Jesus Christ Had Ability to Change Shape, According To Ancient Egyptian Text
New Age Islam News Bureau
14 March 2013
Arab World
• Jesus Christ Had Ability to Change Shape, According To Ancient Egyptian Text
• Serial Blasts kill at least 18 in coordinated Baghdad assault
• Sunni Islam's Al-Azhar eyes 'better relations' with new pope
• Iraqi Sunnis await a Baghdad spring
• Use social media to fight extremism, Arabs urged
• Member of EU Syria delegation killed in Damascus suburb
• Egypt bans film about Jewish community
• Iran aiding terror in Bahrain, Yemen, Arab ministers say
• Lebanon needs $370 mn to cope with Syrian refugee crisis: PM
• Syrian child tells Al Arabiya why he joined armed rebels
India
• Two day national seminar on Sufism organised by New Age Islam Foundation
• Pakistan business delegation arrives in India to attend trade seminar
• Yasin Bhatkal's stamp clear on jailbreak plan
• India not to start group tourist visa facility for Pakistani nationals from tomorrow
• 'India's knee-jerk reactions to hit ties' with Pakistan
• In its final days, Pakistan govt disowns jihad in Kashmir
• Indian organisations support Shahbagh movement
• Hyderabad blasts: NIA picks up 8 persons in Munger
Pakistan
• Ex-ISI chief sees civil war in Pakistan after US Afghan pullout
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hoping for Buddhist tourism boost
• Pakistani government 'confiscates' passports of visiting Hindu jatha
• Ashraf nominates names for caretaker premiers of Pakistan
• Pakistan parliament passes resolution against Afzal Guru's hanging
• Extremism increasing even in India, says Pak interior minister
• MQM spreading fear among masses: JI
• Karachi violence claims four more lives
• Speculation over fate of Balochistan government
• Call for Musharraf’s arrest echoes in Senate
• HRCP for uniting against those targeting 'symbols of hope'
• ‘54 could be prosecuted under Anti-Terrorism Act’
• Bahrain deports 450 Pakistanis after alleged torture
South Asia
• Afghan suicide bomb kills six: police
• Blogs versus bombs in Shahbag-Jamat cyber war
• Bangladesh to snoop online in ‘blasphemy’ crackdown
• Radical Islamists to march to Dhaka on Apr 6
• Karzai out to prove he is no US puppet
• Forgeries, fraud and dead on party membership forms: Maldives Elections Commission
• New insurance scheme to protect Lankan workers, Saudi employers
• Burmese may get four-year exemption from Iqama fees
Mideast Asia
• Hamas promises amnesty to Palestinian collaborators spying for Israel
• Israel poised to unveil new govt as 11th-hour deal struck
• Two killed in south Yemen clashes
• Resolve Iran issue through dialogue: IAEA
Africa
• Lebanese Shiite Imam was executed on Gaddafi order: Senussi
Europe
• France, UK to arm Syria rebels 'even without EU support'
• Russia says arming Syrian opposition would be illegal
• Returning militants prompt Dutch to raise terror threat
• UN seeks almost $ 1 bn aid for Sudan
• Britain’s Labour Party suspends Lord Nazir for ‘anti-Semitism’
North America
• Muslims Offer Support to New Pope for 'Betterment of Humanity'
• Church offers prayer space for Muslim community
• U.S. commander warns Karzai remarks may fuel violence
• Waziristan termed Pakistan’s domestic problem
• San Francisco leaders slam anti-Islam ads on buses
• The Frightening Effects of the NYPD's 'Mapping Muslims' Program
• CAIR Releases Community Toolkit to Challenge 'Anti-Sharia' Bills
• CAIR condemns anti-Christian violence in Pakistan
• Coming polls significant for Pakistan: US intelligence
• 6 months after Benghazi attack, Obama taps new Libya envoy
Southeast Asia
• Aceh Activists Lambast Blasphemy Edict
• Malaysia refuses access to Filipino invaders
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Series of explosions rock Baghdad (AP File Photo)
URL:
--------------
Arab World
Jesus Christ Had Ability to Change Shape, According To Ancient Egyptian Text
Mar 14 2013
Washington: Judas used a kiss to betray Jesus because Jesus had the ability to change shape, according to a newly deciphered Egyptian text, dating back almost 1,200 years.
The text also puts the day of the arrest of Jesus on Tuesday evening rather than Thursday evening, something that contravenes the Easter timeline, the Fox News reported.
Written in the Coptic language, the ancient text further claimed that Pontius Pilate, the judge who authorized Jesus’ crucifixion, had dinner with Jesus before his crucifixion and offered to sacrifice his own son in the place of Jesus.
Roelof van den Broek, of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who published the translation of the text in the book “Pseudo-Cyril of Jerusalem on the Life and the Passion of Christ” (Brill, 2013) said that the discovery of the text doesn’t mean these events happened, but rather that some people living at the time appear to have believed in them.
Copies of the text are found in two manuscripts, one in the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City and the other at the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. Most of the translation comes from the New York text, because the relevant text in the Pennsylvania manuscript is mostly illegible.
