Egypt Bans Muslim Brotherhood, Court Ordered Its Assets Confiscated
New Age Islam News Bureau
23
Sept 2013
Scramble: People crawl on their stomachs to safety as security forces keep a lookout at the Nairobi mall on Saturday
Arab World
• Egypt Bans Muslim Brotherhood, Court Ordered Its Assets Confiscated
• Suicide bomber hits Sunni funeral in Baghdad, killing 16
• Commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria has been killed
• War-weary Syrians find home in Sweden
• Egypt constitution committee opposes 'anything Islamic': Salafist Call
• Assad: Terrorists may attack chemical weapons inspectors, blame Damascus
• Militants to get civilian trials, Egyptian foreign minister tells Kerry
• Syrian opposition willing to attend Geneva talks
North America
• Columbia University Sikh professor attacked in US, called ‘Osama’
• US promises support to Kenya to bring attackers to justice
• NYPD Steps Up Security in Response to Kenya Attack
• Net users in India and Pak on radar of US intel, says expert
• Man Gets 13-Year Term for Lying About Plan to Join Jihad
Europe
• Russian Court Declares Translation of the Quran as Extremist Orders to Destroy It, Top Mufti Protests
• UK’s Muslim school banned singing and reading fairy tales, hardliners take control
• Pope calls Pakistan church attack act of hate, war
• Muslim convert 'planned to assassinate Prince Harry with pistol at close range'
• Ban Ki-moon condemns Peshawar church attack
• 170 German Islamists have gone to Syria: Spy chief
Africa
• Two militants killed, nearly all Kenya mall hostages freed
• Kenyan Muslims condemn Nairobi hostage-taking saga
• Somali militants say Israeli forces attempted to enter besieged Nairobi mall
• Gunfire, explosions as Kenyan troops battle to save mall hostages
• Sudan's Bashir, wanted by ICC, says he plans to travel to U.N.
Pakistan
• Ahmadi persecution: Police bow to clerics to tear down minarets
• Maulana Fazl ur Rahman welcomes Taliban leader Baradar’s release
• Death toll from Pakistan church bombing rises to 81
• Pakistani Christians Protest after Deadly Suicide Bombing
• Bomb attack on police van kills five in Pishin
• Karachi operation: Rangers arrest 80 suspects
• Rs35m paid to militants for release of doctors
• Law and order: FIR registered against 220 Sunni Tehreek men
• Bombings not a good omen for peace talks: PM
Mideast
• Yemen clash with al-Qaeda kills 8: tribal source
• Palestinian groups campaign against the peace process
• Iran takes control of Bushehr nuclear reactor
• Israel PM: Settlers to return to contested home
India
• Muslims who saw killings in Muzaffarnagar won't go back: All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat
• PM addresses NIC meeting, says communal riots a challenge to democracy
• 7 Gujaratis killed in Nairobi attack
• 1 militant killed as Army foils infiltration bid in J&K
• Jailer greets BJP MLA arrested for Muzaffarnagar riots with folded hands
• PM Manmohan Singh condemns Peshawar suicide attacks
South Asia
• Maldives AG’s election intervention constitutional: senior legal source
• Afghan official, two NATO troops die in attacks
• Victims of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami atrocities die
• SC seeks extra security for justices disposing war crimes appeals
• 38 rescued while being trafficked to Malaysia
Southeast Asia
• Malaysia urged to spare life of Indonesian worker
• New Muslim rebel attack in Philippines; 1 soldier killed, 15 kidnapped to be used as human shields
• Christians not Islam’s enemies, says minister
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Arab World
Egypt Bans Muslim Brotherhood, Court Ordered Its Assets Confiscated
Sep 23 2013
An Egyptian court also ordered its assets confiscated.
An Egyptian court has banned the Muslim Brotherhood group and ordered its assets confiscated in a dramatic escalation of a crackdown by the military-backed Government against supporters of the ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsy.
Egypt State TV said the court issued its ruling on Monday.
The Brotherhood was outlawed for most of its 85 years in existence. But after the 2011 ouster of Hosni Mubarak, it was allowed to work openly, formed a political party and rose to power in a string of post-Mubarak elections. In March, it registered as a recognised non-governmental organisation.
The ruling, which can be appealed, opens door for authorities to track down the group’s elaborate network of social services, dealing a deadly blow to its pillars of grassroots support.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/egypt-bans-muslim-brotherhood/article5160518.ece?homepage=true
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Suicide bomber hits Sunni funeral in Baghdad, killing 16
AP | Sep 23, 2013
BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt among Sunni mourners attending a funeral in Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16 people and wounding 35 others, officials said, in the latest episode of the country's near-daily violence.
