Saddam Hussein Look-Alike Kidnapped At Gunpoint to Act in Porn Film
New Age Islam News Bureau
15
Sept 2012
Arab World
• Saddam Hussein Look-Alike Kidnapped At Gunpoint to Act in Porn Film
• Multi-Faith Lebanon Should Be Model for Middle East: Pope
• Egypt Islamist Preachers Say Film Makers Deserve Death
• Syrian schools destroyed as new term looms
• Syria envoy warning follows Assad meeting
• One dead, 53 police injured in Cairo protest over film
• I have no regrets, says 'producer' of hate video
• Dubai Customs launches online open contest “Nema”
• Clashes over sacrilegious film continue across Islamic world
North America
• US ‘absolutely’ reject contents of ‘disgusting’ anti-Islam film
• Anti-Islam film clip on YouTube made by porn director
• Ex-convict linked to anti-Islam film questioned as protests go global
• Members of burned Missouri mosque look to an uncertain future
• White House asks YouTube to review anti-Islam video
• U.S.: Syria Must End Nuclear Stonewalling, Conflict No Excuse
• Free Muslims Condemn Anti-American protests & Anti-Muslim Film
• YouTube rejects White House request to pull anti-Islam film clip
• Google Has No Plans to Rethink Video Status
• Diplomats’ Bodies Return to U.S., and Libyan Guards Recount Deadly Riot
• Barack Obama warns US won't tolerate attacks on its citizens
• Obama needs to show leadership in Middle East: experts
• White House keeping close watch on Iranian nuclear program
• Ambassador's killing: US scrambles to rush spies, drones to Libya
• Anti-American Protests over Film Enter 4th Day
India
• Defaced Quran triggers riot in Ghaziabad, UP
• Anti- Islam film protest fire spreads to India
• IB & RAW against panel grilling 26/ 11 witnesses
• India not to let Pak panel to cross-examine 26/11 witnesses
• Kashmir police prevent protests against the YouTube movie trailer
• YouTube blocks anti-Islam film in India
Mideast Asia
• Scholars, Al-Azhar demand Iran refrain from screening film on beloved Prophet
• Al Qaeda urges Muslims to kill US diplomats
• Concern for Palestinian Detainees
• US Embassies Attacked in Yemen, Egypt After Libya Envoy Killed
Pakistan
• Sindh HC restrains authorities from demolishing Hindu temple
• Pak Taliban urges Muslim youth to rise up
• Baloch leader calls for support to UN mission
• Transferred N-tech to 2 countries on Benazir's Bhutto orders: AQ Khan
• Nawaz Sharif asks Hindu community ‘not to leave Pakistan’
• Pak should improve its relations with India: A Q Khan
• UN team on missing persons arrives in Quetta
• Dasht killings conspiracy against Baloch: Bugti
• Monitoring blasphemy: YouTube, Facebook not being blocked, say officials
• Pakistan slams US ‘pick and choose’ policy in Afghanistan
• Imran Khan likens Muslim sentiment for blasphemy to Jews' for holocaust
• Anti-Islam film sparks protests in country
• Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to recreate Pakistan on foundations of justice, says Imran
• Ten killed in renewed wave of violence in Karachi
• NLC scam: 3 ex-generals
to face court martial
• State Minister for I & B underlines importance of preserving Islamic art
South Asia
• MP Nasheed proposes bill criminalising sexual offenses
• Protests over anti-Islamic movie spread to the Maldives
• Afghan Insurgents Attack Base Where Prince Harry Serves
• Bomb kills 12 women and children in Afghan south
• Hizbut Towhid outlawed in Bangladesh
• ‘Rakhine state needs immediate aid’
• Taliban link killing of 2 US marines in Afghanistan to anti-Islam film
• Fate of Afghan refugees discussed: Tripartite Commission
• Afghanistan Votes in Spy Chief, Easing Row With Karzai
• Afghan house approves security officials
• Kabul attack linked to anti-Islam film
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Shiites challenge blasphemy law in court
• Certification of Ulema Would Help Protect Fabric of Our Plural Nation
• Hizbut Tahrir holds protest at US Embassy in Jakarta
• Jakarta Man Faces 15 Years Over Fake Bomb Threat
• Online Freedom Falls Prey to Anti-Islam Film Violence
Africa
• You Can’t Islamise Nigeria: Former President to Boko Haram
• Extremists may strike, US warns citizens in Nigeria
• Jama’at Ta’awunil Muslimeen advocates religious tolerance
• Meet Victor Olisa, Nigerian-Born First Black London Met Police Chief
• Violence spreads as anti-US rage intensifies
• 2 killed outside U.S. Embassy in Sudan
• South Africa Warns Against Violence as Protests Fester
• Tunisia's Ruling Party Condemns US Embassy Attack
• Mali: Weighing Intervention Plans
Europe
• Tajikistan agrees Russian base deal to curb militant threat
• Imran Farooq was planning to re-enter politics: UK police
Australia
• Anti-Islam Film Protests Spread to Sydney
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Multi-Faith Lebanon Should Be Model for Middle East: Pope
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Arab World
Saddam Hussein Look-Alike Kidnapped At Gunpoint to Act In Porn Film
Sep 15 2012
London: A Saddam Hussein’s look-alike in the Egyptian city of Alexandria has revealed that gunmen abducted him and tried to force him to impersonate the tyrant in a porn film.
Egyptian Mohamed Bishr was offered 205,000 pounds to play the Iraqi dictator, who was executed six years ago, the Mirror reported.
He revealed that shortly after he snubbed the thugs’ threatening phone calls, three men in black suits snatched him from his car, while he was headed to a café, and beat him up after he still insisted that he would not do the hardcore sex flick.
Apparently, the gang had wanted to pass the tape off as genuine footage of former-Iraqi leader Hussein.
Bishr, who was recovering in hospital from his beating, said: “The three men, who had guns hanging from their belts, forced me out of my car and shoved me into a van, hitting my head.”
Bishr, from Alexandria on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, is so similar to Hussein that he has previously been attacked by Iraqi’s living there, who mistook him for the toppled dictator.
“We asked the police to put special protection on our father because this has happened several times,” his son Mahmood said.
Bishr said passers-by witnessed the assault but were too afraid to get involved. The last thing he said that he remembered was being thrown from the van on to the pavement.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/saddam-hussein-lookalike-kidnapped-at-gunpoint-to-act-in-porn-film/1003049/
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Multi-Faith Lebanon Should Be Model for Middle East: Pope
15 September 2012
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Pope Benedict urged multi-faith Lebanon on Saturday to be a model of peace and religious coexistence for the Middle East, which he called a turbulent region that "seems to endure interminable birth pangs".
The pope, on the second day of a visit clouded by war in neighbouring Syria and protests across the Muslim world, told a gathering of Lebanese political, religious and cultural leaders that religious freedom was a basic right for all people.
Christianity and Islam have lived together in Lebanon for centuries, he said, sometimes within one family. "If this is possible within the same family, why should it not be possible at the level of the whole of society?" he asked.
"Lebanon is called, now more than ever, to be an example," he said, inviting his audience "to testify with courage, in season and out of season, wherever you find yourselves, that God wants peace, that God entrusts peace to us".
Lebanon - torn apart by a 1975-1990 sectarian civil war - is a religious mosaic of over four million people whose Muslim majority includes Sunnis, Shiites and Alawites. Christians, over one-third of the population, are divided into more than a dozen churches, six of them linked to the Vatican.
The German-born pontiff, 85, delivered his speech in French at the presidential palace after meeting President Michel Suleiman, a Maronite Christian, Sunni Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, a Shi'ite.
Outside the palace, a Muslim onlooker named Amira Chabchoul said: "We came to support the pope and also get support from him, because our experience has been that when we listen to him, we are touched and we are helped in our lives."
On Friday hundreds of protesters against an anti-Islam film dodged gunfire and teargas to hurl stones at security forces in Lebanon's Tripoli where one demonstrator was killed and two injured. Protesters chanted "We don't want the pope" and "No more insults (to Islam)".
REGIONAL MIX
In his remarks, Suleiman said the Syrian people should be able to "attain what they desire in terms of reform, freedom, democracy ... through the appropriate dialogue and political means, away from any form of violence and coercion".
Benedict began his visit on Friday with a call for an end to all arms supplies to Syria, where the tiny Christian minority fears reprisals if Islamists come to power at the end of the bloody insurgency against President Bashar al-Assad.
He also described the Arab Spring movement as a "cry for freedom" that was a positive development as long as it ensured tolerance for all religions.
Coptic Christians, about 10 percent of Egypt's population, have come under repeated attack by Islamists since the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak. They worry the new government will strengthen Islamic law in the new constitution.
In Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, hard-line Salafis have brought a new religious intolerance against fellow Muslims such as Sufis, whose shrines they are destroying as heretical.
Benedict avoided mentioning specific cases, but spelled out clearly the moral reasoning against violence and radicalism.
"If we want peace, let us defend life," he said. "This approach leads us to reject not only war and terrorism, but every assault on innocent human life."
Before his speech, Benedict held a private meeting with leaders of the Sunni, Shi'ite and Alawite Muslim communities and of the Druze, an offshoot of Shi'ism with other influences.
All main religious groups, including the militant Shi'ite Hezbollah movement, assured the Vatican in advance of their support for the trip and their representatives have attended several of the pope's events with other faith leaders.
MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
The pope angered Muslims in 2006 with a similar speech that implied Islam was violent and irrational, leading to protests around the Islamic world similar to the current wave of violence against a U.S.-made film that mocks the Prophet Mohammad.
In subsequent dialogue with Muslim scholars known as the Common Word group, he adopted their argument that both faiths actually had much in common, especially sharing the two main commandments to love God and neighbour.
He included that view in his Beirut speech when he warned the devil used human beings to spread evil in the world.
"Having broken the first commandment, love of God, it goes on to distort the second, love of neighbour. Love of neighbour disappears, yielding to falsehood, envy, hatred and death."
Chief Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani praised the pope for visiting "in these fateful circumstances that Lebanon and the region are living through" and stressed the common goals of both faiths, "not just in Lebanon but in the whole Arab world".
"The flight of Christians hurts us Muslims because it means we cannot live with others. We value the Christian presence in Lebanon and the Arab region and the partnership in the national unity in Lebanon," he said.
In an appeal to the region he issued on Friday, Benedict called for more Muslim-Christian dialogue and urged Christians not to leave the region where their faith was born.
Emigration, wars and a low birth rate have cut Christian ranks to about five percent of the Middle Eastern population compared to 20 percent a century ago.
After the speech, Benedict rode through southern Beirut in his pope mobile, flanked by mounted guards of honour and cheered on by crowds waving Lebanese and Vatican flags.
