Pak Govt Reluctant To Book Seminary Students over Daesh Pledge
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 March 2015
Yemeni armed members of a local armed resistance group, supporting President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, gather in the streets of Dar Saad district at the northern entrance to the city of Aden in preparation to face Huthi fighters, on March 27, 2015. (File: AFP)
Pakistan
• Pak Govt Reluctant To Book Seminary Students over Daesh Pledge
• Muslims to Defend Saudi Arabia: Pakistan Ulema Council
• President urges Ulema to promote ethical values
• ‘Red book’ of most wanted terrorists issued
Arab World
• ISIL Terrorists Suffer Major Losses in Anbar, 40 Terrorists Killed
• Islamic State Group Beheads 8 Shiites in Syria's Hama
• Saudi Arabia Sends over 5,000 Takfiri Terrorists to Yemen
• Iraqi Commander: US Participating in Tikrit Operations to Help ISIL
• Syria regime executed prisoners before Idlib fall
• Shape of permanent Arab military force to be decided within 4 months: Egypt FM
• Prince Saud slams Putin’s hypocrisy
• Hezbollah distorting facts: Saudi envoy
• ‘Pride’ posters in Jazan to hail King Salman
• Egypt names Brotherhood leaders as terrorists
• Saudi pilot who made history by downing two fighters in 30 secs
• Assad: ISIS has expanded since start of U.S. strikes
• Syria launches cigar business despite raging war
Africa
• Nigeria Elections: Boko Haram Kills 41, Prevents Hundreds from Casting Votes
• Sudan: An Unlikely Path to Jihad for Nine British Medical Students
• World Leaders Join March against Militants in Tunis
• In Kenya, religious coexistence feels pressure of stronger Muslim identity
Mideast
• Dozens Killed As Yemen Tribes Clash with Houthis
• Decisive Storm’ targeting Houthi ‘ballistic missiles’
• Yemen’s President Calls Shiite Rebels ‘Puppets of Iran’
• Hamas supports military operation for political legitimacy in Yemen
• Turkish soldiers detain 5 Dutch citizens as ISIL raises flag near border
• Airstrikes destroy arms depots in Sanaa, Saada
• Arab coalition bombs Yemen rebels for fifth night
• Iranian negotiator says nuclear deal 'doable'
Southeast Asia
• Forget Democracy and Put Malaysia under Shariah Rule, Putrajaya Told
• As Hudud tiff worsens, Hadi says unsure about Pakatan’s future
• Anti-terror law just ISA in new dress, Pakatan MPs say
South Asia
• Another Blogger Hacked To Death in Bangladesh: Police
• 17 Insurgents Killed In Security Operations
• Uighur Gets 6 Years in Jail for Growing Beard
• Afghanistan's Ashraf Ghani Walks Tightrope over US, Pakistan Ties
• Teacher denigrates Islam, students boycott classes
• Clashes with Taliban halt power supply in south Afghanistan
• Two Maldivians reported dead in Syria
Europe
• New British Museum Galleries to Help Counter Militants' Image of Islam
• New Islamic State Propaganda Targets Russian Recruits
• Paris backs KSA’s Yemen policy
India
• Shias, Sunnis in Chennai Launch Movement against Terror
• Draconian Anti-Terror Measures a Concern: Former Chief Justice
• Hashimpura Verdict: Maliana’s Victims Lose Hope
• BSF jawans gun down two Pak smugglers, recover 12kg heroin
North America
• A Blindfolded Muslim Man in Stockholm Asking For Trust Got Hugs In Return
• Yemenis in U.S. voice support for ‘Decisive Storm’
• White House showed 'reprehensible animosity' towards Netanyahu
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Pakistan
Pak Govt Reluctant To Book Seminary Students over Daesh Pledge
30 March, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The government is reluctant to register a case against the Shohada Foundation and students of Jamia Hafsa on charges of waging war against the state and inviting the self-styled Islamic State militant group – commonly known by its Arabic acronym Daesh – to avenge Operation Silence, which was launched against the Lal Masjid in 2007, officials of the interior ministry and police officers told Dawn.
In December, the Shohada Foundation had issued a press release and a video message, inviting the head of Daesh to come to Pakistan to avenge the deaths of their brethren.
After the press release and video message went public, a report was prepared by Superintendent of Police City Rizwan Omar Gondal and sent to Inspector General of Police Tahir Alam Khan for further legal action.
The report was then forwarded to the police prosecution department for a legal opinion, who reported that the words spoken by the students in the video and the content of the press release reportedly fall under offences laid out in sections 121, 121A, 505(1)b and 505(2) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Section 121 and 121-A of the code deals with offences related to ‘waging war’ against Pakistan. The expression “waging war”, according to the legal opinion submitted to the police department, has not been defined in the code or in the General Clauses Act, 1897 and must therefore, be understood in its ordinary dictionary meaning of “carrying on war”.
Afraid of ‘causing a panic’, top officials not acting against local elements pledging support to militant group
The prosecution department also suggested that because the matter related to the sovereignty of the country, the case should be sent to the appropriate forum and legal advice sought before proceeding further.
The legal opinion was then sent to the interior ministry with the recommendation that a case be registered under the suggested PPC sections, officials said, adding that so far, written directives in the case had yet to be issued.
According to an official from the interior ministry, “police officers reminded a senior government functionary in a few meetings, but were asked to wait for a response. Now, whenever the senior functionary is reminded about the matter, he expresses his displeasure in no unclear terms.”
The official said that the last time the case was mentioned, the functionary had replied that “The government has categorically denied the presence of Daesh in the country and the government strongly and firmly stands by this denial.”
“Taking legal action against supporters and followers who had pledged allegiance to Daesh would lead to a panic and the issue would be unnecessarily highlighted,” the official quoted the functionary as saying.
“Those who pledge support to Daesh or distribute literature or carry out wall-chalkings should not be booked now, because that would only spread fear among the populous.”
A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that, “The police had done their job in the first week of January, but high-ups are refusing to register a case.”