Police officials said the evening attack took place when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt inside a tent where the funeral was being held in Baghdad's southern neighborhood of Dora.
Two other attacks in the country's north left two policemen dead and 37 others wounded, the officials added.
Sunday's bloodshed came a day after a wave of attacks killed 104 people, most at a double suicide attack on a Shiite funeral in Baghdad.
Violence has spiked in Iraq during the past few months. More than 4,000 people have been killed between April and August, a level of carnage not seen since the country was on the brink of civil war in 2006-08.
Earlier on Sunday, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a residential area in the city of Kirkuk, wounding 35 people, Kirkuk Police Brig. Gen. Anwar Mohammed Qadir said.
The bomber targeted both a Kurdish educational office and an adjacent house for a Christian lawmaker, Qadir said. Seven members of the lawmaker's family were wounded in the attack.
Kirkuk is home to an ethnic mix of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen who all have competing claims to the oil-rich area.
Hours after the Kirkuk bombing, police said a roadside bomb struck a security convoy near the northern city of Mosul, killing two soldiers and wounding two others.
Acting U.N. envoy in Iraq Gyorgy Busztin condemned the bombings, urging the government to boost security measures and Iraqis to refrain from revenge attacks.
"Retaliation can only bring more violence and it is the responsibility of all leaders to take strong action not to let violence escalate further," a statement from Busztin said Sunday.
Hospital officials confirmed the casualty figures for all attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Suicide-bomber-hits-Sunni-funeral-in-Baghdad-killing-16/articleshow/22904453.cms
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Commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria has been killed
23 September 2013
Abu-Abdallah al-Libi, a top commander of al-Qaeda front group The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been killed on Sunday in Idlib in northwestern Syria, Al Arabiya television reported.
The Free Syrian Army denied responsibility for Libi’s death.
The militant group is posing growing challenges for the armed opposition fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power and aspire to build a democratic civilian system in the country.
This week the extremist group took control of the Syrian town of Aziz, on the border with Turkey.
Syrian Youth activists had launched an online campaign entitled “ISIS doesn't represent me.”
“I hope Azaz turns into ISIS' burial ground,” said one activist posting on Twitter, according to AFP.
“They failed against the Americans in Afghanistan, and against the Iranians in Iraq. Now they are here to bully the Syrians, who are fighting a criminal regime,” said another.
Imposition
An online activist said he feared ISIS would try to impose Islamic law in Azaz.
“Sharia law would only be imposed to allow the killing of people, and we don't want that,” he said.
Another activist echoed a common claim that ISIS is working hand in glove with Assad's regime, and was mirroring its methods by “attacking field hospitals, detaining doctors and killing activists.”
Activists said the battle for Azaz began when jihadists broke into a field hospital, searching for a German doctor.
Another version of Wednesday's events says the fighting broke out when a Northern Storm rebel stepped in to defend a German journalist from being kidnapped by ISIS.
The FSA regained control of the town after heavy clashes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Azaz was calm by Thursday, Al Arabiya television reported.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/22/-Leader-of-al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-and-Syria-has-been-killed.html
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War-weary Syrians find home in Sweden
September 23, 2013
Six-month-old Nour Al-Hodl smiles, perched on her mother’s knee in the dining room of a spotless refugee reception center in Maersta, north of Stockholm.
When the Hodl family fled the bombings and violence in the Syrian city of Aleppo earlier this year they had just one goal in mind: To reach Sweden.
This month the Scandinavian nation became the first in Europe to grant residency to all Syrian asylum seekers who managed to make their way to Swedish shores, with the exception of suspected war criminals.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/465508
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Egypt constitution committee opposes 'anything Islamic': Salafist Call
September 23, 2013
Salafist Call spokesperson Yasser El-Borhami has criticised Egypt's constitution-amending committee and accused it of attempting to weaken the country's "Islamic identity."
"The [50-member] committee is predominantly composed of leftists and liberals, including extremist ones, who are strongly against anything Islamic," El-Borhami said in an article published on the group's website.
He slammed proposed amendments to Articles 4 and 81 put forward by an earlier ten-member committee of jurists.
The proposed amendments suggest removing Article 4, which states the supreme scholars committee of Al-Azhar, the country's highest Islamic institution, should be consulted on all matters relating to Sharia in the law-making process.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/82208/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-constitution-committee-opposes-anything-Isla.aspx
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Assad: Terrorists may attack chemical weapons inspectors, blame Damascus
September 23, 2013
Syrian armed opposition may be ordered by its foreign sponsors to stage a false flag operation against foreign inspectors when they arrive in the country to monitor destruction of the country’s chemical weapons stockpile, says the Syrian president.
