| Islamic World News | |
| 10 Jun 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com |
| Kazakh leader urges Muslim countries to create positive image of Islam | ||
Kazakh president urges modernization of Muslim community Suicide Bomber kills four in northern Afghanistan 15 Al Qaeda militants and Army Soldiers killed in Yemen 8 soldiers, 10 Taliban dead in Pakistan raid: Officials Over 100 militants attack Pak army checkpost, 20 dead Teen shot dead by Pak forces, 5 held Kashmir incomplete without Pandits: Omar Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks by month-end Rana acquitted of 26/11 charges, but guilty of helping LeT My husband is not a terrorist, he loves Indians: Samraz Rana 'I never said free Kasab for Sarabjit': sister of Sarabjit HC judges on Indian Mujahideen hitlist, says ATS Noor Islamic Bank may break even this year: CEO Russia opposes any UN resolution on Syria Nato strikes rattle Tripoli, Col defiant Gaddafi will ultimately yield to international pressure: CIA Gaddafi forces using sex drugs for rape? Libya rebels win aid, West sees Qaddafi exit M F Husain's death: Bharat Mata on Facebook M F Husain was as Hindu as any one of us Husain only “slipped up” on depiction of Hindu gods: Bal Thackeray Laden files give new focus to war on terror Pakistan Army makes a rare explanation B’desh groups protest move to hand over land to India 'Sajid, Kashmiri, Pasha, Maj Iqbal will be brought to justice': To US Attorney Syrians flee as troops mass, West concern grows No funds or passports, many Indians stranded in Yemen Taliban likely focus for Karzai Pakistan visit Start of Afghan transition on track for July: Nato Nomination hearing: ‘Terrorism Pakistan’s biggest challenge’ Israel indicts Arab driver in road attack Hamas considering staying out of govt in the future 400 Bahrainis on trial after protests, says opposition Women companions of Prophet: Woman of exceptional devotion Last 19 victims of Egypt’s uprising buried in Cairo Syria army starts push into restive border town Yemen braces for rival demos, Saleh out of ICU Jeddah festival expected to draw 4m visitors, do brisk business Jordan to free thousands under general amnesty Kurdish party cries foul over Turkish court ruling Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau Photo: Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev | ||
State-run Kazakh religious body chief discourages wearing of hijab| Kazakh leader urges Muslim countries to create positive image of Islam | |
State-run Kazakh religious body chief discourages wearing of hijab Kazakh president urges modernization of Muslim community Suicide Bomber kills four in northern Afghanistan 15 Al Qaeda militants and Army Soldiers killed in Yemen 8 soldiers, 10 Taliban dead in Pakistan raid: Officials Over 100 militants attack Pak army checkpost, 20 dead Teen shot dead by Pak forces, 5 held Kashmir incomplete without Pandits: Omar Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks by month-end Rana acquitted of 26/11 charges, but guilty of helping LeT My husband is not a terrorist, he loves Indians: Samraz Rana 'I never said free Kasab for Sarabjit': sister of Sarabjit HC judges on Indian Mujahideen hitlist, says ATS Noor Islamic Bank may break even this year: CEO Russia opposes any UN resolution on Syria Nato strikes rattle Tripoli, Col defiant Gaddafi will ultimately yield to international pressure: CIA Gaddafi forces using sex drugs for rape? Libya rebels win aid, West sees Qaddafi exit M F Husain's death: Bharat Mata on Facebook M F Husain was as Hindu as any one of us Husain only “slipped up” on depiction of Hindu gods: Bal Thackeray Laden files give new focus to war on terror Pakistan Army makes a rare explanation B’desh groups protest move to hand over land to India 'Sajid, Kashmiri, Pasha, Maj Iqbal will be brought to justice': To US Attorney Syrians flee as troops mass, West concern grows No funds or passports, many Indians stranded in Yemen Taliban likely focus for Karzai Pakistan visit Start of Afghan transition on track for July: Nato Nomination hearing: ‘Terrorism Pakistan’s biggest challenge’ Israel indicts Arab driver in road attack Hamas considering staying out of govt in the future 400 Bahrainis on trial after protests, says opposition Women companions of Prophet: Woman of exceptional devotion Last 19 victims of Egypt’s uprising buried in Cairo Syria army starts push into restive border town Yemen braces for rival demos, Saleh out of ICU Jeddah festival expected to draw 4m visitors, do brisk business Jordan to free thousands under general amnesty Kurdish party cries foul over Turkish court ruling Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=4808 ------ Kazakh leader urges Muslim countries to create positive image of Islam 9 June 2011 Astana, 8 June: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has suggested Islamic countries draw up a project to improve the image of Islam in the world community. "We should create through joint efforts a positive image of Islam as a religion of peace, goodness, tolerance and justice. It is time to seriously think over a common media project of the Islamic countries to stand against the discrediting of the great teaching [of Islam] at both global and regional levels," Nazarbayev said. He was speaking at the World Islamic Economic Forum in Astana today. "The majority of global media outlets are demonizing Islam as a threat to national security, cultural and religious morals. They are describing Islam as a religion that approves of political violence, extremism and terrorism. One should not put up with a similar situation," the president stressed. "We proceed from the fact that terrorism and extremism have nothing common with the world's religions no mat! ter how they [terrorism and extremism] position themselves or what political or religious slogans do they use to cover themselves," Nazarbayev noted. Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0554 gmt 8 Jun 11 ------ State-run Kazakh religious body chief discourages wearing of hijab 9 June 2011 The head of the Kazakh Agency on Affairs of Religions, Kayrat Lama Sharif, thinks that if Kazakh women wear hijab this might lead to Kazakhstan losing its specific national feature. In his opinion, the wearing of hijab is not the main sign of a woman being a Muslim or a non-Muslim. "A law in Tunis, adopted in 1981, says that hijab is not the basis for Islamic values, but it is mostly based on the culture of Arabs and Bedouins. "By allowing our women to wear hijab in a way it is worn in Muslim countries, we are letting our specific national feature be lost," he said. "There are, all in all, 10 million Kazakh people in the Republic of Kazakhstan and several million outside it. Therefore, in the first place, we must preserve our national traditions. Second, we must always think about patriotism. My personal opinion is that the wearing of hijab does not beautify, nor does it give grounds for saying that it is the first sign of Islam,! " Kayrat Lama Sharif said. Source: Kazinform, Astana, in Russian 0949 gmt 8 Jun 11 -------- Kazakh president urges modernization of Muslim community 9 June 2011 Astana, 8 June: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has noted the need to modernize the Muslim community. "The need to modernize the Islamic community is obvious. Above all, it concerns technological, scientific and economic development," Nazarbayev said. He was speaking at the World Islamic Economic Forum in Astana today. "The Muslim world accounts for one-fifth of the world's population, but is far from realizing its potential in the economic sphere," he said in particular. The president noted that not a single country represented the Islamic community in the G8 group. "This reflects the real weight of the Islamic economy in the world economy," Nazarbayev believes. "How many Islamic universities are among the [world's] top 100 higher educational institutions? How many Nobel Prize winners in the natural and technical sciences has the Islamic world produced in the past 20 years? And how many global technological innovat! ions have been created in the Islamic world? We should give these questions to ourselves to find a worthy answer in the near future," the president concluded. Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0607 gmt 8 Jun 11 ------ Suicide Bomber kills four in northern Afghanistan Jun 10 2011 KABUL: Officials said a suicide bomber killed four police officers and wounded at least six others guarding a remembrance ceremony for a top Afghan police commander. Authorities said guards stopped the bomber from entering a Kunduz City mosque in the northern province of Kunduz where many gathered Friday to remember slain Gen. Daud Daud, a well known regional police commander in northern Afghanistan. Provincial police chief Samiullah Qatra said the bomber then detonated his explosives outside the mosque after being confronted by the guards. The blast blew out windows of the mosque. The bombing comes as the Taliban begin their spring offensive, with stepped up roadside bombings and suicide attacks, as well as insurgent assaults on mountain or rural outposts. http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/10/suicide-blast-kills-four-in-northern-afghanistan.html ------ 15 Al Qaeda militants and Army Soldiers killed in Yemen June 10, 2011 At least 12 Al Qaeda militants and three Army soldiers were killed in fierce battles between security forces and extremists in Yemen on Thursday, a Military official said. The clashes occurred in the country's Southern province of Abyan. Armed clashes erupted between Army forces and Al Qaeda militants around the city of Zinjibar when the former tried to regain control of the seized area by Al Qaeda since last month, Xinhua quoted the official. Units of the Army forces besieged the Zinjibar city from all sides and were expected to wage a decisive attack shortly to regain control of the coastal town, said the official. http://www.dailypioneer.com/344638/15-killed-in-Yemen.html ------ 8 soldiers, 10 Taliban dead in Pakistan raid: Officials Jun 10, 2011 “Eight soldiers and 10 Taliban were killed after militants attacked a Pakistani security checkpost in the lawless tribal belt before dawn on Thursday”, local security officials said. More than 100 Taliban armed with rocket launchers and other sophisticated weapons raided the post in South Waziristan, along the Afghan border, triggering a firefight, which lasted for more than three hours. The attack took place in Marubi, some 40 km from the Afghan border. The area is next to North Waziristan, where the United States is pushing Pakistan to make an all out military offensive. Taliban and other Al-Qaeda-linked militants have carved out strongholds on both sides of the porous Afghanistan-Pakistan border, a region that Washington has called one of the most dangerous places on earth. Full report at: http://www.asianage.com/international/8-soldiers-10-taliban-dead-pakistan-raid-officials-663 ------ Over 100 militants attack Pak army checkpost, 20 dead Jun 10, 2011 MIRANSHAH: Around 150 militants armed with rockets attacked a security checkpost in Pakistan's Waziristan on Thursday, killing eight soldiers, intelligence officials said, as tensions rise in the volatile northwestern region along the Afghan border. The attack, in which about 12 militants were killed, appeared to be part of a new strategy by Pakistani Taliban of staging large-scale assaults on military and government targets in a bid to demoralise the army. The Pakistani Taliban have intensified attacks across Pakistan in recent weeks to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces in the country on May 2. No one claimed responsibility for Thursday's militant attack on the checkpost. Last week, the Pakistani Taliban staged a similar attack in the northwest, and officials said up to 400 militants took part. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Over-100-militants-attack-Pak-army-checkpost-20-dead/articleshow/8796761.cms ------ Teen shot dead by Pak forces, 5 held Jun 10 2011 Islamabad: Pakistani authorities on Thursday arrested five paramilitary troopers for shooting dead a youth at point blank range in a public park in Karachi, after the killing was broadcast on television news channels, causing shock and anger across the country. The footage on television showed one of a group of five Pakistan Rangers personnel firing two shots at Sarfraz Shah in the Benazir Bhutto Park on Wednesday. Pakistani security forces are often accused of using excessive force and abusing ordinary citizens. The security personnel claimed Shah was an armed robber and was shot dead when he opened fire. However, the footage broadcast repeatedly through the day showed Shah was unarmed at the time. Shah is also seen pleading for his life before being shot. He continued to plead for help after being shot but the troopers left him lying on the ground in a pool of blood. President Asif Ali Zardari expressed shock and grief over the killing, and sought an immediate report. He said the matter will be investigated, and law will take its course. Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said he would look into the incident and the “culprits will be brought to justice”. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/801629/ ------ Kashmir incomplete without Pandits: Omar June 10, 2011 Khursheed Wani | Srinagar A large number of displaced Kashmiri Pandits on Thursday arrived to a sumptuous welcome at Khir Bhawani temple at Tulmulla, 25 kilometers from here, to participate in an annual festival dedicated to Rangya Devi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reiterated that Kashmir and Kashmiriyat was incomplete without the Pandits, he urged the displaced community to develop sense of security for returning to their homes and hearth. The Khir Bhawani festival has emerged as a prime occasion for the Kashmiri Pandits to visit the Kashmir Valley for over a decade. The receding level of violence in Kashmir is encouraging more Pandits to arrive at the famed temple. During the heydays of militancy in early 1990s, a handful of Pandits were participating in the festival. The Pandits believe that the colour of water inside a spring in the temple enclave situation under the shade of mammoth chinars foretells the year’s future. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/344671/Kashmir-incomplete-without-Pandits-Omar.html ------ Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks by month-end Jun 10, 2011 NEW DELHI: India's initiative to re-engage Pakistan will gain momentum by the end of this month when foreign secretary Nirupama Rao meets her counterpart Salman Bashir for the second time this year. Rao conveyed this to a group of visiting Pakistani journalists who called on her. "Visiting Pakistani journalists called on FS. Next India-Pakistan FS level talks will take place in late June," tweeted spokesperson Vishnu Prakash after the meeting. While the dates have not yet been finalised, sources said that the meeting, the first between Rao and Bashir since their meeting in Thimphu in February, will take stock of the progress made by the two countries in discussions over issues such as security, water, trade and commerce. The venue for the talks has also not been finalised yet. Sources, however, said the talks are likely to be held in Islamabad. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indo-Pak-foreign-secretary-level-talks-by-month-end/articleshow/8796102.cms ------ Rana acquitted of 26/11 charges, but guilty of helping LeT Jun 10, 2011 A courtroom drawing showing Tahawwur Hussain Rana (R) and Magistrate. A US jury on has cleared Pakistan-born businessman Rana of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror strike. (AFP photo) HICAGO: Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Hussain Rana was on Friday acquitted by a US court on charges of abetting Mumbai terror attacks but was convicted for providing material support to LeT and helping a terror plot in Denmark. The 12-member jury announced the verdict at the end of two days of deliberations against 50-year-old Rana, a co-accused in the Mumbai attack with David Coleman Headley. Rana faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the two counts combined and remains in federal custody without bond, a US Justice Department statement said. No sentencing date was set. Verdict was announced by US district Judge Harry D Leinenweber shortly after 4:30pm in the court room. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Rana-acquitted-of-26/11-charges-but-guilty-of-helping-LeT/articleshow/8798318.cms ------ My husband is not a terrorist, he loves Indians: Samraz Rana June 10, 2011 S Rajagopalan As the jury continues deliberations on the culpability of Pakistani expatriate Tahawwur Hussain Rana in the 26/11 plot, his wife Samraz is making feverish appeals through the media for justice, asserting her husband is totally innocent with no inkling to the plot hatched by co-accused David Headley and his sponsors in Pakistan. “My husband is not a terrorist and David Headley knows he isn’t ... I have been married to him for 21 years and I know he isn’t,” she said in an interview to Canada’s Sun TV network, stressing, “My mother was Indian and my husband loves Indian people and helped a lot of them come to Canada and the United States.” Clearly, Rana’s attorneys have opened a new front for their client’s defence by encouraging his wife to grant a slew of media interviews in recent days. Just as the attorneys argued in the court, she is quizzing how she and her husband could have ventured to visit Mumbai just days before the terror strike if they had any inkling about it. Full report at: http://www.dailypioneer.com/344667/My-husband-is-not-a-terrorist-he-loves-Indians-Samraz-Rana.html ------ 'I never said free Kasab for Sarabjit': sister of Sarabjit Yudhvir Rana Jun 10, 2011 AMRITSAR: Dalbir Kaur, sister of Sarabjit Singh languishing in a Pakistan jail, on Thursday denied reports in the Pakistan media that she has proposed 26/11 accused Ajmal Kasab be freed while seeking her brother's release. Sarabjit, a death row convict, was arrested in 1990 for involvement in the bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan. Dalbir went to Pakistan on June 6 to meet her brother lodged in Kotlakhpat jail. She blamed the Pakistani media for exploiting her feelings and trying to create confusion between India and Pakistan. "My statement has been distorted by the Pakistani media," she said. "I'll make it clear to Sarabjit that I am here to plead for his release on the basis that he is innocent, and not to seek the release for Kasab," she said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/I-never-said-free-Kasab-for-Sarabjit/articleshow/8796224.cms ------ HC judges on Indian Mujahideen hitlist, says ATS Suchandana Gupta Jun 10, 2011 BHOPAL: Two of the three judges of the Allahabad high court who gave the September 2010 verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit are on the hitlist of radical and terrorist Muslim outfits, said the Madhya Pradesh anti-terror squad chief in Bhopal on Thursday. Ten alleged Indian Mujahideen and Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) men were arrested by the ATS last week. Photographs and literature seized from them pointed to a plot to eliminate, apart from the judges, the publisher of a Delhi-based comic magazine for printing drawings of Prophet Mohammed. The arrests were made in Ratlam, Jabalpur and Bhopal. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/HC-judges-on-Indian-Mujahideen-hitlist-says-ATS/articleshow/8796203.cms ------ Noor Islamic may break even this year: CEO 9 June 2011 SINGAPORE - Dubai’s Noor Islamic Bank could break even in 2011, a year ahead of target, and will consider merger and acquisition opportunities later to expand overseas, its chief executive said on Wednesday. Business has been unaffected by the Middle East conflict and the bank posted a profit of Dh58 million ($16 million) in the first four months of 2011, Hussain Al Qemzi said. “We’ve seen a lot of flow of liquidity and cash and we’ve seen a growth in retail and travel,” Al Qemzi said in an interview on the sidelines of an Islamic banking conference in Singapore. “Actually, it’s not negative.” Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/biz/inside.asp?xfile=/data/business/2011/June/business_June147.xml§ion=business ------ Russia opposes any UN resolution on Syria 10 June 2011 Russia yesterday said it opposed the UN Security Council adopting any resolution on Syria, risking a major dispute with the West over the response to the crackdown on Syrian protestors. "Russia is against any resolution of the UN Security Council on Syria and this has been stated more than once at presidential level," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters. "The situation in this country, in our opinion, does not pose a threat to international peace and security," he said, quoted by Russian state media. Britain and France have drawn up a new resolution which demands that President Bashar al-Assad end violence against the opposition and lift the siege of protesting cities. It also calls for an arms embargo on Syria. Full report at: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=189368 ------ Nato strikes rattle Tripoli, Col defiant Jun 10, 2011 TRIPOLI: Nato airstrikes rattled the Libyan capital on Thursday with clusters of bombing runs believed to have targeted the outskirts of Tripoli. The intensity of the attacks suggested a return to the heavy Nato bombardment of the city on Tuesday that hit military installations across the capital and flattened major buildings in leader Muammar Gadhafi's sprawling compound in the center of the city. There were eight explosions in a first series of strikes in Tripoli on Thursday. Hours later, the sound of six more attacks boomed in the distance. On Tuesday, Nato conducted its heaviest attacks on Tripoli since it began air strikes two months ago in support of a rebel insurgency. The four-month old rebel uprising seeks to push Muammar Gadhafi from power after four decades. Rebels have taken control of swaths of eastern Libya, although fighting has since become a stalemate even with Nato support. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Nato-strikes-rattle-Tripoli-Col-defiant/articleshow/8796727.cms ------ Gaddafi will ultimately yield to international pressure: CIA Jun 10, 2011 Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will ultimately step down if the international community keeps up pressure on his crumbling regime, CIA chief Leon Panetta told the US Senate on Thursday. WASHINGTON: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi will ultimately step down if the international community keeps up pressure on his crumbling regime, CIA chief Leon Panetta told the US Senate on Thursday. "Frankly, I think there are gains that have been made. We have seen the regime weakened significantly," Panetta told a Senate hearing weighing his nomination to become the next US defense secretary. "We have seen the opposition make gains both in the east and the west. I think there are some signs that if we continue the pressure, stick with it, ultimately Gaddafi will step down." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Gaddafi-will-ultimately-yield-to-international-pressure-CIA/articleshow/8792073.cms ------ Gaddafi forces using sex drugs for rape? Jun 10, 2011 The UN Security Council voted unanimously on February 26 to refer the Libyan crisis to the International Criminal Court, the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal. UNITED NATIONS: The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said on Wednesday he is investigating whether Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi provided Viagra-type drugs to Libyan soldiers to promote the rape of women during the current conflict. Luis Moreno Ocampo said his office is collecting evidence on rapes and has become "more convinced" that Gadhafi decided to punish women by using rape as a weapon, which would be a new method in Libya civil war of instilling fear and trying to control the population. He told a news conference after briefing the UN Security Council on Darfur that some witnesses confirmed the Libyan government was buying containers of Viagra-type drugs to carry out the policy, and "to enhance the possibility to rape.'' "We are trying to see who was involved," Moreno Ocampo said. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Gaddafi-forces-using-sex-drugs-for-rape/articleshow/8796688.cms ------ Libya rebels win aid, West sees Qaddafi exit Jun 10, 2011 ABU DHABI/TRIPOLI: Libya’s cash-starved rebels on Thursday won more than $1.1 billion of aid at a conference of Western and Arab powers that focused on the end-game for Muammar Qaddafi and the country’s civil war. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped up pressure on the Libyan leader saying she was aware of talks between people close to Qaddafi that had raised the “potential” for a transition of power. Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd told the conference Qaddafi’s end “may come sooner than many of you in this room may think.” NATO warplanes relentlessly bombed Tripoli as the rebels said they hoped to restart oil production, stopping short of giving a date. At the United Nations, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said its investigators had found evidence linking Qaddafi to a policy of raping opponents. A possible war crimes prosecution could be an incentive for Qaddafi to cling to power, but Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade offered to help ease his former African Union ally’s exit from power and appealed to him to step down. “It is in your own interest and the interest of all the Libyan people that you leave power in Libya and never dream of coming back to power,” Wade said during a visit to the rebel-held east Libyan city of Benghazi. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451623.ece ------ M F Husain's death: Bharat Mata on Facebook Jun 10, 2011 As news of M F Husain's death spread, several Facebookers posted pictures of or changed their profile pictures to the artists's controversial Bharat Mata painting which resulted in him being hounded out of India. MUMBAI: As news of M F Husain's death spread, several Facebookers posted pictures of or changed their profile pictures to the artists's controversial Bharat Mata painting which resulted in him being hounded out of India. The vivid painting, with its bright red body of a woman shaped to fit the map of India, has a white charkha in the middle, the Himalayas and the rising sun above and the Indian Ocean below. In one corner is the silhouette of a man in a yogic pose. Friends and supporters gave these Facebook images the thumbs up by "Liking" them, and others commented on how shameful it was that Indian's greatest artist should have been forced into exile by "fundoos". "Thank you for the horses," was one comment. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/M-F-Husains-death-Bharat-Mata-on-Facebook/articleshow/8795204.cms ------ M F Husain was as Hindu as any one of us Pritish Nandy Jun 10, 2011 The saddest thing is that the greatest painter of our times was born an Indian, lived his life as a proud Mumbaikar but died a Qatari citizen and will be buried in some remote London cemetery. I first met Husain when I was travelling around India, as a young photographer, doing a book of portraits of a hundred people who I thought made a difference to this country. He was a painter whose work I had seen and admired. I loved his strong, confident lines, his ability to tell a story in the great narrative tradition of Indian art, his magical sense of colours, and the fact that he worked with themes that moved him. He was not embarrassed to draw. Nor was he ever anxious to be abstruse. I think the simplicity of his art came from his background as a billboard painter. He was always uncomplicated, and undoubtedly brilliant. Full report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/M-F-Husain-was-as-hindu-as-any-one-of-us/articleshow/8794586.cms ------ Husain only “slipped up” on depiction of Hindu gods: Bal Thackeray Jun 10, 2011 MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena on Thursday said M.F. Husain pursued his art ardently but his depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses was flawed. The artist had become the target of saffron ire for his depiction of Hindu deities. In 2007, Sena activists attacked his exhibition in the capital, forcing the organisers to close down the show. Sena chief Bal Thackeray said: “M.F. Husain was as strong-willed as he was fantastic. There are differences over his art, but he did not give up his obstinacy. But he left the country. I do not agree with this form called modern art. In an interview to Time magazine, Picasso has said, ‘I fool the people.' An artist has his peculiar style, and Husain pursued his modern style wilfully. He only slipped up on the depiction of Hindu gods and goddesses. Otherwise, he was happy and content in his field. If his demise is a loss for modern art, then so be it. May his Allah give him peace!” Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/10/stories/2011061067451500.htm ------ Laden files give new focus to war on terror Jun 10, 2011 WASHINGTON: Everyone Osama bin Laden ever wrote to, spoke to or even mentioned in the volumes of correspondence seized from his Pakistan hideout is under new scrutiny, American officials say. Surveillance has been stepped up on possible terrorist targets around the world, as intelligence experts near the end of decrypting and translating material seized from the bin Laden compound. The trove of material has helped fill in the blanks on how known al-Qaida operatives work and think, and where they fit in the organisation. The CIA and other US counterterror agencies have sharpened their focus on some midlevel members of the group who they now believe may be more important than originally thought, after reading their exchanges with their fallen leader. The al-Qaida terrorists are keenly aware the United States is watching, and one official said at least two changed travel plans to avoid becoming the target of another Navy SEAL raid or any such counter-terrorism op. The increased surveillance is the result of five weeks of round-the-clock work by a CIA-led team of data analysts, cyber experts and translators. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Laden-files-give-new-focus-to-war-on-terror/articleshow/8796804.cms ------ Pakistan Army makes a rare explanation Anita Joshua ISLAMABAD: With its chips down like never before and under attack from all quarters for over a month now, the Pakistan Army on Thursday described efforts to create divisions between important institutions as detrimental to national interest and stressed the need to put an end to this “unfortunate trend”. This view was taken at the 139th Corps Commanders Conference where the Army sought to counter various allegations levelled against it, including the charge that it was the biggest beneficiary of U.S. aid. Concerned by the effort by certain quarters — “because of their perceptual biases” — to run down the armed forces, and the Army in particular, the commanders saw this as an attempt to drive a wedge between the military and the people. Full report at: http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/10/stories/2011061055901700.htm ------ B’desh groups protest move to hand over land to India June 10, 2011 Two Bangladeshi human rights organisations have protested the Government’s reported move to hand over more than 150 acres of the country’s territory to India, a media report said. The Sylhet unit of the Bangladesh Manabadhikar Basthabayan Sangstha (BMBS) submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in this connection. The Jatiya Manabadhikar Society (JMS) formed a human chain to ask the Government to refrain from handing over to India the land on the Padua border in Gowainghat region, the New Age reported on Thursday. The organisations sought immediate intervention by the Prime Minister to “protect the sovereignty of the country”, the report said. The JMS said more than 150 acres of Bangladeshi land along the Padua border have reportedly been handed over to India. Indian authorities in a joint land survey team were demanding that the border be demarcated some 800 metres inside the Bangladeshi territory at Padua, they said. The organisation criticised the “weak-kneed” foreign policy of the Government