Zardari, Gilani vow to protect minorities’ rights
Uighur scholar from China: Pakistan link to Xinjiang attacks questioned
Pakistan Right Activist asks Pak PM to halt execution of death row prisoners
India: Truth is an ‘official secret’ in Modi land
Three dead in Iraq, spate of bombs hit Baghdad
US drone war killed up to 168 children in Pakistan: report
Month after Mumbai blasts: 26 dead, 126 wounded
A UN Envoy: Sexual attacks reported against Somali women
Tanzania study finds high rates of child abuse
Green Muslims promoting environmentally friendly Ramadan
British PM says cops failed, vows zero tolerance
Egypt to target al Qaeda cells said to be training in Sinai
Pak Bar Assn. President for ending discrimination against minorities
Pak Interior Minister: ‘Terrorists have no religion’
Hasina 7th among12 top women
British govt responsible for Pak-origin nationals' safety: Pak
Father too late to save dying son in UK riots
Pak sheltered Osama in return of Saudi cash: Expert
It's Muslim kids, not parents, who are embracing a politicized Islam
UK to limit sharia law to prevent discrimination against Muslim women
Gujarat cop names Narendra Modi's aide in Prajapati 'fake' encounter case
No rift in China-Pak close ties over terror camps: report
Clinton urges new steps against Syria, another 16 killed
UNICEF Youth event highlights issues of tolerance and diversity
Pakistani shooting film paramilitary sentenced to death
Nigeria to probe 'army abuses' in Boko Haram crackdown
China launches new communication satellite for Pakistan
Musharraf says Pakistanis love and trust him
Wife can file case against ill treatment in Sharia court
New Jersey gov defends Judge Mohammed's appointment
Peshawar: Creation of provinces conspiracy against integrity of country
Muslim TV Show Airs on Hispanic Network
A troupe of Muslim comedians prepares to unleash its satirical jihad on the Bible Belt
Azerbaijani president urges greater Muslim solidarity
Protesters oppose Muslim prayer in public schools
Moradabad: Fear looms as Muslims picked from houses during curfew
Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state by UN: Shia cleric
Schools can be used as community study centres in evening: Minister of MinorityAffairs
India: Hijab row in college: Student approaches district administration
Rakhi festival celebrated in Taxila
Look who’s ruling the radio waves in Valley
Fanatics haunt Husain in death
Pak national held under Foreigners Act
558 Indians behind bars, Pak says 309
German etiquette group calls workplace greeting kissing ‘a form of terrorism’!
Delaying wage un-Islamic, says scholar
Tunisians say revolution yet to bring justice
Jeddah: WAMY gives SR4 million for Somalia relief
What happened on the night of deadly Afghanistan helicopter crash
Yemen’s fate discussed on twitter and blogs
Syria's Ramadan Soaps Aren't Bubbling This Year
Manhattan Children's Museum Gets Funding for 'Muslim Worlds' Exhibit
Prisoner in Ajmer, Krishna says he's in Pak
Ramadan: the month of Jihad
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ban-ki-moon-concerned-rising/d/5236
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Ban Ki-moon concerned over rising civilian casualties in Libya
12 August 2011
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern over the “unacceptably” large number of civilian casualties in Libya and said that there can be no military solution to the crisis in the country.
Mr. Moon asked all Libyan parties to immediately engage with his Special Envoy Abdel-Elah Al-Khatib and respond positively to ideas presented to them in order to end the bloodshed in the country.
The Secretary General “reiterates his strongly held belief that there can be no military solution to the Libyan crisis. A ceasefire that is linked to a political process which would meet the aspirations of the Libyan people, is the only viable means to achieving peace and security in Libya,” a statement from his office said.
“The secretary general is deeply concerned by reports of the unacceptably large number of civilian casualties as a result of the conflict in Libya,” said the statement.
Expressing solidarity with the Libyan people, Mr. Moon called on all parties to “exercise extreme caution in their actions, in order to minimise any further loss of civilian life.”
Mr. Moon also had a telephone conversation with Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmudi on Wednesday during which he said he was “very troubled” that there had been an “absolute lack of progress” in efforts to find a politically negotiated solution to the country’s crisis.
He told al-Mahmudi that the UN Security Council member states had reiterated concerns about the continuing loss of life and destruction of infrastructure.
Earlier this week, Russia, India, Brazil and other UN Security Council delegations had expressed concerns about NATO strikes on Libyan state television last month and other attacks that have allegedly killed civilians.
UN cultural agency UNESCO’s head Irina Bokova had “deplored” the NATO strike on Al-Jamahiriya and its installations saying media outlets should not be targeted in military actions.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2349862.ece
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Zardari, Gilani vow to protect minorities’ rights
12 August 2011
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani expressed their government’s resolve to promote interfaith harmony and ensure equal rights for all minorities living in Pakistan.
Addressing the Minorities Day function held at the Presidency, he said that August 11 was a day to reaffirm commitment to continue working for promoting interfaith harmony in the country and to strive for progressive and tolerant Pakistan as envisioned by the Father of the Nation.
The president reiterated the government’s commitment to protect minorities and to ensure that their constitutional rights were safeguarded at all costs and they were fully drawn in the mainstream of national life.
He said that the day was an occasion to recognise the important role played by the minorities of Pakistan in nation building and to honour the sacrifices rendered by them. It was also a day to ponder over the problems faced by the minorities and to work together to address them, he added.
He said that Islam laid special emphasis on equal and just treatment of the disadvantaged and minorities. The constitution of Pakistan and the UN Declaration of Human Rights protect the rights of the minorities, he added.
The president said the very foundations of the country as a modern, tolerant and progressive state were laid by none other than the Quaid himself during his August 11 speech in the Constituent Assembly.
The president while quoting the speech of Quaid-e-Azam said that the speech of the Quaid marks the state policy towards minorities rooted in the freedom for everyone to profess his religious beliefs freely and without fear or interference.
The president expressed the hope that after passage of 18th Amendment, the provincial governments would continue to ensure equality, freedom and security for all communities so that they could freely profess and practice their religions and also safeguard their legitimate and rightful interests.
On this occasion, the president also recounted a number of initiatives taken by the government for the welfare of the minorities and for bringing them into the mainstream of national life. Reservation of five percent quota in government jobs, reservation of four seats for them in Senate, declaration of August 11 as the Minorities Day, optional holiday, celebration of religious festivals of minorities at official level, a hundred percent increase in Minority Development Fund and establishment of prayer rooms in all prisons of Pakistan were various steps taken for the welfare of minorities, he said.
The president also inaugurated Shahbaz Bhatti Memorial Trust that has been established by the bereaved family of the assassinated minority affairs minister with the objective of establishing programmes which will help in the economic empowerment, social uplift and mainstreaming of minorities.
Separately, Prime Minister Gilani on Thursday said that the present democratic government was committed to ensure equal rights for all minority communities as enshrined in Constitution of Pakistan and UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Speaking at a function organised at the Prime Minister’s House to celebrate the Minorities Day, he said, “It is our moral, religious and social obligation to strengthen the bond of love and promote culture of tolerance in the country.” Growing intolerance and extremism is a serious threat to the fabric of our society, he added. He lamented that some extremist elements with a view to advancing their own narrow and bigoted agendas have targeted the minorities. He said that it was singular honour of the government that it declared August 11 as the Minorities Day.
The objective of celebrating the day at the national level was to acknowledge contribution of the minorities in different walks of national life, highlight their rights and promote inter-faith harmony, he added.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\12\story_12-8-2011_pg7_11
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Uighur scholar from China: Pakistan link to Xinjiang attacks questioned
ANANTH KRISHNAN
12 August 2011
A Uighur scholar from China's far-western Xinjiang region has cast doubt over claims that last month's attacks were linked to camps in Pakistan, suggesting that locals, armed with grievances but no training, were likely behind the violence.
Ilham Tohti, a Uighur economist in Beijing's Minzu University (Central University for Nationalities) who this week returned from a visit to Hotan and Kashgar, the sites of last month's violence, told The Hindu there was no evidence that any of the Uighurs involved in the attacks had visited Pakistan, and suggested there were “strict controls” and little support in Pakistan for Uighurs from China.
“I doubt that the attackers were trained in Pakistan,” he said. “They were all locals, from Hotan and Kashgar, and only armed with knives, and had no weapons.”
“The authorities have given no proof that they were trained in Pakistan,” he added. “There needs to be more details and transparency in the investigation.”
