heist in Pak
10 Indians and a Pakistani jailed for murder in Dubai
Clerics refuse to lead prayer at Taseer's funeral
No Iran bomb before 2015: Mossad spy director
3 commanders among six killed in Orakzai
Pak plays face final curtain as visa snags hit artistes
PPP blames PML-N for Taseer’s murder
Now, Soz protests BJP’s flag hoisting at Lal Chowk
Food riots break out in Algeria
Mideast Christians victims of 'cleansing': Sarkozy
Compiled by New Age Isalm News Bureau
Photo: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
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Militants threaten to kill Hasina if associates not freed
January 07, 2011
Islamic militants have threatened to kill Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and blow up a high-security jail in northeastern Chittagong city if their associates are not released from the prison within a month. The jailer of the prison in Chittagong port city on Wednesday received a letter containing the threat, with its sender calling himself a member of the outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, the Daily Star newspaper reported on Thursday.
“She (Hasina) survived this year’s August 15 but she will not be alive in future as she will also be blown to smithereens,” the letter said in an oblique reference to August 15, 1975 when her father and the country’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family members, according to the report. The daily said the letter demanded that the militants lodged in Chittagong jail be freed in next one month. Chittagong jail officials could not be reached immediately, while security officials in Dhaka declined to comment on the matter saying they were unaware of any such letter.
“But we are always concerned about her security as she was exposed to such threats earlier and survived attempts on life at least once in 2004” during a grenade attack on her rally, a senior official told PTI preferring anonymity.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/308750/Militants-threaten-to-kill-Hasina-if-associates-not-freed.html
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Petition in SC claims disputed site in Ayodhya belongs to Buddhists
Jan 07 2011
New Delhi : A Special Leave Petition has been filed in the Supreme Court claiming that a Buddhist monastery (Baudh Vihar) existed at the site of Babri mosque and hence the disputed land at Ayodhya should be handed over to followers of the faith.
The SLP was filed by Udit Raj, the Chairman of Buddha Education Foundation and All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations yesterday against the judgement of Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench in the Ayodhya title suits.
Giving the information at a press conference today, Raj told reporters, "The Budhists in India challenge the legality and constitutionality of the judgement. Not only the disputed land but even the construction before the existence of Babri mosque belong to Baudh Vihar."
Former Union Minister and Bhartiya Janshakti Party leader Sanghpriya Gautam, who accompanied Raj, quoted from the Allahabad High Court judgement to support the argument.
"Justice Sudhir Agrawal held that Kasauti pillars of disputed structures, strongly resemble Buddhist pillars of those seen at Varanasi. Justice S U Khan held that Carnegy (British Archeologist) has mentioned that the Kasauti pillars, were used in the construction of mosque, strongly resembled Buddhist pillars which he had seen in Varanasi," Gautam said.
"Accordingly, it is also possible that there were also ruins of some Buddhist religious place on and around the land on which the mosque was constructed and some material was thereof used in the construction of the mosque," he said.
Raj said that the ASI in its report submitted in 2003 had found that there was a circular shrine beneath the disputed structure after which the Allahahad High Court ordered further collection of evidences.
"So far it has not been done. It is most likely that this shrine is of Buddhists. The mosque is made on the ruins of Baudh Vihar and hence should be given to Buddhists," Raj said.
He said that the ASI had maintained that pillar bases in association of huge structure are indicative of remains which are distinctive features found associated with temples of Northern India.
"This itself supports that it could be a Buddhist place because temples of North India connote to Hindus, Jains and Buddhists all... Temples of North India are not necessarily Hindu temples. To conclude them as Hindu temples is not correct," he said.
Both Gautam and Raj at the same time maintained that they could consider withdrawing their demand if both Hindus and Muslims accepted the Allahabad High Court verdict and refrained from further appeals into the matter.
"Had Hindus and Muslims brought an end to the dispute and accepted the judgement, we would have not made this move. We are the real claimants but in the larger interest of nation, we would have foregone our claim. But now since both
parties have appealed in the Supreme Court, why should we, who are real claimants, remain silent," Gautam said.
Udit Raj agreed with the contention saying this can still be considered if both parties come to an agreement and stop further litigations.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/petition-in-sc-claims-disputed-site-in-ayodhya-
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Mawlavi and Shariati liquating false Sufism
7 Jan 2011
IBNA: he said: “What is important in the introduction of these two figures’ mysticism is that they both had a deep knowledge of their contemporary religions and cultures and both have believed in Islamic mysticism as the best path to truth.”
He added: “Dr Ali Shariati addresses his son Eshan on page 107 of ‘To Familiar Audiences’ and says, ‘I am going to familiarize you with a person who can by himself cope with all fallacies and diversions in East and West; he is Mowlana Rumi.”
Borhani continued: “Dr Shariati’s special attention to Mowlana’s thought made me write about common indicators of Shariati’s and Rumi’s ideas in a volume as Dr Shariati was familiar with all schools of thought and religions of his time in east and west yet he introduces Mowlana Rumi to his son as the best model to follow.”
Borhani referred to the results of this comparison and said: “It became clear that these figures had many things in common the most important of which is having a sophisticated and literate father with mastery over his contemporary culture. Mowlana Rumi learnt the preliminaries of Islamic culture from his father Sultan-al-Olama when he was seven, and Dr Shariati also leant about the roots of Islam in preschool age from his father Mohammad-Taghi Shariati, an interpreter of Quran.”
“Both of them were talented with mental creativity as Rumi composed about 60 thousand lines of his Qazales after meeting Shams and Shariati too applied this creativity on expressing his ideas.”
Borhani continued: “Another common issue in their thoughts is that none were fanatic for being Shia and this led to the absorption of fans from many other religions or schools of thought, and they could make them learn about Islamic instructions on piety and self improvement.”
