I Understand Islam Better Than You: Teen Facing Terror Charges Saw Canada as ‘Land Of War’
New Age Islam News Bureau
10
Sept 2015
Brahim Soussi, RCMP detective in the case of a West Island teenager facing terrorism charges, leaves a meeting room during a break in court at the Montreal Youth Court in Montreal on Wednesday, September 9, 2015.
--------
North America
• I Understand Islam Better Than You: Teen Facing Terror Charges Saw Canada as ‘Land Of War’
• Hate Crimes! Elderly Sikh-American Brutally Assaulted In US, Called ‘Osama Bin Laden’
• US Welcomes Indian Islamic Clerics’ Fatwa Against IS
• This Candidate Says Admitting Muslim 'Migrants' to America Is No Solution
• Ted Cruz vs. Donald Trump on Muslim Refugees in the US
• ISNA Interfaith Banquet Emphasizes Peace
----------
Arab World
• ISIS Says Chinese and Norwegian Hostages ‘For Sale’
• Qaeda Calls IS Illegitimate But Suggests Cooperation
• ISIS attacks kill 13 Iraqi troops; Syrian oil field retaken
• ISIS Attacks In Saudi Arabia Raises Security Concerns for Hajj
• Arab Analyst: Refugees' Flow to Europe Outcome of US Support for Terrorists in Syria
• ‘Fatwa Outlaws Fines for Delayed Workers’ In Saudi Arabia
• Qaeda in Syria takes last regime base in Idlib
• Russia said to get Iran’s clearance for Syria-bound flights
• Syria: Zabadani City Fully Purged of Terrorists
• Senior MP: Russia Not to Cease Military Support for Syria
• Analyst: No Place for S. Arabia, Qatar in Russia's Political Plan on Syria
• Syrian Forces Repel Terrorist Attacks on Army's Positions in Eastern Ghout
• Toll from Egypt army's anti-Daesh operation reaches 56
----------
India
• Al-Qaeda Working on Uprising in India by 2018: Bangladeshi Expert
• India’s First Sunni Seminary Issues Fatwa against Islamic State
• Stanford Scholar Casts New Light on Hindu-Muslim Relations
• Minorities under Siege: ''Schooling'' Of Muslims on Islam By The Hindu Right
• Despite ongoing crisis, many Indians returning to Yemen in search of jobs
• Waqf Board gets case registered against Shia cleric
• India Muslim leader warns of unrest over cow protection push
• RSS outfit to hold all-India Muslim cow breeders’ convention in Mewat
• Pakistan Rangers delegation arrives in India, Director General-level talks on border today
----------
South Asia
• U.N. Special Rapporteur Urges Bangladesh to Tackle Religious Intolerance
• Daesh Running Prisons in Nangarhar’s Achin District
• Pakistan agrees to allow Afghan refugees until 2017
• Mohaqiq: Some neighbouring countries have made us ‘Gladiators’
• Internet law has ‘chilling effect’ in Bangladesh, says UN
• US lawmaker wants ‘enduring’ military presence in Afghanistan
• Five civilians kidnapped on highway between Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul
• Bomb explodes on UNICEF convoy in Nangarhar, no casualties
• War crime trials to continue: Hasina
• Thai bomb leader fled to Bangladesh on Chinese passport: police
----------
Mideast
• Yemen's Ansarullah Captures 117 Saudi-Led Militants
• U.N. Likely To Back Raising Palestinian Flag
• Coalition raids hit militia targets in Sanaa
• S. Arabia Plans to Build Salman Canal to Bypass Strait of Hormuz
• Iran Agrees to Open Airspace to Russian Aid Planes for Syria
• Saudi MERS cases continue to rise
• Iranians back nuclear deal, but expect too much: poll
• Israel reopens embassy in Cairo four years after diplomats evacuated
• Supreme Leader: Israel Not Alive in 25 Years
• Iran, Russia Discuss Syria, Refugee Crisis
----------
Pakistan
• Pak Journalist Bodies Condemn Killing of Geo News Staff
• Terror Bid Foiled: Three 'Militants' Arrested Near Pak-Afghan Border
• Pak-Russia talks on delivery of Su-35, Mi-35s underway: Russian Deputy FM
• Pakistan, China set to sign economic zone accord
• Refugees’ repatriation put on hold
• JUI-F declares end to electoral alliance with PPP
• Bilawal ‘agrees’ to form body for accountability within PPP
• Pakistan to raise India infiltration at Rangers-BSF heads meet
• Int’l disputes resolution to help check terrorism, say experts
• Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali sworn-in as Pakistan’s new Chief Justice
----------
Africa
• Islamic Movement Leader Describes Boko Haram as Failed Plot of Spy Agencies
• Car bomb targets Libya prison holding former Qaddafi officials
• S. Africa urges calm in wake of US terror alert
----------
Southeast Asia
• Time to Take Religion, Segregation Out Of Schools
• Why Does Malaysia Have an Islamic State Problem?
• Islam is too big to bother with Alvin Tan
• A Giant Malaysian Muslim among Men
• Architect, technician jailed for trying to support IS
• Mahathir returns to Malaysia ready for probe over anti-govt comments
----------
Europe
• ‘Moderate imam’ shot dead in Russia
• Netanyahu in Britain: Mideast crumbling in face of radical Islam
• Support us and fight Islamic extremism, Netanyahu will tell Cameron
• Oslo Muslims Banned from Serving Refugees
• Russia's Muslim Clerics Concerned Over Court Ruling On Islamic Book
• Near Anniversary of 9/11, a Plea for Religious Tolerance
• Anti-Islam rhetoric mars French refugee response
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/i-understand-islam-better-than/d/104541
----------
North America
‘I Understand Islam Better Than You’: Teen Facing Terror Charges Saw Canada as ‘Land Of War’
Graeme Hamilton
September 9, 2015
MONTREAL — RCMP investigator Brahim Soussi did his best to persuade the 15-year-old suspect sitting across from him that they were not all that different. They were both Muslim immigrants from North Africa, eldest sons and Arabic speakers, he noted.
The boy, who had just been arrested for a convenience store armed robbery and was suspected of planning to leave Canada to join the jihad in Syria, was having none of it.
“You are a traitor,” the teen, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, told Soussi. He said that by working for the Canadian state, the police officer was complicit in “crimes against Muslims. … You betray your brothers. You are no longer their brother. You are an apostate.”
Over the course of the two-hour interview, a video of which was introduced as evidence at the teen’s trial in a Montreal court on Wednesday, he remained silent on most questions touching the robbery. But he could not resist spouting off when Soussi questioned his religious knowledge.
“I understand Islam better than you,” he told Soussi, citing as his source the father of Wahhabism, an austere form of Islam that interprets the Koran literally.
Christinne Muschi for National Post
Christinne Muschi for National PostDepanneur Esposito seen in Montreal, Quebec, September 8, 2015.
The boy, who turned 16 this year, elaborated on his beliefs, which he said he had gleaned from the Internet. The police officer was not a true Muslim because he worked to enforce laws other than Allah’s, he said.
He accused Canada of “massacring his brothers and sisters” by taking part in the armed mission against ISIL in Iraq. The government sent its troops, and in a democracy the government is elected by the people, he said. “So the people are at fault. Oh, yes.” Democratic governments must be removed, “by force if necessary,” he said.
The convenience store that had been robbed at knifepoint was a legitimate target because Canada was “a land of war” fighting against Islam, he said. The goods of unbelievers, he added, can be seized as the “spoils of war.” He said he felt no remorse for his actions.
The teen pleaded guilty to the holdup last year. He is on trial in Quebec Court’s youth division on one charge of committing a crime “for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group” and a second charge of attempting to leave Canada for the purpose of aiding a terrorist group.
The trial heard that it was his father who alerted police after he discovered his son’s backpack hidden in their yard, containing a knife, a bag of cash and a scarf. RCMP agent Salvador Calderon testified that he met with the father soon afterwards. “He was very nervous because he had confronted his son, and his son wanted to leave the country to fight with a terrorist group,” Calderon said. He said he assured the father the RCMP would do everything possible to stop his son from getting on a plane.
Days later, the boy was arrested at the prestigious Montreal private school he attended.
During his interrogation, he said his parents had told him to disobey God and that his father was an apostate. He said his religious beliefs led him to give up karate and drop a Mandarin class at school because the teachers required that he bow. “You must not bow down before anyone other than Allah,” he said.
It’s not reading two articles and watching some videos on the Internet that makes you such a Muslim
Soussi repeatedly tried to persuade the boy that things were not so black and white. For example, bowing in karate is an act of respect, not submission, he told him.
“It’s not reading two articles and watching some videos on the Internet that makes you such a Muslim,” he said. “You’re 15 years old. People spend 30 years studying religion before they will sit down and be able to say, this is good, this is bad.”
He also warned the boy against the danger of being used by others. “You are at an age where you are easily manipulated,” he said. “Anyone can sing any song, and it will sound nice to your ears so you will want to follow it, and before you realize it you are going to have lots of problems.”
The boy’s defence lawyers sought to have the video of the interrogation excluded as evidence on the grounds that his rights had been violated, but Judge Dominique Wilhelmy ruled Wednesday that it was admissible.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/i-understand-islam-better-than-you-teen-facing-terror-charges-saw-canada-as-land-of-war
----------
Hate crimes! Elderly Sikh-American brutally assaulted in US, called ‘Osama Bin Laden’
September 10, 2015
New York: Hate crimes against Indians especially Sikhs in United States of America are not ending! Several cases of torture, assault and bullying have come into media reports time and again.
On Thursday, another case featured in news after an elderly Sikh-American man was brutally injured and called “terrorist” and “Bin Laden” in an apparent hate crime case in Chicago, just days before the US commemorates the anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Inderjit Singh Mukker was assaulted on Tuesday when the assailant pulled up to his car yelling racial slurs, including, “Terrorist, go back to your country, Bin Laden!”
Mukker, a US citizen and father of two, was on his way to a grocery store and was repeatedly cut off by a driver. He pulled over to the side of the road to let him pass but the driver instead pulled in front of his car and aggressively approached Mukker’s vehicle, according to information by the Sikh Coalition, a community-based organisation said.
The assailant then reached into the car and repeatedly punched Mukker in the face, causing him to lose consciousness, bleed profusely and suffer a fractured cheekbone and a laceration to his cheek.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received six stitches, treatment for lacerations, bruising and swelling. The suspect is in custody.
“No American should be afraid to practise their faith in our country,” Mukker said.
“I’m thankful for the authorities’ swift response to apprehend the individual but without this being fully investigated as a hate crime, we risk ignoring the horrific pattern of intolerance, abuse and violence that Sikhs and other minority communities in this country continue to face.”
The Sikh Coalition’s Legal Director Harsimran Kaur said the group believes that Mukker was “targeted and assaulted because of his Sikh religious appearance, race or national origin.”
“We request an immediate investigation and call on local and federal agencies to investigate this attack as a hate crime,” Kaur said.
Sikh Coalition said the attack, on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, is just the latest in a line of violent attacks on Sikhs in America.
Last August, Sandeep Singh, a Sikh father in New York City, was run over and dragged 30 feet after being called a “terrorist.”
In 2012, a gunman walked into a Sikh house of worship and shot and killed six innocent Sikh victims in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.
http://www.siasat.com/news/hate-crimes-elderly-sikh-american-brutally-assaulted-us-called-osama-bin-laden-833215/
----------
US welcomes Indian Islamic clerics’ fatwa against IS
September 10, 2015
Washington: The US today welcomed the “fatwa” issued by more than 1,000 Islamic clerics against IS terming the actions of the dreaded terrorist group “un-Islamic and inhuman.”
“We welcome reports that Muslim community leaders and clerics in India have condemned ISIL (also known as Islamic state (IS) and ISIS),” State Department spokesperson Helaena White told PTI.
Such a message coming from Muslims of India, which has the second largest Muslim population of the world, is considered by the US a key message against IS, which in recent months has made deep inroads not only in the Middle-East but also expanding its influence in South Asia.
“We value efforts to counter ISIL’s message, particularly raising awareness of the detrimental effects ISIL recruitment efforts have on youth,” White said. “We are constantly pushing back on ISIL’s message of hatred, as are our partners in the Coalition.
We welcome statements from religious and political leaders around the world denouncing ISIL and exposing its un-Islamic nature, and encourage further sustained outreach to vulnerable populations,” White added.