At least 20 people were killed in the attacks in Hotan, where two attackers drove a truck into a crowd of pedestrians, and in the western Silk Road city of Kashgar, where a knife attack took place at a restaurant.
The regional government in Xinjiang said the attackers “had learned skills of making explosives and firearms in overseas camps of the terrorist group East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in Pakistan.”
Mr. Tohti raised questions about the claims in the media that many Uighurs in Kashgar and Hotan, in southern Xinjiang, had travelled across the border to terrorist camps in Pakistan.
“There are tight controls on Uighurs in Pakistan,” he said. “I have a big doubt about these claims. The Pakistani government has never been a friend of Uighurs. Pakistan only likes to use the Uighur problem to get benefits from China.”
Mr. Tohti said there were increasing security controls on Uighurs in Pakistan. On Monday, five Uighurs, including two children and a woman, were arrested in different parts of Pakistan and deported to Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, the Dawn newspaper in Pakistan reported.
Another Uighur, Abduxur Ablmit, who was to be deported, was off-loaded from the China Southern Airlines flight “because the captain refused to accept him for unspecified reasons”.
The five Uighurs were “blindfolded and handcuffed”, the report said, adding that in the past, Pakistani authorities had extradited 14 “separatists” in 1997, seven in 2002 and nine others in 2009.
Members of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) have however, been linked to a number of past attacks in China. The Chinese government says the ETIM has set up camps in Pakistan, near its border with Afghanistan.
A Pakistan-trained ETIM member was reportedly linked to an attempted suicide bombing in 2008 on a China Southern flight. The group also claimed to be behind bus bombings in Kunming in 2008, though Chinese officials said they found no evidence to suggest their involvement.
But knife attacks such as last month's, where the attackers appeared to have little training, were more likely carried out by disgruntled locals rather than Pakistan-trained terrorists, Mr. Tohti said.
“Most Uighurs are not even aware of the ETIM, and I doubt that the group even exists,” he said, suggesting that attributing the attacks to terrorist groups obscured local tensions.
Mr. Tohti, regarded as one of the country's foremost experts on Xinjiang's economy, said recent unrest in Hotan and Kashgar was sourced in high unemployment and rising inequalities between Uighurs and the increasing number of majority Han Chinese who have migrated to the region.
Tensions between the two groups erupted in July 2009 in ethnic riots that left at least 197 people dead.
The region's Communist Party chief, Zhang Chunxian, acknowledged last month that the employment problem concerned “ethnic unity and the balance of development.”
The government recently announced plans to raise the region's GDP per capita to the national average by 2015, as well as a $130-million package to tackle unemployment. Plans to set up a Special Economic Zone to boost development in Kashgar have also been unveiled.
But Mr. Tohti said growth that failed to address fundamental inequalities would not solve Xinjiang's problems. He said studies showed that as much as 80 per cent of the unemployed population came from the Uighur community, which makes up around 41 per cent of the region's population.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2344079.ece
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Pakistan Right Activist asks Pak PM to halt execution of death row prisoners
Aug 12 2011
Islamabad : Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney today appealed to Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani to immediately halt executions of death row prisoners, including Indian national Sarabjit Singh, and convert all death sentences to life imprisonment.
Burney said he had taken up the matter with Gilani when he met him at a private function here yesterday.
He contended that 60 to 65 per cent of death row prisoners in Pakistan were innocent or victims of a faulty justice system.
"Prime Minister Gilani has so far failed to deliver on his promises to help condemned prisoners," Burney said.
He said that he had requested the Prime Minister to announce the conversion of all death sentences to life imprisonment in his upcoming speech to the nation on Pakistan's Independence Day on August 14.
Burney noted that Gilani had announced in Parliament on June 21, 2008 that his government would forward a proposal to the presidency to convert all death sentences to life imprisonment.
The Premier had failed to deliver on this promise which had given death row prisoners "a hope of precious life", he said.
"In fact, since the Prime Minister's announcement, more than eight persons have been hanged," he said.
Many death row prisoners have spent over two to three decades in prison and such "prolonged detention in the worst and inhuman circumstances" amounted to the worst kind of human rights violations, he said.
"Pakistan ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in April 2010, which was signed by the President in June last year.
"While such steps are welcome, we believe it is imperative for the government to also take immediate steps to ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is aimed at the abolition of the death penalty," Burney said.
The government appears to have backtracked on its announcement regarding the conversion of death sentences to life imprisonment due to pressure from extremist religious groups, Burney said.
Indian national Sarabjit Singh is on death row in Pakistan for his alleged involvement in the 1990 blasts in the country that killed 14 people.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/burney-asks-pak-pm-to-halt-execution-of-death-row-prisoners/831103/
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India:Truth is an ‘official secret’ in Modi land
By D. P. Bhattacharya
12 August 2011
Top cop faces non- bailable secrets Act charge for raking up 2002 Gujarat riot muck on Modi
THE Gujarat government has cleared the decks to chargesheet a 1992 batch IPS officer for breach of official secrecy, within a week of suspending another IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt for exposing the Narendra Modi establishment’s alleged collusion with the 2002 Godhra riots accused.
Sharma had caused enormous embarrassment for the Modi government after he produced mobile phone call details of the top police officers, bureaucrats, politicians, VHP leaders as well as other riots accused before the Nanavati Commission and other panels probing into the 2002 communal violence in the state.
The chief minister’s office has cleared the chargesheet against Sharma, accusing him of the breach of the official secrecy Act, it has been learnt. The move is being seen as a sign of the growing desperation within the state government over increasing judicial pressure regarding its role in the riots.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Three dead in Iraq, spate of bombs hit Baghdad
12 August 2011
BAGHDAD - Twin bomb attacks in western Iraq killed three people Thursday evening while a string of four explosions in Baghdad wounded 10 others, security and medical officials said.
A total of 39 people were wounded in violence on Thursday.
In the capital, two bombs went off near alcohol shops in the commercial district of Karrada in central Baghdad, wounding four civilians, an interior ministry official said.
The two explosions, which were followed by sirens and gunfire, could be heard in central Baghdad.
Another bomb targeted an army patrol in Dura in the south of the capital, wounding three soldiers, while a fourth exploded in Al-Amil neighbourhood in south Baghdad, wounding three civilians, the official said.
The streets surrounding one of the Karrada explosions were closed off by Iraqi security forces, an AFP journalist said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/August/middleeast_August280.xml§ion=middleeast
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US drone war killed up to 168 children in Pakistan: report
12 August 2011
ISLAMABAD: America’s covert drone war on al Qaeda and the Taliban has killed up to 168 children in Pakistan over the last seven years, according to an independent study released on Thursday.
The London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism said its research showed there had been many more CIA attacks on alleged militant targets, leading to far more deaths than previously reported.
It said 291 CIA drone strikes had taken place in Pakistan since 2004, eight percent more than previously reported, and that under President Barack Obama there had been 236 strikes.
The Bureau said most of the 2,292 to 2,863 people reported to have died were low-ranking militants, but that only 126 fighters had been named.
It said it had credible reports of at least 385 civilians and a possible upper limit of 775 civilians being killed. It said there were reports of at least 164 children being killed and possibly up to 168.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\12\story_12-8-2011_pg7_4
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Month after Mumbai blasts: 26 dead, 126 wounded
August 12, 2011
The numbers speak for themselves. A month after the July 13 triple explosions rocked Mumbai, killing 26 and injuring 126 badly enough to be sent to hospitals, around dozen teams from several agencies are yet to make any convincing headway in the probe. The investigation is being conducted
by teams of the Mumbai Police, Maharashtra's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and others, with support from the local security agencies in several states.
Though the investigations are spanning Mumbai, other parts of Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, so far police have only succeeded in making the sketch of a suspect based on an eyewitness account.
The triple blasts shook the country's diamond and gold hubs -- Opera House and Zaverai Bazar, besides the busy commercial area of Dadar west.
"We are on the stupendous job of checking the details of individuals in each frame on CCTVs installed around the blast sites, but progress has been slow so far," a senior Mumbai Police officer said on condition of anonymity.
"Teams have fanned out to different parts of Maharashtra and other cities in the country," he added.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Month-after-Mumbai-blasts-26-dead-126-wounded/H1-Article1-732530.aspx
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A UN Envoy: Sexual attacks reported against Somali women
12 August 2011
UNITED NATIONS: A UN envoy is expressing concern about reports of sexual attacks against Somali women fleeing famine.