Borhani remarked that although rich mysticism shows the path to truth and self-purification in a comprehensive way, individuals in contemporary society are interested in false Sufism due to their lack of information about it, whereas Mowlana the mystic and Shariati the intellectual have mastery over their thought as appropriate models for reaching truth.”
Borhani said the best place for introducing their thoughts is school: “In order to eradicate false Sufism, I suggested teaching Mathnavi Ma’navi as school course to the Ministry of Education so that the youth’s familiarity with Islamic mysticism could start in early school age rather than through individuals and false methods.”
http://www.ibna.ir/vdchk6nw.23nixd10t2.html
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Why the Pahlavi Dynasty Still Haunts Iranians
By Azadeh Moaveni
7 Jan 2011
When the Pahlavi monarchy was approaching its final days in power in Iran, I was playing with Cabbage Patch Kids dolls in Cupertino, Calif., and thought that my friends' parents who worked for Apple ran an orchard. The diaspora community of Iranians around me talked politics incessantly, and I remember hearing vastly varied things about the Shah of Iran, who lost power in the 1979 revolution. Some of my relatives credited him with great feats, like transforming Tehran into a modern city; one elderly great-aunt kept a portrait of him and his wife, the Empress Farah, on her bedside table. Others called him a torturer, and avoided the Iranian man at the neighborhood pool with the Shah's face tattooed on his shoulder. He was a former agent of the SAVAK, the Shah's dreaded secret service, and he seemed to inspire a shadow of terror even in the California sunshine.
I grew up to study political science and work in Iran as a reporter, and managed to develop an adult understanding of the Pahlavi family's role in Iranian history. But that mature knowledge coexists with all the associations I absorbed as a child. Like so many Iranians, I find my feelings toward the Pahlavis a complex jumble of personal dreams and resentments, and the intensity of my emotions reminds me that they have as much to do with my past, my family and my relationship to history as the royal family itself.
(See pictures of the rise and fall of the Shah of Iran.)
The tragic suicide of Alireza Pahlavi, the Shah's youngest son, this week in Boston has stoked great feeling among Iranians everywhere. When I first heard the news, I felt an enormous sadness for Farah, who has endured more piercing losses in the course of a lifetime than most people could bear. The death of her by-then-exiled husband from cancer, the 2001 suicide of her daughter Leila and now the death of her youngest son. True, I had been feeling rather disappointed in Farah until that moment. She was all over the film Valentino: The Last Emperor, which I'd recently seen, and I couldn't help but wish that instead of just mingling with the fashion glitterati of Europe, she would engage in thoughtful charity and be terribly glamorous — like Queen Rania of Jordan.
(See how Iran reacted to the suicide of Alireza Pahlavi.)
I later wondered why I felt so strongly about how Farah, 72, occupied herself in her elderly Parisian exile. Did it matter much to anyone, let alone Iran? I realized that part of why I cared so much was that she remained the lone figure in the Iranian First Lady department of my mind. We know next to nothing about the wives of the mullahs. Mrs. Khatami, Mrs. Ahmadinejad — who knows what they even look like, let alone how they spend their time and what they contribute to Iran? The clerical government of Iran denies Iranians a First Family to grow up with — to admire, to envy, to criticize. We are left to feel our place acutely as outsiders to the clannish, insular fiefdom of the ruling mullahs, undeserving as citizens of even knowing their wives and children.
Perhaps that is why I continue to hold Farah and her family to such high standards. They continue to be the First Family of my imagination, a reflection of my fierce wish to be a part of what happens to Iran, to feel included in a country that no longer has a place for people like me. My expectations of them are oversize, and my anger toward them is studded with grievances against the Islamic Republic, as though the family members are to blame for the three decades of often brutal misrule that followed them.
Iranians these days cannot vent their political opinions in newspapers or on television, so they use the Internet as a forum to say all the things they so urgently need to express about their plight. Reading the posts of young Iranians on Facebook and on the BBC Persian service's website after the news of the suicide came out, I was struck by how so many young people who weren't even born during the Pahlavi era were roused by Alireza's death. Many expressed their sympathy in messages that were remarkable for their emotional and political maturity; they reminded me that living under dictatorship can make young people as wise as 40-year-olds in first-world democracies.
Many were incensed that anyone might feel sympathy for a Pahlavi. These are the angry Iranians who have given up on the mullahs entirely, for the prospect of meaningful, peaceful change seems a chimerical notion, inconceivable for their generation. Their despair — over lives disfigured by economic blight, in which simple dreams like finding a job or getting married seem permanently out of reach — is so easily channeled into fury with the Pahlavis. It is as though they want to scream at them with the bitterness of children accusing a parent, "You let us down, you fumbled, it is all your fault." It is almost a familial dysfunction: so many Iranians rushing like angry relatives at the chance to lay their anger at Iran's fate at the feet of the Pahlavis, whose failure turned Iran over to the mullahs. Decades after the fall of the Shah, the clan remains a politically acceptable target for so many painful feelings.
The family remains of great emotional relevance to Iranians. The Pahlavis themselves know that they stand no chance of being reinserted into Iran politically, though they must more than suspect that their moments of personal grief will be reflected in monumental ways on the larger stage of the Iranian political imagination. Indeed, the initial statement by older brother Reza on his website starkly attributed Alireza's suicide to the younger man's despair over Iran — an all-too-blatant political stance that only opened the family up to criticism. Certainly, the shattering fall of his father and the dislocation of exile contributed to Alireza's depression and pain. But just as surely, any suicide in a depressed person arises when such anguish combines with intimate factors from that individual's genealogy, biochemistry and medical history.
