New Age Islam News Bureau
31 Oct 2012
India
• ‘Islam against Divorce at Whim and Caprice” Of the Husband’: J&K High Court
• Darul Uloom Should Modernise: Jamia VC Najeeb Jung
• India Lost Chance to Welcome Malala
• Faizabad riot put out ‘flame of harmony’
• India trying to get more suspected Indian Mujahideen members from Saudi Arabia
Arab World
• Syria military airport turned into fearsome prison: activists
• Saudi Cleric urges youth against joining rebels
• Bomb near Shi'ite shrine in Damascus kills seven
• 28 killed in wedding party blaze in Saudi Arabia
• Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood calls for Sharia Law; Jama’a al-Islamiya organizes March
• Coalition formed to ensure Sharia-friendly Egyptian constitution
• Boost for Hamas: Top-level Bahrain delegation visiting Gaza tomorrow
• Syrian air force general 'killed by rebels'
• Lebanon's March 14 coalition urges UN complaint against Al-Assad
• Arab Spring economies will get worse before rebound: Tunisia's former top banker
• Kuwait Summons Critic of Emir in Widening Crackdown
• Two new converts narrate their experience as Muslims
• Syrian rebels bring fight to pro-Assad Palestinians
• Bahrain Must Lift Ban on All Protests: Amnesty
• Iraq: Report on Money-Laundering
Europe
• Imam who preached Wahhabi Islam and family shot dead in Russia's Dagestan
• A Message of Tolerance from Bosnia for Veiled Women
• UN plan to teach Holocaust meets with fierce criticism in Palestinian refugee schools
• French official: Arafat to be exhumed in November
• UN 'alarmed' by Somali journalist murders
• Muslim Immigrants Have Helped Set Catalonia Apart in Spain
Southeast Asia
• 14 dead, homes burned in Indonesian ethnic clashes
• Muslim-Filipinos in Malaysia establish community association
South Asia
• Taleban could run for Afghan president
• Taliban Hits Region Seen as ‘Safest’ for Afghans
• Afghan roadside bombing kills eight civilians, including seven women
• Let us not look back, says Khaleda Zia
• Afghans Say Presidential Election Date Is Set for April 2014
• Afghan pugilist triumphs in country’s first pro boxing bout
• Envoy urges China to play ‘active role’ in Syria crisis
• International community urged to stop ‘summary executions’ in Bangladesh
Pakistan
• Terror merchant Hafiz Saeed offers aid to super storm victims in US
• Khar paints rosy picture of human rights in Pakistan
• SC orders IG Sindh, officials to submit report on 7,000 Taliban infiltrating Karachi
• From temple to shrine: Forced conversions?
• ISI, KP govt asked to explain killing of missing man
• Rights groups slam Pak bid to get UN Human Rights Council membership
• Khar congratulates Khurshid, looks forward to working with him
• In 1990, Benazir was labelled a security risk by army, says former MI official
• Hamid Gul accepts responsibility for creating IJI
• Zardari dual office case: LHC adjourns hearing till November 7
• Pak maritime agency detains 20 Indian fishermen
Africa
• Tunisian anti-Islamist blogger fined for 'indecency'
• Gunmen kill 20 in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state
• One dead in Tunisia clash between Salafists and police
• Rwandan Opposition Leader Ingabire Convicted of Treason
North America
• US judge mulls travel request in terror case
• Clinton urges EU/NATO entry for Bosnia, slams separatists
Mideast Asia
• The New Politics of Human Rights in the Middle East
• Israeli Defence Chief Says Iran Postponed Nuclear Ambitions
• Iranian Minister calls for creation of works against desecration of Islam by enemies
• Khartoum attack escalates Iran-Israel covert war
• Two New Israeli Settler Outposts Erected in West Bank
• Netanyahu says strike on Iran would be good for Arabs
• Iranian opposition channel launched in London
• Netanyahu arrives in France for talks with Hollande
• Iran naval visit reflects strong ties: Sudan military
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Bamian Province, Afghanistan
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘islam-divorce-whim-caprice”-husband’/d/9147
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India
‘Islam against Divorce at Whim and Caprice” Of the Husband’: J&K High Court
Bashaarat Masood
Oct 31 2012
Srinagar : In a landmark judgment, the J&K High Court has ruled that the power to divorce in Islam “isn’t absolute, unqualified and unbridled” and it can’t be “used arbitrarily at the whim and caprice” of the husband.
Quoting from the Quran and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad, Justice Hasnain Masoodi said the husband has to fulfil certain conditions to make talaq valid. “It emerges that a husband has not merely to prove he has pronounced talaq to divorce his wife. He has to compulsorily prove that... he had a valid reason and genuine cause to pronounce divorce; that talaq was pronounced in presence of two witnesses endued with justice and that talaq was pronounced during tuhr (the time between menstrual cycles) without indulging in sexual intercourse with the divorcee during the said tuhr,” Justice Masoodi said.
Justice Masoodi added: “The Quran uses the expression zawj for both husband and wife. It means either of the pair. Wherever Quran makes mention of ideal partners in a marriage, it refers to them as zawj and not husband or wife. This makes it clear that husband and wife in Islam are equal partners and have equal status.”
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-islam-against-divorce-at-whim-/1024275/
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Darul Uloom should modernise: Jamia VC Najeeb Jung
Oct 30, 2012
NEW DELHI: Calling Darul Uloom Deoband a shadow of its once great self, Jamia Milia Islamia Vice- Chancellor Najeeb Jung today rued that the seminary had failed to adopt modern education for its students.
Speaking about Muslims and their evolution in India over centuries, Jung said the historic institution at Deoband was once a centre of progressive thought that produced students who joined India's freedom movement.
However, he said, over the years the seminary had failed to adapt to modern times and stands pale in comparison to what it once stood for.
While tracking the history of Muslims in India in his Founder's Day lecture, Jung said both Darul Uloom Deoband and Darul Uloom Nadwa of Lucknow were institutions that were symbols of freedom and resistance to the British.
