Kuwait Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Insulting God

Advani must be tried for Babri Masjid conspiracy: CBI to SC

Dhananjay Mahapatra

May 7, 2012

NEW DELHI: The CBI has told the Supreme Court that it was not only against dropping of conspiracy charges against BJP leader L K Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case but also wanted him and other leaders to face trial along with the accused kar sevaks.

In the demolition incident, two FIRs were lodged. FIR No. 197/92 was against kar sevaks who allegedly demolished the mosque while FIR No. 198/92 had named Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Sadhvi Rithambara for making provocative speeches to instigate kar sevaks.

The CBI in its recent affidavit said, "It is not possible to separate some of the accused persons from 197/92 because they did not have a personal hand in the actual demolition of the disputed structure and be transposed as accused in 198/92."

The agency added, "It is incorrect to state that case crime no. 197/92 and 198/92 are two different cases and facts and the place of occurrence are different. The investigations by CBI had disclosed that there was a single larger conspiracy to demolish the disputed structure on December 12, 1992 and various accused so charged in the consolidated chargesheet in all the 49 cases played their own roles in achieving the object of the said criminal conspiracy."

On Advani's role, the CBI said, "Before the demolition started and during the course of demolition, various accused persons including the eight named in the FIR of crime no. 198/92, made provocative slogans from the manch (dais) causing the assembly to turn unlawful resulting in rioting and storming of the structure by the kar sevaks."

In its 30-page affidavit, the CBI said, "As and when the domes fell, the accused leaders and others on the manch celebrated the same by clapping, hugging each other and distributed sweets on the manch which was at a visible distance of 175 metres from the disputed structure.

"All the offences of shouting of provocative slogans creating enmity between two communities, affecting national integration as well as the demolition of the structure and assault on media persons not to create (sic) record of what was going on, formed part of the same transaction and could not be separated from each other." It also quoted a February 12, 2001 judgment of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court.

Through the affidavit, the CBI at one go challenged the HC's 2010 judgment putting its stamp of approval on dropping of conspiracy charges against Advani, separation of trial of the two FIRs and the dropping of charges altogether against Bal Thackeray and 12 others on the ground that they were not present in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Advani-must-be-tried-for-Babri-Masjid-conspiracy-CBI-to-SC/articleshow/13026859.cms

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Now, freelance terrorists posing a grave threat
Arunima, CNN-IBN
Updated May 06, 2012 at 08:24am IST
New Delhi: Investigators probing the blast in 2011 at Delhi High Court say freelance terrorists, those without affiliations to terror

outfits, are posing a grave threat and different brand of terrorists are now emerging.
Terror groups from across the border, home grown red terror and now another challenge - freelance terrorists or what the National

Investigation Agency calls leaderless jihadis.
The NIA investigating the Delhi High Court blast of 2011 claims it was the handiwork of one such 'freelance terrorist'.
The main accused Wasim Akram Malik's interrogation report with CNN-IBN paints the picture of a radical youngster not part of any

terror group yet capable of conspiring to kill 15 and injuring 79 people.
As per the interrogation report, the 25-year-old, an MBBS student from Bangladesh, read Che Guevera's motorcycle diaries,

befriended women on the internet, cut college classes regularly yet also held special prayers at a Bangladesh mosque to lament the

death of Osama bin Laden. The report also states that Malik termed the terror attacks by Kashmiri groups 'Chillar jihad' and was

allegedly convinced that Afzal Guru was sentenced to death because he was a Kashmiri. His argument; Rajiv Gandhi's killers too got

a life sentence but Guru who he sees as innocent is sentenced to death for he is a Kashmiri.
The Delhi High Court blast as per the NIA chargesheet was planned by Malik after watching a TV show on Guru's sentencing in

2011. The High Court was selected as a target for he wanted to teach lawyers a lesson. Malik also allegedly believed that Guru's

death sentence will be repealed if the judiciary came under attack.
Malik reportedly used a school friend in Kishtawar to get in touch with Hizbul Mujahiden leader Amir Kamal and convinced him of

his plan to attack the Delhi High Court. The NIA chargesheet also says Malik took care to ensure that non-Kashmiri boys were sent

as bomb planters as Kashmiris were easily identified by Delhi police. Malik has allegedly even confessed that he wanted a remote

operated bomb and not one with a timer device to have flexibility in timing the blast.
To bolster its claims, the NIA has even quoted from the book CIA man Marc Seagman's ‘leaderless Jihad’ to show that Wasim

Akram Malik is not an isolated case but that across the world terrorists not associated with any group or network are making their

presence felt on the terror radar but question is, will this convince the judges enough to convict those charged by the agency?
ibnlive.in.com/news/now-freelance-terrorists-posing-a-grave-threat/255104-3.html
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Al Qaeda's English online magazine returns
Press Trust of India
Posted on May 03, 2012 at 06:15pm IST
Washington: Al Qaeda's English online mouthpiece 'Inspire' has returned proclaiming that it is "still publishing America's worst

nightmare" despite the killing of its two top editors in a US drone strike.
Al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen has produced another issue of the magazine, despite the killing in September of two of top editors,

Americans Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan.
The ninth edition of 'Inspire', which appeared online on Wednesday, mixes tributes to its departed editors with the more practical side

of violent jihad. The issue includes a primer on building firebombs and a piece on the "qualities of an urban assassin."
 
Before Awlaki, a Yemeni American born in New Mexico was killed in a joint CIA-Special Operations drone strike he had emerged as

one of al Qaeda's leading propagandists, the Washington Post reported.
He and Khan, a Pakistani American, founded and directed 'Inspire', a publication that combined ideological tracts justifying terrorism

with practical, illustrated guides on how to "make a bomb in the kitchen of your mom" and "remote control detonation."
Inspire first appeared online in July 2010 with the mission of radicalising potential recruits in the United States and Europe.
It was studied closely by intelligence analysts for insights into al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen-based group in which

Awlaki was both an ideologue and an operational leader, according to the Obama administration.
Some US analysts, predicting that the magazine would die without its founders had said that they would miss the glossy publication

because of the window it offered into the thinking of some jihadists.
The magazine issue is riddled with clumsy English. Apart from glowing appreciations, "Samir Khan: The Face of Joy," the issue also

includes a long article by Awlaki on his life in the United States, including his account of his arrest in San Diego in 1996 for

soliciting a prostitute.
Awlaki says he rejected repeated attempts to get him to cooperate with US authorities.
ibnlive.in.com/news/al-qaedas-english-online-magazine-returns/254504-2.html

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Islam's European hope: Religious moderation remains the key 

06/05/2012

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Mohamed Merah's killing spree in and around Toulouse in March, like the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 suicide attacks in London's Underground, has highlighted once again the dilemmas that Europe faces with regard to its growing Muslim minority.