While apocryphal stories about Pilate are known from ancient times, van den Broek wrote in an email to Live Science that he has never seen this one before, with Pilate offering to sacrifice his own son in the place of Jesus. The understanding of Judas’ kiss goes way back.
“This explanation of Judas’ kiss is first found in Origen a theologian who lived A.D. 185-254,” van den Broek wrote. In his work, Contra Celsum Origen stated that “to those who saw him [Jesus] he did not appear alike to all.”
The text is written in the name of St. Cyril of Jerusalem who lived during the fourth century.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/jesus-christ-had-ability-to-change-shape-according-to-ancient-egyptia.../1088109/
----------
Serial Blasts kill at least 18 in coordinated Baghdad assault
March 14, 2013
BAGHDAD: Iraqi authorities say a series of blasts have rocked central Baghdad and gunmen are locked in an apparently coordinated battle with security forces. They say at least 18 people have been killed and at least 30 are wounded.
Police say the attacks all happened near the Allawi area, not far from the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses several foreign embassies and Iraqi government offices.
Hospital officials confirmed the casualty numbers. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to talk to the media.
Violence in Iraq has subsided from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but deadly attacks remain frequent a decade after the US-led invasion.
Other sources reported the death toll of the Baghdad blast as 18 whereas the number of injured were reported as more than 50.
http://dawn.com/2013/03/14/attackers-kill-12-in-coordinated-baghdad-assault/
----------
Sunni Islam's Al-Azhar eyes 'better relations' with new pope
Al-Azhar says it's willing to resume dialogue with Vatican which was suspended in 2011 over controversial anecdote by former Pope Benedict XVI; looks forward 'better relations' with Catholic Church
14 Mar 2013
Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning, Al-Azhar, said on Thursday that it wants "better relations" with the Vatican under Pope Francis.
"We are hoping for better relations with the Vatican after the election of the new pope," Mahmud Azab, adviser for inter-faith affairs to Al-Azhar imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb, told AFP.
"As soon as a new policy emerges, we will resume the dialogue with the Vatican which was suspended in early 2011," Azab said. "We congratulate the Church of St Peter and all Catholics around the world."
In 2006, Pope Benedict sparked fury across the Muslim world when he recounted an anecdote in which the Muslim Prophet Mohammed was described as a warmonger who spread evil teachings by the sword.
Dialogue resumed in 2009, but was again severed after Benedict strongly called for protection of Christian minorities following a January 2011 suicide bombing at a church in Alexandria, Egypt's second city.
At the time, Al-Azhar said it would cut ties again with the Vatican over what it called Benedict's "repeated treatment of Islam in a negative way, and his claims that Christians and others are oppressed in the Middle East."
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/66840/Egypt/Politics-/Sunni-Islams-AlAzhar-eyes-better-relations-with-ne.aspx
--------------
Iraqi Sunnis await a Baghdad spring
United by a common foe, former insurgents and allies have now won support from the Gulf in hope of ousting Shia government
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad in Ramadi
13 March 2013
Abu Saleh sits in a striped tent pitched by the side of the highway joining Jordan and Syria with Iraq and reflects on the latest, improbable twist in his 10-year career fighting those he considers the enemies of his fellow Iraqi Sunnis.
A decade ago, when the Americans rolled into Ramadi in their tanks and Humvees, the former Saddam regime security officer led a group of Sunni fighters who took the fight to the occupiers with improvised explosive device (IEDs) and ambushes.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/13/iraq-sunnis-unite-oust-shia-government
--------------
Use social media to fight extremism, Arabs urged
AFP / 14 March 2013
Arab interior ministers were advised to confront the spread of extremism through social media networks with their own cyber knowhow, as they gathered for a security meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Mohammed Kuman, head of the council of Arab interior ministers, told the meeting that “extremist thought... on social networks has resulted in a major increase in terrorist acts, political assassinations and sectarian conflicts.”
“As it has become impossible to control the content of social networks, it is important to produce counter-speech,” said Kuman. “Ideas can only be fought by ideas,” the Saudi official said in an opening speech at the Riyadh meeting.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-
--------------
Member of EU Syria delegation killed in Damascus suburb
Ahmad Shihadeh, a Syrian who worked for European Union's delegation, dead after explosion near Damascus
13 March 2013
A European Union adviser has been killed in a rocket attack near Damascus, the Syrian capital, the EU confirmed on Wednesday.
Ahmad Shihadeh, a policy officer with the EU delegation in Syria, was killed on Tuesday in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, where he lived, according to the office of the EU's foreign policy chief, Lady Ashton.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/13/syria-rocket-attack-eu-dead
--------------
Egypt bans film about Jewish community
Film-makers claim security agencies have censored their documentary on Egypt's thriving pre-1950s Jewish community
Ben Child and agencies
13 March 2013
Security agencies have banned an Egyptian film about the Arab nation's once-thriving Jewish community just a day before it was due to open in cinemas, according to the documentary's producer.
