Pak Man Arrested For Sharing Blasphemous Content on Facebook
New Age Islam News Bureau
20
Nov 2013
Aboobacker Musaliyar, Kerala’s most influential Sunni leader has said that modern times require that Muslim women are educated; however, some fundamental rules cannot be changed. (AP)
Pakistan
• Pak Man Arrested For Sharing Blasphemous Content on Facebook
• Seven suspected militants killed in North Waziristan blast
• Suicide bombing kills 2 soldiers in Pakistan
• No more drone strikes during Taliban talks, US assures Pakistan
• Damage control: After jirga assurance, govt lifts Kohat curfew today
• Law and order: ‘Launch Swat-style action against TTP’
Arab World
• Series of bombs, attacks kills 33 in Iraq
• Kuwait Twitter 'insult' prison sentence condemned
• Car bomb attack kills 10 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
• Suicide bombs hit Syrian troops north of Damascus
• KSA’s curricula review gives boost to interfaith dialogue
• Saudi Arabia second largest market for Islamic funds globally
• Syria chemical weapons could be destroyed at sea: watchdog
South Asia
• Jamaat men again go berserk on Dhaka- Chittagong highway
• Myanmar Police Uncover Anti-Muslim Bomb Plot
• Maldives President appoints niece, Gayoom daughter, as foreign minister
• Khaleda won’t be allowed to play foul with elections: Bangladesh PM
• Afghan refugees in Iran face increasing persecution: HRW
Southeast Asia
• Indonesia Struggling to End a ‘Sex Crime Emergency’ Involving Children
• KL meet for Buddhist-Muslim peace in Myanmar ends on a high note
• Penang refutes NST report on religious interference by DAP in the state
North America
• Pak nuclear weapons' threat under estimated, pose more danger: Former US official
• White House says no apology planned for Afghanistan
• 26/11 attack intended to provoke India-Pakistan war: US expert
• Obama urges against fresh Iran sanctions
• Good life in Guantanamo: US spends millions on art seminars for detainees
• US condemns bomb attacks at Iran Embassy in Beirut
Mideast
• UK, Turkey FMs commemorate 10th year of al-Qaeda bombings in Istanbul
• Iran: Afghan Refugees and Migrants Face Abuse
• Iran nuclear talks: Tehran 'will not step back one iota'
• Turkey has 'nothing to learn' from Greece on religious freedoms
• Israeli govt asked to demolish homes built on Palestinian land
• Yemen president likely to stay beyond 2014
Europe
• Convicted 'Muslim Patrol' attackers' views condemned
• How Britain's First Muslim Free School Has Faced Severe Criticism
• UK to give counter terror aid to Pakistan, Somalia
• UN tells Myanmar to make Rohingyas citizens
• Russian activists go to Syria to rescue traveler from militants' captivity
• David Cameron makes first UK call to Iranian president in over a decade
India
• Education doesn't mean women should have more freedoms: Kerala’s most influential Sunni leader
• India is an important link between developing and developed world: Salman Khurshid
• After Zubin’s show, Mushaira takes Kashmir to the world
Africa
• Libya: Displaced Camp Residents Need Immediate Protection
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pak-man-arrested-sharing-blasphemous/d/34508
-------------
Pakistan
Pak Man Arrested For Sharing Blasphemous Content on Facebook
PTI | Nov 20, 2013
LAHORE: A young man in Pakistan's Punjab Province has been arrested for sharing blasphemous content on Facebook, as the government launched a crackdown on the spread of such content on social media.
Authorities arrested Raza Kharal in Toba Tek Singh district of Pakistan's Punjab province, about 200 kilometres from here, for sharing blasphemous content on Facebook.
A blasphemy case was registered against Kharal for sharing material containing objectionable language on his Facebook wall, a police official said.
He said the police had taken action on the complaint of local cleric Maulana Salim.
Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah has said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has been requested to remove all objectionable and blasphemous material from the Facebook and other social media.
"We have also requested the Federal Investigation Agency to take action against that spreading hate material through social media," Sanuallah said.
This comes after Pakistan government ordered strict action against anyone propagating religious sectarianism through social media or mobile phones in the wake of a series of recent sectarian clashes in the country.
The army was called in to take control of Rawalpindi city and curfew was imposed on Friday after ten people were killed and 44 others injured in clashes that started when a Shia procession was passing through Raja Bazar.
The Shias were observing Ashura, which commemorates the death of Prophet Mohammed's grandson.
Following the incident, sectarian clashes have spread in other districts too and tension still prevails in districts like Multan, Bahwalpur, Hangu and Kohat.
Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has appealed to the people not to believe on rumours as there has been not veracity in them.
Some people also shared unverified video on Facebook claiming that three youngsters were found slaughtered at a worship place.
