A Fiction by a Keralite Portrays Dracula as a Muslim
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 March 2013
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India
• A Fiction by a Keralite Portrays Dracula as a Muslim
• Hope people of J&K will not heed to separatists' call: Chidambaram
• Hurriyat chief Geelani to 'address the nation' on Pakistan Day, puts govt in a spot
• Alleged terrorist Liyaqat's wife gives her account of arrest
• Yakub Memon didn’t eat for days after Afzal Guru’s hanging
• Wagah-like retreats along India-Bangla border on the cards
Pakistan
• Islam advocates parental guidance during puberty, says Maulana Hadi
• No role in the 1993 Mumbai terror blasts: Pakistan
• Tehreek strategy: ‘No accommodation for militant parties’
• Pakistan Taliban threaten to send Musharraf to 'hell' when he returns
• Violence claims seven lives in Karachi
• Interim govt to improve Karachi’s law and order situation: Alav
• Democracy necessary for Pakistan’s survival: Zardari
• I’m not scared by Taliban threats: Musharraf
Arab World
• Maliki's Iraq: Rape, Executions and Torture
• Expo on Prophet’s life inaugurated
• Five killed in Iraq attacks
• Recent videos show international makeup of Syrian jihad
• Syria Rebels to Address Arab Summit but Await Seat
• Lebanese prime minister resigns amid infighting
• "NATO 3" Oral Argument Unfolds on Illinois Terrorism Statute's Constitutionality
• Assad Vows to Defeat Rebels after Islamic Scholar’s Death
• Egypt's opposition protesters clash with Islamists
• Syria rebels seize base in embattled southern province
• Damascus rejects U.N. probe into rights abuses
• Funeral held for pro-Assad cleric killed in Damascus mosque bombing
• Makkah miswak now sold in kiosks
Europe
• Religious political party members fined for religious activity in Tajikistan
• Europe's Islamic radicals will soon land on America's doorstep
• Diplomats: Ban Ki-Moon says info 'crucial' in Syria probe
• Syria crisis: UK's DEC appeal raises £3.4m
South Asia
• Lankans counter ongoing hatred campaign against Muslims
• Afghan policeman kills five colleagues
• Myanmar Troops Sent to City Torn by Sectarian Rioting
• 20 dead, 200 hurt in Bangladesh storm
• China, Pakistan reach controversial deal on nuclear power plant, sources say
• United efforts can defeat Jamaat-e-Islami
• Law for protecting Dalits’ rights demanded in Bangladesh
North America
• US unblocks $500m for Palestinians
• Obama 'very concerned' Syria could become haven for extremists
• Dark Knight Killer James Holmes 'is now a Muslim who prays five times a day'
• Syrian with ties to 9/11 hijackers still in US, virtually immune from deportation
• Southern California Jews and Muslims react to Obama's Jerusalem speech
• US amendment to end aid to Pakistan till Dr Shakeel Afridi is released
• SF Supervisors Unanimously Pass Resolution Condemning Islamophobic Bus Ads
• San Francisco's Jewish Leadership Embraces Their Personal Jihad
Mideast Asia
• Hamas continues to target Salafi jihadists in Gaza
• 3 killed in attack on Yemen Shiite rebel leader
• 'Peace between Israel, Turkey a diplomatic victory for Barack Obama'
• Islam conference advocates for study and understanding of the Middle East
• Erdogan: the ‘Alpha male’ of Turkish politics
• Obama visit ancient city Petra as he winds up Middle East trip
Africa
• ‘Too soon to return’ for Malians who fled Islamists
• Tunisian architect turned jihadist talks of holy war in Syria
• Ansar Al-Shari’a Group Established As Mauritania Ponders Joining Intervention In Mali
• Tunisian rapper gets jail term for calling police dogs in song
• The jihadist rapper wanted dead by both sides of the 'war on terror'
• Five dead in Tripoli clashes, say security forces
• Morocco Islamists struggle with coalition rule
• Magharebia: 'Tunisian salafist[s] announce al-Qaeda support'
• DR Congo war crimes suspect Ntaganda in ICC prison
• New terror threat to Tunisia
• Uganda's Child Gold-Seekers
Southeast Asia
• Gunmen storm Indonesia jail, kill 4 detainees
• Al-Qaida-linked Filipino militants free Australian hostage after 15 months
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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India
A Fiction by a Keralite Portrays Dracula as a Muslim
M K Sunil Kumar, TNN | Mar 22, 2013
Forced conversion to Islam had created Dracula, the most ever horrid vampire, a fiction by a Malayalam writer portrays.
'The Love Letters and Secret Diaries of Dracula, a novel to be published by Rupesh Paul, a Kerala-based writer and film maker, portrays that Vlad Tepes or Vlad Dracula, the prince who ruled the Romanian province of Wallachia in the fifteenth century whom Bram Stoker used for creating the most ever horrid character Dracula, had once been forcibly converted into Islam which led to him killing thousands of Muslims. Dracula the Saint, which is the tinsel adaptation of the novel by the novelist himself, has already sparked off controversy as some of the Christian organisations coming up against the moving terming it anti-Christian.
According to Rupesh Paul, his novel is not just a fiction in which he let loose his imagination. Rather it is supported by facts. "Born into a war lord's family, Duke Vlad Dracula along with his brother was caught captive by Ottoman Emperor Sultan Murad at the age of 13. A teenager in Turkey prison, Dracula endured severe physical and mental oppression and finally got converted to Islam against his wish," Rupesh Paul says.
