Pakistani Taliban Bans Men from Wearing Tights in Ramadan
New Age Islam News Bureau
12 Jul 2013
UN Human Rights Council Photo: REUTERS
Pakistan
• Pakistani Taliban bans men from wearing tights in Ramadan
• Militants shot Khuzdar Professor, bullet-riddled bodies found in Dera Bugti
• Islamabad police arrest 134 Bugti tribesmen
• IHC orders registration of case against Musharraf over Lal Masjid operation
• SC calls for vigilance against Jirga system
• Terrorists do not favour any party
• Lyari ‘exodus’: Escaping violence, but not misery
• MQM calls for end to 'propaganda' against its Chief
South Asia
• Myanmar's radical monk targets interfaith marriage
• 'Unprecedented freedom' in Tibet, Xinjiang: China to US
• Chinese ties not a replacement for Indian relations: Maldives President’s Office
• Suicide bomber attack on edge of Kabul: officials
• NATO helicopter makes ‘hard landing’ in Afghanistan
Europe
• £400,000 found from MQM office, Altaf residence: BBC
• Myanmar must stop attacks on Muslims: Warns UN chief
• North polar line: Muslims in Swedish town keep 21-hour fast
• EU Official Stresses Importance of Ayatollah Khamenei's Fatwa against N. Weapons
• Germany urges all parties in Egypt to refrain from violence
• Fugitive Snowden to meet with human rights groups: official
Southeast Asia
• Malaysia: Sack Parliament Officer Over "Flash Your Panties” Remark, Call Gets Louder
• Malaysia’s Islamic Finance Overhaul Boosts Protection for Depositors
• Where in the world does anyone use Sedition Act? Not even Uganda, why Malaysia?
• Malay groups give ultimatum to Vatican envoy - apologise or get out
• Security forces regain control of Indonesia prison after riot that killed five people
India
• Minister wants special panel on terror cases against Muslim
• Did 'Absolutely Right Thing' In 2002, Gujarat CM Says
• Another book on folk-songs of Manipuri Muslims released at Imphal
• Man Wearing Low-Waist Jeans in Masjids, a Ramzan No-No
• Govt launches Urdu fonts for computer and mobiles
• Next India-Pak conflict could be in Afghanistan: Blackwill
• Muslims in India unjustly profiled, rights advocate says
• Monsoon season threatens Rohingya Muslim refugees in India
North America
• Lawyer says teenage US terror suspect autistic
• U.S. lawmakers could ease ‘coup’ ban on aid to Egypt
• PML-N govt good for Afghan peace, says US
• Microsoft gave NSA access to spy on Skype users
• Pentagon report says Iran may develop nukes that could reach the US by 2015
Arab World
• New attacks in Iraq kill 24 Shias, 5 policemen
• Egypt’s young Brotherhoods break away from old leadership
• Syrian rebels receive weapons from Arab states
• Egypt may disband Muslim Brotherhood
• Death toll from wave of Iraq violence rises to 51
• UAE sends date to different Islamic centres Europe
• Qatar and Saudi Arabia fight media war
• Money, guns flowing from Kuwait to Syria's most radical rebel factions
• Egypt to investigate Morsi for 2011 jailbreak
• Key Free Syria Army rebel 'killed by Islamist group'
• New front opens in Syria as rebels say Al-Qaeda attack means war
• How Egyptian Islamists are manipulating the media
• Jordan relieved at ‘downfall’ of Egypt Islamists
Mideast
• Israel attacks possibility of Iran, Syria joining UN Human Rights Council
• Exiles claim Iran building underground nuclear site
• Ramadan series ‘Khaybar’ is a battle cry against Jews
• Influential Gazan editor of ‘Al-Quds Al-Arabi’ quits
• Turkey a critical ally in the region, says US envoy
• Turkey lawmaker shocks with sexist comments to female journalists at Parliament
• Israel military detains 5-year-old Palestinian for 'stone throwing'
Africa
• Somalia: Shirdon Urges Al-Shabaab to Renounce Violence during Ramadan
• Maid beheads 10-year-old Syrian girl
• Tanzania: Gender Based Violence Suppresses Human Rights
• Nigeria: Ceasefire Announced Amidst Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistani-taliban-bans-men-wearing/d/12572
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Pakistan
Pakistani Taliban bans men from wearing tights in Ramadan
11 July 2013
The Pakistani Taliban has banned men from wearing tight or see-through clothes during the holy month of Ramadan, the Saudi-based al-Riyadh newspaper reported on Thursday, quoting reports from South Waziristan.
The Taliban group also gave local shops written warnings of $500 fine if they are found selling thin clothes that do not “properly” cover the human body.
Tailors were also threatened with kidnapping and beating should they be caught making such “un-Islamic” clothing for men.
No warnings or threats were reportedly issued for women, because most of them wear the traditional full body cover known as the burqa.
Pakistani Taliban in the area bordering Afghanistan had previously mounted a crackdown on tight and thin men’s clothing.
In 2011, a group of Taliban raided shops in the town of Wana, confiscating clothes that they saw as too thin to make respectable clothing.
“They said it was un-Islamic to wear clothes that don't properly cover the human body,” Shopkeeper Rahimullah Khan told AFP at the time.
A local official in Wana told AFP that thousands of meters of fabric was seized and burned.
“The men confiscated big bundles of raw cloth which they declared was too thin to wear from dozens of shopkeepers in the main bazaar and burnt them,” he told AFP.
“They had warned shopkeepers almost a week ago to stop selling un-Islamic cloth. Today, the militants stormed the shops and confiscated the rolls.”
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/special-reports/ramadan-2013/2013/07/11/Pakistani-Taliban-bans-men-from-wearing-tights-in-Ramadan-.html
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Militants shot Khuzdar Professor, bullet-riddled bodies found in Dera Bugti
12 July 2013
QUETTA: At least three bullet-riddled bodies were found Thursday in Dera Bugti district of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. In a separate incident, militants gunned down a college professor in Khuzdar district.
According to police, three bullet-riddled bodies were found in Gazagi Nallah near Sui tehsil of Dera Bugti.
The three victims belonged to a pro-government militia (Lashkar) in Dera Bugti, said a police official wishing not to be named since he was not authorised to speak to the media.
He said the bodies were shifted to a nearby hospital in Sui.
Oil and gas-rich Balochistan province is plagued by a long-running insurgency waged by guerrillas seeking an independent homeland. Tribal chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed in August 2006 in a military operation in Dera Bugti, one of the areas worst-affected areas by the insurgency.
Professor gunned down
In a separate incident on Thursday, militants gunned down a college professor in restive Khuzdar district, police said.
Two armed militants opened fire at Abdul Razzaq’s motorcycle on Chakar Khan Road, said police official Abdul Qadir.
Razzaq, who was a professor at Khuzdar Degree College, succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital, he said.
Another person Abdul Hakeem, who was traveling with the professor, was seriously wounded.