(Additional reporting by Laila Bassam; Editing by Louise Ireland)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/15reuters-pope-
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Egypt Islamist Preachers Say Film Makers Deserve Death
Sep 14, 2012
CAIRO (Reuters) - Two Islamist preachers in Egypt told worshippers on Friday that those who made a movie deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammad deserved to die under sharia (Islamic law) but they urged protesters not to take their anger out on diplomats or others.
Although the comments could be taken by some ordinary Muslims as an edict to take the law into their hands, many Egyptians believe that only the prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and seat of learning has the authority to issue decrees.
An Al-Azhar preacher on Friday said protests should be peaceful, a state newspaper reported.
Many Muslims deem it blasphemous to depict the Prophet in any form, and have been enraged by a movie made in the United States that portrayed him as a womanizer and religious fake, and protesters have stormed U.S. diplomatic missions in several Muslim countries.
"Those who produced the movie should be tried and killed," Mahmoud Shabaan, a sheikh from the ultra-orthodox Salafi school, told worshippers at Cairo's al-Nour mosque, citing actions by the Prophet's followers and Islamic teachings.
He also said the movie-makers should have a fair and urgent trial, adding that "nothing less than death was appropriate" for those who had insulted the Prophet.
At least one of the promoters of the film is an Egyptian Coptic Christian now living in America. Comments suggesting targeting those behind the film could stoke already heightened tensions between Muslims and Christians, who account for about 10 percent of Egypt's 83 million people.
Shabaan also said embassies and diplomats, as well as police, should not be attacked. "We should express our anger, but in a peaceful way that is governed by sharia," he said, after demonstrators scaled the U.S. embassy walls in Cairo this week, battling with police nearby since then.
MURSI CONDEMNS VIOLENCE
Those remarks echoed comments by Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, which he repeated again on a trip to Italy on Friday.
Mursi condemned insults to the Prophet but called for peaceful protests, condemned violence and said Egypt was committed to protecting embassies. He also condemned the killing of the U.S. ambassador in an attack by gunmen in Libya.
In Alexandria, Sheikh Ahmed Mahlawi said: "I demand retribution for those who insult the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, and spilling their blood is a legal duty."
Youssry Hammad, spokesman for the Salafi al-Nour party, which secured a big bloc of seats in Egypt's parliamentary election, said the group rejected insults to the Prophet but also rejected any calls to kill the film producers.
"We also refuse any attacks on embassies," he said.
At Al-Azhar in Cairo, preacher Mohamed al-Mukhtar al-Mahdi condemned the film but told protesters not to use violence and said foreigners in Egypt should not be targeted and should be kept safe, the website of Al-Ahram newspaper said.
He also said companies that funded the movie should be tracked down and boycotted. Such calls for a boycott were echoed by others, with some calling for boycotting Western or Jewish products, an apparent response to some initial reports that Jewish donors had backed the film.
Jewish groups have condemned reports that they supported the film, CNN reported on its website.
The Salafi Call, an influential group of ultra-orthodox Salafi Muslim sheikhs, had on Wednesday called for suspending cooperation between the Egyptian and U.S. government until America "takes practical measures to stop this farce."
U.S. President Barack Obama's administration said it had nothing to do with the film and condemned it, but that it could not curb the constitutional right to free speech in the United States even if some views expressed might be offensive.
(Reporting by Tamim Elyan, Mohamed Abdellah and Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/14/world/africa/14reuters-protests-
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Syrian schools destroyed as new term looms
14 September 2012
GENEVA — Over 2,000 Syrian schools have been damaged or destroyed and hundreds more are being used as shelters, the UN said Friday, warning it faced a staggering challenge to prepare for the new school year.
“It’s going to be an immense challenge,” Marixie Mercado, a spokeswoman for the UN children’s agency UNICEF told reporters in Geneva, ahead of the start of the new term in Syria on Sunday.
Mercado said it was crucial for children to return to school to shift focus from the “nightmare” they are living after 18 months of escalating conflict in Syria that has killed 27,000 people according to activists.
More than 2,000 of Syria’s 22,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed, Mercado said, citing Syrian education ministry figures, while over 800 are sheltering displaced families, “200 more than last week”.
“For children, being back at school is one of the most effective ways of giving them a sense of stability, hope and normality,” said Mercado. “It really is a hugely important way of enabling children who have gone through a nightmare to see that they do have a future.”
She said UNICEF was only operational in the southern town of Deraa, regarded as the cradle of the uprsing against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, as well as rural Damascus and the northern city of Latakia.
“Obviously the security conditions will dictate which schools open and which will not,” Mercado said.
“We’ve carried out light repairs on 67 schools and another 100 will be rehabilitated in coming days and weeks.”
Families sheltered in schools are being moved to sports halls and other public buildings by the Syrian government and are receiving support from UNICEF in the form of vaccinations and recreation kits.
Faced with insufficient space to teach pupils, schools may have to double-shift or send children elsewhere, said Mercado.
The situation is less clear for children of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, she added, with classes yet to begin in Jordan’s Zaatari camp and no specific date on when that might happen.Â
Otherwise, Jordanian authorities have declared that Syrian children not living in refugee camps can attend the country’s schools, which opened last week, the UN agency said in a statement.
In Lebanon, the authorities are trying to place an estimated 32,000 children, but capacity “is already a concern,” UNICEF said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2012/September/middleeast_September162.xml
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Syria envoy warning follows Assad meeting
15 September 2012
New Syrian peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has held his first talks with President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus.
He warned after the meeting that the crisis was deteriorating and presented a "threat to the world", as well as the region and the Syrian people.
The UN-Arab League mediator is on his first trip to Syria, where thousands have been killed since the conflict began in March last year.
Mr Brahimi has described his peace mission as a "nearly impossible" task.
The activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 132 people were killed in Syria on Friday, 100 of them civilians, including 18 in Damascus, the capital.
The report has not been independently verified.
"The crisis is dangerous and getting worse, and it is a threat to the Syrian people, the region and the world," said the veteran Algerian diplomat.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19609358
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One dead, 53 police injured in Cairo protest over film
September 15, 2012
A protester died on Friday and 53 police officers were injured during clashes outside the US embassy in Cairo where demonstrators decried a US-made film that mocks Islam, security sources said.
The body of 35-year-old Ismail Rashad Ahmed was taken to a local hospital by a friend
who said he had died of gunshot wounds as the pair were taking part in the protest, the official Mena news agency reported the sources as saying.
Security sources also said 53 police officers were injured during the clashes, seven of them also receiving bullet wounds.
The protests against the US embassy began on Tuesday when several thousand people gathered, with one group replacing the American flag with an Islamic one.
The protests have since become smaller, mainly composed of youths sporadically attempting to breach the security lines and enter the embassy.
The protests again broke out when Muslims emerged from mosques following weekly prayers Friday to voice their anger at a crude film made in the United States by a right-wing Christian group that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Africa/One-dead-53-police-injured-in-Cairo-protest-over-film/Article1-930260.aspx
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I have no regrets, says 'producer' of hate video
Sep 15, 2012
AMMAN: A man who claims to be the producer of an anti-Islam movie that has sparked violent protests across the Arab world and in several Muslim-majority countries says he has no regrets about making the film.
"No, I do not regret it. I am saddened by the killing of US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans but I do not regret making it," Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a 55-year-old Egyptian Copt living in California, told American Arabic-language Radio Sawa.
Mob in the Libyan city of Benghazi was angered by the film, "Innocence of Muslims". "I am the one who leaked the 14 minutes and put it on the internet and I am thinking about releasing the full film. Nobody manipulated my film," Nakoula said.
Asked if he felt guilty that the violence is being directed against American citizens, Nakoula said: "Yes, I feel guilty. America has nothing to do with this subject and is suffering the consequences of a film that has nothing to do with it."
"I have a message for the whole world and not for Muslims. I hope that you watch the movie in full before you judge it." He described himself as "an Arab thinker interested in Islamic affairs".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/I-have-no-regrets-says-producer-of-hate-video/articleshow/16405247.cms
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Dubai Customs launches online open contest “Nema”
12 September 2012
Dubai Customs has announced the launch of an online open contest, entitled “Nema”, for everyone to share their proposals and contributions in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The best proposals for sustainable and economically-rewarding projects in the fields of environment, community, trade activity, work environment, national identity and customer service, will be chosen.
Nema was specifically designed to encourage online public contributions in CSR programs, enabling all segments of society from different nationalities in the UAE and beyond to exchange new CSR-related concepts and ideas.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/inside.asp?xfile=/data/government/2012/September/government_September32.xml§ion=government
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Clashes over sacrilegious film continue across Islamic world
September 15, 2012
CAIRO: Demonstrators, furious at a blasphemous film clashed with the police near the US embassy in Cairo on Friday before a nationwide protest called by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Protesters also clashed with police in Yemen, where one person died and 15 were injured on Thursday when the US embassy compound was stormed, and crowds gathered against the California-made film in Malaysia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh Jordan and Iraq.
In Nigeria, the government put police on alert and stepped up security around foreign missions.A demonstrator was killed and 25 people hurt in clashes with police on Friday after an angry crowd set fire to a KFC restaurant in northern Lebanon, a security source said.
The attack on the US fast-food chain’s outlet came as Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Lebanon for a three-day visit, calling for Christian-Muslim coexistence and attacking religious extremism.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-17472-Clashes-over-sacrilegious-film-continue-across-Islamic-world
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North America
US ‘absolutely’ rejects contents of ‘disgusting’ anti-Islam film
14 Sep 2012
WASHINGTON - The United States on Thursday “absolutely” rejected the contents and message of an anti-Islam film circulating on the Internet, with its chief diplomat Hillary Clinton also reaffirming America’s commitment to religious tolerance and respect for people of faith.
The US Secretary of State termed the video as “disgusting and reprehensible” and said it “appears to have a deeply cynical purpose to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage.” Clinton also strongly condemned the retaliatory violence against US diplomats as she spoke after protests broke out in several Middle Eastern countries against the film made in the United States. The deadly reaction to the video in Libya led to the killing US ambassador to that country and three other American personnel while protestors Thursday stormed American embassy in Yemen. “Let me state very clearly — and I hope it is obvious — that the United States government had absolutely nothing to do with this video. We absolutely reject its content and message,” she said.
“And we have the greatest respect for people of faith,” she added. Continuing, Clinton noted, “to us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage. But, Clinton stressed, there is no justification, none at all, for responding to this video with violence. “We condemn the violence that has resulted, in the strongest terms. And we greatly appreciate that many Muslims in the United States and around the world have spoken out on this issue.”
She said America’s commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of the nation. “We are home to people of all religions, many of whom came to this country seeking the right to exercise their own religion, including, of course, millions of Muslims.” The US Secretary of State also voiced the hope that steps will be take to avoid escalation of protests into violence.