"Such material and videos are triggering sectarian violence in the county which can not be tolerated. We will not allow the misuse of the social media," the law minister warned.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-man-arrested-for-sharing-blasphemous-content-on-Facebook/articleshow/26070532.cms
-------------
Seven suspected militants killed in North Waziristan blast
ZAHIR SHAH SHERAZI
013-11-19
PESHAWAR: At least seven suspected militants were killed when an explosion hit a vehicle in main Mir Ali town of North Waziristan agency on Tuesday, security sources said.
They said militants were preparing an explosive-laden vehicle for a suicide mission when it accidentally exploded near Mosaki village of Mirali tehsil, killing four militants on the spot. Three more suspected militants later died in Mir Ali Hospital.
Militant commander Saifuddin, who is said to be the chief of the Taliban in Baka Khel area of FR Bannu region, was reported to have been killed in the explosion. The blast also injured another five people, security sources said.
Taliban militants also confirmed Saifuddin’s death.
However, speaking to Dawn.com from an undisclosed location, a Taliban militant claimed that the explosion was a suicide attack on their vehicle.
He said the militant commander was traveling from Khaisur village when his vehicle was attacked near Mosaki village of Mirali tehsil, killing him and three other militants.
Neither of the claims could be independently verified as access to media is restricted in the area. North Waziristan is one of seven semi-autonomous regions in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) governed by tribal laws.
An extremist insurgency led by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) plagues the region, known to be infested with militants including those from Al Qaeda and other armed extremist organisations.
The region is chiefly off-limits to reporters because of security worries and government restrictions due to which reliable casualty figures are difficult to acquire from there.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1057191/seven-suspected-militants-killed-in-north-waziristan-blast
-------------
Suicide bombing kills 2 soldiers in Pakistan
Nov 20 2013
Peshawar: At least two security personnel were killed and seven others injured in a suicide attack on a checkpost in Pakistan's northwest tribal region on Wednesday.
A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Shawa checkpost situated on the Bannu-Mir Ali Road in North Waziristan, military sources said.
Following the attack, security personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
A little known group, Ansarul Mujahideen, has claimed responsibility for the attack, media reports said.
The area is a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, which has lose links to the al-Qaeda.
The region also comes under attacks from US drones that often targets militant hideouts in the area.
Meanwhile, at least four militants were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in Swabi district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to the District Police Officer (DPO), twelve militants attacked the Natian police checkpost in Swabi.
Security personnel repulsed the attack and during an exchange of fire between the two sides, four militants were killed, media reports said.
Swabi is the hometown of the new deputy of Pakistani Taliban, Khalid Haqqani.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/suicide-bombing-kills-2-soldiers-in-pakistan/1197246/
-------------
No more drone strikes during Taliban talks, US assures Pakistan
2013-11-20
ISLAMABAD: The United States has promised that it will not carry out any drone strikes in Pakistan during any peace talks with Taliban militants in the future, the Prime Minister's Special Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Wednesday.
Briefing a session of the Senate's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, Aziz said a team of government negotiators was prepared to hold talks with former Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud on Nov 2, the day after he was killed in a US drone strike in North Waziristan.
Aziz said Mehsud had been sent a list of negotiators, and that the ex-TTP chief himself had added the names of two clerics to be part of the team.
However, Aziz said the peace process had been on hold since Mehsud's killing and that the negotiations had been badly affected by the Nov 1 drone strike.
The foreign affairs advisor said the US had assured that no drone strikes would be carried out during any peace talks. However, he did not clarify when the US had given this assurance.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had told reporters last week that the process of peace talks could not be taken forward unless drone attacks on Pakistani soil are halted.
Nisar had said that the drone attack that killed Mehsud 'sabotaged' the government's efforts to strike peace with anti-state militants.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1057411/no-more-drone-strikes-during-taliban-talks-us-assures-pakistan
-------------
Damage control: After jirga assurance, govt lifts Kohat curfew today
November 20, 2013
KOHAT: A jirga convened by the district administration successfully concluded on Tuesday after sectarian clashes erupted in the city, claiming two lives and injuring three others.
According to Kohat Commissioner Jamaluddin, the curfew which was imposed on Monday afternoon and continued throughout Tuesday should be lifted by Wednesday morning.
The commissioner convened the jirga of clerics in his office. DIG Kohat Ishtiaq Marwat, DPO Saleem Marwat, District Commissioner Amjid Ali and Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Sajid were also present. The jirga went on from 10am to 3pm. After that,the curfew was relaxed for two hours.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/634219/damage-control-after-jirga-assurance-govt-lifts-kohat-curfew-today/
-------------
Law and order: ‘Launch Swat-style action against TTP’
November 20, 2013
LAHORE: The Sunni Tehreek has written to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asking that he order a Swat-style military operation against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Taliban’s “revolt against Islam and the Constitution” must be put down by force, ST President Sarwat Ejaz Qadri wrote in the letter. The Taliban’s violent actions had defamed Islam and ulema, he said.