Police said the assailants managed to escape after the attack. “The incident seems to be an act of target killing,” said Qadir.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either incident.
http://dawn.com/news/1028285/professor-shot-in-khuzdar-bullet-riddled-bodies-found-in-dera-bugti
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Islamabad police arrest 134 Bugti tribesmen
July 12, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Members of the Bugti tribe who have been protesting outside the National Press Club (NPC) in the F-6 Sector of Islamabad for the last three months, in order to seek their repatriation to their native area Dera Bugti, had spent last night behind bars.
On Wednesday night, the capital police arrested 134 members of the Bugti tribe and registered cases against them for looting and damaging a shop, the police claimed.
The police on the complaint of Zahid Hussain Abbasi, a local trader in sector F-6, arrested 134 members of the Bugti tribe after they allegedly beat him up and damaged his shop. Police officials said that members of the Bugti tribe used to visit the market to charge their mobile phones. However on Wednesday night, they had removed a trader’s mobile phone from a charger, sparking a clash. The complainant Zahid Abbasi told The Express Tribune that Bugti tribesmen have established their protest camp in front of NPC and they used to visit his shop to charge their mobile phones.
He said that when he demanded the tribesmen to give back his mobile phone they started attacking him and damaged his shop. “The Bugtis are a security risk and they can attack anyone,” he added.
Shahid Zaman, Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, said that Superintendent of Police City Captain Ilyas had constituted a team on Abbasi’s complaint. The team conducted a raid on the NPC and booked 134 members of the Bugti tribe.
Zaman said that the older people were released by the police. However, the young Bugtis were detained in three different police stations. The detainees were presented before the court and released afterwards.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/575895/federal-apprehension-islamabad-police-arrest-134-bugti-tribesmen/
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IHC orders registration of case against Musharraf over Lal Masjid operation
12 July 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ordered the registration of a case against former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf for his alleged involvement in the Lal Masjid operation, DawnNews reported.
IHC’s Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi issued the order during the hearing of a petition filed by Haroon Rasheed, son of Lal Masjid’s Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, against Musharraf for his involvement in the killing of his father and grandmother.
During the hearing, Justice Qureshi said that Haroon Rasheed’s statement should be recorded.
The Lal Masjid operation was a 2007 government crackdown on the controversial pro-Taliban mosque in Islamabad, which ended in a bloody eight-day siege killing at least 58 Pakistani troops and seminary students.
A number of witnesses in their statements had alleged that Musharraf, then president of Pakistan, was responsible for the action.
http://dawn.com/news/1028490/ihc-orders-registration-of-case-against-musharraf-over-lal-masjid-operation
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SC calls for vigilance against Jirga system
NASIR IQBAL
12 July 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ordered law-enforcement agencies on Thursday to remain vigilant and take swift and strict action to ensure that girls and women were not exchanged to settle local disputes through the Jirga system.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry also asked the federal and provincial governments to ensure that people were protected against highhandedness by implementing the court’s previous judgments and relevant laws that discouraged the Jirga system.
Under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2005, section 310A was inserted into the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the custom of giving women for the sake of peace was declared a crime. That section has now been replaced by the Prevention of Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act of 2011.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1028460/sc-calls-for-vigilance-against-jirga-system
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Terrorists do not favour any party
July 12, 2013
A comparison of statistics for the months of May and June makes it abundantly clear that violence under various covers continues to take lives – regardless of who governs the country. The number of deaths from violence during the month of May was as high as 634. In June these casualties declined slightly to 619 (compared to roughly 500 deaths off violence in April).
The surge in casualties of various acts of terror in May and June also disproves the widely-held notion that the terrorist syndicates led by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were soft on the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Much before the May 11 general elections, various socio-political segments of society – led by PPP and ANP – pilloried these two parties for being pro-Taliban for the simple reason that these two parties favoured dialogue with militants.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/575911/analysis-terrorists-do-not-favour-any-party/
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Lyari ‘exodus’: Escaping violence, but not misery
July 12, 2013
KARACHI: “Will I ever return home?” asks Fatima Bhai, just moments before she bursts into tears. “Why are they fighting and killing innocent people? We are poor people – just check our houses. How is any of this our fault?”
To Fatima, Rahimabad in Lyari – a place she had to flee early Thursday morning, just two hours before the first sehri – is home. She hardly remembers her arrival into the city from Kutch Bhuj in India at the time of partition. Lyari is the only world she has known.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/575955/lyari-exodus-escaping-violence-but-not-misery/
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MQM calls for end to 'propaganda' against Altaf
12 July 2013
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Thursday called for an end to what it termed as the "propaganda against party chief Altaf Hussain", DawnNews reported.
Deputy convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Central Rabita (Coordination) Committee, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, told a press conference at the party's "Nine-Zero" headquarter that "there should be an end to the propaganda against party chief Altaf Hussain and the MQM."
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1028284/mqm-calls-for-end-to-propaganda-against-altaf
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South Asia
Myanmar's radical monk targets interfaith marriage
12 July 2013
The Myanmar man dubbed 'The Face of Buddhist Terror' by Time magazine wants a law restricting marriages between Buddhists and Muslims.
Radical monk U Wirathu has been leading hundreds of Buddhist monks in protest.
"This law is my dream," he said.
"I've given speeches like this in different places so that we could propose this law."
Last month, he joined around 200 other monks in Yangon to discuss ways to end rising religious violence that began in Rakhine state last year between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.
It was here that U Wirathu, who is accused of fanning the tensions, announced his controversial proposal.
Senior leaders at the meeting have distanced themselves from the proposal, but U Wirathu and his followers are determined to present the idea to parliament.
"This marriage law means Myanmar girls can marry people of different religions, but their future husbands have to become Buddhist," he said.
"When Myanmar girls get married to Muslim men they're pressured to convert to Islam, so this marriage law will prevent this and protect our society."
Around 1,500 monks across the country have endorsed the proposal, and women are gathering signatures in support of U Wirathu's law.
Lwin Lwin is one of those who supports the marriage bill.
"Buddhist women tend to be patient, and don't go against what's happening, so they're tolerant and submissive," she said.
"In the beginning, Buddhist women don't see Muslims as being from a different religious background so they treat them as neighbours or friends."
Meanwhile, U Wirathu's opposition to interfaith marriage has been condemned by the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other groups.
Zin Mar Aung from the Rainfall women's group believes the law is sexist.
"The law's only focus is on the woman, so what this means is the concept of this law is based on sexism and nationalism," she said.
Growing support
U Wirathu heads the 969 Buddhist movement which is fast gaining momentum across Myanmar.
The numbers 9, 6, 9 refer to the virtues of Buddha, the practices of the faith and the community.
What sounds like a peaceful organisation has come to embody a rabid nationalistic and religious sentiment used to stir up hatred against minorities, particularly the country's Muslim community.
Members of 969 call for Myanmar's Buddhists to band together to defend their faith and to do business only with other Buddhists.
They want to exclude Muslims who have a strong tradition as merchants in Myanmar.
Buddhists make up around 90 per cent of the population in the country, while only around five per cent are Muslim.
At protests, U Wirathu delivers sermons that play on the fear among some Buddhists of a rising Muslim population.
U Wirathu says restrictions on interfaith marriages will reduce religious violence.
"If Muslims cannot marry Buddhist girls easily, their population will decrease," he said.
"Where they have more Muslims there is more violence.