"Unfortunately, the seminary today is a shadow of its great self, where students are provided Islamic education but little of modern education, with the result that it makes no contribution to the job sector of India," he said.
Making a strong pitch for introduction of modern education at the seminaries, he said this would provide their students a much-needed progressive thought.
"I wish Deoband and Nadwa would modernise and take a lead in guiding the present generation," he said.
Founded in 1866 by prominent Islamic scholars led by Maulana Muhammad Qasim, the seminary in Deoband is looked up to by Muslims not only in India but also in South Asia as a respected centre of Islamic learning.
Jung termed the Liberation War of Bangladesh a watershed year for Indian Muslims as it shattered the two-nation theory that was the bedrock of Pakistan's establishment.
He said while for at least two decades after the Partition, Muslims in India lived under its shadow, they started breaking free from history only in the 80s and 90s.
"Unfortunately, the same period saw the rise of Hindu communalism," he said while referring to L K Advani's Rath Yatra and the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
"Today, we in India understand that there is Muslim terrorism and there is non-Muslim terrorism and that there is need to and ensure greater involvement of Muslims in the mainstream," he said.
Veteran journalist and writer Kuldip Nayar said he strongly believed that communal harmony in India depends on New Delhi's friendly relations with Islamabad.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Darul-Uloom-should-modernise-Jamia-VC-Najeeb-Jung/articleshow/17022208.cms
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India Lost Chance to Welcome Malala
Smruti Koppikar
October 31, 2012
India had the opportunity to treat Pakistani teenager and anti-Taliban rights activist Malala Yousafzai, but lost the chance.
Fifteen-year-old Malala, who has become a symbol of girls' rights worldwide, was shot by Taliban attackers on October 9. Civil society groups in
India and Pakistan, backed by some Awami National Party legislators in Pakistan, approached the Indian establishment to have Malala flown to a super-specialty private hospital in Mumbai for treatment, highly placed sources said.
Bat, according to sources, officials in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) hesitated on two counts: Malala did not possess valid travel documents, which could have easily been addressed, and such a move might seem like a ploy on India's part to score a brownie point on the back of a human tragedy.
When contacted, a PMO official said "there were indeed informal talks on the issue, but there was no formal proposal from any individual or group" to allow Malala to travel to Mumbai for treatment. Asked if India could have made the offer, he declined to comment.
Indian mediators were asked by the PMO to urge the Pakistani civil society groups and/or the Awami National Party to "make a request to India", sources told HT.
The process should begin from Pakistan, the mediators were told.
But by this time, Malala received preliminary treatment in a Peshawar hospital, where surgeons had managed to remove the bullet that had hit her skull.
She was then shifted to a military hospital and, significantly, a military statement reproduced by the BBC said that Malala be "shifted abroad to a UK centre, which has the capability to provide integrated care to children who have sustained severe injury".
The air ambulance was arranged by the United Arab Emirates and she was flown to London.
Sources said key doctors in a super-specialty hospital had been spoken to and had shown willingness to take up Malala's case after addressing security considerations.
"Had India made the offer to treat her, it would have resonated throughout the world and helped build trust on both sides. We should have shed the timidity," said Mahesh Bhatt, filmmaker and a campaigner for people-to-people connect between India and Pakistan.
The Taliban has threatened to attack Malala again. Two other girls, who were in the school bus with her, were also injured in the October 9 attack.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/India-lost-chance-to-welcome-Malala/Article1-952462.aspx
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Faizabad riot put out ‘flame of harmony’
Faisal Fareed
Oct 31 2012
Lucknow : For six years, the bilingual weekly Aap ki Taaqat, published from Faizabad, carried the slogan ‘Hindu-Muslim do bhai, Hindi-Urdu do behen’ on its masthead. The slogan could not save the weekly when communal riots flared up in Faizabad on October 24.
The newspaper’s office on the premises of Chowk Masjid was gutted in the fire that also consumed 11 shops and godowns. Press Council of India (PCI) chairman Justice (retd) Markandey Katju on Tuesday set up a committee to probe the attack on the mosque and the weekly. The eight-page Aap ki Taaqat, with four pages each in Hindi and Urdu, had a small circulation, but was “a flame of communal harmony”, said Iqbal Mustafa, who manages Faizabad Public School.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/faizabad-riot-put-out--flame-of-harmony-/1024477/
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India trying to get more suspected Indian Mujahideen members from Saudi Arabia
Oct 30, 2012
NEW DELHI: India is trying get deported four of its citizens, suspected to be members of terrorist outfit Indian Mujahideen, from Saudi Arabia.
Union Home Ministry officials said the four Indians, have been under the radar of security agencies for a long time for their alleged involvement in terror activities in the country. They did not disclose the names of the four. "We have requested the Saudi authorities to deport the four who are wanted in India. We are waiting for a positive response from the Saudis," an official said.
All the four have travelled to the Gulf country using Indian passport and are believed to be members of banned IM which had carried out several blasts, including in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore, in the last few years.
Saudi Arabia had deported three wanted terrorists in recent past. They are Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abu Jundal, who was one of the key conspirators of Mumbai terror attack, IM activist Fasih Mohammed, an accused in Delhi and Bangalore blasts and LeT operative A Rayees who was allegedly involved in a 2009 explosive haul case in Kerala.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-trying-to-get-more-suspected-Indian-Mujahideen-members-from-Saudi-Arabia/articleshow/17021916.cms
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Arab World
Syria military airport turned into fearsome prison: activists
A military airport in Hama has been turned into one of Syria's most-feared prisons, activists say
31 Oct 2012
The Syrian regime has transformed a military airport in Hama city into one of the country's most-feared prisons, where detainees are crammed into hangars and deadly torture is rife, activists, watchdogs and former inmates say.
Known as the site of a 1982 uprising which was crushed amid tens of thousands of deaths by President Bashar al-Assad's father and predecessor Hafez, Hama has also suffered in Syria's current uprising.
