Pakistan Ulema want the whole world to become as murderous as their own country, call for anti-Blasphemy UN Legislation a la Pakistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
27
Feb 2015
A file photo of slain blogger Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed Banna. Suspected radical Islamists hacked to death the U.S.-based and seriously injured Ms. Banna in Dhaka on Thursday. Photo: Special Arrangement
Pakistan
• Pakistan Ulema want the whole world to become as murderous as their own country, call for anti-Blasphemy UN Legislation a la Pakistan
• Darul Uloom Haqqania Students Involved In Killing of Benazir
• Pakistan among Countries with Highest Restrictions on Religion: Pew Study
• ‘Govt May Soon Lose All Control over Balochistan’: Baloch Rabita Ittefaq Tehreek
• Jirga hands over 15 wanted tribesmen to Khyber admin
• Armed militias in Karachi not acceptable: Nawaz Sharif
North America
• Six Canadian Teens Suspected Of Joining ISIS
• Internet Chats about Women, Not Qaeda Plot: Pakistani Suspect on US Terror Trial
• Pakistan's Support to LeT Will Likely Be an Irritant: US Intelligence Director
• Kerry refuses to withhold aid for Pakistan
• US increasingly targeted amid rising global terror threats
India
• Up to India to Join International Coalition Against IS: US
• Pakistan army chief warns India ahead of Jaishankar's visit
• Pakistan violates ceasefire, targets border post near Jammu
South Asia
• Anti-Islamist Us Blogger Hacked To Death in Bangladesh
• Elusive Peace: Dr Abdullah’s Disclosure Irks Afghan Taliban
• Japan police arrest teen for ‘Isis-inspired’ killing
• Maldives Police denied Nasheed an independent medical examination, claims HRCM
• PM: BNP-Jamaat carrying out genocide
• EU delegation briefs parliament on situation in Bangladesh
• Transforming legal education in Bangladesh
Africa
• Suicide Attack Claims 18 Lives in Nigeria
• Sudanese leader says being hounded by ICC, West
• Moroccan minister says of course he knows Arabic
• Libya chaos likely to affect Tunisian security, experts say
• Nigeria army chief says Baga retaken from extremists
Mideast
• Yemeni Gunmen Kill 4 Soldiers in Southern Province
• Jerusalem Church Building Torched In Apparent Hate Crime
• Adviser to Iran president blames 'extremists' for rights abuses
• ‘Ottoman’ election bids on the rise in Turkey
• Supreme Leader: Enemies Never Able to Stop Islamic Revolution's Progress
• Jewish MP on Arab Israeli slate rejects ‘traitor’ label
• 6 months after Israeli war on Gaza, tempers fray among the strip's homeless
Europe
• UKIP Leader: UK Mosques Have Been Infiltrated By Hate Preachers
• BBC Exec: Charlie Hebdo Attackers Should Not Be Called ‘Terrorists’
• HRW: Kurds Blocking Return Of Arabs to Disputed Iraq Areas
• UK MPs summon Turkish ambassador over British girls travelling to Syria
• French Lawmaker: Assad Part of Syria Solution
Arab World
• Bishop Slams Turkey for Abandoning Syrian Christians to ISIL
• Saudi King Salman Calls for Repelling Religious Extremism, Intolerance
• IS Executioner ‘Jihadi John’ Identified As UK National Emwazi
• US-led strikes on IS after group seizes 220 Christians
• ISIS using Disney movie “Mulan” to recruit?
• Egyptian prosecution imposes gag order on alleged police torture death
• All Makkah Projects ‘Must Display Islamic Identity’: Governor
• Syria refugee crisis nears ‘dangerous turning point’: UN
• Man accused in Islamic State group plot was about to quit job
Southeast Asia
• Extremist Threats Worrying, Must Be Curbed, Says Muhyiddin
• OK For Non-Muslims to Return Free Quran Copies, Says Jakim
• Report Suggests Violence Rife in Indonesian High Schools
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-ulema-want-whole-world/d/101734
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Pakistan
Pakistan Ulema want the whole world to become as murderous as their own country, call for anti-Blasphemy UN Legislation a la Pakistan
February 27, 2015
LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council Central Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has said that legislation from the United Nations for the protection of respect of all sacred religions, holy books and prophets is necessary for the global peace.
According to the PUC sources on Thursday, he was leading a delegation which was visiting diplomats of several countries including Russia, Palestine, Jordan and the United States in Islamabad.
The delegation presented a memorandum on the situation generated after the publication of blasphemous caricatures in the papers of France and other countries. Ashrafi appealed to the diplomats for playing their role for legislation from the UN against blasphemy of the holy books, prophets and religions as the freedom of speech did not mean to instigate others to killings and riots by insulting other’s religions and holy things as it could put the world’s peace in danger.
He said that the publication of blasphemous caricatures had damaged the efforts of interfaith dialogue and it was very important to end the insult of the holy prophets, the Holy Quran and other holy books.
Palestinian, Jordanian and Russian ambassadors assured the delegation that they would inform their countries about the sentiments and feelings of the Muslims and they would play their role in this regard.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/27-Feb-2015/un-legislation-against-blasphemy-is-a-must-ashrafi
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Darul Uloom Haqqania students involved in killing of Benazir
February 27, 2015
ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi was informed that students of Darul Uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak, were involved in the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, however, the seminary administration denied having any connection with the suspects.
The hearing of the Benazir murder case — headed by Justice Pervez Ismail — was held at the ATC special court established inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
FIA Peshawar Inspector Naseer Ahmed and Sub-Inspector Adnan appeared before the court and informed about the involvement of Darul Uloom Haqqania’s students in the killing of Benazir Bhutto. Both the state witnesses also presented related evidence to support their statements.
During the hearing, Darul Uloom Haqqania’s director education Wisal Ahmed also recorded his statement. He admitted that the suspected suicide bomber Abdullah alias Saddam Nadir alias Qari Ismail and arrested suspects Rasheed alias Turabi and Faiz Muhammad had received education from the seminary but rejected the claim that Darul Uloom Haqqania holds any association with the above mentioned suspects.
Ahmed said that among the suspects involved in Benazir murder case, few had left the seminary before completing their education.
Brigadier (retd) Javeid Iqbal Cheema, former director general of National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) — a sub division of interior ministry — also appeared before the court on Thursday to record his statement.
Cheema apprised the court that the press conference, which he conducted after the killing of Benazir Bhutto, was done on the orders of the then president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.