and urged it to counter any threat against the country’s sovereignty. http://www.dailypioneer.com/344665/B%E2%80%99desh-groups-protest-move-to-hand-over-land-to-India.html ------ 'Sajid, Kashmiri, Pasha, Maj Iqbal will be brought to justice': Top US Attorney Jun 10 2011 Chicago: Now that Tahawwur Rana and David Headley have been pleaded guilty on terror charges, a top US attorney has vowed to bring to justice the other six Pakistan-based defendants who have been named in the indictment filed by federal prosecutors before a Chicago court in Mumbai case. The six defendants are al-Qaeda leader Illyas Kashmiri, Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Sajid Mir, Major Iqbal, said to be a serving ISI officer, and Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed aka Pasha, another LeT leader -- all of whom are charged to be involved in the Mumbai terrorist attack, besides plotting a major terrorist attack in Denmark. “We are hoping to see them brought to justice. We have to take that one step at a time,” US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald told reporters after a Chicago jury found Rana guilty on two counts that he was involved in plotting a terror attack in Denmark and provided material support to LeT. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/801833/ ------ Syrians flee as troops mass, West concern grows Jun 10 2011 Amman: Thousands of Syrians fled into Turkey fearing a military assault, officials said, as the country braced for the prospect of more violent protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad on Friday. The government troops massed outside Jisr al-Shughour, the scene of recent demonstrations, fleeing residents said on Thursday, adding the settlement was now largely deserted. The latest reports of a government crackdown intensified international concerns over Syria's handling of pro-democracy protests, inspired by uprisings across the Arab world. Britain, France, Germany and Portugal have asked the U.N. Security Council to condemn Assad although veto-wielding Russia has said it would oppose such a move. World powers have shown no appetite for any Libya-style military intervention in Syria, which has so far shrugged off sanctions and verbal reprimands. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/801808/ ------ No funds or passports, many Indians stranded in Yemen Alia Allana Jun 10 2011 New Delhi: The helpline hasn't stopped ringing. The callers almost always have the same question: how can the Indian embassy help them get out of Yemen? One of the callers is Anil Kumar, a labourer from Kerala. He barely speaks English and can just about muster a few words in Hindi. He wants to leave, he says, but can't pay the ticket fare or the exit fine for staying in Sanaa illegally. He left home "for a better life", he says. He had no education, he just had dreams which came crashing down when the Arab Spring turned ugly in Yemen as forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh angered the armed tribes. Kumar is just one among the many who K V Chandrasekharan, an attache at the Indian Embassy, speaks to during the course of the day. For the past week, the phone has rung day and night, with people calling for advice and asking for help. Most are afraid to venture out, and those who are brave enough face many challenges as petrol has run out in the city in which one in every six men has a gun. Calls have been coming in from India too -- from relatives of those who have not been registered on the embassy's database. Full report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/801524/ ------ Taliban likely focus for Karzai Pakistan visit Jun 10 2011 ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to hold talks in Pakistan on Friday likely to focus on stepping up efforts to negotiate peace with the Taliban after nearly a decade of conflict in both countries. The visit comes six weeks after US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2, which has heightened calls within the United States for a peace settlement in Afghanistan. It will also road test relations between Kabul and Islamabad, which became more tense after Afghanistan seized on the bin Laden raid as proof that the war on terror would be better fought in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. Karzai is expected to hold talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. During the two-day visit, a joint peace commission involving officials from both countries is also scheduled to meet. Few breakthroughs are anticipated at the talks, but analysts say both sides will have an opportunity to lay their cards on the table. Pakistan can ask Karzai about his intentions and those of the United States as regards negotiating with the Taliban, and Afghanistan can seek reassurances from Pakistan that it will not hinder the process. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/10/taliban-likely-focus-for-karzai-pakistan-visit.html ------ Start of Afghan transition on track for July: Nato Jun 10 2011 LONDON: Plans are on track for Afghan forces to take charge of security in seven areas of Afghanistan from late July with a second phase of the handover starting in December, Nato commanders said on Thursday. Major-General Tim Evans, a senior British officer with the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), on a video link from Afghanistan, said the first set of areas would start transferring from ISAF to Afghan control on July 20. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in March that seven areas would be included in the initial phase of transition, the first step in a long process due to end with the withdrawal of all foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by 2014. Karzai has said the transition would begin in the Afghan month of Saratan, which runs from June 22 to July 22 on the Western calendar, but has not given an exact date. Lieutenant-General David Rodriguez, the second most senior US commander in Afghanistan, speaking on the same video conference with reporters, said the Afghan government was “walking through all the plans and preparations now” for the first phase of transition. Afghan authorities had begun “face-to-face meetings down at the local level” in preparation for the handover and were very satisfied with ISAF’s plans to support the transition, he said. Full report at: http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/10/start-of-afghan-transition-on-track-for-july-nato.html ------ Nomination hearing: ‘Terrorism Pakistan’s