The Jews of Egypt examines the lives of the country's estimated 65,000 Jews prior to their departure in the late 1950s due to Egypt's conflict with Israel. Producer Haytham el-Khamissy said no reason had been given for the ban, which recalls the worst excesses of the famously censorial regime of former dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/mar/13/egypt-blocks-film-jewish-community
--------------
Iran aiding terror in Bahrain, Yemen, Arab ministers say
Bahrain and Yemen hailed for dismantling cells and uncovering dangerous plots
March 14, 2013
Riyadh: Arab interior ministers gathered for a security meeting in Riyadh have accused Iran of supplying “logistic help to terrorist operations” in Bahrain and Yemen.
In a statement, the ministers “strongly denounced logistic aid supplied by Iran to terrorist operations in Bahrain and Yemen,” and congratulated security services in both countries for “dismantling cells and uncovering dangerous terror plots.”
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/iran-aiding-terror-in-bahrain-yemen-arab-ministers-say-1.1158251
--------------
Lebanon needs $370 mn to cope with Syrian refugee crisis: PM
14 March 2013
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged Arab states to help Lebanon cope with the rising numbers of Syrian refugees flooding to the country and stretching its scare resources.
Mikati said Lebanon will need at least $370 million in support this year under the current conditions.
Mikati said hospitals were full of Syrians, the sick and wounded from the civil war next door, and doctors were struggling to prevent outbreaks of disease among 340,000 refugees crammed into host communities around the country.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/14/Mikati-says-Lebanon-needs-370-mn-to-cope-with-Syrian-refugees-crisis.html
--------------
Syrian child tells Al Arabiya why he joined armed rebels
14 March 2013
An international rights organization released a report Wednesday that said Syrian children were being recruited by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime as well as the armed opposition to fight on the front lines.
The UK-based Save the Children organization said the children – under the age of 18 – were not only used in combat but also as human shields and informants.
Ibrahim Homsi, 17, told Al Arabiya he joined the rebel Free Syrian Army in 2012 after Assad forces killed his brother.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/14/Syrian-child-tells-Al-Arabiya-why-he-joined-armed-rebels.html
--------------
India
Two day national seminar on Sufism organised by New Age Islam Foundation
New Age Islam Edit Desk
March 14, 2013
A two day national seminar on Sufism titled ‘Sufism in Contemporary world: an inclusive framework was held by the K N R Centre for Dalit and Minorities Studies at Jamia Millia Islami Unversity, New Delhi on March 13 and 14.
The introductory presentation on the theme of the seminar was made by Dr Mehr Fatima Hussain, the convenor of the seminar.
On the fist session of the seminar, renowned historian and Professor of History, Aligarh Muslim University delivered a thought provoking speech on the relevance of Sufis with special reference to the life and teachings of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Khwaja Nizamuddin Awlia and Baba Farid Ganj Shakar. He further said that Sufism came to India from Iran where Khorasan was the centre of Sufism and Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was one of the Sufis of Iran. He observed that spirituality was deep rooted in India’s soil and that’s why Sufism grew here in a natural atmosphere.
The Sajjada Nashin of Dargah of Ajmer Sharif and the professor of History in Aligarh Muslim University, Prof Liyaqat Hussain Moini said that the Quran has references to sufi thought and practice. The word taqwa (piety) mentioned in the Quran was used in a broader sense which includes Sufism.He also said that the Quran also stresses on good manners and social behaviour which is the basic trait of Sufism.
Syed Shahid Mehdi, that the Indian multicultural ethos gave boost to Sufism and all the schools of Sufis flourished in India.
In the post lunch session, Dr Samina Hasan Siddiquee read her paper on Wilayat and Riyasat (state and wilayat) and said that the sufis did not have an agenda for the Islamisation of the people. They lived in a non-Muslim region and so they had to make certain adjustments to reach out to local masses.
Prof. Nashir Naqvi who also head the Baba Farid Centre for Sufism in Punjab presented his paper on Sufism: Shariat, Tariqat and Haqiqat.
Other scholars who read their paper were Prof Azizuddin, Sadia Dehlvi, Dr Maula Baksh,, Kuljeet Sheelie, Dr Rashid Anwar Rashid, Manidar Thakur, Bilquis Hussaini, Mohammad Aleem, Dr Akhlaque Khan, Aslam Islahi, Waseem Begum, Aleem Ashraf Khan, Dr K K Mishra. And Dr M Mujtaba Khan, Geeta Arya, Maqsud Ahmad Khan, Malik Rajkumar and others.
All the speakers and the participants appreciated the effort of New Age Islam Foundation and K R N Centre for Dalit and Minorities Studies.
----------
Pakistan business delegation arrives in India to attend trade seminar
By Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Mar 13, 2013
ATTARI: A business and trade delegation from Pakistan led by former minister Hafiz Pasha arrived India to attend 2 day annual conference 'Normalizing India Pakistan Trade' beginning on March 14th at Delhi.
