Clerics Belonging To Different Schools Say Taliban Portraying Negative Picture of Islam
New Age Islam News Bureau
6
Oct 2013
The gathering outside the Lahore church PHOTO: MALIK SHAFIQ
Pakistan
• Clerics Belonging To Different Schools Say Taliban Portraying Negative Picture of Islam
• Human chain formed to protect Christians during Lahore mass
• Three killed, eight injured in Bannu convoy attack
• Sincere dialogue needed on issues between India, Pakistan: Pak HC to India
• Karachi operation: 2 Lyari gang members killed, 100 other suspects arrested
• Karachi case: Blasphemy accused on judicial remand
• Government ‘keen’ on negotiations with Taliban: Governor
• Stop the bombings MQM Chief Appeals to Taliban
North America
• ‘Most Wanted’ Terrorist Abu Anas Al-Libi Captured By U.S. Forces in Tripoli
• In America, demand for U.S.-born imams rises
• Kerry says US 'will never stop' hunting down extremists after Africa raids
• Obama: Iran 'a year or more' from nuclear capability
• Impasse with Afghanistan may see total US pullout
Arab World
• Iraq Violence Kills 73 Including Pilgrims, Journalists
• Blasts at Iraq Police Station, Primary School Kill 15
• Official: Syrian Mercenaries Pose Drug Threat to Russian Caucasus
• 8 killed in mortar fire on Damascus: state media
• International inspectors start destroying Syria's chemical weapons: UN
• Dubai aims to become capital of global Islamic economy
• Two Iraqi TV reporters killed in Mosul
• Concerns over fair trail rights cloud Bahrain activist verdicts
• Egypt's Coptic Pope visits Al-Azhar for first time
• Egypt to launch first nuclear power plant in Dabaa: President
• Three Syrians taken in tit-for-tat e. Lebanon kidnapping
• Orthodox Church leader calls for end Christians' persecution
Southeast Asia
• No plan to push Sabah Muslims into becoming Malay
• Clerics, locals saddened over church dispute
• Malaysian MP shows how a leader befitting of Islam reaches out to Christians
• Islamic Solidarity Games foster pride
• Grenade explodes in Bali, kills two teens
Africa
• Libya's PM demands explanation for US raid in Tripoli
• Report: U.S. commandos seize al-Shabaab leader in Nairobi attack response
• Tuareg, Arab rebels resume peace talks with Mali government
• Al-Qaida-trained Sudanese man helped lead mall attack: Kenya
India
• India looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan
• OCTOPUS commandos capture Islamic extremists wanted for murders in Tamil Nadu
• Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander arrested in Baramulla
• Al-Umma men masqueraded as traders in Puttur
Europe
• German intelligence says Syrian jets parked in Iran: media
• Assad admits to making mistakes, says German magazine
• Germany hands Kunduz camp to Afghan security forces
• UN Syria peace envoy Brahimi says Geneva talks not a certainty
Mideast
• Turkey denies involvement in al-Shabaab raid
• Al-Assad has no right to criticize Turkey: Foreign Minister
• Student oath is the wrong kind of nationalism, Turkish PM says
• Israel police arrest 14 minors over anti-Arab crimes
South Asia
• Religion based politics is the biggest threat: Maudoodi’s son
• 50 citizens concerned over alleged threat to New Age editor, Nurul Kabir
• Myanmar Cops Arrest 44 for Anti-Muslim Violence
• Four US soldiers killed in Afghanistan
• Fears of “inadequate” child protection linger, Maldives co-sponsors 22 UN rights resolutions
• Human Rights Commission condemns government’s “intimidation” of NGOs
• Terrorism has fallen during AL’s tenure: MK Alamgir
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Pakistan
Clerics Belonging To Different Schools Say Taliban Portraying Negative Picture of Islam
Oct 6, 2013
LAHORE: The stance of Pakistani Taliban militants regarding attacks on Christian churches was contrary to the teachings of Islam, leading Pakistani clerics belonging to different schools of thought said on Saturday.
“Taliban’s view point that attacks on churches is in line with the principles of Islam is totally wrong and against the teaching of Islam,” said the clerics in a joint-statement.
Taliban were depicting a negative picture of Islam just to defame the peaceful religion, they said.
The spokesperson for the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Shahidullah Shahid, had claimed that a recent attack on a church in Peshawar was carried out in accordance with Shariah laws and that neither the TTP nor any of its umbrella groups were behind the twin suicide blasts.
Nazim-i-Aala Jamia Naeemia Maulana Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Chief of Pakistan Sunny Tehrike Sarwat Ijaz Qadri, President National Mushaikh Council Pir Khawaja Ghulam Qutubuddin, President Khairul Ummam Foundation Pir Karamat Ali, Vice President Tahafuz Namoos-i-Rasalat Mahaz Allama Pir Atthar Qadri and President Islamic Research Council Pakistan were among those who issued the joint-statement.
September 23rd attack on All Saints church in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, that killed more than 80 and injured at least 130, is believed to be the deadliest ever to target the country’s small Christian minority.
The Ulema urged the government to launch an operation against the terrorists who caused irreparable loss to both Islam and Pakistan. “They (Taliban) don't deserve any leniency,” said the statement.
The Pakistani government, however, was still keen to pursue dialogue with local Taliban militants despite a spate of bloody attacks in the country’s northwest, Sartaj Aziz, adviser on national security and foreign affairs to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday. He said talks should be given a chance.