A Muslim activist in India recently claimed that scores of Muftis, Imams and Islamic scholars have issued a fatwa against the leaders, fighters and followers of ISIS and termed its actions as against the basic tenets of Islam.
Abdur Rahman Anjaria, President of the Mumbai’s Islamic Defence Cyber Cell, in a statement claimed that over 1,050 Indian Islamic scholars and clerics have issued the fatwa against the ISIS saying that its views were “un-Islamic and inhuman.”
http://www.siasat.com/news/us-welcomes-indian-islamic-clerics-fatwa-against-833333/
----------
This Candidate Says Admitting Muslim 'Migrants' to America Is No Solution
September 9, 2015
In spite of the fact that Muslim terrorists may be posing as Syrian "refugees" to infiltrate Western countries, many politicians and leaders have said that we must admit more of their number into the United States.
But not Ted Cruz.
The Obama administration promised to take between 5,000 and 8,000 such "refugees" late last month. That's about 1 percent of the half-million to 800,000 refugees German Prime Minister Angela Merkel has said it would welcome. The International Rescue Committee responded by lecturing Americans that its offer "can only be a first step." Church World Service agreed that Americans' response had been "disappointing" and demanded our nation's Middle Eastern Muslim population expand by at least 100,000.
So, Obama dutifully bowed. Peter Boogaard, Obama's National Security Council spokesman, said Monday, "The administration is actively considering a range of approaches to be more responsive to the global refugee crisis, including with regard to refugee resettlement."
Cruz thinks that's a mistake.
"In terms of settling the migrants, if the ultimate goal is to return them to their homes—which I believe it should be—it doesn't make sense from a logistical or a security standpoint to move large numbers of them to far-off countries like the United States," he said.
"Our immediate role should be to support our regional allies who are on the front lines through public and private assistance to the international organizations who are best poised to administer aid," he added.
His words contrast with those of fellow senator and Republican presidential hopeful Lindsey Graham, R-SC, who said admitting more Muslims into the United States is "in our national security interests."
Since humanitarian and refugee organizations "are overwhelmed," Graham said it is imperative that Americans import "our fair share."
Graham did not specify how many Muslim refugees would constitute "our fair share."
Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio agreed. "We're a country that has a noble tradition of accepting refugees," Bush told Fox and Friends today.
Sen. Marco Rubio, Bush's onetime protege and an advocate of amnesty in the U.S. Senate, agreed, "We've always been a country that has been willing to accept people who have been displaced."
Others seem uncertain. When Bill O'Reilly asked Donald Trump if the United States should accept more refugees, The Donald responded half-heartedly, "I think we have to."
But he had previously said, "We have to fix our own country. Now, Europe is handling it."
Cruz rejects notions that America should be guilt-ridden by its imperialism around the globe.
"The blame [for the refugee crisis] should be laid squarely at the door of the vicious, radical Islamism that is tearing communities apart from Libya to Syria, and Iraq, creating the terrible circumstances that are causing the migrants to flee their homes. The failure of the United States has been an unwillingness to name and confront this threat."
"The regime in Tehran and their proxies may be Shiite and ISIS and its affiliates Sunni, but they are the cause of this problem. They are branches of the same poisonous tree—radical Islamism," he stated.
Sen. Cruz said the crisis will not end until American foreign policy leaders "recognize the threat from this savage, twisted totalitarian ideology and develop a coherent strategy to combat it."
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
http://www.charismanews.com/politics/issues/51891-this-candidate-says-admitting-muslim-migrants-to-america-is-no-solution
----------
Ted Cruz vs. Donald Trump on Muslim Refugees in the US
By Ed Straker
September 9, 2015
With millions of Muslim refugees pouring out of Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, and other places in conflict, the question arises of whether they should be admitted not just to European countries, but also to America.
Donald Trump realizes the danger of admitting refugees to America. He says that some of them may be members of ISIS. He understands how places like Paris are no longer "recognizable" because they have so many Muslim immigrants. But then he says that for humanitarian grounds we have to let them into America, despite the security risk. In other words, he puts the well being of Muslim refugees ahead of the safety of Americans.
Ted Cruz, however, takes the opposite view.
Ted Cruz, whose own father fled an oppressive regime decades ago, said Tuesday he opposed the U.S. taking in “large numbers” of refugees fleeing violence in Syriaand elsewhere in the region.
“Sen. Cruz is advocating for humanitarian assistance to the refugees from both Syria and Iraq and north Africa,” Cruz spokesperson Catherine Frazier told The Daily Beast. “However, given the logistical challenges and the security risk posed by resettling large numbers of them far afield in the US, he is not in favor of this plan if the ultimate intent is to return them to their homes.
Ted Cruz is right. The Muslims from these countries come from a very intolerant culture. They will refuse to assimilate and when they gather in sufficient numbers they will instead insist we conform to their culture. And a substantial minority of them will support terrorist acts against Americans, if the history of Muslims in places like France, Germany, and Great Britain is any guide.
The Muslim refugees should be taken in by other Muslim countries, like the Gulf States which haven't taken any. It is also very curious that large countries like China and Russia have refused to accept any refugees. They know about the risk of terrorism and don't want to put their own citizens at risk.
Why should America be any different? Trump's view on this is disappointing, to say the least.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/09/ted_cruz_vs_donald_trump_on_muslim_refugees_in_the_us.html
----------
ISNA Interfaith Banquet Emphasizes Peace
10 September 2015
CHICAGO – Promoting mutual values of peace and acceptance, North America largest Muslim convention has hosted a special interfaith banquet, inviting people of difference faiths calling for joint action against racial and religious intolerance.
“The heart of all religion is to make peace … to protect peace,” said Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni journalist, politician and human rights activist, addressing attendees at the 18th annual ISNA/CIOGC (the Council of Islamic Organizations in Greater Chicago) Interfaith Unity Banquet.
Karman, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for her work in the nonviolent struggle for women's rights in Yemen, said religion isn't just about prayers and rituals, rather it is about mutual values of justice, peace, love, coexistence, good governance and fighting for equality.
“Our humanity needs to find a way to stop conflict and to create a lasting peace,” she said.
Dozens of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious and community leaders came together at the Sept. 6 banquet during ISNA's 52nd annual Convention in Chicago promoting mutual values of peace and acceptance.
“All these faiths stress upon moral accountability,” ISNA President Azhar Azeez said in his opening remarks.
Azeez stressed that while interfaith work has become a way of life in America, these communities need to go beyond dialogue and call for joint action against racial and religious intolerance.
Full report at:
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/americas/493497-isna-interfaith-banquet-emphasizes-peace.html
----------
Arab World
ISIS says Chinese and Norwegian hostages ‘for sale’
10 September 2015
ISIS said on Wednesday that it was holding a Chinese and a Norwegian hostage and has reportedly asked for an unspecified ransom for their release.
In Oslo, Prime Minister Erna Solberg confirmed a Norwegian citizen was being held, and insisted that “Norway does not pay ransoms”.
The ISIS announcement came in the latest issue of the extremist group’s English-language magazine, Dabiq, distributed on Twitter.
On page 66 of Dabiq magazine, ISIS reportedly said that the sale of the captured two was an “an offer for a limited time only.”
It gave no details about where or when they were captured, or where they are being held.
In the case of each man, it published an “advertisement” announcing that he was “for sale”.
Under each man’s photograph, it says: “To whom it may concern of the Crusaders, pagans, and their allies, as well as what are referred to as human ‘rights’ organizations, this prisoner was abandoned by his government, which did not do its utmost to purchase his freedom.”
At the bottom it said: “Whoever would like to pay the ransom for his release and transfer can contact the following telegram number,” adding that this is a “limited time offer”.
It did not say how much money was being demanded, nor when the opportunity to pay it would expire.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/10/Iranians-back-nuclear-deal-but-expect-too-much-poll.html
----------
Qaeda calls IS illegitimate but suggests cooperation
September 10, 2015
CAIRO - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri dismissed the Islamic State movement and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as illegitimate but said his followers would join them in fighting the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria if possible.
In an audiotape on the internet, Zawahri said: “We don’t recognise this caliphate.”
It was not clear when the recording was made but references to events suggest it was made at least eight months ago. Islamic State, which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria, has vowed to establish a caliphate in the Middle East.
Despite rivalries between Al Qaeda and Islamic State, former Egyptian doctor Zawahri suggested there was still room for cooperation when it came to combating the West.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/10-Sep-2015/qaeda-calls-is-illegitimate-but-suggests-cooperation
----------
ISIS attacks kill 13 Iraqi troops; Syrian oil field retaken
9 September 2015
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) suicide bombings and clashes between the extremist group and Iraqi troops killed 13 soldiers in Iraq's western Anbar province on Wednesday, while in Syria, government forces retook an oil field recently captured by the militant group.
Iraqi military and security officials said attacks in Anbar involved at least two suicide bombers that targeted a military outpost in the volatile province, which fell to the ISIS group during the Islamic State's blitz last year.
The outpost housed a joint contingent of Iraqi soldiers, policemen and allied Sunni militiamen, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. Another 13 troops were wounded in the attacks, the latest to hit beleaguered Iraqi forces trying to claw back territory from the ISIS in the region.
Meanwhile, in Syria, government troops regained control of a major oil field in central Homs province, driving out ISIS militants just days after the extremists captured the field, according to Gov. Talal al-Barazzi.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/09/ISIS-attacks-kill-13-Iraqi-troops-Syrian-oil-field-retaken.html
----------
ISIS Attacks In Saudi Arabia Raises Security Concerns for Hajj
Sep 10, 2015
DUBAI: The Daesh or the self-styled Islamic State militant group is extending its reach in Saudi Arabia and fears are that its determination to bring down the US-allied royal family has raised concerns it could threaten the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage later this month.
So far, the extremist group's presence in the kingdom appears to be in a low-level stage, but it has claimed four significant bombings since May, one of them in neighbouring Kuwait.
And it has rapidly ramped up its rhetoric, aiming to undermine the Al Saud royal family's legitimacy, which is rooted in part in its claim to implement Islamic Shariah law and to be the protectors of Islam's most sacred sites in Mecca and Medina that are at the centre of hajj.
“Daesh and its followers have made it very clear that Saudi Arabia is their ultimate target,” Saudi analyst Fahad Nazer said, referring to the Islamic State group by its Arabic acronym. “Because of Mecca and Medina ... That's their ultimate prize.”
An attack last month in which IS claimed responsibility appeared to mark a significant spread in the group's reach.
Militants claiming loyalty to the group had already carried out three major bombings - two in eastern Saudi Arabia in May and one in Kuwait City in June, all targeting Shiite mosques and killing 53 people.
But on Aug. 6, a suicide bomber attacked in western Saudi Arabia, hitting a mosque inside a police compound in Abha, 350 miles south of Mecca, killing 15 people in the deadliest attack on the kingdom's security forces in years.
Eleven of the dead belonged to an elite counter-terrorism unit whose tasks include protecting the Hajj pilgrimage.
Related IS attack on mosque for Saudi forces kill 15
The alleged affiliate that claimed responsibility for the August attack called itself the “Hijaz Province” of the Islamic State, its first claim of a branch in the Hijaz, the traditional name for the eastern stretch of the Arabian Peninsula where the holy cities are located.
The previous attacks were claimed by the group's “Najd Province,” the traditional name for the central heartland of the peninsula and the homeland of the Al Saud family.
Lori Boghardt, Gulf security analyst at the Washington Institute, said it would not be surprising if IS militants tried to take advantage of the Hajj to stage an attack, particularly since the group has encouraged lone wolf operations. This year, the Hajj begins Sept. 21 and is expected to draw some 3 million Muslims from around the world.
“The kingdom is a holy grail of sorts as a target from the perspective of ISIS because of its significance to Muslims,” she said, referring to the group by its longer acronym.
A direct attack on pilgrims carrying out the Hajj rites - potentially causing large casualties or damaging holy sites - may be a risky move for IS, bringing a backlash from shocked Muslims worldwide.
Still, the group “has made it very clear they have no red lines,” said Nazer, a senior analyst at the Virginia-based consultancy and security firm JTG Inc.
Potential Targets
There are other potential targets, including security forces in or around Mecca.
The group could attempt to hit pilgrims from Shia majority nations like Iran, who would stand out since pilgrims generally move in groups by country.
IS and other Sunni radicals consider Shias heretics.