No social integration model has proved to be free of flaws. But is the picture really so bleak as those who despair of an emerging "Eurabia" would have us believe?

Neither the multicultural ethos (respect for "cultural diversity in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance", as British Labour Minister Roy Jenkins put it in 1966), nor official indifference to religious identities (as in France, where the state, as the 19th-century historian Jules Michelet put it, "takes the place of God") has worked as planned.

Multiculturalism in Britain has entrenched almost self-contained Muslim communities and turned Islam into a badge of identity to counteract exclusion. Similarly, imposed laïcité (France's strict republican secularism) seems to have deepened French Muslims' attachment to their religious identity.

Devastatingly high unemployment rates among European Muslims (three times higher than the national average in most countries) aggravate their social marginalisation and cultural self-segregation. Isolated, destitute and in a state of permanent rage, the French banlieues and immigrant ghettos of British cities have turned into powder kegs where young Muslims easily fall prey to radical religious preaching and political extremism.

At least 85 Sharia courts are now operating in Britain's parallel Muslim society, while the number of mosques (1,689) now almost equals the number of Anglican churches that have recently closed (1,700). Mohammad is the most popular name for baby boys in Britain. For Prime Minister David Cameron, all of this, as he implied at the 2011 Munich Security Conference, represents the spoiled fruit of multiculturalism.

In fact, it should come as no surprise that enthusiasm for religious self-assertion is strongest among young, second-generation immigrants. Their parents, still influenced by life under the repressive autocracies from which they fled, tend to be submissive to the powers that be. Younger generations rebel precisely because they have internalised the values of freedom and choice offered by democracy. In a way, their rebellion is the hallmark of their Britishness or Frenchness.

True, some young European Muslims have travelled to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq; some went as far as Yemen and Somalia, and came back as hardened radicals, soldiers in a war against a West that, in their view, dishonours Islam.

As the young Muslim Briton Mohammad Sidique Khan put it (speaking in a heavy Yorkshire accent), he participated in the London Underground bombings "to avenge my Muslim brothers and sisters".

But becoming a murderous fanatic like Merah or Sidique Khan is the personal choice of a pathological mind, not the trend of a generation. Social rejection has not turned young French and British Muslims into mass murderers, and the infatuation of many with Al Qaeda has not overwhelmed their desire to fit in.

The massive influx of Muslims into Europe in the last two generations, it should be remembered, is the largest encounter between Islam and modernity in human history, and it has yielded invaluable benefits, such as a growing Muslim middle class, an emerging intelligentsia, and greater freedom for Muslim women.

Polls in France - where the rate of intermarriages is the highest in Europe - have shown that the majority of Muslims do accept laïcité, gender equality and other key republican values.

Moreover, sizeable segments of the Muslim community are upwardly mobile in socioeconomic terms. About 30 per cent of those born before 1968 have become middle or senior managers. More broadly, Islam has failed to supersede other identity patterns, such as class and economic status.

In Britain, too, immigrants have been changing the ethnic profile of the middle and professional classes. Increasingly educated and financially successful, Pakistani Britons are also actively engaged in political life, with more than 200 representing the main political parties in local councils.

In the 2010 election, the number of British Muslim members of the House of Commons doubled, to 16. The most influential Muslim woman in British politics, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (also the Conservative Party chairperson), joined other Muslims in the House of Lords, such as Lord Ahmed, the most senior Labour peer, and Baroness Kishwer Falkner, a Liberal Democrat.

To consider Islam as a civilisation that is not susceptible to change is an historical fallacy. Religious moderation, if not secularisation, remains the key not only to social integration, but also to Muslims' opportunity to influence Europe's future.

The example of European Jewry is not entirely irrelevant. An oppressed tribe of Ostjuden, destitute immigrants from the shattered communities of eastern Europe, was transformed in just two generations from God-fearing shoemakers, tailors and wandering peddlers into a community of writers, philosophers, scientists and tycoons.

That happened precisely because they reformed their Judaism in the light of Western values. They knew that there was no other way to seize the opportunities for human improvement presented by the West.

Reform Judaism in Germany resulted in religious and cultural particularism yielding to a far greater degree of universalism than was envisaged at any time in the Jewish past.

Any religious minority in quest of a place in the European project would do well to reflect on that theological shift.

The writer, a former Israeli foreign minister, is vice president of the Toledo International Centre for Peace and the author of "Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy". ©Project Syndicate, 2012. www.project-syndicate.org

http://www.menafn.com/menafn/1093510481/Islams-European-hope

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Curtailing ‘immodesty’: Pakistan’s Ex-lawmaker ‘decrees’ against female education

Muhammad Sadaqat

May 6, 2012

A former lawmaker and cleric from Kohistan district, Maulana Abdul Haleem, termed formal education for women un-Islamic and asked parents to pluck their daughters from school, or else they would be ‘doomed’.

The nonagenarian, who was elected to the National Assembly from Kohistan on the now-defunct Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s ticket in 2002, also railed against non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the region in his Friday sermon, calling them ‘hubs of immodesty’.

Nestled in the Himalayas, the Kohistan district is picturesque, but also one of the least-literate and least developed in the country.

Fiery sermon

Maulana Haleem, who was an office-bearer of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl until recently, was delivering a Friday sermon, at Jamia Masjid Komila, on who is dayoos, or those liable to be condemned to hell.

“It’s beghairti (immodesty) to equip girls with secular education,” the cleric said, adding that those Kohistani parents who were sending their girls to schools were acting against ‘Islamic shariah’ and the local customs.

“The Kohistani culture does not allow parents to send their pardadar (modest) girls to schools,” the former lawmaker said.

He did not spare female NGO workers either.

“Some women from these NGOs visit our houses frequently, mobilising naïve Kohistani women to follow their agenda in the name of health and hygiene education,” he said, adding that this was ‘unacceptable to Kohistani culture’. He threatened them with ‘dire consequences’, saying that married female NGO workers will be sent back to their husbands, and the unmarried ones will be wedded to Kohistani men.