The TTP, which has waged a bloody insurgency against the Pakistani state since 2007, has issued stringent conditions for its participation in talks, including the release of its cadres from jail, withdrawal of troops from the tribal areas along the Afghan border and an end to US drone strikes in Pakistan.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1047650/church-attack-clerics-say-taliban-portraying-negative-picture-of-islam
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Human chain formed to protect Christians during Lahore mass
October 6, 2013
LAHORE: The Muslim and Christian communities came together in a show of solidarity in Lahore, Express News reported Sunday.
Hand in hand as many as 200 people formed a human chain outside the St Anthony’s Church adjacent to the District Police Lines at the Empress Road, in a show of solidarity with the victims of the Peshawar church attack two weeks back, which resulted in over a 100 deaths. The twin suicide attack on All Saints church occurred after Sunday mass ended and is believed to be the country’s deadliest attack on Christians.
As part of an attempt to sensitize the public at large, the human chain was the second such event after a similar had been organized in Karachi last week outside the St Patrick’s Cathedral by an organization called Pakistan For All – a collective of citizens concerned about the growing attacks on minorities.
In the days following the deadly attack, Christians have demonstrated in towns and cities around Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Faisalabad, to protest against the violence and demand better protection from the authorities.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/614333/muslims-form-human-chain-to-protect-christians-during-lahore-mass/
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Three killed, eight injured in Bannu convoy attack
ZAHIR SHAH SHERAZI
2013-10-06
BANNU: Three security personnel have been killed and eight others injured as a security forces convey was attacked in Bakakhel area near FR Bannu on Sunday morning.
The security vehicle was targeted nar Mirzal Checkpost and the blast destroyed the vehicle killing one solider on the spot and injured ten others, Two security personnel later died on way to hospital.
The official sources has confirmed that three soldiers have died and the eight others injured in the attack early morning.
The injured were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital Bannu.
The Ansarul Mujahideen militant group of Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Spokesman for the Ansarul Mujahideen militant group Abu Baseer speaking from an undisclosed location told that their fighters have targetted the convoy.
"As long as drone attacks are carried out in Pakistan, they would continue their attacks and targetting of security forces and the administrative machinery of the Pakistani government," he remarked.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1047864/three-killed-eight-injured-in-bannu-convoy-attack
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Sincere dialogue needed on issues between India, Pakistan: Pak HC to India
PTI | Oct 6, 2013
HYDERABAD: Pakistan high commissioner to India Salman Bashir on Sunday said there was need for a "broad-ranging, sincere and clear-sighted" dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad to resolve all issues between the two countries.
"If there are issues (for India), we have concerns equally. Let us address each others' concerns and the logical and rational way forward ... the civilised way is to have a dialogue. Pakistan is ready for this," the high commissioner, who is on a three-day visit to Hyderabad, told a press conference here.
Bashir also stressed on the need to reinforce ceasefire along the line of control between the two countries even as he denied as "baseless" the reports of terrorists "incursions" into Indian territory from Pakistan.
"There is a will and determination on both sides to build friendship and improve relations. The one logical way for this and to resolve all issues is through dialogue. That is essential for the development of the two nations," the Pakistan high commissioner said.
"We have no second thoughts. In Pakistan's national interest, we need to have good relations with India. Aspirations in the two nations are the same. Ground realities should be looked at in an objective way," he said.
Reacting to a question on incursions from Pakistan into India, Bashir claimed: "All this narration you are hearing about incursions and infiltrations is baseless. But, rather than commenting on this very negative narrative about incursion ... what we have been saying and say again and repeat ... let the competent authorities, the military authorities, deal with this issue."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sincere-dialogue-needed-on-issues-between-India-Pakistan-Bashir/articleshow/23606585.cms
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Karachi operation: 2 Lyari gang members killed, 100 other suspects arrested
October 6, 2013
KARACHI: Two members of a Lyari gang were killed while around 100 other suspected criminals were rounded up from different areas of Karachi in the ongoing targeted operations, Express News reported on Sunday.
Weapons and illegal drugs were also seized during these raids which were conducted jointly by Rangers and police officers.
In Lyari, security officers cordoned off the area and started a targeted operation when they were attacked by criminals hiding in nearby houses.
Police retaliated and as a result two of the attackers were killed.
Targeted operation
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/614336/karachi-operation-2-lyari-gang-members-killed-100-other-suspects-arrested/
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Karachi case: Blasphemy accused on judicial remand
October 6, 2013
KARACHI: The family of 33-year-old man, who has been accused of blasphemy, wants him to be strictly punished for his ‘actions’.
*W, the alleged blasphemer, has been accused of desecrating the Holy Quran, and family members claimed he had been involved in similar incidents earlier as well.
Though most blasphemy cases are registered by neighbours or co-workers, in this particular incident, *W was brought to a Karachi police station by his uncle who is adamant that the person be punished.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/614184/karachi-case-blasphemy-accused-on-judicial-remand/
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Government ‘keen’ on negotiations with Taliban: Governor
October 6, 2013
MINGORA: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Governor Shaukatullah Khan on Saturday said the government was keen to initiate talks with the Taliban for durable peace in the country.
Talking to journalists at the Commissioner House in Saidu Sharif, Swat, Governor Shaukatullah Khan said terrorism is a global issue and peace talks with the Taliban must be held to curb terrorism in the country.
