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Islamic World News ( 26 Jul 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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Military aircraft crashes in Morocco, 78 killed

Oslo attacker feared ‘Pakistanisation’ of Europe

UK turns spotlight on far right after Norway killings

Defend Islam from deviant ideologies: Saudi King to Muslim scholars

JuD's Hafiz Saeed declares suicide bombings un-Islamic

Jordanian kills sister over alleged sex case

Norwegian killer Anders Breivik's manifesto supports Hindutva

Pakistan: Dalit girls complain against discrimination

The West need not fear the resurgence of Islam

ISLAMABAD: Seminar on women rights: Talking feminism and religion

Pakistani women advancing on their rights front

Comics superhero takes on Qaida

Fanar lessons in Islamic culture at Katara

Islamic Sharia Law is imposed in a Toronto Public School?

Urdu dailies: Darul VC a liability

Vastanvi supporters slam Shoora, ready for PIL war

Kurram violence leaves 27 militants dead

Nigerian police killed 23 after bomb attack - amnesty

Iranian shelling kills 2 in Iraq’s Kurdistan

Karachi bloodbath continues, 6 killed

South Waziristan: Soldier killed in bomb attack by militants

TAIF: Woman who sent officer to jail finds herself behind bars

JEDDAH: Victims of serial rapist told to take DNA tests

Bangladesh honours Indira Gandhi with highest award

Nepal police arrest Mumbai blast suspect

Norway Killer’s Hatred of Women

Oslo Attack Highlights the Dangers of Islamophobia

Norway self-confessed killer wants to explain motive in court

Oslo killer says he was not alone

Oslo attacker feared creation of several 'mini Pakistans' in Europe

Germany first EU nation to say J& K is safe for tourists

Hezbollah wants to wipe out democracy

Pamela Geller Discovers Taxi Drivers Anti-Porn Jihad Plot to Impose Sharia

Jaleel Morejo: ‘My 17 death sentences’

Folk festival: ‘Spirit of Swat’ ends with a musical evening

Pakistani Hindus: Separated, even in death

Karachi: Dalits want greater share in census over upper caste Hindus

Pak law does not permit taking voice samples: Rehman Malik

Mass rallies remember Breivik victims

Eminent Islamic Economist Dr. Fazlur Rahman Faridi passes away

40,000 famine-hit Somalis flee to Mogadishu: UNHCR

US take on Iraq pullout ‘one bite at a time’

Documents reveal Rana was unaware of Headley's 26/11 links

Pak plans to add 24 n-capable missiles to its arsenal

150,000 throng Oslo flower vigil for attacks victims

Hafiz Saeed vows to enter India

Norway killer's father wishes his son killed self

Hina Rabbani Khar a misfit, say most Pakistanis

Ex-scientist fights odds to get justice for slain son

South Sudan says North’s new currency is ‘economic war’

Turkish court sentences Armenian journalist Hrant Dink assassin to 23 years

Second Sudanese reporter jailed for rape article

Advanced Zamzam dispensers to replace orange drums in holy mosques

Shooter in US soldier killing sentenced to life

Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar in Limca Book of World Records-2011

Ramadan Starts August 1 in Europe: ECFR

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/military-aircraft-crashes-morocco,-78/d/5109

 

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Military aircraft crashes in Morocco, 78 killed

Jul 26, 2011

RABAT: At least 78 people were killed when a Moroccan military aircraft crashed in the south of the country on Tuesday, the army said.

In a news alert carried by the official news agency MAP, the army said three other people were severely wounded in the crash, Morocco's deadliest air disaster in several decades.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Military-aircraft-crashes-in-Morocco-78-killed/articleshow/9372374.cms

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Oslo attacker feared ‘Pakistanisation’ of Europe

By Salman Siddiqui

26 Jul 2011

KARACHI: Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who killed more than 90 people in two attacks in Oslo, was mortally terrified of the idea of several ‘mini Pakistans’ appearing all over the map of Europe.

In a 1,600-page manifesto titled ‘2083: A European Declaration of Independence’, Breivik laid out a stark picture of the future of Europe, citing poor human rights in Pakistan as the fate of the continent. Norwegian authorities confirmed on Sunday that the manifesto was written by Breivik.

In his doomsday scenario for Europe, Breivik predicts that several ‘mini-Pakistans’ would  be created all over Europe by 2083, one in each country due to ‘Lebanon-style’ conflicts. “It could be similar to the division of India after World War II, with the creation of one or several Islamic ‘Pakistan’ enclaves,” he says.

While Breivik’s rhetoric against Muslim immigration into Europe is not unusual, he cites many names that might be familiar to Pakistanis, including Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Maulana Abul Ala Maududi, as well as prominent human rights activist Hina Jilani and Dawn columnist Irfan Hussain.

He seems to believe that Iqbal, in particular, was sympathetic to communism and views multiculturalism as a Marxist concept. He quotes Iqbal as saying “Islam equals communism plus Allah.”

Breivik also claims that Pakistan is systematically annihilating all non-Muslim communities. He claimed that Hindu girls are being forced to convert to Islam in Sindh. In this context he even quotes Hina Jilani as saying: “Have you ever heard of an Indian Muslim girl being forced to embrace Hinduism? It’s Muslims winning by intimidation.”

He goes on to describe the situation for Christians in Pakistan as being no better, citing Father Emmanuel Asi of the Theological Institute for Laity in Lahore as saying in 2007 that Pakistani Christians are frequently denied equal rights.

Jamaat-e-Islami founder Abul Ala Maududi is also quoted in the manifesto, though in a manner that would imply that the stated objective of an Islamic state is to kill or subdue all non-Muslims around the world.

Breivik seems to be a fan of Daily Times columnist Razi Azmi, whom he calls “one of the more sensible columnists of Pakistan”. He mentions one of Azmi’s pieces where the columnist asks whether it was possible to imagine a Muslim converting to Christianity or Hinduism or Buddhism in a Muslim country, using it to support his view of Islam as an intolerant religion.

He also cites Dawn’s Irfan Hussain’s column criticising Hizb u-Tahrir’s vision of a caliphate.

His ire against Pakistanis and Muslims seems to have at least partial origin in personal experience. He speaks at length about his childhood best friend, a Pakistani Muslim immigrant to Norway who, despite having lived several years in Europe still appeared to resent Norway and Norwegian society. “Not because he was jealous… but because it represented the exact opposite of Islamic ways,” Breivik conjectures.

The inability of Muslim immigrants to assimilate into European society seems to bother him, which he blames on Muslim parents not allowing their children to adopt European ways. He also asks why Muslim girls are considered ‘off-limits’ to everyone, including Muslim boys, and why Muslim men view ethnic Norwegian women as ‘whores’.

He also seems to believe that the Muslims in Europe who collect government benefits view it as a form of jizya, a medieval Islamic tax charged on non-Muslim minorities.

He rails against multiculturalism, which he blames for making immigration too easy for Muslims in Europe. “When the veil of multiculturalism disappears, it will be Pakistanis who live in London, Turks who live in Berlin, Algerians who live in Paris and Moroccans who live in Amsterdam. And then the show begins,” he says.

That show, he says, is a dramatic demographic shift that he calls the ‘Pakistanisation of Europe’.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th,  2011.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/216830/oslo-attacker-feared-pakistanisation-of-europe/

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UK turns spotlight on far right after Norway killings

By Brian Wheeler

26 Jul 2011

Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered Britain's police and security services to look at whether they are taking the threat from far right groups seriously enough following the Norway killings.

Such groups are not currently considered a priority, with anti-terror resources mostly focused on Al-Qaeda.

But is there any evidence that Anders Behring Breivik, who has admitted carrying out the attacks in Norway which left 76 people dead, had links to British extremists?

And has the threat from non-Islamic extremists been under-estimated in the battle to combat Al-Qaeda?

Breivik claims to have had contact in the past with members of the English Defence League (EDL), which stages street protests against what it calls the Islamification of British society.

'Anxious'

In a 1,500 page online "manifesto", dated "London 2011" Breivik claimed he was recruited by two English extremists at a meeting in London in April 2002 attended by a total of eight people.

I think we're five years away from that happening here, or 10 years, of English lads doing that because of the desperation they're in”

The meeting was to set up an "order" of the Knights Templar (KT), or Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonic (PCCTS), dedicated to inspiring a "conservative revolution" in Europe.

The document was written in English and signed with an anglicised version of Breivik's name - Andrew Berwick.