Activists in Hama took part in the modern uprising that broke out in March last year but following an almost six-week siege in the summer of 2011, the army and security forces took full control of the city.
Open dissent has since been nearly impossible, with detentions carried out almost daily by the security forces, monitors and activists say.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56819/World/Region/Syria-military-airport-turned-into-fearsome-prison.aspx
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Saudi Cleric urges youth against joining rebels
31 October 2012
RIYADH (Saudi Arabia) — A Saudi cleric has advised Muslim youth against joining Syrian rebel fighters in the 19-month civil war against President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.
Salman Al Audah warns that their presence among the rebels might serve the Assad regime’s claim that the rebellion is the work of terrorist groups.
He told the Al Jazeera satellite channel on Monday that the Syrian rebels need money, weapons and prayers.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Bomb near Shi'ite shrine in Damascus kills seven
31 Oct 2012
A bomb killed at least seven people on Wednesday near a Shi'ite shrine in a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus, opposition activists said.
The semi-official Addounia television said there were casualties in the explosion in the Sayeda Zainab district. Another bomb in the area was defused, the station said.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56850/World/Region/Bomb-near-Shiite-shrine-in-Damascus-kills-seven.aspx
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28 killed in wedding party blaze in Saudi Arabia
31 Oct 2012
Twenty-eight people were killed and 37 injured in a blaze that hit a wedding party in Saudi Arabia’s eastern town of Abqaiq, a senior security official said on Wednesday.
The fire was sparked on Tuesday night by a falling power cable, added General Abdullah Khushaiman, the director of civil defence in the kingdom’s eastern region.
Witnesses said that the power cable snapped and came down due to celebratory bullets shot in the air by some guests.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/28-killed-in-wedding-party-blaze-in-saudi-arabia/article4050700.ece
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Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood calls for Sharia Law; Jama’a al-Islamiya organizes March
Tue 30 Oct 2012
On 29 October it was reported that the newly elected chairman of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Saad al-Katatni, has called for the institution of Sharia law as the main new goal of his leadership. “The Muslim Brotherhood established the [FJP] to represent the Brotherhood’s political project, which, in the end, will be a wise government that will institute Islamic Sharia law,” Katatni was quoted saying.
Full report at:
http://www.europeanforum.net/news/1545/muslim_brotherhood_calls_for_sharia_law_jama
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Coalition formed to ensure Sharia-friendly Egyptian constitution
The FJP, Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, and other Islamist groups plan to unite forces to ensure that Egypt's new constitution conforms to 'Islamic law'
30 Oct 2012
Several Islamist political groups, including Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, the Freedom and Justice Party and Al-Dawa Al-Salafiya have announced that they will form a coalition of political parties and Islamic forces to ensure that Egypt's new constitution is shaped in accordance with Islamic Sharia (law).
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/56780/Egypt/Politics-/Coalition-formed-to-ensure-shariafriendly-Egyptian.aspx
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Boost for Hamas: Top-level Bahrain delegation visiting Gaza tomorrow
31 October 2012
A high-level Bahraini delegation will arrive in Gaza tomorrow to open two UNRWA schools, the enclave’s Hamas rulers said yesterday, denying it would be led by one of the royal princes.
“A high-level Bahraini delegation will visit Gaza on Thursday headed by Mustafa Al-Sayyed, Secretary-General of the Bahraini Royal Charity Organization (RCO),” said a terse statement issued by Taher Al-Nunu, spokesman for the Gaza government.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/boost-hamas-top-level-bahrain-delegation-visiting-gaza-tomorrow
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Syrian air force general 'killed by rebels'
10/31/2012
A senior Syrian air force general has been killed by rebels in central Damascus, state television reports.
Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khalidi was shot dead late on Monday in the capital's Rukn al-Din district, it said.
The attack appears to be the latest in a string of rebel attacks on high-level figures from President Bashar al-Assad's administration.
In July, a bomb killed the country's defence minister and Mr Assad's brother-in-law, Assef Shawkat.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20143182
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Lebanon's March 14 coalition urges UN complaint against Al-Assad
Lebanon's March 14 coalition accuses Damascus of planning series of bombings in Beirut, urges UN-Arab League complaint against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad
31 Oct 2012
The Lebanese opposition on Tuesday called for an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council and the Arab League against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Lebanon's March 14 coalition, which is bitterly opposed to Assad, has accused Damascus of planning a series of bombings in Lebanon.
The demand for a formal complaint comes after a series of territorial violations by Syrian regime forces, including frequent cross-border shelling in recent months.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56827/World/Region/Lebanons-March--coalition-urges-UN-complaint-again.aspx
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Arab Spring economies will get worse before rebound: Tunisia's former top banker
Unsustainable spending and continued problems attracting foreign investment mean countries like Egypt and Tunisia are in for a rough ride, says ex-central bank chief
Ahmed Feteha in Gammarth
30 Oct 2012
Arab economies are likely to get worse before they get better, the former governor of Tunisia's central bank has said.
Speaking at the 'Arab Spring to Economic Spring' conference organised by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), former bank chief Mustapha Nabli warned that turbulence was an "iron law" when it came to political turbulence of the type that has overthrown leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and beyond.
"Don’t expect everything to be fixed quickly. There are major challenges facing the Arab transition countries," Nabli said.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/56715/Business/Economy/Arab-Spring-economies-will-get-worse-before-reboun.aspx
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Kuwait Summons Critic of Emir in Widening Crackdown
Former opposition MP summoned for interrogation by Kuwaiti authorities on grounds of undermining status of emir in August TV interview
31 Oct 2012
A Kuwaiti opposition figure said he has been summoned for questioning after allegedly criticising the emir on television, as the Gulf state widened a crackdown on dissent.
"I will go to the public prosecution (on Wednesday) for interrogation on the accusation of undermining the status of the emir in a televised interview in August," former Islamist MP Faisal al-Muslim said on Twitter.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56822/World/Region/Kuwait-summons-critic-of-emir-in-widening-crackdow.aspx
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Two new converts narrate their experience as Muslims
October 2012
In Tent No. 27 in northeastern Mina, a Swedish woman was teaching the basics of reciting the Holy Qur’an to a number of European women, seated in a semicircle around her.