Bashar Assad voiced his concerns in an interview by China's state television CCTV in Damascus. The Syrian leader proposed this possible scenario as he was explaining how his government may be accused of trying to dodge its obligations to destroy its chemical arsenal.
Full report at:
http://rt.com/news/assad-interview-inspector-provocation-215/
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Militants to get civilian trials, Egyptian foreign minister tells Kerry
AFP | Sep 23, 2013
Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy on Sunday assured his American counterpart John Kerry that civilians arrested during recent protests across Egypt would not face military trials, a US official said.
Several Egyptian human rights organizations have condemned military trials of civilians, saying that about 60 convictions have been passed by army tribunals since July 3.
But Fahmy "said that all of the people who are under arrest will be put through the normal judicial process, he said specifically not military court," a senior US official said, asking not to be named.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Militants-to-get-civilian-trials-Egyptian-foreign-minister-tells-Kerry/articleshow/22918357.cms
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Syrian opposition willing to attend Geneva talks
23 September 2013
The head of the Syrian National Coalition has said the group is ready to attend a proposed Geneva conference to end the civil war, if the talks aim to establish a transitional government.
The SNC which is is made up of mostly exiled anti Syrian President Bashar al-Assad figures has hesitated over whether to attend the U.S. and Russian sponsored talks, especially after a chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21 that killed over a thousand people in Damascus.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/23/-Syrian-opposition-willing-to-attend-Geneva-talks.html
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North America
Columbia University Sikh professor attacked in US, called ‘Osama’
Sikh professor assaulted in US hate crime attack
September 23, 2013
A Sikh professor at the Columbia University was allegedly attacked by a group of men who called him “Osama” and “terrorist” in an assault which the police are investigating as a hate crime. School of International and Public Affairs professor Prabhjot Singh was assaulted on Saturday night while walking in the Harlem neighbourhood near New York.
In an online post, Singh’s friend Simran Jeet Singh, who is a doctoral candidate in religion at Columbia, said the father of one had been “brutally attacked” on the street and had been rushed to the hospital “bloody and bruised, his face swollen from a fractured jaw.” The young professor could not speak because many of his teeth had been displaced, Jeet Singh said in the post ‘Hate Hits Home: When My Friend Became A Target’ published on the HuffPost website.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Americas/Sikh-professor-beaten-up-in-New-York-called-terrorist-and-Osama/Article1-1125901.aspx
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US promises support to Kenya to bring attackers to justice
None
September 23, 2013
US President Barack Obama called Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday to offer condolences over what the White House called a "terrorist attack" by the al Shabaab group at a Nairobi shopping mall that has killed almost 70 people. Islamist militants still held hostages on Sunday at the shopping mall, where brief volleys of gunfire interrupted hours of stalemate.
"President Obama called President Kenyatta of Kenya this morning to express condolences to the government and people of Kenya for the terrorist attack carried out by al-Shabaab yesterday on the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi," the White House said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/africa/US-promises-support-to-Kenya-to-bring-attackers-to-justice/Article1-1125788.aspx
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NYPD Steps Up Security in Response to Kenya Attack
September 23, 2013
The NYPD has heightened security at key locations around the city in response to the ongoing attack on a mall in Kenya that killed dozens, though officials say there are no specific threats to the city.
Counterterror units have been deployed throughout the city and extra officers were on the streets Sunday, especially in heavily trafficked areas like Times Square and Penn Station.
"We keep track of events across the globe as they unfold and we adjust our counter terrorism efforts accordingly," said Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy in a statement. "We have redeployed our critical response and hercules teams as a precaution. There is no specific threat."
Full report at:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYPD-Response-Kenya-Attack-Counterrorism-Units-224725932.html?
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Net users in India and Pak on radar of US intel, says expert
Swati Deshpande, TNN | Sep 23, 2013
MUMBAI: In the last one month US security agencies have gathered 97 billion bits of information from online activities of users across the world and 20% of it is gleaned from India and Pakistan alone, said Neville Roy Singham, a proponent of open software movement in the US.
Speaking at a media meet on Sunday at the Press Club in Mumbai, Singham expressed concern at the sharp rise in the amount of government snooping. He said 6 billion bits came from India and double that from Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Net-users-in-India-and-Pak-on-radar-of-US-intel-says-expert/articleshow/22907047.cms
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Man Gets 13-Year Term for Lying About Plan to Join Jihad
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 23, 2013
A former Staten Island man was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Friday for lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his attempts to join the Taliban or Al Qaeda to wage violent jihad against the United States.