The killing of innocent Pakistani citizens was not justified by US drone attacks, he said, adding that Islam did not sanction “private jihad”. The ST considered it an obligation to cooperate with the government and all stakeholders for the establishment of peace, he said. He also urged the prime minister to block NATO supply lines through Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/633874/law-and-order-launch-swat-style-action-against-ttp/
--------
Arab World
Series of bombs, attacks kills 33 in Iraq
Nov 20 2013
Baghdad (Iraq): A wave of bombings hit mainly Shiite and busy commercial areas in and outside Baghdad on Wednesday morning, killing at least 29 people and wounding 104, Iraqi officials said.
The attacks, mostly by car bombs, were part of a surge in violence that has rocked Iraq over the past months as insurgents seek to thwart the Shiite-led government's efforts to stabilize the country.
Five of Wednesday's attacks were carried out by parked car bombs while at least two were carried out by remotely detonated bombs, police officials said. The deadliest attack was in the central Sadria neighborhood, where a parked car bomb went off at an outdoor market, killing five shoppers and wounding 15, they said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/series-of-bombs-attacks-kills-33-in-iraq/1197352/
----------
Kuwait Twitter 'insult' prison sentence condemned
20 November 2013
A human rights group has condemned the sentencing of a Kuwaiti man to five years in prison for a comment he made on Twitter about Sunni-Shia theology.
Musab Shamsah was convicted on Monday of insulting the Prophet Muhammad with a tweet on the role of imams in Islam.
He was the second Kuwaiti to be found guilty of such a charge in three weeks.
It was an "insult for all Kuwaitis for the government to give itself the authority to decide what's insulting to religion", Human Rights Watch said.
The US-based group said the authorities should drop all charges against Mr Shamsah, and that prosecutors should stop bringing charges against people for their peaceful expression of religious, political, or other views.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25017719
----------
Car bomb attack kills 10 Egyptian soldiers in Sinai
Reuters | Nov 20, 2013
ISMAILIA: Ten Egyptian soldiers were killed and 35 wounded in a car bomb attack near the North Sinai city of El-Arish on Wednesday, a security official said.
The attack was one of the deadliest in the Sinai Peninsula, which is near Israel and the Palestinian-run Gaza Strip, since al Qaeda-inspired militants began stepping up assaults following the army's ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July.
The soldiers were traveling in a convoy on the road to the Rafah border crossing with Gaza. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Car-bomb-attack-kills-10-Egyptian-soldiers-in-Sinai/articleshow/26085207.cms
-------------
Suicide bombs hit Syrian troops north of Damascus
Nov 20, 2013
Suicide bombers targeted Syrian troops and a hospital on Wednesday in the rugged Qalamoun hills north of Damascus, where rebels are struggling to reverse Government gains that threaten to cut one of their main supply lines, said activists and officials.
There was no immediate word on casualties from the attacks in Nabak and Deir Attiyeh, part of a string of communities lying along a route used by rebels to bring supplies from nearby Lebanon to opposition-held enclaves outside the capital and in the central city of Homs.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/suicide-bombs-hit-syrian-troops-north-of-damascus/article5371858.ece
----------
KSA’s curricula review gives boost to interfaith dialogue
Nov 20, 2013
The Education Ministry and the Vienna-based King Abdullah dialogue center plan to review academic curriculums to ensure students have a better understanding of other faiths.
“This initiative also aims to develop greater understanding and awareness of other communities and create a new world of peace and tolerance,” Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, the Saudi education minister, recently told the global forum organized by the King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) in Vienna.
He underscored the initiatives taken by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to promote global peace and greater understanding between the various faith communities, including establishing the KAICIID.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/480326
-------------
Saudi Arabia second largest market for Islamic funds globally
Nov 20, 2013
JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia is the second largest market for Islamic funds globally with assets under management (AUMs) exceeding $6 billion, Thomson Reuters said in a new study.
The Kingdom accounts for 20 percent of the global Islamic funds market, it added.
Earlier this year, Thomson Reuters launched the global Islamic asset management survey to gather market consensus on the state and direction of the global Islamic asset management sector.
The “Global Islamic Asset Management Report 2014,” prepared by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with Lipper, targeted both investors and asset managers in order to present a fuller picture of the Islamic asset management space.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131120187248
-------------
Syria chemical weapons could be destroyed at sea: watchdog
Nov 20, 2013
Syria's over 1,000 tonnes of chemical weapons and precursors could be destroyed at sea if no country agrees to dispose of them on its soil, the world's chemical watchdog said Wednesday.