But the family changed tack. On Wednesday afternoon, I heard Reza speaking bravely and honestly about his brother's battle with depression in television interviews. I felt an immense relief. His comments were nuanced and candid. They broke the Iranian cultural taboo against acknowledging mental illness, and underscored a point most Iranians everywhere can relate to: families suffer when they are torn apart. Thirty years after the Shah's fall, the Pahlavis are no longer anyone's enemy, and in their grief lies an opportunity to reach out across all those lines that divide.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2041031,00.html#ixzz1ALXEifrS
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Salman Taseer killer's case should be decided as per Shariah law: JuD
Jan 7, 2011
Pakistan-based terror outfit JuD has asked the country's courts to decide the case of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer's assassin in line with the 'Shariah' or Islamic law and "sentiments of Muslims".
Jamaat-ud-Dawa leader Maulana Amir Hamza, who is the convener of Tehrik-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool that has been opposing any move to amend the controversial blasphemy law, also hailed the clerics who refused to lead the funeral prayer of Taseer.
Taseer, the governor of Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab and senior PPP leader, was gunned down by his extremist bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri at a posh market in the heart of Islamabad on Tuesday for opposing the blasphemy law.
Hamza asked courts to decide the case of Qadri in accordance with the Islamic law and the "sentiments of Muslims" of the country.
Full report at:
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_salman-taseer-killer-s-case-should-be-decided-as-
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Taliban faction claims responsibility for killing Taseer
January 07, 2011
Peshawar : A Pakistani Taliban faction linked to trainer of suicide bombers Qari Hussain today claimed responsibility for the assassination of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, saying that the "man who killed him was from among us."
"We claim responsibility for the killing of Salmaan Taseer. The Punjab Governor was our target and we have planned this programme and the man who killed him was from among us," Shakirullah Shakir, a spokesman for the fidayeen group associated with Qari Hussain, said a news agency on phone from an undisclosed location.
The militants spokesman also held out threats that those who spoke against Islam would also be murdered.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/taliban-faction-claims-responsibility-for-killing-
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At least three gunned down in Karachi violence
January 07, 2011
KARACHI: At least three people, including two activists of political and religious groups, were killed in incidents of targeted killing in Karachi, television reports said on Friday.
Unknown assailants opened fire at Irfan, associated with a religious party in Karachi’s Surjani Town area, a report said. Another man, Abid Hussain, was shot dead in the city’s New Karachi area.
Moreover, one person was shot in the city’s Korangi area, a television report said.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/at-least-three-gunned-down-in-karachi-violence.html
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Four killed in North Waziristan drone strike
January 07, 2011
PESHAWAR: Intelligence officials say a US drone is suspected of firing four missiles at a vehicle in northwestern Pakistan, killing four alleged militants.
The officials say Friday’s attack took place in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, part of Pakistan’s lawless tribal region near the Afghan border.
The identities and nationalities of the suspected militants killed were not immediately known. The area where the attack took place is dominated by fighters loyal to prominent militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/four-killed-in-north-waziristan-drone-strike-2.html
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Suicide attack kills 17 at Afghan public bath
January 07, 2011
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – A suicide attack killed 17 people and wounded another 21 at a public bath in the flashpoint town of Spin Boldak in southern Afghanistan on the border with Pakistan, a local government spokesperson said.
A nine-year Taliban insurgency is concentrated in southern Afghanistan, but suicide attacks targeting civilians in public places are relatively rare.
"A suicide bomber blew up explosives strapped to his chest at a public bath in Spin Boldak," border police official General Abdul Razaq told AFP.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110107/wl_asia_afp/afghanistanunrestsouth_20110107090
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Another journalist found dead in Balochistan
January 07, 2011
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the killing of another Balochistan journalist Ilyas Nazar in mysterious circumstances on Wednesday after being kidnapped about 10 days ago.
Terming it an act of barbarism, the PFUJ said it has made it almost impossible for media practitioners in Balochistan to perform their professional assignments without fear.
Ilyas Nazar (22) Copy Editor of a Balochi language magazine was whisked away by unknown kidnappers between Dec 28-29 night when he was coming from Quetta to his native town in Turbat at Aromada.
On Wednesday afternoon, his body was found on a derelict road of Pidrak of Turbat, alongwith another body of young man who was subsequently identified as Kambr Shakir, member of the Central Executive Committee of Balouch Students Organisation, with bleeding wounds.
Full report at:
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Marriage of India and Iran in Parekh’s book
January 07, 2011
THURSDAY marked a rare confluence of Indian and Iranian intellectual traditions when Vice- President Mohammad Hamid Ansari released the book Talking Politics — Bhikhu Parekh in Conversation with Ramin Jahanbegloo . Part of a series by Jahanbegloo, an Iranian political philosopher teaching at the University of Toronto, the book, published by Oxford University Press is an account of his dialogue with Parekh, a professor emeritus of political science at the universities of Westminster and Hull in England.
“ Parekh’s political philosophy restores the goal of ethical values to the thought process,” Ansari said.
Parekh, who is a member of the British House of Lords, said the book was much like an Indian arranged marriage.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Doubts emerge over whether Qadri acted alone
January 07, 2011
Islamabad : Suspicion has grown over whether the Pakistani policeman who assassinated Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer acted on his own or was assisted in the act following emergence of a raft of evidence that he had been declared unfit for guarding VIPs because of his extremist leanings.
Several police officials have confirmed that Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the Elite Force personnel who gunned down Taseer on Tuesday, was removed from Rawalpindi Police's Special Branch about 18 months ago after then regional police chief Nasir Khan Durrani described him as a "security threat".
Despite a recommendation that Qadri, 26, should not be assigned to guard VIPS because of his extremist views, he was deputed to Taseer's security detail on five previous occasions.
Investigators probing the assassination have sought a report from Rawalpindi Police to fix responsibility in this regard.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/doubts-emerge-over-whether-qadri-acted-
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‘Dirty hands’ behind Taseer’s murder will be exposed: Zardari
January 07, 2011
LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday called the widow of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer by telephone and expressed his sorrow and grief over his murder.