"After years of rigorous training, Dracula was made the prince of Wallachia by the emperor. Though his brother was convinced by the preaching of Islam, Dracula developed hate against Islam" said Rupesh Paul. "During his reign, he killed over hundred thousand Muslims to give vent to his angst. Later, Bram Stoker wrote the novel Dracula portraying the Duke who had caused one of the worst bloodshed in the history as a vampire,'' Rupesh Paul said. Though Rupesh had put all these things in the film adaptation also, he had to remove it fearing protests.
"When I conceived the idea of the novel, religious fanaticism was a thing we had just heard of. Recently, the protests against Kamal Hassan's film `Viswaroopam', have proven that our country also is not immune to such fanaticism.
That's why we removed the contents related to Dracula's conversion into Islam," he said. The book will be in the newsstands by April first week, while the film is scheduled for release on Good Friday, he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/A-fiction-by-a-Keralite-portrays-Dacula-as-a-Muslim/articleshow/19133801.cms
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Hope people of J&K will not heed to separatists' call: Chidambaram
PTI | Mar 23, 2013
NEW DELHI: Finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday rejected any suggestion that Jammu and Kashmir was "back to square one" after the execution of Afzal Guru and hoped that people of the state will not heed to call of separatists.
"I don't get the impression that we are back to square one...I agree that after the execution of Afzal Guru (Parliament attack convict) there have been some protests and agitation and rise in the level of violence. I sincerely hope that violence will subside," he said.
Replying to a question on the situation in the state at the National Editors' Conference here, Chidambaram said unless there is sense of peace and security Jammu and Kashmir cannot develop. He was confident that the present phase of "uncertainty" will come to an end.
"I am told yesterday was relatively peaceful. There was no curfew yesterday. I sincerely hope that people of Jammu and Kashmir will not heed the call of separatists but heed the call of government and civil society and try to help restore peace and order in sense of security.
"I am sure in month of April-May we will restore sense of security that the people of Jammu and Kashmir want," he said. He said the state's prime developers were tourism, both pleasure as well as religious, which boomed in 2008 and reached a high point.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hope-people-of-JK-will-not-heed-to-separatists-call-Chidambaram/articleshow/19146492.cms
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Hurriyat chief Geelani to 'address the nation' on Pakistan Day, puts govt in a spot
Sat Mar 23 2013
Srinagar: Putting the government in a spot, Hurriyat Chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani has announced he would “address the nation” through internet Saturday evening.
“On the current situation, Geelani Sahib will make a special address to people and the nation,” a Hurriyat spokesperson said. “Since the leader of revolution is under house arrest for several months and doesn’t have access to people, he will reach out to them through internet.” Geelani, who has been under house arrest since he returned from Delhi after the hanging of Afzal Guru, has chosen for his 8.30 pm address March 23, celebrated as Pakistan Day.
“Supporters of freedom especially the youth can listen to this speech on www.huriyatconference.com and www.syedaligeelani.info,” the spokesperson said. “They can also listen to it on the Facebook page All Parties Hurriyat Conference.”
This will be the first time a separatist leader will address people through internet. In the past, whenever Geelani was house arrested for months at a stretch, he posted video replies on Hurriyat’s website to questions from supporters.
Geelani’s announcement of an “address to the nation” aims to challenge the writ of the government, not unlike the weekly protest calendars issued by Muttahida Majlis-e-Mushawarat, a consultative committee of separatists to campaign for the return of the mortal remains of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat. The committee has been advising people to run their shops and business establishments on Sundays, in contravention of government rules. And most shops, business establishments and some schools do remain open Sundays.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hurriyat-chief-geelani-to-address-the-n.../1092103/
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Alleged terrorist Liyaqat's wife gives her account of arrest
IANS | Mar 23, 2013
SRINAGAR: Syed Liyaqat Shah was arrested when he crossed into Indian Territory from Nepal to surrender under Jammu and Kashmir's rehabilitation policy. His second wife spoke to the media on Saturday on reaching her husband's ancestral home.
Akhtar-ul-Nisa, 47, Liyaqat's second wife, whom he married in Pakistan, has reached her husband's ancestral home in Dardpora village, in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, 105 kilometres from here.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Alleged-terrorist-Liyaqats-wife-gives-her-account-of-arrest/articleshow/19146287.cms
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Yakub Memon didn’t eat for days after Afzal Guru’s hanging
Soumittra S Bose, TNN | Mar 23, 2013
NAGPUR: The arrival of YakubMemon, the chartered accountant brother of 1993 Mumbai bomb blast mastermind Tiger Memon, at Nagpur Central Jail in August 2007 had certainly brought the British age prison house to limelight like never before. Yakub is among the 26, including a woman, awaiting the gallows in this jail.
Since then, the inmate of 'Fasi yard', whose capital punishment was upheld by Supreme Court on Thursday, had nurtured an image different from his neighbours in the high security cell. Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Yakub-Memon-didnt-eat-for-days-after-Afzal-Gurus-hanging/articleshow/19136103.cms
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Wagah-like retreats along India-Bangla border on the cards
Mar 23 2013
New Delhi : In a month’s time, India and Bangladesh will organise ‘retreat’ ceremonies at four places along the border on the lines of the one performed at Wagah-Attari border. The joint retreat ceremony will be devoid of any ‘stomping of feet’ or ‘aggressive body language’, similar to the India- Pakistan function at Wagah. It will be simple and cordial, an official said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/wagahlike-retreats-along-indiabangla-border-on-the-cards/1092107/
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Pakistan
Islam advocates parental guidance during puberty, says Maulana Hadi
23 MARCH 2013
KARACHI - Madrassa Arif-ul-Hussaini Principal Maulana Allama Syed Muhammad Jawad Hadi in a statement issued to the press, emphasised the role of parents and teachers in assisting the youth during puberty phase. Maulana Hadi said, “Human beings undergo both physical and psychological changes when they reach puberty.”