Margot Wallstrom, the secretary-general’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, said in a statement Thursday that women and girls “are subjected to attacks, including rape, by armed militants and bandits” on the journey to the Kenya border.
Once in Kenya or at the Dadaab refugee camp, she said, “their hopes of finding a safe haven are often overshadowed by new dangers and hardships, including the risk of rape.”
Wallstrom said her office also has received “alarming information about alleged rapes” by government-allied militias in south-central Somalia and of Al-Shabab Islamist militants abducting girls for forced marriage to fighters.
http://arabnews.com/world/article487100.ece
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Tanzania study finds high rates of child abuse
12 August 2011
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania: A government-led study in Tanzania has found that three out of 10 girls and young women have suffered sexual violence.
The report funded by UNICEF also found that one out of seven young men had been sexually abused.
Investigators surveyed more than 3,700 people aged 13 to 24 across the East African nation.
Tanzanian officials vowed to address the issue. And UNICEF’s Tanzania Chief of Child Protection, Andrew Brooks, commended the country for seeking statistical proof of child abuse.
The study released Tuesday also found that three-quarters of those surveyed had been physically abused as children.
The report was carried out by Muhimbili University for Health and Allied Science, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://arabnews.com/world/article486510.ece
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Green Muslims promoting environmentally friendly Ramadan
BY DEANNAMcLAFFERTY
12 Aug 2011
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The Green Muslims of New Jersey (GMNJ) held their kickoff event July 24 to promote an environmentally conscious Ramadan this year.
The Green Ramadan Initiative (GRI) was held at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey and focused on teaching concerned Muslims the importance of “going green.”
Ramadan requires 30 days of fasting from dawn to dusk, and during that period, Muslims make frequent trips to their Islamic center to worship and break fast in the evening. Local mosques provide attendees with food and water.
“It’s a lot of hustle, and people come in hundreds to the mosque,” Faraz Khan, Green Muslims member, said. “You need to cater to their needs, so there is a lot of waste.”
Khan, along with Saffet Catovic, Shajia Khan and South Brunswick resident Arif Patel, formed GMNJ in attempts to educate Muslims about environmental stewardship and conservation and implement changes to reduce waste production.
At the GRI kickoff event, people were asked to sign a Green Ramadan Pledge, promising to follow any of 10 action items. The items fell under the categories of water, waste, food and energy. For example, the pledge suggests reducing shower time by 20 percent, replacing plastic water bottles with a reusable water bottle, planting a garden, and making an effort to carpool.
Full report at:
http://ns.gmnews.com/news/2011-08-
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Cameron says cops failed, vows zero tolerance
12 August 2011
London: British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday praised Sikhs for demonstrating remarkable community spirit in standing up to rioters that rampaged through streets across England,burning buildings and looting shops this week.
Cameron was referring to people in Punjabi-dominated western London suburb of Southall armed with cricket bats to defend their Gurdwara from rioters attack.They were prepared to challenge troublemakers on Tuesday and Wednesday night after some Indian businesses were attacked in nearby areas and Birmingham in the absence of police protection.
We saw it (the spirit) in the hundreds of people who stood guard outside a Southall temple,protecting it from vandalism, Cameron told an emergency House of Commons session.The special session was called to debate riots since Saturday after a night of relative calm.
Full report at: Times of India
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Egypt to target al Qaeda cells said to be training in Sinai
By Mohamed Fadel Fahmy
12 Aug 2011
(CNN) -- Egyptian military and intelligence officials say they are preparing to launch an operation against al Qaeda cells that have recently been established in the restive Sinai peninsula.
While Egypt has seen a number of homegrown militant Islamist groups emerge and dissipate over the past 20 years, none has had clear organizational links with al Qaeda.
But senior officials told CNN that al Qaeda cells have now surfaced in northern Sinai, which has seen acts of sabotage and clashes between rival Salafist groups this year. Among the incidents, a gas pipeline to Israel was blown up several times.
The focus of their concern is the coastal area between el-Arish, a resort town of about 80,000 people on the Mediterranean, and Rafah on the border with Gaza.
"Al Qaeda is present in Sinai mainly in the area of Sakaska close to Rafah," a general in Egypt's intelligence service told CNN Thursday. "They have been training there for month, but we have not identified their nationalities yet."
Mubarak on trial in Cairo Downtown Cairo tense for Mubarak trial Newspapers' take on Mubarak's trial
Full report at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/12/egypt.al.qaeda.operation/
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Pak Bar Assn. President for ending discrimination against minorities
12 August 2011
LAHORE: Supreme Court Bar Association President Asma Jahangir welcomed a move by the government in remembering its non-Muslim citizens and reminded the nation of the pledge made by the founder of Pakistan to treat all citizens alike regardless of religion.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Asma Jahangir regretted that the vision of promoting an egalitarian society based on non-discrimination had been callously ignored. She said that there were laws that persecuted religious minorities and that their social integration in society had been ruthlessly obstructed by religious bigots.
She said that the government should end all discrimination against religious minorities in law and practice, rather than paying mere lip service. She noted that a non-Muslim could not hold certain public and judicial offices and that their evidence was not taken at par with Muslim citizens.
Asma Jahangir said that there was a critical need to reform family laws for non-Muslims as divorce under these laws was virtually impossible. She said that any claims of democracy or the rule of law sound hollow in a society where religious intolerance rules all policies and political and legal decisions.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\12\story_12-8-2011_pg7_26
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Pak Interior Minister: ‘Terrorists have no religion’
12 August 2011
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rehman Malik condemned a bomb blast in Peshawar on Thursday, and said that terrorists had no religion as they were killing innocent people in the holy month of Ramazan. Talking to media persons outside the Parliament House, he said, “Terrorists are using women in terrorist activities to achieve their nefarious designs but they will not succeed in it.” Rehman Malik said that the federal government had informed the provincial government about the terrorist activity. He said after the passage of 18th Amendment maintaining law and order was the responsibility of provincial governments.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\08\12\story_12-8-2011_pg1_3
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Hasina 7th among12 top women
12 August 2011
The Time magazine has listed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as one of the 12 top women leaders of the world. She has been placed seventh on the list.
The top 12 women leaders are:
1)Yingluck Shinawatra, prime minister of Thailand
2)Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany
3)Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, president of Argentina
4)Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil
5Julia Gillard, prime minister of Australia
6)Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia
7)Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh
8)Johanna Sigurdardottir, prime minister of Iceland
9)Laura Chinchilla, president of Costa Rica,
10) Tarja Halonen, president of Finland
11) Dalia Grybauskaite, president of Lithuania
12) Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
The Time magazine said Sheikh Hasina, the leader of Awami League, has a history of surviving. In 1975, assassins killed her father (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), mother, three brothers and some other members of her family.
Hasina, then 28, happened to be abroad at the time. She later survived a grenade attack that killed more than 20 people, dodging the bullets that sprayed her car as she fled, the magazine said in a statement.
Hasina was first elected the country's prime minister in 1996. But in 2001 parliamentary polls, Transparency International named Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world, and Hasina's party suffered a defeat.
That was not the end of her, though. Through the December 2008 election, Awami League came to power again and the consummate survivor found herself prime minister for the second term, the statement added.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=198283
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British govt responsible for Pak-origin nationals' safety: Pak
Aug 12 2011
Islamabad : The safety of British nationals of Pakistani origin is the responsibility of the British government, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has said.
Earlier this week, three people of Pakistani origin were killed after being hit by a car during the riots in the central English city of Birmingham.
“Most of the Pakistanis in the United Kingdom, about 1.4 million, are British nationals of Pakistani origin... The safety and security of any British national is of course the responsibility of the British government,” Foreign Office spokesperson said Tehmina Janjua said during a press briefing.
She said that Pakistan’s High Commission had advised the Pakistani community to support the British authorities in resolving the issue.
“Our objective is to help resolve problems faced by the Pakistani community in the UK. As for British citizens of Pakistani origin, there is a slight difference,” the spokesperson pointed out.
“For instance, the father of the two young men who were killed tragically yesterday has been living in the UK for the last forty years. The two young persons were British nationals. Their safety and security is the responsibility of the British government. And the British Prime Minister, in the wake of this incident, has said very clearly that his government will be taking very strong measures to deal with the situation,” she added.