Sarfaraz Hussain, who deals with the media on behalf of the interior ministry, denied that the ministry had issued any such directives in this case. Adeel Sattar, another ministry official, refused to comment on the matter.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1172805/govt-reluctant-to-book-seminary-students-over-daesh-pledge
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Muslims to defend Saudi Arabia: Pakistan Ulema Council
30 March, 2015
LAHORE - Pakistan Ulema Council Central Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said on Sunday that every Muslim was ready to defend the “Harmain Shareefain” and Saudi Arabia in case of any threat.
In a press statement, he expressed these views while talking to leaders of different schools of thought in Islamabad. He said that Saudi Arabia was friend of Pakistan as it had never left Pakistan alone in difficult time. He hoped that Iran would play a positive role and focus on resolving the situation. He said that one could not think of leaving Saudi Arabia in difficult times, adding that all the people in Pakistan love Saudi Arabia “and any adventurism against it would not be tolerated”.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Mar-2015/muslims-to-defend-saudi-arabia-ashrafi
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President urges ulema to promote ethical values
30 March, 2015
ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday called upon the ulema and religious scholars to play proactive role in promoting ethical values, tolerance, brotherhood and religious co-existence in the society.
The president emphasised that the ulema and religious scholars should preach against the curses of corruption and bribery in their sermons and speeches in the light of Islamic teachings.
He expressed these views during a sitting with the ulema and religious scholars on the topic “Lack of Ethical Values and Corruption” at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, said a press release. He said, in view of the current scenario, it was the national responsibility of religious scholars and mashaikhs to emphasis upon the importance of unity, forbearance and religious harmony in the country.
President Mamnoon said that dark forces were bent upon denting the unity and fabric of society through their hideous designs, and underscored the urgency to collectively defeat the negative mindset, adding that religious scholars could play an important role in this regard. He stressed that it was the duty of ulema to propagate interfaith harmony in the country.
The moral values had weakened over the years and social evils like greed, bribery and corruption gained grounds, he observed and called upon the religious clerics to reverse the tide in the light of Islamic guidelines. He reiterated that the government was committed to weeding out the disease of corruption from the country. A number of noted ulema and religious scholars who were present included Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Mulana Raghib Hassan Naeemi, Mufti Athar Naeemi, Maulana Mufti Sher Khan, Maulana Ziaul Haq Naqashbani, Pir Syed Naqeebur Rehman, Mufti Muhammad Haseeb Qadri, Maulana Ahmed Ali Qasuri, Mufti Muhammad Kareem Khan, Khawaja Pir Ghulam Qutab Din, Pir Ahmad Fazeel Khan, Maulana Jehangir Mehmood, Mufti Rafi Usmani, Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Qari Roohullah Madni, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhri, Mulana Muhammad Salfi, Allama Ibtisam Ilahi Zaheer, Allama Talib Johri, Maulana Syed Shahenshah Hussain Naqvi, Qazi Syed Niaz Hussain Naqvi, Allama Nauman Saqib Akbar and Dr Hafiz Ehsanul Haq.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/30-Mar-2015/president-urges-ulema-to-promote-ethical-values
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‘Red book’ of most wanted terrorists issued
30 March, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Law enforcement agencies on Sunday issued a red book containing profiles of most dangerous terrorists including two al Qaeda women, local media quoted officials as saying. As per the red book, the militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Harassa have been listed as the most dangerous terrorists. The agencies have also clearly informed the administration regarding these most wanted terrorists having a head money between Rs 500,000 and Rs 10 million.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/30-Mar-2015/red-book-of-most-wanted-terrorists-issued
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Arab World
ISIL Terrorists Suffer Major Losses in Anbar, 40 terrorists killed
30 March, 2015
At least 40 terrorists were killed in heavy fighting between the Iraqi army and the ISIL Takfiri group in the Western city of Ramadi, Anbar province, media report said.
The Iraqi soldiers inflicted hefty losses on the ISIL in the area of Malaab, Ramadi, and succeeded in killing more than 40 terrorists.
The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control shrinking swathes of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Ezadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIL has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000072
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Islamic State group beheads 8 Shiites in Syria's Hama
30 March, 2015
BEIRUT (AP) - A new video released by the Islamic State group on Sunday shows its fighters cutting off the heads of eight men said to be Shiite Muslims. The video posted on social media said the men were beheaded in the central Syrian province of Hama.
The video could not be immediately independently verified, but it appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting of the events. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the video was authentic.
IS has beheaded scores of people since capturing large parts of Iraq and Syria last year in a self-declared caliphate.
In the video, the men, wearing orange uniforms with their hands tied behind their backs, were led forward in a field by teenage boys. They were then handed over to a group of IS fighters. A boy wearing a black uniform hands out knives to the fighters, who then behead the hostages.
Full report at:
http://www.wqow.com/story/28642290/islamic-state-group-beheads-8-shiites-in-syrias-hama
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Saudi Arabia Sends over 5,000 Takfiri Terrorists to Yemen
30 March, 2015
Military sources disclosed that Saudi Arabia has dispatched thousands of Takfiri terrorists to Yemen to fight against the revolutionary forces in the Arab country.
"Saudi Arabia has sent around 5,000 Takfiri mercenaries to fight against the Yemeni army and revolutionary committees," Yemeni Army Commander Colonel Abdel Sattar al-Boushali told FNA on Saturday night.
The Yemeni commander, meantime, disclosed that the Saudi defense minister has asked Turkish officials to pave the grounds for the transfer of more terrorists from Turkish airports to Riyadh.
He noted that heavy clashes broke out between the terrorist groups and forces loyal to Yemen's revolutionary committees.
Colonel al-Boushali reiterated that Saudi Arabia is plotting to hire mercenaries to assassinate supporters of Ansarullah movement, including the movement's representative Abdel Karim al-Kheivani.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000167
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Iraqi Commander: US Participating in Tikrit Operations to Help ISIL
30 March, 2015
A senior commander of Badr Organization stressed that the US-led anti-ISIL coalition forces participated in Tikrit operations to help ISIL terrorists flee the scene of clashes and also confiscate the victories of Iraqi security and popular forces for themselves.