Children experience many new emotions and physiological changes while undergoing puberty. These changes were caused by hormonal fluctuations and were a normal part of the process of growing up. However, children were not provided with the proper knowledge and education regarding these changes, due to which they often turned towards unreliable sources to seek the desired information. This in turn made them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Full report at:
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/03/22/city/karachi/islam-advocates-parental-guidance-during-puberty-says-maulana-hadi/
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No role in the 1993 Mumbai terror blasts: Pakistan
March 23, 2013
Pakistan has denied the involvement of its government or agencies in the 1993 Mumbai terror attack.
Responding to Indian media reports regarding the judgment of the Indian Supreme Court implicating Pakistani government agencies in the attack, the spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs of Pakistan said Pakistan itself has been “a victim of terrorism and has rendered immense sacrifices in the international fight against this menace”.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/No-role-in-blasts-Pakistan/Article1-1030753.aspx
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Tehreek strategy: ‘No accommodation for militant parties’
March 23, 2013
LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that his party would attract all the swing vote and sweep the upcoming general elections.
Khan said that once PTI came into power, it would build a New Pakistan Political Fund to lead the country out of its economic and financial crises. He said people would contribute enthusiastically for the cause.
Khan was speaking to the media at a lunch hosted by his party on Friday to share information about PTI’s rally at the Minar-i-Pakistan today.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/524969/tehreek-strategy-no-accommodation-for-militant-parties/
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Pakistan Taliban threaten to send Musharraf to 'hell' when he returns
Reuters | Mar 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Taliban have threatened, in a video released on Saturday, to use suicide bombers and snipers to kill former president Pervez Musharraf when he returns home from exile.
In a Taliban video obtained by Reuters, Adnan Rasheed, who took part in a previous attempt to assassinate Musharraf, said:
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-Taliban-threaten-to-send-Musharraf-to-hell-when-he-returns/articleshow/19144650.cms
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Violence claims seven lives in Karachi
2013/03/23
KARACHI: Seven people, including a woman, were killed in different incidents of violence in Karachi, DawnNews reported on Saturday.
Three people were killed when unknown gunmen fired upon a sweets shop in Usmanabad in Karachi’s Lyari area. The area became tense after the incident.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/23/seven-people-killed-in-violence-in-karachi/
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Interim govt to improve Karachi’s law and order situation: Alavi
2013/03/23
KARACHI: Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Zahid Kurban Alavi said on Saturday that the interim government would attempt to improve the law and order situation in Karachi, DawnNews reported.
Alavi and Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat ul Ebad visited Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum on Saturday and laid a floral wreathe.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/23/interim-govt-to-improve-law-and-order-situation-alavi/
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Democracy necessary for Pakistan’s survival: Zardari
2013/03/23
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan was created through a democratic struggle, and the survival and well being of the state depends on the sustenance of a strong democratic system.
In a special message to the public on Pakistan Day, being celebrated today, Zardari urged the people not to permit any person or institution to undermine their democratic aspirations, and to work together for the betterment of the country in a spirit of tolerance, mutual accommodation and respect for dissent.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\03\23\story_23-3-2013_pg7_15
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I’m not scared by Taliban threats: Musharraf
March 23, 2013
Former president Pervez Musharraf. PHOTO: REUTERS / FILE
Former president Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday that he was not scared by any “hollow” threats made by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Musharraf, during a press conference in Dubai, said that he has been receiving threats since 12 years and he would have run away from Pakistan at that time only if he was scared.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/525258/im-not-scared-by-taliban-threats-musharraf/
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Arab World
Maliki's Iraq: Rape, Executions and Torture
21 March 2013
By Dahr Jamail, Al Jazeera
Iraq is wracked by detentions, torture, and executions and fingers are pointing at Prime Minister Maliki.
Baghdad - Heba al-Shamary (name changed for security reasons) was released last week from an Iraqi prison where she spent the last four years.
"I was tortured and raped repeatedly by the Iraqi security forces," she told Al Jazeera. "I want to tell the world what I and other Iraqi women in prison have had to go through these last years. It has been a hell."
Heba was charged with terrorism, a fate faced by many Iraqis who are detained by security forces.
"I now want to explain to people what is occurring in the prisons that [Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki and his gangs are running," Heba added. "I was raped over and over again, I was kicked and beaten and insulted and spit upon."
Full report at:
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15246-malikis-iraq-rape-executions-and-torture
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Expo on Prophet’s life inaugurated
23 March 2013
Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman, who is also chairman of the Higher Committee for celebrating Madinah’s selection as the Islamic Cultural Capital for 2013, opened yesterday an exhibition on the biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
It was organized by the general secretariat of the cultural capital festival.
Secretary-General of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) Fahd Al-Samary, Madinah Mayor Khaled bin Abdul Qader Tahir and Secretary-General of the Festival and Imam at the Quba Mosque Sheikh Saleh Al-Maghamesi welcomed the prince to the venue of the inauguration of the expo close to the Prophet’s Mosque.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/445799
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Five killed in Iraq attacks
22 March 2013
BAGHDAD: Attacks in Iraq on Friday killed five people, including two anti-Qaeda militiamen, officials said, the latest in an apparent spike in violence less than a month ahead of provincial elections.