Terrorism had become a global problem after the World Trade Center bombing in New York on September 11, 2001, he added. “The government has a uniform and proper plan to control and eradicate terrorism. Our borders are safe as we have the world’s best army and the best democratic system.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/614078/government-keen-on-negotiations-with-taliban-governor/
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Stop the bombings, Altaf appeals to Taliban
October 6, 2013
LONDON: As the country’s top politicians come to grips with on how to deal with the Taliban, who have seemingly continued their deadly activities even as the government and all political parties came to the unanimous decision of peace talks, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain made a compassionate appeal to Taliban to stop the bombings, in the name of peace.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/614137/stop-the-bombings-altaf-appeals-to-taliban/
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North America
‘Most Wanted’ Terrorist Abu Anas Al-Libi Captured By U.S. Forces in Tripoli
6 October 2013
U.S. forces have arrested Libyan al-Qaeda leader Abu Anas al-Libi on Saturday, following a military raid in the streets of Tripoli.
Libi was allegedly involved in the 1988 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which left more than 200 people dead.
He was on the FBI’s most wanted list with a $5 million reward and has been accused in a U.S. federal court in New York for allegedly playing a key role in the East Africa bombings.
“As the result of a U.S. counterterrorism operation, Abu Anas al-Libi is currently lawfully detained by the U.S. military in a secure location outside of Libya,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement according to Agence France-Presse.
Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday said the arrest showed the United States's determination to hunt down those responsible for terrorism.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2013/10/06/U-S-detains-Libyan-al-Qaeda-leader-Abu-Anas-al-Libi-.html
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In America, demand for U.S.-born imams rises
Associated Press
Oct 6, 2013
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mustafa Umar, an imam in Southern California, is popular with the Muslim teenagers who attend his mosque. They pepper him with questions about sensitive topics like marijuana use, dating and pornography.
Umar, 31, is a serious Islamic scholar who has studied the Quran in the Middle East, Europe andIndia -- but he's also a native Californian who is well-versed in social media and pop culture, and he can connect with teens on their own terms.
That pedigree is rare -- 85 percent of full-time, paid imams in the U.S. are foreign-born -- but the demand for people like him is growing as American Muslim leaders look for ways to keep the religion relevant for young people in a secular country that cherishes freedom of expression.
Full report at:
http://www.thonline.com/news/national_world/article_b2ed3446-7ea5-5e66-8b3f-71b7dfa97bea.html
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Kerry says US 'will never stop' hunting down extremists after Africa raids
Oct 6, 2013
Secretary of State John Kerry today said two high-profile raids in Libya and Somalia showed the United States' unflinching determination to hunt down those responsible for terrorism.
"We hope that this makes clear that the United States of America will never stop in its effort to hold those accountable who conduct acts of terror," he told reporters in the Indonesian island of Bali after Saturday's raids.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kerry-says-us-will-never-stop-hunting-down-extremists-after-africa-raids.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55743&NewsCatID=357
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Obama: Iran 'a year or more' from nuclear capability
Oct 6, 2013
U.S. President Barack Obama disclosed that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran continues to be a year or more away from building a nuclear weapon, an assessment that is at odds with Israel, which contends Tehran is on a faster course toward a bomb.
Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, expressed optimism about the blossoming diplomacy between his administration and Iran's new president, but said the U.S. would not accept a "bad deal" on the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
The president spoke to the AP on Oct. 4. Obama has launched a diplomatic outreach to Iran, aimed at resolving the dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. Last week, he spoke by phone with President Hassan Rouhani, marking the first direct exchange between U.S. and Iranian leaders in more than 30 years.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/obama-iran-a-year-or-more-from-nuclear-capability.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55739&NewsCatID=359
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Impasse with Afghanistan may see total US pullout
Matthew Rosenberg, NYT News Service | Oct 6, 2013
KABUL: The United States and Afghanistan have reached an impasse in their talks over the role that the American forces will play beyond next year, officials from both the countries said, raising the distinct possibility of a total withdrawal — an outcome that the Pentagon's top military commanders dismissed just months ago.
American officials said that they are preparing to suspend negotiations in the coming weeks, and a senior administration official said talk of resuming them with President Hamid Karzai's successor, who will be chosen in elections set for next April, is, "frankly, not very likely."
He further added, "The time to conclude for us is now." In the absence of a deal, "this fall, we are going to have to make plans for the future accordingly."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Impasse-with-Afghanistan-may-see-total-US-pullout/articleshow/23600454.cms
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Arab World
Iraq Violence Kills 73 Including Pilgrims, Journalists
AFP | Oct 6, 2013
BAGHDAD: Violence including an attack on Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad killed at least 73 people across Iraq on Saturday, among them two journalists gunned down in the north, officials said.
Violence is at a level unseen since 2008, and there are persistent fears that Iraq will relapse into the kind of intense Sunni-Shiite bloodshed that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people.
Accounts differed as to whether the attack on the pilgrims in the Adhamiyah area of north Baghdad, which killed at least 49 people and wounded at least 75, was a bomb followed by a suicide bombing, or a suicide attack alone.
It came as pilgrims walked to a shrine to commemorate the death of Imam Mohammed al-Jawad, the ninth Shiite imam.
Iraq is home to some of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, and millions of pilgrims visit them each year.
