Mon Sep 16 2024, 01:44 AM

Islamic World News ( 27 March 2016, NewAgeIslam.Com)

Pope Tempers Easter Sunday Message With Denunciation of Terror

New Age Islam News Bureau

27 March 2016

Pope Francis gave the traditional papal Easter address in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, on Sunday. PHOTO: L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

---------

• England: Buckinghamshire County Museum to Host Display of Islamic Art

• ISIL Terrorists, Families Fleeing Palmyra

• 53 Militants Including ISIS Loyalists Join Peace Process In East Of Afghanistan

Europe

• Belgium Attack Victim Had Warned Against Demonizing Muslims

• UK tabloid censured over story of Muslims' IS support

• Belgian riot police called after peace march cancelled

-----

North America

• Edmonton Mosque in Canada Holds Special Prayers for Belgium Bombing Victims

• Canadian Muslim: Imam Reza Holy Shrine Is Manifestation of Islamic History, Culture

• US Islamic Centre in Arizona Hosts 'Meet a Muslim' Event

• Ted Cruz has already won: His absurd plan to police Muslims is already happening

• Obama condemns attempts to "stigmatize" Muslims in wake of Brussels attacks

------

Arab World

• ISIL Terrorists, Families Fleeing Palmyra

• FSA Drives out Rival Terrorists from Key Region in Dara'a Province

• Syrian Army Pushes Back ISIL Further, Comes Very Close to Palmyra Airport

• Clamoring for War: Belgium Airstrikes Cannot Remove ISIL

• Syrian Army Wins Back Strategic Regions in Homs, Cuts ISIL's Raqqa-Palmyra Supply Route

• Kurdish Forces Win Back Key Village in Raqqa Province

---

South Asia

• 53 Militants Including ISIS Loyalists Join Peace Process In East Of Afghanistan

• ISIS Militants among 46 Killed In Latest Clearance Operations: MoD

• 11 ISIS Loyalists Including a Foreigner Killed In Nangarhar Airstrike

• Taliban commander among several killed or wounded in Nuristan airstrike

• Afghan forces retake full control of Khanshin district in Helmand

• Infiltrated soldier returns to battalion after killing two Taliban in Faryab

• Taliban kills provincial judge in Afghanistan

• NDS seize 118 weapons with over 20,000 ammunition rounds in Parwan

• Gen. Dostum and Ata Mohammad Noor supporters end tensions in Faryab

---

Pakistan

• ATC Declares Altaf, Other MQM Leaders Proclaimed Offenders

• Saudi Arabia Executes Pakistani Convicted Of Murder

• At Least Three Dead after Explosion in Lahore's Gulshan-I-Iqbal Park

• Singer-turned-evangelist, Junaid Jamshed assaulted by charged crowd at Islamabad airport

• Rouhani denies discussing 'RAW's involvement in Balochistan' with Pakistani leadership

• Accord with Iran to boost trade, energy ties

• Arrested 'RAW agent' trained separatists to target Pakistani ports: security official

-----

Africa

• Lawyers of Islamic Movement in Nigeria declare terms of JCI hypocritical as they pull out

-----

Mideast

• Gov’t to Speed up Process for New Constitution with Presidential System: PM

• Turkey Hits ISIL Positions in Northern Iraq after Turkish Soldier Killed

• Turkey, Jordan boost ties amid Syrian crisis

-------

India

• Team of Investigators Probing Pathankot Attack Arrives In New Delhi

• PM Modi likely to meet Nawaz Sharif in Washington DC on March 31

----

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pope-tempers-easter-sunday-message/d/106772

-----

Pope Tempers Easter Sunday Message With Denunciation of Terror

By DEBORAH BALL

March 27, 2016

In his Easter Sunday address to the world, Pope Francis launched a message of hope for strife-torn nations in the Middle East and Africa, while denouncing “blind and brutal” violence wrought by terrorists and decrying counties who refuse “welcome and assistance” for migrants and refugees.

In his twice yearly “Urbi et Orbi” address, Pope Francis capped a Holy Week that has unfolded in the shadow of the terrorist attacks in Belgium, a deadly assault in an Iraqi stadium and deep discord over the fate of tens of thousands of migrants stranded in the Balkans and Greece.

“Our world is full of persons suffering in body and spirit, even as the daily news is full of stories of brutal crimes which often take place within homes, and large-scale armed conflicts which cause indescribable suffering to entire peoples,” said the pope.

Throughout this year’s Holy Week ceremonies, Pope Francis has used powerful words and gestures to denounce terrorism and war, while at the same time expressing faith in the power of interreligious dialogue to stop violence and heal divisions. The 79-year-old pontiff has been unwavering in his faith in the power of dialogue with Islam, once saying he would be willing to speak with Islamic State terrorists in the name of peace.