In the deadliest attack, gunmen killed Hussein Musleh and two of his sons near their home in the village of Al-Jumhuriyah in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad.
Full report at:
The latest violence comes ahead of provincial elections scheduled for April 20, Iraq’s first polls in three years.
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Recent videos show international makeup of Syrian jihad
By LISA LUNDQUIST
March 20, 2013
In the last several weeks, jihadist propaganda and news reports from Syria have increasingly mentioned fighters from foreign countries, including China, Chechnya, Germany, Palestine, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Just yesterday, France24 published an article containing an interview with a Tunisian jihadist in Syria and clips featuring jihadists from Tunisia, Libya, and Sweden.
Full report at:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-
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Syria Rebels to Address Arab Summit But Await Seat
March 23, 2013
Dubai. Syrian opposition leaders are to address an annual summit of the Arab League for the first time in Qatar on Tuesday, but the bloc's members remain divided over whether to give them Damascus's vacant seat.
The Qatari hosts are vocal champions of the rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime and said leaders of the armed opposition would definitely be joining Arab heads of state in Doha.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/syria-rebels-to-address-arab-summit-but-await-seat/581566
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Lebanese prime minister resigns amid infighting
AP | Mar 23, 2013
BEIRUT: Lebanon's prime minister resigned on Friday due to government infighting that threatens to leave a void in the state's highest ranks at a time of rising tensions and sporadic violence enflamed by the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Najib Mikati stepped down to protest the parliament's inability to agree on a law to govern elections set for later this year, as well as for the Cabinet's refusal to extend the tenure of the country's police chief, who is about to retire.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Lebanese-prime-minister-resigns-amid-infighting/articleshow/19137574.cms
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"NATO 3" Oral Argument Unfolds on Illinois Terrorism Statute's Constitutionality
Friday, 22 March 2013 13:19
By Steve Horn and Yana Kunichoff, Truthout | Report
On the ten-year anniversary of the launch of the Iraq War, another tentacle of the ever-burgeoning post-9/11 national security state unfolded in a lively courtroom in Chicago in the form of a domestic terrorism case.
Full report at:
http://truth-out.org/news/item/15277-nato-3-oral-argument-unfolds-on-illinois-terrorism-statutes-constitutionality
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Assad Vows to Defeat Rebels After Islamic Scholar’s Death
By Donna Abu-Nasr - Mar 22, 2013
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he will root out Islamist extremists after a suicide bomber killed dozens of people, including a senior Sunni scholar who was one of his staunchest supporters.
The explosion yesterday ripped through the Iman Mosque in Damascus where Sheikh Mohammad Said al-Bouti was giving a religious lesson, the state-run SANA news agency said today. The scholar, his grandson and 47 other people were killed, SANA said, citing the Health Ministry.
Full report at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-22/assad-vows-to-defeat-rebels-after-islamic-scholar-s-death.html
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Egypt's opposition protesters clash with Islamists
2013/03/23
Opposition protesters in Egypt have clashed with members of the governing Muslim Brotherhood in several towns, leaving scores of people injured.
In Cairo, the protesters ransacked one Brotherhood office, while in Mahalla in the Nile Delta the Islamist movement's headquarters was set on fire.
Riot police fired tear gas as the two sides pelted each other with stones.
Egypt has been rocked by violent protests this year, which have left dozens dead and many more injured.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21906461
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Syria rebels seize base in embattled southern province
2013/03/23
Rebels seized an air defense base near Syria's strategic southern international highway on Saturday, activists said, a gain that could bolster opposition fighters trying to secure supply routes to the capital Damascus.
Syria's southern provinces bordering Jordan and Israel have become an increasingly significant battleground as the embattled capital comes into play, with President Bashar al-Assad's forces and his loyalist militias hitting back hard to prevent rebel advances.
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/23/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE92M03K20130323
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Damascus rejects U.N. probe into rights abuses
23 March 2013
President Bashar al-Assad’s regime Saturday said it “categorically” rejected a UN Human Rights Council decision to prolong an enquiry on strife-torn Syria, calling the group’s work “biased and imbalanced.”
“Syria categorically rejects this decision,” said an unnamed official source cited by state news agency SANA a day after the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution prolonging the commission of enquiry’s work.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/23/Damascus-rejects-U-N-probe-into-rights-abuses-.html
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Funeral held for pro-Assad cleric killed in Damascus mosque bombing
23 March 2013
Thousands of people have gathered in downtown Damascus amid tight security for the funeral of a senior pro-government cleric who was assassinated in a mosque earlier this week.
Security forces sealed off all roads leading to the eighth century Omayyad Mosque where the funeral for 84-year-old Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Bouti was held.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/23/Funeral-held-for-pro-Assad-cleric-killed-in-Damascus-mosque-bombing.html
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Makkah miswak now sold in kiosks
22 March 2013
Miswak sellers can no longer sell their hygienic product on the sidewalks.
Vendors of Miswak are generally elderly people who are beneficiaries of social insurance. The Ministory of Social Affairs are providing the financing to provide vendors stalls in Makkah.