Full report at:
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/09/14/news/national/us-absolutely-rejects-contents-of-disgusting-anti-islam-film/
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Anti-Islam film clip on YouTube made by porn director
Sep 15, 2012
LOS ANGELES: The inflammatory anti-Islam film that has triggered rioting across the Muslim world was produced by a US religious group called Media for Christ and reportedly directed by a pornographer.
The man apparently behind the film -- entitled "Innocence of Muslims" on its 14-minute YouTube trailer -- is a US-based Egyptian Copt and fraudster who may have violated his parole, US officials said Friday.
The film was directed by 65-year-old Alan Roberts, a veteran whose prior oeuvre was dominated by schlock soft porn and hammy action with titles like "Young Lady Chatterley II" and "Karate Cop," according to website Gawker.
Gawker interviewed members of the cast of "Innocence of Muslims," who say they were duped into appearing in what they thought was a fictional epic, only to discover their lines had been dubbed over with anti-Muslim propaganda.
Roberts's casting call lists the leading roles as George, Condalisa and Hillary, but in the finished version, the script was doctored to make them represent the Prophet Mohammed and figures from the Koran.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/internet/Anti-Islam-film-clip-on-YouTube-made-by-porn-director/articleshow/16409959.cms
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Ex-convict linked to anti-Islam film questioned as protests go global
15 September 2012
LOS ANGELES/SYDNEY: As a wave protests spread worldwide against an anti-Islam film posted on the Internet, US sheriffs in California took a man linked to the provocative video for questioning on Saturday.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, voluntarily left his home in the early hours of Saturday morning for the meeting in a sheriff’s station in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
Nakoula, who has denied involvement in the film in a phone call to his Coptic Christian bishop, was led out of his home by several sheriff’s deputies, his face shielded by a scarf, hat and sunglasses.
“He will be interviewed by federal probation officers,” Whitmore said, adding that Nakoula had not been placed under arrest. “He was never put in handcuffs... It was all voluntary.”
Nakoula, who has denied involvement in the film in a phone call to his Coptic Christian bishop, was led out of his home by several sheriff’s deputies, his face shielded by a scarf, hat and sunglasses.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/ex-convict-linked-anti-islam-film-questioned-protests-go-global
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Members of burned Missouri mosque look to an uncertain future
By Kellie Kotraba
September 14, 2012
JOPLIN, Mo. — When the mosque here on the outskirts of town burned to the ground on Aug. 6, the imam’s 4-year-old son knew what to do.
He wanted to build another.
After all, that’s what his family had done with their home after it was destroyed by the tornado that tore through the town a little more than a year earlier.
The imam’s family has a new home, but the wait for a new mosque is going to take a while.
A little more than a month after the Islamic Society of Joplin mosque was destroyed by fire, the local Muslim community is moving forward with support from the interfaith community.
But progress is slow.
For now, one mosque member has opened up his home for prayers and gatherings. There are about 40 families in the Muslim community, but not everyone comes for all the prayers. The most crowded time is Fridays, when about 30 or 40 people gather.
There’s no timeline for construction yet, and no structural plans. The basic need is a worship space, but the old building also had areas for teaching and social activities.
“It is the centre for everything,” said Imam Lahmuddin, the mosque’s imam.
When the time does come to rebuild, the Islamic Society of Joplin will have financial backing from across the country. An online fundraiser for a new building has raised more than $400,000, surpassing the $250,000 goal.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/members-of-burned-missouri-mosque-
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White House asks YouTube to review anti-Islam video
Sep 15, 2012
Hit by spiraling tide of anti-American protests in the Muslim world, the White House today asked Google-owned YouTube to review continued uploading of a controversial film deemed offensive to Islam.
Holding the video as primarily responsible for the violent anti-US protests in the Middle East and North African countries, the Obama administration has told the YouTube to see if it was in compliance with their terms of use.
"We reached out to YouTube to call the video to their attention and asked them to review whether it violates their terms of use," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/white-house-asks-youtube-review-anti-islam-video-144
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U.S.: Syria Must End Nuclear Stonewalling, Conflict No Excuse
Sep 14, 2012
VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States accused Syria on Friday of using the "brutal repression" of its people waging an uprising as an excuse not to address U.N. nuclear watchdog concerns about suspected past illicit nuclear activity in the Arab state.
For its part, Syria insisted at a debate of the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency that it had agreed last year with the IAEA on how to handle the issue. This was denied on Monday by the IAEA chief in a speech to the board.
The IAEA has long sought access to a site in Syria's desert Deir al-Zor region that U.S. intelligence reports say was a nascent, North Korean-designed reactor designed to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons before Israel bombed it in 2007.
The Vienna-based watchdog has also been requesting information about three other sites that may have been linked to Deir al-Zor.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said earlier this yeart Syria had asked for understanding of its "delicate situation" in response to requests for Syrian cooperation with his inspectors' inquiry.
President Bashar al-Assad is fighting a 17-month-old revolt in which more than 27,000 people have been killed.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/14/world/middleeast/14reuters-nuclear-syria-
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Free Muslims Condemn Anti-American protests & Anti-Muslim Film
15 September 2012
A hateful filmmaker based in California produced a movie attacking the last prophet of Islam. In one scene, the movie replaces the instance in which Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel informed Prophet Mohammad of his mission with a woman asking Mohammad to stick his head between her legs as if to perform oral sex. The film implies that Prophet Mohammad received his mission from a woman's vagina rather than from the Angle Gabriel. In response to the film, ultra-conservative Muslims began demonstrating against the United States. In Libya demonstrators attacked the U.S. mission whereby a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed.
Initially, it was reported that the maker of the movie was an Israeli Jew and later it was reported that it was a right wing Christian. Regardless of who produced the movie, the ever growing number of hateful Americans whose main mission is to defame Muslims should be condemned for their hateful speech that hurts American interests all over the world.
Similarly, Muslims who demonstrate violently against the United States should also be condemned. Unfortunately, many in the Muslim world do not understand that the United States cannot outlaw films attacking religion. In much of the Muslim world, there are written and unwritten rules that prevent people from attacking religion publicly. This is because the type of separation of religion and state that exists in the United States does not exist in Muslim countries, including substantially secular Muslim countries.
In this regard, American Muslim leader have a special responsibility to explain to the world wide Muslim populations the nature of separation of religion and state that exists in the United States. American Muslim leaders should explain that while freedom of speech often leads to hate speech, most times society benefits from free speech. Free speech develops critical thinking among the general population and acts as a protector against governments that attempt to violate the civil rights of its people. This message maybe received well currently in light of the Arab Spring where people fought and are fighting to protect their civil rights.
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YouTube rejects White House request to pull anti-Islam film clip
Sep 15 2012
Washington : Google Inc rejected a request by the White House on Friday to reconsider its decision to keep online a controversial YouTube movie clip that has ignited anti-American protests in the Middle East.
The Internet company said it was censoring the video in India and Indonesia after blocking it on Wednesday in Egypt and Libya, where U.S. embassies have been stormed by protestors enraged over depiction of the Prophet Mohammad as a fraud and philanderer.
Hit by spiraling tide of anti-American protests in the Muslim world, the White House had asked Google-owned YouTube to review continued uploading of a controversial film deemed offensive to Islam.
Holding the video as primarily responsible for the violent anti-US protests in the Middle East and North African countries, the Obama administration has told the YouTube to see if it was in compliance with their terms of use.
"We reached out to YouTube to call the video to their attention and asked them to review whether it violates their terms of use," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/youtube-rejects-white-house-request-to-pull-antiislam-film-clip/1003000/
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Google Has No Plans to Rethink Video Status
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER
15 September 2012
SAN FRANCISCO — Google said on Friday that it would not comply with a White House request to reconsider the anti-Islam video that has set off violent protests in the Arab world in light of its rules banning hate speech on YouTube, which it owns.
Google said it had already determined that the video did not violate its terms of service regarding hate speech, because it was against the Muslim religion but not Muslim people.
The company also said Friday that it had blocked access to the video in India and Indonesia because it violated local laws.
These actions came after Google temporarily blocked the video on Wednesday in Egypt and Libya of its own volition — not because it violated laws or YouTube’s terms of service — an extraordinary measure that it said it took in response to the delicacy of the situation. The video is accessible in the rest of the world, even as protests spread to nearly 20 countries, from North Africa to Indonesia.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/google-wont-rethink-anti-islam-
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Diplomats’ Bodies Return to U.S., and Libyan Guards Recount Deadly Riot
By PETER BAKER, DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and SULIMAN ALI ZWAY
15 September 2012
WASHINGTON — As four flag-draped coffins bearing the bodies of the Americans killed in Libya arrived in the United States on Friday, new details emerged of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’s final hours, alone, locked in a smoke-filled room in a diplomatic mission under siege.
In a solemn ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside the capital, President Obama said the victims “laid down their lives for us all” and vowed to honor their memory by never retreating from the world.
The arrival, broadcast live on news channels, proved an emotional culmination to an episode that has rocked Washington and American embassies around the world, even as details of those final fateful moments only now began to come clear. When the attack on the diplomatic compound occurred, officials said, Ambassador Stevens was separated from his security detail — and was located only later, at the hospital in Benghazi, where he had been pronounced dead.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/ambassadors-body-back-in-us-libya-guards-recount-riot.html?ref=world
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Barack Obama warns US won't tolerate attacks on its citizens
Sep 15 2012
Washington : As anti-American violence continued unabated across Muslim nations, President Barack Obama today warned that the US would not 'tolerate' attacks on its citizens, with his administration mulling sending more specially-trained marines to the region to respond to the growing unrest.
With violence against Americans and those from western nations entering the fourth day in the Middle East, north Africa and south and east Asia, Obama, in a tough message, made it clear that the US will never tolerate efforts to harm Americans and will ensure that those who attack them find no escape from justice.
Obama's blunt message to those indulging in anti-US attacks came as top White House officials blamed the tide of unrest on an inflammatory anti-Islam video and said they anticipated the protests would "continue for some more time."
Concerned over protesters breaching security perimeters around some of the US missions, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland asked governments of the region to deploy enough resources to protect diplomatic personnel and facilities.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/barack-obama-warns-us-wont-tolerate-attacks-on-its-citizens/1003047/
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Obama needs to show leadership in Middle East: experts
September 15, 2012
The Obama administration is reaping the results of failing to show strong leadership in the Middle East as decades-old anger at "the American bogeyman" boils over into new violence, analysts say.
The hard-won freedoms of the Arab Spring have given people space to vent their
feelings, and as young democracies struggle to build their nations, it's easy for militants to move in and whip up a fury over any pretext.
At least 15 people have died, including four American diplomatic staff, in four days of protests against an amateur anti-Islam film made in the United States which have ripped across Egypt, Libya, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.
And analysts fear that without a more robust stand by US President Barack Obama -- who is deeply focused on his campaign for re-election in the November 6 elections -- the situation will just worsen.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/worldsectionpage/Chunk-HT-UI-USelection2012-
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White House keeping close watch on Iranian nuclear program
Sep 15, 2012
WASHINGTON: The White House has said it has its eyes on the Iranian nuclear program and possesses the capabilities to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear weapon.