Prosecutors in United States District Court in Brooklyn had sought the maximum 21 years behind bars for the man, Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, arguing that he was following a proven formula of other would-be, homegrown terrorists who succeeded in aligning themselves with extremist groups by traveling to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/nyregion/man-gets-13-year-term-for-lying-about-plan-to-join-jihad.html
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Europe
Russian Court Declares the Translation of the Quran as Extremist Orders to Destroy It, Top Mufti Protests
23 September 2013
Associated Press, Moscow
Russia's top Islamic cleric has protested a provincial court order to declare a translation of the Quran as extremist and to destroy it.
Ravil Gainutdin, the head of the Council of Muftis of Russia, said in an open letter to President Vladimir Putin released Monday that the ruling was “illiterate” and “provocative.”
The Quran is available in Russian translation, but the court last week ruled that the translation by Elmir Kuliyev published in Saudi Arabia in 2002 violated federal law banning extremist materials.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/09/23/-Russia-s-top-mufti-protests-ban-on-Quran-s-edition.html
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UK’s Muslim school banned singing and reading fairy tales, hardliners take control
September 23, 2013
Britain's first Muslim free school is controlled by religious hardliners who ban children from singing or reading fairy tales and force staff to wear headscarves - according to the former head teacher and deputy who claim they were forced to leave.
Andrew Cutts-McKay resigned from his role as head of al Madinah School in Derby in August, two months after deputy Suzanne Southerland stepped down from her post.
Both allege they were 'bullied and sidelined' by members of the school's trust, which is predominantly Muslim. The school strongly denies the pair's claims.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2428958/Muslim-school-banned-pupils-singing-reading-fairy-tales-hardliners-took-control-ousted-headmaster-deputy.html#ixzz2fiVNvyFZ
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Pope calls Pakistan church attack act of hate, war
AP | Sep 22, 2013
CAGLIARI, Sardinia: Pope Francis has led several thousand people in a special prayer for the victims of the church attack in Pakistan.
Francis was wrapping up a daylong visit to Sardinia on Sunday when he took the microphone and told throngs of young people about the scale of the attack in Peshawar. He said those who carried out the attack "took the wrong choice, one of hatred and war."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Pope-calls-Pakistan-church-attack-act-of-hate-war/articleshow/22901129.cms
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Muslim convert 'planned to assassinate Prince Harry with pistol at close range'
September 23, 2013
A Muslim convert planned to assassinate Prince Harry using a low-calibre pistol in a plot he named Operation Regal, a court heard today.
Ashraf Islam, 31, formerly known as Mark Townley, confessed to police he had “advanced plans” to kill the Prince.
Belfast-born Islam walked into a police station the day after Drummer Lee Rigby was killed in Woolwich, south-east London, and told an officer of his intentions.
Islam described Drummer Rigby as a “soft target” and said he didn’t agree with the attack on the serviceman.
Full report at:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ashraf-islam-trial-muslim-convert-2289383
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Ban Ki-moon condemns Peshawar church attack
September 23, 2013
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned Sunday’s “atrocious” terrorist attack on a church in Peshawar and called on the government to bring the perpetrators to justice.
A statement issued by UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky said that the secretary general was “appalled” by the attack, which had reportedly killed more than 75 people and wounded over 100 others as they were attending Sunday mass.
“The secretary general condemns this atrocious bombing attack in the strongest possible terms,” the statement said.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/608049/ban-ki-moon-condemns-peshawar-church-attack/
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170 German Islamists have gone to Syria: Spy chief
AP | Sep 22, 2013
BERLIN: Germany's domestic spy chief says at least 170 Islamic extremists have traveled to Syria from Germany and some are thought to be actively participating in the fighting.
Hans-Georg Maassen told Deutschlandfunk radio in an interview broadcast on Sunday that about 50 extremists have gone from Germany to Syria in recent months alone.
The head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution says he is concerned that some of these extremists may return to Germany with plans for terror attacks.
German security agencies claim to have foiled a number of planned attacks by Islamic extremists in recent years.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/170-German-Islamists-have-gone-to-Syria-Spy-chief/articleshow/22896682.cms
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Africa
Two militants killed, nearly all Kenya mall hostages freed
Sep 23 2013
"We are fully in control of the situation. There is no reason for alarm," Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Interior Ole Lenku said.
Two militants have been killed in the ongoing military raid on a Nairobi mall and nearly all hostages have been freed, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Interior Ole Lenku said on Monday.
“We are fully in control of the situation. There is no reason for alarm,” he said, adding: “We are in control of all the floors. We have fully cordoned off the building.” Mr. Lenku told a press conference that all the terrorists are men, though some had dressed like women as a way to confuse the situation.
Between 10 and 15 gunmen took part in the assault .
He said a fire inside the mall was the work of the militants, but that it would soon be extinguished.