During his stint as aparliamentarian, Maulana Haleem had also declared poppy cultivation in Kohistan ‘in accordance with Islam’.

Keeping women at home

When approached for comments, the cleric stood by the contents of his sermon, and insisted that several Hadith books prohibit girls from receiving degrees and certificates in ‘secular education’.

He did not actually quote any reference though. Asked to explain how parents would be doomed for their daughters’ education, the cleric said that formal education paves the way for girls to enter the job market. “When they permit their women to work, they give them a free hand to mix with na-mehrum (men they are not related to by blood) – by doing so, the girl’s father, brother or husband become dayoos in the eye of the shariah,” he said.

Such people will never enter Paradise, he added.

The only responsibility men owe to women is their sustenance, and not education, he said. In return, the women should stay at home and look after their children and family members, he added.

Asked if Islamic states like Saudi Arabia and Iran were violating shariah by spending billions on women’s education, Maulana Haleem termed their steps un-Islamic.

If the government is serious about bringing development to Kohistan, it should utilise NGOs’ funding itself with the help of local men.

Men working for these NGOs can continue their work though, he said, saying that is not against the shariah and local culture.

He claimed that 97% of girls schools in Kohistan were closed and the few girls that were enrolled, only visited their schools to collect cooking oil which the education department was distributing with the support of foreign donors.

Standing up for women

Assistant District Officer Education Kohistan Saiful Malook Khan refuted Haleem’s claim. There are 255 primary, 13 middle-level, and one high school for girls in the district, Khan said.

While the number is not large, over 12,000 girls are enrolled in primary schools and are regularly attending their classes, he said.

Several girls from Maulana Haleem’s hometown are attending school while some women from the Maulana’s family are also working as teachers in the district, he added. The area’s current elected representative, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Abdul Sattar Khan assured full support to female students and teachers in Kohistan.

If the region is to progress, Kohistani girls should study at least up to the matric level, he said. Omar Hayat, a social activist in Hazara, also condemned Maulana Haleem’s statement barring female NGO workers from working.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2012.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/374754/curtailing-immodesty-ex-lawmaker-decrees-against-female-education/?print=true

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Iran President Ahmadinejad inparliamentary poll setback

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has suffered a fresh setback in run-offparliamentary polls.

Mr Ahmadinejad's supporters won only 13 of the 65 seats up for election in Friday's vote, further reducing his power base in the 290-seatparliament.

Conservative supporters of the Supreme Leader had already won an outright majority in March's first round.

Iran'sparliament lacks executive power but plays a part in choosing next year's presidential contenders.

Mr Ahmadinejad's influence has been falling since he fell out of favour with the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, last year.

'Take it seriously'

According to final results announced on state TV, Mr Ahmadinejad's main conservative rivals won 41 seats of those contested, while independents won 11.

The president's supporters appeared to have fared best in the capital Tehran, where nine seats were won out of a total of 25.

Iranian media is reporting a high turn-out, which the government describes as a sign of trust in the political system and in Iran's approach to Western pressure over the nuclear issue.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei called for a high turnout. Officially, it was 64% in March.

"My advice is that people take the run-off as seriously as the first round," he said. "The higher the number of votes for lawmakers... the better they can work."

The new parliament will begin its sessions in late May.

All of the candidates had to be pre-approved by Iran's Guardian Council, which means the contests are effectively between different conservative factions - supporters of the Supreme Leader and Mr Ahmadinejad.

The leaders of the opposition Green Movement have been under house arrest for more than a year and were barred from taking part in the elections.

Other reformist politicians also asked their supporters to stay at home.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17969170

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Italy: 70, 000 converted to Islam, says the Union of Islamic communities

MAY 06, 2012

According to Ucoi (the Union of Islamic communities in Italy) about 70,000 Italians converted to Islam, a real boom of conversions heightened by the crisis of values but also by the economic crisis in Italy, as Elzir Izzedine commented during the Youtube programme KlausCondicio, by the anchorman Klaus Davi, who is carrying out a report on the Italians espousing Islam.

http://islamineurope.blogspot.in/2012/05/italy-70-000-converted-to-islam.html

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25-year-old Iraqi aims to write world's longest copy of Quran

May 6, 2012

NAJAF: Hussein al-Kharsan kneels, bent over a giant sheet of paper, laboriously writing the words of Islam's holy book, the Quran, in beautiful Arabic script with a traditional wood and feather pen.

The 25-year-old Iraqi aims to take an unusual path to fame: writing the longest copy of the Quran in the world. Kharsan says the scroll is to be between 5,500 and 6,000 metres long, or 3.4 and 3.7 miles.

His aim, he says, is to set a Guinness World Record.

If that happens, it will be another entry on the Islamic holy text, which expressly prohibits the consumption of alcohol, in a record book conceived by the managing director of a brewery.

The copy of the Quran was supposed to be shown this year, when Najaf was to be the Islamic Capital of Culture, but that project has been postponed indefinitely amid serial delays and allegations of corruption.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/25-year-old-Iraqi-aims-to-write-worlds-longest-copy-of-Quran/articleshow/13017935.cms

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US drone attack kills 9 in Pakistan

May 6, 2012,

MIRANSHAH: A US drone aircraft killed nine suspected militants on Saturday in Pakistan's North Waziristan region near the Afghanistan border, Pakistani security officials said.

The controversial drone programme, a key element in US counter-terrorism efforts , is highly unpopular in Pakistan where it is considered a violation of sovereignty which causes unacceptable civilian casualties.

A Pakistaniparliamentary committee recently demanded an end to drone strikes on Pakistani territory as part of its recommendations for how its relationship with the US should change.

The US has given no indication it intends to halt the campaign, and has has said the use of the remotely piloted aircraft is legal under international law.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/US-drone-attack-kills-9-in-Pak/articleshow/13016966.cms

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9/11 mastermind, co-accused in defiant mood at military court

May 6, 2012

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE: The self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks repeatedly declined to answer a judge’s questions on Saturday and his co-defendants knelt in prayer in what appeared to be a concerted protest against the military proceedings.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other men appeared for the first time in more than three years for arraignment at a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay. They’re charged with 2,976 counts of murder for the 2001 attacks.