In it, Breivik, who says he carried out the attacks alone, says: "I used to have more than 600 EDL members as Facebook friends and have spoken with tens of EDL members and leaders".

Breivik talks of the EDL as a "street demonstrating organisation" but dismisses it as "dangerously naive" and not on the same ideological wavelength as him.

The EDL, which is understood to have a tiny sister organisation in Norway, denies having any contact with Breivik.

The Home Office also says it has no evidence of any links - a view initially supported by anti-fascist campaign Searchlight, although the group now claims to have discovered "some links between Breivik and the British far right and will be revealing these shortly".

EDL leader Stephen Lennon, who uses the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, told BBC News: "I've never spoken to him, never heard of the dude."

Lennon described Breivik as a "sicko" and a "weirdo" but said: "I've been saying in my speeches, I think we're five years away from that happening here, or 10 years, of English lads doing that because of the desperation they're in."

'Isolated individuals'

David Cameron has rejected claims the UK has been "complacent" in its response to the perceived threat from far right groups - but he has ordered the police and the security services to "take stock" of whether they are being sufficiently vigilant.

The government's revised Contest anti-terrorism strategy, published earlier this month, concentrates almost exclusively on the threat posed by Al-Qaeda and other Islamist terror groups.

It suggests the far right is less organised and well-trained than Islamist groups and that their influence is on the wane across Europe.

Under a section entitled "Planning Assumptions 2011 - 2015", the document says: "There will continue to be isolated individuals who engage in terrorist activity in the name of extreme right or left-wing views or other ideologies.

"They will not pose as high a risk to our national security as terrorism associated with Al Qa'ida."

There are currently 14 people serving prison sentences in the UK for terrorism offences who "are known to be associated with extreme right-wing groups," the Contest strategy says.

Lone fanatic

A number of former British National Party members are among those behind bars, including Robert Cottage, jailed in 2007 for possessing what the police described as "the largest amount of chemical explosive of its type ever found in this country" and Terence Gavan, convicted last year of manufacturing a vast array of explosives, firearms and nail bombs.

But the BNP, like the EDL, is not considered by the Home Office a terrorist organisation and has never officially encouraged or condoned terrorist acts.

It is also a registered political party, with two members of the European Parliament.

Its influence is, in any case, on the wane, according to anti-fascist campaigners, with many of its activists turning their back on the electoral process in favour of street protests organised by the EDL.

The police unit dedicated to monitoring political extremism in England and Wales - the National Co-Ordinator for Domestic Extremism - was recently brought under the control of the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism command.

The unit, which has 75 officers, is also responsible for gathering intelligence on environmental and animal rights extremists, and has more than 1,800 photographs of potential suspects.

Anti-fascists campaigners have criticised the police for failing to take far right extremism seriously enough and not being sufficiently coordinated in their intelligence gathering.

But there are also civil liberties implications in extending surveillance of individuals - and the UK's coalition government, which is dedicated to scrapping snooping laws, will be mindful of avoiding a knee-jerk reaction to events in Norway.

It is difficult to pre-empt the actions of a lone fanatic - and there is some evidence that Breivik had even been shunned by fellow right wing extremists.

He claims to have been banned from posting on a US-based white supremacist website Stormfront, popular with far-right activists in the UK, for not being anti-semitic.

Some members of the neo-Nazi site have expressed anger that he appears to have targeted white people rather than Muslims or Jews.

Others dismiss him as a "nut" who has set back the white nationalist cause by 20 years.

But it is clear that any new attempt to combat the far-right must be mindful of the difference that exists between traditional anti-Jewish neo-Nazis and the new breed of anti-Muslim extremists such as Breivik.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14273546

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Defend Islam from deviant ideologies: Saudi King to Muslim scholars

26 July 2011

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah urged Muslim scholars on Monday to defend Islam from proponents of deviant ideologies who are trying to destroy the Muslim world through division and sedition.

"You scholars should uphold the basic principles of Islam which are principles of love, principles of loyalty and principles of sincerity and faith," he told a reception for the leading scholars of the Muslim world at the king's palace in Jeddah.

The scholars included participants of a conference organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) in Makkah earlier this week.

Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al-Asheikh and MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki accompanied the scholars, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

King Abdullah asked Al-Turki to make the conference of Muslims scholars an annual event.

Also present during the reception were Prince Muqrin, chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, deputy foreign minister; Saleh bin Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs, endowment, call and guidance; and Abdul Aziz Khoja, minister of culture and information.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article478032.ece

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JuD's Hafiz Saeed declares suicide bombings un-Islamic

26 Jul 2011

DASKA: Ameer Jamaat-ud-Daawa (JuD) Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has termed suicide bombings as un-Islamic, saying that attacks on Muslims by Muslims could never be Jihad, as Islam is a religion of peace, which gives a lesson of  love, unity and affection.

He said that the brutal killings of Muslims under the name of a so-called Jihad was a condemnable, inhuman and un-Islamic act and that the people doing the suicidal bombings do not belong to Islam.

He stated this while addressing a separate meeting of the workers at Daska city.

The JuD chief said that peace, economical and political stability in Pakistan was possible only in following the teachings of Islam and through Jihad.

Later, addressing a convention of the local traders at Sambrial, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed revealed that the USA has used Pakistan for its (USA) personal gains and now the time has come for the incumbent rulers of Pakistan to get rid of USA.

He said that Indian has never accepted Pakistan as well as the partition of the Indo-Pak subcontinent, which was a shameful act on India’s part which claims to be the biggest democracy in the world.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217149/juds-hafiz-saeed-declare-suicide-bombings-un-islamic/

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Jordanian kills sister over alleged sex case

26 July 2011

AMMAN — A Jordanian man has been charged with killing his 35-year-old sister when she was released from detention over allegedly having sex outside marriage, a judicial official said Monday.

“The suspect, in his 40s, was charged on Sunday with premeditated murder after fatally shooting his sister five times in Zarqa,” northeast of Amman, the official told AFP.

“She had been in administrative detention since February over a fornication case. Apparently she had (sexual) relations with a man who took advantage of her and pretended he wanted to marry her.”

Murder is punishable by death in Jordan but in so-called “honour killings” courts can commute or reduce sentences, particularly if the victim’s family asks for leniency.

Between 15 and 20 women are murdered in such killings each year in the Arab kingdom, despite government efforts to curb such crimes.

Separately, the official said a 35-year-old man was charged with premeditated murder for slitting the throat of his wife’s alleged lover, 26, before cutting off his penis in central Amman on Saturday.

“He handed himself in to police on the same day of the murder and confessed, giving them a bag that had the other man’s penis. He was charged premeditated murder,” said the official.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July523.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Norwegian killer Anders Breivik's manifesto supports Hindutva

Jul 26, 2011

New Delhi: Anders Behring Breivik, the confessed killer of 76 people in the July 22 bomb and gun attacks in Norway, has praised the Hindutva movement and warned that "India will continue to wither and die unless the Indian nationalists consolidate properly and strike to win."

The 32-year-old Breivik devotes a significant portion of his rambling 1,500-page manifesto posted online shortly before the massacre to the rise of the Indian nationalist movement.

He said he was on a self-appointed mission to save Europe from what he saw as the threats of Islam, immigration and multi-culturalism.

Section '3.158 - The state of the Indian/Hindu resistance - Indian nationalists' of Breivik's '2080: A European declaration of independence' manifesto defines saffronisation as a "political neologism, used to refer to the policy of right-wing Hindu nationalism (or Hindutva) which seeks to make the Indian state into a Hindu nation and its Sikh, Buddhist and Jain minorities incorporated into Hinduism."

Full report at:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/norwegian-killers-manifesto-supports-hindutva/170496-3.html

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Pakistan: Dalit girls complain against discrimination

26 July 2011

KARACHI: Pakistan’s scheduled caste minorities or Dalits have expressed serious concern over social and economic discrimination against them, including organised attempts to reduce their share in the overall population of Pakistan in the house counting and forthcoming census.

As well as in forced labour, abduction of Dalit girls and then their forced conversion to Islam and illegal occupation of religious places of the minorities. Representatives of the scheduled caste were speaking at a meeting of the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network held at the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research Centre (PILER).