Justin Mahshouf, a 30 year-old American Shia planning to perform the Hajj this year, said friends and family are telling him to be careful. “There seems to be a really bad vibe right now in the Shiite community.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1206089/is-attacks-in-saudi-arabia-raises-security-concerns-for-hajj
----------
Arab Analyst: Refugees' Flow to Europe Outcome of US Support for Terrorists in Syria
Sep 09, 2015
"Europe is now paying for the plots hatched by the US and its regional Arab allies in Syria," Atwan wrote in an article on Wednesday.
He said three high-ranking European officials have stood up against the US' policies in Syria after the coalition of the Syrian opposition groups failed to achieve its goals and the US-led anti-ISIL coalition also failed in Syria and Iraq, .
"The first one was Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia who called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's participation in his country's peace talks," the Arab political analyst said.
Atwan referred to Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz as second European official to criticize the US diplomacy saying "the western countries should take part in war against the ISIL with the help of the Syrian president and this is exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin said two months ago".
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618001367
----------
‘Fatwa Outlaws Fines for Delayed Workers’ In Saudi Arabia
10 September 2015
RIYADH: Recruitment offices here claimed recently that a senior Saudi scholar has issued a religious edict banning the Ministry of Labour’s imposition of fines as a penalty for delayed workers.
The edict, or fatwa, declared the fines as interest bearing, or Riba in Arabic, which is unlawful in Islam. However, this view has been refuted by another senior scholar, a local publication reported recently.
Majid Al-Haqas, spokesman and representative of the recruitment offices objecting to the ministry’s decision, said if there is a 90-day delay, then offices must pay employers back their SR1, 750 signing fee, which is 25 percent of the SR7, 000 contractual fee. They must also pay employers a further SR3, 000 for the one month delay past the 60-day period stipulated by the ministry for hiring workers.
Al-Haqas refused to name the sheikh who issued the fatwa, but said that he is a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and a specialist in financial matters. He said the Board of Grievances in Riyadh has scheduled a session on Oct. 5 submitted by 100 offices objecting to the ministry’s penalties.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/804126
----------
Qaeda in Syria takes last regime base in Idlib
September 10, 2015
BEIRUT - Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate and its allies seized the last regime-held military base in northwestern Idlib province on Wednesday, in the latest setback for President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Al-Nusra Front and a coalition of mostly Islamist groups captured the Abu Duhur military airport after a siege that lasted two years, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.
"After a violent attack that had been taking place since Monday, Al-Nusra Front and some Islamist factions control all of the Abu Duhur military airport," the Britain-based Observatory said.
The attacking force began to enter the base on Tuesday night. Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said the forces appeared to have taken advantage of a massive sandstorm that blanketed much of the Middle East and made it difficult for regime aircraft to carry out strikes.
"The army is no longer present in Idlib province," he added, saying that the soldiers who had been defending the base withdrew towards Aleppo province in the east.
"The regime's only presence left in the province is in the Shiite villages of Fuaa and Kafraya," which are besieged by rebels and are being defended by pro-regime militias and Lebanon's Hezbollah, not the army. Syrian state television effectively acknowledged the loss, saying troops had left the base.
Meanwhile, Germany's foreign minister warned Russia, France and Britain on Wednesday against increased military intervention in Syria, saying the Iran nuclear deal and new UN initiatives offered a starting point for a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier made his comments after Russia, which along with Iran supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said earlier on Wednesday it had military experts in Syria. Assad is opposed by most Western countries.
Germany is keen to negotiate an end to the more than four-year-old civil war in Syria, but France is considering launching air strikes against Islamic State militants there and Britain is ready carry out more.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/10-Sep-2015/qaeda-in-syria-takes-last-regime-base-in-idlib
----------
Russia said to get Iran’s clearance for Syria-bound flights
10 September 2015
Iran has granted permission for Russian planes to fly over its territory en route to Syria, Russian news agencies said Wednesday, a bypass needed after Bulgaria refused overflights amid signs of a Russian military buildup in Syria that has concerned the U.S. and NATO.
The news agencies quoted Maxim Suslov, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Tehran, as saying it has received Iranian permission for Syria-bound flights. After Bulgaria rejected Moscow’s overflight request for Sept. 1-24, a path via Iran and Iraq appeared to be the only one left, as Russia apparently sought to avoid flying over Turkey, which in 2012 grounded a Syria-bound plane carrying radar parts from Moscow.
There was no immediate confirmation from Iran.
The controversy over the Russian flights comes amid signs of increased Russian military presence in Syria. Moscow, which has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nation’s 4½-year civil war, said its military experts are in the country to train its military to use Russian weapons.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the West of creating “strange hysteria” over Russian activities in Syria, saying that Moscow has been openly supplying weapons and sending military specialists there for a long time.
“Russia has never made a secret of its military-technical cooperation with Syria,” she said, adding she could “confirm and repeat once again that Russian military specialists are in Syria to help them master the weapons being supplied.”
President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have sought to cast arms supplies to Assad’s regime as part of international efforts to combat ISIS and other militant organizations in Syria.
Putin hasn’t ruled out a bigger role. Asked Friday if Russia could deploy its troops to Syria to help fight IS, he said “we are looking at various options.”
By playing with the idea of joining the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS, Putin may hope to reset ties with the West, which have been shattered by the Ukrainian crisis, and also protect Moscow’s influence in Syria, where it has a navy base. But the U.S. and its allies have seen Assad as the cause of the Syrian crisis, and Washington has warned Moscow against beefing up its presence.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday for a second time in five days. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry “reiterated our concern about these reports of Russia military buildup,” adding if they are true, it could lead “lead to greater violence and even more instability” in Syria.
Indicating a continuing rift, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov on the call emphasized Syrian government troops’ role in confronting extremist groups and the need to take consolidated action.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said the alliance is concerned about reports about Russia’s increased military presence in Syria. He didn’t offer details.
A U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss the issue, said the U.S. has seen the Russians fly a variety of military assets into the airfield south of the Syrian city of Latakia, including troops capable of protecting Russian forces there and modular housing units. He said it indicated that the Russians are preparing for some sort of air operations. The official said he was unaware of any evidence that Russian forces have conducted any offensive military operations in Syria.
Another U.S. official briefed on the latest intelligence declined to confirm or deny whether Russian troops have participated in military operations in Syria. However, he said, U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Russia’s deployment of military personnel and weapons to Syria reflect growing concern about Assad’s ability to weather opposition gains - and it suggests that Moscow may be willing to intervene directly on Assad’s behalf.
Russia’s military involvement raises a number of concerns, the U.S. official said, especially because it does not appear to be coordinated with the other countries operating in the area. It is not clear what Russia intends to actually do, he said.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/10/Russia-said-to-get-Iran-s-clearance-for-Syria-bound-flights.html
----------
Syria: Zabadani City Fully Purged of Terrorists
Sep 09, 2015
"The resistance forces have purged terrorists from Zabadani in a two-day operation," an informed source told FNA on Wednesday.
The sources reiterated that the terrorists had dug tunnels underneath the buildings in Zabadani to get to other parts of the city.
The Syrian army and popular forces seized the city of Zabadani on September 1.
On Sunday, military sources said that the Syrian Army and the Hezbollah, in their mop-up operations in Zabadani, uncovered one of the largest supply tunnels of rebel groups in Zabadani area.
The sources said that the Syrian Army’s 63rd Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division – in coordination with Hezbollah, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – uncovered one of Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham’s large supply tunnels that stretched from the Beit Al-Dalati neighborhood to the outskirts of Southern Zabadani.
The large tunnel unearthed by the Syrian army and Hezbollah was used by Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham militants to resupply and reinforce their embattled combatants that were completely surrounded by the Syrian Armed Forces and Lebanese Resistance near Zabadani’s city-center.
Following the discovery of the tunnel, the Syrian armed forces and the Lebanese Resistance continued their mop-up operations in Zabadani region, capturing the Beit Al-Dalati Neighborhood after intense clashes with the rebels of Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, the Free Syrian Army’s (FSA) "Zabadani Hawks Brigade” and al-Nusra Front.
In addition to the capture of the Beit Al-Dalati Neighborhood, the Syrian armed forces and Hezbollah advanced to the Dawar Al-Salwaan Neighborhood, where they confronted a large contingent of Nusra Front and Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham combatants’ en-route to Zabadani’s downtown area.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618001482
----------
Senior MP: Russia Not to Cease Military Support for Syria
Sep 09, 2015
“Russia's support for providing military assistance to Syria is nothing new and the US criticism is just the result of that country's double-standard policies in dealing with the Syrian crisis,” Khalil Mashhadiyah told FNA on Tuesday.
Al-Mashhadiyah's remarks came after US Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov warned Moscow to halt its military supports for the Syrian government.
Mashhadiyah underlined that the Russian support for Syria is in accordance with international laws which call for respecting the humanitarian values.
On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov affirmed that presence of the Russian military experts in Syria is linked to the need for training the Syrian army men how to use new military technologies according to joint contracts in the domain of military cooperation.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618000631
----------
Analyst: No Place for S. Arabia, Qatar in Russia's Political Plan on Syria
Sep 09, 2015
Russia's recent plan to settle the crisis in Syria is the last chance to promote finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar which are still helping the terrorists don’t have any place in this plan, Qassem Hadraj told FNA on Wednesday.
He said that Moscow's preconditions for the opposition forces, including its emphasis on the necessity for their united position and recognition of President Bashar al-Assad's legitimacy, for their presence in the conference to find a solution to the crisis in Syria along with the developments on the ground are all helping the Syrian government.
Hadraj also expressed pleasure that Russia is due to play a serious role in fighting terrorism in Syria and equip the Syrian army with modern weapons.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618001327
----------
Syrian Forces Repel Terrorist Attacks on Army's Positions in Eastern Ghout
Sep 09, 2015
The Jeish al-Islam terrorists tried to capture some military positions of the Syrian army in Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside, but they failed.
In a subsequent development the army and the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance forces managed to hit the terrorists' positions in Eastern Ghouta upon receiving intelligence tips from local forces.
Tens of Jeish al-Islam members were killed and dozens more were injured in heavy clashes with the Syrian troops.
In late August, military sources said that the Syrian warplanes' attacks against strongholds of the rebel groups in Densin Harasta and Irbeen in the Eastern Ghouta left at least 70 fighters dead and dozens more injured.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618001098
----------
Toll from Egypt army's anti-Daesh operation reaches 56
Sep 9, 2015
Egypt’s army has released a new statement, saying it has slain 56 militants with the Takfiri terrorist group, Daesh, in the Sinai Peninsula.
The Tuesday statement said the fatalities came after a "major military operation" that Egyptian forces launched against the group a day earlier. A roadside bomb also killed an army officer and a soldier and wounded four, it added.
The army said it launched the operation to "eliminate terrorist elements" around the town of Sheikh Zuweid, the city of el-Arish, and the border town of Rafah.
A previous army statement had put the death toll at 29.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/09/09/428373/Egypt-army-Daesh-Velayat-Sinai-militant
----------
India
Al-Qaeda working on uprising in India by 2018: Bangladeshi expert
September 10, 2015
London: Terrorist group al-Qaeda is working on fomenting uprisings in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and the other north-eastern states by 2018, an eminent Bangladeshi professor has said.
Abul Barkat, head of the economics department of Dhaka University, who has been studying religious extremism for decades and is considered to be an authority on the subject, said this at a seminar on “Countering Religious Radicalisation and Extremism” at the International Institute for Strategic Studies here.
Full report at:
http://www.siasat.com/news/al-qaeda-working-uprising-india-2018-bangladeshi-expert-833147/
----------
India’s First Sunni Seminary Issues Fatwa against Islamic State
By Mohd Faisal Fareed
Lucknow
Sep 10, 2015
The country’s first Islamic seminary of Sunni Muslims, Lucknow-based Darul Uloom Nizamia Farangi Mahal, has issued a fatwa against the Islamic State (IS) terming its activities as “anti-Islam”. It also asked the Indian Muslim youth not to fall in the trap of the “false propaganda of the IS”. The fatwa was issued in response to a query by Lucknow resident Sajid Umar Jilani who wanted to know whether the activities of the IS, including killing of innocents, were valid in light of Islamic teachings. Jilani also referred to repeated waving of IS flags by some people in Kashmir. In response, the seminary issued a fatwa signed by its rector Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli, Maulana Naeemur Rehman Siddiqui, apart from Maulana Mohammad Mushtaq and Maulana Mohammad Nasrullah. The fatwa states that Islam does not permit killing of any innocent person. “Holy Quran mentions that killing of any person without reason is against humanity. It mentions that Allah dislikes war on land,” the fatwa says. It states that Prophet Mohammad too has appreciated those who pardon others and even Prophet’s companions, who took part in wars, always protected the religious places of others.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/indias-first-sunni-seminary-issues-fatwa-against-islamic-state/
----------
Stanford Scholar Casts New Light on Hindu-Muslim Relations
September 9, 2015
In recent years, as tensions between Hindus and Muslims have mounted, India's government has been accused of instigating or condoning numerous acts of violence against Muslims.