"We have eyes onto the Iranian nuclear program and we would be aware of any so-called breakout move by the Iranians towards building a nuclear weapon.
"That has not occurred, but that window of opportunity will close at some point," the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, told reporters at his daily news conference.
"Iran needs to take seriously its responsibilities and to forego and forsake its nuclear weapons ambitions," Carney said responding to questions on Iranian nuclear ambition.
The US President has made it clear that he is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, he said.
"We are completely in sync with Israel on that matter. There is no daylight between the United States and Israel when it comes to the absolute commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," he added.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/White-House-keeping-close-watch-on-Iranian-nuclear-program/articleshow/16406244.cms
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Ambassador's killing: US scrambles to rush spies, drones to Libya
Sep 15, 2012
WASHINGTON: The US is sending more spies, Marines and drones to Libya, trying to speed the search for those who killed the US ambassador and three other Americans, but the investigation is complicated by a chaotic security picture in the post-revolutionary country, and limited American and Libyan intelligence resources.
The CIA has fewer people available to send, stretched thin from tracking conflicts across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
And the Libyans have barely re-established full control of their country, much less rebuilt their intelligence service, less than a year after the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gaddafi.
The US has already deployed an FBI investigation team, trying to track al-Qaida sympathizers thought to be responsible for turning a demonstration over an anti-Islamic video into a violent, coordinated militant attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Ambassadors-killing-US-scrambles-to-rush-spies-drones-to-Libya/articleshow/16408301.cms
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Anti-American Protests Over Film Enter 4th Day
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and ALAN COWELL
Sep 14, 2012
CAIRO — Anti-American protests inspired by a video denigrating the Prophet Muhammad entered a fourth straight day here in the Egyptian capital and other demonstrations erupted in much of the Middle East after Friday Prayer — an occasion often associated with public displays of dissent.
Witnesses in Cairo said protests that first flared on Tuesday — the day J. Christopher Stevens, the American ambassador in Libya, was killed in an attack in neighboring Libya — continued sporadically early Friday, with protesters throwing rocks and gasoline bombs near the American Embassy and the police firing tear gas.
In Lebanon, one person was killed and 25 injured as protesters attacked restaurants, while in Sudan demonstrations flared outside of the German and British embassies. There was also turmoil in Yemen, Bangladesh, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq. Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem, and held protests in the West Bank and Gaza.
State media in Egypt said that more than 220 people had been injured in the clashes since Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/anti-american-protests-over-film-enter-4th-day.html?_r=1&hp
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India
Defaced Quran triggers riot in Ghaziabad, UP
September 15, 2012
People in some villages near Indirapuram in Ghaziabad district took to vandalism and rioting on Friday after a copy of the Quran was found on the train tracks allegedly with abusive comments scribbled on various pages. It was also learnt that the people were even more incensed when they called a mobile number written on the pages and were abused.
“The area is inhabited by residents belonging to a particular community and both the news and anger at the incident spread like wild fire as soon as the pages were discovered,” a source said.
While commuters had to put up with traffic jams, the rioters allegedly looted people travelling in buses.
Four persons were injured and more than 60 vehicles either torched or vandalised.
The police blockaded National Highway 24, the centre of the episode, for hours. The security men had to resort to firing in the air and use tear gas shells to control the situation. Reinforcements from five other districts had to be called in to maintain law and order.
The Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), a unit of the Uttar Pradesh police, was summoned after more than 200 rioters stormed police stations and indulged in arson.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/UttarPradesh/Defaced-Quran-triggers-riot-in-Ghaziabad/Article1-930203.aspx
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Anti- Islam film protest fire spreads to India
15 September 2012
THE anti- US sentiment made its way into India on Friday as Muslims by the thousands took part in demonstrations in the northern and southern corners of the country.
Protests against the controversial anti- Islam film made in the US rocked several parts of Kashmir.
They were held after Friday prayers outside many mosques and shrines in the Valley against the blasphemous video, uploaded on YouTube recently.
Shouting slogans against the filmmaker, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Maisuma, Budshah Chowk, Court Road, Lal Chowk and Jamia Masjid areas, the police said.
Meanwhile, both the separatist and mainstream parties rejected Kashmir’s grand cleric Mufti Muhammad Bashirud- din’s threat to Americans warning them to leave the state immediately.
They termed the warning as unwarranted and dangerous.
“ We have nothing to do with the statement and we disassociate ourselves from it. Our fight is not against any nation or religion. We only say those who have made sacrilegious film about Islam should be punished. We are not for punishing people of any country. We are fighting for freedom of Kashmir and the grand Mufti is out to defame the movement by issuing such statements,” said Ayaz Akbar, the spokesman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani.
Full report at: Mail Today
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IB & RAW against panel grilling 26/ 11 witnesses
By Aman Sharma in New Delhi
15 September 2012
INTELLIGENCE agencies have expressed their concerns to the ministry of home affairs ( MHA) on the prospect of allowing the crossexamination of 26/ 11 witnesses by a Pakistani judicial commission.
The MHA had earlier this month sent a 30- page background note to the Intelligence Bureau ( IB), the Research and Analysis Wing ( RAW), and the ministry of external affairs, seeking their comments regarding the possible decision of allowing the cross- examination of four 26/ 11 witnesses by the Pakistani panel.
This was soon after Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Qasab’s death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, on August 29, intelligence sources said.
Full report at: Mail Today
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India not to let Pak panel to cross-examine 26/11 witnesses
Sep 15, 2012
NEW DELHI: India may not allow Pakistani judicial commission to visit Mumbai for cross-examining witnesses of the 26/11 case until Islamabad gives it an assurance over the status of the bilateral agreement. During the ongoing consultation process over Pakistan's demand to send the judicial commission to Mumbai for the second time, officials here have discussed various pros and cons with a section within the government asking why Islamabad cannot move its trial court again citing an agreement between the two sovereign countries.
"Both the countries, in the first place, had agreed not to go ahead with the cross-examination process. Pakistan can tell this to its court, requesting to honour the bilateral agreement," said an official, giving an example of what India did in the case of Abu Salem when it had approached Portugal for its deportation.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-not-to-let-Pak-panel-to-cross-examine-26/11-witnesses/articleshow/16405219.cms
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Kashmir police prevent protests against the YouTube movie trailer
Sep 14, 2012
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday prevented public protests in Kashmir valley against the YouTube movie trailer of 'Innocence of Muslims' by placing almost all top separatist leaders under house-arrest and by detaining several others.
Prominent separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mufti Azam (grand cleric) of Kashmir, Mufti Bashir-ud-din had called for protests across the valley on Friday, the day for congregational religious prayers. The Mufti Azam had also called for a complete shutdown for today. However, there was no response to his strike call, police said.
Official reports said that police placed Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Geelani under house-arrest late Thursday night and JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik and Javed Mir this morning. NF chairman Nayeem Khan, DFP chairman Shabir were also Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kashmir-police-prevent-protests-against-the-YouTube-movie-trailer/articleshow/16396998.cms
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YouTube blocks anti-Islam film in India
Sep 15 2012
Washington : Hit by spiraling tide of anti-American protests in the Muslim world, the White House today asked Google-owned YouTube to review continued uploading of a controversial film deemed offensive to Islam.
Holding the video as primarily responsible for the violent anti-US protests in the Middle East and North African countries, the Obama administration has told the YouTube to see if it was in compliance with their terms of use.
"We reached out to YouTube to call the video to their attention and asked them to review whether it violates their terms of use," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
However, officials emphasised that this was not any move to block the controversial video.
At the same time, the US reiterated its commitment to freedom of expression and speech and declined to take any action against banning or blocking this video, akin to that of several countries like India, Pakistan and Indonesia.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/youtube-blocks-antiislam-film-in-india/1003007/
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Mideast Asia
Scholars, Al-Azhar demand Iran refrain from screening film on beloved Prophet
NAWAL KSAR
15 September 2012
With the announcement almost three years ago about the production of a film portraying the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Iranian director Majeed Majeedi sparked a controversy all over the Islamic world. Now, as the film is ready for viewing, the temperature is rising.
First came the thought of presenting the Prophet’s (pbuh) personality, which is regarded inadmissible and undermines the religious values, as fatwas prohibit any depiction of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions.
The Iranian announcement about the film triggered resentment among Muslim scholars. Ahmed Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar said that production of such a film is not permitted religiously.
A statement by Al-Azhar scholars and elders demanded a prohibition on the film for it violates Islamic laws, and a firm and decisive stance toward Iran. “We demand that Iran refrain from releasing the movie so that the image of the Prophet (pbuh) is not distorted in the minds of Muslims,” the statement said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/scholars-al-azhar-demand-iran-refrain-screening-film-beloved-prophet
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Al Qaeda urges Muslims to kill US diplomats
September 15, 2012
The Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda urged Muslims to step up protests and kill more US diplomats in Muslim countries after a US-made film mocking the Prophet Mohammad which it said was another chapter in the "crusader wars" against Islam. "Whoever comes across America's ambassadors or
emissaries should follow the example of Omar al-Mukhtar's descendants (Libyans), who killed the American ambassador," the group said, referring to Tuesday's attack on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
"Let the step of kicking out the embassies be a step towards liberating Muslim countries from the American hegemony," a statement posted on an Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) website on Saturday said.
Fury about the film swept across the Middle East after Friday prayers, with protesters attacking US embassies and in protests that killed at least seven people and prompted Washington to send troops to bolster security at its missions.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/RestOfAsia/Al-Qaeda-urges-Muslims-to-kill-US-diplomats/Article1-930370.aspx
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Concern for Palestinian Detainees
15 September 2012
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, expressed “great concern” on Friday over the fate of three Palestinians on a hunger strike in Israeli detention after the International Committee of the Red Cross warned they risked death. A statement from her office said Ms. Ashton “requests the government of Israel to do all it can to preserve the health” of the three, Samer Barq, Hassan Safadi and Ayman Sharawneh. They have been on a hunger strike for weeks to demand their release.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/europe/concern-for-palestinian-
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US Embassies Attacked in Yemen, Egypt After Libya Envoy Killed
15 September 2012
SANAA/CAIRO (Reuters) - Demonstrators attacked the U.S. embassies in Yemen and Egypt on Thursday in protest at a film they consider blasphemous to Islam, and the United States sent warships toward Libya, where the U.S. ambassador was killed in related violence this week.