"The Iraqi army and popular forces have taken back 80 percent of Tikrit from ISIL control and the presence of the US and coalition forces in Tikrit operations is meant to confiscate this victory," Brigadier General Jabar Ali al-Mashkouri told FNA on Sunday.
He said the US has been pushing the Baghdad government to take part in the Tikrit operations in a bid to help the ISIL terrorists escape the scene.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940109000632
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Syria regime executed prisoners before Idlib fall
30 March 2015
BEIRUT — Syrian government forces apparently executed at least 15 prisoners in the city of Idlib before fighters overran the provincial capital, a monitor said on Sunday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bodies of at least 15 detainees had been found after the northwestern city was taken by fighters including Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
“The number of bodies found in a military intelligence detention facility in Idlib city has risen to 15,” the Britain-based group’s director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The group had earlier reported the discovery of at least nine bodies believed to be prisoners executed by regime forces before they withdrew from the city.
Al-Nusra released a video on Twitter showing fighters from the group discovering the bodies in a prison in Idlib.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150330238650
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Shape of permanent Arab military force to be decided within 4 months: Egypt FM
30 March 2015
Arab leaders will agree on the composition and mode of intervention of a planned Arab joint military force within four months, Egypt's FM Sameh Shoukry stated on Sunday.
Shoukry, in a press conference with Arab League Chief Nabil Al-Arabi, said that the proposed military joint force would be permanent, and in this way different from the current Saudi-led military coalition that has been carrying out strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
He also added that the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, launched along with a group of allies, has a single focus, and includes non-Arab countries, whereas membership to the planned joint military force will be restricted to Arab states.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and regional allies launched military attacks against alleged Houthi rebel sites in Yemen, after Houthi fighters on Wednesday stormed the southern coastal city of Aden.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/126398/Egypt/Politics-/Shape-of-permanent-Arab-military-force-to-be-decid.aspx
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Prince Saud slams Putin’s hypocrisy
30 March, 2015
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy, telling the Arab summit that he should not express support for the Middle East while fueling instability by supporting Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
Prince Saud said Russia proposes a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis while it continues to provide arms to the Assad regime.
The foreign minister said Assad has lost his legitimacy as Russia continues to supply his government with arms that are killing the Syrian people.
He noted that Arab states are looking forward to have better relations with Russia if it shows more “positivity.”
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/725271
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Hezbollah distorting facts: Saudi envoy
30 March, 2015
Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri has accused Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah of making false allegations against the Kingdom.
Nasrallah’s latest speech is full of slander and false accusations, said the ambassador.
“The speech made by Nasrallah expressed the confusion experienced by the sides he represents [Iran], and contained a lot of slander and false allegations against Saudi Arabia,” Asiri said in a statement.
He said Nasrallah’s words “aimed to distort facts and mislead public opinion.”
Nasrallah’s heated speech Friday slammed Saudi Arabia for the recent military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/725276
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‘Pride’ posters in Jazan to hail King Salman
30 March, 2015
Young Saudi men in Jazan are expressing their love, support and full approval for the Kingdom’s “Operation Decisive Storm” against the Houthi coup in Yemen by attaching posters and stickers to their cars depicting images of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in order to show their pride in the operation led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
The operation also involves the participation of a number of Arab and Islamic countries who similarly wish to counter the aggressive Houthi and help their Yemeni brothers.
Commenting on the poster that he had stuck on his car, Rashed Al-Thowaini said: “I see this as one way to express my love and loyalty to my country and ruler, and to show support for the good decision made by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to strike the strongholds of the Houthis and to destroy their weapons and to restore the legitimate presidency of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.”
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/725226
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Egypt names Brotherhood leaders as terrorists
30 March, 2015
CAIRO: Egypt’s top prosecutor on Sunday named 18 Muslim Brotherhood members, including the group’s leader and his deputy, as terrorists in the first implementation of an anti-terror law passed earlier this year.
In a statement, chief prosecutor Hisham Barakat said the decision follows a February court ruling that convicted Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie; his deputy Khairat El-Shater; the head of the group’s political party Saad El-Katatni and others of orchestrating violence in 2013 that killed 11 people and wounded over 90 outside their office.
The clashes were at the start of mass protests against President Muhammad Mursi, also a member of the group, and days before the military ousted him.
Badie, El-Shater and El-Katatni along with senior leaders Mohammed El-Beltagy, Essam El-Erian and nine others were sentenced to life in prison. Another four were sentenced to death
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/725106
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Saudi pilot who made history by downing two fighters in 30 secs
30 March 2015
JEDDAH — The current Saudi-led airstrikes part of Operation Decisive Storm against Houthi rebels in Yemen have brought to memory stories of great courage shown by Saudi Royal Air Force pilots during the first Gulf war to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi occupation under former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein.
At 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, 1991, an American Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and two British ships issued warnings that three Iraqi warplanes were about to attack. The three Iraqi fighters were in Dassault Mirage F1 aircraft equipped with Exocet anti-ship missiles.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20150330238663
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Assad: ISIS has expanded since start of U.S. strikes
30 March 2015
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a U.S. television interview that Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has seized swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, has been gaining recruits since the start of U.S.-led air strikes against the militant group.
Asked how much benefit he was getting from the strikes in Syria that began last September, Assad told CBS’ “60 Minutes: “Sometimes you could have local benefit but in general if you want to talk in terms of ISIS, actually ISIS has expanded since the beginning of the strikes.”
Assad, who has been fighting Islamist and other rebels since 2011, said in the interview aired on Sunday there were some estimates that ISIS was attracting 1,000 recruits a month in Syria.
“And Iraq - they are expanding in - Libya and - many other - al Qaeda affiliate organizations have announced their allegiance to ISIS. So that’s the situation,” Assad said, using another acronym for the militant group.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/30/Assad-ISIS-expanded-since-start-of-U-S-airstrikes.html
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Syria launches cigar business despite raging war
30 March 2015
In Syria's northeastern province of Latakia, workers roll the country's first locally made cigars, a new product being launched despite the devastating civil conflict now in its fifth year.