Talking to TOI Pasha said in last one and half year, a lot had been achieved by them in terms of increasing Indo-Pak business trade but further efforts were required to achieve the desirable results.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-business-delegation-arrives-India-to-attend-trade-seminar/articleshow/18955281.cms
--------------
Yasin Bhatkal's stamp clears on jailbreak plan
By Prashant Dayal, TNN | Mar 14, 2013
AHMEDABAD: Yasin Bhatkal, the 30-year-old co-founder of Indian Mujahideen and a wanted terrorist, was the architect of the abortive jailbreak attempt at Sabarmati Central Jail, investigators have found. He was the one who planned the escape to Bangladesh and probably onwards to Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Yasin-Bhatkals-stamp-clear-on-jailbreak-plan/articleshow/18962556.cms
--------------
India not to start group tourist visa facility for Pakistani nationals from tomorrow
March 14, 2013
New Delhi: The Home Ministry will not start the group tourist visa facility to Pakistani nationals from tomorrow as it was scheduled.
The government's decision comes after five soldiers from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a suicide attack by militants in Srinagar yesterday.
Full report at:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/india-not-to-start-group-tourist-visa-facility-for-pakistani-nationals-from-tomorrow-home-ministry-342503
--------------
'India's knee-jerk reactions to hit ties' with Pakistan
TNN | Mar 14, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India's contention that Pakistani militants were behind a terrorist attack in Srinagar that killed five paramilitary personnel, saying such "knee-jerk reactions" could undermine efforts to normalize bilateral relations.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Indias-knee-jerk-reactions-to-hit-ties/articleshow/18963511.cms
--------------
In its final days, Pakistan govt disowns jihad in Kashmir
ByChidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Mar 14, 2013
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration's salutary warning to Islamabad that it risked a setback to even the "modest progress" made in ties with India if another terrorist attack was linked to it appears to the have sunk home, at least in one section of the Pakistani establishment.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/In-its-final-days-Pakistan-govt-disowns-jihad-in-Kashmir/articleshow/18963472.cms
--------------
Indian organisations support Shahbagh movement
March 14, 2013
Vowing to continue struggle against fundamentalism, different Indian left-leaning organisations of youths and students have expressed solidarity with the Shahbagh movement.
Indian Chhatra Federation, Indian Gonotantrik Jubo Federation, Upojati Chhatra Federation, Upajati Jubo Federation and others in a joint statement yesterday said the movement has spread across the border.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/indian-organisations-support-shabagh-movement/
-----------
Hyderabad blasts: NIA picks up 8 persons in Munger
March 14, 2013
An NIA team has picked up eight persons for interrogation from a village in Bihar's Munger district in connection with their alleged role in the twin blasts in Hyderabad on February 21.
Two of the eight persons picked by the NIA team were later let off as no no charge could be made out against them, the police said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Chunk-HT-UI-IndiaSectionPage-
-------------
Pakistan
Ex-ISI chief sees civil war in Pakistan after US Afghan pullout
14 March 2013
Gen. Hamid Gul, a former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan and one of the architects of “Afghan Jihad” possesses a rich knowledge about Pakistan’s politics and its relationship with Afghanistan. In a wide-ranging interview with Urdu News, he spoke about the ramifications of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan for the neighboring countries and the Muslim world. The pullout will have a major impact on Pakistan that may even lead to civil war, Gul said adding the withdrawal will create a vacuum where some miscreants will take advantage of the situation.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/ex-isi-chief-sees-civil-war-pakistan-after-us-afghan-pullout
--------------
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hoping for Buddhist tourism boost
March 13, 2013
Religious intolerance and violence against minorities may be on the rise in Pakistan, but authorities in the deeply conservative northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are hoping for a tourism boost — thanks to the area’s rich Buddhist heritage. KP is increasingly being viewed as the heartland of militants who have killed thousands in recent years and it is also home to some of the most important sites of Mahayana Buddhism. Last year a group of around 20 Buddhist monks from South Korea made the journey to the monastery of Takht-i-Bahi, close to the tribal areas that are a haven for militants.
http://dawn.com/2013/03/13/khyber-pakhtunkhwa-hoping-for-buddhist-tourism-boost/
---------
Pakistani government 'confiscates' passports of visiting Hindu jatha
ByYudhvir Rana, TNN | Mar 13, 2013
ATTARI: Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) officials 'confiscated' the passport of Hindu pilgrims as soon as they entered Pakistan on March 8th and didn't allow them to meet Hindus of Pakistan during their 6 days pilgrimage to Katasraj in Pakistan where they had gone to celebrate Shivratri. The 88 member jatha of Hindu pilgrims arrived back via Attari land border on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistani-government-confiscates-passports-of-visiting-Hindu-jatha/articleshow/18955140.cms
--------------
Ashraf nominates names for caretaker premiers of Pakistan
March 14, 2013
Two days before the Pakistan People's Party-led government completes its term, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday proposed the names of former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, economist Ishrat Hussain and retired judge Mir Hazar Khan Khoso for the post of caretaker premier.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan/Ashraf-nominates-names-for-caretaker-premiers-of-Pakistan/Article1-1026268.aspx
--------
Pakistan parliament passes resolution against Afzal Guru's hanging
PTI | Mar 14, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Trying to fish in troubled waters, Pakistan's parliament on Thursday passed a resolution condemning the hanging of Afzal Guru and demanded the return of his body to his family.