In Libya, authorities said they had made four arrests in the investigation into the attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi on Tuesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama, facing a new foreign policy crisis less than two months before seeking re-election, has vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the Benghazi attack, which U.S. officials said may have been planned in advance - possibly by an al Qaeda-linked group.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/15reuters-
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Pakistan
Sindh HC restrains authorities from demolishing Hindu temple
15 September 2012
KARACHI, Sept 14: The Sindh High Court on Friday restrained the Karachi Port Trust and other respondents from demolishing the structure of Shri Laxmi Narayan Mandir, a Hindu temple believed to have been constructed about 200 years ago at the Native Jetty Bridge.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Mushir Alam also appointed a Nazir of the court for inspection of the temple and directed him to submit his report after ascertaining the factual position of demolition and construction activity at the site within seven days.
The directions came on a constitutional petition filed by Kailash Wishram, a resident of the residential quarters on the temple premises, who impleaded the secretary of ports and shipping ministry, the chairman of the KPT, the SHO of the Jackson police station and a private company that ran a food court under the Jinnah Bridge as respondents.
The petitioner represented by Advocate Zain A. Jatoi submitted that he was a practising Hindu of a caste that was not given equal status by other members of the Hindu community.
He said that the Narayan Mandir was constructed much before the partition of the subcontinent and for a long time Hindus performed their religious rituals at the temple where access to seawater was one of the essential things to perform worship.
According to the Pakistan Hindu Council, the temple was constructed about 200 years ago and the festival of Raksha Bandhan (Nariyal Puja), Ganesh Chaturthi, ie birthday of Shri Ganesh Deva, and every new moon night is celebrated there.
It is a sacred place for performing death rituals, funerals and other religious rituals at the sea.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/15/shc-restrains-authorities-from-demolishing-hindu-temple/
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Pak Taliban urges Muslim youth to rise up
September 15, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday issued a call to young Muslims worldwide and within the country to rise up against an anti-Islam movie which mocks the Prophet Mohammed.
Hundreds of people demonstrated in cities across Pakistan on Friday to denounce the low-budget film, but there was none of the violence that left several dead in other parts of the Muslim world.
The movie, "Innocence of Muslims", portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent. A mob stormed the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Tuesday, killing the US ambassador and several other staff.
"We invite... especially youth of Pakistan to stand up in defence of their religion and its sanctity," Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said in an email.
"You are no less than the lads of Benghazi... stop looking toward your tyrant rulers that they will do something, as they have accepted a life of humiliation," the spokesman said. He added that "atrocities" against Muslims were rising across the world. "Zionist and crusader enemies of Islam are insulting the signs of Islam everywhere," the Taliban spokesman said.
Pakistan on Thursday blocked access to the video on the Internet and beefed up security around US diplomatic missions, following attacks on American consulates and embassies in Libya, Egypt and Yemen.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-67808-Pak-Taliban-urge-Muslim-youth-to-rise-up
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Baloch leader calls for support to UN mission
September 15, 2012
GENEVA: A Baloch leader has called on the Pakistani government to cooperate with the members of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance, led by Rapporteur chair Professor Olivier de Frouville and Professor Osman El-Hajje, who are on a 10-day fact finding mission to Pakistan, with special focus on Balochistan.
Mehran Baloch, Balochistan’s unofficial representative at the United Nations for nearly a decade now, was speaking to a general debate on Friday here on the topic of promotion and protection of all human rights.
He told the meeting that Balochistan is today Ethe world capital of enforced disappearances”. “These enforced disappearances in Balochistan pose the most serious challenge to the rights and freedoms promised by the UN to peoples of the world under Item 3,” he said.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-132100-Baloch-leader-calls-for-support-to-UN-mission
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Transferred N-tech to 2 countries on Benazir's Bhutto orders: AQ Khan
Sep 15 2012
Islamabad : Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan has claimed that he had transferred nuclear technology to "two countries" on the orders of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto.
"The then Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto summoned me and named the two countries which were to be assisted and issued clear directions in this regard," Khan said in an interview with the Jang media group.
He did not name the two countries.
Khan claimed he had no option but to obey Bhutto, who was killed by a suicide attacker in late 2007.
"I was not independent but was bound to abide by the orders of the Prime Minister, hence I did take this step in compliance with her order," he said.
"The prime minister would have certainly known about the role and cooperation of the two countries, mentioned by her, in our national interest," he claimed.
The transfer of nuclear technology is not easy and at least 800 people supervise the process, said Khan, who was placed under house arrest after he acknowledged in 2004 that he had run a clandestine proliferation ring.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/transferred-ntech-to-2-countries-on-benazirs-bhutto-orders-aq-khan/1003035/
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Nawaz Sharif asks Hindu community ‘not to leave Pakistan’
Sep 15 2012
Islamabad : Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif have urged the Hindu community not to leave the country, and criticized the government for ignoring the minorities in Sindh.
Sharif said the country belongs to the minorities as much as it belongs to the Muslims.
According to the Express Tribune, extending support to them, Sharif also said that Pakistan is incomplete without the people belonging to other religions.
Meanwhile, Sindh''s Minister for Minorities, Dr. Mohan Lal, recently rejected reports suggesting that Hindus from the province were migrating to India because of the poor law and order situation in the province.
Lal said the reports were just a propaganda aimed at maligning the Pakistan Peoples Party ( PPP) government.
He said over 4 million Hindus were living in Sindh, who consider Pakistan as their motherland.
Lal said it was a routine matter of Hindus visiting India for pilgrimage or to meet their relatives. The Hindus from Sindh, especially Jacobabad, Kashmore , Shikarpur, Larkana and Sukkur visit India every year for pilgrimage, he added.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nawaz-sharif-asks-hindu-community-not-to-leave-pakistan/1003002/
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Pak should improve its relations with India: A Q Khan
Sep 15 2012
Islamabad : Disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan, known for his anti-India stance, has said Pakistan should improve relations with India in order to counter alleged US plans to divide the country.
"The US agenda regarding Pakistan is very clear. It wants to divide Pakistan and wants to limit the country merely to the Punjab.
"The US wants to get a no-war pact signed with India after naming the Punjab as Pakistan whereas we should improve relations with and adopt a friendly attitude towards India, instead of signing a no-war pact with her," Khan said.
Khan said Pakistan's relations with India were "heading in the right direction nowadays".
Pakistan should promote friendly relations with India while sticking to its stance, he said in an interview with the Jang media group.
He said he does not want to play a role in national politics but has launched the Tehrik Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan party to protect the country.
He further said he does not want to assume power but wants to bring good and clean people in power.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-should-improve-its-relations-with-india-a-q-khan/1003023/
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UN team on missing persons arrives in Quetta
15 September 2012
QUETTA: A six-member working group of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances arrived in Quetta on Saturday, DawnNews reported.
The working group’s members were holding meetings in Balochistan’s provincial capital over the issue of ‘missing’ persons.
The team, during its Quetta visit, had already met with lawyers, representatives from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and other members of the civil society.
The group was also scheduled to meet with the relatives of the missing as well as with leaders of several political and nationalist parties.
Moreover, the group would also be briefed by officials from the provincial government on the missing persons’ issue.
The mandate of the UN team that had arrived in Pakistan on Sunday (Sept 9) was to collect data about the ‘missing’ persons.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/15/un-team-on-missing-persons-arrives-in-quetta/
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Dasht killings conspiracy against Baloch: Bugti
15 September 2012
QUETTA: Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) President Nawabzada Talal Bugti on Friday condemned the Dasht killings as a conspiracy against the Baloch and said that Baloch enemies were involved in the murder of innocent labourers. Addressing a press conference at the Bugti House, he said the missing persons’ case had deteriorated. “It is hoped that the UN working group would act as a bridge in this regard and present a positive report in the general council, which would result in hampering the killings and lawlessness in Balochistan,” Bugti said. He further said that if the working group of the UN could not succeed in presenting the ground realities before the world, JWP would consider the UN giving consent for killing Baloch. He demanded the UN working group not to compile its report while sitting in five-star hotels but instead reach out and meet the relatives of the missing persons so that the facts could be ascertained authentically. Bugti said the law and order situation had worsened throughout the country but was specifically visible in Balochistan. He warned the rulers to mend their ways before the situation slipped out of control. He said the army’s role was laudable, however, General (r) Pervez Musharraf, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) former DG Nadeem Taj and FC IG had tarnished its reputation. He demanded the army chief to depose Balochistan FC IG and court-martial him, saying he had a hand in the deterioration of law and order in Balochistan after Musharraf left. He alleged that the FC IG had gone to Naseerabad and Dera Bugti not to provide assistance to the flood victims but rather to kill them. He demanded that a genuine leadership be given a chance in the next general elections.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\15\story_15-9-2012_pg7_19
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Monitoring blasphemy: YouTube, Facebook not being blocked, say officials
September 15, 2012
ISLAMABAD: With an eye on recent world events, the government has decided to constitute a special team that will carry out round-the-clock monitoring of blasphemous material on the internet and block it.
A recently released anti-Islam film on YouTube has sparked anti-US protests across the Muslim world. The government claims that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and IT ministry have blocked 122 anti-Islamic websites during the past few days.
This monitoring team will be headed by a legal member of the ministry of information technology and will include officials from PTA and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The team’s mandate is to closely monitor blasphemous content, anti-Islamic slogans, videos, audio and other offensive material and block it.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/437038/monitoring-blasphemy-youtube-facebook-not-being-blocked-say-officials/
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Pakistan slams US ‘pick and choose’ policy in Afghanistan
By Kamran Yousaf
September 15, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday warned the United States against adopting a “pick-and-choose” policy to deal with Afghan insurgents, saying the move will not bode well for long-term peace and stability in the war-torn region.
The word of caution was conveyed to US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Marc Grossman in the first leg of his meetings with senior government and military officials during a two-day visit to Pakistan, a senior official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
Grossman arrived in Islamabad on Friday and held separate meetings with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
The official said discussions between Obama’s point-man for the region and Pakistani authorities will revolve around making the Afghan reconciliation process result-oriented. “We are more than willing to facilitate peace efforts, but the US has to come clean on some of the issues.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/437026/mixed-signals-pakistan-slams-us-pick-and-choose-policy-in-afghanistan/
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Imran Khan likens Muslim sentiment for blasphemy to Jews' for holocaust
By Sunara Nizami
September 15, 2012
CHITRAL: Touching upon the sensitive issue of the blasphemous film that has generated massive protests by Muslims everywhere, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan likened the sentiments of Muslims for blasphemy with that of the Jews’ for the holocaust and asked for similar rights with regard to hate speech.
Speaking in Chitral and talking the Jewish Holocaust as an example, Khan said that people in Europe can be jailed for just questioning the actuality of the massacre because it hurt the sentiments of the Jews.
“We are also being hurt in the name of ‘freedom of speech’,” said Khan. “We will also get the same law implemented for us in the West,” he added.
Khan said that the people of the West were ignorant of Islam and it was their ignorance which was being manipulated by the people spreading hate against the religion.