Full Report At:

http://dawn.com/2012/05/06/five-arraigned-in-2001-attacks-911-mastermind-co-accused-in-defiant-mood-at-military-court/

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Sky News Arabia Goes Live on Sunday

6/May, 2012

Sky News Arabia, the 24-hour Arabic language breaking news channel, goes live across the Middle East and North Africa on Sunday at 20:00 UAE time, (19:00 Makkah, 18:00 Cairo, 16:00 GMT).

Nart Bouran, Head of Sky News Arabia said: ‘The Sky News Arabia team have worked hard for nearly two years to create an independent, 24-hour, Arabic-language multi-media news platform. I am confident we will break new ground and set a new benchmark for news coverage in the Arab world. I encourage viewers to tune in for our inaugural broadcast at 8pm UAE time on Sunday and to join us in shaping the future of Arab news.’

The channel will broadcast free-to-air on Transponder 15 on Arabsat Badr 4, Transponder 14 on Nilesat 201. It can also be viewed on du IPTV channel 16, Etisalat e-Life channel 234, channel 122 in high definition and channel 123 in standard definition on the OSN pay-TV platform as well as in high definition on the Abu Dhabi TV network.

Full Report At:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/entertainmentnation/2012/May/entertainmentnation_May2.xml&section=entertainmentnation

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Germany fights radical Islamism with caricatures

May 6, 2012

The issue of spreading radical Islam ideas in Germany manifested itself in several ways. It was found that in order to increase the number of its followers, Al-Qaeda does not shun even pornography. Meanwhile, the German far-right have decided to make the Muslims angry by organizing a competition of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.

On May 2, it was said that the German secret service found hundreds of documents in porn files heralding terrorist attacks. Valuable evidence of preparation of explosions was found in the possessions of Maksuda Lodin arrested a year ago, who returned from Pakistan. German security officials were tipped off by the fact that short frivolous videos occupied too much space on memory cards. The instinct of the law enforcement officers proved to be right.

Full Report At:

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/04-05-2012/121022-germany_islam_caricatures-0/

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People search for burial space in Rawalpindi

6/May, 2012

ISLAMABAD: People in Pakistan's Rawalpindi city are finding it difficult to bury their dead as they say there is not enough space left for their loved ones any more.

The only graveyard planned and completed in 1997 near a village called Dhamial, some 25 km from the city, is yet to turn first choice for the people due to its inaccessibility, Online news agency reported.

Residents in urban areas, on the other hand, are facing a shortage of space, as almost all the burial grounds are either filled to capacity or reserved in advance.

The few available spaces, however, need to be paid for.

There are four major graveyards in the city - Rata, Pirwadhai, Eidgah and Dhoke Munshi. But all of them are overcrowded. They are short of necessary facilities such as a place for funeral prayers and making ablution.

Residents have demanded the city administration allocate funds for the construction of a new graveyard in Rawalpindi.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/People-search-for-burial-space-in-Rawalpindi/articleshow/13009645.cms

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Eight, including police officer shot dead in Karachi

May 6, 2012

KARACHI:In what appeared to be a renewed wave of targeted killings, at least eight people, including a police officer, were gunned down in different areas of Karachi on Saturday.

Assistant sub inspector (ASI) police Aslam was injured after an unidentified man shot him in the head in Gulshan-e-Iqbal town’s Rajput colony;  Later he succumbed to his injuries during medical treatment at a private hospital.

In another incident at Sohrab Goth’s Al-Asif Square, a man was shot dead.

A police van was attacked near Hassan square area, injuring Inspector Azhar Ali and one other policeman.

Full Report At:

http://dawn.com/2012/05/05/three-shot-dead-in-karachis-kati-pahari/

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‘ Grave’ Raziya mystery now deepens

By Sudhanshu Mishra

6/May, 2012

Dispute over her resting ground

SHE WAS the first woman ruler of India and has been eulogised in history for her alleged romance with an African slave.

But if the history- aficionado in you ever wishes to pay obeisance at Raziya Sultan’s grave, chances are you’ll have a hard time deciding where exactly to head.

For, while the Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI) recognised a tomb near Deli Turqman Gate as the 13th century Sultanate empress’s final resting ground, the Haryana government has spent ` 58 lakh developing a tomb believed to be Raziya’s in Kaithal.

And now, a lecturer from Tonk says Raziya was actually buried in Tonk, Rajasthan. He has alleged that the aforementioned grave sites are mistakenly considered Razia’s owing to the incorrect translations of 13th century Indo- Persian historian Minhaj- i- Siraj’s book Tabaqat- i- Nasiri — one by Major H. G. Reverty and another by H. M. Elliot and John Dowson.

Full Report At:

mail today

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Islam, Sufism Under Threat: Hami Echoes Mirwaiz

Nazir Ganaie

May 6, 2012

Srinagar, May 03: Striking a chord with Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq that some bureaucrats were working at the behest of the central government to sow seeds of sectarian discord here, the head of the Karwan-e- Islami, Maulana Ghulam Rasool Hami on Thursday said that “hidden and inimical forces” were bent upon destroying Sufi Islam in Kashmir.

“His (Mirwaiz) statement has credence as Islam and its Sufi ideology are being threatened by some politically motivated individuals,” Maulana Hami said at a press conference today. “ But, we want to make it clear that no one can succeed in sowing seeds of hatred among different sects in Kashmir.”

He said that the sole aim of such people was to “dethrone Kashmir from its position of being a bastion of religious tolerance and brotherhood across the Muslim world.”

“Attacks on religious leaders like Peer Jalal-u-Din are testimony to it. We have lived in communal harmony and will continue to do so. Every effort of triggering sectarian violence will be defeated,” Hami said.

Full Report At:

http://www.kashmirobserver.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11614:islam-sufism-under-threat-hami-echoes-mirwaiz-&catid=15:top-news&Itemid=2

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Rebels burn Timbuktu tomb listed as U.N. World Heritage site

By the CNN Wire Staff

May 6, 2012

Bamako, Mali (CNN) -- Elderly men were keeping watch Saturday over Timbuktu's main library after Islamists burned a tomb listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The attacks Friday were blamed on Ansar Dine, a militant group that seeks to impose strict Sharia law.

The ancient city in Mali was captured by at least two separatist Tuareg rebel groups -- one of which is Ansar Dine -- in an anti-government uprising in the northern part of the country that began in January.

The rebels burned the tomb of a Sufi saint where people come to pray, said Sankoum Sissoko, a tour guide familiar with the place. He said the library and other heritage sites remained under threat.