Two days before it completes its five-year term, the National Assembly or lower house of parliament passed the resolution moved by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads a special parliamentary panel on Kashmir.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-parliament-passes-resolution-against-Afzal-Gurus-hanging/articleshow/18972215.cms
--------------
Extremism increasing even in India, says Pak interior minister
Mar 13 2013
Islamabad : Extremism is increasing in the region, including in India, while Islamabad's “proactive policies” had ensured peace in most parts of Pakistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed today.
“Extremism is increasing even in India and there is a need to combat this menace, threatening peace in the world,” Malik said.
Even developed countries were facing turbulence due to a typical mindset that is spreading violence, he contended.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/extremism-increasing-even-in-india-says-pak-interior-minister/1087517/
--------------
MQM spreading fear among masses: JI
By: Our Staff Reporter | March 14, 2013
KARACHI - Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Syed Munawar Hassan said that due to absence of honest and loyal people in the politics, corrupt and immoral rulers had got a chance to come into the power.
He was addressing at a luncheon ceremony of Pakistan Business Forum here on Wednesday. JI Karachi Ameer Hussain Mehanti, Secretary Naseem Siddiqui, Liaquat Abdullah, Khalifa Anwar, Zahid Saeed and other leaders of business forum were also present on the occasion.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/karachi/14-Mar-2013/mqm-spreading-fear-among-masses-ji
--------------
Karachi violence claims four more lives
March 14, 2013
KARACHI: Four persons were killed in different firing and on-going violent incidents across the metropolis early Thursday morning, Geo News reported.
According to rescue sources, unknown gunmen killed a man at Model Colony in Malir area while two bodies in gunny bags were found near Malir River.
It may be mentioned that a predawn crackdown in Oragni Town yielded at least 23 allegedly armed and dangerous suspects.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-92150-Karachi-violence-claims-four-more-lives
-----------
Speculation over fate of Balochistan government
March 14, 2013
QUETTA/ISLAMABAD: The governor’s rule in Balochistan will be lifted on Thursday or early Friday morning upon completion of a two-month period since its imposition on Jan 14, according to sources in Quetta.
The sources said that after the end of the governor’s rule fate of the suspended provincial government of Aslam Raisani would be decided.
The sources said that Mr Raisani, who had earlier announced that he was ready to resign his position, on Wednesday expressed his unwillingness to relinquish the post.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/14/speculation-over-fate-of-balochistan-government/
---------
Call for Musharraf’s arrest echoes in Senate
March 14, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Now that former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf has declared his intention to return to the country this month, a PPP leader on Wednesday reminded the Senate of its resolution unanimously adopted last year calling for the dictator’s arrest and trial for committing treason.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/14/call-for-musharrafs-arrest-echoes-in-senate/
---------
HRCP for uniting against those targeting 'symbols of hope'
March 14, 2013
LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), while condemning the killing of Orangi Pilot Project director, urged the people to stand up against those who are destroying the “symbols of hope.”
Parveen Rehman, a long-time director of the renowned OPP, was gunned down in the Pakthunabad neighbourhood of Karachi on March 13.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/520710/parveen-rehmans-assassination-hrcp-for-uniting-against-those-targeting-symbols-of-hope/
---------
‘54 could be prosecuted under Anti-Terrorism Act’
March 14, 2013
LAHORE: Punjab government’s spokesman Senator Pervaiz Rashid has said 150 people suspected of a role in the Badami Bagh riots and arson had been arrested. He said at least 54 of these could be prosecuted for offences under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday, Rashid said 80 of the 83 people nominated in the case had been arrested. He said the police had been told to arrest remaining within a day.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/520380/joseph-colony-arson-54-could-be-prosecuted-under-anti-terrorism-act/
---------
Bahrain deports 450 Pakistanis after alleged torture
March 14, 2013
At least 450 Pakistanis who were sent to Bahrain to join its army were deported back home after allegedly being kept hostage for 19 months, Express News reported on Thursday.
The young Pakistanis, who are all university graduates, were issued visas by the Pakistani government and were promised a job in the Bahrain Army with the starting salary of Rs100,000. The army, however, took the young men hostage and tortured them, according to one of the deportees.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/520669/broken-promises-bahrain-deports-450-pakistanis-after-alleged-torture/
---------
South Asia
Afghan suicide bomb kills six: police
March 13, 2013
KUNDUZ: A suicide bomb exploded in crowds at a traditional horse-back game of buzkashi in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least six people, police said.
"The suicide attacker detonated himself at the end of the match in Imam Sahib district this evening.
Six people have died," Abdul Khalil Andarabi, police chief of Kunduz province, told AFP.
Andarabi said that among the dead were the district police chief and the father of the Speaker in the national parliament.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-92116-Afghan-suicide-bomb-kills-six-at-buzkashi-game:-police
--------------
Blogs versus bombs in Shahbag-Jamat cyber war
ByCaesar Mandal | Mar 14, 2013
CHITTAGONG: The Shahbag movement has drawn a clear divide between the progressive population and the fundamentalists in Bangladesh, and the clash of opposing ideals has permeated all classes and sections of the society — even cyber space.