Kenyan security forces remained locked in a battle with al-Qaeda-linked militants at the Nairobi shopping mall where gunmen held hostages for three days after launching their assault.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/two-militants-killed-nearly-all-kenya-mall-hostages-freed/article5159541.ece
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Kenyan Muslims condemn Nairobi hostage-taking saga
World Bulletin/News Desk
September 23, 2013
Kenyan citizens of different religious backgrounds, including Muslims, were united Sunday in condemning the ongoing hostage-taking saga in a Nairobi mall.
"The attack is barbaric and satanic," Hamiza Saja, a gender activist, told Anadolu Agency.
"It is a challenge to the government and all of us Kenyans," she asserted.
Saja said that as a Muslim, she was aware that Islam abhors acts of violence.
She insisted that the attackers should not be associated with the religion.
"The attackers should be punished irrespective of their religion or race," Saja said.
"My prayers are for the injured and we hope the government will rescue those still trapped in the building."
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=118607
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Somali militants say Israeli forces attempted to enter besieged Nairobi mall
September 23, 2013
Somali Islamist group al Shabaab said on Monday Israeli and Kenyan forces have tried to enter the besieged Nairobi shopping center but we unsuccessful, Reuters reported, citing the group's spokesman.
"Israelis and Kenyan forces have tried to enter Westgate (mall) by force but they could not, the mujahideen (fighters) will kill the hostages if the enemies use force," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, al Shabaab's spokesman said in clip posted on www.somalimemo.net.
An Israeli source told AFP on Sunday that while Israeli advisers are at the scene helping with the negotiating strategy, "no Israels [are] involved in any imminent storming operation."
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/International/Gunfire-heard-at-besieged-Nairobi-mall-where-Islamists-hold-hostages-326832
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Gunfire, explosions as Kenyan troops battle to save mall hostages
AFP | Sep 23, 2013
NAIROBI: Heavy gunfire and loud explosions were heard at Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall on Monday as Kenyan troops fought Somali militants who were holding hostages after massacring at least 68 people.
As the stand-off entered its third day, sustained bursts of rapid gunfire erupted at dawn and lasted 15 minutes, and soldiers posted around the complex ducked for cover. This was followed by three big explosions, AFP correspondents at the scene said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Gunfire-explosions-as-Kenyan-troops-battle-to-save-mall-hostages/articleshow/22923478.cms
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Sudan's Bashir, wanted by ICC, says he plans to travel to U.N.
23 September 2013
Reuters, Khartoum
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide charges, said on Sunday he planned to attend this week's U.N. General Assembly and had already booked a hotel in New York.
At a news conference, Bashir did not say whether the United States had granted him a visa yet, but did say he had made preparations to fly to New York via Morocco.
“Attending the General Assembly is our right,” he said.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2013/09/23/Sudan-s-Bashir-wanted-by-ICC-says-he-plans-to-travel-to-U-N-.html
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Pakistan
Ahmadi persecution: Police bow to clerics to tear down minarets
September 22, 2013
LAHORE: Police demolished minarets at an Ahmadi place of worship in Sialkot on Saturday, after a group of protesters threatened to do so themselves, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The police approached the community on Friday after a local cleric complained that three worship places for Ahmadis had features that resembled mosques, namely minarets and verses from the Quran written on the walls.
The minarets and verses were covered up, apparently to the police’s satisfaction, but a baying mob gathered at one worship place the next day and demanded that the minarets be torn down. The police did so. The group of protesters is now demanding that similar action be taken against two other worship places within a couple of days.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/607912/ahmadi-persecution-police-bow-to-clerics-to-tear-down-minarets/
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Maulana Fazl ur Rahman welcomes Taliban leader Baradar’s release
September 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD - Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Saturday welcomed the release of Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, saying that it would help Afghan reconciliation process.
If other imprisoned Taliban who want to be part of the dialogue process are released, this step would be helpful for reconciliation efforts, said religio-political party chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman in a statement after the release of Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/22-Sep-2013/fazl-welcomes-baradar-s-release
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Death toll from Pakistan church bombing rises to 81
AFP | Sep 23, 2013
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: The death toll from a double suicide bombing on a church in Pakistan rose to 81 on Monday, as Christians protested across the country to demand better protection for their community.
The attack on All Saints church in the northwestern city of Peshawar after a service on Sunday, claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, is believed to be the deadliest ever to target Pakistan's small Christian minority.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Death-toll-from-Pakistan-church-bombing-rises-to-81/articleshow/22924273.cms
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Pakistani Christians Protest After Deadly Suicide Bombing
September 23, 2013
Pakistani Christians are protesting across the country after a double suicide bombing on a church killed scores of people.
The attack on the All Saints Church in the northwestern city of Peshawar on September 22 is believed to be the deadliest attack ever against Christians in Pakistan.
On September 23, angry Christians blocked roads around the country to protest the bombing.