The participants expressed their concern over the exclusion policies against the Dalit population everywhere in Pakistan and demanded the government to provide protection to them and allot government land to the landless peasants of the low-caste monitories’ communities. A large number of Dalit families are working at the lands of big landlords, where they face torture and bonded labour. The representatives of the scheduled cast communities demanded that the share of Dalits in employment, educational scholarships, national resources, development schemes and in parliament is inadequate, which should be enhanced according to their proportion in the overall population.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\26\story_26-7-2011_pg7_14

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The West need not fear the resurgence of Islam

Dr. S. Amjad Hussain

26 Jul 2011

Islam is undergoing a revival across the Muslim and Arab worlds that has some people -- both outside and within the faith -- concerned. Is this resurgence the harbinger of a wider militancy and terrorism? Or is it one of those periodic movements in which the faithful try to reconnect with their spiritual roots?

In the West, this resurgence is being viewed with alarm. History tells us that all major religions undergo periodic revivals. Yet, some fearmongers would have us believe that Islam is becoming militant and is turning every Muslim into a potential terrorist.

There is a xenophobic and militant strand in every religion that turns violent when it perceives itself to be under attack. But the majority of the faithful have nothing to do with that small minority within their faith.

The Irish Republican Army did not have Vatican endorsement when it terrorized the Protestant population of Northern Ireland. Nor did the Unionists have the backing of the Anglican Church when they did the same to Northern Irish Catholics. Militant Jewish settlers do not represent Judaism, nor does the saffron-clad Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh represent mainstream Hinduism.

The Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were not caused by Islam, but by a minority within the religion. Members of that minority believe the West is out to destroy their religion and to control their destiny.

If Islam were an inherently violent religion, as some politicians, commentators, and Christian preachers are fond of saying, why is it the fastest growing religion in the West? You would think, given the lousy press Islam receives, that the rolls of Muslims would be declining.

Full report at:

http://www.toledoblade.com/S-Amjad-Hussain/2011/07/25/The-West-need-not-fear-the-resurgence-of-Islam.html

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ISLAMABAD: Seminar on women rights: Talking feminism and religion

July 26, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Muslim women have more opportunities to work due to the space created as a result of the struggle for women rights by women and human rights organisations.

This was stated by Prof. Amina Jamal of Department of Sociology, Ryerson University, Canada, while speaking at a seminar on “Islam: South Asian Muslim women’s  struggle and trans-national feminist practices.”

She said, that feminist groups and individual activists in societies, as far apart as Pakistan and Canada, are faced with the increasing activism of women, who identify themselves as Muslims rather then feminists.

She added that the feminist movement in Pakistan is split between those, who seek to invoke Islamic scriptures in support of women rights, and those who advocate the traditional ‘secular’ position insisting on the separation of religion from politics.

Highlighting another trend among Islamist groups, she said that they have developed a dislike towards modern terminologies, like women rights and feminism etc. “One logical reason for this is that these terminologies have been used by the world powers to continue their legacies of colonialism and imperialism”.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217509/seminar-on-women-rights-talking-feminism-and-religion/

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Pakistani women advancing on their rights front

Jul 26, 2011

Islamabad—Muslim Women have more and more opportunities to work for their rights due to space created by the struggle for the women’s rights within the ranks of Islamic organizations.

This was stated by Prof Amina Jamal of the Department of Sociology, Ryerson University, Canada, while speaking at a seminar on ‘Islam: South Asian Muslim Women’s Struggles and Transnational Feminist Practices.’

The event was organised by the Female Campus of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in collaboration with Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue.

Speaking on the occasion Amina Jamal said that the Muslims feminist groups and individual activists in societies as far apart as Pakistan and Canada, are faced with the increasing activism of women who identify themselves as Islamic and oppositional to feminism. She added that feminist movement in Pakistan is split between those feminists who seek to invoke Islamic scriptures in support of women’s rights and those who advocate the traditional “Secular” position of insisting on the separation of religion and politics.

Amina Jamal shared some aspects of her research on status of women rights in Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). She concluded that there are strong indicators that JI women have a balanced approach towards women and development as they engage in politics and social work as done by the secular feminists and prioritise nation state, another aspect that substantiates the argument that they follow modern development approach.

Highlighting another trend among Islamist women, she said that they have developed a dislike towards modern terminologies that are related to women like women rights and feminism etc.

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=105316

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Comics superhero takes on Qaida

Guy Adams

26 Jul 2011

LosAngeles:The Arab world can take graphic art seriously,as any Danish cartoonist will attest,so goodness knows what sort of response will greet the comic industrys latest mooted blockbuster publication : a tale about al-Qaida that was designed,in the words of its creator,to really piss people off .

Frank Miller,the superstar comic book author famed for such creations as Sin City,300,and Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again,unveiled the opening pages of his new work,Holy Terror,in the weekend,describing the 120-page book as a piece of propaganda intended to represent a response to 9/11.

The book,which goes on sale after the 10th anniversary of the attacks,was unveiled at the Comic-con conference in San Diego.It stars a superhero called The Fixer,who according to Miller is well adjusted in committing terrible acts of violence on evil people.

He told an audience that the story will be a reminder that were in the midst of a long war against Islamic extremism,adding that the enemy that we are up against is pernicious,deceptive and merciless,and wants nothing less than total destruction.

The book has been in development for eight years and,thanks to Millers cult following,will be one of the most eagerly awaited.It was originally conceived as a Batman narrative,but DC Comics reportedly feared that several of its key elements were too near the knuckle for their high-profile superhero.Among the potentially provocative ingredients in Holy Terror,which will now be published by Legendary Comics,is a muscle-bound superhero character who attempts to exterminate Islamic terrorists while wearing a mask adorned with the Star of David.

Times of India

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Fanar lessons in Islamic culture at Katara

26 Jul 2011

DOHA: Fanar (Qatar Islamic Cultural Center) is continuing its activities introducing Islam to non-Muslims at the Katara Cultural Village twice a month.

The event aims to exploit the exceptional amenities of Katara, to reveal some aspects of the Islamic culture, way of life, in an informative, educational and interactive manner, helping public to comprehend it better.

“Katara is considered as an international cultural centre where worldwide cultures are assembled. We hosted this programme within the luxurious Katara mosque because we are convinced of the significance of informing our visitors some important aspects of Islam,” Marcio Barbosa, General Manager, Katara

Malika Al Shraim Mohamed Al Shraim, Public Relations Department Manager at Katara pointed out that a site tour is organised for participants of this programme, offering them a detailed explanation of the project, as well as the architectural elements of the mosque. Al Shraim also expressed gratitude to Fanar for selecting Katara as a podium to spread Islamic culture.

“Fanar is highly sensitive to the international perceptions of introducing Islamic knowledge, so it is done in an interactive, factual discussion based environment that allows input and questions to be done throughout the visit, without causing offence to differences of opinion,” said Eejaz Ahmed of Islamic Culture Department.

He also added that the targeted audience includes families of expatriate (non-Muslims), English speakers as first or second language, between eight to 80 years of age.

The programme will be followed by a discussion about Islam in the Katara mosque.

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/159987-fanar-lessons-in-islamic-culture-at-katara.html

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Islamic Sharia Law is imposed in a Toronto Public School?

26 Jul 2011

As I promised, here is part two. If you missed part one you can locate on my blog site.

Lets begin with a fairly easy question: do Christian groups still require women on their monthly period to be ‘unclean’ for a period of seven days as was once required by Jewish law and recorded in Leviticus 15:19? Easy answer: NO. Why is this?

Although we are not bound by the sacrificial system found in the Old Testament as a method of dealing with our sinfulness this does not render the Old Testament irrelevant to Christians; it is an error to reject the Old Testament completely. Regulations similar to what is found in Leviticus 15:19 were just as much about teaching Israel about person hygiene as they were a theological ideal. Instructions regarding rashes, discharges and other aspects of personal health were discussed in the Mosaic Law for the safety of Israel and as a demonstration to the other nations that Israel was distinctly different in their actions as a result of their covenant with God Almighty. Remember, the whole mission of Israel was that through their blessings and unique way of life all the world would find salvation.

Our culture has changed significantly since the time of Israel; we have a more fixed society (as opposed to a nomadic and travelling society) that has many social structures in place that help us to maintain our personal health and hygiene. We also understand many aspects of our own bodies in new and more complete ways; this allows us to react differently to changes in our body. Therefore, we understand the specific details of passages like Leviticus 15:19 to be culturally and contextually bound and certainly not fixed ritual law that must be carried forth today in order to appease God. Nevertheless, the principle of taking good care of the body God has given us remains.

Full report at:

https://pnhill.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/islamic-sharia-law-is-imposed-in-a-toronto-public-school-part-ii/

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Urdu dailies: Darul VC a liability

26 July 2011

NEW DELHI: Most of the Urdu dailies welcomed Darul Uloom Deoband's VC Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi's sacking. The Islamic seminary's Majlis-e-Shoora or governing council sacked Vastani on Sunday after the cleric refused to step down and Urdu dailies justified Shoora's action, saying it as "wise" and in "the interests of the institution".