But crowds of pilgrims are frequently targeted by Sunni militants including those linked to Al-Qaeda, who consider Shiites to be apostates.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iraq-violence-kills-73-including-pilgrims-journalists/articleshow/23600557.cms
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Blasts at Iraq Police Station, Primary School Kill 15
Oct 6, 2013
Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-rigged vehicles at a police station and a nearby primary school in northern Iraq on Sunday, killing 15 people including children, a local official said.
Violence has reached a level unseen since 2008, and there are persistent fears that Iraq will relapse into the kind of intense Sunni-Shiite bloodshed that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people.
The blasts in the Turkmen Shiite village of Qabak, which is located in Nineveh province about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the Syrian border, also wounded 44 people, Abdulal Abbas told AFP.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/blasts-at-iraq-police-station-school-kill-15.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55759&NewsCatID=352
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Official: Syrian Mercenaries Pose Drug Threat to Russian Caucasus
Oct 6, 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian mercenaries pose a threat to Russia’s North Caucasus regions, and may in the future organize Afghan drug trafficking routes via the regions, the chief of Russia’s drug enforcement service said.
Viktor Ivanov, who heads the Federal Drug Control Service, said experts believe "foreign legionnaire mercenaries in Syria… will rush toward the Caucasus" when they have nothing to do in Syria, RIA Novosti reported.
A senior official in Russia’s Federal Security Service said in September that some 300 or 400 Russians were fighting alongside the rebels in Syria, where over two years of fighting between government and opposition forces have claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people, according to UN estimates.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920713000443
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8 killed in mortar fire on Damascus: state media
October 06, 2013
DAMASCUS: At least eight people were killed on Sunday by mortar fire that hit a Christian neighbourhood in central Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
The attack on the Qassaa district in the Old City injured at least 24 people and damaged a church in the area, SANA said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Oct-06/233729-8-killed-in-mortar-fire-on-damascus-state-media.ashx#ixzz2gx5pbZqr
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International inspectors start destroying Syria's chemical weapons: UN
AP | Oct 6, 2013
BEIRUT: A UN official says international inspectors have started destroying Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons and the machinery used to create it.
The official couldn't confirm what specifically was destroyed, but said that by the end of Sunday, a combination of both weapons and some production equipment would be put out of order.
He spoke anonymously because of the matter's sensitivity.
Inspectors are tasked by the UN to dismantle and ultimately destroy Syria's chemical weapon programme by mid-2014.
The push to destroy Syria's chemical weapons programme came after an August attack near Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/International-inspectors-start-destroying-Syrias-chemical-weapons-UN/articleshow/23606089.cms
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Dubai aims to become capital of global Islamic economy
5 October 2013
Dubai unveiled plans on Saturday become the capital of the global Islamic economy. It plans to focus on financial services, food products, education and tourism and operate in those industries as per the guidelines of Islam.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, vice -president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, spoke at the initiative’s launch ceremony in Dubai on Saturday.
“I am optimistic about the success of the Islamic economy sector and about placing Dubai on the international economic map as the global destination of choice that provides Islamic products, finance and services as well as raising the standards for the management and quality of this sector to new levels,” said Sheikh Maktoum, according to national news agency WAM.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2013/10/05/Dubai-wants-to-be-center-for-Islamic-business.html
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Two Iraqi TV reporters killed in Mosul
5 October 2013
AFP, Mosul
Two journalists with Iraq’s Sharqiya television were “assassinated” in the northern city of Mosul on Saturday, the channel said.
A police officer and a doctor confirmed that the two men -- named by Sharqiya as correspondent Mohammed Karim al-Badrani and cameraman Mohammed Ghanem -- were shot dead.
The pair’s reports on security forces and officials in Mosul brought death threats from militant groups opposed to the government, a Sharqiya journalist told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Mosul is one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq, with militants frequently carrying out attacks and also reportedly extorting money from shop owners in the city.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/television-and-radio/2013/10/05/Two-Iraqi-TV-reporters-killed-in-Mosul.html
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Concerns over fair trail rights cloud Bahrain activist verdicts
Oct 6, 2013
Last Sunday, 50 Bahrainis, including one woman, were given heavy sentences for their part in forming a revolutionary coalition. The ruling raised questions about the fairness of politically linked trials in the energy-rich Arab Gulf country.
The court accused members of the 14 February Revolution Youth Coalition with "terrorism," slapping 16 defendants with 15-year prison terms, four others receiving 10 years and the other 30 sentenced to five years behind bars, according to AFP. Among those implicated is prominent Iraqi cleric Hadi Al-Mudaressi.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/83303/World/Region/Concerns-over-fair-trail-rights-cloud-Bahrain-acti.aspx
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Egypt's Coptic Pope visits Al-Azhar for first time
Oct 6, 2013
Egypt’s Coptic Pope Tawadros II paid his first visit on Saturday to the headquarters of Al-Azhar, to extend good wishes to Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb as Eid El-Adha approaches.
The pope headed a delegation from the church to Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest Sunni-Islamic institution, visiting El-Tayeb, Grand Mufti Shawqi Allam and Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Gomaa before the Feast of the Sacrifice starts next Monday.
The Pope said that communication and activities between the Church and Al-Azhar are reflective of “the original character of Egypt,” adding that this image should be spread to the “Egyptian streets for peace.”