He said whatever he had said during that press conference were not his personal views but that of the government.
As per Brig (retd) Cheema’s previous statement, submitted by the FIA along with case challan, the former DG NCMC was quoted as saying that a day after Bhutto’s assassination, on December 28, 2007, he held a press conference on the advice of General (redt) Musharraf.
In the FIA’s version of Brig Cheema’ statement, he maintains that he held the press conference, in compliance with Gen Musharraf’s orders, to dispel the negativity against the regime, that prevailed in the aftermath of the assassination.
Earlier, Cheema had said that before the said press conference, he was summoned to the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), where he met the interior secretary and the heads of the ISI, Military Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau.
He told the court that the spymasters briefed them about their meeting with Gen Musharraf and handed him the video and instructed him to hold a press conference to this effect. He also told the court that he also consulted then-interior minister retired Lt-Gen Hamid Nawaz before holding the press conference.
The special court regarding Benazir murder case has so far conducted more than 300 hearings.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166084/darul-uloom-haqqania-students-involved-in-killing-of-benazir
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Pakistan among countries with highest restrictions on religion: Pew study
February 27, 2015
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is included in countries where the highest overall levels of restrictions on religion were found, according to a report published by the Pew Research Center in Washington.
The highest overall levels of restrictions on religion were found in Myanmar, Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and Russia, with both government and society imposing “numerous limits on religious beliefs and practices.“
“China had the highest level of government restrictions in 2013, and India had the highest level of social hostilities involving religion,” Pew said.
It added: “Christians were harassed, either by government or social groups, in 102 of the 198 countries included in the study (52 per cent), while Muslims were harassed in 99 countries (50 per cent).“
Worldwide, Pews said “social hostilities involving religion,” measured on a country-by-country basis, declined in 2013 after hitting a six-year high the year before.
Twenty-seven per cent of all nations witnessed such hostile acts as vandalism of religious property and desecration of sacred texts to violent assaults resulting in death and injury, compared to 33 per cent in 2012.
That said, “the share of countries with high or very high government restrictions on religion stayed roughly the same” at 27 per cent, it said.
The number of countries where Jews face harassment is growing, despite a downturn in hostile acts involving all religions worldwide.
The Pew Research Center said harassment of Jews was reported in 77 out of 198 countries in 2013, the highest number in seven years.
“Jews are much more likely to be harassed by individuals or groups in society than by governments,” it said in a 86-page report.
“In Europe, for example, Jews were harassed by individuals or social groups in 34 of the region's 45 countries,” it added.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166272/pakistan-among-countries-with-highest-restrictions-on-religion-pew-study
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‘Govt may soon lose all control over Balochistan’: Baloch Rabita Ittefaq Tehreek
February 27, 2015
KARACHI: The prince of the defunct Kalat state and chief of the Baloch Rabita Ittefaq Tehreek, Prince Mohyuddin Baloch, has warned that if the government fails to settle by the end of 2015 the Balochistan issue according to the aspirations of people, it will soon lose all control over the situation.
“We have so far managed to restrain [disgruntled] Baloch people but after Dec 31, 2015 the situation will get out of our control and our rulers will no more be in a position to do anything to reverse it. After the end of this year, we will be forced to allow Baloch people to take any path they like,” said the prince at a press conference held at a local hotel here on Thursday.
He was accompanied by his younger brother Prince Yahya Baloch of Kalat.
He said: “So far, our 5,000 children have been killed and some 10,000 people have been kidnapped, but no one should think that the resistance has been crushed. It is correct that Baloch are by nature slow, stubborn and quarrelsome, but when it comes to war no one can defeat them.”
The entire world was increasingly becoming interested in Balochistan and trying to take advantage of it because of its strategic position. All wanted to exploit its resources at the cost of Baloch people who remained deprived with little positive impact on their life, he said.
The prince who remained federal minister in military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq’s regime said: “My father Khan of Kalat had attached his autonomous state to that of Pakistan on the advice of the Quaid-i-Azam and in the hope that a big Islamic state was in the making, but after its coming into being, the Pakistan of the Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal was forgotten.
“Though we were a small state, we were content with whatever we had. Not only were we practising Islam but we also used to have a form of democracy in line with our Baloch traditions, but after joining Pakistan, we lost everything and were grossly neglected by the new state,” he said.
He recalled that a democratic government was dismissed in Balochistan in 1972 because everyone had set their sights on its resources and every ruler wanted to exploit its strategic position.
“Sometimes Baloch people were branded as traitors and foreign agents without producing any proof. But in spite of it we always talked about peace,” he said.
He said that from 1976 to 1999, the situation remained comparatively peaceful in the province but afterwards it went downhill. “Today we see use of force, mutilated bodies dumped in deserted places, even I could have got killed but let me make it clear that at present Baloch people are not at war but are staging protests and even those who have climbed to mountains tops are not engaged in fighting,” he said.
He said the objective of the protest was to draw the government’s attention and make it listen to them but, regretfully, no one was paying any heed to their cries. “If someone thinks Baloch organisations have vanished into thin air, he is mistaken. No doubt some Baloch leaders are abroad and others lie low within the country, but all resistance groups are part of Baloch nation and everyone has its sphere of influence,” he said.
In reply to a question the prince said the purpose of his press conference was to awaken the establishment in Lahore and Islamabad from their deep slumber and bring home to them the fact that Baloch people were not happy with the present situation. “Pakistan at present is passing through the worst crisis of its history. The country has not even a semblance of governance. Some say it is being ruled by people in uniform, others say people in black suits are running the affairs and yet others say people in civvies are real rulers,” he said.
He said that he did not recognise Nawaz Sharif as a true ruler because he did not have genuine authority. “He is merely a face of the establishment. In case of any change, such rulers will fly to the country where they have amassed their assets,” he remarked.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166129/govt-may-soon-lose-all-control-over-balochistan
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Jirga hands over 15 wanted tribesmen to Khyber admin
February 27, 2015
LANDI KOTAL: A jirga of Sipah tribe of Bara handed over 15 wanted tribesmen to political administration under the policy of the government to clear the area of militants and restore lasting peace there.
A similar number of wanted men out of the total 102 had surrendered to the administration few days ago. So far, 30 wanted men have surrendered to the administration.
The Khasadar Force took the surrendered men into their custody and shifted them to an unspecified location for interrogation. The jirga was held at Khyber House.
The names of Mangal Bagh, chief of proscribed Lashkar-i-Islam (LI), and some of his close associates belonging to Sipah tribe were also included in the list of wanted men.