"Like in case of Rakhine state, where they have a higher population of Muslims."
President of the Islamic Centre of Myanmar Al Haj U Aye Lwin says while Myanmar is a multi-racial and multi-religious society, the majority Buddhist culture is easily able to mobilise.
"The majority of them are Theravada Buddhist, and Buddhism has a very stirring effect on the people," he said.
"It can be a cohesive force for the people uniting."
Rising religious tensions
U Wirathu has a history of inflaming religious tensions in Myanmar.
In 2003, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the previous ruling junta for inciting religious hatred, but was released last year under a general amnesty.
U Wirathu and his followers blame the recent religious violence on Myanmar's Muslims.
Since last year's clashes in Rakhine which left nearly 200 dead, the violence has spread to other parts of the country, including the north-eastern town of Lashio and the central city of Meiktila.
Win Htein, the National League for Democracy representative for Meikhtila, was there at the time of the riots.
"Some angry mob passed through the police lines and dragged the Muslim youth and killed in front of them. In front of me," he said.
"During my stay, about half an hour or 45 minutes there, seven people were killed."
Most of the victims have been Muslim, but so far only Muslims have been jailed.
The rising religious tensions in Myanmar have marred the country's transition to democracy.
On a visit to Myanmar this week, Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr has met with President Then Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi with the issue of religious violence high on his agenda.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University says the United States and Europe, as well as fellow ASEAN members, must exert more pressure on the leadership to turn back the extremist campaign led by the 969 Movement.
"Otherwise, we will see more violence, the death toll will climb, and the road to 2015 will be very unruly and unconducive to a clean, free and fair election," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-11/an-interfaith-marriage-the-target-of-myanmar27s-radical-monk/4815388
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'Unprecedented freedom' in Tibet, Xinjiang: China to US
AFP | Jul 12, 2013
WASHINGTON: China said Thursday that its Tibetan and Uighur minorities enjoyed happiness and "unprecedented" freedom as it hit back at US criticism by urging Washington to examine its own record.
"China has made important progress on human rights. People in various regions in China including Xinjiang and Tibet are enjoying happier lives and they are enjoying unprecedented freedoms," State councilor Yang Jiechi said in a joint press appearance after two days of US-China talks.
"We hope the United States will improve its own human rights situation on the basis of mutual respect and non-intervention in each other's internal affairs," he said.
The US state department in its annual human rights report said that conditions had deteriorated in Tibetan areas and Xinjiang.
More than 110 Tibetans have set themselves alight since 2009 to protest what they see as China's harsh rule. Overseas groups said Chinese forces opened fire Saturday on Tibetans who celebrated the birthday of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Unprecedented-freedom-in-Tibet-Xinjiang-China-to-US/articleshow/21029271.cms
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Chinese ties not a replacement for Indian relations: Maldives President’s Office
By Neil Merrett | July 11th, 2013
The President’s Office has said efforts to establish closer political and economic links with China are not an attempt to directly replace bilateral assistance traditionally provided by India – despite the recent strained relationship between Male’ and New Delhi.
President Dr Mohamed Waheed was reported in Sri Lankan media on the weekend as providing “hints” that the Maldives was moving away from India and towards China in terms of development, economic assistance and bilateral ties.
Full report at:
http://minivannews.com/politics/closer-chinese-ties-not-a-replacement-for-strained-indian-relations-presidents-office-60985
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Suicide bomber attack on edge of Kabul: officials
July 12, 2013
A suicide bomber targeted an Afghan police checkpost on the outskirts of Kabul, killing one person and wounding two others on the first Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, police said.
The attack came on the third day of the Muslim holy month in the war-torn country, where Taliban-led insurgents are fighting against the Western-backed government.
"This morning, a suicide bomber wearing a suicide vest detonated his explosives outside the city of Kabul," Kabul police chief, Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said.
"The bomber was in a passenger Toyota sedan. Police stopped the vehicle and wanted to search everyone. The bomber ran away and blew himself up. As a result of the explosion, one passenger was killed and two others wounded," Salangi said.
Kabul crime branch chief, General Mohammad Zahir, said the attack happened in Mir Bacha Kot district, on the outskirts of Kabul. Two people were wounded, he said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban last Friday vowed to increase their attacks during Ramadan. The insurgents have stepped up attacks on Afghan forces since they took responsibility for national security last month.
Some 100,000 US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan are preparing to withdraw from the country by the end of next year.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Suicide-bomber-attack-on-edge-of-Kabul-officials/Article1-1091401.aspx
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NATO helicopter makes ‘hard landing’ in Afghanistan
12 July 2013
The NATO-led coalition says one of its helicopters made a “hard landing” in northern Afghanistan but that there were no injuries.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed militants had fired on an American Chinook transport helicopter in Baghlan province on Thursday night.
But coalition spokesman Capt. Luca Carniel said on Friday that there was no report of insurgent activity in the area at the time of the incident.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/nato-helicopter-makes-hard-landing-in-afghanistan/article4908575.ece
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Europe
£400,000 found from MQM office, Altaf residence: BBC
12 July 2013
LONDON: The British Broadcasting Corporation Two (BBC Two) has claimed that 0.4 million pounds were found in London police raids at the office of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Altaf Hussain’s residence.
The raids were conducted on December 6, 2012 and June 18, 2013. Meanwhile, MQM’s Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar, while talking to BBC Two, admitted that the London police had seized some money during the raids, however, he added that he was not aware of the exact figure. Sattar said that the MQM was not involved in money laundering. He alleged that the BBC’s documentary on Altaf Hussain was influenced by pro-Taliban elements. He further stated that no threatening statements were issued from London to trigger violence in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\07\12\story_12-7-2013_pg1_4
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Myanmar must stop attacks on Muslims: Warns UN chief
Ap, United Nations
12 July 2013
The UN chief has warned Myanmar that it must end Buddhist attacks on minority Muslims in the Southeast Asian country if it wants to be seen as a credible nation.
Sectarian violence against Rohingya Muslims in the predominantly Buddhist nation has killed hundreds in the past year, and uprooted about 140,000, in what some say presents a threat to Myanmar’s political reforms because it could encourage security forces to re-assert control.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday: “It is important for the Myanmar authorities to take necessary steps to address the legitimate grievances of minority communities, including the citizenship demands of the Muslim/Rohingya.”
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/myanmar-must-stop-attacks-on-muslims/
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North polar line: Muslims in Swedish town keep 21-hour fast
July 12, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Muslims in Lulea, a Swedish town on north polar line, keep fast of more than 21 hours a day which is one of longest daily period of fasting in Ramazan. Both sehrs and iftars are made in light of the day in the city where sun does not set during summer, Anadolu News Agency reported.
Lulea is a city on the coast of northern Sweden with 75,000 inhabitants. There are many Muslims in the city from Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Tunisia. Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/575944/north-polar-line-muslims-in-swedish-town-keep-21-hour-fast/
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EU Official Stresses Importance of Ayatollah Khamenei's Fatwa against N. Weapons
July 12, 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior European official described the Fatwa (religious decree) issued by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei against the production and use of nuclear weapons as a confidence-building measure in talks between Iran and the world powers.