Baba Haidara, a member of the National Assembly, called for UNESCO and the greater international community's help restoring the shrine and freeing the city.

"They attacked the grave, broke the doors and windows and ripped and burned pieces of white clothing that surrounded the tomb of the saint in front of everyone," said Haidara, who is from the central Mali city. "With their attack, the militants touched the heart of Timbuktu. They picked Friday because they know many people visit the shrines on this day."

Sufism is a mystical dimension of Islam, and Islamists believe Sufi shrines are sacrilegious. As such, they have mounted attacks against Sufi sites in several nations.

Full Report At:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/05/world/africa/mali-heritage-sites/index.html

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16 Taliban surrender in Kurram

May 6, 2012

PESHAWAR: Sixteen members from the banned terrorist organisation, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), surrendered to government authorities in Kurram tribal region, a senior administration official said on Saturday. The militants, who had been involved in heinous crimes in Kurram Agency, gave up their weapons before the political administration in presence of embedded media in Parachinar, headquarters of the region. Sources quoted Kurram Political Agent Shahab Ali Shah as saying that all those who had surrendered would face a trial. Their cases would be decided by anti-terrorism courts, the political agent said. The former militants told the media that they had witnessed foreign fighters working side-by-side under four commanders – Abdullah, Muhammad Rasham, Walid and Rafiqullah. They also confessed to being involved in crimes against their local people and fight against security forces. The former militants, whose faces were covered, said that they belonged to different tribes, including Masoodzai, Ali Sher, Afridi and Manttak (Orakzai). “We have shun all [militant] activities and ready to stand with our people and law enforcement agencies,” a militant was quoted as saying. “We want to start our new life because we were compelled to cooperate with TTP militants when they started their activities in Kurram Agency. Now we have realised that they are killing our own people and not waging a jihad... rather it is bloodshed of the innocent people.” Shahab Ali told reporters that around 2,500 militant were involved in criminal activities in Kurram Agency.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\05\06\story_6-5-2012_pg7_6

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India, Bangladesh very important partners of US, says Clinton

May 6, 2012

Describing India and Bangladesh as very important partners of the US, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on Saturday said her country wants to see the two as leaders in many fronts in the international arena.

Clinton, who arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday on the second leg of her tri-nation South Asia tour which will also take her to India, asked Bangladesh to pull out of a spiral of political turmoil through dialogues.

Full Report At:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/63050-india-bangladesh-very-important-partners-of-us-says-clinton.html

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Pakistan condemns latest US drone strike

May 06, 2012,

Islamabad: The Pakistan Foreign Office has strongly condemned the latest drone attack on a house in Darr-e-Nishtar, North Waziristan, which killed at least 10 suspected militants and injured one, according to reports.

“Pakistan has consistently maintained that these illegal attacks are a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and are in contravention of international law. It is our considered view that the strategic disadvantages of such attacks far outweigh their tactical advantages, and are therefore, totally counterproductive,” The Express Tribune quoted Foreign Office spokesperson Moazzam Ahmed Khan, as saying.

The US drone fired four missiles on the house in the Shawal valley in a pre-dawn attack.

Full Report At:

http://zeenews.india.com/news/south-asia/pakistan-condemns-latest-us-drone-strike_773532.html

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US brushes aside Pakistan's objections, to continue with its drone strikes

May 6, 2012

WASHINGTON: Brushing aside Pakistan's objections, defence secretary Leon Panetta today said US will continue with its drone strikes.

"The United States is going to defend itself under any circumstances," Panetta told PBS news in an interview, while responding to a question on drone strikes inside Pakistan.

Though he did not specifically mention drones, his answers indicated that he was referring to the drone strikes.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-brushes-aside-Pakistans-objections-to-continue-with-its-drone-strikes/articleshow/13012299.cms

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Hillary Clinton to press India on Iran oil imports

May 6, 2012

DHAKA, BANGLADESH: US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton will use a two-day visit to India this week to urge further reductions in Indian imports of Iranian oil.

A senior official traveling with Clinton in Bangladesh ahead of her arrival in India on Sunday said the matter will be at the top of the secretary's agenda in talks with Indian leaders.

India, which has tremendous energy needs to fuel its rapid growth, has made some progress in easing its dependence on Iranian oil, but the official said the US wants to see more.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hillary-Clinton-to-press-India-on-Iran-oil-imports/articleshow/13018306.cms

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ICNA Relief Promotes Jihad Donations

May 6, 2012

The charitable wing of a major American Muslim organization is promoting donations to extremist causes, undercutting a nationwide campaign to improve its image. The website link from the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Relief division hints at deeper connections to extremism and terror, both by the charitable branch and by its parent organization.

ICNA's self-proclaimed goal is "to communicate the message of Islam to the society at large" and "also to initiate change in the social and political spheres [of American society] in light of the principles of the noble Qur'an," according to the group's 2020 Vision program.

Full Report At:

http://www.rightsidenews.com/2012050416166/us/islam-in-america/icna-relief-promotes-jihad-donations.html

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Americans wants limited US role in Afghanistan

May 6, 2012

Most Americans want US troops out of Afghanistan and oppose a significant long-term commitment to support that nation's economy and security, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Friday.

But the poll also indicated that most Americans favor keeping some US forces in Afghanistan to help train that nation's troops, and to continue missions targeting al-Qaeda.

Taken together, the findings suggest "Americans essentially want to be done with Afghanistan," said Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson.

Full Report At:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=232930

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Pakistan, US working on text of US apology for NATO air strike

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir

 May 06, 2012

 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States are working quietly on an acceptable text for a US apology for the Nato air strike on November 26 last year that resulted in the martyrdom of 25 soldiers of the Pakistan Army at the Salala check post. About 20 soldiers were seriously injured in the gory incident which came from the so-called ‘allied’ forces.

 The draft is being worked out and discussed between the top diplomats of the two countries as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Sherry Rehman has been tasked to choreograph a mutually acceptable text for the purpose, provided with assistance from senior US diplomats. Once the apology is forthcoming, a breakthrough in the ties of the two capitals would be announced. Such a breakthrough will also help restoration of ground links of communication (GLOC) between Pakistan and Nato forces.

Full Report At:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-14387-Pakistan-US-working-quietly-on-text-of-Salala-apology

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Pakistan is our enemy: US lawmaker

May 6, 2012

US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has sharply criticised the Obama administration’s just-concluded US-Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement, saying it’s time for Washington to chuck Islamabad and closely align with New Delhi as part of Afghan peace moves.