Makes it clear to the officials that it can’t lay a hand on ‘most wanted men’
Some participants of the jirga told Dawn on condition of anonymity that almost all the 15 persons, who offered voluntary arrest, were innocent and had no association with either LI or any other militant group.
They said that the administration assured them of ‘fair treatment’ of the arrested men during the interrogation and said that they would be set free if charges against them were not proved.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166253/jirga-hands-over-15-wanted-tribesmen-to-khyber-admin
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Armed militias in Karachi not acceptable: Nawaz Sharif
February 27, 2015
KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that armed militias in Karachi are not acceptable.
He said the ongoing operation in the port city would not be left half way and would continue till its logical end. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Ninth Expo Pakistan here, the prime minister said the government was firm in eradicating militancy and had decided to take solid steps to ensure peace in the country. The prime minister said the decisive moment had come to bring Karachi’s peace back and make the city free from the hold of militants. “We are determined that the power of gun would rest with the government, not with the militants,” he said. He vowed that Karachi would soon be rid of major crimes including kidnapping for ransom.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/27-Feb-2015/armed-militias-in-karachi-not-acceptable-nawaz
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North America
Six Canadian teens suspected of joining ISIS
27 February 2015
Canadian authorities believe four young men and two women who disappeared from Quebec in January have traveled to the Middle East to fight with Islamic State, media reported on Thursday.
The Globe and Mail newspaper said at least four of the young people studied at Montreal’s College de Maisonneuve as recently as last fall.
Global News said it had confirmed that the group of teens went to Turkey, an entry point for many looking to join militants in Syria, and that Canadian authorities had lost trace of them.
Asked about the reports, Canadian Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said on Thursday he couldn't comment on operational matters. But he added that reports of such recruitments highlight the need for legislation the government is trying to pass to deter so-called high-risk travelers.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2015/02/27/Four-Canadian-teens-suspected-of-joining-ISIS-.html
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Internet chats about women, not Qaeda plot: Pakistani suspect on US terror trial
February 27, 2015
NEW YORK: A Pakistani man on trial in the US for planning to bomb a British shopping center testified Thursday he was exaggerating his prowess with women in online chats and emails he sent mentioning potential wedding dates and a bride, denying the communiques were coded to disguise an al Qaeda plot.
Abid Naseer, taking the stand in his own defense, told a jury in Brooklyn federal court that he was posing as a woman to meet other women in a Yahoo chatroom in November 2008 when he connected with another man also posing as a woman.
Prosecutors charge Naseer was actually communicating with an al Qaeda handler who communicated from the same email account with Najibullah Zazi, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to plotting to bomb the city's subway system.
“We discussed studies, life and women,” said Naseer, who has pleaded not guilty. “I exaggerated my success with women ... to keep my male pride. “
The government alleges Naseer headed an al Qaeda cell in the United Kingdom that was part of a larger conspiracy by the terror group to carry out attacks in Denmark and New York City.
He faces life in prison if convicted.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166261/internet-chats-about-women-not-qaeda-plot-pakistani-suspect-on-us-terror-trial
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Pakistan's support to LeT will likely be an irritant: US Intelligence Director
February 27, 2015
Pakistan’s continued provision of a safe haven to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) will probably continue to be a key irritant in Indo-Pak relations, Director of US National Intelligence James Clapper claimed in his testimony on "World Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community" which he presented Thursday in a hearing of the United States Senate Armed Services Committee.
India recognises the proscribed militant group LeT as a major threat to regional security and has accused its chief Hafiz Saeed of masterminding the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. Saeed, who now leads the banned organisation Jamaatud Dawa (JUD), has denied any links to terrorist activities or having any association with LeT.
‘PM Nawaz’s promises fell short’
During his testimony, American spy chief Clapper commented on the progress made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government in addressing local issues. He said PM Nawaz’s pledges to tackle energy, economic and security issues in the country “fell short of high public expectations”.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166275/pakistans-support-to-let-will-likely-be-an-irritant-us-intelligence-director
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Kerry refuses to withhold aid for Pakistan
February 27, 2015
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry has refused to use aid as a weapon to persuade Pakistan to release Dr Shakil Afridi.
Secretary Kerry appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday afternoon to formally present the administration’s budget request for fiscal 2016.
The US State Department’s budget proposal includes about $900 million for Pakistan, out of which $500 million is for countering terrorism. Congress must approve the budget before it is spent.
Dana Rohrabacher, a lawmaker from California who was a strong supporter of Pakistan during the Afghan war raised the issue of Dr Afridi’s continued incarceration in Pakistan during the budget debate.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166196/kerry-refuses-to-withhold-aid-for-pakistan
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US increasingly targeted amid rising global terror threats
February 27, 2015
WASHINGTON: Terrorist groups are eyeing the United States as a target, but the question remains whether they can pull off a major attack, according to analysts.
Earlier this week, US media reported that Somalia-based radical group al-Shabaab listed the Mall of America in the US state of Minnesota as a target, calling on “lone wolf” assailants to carry out an attack.
At least 23 individuals form the state are believed to have entered Somalia to fight with the extremists, and experts and authorities fear such individuals could slip back into the United States undetected, now with terrorist training, and launch an attack.
Recent months have also seen threats from the Islamic State (IS) directed against US President Barack Obama. Last month, US media reported that a video posted by the IS shows the terror group making direct threats against the president.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/region/26-Feb-2015/us-increasingly-targeted-amid-rising-global-terror-threats
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India
Up to India to join international coalition against IS: US
February 27, 2015
The US has said it is for India to decide whether it wants to join the international coalition to combat the threat posed by violent extremism, particularly the dreaded Islamic State terrorist outfit.
India and US are having very “robust discussions” on threat posed by violent extremism in particular IS, it is up to New Delhi on joining the international coalition against IS, the Obama administration said on Thursday.
“We have certainly had very robust discussions between our two governments, including at the leader level, about the threat that violent extremism poses, and specifically the threat posed by IS, and ways that we can work together to counter that threat,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal, said on Thursday.
“Whether India decides to formally join the coalition to combat IS or whether India takes other steps is for India to determine,” she said.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/americas/up-to-india-to-join-international-coalition-against-is-us/
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Pakistan army chief warns India ahead of Jaishankar's visit
February 27, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif warned India of a "befitting response" to alleged provocation along the Line of Control (LoC), just days before the arrival of foreign secretary S Jaishankar here.