On Holy Thursday, the pope traveled to a migrant reception center outside of Rome to perform the traditional Holy Thursday feet-washing ceremony. The pope washed the feet of eight men and four women, including Eritrean Coptic Christians, Nigerian Catholics, a Hindu man from India and three Muslims from Pakistan, Mali and Syria. “We are children of the same God, who want to live in peace,” he said.

During Good Friday services in Rome—which took place under heavy security—the pope used strong language to decry terrorism, alluding to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in recalling “our sisters and brothers killed, burned alive, throats slit and decapitated by barbarous blades amid cowardly silence.”

He blasted “terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions that profane the name of God and that use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence.”

In his “Urbi et Orbi” address on Sunday, Pope Francis recalled not only the assault this week in Brussels that killed 28 people, but also attacks in Turkey, Nigeria and other African countries. He prayed for the success of ongoing talks to broker a solution to the Syrian war and for peace in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

Even while he offered a grim inventory of violence and suffering, much of the pope’s address on Sunday morning was imbued with hope. “Weapons of love” can bring salvation “before the spiritual and moral abysses of mankind,” he said.

The pope dedicated a lengthy passage to the plight of migrants, a deeply divisive issue in Europe, where a number of countries have closed their borders to keep the new arrivals out and where migrant aid groups and some politicians have blasted a new agreement to detain migrants, including Syrian refugees, arriving in Greece and return them to Turkey. Pope Francis has frequently called for national leaders to open their doors to the migrants, a stance that has earned him some criticism from anti-immigration politicians.

During Good Friday prayers, Pope Francis said “the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas…have become insatiable cemeteries, reflections of our indifferent and anesthetized conscience.” On Sunday, he recalled “ever more numerous throngs of migrants and refugees—including many children—fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice.

“All too often, these brothers and sisters of ours meet along the way with death or, in any event, rejection by those who could offer them welcome and assistance,” said the Argentina-born pontiff.

During his appearances in the past week, the pope also reiterated his concern for the destruction of the environment, criticized corrupt public officials and denounced arms dealers—all frequent themes of his papacy.

The ceremonies this week have unfolded amid tight security, which has been stepped up after terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels and in the wake of public threats by Islamic State members to attack the Vatican. But the pope delighted the crowd assembled under sunny skies Sunday morning when he toured St. Peter’s Square in his open-topped popemobile.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-celebrates-easter-sunday-mass-amid-tight-security-1459073447

-------

Edmonton Mosque in Canada Holds Special Prayers for Belgium Bombing Victims

March 26, 2016

Slowly, the worshippers in the packed building joined their voices with their imam.

Together, as their voices swelled, they prayed for those in Brussels.

One of the voices belonged to Nudrat Mansoor.

Humanity comes before religion. Humanity comes before all else," said Mansoor. "You're not a good person following a faith if you're not loyal to other humans."

"So we prayed, we had tears in our eyes, we cared for those people who lost family members."

Mansoor — president of the mosque's women's association — says the vigil was organized to honour those lost in the bombing in Belgium and to condemn the attack.

"Peace was the main concern and today, we wanted our youth to know that whatever happens you can't be sitting quietly and not doing anything about it," she said.

The back-to-back bombings left 31 people dead and hundreds injured.

Mansoor said events like this provoke fear and distrust against Muslims. She feels it is important for those in the mosque, especially young members, to engage with the community about their religion when events like this happen.

Mohyuddin Mirza said as a Muslim community in Edmonton, they are always concerned about what goes on globally in the name of Islam.

"That is not the Islam that we preach and that we practice," said Mirza, an outreach director with the mosque.

"We strongly want to condemn this action and let Edmontonians and people around the world know that what they're doing is not Islamic. Such an act should be condemned at every level."

Mirza said there has been a backlash every time an attack happens. People have called the mosque leaving negative messages on their machines. Those at the mosque confront the callers with friendliness and attempt to talk to them about Islam, he said.

He is left depressed when people use the faith he holds so dear to justify violence, but he knows he has to take a stand.

"After some time, rationality comes in and [overtakes] the depression and I have to fight back with my knowledge."

Meanwhile, Mansoor feels the only way to overcome terrorists and attacks like the one in Brussels is by banding together, regardless of race, religion or any other factor.