While teaching, the 48-year-old Katya also encourages her students to reflect about the wonderful verses in the holy book.
“I belonged to a devout Catholic family that regularly attended Church, and were very particular about religion,” said Katya, who performed Haj with the Muslim World League for newcomers to Islam, reported Asharq Al-Awsat.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/two-new-converts-narrate-their-experience-muslims
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Syrian rebels bring fight to pro-Assad Palestinians
10/31/2012
Rebels say they're arming Palestinians to fight pro-Assad faction; bomb placed under car of Syrian colonel in Yarmouk camp; over 180 people killed in Syria in past day, many in gov't air strikes, according to rights group.
BEIRUT - Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they had formed a brigade of sympathetic Palestinians in a Damascus district to fight armed Palestinians aligned with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
About 150,000 Palestinian refugees live in the Syrian capital's Yarmouk camp, a sprawling area of concrete apartment blocks, where some residents support the 19-month-old uprising against Assad and others fight alongside Syrian soldiers.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=289938
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Bahrain Must Lift Ban on All Protests: Amnesty
2012/10/31
DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain must lift its total ban on opposition protests, which violates the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Bahrain, a U.S. ally which hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been in political turmoil since pro-democracy protests led by its Shi'ite Muslim majority erupted last year and were put down by the island's Sunni Muslim rulers.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashed bin Abdullah al-Khalifa said the Gulf Arab kingdom had banned all rallies and gatherings to ensure public safety and prevent violence.
He said the move was necessary because violence accompanying marches and gatherings had disrupted traffic, affected trade and the economy and damaged private property.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/31/world/middleeast/31reuters-bahrain-amnesty-ban.html?ref=middleeast
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Iraq: Report on Money-Laundering
2012/10/31
Iraqi auditors believe as much as $800 million in American dollars is being sent out of the country illegally each week, draining it of hard currency, according to a report by American inspectors released Tuesday. The findings point to widespread money laundering and could focus further attention on Iraq’s central bank, the heart of an inquiry into financial wrongdoing involving top officials. Auditors fear that up to 80 percent of an estimated $1 billion leaving the country lacks proper documentation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/middleeast/iraq-report-on-money-laundering.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print&_r=0
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Europe
Imam who preached Wahhabi Islam and family shot dead in Russia's Dagestan
An Imam, his brother and father were all shot dead by unidentified attackers in Russia
30 Oct 2012
Attackers shot dead an imam and two of his relatives as he drove to morning prayers in Russia's restive Dagestan region of the North Caucasus on Tuesday, an interior ministry official said.
"Unidentified people opened fire on Kalimulla Ibragimov's car when he and his two relatives were headed to a Derbent mosque for the Morning Prayer," spokeswoman for the Dagestan interior ministry Fatina Ubaidatova told AFP.
Ibragimov was in the car with his brother and father when they were attacked in Caspian Sea city of Derbent at around 6:30 am (0230 GMT), said Dagestan's Investigative Committee, cited by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/56790/World/International/Imam-and-family-shot-dead-in-Russias-Dagestan.aspx
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A Message of Tolerance From Bosnia for Veiled Women
By AIDA CERKEZ
2012/10/31
VISOKO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA — When Amra Babic walks down the streets of Visoko wearing her Muslim head scarf, men sitting in outdoor cafes instantly rise from their chairs, fix their clothes and put out their cigarettes.
The respect is only natural: Ms. Babic is the new mayor of the central Bosnian town.
The 43-year-old economist has blazed a trail in this war-scarred Balkan nation by becoming its first hijab-wearing mayor, and possibly the only one in Europe. Her victory in elections Oct. 7 came as governments elsewhere in Europe debate laws to ban the veil, and Turkey, another predominantly Islamic country seeking membership of the European Union, maintains a strict policy of keeping religious symbols out of public life.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/europe/31iht-letter31.html?ref=europe
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UN plan to teach Holocaust meets with fierce criticism in Palestinian refugee schools
Adam Nicky
Oct 30, 2012
AMMAN – Riyadh’s thunderous voice silenced some 45 noisy students in Baqaa elementary school for Palestinian refugees before starting his history class. The students listened to a lecture about the Roman Empire and conquest of North Africa.
From behind his thick glasses, the long-bearded 37-year-old teacher vehemently rejects the idea of teaching the Holocaust to his class of Palestinian refugees, all hailing from towns now part of Israel after their parents or grandparents fled after the 1948 war.
“It’s impossible that I would teach my students about the so-called Holocaust. UNRWA is planning to impose this on us, but we refuse to teach the history of our eternal enemies,” he insisted to The Media Line.
Full report at:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/10/30/un-plan-to-teach-holocaust-in-palestinian-refugee-camp-schools-meets-with-fierce-criticism/
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French official: Arafat to be exhumed in November
Oct 30, 2012
RAMALLAH, West Bank: Criminal investigators from France will exhume Yasser Arafat's remains next month to try to find out how the Palestinian leader died, a French official said Tuesday.
The official said the team from France will arrive sometime between Nov. 24 and Nov. 26 in the West bank city of Ramallah.
Palestinian authorities confirmed the timetable and said a separate Swiss investigative team would also arrive in Ramallah at the same time. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/French-official-Arafat-to-be-exhumed-in-November/articleshow/17023157.cms
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UN 'alarmed' by Somali journalist murders
After a string of assassinations specifically targeting media workers in Somalia, the United Nations human rights agency expressed concern and urges government to bring killers to justice
30 Oct 2012
The United Nations human rights agency on Tuesday expressed deep concern at a string of assassinations targeting media workers in Somalia and urged the government to bring the killers to justice.