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/83272/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-Coptic-Pope-visits-AlAzhar-for-first-time-.aspx
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Egypt to launch first nuclear power plant in Dabaa: President
Oct 6, 2013
Egypt is taking steps towards launching its first power-generating nuclear plant in Dabaa, located on the Mediterranean Coast, announced interim-President Adly Mansour in a televised statement.
In his speech to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 1973 war against Israel, President Mansour said that Egypt plans to use the nuclear power project for peaceful purposes to help fill an energy gap.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/83290/Business/Economy/Egypt-to-launch-first-nuclear-power-plant-in-Dabaa.aspx
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Three Syrians taken in tit-for-tat e. Lebanon kidnapping
October 05, 2013
HERMEL, Lebanon: Three Syrians were kidnapped in a Baalbek village Saturday in retaliation for the abduction of a Lebanese earlier this week, locals familiar with the issue told The Daily Star.
The locals said that the Syrians were kidnapped in the Baalbek village of Sireen al-Tahta.
The attack came three days after the former mayor of the Baalbek village of Brital claimed that his son Yasser Ali Ismail was snatched by members of the Syrian Army.
Ismail said his son had been working on a farm in Ain al-Sweis near the eastern border with Syria when he was abducted by Syrian soldiers.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2013/Oct-05/233686-three-syrians-taken-in-tit-for-tat-e-lebanon-kidnapping.ashx#ixzz2gx683JAr
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Orthodox Church leader calls for end Christians' persecution
October 06, 2013
Agence France Presse
NIS, Serbia: The spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church called Sunday for an end to the persecution of Christians, especially in the Middle East.
"Have we not been persecuted these days, our Christians in Syria, Egypt... and the Middle East, just for spreading God's words?" asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
"They cherish everyone while being persecuted by everyone... They live in faith while being persecuted as villains," he said, marking the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan -- a document that introduced tolerance for Christianity in the Roman empire.
Thousands of people, along with the leaders of seven Orthodox churches, high-ranking clergy and Serbian state officials, attended the ceremony.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Oct-06/233722-orthodox-leader-calls-for-end-christians-persecution.ashx#ixzz2gx6dMrVV
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Southeast Asia
No plan to push Sabah Muslims into becoming Malay
October 05, 2013
KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia – Sabah state authorities on Thursday (October 3rd) affirmed there is no plan to force the state's non-Malay Muslims to declare themselves Malay, local media reported.
Earlier in the week, Sabah State Mufti Bungsu Aziz Jaafar proposed a programme to get Muslims in the state who identify by their tribal roots to declare themselves part of the "Malay race", in a bid to unify the country's Muslims.
The statement, delivered to a Muslim symposium attended by 1,000 people in Putrajaya, the country's administrative capital, was Bungsu's "personal view" and not shared by the state government, Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman declared.
Full report at:
http://khabarsoutheastasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/newsbriefs/2013/10/05/newsbrief-06
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Clerics, locals saddened over church dispute
Oct 6, 2013
Religious leaders are expressing dismay after hardline Islamists staged protests against a planned Catholic church in Tangerang, West Java, located about 25km from Jakarta. The incident is being described as an attempt to sow religious division in the area.
Catholics from the Saint Bernadette Parish say they have a permit to build their church, which will accommodate about 11,000 followers. They have expressed puzzlement over the September 22nd protest, which lasted for around three hours.
"We have not even set a stone yet. I do not know many of the protesters. I do not know how this can happen, because so far we have support from the religious leaders here," Paulus Dalu Lubur, the pastor of Saint Bernadette, told Khabar Southeast Asia by phone.
Yuli Widariyanti, who lives near the proposed church site, also said the crowd surprised her.
"I am also amazed. I live not far from here, but I do not know many of them, and there were at least 200 people," Yuli told Khabar.
Full report at:
http://khabarsoutheastasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/10/02/feature-04
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Malaysian MP shows how a leader befitting of Islam reaches out to Christians
Oct 6, 2013
As the politician from PAS settles on a plush red cushion chair in one of the many common areas of Parliament, he shrugs off his cream-coloured coat, which he had paired with matching pants and a red-and-white striped tie.
"It was so cold in there," lets on Mujahid Yusof Rawa, referring to the main Parliament hall, where proceedings take place. "And now, here, it is hot."
Just five minutes ago, this two-term Member of Parliament was on the television outside the hall, where he had debated a subsidy bill.
He is rarely outspoken in Parliament but this 49-year-old recently hit the headlines after several Muslim groups protested his efforts to foster a interfaith relationship with the Christians.
Full report at:
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=170941:mujahid-shows-how-a-leader-befitting-of-islam-reaches-out-to-christians&Itemid=2#ixzz2grUnMkkM
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Islamic Solidarity Games foster pride
Oct 6, 2013
Indonesia is basking in glory in the aftermath of the Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG), having successfully hosted the complex event and come out on top of the medals count, with 36 gold, 34 silver and 34 bronze.
"We are grateful and proud again, Indonesia is the overall champion of Islamic Solidarity Games 2013 in Palembang. Congratulations!" President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono tweeted Wednesday (October 2nd), one day after the close of the games in Palembang, South Sumatra.
Full report at:
http://khabarsoutheastasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2013/10/05/feature-02
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Grenade explodes in Bali, kills two teens
Oct 6, 2013
DENPASAR, Indonesia – A grenade exploded in Tabanan, central Bali early Friday (October 4th), killing two teenagers, local media reported.