According to the party sources, President Zardari assured Amna Taseer that “the sacrifice of Salmaan Taseer would not go waste and justice would be provided to her family”. The president also paid tributes to Salmaan Taseer for his services for the party, sources added.
The president expressed the hope that the elements behind the crime would be exposed and punished according to law. He said Salmaan Taseer was an asset for the party and a true follower of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto in treading their path to martyrdom.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\07\story_7-1-2011_pg1_1
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Balochistan shuts to protest killing of Baloch students
January 07, 2011
QUETTA: A complete shutter down and wheel jam strike was observed in the Makran Division and other parts of Balochistan on Thursday in protest against the recovery of the bullet-riddled bodies of two Baloch student leaders, paralysing businesses and trade.
The killings triggered protest rallies and shutter down strikes in Quetta, Kech, Panjgur, Gwadar, Mand, Hub and other parts of Balochistan.
The strike call was given by the Baloch National Movement (BNM) and Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Azad) to condemn the killings of Baloch student leaders and termed it a brutal act on the part of state functionaries. The protesters chanted slogans against the government and its functionaries.
All the shopping and trading centres remained closed during the day and traffic was also off the road.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\07\story_7-1-2011_pg7_4
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Don’t politicise Salmaan’s murder, says Nisar
January 07, 2011
Expressing grief over the assassination of the Punjab governor, opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali said that some elements of the PPP were politicising the assassination of the governor for their own political mileages, which was very unfortunate.
He said these people were dragging the country into turmoil and confrontation, adding that an investigation into the incident was underway and the people would have to wait for the report before passing any judgements.
“It is the responsibility of the respective province to provide security to VVIP where he/she visits. The Punjab governor was killed in Islamabad and it was the responsibility of the local administration to provide him with adequate security,” he said, adding that besides setting up a judicial commission, committees were also constituted by the Punjab and the federal governments to probe the incident.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\07\story_7-1-2011_pg7_8
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Sadr tells Iraqi followers to curb enthusiasm
January 07, 2011
NAJAF: Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, back in Iraq after four years of Iran-based exile, urged his followers on Thursday to remain calm after they gave him a rowdy welcome in his home city of Najaf.
Hundreds of people turned out to greet the cleric when he arrived on Wednesday in the central Iraq city, but they apparently became too exuberant when Sadr later visited the shrine of Imam Ali and caused a stampede.
‘I did not know you like that. Your indiscipline while I was performing my religious rituals bothered me and hurt me. I beg you to be disciplined, and not to shout excessive slogans,’ Sadr said in a statement.
‘The stampede hurt me, and hurt others, and this will tarnish the image of our movement in the eyes of others,’ he added.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\07\story_7-1-2011_pg4_3
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Alleged physical violence: Chained far away from home
January 07, 2011
KARACHI: “I don’t want to live with them,” said the frightened young woman at Baloch Colony police station on Thursday.
Blinking in the bright lights of the flashing cameras and ducking from the rapid-fire questions being thrown her way by the media, Sellay looked confused and frightened. She could only talk and understand Pashtu.
The Baloch Colony police found Sellay, with her feet fettered in irons chains, in Qayyumabad near the Express media group office on Thursday. She was allegedly detained, tortured and chained by her husband and in-laws in Liaquat Ashraf Colony within the jurisdiction of the Baloch Colony police station. “I was called around 11 am that there is a girl with chains around her feet, sitting near the Express office,” said Baloch Colony SHO Samad Khan. “I went to the spot, cut off her chains and brought her to the police station.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/100104/alleged-physical-violence-chained-far-away-from-
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Solution to Askari Masjid and gurudwara in sight
New Age Islam News Bureau
January 07, 2011
Saharanpur: The Askari Masjid and gurudwara tangle’s solution seems to be in sight. If there is no new development in the issue, the good news of the solution of the issue may come as a new year gift to the people of Saharanpur. Some people had tried to build an extension to the gurudwara on the land of the old mosque which is known as Askari Masjid. The Muslims protested the move and informed the district administration that building gurudwara on the land would not be tolerated. The BSP leader and the Vice President of Jamiat Ulema Muharram Ali mobilized the public and informed the district and state administration about the controversy. He also handed over the CD of the mosque to the district officials. The Gurudwara Sangh Sabha had allegedly demolished the mosque silently and planned to build an extension to the gurudwara on the land. Both the district administration and the state government have swung into action and it is hoped that soon a solution to the controversy will be reached.
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Maya government won’t give jobs to the Urdu community
New Age Islam News Bureau
January 07, 2011
New Delhi: UP’s Maya government is playing a cruel joke with the Urdu speaking community. The government has challenged the High Court order to appoint Muallim Urdu certified teachers in schools in the Supreme Court. Hearing the petition filed against the decision in favor of Muallim Urdu on January 5 in Supreme Court, the two member bench comprising Justice Dalveer Verma and Justice Deepak Bhandari has instructed Md Nasim and their organization All India Urdu Development Organization to submit a reply within two weeks. At the same time it has instructed the UP government to submit a rejoinder within one week thereafter so that the opinions of the parties can come forward on the first hearing of the case on January 31. In fact, both the parties have been given three weeks’ time to submit all the details to the Supreme Court so that the hearing can be conducted on January 31 and a result comes out. Muallim Urdu are concerned about the fact that if there is more delay in the issue they will be deprived of jobs and UP government’s campaign against the Urdu speaking community will succeed. Apart from that, Adeeb Mahir and Adeeb Kamil have also not been kept in any category.
It should be noted that the two member bench of the Allahabad High Court had adjudged in October 2010 that the Muallim Urdu certified people should be considered eligible for appointment as teachers. The UP government has now knocked the door of the Supreme Court against the decision.