biggest challenge’ By Huma Imtiaz June 10, 2011 WASHINGTON: CIA chief Leon Panetta said on Thursday that terrorists posed the biggest threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and it is in the country’s interest to fight them because a terrorist attack happens in Pakistan almost daily. He was answering questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee in the open session of his nomination hearing as the new Secretary of Defence here on Thursday. Panetta said the war in Afghanistan could not be won unless America is successful in resolving the problem of safe havens in Pakistan. Despite questions from various senators, Panetta refused to commit on a specific or even average number of troops that will begin leaving Afghanistan in July this year as part of the withdrawal process. Panetta said while there had been military gains in Afghanistan, they were “fragile and reversible,” adding that Afghanistan needed better governance. In his submitted responses to the committee prior to the hearing, Panetta said “our military to military relationship with Pakistan, like our overall relationship, has featured ups and downs and is challenged by a long-term lack of trust within Pakistan about our intentions.” In the hearing, Panetta said that while there were fruitful discussions in some areas in Pakistan, there was a lack of trust and co-operation in others. Full report at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/186067/nomination-hearing-terrorism-pakistans-biggest-challenge/ ------ Israel indicts Arab driver in road attack By MOHAMMED MAR’I RAMALLAH: The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday indicted an Arab Palestinian driver with murder, attempted murder, and causing bodily injury, and seven counts of attempted murder when he slammed into other cars along a busy street in Tel Aviv in May. The court also indicted 22-year-old Issa Islam from the Arab city of Kafr Qassim for endangering lives on the road and aggravated injury and destruction of property after killing one and wounding 18 others. In May, Islam drove his truck for two kilometers in Tel Aviv, during which he hit a bus, a number of vehicles, and a number of pedestrians. The Tel Aviv Prosecutor’s Office motioned to extend Islam’s remand until the conclusion of legal proceedings against him. “The defendant embarked on an indiscriminate killing rampage with intent to harm Jews while driving a 15-ton Volvo semitrailer at high velocity,” the motion stated. The prosecution noted there is ample evidence suggesting the defendant had intended to harm Jews. Israeli police still suspect that Issa's actions were intentional, and that he carried them out to coincide with Nakba (Catastrophe) Day, an annual commemoration of the catastrophe Palestinians suffered after the 1948 War. In the past there have been Palestinian attacks using vehicles; in some cases there was uncertainty over whether the incidents might have been accidental. In 2008, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem killed three Israelis when he rammed and flipped over a number of cars on a busy street. That attack was followed by several similar incidents in which Israelis were wounded by Arab drivers who were then shot by security forces. http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451423.ece ------ Hamas considering staying out of govt in the future By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH Jun 10, 2011 RAMALLAH, West Bank: After four years of turbulent rule in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian group Hamas is weighing a new strategy of not directly participating in future governments even if it wins elections — an approach aimed at avoiding isolation by the world community and allowing for continued economic aid. Hamas officials told The Associated Press the idea has gained favor in recent closed meetings of the movement's leadership in the West Bank, Gaza, Egypt and Syria, and that it helped enable last month's reconciliation agreement with the rival Fatah group of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Talks on implementing that accord have dragged on, particularly over the makeup of a "unity government." The agreement envisions a government of nonpolitical technocrats — in line with Hamas' emerging thinking — but Abbas wants to retain current premier Salam Fayyad, a respected economist viewed by Hamas as a political figure. The new approach reflects both the group's rigidity and its pragmatism: On the one hand, Hamas refuses to meet widespread global demands that it accept Israel's right to exist; on the other, its leaders grasp the price Palestinians would pay if Hamas emerged fully in charge of a future government. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451628.ece ------ 400 Bahrainis on trial after protests, says opposition By ERIKA SOLOMON Jun 10, 2011 MANAMA: About 400 people have been put on trial in Bahrain for their roles in weeks of protests that rocked the Gulf island kingdom this year, a leading opposition group said on Thursday, but the government disputed the figure. Wefaq, which represents Bahrain’s Shiite majority, said up to 50 people had already been sentenced, with penalties ranging from a short prison term to execution. The government quashed the Shiite-led rallies in March, summoning support troops from neighboring Sunni-ruled countries and imposing emergency law, which was lifted last week. Bahrain, host of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, said the democracy protests had a sectarian agenda and were backed by Shiite power Iran, just across Gulf waters. The opposition deny this. “I think around 400 have been called to trial, but it’s hard to know because every other day we hear of more people being asked to present themselves to court,” said one Wefaq official. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451585.ece ------ Women companions of Prophet Hamnah bint Jahsh: Woman of exceptional devotion Jun 10, 2011 Hamnah belonged to a Makkan family with many members who were among the early companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Her mother was Umaymah bint Abd Al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) aunt, and her sister Zaynab was his wife whom he married by God’s order. Hamnah was married to Mus'ab ibn Umair, one of the most devoted companions of the Prophet. His mother, Khunas bint Malik, was rich and she gave him a luxurious life. The Prophet commented on this long after prophethood, when he said: “I never saw in Makkah anyone who was better looking, or who had better garments or more refined comforts than Mus'ab ibn Umair.” Yet when he embraced Islam, his mother tried hard to persuade him to rescind his faith and go back to old pagan beliefs, but he adamantly refused. She stopped giving him anything, but he did not care for such luxuries. He remained one of the Prophet’s most faithful companions. Hamnah gave him a daughter named Zaynab. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/islam/article451417.ece ------ Last 19 victims of Egypt’s uprising buried in Cairo By MAGGIE MICHAEL Jun 10, 2011 CAIRO: Nameless in death, the last 19 victims among hundreds killed during Egypt’s uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak were buried Thursday in the country’s capital, hailed as martyrs who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Their bodies had lingered for months in Cairo’s morgues, never identified or claimed by anyone, until the authorities on Wednesday gave the go ahead for a communal funeral. A total of 846 Egyptians were killed during the mass street demonstrations when Mubarak’s feared police cracked down on the protesters, shooting many in the head and chest with live ammunition. On Thursday, a small crowd of women distributed flowers and ululated while a few dozen men prayed as the 19 simple wooden coffins, draped in the Egyptian flag, were brought into Cairo’s El-Sayyada Nafissa mosque. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451580.ece ------ Syria army starts push into restive border town 10 June 2011 BEIRUT - The Syrian army began a military operation in a restive town near the Turkish border, state television said on Friday, as the country braced for more violent protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government said earlier that “armed gangs” killed more than 120 security personnel in Jisr al-Shughour, a town of 50,000, earlier this week. “Our correspondent in Jisr al-Shughour told us now that in response to people’s calls, units from the Syrian Arabic Army started its duties in Jisr al-Shughour ... to arrest armed members,” the television said. Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said residents in the northwestern town told him the army was still advancing towards the town. “They can hear gunfire and so far we do not have any casualty reports,” he told Reuters. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June285.xml§ion=middleeast ------ Yemen braces for rival demos, Saleh out of ICU 10 June 2011 Yemen prepared for rival demonstrations on Friday after state media said embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh was out of intensive care unit in Saudi. Saleh’s troops on Thursday killed two pro-protester gunmen in the southern protest hub of Taez while fighting intensified in the southern town of Zinjibar, held by suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen since last month. The pro- and anti-regime camps, meanwhile, have called for mass protests on Friday. Fireworks crackled over Sanaa on Wednesday night as Saleh loyalists took to the streets “feting the success of the surgery... and his transfer from intensive care to a royal suite” in a Riyadh hospital, Saba state news agency said. The celebratory gunfire wounded about 80 people in the capital alone, medical sources said. Witnesses said there were also casualties in provincial towns. Full report at: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/June/middleeast_June282.xml§ion=middleeast ------ Jeddah festival expected to draw 4m visitors, do brisk business By MD HUMAIDAN Jun 10, 2011 JEDDAH: The Jeddah 2011 festival will be held from July 2 to Sept. 2 and is expected to draw about 4 million visitors and make billions of riyals, chairman of the organizing committee Prince Abdullah bin Saud announced on Friday. He said this would be the longest festival in the history of the city and would continue for 70 days. Prince Abdullah, who is also chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (JCCI) Tourism Committee, said the festival on the southern Corniche would feature more than 200 various entertainment programs and tourist and cultural activities. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article451579.ece ------ Jordan to free thousands under general amnesty By ABDUL JALIL MUSTAFA Jun 10, 2011 AMMAN: Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said Thursday that about 4,000 prisoners would be pardoned under a general amnesty issued by King Abdallah. He told a press conference that 457 of the pardoned prisoners were convicted by the State Security Court. He said that about 1,500 prisoners would be freed immediately while the rest would be released in successive batches. The freed prisoners would include hundreds of Islamist fundamentalists who were involved in the 2002 riots in the southern city of Maan. The prime minister said that more than 1 million citizens benefited from the interim general amnesty law, which excluded crimes pertaining to espionage, state security, narcotics, rape, premeditated murder, financing of terrorism, money laundering and forgery of banknotes. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451437.ece ------ Kurdish party cries foul over Turkish court ruling By SEYHMUS CAKAN Jun 10, 2011 DIYARBAKIR, Turkey: Kurdish politicians condemned on Thursday a Turkish court ruling that could prevent a jailed colleague entering parliament if he is elected when Turkey votes in three days’ time. Lawyers for Hatip Dicle, an influential Kurdish politician, said the appeals court had rejected his final challenge to a conviction for “spreading terrorist propaganda.” Dicle is one of several Kurdish candidates currently in jail charged with links to Kurdish rebels. The verdict dealt a new blow to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which hopes to send several dozen candidates to parliament. “An attack is being staged against our party in every sense,” BDP joint chairman Hamit Geylani told a news conference in the city of Diyarbakir in the mainly Kurdish southeast. “The judiciary has become politicized up to its neck... Why has Hatip Dicle’s punishment been left until today?” he told a news conference, saying there was no obstacle to his election. Full report at: http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article451419.ece URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=4808 |
9:46 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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