Head of the Foreign Policy Commission of the European Parliament Elmar Brok made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi on the sidelines of the Energy and Security Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13920420000557
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Germany urges all parties in Egypt to refrain from violence
12 JULY 2013
(Reuters) - Germany's Foreign Ministry on Friday urged all political parties in Egypt to refrain from violence or threats of violence, and called on Egyptian authorities to allow an international organisation access to ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi.
"All forms of political persecution would be extremely damaging for the future of Egypt. We call for an end to the restrictions on Mr Mursi, and we also urge all political powers, in particular the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, to refrain from all forms of violence or threat of violence," a ministry spokesman said.
He said Germany wanted a trustworthy, neutral international organisation to be allowed access to Mursi, who officials say is being held at a Republican Guard compound in Cairo. Mursi's supporters have called for protests on Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-egypt-protests-germany-idUSBRE96B0AN20130712?feedType=RSS
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Fugitive Snowden to meet with human rights groups: official
July 12, 2013
MOSCOW: Former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden will meet human rights groups on Friday at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, where the fugitive contractor has been in the passenger transit area since he flew from Hong Kong.
"I can confirm that such a meeting will take place," said an airport spokeswoman, adding that the meeting would take place in the second half of the day.
Snowden, wanted by Washington on espionage charges for divulging details of secret U.S. surveillance programmes, flew to Moscow on June 23, and has not left the airport transit area despite offers of asylum from three countries.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2013/Jul-12/223407-fugitive-snowden-to-meet-with-human-rights-groups-official.ashx#ixzz2Ys6TMDmZ
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia: Sack Parliament Officer Over "Flash Your Panties” Remark, Call Gets Louder
JULY 12, 2013
Sack the male Parliament officer who made that "flash your panties" remark. That is the call by women's rights advocate Norhayati Kaprawi.
Norhayati was referring to a revelation by Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh in Parliament on Wednesday, that a male officer had told an MP that she would have got a state executive councillor position if she had shown her panties, The Star reported.
“Do men think that women can’t succeed based on their intelligence, strength and merits?" Norhayati asked.
Norhayati also commented on the remark by PAS Muslimat chief Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff who urged the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry to introduce a dress code to help prevent sexual harassment and sexual crimes.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sack-parliament-officer-over-sexist-remark-call-gets-louder/
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Malaysia’s Islamic Finance Overhaul Boosts Protection for Depositors
12 July 2013
Kuala Lumpur/Dubai. New laws governing Malaysia’s Islamic finance sector will boost protection for depositors by making religious advisers legally accountable for financial products, and liable to steep fines and prison time for wrongdoing.
The new rules also include a plan to require Islamic life insurers to separate the life arm from other parts of their business.
The regulations also could spur takeovers in the Islamic insurance sector through capital-base provisions that encourage larger participants.
Malaysia’s new Islamic Financial Services Act (IFSA) gives regulators greater oversight as the country seeks to retain its position as the world’s second-largest Islamic Banking market, with 395 billion ringgit ($124 billion) in assets as of May.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/malaysias-islamic-finance-overhaul-boosts-protection-for-depositors/
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Where in the world does anyone use Sedition Act? Not even Uganda, why Malaysia?
BY V. ANBALAGAN
JULY 12, 2013
Even if the Sedition Act is repealed, there is a clutch of existing laws that can be used by the authorities to deal with offences related to racial and religious strife and matters protected by the Federal Constitution, said criminal and constitutional lawyers.
In many countries, they noted, sedition laws have either become obsolete or have been repealed. For example, in 2010, the courts in Uganda called the sedition law – a legacy of British rule – unconstitutional, while in India, the law that was used by the British to detain Mahatma Gandhi is these days treated with disdain by the Indian Supreme Court.
In England, which gave Malaysia and other Commonwealth countries the framework of their sedition laws, the last conviction was in 1909.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/enough-laws-to-regulate-if-sedition-act-repealed-say-lawyers/
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Malay groups give ultimatum to Vatican envoy - apologise or get out
JULY 12, 2013
Jati and Perkasa have given seven days to the Vatican's first envoy to Malaysia to retract his support of the local Catholic Church using Allah to describe God or the Malay-Muslim groups will push for his ouster.
Both groups said they would urge Putrajaya to close Vatican Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Marino's office and remove the papal representative from his post in the country if his statement is not retracted
"We strongly criticise the statement made by Nuncio Marino," Jati president Datuk Hasan Ali told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today
"The diplomat has misused his immunity by interfering with matters of the country," added Hasan.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/perkasa-gives-ultimatum-to-vatican-envoy-apologise-or-get-out/
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Security forces regain control of Indonesia prison after riot that killed five people
12 July 2013
Hundreds of prisoners, including convicted terrorists, escaped from the prison where inmates set fires
Security forces regained control of a crowded prison in western Indonesia on Friday where inmates set fires and started a deadly riot that left five people dead and hundreds of prisoners, including convicted terrorists, on the loose, officials said.
About 500 policemen and 300 soldiers have been deployed around Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, where the riot broke out on Thursday night while fire brigades were battling the fires.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/security-forces-regain-control-of-indonesia-prison-after-riot-that-killed-five-people/article4908249.ece
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India
Minister wants special panel on terror cases against Muslims
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN | Jul 12, 2013
NEW DELHI: Union minority affairs minister Rahman Khan wants the government to form an all-powerful taskforce to monitor and review terror cases against Muslims, arguing that it is needed to ensure justice for "innocent Muslim youth" languishing in jails after being framed in terror cases.
Khan cited the example of the UK which, he said, has formed a task force under Prime Minister David Cameron to ensure there are no excesses in the crackdown on terror.
"It should be the highest body with powers to review terror cases," he told TOI, adding it would monitor the progress of cases to sift genuine ones from the trumped up cases. "I am finalizing the proposal and will soon write to the PM and Congress president Sonia Gandhi," Khan said.
Flagging the urgent need for supervision, Khan said many Muslim youth were languishing in jails for extended periods without chargesheets. "The existence of the panel will deter police from indiscriminate arrests in terror cases while ensuring that those arrested do get justice," he said.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Minister-wants-special-panel-on-terror-cases-against-Muslims/articleshow/21028043.cms
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Did 'Absolutely Right Thing' In 2002, Gujarat CM Says
PTI | Jul 12, 2013
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has said that he had done "absolutely right thing" in 2002 when the state was hit by riots and that an SIT set up by the Supreme Court had given him a "thoroughly clean chit".
In an interview to Reuters news agency at his official residence in Gandhinagar, the first since he was appointed the chief of BJP's election campaign committee in June, Modi was asked if it was frustrating when many people define him by 2002.
He responded by saying that he would feel guilty if he had done something wrong. "Everyone has their own view. Frustration comes when you think 'I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught.' That's not my case."
Asked if he regretted what had happened, the Gujarat strongman was quoted by Reuters as saying that the Supreme Court had created a Special Investigating Team which in its report had given him a "a thoroughly clean chit".
Asked if he regretted the violence, Modi compared his feelings to the occupant of a car involved in an accident. "If someone else is driving a car and we're sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will it be painful or not? Of course it is. If I'm a chief minister or not, I'm a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad."