The latest riots in Britain, sparked by the death of a black youth and originally led by black youth, include hundreds of opportunistic criminals from all backgrounds.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/british-govt-responsible-for-pakorigin-nationals-safety-pak/831063/
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Father too late to save dying son in UK riots
12 August 2011
A father described on Wednesday how he rushed to aid a dying man hit by a car during riots in the English city of Birmingham only to find it was his 21-year-old son.
"I heard the thud, ran around and I saw three people on the ground," Tariq Jahan told reporters.
"My instinct was to help the three people. I didn't know who they were, who'd been injured. I helped the first man, and somebody from behind told me my son was lying behind me.”
"So I started CPR on my own son. My face was covered in blood, my hands were covered in blood."
Police launched a murder inquiry after all three Muslim men died. A 32-year-old man has since been arrested.
The men were part of a group of British Asians attempting to protect their area from looters after attending Ramadan prayers at a mosque, a friend of the men told BBC radio.
They acted after seeing gangs break into a petrol station and social club, and neighbours being beaten up, Jahan said.
Riots spread to England's second city Tuesday after three nights of violence in London.
"Why, why?," Jahan said. "I don't understand. We are here defending the community of all the problems that are going on in the country. He was trying to help his community."
He said his son, Haroon, a mechanic, was well-liked and well-known in the community.
"You lose your son, I can't describe to anyone what it feels like to lose your son," he said.
http://www.asianage.com/international/father-too-late-save-dying-son-uk-riots-053
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Pak sheltered Osama in return of Saudi cash: Expert
12 August 2011
Islamabad : Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was given shelter by Pakistan's security apparatus in return for millions of dollars of Saudi cash, an American security analyst has claimed.
Raelynn Hillhouse’s version, based on evidence from sources -- what she calls the “intelligence community”, contradicts the official account that bin Laden was tracked down through his trusted courier, a media report said.
Hillhouse, a former professor and Fulbright fellow and also an ex-rum and jewel smuggler, cited sources that contend it was an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer who came forward to claim approximately 25-million-dollar bounty on bin Laden’s head and to broker US citizenship for his family.
“My sources told that the informant claimed Saudis were paying off the Pakistani military and intelligence (ISI) to essentially shelter and keep bin Laden under house arrest in Abbottabad, a city with such a high concentration of military that I'm told it does not an equivalent in the US,” Hillhouse wrote on her intelligence blog.
After confirming bin Laden's presence in the military town, the US approached Pakistan's military leaders securing their co-operation in return for cash and a chance to avoid public humiliation.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-sheltered-osama-in-return-of-saudi-cash-expert/830382/
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It's Muslim kids, not parents, who are embracing a politicized Islam
Natasha Fatah
August 12, 2011
This summer, thousands of people will become new Canadian citizens. Many of them will be Muslims. They have come to Canada from every corner of the globe and, like my parents did 24 years ago, they will make this peaceful, progressive nation their home.
My parents left behind Pakistan and chose Canada for the same reasons many other Muslim immigrants came here 20, 30 or 40 years ago: for democracy, freedom, stability and modernity.
And herein lies a common misconception amongst “mainstream” Canadians: They’re convinced that, in the average Muslim household, it’s the parent who represents conservatism and tradition, and the Canadian-born children who are modern and fighting against this oppression. This is a falsehood.
Many of our parents, who immigrated here from Muslim countries in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, did so specifically out of their respect for Western values. Elder Muslims may be modest and socially conservative in their personal lives. But, by and large, the parents in Muslim-Canadian households believe in the core values of this society. Their values systems were not based on religion but on political freedom and the desire to separate religion and state.
It’s their children – in desperate need for identity – who have turned to conservative, hard-line and politicized Islam for the answers. This trend to embrace a politicized Islam has led to bloodshed in many parts of the world and is growing rapidly – and going unchecked – in Canada.
Full report at:
http://www.sharia4america.com/news.php?nid=5231
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UK to limit sharia law to prevent discrimination against Muslim women
Karen McVeigh and Amelia Hill
August 12, 2011
Bill limiting sharia law is motivated by 'concern for Muslim women'
Lady Cox, the proposer, says aim is to prevent discrimination against Muslim women and 'jurisdiction creep' in Islamic tribunals
Whitechapel High Street in east London. The area is predominantly Muslim; just over half the population is of Bangladeshi descent.
Islamic courts would be forced to acknowledge the primacy of English law under a bill being introduced in the House of Lords.
The bill, proposed by Lady Cox and backed by women's rights groups and the National Secular Society, was drawn up because of "deep concerns" that Muslim women are suffering discrimination within closed sharia law councils.
The Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill will introduce an offence carrying a five-year jail sentence for anyone falsely claiming or implying that sharia courts or councils have legal jurisdiction over family or criminal law. The bill, which will apply to all arbitration tribunals if passed, aims to tackle discrimination, which its supporters say is inherent in the courts, by banning the sharia practice of giving woman's testimony only half the weight of men's.
Full report at:
http://www.sharia4america.com/news.php?nid=5222
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Gujarat cop names Narendra Modi's aide in Prajapati 'fake' encounter case
Aug 12, 2011
AHMEDABAD: The battle between top Gujarat cops and the Narendra Modi government has now intensified. In a fresh blow to the Gujarat state government, deputy inspector general (DIG) Rajnish Rai has named Modi's close aide and former DGP PC Pande as a conspirator in the Tulsi Prajapati 'fake' encounter case.
In an affidavit submitted to the Central Administrative Tribunal, Rai accused Pande and officer OP Mathur -- both known to be extremely close to Narendra Modi, of abusing their positions and for destruction of evidence.
Rai also alleged that Pande tried to delink the Sohrabuddin and the Tulsi Prajapati case since facts were uncomfortable for him and the Modi government, Times Now reported.
Rai has stated that "the conduct of Pande clearly and sufficiently establish his culpability in the conspiracy to kill Tulsiram Prajapati, destruction of evidence, and in causing willful obstruction in the investigation of the case by abusing his office".
Prajapati was killed by the same group of officers who eliminated gangster Sohrabuddin Shaikh.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gujarat-cop-names-Narendra-Modis-aide-in-Prajapati-fake-encounter-case/articleshow/9578015.cms
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No rift in China-Pak close ties over terror camps: report
Aug 12 2011
Beijing : China has not joined India's stand on terror camps inside Pakistan when it blamed it for a recent militant attack in restive Xinjiang, state media said today.
The article published in China Daily also tacitly confirmed the recent hush-hush visit of ISI chief Shuja Pasha here to discuss the issue of Uygur extremists undergoing training in Pakistan.
Playing down the significance of the local government in Kashghar stating that the leaders of East Turkistan Islamic Movement, (ETIM) who conducted a spate of attacks there on July 30 and 31 were trained in Pakistan, the article said it is wrong to presume that it pointed to a "rift" between the two long term allies.
With in hours of the Chinese statement Pakistan Foreign Ministry "promised full cooperation to China to weed out terrorist from Pakistan", the article published in the China Daily said.
Tacitly confirming the visit of ISI chief it said, "And the Chief of Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (General Ahmed Shuja Pasha) visited Beijing recently, during which he must have discussed the anti-terrorism and anti-separatism issues with Chinese officials," it said.
It is perhaps the first time that Pasha's visit figured in the Chinese media. As per a Pakistan media report, he was supposed to have arrived here on July 30, the first day of the attacks.
Both China and Pakistan however declined to comment on it. The article written by a Han Hua, Associate Professor international studies of the Peking University admitted that it was "unusual" for China blaming Pakistan, considering their close strategic relationship.
But it would be wrong project it as a "rift" between long term allies.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-rift-in-chinapak-close-ties-over-terror-camps-report/831118/
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Clinton urges new steps against Syria, another 16 killed
Aug 12, 2011
DASMASCUS: US secretary of state Hillary Clinton urged China, Russia and India to step up pressure on Syria's Bashar al-Assad, as his forces killed another 16 civilians in their brutal crackdown on protest.
Anti-regime protesters meanwhile were readying to flood the streets of Syria again after the Ramadan Friday prayers, setting the stage for further bloody confrontations.
Clinton in an interview with CBS News broadcast on Thursday suggested that China and India impose energy sanctions on Syria while she urged Russia to stop selling arms to Damascus, which has bought arms from Moscow for decades.
"What we really need to do to put the pressure on Assad is to sanction the oil and gas industry. And we want to see Europe take more steps in that direction," Clinton said.