"We are extremely alarmed by the continuing assault on Somalia's media workers and journalists by (the Al-Qaeda linked) Al Shebab and other elements," Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, told reporters in Geneva.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56777/World/Region/UN-alarmed-by-Somali-journalist-murders.aspx
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Muslim Immigrants Have Helped Set Catalonia Apart in Spain
By RAPHAEL MINDER
2012/10/31
BADALONA, Spain — Catalonia’s gathering drive to separate from Spain has been a mixed blessing for Enrique Shen.
It has been good for business. Last month, before a giant rally in neighboring Barcelona to support independence, Mr. Shen ran out of the Catalan flags he sells as a wholesaler because customers had snapped up about 10,000 of them in just a week.
But as an immigrant who moved here from Shanghai 20 years ago, he is worried by the way separatists advance their case for nationhood with claims to a distinct Catalan national culture, language and identity that set it apart from Spain. “It’s always best to be part of a larger country, just like having a bigger family to help you,” Mr. Shen said.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/europe/catalonias-immigrants-add-to-separatist-debate.html?ref=europe
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Southeast Asia
14 dead, homes burned in Indonesian ethnic clashes
31 Oct 2012
Hundreds of police and soldiers have been dispatched to restore security in western Indonesia after 14 people were killed and dozens wounded in ethnic clashes.
Police Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said Wednesday the three-day clash in Balinuraga village of Lampung province was triggered by minor sexual harassment among young men and girls from the Lampung ethnic group and Balinese descendants on Sumatra island.
Mr. Amar said more than 1,500 police and 500 soldiers were deployed to the area late Tuesday when the fight escalated as angry mobs set alight more than 160 houses and a dozen vehicles.
More than 1,300 villagers have evacuated their homes and moved to a police compound in the provincial capital Bandar Lampung.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/14-dead-homes-burned-in-indonesian-ethnic-clashes/article4050273.ece
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Muslim-Filipinos in Malaysia establish community association
30 Oct 2012
Muslim-Filipinos in Malaysia organized themselves by establishing a community association called the Union of Muslim Filipinos in Malaysia (UMFM) during a meeting held on October 20 at the Philippine Embassy’s Vista Community Hall and had the induction of its first set of officers on October 28 in the same venue.
Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia J. Eduardo Malaya administered the oath to its president, Jamel Cayamuddin, and the rest of the UMFM’s officers, namely: Mohammad Omar Bin Bituh, vice president for internals; Jamila Binti Abdullah, vice president for externals; Carim Panumpang, secretary; Imam Hamza Balt, treasurer; Khadafy Sinulinding, auditor; Jonathan Mantikayan, PIO; and committee heads Ustadz Cairoden Lao for culture, Nadhera Muhammad Qassem for education, and Muhammad ReNATO for religion and sport, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=2101351507833
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South Asia
Taleban could run for Afghan president
31 October 2012
The Taleban and other insurgent leaders could stand as candidates in Afghanistan’s next presidential election, to be held in April 2014, the country’s top poll official said Wednesday.
President Hamid Karzai, who is serving his second term as leader of the war-torn nation, is constitutionally barred from running in the election and no clear candidate to succeed him has yet emerged.
The vote, scheduled for April 5, 2014, is seen as crucial to Afghan stability after the withdrawal of NATO troops and Fazil Ahmad Manawi, the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) insisted his body would act impartially.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
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Taliban Hits Region Seen as ‘Safest’ for Afghans
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
10/31/2012
BAMIAN, Afghanistan — The war has finally found Bamian, a remote corner of Afghanistan that for a decade had enjoyed near immunity to Taliban violence.
As the American troop surge peaked over the past two years, Taliban insurgents began contesting parts of this central province, flowing in from more embattled areas of the country. And now, a series of deadly strikes in recent months has intimidated residents and served notice that roads are unsafe and government officials are targets.
That it has happened in Bamian — known for its rugged beauty, nascent skiing industry and the ancient Buddha statues that once kept vigil here — has added to the sense that nowhere in Afghanistan can be considered safe. And that, Afghan and Western analysts say, is a crucial part of the Taliban’s strategy in coming here.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/asia/taliban-hits-region-seen-as-safest-for-afghans.html?ref=world
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Afghan roadside bombing kills eight civilians, including seven women
October 31, 2012
KABUL: Eight civilians, including seven women, were killed in an insurgent roadside bombing in the Musa Qala district of the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Wednesday, the Afghan interior ministry said.
Two people were wounded in the attack, the Afghan interior ministry said in a statement, holding the Taliban responsible for the attack.
“Eight of our civilian compatriots, seven women and a man, were killed today when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb planted by the Taliban terrorists,” the statement said.
Roadside bombs, also known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), are the deadliest insurgent weapon used in Afghanistan for both the military fighting the Taliban and civilians.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/31/afghan-roadside-bombing-kills-eight-civilians/
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Let us not look back, says Khaleda Zia
SANDEEP DIKSHIT
31 Oct 2012
“This marks a new beginning. Let’s look forward and not look back in the rear view mirror.” This was the former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s observation when she met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid here on Tuesday, said Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. She is the first foreign dignitary to meet Mr. Khurshid after he took over as External Affairs Minister on Sunday.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/let-us-not-look-back-says-khaleda-zia/article4048548.ece
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Afghans Say Presidential Election Date Is Set for April 2014
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG
2012/10/31
KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai took a step toward fulfilling his pledge to hold Afghanistan’s presidential election on time, as officials said Tuesday that the vote had been officially set for April 5, 2014.
If the date holds, it will avoid a repeat of one of the first in a series of controversies to mar the last presidential election, originally set for May 2009. That election, however, was delayed until August, which pushed Mr. Karzai a few months past the official end of his constitutionally mandated five-year term.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/asia/afghan-election-date-is-set-for-2014.html
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Afghan pugilist triumphs in country’s first pro boxing bout
October 31, 2012
KABUL: A joyous Kabul crowd invaded the ring to celebrate a local victory in Afghanistan’s first professional men’s boxing match, after Hamid Rahimi beat Tanzanian Said Mbelwa in seven rounds.