Modi was asked if he had done the right thing in 2002. "Absolutely. However much brainpower the Supreme Being has given us, however much experience I've got, and whatever I had available in that situation and this is what the SIT had investigated," he replied.
Answering a question about being regarded as a polarising figure, Modi cited the example of Democrats and Republicans in the US to emphasise that polarisation was "democracy's basic nature".
'I am a Hindu nationalist'
Narendra Modi described himself as a "Hindu nationalist" because he was a born Hindu. "I am nationalist. I'm patriotic. Nothing is wrong. I am born Hindu. Nothing is wrong. So I'm a Hindu nationalist. So yes, you can say I'm a Hindu nationalist because I'm a born Hindu," he told the Reuters news agency.
Modi was asked as to who the “real Modi”--Hindu nationalist was or a pro-business chief minister? "As far as progressive, development, workaholic, whatever they say, this is what they are saying. So there's no contradiction between the two. It's one and the same image," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Did-absolutely-right-thing-in-2002-Narendra-Modi-says/articleshow/21037706.cms
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Another book on folk-songs of Manipuri Muslims released at Imphal
12 July 2013
Imphal: Writers’ Union, Manipur, the prominent literary body of the Manipuri Muslims, released a book, titled “Pangalgi Khunung Eshei Naina-Wareng,” compiled by M.M. Ahmed, on July 7, 2013 at the Conference Hall of Manipur Hindi Parishad Hall, Imphal. The book is a collection of articles on folk-song sung by the Manipuri Muslims in the days gone by.
The function was graced by former President of Manipur Sahitya Parishad, Imphal, B. Jayantakumar Sharma as Chief Guest and former President of Writers’ Union, Manipur, Mohd. Abdur Rahman as President. Some of the eminent writers and literary enthusiasts of the State attended the function.
Full report at:
http://twocircles.net/2013jul11/another_book_folksongs_manipuri_muslims_released_imphal.html
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Man Wearing Low-Waist Jeans in Masjids a Ramzan No-No
Peerzada Ashiq,
July 12, 2013
This Ramzan, religious authorities in Kashmir are tied up in knots over a piece of clothing — low-rise jeans.
Ramzan, the holy month during which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, started on Thursday, with many mosque-goers getting annoyed at the sight of people in low-rise jeans.
“When a man wearing low-waist jeans bows to pray in a mosque, he reveals his back. This goes against Islamic Tehzeeb,” said Jamaat-e-Islami spokesman Zahid Ali.
Ali is not the only religious figure who feels strongly about this. “The prayer remains incomplete in such clothes,” said Ghulam Rasool Hami, head of the Carvan-e-Islami.
Srinagar’s seminaries have even started campaigns on social networking sites against the practice of wearing revealing jeans to mosques. Priests are also thinking of addressing the concern through sermons.
Ghulam Rasool Malik of the Jamiat Ahle-Hadees said: “Covering one’s body from waist to the ankles is a must.”
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/jandk/In-Kashmir-low-rise-jeans-a-Ramzan-no-no/Article1-1091161.aspx
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Govt launches Urdu fonts for computer and mobiles
PTI | Jul 12, 2013
NEW DELHI: Ending dependence on Urdu fonts developed by Pakistan, India has developed its own fonts for use on personal computers and mobile phones, benefiting 15 crore Urdu speaking people in the country.
"We were thinking of this last many years and making effort to take Urdu language to people with help of technology. We have delivered it today. Urdu language is deep rooted in Indian culture. Indian history is connected with Urdu language. Inqilaab Zindabad slogan connected every one," telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal said here.
Developed under department of electronics and IT, these fonts would be available free of cost for public use.
The font has been developed in two categories-Naskh and Nastaaliq. Naksh, though cursive, is linear in nature. Each letter joins the next moving from right to left.
Nastaaliq font moves both from right to left and vertically from top to bottom with the 'nukte' or dots conforming to a strict placement order.
"We were using Urdu but being in India we were taking Pakistan's favour.
"We were using Urdu, Republic of Pakistan but from today when we will install this Urdu font it will appear as Urdu India," National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language director Khwaja Mohammed Ikram said.
He said globally there are 30 crore Urdu speaking people while India alone has 15 crore of them.
The fonts launched today are compatible Microsoft and Android platform.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Govt-launches-Urdu-fonts-for-computer-and-mobiles/articleshow/21041057.cms
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Next India-Pak conflict could be in Afghanistan: Blackwill
PTI | Jul 12, 2013
WASHINGTON: Asserting that there has been no change in the attitude and policy of Pakistani military towards India, a former American diplomat has said the next frontier of conflict between the two nations could be Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan is going to be in mess after we leave. India's equity are now deeply engaged in Afghanistan and danger is that the next frontier of India-Pak conflict is going to be in Afghanistan," said Robert Blackwill, the former US Ambassador to India said.
Speaking at the "Ambassadors Roundtable" involving five American envoys to India in the last two decades, Blackwill said "there is no evidence that Pakistan military has changed its view" that its primary role is to prevent the rise of India nation.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Next-India-Pak-conflict-could-be-in-Afghanistan-Blackwill/articleshow/21028403.cms
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Muslims in India unjustly profiled, rights advocate says
July 12, 2013
A human rights advocate has called for an end to racial profiling of Muslims in India, Press TV reports.
Zafar Agha, member of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) said in an interview with Press TV that Indian Muslims have long been unjustly profiled as terrorists and held in prolonged detention in the name of fighting terror.
“Historically speaking, the primary factor and one of the reasons for which Muslims have suffered has been the partition. It’s a tragic fact that those Muslims who stayed back in India, they were blamed for the partition in 1947. That created a sort of a mindset within the system that it started discriminating against the Muslims,” Agha stated.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/12/313445/muslims-in-india-unjustly-profiled/
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Monsoon season threatens Rohingya Muslim refugees in India
July 12, 2013
India’s encroaching monsoon season threatens thousands of persecuted Rohingya Muslim refugees who are living in camps and poor conditions, Press TV reports.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe” as displaced Rohingya Muslims face the threat of monsoon floods in Myanmar and India.
“We are living here. That’s the only benefit we have after fleeing Myanmar. Our condition is terrible. The weather hasn’t been kind to us. The rain lashes our plastic shelter in the middle of the night and we can’t do anything about it. It’s our life,” a refugee told Press TV.
Experts predicted that more than 60,000 Rohingya Muslims remain in flood-prone areas and makeshift shelters in the rainy Asiatic region.
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/12/313433/india-monsoon-threatens-rohingya-refugees/
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North America
Lawyer says teenage US terror suspect autistic
AP | Jul 12, 2013
BAY SHORE, New York: A young New York man caught boarding a plane on his way to Yemen to fight with an al-Qaida affiliate is a teenager who was diagnosed with autism and didn't understand the gravity of what he was doing, his attorney told The Associated Press.
Justin Kaliebe, 18, pleaded guilty in a secret federal court proceeding in February to a charge of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization. He was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before he is sentenced Sept. 27. His condition could be considered in determining his sentence. He faces up to 30 years in prison.