The workers are employed by Syria's state-run General Tobacco Company, which has decided to branch out into cigars in a bid to create desperately needed jobs and boost revenue.
At the end of February, the company's director general said the initiative would create some 1,000 new jobs in the country, which has seen its economy ravaged by the conflict.
"The company will start selling the products on the local market very soon and then begin trying to export to friendly countries," says Salman al-Abbas, the company's deputy director-general.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-launches-cigar-business-despite-raging-war-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80348&NewsCatID=345
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Africa
Nigeria Elections: Boko Haram Kills 41, Prevents Hundreds from Casting Votes
March 30, 2015
Boko Haram extremists killed 41 people, including a legislator, and scared hundreds of people from polling stations in the northeast, but millions voted across Nigeria on Saturday in the most closely contested presidential race in the nation’s history.
In electoral violence elsewhere, three people including a soldier were shot and killed in political thuggery in southern Rivers state, and two car bombs exploded at polling stations in the southeast but no one was injured, according to police.
All the Boko Haram attacks took place in north-eastern Nigeria, where the military on Friday announced it had cleared the Islamic extremists from all major centres, including the headquarters of their so-called Islamic caliphate.
Nearly 60 million people have cards to vote, and for the first time there is a possibility that a challenger can defeat a sitting president in the high-stakes contest to govern Africa’s richest and most populous nation.
The front-runners among 14 candidates are President Goodluck Jonathan, a 57-year-old Christian from the south, and former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, 72, from the predominantly Muslim north.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/nigeria-elections-boko-haram-kills-41-prevents-hundreds-from-casting-votes/99/
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Sudan: an unlikely path to jihad for nine British medical students
30 March, 2015
Tasneem Hussein was a soft-spoken university student in Khartoum when the transformation slowly began.
After returning to Sudan from Britain to study pharmacology she swapped her jeans for the head-to-toe niqab covering, but there were no signs of the dramatic move she was planning.
Last week, the 23-year-old told her parents she would be spending the night with relatives. In fact, Hussein went to Turkey with a group of other British-Sudanese medical students en route to Syria, abandoning her studies to help Islamic State (Isis) wage war.
To many people, the group that now controls large areas of Iraq and Syria is notorious for beheading western captives and burning a Jordanian military pilot alive. It imposes strict Islamist rule in its fiefdoms, which are particularly repressive towards women. But for some youngsters like Hussein, it may have had an appeal.
She used to “join us in parties and occasions with neighbours. She use to wear jeans and then two years ago a big change happened and she started wearing the niqab,” said a neighbour, who declined to be named due to the sensitivities of the matter, and who saw Hussein the day she left for Turkey but did not detect anything unusual.
Jihad
Full report at:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/30/sudan-jihad-nine-british-medical-students-islamic-state-syria
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World leaders join march against militants in Tunis
30 March, 2015
TUNIS: World leaders joined tens of thousands of Tunisians on Sunday to march in solidarity against militants, a day after security forces killed members of a group blamed for a deadly museum attack.
The March 18 attack on the Bardo national museum in Tunis killed 21 foreign tourists and a policeman, shaking a country that has been praised as a peaceful democratic model since leading the first of the Arab Spring uprisings in 2011.
A red-and-white sea of Tunisian crescent and star flags filled a major boulevard in the capital where several world leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, came to rally under the slogan “Le Monde est Bardo” (The World is Bardo).
“We have shown we are a democratic people, Tunisians are moderate, and there is no room for terrorists here,” said one of the demonstrators, Kamel Saad. “Today everyone is with us.”
Thousands of police and soldiers had been positioned around the capital since early morning.
One of the most secular countries in the Arab world, Tunisia has mostly avoided violence in the four years since the toppling of autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. In contrast with Libya, Yemen and Syria which have plunged into war and chaos, it has adopted a new constitution and held free elections.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/725101
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In Kenya, religious coexistence feels pressure of stronger Muslim identity
30 March, 2015
On a steamy day on the Kenyan coast, a tall student stands at the courtyard water pump at her school filling a wheelbarrow during a class break. Her arms, bare to above her elbow, poke out from beneath her blue hijab.
Her attire speaks to a series of compromises between her Christian-funded school and its Muslim students. The hijab is permitted – but must match her blue skirt. The shirt, on the other hand, is regulation short-sleeve, and tucked into the fitted waist of her skirt.
This is the trade-off for attending Malindi Central Primary School, one of Kenya’s many church-sponsored public schools.
Administrators are struggling to figure out how to accommodate a growing and increasingly devout Muslim population in public schools founded and often funded by churches. At another church-sponsored school minutes away, hijabs hang in the classroom windows, left there as girls enter the school gates, beyond which no head coverings are allowed.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/kenya-religious-coexistence-feels-pressure-stronger-muslim-identity-130813306.html
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Mideast
Dozens killed as Yemen tribes clash with Houthis
30 March 2015
Dozens were killed during clashed between Yemeni tribal fighters and Houthi rebels near the oil-producing Asailan area in the southern governorate of Shabwa, Al Arabiya News Channel reported citing local sources.
Fighting erupted when tribal fighters attacked a Houthi-held area near Asailan.
Almost thirty were killed among the Houthis and their loyalists during confrontations which also killed eight members of the tribes, a security source told Al Arabiya.
The area was held by members of the Houthi militia and loyalists to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
These developments come as a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen enters its fifth day.
Saudi Arabia, along with nine other states, has conducted a series of airstrikes targeting areas held by the Houthis.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/30/Dozens-killed-as-Yemen-tribes-clash-with-Houthis.html
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Decisive Storm’ targeting Houthi ‘ballistic missiles’
30 March 2015
A military spokesman for the Saudi-led Operation “Decisive Storm” said on Sunday that there would be no safe haven for the Houthi militias in Yemen as the coalition’s air power targeted for a fourth day ballistic missiles that had been seized by the Shiite militant movement.
Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said that the “work is under way to destroy the remaining ballistic missiles, particularly the mobile ones,” according to the Saudi Press Agency.
He added that “a great intelligence effort is being exerted to determine the locations of those hidden machines by the Houthi militias inside homes and residential areas.”
Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, he said “there is a direct targeting of Houthis,” adding that coalition fighter jets were also targeting anti-air defenses on the ground.
“[The fighters jets] are available around the clock in all of Yemen to prevent a Houthi buildup,” he said.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/29/Decisive-Storm-targeting-Houthi-ballistic-missiles-.html
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Yemen’s president calls Shiite rebels ‘puppets of Iran’
30 March, 2015
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — Yemen’s embattled president on Saturday called Shiite rebels who forced him to flee the country “puppets of Iran,” directly blaming the Islamic Republic for the chaos there and demanding airstrikes against rebel positions continue until they surrender.
Egypt’s president supported the creation a regional Arab military force and a Gulf diplomat warned that Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen could go on for months, raising the specter of a regional conflict pitting Sunni Arab nations against Shiite power Iran.
The comments by Arab leaders including Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled his country only days earlier, came at an Arab summit largely focusing on the chaos there caused by the advance of the rebels, known as Houthis.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-arabia-blames-technical-failure-for-yemen-jet-crash/2015/03/28/b09cd76a-d50f-11e4-8b1e-274d670aa9c9_story.html
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Hamas supports military operation for political legitimacy in Yemen
30 March, 2015
Hamas extended support for Kingdom-led operation “Decisive Storm,” aimed at restoring the legitimate government in Yemen, as also to save its people from rampaging Houthi militants.
The Palestinian organization said in a statement issued on Saturday that it supports self-determination of the Yemeni people and opposes any actions that would put Yemen’s security and independence at risk.
Hamas said it supports “political legitimacy” in Yemen and backs its “unity, security and independence.”
The statement assumes significance as it comes shortly after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas joined the array of leaders from the Muslim world who strongly supported the joint military operation by coalition forces.
Full report at:
The Houthi illegal move to occupy power has widely been criticized worldwide, he said.
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/725241
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Turkish soldiers detain 5 Dutch citizens as ISIL raises flag near border
30 March 2015
Five Dutch citizens have been detained while trying to cross from Turkey to Syria illegally, the Turkish army announced in a statement on March 29.
According to the General Staff statement, a total of 97 foreigners, 92 of them Syrian citizens, tried to cross into Syria on March 28.
Turkish troops also discovered five hunting rifles buried near the border in the Görentaş area of Hatay province.
Farther east on the border, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants raised their flag in the Syrian village of Kara, which is 400 meters away from Yavuzlu village in the southeastern province of Kilis.
After the ISIL flag was raised in Syria, Turkish flags were raised in response on the roof of some houses on the Turkish side.
The Turkish army had tightened the border in the past weeks after smugglers intensified their efforts.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-soldiers-detain-5-dutch-citizens-as-isil-raises-flag-near-border.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80322&NewsCatID=341
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Airstrikes destroy arms depots in Sanaa, Saada
30 March 2015
The air campaign, dubbed Operation Decisive Storm, shelled missiles bases in Mokha as well as arms warehouses in Sanaa and Saada.
Rebel forces are heading from the city of Abyan towards the city of Aden at night out of fear of the coalition’s strikes.
Leaders of ground forces affiliated with legitimate president Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and other forces defending Aden have urged Decisive Storm forces to urgently intervene and end this rebels’ progress especially after the Fifth Brigade in Sabir joined them (the rebels).
Meanwhile, in Beihan, the Balharith tribe, aided by Shabwa and Marib tribes, attacked rebels causing human and material losses among their ranks as hundreds others fled.
Leader of the Balharith tribe Al-Fuhayed bin Hussyan and other tribal leaders pledged to purge their areas of rebels and their allies. They also voiced their support of the Decisive Storm campaign and commended Saudi Arabia’s role in helping the Yemeni people confront the coup against the legitimate state.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/30/Decisive-Storm-destroys-arms-depots-in-Sanaa-Saada.html
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Arab coalition bombs Yemen rebels for fifth night
30 March 2015
Arab coalition warplanes carried out a fifth straight night of air strikes against Shia militants near the Yemeni capital and elsewhere in the violence-wracked country, residents said on Monday.
Fighter jets roared in the skies above Sanaa from 9 pm (1800 GMT) until around dawn, an AFP correspondent reported.
The Saudi-led coalition has vowed to keep up the raids until the militants abandon their insurrection against President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who has fled to Riyadh.
Positions held by the Iranian-backed Houthis and soldiers of the renegade Republican Guard overlooking the presidential palace were believed to have been targeted overnight.
A Republican Guard camp in south Sanaa was also hit, witnesses said.
The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down in 2012 after a year of bloody protests.
In the area around Marib, 140 kilometres (90 miles) east of Sanaa, radar facilities and surface-to-air missile batteries were targeted, local officials said.
In western Yemen, anti-aircraft defences were targeted in the port city of Hodeida, as well as several military positions farther south along the coast, residents said.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/126445/World/Region/Arab-coalition-bombs-Yemen-rebels-for-fifth-night.aspx
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Iranian negotiator says nuclear deal 'doable'
30 March 2015
A nuclear deal between Iran and world powers was "doable", Tehran's lead negotiator said in crunch talks in Switzerland on Sunday, with "two or three" issues still to be resolved.
Abbas Araqchi however ruled out sending Iran's nuclear stocks abroad, a key demand of world powers, while insisting that all UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions must be lifted.
"Getting to an accord is doable. Solutions have been found for numerous questions. We are still working on two or three issues... The talks are in their final phase and are very difficult," Abbas told reporters in Lausanne.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/126434/World/Region/Iranian-negotiator-says-nuclear-deal-doable.aspx
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Southeast Asia
Forget democracy and put Malaysia under Shariah rule, Putrajaya told
30 March, 2015
Using democratic means to introduce hudud is “haram”, the local chapter of hardline Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir said, insisting that Islamic law must be implemented in its entirety in Malaysia without approval from Parliament or state assemblies.
The group said putting hudud through debates in the state legislative assembly or the Dewan Rakyat ultimately subjects the sacred law to the approval of man.