A full-fledged cyber war is on between Gana Jagaran Mancha activists and the foot soldiers of Jamat-e-Islami. So intense is the conflict that a worried government has set up a nine-member committee under the home ministry to monitor blogs and posts to prevent any provocative or seditious content.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Blogs-versus-bombs-in-Shahbag-Jamat-cyber-war/articleshow/18963779.cms
--------------
Bangladesh to snoop online in ‘blasphemy’ crackdown
March 14, 2013
DHAKA: Bangladesh announced plans Thursday to monitor social media networks such as Facebook in a bid to identify bloggers who have been accused of insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed.
A special panel is being set up, including leaders of the main intelligence agencies and the telecoms regulator, to exchange information and track down the people behind recent posts that have caused outrage among Islamic groups.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/14/bangladesh-to-snoop-online-in-blasphemy-crackdown/
----------
Radical Islamists to march to Dhaka on Apr 6
March 14, 2013
Hefazate Islam Bangladesh, a Qaumi madrasa-based Islamist organisation, has announced a long march to Dhaka on April 6 demanding punishment to “atheist bloggers who insulted Islam”.
“Religious offences are more significant than war crimes,” Mohibullah Babunagari, senior nayeb-e-ameer of Hefazate Islam, said while announcing the programme Thursday afternoon.
He was addressing a press conference at the office of Metropolitan Union of Journalists on Jubilee Road in Chittagong city.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/radical-islamists-to-march-to-dhaka-on-apr-6/
--------------
Karzai out to prove he is no US puppet
March 14, 2013
As he contemplates retirement next year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai appears to have one over-riding ambition -- to ensure that his people do not remember him as a puppet of the United States.
Karzai will stand down after elections in April 2014, and his final year in office promises to be turbulent as he launches strident criticism of the US government, which has backed him since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/14-Mar-2013/karzai-out-to-prove-he-is-no-us-puppet
--------------
Forgeries, fraud and dead on party membership forms: Maldives Elections Commission
By Mohamed Naahee | March 14th, 2013
The Elections Commissions (EC) has said it has noticed a surge of discrepancies on membership forms submitted by certain political parties including forged documents, forms with false information and even forms filed under the names of dead people.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Vice President of the Elections Commission Ahmed Fayaz said the commission noticed the discrepancies after it received a large number of membership forms ahead of parliament’s decision that parties with under 10,000 members would be dissolved.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/forgeries-fraud-and-dead-people-appearing-on-party-membership-forms-elections-commission-54540
--------------
New insurance scheme to protect Lankan workers, Saudi employers
14 March 2013
Under a new insurance scheme which is to go into effect on Friday, March 15, Sri Lanka will provide legal assistance to its distressed domestic workers in the Kingdom, chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), Amal Senalankadhikara told Arab News in Colombo.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/new-insurance-scheme-protect-lankan-workers-saudi-employers
--------------
Burmese may get four-year exemption from iqama fees
March 14, 2013
MAKKAH — A special security committee will begin reviewing the cases of the Burmese community members with a view to giving them residency permits (iqamas).
The Burmese living in the Kingdom will be exempted from the iqama fees for four years as a measure to encourage them straighten out their legal status in the Kingdom, a local paper reported Wednesday quoting informed sources. The committee will receive the Burmese at a makeshift office in the Kudai car park.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130314156763
--------------
Mideast Asia
Hamas promises amnesty to Palestinian collaborators spying for Israel
Hamas says any informers who hand themselves will not be interrogated or imprisoned
Phoebe Greenwood
13 March 2013
Hamas has launched a campaign to convince Palestinians who collaborate with Israel to turn themselves in, offering promises of impunity and financial rewards.
The Islamist group claims to have obtained a list of Palestinian informers in Gaza, which it has run since 2007. The territory's interior ministry held a press conference in Gaza City to announce that anyone on this list of collaborators who hands themselves in to the authorities by 11 April will not be interrogated or imprisoned. It also offered a monthly salary to the informer's families.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/13/hamas-amnesty-palestinian-spying-israel
------------
Israel poised to unveil new govt as 11th-hour deal struck
Steve Weizman | March 14, 2013
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was poised Thursday to unveil the shape of his long-awaited coalition government, which will be sworn in just days before a visit by US President Barack Obama.
After nearly 40 days of intensive negotiations with potential partners, Netanyahu was expected to announce details of an 11th-hour deal between his Likud-Beitenu alliance, the centrist Yesh Atid and the far-right Jewish Home.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/israel-poised-to-unveil-new-govt-as-11th-hour-deal-struck/579775
--------------
Two killed in south Yemen clashes
13 March 2013
ADEN: Renewed clashes between Yemeni police and southern separatists killed two civilians yesterday, five days ahead of the country’s troubled national dialogue, medics and an activist told AFP.