“They do not know how much we love our beloved Prophet (pbuh) … that Muslims are willing to sacrifice their lives for him,” said Khan.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/437192/imran-khan-likens-muslim-sentiment-for-blasphemy-to-jews-for-holocaust/
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Anti-Islam film sparks protests in country
15 September 2012
ISLAMABAD: Thousands of people demonstrated in cities and towns across the country on Friday to denounce an anti-Islam film produced in the US. In some places the demonstrators burned US flags and called for punishment of the filmmaker.
The low-budget film titled ‘Innocence of Muslims’, which has sparked fury across the Muslim world, portrays Muslims as immoral and violent.
Police beefed up security around US missions in the country after violent attacks on American consulates and embassies in the Middle East. But protests in Pakistan’s major cities passed off largely without any untoward incident.
In Lahore, Hafiz Saeed, the head of Jamaatud Dawa, led a 1,000-strong rally against the film. He urged the government to
summon the American ambassador to protest against the film.
Hundreds of students gathered outside the US Consulate in Lahore and burned the American flag.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/09/15/anti-islam-film-sparks-protests-in-country/
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Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to recreate Pakistan on foundations of justice, says Imran
15 September 2012
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Saturday stated that his party aimed to recreate a new Pakistan on the foundations of justice, DawnNews reported.
Addressing a public rally in Chitral, he added that the people wanted to be delivered from the corrupt politicians.
The PTI chief said that partaking in America’s “war on terror” had destroyed Pakistan.
He added that the PTI was due to lead a peace rally to Waziristan on Oct 7.
The PTI would also take along foreign journalists so that they could be informed of the region’s ground realities.
Khan added that the families of those killed in drone attacks were now taking up weapons in order to avenge the deaths of their loved ones.
“No other party is courageous enough to go to Waziristan nowadays, but PTI would go there,” Khan said.
The PTI chief also said that the springs in Chitral could yield up to 3000MW of electricity which exceeded the requirements of the whole country.
He added that the “tsunami” of PTI was going to end the system of injustice and replace it with a new, more just system.
The public demands a change and the creation of a more prosperous Pakistan, Khan said.
Khan ended his address by congratulating the residents of Chitral on welcoming the PTI’s “tsunami”.
http://dawn.com/2012/09/15/pti-to-recreate-pakistan-on-foundations-of-justice-says-imran/
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Ten killed in renewed wave of violence in Karachi
15 September 2012
KARACHI: Ten people were killed in incidents of firing in Karachi, DawnNews reported on Saturday.
In one incident, a man was killed when unknown assailants opened fire on him near the city’s Sohrab Goth bridge.
Separately in Karachi’s Machhar Colony, a bullet-riddled body was found, whereas, another body was found in Liaquatabad No 4.
In another incident, a man was killed in a firing incident near the Soldier Bazaar Jamaat Khana.
Furthermore, one man was killed and two injured in a firing incident in Karachi’s Model Colony. The injured were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment.
Moreover, a man seriously injured in a firing incident in Kharadar passed away soon after being shifted to a hospital.
In a separate firing incident in Ranchchore Lines, one woman was killed and two people were injured.
Two people were also shot at in the areas of PIB Colony and Ramaswami and another man was killed in the city’s Chakiwara area.
On the other hand, the Station Investigation Officer (SIO) of a police station arrested two people allegedly involved in extorting money from the fisheries’ director.
In another incident, the Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) arrested the leader of a motorcycle lifting gang and recovered weapons from him.
http://dawn.com/2012/09/15/ten-killed-in-renewed-wave-of-violence-in-karachi/
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NLC scam: 3 ex-generals
to face court martial
Afzal Khan /
15 September 2012
ISLAMABAD — Three retired generals involved in the National Logistics Cell (NLC) scam, will be tried in court-martial, the military spokesman said here on Friday.
Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani had restored the generals to service from retirement in order to let the army investigate the scam and punish those guilty under army laws. They include Lt-Gen (retd) Khalid Munir Khan, Lt-Gen (retd) Mohammed Afzal Muzaffar and Maj-Gen (retd) Khalid Zaheer Akhtar. They are accused of violating rules and investing in dubious stocks billions of funds of the NLC causing a loss of Rs2 billion allegedly in consideration of commission.
This is the first time in country’s history that such action has been taken against army officers at that level. The move, however, drew sharp criticism from lawyers and civil society organisations who demanded that the culprits must be tried under civilian laws and punished if found guilty.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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State Minister for I & B underlines importance of preserving Islamic art
15 September 2012
Islamabad—State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sumsam Bukhari here on Thursday underlined the need for promoting and preserving Islamic art. He expressed these views while visiting Kashmiri Art gallery at Bara Kahu. He appreciated unique artifacts and collections of Islamic art and Kashmiri culture on display.
The minister said Islamic art is often vibrant and distinctive, adding Islamic art is not restricted to religious work, but includes all the artistic traditions in Muslim culture.
Its strong aesthetic appeal transcends time and space, as well as differences in language and culture, he added.
The collections present in the gallery including manuscript of Holy Quran written with Gold water in Mughal era, stones naturally inscribed with Holy name of Allah Almighty and Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Earlier, Zahid Butt founder of the gallery briefed the minister about history of various artifacts.
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=173734
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South Asia
MP Nasheed proposes bill criminalising sexual offenses
By Minivan News | September 15th, 2012
Independent Member of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has published on his personal blog a bill he submitted to parliament in June this year, proposing to criminalise sexual offences.
The bill defines actions to be taken against specific types of sexual offenses, including rape, spousal rape, prostitution, bestiality and incest.
Nasheed stated that he felt a bill like this is immensely important because of the serious nature of modern day sexual offenses. He states that the current legislative framework governing such offenses is too lenient, and that the proposed bill would provide a stronger penalisation structure.
Nasheed has said that he believes it is equally important to criminalise sexual offenses against adults, similar to the existing laws criminalising such acts against children.
http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-brief
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Protests over anti-Islamic movie spread to the Maldives
By Mariyath Mohamed | September 15th, 2012
Crowds of protesters gathered in front of the UN building on Friday, protesting against the movie “Innocence of Muslims”, perceived as offensive to the Prophet Mohamed.
Similar protests have erupted across the Arab world following the release of video offensive to Muslims on the the video-sharing website, YouTube. The UK’s Guardian newspaper reported that the video was promoted by radical Islamophobic Christians in the US and then broadcast in Egypt by Islamic activists.
Protests have occurred in Iraq, Iran, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, Jerusalem and the West Bank, Kashmir, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Nigerian city of Jos. The most serious incident was in Libya, where demonstrators killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three embassy employees by firing a rocket-propelled grenade at their car. British and German embassies have also been attacked.
On Friday in Male’, a leaflet was distributed inviting persons to the protest at 4:00pm, titled “In Protection of Prophet Mohamed”. The leaflet did not specify who the organisers of the protest were.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/society/protests-over-anti-islamic-movie-spread-to-the-maldives-43852
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Afghan Insurgents Attack Base Where Prince Harry Serves
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
15 September 2012
KABUL, Afghanistan — Insurgents using guns and rockets or mortars launched an audacious attack on the largest NATO base in Helmand Province shortly after midnight Saturday morning, killing two American service members, according to a spokesman for the international forces here.
The base, Camp Bastion, is where Prince Harry is serving as a member of a British helicopter unit. Prince Harry was not in any danger, said the spokesman, Master Sgt. Bob Barko. It was not clear whether the attack was meant to be an attempt on the prince’s life, Sergeant Barko said. The Taliban have vowed to kill him.
Camp Bastion is home to the largest number of British troops in Afghanistan, while the neighboring Camp Leatherneck is a mainly American base. A spokesman for the international forces said that the military did not yet have details on the exact location of the attack.
Although rocket attacks on both bases occur periodically, the latest one appears to have been far more serious, and possibly involved more assailants. Sergeant Barko said that because of the early hour, it was “difficult to know much yet,” though a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force confirmed on Saturday that the two service members who were killed were United States Marines.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/asia/afghan-insurgents-attack-base-where-
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Bomb kills 12 women and children in Afghan south
September 15, 2012
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: A bomb attack killed 12 women and children from two families, destroying their vehicle in southern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.
The device planted on the side of the road struck their minivan on Friday afternoon in Gereshk district of Helmand province, one of the toughest battlegrounds in a 10-year Taliban insurgency.
"Five women and a child from one family, and four women and two children from another family were killed in the blast," the Helmand governor's spokesman, Daud Ahmadi, told AFP.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Ahmadi blamed enemies of Afghanistan for the blast, a term used by the Afghan officials to refer to Taliban insurgents.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Sep-15/188029-bomb-kills-12-women-and-children-in-afghan-south.ashx#ixzz26X7GZq24
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Hizbut Towhid outlawed in Bangladesh
15 September 2012
Following publication of series of investigative reports and editorial commentaries in Weekly Blitz, Bangladesh government, on the basis of intelligence reports has banned anti-Semitic Islamist militancy group Hizbut Towhid [Hizb Ut Towhid] and has asked intelligence and law enforcement agencies to continue offensives on this group and stop it from distributing Jihadist and hate materials. It may be mentioned here that, Hizbut Towhid [Hizb Ut Towhid] was founded by Bayezid Khan Panni alias Selim Panni, who proclaims to be "Imamuj Jaman" and encourages members of his organization of waging war against Jews and Christians around the world. It also denounces democracy and democratic institution by terming it as "code of Satan" and calls upon the members of Hizbut Towhid [Hizb Ut Towhid] to take preparations for stating "revolt" against "every democratic government and institution in the world". Hizbut Towhid [Hizb Ut Towhid] also criticizes several basic codes of Islam, where religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence is advised to all the Muslims. Bayezid Khan Panni alias Selim Panni and his Hizbut Towhid [Hizb Ut Towhid] came into limelight in 2009 when Weekly Blitz first exposed the hidden agenda of this notorious Jihadist group and also exposed hidden activities of Hizbut Towhid [Hizb Ut Towhid] in Bangladesh and some other countries in the world. With its headquarters in Bangladesh, Hizbut Towhid has established branch in Malaysia as well deployed its male and female wings of Jihadist cadres in a number of Western nations. The organization also has established links with Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Sipaha Sahaba and militancy groups based in Indian portion of Jammu and Kashmir.
Full report at:
http://www.weeklyblitz.net/2571/hizbut-towhid-outlawed-in-bangladesh
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‘Rakhine state needs immediate aid’
HAROON HABIB
15 September 2012
After a visit to the troubled Rakhine state of Myanmar recently, a U.S. team has said people there continue to face persecution and displacement.
Kelly Clements, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, who led the team, strongly recommended immediate humanitarian assistance and access to international aid for the affected people. The team was in Myanmar from September 7 to 10 and in Bangladesh from September 11th to 13th to assess the situation and hold talks with officials on how to reduce tensions and improve humanitarian situation. (Many Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh in the wake of June violence.) Two delegates of the four-member U.S. team narrated their findings to media here on Thursday.