The Sahafat daily had led an anti-Vastanvi campaign after the ex-VC of Darul Uloom praised Gujarat CM Narendra Modi during an interview to TOI. Vastani later denied it. "The very controversial Vastanvi has been sacked from V-C's post. And it was desirable," commented Sahafat's editorial which went on to rant against Vastanvi's alleged "clean chit" to Modi.

The Urdu Times, while appreciating Vastanvi's contributions to the field of education, especially introducing computers in madrassas he runs in Maharashtra, observed that after his controversial remarks about Modi, Vastanvi had ignited a storm which would have not ended had he continued as the institution's head.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Urdu-dailies-Darul-VC-a-liability/articleshow/9366098.cms

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Vastanvi supporters slam Shoora, ready for PIL war

26 July 2011

LUCKNOW: A day after Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi was removed as vice-chancellor of Darul Uloom by the Shoora, his supporters girded up to challenge the decision in court.

Leading the brigade of Vastanvi's supporters is Rehan Ali, scion of an old zamindar family from Deoband . Rehan and his brother Mavi Ali, former state secretary of the Samajwadi Party, said they will file a PIL in the Supreme Court against Vastanvi's dismissal and get lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan to contest the case.

Mavi was expelled from SP after he criticized Vastanvi's rival in Deoband, Arshad Madni, reposing faith in the liberal-minded Gujarat cleric. "We are planning a slew of PILs from Delhi, Saharanpur and Deoband," he said, adding that his associates are roping in supporters in Delhi also.

Slamming the Shoora for removing Vastanvi, Mavi said Darul Uloom Deoband is not a "dini idaara" (a religious institute) but a registered body under the government's Society Act, 1860. It is, therefore, expected to follow procedural norms set by the law for removal of the head of an institution.

"The Shoora ignored all procedural formalities of bringing the issue on the meeting's agenda, framing charges, giving the person charged an opportunity to reply, and then have voting on the next meeting," Mavi added.

Vastanvi's remarks, his supporters said, were merely his personal views and in no way damaging to the seminary.

"Should it be taken that Deoband wants to curb freedom of speech of its rector ? Which law in the country bans a V-C from speaking his mind?" Mavi asked. The PIL will seek reconstitution of Shoora with fair representation from younger and liberal sections.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Vastanvi-supporters-slam-Shoora-ready-for-PIL-war/articleshow/9366082.cms

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Kurram violence leaves 27 militants dead

July 26, 2011

PESHAWAR: At least 27 militants and four tribesmen were killed during gunfights in the Masuzai area of Kurram Agency, officials said on Monday.

The gunbattles between a tribal lashkar and Taliban erupted late Sunday, they said, adding that the armed forces later joined the tribal fighters and pounded militant positions with artillery.

The tribal force was backed up by paramilitary troops and artillery units of the army, according to an official.

The regional commissioner confirmed the fighting and said more than 30 people had been killed in the gun battles. The death tolls could not be verified independently as the area is out of bounds to the media.

Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Athar Abbas said earlier this month that a military operation in the area would clear it “of terrorists involved in…kidnapping and killing of locals and suicide attacks”.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217194/at-least-27-militants-killed-in-nw-pakistan/

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Nigerian police killed 23 after bomb attack - amnesty

26 Jul 2011

Nigerian security forces killed at least 23 people in the north eastern city of Maiduguri in retaliation for a bomb attack blamed on a radical Islamist sect, Amnesty International said on Monday.

Boko Haram, a radical group which wants sharia law more widely applied across Africa's most populous nation, has been behind almost daily shootings and attacks with homemade bombs in and around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

Saturday's attack near a market in the centre of the city injured three soldiers and killed several civilians, authorities and witnesses said.

Maiduguri residents have accused members of a military Joint Task Force (JTF) of using indiscriminate force when reacting to attacks carried out by Boko Haram. The government says there have only been isolated incidents of misbehaviour by officials.

"House to house searches, brutalisation, unlawful arrests, killings and disappearances have been the operating practice in Maiduguri for some months now," said Tawanda Hondora, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa.

Full report at:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/17337/World/International/Nigerian-police-killed--after-bomb-attack--amnesty.aspx

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Iranian shelling kills 2 in Iraq’s Kurdistan

26 July 2011

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq: Iranian forces shelled suspected rebel outposts in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, killing two Iraqi civilians, officials said Monday, in the latest in a string of cross-border attacks that have forced hundreds of residents to flee.

The artillery fire hit the small Iraqi town of Sidkan, about 20 kilometers from the Iraq-Iran frontier, said Sidkan mayor Ahmed Qadir. He added that three residents were wounded in the four hours of shelling. Kurdish border guard Capt. Ahmed Saleh confirmed the casualties.

The Iranian attack appeared to target bases of the Iranian Kurdish opposition group PEJAK, which stands for the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan. The group has been involved in sporadic clashes with Iranian forces in recent years and says it is fighting for greater rights in Iran.

The border-area violence has forced more than 800 Iraqi Kurdish residents to flee their homes, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

ICRC said it has so far given humanitarian aid to 175 Iraqi Kurdish families.

“Having left behind all their belongings, the majority of these people are now living under makeshift shelters, tents or sharing crowded houses with relatives or friends,” the ICRC said in a statement Monday.

Tehran maintains that is has the right to attack PEJAK’s bases in Iraq and has accused residents of Iraq’s Kurdish region of providing a safe haven for rebels.

The border area has been a flashpoint of conflict over the last several years, even as the governments of both countries move to strengthen their political ties.

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article477863.ece

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Karachi bloodbath continues, 6 killed

26 July 2011

KARACHI: Six more people, including activists of the Sindh People’s Youth Organisation (SPYO) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), were killed in the ongoing violence in various localities of Karachi on Monday.

Officials of police and Rangers have stepped up their presence in Malir and Landhi areas, but several neighbourhoods in Karachi are still under severe panic.

Conducting raids in Malir and Landhi areas, law enforcers rounded up over 150 people and recovered weapons from them. DIG Imran Yaqoob Baroka said the arrested men were being interrogated now.

Gunfire reverberated in Moosa Colony and Quaid-e-Azam Colony due to which locals remained confined to their houses. Law enforcement agencies, as usual, claimed that heavy contingents of police were deployed in “grey areas”. But they failed to stop the continuing shooting sprees.

A group of unidentified arsonists set fire to an ambulance of rescue service on Drigh Road and managed to flee from the scene. An MQM activist, 25-year-old Fayyaz Hussain, was shot dead in Ramaswami area. The victim was sitting at a tea cafe when unidentified gunmen, riding a motorcycle, opened fire on him. The body was shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for legal formalities.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\26\story_26-7-2011_pg1_1

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South Waziristan: Soldier killed in bomb attack by militants

July 26, 2011

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Militants targeted a vehicle used by the military-run construction company, the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), with a remote-controlled bomb in the South Waziristan tribal region on the Afghan border, killing one soldier and wounding two, local intelligence officials said.

The FWO is building roads in the restive region.

Separately, mortar bombs fired from Afghanistan wounded one soldier at a military check post near the border in South Waziristan, intelligence officials said. There was no independent confirmation of the cross-border firing.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded allegations of cross-border fire in recent weeks.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217634/soldier-killed-in-bomb-attack-by-militants/

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TAIF: Woman who sent officer to jail finds herself behind bars

26 July 2011

A woman who was blackmailed by a police officer in Taif is now behind bars herself after she circulated indecent pictures of her alleged harasser, local Arabic daily Al-Watan reported.

The woman complained to the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) about four month ago that she was being harassed.

Haia officers made arrangements with the woman and caught the officer with her in a furnished apartment. The officer was charged with blackmailing and sentenced to six years imprisonment, 500 whiplashes and a SR300,000 fine.

The newspaper said the woman, identified only by her first initials G.T, was in her 30s and is now in the general prison in Taif on charges of defamation. "I am now paying the price for seeking help," she told Al-Watan newspaper.

She said she was subpoenaed by the General Prosecution and Investigations Commission for questioning on charges that she had circulated "improper" pictures of the officer to a number of his colleagues and also to the Haia.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article477983.ece

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JEDDAH: Victims of serial rapist told to take DNA tests

26 July 2011

JEDDAH: The General Prosecution and Investigation Board has ordered alleged child victims of a serial rapist and their families to take DNA tests, Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Monday.