Miswak’s salesmen expressed their thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Social Affairs for this improved step.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/445708
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Europe
Religious political party members fined for religious activity in Tajikistan
By Mushfig Bayram
23 MARCH 2013
Police, secret police and local officials are continuing to try to prevent members of Tajikistan's only legally permitted religious political party - the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP) - from exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief in party-organised meetings. A women's meeting in a village of northern Sugd Region was broken up soon after they began praying and reading the Koran. Police Chief Vosip Kaziyev told Forum 18 News Service that the authorities decided to "allow the IRP to have religious gatherings only on Saturdays but [Munovar] Sadikova held her meeting on 20 February, which was a Wednesday." She was fined. When her husband objected vocally to his wife and the other participants being harangued by an administration official, he was imprisoned for 15 days for petty hooliganism.
Full report at:
http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1816
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Europe's Islamic radicals will soon land on America's doorstep
By Cal Thomas
March 21, 2013
President Obama should listen to former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the "founder" of shuttle diplomacy.
Kissinger told Bloomberg TV's Judy Woodruff recently that he sees little hope in the "Arab Spring," nor is he optimistic about peace in the region following the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Full report at:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/03/21/europe-islamic-radicals-will-soon-land-on-america-doorstep/#ixzz2OL2p7EIN
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Diplomats: Ban Ki-Moon says info 'crucial' in Syria probe
March 23, 2013
Information provided by Syria, Britain and France on alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria will be "crucial" in deciding the scope of the investigation the UN is planning, UN diplomats said.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Friday indicating the possibility of a broader investigation, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the letter has not been made public.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/northamerica/Diplomats-Ban-says-info-crucial-in-Syria-probe/Article1-1030829.aspx
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Syria crisis: UK's DEC appeal raises £3.4m
2013/03/23
An aid appeal by UK charities to help people affected by the conflict in Syria has raised £3.4m in two days.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said more than five million people need urgent humanitarian aid, with three million of those now homeless.
The DEC will use the money in Syria and neighbouring countries where more than one million refugees have fled.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21911152
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South Asia
Lankans counter ongoing hatred campaign against Muslims
23 March 2013
A group of Sri Lankan expatriates in the capital, comprising Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims, will send a petition to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa urging him to stop the ongoing hatred campaign against Muslims in Sri Lanka.
Following Friday prayers in Riyadh yesterday, Sri Lankans of all faiths and from all walks of life were seen signing the petition addressed to their country's president.
Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community has recently come under intense pressure from a hard-line Buddhist organization, which is spreading a malicious campaign against the Muslims of Sri Lanka.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/445724
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Afghan policeman kills five colleagues
2013/03/23
KABUL: A member of Afghanistan’s government-backed militia program has shot and killed five of his colleagues, an official said Friday.
The shooting occurred Thursday morning in a remote part of Qadis district of Badghis province, said provincial spokesman Mirwais Mirzakwal.
He said he did not have additional details on the shooting because the region was difficult to reach by telephone, and investigators had been sent to the site.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/23/afghan-policeman-kills-five-colleagues/
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Myanmar army patrols central city after violence
Sat Mar 23 2013
Meikhtila : Myanmar's army took control of a ruined central city on Saturday, regaining control after several days of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims that killed dozens of people and left scores of buildings in flames in the worst sectarian bloodshed to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year.
Truckloads of soldiers could be seen patrolling Meikhtila and taking up positions at intersections and banks as some residents, who had cowered in their homes for days since the mayhem began Wednesday, began wandering their streets to take in the destruction.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/myanmar-army-patrols-central-city-after-violence/1092307/
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20 dead, 200 hurt in Bangladesh storm
AP | Mar 23, 2013
DHAKA: The death toll from a tornado that ripped through 20 villages in eastern Bangladesh has climbed to 20 people, with another 200 hurt, a government official said Saturday.
Initial reports said at least 10 people were killed and a newspaper put the toll for the injured at 500 in the storm that lashed the distant villages in Brahmanbaria district on Friday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/20-dead-200-hurt-in-Bangladesh-storm/articleshow/19142679.cms
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China, Pakistan reach controversial deal on nuclear power plant, sources say
Published March 21, 2013
Washington Free Beacon
China and Pakistan reached a formal agreement last month to construct a third nuclear reactor at Chashma that the Obama administration says will violate Beijing’s promises under an international anti-nuclear weapons accord.
Full report at:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/21/china-pakistan-reach-controversial-deal-on-nuclear-power-plant-sources-say/#ixzz2OL3ige5F
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United efforts can defeat Jamaat-e-Islami
2013/03/23
Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamaat backed Islami Chhatra Shibir, who are leading the communal attacks, are the ones who actually belong to minority group and they can be defeated if countrymen rallies against them, speakers told a rally yesterday.
Bangladesh Mahila Oikya Parishad organised the rally at Shishu Academy in the capital. The theme of the rally was to establish equal rights and dignity of women in every sector and stop all kinds of socio-religious discrimination.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/united-efforts-can-defeat-jamaat/
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Law for protecting Dalits’ rights demanded in Bangladesh
2013/03/23
The country’s Dalit and excluded communities yesterday demanded that the government formulate a law for protection of their rights and elimination of racial discrimination.
“Around 65 lakh people of Dalit and excluded communities are being discriminated against socially and economically due to prejudices about their so-called race, class and profession,” said Bothanki Solomon, general secretary of Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement (BDERM).
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/law-for-protecting-dalits-rights-demanded/
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North America
US unblocks $500m for Palestinians
March 23, 2013
A Palestinian boy carries the national flag as he makes his way through the debris of the destroyed Palestine Sports Stadium in Gaza City on November 22, 2012, after a ceasefire took hold in and around Gaza after a week of cross-border violence between Israel and Palestinian militants that killed at least 160 people. PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON: The United States has quietly unblocked almost $500 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority which had been frozen by Congress for months, a top US official said Friday.