Popular thought in India holds that the origin of this conflict goes back centuries to medieval times, when Muslims expanded into the Indian subcontinent.
According to Audrey Truschke, a Mellon postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Religious Studies, however, much of the current religious conflict in India has been fuelled by ideological assumptions about that period rather than an accurate rendering of the subcontinent's history.
In her new book, Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court (Columbia University Press, forthcoming), Truschke says that the heyday of Muslim rule in India from the 16th to 18th centuries was, in fact, one of "tremendous cross-cultural respect and fertilization," not religious or cultural conflict.
In her study of Sanskrit and Persian accounts of life under the powerful Islamic dominion known as the Mughal Empire, she provides the first detailed account of India's religious intellectuals during this period.
Her research paints a far different picture than common perceptions, which assume that the Muslim presence has always been hostile to Indian languages, religions and culture. A leading scholar of South Asian cultural and intellectual history, Truschke argues that this more divisive interpretation actually developed during the colonial period from 1757 to 1947.
"The British benefited from pitting Hindus and Muslims against one another and portrayed themselves as neutral saviours who could keep ancient religious conflicts at bay," she says. "While colonialism ended in the 1940s, the modern Hindu right has found tremendous political value in continuing to proclaim and create endemic Hindu-Muslim conflict."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has been criticized for being anti-Muslim. Modi was chief minister of Gujarat state, where in 2002 Hindu mobs killed more than 1,000 Muslims; he was widely blamed for failing to stem the violence. As a result, the United States denied Modi a visa for more than a decade until 2014 when it became clear that Modi would be India's next prime minister.
Truschke argues that the ideology underpinning such violence – one that Modi himself openly embraces – erroneously "erases Mughal history and writes religious conflict into Indian history where there was none, thereby fueling and justifying modern religious intolerance."
Her work shows that the Muslim impulse in India was not aimed at dominating Indian culture or Hinduism. She hopes her findings "will provide a solid historiographical basis for intervention in modern, political rewritings of the Indian past."
Correcting the record
Truschke, one of the few living scholars with competence in both Sanskrit and Persian, is the first scholar to study texts from both languages in exploring the courtly life of the Mughals. The Mughals ruled a great swath of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th to the mid-18th centuries, building great monuments like the Taj Mahal.
Full report at:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/september/sanskrit-mughal-empire-090915.html
----------
Minorities under Siege: ''Schooling'' Of Muslims On Islam By The Hindu Right
Syed Mohammed
Sep 10, 2015
The curious case of right wing Hindutva groups' "schooling" of Muslims on Islam, their own faith, doesn't seem to end. The latest instance was reportedly that of the Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board. The body, according to its website, is an agency of the agriculture and co-operation department of the Gujarat government. And as if it were the recipient of wahy, the divine revelation on Prophet Muhammad, it conjured a verse from the Quran that supposedly proclaimed that beef was a cause of "several diseases" while milk products are good for the human body.
This is not a stray incident, but one of several which are construed by analysts and scholars of Islam as attempts to isolate the Muslim community by spreading misinformation about its own faith, laying them in siege. Another recent incident in Uttar Pradesh was that of the "mistranslation" of the Arabic word "Rehan" as "tulsi" by none other than the Rashtriya Muslim Manch, believed to be an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). But many scholars from across the country, including Hyderabad-based Rashid Naseem Nadwi, who heads the department of Arabic at the English and Foreign Languages University, have rejected the translation. The correct translation of the word has been recorded as "fragrance" in various exegeses of the Quran, the scholar says.
But while many may call these efforts of the pro-Hindutva lobby as communal in nature, it is hard to miss that the Hindu right wing groups are leaving no stone unturned to bring about the construction of a majoritarian identity by enforcing their views on the minorities. This involves, among other things, a homogenisation of religious practices and culture, which includes eating habits. The beef ban and the imposition of the meat ban are examples. Other religious minorities such as the Christians too are victims of this majoritarianism.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Minorities-under-Siege-Schooling-of-muslims-on-Islam-by-the-Hindu-right/articleshow/48891665.cms
----------
Despite ongoing crisis, many Indians returning to Yemen in search of jobs
by Shaju Philip
Thiruvananthapuram
Sep 10, 2015
Despite the Saudi-led Arab coalition forces intensifying their fight against Houthi rebels in Yemen, Indians have started returning to comparatively incident-free zones within the country. According to sources, with shipping firms planning to resume operations after Bakr Eid later this month, those working in shipping/seaport sectors in Yemen’s Aden city were already returning. Sources added that four Indians had left for Aden on Wednesday from Mumbai, apart from many others who had undertaken a return journey in the recent months. Shipping firms too were asking their staff to join back in Aden city, considered comparatively safer than other regions in Yemen. “They will go to Amman in Jordan via Dubai. From Amman, these men will move to Aden by Yemen’s national airline, which is operating three flights a week in the Aden-Amman sector. These flights are mainly meant for Yemeni citizens, who want to seek treatment in Jordan. Indians would stay in Amman maximum for a week and join the earliest flight to Aden,’’ said sources. Yemenia Airway, the official airlines of Yemen, has tentatively scheduled a Mumbai-Sanaa flight on September 18.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/despite-ongoing-crisis-many-indians-returning-to-yemen-in-search-of-jobs/#sthash.mFKEQ98m.dpuf
----------
Waqf Board gets case registered against Shia cleric
September 10, 2015
Lucknow: The Shia Waqf Board has got a case registered against eminent Shia cleric Kalb-e-Jawwad on the charge of selling land belonging to it, an official said on Thursday.
Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi accused the cleric of selling Waqf properties worth Rs.100 crore and taking Rs.25 crore out of this as commission.
After the Board moved an application, special CJM Pallavi Agarwal gave the go-ahead for filing the case and also sought detailed evidence from the Board on September 18, the official said.
Full report at:
http://www.siasat.com/news/waqf-board-gets-case-registered-against-shia-cleric-833253/
----------
India Muslim leader warns of unrest over cow protection push
09 September, 2015
A Muslim leader in India warned Wednesday of communal unrest after a state government claimed the Koran discourages eating beef, the latest contentious effort to protect cows in the Hindu-majority country.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat has erected billboards with an alleged Koranic verse saying eating beef causes disease, together with an Islamic symbol of a crescent moon and star.
Hardline Hindu groups have long pushed for a national ban on the slaughter of cows which they consider sacred.
But moves to protect cows have intensified since Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power after general elections last May.
Several states have introduced a ban on slaughtering the animals and selling their flesh, a move that critics say discriminates against Muslims and other religious minorities who rely on the cheap meat for protein.
Shabbir Alam from the main mosque in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city said the billboards were an insult to Islam because no such verse existed.
"Such hoardings can spark violence and disturb the peace between the two communities," the mufti told AFP.
Full report at:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2015/09/09/India-Muslim-leader-warns-of-unrest-over-cow-protection-push
----------
RSS outfit to hold all-India Muslim cow breeders’ convention in Mewat
by Syed Khalique Ahmed
Ahmedabad
Sep 10, 2015
Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), led by RSS leader Indresh Kumar, is organising the Akhil Bharatiya Muslim Gopalak Sammelan (All-India Cow Breeders conventions) at Firozpur Jhirka town of the Mewat region in Haryana on September 13. Mewat is the Muslim-dominated part of Haryana. The basic objective of the convention, which will be attended by prominent Muslim leaders from the BJP, is to involve Muslims in the preservation and protection of the cow and its progeny. “We want that people from all communities, irrespective of their faith, show respect to cows and the Haryana convention is basically intended to focus on this issue,” said Dr Vallabhbhai Kathiria, chairman of Gau Seva and Gauchar Vikas Board (GSGVB) and a surgeon by profession. [realted-post] Dr Kathiria said that prominent among those taking part in the convention were MRM president and senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. He said that several Muslim intellectuals and writers would also be attending the convention aimed at creating awareness among the Muslims regarding the respect to be given to cows. He said that several officials from the Gauseva and Gauchar Vikas Board will be attending the convention. MRM state president and its national co-convener Ghanibhai Quraishi said that he, along with 250 Muslims from Gujarat, will also attend the convention.
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/rss-outfit-to-hold-all-india-muslim-cow-breeders-convention-in-mewat/
----------
Pakistan Rangers delegation arrives in India, Director General-level talks on border today
by Sagnik Chowdhury
New Delhi
Sep 10, 2015
After talks between the National Security Advisers of the two countries was called off about a fortnight ago, the Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers is set to kick off in New Delhi Thursday. A 16-member Pakistani delegation led by Rangers Director General (Punjab) Maj Gen Umar Farooq Burki was received at the Attari-Wagah border by BSF commanders of the Punjab frontier Wednesday afternoon, en route to the capital for the talks. The delegation comprised officials from the Sindh Rangers, Ministry of Interior, Survey of Pakistan, anti-narcotic force, and immigration.
The talks are going ahead against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the two countries over comments by its Army chiefs, as well as the Gurdaspur and Udhampur terror attacks. On Tuesday, ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops was again reported in Poonch district. According to intelligence sources, Pakistani troops fired from their NCPP post towards India’s forward defence line in Mandi area, with Indian troops returning fire.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pak-rangers-delegation-arrives-in-india-dg-level-talks-on-border-tomorrow/
----------
South Asia
U.N. Special Rapporteur Urges Bangladesh to Tackle Religious Intolerance
September 10, 2015
The politicization of religion and a rise in intolerance threaten Bangladesh’s long tradition of pluralism and interreligious harmony, according to a United Nations rights watchdog.
Heiner Bielefeldt, the U.N. special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said religion extremism is instilling a climate of fear among Bangladesh’s ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians.
In an interview with ucanews.com on Sept. 9, following a 10-day visit to the country, Bielefeldt said authorities are not doing enough to find justice for victims of violence targeting ethnic and religious minorities.
"There are allegations of attack, murder and rape of indigenous people, but they are not often efficiently investigated," Bielefeldt said. "So religious and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh live in a climate of physical and legal insecurity."
He cited an example of the 2012 attacks on Buddhist temples in Ramu, in Cox’s Bazar in the country’s southeast. Authorities helped repair places of worship after the violence, Bielefeldt said, yet perpetrators have not been punished.
As part of his visit, Bielefeldt met with government officials, parliamentarians, human rights activists, civil society organizations, indigenous leaders and religious organizations, including members of the Christian community.
Bielefeldt said Christian leaders he met with told him of their fears of a rise in Islamic extremism.
"There are incidents of looting of churches and violence against Christian men and women. Other people might see these just as sporadic incidents, but from minorities’ perspectives, it is seen in a broader context," Bielefeldt said. "Often, these are not taken seriously. So, the fear is there."
He also praised Christians for initiating interreligious dialogue programs that seek to bring together representatives from majority and minority religious groups.
Islam dominates in Bangladesh, with Muslims comprising about 90 percent of the country’s 160 million people. Hindus represent about 8 percent, while Christians and Buddhists represent only a small percentage of the population.
Full report at:
http://www.ucanews.com/news/bangladesh-urged-to-tackle-religious-intolerance/74243
----------
Daesh running prisons in Nangarhar’s Achin District
Sep 10 2015
Daesh militant group has been running prisons in Achin District of eastern Nangarhar province.
Governor of Achin District says that these prisons currently exist in three areas where the group is holding civilians to include community elders.
This report comes after the group closed some schools in this District.
Although, the group has been operating in Nangarhar province from several months now but closing schools and opening prisons instead is something new.
About two weeks before, Nangarhar’s Directorate of Education reported that 41 teachers were sent home after Daesh closed six schools in Achin District.
Residents say that Daesh believe after graduation, these students would work for government.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/daesh-running-prisons-in-nangarhars-achin-district-3883
----------
Pakistan agrees to allow Afghan refugees until 2017
By ZABIHULLAH MOOSAKHAIL
Sep 10 2015
Pakistan has agreed to allow registered Afghan refugees until the end of 2017, Pakistan’s Dawn news agency reported on Thursday.