Afghan fighter Rahimi overcame Mbelwa on Tuesday evening to take the World Boxing Organization Intercontinental middleweight belt in the “Fight 4 Peace” in a city better known for gunfire and insurgent attacks than uppercuts and jabs.
Organisers hope to use the event, which drew around 1,500 people paying at least $100 for a ticket – more than a month’s salary for most Afghans – to promote sport as a unifying force in Afghanistan after decades of conflict.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/31/afghan-pugilist-triumphs-in-countrys-first-pro-boxing-bout/
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Envoy urges China to play ‘active role’ in Syria crisis
October 31, 2012
BEIJING: UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Wednesday he hoped China would play an active role in helping end the violence in Syria as he met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi for talks in Beijing.
Greeting Yang at the foreign ministry in front of reporters, Brahimi said he hoped “China can play an active role in solving the events in Syria” without elaborating further.
China is generally suspicious of intervention in the internal affairs of other nations.
Both China and Russia have exercised their veto in the UN Security Council to block resolutions aimed at putting more pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/458796/envoy-urges-china-to-play-active-role-in-syria-crisis/
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International community urged to stop ‘summary executions’ in Bangladesh
31 October 2012
The trial of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP leaders in Bangladesh as war criminals has divided the Muslim country. Supporters of the ruling Awami League government alleged the arrested opposition leaders were behind the killings, rapes and other atrocities that occurred during the 1971 liberation war while opponents insist that the trials are politically-motivated as the Hasina government wants to weaken the opposition and continue in power for several years.
Toby M. Cadman, a renowned international barrister and an expert on war crimes tribunals, has called upon the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to hold an international conference either to reconcile the two belligerent groups in Bangladesh or pressure the government to conduct fair and transparent trials.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/international-community-urged-stop-%E2%80%98summary-executions%E2%80%99-bangladesh
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Pakistan
Terror merchant Hafiz Saeed offers aid to superstorm victims in US
October 30, 2012
The founder of a Pakistan-based Islamist group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, who is under a $10 million US bounty, Tuesday offered humanitarian aid to the United States as it battles superstorm Sandy.
Sandy hammered the eastern United States early Tuesday, flooding much of
New York City, hitting several states with heavy winds and torrential rain and leaving at least 14 people dead.
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit and now head of the charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, said his organisation was ready to offer every possible help to the storm-hit American people.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Hafiz-Saeed-offers-help-to-storm-hit-US/Article1-952315.aspx
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Khar paints rosy picture of human rights in Pakistan
October 31, 2012
ISLAMABAD: While unveiling the country’s national report at the UN’s Human Rights Council (HRC) on Tuesday, the government glossed over bitter facts and painted an overly rosy picture of what cannot be considered an enviable record.
Keen to defend the country’s record because of candidacy for the Nov 12 election to HRC and hopes of qualifying for next GSP+ preferential trade programme, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar herself led the delegation to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva.
UPR is a state-driven process in which every UN member country gets a chance to make a presentation at the council about steps it had taken to address rights violations and fulfil its obligations. Currently the second round of the review, which started in May this year, is under way. The UPR has been heralded as an unmatched international mechanism to monitor rights situation across the world.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/31/khar-paints-rosy-picture-of-human-rights-in-pakistan/
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SC orders IG Sindh, officials to submit report on 7,000 Taliban infiltrating Karachi
October 31, 2012
KARACHI: A judicial bench of the apex court on Wednesday ordered the IG Sindh along with other officials to submit a report regarding the infiltration of more than 7,000 Taliban in Karachi by Thursday, Express News reported.
The order was given during the Supreme Court’s hearing of the case regarding the implementation of its recommendations in the Karachi violence suo motu case.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/458801/sc-orders-ig-sindh-officials-to-submit-report-on-7000-taliban-infiltrating-karachi/
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From temple to shrine: Forced conversions?
October 31, 2012
In September of this year, Dawn.com got a chance to visit the shrines and temples of Dharki — a city located in the Ghotki District of upper Sindh, which is home to a sizable Muslim community, as well as a Hindu minority.
The Sant Satram Das Temple is overlooked by multiple statues of Hindu deities and is located close to the Bharchundi Sharif Shrine.
The shrine is a Sufi centre with a madrasa that has been mentioned in the media in connection with a high number of alleged forced conversions of members from the Hindu community in the area, the most notable of which is the Rinkle Kumari case.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/31/from-temple-to-shrine/
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ISI, KP govt asked to explain killing of missing man
October 31, 2012
PESHAWAR, Oct 30: A Peshawar High Court bench on Tuesday sought explanation from the Inter-Services Intelligence director general and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa home secretary on the killing of a missing person allegedly in the custody of the law-enforcement agencies.
The two were asked by acting Chief Justice Miftauddin Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth to let the bench know under what law, Zahoorullah Khan was picked up and under what circumstances, he was killed.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/31/isi-kp-govt-asked-to-explain-killing-of-missing-man/
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Rights groups slam Pak bid to get UN Human Rights Council membership
Oct 31, 2012
NEW DELHI: Ironically, even as a young Pakistani girl, Malala Yousufzai, is recovering from being shot in the head by Taliban extremists, Pakistan is seeking to become a member of the UN's Human Rights Council (HRC) for the next couple of years. India, indeed all of Asia, is backing Pakistan's candidature, despite the fact that Islamabad continues to attack New Delhi openly in HRC. Pakistan's "election" is scheduled for November 12.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rights-groups-slam-Pak-bid-to-get-UN-Human-Rights-Council-membership/articleshow/17027990.cms
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Khar congratulates Khurshid, looks forward to working with him
Oct 31, 2012
NEW DELHI: Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday congratulated her new Indian counterpart Salman Khurshid saying that she looked forward to taking the ongoing dialogue process forward with him. She told Khurshid in her message that Pakistan continues to seek peaceful and friendly ties with India.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Khar-congratulates-Khurshid-looks-forward-to-working-with-him/articleshow/17027946.cms
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In 1990, Benazir was labelled a security risk by army, says former MI official
By Azam Khan
October 31, 2012
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s short order in the Asghar Khan case may have placed blame on two army generals for violating the Constitution by rigging the 1990 elections against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but it left lingering questions about the details of the so-called “anti-state activities” of “some players” that prompted the interference to begin with.