Officials said the death toll from the attack had risen to 81 on September 23.
Full report at:
http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-christians-protest-bombing/25114556.html
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Bomb attack on police van kills five in Pishin
2013-09-23
QUETTA: A bomb targeting police killed at least five people and wounded five others in Pishin district of restive southwest Balochistan province on Monday, police said.
The attack was staged in Pishin district, 40 kilometres north of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province which is racked by a separatist insurgency and sectarian violence.
“The bomb was planted underneath the police van, which exploded while the officials were performing routine checks, killing five people including three policemen and two civilians,” district police chief Mehboob Rasheed told AFP.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1044849/bomb-attack-on-police-van-kills-five-in-pishin
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Karachi operation: Rangers arrest 80 suspects
2013-09-23
KARACHI: Rangers arrested 80 suspects yesterday by conducting targeted operations in different parts of the city. Rangers claim that weapons and drugs were also confiscated from those arrested.
Rangers conducted a targeted operations in different parts of the city, arresting extortionists and target killers linked with political parties and the Lyari Gang War. 48 other suspects were also arrested during the operations.
Operations were conducted in the areas of Mehran Town, Baloch Colony, Haji Mureed Goth, Gabol Park and Tesar Town, along with a few others.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1044848/karachi-operation-rangers-arrest-80-suspects
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Rs35m paid to militants for release of doctors
2013-09-23
QUETTA, Sept 22: Over Rs35 million was paid to Taliban militants for the release of three doctors belonging to Loralai, sources said on Sunday. They were set free on Saturday.
The government officials had claimed that the doctors were freed without payment of ransom to the kidnappers.
“There is no truth in the officials’ claim that the doctors have been freed after successful negotiations between local tribal elders and the militants and that no ransom amount was paid to the kidnappers,” the sources said, adding that the ransom amount of over Rs35m had been arranged by the doctors’ relatives and friends.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1044836/rs35m-paid-to-militants-for-release-of-doctors
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Law and order: FIR registered against 220 Sunni Tehreek men
September 23, 2013
FAISALABAD: Sandal Bar police on Sunday registered cases against 190 members of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST) including 20 nominated persons for attacking a police station and creating a law and order situation.
Police said cases were also registered against 10 women who had joined the protestors to press their demand for the release of 25 PST workers.
Station House Officer Muhammad Afzal Lali told the media that Sandal Bar police had arrested 25 people on Saturday for “forcibly occupying a piece of land adjacent to a mosque in Chak 31-JB.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/607884/law-and-order-fir-registered-against-220-sunni-tehreek-men/
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Bombings not a good omen for peace talks: PM
September 23, 2013
LONDON - Hours after the deadliest attack on Christian community in Pakistan on Sunday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced that the government and the nation was unable to proceed any further (on the proposed dialogue with the Taliban).
“We had proposed the process of dialogue with good intentions and this enjoyed the backing of all the political parties,” Nawaz Sharif said while talking to the media men after arriving in London from Pakistan, reported private TV channels. He said incidents like attacks on a church in Peshawar are not a good omen for the intended dialogue. “These attackers are the enemies of the country,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/23-Sep-2013/bombings-not-a-good-omen-for-peace-talks-pm
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Mideast
Yemen clash with al-Qaeda kills 8: tribal source
23 September 2013
Eight people including four members of al-Qaeda were killed on Sunday in a clash between Yemeni tribesmen and militants in Maarib province, a tribal source said.
The firefight erupted after al-Qaeda fighters ambushed members of al-Rashid Munif tribe, wounding two of them, the source said.
Tribesmen returned fire at the Islamists, killing four, and four tribesmen were also killed, the source added.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is active in Maarib east of Sanaa, as well as in other provinces in south and east Yemen, despite repeated army offensives to break the group's back.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/22/Yemen-clash-with-al-Qaeda-kills-8-tribal-source-.html
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Palestinian groups campaign against the peace process
September 23, 2013
Several Palestinian groups and figures launched a campaign on Sunday to demand that the Palestinian Authority halt peace talks with Israel.
At a press conference in Ramallah, the organizers of the campaign said that the PA leadership should “give in to popular demands to stop the negotiations with the government of [Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu.”
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Palestinian-groups-campaign-against-the-peace-process-326783
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Iran takes control of Bushehr nuclear reactor
AFP | Sep 23, 2013
TEHRAN: Iran on Monday finally takes control of its civilian nuclear reactor at Bushehr on the Gulf coast, a project begun 35 years ago by Germany, wracked by setbacks, and finished by Russia.
The Islamic republic's atomic agency chief Ali Akbar Salehi confirmed on Sunday that Russia would hand over the 1,000-megawatt plant Monday.