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Recommendations for the welfare of minorities implemented in Kerala
New Age Islam News Bureau
January 07, 2011
Kozikode: The Kerala government has implemented the Paloli Committee Recommendations for the welfare of the minorities in the state. Attending a stock taking meeting of different minority organizations, the Minister for the Local Self Government, Paloli Md Kutti and Industry Minister E Karim told correspondents that the steps taken by the government for changing the conditions of the minorities by implementing the Sachar Committee Report was appreciated. He said that according to the recommendations, the Madrasah Pension Scheme would be improved and urgent steps would also be taken for the promotion of the Arabic language. He further said that other recommendations of the Paloli Committee would also be implemented. The Committee has made 15 recommendations which include setting up of a minority department in the state secretariat, increasing funds for improving the pension scheme of the teachers, granting scholarships to Muslim students, granting package to the minorities in Kannur, Kozikode, Mallappuram, Ernakulam and Allapuza and opening of a study centre of the Aligarh Muslim Univesity in Mallapuram.
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Dr Moidul Hasan granted fellowship by American college
New Age Islam News Bureau
January 07, 2011
Aligarh: The American College of Chest Physicians has granted fellowship to the Associate Professor in the Anesthesiology Department of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Dr S Moid Ahmad. The fellowship has been granted to him on recommendations of the senior professors of the J N Medical College and Board of Regents on the basis of his experience, his contributions and research in the field of medicine. The Board has authorized him to use FCCP with his name which is recognized in the field of medicine internationally. The American College of Chest Physicians has attached great importance to his membership and expressed its hope that he will contribute to the different committees and networks of the ACCP. As a fellow he will be entitled to vote in college elections and assume posts.
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Blasphemy convict was ‘black magician’
January 07, 2011
BAHAWALPUR, Jan 6: A man sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court of Ahmadpur East for burning a copy of holy Quran was a black magician.
According to investigation officer ASI Rana Khalid Mahmood, Muhammad Ishaq, 35, was arrested from a mosque in Uch Sharif, Mohallah Qadirabad, by area people red-handed on Feb 4, 2010.
He said during interrogation Ishaq had confessed to burning some pages of the holy book for it was part of his black magic.
Before coming to the mosque, the ASI said Ishaq had performed 40-day seclusion.
“After his arrest Ishaq repented his act and sought pardon,” the investigation officer said.
Malik Riaz Ahmed Khokhar, additional district and sessions judge, Ahmedpur East, heard the case and on Wednesday awarded him life imprisonment under the blasphemy law.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/blasphemy-convict-was-black-magician.html
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Pakistan: Jehar Khan Hoti shot dead in Mardan
January 07, 2011
MARDAN/PESHAWAR, Jan 6: Unidentified persons shot dead Jehar Khan Hoti, the district press secretary of Awami National Party, here on Thursday in an apparent targeted attack.
Eyewitnesses said that four armed motorcyclists ambushed his car on Mohib Road and killed him on the spot. The assailants, they said, fled the scene soon after committing the crime.
They said that passers-by rushed the ANP local leader to District Headquarters Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A family member told Par Hoti police that the deceased had no enmity with anyone. He said that FIR would be registered after consultation with other family members.
The motive behind the incident was yet to be ascertained. The deceased was considered a confidant of the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Sources said that he was on way to a nearby village to attend a jirga, convened for settling a dispute between two groups, when the motorcyclists attacked him.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/local-anp-leader-shot-dead-in-mardan.html
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Pakistan negotiating drone deal with US
January 07, 2011
WASHINGTON, Jan 6: Pakistan is still negotiating a deal with the United States to acquire its own fleet of surveillance drones, and hopes to get six systems of the aircraft, diplomatic sources told Dawn.
The drone system that the two countries are negotiating about is known as Shadow-200 and is currently used by the US Navy and the Marine Corps. It is launched from a trailer-mounted pneumatic catapult and is recovered with the aid of arresting gear similar to jets on an aircraft carrier.
It is equipped with an infrared camera which relays real time videos to a ground control station. It is a surveillance aircraft and is not equipped with weapons attached to the drones the Americans use to target militants in Fata.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/pakistan-negotiating-drone-deal-with-us.html
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APNS calls it attack on freedom of expression
January 07, 2011
KARACHI, Jan 5: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) has expressed grief and shock over the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and termed it an attack on the freedom of expression.
APNS president Hameed Haroon and secretary-general Sirmad Ali said that the murder of Mr Taseer, who was also the publisher of Daily Times and Daily AajKal, reflected a growing trend of intolerance in society.
They urged the democratic forces to join hands against this trend, saying it was highly dangerous and alarming for the growth of democratic values in the country.
They offered condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that the Almighty may rest the departed soul in peace and give courage to the bereaved family to bear the loss.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/06/apns-calls-it-attack-on-freedom-of-expression.html
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Most of French, Germans consider Islam 'a threat' to national identity: Poll
Jan 07 2011
Paris : Almost half of the French and German populations considers Islam ''a threat'' to national identity, according to new Media poll.
The Mail Online quoted the poll conducted by France’s Le Monde newspaper as saying that 42 percent of French and 40 percent of Germans consider the presence of Islamic communities ''a threat'' to their national identities, adding that a majority in both countries believe Muslims have ‘not integrated properly’.
According to the poll, carried out with marketing firm IFOP, 68 percent of French and 75 percent of Germans believe Muslims are ‘not well integrated into society’.
The poll, which questioned 1,600 people in France and Germany last month, also found that 55 percent in France and 49 percent in Germany believe that the ‘influence and visibility of Islam’ is ‘too large’, while 60 percent in both countries say the reason for the problem is Muslims’ own ‘refusal’ to integrate.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/most-of-french-germans-consider-islam-a-threat-to-
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Haj scam: Pak PM's son accused of corruption
Jan 07 2011
Islamabad : Two Pakistani MPs have accused Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's son of being involved in corruption in the hiring of accommodation for Haj pilgrims, the Supreme Court has been told.