"Justin Kaliebe is a gentle, misguided, autistic teenager who does not have the ability to fully understand the magnitude and consequences of his actions," defense attorney Anthony La Pinta said in a statement to the AP.
La Pinta, who joined the defense team after the guilty plea was entered, said he has medical documents showing that Kaliebe was diagnosed with autism as a young child, but he would not release them.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Lawyer-says-teenage-US-terror-suspect-autistic/articleshow/21029969.cms
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U.S. lawmakers could ease ‘coup’ ban on aid to Egypt
12 July 2013
U.S. lawmakers will begin to vote as soon as next week on legislation that could continue aid to Egypt even if the Obama administration determines that the ouster of elected President Mohammed Mursi was a military coup, lawmakers and aides said on Thursday.
The United States sends $1.3 billion in military aid and $250 million in economic aid to Egypt each year, but the military coup label would cut off the flow under a U.S. law dating to the 1980s.
As a result, the White House and State Department have so far refused to characterize Mursi’s ouster as a coup, with administration officials often resorting to verbal gymnastics to avoid using the word.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/12/U-S-lawmakers-could-ease-coup-ban-on-aid-to-Egypt.html
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PML-N govt good for Afghan peace, says US
ANWAR IQBAL
12 July 2013
WASHINGTON: The new government in Pakistan with a clear majority in parliament also presents an opportunity for promoting the Afghan peace process, a senior US official said on Thursday.
James Dobbins, US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, also told a Senate hearing that the United States would reach an agreement with Afghanistan for keeping some American troops there after 2014 when the Nato combat missions ended.
“Without an agreement on our presence in Afghanistan, we would not remain. But we do not believe that that's the likely outcome of these negotiations,” he said.
Ambassador Dobbins acknowledged that Pakistan had recently become more cooperative in advancing the Afghan reconciliation process and hoped that this cooperation would increase.
“We do see an opportunity with the new civilian government with a clear mandate and majority in parliament,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1028450/pml-n-govt-good-for-afghan-peace-says-us
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Microsoft gave NSA access to spy on Skype users
12 July 2013
Microsoft has collaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users’ communications to be intercepted, including helping the National Security Agency to circumvent the company’s own encryption, according to top-secret documents obtained by The Guardian.
Files provided by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor, illustrate the scale of co-operation between Silicon Valley and intelligence agencies in the last three years. They also shed new light on workings of the top-secret Prism programme, which was disclosed by The Guardian and the Washington Post last month.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/microsoft-gave-nsa-access-to-spy-on-skype-users/article4908099.ece
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Pentagon report says Iran may develop nukes that could reach the US by 2015
12 July 2013
US intelligence agencies have assessed that as early as 2015, Iran will be set to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), that has the capability to strike the United States, a released Pentagon report states.
"Iran has ambitious ballistic missile and space launch development programs and continues to attempt to increase the range, lethality, and accuracy of its ballistic missile force," the report says.
"Iran could develop and test an ICBM capable of reaching the United States by 2015."
The US Department of Defense assessment was compiled by The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, together with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center and the Office of Naval Intelligence.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/International/Pentagon-report-says-Iran-nukes-to-reach-US-in-2015-319631
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Arab World
New attacks in Iraq kill 24 Shias, 5 policemen
AP | Jul 12, 2013
BAGHDAD: New attacks on Iraqi Shias killed at least 24 people while assaults Friday against policemen killed five, officials said, as insurgents press their campaign to exacerbate the country's renewed sectarian tensions.
In one of the attacks on Shias, a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden motorcycle into a funeral tent for a Shia family in the town of in Muqdadiyah, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, officials said.
The late Thursday evening explosion killed 13 people and wounded 24, the officials said.
In the northern town of Dujail, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Baghdad, a parked car bomb went off outside a Shia mosque late on Thursday. As people gathered around the blast site, another bomb went off.
The twin bombing killed at least 11 people and wounded 25, said the town mayor, Nayif al-Khazrachi. Two medical officials confirmed the casualty figures.
The two attacks raised the overall death toll Thursday from a series of attacks, which included assaults on police stations in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah west of Baghdad, to 40.
Sunni cleric Salah al-Nuaimi urged calm among Iraqis during a joint Sunni-Shia Friday sermon in Baghdad aimed at easing sectarian tensions.
"Enough is enough," al-Nuaimi told worshippers at a Baghdad mosque. "We all love Iraq, we are all Iraqis and we want to be united, we want to stop the bloodletting, develop and build Iraq."
"Stop fighting, we have had enough of bombings. We want to agree on one word, we want to worship inside mosques comfortably," he added.
But attacks continued on Friday.
A suicide car bomber struck a police patrol outside the northern city of Mosul, killing four policemen, a police officer and a medical official said. Mosul is 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of the Iraqi capital.
And outside the northern city of Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, drive-by shooters armed with pistols fitted with silencers killed a senior police officer. The attack took place in the town Shirqat, a police officer said.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.
The killings are the latest in a wave of bloodshed that has claimed the lives of more than 2,600 people since the start of April.
The months-long eruption of violence Iraq's worst in half a decade is raising fears the country is again returning to the brink of a civil war pitting its Sunni and Shia Muslim sects against one another
On Wednesday, gunmen launched an assault on an army checkpoint and special oil industry police assigned to protect a nearby pipeline in the western Iraqi desert, killing at least 14 troops there.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the latest attacks but al-Qaida's Iraq branch, which has been gaining strength in recent months, frequently targets Shias, security forces and civil servants in an effort to undermine the Shia-led government in Baghdad.
According to the United Nations mission to Iraq, violence in June alone claimed the lives of 761 Iraqis and wounded 1,771 others.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/New-attacks-in-Iraq-kill-24-Shias-5-policemen/articleshow/21039658.cms
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Egypt’s young Brotherhoods break away from old leadership
12 July 2013
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood suddenly fell from grace last week after decades of underground work to reach the heavens. Today, the mighty movement appears to have begun a phase of disintegration, or renewal as some would argue.
More than 500 young Brotherhoods have decided to break away from the group, holding its senior hawkish leaders responsible for what they see as its failure.
The young members of the group have established a movement they called “Brotherhood without Violence,” seeking to steer the group back onto a course drawn for it by its founder Hassan al-Banna.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/12/Egypt-s-young-Brotherhoods-break-away-from-old-leadership-.html
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Syrian rebels receive weapons from Arab states
12 July 2013
Syrian rebels say they have received weapons from Arab countries that could change the balance of power on the ground, Al Arabiya TV reported Thursday.
The weapons are enabling the Free Syrian Army to launch counterattacks against regime forces, Al Arabiya TV added.
The new supplies have played an “important” role in consolidating the rebel presence in the northern province of Aleppo, the southern province of Deraa, and the western province of Homs, opposition sources said.
Meanwhile, Salim Idriss, head of FSA’s military command, said that the new weapons have allowed the rebel army to “destroy more than 90 armored vehicles for Syrian regime.”