The news that the funds had finally been freed up came after US President Barack Obama met top Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a landmark visit to Israel and the West Bank earlier this week.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/525243/us-unblocks-500m-for-palestinians/
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Obama 'very concerned' Syria could become haven for extremists
March 22, 2013
President Obama said Friday he's "very concerned" that civil war-racked Syria could become a haven for extremists, should President Bashar Assad leave a power vacuum in the chaotic country.
Obama, during a press conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II, reiterated that Assad must, and will, go. But he stressed that it's critical for the international community to work together to accelerate a viable political transition -- one that does not let extremists exploit the power gap.
Full report at:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/22/obama-closing-out-israel-visit-with-symbolic-stops/#ixzz2OL3rjymc
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Dark Knight Killer James Holmes 'is now a Muslim who prays five times a day'
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
20 March 2013
James Holmes, the gunman behind the Dark Knight massacre in Colorado last July, has reportedly turned Muslim and prays five times a day.
The killer showed off a lengthy, thick beard during a court appearance earlier this month, and a prison source has claimed it is a symbol of his new-found faith.
The source said Holmes has turned to Islam as a way of justifying his horrific murder spree in an Aurora, Colorado cinema on July 20 which left 12 people dead and 58 people wounded.
'He has brainwashed himself into believing he was on his own personal jihad and that his victims were infidels,' a prison source told the National Enquirer.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2296440/Dark-Knight-killer-James-Holmes-Muslim-prays-times-day.html#ixzz2OL1IIfik
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Syrian with ties to 9/11 hijackers still in US, virtually immune from deportation
By Pamela Browne, Catherine Herridge
March 22, 2013
Free to do as he pleases, living out his days in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, a Syrian national who is a known associate of the 9/11 hijackers never has to worry about deportation by the U.S. government, according to an investigation by Fox Files.
With nearly 400,000 people waiting for U.S. citizenship, Daoud Chehazeh last November received political asylum for a third time after a series of bureaucratic screw ups at the federal level, according to a review of court documents and interviews with former federal and state investigators.
Full report at:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/22/exclusive-syrian-with-ties-to-11-hijackers-still-in-us-virtually-immune-from/#ixzz2OL3bwBuw
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Southern California Jews and Muslims react to Obama's Jerusalem speech
23 MARCH 2013
Jewish and Muslim leaders praised Barack Obama's first-ever presidential visit to Israel and the West Bank this week but were uncertain as to whether the move would help revive the ailing Arab-Israeli peace process.
Jay Sanderson, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, called Obama's visit "an extraordinary trip." Sanderson said he was "overwhelmed" by the president's comments Thursday in Jerusalem underscoring America's commitment to Israel and recognizing all the Jewish state has accomplished.
Full report at:
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_22844117/southern-california-jews-and-muslims-react-obamas-jerusalem
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US amendment to end aid to Pakistan till Dr Shakeel Afridi is released
Mar 23 2013
Washington : A Republican Senator with presidential ambition moved an amendment on the Senate floor to cut off all foreign aid to Pakistan until Shakeel Afridi, a key informant in the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden, is released from prison.
"Pakistan's actions are unacceptable and not suitable for any country wishing to receive a single dollar from US taxpayers - especially considering their country is one of the largest recipients," said Senator Rand Paul, as he moved Amendment 379, to Senate Con Res 8, the Budget Resolution.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-amendment-to-end-aid-to-pakistan-till-dr-shakeel-afridi-is-released/1092285/
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SF Supervisors Unanimously Pass Resolution Condemning Islamophobic Bus Ads
22 March 2013
(SAN FRANCISCO 3/21/13) -- On Tuesday, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution condemning the content of Islamophobic advertisements placed on San Francisco buses.
Board President David Chiu sponsored the resolution, introduced at last Tuesday's meeting. The resolution is the first of its kind in the nation, sending a clear message that San Francisco's elected leaders stand against hate and Islamophobia.
Full report at:
http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/11786-sf-supervisors-unanimously-pass-resolution-condemning-islamophobic-bus-ads.html
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San Francisco's Jewish Leadership Embraces Their Personal Jihad
By Abraham H. Miller
23 MARCH 2013
When buses of the San Francisco Municipal Railway began sporting ads announcing Pamela Geller's retort to CAIR's, this is my jihad as campaign, the local Jewish community leadership practically stampeded over itself to denounce Geller and her organization, the American Freedom Defence Initiative. In a Jewish community where the leadership would have difficulty agreeing on when the Sabbath starts, the spectre of "Islamophobia" created an almost unprecedented unity not seen since Muhamud Abbas became leader of the PLO. Then, Jewish skeptics and critics of Abbas were advised to remain silent. Abbas presented a new hope for peace. We should remain silent while he mobilizes his people to pursue that quest. Full report at:
Rhttp://www.americanthinker.com/2013/03/san_franciscos_jewish_leadership_embraces_their_personal_jihad.html#ixzz2OL37FemT
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Mideast Asia
Hamas continues to target Salafi jihadists in Gaza
By DAVID BARNETT
March 22, 2013
A new statement from the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Center announces that Hamas members recently raided the home of a "mujahid" in the Popular Resistance Committees' (PRC) Al Nasser Salah al Deen Brigades. The statement, which was uploaded to jihadist forums as well as the Center's Facebook and Tumblr pages, says that the home was located in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas members, according to the statement, "searched the house and tampered with its contents." The statement further charged that the raid was part of a continuing campaign by Hamas against the "Mujahideen." According to the statement, the campaign appears to be expanding "day by day," and the PRC is expected to release an official statement on the incident.