He also said he expected work to start soon on a second plant upon completion of talks with Moscow, saying: "Negotiations are continuing and are well-advanced."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-takes-control-of-Bushehr-nuclear-reactor/articleshow/22918541.cms
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Israel PM: Settlers to return to contested home
23 September 2013
Associated Press, Jerusalem
The Israeli prime minister has given the go-ahead for Jewish settlers to re-occupy a contested West Bank building.
Monday's order comes in response to the death of an Israeli soldier near the biblical city of Hebron.
Benjamin Netanyahu's office says in a statement that he has "ordered immediate action" for settlers to go into the house, which they briefly occupied last year.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/23/Israel-PM-Settlers-to-return-to-contested-home.html
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India
Muslims who saw killings in Muzaffarnagar won't go back: All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat
September 23, 2013
New Delhi: Muslims who saw armed gangs drag out innocents and slaughter them in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh are refusing to go back to their villages, a Muslim leader said Sunday.
Zafar Islam Khan, president of the All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat, also said that the horrendous communal riots were the work of Hindutva forces but the Uttar Pradesh government was also to blame for inaction.
Khan told a news agency that after his second visit to Muzaffarnagar in a week that those Muslims in refugee camps who witnessed their own neighbours indulge in cold blooded killings were adamantly refusing to return to their villages.
"There are two types of Muslims in the refugee centres," he said. "One is those who saw people being killed or burnt. They are so traumatized that they have said they won't go back (to their homes), come what may."
Full report at:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/uttar-pradesh/muslims-who-saw-killings-won-t-go-back-zafar-islam-khan_878395.html
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PM addresses NIC meeting, says communal riots a challenge to democracy
Sep 23 2013
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday asked parties to refrain from taking advantage out of communal strife and said states should crackdown on elements fanning such violence irrespective of their political affiliations or influence.
Underlining that the onus for preventing communal violence lies with the states, he said effective steps should be taken by the administration to ensure that small issues don't snowball into a big controversy.
"The state government should lose no time to control communal violence sternly. The local administration should prevent a small issue from snowballing into a huge controversy and arrest those responsible for spreading it," Singh said inaugurating the 16th National Integration Council meeting.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pm-addresses-nic-meeting-says-communal-riots-a-challenge-to-democracy/1172963/
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7 Gujaratis killed in Nairobi attack
TNN | Sep 23, 2013
RAJKOT: The terrorist attack at an upscale mall in Nairobi has sent shock waves in Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch. Local officials and community members confirmed that at least seven migrants from the state were killed in the strike, but the number could rise substantially once the hostage crisis is over.
Of the victims, four were women. All of them were from Saurashtra and Kutch.
Sources said many people were being held hostage in the mall by terrorists on Sunday. Dinesh Vaghjiani (29) originally from Sukhpar village near Bhuj, was inside the mall during the attack and managed to escape. He said, "There are many Gujaratis trapped inside the mall. About 7,000 people visit the mall every weekend."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/7-Gujaratis-killed-in-Nairobi-attack/articleshow/22909075.cms
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1 militant killed as Army foils infiltration bid in J&K
Sep 23 2013
One militant was killed as the Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
Troops patrolling the LoC in Macchil sector of Kupwara noticed some suspicious movement in the wee hours on Monday, defence sources said.
They said the forces challenged the militants, who opened fire on the Army’s positions.
In retaliatory firing, one militant was killed and some arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot, the sources said, adding that the operation was still in progress.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/1-militant-killed-as-army-foils-infiltration-bid-in-jk/article5160387.ece
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Jailer greets BJP MLA arrested for Muzaffarnagar riots with folded hands
TNN | Sep 23, 2013
LUCKNOW: The jailer of Orai prison in Jalaun district was caught on camera on Sunday with folded hands, greeting BJP MLA Sangeet Singh Som brought to jail after his arrest for allegedly instigating communal passions that triggered the Muzaffarnagar riots in which 48 people were killed. While Som was "welcomed" by jailer LP Singh, other jail staff saluted the MLA on his arrival at Orai prison.
Som, who represents Sarthana constituency, has been remanded in 14 days' judicial custody by a Muzaffarnagar court. The jailer and other staff were at the gate to receive him.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Jailer-greets-BJP-MLA-arrested-for-Muzaffarnagar-riots-with-folded-hands/articleshow/22905149.cms
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M Manmohan Singh condemns Peshawar suicide attacks
IANS New Delhi, September 23, 2013
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday condemned in the strongest terms the suicide attacks in Peshawar in Pakistan in which 78 people were killed, terming it as "yet another deeply disturbing manifestation of the evil forces of terror".
In a statement, Manmohan Singh, while condoling the deaths, said "such barbaric acts are against the tenets of every religion".