A 43-year-old schoolteacher has been arrested in connection with the attacks.

The investigators are hoping to match samples taken from the suspect. Sources said the families were asked to go to the criminal department for the tests.

The suspect's brother said investigations revealed information that could acquit the suspect of the charges against him. He said investigators have discovered that the suspect was in Egypt when two of the attacks took place. The findings were proven using evidence from his passport.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article477985.ece

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Bangladesh honours Indira Gandhi with highest award

HAROON HABIB

26 Jul 2011

The highest Bangladesh award — the Bangladesh Swadhinata Sammanona (Bangladesh Freedom Honour ) — conferred on the late Indira Gandhi for her outstanding contributions to Bangladesh's Liberation War, was received by her daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi here on Monday.

Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman presented the award, the highest honour for any foreign national after 40 years of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan.

Ms. Sonia Gandhi recalled the fond memories of her mother-in law during the tumultuous days of 1971, when the great Indian leader took a firm, principled stand to side with the oppressed people of then East Pakistan. She concluded her speech saying: “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangladesh-India Friendship.”

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present with her Cabinet colleagues at the ceremony at the President's House, Bangabhaban.

The award included a 200 tola gold medal and a citation which read: “Ms. Indira Gandhi stood by the side of the people of Bangladesh from the beginning of the Liberation War despite various adversities. She provided shelter to about one crore Bangladeshi refugees. She provided courage in the Liberation War by facing different diplomatic hurdles. She played a great role in freeing Bangabandhu from Pakistani jail. Her contribution to Bangladesh's Liberation War will be remembered forever.”

Full report at:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2293016.ece

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Nepal police arrest Mumbai blast suspect

By Sudeshna Sarkar

Jul 26, 2011

Kathmandu, July 26 (IANS) A Nepali man, believed to be in his early 40s, has been arrested from capital city Kathmandu on the suspicion that he had links to this month's serial blasts in India's business capital Mumbai which killed 24 people and injured nearly 150, Nepal's official media said.

Mohammad Zahir, a resident of Sarlahi district in Nepal's Terai plains near the Indian border, was arrested by Nepal Police's anti-terrorism cell on the basis of intelligence reports, the state-run Gorkhapatra daily reported Tuesday.

The man was said to have been conducting suspicious activities from his rented apartment in Baluwatar, an upmarket area in the capital where the official residence of the prime minister is located.

Full report at:

http://in.news.yahoo.com/nepal-police-arrest-mumbai-blast-suspect-report-074532875.html

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Norway Killer’s Hatred of Women

26 Jul 2011

Anders Breivik used anger against women to cast himself as a crusader, believing feminism is destroying the West from the inside and creating space for Islamism, says Michelle Goldberg.

Conservatives worried about the Islamization of Europe often blame feminism for weakening Western societies and opening them up to a Muslim demographic invasion. Mark Steyn’s bestselling America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It predicted the demise of “European races too self-absorbed to breed,” leading to the transformation of Europe into Eurabia. “In their bizarre prioritization of ‘a woman’s right to choose,’” he argued, “feminists have helped ensure that European women will end their days in a culture that doesn’t accord women the right to choose anything.”

This neat rhetorical trick—an attack on feminism coupled with purported concern about Muslim fundamentalist misogyny—is repeated again and again in Islamophobic literature. Now it’s reached its apogee in mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto, “2083: A European Declaration of Independence.” Rarely has the connection between sexual anxiety and right-wing nationalism been made quite so clear. Indeed, Breivik’s hatred of women rivals his hatred of Islam, and is intimately linked to it. Some reports have suggested that during his rampage on Utoya, he targeted the most beautiful girl first. This was about sex even more than religion.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/24/norway-massacre-anders-breivik-s-deadly-attack-fueled-by-hatred-of-women.html

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Oslo Attack Highlights the Dangers of Islamophobia

26 Jul 2011

Joshua Stantonco-Founder, Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue and Religious Freedom USA

The mass-murder in Oslo last Friday was tragic. At least 90 innocents -- many of them youth -- are already dead, and authorities fear that the death toll may continue rising.

Evidence is mounting that a right-wing extremist, Anders Behring Breivik, carried out the attack at least in part to spark a "civil war"against Muslim migrants to Europe and the left-wing governments that, in his view, willfully enable their immigration. In his mind, the attack was a defense against immigrants who hold different values -- and the start of a much bigger fight for Christianity against Islam.

In a 1,500-page manifesto, Breivik reportedly claimed, "The time for dialogue is over. We gave peace a chance. The time for armed resistance has come." The New York Times also reported that

Mr. Breivik was also believed to have posted a video on Friday, calling for Christian conservatives in Europe to rise up violently as a modern-day version of the Crusades-era Knights Templar to save Europe from Islamic totalitarianism. In its closing moments, the video depicts Mr. Breivik in military uniform, holding assault weapons.

If ever a dark, twisted irony existed, this may be one: Breivik claims to be saving Europe from Muslims (whom he denotes as violent and autocratic) by violently attacking an event convened by a democratically elected government. He struck at Norway's government in the name of protecting the country it serves. Islamophobia, it would seem, blinded Breivik to the horrors and contradictions of his own deeds.

Full report at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joshua-stanton/oslo-bomber-highlights-th_b_907890.html

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Norway self-confessed killer wants to explain motive in court

26 July 2011

OSLO: Anders Behring Breivik wants to tell Norway and the world why he killed at least 93 people in a bomb attack and shooting rampage, but a judge ruled that Monday's custody hearing would be closed to the public.

Crowds packed Oslo cathedral square for a minute of silence that swelled into five. The only sounds were the beeping of traffic crossings, the crying of seagulls and a dog barking.

"This is so very sad, so sad," said Kent Ludvigsen, 42, in the square, where people piled more flowers onto a carpet of bouquets already laid there for the dead since Friday's violence shocked a normally quiet country of 4.8 million.

"This is a tragic event to see all these young people dying due to one man's craziness," Sven-Erik Fredheim, 36, a mechanic, told Reuters near the cathedral square.

"It is important to have this minute of silence so that all the victims and the parents of the families know that people are thinking about them."

Prosecutors want Breivik detained for an initial eight weeks -- normally this is in solitary confinement with no access to news, letters or visitors, except a lawyer. His custody can be extended before his trial on terrorism charges.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Norway-self-confessed-killer-wants-to-explain-motive-in-court/articleshow/9359498.cms

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Oslo killer says he was not alone

26 Jul 2011

Oslo: The 32-year-old man accused of Norways worst massacre since World War II now says that two cells of extremists collaborated with him,a court here said on Monday,ordering him to be held in complete isolation to prevent him from interfering in police investigations into potential accomplices.The defendant had previously said he had acted alone.

The defendant,Anders Behring Breivik,appeared at a closed arraignment hearing here as Norwegians paused in grief and self-examination for a minutes silence to mark the deaths of at least 93 people in last Fridays attacks.

While acknowledging that he carried out the attacks,Breivik has not pleaded guilty, Judge Kim Heger told a televised news conference,in remarks translated by an official of the court.

The judge said Breivik had been charged under criminal law with acts of terrorism, including an attempt to disturb or destroy the functions of society,such as the government and to spread serious fear among the population.

Breivik was ordered to be held for the next eight weeks,the first four in solitary confinement.He told police that there were two further cells in our organization, reporters were told.

Full report at: Times of India

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Oslo attacker feared creation of several 'mini Pakistans' in Europe

26 July 2011

Karachi : The Norwegian terrorist who killed over 90 people in two recent attacks in Oslo, was terrified of the idea of several ‘mini Pakistans’ appearing all over the map of Europe.

A 1,600-page manifesto titled ‘2083: A European Declaration of Independence’, written by Anders Behring Breivik, showed a picture of the future of Europe, citing poor human rights in Pakistan as the fate of the continent.

In his doomsday scenario for Europe, Breivik predicted that several ‘mini-Pakistans’ would be created all over Europe by 2083, one in each country due to ‘Lebanon-style’ conflicts, the Express Tribune reports.

“It could be similar to the division of India after World War II, with the creation of one or several Islamic ‘Pakistan’ enclaves,” he said.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/oslo-attacker-feared-creation-of-several-mini-pakistans-in-europe/821997/

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Germany first EU nation to say J& K is safe for tourists

26 July 2011

GERMANY on Monday became the first European country to modify its travel advisory to the Kashmir Valley.