Full report at:
matrix/archives/2013/03/hamas_continues_to_target_sala.php#ixzz2OKx5OLUo
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3 killed in attack on Yemen Shiite rebel leader
23 March 2013
Gunmen in Yemen on Saturday killed three guards of a leader of the Huthi Shiite rebels who escaped the assassination bid in Sanaa where he is taking part in a national dialogue, witnesses said.
The gunmen opened fire at the vehicle of Abdulwahid Abu Ras, the rebel chief in the northern province of Al-Jawf, in Nasr Street in the capital shortly after the morning session of the talks, witnesses said.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/23/3-killed-in-attack-on-Yemen-Shiite-rebel-leader.html
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'Peace between Israel, Turkey a diplomatic victory for Barack Obama'
Mar 23 2013
Washington : US President Barack Obama's efforts to broker peace between Israel and Turkey - the two key allies of America in the region- have been hailed by the media here as a major diplomatic victory.
Due to his personal diplomatic efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan o apologies for the errors in a 2010 raid on a ship bound for Gaza that had soured the relationship between America's two key allies in the region.Obama has been hailed by the American media for his diplomatic victory.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/peace-between-israel-turkey-a-diplomatic-victory-for-barack-obama/1092302/
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Islam conference advocates for study and understanding of the Middle East
MARCH 21, 2013
AM BY EMILY WRIGHT
Middle Eastern peace and culture were topics of conversation at the Engaging Islam and Muslims conference, which included events on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Marquette professors gave presentations regarding the perceptions and experiences of American Muslims. The campus conference was part of a larger effort to create a Middle East and North Africa Studies program within the College of Arts & Sciences.
Full report at:
http://marquettetribune.org/2013/03/21/news/islam-bg1-bf2-ap3/
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Erdogan: the ‘Alpha male’ of Turkish politics
2013/03/23
ANKARA: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who may earn himself a lasting legacy if he succeeds in forging elusive peace with Kurdish rebels, has emerged as the most powerful and longest-serving prime minister in Turkey’s recent history.
In power for over 10 years, Erdogan has brought stability to Turkey after years of rocky coalition governments, building the country into a regional political and economic power.
But his authoritarian style and zero-tolerance to any criticism has proved to be a major test for democracy in the nation at the crossroads of east and west. In a country where the triumph of political parties often depends on the charisma of their leaders, the one-time semi-professional footballer has notched up a growing share of the popular vote since he first took office in 2002.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\03\23\story_23-3-2013_pg4_7
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Obama visit ancient city Petra as he winds up Middle East trip
Reuters | Mar 23, 2013
PETRA, JORDAN: US President Barack Obama marvelled at the sights of Jordan's ancient city of Petra on Saturday as he wrapped up a four-day Middle East tour by setting aside weighty diplomatic matters and playing tourist for a day.
The visit followed a trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories that was capped by Obama's brokering of a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey but which offered little more than symbolic gestures toward Middle East peacemaking.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Obama-visit-ancient-city-Petra-as-he-winds-up-Middle-East-trip/articleshow/19148547.cms
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Africa
‘Too soon to return’ for Malians who fled Islamists
23 March 2013
Under the blazing African sun in a makeshift tent city in the Inner Niger Delta, 600 Malians live side-by-side, waiting for the day they feel safe enough to return to their homes.
They are among thousands of “internally displaced people” (IDPs) who fled when Islamist fighters cut a swathe through the north of their country a year ago, occupying towns and cities and imposing a brutal version of Islamic sharia law.
For months they have been housed in dozens of tents in a camp run by local authorities with the help of the UN and humanitarian organizations in the town of Sevare, 600 kilometers (370 miles) northeast of the Malian capital, Bamako.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/2013/03/23/-Too-soon-to-return-for-Malians-who-fled-Islamists.html
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Tunisian architect turned jihadist talks of holy war in Syria
19/03/2013
Abou Ayman is a young Tunisian architect who left everything behind to wage holy war thousands of kilometers from his home. He is one of several thousand foreign jihadists currently fighting against the Syrian regime.
Syria’s best-known rebels, those who belong to the Free Syrian Army, say they are fighting with one sole objective: to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. In contrast, jihadist rebel groups — most notoriously, Jabhat al-Nusra — are fighting in the name of Islam, and their ranks are swelling.
Full report at:
http://observers.france24.com/content/20130319-tunisian-architect-jihadist-syria
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Ansar Al-Shari’a Group Established As Mauritania Ponders Joining Intervention In Mali
Andrew McGregor
23 MARCH 2013
The largely desert nation of Mauritania has been engaged in an often deadly struggle against al-Qaeda terrorists and local Salafist militants for several years now. Many local Salafists now populate the prison in the capital of Nouakchott, though even this does not seem to have deterred some of them from carrying out various activities.