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/11/Syrian-rebels-receive-weapons-from-Arab-states-.html
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Egypt may disband Muslim Brotherhood
July 12, 2013
Egypt on Thursday said it may disband the Muslim Brotherhood if a probe finds that the previously outlawed Islamist group stored weapons in its headquarters. The Insurance and Social Affairs Ministry said that the General Department for Associations and the Management of Legal Affairs is
scheduled to hold a meeting within a maximum of 10 days in which they will consider whether the Muslim Brotherhood should be dissolved, the Egypt Independent reported quoting an official source from the ministry.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/africa/Egypt-may-disband-Muslim-Brotherhood/Article1-1091130.aspx
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Death toll from wave of Iraq violence rises to 51
12 July 2013
BAGHDAD: The toll from a wave of attacks in Iraq mainly targeting security forces and Shiites rose on Friday to 51 killed, 26 of them police and soldiers, security officials and doctors said.
Thursday's attacks came amid a surge in violence that has killed more than 2,500 people already this year, including upwards of 250 so far this month.
Analysts point to widespread discontent among Iraq's minority Sunni community, and the Shiite authorities' failure to address their grievances, as the main factors driving the increase in violence.
Full report at:
http://dawn.com/news/1028495/death-toll-from-wave-of-iraq-violence-rises-to-51
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UAE sends date to different Islamic centres Europe
July 12, 2013
Geneva: The Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates in Geneva, Switzerland has supervised the distribution of the The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KZ)’s dates to a number of Islamic centres in Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, Neuchatel and Lucerne, in addition to a number of mosques in the French areas adjacent to Geneva.
The Muslim communities in Switzerland and in the neighbouring French areas of Geneva expressed their thanks and gratitude for the generous initiative of the UAE leadership and people.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/uae-sends-date-to-different-islamic-centres-europe-1.1208298
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Qatar and Saudi Arabia fight media war
July 12, 2013
Beirut: Successful in more ways than many imagined during the past decade, especially through its full-fledged support to the immensely influential Al Jazeera television network, the Qatari quest for regional leadership suffered significant setbacks as the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and elsewhere, altered Doha’s maverick policies.
In fact, Qatar lost ground to Saudi Arabia, whose views were articulated on Al Arabiya and other Saudi-owned networks, precisely because Riyadh showed patience.
Consequently, it was safe to post that the waning in Qatari diplomacy, ostensibly articulated through powerful media outlets and support to key Islamist movements, was neither accidental nor unexpected.
Full report at:
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-and-saudi-arabia-fight-media-war-1.1208035
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Money, guns flowing from Kuwait to Syria's most radical rebel factions
By Jamie Dettmer
July 11, 2013
BEIRUT – Syrian rebels have a new source of weapons and cash from inside Kuwait, and their benefactors in the oil-rich state are sending the aid to the most militant and anti-West factions involved in the fight to topple Bashar al-Assad.
The role of Saudi and Qatari governments and individuals in the funding and arming of Islamist fighters in Syria has been well known since the civil war began more than two years ago. But now, guns and money are flowing from private sources and Salafist-controlled NGOs based in Kuwait, and they are going to rebel factions aligned with Al Qaeda.
“We are collecting money to buy all these weapons, so that our brothers will be victorious,” hard-core Sunni Islamist Sheikh Shafi' Al-Ajami announced on Kuwaiti television last month, listing the black-market prices of weapons, including heat-seeking missiles, anti-aircraft guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
Full report at:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/11/money-guns-flowing-from-kuwait-to-syria-most-radical-rebel-factions/#ixzz2YpkTr7tl
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Egypt to investigate Morsi for 2011 jailbreak
July 12, 2013
Prosecutors will investigate allegations that Egypt's ousted president escaped from prison during the 2011 revolution with help from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, officials said. Chief prosecutor Hesham Barakat has received testimony from a court in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia
that will be the base for an investigation by state security prosecutors into the jailbreak by Mohammed Morsi and more than 30 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Africa/Egypt-to-investigate-Morsi-for-2011-jailbreak/Article1-1091292.aspx
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Key Free Syria Army rebel 'killed by Islamist group'
12 July 2013
A senior member of the Free Syrian Army is reported to have been killed by a rival rebel group linked to al-Qaeda.
Kamal Hamami, of the group's Supreme Military Council, was meeting members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant "to discuss battle plans".
A Free Syrian Army spokesman said he received a call from the group saying they had killed Kamal Hamami.
It is part of an escalating struggle within the armed uprising between moderates and Islamists.
The BBC's Paul Wood says a civil war within a civil war is building within the opposition as the two sides engage in a battle that is partly over the spoils and partly ideological.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23283079
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New front opens in Syria as rebels say Al-Qaeda attack means war
July 12, 2013
BEIRUT: The assassination of a top Free Syrian Army commander by militants linked to al Qaeda is tantamount to a declaration of war, FSA rebels on Friday, opening a new front between Western-backed forces and Islamists in Syria's civil war.
The announcement is the latest sign of disarray in the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has regained the upper hand more than two years into an insurgency that grew out of Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests.
It follows growing rivalries between the FSA and the Islamists, who have sometimes joined forces on the battlefield, and coincides with attempts by the Western and Arab-backed FSA to allay fears any U.S.-supplied arms might reach al Qaeda.
Full report at:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jul-12/223414-new-front-opens-in-syria-as-rebels-say-al-qaeda-attack-means-war.ashx#ixzz2Ys6Jn3wz
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How Egyptian Islamists are manipulating the media
12 July 2013
The Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of gross distortions of the truth in its TV and social-media broadcasts, with some of its messages constituting what one commentator called “a big lie”.
Both mainstream media and social channels like Facebook and Twitter became battlegrounds between opposing sides in the unrest that led up to the ouster of Egypt’s Mohammad Mursi.
Critics point to the distortions of the truth made by Muslim Brotherhood-linked media, while accusations of bias have been leveled against Al Jazeera, just as others have attacked channels such as Al Arabiya and CNN for their coverage.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/2013/07/10/Revealed-How-Egyptian-Islamists-are-manipulating-the-media.html
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Jordan relieved at ‘downfall’ of Egypt Islamists
12 July 2013
Jordan breathed a sigh of relief when Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood president was ousted because of the influence of its own opposition Islamists who have pressed for reforms, analysts say.
King Abdullah II and the government were quick to congratulate Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court Adly Mansour hours after he was declared caretaker president by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following Mohammed Mursi’s ouster on July 3, stressing support for “the will and choice of the great Egyptian people.”
“Jordan swiftly and clearly welcomed the ouster of Mursi. Just like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Jordan has a problem with the Muslim Brotherhood,” analyst Oraib Rintawi, who heads the Amman-based Al-Quds Center for Political Studies, told AFP.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2013/07/12/Analysis-Jordan-relieved-at-downfall-of-Egypt-Islamists.html
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Mideast
Israel attacks possibility of Iran, Syria joining UN Human Rights Council
12 July 2013
Israel on Thursday attacked Iran and Syria’s planned bid for a spot on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“Its like placing a mob boss in charge of the witness protection program,” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York Ron Prosor said on Thursday.
He added that for the UN, this was “a new Guinness Record.”
UN diplomats told Reuters on Wednesday that Syria and Iran plan to run for open seats on the council’s 47-member body, despite criticism from watchdog groups about widespread rights abuses in both countries.