Police opened fire on Southern Movement activists who had blocked roads with rocks and burning tires as part of a campaign of civil disobedience they began less than a month ago, an activist said.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/two-killed-south-yemen-clashes
--------------
Resolve Iran issue through dialogue: IAEA
SANDEEP DIKSHIT
March 14, 2013
Iran will have to fully implement Comprehensive Safeguard Agreement
Iran’s nuclear issue should be resolved through dialogue and there is as yet no evidence from its declared activities about any attempt to make a bomb, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano told journalists after meeting a delegation headed by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/resolve-iran-issue-through-dialogue-iaea/article4506350.ece
--------------
Africa
Lebanese Shiite Imam was executed on Gaddafi order: Senussi
March 14, 2013
TRIPOLI — Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s spy master Abdullah Senussi has apparently claimed that Lebanese Shiite Imam Musa Sadr, who has never been seen since he arrived in Libya at the end of August 1978, was not killed on Gaddafi’s orders immediately after the two had a row. Instead, he was kept in prison in Libya for at least two years before being handed over to the Palestinian militant Abu Nidal who murdered him at Gaddafi’s order. Also murdered with him were the two companions who had accompanied Sadr to Tripoli, Sheikh Muhammad Yaacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130314156786
-----------
Europe
France, UK to arm Syria rebels 'even without EU support'
March 14, 2013
France and Britain are ready to arm Syrian rebels even without unanimous EU support, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday.
Paris and London will call for moving up the date of the next European Union meeting on the Syria arms embargo, and will decide to arm the rebels if the 27-member body does not give unanimous agreement, he said.
Fabius said the regime of President Bashar al-Assad was receiving weapons from Iran and Russia which gave it an edge over the opposition in the two-year conflict.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/afp/france-uk-to-arm-syria-rebels-even-without-eu-support/579776
------------
Russia says arming Syrian opposition would be illegal
Reuters | Mar 14, 2013
LONDON: Britain and Russia tried to present a unified front over the Syrian crisis on Wednesday, but their deep differences on whether outside powers should arm the rebels were quickly laid bare.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said arming Syria's opposition would be against international law, a day after Britain said it might bypass a European Union arms embargo to do just that, and accused the rebel side of failing to provide negotiators to find a political solution to the conflict.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Russia-says-arming-Syrian-opposition-would-be-illegal/articleshow/18961310.cms
--------------
Returning militants prompt Dutch to raise terror threat
March 14, 2013
THE HAGUE — Dutch authorities on Wednesday raised the threat of a terror attack to “substantial”, saying the increased risk stemmed mainly from radicalized Muslims returning from fighting in the Middle East, specifically Syria.
“The number of those jihadists travelling from the Netherlands to Syria has rapidly increased,” David Schoof, National Counter-terrorist and Safety Coordinator (NCTV) said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130314156827
--------------
UN seeks almost $ 1 bn aid for Sudan
13 March 2013
KHARTOUM: The UN and its aid partners in Sudan need almost $ 1 billion to address humanitarian needs resulting from Darfur conflict and wars in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, officials said yesterday.
In one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations, the agencies hope donors will provide $ 983 million this year to fund food, water, sanitation and other assistance for 4.3 million needy.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/un-seeks-almost-1-bn-aid-sudan
--------------
Britain’s Labour Party suspends Lord Nazir for ‘anti-Semitism’
March 14, 2013
LONDON: Britain’s Labour Party suspended Pakistan-born Muslim peer Nazir Ahmed on Thursday over reports that he blamed a Jewish conspiracy for his imprisonment over a fatal car crash, a spokesman said.
The Times newspaper said Ahmed, who was jailed for dangerous driving after sending text messages shortly before the accident, had attributed his prison sentence on pressure placed on British courts by Jews “who own newspapers and TV channels”.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/14/britains-labour-party-suspends-lord-nazir-for-anti-semitism/
----------
North America
Muslims Offer Support to New Pope for 'Betterment of Humanity'
13 March 2013
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/13/13) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today congratulated Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina on his election as Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church and offered the Muslim community's "support and cooperation."
In a statement following the announcement of the new pope, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
"We congratulate Pope Francis on his election by the College of Cardinals and offer the Muslim community's support and cooperation in every positive effort he will undertake for peace, justice and the betterment of humanity."
Full report at:
http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/11778-muslims-offer-support-to-new-pope-for-betterment-of-humanity.html
--------------
Church offers prayer space for Muslim community
March 13, 2013
By Shawn Smith
While the University considers itself a diverse community, some students have felt left out of the equation — until now.
The Second Reformed Church, located at 100 College Ave., will now offer a place for practicing Muslims to go for their Friday worship, Pastor Doug Shepler said.
“The decision was a natural outcome from the church,” he said. “The reformed church has had a strong relationship with the Muslim community for a very long time.”
Yusra Janajri, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, said up until now, practicing Muslims have had to pray in some uncommon places.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytargum.com/news/church-offers-prayer-space-for-muslim-
--------------
U.S. commander warns Karzai remarks may fuel violence
14 March 2013
The U.S. commander in Afghanistan has warned troops that they face an increased threat of attack after a series of inflammatory anti-U.S. comments by President Hamid Karzai.
NATO’s International Assistance Security Force (ISAF) on Thursday confirmed the contents of a strongly-worded advisory sent by U.S. General Joseph Dunford to his senior commanders on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/14/U-S-commander-warns-Karzai-remarks-may-fuel-violence.html
-------------
Waziristan termed Pakistan’s domestic problem: US diplomat hints at policy change
Zulfiqar Ali
March 14, 2013
PESHAWAR: Indicating a major shift in American policy, Ambassador Richard Olson has described North Waziristan — once dubbed the hub of Al Qaeda’s central leadership — as Pakistan’s ‘domestic’ security problem.