Indrika Ratwatte, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a meeting on Wednesday that the government of Pakistan has agreed to extend the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards till Dec 31, 2017.
Ratwatte said that Pakistani authorities had informed the Afghan side and UNHCR in the tripartite meeting held in Kabul that pending inter-ministerial deliberations and a decision by the cabinet, the validity of the PoR cards had been recommended to be extended till Dec 31, 2017.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/pakistan-agrees-to-allow-afghan-refugees-until-2017-3881
----------
Mohaqiq: Some neighbouring countries have made us ‘Gladiators’
Sep 10 2015
Mohammad Mohaqiq, the second deputy to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the government of Afghanistan has said that: “some of the neighboring countries have made us ‘Gladiators’”.
Talking to the gathering commemorating the 14 death anniversary of Ahmad Shah Masoud, Mohaqiq said that Pakistan is an atomic power because of Afghanistan.
He said when Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in intention to occupy Pakistan and reach out to warm water, Afghanistan defended Pakistan.
“Because of us ‘former Mujahideen’ Pakistan is equipped with developed weapons and atom,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/mohaqiq-some-neighboring-countries-have-made-us-gladiators-3884
----------
Internet law has ‘chilling effect’ in Bangladesh, says UN
Sep 10, 2015
DHAKA: An internet law in Bangladesh has had a “chilling effect” on society, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion said on Wednesday after a nine-day visit to the country, as he warned of rising religious extremism.
Under Bangladesh’s Internet Act, any person who deliberately publishes material deemed to hurt religious beliefs, offend the state or damage law and order can be jailed for 14 years.
The law has been used to imprison several high-profile journalists and social media users in the Muslim-majority nation in recent months.
“This law has a chilling effect on civil society organisations, human rights activists and members of religious minority communities,” rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt told reporters in the capital Dhaka.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1205972/internet-law-has-chilling-effect-in-bangladesh-says-un
----------
US lawmaker wants ‘enduring’ military presence in Afghanistan
Sep 10, 2015
WASHINGTON: The leader of a congressional delegation, which recently visited Kabul, asked the US government on Wednesday to maintain an indefinite military presence in Afghanistan.
Congressman Mac Thornberry, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said Afghanistan would continue to breed terrorists in the foreseeable future that’s why the US needs to keep an enduring presence there.
At a news briefing in Washington, he also called for a freeze on any further military withdrawals from Afghanistan.
At one stage, the United States had more than 100,000 military personnel in Afghanistan but in 2014 the Obama administration reduced it to less than 10,000 and plans to bring back the rest by 2016.
Congressman Thornberry, however, said that such a rapid withdrawal would have disastrous consequences.
He reminded US policy-makers that Washington built enduring military base in Europe after World War II and in South Korea following the Korean war. They should devise a similar strategy for Afghanistan, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1205987/us-lawmaker-wants-enduring-military-presence-in-afghanistan
----------
Five civilians kidnapped on highway between Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul
Sep 10 2015
A group of unidentified gunmen have kidnapped five civilians on the highway between Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul provinces.
Officials at the Governor House of Jawzjan say that the incident took place yesterday and kidnappers have taken these people to unknown location.
All these people belong to Jawzjan province, said Abdul Manan Rawoufi, an officer at the province’s police HQ.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction but Rawoufi said that efforts have been made to secure the release of these hostages.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/five-civilians-kidnapped-on-highway-between-jawzjan-and-sar-e-pul-3886
----------
Bomb explodes on UNICEF convoy in Nangarhar, no casualties
Sep 10 2015
A bomb has exploded on the convoy of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan but has caused no casualties.
Colonel Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, spokesman for the police headquarters of Nangarhar said that the incident took place in the outskirt of Jalalabad city this morning.
He said that the bomb was placed on a roadside and exploded as the caravan was passing by the area.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/bomb-explodes-on-unicef-convoy-in-nangarhar-no-casualties-3885
----------
War crime trials to continue: Hasina
September 10, 2015
Expressing her firm resolve to hold the trial of war criminals and culprits of August 15 massacre, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the trial is going on and it will continue come what may.
“During the war crimes trial, many stalwarts phoned me pursuing for not executing the war crimes verdicts. I got their phone calls and talked to them. But I never received any phone call from these big shots for any good purpose,” she said.
The prime minister said this while responding to a supplementary question from ruling party MP Kamal Ahmed Majumder during the PM's question-answer session in parliament.
Observing that she is doing politics only for the country's people, Sheikh Hasina said, “I won't accept anything that leads to bowing down to them.”
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/city/war-crime-trials-continue-hasina-140710
----------
Thai bomb leader fled to Bangladesh on Chinese passport: police
Sep 9, 2015
The man Thai police believe masterminded last month's deadly Bangkok bombing fled to Bangladesh the day before the attack and traveled on a Chinese passport, officials said on Wednesday.
The man emerged as a key suspect in the Aug. 17 bombing following interrogation this week of one of two foreigners being held, who police say admitted to giving a backpack with explosives to a man they are certain was the bomber.
The suspect told police a man called "Izan" played a lead role and assigned responsibilities to others plotters during a Bangkok meeting.
"This man called Izan - and I don't know if this is his real name - is a very important person in this network," deputy police chief Chakthip Chaijinda told Reuters.
"I don't know what his nationality is ... Let's just say Izan is one of the foremost wanted individuals."
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast at the Erawan Shrine, a tourist attraction close to hotels and shopping malls. Twenty people were killed, including 14 foreign tourists.
Chakthip said police would be coordinating with Bangladeshi counterparts where the suspected leader had traveled on Aug. 16. An immigration official said he had used a Chinese passport, but it was not known if it was authentic.
A K M Shahidul Hoque, inspector general of Bangladesh police, told Reuters he was unaware of the new development.
Thai police are no closer to establishing a motive for the bombing after weeks of conflicting theories and false leads.
Arrest warrants have been issued for 11 suspects, but only two have been detained following raids that uncovered bomb-making materials.
National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang reiterated the attack was "not an act of international terrorism".
Full report at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/09/us-thailand-blast-idUSKCN0R91JC20150909
----------
Mideast
Yemen's Ansarullah Captures 117 Saudi-Led Militants
Sep 09, 2015
"60 armed militants loyal to fugitive Yemeni president Mansour Hadi who were held captive by Ansarullah are now being kept in the central prison of Sana'a," the sources were quoted as saying by al-Omana Net on Wednesday.
"The Ansarullah movement has captured them during clashes in the Southern provinces," they added.
According to the sources, at present 117 Saudi-affiliated militants are held captive by Ansarullah whose names have also been released.
The report came after Zeifollah al-Shami, a senior Ansarullah leader, disclosed late August that fugitive Yemeni president Mansour Hadi is recruiting new mercenaries for the Saudi army.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618000698
----------
U.N. likely to back raising Palestinian flag
10 September 2015
The United Nations is expected on Thursday to allow the Palestinians to raise their flag at its headquarters in New York in a symbolic move highlighting Palestinian aspirations for statehood.
The General Assembly will vote at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on a draft resolution that diplomats say is almost certain to garner a majority in the 193-nation forum.
“It is a symbolic thing, but another step to solidify the pillars of the state of Palestine in the international arena,” said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the U.N.
The resolution would allow the flags of Palestine and the Holy See, both of which have non-member observer status, to be hoisted alongside those of the member states.
If adopted, the U.N. would have 20 days to implement the move, which would be in time for a visit by president Mahmud Abbas on September 30.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, poses for a picture with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after giving him a letter requesting recognition of Palestine as a state during the 66th session of the General Assembly at United Nations headquarters Friday, Sept. 23, 2011. (File photo: AP)
Mansour said the initiative had the potential to “give our people some hope that the international community is still supporting the independence of the state of Palestine.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/10/U-N-likely-to-back-raising-Palestinian-flag.html
----------
Coalition raids hit militia targets in Sanaa
10 September 2015
Planes from the Saudi-led military coalition has bombed targets throughout Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Thursday, in what witnesses described as the fiercest series of attacks on the city in over five months of operations.
The air raids hit houses of political leaders from the Iran-allied Houthi movement and military bases, as explosions and wailing ambulance sirens had forced a sleepless night on the city’s nearly 2 million shell-shocked residents.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/10/Coalition-raids-hit-militia-targets-in-Sanaa.html
----------
S. Arabia Plans to Build Salman Canal to Bypass Strait of Hormuz
Sep 09, 2015
"Studies are underway on the construction of a waterway which starts from a part of Saudi Arabia's water border in Khour al-Adid area between the UAE and Qatar and stretches 950km to the Arabian Sea," Sa'ad Ibn Omar, the head of Arab Studies Center in Riyadh, revealed on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia's coasts aren’t adjacent to the Arabia Sea and Yemen's Hadhramaut, al-Shabvah and al-Mohrah coasts have a way to the Sea.
Omar said that the Salman Canal is due to be built so that Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait can export their oil to other world states through this canal instead of the Strait of Hormuz which is controlled by Iran.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618000426
----------
Iran Agrees to Open Airspace to Russian Aid Planes for Syria
Sep 09, 2015
Suslov told Itar-Tass that Iran path will be used by the Russian flights to carry new cargos of humanitarian aid to the crisis-hit Syria.
On Monday, the Greek Foreign Ministry announced that it had received a US request to close its air space for the flights of Russian aircraft with humanitarian cargoes for Syria. Athens said that the Russian side chose the route to the East of Greece for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, Itar-Tass reported.
On the same day, Bulgaria refused to provide an air corridor to Russia for these purposes.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said earlier Moscow would continue to supply humanitarian aid to Syria on alternative routes.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618000904
----------
Saudi MERS cases continue to rise
10 September 2015
Saudi Arabia has reported 18 more Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) cases since last week, 15 of them in Riyadh, and the numbers of patients infected with the virus in hospitals in Saudi Arabia continue to grow, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest updates.
The 15 latest MERS-CoV cases in Riyadh appear to have links to an ongoing hospital outbreak at King Abdulaziz Medical City, according to separate updates from the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH). It’s not known how many cases are related to the hospital event, but 158 illnesses have been reported in Riyadh since July 21.
Five of the patients are healthcare workers who had contact with a suspected or confirmed case. Four of them are from foreign countries — two women, 29 and 38, and two men, 30 and 31. All are in stable condition. The fifth is a 27-year-old Saudi man from Riyadh who is also listed as stable.
Of the other 10 cases in Riyadh, one had contact with an earlier case, the exposure status was under review for five, and no known exposure to earlier cases has been found for four.
The other three cases were reported in Al-Kharj, which has registered three cases so far this month, and in Madinah and Al-Quway’iyah.
The patient from Madinah — an 80-year-old Saudi woman — had contact with a suspected or confirmed MERS case. No exposure source has yet been identified for the other two patients.
All of the 18 new cases involve adults, ranging in age from 27 to 85. Twelve patients are men and six are women. Fourteen are hospitalized in stable condition, and four are listed as critical.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/10/Saudi-MERS-cases-continue-to-rise.html
----------
Iranians back nuclear deal, but expect too much: poll
10 September 2015
Most Iranians back the nuclear deal Tehran signed with world powers, but partly because they wrongly believe it marks an immediate end to all U.S. sanctions, a poll has revealed.
A study by the University of Maryland and Toronto-based IranPoll.com found that 76 percent of Iranians polled support the deal to end their isolation in return for international oversight of their nuclear program.
But this support may prove weaker that it appears, as Iranians appear to have a number of false impressions about the agreement, particularly in that they think it puts a rapid end to international economic sanctions.
In fact, the U.S. and some other powers have only agreed to lift penalties imposed on Iran in direct response to worries about its nuclear program, and only then when it has upheld its end of the bargain.
Other sanctions imposed because of Iran’s alleged support for terror groups or political meddling in its region will remain, even after Tehran allows inspectors to verify tight controls on its nuclear facilities.
But 56 percent of Iranians, according to the survey, are not even aware their government has agreed to limit its nuclear research and 77 percent think sanctions relief will come about before such controls are verified.