"Repeated Indian ceasefire violations on the Working Boundary and the LoC in recent past was a distraction for Pakistan from campaign versus terrorism and it affects regional stability," a statement issued by the military qouted Sahrif as saying.
"Let there be no doubt that any provocation along LOC and Working Boundary will meet a befitting response," he said.
The statement came just days before the crucial visit of Jaishankar to the country.
Military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said that the army chief visited areas affected by recent Indian firing near Sialkot and met troops and local residents.
"Nation united in defence of motherland," Sharif said. Pakistan and India have traded heavy fire in the area in recent months.
Jaishankar will arrive here on a two-day visit on March 3, seven months after India cancelled foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan.
India broke off foreign secretary-level talks in August last at the eleventh hour because the Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi held consultations with Kashmiri separatists.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-army-chief-warns-India-ahead-of-Jaishankars-visit/articleshow/46386149.cms
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Pakistan violates ceasefire, targets border post near Jammu
February 27, 2015
After a weeklong lull in firing from across the International Border, Pakistan Rangers on Thursday night violated ceasefire and targeted a border outpost (BoP) in the R.S. Pura sector of Jammu.
“Pakistan troops resorted to small arms firing around 9:30 p.m.,” a police officer said.
He said the Pakistan Rangers fired three rounds of small arms fire at the Nawapind BoP in the R.S. Pura sector.
The firing came from the Thathi area of the Pakistani side.
“The BSF exercised restrain and did not retaliate to the Pakistani fire,” the officer said.
Apprehending that the latest incident of ceasefire violation could be aimed at facilitating infiltration from across the border, BSF has sounded a high alert along the IB.
“The firing could be aimed at aiding infiltration taking advantage of the dark, so the BSF has been put on alert on the IB to thwart any such bid from across the border,” he said.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pakistan-violates-ceasefire-targets-border-post-near-jammu/article6940044.ece
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South Asia
Anti-Islamist US blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh
HAROON HABIB
February 27, 2015
Suspected radical Islamists hacked to death a popular writer and blogger Avijit Roy and seriously injured his wife Rafida Ahmed Banna, in Dhaka on Thursday.
Roy, a U.S. citizen, is the founder of the popular blog Mukto-Mona (free mind). He had been threatened many times for his sustained campaign against Islamist radicals, said family members and fellow bloggers. He is also well known for his books Biswaser Virus (Virus of Faith) and Sunyo theke Mahabiswa (From Vacuum to the Universe).
Last year, Rakamari.com, an online bookstore, was forced to remove Roy’s books from its list following threats by Shafiur Rahman Farabi, a fundamentalist blogger. Mr. Farabi was arrested for posting provocative comments on his Facebook page supporting the killing of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haidar in Mirpur on February 16, 2013. He was later released on bail.
The couple had come to Dhaka recently to attend the Bangla Academy Book Fair, where two of his recent titles had been launched. They were attacked near the Dhaka University campus on Thursday night when they were returning home from the book fair.
The attackers dragged the couple on to the footpath and hacked them with sharp knifes. Avijit had suffered a deep gash on his head and Ms. Banna, also a writer and blogger, has lost a finger and suffered cut wounds.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/antiislamist-us-blogger-hacked-to-death-in-bangladesh/article6940976.ece
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Elusive peace: Dr Abdullah’s disclosure irks Afghan Taliban
February 27, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban are upset with the way some Afghan officials are dealing with the ‘highly sensitive issue’ of peace talks. “We do not favour the other side playing politics on the sensitive issue,” a Taliban official told The Express Tribune on the condition that he would not be named in the report.
The Taliban have never officially confirmed they would hold talks with the government in Kabul. However, insiders say the ultraorthodox militia does not publicly comment on any issue unless ‘substantial progress is made’ on it.
Days after President Ashraf Ghani avoided direct comments on the status of the peace process, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah’s statement that the talks would begin in coming days has not been received well by the Taliban, sources said on Wednesday.
Dr Abdullah told the cabinet ministers that Afghanistan’s interest would be ensured in the dialogue process and that the people would also be on board from where the talks begin and how the process proceeded.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/844357/elusive-peace-dr-abdullahs-disclosure-irks-afghan-taliban/
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Japan police arrest teen for ‘Isis-inspired’ killing
27 Feb, 2015
Japanese police today arrested a teenager on suspicion of killing a 13-year-old schoolboy, in a chilling murder some local media suggested was inspired by Islamist extremist executions.
The brutalised and naked body of Ryota Uemura was found in undergrowth near a river last Friday. His neck and been repeatedly hacked at, apparently using a blood-soaked knife that was discovered nearby.
Low-crime Japan has been captivated by the killing, with media reporting every twist and turn in the investigation, including details of how the youngster's mobile phone was used to send a friend request on a messaging app around the time of his death.
Populist weekly Shukan Shincho reported the wounds appeared to indicate that whoever killed Ryota may have been trying to decapitate him.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/japan-police-arrest-teen-for-isis-inspired-killing#sthash.3Eo0IqzG.dpuf
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Maldives Police denied Nasheed an independent medical examination, claims HRCM
27 Feb, 2015
The Maldives Police Services have refused an independent medical examination of former President Mohamed Nasheed, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has alleged.
The opposition leader, currently in pre-trial detention, claimed he had sustained injuries when police manhandled him and dragged him into the court on Monday prior to the first hearing of a sudden terrorism trial.
Nasheed limped into the courtroom with his arm in a makeshift sling
HRCM Secretary General Shamoon Hameed told local media that a team from the HRCM had gone to Dhoonidhoo detention center on Monday night with a doctor, but police refused the commission’s request for the independent examination.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/police-denied-nasheed-an-independent-medical-examination-claims-hrcm-92989
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PM: BNP-Jamaat carrying out genocide
27 Feb, 2015
Alleging that the BNP-Jamaat clique is carrying out genocide in the name of hartal and blockade, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said such a situation is not at all acceptable to anyone.
“May Allah give good sense to those who are burning people to death so that they stop such arson attacks…these are sheer killings and acts of genocide, and they are accused of killing people. The BNP-Jamaat nexus has been carrying out genocide,” she said.
The prime minister was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the four-day 4th International Conference on Plastic Surgery or PlastiCon 2015 held at a city hotel.
Sharply criticising the ongoing killings of people through hurling petrol bombs by the BNP-Jamaat, Hasina said: “What kind of cruelty is this? What kind of politics is this? This is not politics…these are entirely terrorist and militant activities.”