“This is categorically haram because the authority to make laws is vested only upon Allah and man is ordered to implement them, not vote to decide on their implementation,” Hizbut Tahrir spokesman Abdul Hakim Othman said in a statement
He added that the use of the democratic system to approve hudud here has also given room to non-Muslims, liberalists and secularists to ridicule and insult the law.
“Their malicious reactions to hudud result from the idea of freedom and the reality of democracy in deifying the human intellect and denying the role of religion in regulating the life of man,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/forget-democracy-and-put-malaysia-under-shariah-rule-putrajaya-told#sthash.Gq5GHreZ.dpuf
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As hudud tiff worsens, Hadi says unsure about Pakatan’s future
30 March, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — With PAS’s push for hudud adding strain to already fractured ties within Pakatan Rakyat (PR), Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today he is unsure of the opposition pact’s political future.
“The future (of PR), I do not know,” the PAS president told reporters when asked whether PR could function as an effective coalition in the future.
Hadi also dismissed claims that DAP’s attacks against him were aimed at influencing PAS’s June polls.
“No one, no one can influence PAS members,” the PAS ch ief added.
Earlier this month, the Kelantan state assembly approved the Shariah Criminal Code (II) (1993) 2015 Enactment with 31 votes from PAS lawmakers supported by 12 from Umno.
In return, DAP pilloried PAS president Hadi for his party’s hudud push, saying it will no longer work with him even as it vowed to remain in the PR pact.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/as-hudud-tiff-worsens-hadi-says-unsure-about-pakatans-future#sthash.P0OJUv52.v9AW1Zxj.dpuf
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Anti-terror law just ISA in new dress, Pakatan MPs say
30 March, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — The Prevention of Terrorism 2015 Bill tabled in Parliament today is just a repackaging of the abolished Internal Security Act (ISA), opposition lawmakers said.
Chief of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) concerns is the proposed law’s prohibition of judicial reviews over the grounds of orders for the indefinite detention without trial.
The Bill states that the courts may only review procedural matters and that the detention orders for terror suspects may be extended from “time to time for further periods” of not more than two years at a time, with no time limit stated.
“After a cursory reading, I find that this is no different from the ISA. Minor adjustments, a threat to very fragile fundamental liberties,” PKR Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen told reporters at a news conference here.
“Like old wine in new bottle. Precisely,” he added.
PAS Kuala Terengganu MP Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah said the prohibition of judicial review raised concerns about how the law will be fairly enforced and that it would not be used against government critics.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/anti-terror-law-just-isa-in-new-dress-pakatan-mps-say#sthash.HUOP29fh.dpuf
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South Asia
Another blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh: police
30 March, 2015
DHAKA: A blogger was hacked to death in the Bangladesh capital on Monday, in the latest brutal attack on the country's independent writers, a senior officer said.
Police have arrested two men over the murder which comes just weeks after an American atheist blogger was also hacked to death in Dhaka ─ a crime that triggered international outrage, the officer said.
“He was brutally hacked to death this morning with big knives just 500 yards [460 metres] from his home at Dhaka's Begunbari area,” local police chief Wahidul Islam told AFP.
Islam said the men were arrested immediately after the attack while they were trying to flee the scene.
Police said they were unsure whether the victim, Washiqur Rahman, 27, was also an atheist blogger but another social media writer said that he was known to write “against religious fundamentalism”.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1172820/another-blogger-hacked-to-death-in-bangladesh-police
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17 insurgents killed in security operations
Mar 30 2015
Seventeen insurgents have been killed in separate military operations across the country in past 24 hours, statement issued Monday morning by the Ministry of Interior states.
According to the statement the operations were jointly conducted by Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army and personnel from the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan’s intelligence agency.
The statement adds that the operations were conducted in Ghazni, Kandahar, Zabul, Helmand, Paktiya, Farah, Maidan Wardak and Herat provinces were eight insurgents were also wounded in the exchange of fire with security forces and two others arrested.
The statement further adds that 13 different types of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were also defused by the security forces in Badakhshan, Jowzjan, Balkh, Faryab, Helmand and Kandahar province.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/17-insurgents-killed-in-military-operations-3082
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Uighur gets 6 years in jail for growing beard
30 March, 2015
BEIJING: A court in China’s mainly Muslim Xinjiang region has sentenced a man to six years in prison for “provoking trouble” and growing a beard, a practice discouraged by local authorities, a newspaper reported.
The court in the desert oasis city of Kashgar sentenced the 38-year-old Uighur to six years, while his wife was given a two-year sentence, according to the China Youth Daily.
The man “had started growing his beard in 2010” while his wife “wore a veil hiding her face and a burqa,” the paper said.
The couple were found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vague accusation regularly used in the Chinese judicial system.
For more than a year the authorities in Xinjiang have been campaigning against men growing beards — a practice officials associate with extremist ideas.
A campaign dubbed “Project Beauty” also encourages women to leave their heads bare and abandon wearing the veil, a relatively widespread practice among the Uighurs — the main Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/news/725081
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Afghanistan's Ashraf Ghani Walks Tightrope Over US, Pakistan Ties
30 March, 2015
KABUL: In pursuing rapprochement with Pakistan and the United States, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is the very antithesis of his fiery predecessor, but his unprecedented diplomatic overtures have prompted rumblings of unease back home.
Since coming to power in September, Ghani has sought to jumpstart long-stalled negotiations with the Taliban for a peace agreement 13 years after they were toppled in a US-led invasion.
Ghani has courted Washington to slow the drawdown of US troops and longtime nemesis Pakistan, which has historically backed the Taliban, in what observers say is a calculated gambit to pressure the insurgents to the negotiating table.
But he walks a tightrope with conservatives, including some within his own fractious national unity government, who are distrustful of Pakistan and wary of Kabul being seen as too obsequious to Washington.
Full report at:
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/afghanistans-ashraf-ghani-walks-tightrope-over-us-pakistan-ties-750681
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Teacher denigrates Islam, students boycott classes
30 March, 2015
Hundreds of students of Dighaliya Secondary School in Narail have boycotted classes following derogatory remarks on Islam and burqa allegedly made by a teacher of the school.