"Parliamentarians Pirzada Syed Ahmed Imran and Bilal Yasin have not only accused Abdul Qadir Gilani but also his close friend Zain Mohammad Sukhaira, who went to Jeddah thrice even before the start of the Haj season," Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Waseem Ahmed told a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
The apex court had taken suo motu notice of complaints about corruption and irregularities in Haj arrangements. One of the complaints was made directly to the Chief Justice by a Saudi prince.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/haj-scam-pak-pms-son-accused-of-
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The Role of Egyptian Militants in Developing al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Hani Nasira
January 07, 2011
The role of Egyptian Islamists in creating al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) can be traced back to the efforts of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) organization to overthrow the Egyptian regime in the 1990s. Al-Zawahiri played no direct role in the EIJ’s assassination of late President Anwar Sadat in 1981, but he is considered the architect of the organization’s revival since his election as the EIJ Amir during a meeting of the group’s leaders in Sudan in 1993. That move followed the Egyptian security forces’ successful blows to the Tala'a al-Fath (Vanguards of Conquest, an EIJ offshoot), led by Ahmad Husayn ‘Ujayzah, and the arrest in one night in January 1993 of 800 cadres of the organization, which led to the dismissal of ‘Ujayzah and al-Zawahiri's unanimous election as a new leader.
Full report at:
http://www.almaqreze.net/hewarat/hewar006_1.html.
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Al-Shabaab Desertions Increase in Southern Somalia
Muhyadin Ahmed Roble
January 07, 2011
Disgruntled al-Shabaab fighters are increasingly deserting the radical Islamist group after years of fighting for the movement in southern Somalia. The deserters are mainly from southern Somalia’s Hawiye clan, while the movement’s current leader, Shaykh Ahmad Abdi Godane “Abu Zubayr,” hails from the Isaaq clan in Somaliland, a largely peaceful, de facto independent state in northern Somalia. Most of the absconders fled from southern Somalia to neighboring countries while others joined the troops of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
On December 19, 2010, the TFG presented six al-Shabaab deserters to reporters at a press conference in Mogadishu. The six, who defected to government forces on November 19, 2010, included a number of senior commanders who had led al-Shabaab fighters in clashes against Somali TFG forces and African Union peacekeepers.
Full report at:
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Passengers foil Turkish Airlines hijack attempt
January 07, 2011
Istanbul: A Turkish passenger on a Turkish Airlines flight from Oslo to Istanbul tried to hijack the plane before being overpowered by other passengers,security sources said quoted by Turkish media.
The would-be hijacker,named as Yasar Cuma,who comes from a Kurdish village in the southeastern region of Anatolia,headed for the cockpit of the Boeing 737-800 less than an hour before arrival at Istanbul and demanded that the aircraft return to Oslo,claiming to have a bomb.
But the 40-year-old was tackled by Turkish and Norwegian passengers and the plane landed safely at Istanbuls Ataturk airport,CNN-Turk and Anatolia news agency reported.The suspect was immediately arrested on board the plane which was carrying 59 passengers.No explosive device was found,CNN-Turk said.
Full report at: Times of India
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Iran detains US woman for spying
January 07, 2011
Tehran: Iranian authorities have detained a 55-year-old American woman on spying charges,a daily reported.
The daily IRAN said the woman had spying equipment hidden on her body when customs authorities detained her in the border town of Nordouz,600km northwest of the capital Tehran.The report said she arrived in Iran from neighbouring Armenia without a visa.
The woman is the fourth American Iran has arrested and accused of spying in less than two years.
Times of India
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Sound & light show brings Purana Qila alive
January 07, 2011
Ishq-E-Dilli To Give Glimpse Into Delhis 1000-Yr History,Public Opening From Next Week
New Delhi: Visitors to Purana Qila will have a new attraction in store for them from next week.The much talked about sound-andlight-show,which depicts Delhi through the history of its 10 cities,beginning from 11century AD during the reign of Prithviraj Chauhan to present day Delhi.
The show Ishq-e-Dilli was inaugurated by vicepresident M Hamid Ansari on Thursday evening and has been conceived,financed and produced by the Ministry of Tourism and executed by India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).Officials said it would be opened for the public from next week,and there would be two shows every evening Hindi and English.The show was initially scheduled to start by the Commonwealth Games last year but ran into delays.
Full report at: Times of India
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Day after suicide bid,Pragya aide out of AIIMS
Dwaipayan Ghosh
January 07, 2011
New Delhi: Anant Brahmachari,the 28-year-old selfstyled godman,who had attempted suicide on the pretext of being harassed by investigating agencies,was discharged from AIIMS on Thursday,according to sources.Anant was an aide to Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.
He has told the police that he was being harassed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigators after his name cropped up in the Malegaon blast case.The victim,who had claimed to be the Dharam Bhai of Pragya Singh,allegedly attempted suicide in south-east Delhi on Wednesday.
Our Nizamuddin police officers were at AIIMS to record his statement.He has alleged in his statement that he was being mentally harassed by certain investigators.This is merely a claim and we are investigating the contents and tenets of his claims, said DCP (southeast) O P Mishra,refusing to divulge anything more.
Full report at:
Times of India
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Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank: witnesses
January 07, 2011
HEBRON: Israeli troops killed a Palestinian Friday during a raid in the West Bank to arrest suspected militants, witnesses and security officials in the territory said.
The shooting happened early Friday morning as soldiers raided several homes in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, said Palestinian security officials.
The Israeli troops were rounding up six Hamas militants the Palestinians had freed from jail the day before, said the officials.