Meanwhile, large majorities of Iranians expect to see better access to imported medicine and medical technology, more foreign investment and lower unemployment within a year of the deal being signed.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/10/Iranians-back-nuclear-deal-but-expect-too-much-poll.html
----------
Israel reopens embassy in Cairo four years after diplomats evacuated
9 September 2015
Israel reopened its embassy in Egypt on Wednesday, four years after it was stormed by dozens of protesters in violence that led to the evacuation of the Israeli ambassador.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its director-general, Dore Gold, had travelled to Cairo to “rededicate” the embassy.
Israeli ambassador Yitzhak Levanon and other staff were airlifted from Egypt after demonstrators stormed the city centre embassy in September 2012 in a protest over the shooting of five Egyptian security guards by Israeli soldiers pursuing militants who had ambushed and killed eight Israelis along the border.
Israel’s current ambassador to Cairo, Haim Koren, attended Wednesday’s ceremony, along with an Egyptian diplomat and the U.S. ambassador to Egypt, the Israeli statement said.
Israeli diplomats have been working mainly from the ambassadorial residence in a Cairo suburb.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/09/Israel-reopens-embassy-in-Cairo-four-years-after-diplomats-evacuated.html
----------
Supreme Leader: Israel Not Alive in 25 Years
Sep 09, 2015
"Some of the Zionists have said that given the results of the nuclear negotiations (between Tehran and the world powers), they have been relieved of concerns about Iran for 25 years, but we tell them that basically, you will not see the next 25 years and with God's grace, nothing under the name of the Zionist regime will exist in the region by then," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large number of Iranians in Tehran on Wednesday.
He added that the heroic spirit and morale of Muslim fighters will not let the Zionists feel comfort and tranquility in the next 25 years.
Elsewhere, Ayatollah Khamenei warned of the US endless enmity towards the Iranian nation, and said even after the nuclear agreement, whose fate is not yet clear in Iran and the US, the Americans have been hatching plots and approving a bill in the congress against Iran.
He described national might as the only way to end the US plots, and said a strong economy, growing scientific progress and maintaining and reinvigorating the revolutionary spirit and morale of the people, specially the youth, are among ways to boost national might and power.
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated the need for vigilance against the US plots to influence Iran, and said Tehran had only entered negotiations with Washington just on the nuclear issue "and we will not negotiate with the US in other fields".
In relevant remarks in August, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that regardless of the nuclear agreement with the world powers, Tehran would not allow the US to find a way to influence Iranian economy, politics and culture.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618001025
----------
Iran, Russia Discuss Syria, Refugee Crisis
Sep 09, 2015
During the meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, the two high-ranking diplomats expressed concern over the regional crises, specially in Syria, and the situation of the Syrian refugees who have sought asylum in the regional and European countries for the fear of the ISIL terrorist group's attacks.
Rahimpour and Morgulov blamed the ISIL acts and policies of those countries who have stood against the legal government in Syria for these crises.
They also underlined that Iran and Russia's measures in Syria have soothed the Syrian refugee crisis.
Tehran and Moscow have made abundant efforts to help the Syrian people fight against the ISIL terrorist group.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a joint press conference with his Austrian counter part Heinz Fischer in Tehran on Tuesday, said that Iran's priority was putting an end to the insecurity and bloodshed in Syria.
"Once this goal is fulfilled, it will be time to discuss political issues such as democracy and opposition in the Arab country," he said.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618000949
----------
Pakistan
Pak Journalist bodies condemn killing of Geo News staff
September 10, 2015
Karachi: Journalists associations in Pakistan have condemned the recent attack on Geo News staff members and a senior journalist in Karachi, and urged the government to arrest the culprits at the earliest.
According to The News International, they also said that they would be staging protests if the government failed to arrest the culprits
Unknown gunmen attacked a Geo News Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) van in the Bahadurabad area of Karachi on Tuesday night killing Geo News satellite engineer Arshad Ali Jafari.
Full report at:
http://www.siasat.com/news/pak-journalist-bodies-condemn-killing-geo-news-staff-833339/
----------
Terror bid foiled: Three 'militants' arrested near Pak-Afghan border
SYED ALI SHAH
Sep 10, 2015
QUETTA: Security forces foiled a major terror bid, seizing a huge cache of explosive material and weapons from the custody of suspected militants near the Pak-Afghan border on Wednesday.
Three suspected militants were arrested during the raid and 3,800 kilogrammes of explosive material, ten mortar shells and hundreds of sub-machine gun rounds were recovered, security sources told DawnNews.
Security forces also seized two vehicles in the operation conducted in the Loi Bund area of Qila Saifullah near the Pak-Afghan border.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1205885/terror-bid-foiled-three-militants-arrested-near-pak-afghan-border
----------
Pak-Russia talks on delivery of Su-35, Mi-35s underway: Russian Deputy FM
Sep 10, 2015
NIZHYNY TAGIL: Pakistan and Russia are in talks about the delivery of Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and previously agreed upon delivery of Mi-35M helicopters, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister (FM) Sergei Ryabkov said, Sputnik reported.
Earlier this year, a draft contract for the delivery of four Mi-35M 'Hind E' combat helicopters was sent to Pakistan from Russia, a source in the Russian military and technical cooperation was quoted by the Russian news agency TASS.
Increasing military cooperation between Islamabad and Moscow would not negatively impact Russia's ties with India, Ryabkov said, adding that Pak-Russia ties were improving in other sectors as well ─ including energy.
The Russian Deputy FM Ryabkov referred to Pakistan as Russia's closest partner and said, "I do not think that the contacts under discussion will cause jealousy on the part of any of the two sides."
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1206088/pak-russia-talks-on-delivery-of-su-35-mi-35s-underway-russian-deputy-fm
----------
Pakistan, China set to sign economic zone accord
Sep 10, 2015
KARACHI: Pakistan is set to sign a 40-year-lease with a Chinese company to develop a massive special economic zone in the deep sea port of Gwadar, officials said on Wednesday.
The contract is part of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that will link western China to the Arabian Sea with infrastructure, energy and transport projects.
The contract assigning the 2,300 acre swathe of tax-exempt land to China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) is likely to be signed this month or October, Dostain Khan Jamaldini, chief of the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), said.
Also read: CPEC to benefit entire region, say analysts
As part of the wider plans, “work on the Gwadar International Airport would start in the next couple of months and we are quite hopeful of completion of the national highway connecting Gwadar with the north within the next month”, he added.
Pakistan is also raising a special security force to protect the port.
Abdul Razzaq Durrani, the director general of GPA, confirmed the deal.
Gwadar port was built in 2007 with Chinese technical help and financial assistance of some $248 million.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1206024/pakistan-china-set-to-sign-economic-zone-accord
----------
Refugees’ repatriation put on hold
Sep 10, 2015
KOHAT: The repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees staying in urban areas and camps since 80s has been again postponed till Dec 31, 2015, sources said. They said that earlier the repatriation was planned to be completed before October this year.
They said that since January this year the illegal Afghans had been set three deadlines of 15 days each by former commissioner Kohat to return to their homeland. The orders were for both the holders and non-holders of proof of registration (POR), but the government has now decided to delay their ouster till Dec 2015.
The police had started arrests of illegal Afghans during specific raids after which their repatriation continued for several months through Torkham under the 14 Foreign Act. However, the sources said that the authorities had been asked to make the process voluntary and that no force should be used for their ouster.
“It is the job of the administration to arrest and send refugees back. Our department is only concerned with the refugees living in camps,” administrator of Afghan refugees Faiz Mohammad told Dawn by phone on Wednesday. He said that they had been only verbally informed about the fresh date by the commissionerate of Afghan refugees, Peshawar.
Authorities asked to make the process voluntary
Badshah Khan, a former officer of the commissionerate in Kohat division, said that there were 99,000 refugees living in Kohat and Hangu camps besides 12,000 those staying illegally who had occupied places in bazaars and posh localities.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1206056/refugees-repatriation-put-on-hold
----------
JUI-F declares end to electoral alliance with PPP
Sep 10, 2015
BADIN: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Sindh general secretary Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro has said the JUI-F is no more in an electoral alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for upcoming local government (LG) election in the province.
The Sindh government and PPP had miserably failed to bring to justice the culprits and their facilitators involved in the assassination of the party’s provincial chief Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, he said.
The Maulana said at a press conference at Madressah Badrul Uloom here on Wednesday that JUI-F would ally with any party against PPP candidates. Although neither Dr Zulfiqar Mirza nor any other party had finalised seat adjustment with JUI-F but the party had decided that it would now enter into alliance only with anti-PPP parties, he said.
“I had three meetings with former president Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur and two meetings with chief minister and PPP leadership in which I presented them 11-point demands as a prerequisite for an electoral alliance which included bringing to justice all suspects in Dr Soomro murder case.
“The meetings proved futile as the government and PPP did nothing. Then we gave them an ultimatum to arrest all the suspects within a week, but the ultimatum ended on Tuesday without the government making any headway on the case. Now, the party has no more any alliance with PPP even though it addresses our reservations,” he said.
The Maulana who launched the party’s election campaign for LG polls in Sindh from Badin by nominating three candidates allowed the JUI-F district leadership to finalise names of candidates for all seats at local level. The party nominees Ali Mohammad Mari, Abbas Ali Shah and Ali Mohammad Mahery would contest polls from their respective union councils.
About the party chief’s visit to Nine Zero, the MQM headquarters, he said that it augured well for Sindh as the visit had not only saved Sindh from divisions but also stopped the path of NATO forces.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1205934/jui-f-declares-end-to-electoral-alliance-with-ppp
----------
Bilawal ‘agrees’ to form body for accountability within PPP
ZULQERNAIN TAHIR
Sep 10, 2015
LAHORE: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has agreed to form an accountability commission in the party on the demand of a number of workers.
“A good number of PPP stalwarts have been facing corruption allegations for several years and the media has labelled us synonymous to corruption. We may not recover from this tag in future elections. Therefore, it is high time that the party leadership declare ‘crusade’ against corruption and corrupt elements in the party,” said a participant of the meeting Mr Bilawal presided over at the Bilawal House here on Wednesday.
The PPP old guard said the party had lost the 2013 general elections primarily on the ‘perception of being a corrupt party’ and not because of power loadshedding.
He said after some break the corruption stories about PPP leaders were again appearing in the media which were tarnishing the party image beyond repair.
Says party is labeled as synonymous to corruption
Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf talked about the ‘media trial’ of the PPP leaders saying those raising slogans against corruption and implicating PPP leaders should better present themselves for accountability.
The former premier said that corruption cases against the PPP leaders had been pending for years. “Why they are not decided without delay,” he asked.
Mr Ashraf also recommended Bilawal Bhutto to set up an accountability commission in the party for internal accountability of the leaders. “Appoint some four to six people of integrity for investigation of the alleged corruption charges (on the party men),” he proposed.
Sherry Rehman said: “We never compromised on rights of people and fought against terrorism. Why the PPP is facing terror finance cases? The PPP is a liberal party and will not leave its space among the masses,” she said.
On this Mr Bilawal agreed to form the accountability commission in the party. However, a party leader Dawn spoke to said the matter would be taken up in the Central Executive Committee meeting and such a set up would be evolved with the consensus of its (CEC) members.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1206012/bilawal-agrees-to-form-body-for-accountability-within-ppp
----------
Pakistan to raise India infiltration at Rangers-BSF heads meet
September 10, 2015
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI - After the collapse of the NSA dialogue, Pakistan and India will seek to start afresh on Wednesday as a 16-member team from Pakistan reaches Indian capital yesterday for talks between Pakistan Rangers and BSF.
A 16-member Pakistani delegation which is led by Rangers Punjab Director General (DG) Major General Umar Farooq Barki on Wednesday left for New Delhi for talks via Wagah border.
The delegation includes officials of Pakistan Rangers Punjab and Sindh, Ministry of Interior, Survey of Pakistan and Anti Narcotics Force, which would hold routine bi-annual talks with Border Security Force (BSF).
These talks are held alternatively in India and Pakistan. Both border guarding forces will discuss professional matters related to border management.
In order to avoid losses to innocent civilian lives and properties the delegation will discuss issues pertaining to unprovoked ceasefire violations, smuggling and safe/early return of inadvertent border crossers. These talks will continue to September12. Pakistan has given official agenda to the Indian side as part of BSF-Pakistan Rangers talks accusing India of carrying out infiltration from Punjab and Rajasthan.
Accusing BSF of facilitating infiltration, Islamabad has said this is being done to carry out “sabotage activities” in Pakistan. Pakistan sources said this was going to be their “main point” in the talks.
The two sides are expected to discuss at length the spurt in ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and Sialkot Working Boundary.