They have demanded legal action be taken against the teacher, Kinkor Chandra Samajdar, who termed Islam as a “superstition based” religion while taking a private coaching class on English of the tenth graders of the school on March 25.
The students made the claim at a protest procession in front of the school in Lohagora upazila yesterday.
Kinkor Chandra Samajdar had said Islam was a superstitious one among all the religions existing in Asia and that burqa, the garment worn by women in Islamic traditions, is just a show on the outside while it is hollow on the inside, a number of students told this reporter requesting anonymity.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/education/2015/mar/30/teacher-denigrates-islam-students-boycott-classes#sthash.k13JeJ7W.dpuf
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Clashes with Taliban halt power supply in south Afghanistan
March 30, 2015
Clashes between Afghan forces and the Taliban have cut off the main supply of power to Afghanistan's Helmand and Kandahar provinces, according to residents and the chief of the national power company.
The two provinces rely on the Kajaki plant in Helmand for the bulk of their already severely limited supply of electricity, but intense fighting in the area has halted around 90 per cent of power.
"I don't think it is sabotage," said the company's chief commercial officer, Mirwais Alami. "Otherwise they would be cutting off electricity to their own villages. The lines could have been cut by government bullets."
It was difficult to say when power supplies would resume because clashes made it difficult to repair the lines, he added.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/clashes-with-taliban-halt-power-supply-in-south-afghanistan/article7048049.ece
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Two Maldivians reported dead in Syria
30 March, 2015
Two Maldivians have died in the Syrian civil war this month, according to local media reports.
Abdulla Mohamed Didi, 38, from Addu City, died in a bombing in Syria’s Idlib on March 26, while Ahmed Munsiu, 28, from Fuvahmulah Island, died on March 18 in Syria, Haveeru Daily has reported.
Abdulla reportedly left to Syria via Malaysia three months ago, without informing his family. He was married with three children.
Speaking to Haveeru, Munsiu’s mother Rifath Ahmed said her son had gone to Syria with his wife, Suma Ali on February 22.
Rifath said the couple regularly communicated with her online, but since Munsiu’s death, she has not heard from Suma. However, she has heard Suma was in good health.
In February, local media reported a three-month-old Maldivian baby died in Syria after suffering from respiratory difficulties. The child’s mother attempted to travel back to Malé due to a lack of adequate medical facilities, but was prevented due to lack of cooperation from her husband, local media said.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/two-maldivians-reported-dead-in-syria-95174#sthash.zY1LQf2a.dpuf
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Europe
New British Museum galleries to help counter militants' image of Islam
30 March 2015
Art from the Islamic world will be shown in the heart of the British Museum, instead of on the sidelines, in two new galleries funded by a Malaysian foundation which hopes to offset the image created by Islamic militants.
The museum, which houses one of the world's largest collections of art and artefacts, said on Thursday it plans to open two new galleries in its south wing devoted to its extensive collection of art from the Islamic world.
Until now works from the collection have been displayed in a gallery tucked away on the north side of the massive building, a long walk from the main entrance.
The two new galleries, which will complement the existing gallery, are being funded for an undisclosed amount by the Albukhary Foundation of Malaysia.
Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, the foundation's chairman, said there was an urgent need to make people more aware of the value of art and artefacts from the Islamic world, and the threats to this cultural heritage, especially at a time when historic sites in Iraq are under attack by militants of the Islamic State.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/25/126431/Arts--Culture/Visual-Art/New-British-Museum-galleries-to-help-counter-milit.aspx
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New Islamic State Propaganda Targets Russian Recruits
30 March, 2015
A series of guides published in Cyrillic script offering practical advice on how Russians can travel to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS) have been published on Russia’s leading social network site, according to Russian media.
The guide, titled How to Make Hijrah [migration] to the Islamic State, appeared yesterday on the VKontakte website.
The first part of the guide describes how to travel from Russia to Turkey, in order to cross over the border into Syria, according to The Moscow Times. Part two gives instructions that recruits should shop for military gear in Turkey before traveling into Syria. Both end with a demand that the recruits “brings as much cash as you can”.
In recent weeks, there have been reports that Islamic State is not as wealthy as it was when it first rose to power last June. Whereas once smokers were flogged for the offence, they are now fined in order for the group to raise more funds, according to Syrian living under Islamic States’s rule and have cut spending on fuel and bread subsidies.
Full report at:
http://www.newsweek.com/new-islamic-state-propaganda-targets-russian-recruits-317282
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Paris backs KSA’s Yemen policy
30 March, 2015
Following a telephone conversation between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and French President Francois Hollande on Friday, the French Embassy in Riyadh reiterated its strong support for Operation Decisive Storm led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to flush out the Houthi militants from Yemen.
King Salman thanked President Hollande for the clear and explicit support provided by France.
During the telephone conversation, in response to King Salman’s words of appreciation, President Hollande said his country supports the legitimate authorities in Yemen and pledged to fight against the rebels with the assistance of the Kingdom.
The statement made available to Arab News by the French Embassy said the phone call had further strengthened relations between Saudi Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, who exchanged views and focused on cooperation in the fields of intelligence and equipment between the two forces.
Both parties welcomed the quality of their strategic partnership that reflects the deep friendship between Saudi Arabia and France, the statement added.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/725286
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India
Shias, Sunnis in Chennai launch movement against terror
March 30, 2015
CHENNAI: Members of Shia and Sunni communities came together in Chennai on Sunday to launch a movement to take on terror outfits at an ideological level.
A meeting which was held at Thousand Lights elected Tamil Nadu Shia Muslim Convention Board general secretary Nusrath Ali Khan as convener and Nandanam Sunni mosque chief Mujeeb ur Rehman as co-convener of the Shia-Sunni Unity Movement.
Editor of a Hyderabad-based daily Syed Jaffer Hussain, educationist Sad-e-Hussaini and director of Dr MGR College Nayeemur Rahman were among the others who attended the meeting.
The meeting condemned the ISIS threat to Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Earlier, a delegation called on visiting Islamic cleric Hujatul Islam Mehdi Mehdipour, a representative of Ayatullah Khamenei of Iran. Mehdipour emphasized the need for Shia-Sunni unity to tackle terrorists and organizations sowing seeds of discord among the Muslims across the globe.