They said they identified, after visiting the worst-affected Sittwe and Mongdu areas — both torn by ethnic violence — “immediate humanitarian assistance as the top most priority”.
Ms. Kelly and her colleague Daniel Baer — Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor — said they talked to local leaders and victims in Arakan state and refugees in two camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar to get first hand account of the situation.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3897865.ece
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Taliban link killing of 2 US marines in Afghanistan to anti-Islam film
Sep 15 2012
Kabul : Afghanistan's Taliban claimed responsibility on Saturday for an attack on a base which US officials said killed two American Marines, saying it was in response to a film that insults the Prophet Mohammad.
Camp Bastion, in southern Helmand province, came under mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire late on Friday.
The assault also wounded several servicemen.
The aim of this attack was revenge against Americans for the anti-Prophet movie, said Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf.
US President Barack Obama has vowed to stand fast against violence which has been spreading since the amateurish film of obscure origin triggered an attack on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans on Sept. 11.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/taliban-link-killing-of-2-us-marines-in-afghanistan-to-antiislam-film/1003022/
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Fate of Afghan refugees discussed: Tripartite Commission
September 15, 2012
PEHSAWAR: Delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan along with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continued their discussions in Istanbul at the 21st Tripartite Commission on the future of around 1.66 million Afghan refugees presently living in Pakistan.
According to a press release, The Tripartite Agreement is due to expire at the end of this year, and all parties feel that a voluntary repatriation process with an agreed mechanism is vital for these vulnerable people.
Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Jamahir Anwary briefed the delegations on the progress already made in the four months since the endorsement of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees in Geneva in May 2012.
Pakistan Minister for States and Frontier Regions Shaukat Ullah informed that his ministry was presently holding inter-ministerial deliberations. He added that they were reviewing options for the future national policy for Afghan refugees, which will be considered shortly by his government.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/436887/fate-of-afghan-refugees-discussed-tripartite-commission/
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Afghanistan Votes in Spy Chief, Easing Row With Karzai
15 September 2012
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's parliament on Saturday voted in the former governor of Kandahar as the country's new head of the intelligence agency, known as the NDS, stepping closer to settling a row with President Hamid Karzai over ministerial appointments.
The political turmoil in the government has hampered decision making on several crucial pieces of legislation, including a revised mining law being closely watched by Western donors and foreign mining companies.
The nomination of the influential former Kandahar governor, Asadullah Khalid, has alarmed human rights groups who say the NDS has a long and well-documented history of torturing its detainees. Khalid has been linked to abuse at a prison in Kandahar.
Khalid is an ethnic Pashtun with strong connections in Afghanistan's south, from where the Taliban draw most support.
"Until I see human right violations by my eye, I never trust any report or claim," an MP from northern Kunduz province, Shukria Paikan, told Reuters in reference to the human rights abuse allegations.
"Whenever we find enough and accurate evidence, we will decide whether to keep him as a chief of intelligence service or not."
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/09/15/world/asia/15reuters-afghanistan-
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Kabul attack linked to anti-Islam film
September 15, 2012
KABUL: Afghanistan's Taliban claimed responsibility on Saturday for an attack on a base which U.S. officials said killed two American Marines, saying it was in response to a film that insults the Prophet Mohammad.
Camp Bastion, in southern Helmand province, came under mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire late on Friday.
The assault also wounded several servicemen.
"The aim of this attack was revenge against Americans for the anti-Prophet movie," said Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf.
U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to "stand fast" against violence which has been spreading since the amateurish film of obscure origin triggered an attack on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans on September 11.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-67806-Kabul-attack-linked-to-anti-Islam-film
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Afghan house approves security officials
15 September 2012
Afghan lawmakers on Saturday endorsed a controversial new spymaster, accused of torturing detainees, and two other security chiefs who will likely play a key role as Kabul takes on increasing powers as NATO troops withdraw over the next two years.
President Hamid Karzai had last month nominated Asadullah Khalid, the outgoing borders and tribal affairs minister and two-time former provincial governor, to head the National Directorate of Security (NDS) despite strong criticism from Western human rights groups.
The nomination was part of a cabinet reshuffle, which has been interpreted as Karzai’s effort to secure his powerbase before anointing a successor to stand for election in 2014.
Khalid, who is fiercely anti-Taleban and close to the Karzai family, secured a comfortable majority among the 241 lawmakers present, winning 143 votes — well clear of the minimum threshold of 121 — in an open vote broadcast live on state TV.
It is expected that he will have to work closely with the CIA in his new position.
In a speech before the vote, Khalid promised a clean leadership but made no mention of the accusations against him.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Shiites challenge blasphemy law in court
September 15 2012
Lawyers representing local Shia minority Muslims are asking the Constitutional Court to review the Criminal Code’s articles on blasphemy, which they say are elastic and open to abuse.
The lawyers are representing, among others, Tajul Muluk, a Shia leader from Sampang, Madura, who was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in July for blasphemy.
Universalia Legal Aid Institute director Ahmad Taufik said on Friday that Tajul’s case demonstrated how laws on blasphemy had been abused.
Tajul was accused of telling his followers that the Koran was not the original scripture and the true version of the Holy Book would be revealed to Imam Mahdi.
Tajul was not given mandatory warnings prior to his sentencing, Ahmad said.
“Tajul’s verdict is proof of lawlessness and legal uncertainty on the part of regional authorities,” Ahmad said. “If the court doesn’t correct things, millions of teachers, religious figures and preachers could be labeled ‘cultish’ and sent to prison.”
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/15/shiites-challenge-blasphemy-law-court.html
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Certification of Ulema Would Help Protect Fabric of Our Plural Nation
Bramantyo Prijosusilo | September 14, 2012
Following comments from the National Counterterrorism Agency that there are Internet sites that propagate radicalism and terror here, the spokesman of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Gatot Dewa Broto, indicated that his office might block radicalizing sites.
Asking the agency known as BNPT for the list of such worrying sites he promised that the government would scrutinize them to determine whether or not they have radical content. The spokesman’s statement indicates that the experts in that ministry cannot and have not, in all these years, been able to find for themselves these radical sites.
Some of us might still remember Arifinto of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which is also Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring’s party.
Arifinto was caught watching porn during a plenary session of the House of Representatives to discuss important affairs of the state. Obviously he had no problem in seeking out porn sites on the Internet. This was of course done with the sole intent of scrutinizing Internet porn from beginning to end to determine whether or not it is harmful to our nation’s morals. God forbid that anyone should ever even imagine that the honourable members of this religious party would ever touch Internet porn sites with a long pole, other than for the noble purpose of protecting us from moral degradation.
We are grateful that the ministry has blocked many porn sites, so that porn is now much less accessible.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/certification-of-ulema-would-help-protect-fabric-of-our-plural-nation/544306
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Hizbut Tahrir holds protest at US Embassy in Jakarta
September 14 2012
Around 500 members of firebrand group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) staged a rally in front of the US Embassy in Jakarta on Friday, protesting an anti-Islam movie that has sparked violent protests across the Middle East.
"The movie clearly dishonors the Prophet. Did the Prophet do something bad to them?” said the organization’s spokesperson Ismail Yusanto, as quoted by kompas.com.
Ismail referred to US-made movie Innocence of Muslims that depicts Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman.
Hizbut Tahrir called upon the Indonesian government to stop the circulation of the 14-minute video and demanded the US government sanction the moviemaker, Sam Bacile.
“Anyone who offends the Prophet, whether he is Muslim or not, should be punished,” he added.
The Central Jakarta Police had deployed 350 personnel to guard the rally, said the police’s chief of operations Adj. Sr. Comr. Irsan.
Earlier in the day, the National Police said they had increased security at the US diplomatic post, by putting 250 riot police on alert, The Associated Press reported.
The embassy has also issued an email to American citizens, advising them to “avoid large crowds and other gatherings that might turn violent.”
HTI’s protest came after Tuesday’s assaults in Egypt and Libya that killed US Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens and three other US Department of State employees.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/14/hizbut-tahrir-holds-protest-us-embassy-jakarta.html
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Jakarta Man Faces 15 Years Over Fake Bomb Threat
Jakarta Globe | September 15, 2012
A man who reportedly texted a fake bomb threat to the National Police’s hotline was arrested on Wednesday.
Suhadi allegedly sent the National Police “1717” hotline a message on Tuesday reading, “Your boss’ office house in Patimura 10 will explode in ten minutes! All security guards should evacuate.”
Jakarta Police responding to the address arrived at the home of National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo.
There were no bombs at the residence.
Officers tracked Suhadi's mobile phone to Jalan H. Suhaemi, in Sawangan, Depok. But by the time they arrived, the 47-year-old man had left for Parung, Bogor.
He was arrested in Bogor a short time later.
Suhadi allegedly told police he phoned several fake bomb threats to hotline numbers listed in Indonesian newspapers. He told police it was fun.
The South Jakarta resident had cut up the SIM card he used and flushed it down the toilet shortly after sending the message, police said.
Police charged him for breaking several articles in the Law on Anti-Terrorism.
“His maximum sentence is 15 years in prison,” National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/jakarta-man-faces-15-years-over-fake-bomb-threat/544605
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Online Freedom Falls Prey to Anti-Islam Film Violence
September 15, 2012
Internet rights champions on Friday were fearful that free speech online may be among the victims of violence spurred by an anti-Islam video posted to YouTube.
A decision by YouTube parent Google to deny access to the video in Libya and Egypt even though the film’s hateful message isn’t aimed at a particular person was seen by some as a compassionate step onto a slippery slope.
“If they do it this once, they are going to do it in other situations,” said Eva Galperin, freedom of expression coordinator at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and non-profit pressure group.
“There is a good chance you will hear from Google that, just this once, extenuating circumstances made them turn their back on freedom of expression; but that is just the beginning of the slippery slope.”
On Friday, Google added India to the list of countries where YouTube has blocked access to the anti-Islam film, which surfaced in the United States and has since sparked deadly protests in the Muslim world.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/tech/online-freedom-falls-prey-to-anti-islam-film-violence/544591
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Africa
You Can’t Islamise Nigeria: Former President to Boko Haram
Kunle Oderemi
15 September 2012
FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, told members of the Boko Haram and their sponsors that they were living in a fool’s paradise if they believed that they could win their current war against the Nigerian state. Obasanjo, who was responding to questions on News Day on the British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC] news programme monitored in Ibadan, particularly declared that they were naive to think that they could turn the into country to an Islamic state.
Describing such mission as an unattainable objective, he said they would soon realise that they were engaging in a futile exercise, in spite of claims that Boko Haram had vowed to fight to the finish.
“People, who know the history of Nigeria, will know that you cannot impose any religion on Nigeria as a whole. The people Boko Haram cannot impose Sharia in the North, where most of our people are Muslims, let alone in the entire country. “By now, they should know that. So, I see a bit of naivety in that objective that they have given to themselves. It is an unattainable objective and we need to win their heart and mind,” Obasanjo stated.