"When we are strong – when we are together, then nobody can make that hole between us."

http://en.abna24.com/service/america/archive/2016/03/26/743265/story.html

----

ISIL Terrorists, Families Fleeing Palmyra

Mar 26, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA) - Military sources reported on Saturday that a large number of terrorists and their families are fleeing the ISIL stronghold city of Palmyra (Tadmur) as the Syrian army troops alongside popular forces are only inches away from a major conquest and winning the ancient city.

Battlefield sources said the ISIL Takfiri terrorists are in such a rush that they have "left behind their dead and wounded friends and fled their positions in Palmyra".

The ISIL's mass escape comes as the Syrian army continues its advances towards Palmyra city center from the Western side of the ancient city where they could penetrate the ISIL's defense lines on Wednesday and made a headway in bloody clashes with the terrorists.

In a relevant development on Saturday, the Syrian army and popular forces seized control over the terrorists' vital line of supply to the West and Southwest of Palmyra.

The army units took full control of ISIL's Quaryatayn-Palmyra supply route in a bid to prevent flow of supplies to the ISIL terrorists in the Western and Southwestern parts of Palmyra.

The ISIL's logistic and supply routes from the West and Southwestern parts of Palmyra are disconnected now.

The Syrian army also managed to disconnect Quaryatayn and Palmyra from each other by taking full control over the Quaryatayn-Palmyra highway.

The Syrian army's special troops known as Tiger Forces are engaged in heavy fighting with the ISIL Takfiri terrorists in the streets of the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in the Eastern part of Homs province.

The ISIL terrorists are trying hard to prevent the Syrian army from making further advances in Palmyra city as the street battle between the two sides is intensifying.

The ISIL militants have sustained heavy casualties and losses in fierce clashes with the Syrian army in recent days.

The Syrian army has made considerable advances in the areas near Palmyra city and taken full control of a strategic ancient castle near the Palmyra city.

On Friday, the Syrian government forces and Desert Falcons fighters gained control over a strategically important height near Palmyra.

The Syrian Army and Desert Falcons on Friday won another battle in Eastern Homs after hours of fierce clashes with the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

The Syrian soldiers and their allies have pushed back the Takfiri terrorists in the region near the ancient city of Palmyra, and captured the Qalaat Fakhr ad-Din al-Maani Castle, known as the "Palmyra Castle".

The Syrian army soldiers and their allies have kept on marching on militant-held regions in Eastern Homs province in recent days to capture the strategic city of Palmyra which has been under the control of the ISIL since May 2015.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950107000502

----

53 Militants Including ISIS Loyalists Join Peace Process In East Of Afghanistan

By GHANIZADA - Sun Mar 27 2016

Scores of anti-government armed militants have joined peace process in the restive eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, local officials said Sunday.

Provincial governor Salim Khan Kunduzi said 53 militants including four commanders leading the militants surrendered to the Afghan government by renouncing violence.

He said 43 of the militants were fighting in Taliban group’s ranks and 10 others were affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

Welcoming the militants decision to join peace process, Kunduzi called on other militant groups to renounce violence and join peace process.

One of the militants who joined peace process said he was previously working for the Taliban group and later joined the ISIS ranks but he said he never knew who was leading the ISIS loyalists in Afghanistan.

He said the majority of ISIS loyalists are comprised of foreigners mainly Pakistani nationals who are busy with training of the militants in Afghanistan.

This comes as the loyalists of the ISIS terror group received major setbacks in eastern Nangarhar province during the recent months as a result of the mounting airstrikes by US forces and ground operations by the Afghan forces.

Meanwhile, it is believed that the loyalists of the terror group are looking to shift the area of their operations from Nangahar to eastern Kunar province in a bid to escape the ongoing operations.

http://www.khaama.com/53-militants-including-isis-loyalists-join-peace-process-in-east-of-afghanistan-0450

----

Europe

Belgium Attack Victim Had Warned Against Demonizing Muslims

Mar 26, 2016

A woman killed in Tuesday's bombing in Brussels had warned four months earlier that demonizing Muslims would help drive recruitment of extremists.

Sascha Pinczowski posted on Facebook after the November Paris attacks that "Ignorant spreading of anti-Muslim sentiment and propaganda does nothing but benefit ISIS."

The 26-year-old Pinczowski was a Dutch national living in New York. She and her brother, Alexander, were among those killed in Brussels.

Pinczowski's Nov. 16 Facebook post was reposted by her mother, Marjan Pinczowski Fasbender.

The mother wrote that she wanted to share "this message of tolerance from our Dear Daughter Sascha."

The private Facebook post was provided to The Associated Press by James Cain, whose daughter, Cameron, was engaged to Alexander Pinczowski.