“ The significant revision in the advisory regarding Kashmir gives an overview of the security situation in the Valley and clarifies that the situation has now calmed down considerably and foreigners are generally not the direct targets of clashes,” spokesman head of the press and public relations section of German Embassy in New Delhi, Jens Urban, said in a statement.

Earlier, the German advisory had cautioned its nationals not to visit the Kashmir Valley. All EU countries had issued advisories to its citizens, cautioning them against visiting Kashmir, which was in vogue since 1989.

For Ladakh, the earlier advisory’s reference to the 2010 floods and unsafe trek routes has been removed. It recommends trekkers to travel with local guides and to avoid border areas because of security issue. It also advises tourists to acquire the requisite permissions necessary to visit Ladakh.

In June, when a German ambassador had visited Kashmir, not only the government, but the separatists had also urged him to remove the travel advisory.

Mail Today

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Hezbollah wants to wipe out democracy

Donald W. Belcher

26 Jul 2011

The Middle East Muslim countries are Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The ultimate objective of the Muslim countries is the unification of the Muslim community into a single Islamic Holy Law based on the Quran.

The global terrorist Muslim Islamic Jihad began in November 1979, when Iranian students attacked and seized the American Embassy in Teheran. The embassy and its occupants were held captive for 444 days. America has been in a global terrorist Muslim Islamic Jihad for 32 years.

In October 2000, the USS Cole was docked for refueling when a small craft pulled alongside the ship and exploded, killing 17 U.S. Navy sailors. This was an act of war.

On Sept. 11, 2001, more than 3,000 people were killed by hijackers who used captured jetliners as guided missiles. This was an act of war.

CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, is a Hamas and Muslim brotherhood entity.

CAIR supported the Muslim American Homeland Security Congress.

Hezbollah has vowed to wipe out Israel and says Israel does not have the right to exist.

The United States is a successful democracy and Israel is the only established democracy in the Middle East.

Binghamton

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110725/VIEWPOINTS03/107250303/Hezbollah-wants-wipe-out-democracy?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

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Pamela Geller Discovers Taxi Drivers Anti-Porn Jihad Plot to Impose Sharia

Sheila Musaji

26 Jul 2011

Pamela Geller is incapable of hiding her utter contempt and hatred for Muslims.  She sees Muslim plots everywhere.  She would like to be seen as a truth-teller, a freedom fighter, a veritable caped crusader for apple pie and the American way, but her profound hatred just can’t be restrained.

The most recent example involves some cab drivers in New York City who are complaining about porn ads displayed on the top of their cabs.  They are uncomfortable with these ads

Geller posted an article titled Sharia coming to taxi cab ads in NYC? with the Lede In some ways it has already come. Last summer when we ran out honor killing taxitop ads in New York City, which directed people to LeaveIslamSafely.com, Robert Spencer saw one going by that had the “Leave” removed, so that it just read “IslamSafely.com.” Well, we immediately bought that domain as well, but it was clear that the Muslim cab drivers in New York were not going to stand for un-Islamic ads. And now they’re getting even more aggressive.

Full report at:

http://www.theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/creating_hostility_towards_muslims_out_of_nothing/0018678

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Hafiz Jaleel Morejo: ‘My 17 death sentences’

By Sarfaraz Memon

July 26, 2011

The man who holds the country’s record for the most death sentences tells his tale.

SUKKUR: “Evading death 17 times brings joy and worry at the same time. I feel that I am constantly being taken to the gallows but am stopped midway.”

Hafiz Jaleel Morejo — more commonly known as Jalal Morejo because of a spelling error in his FIR and jail record — sets a new record each time he heads to the gallows, and breaks it each time he returns. After his 17th return trip from the noose, he tried to tell the world of his innocence in an interview recorded at the Sukkur Central Jail-I on Monday. “I am serving a 14-year sentence for a crime I never committed,” he told The Express Tribune.

Jaleel, a jawan in the 7th Sindh Regiment from 1993 to 1997, is a Hafiz-e-Quran.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217225/my-17-death-sentences-by-jaleel-morejo/

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Folk festival: ‘Spirit of Swat’ ends with a musical evening

By Fazal Khaliq

July 26, 2011

SWAT: “Aey Jawan” once again instilled life in the youth of Swat.  While former-Awaz member Haroon was performing the song on stage, the sight of thousands of people in the crowd sing along with him made the performance memorable and proved that life in Swat Valley, where peace and beauty coexist, had returned to normalcy.

The live musical evening and fireworks show held at the closing ceremony of ‘Spirit of Swat’ was attended by thousands of local people, tourists, civil administration and army personnel.

Several renowned artists, such as Haroon, Shaz Khan and Ziauddin Zia performed at the closing ceremony of the 45-day festival, which was a joint venture of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Provicial Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Settlement Authority (PaRRSA).

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217477/folk-festival-spirit-of-swat-ends-with-a-musical-evening/

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Pakistani Hindus: Separated, even in death

July 26, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The remains of 135 Hindus, believed to have died as long ago as the 1950s, have finally been allowed to cross over to be scattered in India’s Ganges River, the Los Angeles Times has reported.

For years, the ashes were housed in Karachi’s Hindu Cremation Ground, a several acre legacy of Pakistan’s Hindu community built in the 1880s.They were placed in clear disposable boxes (to appease wary customs officials) and allowed the final three-day journey.

Caretaker Murad Buksh,63, whose family has tended these cremation grounds for generations, looked over shelves holding urns that have accumulated in the last few months – those with red shrouds bound for India on a second trip, which could be as early as September; those in white to be scattered locally, many in Pakistan’s Indus River, which is said to have “sweet waters” similar to the Ganges’. Although many Pakistani Hindus chose to scatter their relatives’ remains locally after partition, some families left their loved one’s ashes at the cremation grounds hoping by some miracle they’d one day reach India. Several years ago, Karachi born Hindu priest Ramnath Mishra teamed up with New Delhi’s Shri Devo Uthan Sewa Samiti, a religious civic group, to try to make that miracle happen.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217354/pakistani-hindus-separated-even-in-death/

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Karachi: Dalits want greater share in census over upper caste Hindus

July 26, 2011

KARACHI: Pakistan’s scheduled caste minorities, or Dalits, have expressed serious concern over discrimination against them, such as organised attempts to portray their numbers as less than they are in the upcoming census.

Dalit representatives spoke at a meeting of the Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network held at the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler). Dr Sono Khangharani from the Thardeep Rural Development Programme, Karamat Ali and Zulfiqar Shah from Piler, Avinash Hari from the Upgrade Minorities for Integrated Development, chairman of the Scheduled Caste Rights Movement Pakistan Ramesh Jaipal and other dalit organisation leaders participated.

They claimed that political parties are giving reserved minority seats in the assembly to upper caste Hindus only. But this is hardly representative as the population of the scheduled castes is much higher than that of the upper caste Hindus, they added.

They also fear that the ratio of Dalits in the minorities will be reduced further as many of them include themselves in the Hindu category even though the religion column includes a separate category for the scheduled caste. The participants stressed the need for Dalit families to be aware of the fact that they can register under this category in the census.

There are an estimated two million Dalits living in Pakistan today. The gathering demanded that their shares in employment, scholarships, national resources, development schemes and parliament be raised based on their numbers.

Other issues such as forced labour, forced conversion to Islam and illegal occupation of religious places of minorities were also discussed at length. PRESS RELEASE

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th,  2011.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/217136/minority-rights-dalits-want-greater-share-in-census-over-upper-caste-hindus/

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Pak law does not permit taking voice samples: Rehman Malik

26 Jul 2011

Thimphu: Pakistan says its constitution does not permit taking voice samples of any accused but still it would exhaust all possible means to give voice samples of 26/11 suspects to India.It also says it alone cannot be held responsible for the delay in the trial of Mumbai attack accused in a Rawalpindi court and that India should share the blame for taking almost a year in granting permission to a Pakistani judicial commission to visit India.

Pakistans interior minister Rehman Malik has said that according to the Pakistan penal code and the act of evidence,the only identification of an accused acceptable was the thumb impression and officially no photograph or voice of any accused can be taken.

If I give the samples by any other means by recording their voice and send it to India,that will be challenged in Pakistani court and there will be contempt of court on the investigators and prosecutors, he said.

Malik said Pakistan governments appeal to allow it to take voice samples of the accused was rejected by a lower court and he had discussed the issue with his Indian counterpart P Chidambaram.

Full report at: Times of India

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Norway attacks: Mass rallies remember Breivik victims

26 Jul 2011

Torchlit processions have been held in towns and cities across Norway to remember the victims of Friday's twin attacks by Anders Behring Breivik.