India and Pakistan are both expected to underline the sanctity of the 2003 ceasefire understanding but Pakistan is likely to also seek a revival of United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to address any violation of that understanding.
While India doesn’t recognize UNMOGIP any more, Pakistan continues to approach the group over ceasefire violations and recently invited them to visit a village in Sialkot district to assess the damage caused by firing from Indian troops.
An amicable dialogue this week could pave the way for another meeting between Indian Prime Minister Nrendra Modi and Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif later this month in New York, on the sidelines of UNGA.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/national/10-Sep-2015/pakistan-to-raise-india-infiltration-at-rangers-bsf-heads-meet
----------
Int’l disputes resolution to help check terrorism, say experts
September 10, 2015
Islamabad - A two-day international seminar on “Countering Violent Extremism: Global Action Plan” which opened here yesterday called for resolution of longstanding international disputes and broader international cooperation to prevent the fanatic ideology from spreading.
The seminar was organised by Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS) in collaboration with German foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for discussing and sharing experiences about countering this menace.
The seminar also aimed at exploring the way forward, whereby different countries could work together to defeat this problem by building upon what has already been done.
Speakers on the first day of the event that featured presentations by foreign envoys, national experts, political leaders, and academicians called for cooperation among states both at the level of the government and society.
The speakers looked into the evolution of violent extremism as legal and political challenge; international perspectives and response strategies; and Pakistan’s own experience of fighting the problem.
President CPGS Senator Sehar Kamran, while introducing the seminar, said violent extremism was one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century, which transcended borders and was now present across the world.
Senator Sehar Kamran called for a multidimensional global response to counter the threat.
She likened the problem of violent extremism to a ‘hydra-headed monster’ and said that a comprehensive approach was required for dealing with it by addressing issues like conflicts and disputes; foreign interventions and occupation; religious, racial and ethnic discrimination; and persecution as well as social and economic exclusion that tended to promote this problem.
“The complex challenges of terrorism and violent extremism defy simplified solutions.
The causes of terrorism and violent extremism are multiple and need a comprehensive response from the international community,” she said.
Senator Mushahid Hussain in his keynote presentation said that in the today’s world, the threat of terrorism and violent extremism is real, and needed to be dealt at various levels, including national, regional and global.
He regretted that violent extremism was often presented as a Muslim problem.
He said the historical perspective of the problem needed to be kept in mind for its fuller comprehension.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/islamabad/10-Sep-2015/int-l-disputes-resolution-to-help-check-terrorism-say-experts
----------
Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali sworn-in as Pakistan’s new Chief Justice
September 10, 2015
Karachi: Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali has been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan. He was administered oath of office by President Mamnoon Hussain.
According to The Dawn, Prime Ministe Nawaz Sharif was also present at the ceremony along with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan, former CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, senior judges and lawyers and military officials.
Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja retired on Wednesday after attaining superannuation.
Justice Khawaja served as the Chief Justice for 24 days. (ANI)
http://www.siasat.com/news/justice-anwar-zaheer-jamali-sworn-pakistans-new-chief-justice-833340/
----------
Africa
Islamic Movement Leader Describes Boko Haram as Failed Plot of Spy Agencies
Sep 09, 2015
"Boko Haram doesn’t exist and it can merely be seen in the media and we just see some aimless attacks and blasts against people in the markets, mosques, churches and streets," Zakzaky told FNA on Wednesday.
Dismissing the Nigerian government's claims that Boko Haram seeks to overthrow the regime, he asked, "Then what could justify their killing of ordinary people and not the statesmen."
Zakzaky challenged the existence of Boko Haram, and said, "If there is any such group which has carried out these (terrorist) operations, then where is it? They are all affiliated to the government and no one has seen them."
Noting that no journalist has ever seen a member of Boko Haram, he stressed that they don’t exist and it is merely the Nigerian police and law enforcement officials who blame Boko Haram for the terrorist acts.
Boko Haram militants, who have recently pledged allegiance to ISIL Takfiris, have killed about 15,000 people since they launched their militancy in 2009. Some 1.5 million people have also been displaced as a result of the violence.
Soldiers from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been battling Boko Haram terrorists in recent months.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940618000576
----------
Car bomb targets Libya prison holding former Qaddafi officials
Sep 9, 2015
A car bomb has exploded near a prison facility in Libya’s Tripoli where senior officials of the regime of former dictator Muammar Qaddafi are held.
“A car bomb exploded close to the Al-Habda al-Khadra prison, where there is also an interior ministry brigade headquarters,” prison spokesman Othman al-Ghellani said, adding that the car blew up around 150 meters from the prison's perimeter wall.
The maximum-security facility is where some senior figures of the former dictatorial regime are being held, including Qaddafi’s son Sa’adi, the former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi and more than three dozen other officials. Sa’adi, who once served as the captain of the Libyan national football team, was extradited from Niger last year and is expected to attend a trial next Monday in a court inside Habda.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/09/09/428458/Libya-bomb-blast-Tripoli-prison-Muammar-Gaddafi
----------
S.Africa urges calm in wake of US terror alert
09 September 2015
The South African government on Wednesday assured citizens that the country was not facing any looming terrorist threats one day after the U.S. government issued a terrorism alert for South Africa.
“We have come to the conclusion that there is no immediate threat that can befall anyone within the republic of South Africa,” State Security Minister David Mahlobo said in televised comments on Wednesday.
The minister urged the public to be calm, saying there was no need to panic, that the country was stable, and that no radical groups were targeting South Africa.
On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy in Pretoria issued a security alert warning American nationals of potential terrorist attacks on U.S. interests in South Africa.
“The U.S. diplomatic mission to South Africa has received information that extremists may be targeting U.S. interests in South Africa, to possibly include U.S. government facilities and other facilities identifiable with U.S. business interests,” the embassy asserted.
It did not, however, provide any details regarding when or where attacks might take place.
The statement went on to urge U.S. citizens in the country to review their personal security arrangements and show caution.
“Be vigilant and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security,” the statement advised.
The South African government, for its part, said it would continue to monitor the situation and share information with its U.S. counterparts.
SERIOUS
Martin Ewi, a terrorism expert at Pretoria's Institute of Security Studies, says the U.S. alert should be taken seriously.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/164094/safrica-urges-calm-in-wake-of-us-terror-alert
----------
Southeast Asia
Time to take religion, segregation out of schools
Fa Abdul
September 10, 2015
My son came home from school the other day and complained about having too much homework. He had missed a couple of classes because all Muslim students had been required to attend a special class with their Ustaz and Ustazah.
When I checked with friends and acquaintances who have children attending public schools, I discovered that this is not unusual. It is something that happens quite a bit and not just at my son’s school.
It is also not anything new.
During Ramadan a few months ago, it was compulsory for Muslim students to participate in Quran recitation sessions at the surau during school hours. In addition to that, every now and then, there were also additional fardhu ain sessions for Muslim students.
While Muslim students are being force fed religious education, the non-Muslim students continue with their lessons in their respective classrooms. As a result, students like my son miss out on their lessons and are expected to catch up on their own.
There are also times when the school organises compulsory religious classes right after school. Often security guards are asked to lock the gates to make sure Muslim students attend these extra classes and do not leave the school compound. Parents who wish to pick up their kids are required to find their way to the school office, to fill up certain forms before they are allowed to take their children home.
What nonsense is this?
Now don’t get me wrong. As a Muslim, I take my religion seriously. However, like other parents, I send my child to school to be well educated with ALL the knowledge he needs to be successful in his future – NOT to be turned into little Ustazs and Ustazahs.
Let it be known that it is not my intention to belittle our Ustazs and Ustazahs who teach religious studies. However, to make students miss important classes without their parents’ consent is unacceptable. Who gave the schools authority to force these Muslim students to skip regular classes?
Why this force feeding of students with Islamic studies? Is this some sort of propaganda to brainwash Muslim students from young?
This is absolutely why I believe religious studies should not be part of our national education system. By right, we should do away with both Pendidikan Agama and Pendidikan Moral. Let those who wish to attend religious classes take lessons during the weekend or after school hours.
Full report at:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/09/10/time-to-take-religion-segregation-out-of-schools/
----------
Why Does Malaysia Have an Islamic State Problem?
BY JOHN HUDSON
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
KuALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Sitting cross-legged outside Kuala Lumpur’s oldest mosque during afternoon prayers last week, Imam Mohd Faisal bin Tan Mutallib was resolute: Anyone considering joining the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria is “not a true follower of Islam.” But despite the best efforts of U.S. officials to combat extremism in Malaysia and partner with religious leaders like Mutallib, the gravitational pull of the Islamic State in this multiethnic country of 30 million remains stubbornly strong.
That is baffling to regional analysts and has muddied Malaysia’s reputation as an anchor of moderate Islam in Southeast Asia. Malaysian authorities have arrested more than 122 individuals since 2013 who either joined the Islamic State and returned home or were stopped while attempting to leave the country, according to government data given to Foreign Policy. That figure indicates an almost doubling of Islamic State-related arrests by Malaysian authorities between 2014 and 2015.
Authorities have also identified between 100 and 200 people currently inside Malaysia who support the Islamic State.
“The involvement of Malaysians in militant activities in the name of Islam has tarnished the country’s image and affected the purity of Islam,” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told parliament last year.
Analysts said the rising number of extremist suspects is surprising for a country that has been hailed as a leading U.S. partner in the fight against terrorism. As recently as April, an estimated 60 to 150 Malaysians were identified as members of the Islamic State, or ISIS. Those numbers were similar to those of recruits from Indonesia — a country roughly eight times the size of Malaysia’s population, noted Joe Chinyong Liow, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
The reasons for the rise are unclear, and analysts differ about the drivers of extremism within Malaysia. But observers have pointed to the politicization of Islam in the country’s government, combined with the simultaneous authoritarian tactics in policing dissent, as factors.
“Islam has unfortunately become heavily politicized in Malaysia,” Liow said.
At least a fraction of radicalized Malaysian men have found a way into the Islamic State’s network through a combat unit known as Katibah Nusantara, led by an Indonesian named Bahrum Syah. (The group is also referred to as the Malay Archipelago Combat Unit or Katibah in Malaysia.)
Sidney Jones, a leading expert on Katibah’s activities and the director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, said the original combat unit started out with about 100 men last year. Since then, Jones said, “indications are that it had grown considerably and was being deployed in different areas.”
Full report at:
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/09/09/why-does-malaysia-have-an-islamic-state-problem/
----------
Islam is too big to bother with Alvin Tan
September 6, 2015
By Nabila Habib
Another shot of infernal venom is spat out by Alvin Tan who, up to this day, has given us nothing but impudence to match the minds of lower class radicals such as himself.
He revealed a tattoo he got on his thigh depicting the word Allah written in Arabic characters on Facebook. The post is obviously a mockery.
At the same time, Muslims are busy getting offended, even as the call for prayer echoes all over the city. They try to save the dignity of their religion by typing equally impudent words. It seems that anger most definitely cannot wait.
None of my social networking feeds are free of swear words and phrases, proving exactly what Tan meant in his sarcastic reference to Islam as a “religion of peace”. These defenders of Islam are too hypocritical to realize that they too are insulting the religion by being contemptible and by failing to bring out true Islamic values at such critical times.
With the problems of human trafficking, economic blunders, contentious leaders and corruption, they still choose to use their time and effort getting angry over a fancy tattoo on the back of someone’s disgusting, unevenly hairy thigh. What an astonishing order of priorities.
Full report at:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2015/09/06/islam-is-too-big-to-bother-with-alvin-tan/
----------
A Giant Malaysian Muslim Among Men
By Johan Jaaffar
09 September 2015
TAN Sri Dr. Omar Abdul Rahman was the science adviser to the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad for 16 years. The public knows little else about this remarkable gentleman.
Omar is an unassuming scientist, always working behind the scenes yet never a scene stealer when missions are accomplished. He is truly a giant among men. His intellect coupled with tenacity and dedication helped change the national ecosystem for science. He has contributed immensely in the field not to mention his unseen hand in the setting up of various initiatives from the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (Might), the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronics System (Mimos), the creation of the first National Science and Technology Policy in 1986 to the setting up of satellite television and the realisation of the Sepang F1 Circuit (yes, those too!).
For many years, he was instrumental in helping the government to formulate policies and create the mechanism to enhance the country’s scientific capabilities. He believes Malaysia has no choice.