The ambassador also said his country did not see any contradiction between fighting and talking to the enemy at the same time.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/2013/03/14/waziristan-termed-pakistans-domestic-problem-us-diplomat-hints-at-policy-change/
----------
San Francisco leaders slam anti-Islam ads on buses
March 14, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO — Civic officials joined Arab and Muslim leaders to denounce what they call offensive anti-Islamic ads that will appear on 10 buses for the next month in San Francisco.
The ads were paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative and feature Osama bin Laden, the Times Square car bomber and the alleged gunman in the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings accompanied by quotes about warfare and weapons that the group links to Islam.
At least one of the ads contains a quote attributed to the militant Islamic group Hamas that reads: “Killing Jews is worship that brings us closer to Allah.”
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130314156825
--------------
The Frightening Effects of the NYPD's 'Mapping Muslims' Program
HENRY GRABARMAR
13, 2013
Between 2001 and 2011, in an expansive surveillance operation of Muslims in the New York region, the NYPD sent informants and undercover agents into cafes, mosques, restaurants, bookstores, clothing stores, salons and other businesses and institutions, assembling a collection of maps and guides whose level of mind-numbing detail — Are there newspapers available? Are antiques sold? Is the food Halal? — approaches that of a Lonely Planet guide to Islamic New York.
Full report at:
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2013/03/frightening-effects-nypds-mapping-muslims-program/4966/
--------------
CAIR Releases Community Toolkit to Challenge 'Anti-Sharia' Bills
13 March 2013
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/1/12) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today released a community toolkit designed to assist those seeking to preserve America's ideal of religious pluralism in the face of unconstitutional "anti-Sharia" bills that have been introduced in more than 20 states nationwide.
CAIR's "Securing Religious Liberty" toolkit includes lessons learned from opposing anti-Muslim legislative efforts in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Michigan, an explanation of the legal impact of the discriminatory bills and a discussion of what Sharia is and what it is not.
Full report at:
http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/11777-cair-releases-community-toolkit-to-challenge-anti-sharia-bills.html
--------------
CAIR condemns anti-Christian violence in Pakistan
March 14, 2013
WASHINGTON - Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights organisation, Tuesday condemned anti-Christian violence in Pakistan. In a statement, CAIR said: "Violence and vandalism have no place in Islamic behaviour. We condemn recent violence targeting the Christians. If we wish to honour the Prophet Muhammad PBUH) we should follow his example of forgiveness and not retaliating to alleged insults.”
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/14-Mar-2013/cair-condemns-anti-christian-violence-in-pakistan
--------------
Coming polls significant for Pakistan: US intelligence
March 14, 2013
WASHINGTON: US intelligence agencies have apprised the Congress that coming general elections will be a milestone for Pakistan and must be held by May 2013.
In a report sent to Congress, Director of US National Intelligence James R. Clapper also noted that “Islamabad is intently focused on Afghanistan” in anticipation of the withdrawal of American and Nato forces.
The report has stated that the Pakistani government has attempted to improve relations with Kabul since late last year.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-92166-Elections-will-be-a-milestone-for-Pakistan:-US-intel-agencies
--------------
6 months after Benghazi attack, Obama taps new Libya envoy
AP | Mar 14, 2013
WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama nominated a new ambassador to Libya on Wednesday, filling a post that has been vacant since Chris Stevens was killed in the September 11 Benghazi attack and signaling the United States' commitment to the North African country as it undergoes a perilous transition from decades of dictatorship.
The announcement came as secretary of state John Kerry was meeting Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan, and two days after the six-month anniversary of the storming of the US diplomatic mission in the eastern Libyan city. No one has yet been captured for the attack, which has caused significant political headaches for Obama and his foreign policy team.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/6-months-after-Benghazi-attack-Obama-taps-new-Libya-envoy/articleshow/18959107.cms
--------------
Southeast Asia
Aceh Activists Lambast Blasphemy Edict
Nurdin Hasan | March 14, 2013
Banda Aceh. Activists in Aceh on Wednesday protested a local Islamic council’s recent edict accusing a cleric in South Aceh district of blasphemous teachings.
The Care for Sharia Civil Society Network (JMSPS), which comprises several human rights groups, including the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Women’s Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Apik), said the Aceh Ulema Consultative Assembly (MPU) issued its blasphemy edict against Teungku Ahmad Barnawi late last month.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/aceh-activists-lambast-blasphemy-edict/579602
--------------
Malaysia refuses access to Filipino invaders
14 March 2013
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities will not let armed members of a Filipino royal clan meet with Philippine officials or family members who might seek to negotiate their safety, the foreign minister said yesterday.
Clashes sparked by the clansmen’s intrusion into Malaysia’s Sabah state have killed 56 Filipinos and nine Malaysian police and army personnel this month, according to Malaysian government estimates. The clan wants to reassert a decades-old territorial claim to the eastern Borneo state, which is a short boat ride from the southern Philippines.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/malaysia-refuses-access-filipino-invaders
--------------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/jesus-christ-had-ability-change/d/10767