"And we want China to take steps with us. We want to see India, because India and China have large energy investments inside of Syria. We want to see Russia cease selling arms to the Assad regime," the top US diplomat said.
Her comments came as US officials said Washington has decided to call explicitly for President Assad to step down.
The White House said President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed during a phone call Thursday on the need for a "transition to democracy" in Syria.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Clinton-urges-new-steps-against-Syria-another-16-killed/articleshow/9577946.cms
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UNICEF Youth event highlights issues of tolerance and diversity
By Emma Diab
12 Aug 2011
Farah Pandith, Special Representative of Muslim Communities at the US Department of State, addresses the high-level meeting on Youth and Interfaith Dialogue at Labouisse Hall in UNICEF House. (Photo credit: Courtney Brooks)
12 August 2011 [MediaGLobal]: With the International Year of Youth culminating on 12 August, the United Nations has been busy with various High Level Meetings on Youth. Within the General Assembly hall, member state representatives discussed youth-related issues at length, while across the street from the UN Secretariat, adolescents actively engaged in issues directly affecting them, such as embracing diversity and tolerance for peacebuilding.
The high level meeting on Youth Interfaith Dialogue and Mutual Understanding held at Labouisse Hall in UNICEF House brought together an array of guest speakers—adults and adolescents alike—to discuss ethnic and faith-based differences and to stress the importance of nonviolence and communication. The event was hosted in part by the Manhattan Multicultural Summer Youth Program, which invited four youth activists ranging in age from 16 to 21, to discuss their experiences interacting with peers of different religions and ethnicities.
Full report at:
http://mediaglobal.org/article/2011-08-
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Pakistani shooting film paramilitary sentenced to death
Aug 12, 2011
Sarfaraz Shah's family denied claims he had robbed someone
A Pakistani paramilitary soldier has been sentenced to death for killing an unarmed man in an incident caught on videotape and broadcast on TV.
Sarfaraz Shah, 22, was shot at point-blank range in Karachi in June.
The anti-terrorism court in Karachi found Shahid Zafar guilty of the killing and sentenced six other men to life imprisonment.
The killing sparked public anger and increased complaints of brutality by the security forces.
Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso also fined Shahid Zafar 200,000 rupees ($2,300).
The judge ordered each of the other defendants - five paramilitaries and a civilian - to pay 100,000 rupees in compensation to Sarfaraz Shah's family.
The Sindh branch of the Pakistan Rangers paramilitary force had argued that he was caught trying to rob someone, a charge his family denied.
Prosecutor Muhammad Khan Buriro said: "We have found justice. The court has given the right decision."
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14503708
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Nigeria to probe 'army abuses' in Boko Haram crackdown
Aug 12, 2011
Last month, Borno's governor admitted that the army had been guilty of excesses
Nigeria's army has been told to investigate alleged abuses of civilians by soldiers fighting a radical Islamist sect in the north-east of the country.
Defence Minister Bello Mohammed's move came after a woman was shot dead on Wednesday in clashes between soldiers and suspected members of Boko Haram.
Rights groups have accused the army of carrying out other unlawful killings.
Fighting around Maiduguri has intensified in recent weeks, causing thousands of people to flee the area.
'Bad eggs'
Mr Mohammed said the army was "doing a very good job" in protecting the lives and property of Nigerians in Maiduguri and throughout Borno state.
"However, a few bad eggs amongst them sometimes overreact to situations and create discontent amongst the civilian population thereby dragging the name of the military to disrepute," he said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14500986
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China launches new communication satellite for Pakistan
Aug 12, 2011
BEIJING: China on Friday launched a communications satellite PAKSAT-1R for its close ally Pakistan.
It was launched in the early hours on Friday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The satellite was carried by a Long March-3B carrier rocket, Chinese official agency Xinhua reported.
PAKSAT-1R will provide a range of services including broadband internet, telecom and broadcasting, covering some regions of Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, and the eastern Africa, besides a host of defence applications.
The satellite will replace Paksat-1. The life span of the satellite was stated to be 15 years.
The control room of the centre said the launch was successful. The satellite was separated from its carrier rocket and entered geostationary 26 minutes after being launched.
The Paksat-1R satellite is designed and manufactured by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), Pakistan's official APP news agency reported.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-launches-new-communication-satellite-for-Pakistan/articleshow/9575301.cms
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Musharraf says Pakistanis love and trust him
Aug 12 2011
Lahore : Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that the support, love and trust of people living in Pakistan and abroad have compelled him to take part in the next polls.
Musharraf made these comments while addressing a function arranged on Thursday to celebrate his birthday, through a recorded video message.
He said that he had been in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where many Pakistanis supported him and asked him to go back to Pakistan and serve the nation again.
Musharraf, who founded the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) last year, said that this had made him decide to contest the next elections.
The former Pakistan president said he would convert the dispersed support into a collective entity, which would definitely put the country back on the road to development.
He said that he was sure, after ruling the country for eight years, that Pakistanis were very talented and capable of making a difference.
He said that he would do anything for the prosperity of Pakistan, and also asked minorities to join hands with him for the country’s betterment.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/musharraf-says-pakistanis-love-and-trust-him/831051/
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Wife can file case against ill treatment in Sharia court
August 12, 2011
The Family Reform Department in Dubai Court will summon the husband legally
I am a Muslim woman, a resident of Dubai and married to a Muslim man of the same nationality. I have a child aged two. Since the time our marriage, my husband has been treating me badly and sometimes he beats me and uses foul language. He does not spend any money on me or my son. The reason he gives is that I work and do not deserve support. At present, I cannot live with him. I have attempted to reach an understanding with him but he is not willing to resolve the matter. My questions are: Am I entitled to file a divorce case before Dubai Sharia Court? Do I have the right to ask the judge to apply UAE laws in this case? If my husband fails to appear before the court, will the judge pass a judgment in the case? As my husband has told me that he will not appear before the court and as per the Sharia law, no judgment will be passed if the husband is absent. Please advise.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/uaessentials/ask-the-law/wife-can-file-case-against-ill-treatment-in-sharia-court-1.850565
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New Jersey gov defends Judge Mohammed's appointment
August 12, 2011
American Muslim organisations, including Indian American Muslim groups, have hailed New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie's staunch defence of his appointment of Sohail Mohammed as a Passaic County Superior Court judge. Christie called opponents?particularly right wing conservatives?of his nomination 'ignorant' and a bunch of 'crazies'.
These groups, who circulated the You Tube video of Christie's defence of Mohammed, exhorted its members to write, e-mail or call Christie's office and thank him for standing so strongly and unequivocally behind his appointment of Mohammed and dispelling the Islamophobic attacks against him.
Hyderabad-born Mohammed, who immigrated to the United States at the age of 10 with his parents, was sworn in on July 26 making him the first Indian American and second Muslim to join the bench in New Jersey after he was confirmed by the State senate on June 30. Christie had nominated him for judgeship in January.
At a news conference, Christie was asked about the criticism in some quarters about his nomination of Mohammed, particularly since the latter had defended some individuals arrested in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack, said, "Ignorance is behind the criticism of Sohail Mohammed."
Full report at:
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/jersey-gov-defends-judge-mohammeds-appointment/20110812.htm
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Peshawar: Creation of provinces conspiracy against integrity of country
August 12, 2011
Peshawar—Rejecting the idea of creating new provinces, two political parties have termed a conspiracy against the integrity of the country and against poor people saying it will make the incumbent rulers to remain in power forever.
This was claimed by former Deputy Speaker North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-S) Ikramullah Shahid and leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Khan Al-Qayyum Khan) Moazzam Butt Advocate while speaking at a news conference here press club on Wednesday.
The JUI-S leader said that the country had come into being on basis of Islamic ideology and there was no room for creation of provinces on ethnic basis as its overall impacts on solidarity and integrity of the country would be very dangerous and every ethnic group would raise demands for separate provinces.
Rejecting the demand of Hazara province, Mr Shahid said three districts could not be become a province as Batgram and Taur Ghar had already opposed the idea while the rest Mansehra, Haripur and Abbottabad were not enough in this regard.
While referring to a demand of the Awami National Party provincial President Senator Afrasiyab Khattak about formation of Southern Pakhtunkhwa province, he said that if the government accepted the Seraiki province the demands would increase and the country would be divided in several pieces in violation of the constitution.