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2015/feb/27/pm-bnp-jamaat-carrying-out-genocide#sthash.xnJIOOEd.dpuf
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EU delegation briefs parliament on situation in Bangladesh
27 Feb, 2015
The European Union parliamentary delegation that visited Dhaka recently has feared that if the opposition political forces are simply sidelined, then other forces including extremist forces might fill the void.
“That means the terrorists. That’s a big big risk, big big danger,” Josef Weidenholzer, one of the delegation member, said in a briefing held at the EU parliament yesterday.
The delegation, led by lawmaker Cristian Dan Preda and the other members Josef Weidenholzer and Karol Karski, arrived in Dhaka on February 17 and stayed until Februrary 20. They had over 20 meetings with government officials, members of civil society, journalists and others.
Josef said though Bangladesh is a big Muslim country and it settled the thing well earlier, but there is a big danger for the next few months.
“There could be extremist groups who emerge and they don’t want to cooperate anybody including the government. That’s really a matter of concern for us,” he said. He suggested that EU more closely work with the country.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/feb/27/eu-delegation-briefs-parliament-situation-bangladesh#sthash.tZD8TqjK.dpuf
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Transforming legal education in Bangladesh
27 Feb, 2015
Albeit starting the journey as a public university in 2005, Jagannath University (JnU), as an academic institution, holds a long glorious history through 150 years that dates back to 1858. At present, it has 33 departments under the aegis of seven distinctive faculties. In response to an increasing demand for legal education in Bangladesh, Jagannath University opened its Law Department in 2009.
Professor Dr Sarkar Ali Akkas, a veteran of legal education in Bangladesh, was appointed as the first chairperson of the Law Department. Initially, he was accompanied by three young, popular law teachers, namely SM Masum Billah, Shafiqur Rahman Khan, and Christine Richardson. Among these three, two faculty members, SM Masum Billah and Shafiqur Rahman Khan, are currently pursuing their PhD studies in New Zealand and Australia respectively.
Embarking on a solid intellectual foundation with the aim of transforming legal education in Bangladesh, the Department of Law began offering a four-year LLB (Hon’s) programme from the 2008-2009 academic session, while the one-year LLM program was introduced in the 2012-2013 session. Later on, it introduced the Mphil and PhD programmes in 2012. In the same year, the Department of Law was placed under the Faculty of Law. Earlier, it was functioning under the auspices of the Faculty of Arts. Professor Dr Sarkar Ali Akkas currently serves as the Dean of the Jagannath University Law Faculty.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/juris/2015/feb/26/transforming-legal-education-bangladesh#sthash.qM9PUhnr.dpuf
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Africa
Suicide attack claims 18 lives in Nigeria
February 27, 2015
KANO: Eighteen people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a crowded bus station in northeast Nigeria, while a second bomber was shot dead before he could detonate his explosives, witnesses said.
Babagana Kyari, a civilian vigilante, said “at least 18 people, including three women, died... and several others were injured” in an account supported by local resident Ali Dauda.
The attack happened after two men arrived the Tashar Gandu motor park on the edge of the town in Borno state, where one detonated his explosives among passengers and vendors, onlookers said.
The suicide bombing is the second this week, after 34 people were killed in a blast at a bus station in the city of Kano, on Tuesday. That death toll was revised upwards from the initial estimate of 10.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1166175/suicide-attack-claims-18-lives-in-nigeria
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Sudanese leader says being hounded by ICC, West
February 27, 2015
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is gearing up for an April election expected to return him to office, said in an interview on Thursday the International Criminal Court and Western powers were "hounding" him.
Indicted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, where insurgents rose up in 2003 in an ongoing conflict that has left more than 300,000 dead, Bashir denounced "lies" and "made-up charges" in the Le Monde daily.
"This ICC is part of the tools used to destabilise Sudan," he said, adding there had never been a genocide in Darfur.
"I will not give in and will resist this political hounding," added Bashir, who has been in power since 1989.
Sudan's mainstream opposition has announced it will boycott the April 13 elections, which are also for parliament, as it did in 2010.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/124023/World/Region/Sudanese-leader-says-being-hounded-by-ICC,-West.aspx
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Moroccan minister says of course he knows Arabic
27 February 2015
After the storm he created with his “I do not speak Arabic” remark, Morocco’s education minister sarcastically dismissed reports that he is not fluent in one of his country’s national languages, asking journalists: “Do I look like I don’t speak Arabic?”
The minister, Rachid Belmokhtar, expressed bewilderment that people believed he did not speak the language after a France 24 journalist asked him for an interview in Arabic. The minister replied in French saying “je ne connais pas l’arabe,” or “I don’t speak Arabic.”
In his defense, Belmokhtar told local newspaper Alyaoum24 on Wednesday that he replied as such because the journalist spoke in “bad French” and that his own eloquence in the French language was “much higher.”
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2015/02/27/Moroccan-minister-claims-not-to-speak-Arabic-stirs-uproar-.html
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Libya chaos likely to affect Tunisian security, experts say
27 February 2015
Tunisia will be most affected if the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to expand in Libya, Tunisian terrorism experts say.
“Libya is a ticking bomb,” former Brigadier-General Mohammed Sellami told Al Arabiya News.
“Not dealing with terrorism in Libya is likely to shake security in Tunisia, and even the Maghreb region in the long run.”
Libya descended into war after the toppling of Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
The North African country now has two rival governments and parliaments, each backed by armed militias. The absence of law and authority in the oil-rich country has turned it into a beacon for extremists.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2015/02/26/Libya-chaos-likely-to-affect-Tunisian-security-experts-say-.html
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Nigeria army chief says Baga retaken from extremists
February 27, 2015
Nigeria’s army chief said that Baga town in the country’s northeast has been retaken by the military from Islamic extremists, and that displaced residents should be able to return to vote in late March elections.
Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minima spoke to journalists on Wednesday after he said he visited the town on Lake Chad near the border with Cameroon to build troop confidence.
“They have made Nigerians proud,” he told journalists in Maiduguri after the visit on which only a government TV crew was embedded.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/nigeria-army-chief-says-baga-retaken-from-extremists/
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Mideast
Yemeni gunmen kill 4 soldiers in southern province
February 27, 2015
Yemeni security officials say gunmen have attacked a military vehicle, killing all four soldiers inside it.
The officials said the attackers surprised the soldiers with heavy gunfire Thursday night while patrolling a street in Houta, a town in the southern Lahj province.