“We need to quit operating under the assumption Pakistan is our ally. It is our enemy. The Pakistani Government is the radical Islamic enemy we are fighting,” Rohrabacher said in a strongly-worded statement, adding: “We should shy away from the Cold War strategy of unconditionally backing Pakistan and move instead toward a partnership with India.” In support of his line that New Delhi should be actively involved on moves related to the future of Afghanistan, the Republican lawmaker from California said: “Peace (in Afghanistan) can only be won when everybody has a seat at the table, power is dispersed and we align ourselves with democratic India.

Full Report At:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/63045-pakistan-is-our-enemy-us-lawmaker.html

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Robust regulatory framework on anvil for Islamic banking operations in Oman

06 May 2012

MUSCAT — The ‘Islamic Liquidity Management and Capital Market’ workshop hosted by BankMuscat’s Meethaq Islamic Banking in association with International Islamic Financial Market (IIFM) got off to a fine start yesterday under the auspices of Hamoud bin Sangour al Zadjali, Executive President of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).

The opening ceremony of the 2-day workshop at BankMuscat head office was attended by dignitaries, including Abdullah al Salmi, Executive President, Capital Market Authority, Sulaiman bin Mohamed al Yahyai, Vice-Chairman of BankMuscat, and Abdulrazak Ali Issa, Chief Executive of BankMuscat.

Full Report At:

http://main.omanobserver.om/node/93842

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5 killed in bomb blast in Syria's increasingly restive Aleppo

May 6, 2012

BEIRUT: A bomb struck a car wash on Saturday in Aleppo, killing at least five people, a day after government troops opened fire to break up large protests against a violent university raid in Syria's largest city.

Aleppo, an important economic hub, has largely stayed out of the revolt against President Bashar Assad that erupted nearly 14 months ago, but the raid on Aleppo University that killed four students earlier in the week has swelled the crowds of protesters.

On Friday, thousands marched against the university crackdown in what activists said were the largest protests in the city yet. However, it remained unclear if the regime is losing major ground in Aleppo.

Bomb attacks have become more common in Aleppo and the capital of Damascus, often targeting buildings associated with the security services, as the uprising grows increasingly militarized. However, the rebel Free Syrian Army, one of the largest armed groups, denied reports that it had claimed responsibility for Saturday's blast.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/5-killed-in-bomb-blast-in-Syrias-increasingly-restive-Aleppo/articleshow/13017106.cms

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434 Indian fishermen, 575 boats in Pak custody

 May 6, 2012

AHMEDABAD: The Union government has admitted that there are 434 Indian fishermen in the custody of Pakistani authorities, which have also impounded 575 Indian fishing boats. According to officials, the majority of these fishermen and boats are from Gujarat, Daman and Diu.

In reply to a question from Member ofParliament from Ahmedabad East, Harin Pathak, external affairs minister S M Krishna said that in the first four months of 2012, 108 fishermen were arrested by Pakistani agencies. In 2011, 123 had been arrested.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/434-Indian-fishermen-575-boats-in-Pak-custody/articleshow/13015106.cms

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179 held for clashes with Egypt army

May 6, 2012

Egypt’s military prosecution on Saturday ordered 179 people be detained over deadly clashes between troops and anti-military protesters in Cairo, a military source said.

Following the arrest of 320 people after Friday’s clashes outside the defence ministry in Cairo, the prosecution “has decided to hold 179 people, including 13 women, for 15 days pending investigation,” the source told AFP.

After five hours of questioning overnight, the detainees were accused of assaulting army officers and soldiers, assembling in a military zone, and preventing members of the armed forces of carrying out their work, the source said. They all denied the charges.

Full Report At:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/63043-179-held-for-clashes-with-egypt-army.html

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Hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners hospitalised

May 6, 2012

JERUSALEM: Ten Palestinian prisoners participating in a mass hunger strike in Israeli jails were placed under medical supervision as their conditions worsened, officials said on Saturday.

The ten men are among 1,500 to 2,500 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to demand better conditions and an end to detention without trial. Although Israeli officials and Palestinians give different numbers of hunger strikers, it is still one of the largest prison protests in years.

Full Report At:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\05\06\story_6-5-2012_pg4_3

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Break in Lyari operation should not be taken as weakness: Qaim

May 6, 2012

KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Saturday said that miscreants in Lyari should not consider the temporary halt in the operation as our weakness, DawnNews reported.

Speaking to police officials at the Police Headquarters Karachi along with Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Shah praised the courage of policemen for participating in the grand operation against the armed criminals in the troubled area of the metropolis.

Full Report At:

http://dawn.com/2012/05/05/break-in-lyari-operation-should-not-be-taken-as-weakness-qaim/

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Security forces kill eight militants in Orakzai agency

May 6, 2012

ORAKZAI AGENCY: Security forces destroyed two militant hideouts in Orakzai agency on Sunday, killing eight militants in the mortar attacks, DawnNews reoprted.

According to official sources, security forces targeted militant hideouts in Mamozai and Khadizai areas of Orakzai agency.

Two militant hideouts were destroyed in the operation whereas eight militants were killed, the source added.

Lower Orakzai agency has been cleared of militants whereas an operation against the militants is underway in the Upper Orakzai agency.

http://dawn.com/2012/05/06/security-forces-kill-eight-militants-in-orakzai-agency/

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Clinton pressures Bangladesh govt in Grameen Bank row

May 6, 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned Bangladesh's government not to undermine pioneering microlender Grameen Bank, saying it was a key driver in the South Asian nation's slow climb out of poverty.

Clinton met with Grameen's ousted founder - Nobel Prize-winning economics professor Mohammad Yunus - and later voiced strong support for the organization which has fallen out of favour with Bangladesh's political leadership.

"I have followed the dispute over Grameen Bank from Washington and I can only hope that nothing is done that in any way undermines the success of what Grameen Bank has accomplished," Clinton told an audience at a public question-and-answer session in Dhaka.

Full Report At:

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/05/06/bangladesh-usa-grameen-idINDEE84502P20120506

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Russia to keep supporting Syria peace plan

May 6, 2012

MOSCOW: Russia will keep backing the peaceful settlement plan in Syria, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and UN special envoy Kofi Annan had a telephone conversation on the latter's initiative.