Full report at:
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=40631&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=26&cHash=0c686ac81cab3bdb52f42c6f7127fb98
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Tunisian rapper gets jail term for calling police dogs in song
23 MARCH 2013
A Tunisian court has sentenced a rap singer to two years in jail in absentia for insulting the police in a case likely to fuel debate over free speech under the Islamist-led government. The singer, known as Weld el 15, is on the run. Two of his associates, singers Muhammad Hedi Belgueyed and Sabrine Klibi, were in court when they received suspended sentences of six months each, a Tunisian Justice Ministry source said on Friday.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\03\23\story_23-3-2013_pg9_2
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The jihadist rapper wanted dead by both sides of the 'war on terror'
Haroon Siddique
22 March 2013
Some would argue that glamorising violence in hip-hop is nothing new, but Omar Hammami, perhaps the world's only jihadist rapper, takes the genre to a whole new level.
With songs such as Send Me a Cruise (Missile) and Make Jihad with Me, the Alabama-born Hammami's notoriety has led to the US state department putting a $5m (£3.3m) bounty on his head. Not that Hammami – also known as al-Amriki, or "the American" – is letting it get him down.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/22/jihadist-rapper-omar-hammami-wanted
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Five dead in Tripoli clashes, say security forces
March 22, 2013
Clashes killed five people overnight in the flashpoint Lebanese city of Tripoli, a security official said on Friday, with the army reporting a soldier was among the dead.
The largely Sunni city is home to a small Alawite population, and violence has regularly broken out between the two communities as the conflict in Syria - pitting a Sunni-led opposition against the Alawite regime - raises tensions.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Five-dead-in-Tripoli-clashes-say-security-forces/Article1-1030603.aspx
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Morocco Islamists struggle with coalition rule
23 March 2013
After just over a year in power, Morocco’s Islamist-led government is struggling to fulfill the high hopes brought on by its election in 2011 on promises to fight corruption, provide for the needy and reform the country.
Working within a coalition of often reluctant allies, the moderate Islamists of the Justice and Development Party have found many of their initiatives blocked by an establishment with close ties to the royal palace that still wields ultimate power in this North African kingdom of 32 million.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/2013/03/23/Morocco-Islamists-struggle-with-coalition-rule-.html
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Magharebia: 'Tunisian salafist[s] announce al-Qaeda support'
By THOMAS JOSCELYN
March 21, 2013
Tunisian salafist jihadists announced their allegiance to al-Qaeda this week, accepting the group's invitation to wage a holy war.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's call on Sunday (March 17th) to fight the French, westerners, secularists and other so-called "enemies" was welcomed by Tunisian salafist jihadists, the movement's leader, Mohamed Anis Chaieb, told Assabah.
"The statement posted by AQIM calls for the preservation of the gains of the Tunisian revolution and the salafist jihadist movement will heed this call and defend these gains," the movement's leader, Mohamed Anis Chaieb told Assabah.
Full report at:
http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-
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DR Congo war crimes suspect Ntaganda in ICC prison
March 23, 2013
Congolese war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda, dubbed "The Terminator", was behind bars at the International Criminal Court on Saturday, after turning himself in to face charges ranging from murder and rape to using child soldiers.
The first ever suspect to hand himself in to the ICC, Ntaganda is wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his years as a warlord in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
He walked into the US embassy in Rwanda on Monday and asked to be sent to the Hague-based court.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/europe/DR-Congo-war-crimes-suspect-Ntaganda-in-ICC-prison/Article1-1030836.aspx
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New terror threat to Tunisia
By Monia Ghanmi
22/03/13
Tunisian salafist jihadists announced their allegiance to al-Qaeda this week, accepting the group's invitation to wage a holy war.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's call Sunday (March 17th) to fight Westerners, secularists, reformers and other so-called "enemies" was welcomed by Tunisian salafist jihadists, the movement's leader Mohamed Anis Chaieb told Assabah.
This was the first time Tunisia's salafist jihadist groups officially declared their allegiance to al-Qaeda. And the terror group's call to arms could not have come at a more critical juncture for the still-fragile state.
Full report at:
http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/reportage/2013/03/22/reportage-01
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Uganda's Child Gold-Seekers
BY JOSEPH ELUNYA, 23 MARCH 2013
Busia — When it comes to gold deposits, eastern Uganda's Busia district may be rich, but the precious metal is being mined by those who are anything but. In fact, the majority of today's miners are underage - some are children as young as six years old.
Using rudimentary tools like hoes and axle blades, underage schoolchildren are engaging in the risky business of artisan gold mining. Why? To be able to afford basic provisions both for themselves and their families.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201303230088.html
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Southeast Asia
Gunmen storm Indonesia jail, kill 4 detainees
AP | Mar 23, 2013
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesian Police say a group of nearly 20 well-trained gunmen have stormed a jail on the main island of Java and executed four detainees accused of murdering a special forces soldier.
Local police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo says the masked gunmen were angry over the killing of a member of Indonesia's elite military unit, known as Kopassus, allegedly by the four men detained in Yogyakarta's Cebongan prison. The attackers tortured several guards and forced them to open the jail cell just after midnight on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Gunmen-storm-Indonesia-jail-kill-4-detainees/articleshow/19142871.cms
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Al-Qaida-linked Filipino militants free Australian hostage after 15 months
AP | Mar 23, 2013
MANILA: Al-Qaida-linked militants in the southern Philippines on Saturday released an emaciated-looking Australian man near a coastal town where they kidnapped him for ransom 15 months ago.
Warren Richard Rodwell was brought to police by residents of Pagadian city who saw him walking before dawn near the fishing port, where his abductors dropped him off, said local police chief Julius Munez.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Al-Qaida-linked-Filipino-militants-free-Australian-hostage-after-15-months/articleshow/19140313.cms
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/a-fiction-keralite-portrays-dracula/d/10876