The gunmen then set fire to the vehicle, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
The identity of the gunmen was not immediately known, but the province has seen increased activity by al-Qaida militants and Shiite Houthi rebels, both of which oppose the government.
The Houthis swept into Sanaa in September and kept President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest. He fled to the southern city of Aden last week.
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/yemeni-gunmen-kill-4-soldiers-in-southern-province/
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Jerusalem church building torched in apparent hate crime
February 27, 2015
Suspected Israeli extremists torched part of a church-owned building in Jerusalem overnight, police said, in the second racist attack in the Holy Land in two days.
The vandals set fire to an annexe of a Greek Orthodox seminary just outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, and scrawled "graffiti insulting Jesus" on the building, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said, describing it as a "nationalist" attack.
There were no casualties and the fire was put out before causing significant damage, she added.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123969/World/Region/Jerusalem-church-building-torched-in-apparent-hate.aspx
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Adviser to Iran president blames 'extremists' for rights abuses
February 27, 2015
An adviser to the Iranian president has admitted that human rights violations are being committed in the Islamic republic, blaming them on "extremist" members of the regime, newspapers reported Thursday.
Ali Younessi, a former minister of intelligence who now serves as President Hassan Rouhani's adviser on religious and ethnic minorities, said Iran "should be able to get rid" of such individuals, media said.
"Still now there are many cases of violations in the prisons, the tribunals and elsewhere, where we see the influence of extremist elements which the Islamic republic should be able to get rid of," Younessi said.
In rare comments to the official IRNA and ISNA news agencies and reproduced by the press on Thursday, Younessi goes on to say that "many extremists have infiltrated government circles".
"No one can control them and they act as they wish," he said, without identifying these individuals.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/124014/World/Region/Adviser-to-Iran-president-blames-extremists-for-ri.aspx
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‘Ottoman’ election bids on the rise in Turkey
27 February 2015
Some members of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) continue to feel nostalgic toward their country’s glorious Ottoman past and are leading with Ottoman-themed campaigns for the upcoming June 7 parliamentary elections.
Osman Yavuz, an AKP electoral candidate nominee in the Central Anatolian province of Konya, is entering the race with “All Together, New Turkey,” and donned headgear called börk which was commonly worn by Seljuk warriors and the first Ottoman sultans in the 14th century
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2015/02/27/Some-AKP-candidates-launch-Ottoman-themed-campaigns.html
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Supreme Leader: Enemies Never Able to Stop Islamic Revolution's Progress
February 27, 2015
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined Iran's resistance against the hegemonic powers, and said the enemies can never halt the Islamic Revolution's progress.
Addressing a meeting with members of the headquarters of martyrs from educational, academic and art centers, Ayatollah Khamenei said the great achievement made by the Iranian nation after the victory of the Revolution was rejecting a hegemonic system dividing the world into the 'domineering-submissive' poles.
"Although the hegemonic powers, benefiting from their massive tools, have currently found more dominance over the oppressed, the Islamic Revolution is now standing against the oppressors," he said.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931207000643
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Jewish MP on Arab Israeli slate rejects ‘traitor’ label
27 February 2015
Laqiya, Israel: As a Jewish Israeli Communist running for election under an Arab banner, Dov Khenin is often the butt of jokes. But for some, he is nothing less than a traitor.
In a country where most of the electorate leans to the right, the 57-year-old member of a Communist party that includes both Jewish and Arab lawmakers is used to threats and hate mail.
But the backlash intensified after his party united with the main Arab factions, including the Islamist Movement, on a joint list ahead of snap elections on March 17.
Although Khenin is not the only Jewish Israeli on the list, which counts 119 people, he holds the eighth slot, making him the only one with a realistic chance of entering parliament on the Arab slate.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/710426
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6 months after Israeli war on Gaza, tempers fray among the strip's homeless
February 27, 2015
For six months, Gazans left homeless by last year's war have waited patiently to be rehoused. But with no relief in sight and thousands still in UN shelters, tempers are fraying.
More than 100,000 homes in the Gaza Strip were damaged or destroyed in Israeli bombardment during the 50-day Israeli assault.
A similar number of people were displaced, with most taking shelter in schools run by the UN's Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA).
Today more than 10,000 people still live in 14 of the schools, unable to find lodging elsewhere, according to UNRWA. Tens of thousands of others are living with family or friends.
All are desperate to rebuild or repair their homes, but a lack of building materials means reconstruction has moved at a snail's pace, and swathes of the territory lie in ruins.
Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since 2006, and although Israel has pledged to allow in supplies for rebuilding, the delivery of materials is heavily controlled by Israel allegedly to prevent them falling into the hands of militants.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123978/World/Region/-months-after-Israeli-war-on-Gaza,-tempers-fray-am.aspx
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Europe
UKIP Leader: UK Mosques Have Been Infiltrated By Hate Preachers
27 Feb, 2015
Nigel Farage has claimed the mosques of Britain have been infiltrated by criminal hate preachers and warned that religious minorities needed to understand the law of the land.
The UKIP leader was speaking to a US audience about Islamic extremism before his appearance at a hard-right Conservative conference in Washington on Thursday, where he has been given star billing.
Asked about the recruiting of Jihadis from the west, Farage said the UK had been “appeasing” Islamic extremists He repeated his belief that multiculturalism was to blame for the phenomenon of western citizens joining Islamic State (Isis).
“What we have done is, we have allowed, through a deliberate policy of multiculturalism, because we want to show the world what lovely people we are, and we have allowed different communities to develop a different culture within what ought to be a Judeo-Christian culture.
“In the case of my country, our constitution makes it perfectly clear. That is what we are as country. And whilst we want to be tolerant of other religions and other minorities, they have got to understand the law of the land in our country. We have lost sight of that.
“Longer term, there’s a cultural issue here. We have got to be more assertive. We have got to be more self-confident about who we are.”
Full report at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/26/nigel-farage-uk-mosques-have-been-infiltrated-by-hate-preachers
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BBC Exec: Charlie Hebdo Attackers Should Not Be Called ‘Terrorists’
27 February 2015
Extremist militants who killed 12 people in an attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris should not be described as “terrorists,” a BBC senior executive told The Independent in an interview published Wednesday.
“Terrorist” as a term is too “loaded” to describe these attackers, Tarik Kafala, the head of BBC Arabic, the largest of the BBC’s non-English language news services, said.