The General Assembly’s annual elections for the Geneva- based Human Rights Council will be held later this year in New York. There will be 14 seats available for three-year terms beginning in January 2014.
From the so-called Asia group, which includes the Middle East and Asia, seven countries – China, Iran, Jordan, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam – are vying for four seats, UN diplomats said on condition of anonymity.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Israel-attacks-possibility-of-Iran-Syria-joining-UN-Human-Rights-Council-319583
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Exiles claim Iran building underground nuclear site
12 July 2013
PARIS: An exiled opposition group said yesterday it had obtained information about a secret underground nuclear site under construction in Iran, without specifying what kind of atomic activity it believed would be carried out there.
The dissident National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and a heavy water facility at Arak in 2002. But analysts say it has a mixed track record and a clear political agenda.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/457769
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Ramadan series ‘Khaybar’ is a battle cry against Jews
12 July 2013
During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until dusk, after which they eat and many enjoy television shows made especially for the holiday.
Arab TV satellite channels are airing a series this year called Khaybar, referring to the Muslim massacre of the Jews of the town of that name in northwestern Arabia in 628 CE.
After the attack, some Muslims, including Muhammad, took surviving women as wives.
The Muslim conquerors charged the Jews a 50 percent tax on their crops and in 637, after Muhammad’s death, the Caliph Omar expelled the remaining Jews from Khaybar.
In Islamic tradition, the chant “Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud,” which means, “Jews, remember Khaybar, the army of Muhammad is returning,” is used as a battle cry when attacking Jews or Israelis.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Ramadan-Series-Khaybar-re-enforces-anti-Semitic-stereotypes-319568
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Influential Gazan editor of ‘Al-Quds Al-Arabi’ quits
12 July 2013
Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor in chief of the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, announced his resignation on Wednesday.
“I have written my daily editorials on the pages of Al-Quds Al- Arabi for more than a quarter of a century, but this particular journalistic journey has arrived at its final station,” he wrote in a farewell article.
Atwan is an Arab nationalist, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel and anti-US writer.
For example, The Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying on Lebanese TV on June 27, 2007, “If the Iranian missiles strike Israel, by Allah, I will go to Trafalgar Square and dance with delight.”
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Influential-Gazan-editor-of-Al-Quds-Al-Arabi-quits-319604
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Turkey a critical ally in the region, says US envoy
12 July 2013
President Barack Obama’s choice as chief American envoy for Europe said yesterday that the U.S. alliance and relationship with Turkey “is critical not only for the Eurasian space but also in all the work that we’re doing now in the Middle East and North Africa.”
Appearing for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Victoria Nuland answered a question about the Cyprus issue as well.
“Today, we have a real chance to capitalize on changing attitudes and circumstances to address the 40-year-old division of Cyprus,” she said.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-a-critical-ally-in-the-region-says-us-envoy.aspx?pageID=238&nID=50562&NewsCatID=358
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Turkey lawmaker shocks with sexist comments to female journalists at Parliament
12 July 2013
A lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) caused indignation after lashing out with sexist comments to female reporters at Parliament in Ankara July 11.
Zeyid Aslan, who had previously sparked outrage after he insulted and swore at a main opposition deputy two months ago, became enraged after a woman reporter told him that a picture taken while he was sleeping in the Parliament's garden had been printed in a daily newspaper.
Aslan went to the table, where other reporters, all women, were sitting and told them that he would do everything he could to ban their entry to Parliament.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ruling-akp-lawmaker-shocks-with-sexist-comments-to-female-journalists-at-parliament.aspx?pageID=238&nID=50546&NewsCatID=338
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Israel military detains 5-year-old Palestinian for 'stone throwing'
11 July 2013
An Israeli human rights group accused the army on Thursday of illegally detaining a 5-year-old Palestinian boy for throwing a stone in a flashpoint city in the occupied West Bank.
Video footage taken by the group B'Tselem of Tuesday's incident showed Wadi Maswadeh crying as he was surrounded by soldiers on a street in Hebron. He was then made to board a military jeep accompanied by a Palestinian adult.
The images, aired on Israeli media, looked likely to stoke debate about policy in the West Bank, where the army guards Jewish settlers. There is often friction with Palestinians, who have limited self-government but have been frustrated in their hopes of gaining statehood.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/07/11/Israel-military-detains-5-year-old-Palestinian-for-stone-throwing-.html
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Africa
Somalia: Shirdon Urges Al-Shabaab to Renounce Violence During Ramadan
11 JULY 2013
Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon called on al-Shabaab members to renounce violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Somalia's Jowhar reported Wednesday (July 10th).
Returning to Mogadishu from a two-day visit to assess security in Baidoa, Shirdon reiterated the federal government's policy of amnesty for youth who give up terrorist activities and surrender to the security forces.
"Today more than ever, Ramadan brings us together as one country, united with our brothers and sisters across the Muslim world," he said in a statement released by his office. "We should use this time to consider how much stronger we are together, how unity is always more powerful than division, how together we can build a secure and successful Somalia from the ashes of war."
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201307120203.html
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Maid beheads 10-year-old Syrian girl
12 July 2013
An Ethiopian maid beheaded a 10-year-old Syrian girl in her sleep yesterday, local media reported.
The dead girl was found when members of the Syrian family woke up. The maid was caught trying to escape.
A member of the family told the newspaper the maid had worked for the family for a month and a half.
The unmarried maid, in her late 20s, was sent by her Saudi sponsor to work for the family because he was traveling and did not need her, said the relative.
The relative said the family was known for its kindness and treated the maid well.
He said that the young victim had memorized half of the Holy Qur'an and started praying regularly from the age of seven.
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Tanzania: Gender Based Violence Suppresses Human Rights
BY MEDDY MULISA, 12 JULY 2013
Bukoba — GENDER-based violence (GBV) is a serious problem that limits the ability of men, women and children to enjoy their basic human rights and fundamental freedom.
Gender violence, broken marriages, poverty and lack of child spacing are among the factors that force children to the streets at tender age. The Kagera Regional Community Development Officer, Rebecca Gwambasa was reacting to a report that the number of street children and those living in vulnerable condition in Kagera Region increased from 97,700 during 2011 to over 140,000 last year, calling for concerted efforts to assist them.
"GBV is rooted in gender inequality and gender norms, often serving to reinforce gender inequality at different levels. Women's subordinate social, economic, and legal status often makes it difficult for them to get help once violence occurs," she said.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201307120866.html
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Nigeria: Ceasefire Announced Amidst Deteriorating Humanitarian Situation
BY LAGUN AKINLOYE, 11 JULY 2013
With a deepening crisis in the North, reports of a Boko Haram ceasefire could prove to be momentous.
A shaky ceasefire between the Nigerian government and the Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been announced by figures from both sides. Despite the possible reduction in hostilities, the Nigerian government's emergency rule in three states most effected by the conflict will continue.
Tanimu Turaki, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Restoration of Peace in the North-East, announced on radio that "Boko Haram will lay down their arms as part of the agreement so as to end the insurgency", and that the "Government agreed with the ceasefire".
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201307111475.html?viewall=1
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistani-taliban-bans-men-wearing/d/12572