"This possibility has been looked at for some time already," Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) spokesman Christian Chartier told AFP of destroying the chemicals at sea.
"It's still being looked at and is one of several solutions envisaged by member states and as long as a decision has not been taken, it remains a possibility," Chartier said.
The OPCW's Executive Council on Friday approved a final roadmap for ridding Syria of its arsenal by mid-2014, with a plan on how to destroy them out of the country, on land or at sea, to be approved by December 17.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syria-chemical-weapons-could-be-destroyed-at-sea-watchdog.aspx?pageID=238&nID=58225&NewsCatID=359
---------
South Asia
Jamaat men again go berserk on Dhaka- Chittagong highway
Nov 20, 2013
Activists of Jamaat-Shibir went on a rampage, vandalising and torching vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Sitakunda upazila this afternoon as the body of a union-level leader of Jamaat was found three days after he went missing.
Aminul Islam, general secretary of Barabkunda union Jamaat unit, went missing on November 17.
His body was recovered from beside the road in Ponthichila area of the Upazila around 1:30pm.
Jamaat men claimed that detectives picked up Aminul while a bus carrying him made a stopover at Comilla on his way back home.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/jamaat-men-again-go-berserk-on-dhaka-ctg-highway/
-------------
Myanmar Police Uncover Anti-Muslim Bomb Plot
Nov 20, 2013
Yangon: Myanmar police said Wednesday they had arrested three people suspected of planning bomb attacks on mosques, as the country grapples with religious tensions after waves of anti-Muslim violence.
The suspects are all Buddhist men from the western state of Rakhine, where two bouts of unrest last year left scores dead and some 140,000 displaced, mainly Rohingya Muslims.
“They were planning to plant bombs at mosques, after attending training on the border in Karen state,” a police official in Yangon told AFP on condition of anonymity, referring to the country’s eastern frontier.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/myanmar-police-uncover-anti-muslim-bomb-plot/
-------------
Maldives President appoints niece, Gayoom daughter, as foreign minister
November 20, 2013
MALE: The new leader of the Maldives has appointed the daughter of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as foreign minister, an official said Tuesday, underscoring the family’s renewed influence in the country.
President Abdulla Yameen, half-brother of Gayoom who ruled for 30 years till 2008, named Dhunya Maumoon, 43, to the post in his first appointments Sunday before forming a full cabinet later, the official said.
“The foreign ministry is crucial for the Maldives given the country needs to rebuild its international image after nearly two years of political unrest,” said the senior administration official, asking not to be named.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/20-Nov-2013/maldives-leader-appoints-niece-as-foreign-minister
-----------
Khaleda won’t be allowed to play foul with elections: PM
Tribune Desk
Nov 20, 2013
'She killed 20 people and what were the faults of those people as well as their kith and kin'
Criticising the opposition leader for her attempt to play a game over the next general election, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday warned that Khaleda Zia would not be allowed to do that anymore.
“The Election Commission is working independently and the next general elections will be held in a free, fair and neutral manner. But, the opposition leader wants to play a game with that election …she won’t be allowed to play that game. No one will be allowed to play ducks and drakes with the fate of the country’s people,” she said, reports UNB.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2013/nov/20/khaleda-won%E2%80%99t-be-allowed-play-foul-elections-pm
-------------
Afghan refugees in Iran face increasing persecution: HRW
REUTERS
2013-11-20
KABUL: Afghans fleeing fighting at home and seeking refuge in neighbouring Iran face increasing persecution by the Iranian government, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday.
The report, “Unwelcome Guests”, details a growth in arbitrary arrests, detentions, beatings and harassment of more than a million Afghans as Iran faces its own economic problems worsened by international sanctions.
The New York-based rights group cited unidentified Afghan officials accusing Iran of using deportations as a form of political blackmail against the Afghan state, which already struggles to provide for citizens living within its borders.
Full report at:
Source: Dawn, Pakistan
-------------
Southeast Asia
Indonesia Struggling to End a ‘Sex Crime Emergency’ Involving Children
Nov 20, 2013
Instances of reported sexual violence against children are on the rise in Indonesia a report released by the National Commission on Child Protection (KPAI) said on Wednesday.
“At this moment, there’s a sexual crime emergency situation,” said KPAI Chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait. “This should be a public issue so people can fight together against sexual crimes against children.”
Between January and October this year, the commission recorded 2,792 violations, including 1,424 instances of violence, 730 of which were sexual violence.
Arist said the numbers had increased by 48 percent from the corresponding period last year.
“Degradation of religious and family norms keeps on happening,” he said. “Families which should be the protective shelter for children have often been the main perpetrators of violence against children.”