"Annan informed Lavrov of his efforts designed to achieve peaceful settlement in Syria. Annan thanked the Russian side for assistance," a statement said.

A ceasefire agreement between the armed Syrian opposition and government troops brokered by Annan was signed April 12 but has been repeatedly violated since.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Russia-to-keep-supporting-Syria-peace-plan/articleshow/13017615.cms

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India, Pak peaceniks begin signature drive for a relaxed visa regime

May 6, 2012

AMRITSAR: Peaceniks of India and Pakistan have begun a signature campaign for a relaxed visa regime between two nations to enable hassle-free cross-border travel for the common man.

The campaign aims at collecting atleast 1 lakh signatures of citizens of both countries and presenting them to their respective presidents and prime ministers to apprise them of the aspirations of common people of both countries whose voices generally go unheard.

"Our Pakistan colleagues of Institute of Peace and Secular Studies have already begun the campaign and we are going to begin the campaign in Punjab in near future," said president of Folklore Academy Ramesh Yadav while talking to TOI on Saturday.

Full Report At:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-Pak-peaceniks-begin-signature-drive-for-a-relaxed-visa-regime/articleshow/13016211.cms

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2 killed, 30 injured in Philippines grenade blast

May 6, 2012

Officials in the Philippines say a powerful grenade explosion has killed two people and wounded at least 30 others outside a crowded bar in the south of the country.

Army Col. Daniel Lucero says investigators are trying to identify the attackers who left or lobbed the grenade that exploded late Saturday outside the El Sentro Resto Bar in Iligan city. Police found the pin of the grenade, which also damaged a number of parked cars and sent people fleeing in panic.

Col. Lucero said on Sunday it remained unclear if Muslim rebels, al-Qaeda-linked militants or extortion gangs were behind the blast or if it was sparked by feuding civilians.

Iligan is an industrial and trading centre. It has been targeted by Muslim separatist rebels in the past.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3390245.ece

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At War Over Siachen Peace

May 6, 2012

SEEING the letters ‘ MMS’ trending on Twitter is becoming so commonplace that one is almost disappointed when they don’t make an appearance.

Fortunately, this week’s trends did not disappoint, because come Friday morning and there the letters stood, right below ‘ Siachen’ and above ‘ Pak’. I read on looking for some juicy tidbits about the next politico or semi- celeb caught with her/ his pants down.

Turns out the letters stood for Manmohan Singh and the issue at hand was not unrelated to the the two aforementioned trends (‘ Siachen’ and ‘ Pak’). Once again, the prime minister is in the crosshairs of the Twitterati. This time it is because of talk of the demilitarisation of Siachen.

Full Report At:

Mail Today

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PPP activist’s son, grandson among three shot dead

May 6, 2012

KARACHI: A Pakistan People’s Party activist’s son and grandson were shot dead by assailants riding a motorbike in the Kati Pahari area on Saturday.

The attack, described by the PPP as ‘targeted killing’ was followed by arson attacks that created tension and paralysed the routine life in the whole area, police and party sources said.

They said that 29-year-old owner of a chicken shop Muzammil Khan died instantly when the assailants drove up to his roadside shop near Kati Pahari and opened indiscriminate fire with a pistol in the second half of the day. The shooting also left his 23-year-old nephew, Imran Khan, and a passerby, later identified as Ghayas Rasheed, seriously injured.

“The injured were rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries during treatment,” said DSP Tariq Malik, the area sub-divisional police officer (SDPO). “All the three victims were residents of the same area,” he said, adding that about a dozen shots were fired with a 9mm pistol. Some bullets also hit the motorbikes parked near the Hina Chicken Shop, he said.

Full Report At:

http://dawn.com/2012/05/06/ppp-activists-son-grandson-among-three-shot-dead/

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Via Video Feed, Families Watch 9/11 Case and Seethe

By IVAN PEREIRA

May 6, 2012

Some 1,400 miles from the arraignment proceedings of the military tribunal at Guantánamo Bay and just a few miles from ground zero, relatives of Sept. 11 victims as well as police officers and firefighters who survived the attack on the World Trade Center gathered in Brooklyn to watch the hearing.

The arraignments of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his four co-defendants were shown, via a live video feed, in two rooms, one for the relatives and one for the emergency workers, at Fort Hamilton.

As the defendants repeatedly and persistently disrupted the courtroom, some of the relatives said they had to keep their emotions in check.

Debra Burlingame, 58, a sister of Charles Burlingame, the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, said that she and other relatives were disgusted by the seeming arrogance shown by Mr. Mohammed and his fellow defendants.

Full Report At:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/nyregion/families-watch-9-11-case-at-guantanamo-via-video.html?ref=world

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Trying to Mold a Post-Assad Syria From Abroad

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

May 6, 2012

ISTANBUL — Emad ad-Din al-Rashid, a former assistant dean at the Islamic law college of Damascus University, opened his MacBook Air laptop and flipped through spreadsheets detailing the unmet needs of seemingly every besieged neighborhood across Syria.

Full Report At:

syria.html?ref=world&gwh=D946C44E4331DC2A55F0F0366ED96AE4

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Media freedom must for democracy: Sindh CM Sharmila  Farooqi

By Nawaz Khuhro

May 6, 2012

KARACHI: Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqi has said that press freedom is necessary for strengthening democracy, so all the stakeholders should play their due role in solving the problems faced by journalists.

“There is dire need to end impunity of crimes against journalists,” she said while addressing a discussion programme on the importance of freedom of the press and challenges being faced by journalists in Pakistan, particularly in conflict areas, organised by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) at the -Vicky Zeitlin Media Library here in connection with the World Press Freedom Day.

She said the present elected government respects media freedom, because journalists had given a lot of sacrifices for democracy and rule of law. The adviser said that she would play her due role in solving the problems faced by media men.

Farooqi and Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Rabita Committee Member Ashfaq Mangi gave the Aslam Ali Press Freedom Award along with a cheque of one hundred thousand rupees to Anita Saleem Shahzad, the widow of the slain journalist Saleem Shahzad. Children of Saleem Shahzad were also present. It may be noted that PPF on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day announced the annual PPF-Aslam Ali Press Freedom Award-2012 for the slain journalist Saleem Shahzad, who was murdered on 30 May 2011.

Full Report At:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\05\06\story_6-5-2012_pg7_15

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Gunmen in Army Uniform Execute Five in East Nigeria

May 6, 2012

MAIDUGURI (Reuters) - Gunmen in military uniform abducted five people in eastern Nigeria, tied their hands and shot them dead, police said on Saturday.