Palestinian security officials and witnesses named the dead man as Omar Kawasme, 67.
It was not immediately clear if he was one of the six the Israelis had arrested or whether he had been in the home of one of those arrested.
The Israeli military made no immediate comment.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday ordered the release of the six Hamas prisoners who had been on hunger strike in Palestinian jails. They were being held on unspecified “security grounds.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/israeli-troops-kill-palestinian-in-west-bank-
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Lonely Malaysian man looks for a wife at 110
January 07, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: For 110-year-old Ahmad Mohammad Isa, its never too late to find a companion in life.
A Malaysian widower with 20 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren, Ahmad has witnessed a century worth of time, but the centenarian feels lonely in the absence of a companion.
What more! Ahmad's wish to remarry has already elicited two responses -- one from a 70-year-old and another from an 82-year-old woman -- both of whom have evinced interest in the proposal.
"If he accepts me, I'm ready to live with him in Kedah state," Zainab Salleh, 70, told a local daily.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/mad-mad-world/Lonely-Malaysian-man-looks-for-
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Indian missions in Afghanistan under constant threat: Krishna
Jan 7, 2011
NEW DELHI: A day before he leaves for Afghanistan, external affairs minister SM Krishna Friday said Indian missions in that country were under constant threat but President Hamid Karzai had promised full security.
"Our embassy and four consulates are under constant threat. We are working with the Afghan government to ensure that they give our embassy and consulates enough protection," Krishna told reporters here.
"We have been fully assured by President Hamid Karzai of security."
Besides its embassy in Kabul, India has consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.
In July 2008, two Indian diplomats were among those killed when suspected Pakistan-based outfits targeted the Indian embassy.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-missions-in-Afghanistan-under-constant-
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India not satisfied with progress in Mumbai trial in Pak: PM
Jan 7, 2011
MUMBAI: India is "not satisfied" with the pace of progress in the Mumbai terror attack trial in Pakistan and would like the cases against the suspects "expedited", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
"Well, we would like those cases to be expedited, beyond that what can I say. You know what problems we have with Pakistan. We are not satisfied with the pace those cases have been allowed to go forward," Singh said.
Singh was talking to reporters after he paid homage to Mumbai terror attack victims yesterday at the Taj Hotel where he had addressed an Infosys function. He also laid a wreath at the memorial.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-not-satisfied-with-progress-in-Mumbai-trial-
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RSS shorts won't be held up by leather belts
Ramu Bhagwat
Jan 7, 2011
NAGPUR: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar with a few friends in 1925 may have today metamorphosed into the world's largest ideological outfit but the 'ganvesh' (uniform) that forms an essential part of organization's pride has not changed much. Starting this summer, the RSS will effect only the third major change in it by giving up the natural leather belt for a synthetic one. For all the 85 years of its existence, a leather belt held a swayamsevak's trademark loose, khaki half-pants.
"But, come summer when the annual Sangh Shiksha Varg is held here, the leather belt will be replaced with a synthetic belt," Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh and spokesman Manmohan Vaidya told TOI on Thursday. "Over the years we had been depending on only one Kanpur-based manufacturer for supply of the belts. The Sangh had always put the condition that the leather used in belts should not be of slaughtered animals. Even then there were members, particularly of the Jain community, who were not comfortable wearing and often expressed their feelings in the Sangh forums.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RSS-shorts-wont-be-held-up-by-leather-
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Taseer assassination raises spectre of N-heist in Pak
Chidanand Rajghatta
Jan 7, 2011
WASHINGTON: The assassination of Pakistani Punjab's governor Salman Taseer this week by an elite bodyguard infused with extremist views has raised alarm in Washington over the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal, with fears that similar select personnel guarding it may be open to subversion by fundamentalists.
US and western analysts have long maintained that Pakistan's nuclear weapons, controlled mainly by a military they believe is professional and largely secular, is safe from extremists. This belief is now being questioned by some experts.
Steve Coll, a former South Asia bureau chief now with the New Yorker magazine, is among the first to raise red flag following the assassination, warning that "Taseer's betrayal should give pause to those officials in Washington who seem regularly to express complacency, or at least satisfaction, about the security of Pakistan's arsenal."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Taseer-assassination-raises-spectre-of-
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10 Indians and a Pakistani jailed for murder in Dubai
January 07, 2011
DUBAI: Ten Indians and one Pakistani bootleggers have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 years to life after being convicted here for beating up a man to death and burying his body in a shallow sandy grave.
Two Indians, 24-year-old MS who is accused of being the ringleader of a bootlegging gang, and 26-year-old HS, who is his deputy, were both sentenced to life at Dubai's Criminal Court of First Instance for killing a rival bootlegger identified only as "number 36", the National paper reported .
They attacked the victim with swords, machetes, pipes and wooden blocks in November 2008 behind the Samsung office in Jebel Ali area and beat him up to death.
Eight other Indians were sentenced to 15 years in prison for offences related to the murder, while a Pakistani driver was sentenced to 10 years, the paper said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/10-Indians-and-a-Pakistani-jailed-
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Clerics refuse to lead prayer at Taseer's funeral
Omer Farooq Khan
January 07, 2011
ISLAMABAD: None of Lahore's clerics could be persuaded to lead funeral prayers for assassinated Punjab governor Salman Taseer on Wednesday, an indication of the threat that hardline and extremist groups pose inside Pakistan.
Even the chief cleric of the historical Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, who initially agreed to offer prayers, backed off at the last moment, saying he was going out of town. Finally, the services were led by Allama Afzal Chisti of the Ulema wing of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
The schism in Pakistani society was further underlined when Taseer's assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was showered with rose petals when he was produced in court. Lawyer Farooq Sulehria said, ''We will provide all legal support to Mumtaz Qadri and fight for him. Qadri's supporters won't fail him in the court.''