“We try to avoid describing anyone as a terrorist or an act as being terrorist. What we try to do is to say that ‘two men killed 12 people in an attack on the office of a satirical magazine’. That’s enough, we know what that means and what it is,” Kafala explained.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/television-and-radio/2015/02/26/BBC-exec-says-Charlie-Hebdo-attackers-should-not-be-called-terrorists-.html
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HRW: Kurds blocking return of Arabs to disputed Iraq areas
27 February 2015
Kurdish forces have prevented displaced Arabs from returning to disputed areas of Iraq that Kurdish leaders want to incorporate in their autonomous region over Baghdad’s objections, a report said Thursday.
Human Rights Watch warned the Kurdistan regional government against meting out “collective punishment of entire Arab communities” for the Islamic State OF Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group’s attacks.
“Cordoning off Arab residents and refusing to let them return home appears to go well beyond a reasonable security response,” said Letta Tayler, senior terrorism and counterterrorism researcher at the New York-based rights group.
The HRW report said Kurdish forces have for months barred Arabs displaced by last year’s ISIS offensive from returning to their homes in disputed areas.
Kurds, however, had been able to return to the same areas and even in some cases allowed to move into the homes of displaced Arabs, the group said.
When militants launched a devastating military blitz across Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland in Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/27/HRW-Kurds-blocking-return-of-Arabs-to-disputed-Iraq-areas.html
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UK MPs summon Turkish ambassador over British girls travelling to Syria
February 27, 2015
The Turkish ambassador to the UK has been called to testify before an influential group of British MPs about westerners travelling through Turkey to join the Islamic State militant group in Syria.
Parliament’s Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) has called Abdurrahman Bilgic, as well as Turkish Airlines chief executive Temel Kotil, to testify on the issue of youngsters using Turkey as a route to the fighting zones in Syria.
Both Turkish officials will appear before the Committee on 10 March, Keith Vaz, chairman of HASC, announced.
This step comes while the tension develops between London and Ankara over the disappearance of three British Muslim teenagers who are believed to have flown on a Turkish Airways flight to Istanbul before heading to Syria to join IS, also known in the west as Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL).
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/123968/World/International/UK-MPs-summon-Turkish-ambassador-over-British-girl.aspx
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French Lawmaker: Assad Part of Syria Solution
February 27, 2015
French Lawmaker Jacques Myard said that President Bashar al-Assad is a part of the solution in Syria.
"International community should deal with President Assad as a part of the political solution in Syria," the French MP told al-Manar as he arrived in Beirut on Wednesday. Despite expectations that Assad will "politically die", Assad remained in power, Myard said.
Paris has to know that the political and strategic situation in Syria has changed, he said, adding, "diplomatic relations cannot be only with states that we love. There are diplomatic necessities".
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931207000479
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Arab World
Bishop Slams Turkey for Abandoning Syrian Christians to ISIL
February 27, 2015
A prominent Syrian bishop said Turkey is complicit in the abduction of dozens of Syrian Christians by ISIL terrorists.
Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Hasakah-Nisibi said on Wednesday that Turkey is to blame for the recent abduction of at least 150 Assyrian Christians from villages in the border areas, press tv reported.
Jacques Behnan Hindo, who was speaking with the Vatican Radio, said Turkey is openly cooperating with ISIL Takfiri terrorists when it comes to transferring oil, wheat and cotton stolen by the terrorists.
"In the North, Turkey allows through lorries, Daesh (ISIL) militants, oil stolen from Syria, wheat and cotton. All of these can cross the border but nobody (from the Christian community) can pass over".
He strongly criticized Turkey for its refusal to permit entry to the Christians who have been exposed to the threat of ISIL terrorists.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931207000532
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Saudi King Salman calls for repelling religious extremism, intolerance
27 February 2015
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz received on Thursday participants of the World Conference 'Islam and Counter-Terrorism,'' which concluded in Makkah on Wednesday, and called for repelling “intolerance and extremism that offends Islam,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
“I welcome you in your country, the country of Muslims. The Kingdom Saudi Arabia considers its major responsibility is to maintain the house of Allah and the city of the Messenger of Allah, and to maintain the security of pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors, and this is what is happening now,” King Salman told his guests at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
“We ask Allah Almighty to guide us all for the service of our tolerant religion away from intolerance and extremism that offends Islam, which is the religion of moderation, as you know.”
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/26/King-Salman-calls-for-repelling-extremism-that-offends-Islam-.html
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IS executioner ‘Jihadi John’ identified as UK national Emwazi
27 February 2015
LONDON: “Jihadi John,” the masked Islamic State militant apparently responsible for beheading Western hostages, was named on Thursday as Kuwaiti-born London computer programmer Mohammed Emwazi by experts and the media.
The International Center for the Study of Radicalization at London’s King’s College, a leading resource for studying foreign militants, said it believed the identity “to be accurate and correct.”
Cage, a civil rights group that was in contact with Emwazi for two years over his alleged harassment by British security services, said the man bore “striking similarities” to the hooded militant.
Cage’s research director Asim Qureshi told a Washington Post reporter that due to the hood “there was no way he could be 100 percent certain,” the campaign group said in a statement.
The New York Times quoted a senior British security official saying that Emwazi had been identified by the government “some time ago” but the name had not been disclosed “for operational reasons.”
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/710336
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US-led strikes on IS after group seizes 220 Christians
February 27, 2015
The US-led coalition has carried out air strikes against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria, where the jihadists have launched a new offensive and kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians.
The raids on Thursday struck areas around the town of Tal Tamr in Hasakeh province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without giving information on possible casualties.
They followed the launch Monday of a new offensive by IS, which kidnapped the Assyrians as it seized territory around Tal Tamr.
The town remains under the control of Kurdish forces, but at least 10 surrounding villages have been seized by IS, along with the captives.
Many of those abducted are said to be women, children or elderly.
The Observatory said negotiations were ongoing "through mediators from Arab tribes and a member of the Assyrian community" to secure their release.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/124044/World/Region/USled-strikes-on-IS-after-group-seizes--Christians.aspx
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ISIS using Disney movie “Mulan” to recruit?
By Atika Shubert, CNN
27 Feb, 2015
WASHINGTON (CNN) – ISIS is known for using western culture in its recruiting tactics with strong social media campaigns that appeal to youth but a Disney movie?!
The Disney film “Mulan” is based on a Chinese legend of a warrior woman. A dutiful daughter cuts off her hair and pretends to be a man. She becomes a soldier to fight for her family’s honor. An inspiring example for many young women, including, it seems, female followers of ISIS.