Crown Prince Haakon told 100,000 people gathered in Oslo that "tonight the streets are filled with love".

Earlier Mr Breivik appeared in court, accepting responsibility for the attacks but denying terrorism charges.

Police have reduced the death toll of the massacre at an island youth camp and bombing in Oslo from 93 to 76.

'Affected us all'

Scores of thousands of Norwegians poured on to the streets of the capital in the early evening, many of them raising up flowers in memory of the eight people killed in the Oslo blast and 68 now known to have died on the island of Utoeya.

Thousands of candles flickered, many people carried flowers, sang hymns and hugged each other.

Full report at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14285020?print=true

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Eminent Islamic Economist Dr. Fazlur Rahman Faridi passes away

26 Jul 2011

New Delhi: Eminent Islamic Scholar, Ideologue and Islamic Economist, Dr. Fazlur Rahman Faridi passed away Monday morning (25th July) in Aligarh. Dr Faridi, who has several books on Islamic Economics to his credit, was the Editor of Urdu monthly Zindagi-e-Nau and Member of Central Advisory Committee of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. He was 79.

His Namaz-e-Janaza and Tadfeen will take place on 26th July 2011 at 8:30 AM in Aligarh.

Dr. Faridi was Director of Research and Study centre in Aligarh besides being on board of many trusts and organisations. He wrote many books on Islamic Economics besides the ideology and strategies of Jamaat in India. He joined Jamaat in Allahabad in 1949.

His books on general economics and Islamic Economics are:

1. Nature and Significance of Economic Activity in Islam.

2. Towards a Theory of Fiscal Policy in Islam.

3. Economic Developments and Islamic Moral Values.

4. Essays in Islamic Economic Analysis.

5. Islamic Economics and Economy of Indian Muslims.

6. Living as a Muslim in a Plural Society.

7. Economic Development and Fiscal Policy in Egypt.

8. Indian Economic Development and Planning (1951-1965).

Dr. Faridi was born on 2nd April 1932 in Machli Shahar, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. He got Primary Education, high school and intermediate from Jaunpur. He learnt Arabic and Islamiat from Rampur. He did Masters in Economics and Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University. He retired as Professor of Economics after a long career in research and teaching in India and abroad.

http://twocircles.net/2011jul25/eminent_islamic_economist_dr_fazlur_rahman_faridi_

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40,000 famine-hit Somalis flee to Mogadishu: UNHCR

26 Jul 2011

GENEVA: Some 40,000 famine-hit people have fled to the Somali capital Mogadishu over the past month in search of food and water, the UN refugees agency said Tuesday.

“Over the past month, UNHCR figures show that nearly 40,000 Somalis displaced by drought and famine have converged on Mogadishu in search of food, water, shelter and other assistance,” said Vivian Tan, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

“A further 30,000 have arrived at settlements around Mogadishu.

“In total, it is estimated that Mogadishu has received up to 100,000 internally displaced people over the last two months. The daily numbers are still around 1,000 in July,” added the spokeswoman.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/26/40000-famine-hit-somalis-flee-to-mogadishu-unhcr.html

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US take on Iraq pullout ‘one bite at a time’

26 Jul 2011

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq: From flyers warning troops the post office will shut soon to disused housing units waiting to be dispatched to their new destination, the signs are everywhere: US forces are packing up to leave Iraq more than eight years after they first arrived.

The scale of the operation is unprecedented in the army’s history – preparing to transfer dozens of bases to the Iraqis, and handing over, disposing of or shipping out thousands of vehicles, generators, air conditioners and other materiel.

Under the terms of a bilateral security pact with Iraq, the 47,000 US soldiers currently in the country must leave by the end of the year.

“Every time you pack up your place, (you think) where this stuff did come from?” said Colonel Steve Cook, the top logistics officer for American forces in north Iraq, likening the process to moving house.

“It seems to be a lot more than you bargained for,” he said in an interview at Contingency Operating Base Speicher on the outskirts of Tikrit, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Baghdad.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/26/us-take-on-iraq-pullout-one-bite-at-a-time.html

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Documents reveal Rana was unaware of Headley's 26/11 links

26 July 2011

Chicago : Tahawwur Hussain Rana was unaware of the terror activities of Mumbai attack accused David Headley and had provided cover and funds to him unknowingly, recently unsealed documents reveal.

The documents which were ordered to be unsealed by Judge Harry Leinenweber on July 19 at the request of Chicago Tribune newspaper reveal that Headley had explicitly told the agents that Rana was not aware of his activities and he did not knowingly allow him to use his business as cover.

It contradicts the affidavit filed in trial of Headley's statements regarding Rana that he knowingly provided cover and funds in support of terrorism.

Moreover, Headley also gave explanation for Rana procuring airline tickets for him as 'Rana was simply repaying a loan'.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/documents-reveal-rana-was-unaware-of-headleys-26-11-links/822435/

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Pak plans to add 24 n-capable missiles to its arsenal

26 July 2011

Islamabad : Pakistan plans to add 24 nuclear-capable, short-range missiles capable of hitting all major Indian cities to its arsenal this year, reflecting a urge in the security establishment to seek "strategic parity in the region", according to a media report today.

This will be the highest number of missiles Pakistan has ever produced in a year if the government achieves the target, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted its sources as saying.

The air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles will be able to hit targets at a distance between 700 km and 1,000 km, thus putting nearly all major Indian cities within their range, the report claimed.

The plan is in line with Pakistan's official policy of having what is rhetorically called "maintaining a minimum deterrence", especially against India, the daily quoted sources as saying.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-plans-to-add-24-ncapable-missiles-to-its-arsenal-report/821996/

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150,000 throng Oslo flower vigil for attacks victims

26 July 2011

OSLO: As many as 150,000 Norwegians poured onto Oslo's streets on Monday, raising a sea of flower-bearing hands into the air in memory of the 76 victims of last week's twin bombing and shooting attacks.

Norwegian television showed images of similar gatherings taking place in other cities across the country after a call for people to show solidarity with those killed in Friday's bombing and mass shooting.

"Tonight the streets are filled with love," Crown Prince Haakon told the vast crowd massed on the banks of the Norwegian capital's fjord after the car bombing of ministries and mass shooting of Labour Party youths on Utoeya island.

"Those who were in the government district and on Utoeya were targets for terror. But it has affected us all," he said to applause.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg then addressed the crowd, in a city of 600,000 people, saying: "Evil can kill a person but it cannot kill a people."

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/150000-throng-Oslo-flower-vigil-for-attacks-victims/articleshow/9365935.cms

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Hafiz Saeed vows to enter India

26 July 2011

LAHORE: Making provocative comments again, Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has vowed to enter India through Jammu and Kashmir.

Saeed, the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and blamed by India for masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks, said: "From the door of Kashmir we will launch Gazwah-e-Hind (battle for Hindustan)".

Addressing a meeting during a tour of several cities in Pakistan's Punjab province last week, he claimed that there was a secret agreement between India and Israel to "destroy Pakistan's nuclear assets".

New Delhi has been pressing for action against Saeed who continues to roam freely in Pakistan making anti-India tirades.

Saeed has been rubbishing Pakistan government's efforts to improve relations with India, alleging that New Delhi had engaged in dialogue only to "cause harm" to Pakistan and to sideline the Kashmir issue.

Saeed also criticised the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), claiming it had set up offices across Pakistan.

"The CIA had established offices in every city of Pakistan from where they send reports to the US," he said.

During the past week, Saeed visited Bahawalpur and Multan districts of Punjab province to address public meetings and meet JuD activists.

Speaking at a "Defence of Pakistan" convention in Multan on Friday, Saeed said a time would come when only the religious parties would come forward to save Pakistan.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/worldarticlelist/articleshow/9362331.cms

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Norway killer's father wishes his son killed self

26 July 2011

Oslo. Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik's estranged father has disowned his son, saying he should have taken his own life instead of those he killed.

Jens Breivik split from Anders' mother, Wenche Behring, when Anders was aged one. He lost a custody battle to raise his son in France and then lost contact with Anders when he was a teenager, Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

Speaking to a Swedish newspaper, Brevik said: "I don't feel like his father. How could he just stand there and kill so many innocent people and just seem to think that what he did was OK?"

"He should have taken his own life, too. That's what he should have done."

Expressing his sorrow and despair over his son's act, Breivik, who is a retired diplomat, said: "It's terrible. I'm deeply unhappy."