Mobile Brigade police officers who investigated the scene in Candikuning village, Tabanan found a Korean-made grenade box, according to the Jakarta Post.
"There was an explosion, but not related to [terrorism]," Bali Police chief Benny Mokalu told the Jakarta Globe.
Full report at:
http://khabarsoutheastasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/newsbriefs/2013/10/05/newsbrief-04
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Africa
Libya's PM demands explanation for US raid in Tripoli
Reuters | Oct 6, 2013
TRIPOLI: Libya's Prime Minister Ali Zeidan on Sunday asked US authorities to explain a military raid in Tripoli to capture a Libyan man wanted for bombing US embassies in Africa 15 years ago, his office said.
Nazih al-Ragye, better known by the cover name Abu Anas al-Liby, was seized by US forces in the Libyan capital on Saturday, the Pentagon said.
"The Libyan government is following the news of the kidnapping of a Libyan citizen who is wanted by US authorities," Zeidan's office said in a statement.
"The Libyan government has contacted to US authorities to ask them to provide an explanation."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Libyas-PM-demands-explanation-for-US-raid-in-Tripoli/articleshow/23607537.cms
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Report: U.S. commandos seize al-Shabaab leader in Nairobi attack response
6 October 2013
Reuters, Washington
A U.S. Navy SEAL team seized a senior leader of the al-Shabaab militant group from a seaside villa in Somalia on Saturday in response to a deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall last month, the New York Times quoted U.S. officials as saying.
The SEAL team seized the unidentified target in a predawn firefight after approaching the beachfront house in the Somali town of Barawe by sea, the paper reported on its website
“The Barawe raid was planned a week and a half ago,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed U.S. security official as saying.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/10/06/Report-U-S-commandos-seize-al-Shabaab-leader-in-Nairobi-attack-response.html
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Tuareg, Arab rebels resume peace talks with Mali government
6 October 2013
AFP, Ouagadougou
Tuareg and Arab rebels are resuming peace talks with the Malian government, notably about the northern territories where they are fighting for autonomy, 11 days after they walked out of the negotiations, one of their spokesmen said Saturday.
The announcement by Ibrahim Ag Mohamed Assaleh, in charge of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad’s external relations, after a meeting in the Burkina Faso capital with President Blaise Compaore should restart the peace process as violence flares up in Mali's northern regions.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2013/10/06/Tuareg-Arab-rebels-resume-peace-talks-with-Mali-government.html
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Al-Qaida-trained Sudanese man helped lead mall attack: Kenya
Reuters | Oct 5, 2013
NAIROBI: Kenya's government said a Sudanese man trained by al-Qaida was among the leaders of a raid on a Nairobi shopping mall in which at least 67 people were killed, the worst attack in the country in 15 years.
Al-Qaida-linked group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the assault two weeks ago on the Westgate centre, saying it was an act of revenge for Kenya's military campaign in Somalia, but the identities of the gunmen have remained unclear.
A Kenyan military spokesman on Saturday named four of the attackers, saying they also included a Kenyan Arab and a Somali.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Al-Qaida-trained-Sudanese-man-helped-lead-mall-attack-Kenya/articleshow/23597013.cms
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India
India looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan
PTI | Oct 6, 2013
NEW DELHI: India is in talks with Uzbekistan for procuring uranium for growing requirement of fuel for its nuclear plants, expected to increase in number in coming years.
A delegation of department of atomic energy (DAE) officials travelled to Uzbekistan last week to discuss the modalities of a possible contract, sources told PTI here.
They said a contract for procurement of uranium could materialise in the near future.
India is looking at importing about 2,000 tonnes of uranium by 2014 from Uzbekistan, which has 1,85,800 tonnes of proven uranium deposits.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-looking-to-import-uranium-from-Uzbekistan/articleshow/23604677.cms
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OCTOPUS commandos capture Islamic extremists wanted for murders in Tamil Nadu
Oct 6, 2013
Security forces have, in a tactical operation, captured two Islamic extremists along with a woman and three children from their hideout at Puttur, a tiny town on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, on Saturday. A crack team of OCTOPUS, the exclusive anti-terror commando force of the Andhra Pradesh police, rushed to the rescue of the Tamil Nadu police to lay seige at the hide-out and persuade the terrorists, who threatened to set off explosives, to surrender in a tense, action packed seven-hour long operation.
Full report at:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/elite-andhra-octopus-commandos-capture-islamic-extremists-wanted-for-murders-in-tamil-nadu/1/313279.html
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Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander arrested in Baramulla
October 06, 2013
With the arrest of a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and four of his overground workers from Sopore in Baramulla district, police on Saturday claimed to have busted a module of terror outfit.
“In a successful operation, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen was apprehended and a Hizb module busted in Sopore,” DIG North Kashmir J.P. Singh told reporters at Sopore, 55 km from Srinagar.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/top-hizbul-mujahideen-commander-arrested-in-baramulla/article5204680.ece
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Al-Umma men masqueraded as traders in Puttur
October 06, 2013
‘Gate Puttur’ tense following the operation to flush out terrorists
Tension was palpable on Saturday at ‘Gate Puttur’ in the town of Puttur until the two al-Umma activists Bilal Malik and Panna Ismail were captured after an 11-hour operation. The residents could not reconcile themselves to the fact that they had been living with the wanted men for two years.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/alumma-men-masqueraded-as-traders-in-puttur/article5205425.ece
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Europe
German intelligence says Syrian jets parked in Iran: media
Oct 6, 2013
Iran has allowed Syria's regime to station fighter jets on its territory to keep them safe from foreign attack, German intelligence services believe according to a media report Sunday.