Similarly, Moazam Butt said that the rulers were bent upon dividing the country into many parts to fulfill the agenda of someone else in order to enslave the nation forever. “We have planned to convene a solidarity conference on Sept 11 wherein like-minded political and religious parties would be invited to develop understanding against the new provinces and to mobilize the people against the government.
http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=108307
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Muslim TV Show Airs on Hispanic Network
Zaineb Mohammed
August 12, 2011
Last week, Muslims in Arizona celebrated two momentous occasions - the beginning of Ramadan and the debut of the first Muslim community TV program in Phoenix. The hour-long variety program, Salam TV, is meant to, “put a human face on Islam,” according to executive producer Marwan Arwat.
What makes Salam TV unique is that it airs on a largely Spanish-language network (Channel 44), and represents a groundbreaking partnership between the Muslim and Hispanic media in the city.
Both Muslim and Hispanic media outlets pointed to SB 1070, the law that Arizona governor Jan Brewer enacted about a year ago making it a state crime to be an undocumented immigrant, as the catalyst for crossing cultural boundaries.
“SB 1070 is really making us get closer together because we are all foreigners,” said Mariela Gomez, a consultant for Channel 44 who has been helping with Salam TV. “A lot of ethnicities are complaining and we realized that it’s not only against Hispanics.”
With approximately 120,000 Muslims in Phoenix, Arwat said, “What happens in the immigration environment definitely affects Muslims. Arizona hasn’t been a very open state towards us.”
Gomez introduced Arwat to many people in Latino media community.
Arwat warned KPHE TV 44 General Manager John Troglia that having an Islamic show on his channel might be a headache, but Troglia was undeterred. “I was very excited that we could bring something to the Muslim community. It’s a beautiful, faith-based community,” said Troglia.
Full report at:
http://newamericamedia.org/2011/08/muslim-tv-show-airs-on-hispanic-network.php
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A troupe of Muslim-American comedians to unleash satirical jihad on the Bible Belt
JACK SILVERMAN
August 12, 2011
Dear Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, Murfreesboro anti-mosque activist Laurie Cardoza-Moore and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain: We've been pretty hard on you in these pages and on our blogs, chastising you for your blatant Islamophobia and laughing at your absurd contention that Sharia law could be imposed in the U.S. in a matter of years. But maybe we've been rash. Here you've been attempting to whip us into a frenzy, warning us that the Muslims are coming, and we've done nothing but mock you.
And now, it turns out you're right. The Muslims really are coming to Middle Tennessee. And the latest weapon in their terrorist arsenal? Stand-up comedy.
On Sunday night, "The Muslims Are Coming" — a national tour of Muslim-American comedians — will unleash its satirical jihad at the Mercy Lounge. Stand-up comics Dean Obeidallah and Negin Farsad organized the tour in part to ply their trade, but more importantly, to counter the gross misperceptions about Muslims in America that permeate the media. To that end, they are focusing their efforts on the red states of the South, where anti-Muslim sentiments are highest.
Full report at:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/a-troupe-of-muslim-comedians-prepares-to-unleash-its-satirical-jihad-on-the-bible-belt/Content?oid=2600102
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Azerbaijani president urges greater Muslim solidarity
August 12, 2011
The Azerbaijani president has received ambassadors and heads of mission of Muslim countries in Baku on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
Addressing the diplomats, Ilham Alilyev stressed the importance of cooperation among Muslim countries and mutual support in international organizations.
The president's speeches and the response of the ambassadors are published below, taken from reports on the presidential website.
"Dear ambassadors, I congratulate you heartily. Our meetings on the holy month of Ramadan have become a tradition. I am glad to be meeting you once again. I ask you to extend my sincere wishes and congratulations on occasion of the holiday to the heads of states and governments of the countries you represent.
"Our country cooperates closely with the countries you represent. I am happy that this cooperation and friendly ties are strengthening day by day. We want to widen and deepen our ties with all Muslim countries in political, economic and all other spheres.
Full report at:
http://news.az/articles/society/42269
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Protesters oppose Muslim prayer in public schools
August 12, 2011
They waved signs that warned of “creeping jihad” and proclaimed “Islam must be reformed or banned.”
They chanted — “No Islam in our schools”; “No Mohamed in our schools”; “No Sharia law in our country.”
About 100 protesters, many from groups such as the Jewish Defense League, the Christian Heritage Party and Canadian Hindu Advocacy, came to the Toronto District School Board Monday evening to protest its approval of formal Friday prayer services for Muslim students at Valley Park Middle School.
Standing at the back of the crowds, far from the megaphone-wielding speakers, York University students Mariam Hamaoui and Sarah Zubaira had their own signs espousing their right to pray in school.
They came to thank the school board for providing a place for the Valley Park students to pray. Previously those students had left their school to attend prayers at a nearby mosque on Fridays.
Full report at:
http://www.sharia4america.com/news.php?nid=5230
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Moradabad: Fear looms as Muslims picked from houses during curfew
By Faisal Fareed
12 August 2011
Lucknow: For administration and police life is limping back to normal and things are under control in the brass city Moradabad on Thursday. However a closer look reveals that Muslims are still living with fear palpable on their face and apprehension of any untoward incident.
On Thursday, the curfew, which has been imposed since Tuesday midnight, was relaxed for two hours in all the six police circles. The district administration took preventive steps to relax the curfew in an alternate manner. Hundreds of people turned up on streets to arrange for food and other utilities in wake of roza. Women folks too also ventured out to make arrangements for their daily bread.
Elsewhere, no fresh violence has been reported on Thursday. However, unconfirmed reports stated that a police constable has been stabbed in Barbalan locality. However, the administration has denied any such incident.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2011aug12/moradabad_fear_looms_muslims_picked_houses_during_
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Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state by UN: Shia cleric
12 August 2011
Lucknow: A condolence meeting of All India Shia Hussaini Fund was held on Thursday at Victoria Street in Lucknow which decried the massacre of Shia Muslims in Pakistan. As per media reports 15 Shia Muslims were killed in Baluchistan of Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Saqlain Abedi demanded that Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state by UNO. "Thousands of Shias have been murdered since the formation of Pakistan. The religious places of Shias are also attacked. The community does not have any religious freedom. Pakistan is thus a fit case for being declared a terrorist state," he said.
http://twocircles.net/2011aug11/pakistan_should_be_declared_terrorist_state_un_shia_
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Schools can be used as community study centres in evening: Minister of MinorityAffairs
12 August 2011
New Delhi: Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on the necessity of creating local community study centres for students in the light of the Sachar Committee findings, Salman Khurshid, Minister of Minority Affairs, on Thursday said the Central Government has instructed states to use existing schools and community buildings as community study centres in the evening.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education & Literacy has instructed all States/UTs on 30.08.2007 that the existing schools and community buildings could be used in the evenings as study centres and existing teachers could be engaged on payment of honorarium to tutor willing students including girls, who could be accompanied by guardians, Khurshid said. He added that departments dealing with metropolitan and municipal development could be directed suitably to make such facilities available. Such facilities should also be kept in mind in the designing of future cities and town plans, he said.
The Minister also informed the House that the fund from Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) can be utilized for construction of community study centres for students in urban slums, provided such assets are open to community at large without any restrictions in view of the objective of the MPLADS guidelines as the main objective of the scheme is to enable MPs to recommend works of developmental nature with emphasis on creation of durable community assets based on the locally felt needs to be taken up in their constituencies.
http://twocircles.net/2011aug11/schools_can_be_used_community_study_centres_evening
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India: Hijab row in college: Student approaches district administration
12 August 2011
Mangalore: The hijab row keeps haunting girls in educational institutions still. A Muslim student in a Mangalore college has been denied permission to wear the head-scarf in class and she has approached the district administration for justice.
Hadiya, a second PU Commerce student at the Jain Pre-University College, today went to the District Collector to seek his help in the matter when the college authorities refused to let her attend classes wearing the hijab. The Collector has reportedly informed her that he would contact the college and get details.
Hadiya told TwoCircles.net that she has been wearing the college uniform and had made no change in it. “The uniform is salwar-kameez and a white dupatta. I am not wearing any extra cloth, I am just wearing the dupatta over my head like a Hijab.”