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesia-struggling-to-end-a-sex-crime-emergency-involving-children/
-------------
KL meet for Buddhist-Muslim peace in Myanmar ends on a high note
NOVEMBER 20, 2013
A recent interfaith forum in Kuala Lumpur has raised the prospect of peace between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar, which has been ripped by sectarian violence since last year.
The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) said that inter-ethnic peace in Myanmar was one of several topics discussed during its biennial conference themed "Inter-Faith Dialogue for Peace and Sustainability", held from November 1 to 4, 2013.
"A special session was held during the conference involving Buddhist monks, Muslims, concerned parties within and outside Myanmar," it said, adding that they agreed to form a fact-finding commission to examine relations between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/kl-meet-for-buddhist-muslim-peace-in-myanmar-ends-on-a-high-note
-------------
Penang refutes NST report on religious interference by DAP in the state
BY LOOI SUE-CHERN
NOVEMBER 20, 2013
The DAP-led Penang government today denied a newspaper report that the party had interfered in Muslim religious matters in the state
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (pic, right) held a five-minute press conference but took no questions on the demands from PAS earlier that it wanted a bigger say in the state administration.
Also present were Penang PAS commissioner Datuk Mohd Salleh Man, deputy chief minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, state religious executive councillor Datuk Abdul Malik Abul Kassim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/penang-refutes-nst-report-on-religious-interference-by-dap-in-state
----------
North America
Pak nuclear weapons' threat under estimated, pose more danger: Former US official
Nov 20 2013
Washington: Nuclear weapons of Pakistan poses more danger to the global security than "over-exaggerating" threat from Iran, a former US official has said.
"Are we endangering our own safety and that of Israel by over-exaggerating the nuclear threat posed by Iran while drastically under-estimating the growing threat posed by Pakistan? Someone in authority had better answer that question before it's too late," said Douglas MacKinnon a former White House and Pentagon official and author of the memoir 'Rolling Pennies In The Dark' in an op-ed on the Fox News yesterday.
"Day after day, week after week, and now literally year after year, we hear constantly about soon to be unleashed nuclear threat from Iran," he said. MacKinnon said, in a somewhat bizarre moment of candour from President Barack Obama as related by actor George Clooney when Clooney asked Obama several years ago what kept him awake at night, President Obama eventually answered "Pakistan."
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-nuclear-weapons-threat-under-estimated-pose-more-danger-former-us-official/1197201/
-------------
White House says no apology planned for Afghanistan
Reuters | Nov 20, 2013
WASHINGTON: The United States does not intend to issue an apology to Afghanistan as part of the framework for a security pact that could allow U.S. troops to remain in the country after 2014, the White House said on Tuesday.
The Afghan government said it had reached a deal on a security pact after receiving assurances that President Barack Obama would write a letter acknowledging U.S. mistakes made during the war.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/White-House-says-no-apology-planned-for-Afghanistan/articleshow/26063296.cms
-------------
26/11 attack intended to provoke India-Pakistan war: US expert
Nov 20 2013
Washington : The 2008 Mumbai terror attack by the LeT was aimed to "dramatically" change the future of South Asia and perhaps provoke a war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, a top US counter-terrorism expert has said.
"Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had carefully chosen the targets and meticulously researched them over several years. They received considerable assistance in doing so from two sources, the Pakistani intelligence service, called the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate or ISI and al-Qaeda," Bruce Riedel, director the Intelligence Project at the Brookings Institute, wrote in an article in an American daily.
"The attack was intended to change dramatically the future of South Asia, perhaps even by provoking a war between the two nuclear powers rising in the subcontinent," Riedel wrote.
"Each had its own agenda for the operation," the former CIA official wrote in the The Daily Beast.
Riedel termed the Mumbai attack as the most important terror attack since 9/11.
"The targets were the same, Indians, Americans, and Jews, the targets of the global jihad started by al-Qaeda in the late 1990s. I pointed this out to President-elect Barack Obama and his transition team at the time in several briefings in my role as South Asia transition director after his election," he said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/2611-attack-intended-to-provoke-indiapakistan-war-us-expert/1196831/
-----------
Obama urges against fresh Iran sanctions
Nov 20 2013
US President Barack Obama has urged US senators to hold off from proposing more sanctions against Iran to allow time for world powers to complete a deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
A White House spokesman warned that if a deal with Tehran was not agreed, Iran would continue enriching uranium.
Envoys from the P5+1 group of nations will begin a new round of negotiations with Iran in Geneva on Wednesday.
Iran's foreign minister said he believed issues could be resolved.
In a message on the video-sharing site YouTube, Javid Zarif said: "We expect and demand respect for our dignity. For us Iranians, nuclear energy is not about joining a club or threatening others. Nuclear energy is about a leap, a jump toward deciding our own destiny rather than allowing others to decide for us."