News portal Spiegel Online said the report, marked "classified", pointed to close military ties between Damascus and Tehran beyond the deployment of Iran-backed Hezbollah militia on the side of regime forces.
The German intelligence paper reportedly said Iran had also sent elite troops from its Revolutionary Guard to support the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The intelligence report also said a source had reported that a Syria-Iran military deal from November 2012 allowed Assad "to station large parts of his air force on safe Iranian territory and to use them when needed," said Spiegel Online.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/german-intelligence-says-syrian-jets-parked-in-iran-media.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55751&NewsCatID=352
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Assad admits to making mistakes, says German magazine
Oct 6, 2013
BERLIN: Syria's President Bashar Assad has conceded making mistakes and says no side in his country's civil war is entirely free of blame, according to an interview to be published Sunday by German magazine Der Spiegel.
The respected Hamburg-based weekly reported that Assad acknowledged “personal mistakes by individuals,” though the advance version of the interview released Saturday didn't elaborate on what those mistakes might have been.
“We all make mistakes. Even a president makes mistakes,” Der Spiegel quoted him as saying. Assad reportedly added that there were “gray tones” as far as the question of blame was concerned.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1047652/assad-admits-to-making-mistakes-says-german-magazine
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Germany hands Kunduz camp to Afghan security forces
October 06, 2013
Agence France Presse
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan: Germany on Sunday handed over command of its northern Kunduz camp to Afghan security forces, a milestone in the drawdown from a more than decade-long military deployment.
About 100,000 German troops have served in Afghanistan since 2002, and 54 have died there -- 35 of them in combat -- in Germany's deadliest post-World War II deployment.
Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle travelled to Kunduz, via the German headquarters at Mazar-i-Sharif, on an unannounced visit for the handover ceremony Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Oct-06/233713-germany-hands-kunduz-camp-to-afghan-security-forces.ashx#ixzz2gx6ikoFC
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UN Syria peace envoy Brahimi says Geneva talks not a certainty
October 06, 2013
PARIS: United Nations peace envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, repeated on Sunday that it is not certain that peace talks will take place in mid-November in Geneva as planned.
Asked if the conference was a certainty, he said in an interview with TV5 television and RFI radio: "No, this is not a certainty. I am trying to invite...I am encouraging everybody to come to Geneva in the second half of November."
Brahimi said on Tuesday the meeting was "not 100 percent certain".
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Oct-06/233717-un-syria-peace-envoy-brahimi-says-geneva-talks-not-a-certainty.ashx#ixzz2gx6r7kbk
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Mideast
Turkey denies involvement in al-Shabaab raid
Oct 6, 2013
The Turkish Foreign Ministry was today quick to deny claims that hinted of Turkish cooperation with British forces against the militant group al-Shabaab on the ground in Somalia.
Ministry spokesperson Levent Gümrükçi said the claims, made by the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group itself, did not reflect the truth.
Earlier, al-Shabaab militants told Reuters that British and Turkish Special Forces had raided Barawe, killing a rebel fighter, but that a British officer was also killed and others wounded. The wounded included an injured Turkish soldier, the group said.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-denies-involvement-in-al-shabaab-raid-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55742&NewsCatID=357
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Al-Assad has no right to criticize Turkey: Foreign Minister Davutoğlu
Oct 6, 2013
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has dismissed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's claims that the Turkish government supports extremist terrorist groups, saying Ankara would not accept any accusation coming from the war-torn country's leader.
"The Turkish people know, just as the whole world knows, that all [al-Assad's] remarks are groundless and incompatible with reality," Davutoğlu said during a visit to the Albanian capital Tirana, responding to the Syrian president's statements in an interview with Turkish broadcaster Halk TV.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/al-assad-has-no-right-to-criticize-turkey-foreign-minister-davutoglu.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55737&NewsCatID=338
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Student oath is the wrong kind of nationalism, Turkish PM says
Oct 6, 2013
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has struck against opposition criticism of the government's move to remove the student's oath, saying the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had done more for Turkey than parties "pretending to be nationalists."
"Lining up kids every morning and making them chant slogans from the 1930s, the Cold War and the era of the Iron Curtain, is not nationalism. Nationalism is building classrooms where those kids can receive education in humane conditions," Erdoğan said during a mass opening ceremony in Adana on Oct. 5.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/student-oath-is-the-wrong-kind-of-nationalism-turkish-pm-says.aspx?pageID=238&nID=55738&NewsCatID=338
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Israel police arrest 14 minors over anti-Arab crimes
October 06, 2013
Agence France Presse
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Police have arrested 14 Jewish Israeli youths from Jerusalem on suspicion of carrying out a series of attacks targeting Arab Israelis, a spokesman said on Sunday.
Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that the minors aged between 13 and 16, attended yeshivot -- religious Jewish seminaries.
They were arrested in a series of raids "for attacking Arab Israelis or their property over the last months in Jerusalem", he said.