“I wonder if I can pull a Mulan and enter the battlefield; these are the hopes and desires being expressed. This is a lens into their thoughts,” said Erin Marie Saltman, Inst. Strategic Dialogue.
Erin Marie Saltman is tracking dozens of ISIS women online. This tweet she says is a perfect example of the contradiction these women pose: “Raised on Disney. Aspiring to Jihad.”
“They are given this romantic that they are travelling to this foreign territory by themselves. It’s quite liberating for them and they will be paired with a jihadist soldier. And when you look at the men with guns and windswept hair and the desert in the background, this is actually empowering. But also, women are inciting violence on their twitter accounts and blogs. They’re encouraging people, to the point of saying: If you can’t travel Islamic State territory, I encourage you to carry out the war at home. And that’s inciting violence abroad,” said Saltman.
Full report at:
http://wwlp.com/2015/02/26/isis-using-disney-movie-mulan-to-recruit/
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Egyptian prosecution imposes gag order on alleged police torture death
February 27, 2015
Egypt's prosecutor-general on Thursday imposed a media gag order on the case of a lawyer who allegedly died after torture inside a police station in Cairo.
In a statement, the prosecution said the decision was made to ensure the investigations into the case were secret.
Earlier on Thursday the prosecution ordered the detention of two police officers for investigations into accusations that they killed Karim Hamdy inside a police station in Matariya.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/124034/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-prosecution-imposes-gag-order-on-alleged-.aspx
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All Makkah Projects ‘Must Display Islamic Identity’: Governor
27 February 2015
Makkah Gov. and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee Prince Khaled Al-Faisal stressed the need to ensure all projects in Makkah are designed to display an Arab and Islamic identity.
During a meeting in Jeddah on Thursday with members of the Higher Supervisory Committee of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expansion projects, Prince Khaled said efforts must be unified, swiftly completed and stick to the allocated budget.
Faisal Wafa, chairman of the technical committee overseeing the projects, briefed the governor on the completed stages of the projects, as well the remaining tasks. According to Wafa, the completed portions of the expansion projects have greatly increased the capacity of the mosque and the mataf (the area for the circumambulation of the Kaaba). Wafa also pointed out that greater achievements are expected as the project enters its third stage, covering the southern region from the King Fahd expansion area to Safa, a total of 81,567 square meters.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/710816
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Syria refugee crisis nears ‘dangerous turning point’:UN
27 February 2015
UNITED NATIONS: Syria’s refugee crisis is approaching a “dangerous turning point” as nearly four million Syrians face worsening living conditions in exile, the UN refugee chief warned Thursday.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that “the nature of the refugee crisis is changing” and called for “massive international support” for countries that have opened their borders to fleeing civilians.
“As the level of despair rises, and the available protection space shrinks, we are approaching a dangerous turning point,” he told the 15-member council.
Close to 12 million people have been displaced by the nearly four-year war in Syria including 3.8 million who have fled to neighboring countries such as Turkey, now the biggest refugee-hosting country in the world.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/710871
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Man accused in Islamic State group plot was about to quit job
February 27, 2015
The employer of one of three men charged with plotting to help the Islamic State group says the suspect was about to quit his restaurant job.
Zakarya Khan is the owner of Gyro King in New York City. He says Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev was first a customer at his restaurant, then started working there slicing lettuce. Khan says he made about $500 a week.
The store owner says Juraboev’s last day was supposed to be Thursday because he planned to go visit family in his native Uzbekistan.
But federal officials who arrested Juraboev and two others Wednesday say the three plotted to travel to Syria to join the IS group and wage war against the US.
Juraboev’s attorney had no immediate comment on charges against his client.
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/americas/man-accused-in-islamic-state-group-plot-was-about-to-quit-job/
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Southeast Asia
Extremist threats worrying, must be curbed, says Muhyiddin
27 Feb, 2015
Putrajaya is worried about the recent signs of extremism, including threats to kill the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and blow up the courts, says Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said today the government did not take them lightly, adding that if they were not nipped in the bud things could escalate and affect national security.
He also said that it was evident that extremism was creeping into Malaysia, as seen from the number of Malaysians joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis).
"Some of the Isis terrorists are our people as well, so this is a clear indication that it’s happening in Malaysia.
"So the first step is to educate the people to make them realise that security issues cannot be taken lightly," Muhyiddin told a press conference after chairing a post-flood action meeting involving government agencies in Putrajaya today.
He added that the government would also look into laws that should be enforced further to curb extremism.
Muhyiddin said the seeds of extremism was being seen among young people, and expressed concern that if not brought under control, it could become a big threat to the country.
When asked if a subject on Isis could be introduced in schools, Muhyiddin who is education minister said that beyond the militant group, students should be taught the importance of security.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/extremist-threats-worrying-must-be-curbed-says-muhyiddin#sthash.YOTecFxQ.dpuf
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OK for non-Muslims to return free Quran copies, says Jakim
27 Feb, 2015
Non-Muslims can return copies of the Quran after accepting them and it is also untrue that their religion will be converted to Islam just by filling up a form, says the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).
This is the first time the department has spoken on the outcry by some that a project to distribute translated copies of the Quran would result in conversion or entrapment if the holy books were to be disposed of.
Jakim director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha told Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh this in response to a message being circulated on social media warning non-Muslims not to accept the free copies.
Othman told the Chinese newspaper that for a non-Muslim to officially convert to Islam, he or she needed to take an oath before being able to go through ceremonies to complete the conversion.
“A person who decides to uphold Islamic beliefs must do so voluntarily, not under forced circumstances,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ok-for-non-muslims-to-return-free-quran-copies-says-jakim
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Report Suggests Violence Rife in Indonesian High Schools
27 Feb, 2015
Jakarta. More than 8 out of ten Indonesian children experience some form of violence in junior high school, two international NGOs said in a report released on Thursday.
Child rights NGO Plan International and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) said that 1,742 junior high school students aged 12-15 were questioned on the matter in Jakarta and Banten, in 2013-14, in a study conducted jointly with the University of Indonesia’s School of Psychology, with the respondents coming from 20 schools in Jakarta and 10 schools in Banten.
A total of 84 percent admitted having at some point experienced violence in school, the highest percentage in a group of five Asian nations surveyed. One in four students reported having experienced violence in the last six months.
The researchers looked at “all forms of violence, including fear of violence, that occurs in [formal and non-formal] education contexts which result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm of children.”
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/report-suggests-violence-rife-indonesian-high-schools/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistan-ulema-want-whole-world/d/101734