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Clerics-refuse-to-lead-prayer-at-Taseers-
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No Iran bomb before 2015: Mossad spy director
January 07, 2011
JERUSALEM: Israel believes Iran would not be capable of producing a nuclear bomb before 2015 and a top Israeli official has counselled against pre-emptive military strikes, intelligence assessments published on Friday said.
The briefings, given by Mossad spy service director Meir Dagan upon his retirement on Thursday, suggested new Israeli confidence in US-led sanctions and covert action designed to discourage or delay Tehran’s uranium enrichment programme.
“Iran will not achieve a nuclear bomb before 2015, if that,” Dagan said, according to a transcript obtained by Reuters.
In June 2009, Dagan told an Israeli parliamentary panel that Iran could have its first nuclear warhead by 2014.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/no-iran-bomb-before-2015-mossad-spy-director.html
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3 commanders among six killed in Orakzai
January 07, 2011
KALAYA/PARACHINAR, Jan 6: Six militants, including three commanders, were killed and four others received injuries in clashes with volunteers of a tribal lashkar in Orakzai tribal region on Thursday.
Sources said that the clashes erupted when volunteers attacked the hideouts of militants in Saifal Dara area. The area is considered a stronghold of Taliban militants. According to lashkar chief, Salamat Khan Orakzai, light and heavy weapons were used during the clashes from both sides. He claimed that militants suffered heavy losses as volunteers captured several bunkers from them.
Meanwhile, tribal elders and religious scholars have termed torching of goods loaded vehicles in an attack on the convoy of security forces on the main road near Durrani area of lower Kurram as a plot to vitiate peaceful atmosphere of the tribal region.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/07/volunteers-kill-six-militants-in-orakzai.html
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Pak plays face final curtain as visa snags hit artistes
By Archana
January 07, 2011
THE thirteenth edition of the National School of Drama ( NSD)’ s annual theatre festival, Bharat Rang Mahotsav, begins on Friday, but the cast and crew of the two Pakistani plays that are its highlights are yet to get visas.
Whether they eventually make it to Delhi or not will become clear only a few days before their actual performances, which are on January 14 and January 21.
“ The groups haven’t got visas yet, but we are hoping that the clearances would come through before January 14, the day when Khwabon Ke Musafir , the first of the two plays, is staged at the festival,” said Sameera Zaidi, the festival coordinator, at a media briefing held on Tuesday.
“ The issue of visas is beyond our control,” she added.
NSD director Anuradha Kapur also struck a note of hope. “ We hope there won’t be a problem with visas as we have hosted plays from Pakistan in the past festivals too and haven’t faced any problem,” she said.
Full report at:
Mail Today
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PPP blames PML-N for Taseer’s murder
January 07, 2011
Leaders of Pakistan’s ruling PPP have held the PML-N-led Government in Punjab responsible for the murder of Governor Salmaan Taseer and alleged that some elements in the Opposition might have been behind the crime.
Senior PPP leaders have alleged there were “political motives” behind the assassination and claimed that some elements in the Opposition PML-N might have been behind the crime. PPP leaders in Punjab were not convinced by Taseer’s killer’s confession that the assassination was an “act of faith”. Some of them believe the murder was part of a plot to pit the PPP against religious forces.
However, President Asif Ali Zardari has said it is “yet to be established” whether Governor Taseer’s assassination was a “conspiracy against the system” even as leaders of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party held the PML-N-led Government in Punjab responsible for the murder.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/308761/PPP-blames-PML-N-for-Taseer%E2%80%99s-
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Now, Soz protests BJP’s flag hoisting at Lal Chowk
January 07, 2011
After Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Pradesh Congress Committee chief and Rajya Sabha member Saif-Ud-Din Soz has joined the chorus of Kashmiri politicians opposed to the idea of flag hoisting by youth wing of the BJP at the famous Lal Chowk of Srinagar on Republic Day.
Soz, who reached Jammu to attend the day-long convention of the Congress, told reporters on the sidelines of the function on Thursday, “There’s no harm if a National Flag is hoisted on the roof top of a building. But why they (youth wing of the BJP) choose Lal Chowk?”
Expressing his concern, Soz added, “If it divides society in Kashmir, that’s a negative point for national integration. So it may be a small group that will get provoked but why should they do it?”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/308757/Now-Soz-protests-BJP%E2%80%99s-flag-hoisting-
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Food riots break out in Algeria
January 07, 2011
ALGIERS: Riots over rising food prices and chronic unemployment spiraled out from Algeria's capital on Thursday, with youths torching government buildings and shouting "Bring us Sugar!"
Police helicopters circled over Algiers, and stores closed early. Security officers blocked off streets in the tense working-class neighborhood of Bab El-Oued, near the capital's ancient Casbah, and areas outside the city were swept up in the rampages.
The US Embassy issued a warning to Americans in Algeria to "remain vigilant" and avoid crowds.
Riots on Wednesday night in the neighborhood saw a police station, a Renault car dealership and other buildings set ablaze. Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths through the night.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article230412.ece
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Mideast Christians victims of 'cleansing': Sarkozy
Jan 7, 2011
PARIS: French president Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday that Christian minorities in the Middle East are victims of "religious cleansing", following deadly attacks on churches in the region.
A series of attacks against Christians "looks more and more... like a particularly wicked programme of cleansing in the Middle East, religious cleansing," Sarkozy said in an annual New Year's address to religious leaders.
A deadly attack on a Coptic church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria on January 1 killed 21 people.
An al-Qaida-linked website had published threats against that church and other Coptic communities in various countries.
Forty-four worshippers and two priests died in an attack on a Syriac Catholic church in Baghdad in October, the worst of a series of attacks against Christians in Iraq.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Mideast-Christians-victims-of-cleansing-
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=3896
10:11 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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