Rosenfeld said the attacks were believed to be in "revenge for terror attacks on Jewish Israelis", and the police Twitter account alleged that the youths had acted as a gang.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Oct-06/233728-israel-police-arrest-14-minors-over-anti-arab-crimes.ashx#ixzz2gx5uJ6ZM
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South Asia
Religion based politics is the biggest threat: Maudoodi’s son
Oct 6, 2013
Syed Haider Farooq Maudoodi, son of Jamaat-e-Islami founder Syed Abul A’la Maudoodi, is now a columnist in Lahore, Pakistan. The 69-year-old former pilot studied in an English medium school, but refuses to speak in English. He shared his observations on Jamaat’s politics in the sub continent, political Islam, militancy, state religion and the war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh, with the Dhaka Tribune.
Your father Abul A’la Maudoodi was the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami, have you or any of your siblings have ever been involved with the party?
No we have never been involved with any kind of politics, neither Jamaat nor any other party. The fact is he never allowed us to be involved in any kind of politics. What was in his (Maudoodi’s) mind, only he knows. Not only my father, if you look at any other Jamaat leader, you’ll see they are not interested in engaging their sons in Jamaat.
Sons of the leaders are involved in many kind of work except for any Jamaat activities. There are many reasons behind it. One is, when you do politics based on religion, then you would be able to fulfill some of your aims; but ultimately you are also making many enemies in the different sects. Specially, when a politician involved in politics of religion dies, he leaves behind enemies for his children.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2013/oct/06/religion-based-politics-biggest-threat#sthash.VCXgUovN.dpuf
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50 citizens concerned over alleged threat to New Age editor, Nurul Kabir
Oct 6, 2013
The citizens, in a joint statement, asked for ensuring punishment to the responsible culprits
A total of fifty citizens expressed concerns over an allegd threat to the New Age Editor Nurul Kabir on Saturday. The citizens, in a joint statement, asked for ensuring punishment to the responsible culprits following an investigation into the incident. Earlier on Tuesday, the New Age editor reportedly received a threat over his mobile phone from a caller, who introduced himself as a top-listed criminal nicknamed “Shahadat.” “The same caller threatened Nurul Kabir’s wife and child demanding Tk100, 000 and ordered him to speak carefully in talk-shows,” reads the statement.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-amp-rights/2013/oct/06/50-citizens-concerned-over-alleged-threat-new-age-editor
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Myanmar cops arrest 44 for anti-Muslim violence
AFP
October 06, 2013
The police have arrested 44 people in connection with the deadly anti-Muslim violence in western Myanmar, the state media said on Sunday, after the latest violence erupted during a presidential tour of the strife-torn region.
Days of tensions in the town of Thandwe in restive Rakhine state turned into bloodshed on Tuesday, with a mob of hundreds descending on one outlying village torching homes and attacking local Muslims.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Myanmar/Myanmar-cops-arrest-44-for-anti-Muslim-violence/Article1-1131663.aspx
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Four US soldiers killed in Aghanistan
2013-10-06
KABUL: A bomb killed four United States (US) soldiers in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, American and Afghan officials said. They were the latest casualties in a 12-year conflict that shows no signs of slowing down despite a decline in foreign forces.
The US-led international military coalition says four of its service members were killed in the south, and a military official confirmed all were Americans killed by an ''improvised explosive device.''
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1047868/four-us-soldiers-killed-in-aghanistan
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Fears of “inadequate” child protection linger, Maldives co-sponsors 22 UN rights resolutions
By Neil Merrett | October 6th, 2013
The Maldives has backed global resolutions outlining commitments on child protection, the environment, freedom of assembly and wider civil rights during the recently concluded 24th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
However, one local NGO focused on the rights of children has questioned the Maldives domestic commitments to pursue legal reforms in areas such as the use of flogging and the treatment of victims of sexual abuse, expressing fears child protection commitments undertaken by successive governments still remain “inadequate”.
The same group has called for the state and parliament to press ahead with ratifying an optional UN optional protocol signed by Maldivian authorities last year said to pave the way for reforms of the treatment of sexual abuse victims in the country. The optional protocol would allow for international intervention if all domestic legal avenues are exhausted, said the NGO.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/domestic-fears-of-inadequate-child-protection-linger-as-maldives-co-sponsors-22-un-rights-resolutions-67434
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Human Rights Commission condemns government’s “intimidation” of NGOs
By Daniel Bosley | October 5th, 2013
The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has condemned the government’s use of “threats and intimidation” against civil society groups.
HRCM officials have also met with the Maldives Police Service to discuss allegations of the misuse of strip searches following recent demonstrations.
Writing to the Home Ministry, the commission reported that it had “condemned the infringement of the right to freedom of association as [an] expression of these two organisations”.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/human-rights-commission-condemns-governments-intimidation-of-ngos-67722
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Terrorism has fallen during AL’s tenure: MK Alamgir
Oct 6, 2013
Government is working to build a bridge between the police and civilians to eradicate terrorism from the country
Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on saturday claimed that terrorist activities have registered a fall across the country since the present government has assumed office.
“Above all, the rate of terrorism has decreased since the present government came to power,” he said while addressing a function marking the inauguration of three newly-formed police stations in Khulna at Labanchora, Haritana and Arangghata.
MK Alamgir said they were working to build a bridge between the police and civilians to eradicate terrorism from the country.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2013/oct/06/terrorism-has-fallen-during-al%E2%80%99s-tenure-mk-alamgir#sthash.hYdCgk3i.dpuf
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