President Obama held two hours of talks with senators at the White House on Tuesday, along with Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25012651
-----------
Good life in Guantanamo: US spends millions on art seminars for detainees
Nov 20, 2013
Guantanamo Bay prisoners can enroll in seminars to learn all about basic landscaping and pruning, calligraphy and Microsoft PowerPoint while the US figures out what to do with them.
"At a minimum, the art seminar shall include water color painting, charcoal sketching, Arabic calligraphy, acrylic painting and pastel painting," contract records reviewed by The Washington Times state.
The documents surfaced last week in a US Court of Federal Claims lawsuit stemming from a dispute over a more than $5 million contract to provide library and seminar services to detainees at US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
President Obama is pushing once again to make good on his promise to shut down the prison, hoping to make it easier to transfer detainees out of the facility as part of the upcoming debate on the annual defense policy bill.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_11_19/US-spends-millions-on-Gitmo-prisoners-1955/
-------------
US condemns bomb attacks at Iran Embassy in Beirut
PTI
Washington, November 20, 2013
US has strongly condemned the "senseless and despicable terrorist bombings" at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut.
On Tuesday, a double suicide bombing outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut killed at least 23 people and wounded almost 150 people, in an attack claimed by an
al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group.
"We extend our condolences to the victims and their families. We urge all parties to exercise calm and restraint to avoid inflaming the situation further," US secretary of state John Kerry said.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-condemns-bomb-attacks-in-lebanon/article1-1153433.aspx
---------
Mideast
UK, Turkey FMs commemorate 10th year of al-Qaeda bombings in Istanbul
Nov 20, 2013
British Foreign Secretary William Hague has attended a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the 2003 Istanbul bombings, in which al-Qaeda attacked the British consulate, an HSBC bank and synagogues around the city.
Hague, who is on a two-day trip to Turkey, met his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and attended the 10th-anniversary commemoration ceremony of the Nov. 20, 2003, bomb attacks on the British Consulate General and the HSBC Bank offices in Istanbul.
“Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the bombing of our Istanbul consulate. I’m heading there to honour all the victims, Turkish and British,” Hague tweeted on Nov. 18 before his visit to Turkey.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/uk-turkey-fms-to-commemorate-10th-year-of-al-qaeda-bombings-in-istanbul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=58218&NewsCatID=341
-------------
Iran: Afghan Refugees and Migrants Face Abuse
NOVEMBER 20, 2013
(Kabul) – The government of Iran’s policies toward its Afghan refugees and migrant population violate its legal obligations to protect this vulnerable group from abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Iranian forces deport thousands of Afghans summarily, without allowing them the opportunity to prove they have a right to remain in Iran, or to lodge an asylum application.
The 124-page report, “Unwelcome Guests: Iran’s Violation of Afghan Refugee and Migrant Rights, “documents how Iran’s flawed asylum system results in a detention and deportation process with no due process or opportunity for legal appeal. Iranian officials have in recent years limited legal avenues for Afghans to claim refugee or other immigration status in Iran, even as conditions in Afghanistan have deteriorated. These policies pose a serious risk to the rights and security of the almost one million Afghans whom Iran recognizes as refugees, and hundreds of thousands of others who have fled war and insecurity in Afghanistan. The practices also violate Iran’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Full report at:
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/11/20/iran-afghan-refugees-and-migrants-face-abuse
----------
Iran nuclear talks: Tehran 'will not step back one iota'
Nov 20, 2013
Iran's Supreme Leader has warned his country will not step back "one iota" from its nuclear rights, as it resumes talks with world powers in Geneva.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he would not intervene directly in the negotiations, but that he had set "red lines" for Iran's representatives.
President Barack Obama meanwhile urged US senators not to impose new sanctions on Iran to allow time for diplomacy.
He was unsure if it would be possible to reach an interim agreement soon.
"We don't know if we'll be able to close a deal with Iran this week or next week," he told a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) forum in Washington on Tuesday.
Iran stresses that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, but world powers suspect it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/wo
-------------
Turkey has 'nothing to learn' from Greece on religious freedoms
Nov 20, 2013
Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement yesterday in response to Greek anger over the possible conversion of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque, saying Turkey had “nothing to learn from Greece concerning matters of freedom of religion.”
The statement said successive Greek governments’ unfavorable treatment of Ottoman era cultural artifacts and places of worship was “well-known by all.”
“Athens is the only European capital with no mosques open for worship despite its Muslim population, which has reached over hundreds of thousands of people,” it said.
The Greek Foreign Ministry expressed its anger recently upon learning that Turkish officials had issue statements on the possible conversion of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-has-nothing-to-learn-from-greece-on-religious-freedoms.aspx?pageID=238&nID=58217&NewsCatID=338
-------------
Israeli govt asked to demolish homes built on Palestinian land
Nov 20, 2013
RAMALLAH – The Israeli High Court of Justice ordered the government to demolish within six months homes built on private Palestinian land in three illegal settlement outposts, a report said on Tuesday.