One of the pushers of the “national interest” argument, the former head of the Military Intelligence (MI) Sindh chapter Brigadier (retd) Hamid Saeed shared details of such activities with The Express Tribune. In an earlier statement submitted by the former MI chief to the Supreme Court, which Saeed also shared with The Express Tribune, the former MI chief said former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was labelled a “security risk” for Pakistan, adding that Bhutto’s public criticism of the army had landed her in hot waters.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/458674/asghar-khan-case-in-1990-benazir-was-labelled-a-security-risk-by-army-says-former-mi-official/
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Hamid Gul accepts responsibility for creating IJI
October 31, 2012
ISLAMABAD: During an interview on DawnNews, former chief of the Inter Service Intelligence(ISI) General (Retd) Hamid Gul said that politicians in the country were corrupt, and at the same time admitted responsibility for creating the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), a political alliance that was allegedly created to prevent Benazir Bhutto’s PPP from winning.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/31/hamid-gul-accepts-responsibilty-for-creating-igi/
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Zardari dual office case: LHC adjourns hearing till November 7
October 31, 2012
LAHORE: A five-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the contempt petition against President Asif Ali Zardari till November 7.
The five-member bench, comprising LHC Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh, Justice Sheikh Najamul Hasan, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, was hearing a contempt petition filed by Muneer Ahmad Khan against President Asif Ali Zardari for not complying with the court’s order in the dual office case.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/458810/zardari-dual-office-case-lhc-adjourns-hearing-till-november-7/
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Pak maritime agency detains 20 Indian fishermen
Oct 31 2012
Jamnagar: In the second such incident within a fortnight, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) apprehended 20 Indian fishermen and seized 14 fishing boats, a fishermen's body claimed on Tuesday. The PMSA yesterday confronted 15 Indian fishing trawlers with 80 fishermen in international waters of the Zakhau coast. Later, it apprehended 20 fishermen and 14 boats taking them to Karachi, said National Fish Workers' Forum national secretary Manish Lodhari. “The PMSA let off a boat with 60 Indian fishermen which will reach Okha port tonight and they informed us that 12 Indian fishermen were abducted and 14 fishing trawlers seized,” Lodhari said, adding that this is the third such incident within a month.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/briefly-state-pak-maritime-agency-detains-20-indian-fishermen/1024409/
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Africa
Tunisian anti-Islamist blogger fined for 'indecency'
Court fines blogger and activist Sofiane Chourabi for drunkenness and indecency, which he argues aimed at 'intimidating opponents' of Tunisia's Islamist government
30 Oct 2012
A Tunisian court on Tuesday ordered blogger and anti-Islamist activist Sofiane Chourabi to pay a 104 dinar (52 euro/$67) fine for drunkenness and indecency during Ramadan, he told AFP.
Chourabi has accused the Islamist-led government of orchestrating the case against him and, denying any wrongdoing, said he would appeal the decision.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56774/World/Region/Tunisian-antiIslamist-blogger-fined-for-indecency.aspx
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Gunmen kill 20 in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state
31 October 2012
KADUNA, Nigeria: Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers have killed 20 people in a village in the northwest Nigerian state of Zamfara, authorities said on Wednesday, a similar attack to one in June.
Dozens of men armed with guns stormed Kaburu village early on Tuesday morning, demanding money before shooting and hacking people to death, local residents said.
“They were all shot to death while the village head was slaughtered with a sword,” local government spokesman Salihu Anga told Reuters by phone.
At least 27 people were killed in June when suspected armed robbers attacked several villages in Zamfara.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/gunmen-kill-20-northern-nigeria%E2%80%99s-zamfara-state
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One dead in Tunisia clash between Salafists and police
10/31/2012
Authorities in Tunisia say an Islamist militant has been killed in clashes between radical Salafi Muslims and police in the capital Tunis.
The interior ministry said security forces opened fire on Salafists attacking a police station.
The attack was reportedly in retaliation for the arrest of one of their number earlier in the day.
Tunisia has seen numerous clashes between the authorities and hardline Salafists since the uprising in 2011.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20149180
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Rwandan Opposition Leader Ingabire Convicted of Treason
30 OCTOBER 2012
Victoire Ingabire, leader of the UDF-Inkingi party, has been convicted and sentenced on charges of treason and and genocide denial. Her lawyer says she will lodge an appeal.
Rwandan opposition politician Victoire Ingabire has been sentenced to eight years in prison by the Rwandan High Court, according to local journalists in Kigali.
This is seen as a relatively mild sentence as the prosecutor was demanding life imprisonment. Ingabire's British lawyer Iain Edwards said she will lodge an appeal.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201210301605.html
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North America
US judge mulls travel request in terror case
October 31, 2012
A US federal judge will determine whether defence attorneys for two imams accused of helping terrorists can travel to Pakistan to question witnesses, the United Press International (UPI) reported.
During a hearing on Monday, prosecutors said they objected to such travel “under any circumstances” before the trial begins in January, the news agency quoted The Miami Herald as saying.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/458672/us-judge-mulls-travel-request-in-terror-case/
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Clinton urges EU/NATO entry for Bosnia, slams separatists
31 October 2012
SARAJEVO: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday urged war-scarred Bosnia to join the EU and NATO to ensure stability as she told Bosnian Serb leaders to drop separatist threats.