He said: "I become involved in this, whether I like it or not. I'm his father. I just hope that people will know that I have nothing to do with this.

"I will have to live with this shame for the rest of my life. People will always link me with him."

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Norway-killers-father-wishes-his-son-killed-self/articleshow/9367338.cms

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Hina Rabbani Khar a misfit, say most Pakistanis

26 July 2011

ISLAMABAD: The upcoming foreign minister-level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad appears to be a daunting task for Pakistan's new foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar who has returned to the country from her maiden diplomatic event, ministerial meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations ( ASEAN)) in Indonesia.

Barring few who believe that appointment of the 34-year-old first woman FM will portray a softer image of Pakistan abroad, majority of Pakistanis believe that Khar was inexperienced and misfit for the job of a top diplomat at a time when the country is confronted with the multitude of problems inside and abroad. Her critics say that she holds a degree in hotel management and has only five months of experience in foreign affairs.

Another big hurdle for her or any other Pakistani foreign policy maker in taking crucial, bold and independent decisions is the country's powerful security establishment. How she deals with military power centre which has kept Pakistan's foreign policy hostage to military adventurism since inception will test her real mettle in the realm of diplomacy.

Hina Rabbani Khar entered into politics by default. She contested her first elections in 2002 on a family seat as her father Ghulam Noor Rabbani Khar, a big landowner and former parliamentarian in Punjab's Muzaffargarh town, could not participate in elections under a law introduced by ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf which required election candidates to hold a college degree.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hina-Rabbani-Khar-a-misfit-say-most-Pakistanis/articleshow/9362502.cms

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Ex-scientist fights odds to get justice for slain son

26 July 2011

CHANDIGARH: "I feel proud to be an Indian and have no regrets for losing my son who made a supreme sacrifice for the country, but had I been an American or an Israeli, I would have got justice for him," said Dr N K Kalia, father of Kargil hero captain Saurav Kalia.

The crusade of this 62-year-old retired senior CSIR scientist continues for the last 12 years. Kalia wants the Indian government to put pressure on Pakistan to make it apologize, identify and punish those Pakistani soldiers who indulged in the barbaric torture of his son. His struggle to get justice hasn't yielded much till now.

As the nation observes 12 years of Kargil war, Kalia said that in all these years, he seized every opportunity but the case kept on rolling down from one ministry or forum to another. Every authority, including the Army, ministry of defence (MOD) and prime ministers office ( PMO)), referred his case to the ministry of external affairs ( MEA)), which never responded to his repeated pleas. When TOI contacted minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur, who is an MP from Patiala, she replied, "I never deal with such issues."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ex-scientist-fights-odds-to-get-justice-for-slain-son/articleshow/9366470.cms

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South Sudan says North’s new currency is ‘economic war’

26 July 2011

JUBA, South Sudan: A Southern Sudanese official says northern Sudan has declared “economic war” by violating an agreement and issuing a new currency just weeks after the two countries split.

Pagan Amum said Monday that many Southern Sudanese are still holding old Sudanese pounds. He says the northern government has declared those illegal tender.

South Sudan also released a new currency, also called the pound, shortly after its July 9 independence.

Amum says the north had agreed not to issue a new currency until six months after the south did. He says the move will cost the southern government at least $700 million.

Northern officials could not be reached for comment.

The two countries still have not resolved major issues including a disputed border region, oil management and revenues.

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article477906.ece

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Turkish court sentences Armenian journalist Hrant Dink assassin to 23 years

26 July 2011

ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court sentenced on Monday the assassin of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink to nearly 23 years in prison.

Editor of bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos and Turkey’s best known Armenian voice abroad, Dink was shot in broad daylight as he left his Istanbul office in January 2007.

His killer Ogun Samast was 17 and unemployed when the killing took place. He was sentenced by a juvenile court to 22 years and 10 months.

Dink had angered nationalists with articles referring to a Turkish “genocide” of Christian Armenians in 1915.

Another court is hearing the cases against two other main suspects in the conspiracy and a handful of others accused of being linked to the plot.

Reacting to Samast’s sentencing, Eyten Mahcupyan, a Turkish Armenian columnist who took over editorship of Agos after Dink’s death, praised the court for opting for a severe jail term.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article477831.ece

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Second Sudanese reporter jailed for rape article

26 July 2011

KHARTOUM: A northern Sudanese court on Monday sentenced a second female journalist to one month in prison for writing an article about the alleged rape of an activist by security forces, her lawyer said.

Sudan’s constitution guarantees press freedom, but several journalists have been detained without charge in recent months and papers are often subject to censorship.

The sentence imposed on Amal Habani is the second ruling since state prosecutors launched charges against several Sudanese journalists for writing about the alleged rape of a female activist after an anti-government protest earlier this year.

Another female colleague working for the same independent Al-Jarida daily, Fatima Ghazali, was given the same verdict earlier this month.

Sudan’s security forces have categorically denied the rape allegations.

“The judge handed out to her a verdict to pay a fine of 2,000 Sudanese pounds (SR2,800) or go to prison for a month,” laywer Nabil Abid told reporters after a Khartoum court session that was closed to the media.

“The judge said she had published an inaccurate report... We’ll appeal the ruling because we think it is wrong,” the lawyer said.

“I will not pay the fine because the ruling is not fair,” said Habani while waiting in court for police to escort her to prison.

In the same session, the court handed out a fine of 5,000 pounds (SR7,000) against the newspaper, which was paid by the editor-in-chief, Saad El-Din Ibrahim, the lawyer said.

http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article477819.ece

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Advanced Zamzam dispensers to replace orange drums in holy mosques

26 July 2011

MAKKAH: Technologically advanced and highly hygienic dispensers and filling machines will be used to distribute Zamzam water to worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah during Ramadan, an official said on Monday.

According to the Umm Al-Qura calendar the month of fasting is to begin on Aug. 1.

“New Zamzam water dispensers with the highest standard of hygiene will be placed at various locations in the two holy mosques. The drums are easily movable for refilling,” Director of Studies and Projects at the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Abdul Mohsen bin Humaid told Arab News.

The drums could not be opened except by its operators, Humaid said.

As part of the presidency's efforts to guarantee the highest level of hygiene when handling Zamzam water, the authorities will also install smart filling machines shortly, he said. The machines will identify the capacity of containers and fill them without wasting a drop, the official said.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article477993.ece

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Shooter in US soldier killing sentenced to life

26 July 2011

Arkansas - A man who killed one US soldier and wounded another — an act he called retribution for the deaths of Muslims abroad — took an unexpected plea deal Monday that abruptly ended his murder trial and spared him the death penalty.

Abdulhakim Muhammad has repeatedly said he drove up to a Little Rock, Arkansas, recruiting station, drew an assault rifle and fired on the two uniformed soldiers. On Monday, Muhammad stood before a judge and once more admitted to the shooting that killed Pvt. William Andrew Long and wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula.

Judge Herbert Wright then sentenced Muhammad to life in prison without parole for capital murder, with 11 more life sentences on the remaining charges and an additional 180 years in prison.

In exchange for Muhammad’s plea, prosecutors could not pursue the death penalty.

Muhammad tried to plead guilty before the trial but was refused. Arkansas law requires a defendant to be tried if lethal injection is a sentencing option, lest the state grant a suicide request.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/July/international_July1293.xml&section=international&col=

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Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar in Limca Book of World Records-2011

26 Jul 2011

Lucknow Maulana Limca Book of World Records has included the name Shia cleric and president of All India Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar in Limca Book of World Records-2011 for his longest continuous series of lectures. The maulana, who belongs to Lucknow, has been delivering `majlis' (sermon) in Mughal Masjid at Imambara Road in Mumbai for last 53 years.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/speednewsshow/9327936.cms

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Ramadan Starts August 1 in Europe: ECFR

26 July 2011

CAIRO — The holy fasting month of Ramadan will start in Europe on Monday, August 1, based on astronomical calculations, the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR) has announced.

"The crescent of Ramadan will be born at 18:40 GMT (21:40 Makkah time) on Saturday, July 30," the council said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by OnIslam.net.

"The Sun will set in Makkah at 19:01 on Sunday, while the moon's silver will disappear at 19:26 on the same day.

“So it would be possible to sight the crescent on Sunday, July 31, by using telescopes in North Africa, north Arab Peninsula and areas of North America and by eye in all Latin American countries.

Full report at:

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/453214-ramadan-starts-august-1-in-europe-ecfr.html

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/military-aircraft-crashes-morocco,-78/d/5109


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