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/newdelhi/PM-Manmohan-Singh-condemns-Peshawar-suicide-attacks/Article1-1125840.aspx
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South Asia
Maldives AG’s election intervention constitutional: senior legal source
By Neil Merrett | September 23rd, 2013
Attorney General (AG) Azima Shukoor’s intervention in a Supreme Court case against the Elections Commission (EC) is constitutional, despite questions over the “moral grounds” for her involvement, a senior legal expert has said.
AG Azima last week intervened in a Supreme Court case filed by the Jumhoree Party (JP) seeking the annulment of the September 7 presidential election.
While the AG herself is not reported to be seeking an annulment of the first round of voting, she has asked the country’s apex court to order the prosecutor general and the police to investigate alleged electoral fraud after noting “serious issues”.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/ags-election-intervention-constitutional-yet-%E2%80%9Cmoral-grounds%E2%80%9D-questionable-senior-legal-source-66335
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Afghan peace process: Taliban unlikely to open new office
September 23, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban are unlikely to open any formal office as part of the effort in seeking direct talks between the stakeholders of the wartorn country.
Since the closure of the Doha office earlier this year, due to objections raised by the Karzai administration, efforts were being made to break the deadlock by relocating the Taliban office to some other country.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/607959/afghan-peace-process-taliban-unlikely-to-open-new-office/
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Victims of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami atrocities die
September 23, 2013
The two victims of the recent 48-hour shutdown called by the Jamaat-e-Islami succumbed to his injuries in Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Monday morning.
Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan, 35, from Noakhali's Chatkhil upazila, had succumbed to his burn injuries around 6am in the morning, Registrar of DMCH Burn Unit Iqbal Ahmed said.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2013/sep/23/victims-jamaat-atrocities-die
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SC seeks extra security for justices disposing war crimes appeals
September 23, 2013
The Supreme Court authorities have asked for intensified security for the chief justice and four other justices of the Appellate Division as they have started dealing with the appeals of war criminals.
SC Registrar ATM Shamsul Islam in a letter to the home ministry on September 16 asked the home secretary for taking immediate measures in this regard.
The next day, the Appellate Division in its first verdict sentenced Abdul Quader Molla, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, to death after both the government and the accused had appealed against the verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-amp-rights/2013/sep/23/sc-seeks-extra-security-justices-disposing-war-crimes-appeals
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38 rescued while being trafficked to Malaysia
September 23, 2013
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday rescued 38 people here while they were being trafficked to Malaysia.
Acting on a tip-off, a Rab team from Cox’s Bazar Camp raided at Hotel Sea Park and rescued them at around 12.15am, said Major Sarwar-e-Alam of Rab-7, who led the drive.
The Rab personnel, however, could not arrest the traffickers as they fled the scene sensing the presence of the law enforcers.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/38-rescued-while-being-trafficked-to-malaysia/
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia urged to spare life of Indonesian worker
September 23, 2013
Calls have mounted for a Malaysian court to spare Indonesian migrant worker Wilfrida Soik, 20, from a death sentence expected to be delivered later this week.
Wilfrida, a native of East Nusa Tenggara, was accused of killing her employer, Yeap Seok Pen, 60, in 2010. Yeap, who lived in Pasir Mas, Johor, suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was found dead on 7 Dec. 2010.
Human rights campaigners, interfaith activists, politicians and members of the public, staged a rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Sunday.
The protesters also called for more people to sign an online petition to urge Malaysia to be more lenient.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/09/23/malaysia-urged-spare-life-indonesian-worker.html
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New Muslim rebel attack in Philippines; 1 soldier killed, 15 kidnapped to be used as human shields
September 23, 2013
Sep 23 2013
Muslim rebels clashed with troops and took hostages in a fresh outbreak of violence in the strife-torn southern Philippines on Monday, officials said. The fighting in the centre of Mindanao Island came even as a standoff with another Muslim armed group elsewhere in Mindanao entered its third week.
Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) attacked pro-government volunteers in the town of Midsayap before dawn but retreated when military reinforcements arrived, regional army spokesman Colonel Dickson Hermoso said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/New-Muslim-rebel-attack-in-Philippines-1-soldier-killed-15-kidnapped-to-be-used-as-human-shields/Article1-1125972.aspx
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Christians not Islam’s enemies, says minister
BY JENNIFER GOMEZ
SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
Islam does not have any enmity towards Christians, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, in response to a parliamentary question today.
Jamil, who is the minister in charge of Islamic affairs, said while Islam is the religion of the federation, other religions are free to be practised.
Jamil said this in response to a supplementary question from DAP's Beruas Member of Parliament Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/christians-not-islams-enemies-says-minister
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/egypt-bans-muslim-brotherhood,-court/d/13645