For the country to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other nations, it must forge ahead with its science and technology initiatives (STI). We have to create a sustainable competitive advantage in an ever-challenging economy.
Our economic success hinges on the ability to grab the opportunities offered in an ever-changing economy, not just economy but a knowledge-based one.
Omar realised later that science is not about learning a discipline in schools or universities. It is also about humanising it. And “marketing” it to the public. There is also the need to “memasyarakatkan sains” — people matter in science as much as science has impacted upon people.
He maintains that for Malaysia to move forward, STI is among the key ingredients. Economic and social progress for the future depend on STI.
Thanks to Omar, science and technology are being taken seriously now. Plans are in place to ensure more scientists are created and nurtured. Universities are playing a more proactive role to bring out the best minds in the field of science.
Ambitious Mind
More importantly research and development (R&D) has been enhanced and given more funds. While it is more readily available now, it is still lagging behind compared with more advanced countries in terms of percentage of GDP.
Understandably Omar is one of the ferocious proponents of the need for an STI policy for the country and a proper and comprehensive science policy as a whole. He believes that doing good science is not good enough, “good science must translate into innovative technologies in the market- place”.
Full report at:
http://www.onislam.net/english/health-and-science/science/493413-a-giant-malaysian-muslim-among-men.html
----------
Architect, technician jailed for trying to support IS
September 9, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR: An architect and a technician were jailed two years each by the High Court here today for attempting to support the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
Judge Kamardin Hashim imposed the sentence on architect Mohd Syafrien Rasid, 27, and technician Mohamad Yusoffe Ishak, 27, and ordered them to serve the sentence from the date of arrest on September 25 last year.
Before imposing the sentence, Judge Kamardin said the court took into account public interest and mitigation by the defence that both the accused were young offenders and did not have previous criminal records.
“The court also took into account the argument by the prosecution and in this case both the accused tried to support the IS. As such, the court imposed a sentence which is reasonable and equivalent to the offence committed,” he said.
Mohd Syafrien and Mohamad Yusoffe pleaded guilty to taking a flight from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Istanbul, Turkey in an attempt to support the IS by entering Syria through Istanbul.
They were charged with committing the offence at the Immigration Counter at the KLIA Departure Lounge, Sepang, at 8.55am in September last year, under Section 130J(1)(a) of the Penal Code which carries a life sentence or maximum jail term of 30 years or fine.
According to the facts of the case, Mohd Syafrien and Mohamad Yusoffe were interested in “jihad” after watching violent videos committed in Syria on Facebook and YouTube.
Mohamad Yusoffe, who went under the name Soffie Panji Hitam on his Facebook account had discussed plans for a “jihad”” in Syria while Mohd Syafrien also used Facebook to keep up with developments in that country.
It was through Facebook that both accused met several people who had the same interests gathering information on the war in Syria which were then shared on the WhatsApp application.
They also joined a communications network in WhatsApp which was named “Jihad Fisabilillah” where they collected information on the IS group in Syria.
The two also joined a WhatsApp group called “Melancong” which discussed plans to support the IS in Syria.
Full report at:
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/09/09/architect-technician-jailed-for-trying-to-support-is/
----------
Mahathir returns to Malaysia ready for probe over anti-govt comments
10 September 2015
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s veteran former leader Mahathir Mohamad returned from an overseas trip on Wednesday saying he would comply with any police investigation into comments he made against Prime Minister Najib Razak at an anti-government rally last month.
Mahathir has led calls for Najib’s resignation over alleged mismanagement and corruption at indebted state investment fund 1MDB.
The strong stand by Mahathir, and Najib’s actions to stifle dissent in the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has raised fears of a split in a party that has led every government since Malaysia gained independence from colonial rule in 1957.
The political uncertainty has nagged at investor confidence in an economy whose ringgit currency has lost 19 percent of its value against the dollar so far this year, and is down to levels unseen since the Asian financial crisis 17 years ago.
The 90-year-old Mahathir surprised many in UMNO, as well as the opposition parties, when he joined tens of thousands of protesters in a two-day rally in Kuala Lumpur, organized by anti-corruption activists last month.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/news/803946
----------
Europe
‘Moderate imam’ shot dead in Russia
September 9, 2015
MOSCOW: A local imam in Russia’s North Caucasus was shot dead on Wednesday, the latest murder of a religious leader in an area known for simmering Islamist insurgency.
Magomed Khidirov, a 34-year-old imam in the village of Kurush in the region of Dagestan bordering Chechnya, was shot dead at 4 am (0100 GMT) by two men as he headed to morning prayers, Russian investigators said.
“Two unidentified men wearing masks shot the imam with a pistol,” said the Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes. Khidirov died on the spot while his assailants fled.
Khidirov was known for preaching moderate traditional Islam, particularly to the region’s youth, and also ran an online television channel.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1205976/moderate-imam-shot-dead-in-russia
----------
Netanyahu in Britain: Mideast crumbling in face of radical Islam
September 9, 2015
The Middle East is disintegrating in the face of extreme Shi'a radicalism embodied by Iran, and extreme Sunni extremism incarnated by Islamic State, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the outset of a meeting Thursday in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Netanyahu said that this – and how to “roll back the tide of militant Islam both in the Middle East and North Africa” – was one of three main issues he wanted to discuss with Cameron.
The second “no less important” issue, he said, was peace.
“I want to say here, at 10 Downing, that I am ready to resume direct negotiations with the Palestinians with no conditions whatsoever to entering negotiations, and I am willing to do it immediately.”
And the third issue he wanted to discuss with Cameron, Netanyahu said, had to do with technology. He said that Israel and Britain are both centers of technology, and could accomplish much in various technological fields by working closely together.
Netanyahu arrived in London on Wednesday for a two day visit which, so far, has been accompanied by some pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Cameron, in his remarks, said Britain "remains staunch in our defense of Israel's right to exist and to defend itself."
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-in-Britain-Mideast-crumbling-in-face-of-radical-Islam-415817
----------
Support us and fight Islamic extremism, Netanyahu will tell Cameron
September 9, 2015
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on Europe to support Israel and fight extremism, ahead of his meeting with David Cameron.
Before boaRding his plane to London he said: “Europe needs to support Israel, not pressure Israel and not attack Israel, but support Israel, which is the only true protection Europe has in the Middle East against surging extremist Islam.
“We are prepared to act together with Europe in Africa and other places to fight extremist Islam but this requires a change of approach. This change will take time but we will implement it.”
Full report at:
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/144549/support-us-and-fight-islamic-extremism-netanyahu-will-tell-cameron
----------
Oslo Muslims Banned from Serving Refugees
09 September 2015
CAIRO – A decision to bar Oslo oldest mosques from helping refugees has sparked ire among Norway Muslims, after government immigration authority ruled that only neutral organizations were allowed to provide assistance.
"We have enough volunteers and sanitation is in place. If we can help, we are ready," Arshad Jamil of Islamic Cultural Centre, Norway's oldest mosque, told Norway's state broadcaster NRK, Local.no reported on Wednesday, September 9.
The Muslim offer followed news that at least 700 new refugees, mainly Syrians, were expected to arrive in Norway this week.
With the increasing number of refugees, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has been coordinating with charities and other organisation who can provide temporary accommodation for those arriving.
Having needed facilities to shelter refugees, the mosque offered to shelter some of the new arriving refugees.
The offer was turned down after UDI said that the directorate could not use religious organisations.
Full report at:
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/493493-oslo-muslims-banned-from-serving-refugees.html
----------
Russia's Muslim Clerics Concerned Over Court Ruling On Islamic Book
September 10, 2015
A court decision on a book about Islam is sparking protests in Russia.
A judge in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Natalya Perchenko, banned the Russian-language book in August, saying it included verses of the Koran that are "extremist."
A co-chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis, Nafigulla Ashirov, said on September 10 that the council will appeal the ruling, saying it "damages Russia's image."
The statement comes a day after the leader of Russia's mainly Muslim region of Chechnya, Ramazan Kadyrov, harshly criticized the court's decision, calling it a "provocation that might cause mass protests across Russia and beyond."
Full report at:
http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-islamic-book-ban-muftis/27236999.html
----------
Near Anniversary of 9/11, a Plea for Religious Tolerance
September 09, 2015
Two days from now, we’ll commemorate the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a tragedy that took the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
It has been 14 years since a group of 19 men hijacked four planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.
It has been 14 years since the lives of Americans of different races and religions were lost in the terrorist attacks of 2001. These lost lives, of course, include those of American Muslims, a fact that is generally overlooked.
When news of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill shooting broke last February, I was in Rabat, Morocco, standing among 18 other American students in the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning. A newlywed couple and the bride’s younger sister were shot in the head by their neighbor in a parking lot outside their apartment near UNC-Chapel Hill. Our program director for the semester, a Moroccan Muslim, spoke first after my classmate, a senior at Chapel Hill, relayed the news to us.
When a non-Muslim commits a senseless act of violence, he said, the media paints the picture of a troubled, mentally ill individual. When a Muslim does, his or her religion is brought into question and the term “terrorism” is thrown around.
He looked defeated. We didn’t have all the details at the time, but a story that had the makings of a hate crime (the shooter was a well-known religion-hater) developed into a parking dispute that ended in the murder of three Muslim students.
Our program director seemed to know how the story would be told before the media even had the chance to tell it. Some would argue that bias played into how the deaths were investigated and how the media then told the story.
It has been 14 years, and American-Muslims continue to deal with the negative repercussions of a group of men who used religion as justification for carrying out one of the United States’ worst terrorist attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.loyolaphoenix.com/near-anniversary-of-911-a-plea-for-religious-tolerance
----------
Anti-Islam rhetoric mars French refugee response
Published: 09 Sep 2015
The arrival of the first group of an eventual total of 24,000 refugees in France has been tainted by the ongoing refusal of some mayors to accept Muslims, with one town claiming they “cut off boss’s heads”. Muslim leaders have blasted their "dangerous" words.
Further inflammatory statements about refugees by some mayors in France continued to mar the French response to the refugee crisis on Wednesday as well as infuriate the government and Muslim community leaders.
After two centre-right mayors declared this week they only wanted to accept Christian refugees to keep out potential Islamist terrorists, there was even worse to come on Wednesday from the eastern town of Charvieu-Chavagneux.
A memo, unanimously approved by the council, said the town only wanted to accept Christian refugees because they “wouldn’t proceed to cut off the heads of their bosses”.
The town of Charvieu-Chavagneux, is home to around 8,000 inhabitants and stands just 15km from where Islamic extremist Yassin Salhi decapitated his boss in June, before trying to blow up a factory.
The council's text went even further declaring that “Christian refugees will not put others in danger, they would not attack trains armed with Kalashnikovs and would not gun down journalists in an editorial meeting,” referring to the recent foiled attack by an Islamist gunman on a train, and to the massacre at the offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo in January.
The text also evoked a “war of civilization” and the “arrival en masse of jihadists on French territory”.
While the words of the council at Charvieu-Chavagneux are the most extreme, other mayors around the country have also expressed reluctance to accept refugees – a process which remains voluntary, so far at least.
National Front leader Marine Le Pen vowed that none of the 11 towns run her party would take in any of the 24, 000 refugees the president has agreed to accept over the next two years.
She claimed they simply didn’t have the means, but the suspicion is that anti-Islam sentiment may also lie behind the stance of a party seen by critics as being deeply Islamophobic and racist.
Even ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stoking fears talking of the "risk of the disintegration of French society" due to the influx of refugees and migrants. The man tipped to make a bid for 2017 is presumably not talking about Christian refugees.
Members of the French government have strongly denounced the "dreadful" Christian-only stance, but Muslim leaders fear the damage may already have been done.
The Union of French Mosques strongly denounced the "dangerous" stance of the mayors accusing them of putting the newly arrived refugees at risk.
“These mayors are irresponsible and their words are dangerous especially in the context of this crisis, which is very difficult,” Mohammed Mraizika the secretary general of the Union of French Mosques told The Local on Wednesday.
“Whether refugees are Muslim or from another religion we have a duty to stand together and face up to this human tragedy,” he said.
Mraiziki said the words of the council in Charvieu-Chavagneux, were worse than Islamophobic.
“These people pour oil on the fire. They don’t think about the consequences of their words,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.thelocal.fr/20150909/refugees-france-anti-muslim-rhetoric-mars-french-refugee-response
----------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/i-understand-islam-better-than/d/104541