When she joined the Jain College last year, Hadiya used the hijab in the initial days before she got the uniform. After getting the uniform also, she used the dupatta to cover her head. “We went to the principal and asked him permission to wear the dupatta as head-scarf. He agreed to it. After about a month, suddenly he said in the assembly that hijab was not allowed in the class. When we went to him and asked about it, he said he was not involved in anything but the management was in authority. When we met the management, they said the principal was in charge,” she said.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2011aug11/hijab_row_mangalore_college_student_approaches_
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Pakistan: Rakhi festival celebrated in Taxila
August 12, 2011
TAXILA: The followers of Hinduism and Sikhism celebrated ‘Rakhi’ festival with great fervour and traditional ritual zeal at the Gurdawara Punja Sahib on Thursday.
Attired in colorful and glittering garbs, girls and boys from the communities turned up at the temple holding wristbands (Rakhis) to tie them in the wrists of their brothers.
Gold and silver bracelets added an extra glitter to the traditional Indian festival that is aimed at bonding a brother to his sister.
The Hindu girls were exuberant on the occasion because the festival was, in fact, celebrated as a token of love wishing happiness and prosperity for their brothers with the latter pledging to protect their sisters’ honour.
While tying the Rakhi on the right wrist, the following mantra is recited: “I am tying a Rakhi on you, like the one on mighty demon king Bali.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/08/12/rakhi-festival-celebrated-in-taxila.html
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Look who’s ruling the radio waves in Valley
Toufiq Rashid
August 12, 2011
It’s Ramadan, and the chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has suddenly turned ‘radio active’.
From the first day of the Islamic month of fasting he has been appearing as a guest in `Big Nun Chai’, a breakfast music show on Big FM,
talking to his audience about Islam.
On the first day the Mirwaiz spoke about the essence of Ramadan. In the next couple of days some of the topics he covered were — Namaz (prayer), Haj (pilgrimage) and Zakat (religious tax).
Though Islamic naats (religious hyms) have replaced Bollywood numbers, the programme has kept its tone modern keeping in mind the younger audience.
The show's host RJ Haya said, “Call-in is not possible as we have to stick to the Mirwaiz’s schedule but listeners are writing to me and leaving questions on my Facebook page, which I include in the interview.'’
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Look-who-s-ruling-the-radio-waves-in-Valley/Article1-732294.aspx
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Fanatics haunt Husain in death
By Archana
12 August 2011
ALITTLE- KNOWN group of rightwing hotheads, the Thane- based Hindu Janajagruti Samiti ( HJS), has been shooting off e- mails opposing art shows in the city where the late M. F. Husain’s works are on display.
The first target of the e- mail bombardment was the Harvest 2011 show mounted by Payal Kapoor of Arushi Arts.
Kapoor instantly withdrew the work, though it wasn’t controversial. “ It was part of a group show in which 75 artists were participating and I couldn’t have jeopardised the careers of the others,” Kapoor said in her defence.
“ I went to the police and filed an FIR and withdrew the Husain canvas.” Obviously emboldened by this, the HJS fired another e- mail to the Delhi Art Gallery, which is co- hosting with DLF Emporio, a tribute to the departed master at the atrium of the luxury mall at Vasant Kunj. The show is called ‘ Celebrating Husain’. Kishore Singh, head ( publications and exhibitions), Delhi Art Gallery, confirmed receiving an email from the HJS. “ There is no sense of aggression or any demand in the letter; it seems more like a letter to the editor,” Singh said.
Full report at: Mail Today
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Pak national held under Foreigners Act
August 12, 2011
A 20-year-old Pakistani national who was staying in the guise of an Afghanistan national has been arrested by Delhi Police. Identified as Niyamatullah alias Aftab, he was staying under an assumed identity in the Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi for the last two years.
Niyamattullah was earlier involved in cases of drug peddling. Interestingly, Niyamatuallah is father Sayyed was also arrested in 2010 with 52 kilograms of heroine.
Additional Commissioner of Police.West district, said, “Niyamattullah is a Pakistani national. But he was staying here on a fake Afghanistani passport for the past two years. He was arrested from his rented accommodation at Mahaveer Nagar in Tilak Nagar following a tip-off. A case under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act has been registered against him in Tilak Nagar police station.”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/360336/Pak-national-held-under-Foreigners-Act.html
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558 Indians behind bars, Pak says 309
August 12, 2011
In what should come as a severe dampener for the families whose kins are lodged in jails in Pakistan, Islamabad have acknowledged the presence of only 72 Indian civilian prisoners and 237 fishermen are behind the bars.
According to New Delhi, there are 558 Indian nationals in custody in Pakistan. Out of them, 232 are civilian prisoners, 252 fishermen and 74 missing defence personnel. The missing defence personnels, include 54 Prisoners of War (POW) since 1971.
“The Government of Pakistan has acknowledged the presence of only 72 Indian civilian prisoners and 237 fishermen lodged in Pakistani jails. Pakistan does not acknowledge the presence of any missing defence personnel in its custody,” External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said on Thursday.
Krishna also appealed to Pakistan to release Sarabjit Singh on humanitarian grounds. He was sentenced to death following his conviction for alleged involvement in bomb attacks in that country in 1990. Sarabjit’s mercy petition is pending before Pakistan’s President.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/360330/558-Indians-behind-bars-Pak-says-309.html
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German etiquette group calls workplace greeting kissing ‘a form of terrorism’!
12 August 2011
A German etiquette group has called for a total ban on work colleagues kissing one another as greetings in the office, claiming a peck on the cheek is a form of ‘terrorism’.
The German Knigge Society, which translates as etiquette or correct behaviour said the practice has flourished in offices in recent years.
It claims it received worried calls from workers unsure how to react if someone tries to kiss them in a greeting.
“This is valid immediately. There should be no kissing, at least not in the office,” the Daily Mail quoted Hans Michael Klein, chairman of the group, as saying.
Klein said enquiries had flooded into his offices from varied cities including Berlin, Munich and Duesseldorf.
“The suspicion for many remains that there is, or may be, an erotic component to the kissing,” he said.
“Kissing simply gets on the nerves of many at work. It is a form of terror.
“In business the handshake is considered the correct greeting ritual. Stand apart from one another approximately 60cm and shake,” he added.
Any closer, he said, would injure a ‘socially defined distance zone’.
http://www.asianage.com/international/german-etiquette-group-calls-workplace-greeting-kissing-form-terrorism-064
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Delaying wage un-Islamic, says scholar
Aug 12, 2011
RIYADH: Delaying payment of salaries to workers is a clear human rights violation that Islam does not tolerate, according to a member of the Saudi Jurisprudence Assembly.
Abdulrahman Abdul Aziz Al-Muhrij, who was participating in a four-day symposium organized by the Princess Al-Anood Philanthropic Foundation under the support of Prince Saud bin Fahd, said safeguarding the rights of people is one of the primary responsibilities of any government.
Al-Muhrij, who also advises people on personal issues, added that the state not only serves the interests of the people but also its own in terms of stability and proper functioning at grassroots and higher levels.
On the subject of women’s rights, Al-Muhrij said Islam encourages women to take part in running the affairs of society, adding that they were even entrusted with security affairs during the time of the caliphs.
Turning to other issues, Al-Muhrij said Islam prohibits the killing of innocent people through martyring. He cited a Qur’anic verse that states that whoever kills a soul but for murder or for spreading corruption it is as if he had killed all mankind.
The lecturer said various religions had sanctified the importance of preserving human rights long before they were codified into law by the British Parliament and subsequently by lawmakers in France.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article487198.ece
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Tunisians say revolution yet to bring justice
12 August 2011
TUNIS: As the Arab world watched Hosni Mubarak’s trial last week, transfixed by the sight of Egypt’s longtime leader behind a courtroom cage, Tunisia quietly released its reviled former justice minister.
The release came as Tunisians were still reeling from news that Saida Agreby, a high-profile figure in Tunisia’s old power elite accused of corruption, had fled to Paris without facing trial.
Seven months after Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali’s overthrow sparked the “Arab Spring” protests that have shaken the Arab world, Tunisians say they are still waiting for justice.
Whereas Mubarak and his sons, Gamal and Alaa, appeared in an Egyptian court to face charges, Ben Ali and his wife, Leila Trabelsi, have refused to return from exile in Saudi Arabia.
They have been sentenced in absentia, frustrating Tunisians thirsty for accountability after 23 years of stifling political repression, rampant corruption and flagrant nepotism.
“Trying Ben Ali in absentia is an empty gesture. It is hard to bring him back now but they should, at least, try the symbols of corruption who remain,” said Samy, a taxi driver.
“The trial of Mubarak is heroic. Even Mubarak is heroic because he did not run away. He is not a coward like Ben Ali.”