“We believe that joining the European Union and NATO offers this country the best path to lasting stability and prosperity,” Clinton said after meeting Bosnia’s three presidents at the start of her five-nation Balkans tour.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/clinton-urges-euNATO-entry-bosnia-slams-separatists
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Mideast Asia
The New Politics of Human Rights in the Middle East
By Shadi Mokhtari
October 30, 2012
For decades, "human rights in the Middle East" was a subject of scrutiny, debate, and mobilizations spearheaded from outside of the region. Western governments including successive U.S. administrations frequently took up the region's dire human rights conditions and funded a variety of human rights initiatives to remedy them, in many ways as a substitute for forgoing economic and military alliances with highly repressive regimes. These foreign governments' human rights talk was heavy in its emphasis on women's rights and other violations for which backward cultural and religious belief were designated as the key culprits and light on its emphasis on civil and political rights violations. During the post-9/11 era, as highlighting the Middle East's deplorable human rights conditions added a veneer of moral purpose to military interventions in the region, the "human rights in the Middle East" line of inquiry took on a life of its own and created a cottage industry of Western-driven human rights assessments and prescriptions. All the while, local voices promoting human rights were largely silenced by authoritarian rulers simultaneously paying lip service to human rights and undermining it by arguing that it served foreign, Western, imperialist agendas. Cumulatively, there dynamics resulted in minimal Middle Eastern agency in defining the nature and scope of its own predicament vis-à-vis the human rights paradigm.
Full report at:
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/10/30/the_new_politics_of_human_rights_in_the_middle_east
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Israeli Defense Chief Says Iran Postponed Nuclear Ambitions
By RICK GLADSTONE
10/31/2012
Israel’s defense minister said Tuesday that the country had interpreted Iran’s conversion of some enriched uranium to fuel rods for civilian use as evidence that Iran had delayed ambitions to build a nuclear weapon.
The assertion, by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper, amounted to the first explanation from him as to why he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu softened their position in September over the possibility of a military strike to thwart what they called Iran’s drive toward imminent nuclear weapons capability.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/world/middleeast/israel-says-iran-has-postponed-nuclear-ambitions.html?_r=0
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Iranian Minister calls for creation of works against desecration of Islam by enemies
30 Oct 2012
Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Husseini called on poets and literati to produce works against desecration of Islam by enemies.
IBNA: The closing ceremony of the Poetry Congress of the 10th Imam was held on Monday in the presence of the minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad Husseini.
Arranged by the Islamic Warriors Mass, the congress was arranged with support from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and was aimed at dissemination of the Ahlol Beit’s (the Prophet’s house) culture, highlighting Imam Hadi’s political, social and belief style, and propagation of the praying culture in the society. The event was held at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Monday evening.
Full report at:
http://www.ibna.ir/vdcgnw9qwak9nz4.5jra.html
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Khartoum attack escalates Iran-Israel covert war
ATUL ANEJA
31 Oct 2012
The covert war between Iran and Israel, being fought along a broad front, escalated on Tuesday with Tehran again drawing international attention to the aerial bombardment of a weapons manufacturing unit in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast slammed international organisations and western powers for being silent about Israel’s “aggressions against regional countries”.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/khartoum-attack-escalates-iranisrael-covert-war/article4048213.ece
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Two New Israeli Settler Outposts Erected in West Bank
2012/10/31
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli settlers have set up two new unauthorized outposts in the occupied West Bank, the anti-settlement Peace Now group said on Wednesday.
Hagit Ofran, who monitors settlement activity for Peace Now, said about eight prefabricated homes were placed near the settlement of Tzofim and another five outside the settlement of Talmon.
She said the two new sites were connected to power and water lines serving the nearby settlements, a departure from previous cases in which outposts erected without Israeli government permission have been self-sustaining.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/31/world/middleeast/31reuters-palestinians-israel-settlements.html?hp
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Netanyahu says strike on Iran would be good for Arabs
October 31, 2012
PARIS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought on Tuesday to convince Arab states that an Israeli military strike on Iran would benefit them, removing a potential threat and easing tensions across the Middle East.
Netanyahu has made a number of veiled threats to attack Iran’s nuclear programme and has appealed to the United States and the United Nations to set a limit for Tehran on its further development.
In an interview published on Tuesday with French magazine Paris Match, Netanyahu said such a strike would not worsen regional tensions, as many critics have warned.
“Five minutes after, contrary to what the sceptics say, I think a feeling of relief would spread across the region,” he said.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2012/10/30/netanyahu-says-strike-on-iran-would-be-good-for-arabs/
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Iranian opposition channel launched in London
A businessman opposed to the Iranian regime launched a new television channel in London on Thursday 25 October, aimed at "promoting democracy and freedom" in the Middle Eastern state
30 Oct 2012
At a press conference in the British capital, the channel's director and editor-in-chief Ali Asghar Ramezanpoor said "Raha" would be the "first independent channel that belongs to Iranian people.
"There are channels in Persian -- like BBC or Voice of America -- but they are from others countries, not Iranian people," added Ramezanpoor, a former deputy minister in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/35/56773/Arts--Culture/Stage--Street/Iranian-opposition-channel-launched-in-London.aspx
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Netanyahu arrives in France for talks with Hollande
31 Oct 2012
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in France Wednesday for a two-day visit that includes talks with President Francois Hollande focusing on the Iranian nuclear programme.
It is Netanyahu's "first opportunity to talk with President Hollande, and he hopes to build a good working relationship with the French leader," a source close to the Israeli leader told AFP.
Since taking office five months ago, Hollande has only spoken to Netanyahu by telephone but has already met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas twice -- both times in Paris.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/56830/World/Region/Netanyahu-arrives-in-France-for-talks-with-Holland.aspx
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Iran naval visit reflects strong ties: Sudan military
31 October 2012
KHARTOUM: The visit of two Iranian naval ships to Sudan reflects strong ties between the countries, Sudan’s military said on Tuesday after Khartoum denied Iranian involvement in weapons manufacturing.
Sudan’s links to Iran have come under scrutiny after Khartoum accused Israel of sending four radar-evading aircraft to strike the Yarmouk military factory in the heart of the capital at midnight on Oct. 23.
The factory compound exploded and burst into flames, and speculation followed that Iranian weapons were stored or manufactured there.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/iran-naval-visit-reflects-strong-ties-sudan-military
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/‘islam-divorce-whim-caprice”-husband’/d/9147