On the declaration that the Boko Haram men had promised to sustain their current hostility against the country until their primary objective was achieved, the former leader subtly dismissed the claim as he saw it as a tall order.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/front-page-articles/8582-obj-to-boko-haram-you-cant-islamise-nigeria.html
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Extremists may strike, US warns citizens in Nigeria
Christian Okeke
14 September 2012
THE United States government has warned that extremists may attempt to target its citizens and other Westerners in Nigeria.
To that end, it strongly urged its citizens in Nigeria to consider their personal security and to keep personal safety in the forefront of their planning.
The alert was published under updated emergency message regarding what it termed current threat situation in Nigeria on the embassy's website on Thursday.
The mission reminded US citizens of the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations, and other violent actions against citizens and interests overseas.
It reminded them that violent and deadly demonstrations and attacks occurred in Cairo, Egypt, and Benghazi, Libya, including a lethal attack against the US Consulate in Benghazi, recently.
"Extremists may attempt to target US citizens and other Westerners in Nigeria. The US Mission in Nigeria strongly urges US citizens in Nigeria to consider their personal security and to keep personal safety in the forefront of their planning," the mission stated.
It recalled that last week, extremists attacked cellular telephone towers in northern Nigeria, damaging over 30 towers and degrading cellular telephone and internet communications nationwide.
Full report at:
http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/lead-stories/47607-extremists-may-strike-us-warns-citizens-in-nigeria
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Jama’at Ta’awunil Muslimeen advocates religious tolerance
Adebayo Waheed
14 September 2012
AN Islamic group, Jama’at Ta’awunil Muslimeen Society of Nigeria has advocated the entrenchment of religious tolerance among religious and ethnic groups in the country, saying that peaceful environment is the bedrock of development of any society.
It also disassociated itself from Boko Haram and Alqaeda sects, and condemned the act of terrorism in Nigeria by the sects where many lives and property had been lost, insisting that the security of lives and property of the Nigerian people should be paramount to every sane mind in the country.
This was contained in an open letter entitled:”Save Nigeria from further bloodshed and disintegration”, written by the organisation to the President and Commander –In- Chief of Armed Forces, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and copied United States of America (USA) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on how to find a lasting solution to the insecurity problem presently threatening the peaceful co-existence of the country.
It alleged that the issue of terrorism was now gradually escalating beyond the control of the Federal Government without prejudice to its effort.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/islamic-news/47584-jamaat-taawunil-muslimeen-advocates-religious-tolerance
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Meet Victor Olisa, Nigerian-Born First Black London Met Police Chief
15 September 2012
Chief Superintendent Victor Olisa, who recently became the London Metropolitan Police Commander, Bexley Borough, is the first Nigerian and black man to assume this position in the United Kingdom. SEYI GESINDE reports.
Mr Victor Olisa, a Warri-born, Delta State indigene, now has his name listed among the league of Nigerians doing well abroad with his recent promotion as a Chief Superintendent with the London Metropolitan police.
In effect, the London-based 52-year-old Victor is now the London Metropolitan Police Commander for Bexley Borough.
He currently lives in Surrey county in southern England, with his physiotherapist wife and two teenage children.
He is the first black officer to rise to this position in the United Kingdom. His primary assignment is to oversee all policing matters in Bexley area.
The office of a Borough Commander of Police in the United Kingdom is like that of a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the Nigeria Police.
The Chief Superintendent, who assumed office, precisely on April 16, is said to be one of the three chief superintendents from black minority ethnic backgrounds currently working for the Metropolitan Police.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/youth-achiever/8570-meet-victor-olisa-nigerian-born-first-black-london-met-police-chief.html
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Violence spreads as anti-US rage intensifies
Sep 15, 2012
KHARTOUM: Anti-US protests by crowds whipped into fury by a film that mocks Islam erupted across the Muslim world on Friday, as violence exploded in Sudan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Yemen leaving three dead and dozens hurt.
The protests broke out when Muslims emerged from mosques following the weekly Friday main prayers to voice their anger at the film made in the US, which ridicules the Prophet Muhammed and belittles the religion he founded.
In Khartoum, Sudan, guards on the roof of the US embassy fired warning shots as a security perimeter was breached by dozens of Islamic flag-waving protesters, part of a crowd of thousands who had earlier stormed the British embassy and set fire to the German mission.
Violence also erupted in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli , where a crowd of 300 Islamists attacked and set fire to a KFC restaurant, sparking clashes with police in which one person died and 25 were injured, sources said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Violence-spreads-as-anti-US-rage-intensifies/articleshow/16405123.cms
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2 killed outside U.S. Embassy in Sudan
15 September 2012
Sudanese police say two protesters were killed in a traffic accident during chaotic demonstrations outside the U.S. Embassy in Sudan, bringing the total killed in a wave of protests across the Muslim world against an anti-Islam film to at least five.
Two demonstrators died in Tunisia during Friday’s violence and another was killed in Lebanon. Egyptian police have not confirmed reports of the death of another protester in Cairo.
The Sudanese police official said on Saturday on state radio that the accident outside the embassy, about 15 km southeast of the capital Khartoum, was “unintentional.” He did not elaborate.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3900901.ece
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South Africa Warns Against Violence as Protests Fester
15 September 2012
JOHANNESBURG — In an attempt to stanch a spreading crisis in South Africa’s platinum and gold mining regions, the government said Friday that it would crack down on illegal gatherings and arrest people who congregate with weapons.
South Africa’s justice minister, Jeff Radebe, said at a news conference that the government would no longer tolerate violent demonstrations at the mines, which have been going on for five weeks.
“All those engaged in illegal activities will be dealt with swiftly,” Mr. Radebe said, without elaborating on how this would be achieved.
Mr. Radebe said the unrest threatened to seriously dent the country’s image as well as its economy. “It appears now that the mining industry is at stake,” he said.
South Africa’s mines have been aflame since Aug. 16, when police officers fired on platinum miners in the town of Marikana who were engaged in a wildcat strike demanding higher wages from the London-based company Lonmin, which owns the mine.
The shootings killed 34 people, and 10 others died in earlier violence, including two police officers who were hacked to death by the miners.
South Africa has the world’s largest reserves of platinum, and earlier this week the world’s largest platinum producer, Anglo American Platinum, announced that it would shut down production amid the unrest.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/africa/south-african-leaders-warn-against-
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Tunisia's Ruling Party Condemns US Embassy Attack
15 September 2012
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's governing moderate Islamist party condemned an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunis and the neighboring American school, saying such violence threatens the country's progress toward democracy after decades of dictatorship.
The embassy compound and school were surrounded by Tunisian police and army vehicles and personnel on Saturday, a day after several thousand demonstrators angry over a film that insults the Prophet Muhammad stormed the compound in Tunis. They tore down the American flag and raised an Islamic one, while looting and burning buildings. Two demonstrators died and at least 40 people were injured.
The embassy building itself — a fort-like structure — was untouched, but a gym and parking lot within the compound were ransacked and set alight. The windows of the small building at the complex's entrance used to screen visitors were smashed and computers stolen.
Several dozen cars in the parking lot were burned, sending up thick, black smoke. A reporter saw looters jimmying open car doors and taking whatever they could find inside before setting them on fire.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/09/15/world/middleeast/ap-ml-tunisia-prophet-
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Mali: Weighing Intervention Plans
15 September 2012
The military chiefs of 15 West African nations have begun deliberations in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to “finalize a road map” for an armed intervention in Mali, whose northern half is occupied by Islamists linked to Al Qaeda. Mali’s interim president, Dioncounda Traore, left, asked the Economic Community of West African States, or Ecowas, on Sept. 1 for air support to destroy rebel bases and for five battalions to help reconquer northern towns. The meeting’s agenda includes a review of that request and a presentation of a deployment plan. In opening remarks, Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, the Ecowas political commissioner, said she was optimistic that officials could overcome “disagreements” on the proposed first phase of the mission, which involves stabilizing southern Mali, where a coup occurred in March. The coup leader has refused to accept a foreign force.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/world/africa/mali-weighing-intervention-
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Europe
Tajikistan agrees Russian base deal to curb militant threat
15 September 2012
DUSHANBE: Russia has negotiated a deal to extend its lease on a military base in Tajikistan for more than 20 years in exchange for discounted weaponry and training for the Central Asian state’s armed forces, two sources close to the talks said on Friday.
The lease extension will end recriminations over a delayed deal to reinforce Russia’s military presence on the southern fringes of the former Soviet Union before NATO troops begin withdrawing from next-door Afghanistan in 2014.
More than 6,000 Russian soldiers are stationed across three towns in Tajikistan, an impoverished former Soviet republic with an economy heavily reliant on money sent home by around 1 million migrant workers in Russia.
The 201st base is Russia’s largest troop deployment abroad and is viewed by the Kremlin as a bulwark against the potential spillover of Islamist militancy into a region it still regards as its sphere of influence.
The current 10-year lease on the base is due to expire on Jan. 1, 2014.
A high-ranking source in Tajikistan’s government, who took part in the negotiations, told Reuters that an extension of between 20 and 29 years had been agreed. A Russian diplomatic source said a period of 29 years had been agreed in principle.
“This could move a little, plus or minus five to seven years, but no more,” the Russian source said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity
of talks.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\15\story_15-9-2012_pg14_1
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Imran Farooq was planning to re-enter politics: UK police
15 September 2012
* ‘MQM leader was building independent political profile’
* Had set up Facebook profile, amassed large number of contacts
By Asif Mehmood
LONDON: The officials investigating the murder case of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq believe he was building his independent political profile in the months before he was killed on September 16, 2010.
The Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command Unit on Friday issued a fresh appeal for information as they try to solve the murder case. They believe the slain leader may have been poised to renew his political career and they want to speak to anyone who was in contact with him over his political ambitions.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\15\story_15-9-2012_pg7_4
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Australia
Anti-Islam Film Protests Spread to Sydney
September 15, 2012
Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Sydney on Saturday, as a wave of unrest against a film that mocks Islam spread to Australia, with bottles and shoes hurled outside the US consulate.
Furious protests targeting symbols of US influence flared in cities across the Muslim world on Friday in retaliation for a crude film made in the United States by a right-wing Christian group that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed.
At least six protesters died in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan as police there battled to defend American missions from mobs of stone-throwers, and Washington deployed US Marines to protect its embassies in Libya and Yemen.
In Sydney, Saturday shoppers looked on in surprise as protesters, including children, shouted “Down, down USA” and waved banners such as “Behead all those who insult the prophet.”
“We are sick and tired of everyone mocking our beloved prophet,” protester Houda Dib told AFP, as the crowd of about 500 gathered outside the US consulate.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/anti-islam-film-protests-spread-to-sydney/544613
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/saddam-hussein-look-alike-kidnapped/d/8675