There was no official explanation for the ex-justice minister’s release but his case has not been formally closed.
Agreby was close to Ben Ali’s wife and was part of his inner circle.
It is no coincidence, many Tunisians say, that Agreby fled Tunisia just days before a prosecutor issued her a travel ban. Judicial sources said the ban was delayed due to a backlog, but Tunisians widely suspect that Agreby was tipped off.
Analysts and politicians say Ben Ali’s former allies are still in positions of power and working behind the scenes to save their friends, protect their interests and roll back the gains Tunisians have made since the president fled the country on Jan. 14 after weeks of protests against his rule.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article487143.ece
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Jeddah: WAMY gives SR4 million for Somalia relief
12 August 2011
JEDDAH: The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) has donated SR4 million for the “Days of Giving” campaign launched by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the beginning of Ramadan to deal with the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Somalia.
A media campaign was also launched by OIC General Secretariat in Ramadan to raise awareness about the initiative.
WAMY Secretary-General Saleh Al-Wohaibi expressed appreciation for OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu’s initiative to help Somali people affected by famine and drought and wished him success.
In addition to opening a coordination office in Mogadishu, the OIC has formed an alliance of humanitarian organizations to coordinate their work in alleviating the crisis.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article487209.ece
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What happened on the night of deadly Afghanistan helicopter crash
By PAUL TAIT
12 August 2011
KABUL: Late last Friday night, special forces troops from the NATO-led coalition launched an operation to capture a Taleban leader in an inaccessible valley southwest of Kabul.
A few hours later 38 troops — 30 of them Americans — lay dead in a transport helicopter destroyed in the worst single incident suffered by foreign forces in 10 years of war in Afghanistan.
Little, if any, information was available soon after the crash, mainly because “a cone of silence had been ordered from the top,” one senior military official said.
Reuters has been able to reconstruct a clearer picture of the circumstances of the crash after interviews with officials from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and the US military.
Unless identified, all spoke on condition of anonymity because investigations are still being carried out.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/world/article486515.ece
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Yemen’s fate discussed on twitter and blogs
Amira Al-Hussaini
12 Aug, 2011
SANA’A, (Global Voices) — The United Nations Security Council just issued a statement expressing grave concern about the situation on the ground in Yemen - and the pressing humanitarian needs and deteriorating economic situation following months of protests calling for the overthrow the Ali Abdullah Saleh regime.
US Ambassador to the UN, Condoleeza Rice tweeted:
@AmbassadorRice: Today, I told the SecCouncil that an immediate, peaceful & orderly transition is in the best interest of the people of #Yemen.
WomanfromYemen cautions
Meanwhile, on Twitter the discussion continues on the future of the country and whether Saleh, who was being treated in Saudi Arabia for wounds he sustained in a bomb attack two months ago in the capital Sanaa, would return to Yemen or not.
Full report at:
http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=36438
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Syria's Ramadan Soaps Aren't Bubbling This Year
12 Aug 2011
Last year's drama "Ma Malakat Aymanukum" (What Your Right Hand Possesses), produced by Najdat Anzour, stirred heated discussion in the Arabic world about sex-role attitudes, Islamic fundamentalism and violence.
It told the story of four young women suffering under society's male domination. Layla, the main character, is caught in a fight between vice and virtue. She longs to raise her niqab (the black full-face veil) and live out the love she feels for one of her neighbors. But she is trapped by her family's stifling customs and opposing wishes. Her brother, a conservative sheik, plots her murder while having an extramarital affair himself.
Some viewers reacted to the drama in horror. They said it endangered the reputation of Islam and called for a viewer boycott. Others praised it for exposing religious hypocrisy.
Ramadan 2011, however, has pulled the country far beyond TV dramas.
Actors began playing real-life parts three months ago when some signed the so- called Milk Petition. Signed by more than 300 Syrian actors, writers and TV personalities, the Milk Petition called on the government to lift the siege imposed on the southwestern city Daraa at the end of April and to provide its inhabitants, especially children, with urgently needed food and medicine.
Full report at:
http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/syrias-ramadan-soaps-arent-bubbling-this-year
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Manhattan Children's Museum Gets Funding for 'Muslim Worlds' Exhibit
By Julia Furlan
12 Aug 2011
Whirling dervishes, mosaics and 1,001 tales will soon be coming to the Upper West Side, thanks to a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities. The Children's Museum of Manhattan says its future exhibition new "Muslim Worlds" is the first show of its kind in the U.S. geared toward a family audience.
A festival celebrating Islamic culture at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. (Courtesy of the Children's Museum of Manhattan)
The exhibit will have hands-on exhibits, performances and other events geared toward getting children involved with the thousands of years of cultural heritage that has come from the Muslim world.
Though the museum promises to "bring to life the similarities and differences of Muslim cultures," John Jay College Sociology Professor Mucahit Bilici said that exhibits like this operate on the assumption that Muslim people are separate from American society.
"I would say that the major problem with this project is that it treats Muslims as exclusively external people -- as foreigners," he said. "I'm sure that a significant percentage of their audience, like the kids who will visit that exhibition, will be Muslim. I wish that they would be aware of this and that they would frame it in a much more inclusive way."
Full report at:
http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/11/muslim-worlds-exhibit/
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Prisoner in Ajmer, Krishna says he's in Pak
Mahendra Kumar Singh
Aug 12, 2011
NEW DELHI: A gaffe by foreign minister S M Krishna left the government red-faced in the Rajya Sabha, leading Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to launch a swift damage-control operation.
While replying to a question about steps for the release of Pakistani virologist Dr Mohammad Khalil Chisti, Krishna mixed up his facts, assuming that Chisti is an Indian national lodged in a Pakistani prison. This provoked howls of protest from the opposition.
Krishna was responding to JD (U) member Shivananad Tiwari`s endorsement of the demand that the wheelchair-bound Chishti, who has been convicted for murder and is serving his sentence in Ajmer, be released on humanitarian grounds.
Although Chisti`s case, including the fact that the Centre has taken up the matter with the Rajasthan government at the Prime Minister`s instance, has been widely reported, Krishna said, "The question raised is with reference to a particular person who is detained in Pakistan." He further said, "It is a question which needs to be considered by government of Pakistan on humanitarian grounds. He is confined to wheelchair and he is 80-plus. These are factors which mitigate. I am sure, the government of Pakistan will take a lenient view about this particular case. We will, certainly, pursue this at the level of high commissioners."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Prisoner-in-Ajmer-Krishna-says-hes-in-Pak/articleshow/9567620.cms
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Ramadan: the month of Jihad
August 12, 2011
Jihad is one of those words that we Moderate MuslimTM types tend to shy away from. This is a shame, and a self-imposed tragedy, because jihad is a beautiful word and an inspiring, noble concept. It is the embodiment of struggle against inexorable force, almost implying a lost cause. And the vast majority of the time, these forces originate within ourselves – the entire concept of Jihad is to overcome our human weakness and strive for an asymptotic ideal which we aspire to, but must also accept that we can never reach.
We are limited by our physical bodies, by our mental biases, and by the very fabric of or humanity. There’s no better time for reflection on the meaning of Jihad than Ramadan, where we ourselves strive all month to at least recognize these limitations, and make partly symbolic and partly concrete attempts to divest ourselves – partly – of them.
Of course, as this is Ramadan and all blog posts in Ramadan must eventually focus on fasting and food, the obvious connection that fasting is also Jihad must be made. But in all other aspects of Ramadan, from reading Qur’an to trying to achieve a more spiritual focus, Jihad also is present, an intuitive motivation towards God, like blind men in a cave moving towards the warmth of a campfire.
It’s important to understand just how limiting the mainstream stereotypes of Jihad are, and how utterly they fail to capture the essential characteristic of the struggle. The Islamophobic interpretation of Jihad, that it is an impulse to domination, often violent, is unworthy of further comment. But the liberal interpretation, that jihad is an “internal struggle”, is equally irrelevant, because what it lacks is a sense of direction. To go Geek on you for a moment, the “internal struggle” is a scalar quantity (like speed), a number in a vacuum. True Jihad is a vector (like velocity), pointing in a specific direction. That direction is opposite to the direction we are pulled by our internal human weaknesses, and external worldly temptations.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/cityofbrass/2011/08/ramadan-the-month-of-jihad.html#ixzz1UpSFRkS7
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ban-ki-moon-concerned-rising/d/5236