The Israel Radio said that the houses to be evacuated stand in the outposts of Givat Assaf, Mizpe Yitzhar and Ma’aleh Rehavam.
According to the report, the anti-settlement Israeli watchdog Peace Now filed a petition in 2007 to evacuate homes in six illegal outposts: the above-named three along with Ramat Gilad, Givat Haro’eh and Mitzpe Lachish.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131120187232
-------------
Yemen president likely to stay beyond 2014
Nov 20, 2013
SANA’A – Yemen’s president will probably stay in office beyond a two-year interim period that expires in February because reforms needed for a transition to democracy need more time, two senior Yemeni officials said on Tuesday.
The delay may raise concern among Western powers anxious about instability in Yemen.
Yemen is also grappling with southern secessionists and a rebellion in the north, which flared last month into full-blown sectarian clashes in which more than 100 people have been killed.
President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi took over as head of state in 2012 in a deal engineered by Washington, its Gulf allies and the United Nations to ease veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after months of mass protests against his rule.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131120187233
-------------
Europe
Convicted 'Muslim Patrol' attackers' views condemned
Nov 20, 2013
A Muslim leader has condemned the beliefs of two men convicted for harassing people on the streets while attempting to impose Sharia law.
Ricardo MacFarlane, 36, of Boyden House in Walthamstow, Jordan Horner, 29, of Radbourne Crescent in Walthamstow, and a 23-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were members of the so-called Muslim Patrol.
They admitted confronting people on the street and harassing them if they were perceived to be acting in a non-Islamic way.
During one incident the group shouted “Kill the non-believers” at a group of men drinking beer in the street, before Horner attacked them.
A leading member of the Waltham Forest Islamic Association (WFIA) said the pair’s views were outdated and opposed by the vast majority of Muslims.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/wfnews/10819540.Convicted__Muslim_Patrol__attackers__views_condemned/
-------------
How Britain's First Muslim Free School Has Faced Severe Criticism
Nov 20, 2013
Britain's first Muslim free school, Al-Madinah, opened in September last year but since then has been dogged by criticism.
According to the former head teacher and his deputy, who claim they were forced to leave, it is controlled by religious hardliners who ban children from singing or reading fairy tales and force staff to wear headscarves.
Andrew Cutts-McKay resigned from his role as head in August, two months after his number two Suzanne Southerland stepped down from her post.
Both allege they were 'bullied and sidelined' by members of the school's trust, which is predominantly Muslim. The school strongly denies the pair's claims.
When it emerged Ofsted found the school inadequate last month David Cameron admitted: 'I am not afraid to shut the school'.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2509876/Derby-Muslim-free-school-accused-conflict-leaked-audit.html#ixzz2lEmqdyPB
-------------
UK to give counterterror aid to Pakistan, Somalia
AP
Nov 20, 2013
LONDON: The British government is proposing to set aside around 4.8 million pounds ($7.7 million) to enhance counterterrorism capabilities in Pakistan and northern Somalia.
Foreign Secretary William Hague detailed the plans to donate equipment and fund training and mentoring programs in written statements to lawmakers on Tuesday.
He said the government wants to give 3.5 million pounds to support Pakistan's police and military to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1057195/uk-to-give-counterterror-aid-to-pakistan-somalia
-------------
UN tells Myanmar to make Rohingyas citizens
Nov 20 2013
The U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee passed a resolution urging Myanmar to give the stateless Rohingya minority equal access to citizenship and to crack down on violence against them and other Muslims in the Southeast Asian nation.
The resolution, passed by consensus on Tuesday, received mixed reactions in Myanmar.
The director of the Myanmar President’s office, Maj. Zaw Htay, said steps were being taken to address the issue, and the opposition party headed by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi accused the rights committee of “interfering” in the country’s internal affairs.
Under General Assembly rules the body will unanimously pass the resolution later this year.
Myanmar emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011, but its transition to democracy has been marred by sectarian violence that has left more than 240 people dead and sent another 240,000 fleeing their homes, most of them Rohingya. Some say the communal violence presents a threat to Myanmar’s political reforms because it could encourage security forces to re-assert control.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/un-tells-myanmar-to-make-rohingyas-citizens/article5371015.ece
-------------
Russian activists go to Syria to rescue traveler from militants' captivity
Nov 20, 2013
Activists of the Alternativa all-Russia movement will try to free Russian traveler Konstantin Zhuravlev, who was captured in Syria, movement head Oleg Melnikov said on Wednesday.
Tomsk blogger and traveler Zhuravlev was captured by the Liva al-Tauhid armed group in northern Syria in early October.