The attack overnight took place in Dananaca village, Taraba state, which is usually peaceful but which suffered a bombing at the hands of Islamist militants last week.

"The police are still investigating to ascertain if the people are real soldiers and from which unit," police spokesman for Taraba state Ibiam Mbaseki told Reuters by telephone.

"If they were genuine military men, they would have contacted us before carrying out such an operation, but we don't know where they came from."

Islamist sect Boko Haram, blamed for dozens of shootings and bombings since it launched an uprising in 2009, has sought to extend its reach too much of the north and the capital Abuja. The group has become President Goodluck Jonathan's number one security headache.

Full Report At:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/05/05/world/africa/05reuters-nigeria-violence.html?ref=africa&gwh=B1DE6E6A6C8BC5185892A6439E7DD925

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South Sudanese refugees to be airlifted out of Sudan

May 6, 2012

Thousands of South Sudanese stranded for months in a camp in Sudan are to be airlifted home, an aid group says.

At least 12,000 refugees were stuck in the river town of Kosti, in White Nile State, when boat traffic south was cut because of cross-border violence.

They will now be taken by bus to Khartoum and then flown to Juba, South Sudan's capital, the International Organisation for Migration said.

The IOM says Sudan has dropped a demand that they leave by 20 May.

Meanwhile, a UN deadline for both South Sudan and Sudan to cease all hostilities or face sanctions expired yesterday. The sporadic unrest has sparked fears of all-out war between the countries.

Full Report At:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17968624

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Royal Logistic Corps soldiers killed in Afghanistan named

May 6, 2012

Two British soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan on Friday have been named by the Ministry of Defence as Cpl Andrew Roberts and Pte Ratu Silibaravi.

They died after an enemy mortar rocket attack at their base in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

The soldiers, both 32, were from the Royal Logistic Corps, attached to 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh Battlegroup.

A total of 412 UK service personnel have died since military operations began in Afghanistan in 2001.

Full Report At:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17971085

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Dynamic pragmatist becomes top Islamist contender in Egypt

Egyptian crowds roar for presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who has called for unity, protection of civil liberties and separation of religion and politics.

By Jeffrey Fleishman

May 6, 2012

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — The stage along the sea was a politically crafted advertisement for Egypt's diversity: An unveiled woman chatted with a bearded Islamist and a retired soccer star shared the spotlight with a young hero from last year's revolution.

A roar erupted from a crowd, mostly students, when a white-haired man in a linen blazer raised his arms. As fireworks flashed in the night sky, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh called for national unity to end military rule and unrest that have soured the euphoria since Hosni Mubarak was forced from power.

Full Report At:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-islamist-candidate-20120506,0,3624026.story

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Shlomo Ben Ami Muslims find hope in Europe

May 6, 2012

MADRID ? Mohamed Merah’s killing spree in and around Toulouse in March, like the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 suicide attacks in London’s Underground, has highlighted once again the dilemmas that Europe faces with regard to its growing Muslim minority. No social-integration model has proven to be free of flaws. But is the picture really so bleak as those who despair of an emerging “Eurabia” would have us believe?

Neither the multicultural ethos (respect for “cultural diversity in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance,” as British Labor Minister Roy Jenkins put it in 1966), nor official indifference to religious identities (as in France, where the state, as the 19th-century historian Jules Michelet put it, “takes the place of God”) has worked as planned. Multiculturalism in Britain has entrenched almost self-contained Muslim communities and turned Islam into a badge of identity to counteract exclusion. Similarly, imposed laicite (France’s strict republican secularism) seems to have deepened French Muslims’ attachment to their religious identity.

Full Report At:

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20120504000999

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Fatah offered al-Qaeda affiliate Jaysh al-Islam an alliance

May 06, 2012

The 'Palestinian Authority' is led by the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen is also the leader of Fatah.

This past week, the United States released 17 letters that were among the personal correspondence of Osama Bin Laden. The letters were in Arabic and included English translations. One of the letters is described as follows:

SOCOM-2012-0000008

This letter was originally an exchange between Jaysh al-Islam and `Atiyya that was forwarded first to a certain `Abd al-Hamid (and presumably to Bin Ladin later). The gist of Jaysh al-Islam’s letter makes it known that the group is in need of financial assistance‚ to support jihad,‛ and that the group is seeking `Atiyya’s legal advice on three matters:

1) the permissibility of accepting financial assistance from other militant Palestinian groups (e.g., Fatah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad);

2) the permissibility of investing funds in the stock market in support of jihad; and

3) the permissibility of striking or killing drug traffickers in order to use their money, and even drugs, to lure their enemies who could in turn be used by Jaysh al-Islam as double-agents.

Full Report At:

http://israelmatzav.blogspot.in/2012/05/fatah-offered-al-qaeda-affiliate-jaysh.html

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Syrian opposition leader heads to China for talks amid violence

May 6, 2012

(CNN) -- The head of a Syrian leading opposition political group arrives in China for talks Sunday amid violence in the Middle East nation despite a cease-fire implemented last month.

Burhan Ghalioun, president of the Syrian National Council, will meet foreign ministry officials during the visit ending Wednesday, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Despite the visit, China has not changed its stance on Syria, a foreign ministry official said.

China and Russia derailed a U.N. Security Council resolution this year demanding an end to attacks on peaceful protesters in Syria, a position that sparked international outrage.

China has said it does not support forced regime change and called on Syrians to decide their own fate.

Full Report At:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/06/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

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Sudan says S. Sudan troops inside its territory

By REUTERS

May 6, 2012

KHARTOUM: Sudan's army accused South Sudan yesterday of having troops on its territory, a sign tensions between the former civil war foes were unlikely to cool despite an international ultimatum to end fighting.

Sudanese Army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid said the military would abide by a UN-backed African Union call to halt hostilities, in an effort to end weeks of border fighting that has threatened to escalate into a full-blown war.

But Khalid said the army had a right to defend its territory from foreign troops.

"We have committed to (the decision). And no shot has been fired from our side and no attacks or raids have been launched ... towards South Sudan," Khalid told Reuters.

Full Report At:

http://arabnews.com/world/article626109.ece?service=print

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/new-age-islam-news-bureau/kuwait-parliament-approves-death-penalty-for-insulting-god/d/7245