He appreciated the government of India for maintaining peace and harmony between Shia and Sunni communities.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shias-Sunnis-in-Chennai-launch-movement-against-terror/articleshow/46737563.cms
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Draconian anti-terror measures a concern: Former chief justice
TNN | Mar 30, 2015
MUMBAI: While terrorism needs to be condemned, counter-terrorist measures, including draconian laws too are matters of concern, said chairperson of National Human Rights Commission and former chief justice of India Justice KG Balakrishnan.
At a conference on international terrorism in Mumbai on Sunday, Justice Balakrishnan said anti-terrorist laws have put a large number of people in jail without trial and conviction. "It is a matter of worry," he said.
Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, chief justice of Bangladesh, said his country always supported global war against terrorism, but its ability to combat terrorism is undermined by weak institutions, porous borders and limited law enforcement capacity," he said.
NGT chairman Justice Swatentar Kumar likened terrorism to free air capable of transcending borders and checks. He urged members of younger generation and students to be aware implications of terrorist acts.
Justice Chauhan, chairman of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, said government should focus on employment policies across the nation, especially in border regions, so that hungry and unemployed do not land in the trap of rival nations.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Draconian-anti-terror-measures-a-concern-Former-chief-justice/articleshow/46739549.cms
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Hashimpura verdict: Maliana’s victims lose hope
MOHAMMAD ALI
30 March 2015
Justice eluded the survivors and family members of the Hashimpura massacre with the trial court acquitting all the accused Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel last week. It seems a similar fate awaits Maliana village, where 72 Muslims were killed and burnt allegedly by the PAC and a mob on May 23, 1987.
Killings in Maliana, a small Muslim village on the outskirts of Meerut, happened just a day after the Hashimpura massacre. With no mention of the PAC personnel in the FIR, a “shoddy” investigation by the State agency and a weak charge sheet, Maliana villagers feel they will not get justice, just as the victims of Hashimpura.
The trial in the case has not even crossed the first stage. In the past 28 years, 800 dates have been fixed for hearing, but only three of the 35 prosecution witnesses have been examined by the Meerut court. The last hearing was held almost two years ago.
FIR goes missing
The laxity of the prosecution can be gauged from the fact that the main FIR, the basis of the entire case against 95 rioters from the nearby villages, suddenly “disappeared” in 2010. The sessions court in Meerut refused to go ahead with the trial without a copy of the FIR and a “search” for the FIR is still on.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/hashimpura-verdict-malianas-victims-lose-hope/article7046339.ece
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BSF jawans gun down two Pak smugglers, recover 12kg heroin
Yudhvir Rana,TNN | Mar 30, 2015
AMRITSAR: In an early morning operation at the Indo-Pak international border in Punjab on Sunday, Border Security Force (BSF) jawans shot dead two Pakistani smugglers and recovered 12kg of heroin and one AK-47 rifle.
Interestingly, it is for the first time that smugglers used an AK-47 gun to combat BSF jawans, earlier they used small weapons for smuggling of narcotics, informed BSF deputy inspector general RPS Jaswal while talking to TOI.
Giving details of the operation, Jaswal informed that BSF jawans patrolling in the area of Rattan Khud Border Outpost in Amritsar, observed some suspicious movement near the border fence and spotted two smugglers, who were carrying some packets and a pipe which was to be used for slipping heroin packets across the border fence in the Indian territory.
He said the BSF troops challenged Pakistan smugglers who instead of fleeing opened fire at them. "In retaliation BSF troops also fired back and killed the duo," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/BSF-jawans-gun-down-two-Pak-smugglers-recover-12kg-heroin/articleshow/46740427.cms
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North America
A Blindfolded Muslim man in Stockholm asking for trust got hugs in return
30 March, 2015
“I am Muslim, not the same as a terrorist. Do you trust me? I trust you!” read a sign, placed in front of a bearded man standing in the streets of Stockholm.
The trust experiment, which was earlier conducted in Toronto and New York, was put to test this time by YouTube user STHLM Panda in Stockholm.
In the uploaded on YouTube by STHLM Panda, shows a man standing in the streets of Stockholm, with his arms spread outward.
At first, the guy, who was identified as Ashkan, did not attract much attention.
Finally a woman, who was passing by, stops and looks at him for the fraction of a second before giving him a hug saying, “I trust you.”
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/860892/a-blindfolded-muslim-man-in-stockholm-asking-for-trust-got-hugs-in-return/
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Yemenis in U.S. voice support for ‘Decisive Storm’
30 March 2015
Members of the Yemeni community in the U.S. held a demonstration on Monday outside the United Nations headquarters in New York where they voiced their support of a Saudi-let military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
Protestors said they held former president Ali Abdullah Saleh responsible for the situation in the embattled country. They also blamed the extremist wing of his political party – the General People’s Congress – and the Houthi militia, who took control of the capital of Sanaa earlier this year.
Separately, the spokesperson of a Yemeni community in the U.S. called upon the United Nations to adopt a resolution on Yemen, making the Arab intervention an international one, Al Arabiya reported.
The protest condemned the Houti-led coup in Yemen and demanded that those held responsible be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court as war criminals.
Saudi Arabia is leading a 10-state coalition against Houthi rebels in a campaign that started five days ago.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/30/Yemenis-in-U-S-voice-support-for-Op-Decisive-Storm.html
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White House showed 'reprehensible animosity' towards Netanyahu
30 March 2015
The Obama administration has displayed "reprehensible animosity" towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, House Speaker John Boehner says.
Netanyahu's recent election victory dramatically exacerbated a diplomatic crisis with Washington, bringing his thorny relationship with US President Barack Obama into sharp focus.
In a bid to ramp up votes, Netanyahu had veered sharply to the right, vowing there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, promising to increase settlement construction and warning that Arab Israeli voters were going "in droves" to the polls, drawing a rebuke from the White House.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/126415/World/Region/White-House-showed-reprehensible-animosity-towards.aspx
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