A statement of the militants posted online claimed he was "a Russian spy" whose future would be decided in a Sharia inquiry.
"Our activists went to Syria two weeks ago in order to rescue Zhuravlev. They are currently staying in Aleppo," Melnikov said.
He declined to say for security considerations how many activists were staying in Syria and what methods they were planning to use in order to set the Russian traveler free.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_11_20/Russian-activists-go-to-Syria-to-rescue-traveler-from-militants-captivity-2863/
-------------
David Cameron makes first UK call to Iranian president in over a decade
Nov 20, 2013
Prime Minister David Cameron telephoned President Hassan Rouhani on Monday, becoming the first British premier to call an Iranian leader in over a decade, Downing Street said.
Cameron and Rouhani discussed the upcoming negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, the conflict in Syria and the recent improvements in bilateral ties between London and Tehran, it said in a statement.
"The prime minister became the first British prime minister to call the Iranian president in more than a decade today when he spoke to President Rouhani this afternoon, ahead of this week's nuclear negotiations in Geneva," a Downing Street spokesman said. They "agreed to continue efforts to improve the relationship on a step by step and reciprocal basis" following the appointment of non-resident charge d'affaires to each others countries last week, the statement said.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_11_20/David-Cameron-makes-first-UK-call-to-Iranian-president-in-over-a-decade-0829/
-------------
India
Education doesn't mean women should have more freedoms: Kerala’s most influential Sunni leader
Shaju Philip Posted online: Wed Nov 20 2013
Thiruvananthapuram: One of Kerala’s most influential Sunni leaders has said that just because women are now educated, it does not mean that Islam has allowed them greater freedoms, especially in their relationship with men.
In an interview published in the latest issue of the Malayalam weekly Mathrubhumi, Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar has said that modern times require that Muslim women are educated; however, some fundamental rules cannot be changed.
“...Islam has not changed its decrees regarding the life of women. Muslim women should not work in a place where only a woman and a man are present. They should work only in a place where there are enough number of women and trustworthy men. Ninety per cent of jobs do not require men and women to mingle. These rules cannot be changed,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/education-doesnt-mean-women-should-have-more-freedoms-kerala-muslim-leader/1197002/
-------------
India is an important link between developing and developed world: Salman Khurshid
PTI | Nov 20, 2013
SINGAPORE: India provides intrinsic and important link between the developing and the developed world, and maintains a distinct relationships with the United States and China on individual basis, says external affairs minister Salman Khurshid.
"I think, that expectation of India is reflected in people supporting India for a permanent seat in the ( United Nations) Security Seat whenever the UN is reformed," he said in an interview with the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), a think tank of National University of Singapore.
"[This is] because they [people] think we provide intrinsic and important link between the developing world and the developed world," stressed Khurshid in the interview published today.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-is-an-important-link-between-developing-and-developed-world-Salman-Khurshid/articleshow/26076901.cms
-------------
After Zubin’s show, mushaira takes Kashmir to the world
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
Nov 20 2013
Drawn from Delhi, Mumbai and other villages and towns throughout the country, over two dozen poets on Tuesday participated in an all-India Urdu mushaira (poetic symposium) — the first of its kind in Kashmir in the last 27 years, that was telecast live for viewers in 168 countries.
Eminent Urdu poets Waseem Bareilvi and Mansoor Usmani, who presided over and moderated the uncommon cultural event, declared proudly for the enthusiastic congregation that this type of an Urdu mushaira was back after 1986. Halls and balconies of the spacious Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) were packed to capacity, notwithstanding a severe beginning of the winter and sub-zero temperature by the night.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/after-zubins-show-mushaira-takes-kashmir-to-the-world/article5369050.ece
-------------
Africa
Libya: Displaced Camp Residents Need Immediate Protection
Nov 20, 2013
(Tripoli) – The Libyan government should urgently provide protection for the four major camps of displaced people from Tawergha in Tripoli after militias attacked one of them on November 15 and 16, 2013. The two militia attacks killed one camp resident and injured three others.
The camp that was attacked, al-Fallah, houses 1,200 displaced people from Tawergha, among approximately 40,000 displaced Tawerghans sheltering around Libya, according to the local Tawergha council in Tripoli. The three other camps for displaced Tawerghans in Tripoli are Janzour Camp, Airport Road Camp and Sidi Sayeh Camp. Tawerghans fled their town in August 2011 under attacks by armed groups from the nearby town of Misrata and have not been allowed to return since.
“Two years on, there seems to be no end to the brutality of armed groups against displaced people from Tawergha,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director. “The Libyan government has a responsibility to protect these people in Tripoli camps and deter further revenge attacks.”
Full report at:
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/11/19/libya-displaced-camp-residents-need-immediate-protection
-------------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pak-man-arrested-sharing-blasphemous/d/34508