He is serving as a spokesman for the family.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/belgium-attack-victim-warned-demonizing-muslims-37951115

---

UK tabloid censured over story of Muslims' IS support

March 27, 2016

London (AFP) - Britain's press regulator on Saturday censured Rupert Murdoch's The Sun tabloid for a "significantly misleading" story claiming one in five British Muslims sympathise with jihadist fighters.

The ruling on the front-page story from November comes amid heightened community tensions following the Brussels attacks this week claimed by the Islamic State group, which left 31 people dead.

The mass-selling daily claimed an exclusive poll revealed "1 in 5 Brit Muslims' sympathy for jihadis", and published a picture of Mohammed Emwazi, the British IS executioner known as Jihadi John, alongside the shock headline.

The story generated more than 3,000 complaints to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), most of them challenging the coverage on the grounds of accuracy.

A graph inside the paper clarified that five percent of those surveyed had a lot of sympathy, 14 percent had some sympathy and 71 percent had no sympathy with "young Muslims who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria".

Complainants argued that the question did not specifically mention the Islamic State group, and could include those fighting against IS jihadists.

The Sun had denied that the wording of its poll was ambiguous, saying that previous questions in the telephone survey had made explicit reference to the IS group.

IPSO noted that the paper had provided various interpretations of the poll result inside but concluded that "the coverage was significantly misleading".

The Sun published the adjudication on page 2 of the newspaper's Saturday edition as required by the regulator.

http://news.yahoo.com/uk-tabloid-censured-over-story-muslims-support-192058813.html

---

Muslim Man Arrested For Murder of 'Pakistani Ahmadi' Shopkeeper in Glasgow

AFP |

LONDON: A day after a man believed to be an Ahmadi shopkeeper was killed in Glasgow, police arrested a Muslim man in connection with the murder.

Asad Shah, 40, was killed on Thursday night after he had posted messages on Facebook calling for religious harmony: "Good Friday and very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation."

Police arrested a 32-year-old Muslim man on Friday, and a spokeswoman said: "A full investigation is underway to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death which is being treated as religiously prejudiced."

Vigils were held on Friday night in memory of Shah who, media reports claim, was originally from Pakistan.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ahmadiyya community in the UK condemned the "completely brutal, horrific and unjustified attack".

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined a vigil for Shah outside his shop on Friday night, while locals gathered again on Saturday to pay tribute to a man they said was a pillar of the community.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248251/muslim-man-arrested-for-murder-of-pakistani-ahmadi-shopkeeper-in-glasgow

----

Belgian riot police called after peace march canceled

Mar 27, 2016 10:57 AM EDT

BRUSSELS - In a sign of the tensions in the Belgian capital and the way security services are stretched across the country, a planned "March Against Fear" in the city planned for Sunday was canceled at the interior minister's urging.

"We understand fully the emotions," Interior Minister Jan Jambon told reporters. "We understand that everyone wants to express these feelings."

But, he said, "we invite the citizens not to have this demonstration." Instead of a peace march, far right-wing demonstrators took to the streets of Brussels.

The BBC reports the self-described "fascists" tried to storm a central square in Brussels, where police beat them back with a water cannon. Photos quickly circulated after their arrival in the square of black-clad men trampling the makeshift memorial to victims of the terrorist attacks. The British news agency reports "the group confronted Muslim women in the crowds, made Nazi salutes and chanted."

White-helmeted riot police were involved in the attempt to control the right-wing protesters, which public broadcaster RTBF said numbered between 500 and 1,000.

Reuters reports Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the demonstrations.

"It is highly inappropriate that protesters have disrupted the peaceful reflection at the Bourse (stock exchange)," he said according to Belga news agency.

The mayor of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur, claimed the crowd was from other towns, in particular Antwerp, who came to the capital to provoke peaceful mourners, according to Reuters.

Much like in France after the Paris attacks, public interest in fiery far-right nationalistic populism has exploded in popularity. Vocativ reports Facebook likes for Vlaams Belang, the right-wing populist party from Flanders, has surged more than 3,000 percent.

Meanwhile, Belgium's government sought to contain criticism of its handling of the Brussels attacks on Sunday but acknowledged that neglect over decades had caused deficiencies that have hampered an effective response to violent extremism.

Jambon said the government has invested 600 million euros ($670 million) into police and security services over the past two years but said its antiquated justice system and security services were still lagging behind.

Jambon, whose offer to resign on Thursday was declined by the prime minister, said errors were made prior to the March 22 suicide bombing attacks in Brussels that killed at least 31 people and wounded 270 others.

But, speaking on the VRT network, Jambon said hiring anti-terror specialists and specialized equipment does not happen in weeks or months and insisted that new investments need time before they become visible to the public.

As international pressure on Belgium mounted for serving as an unwitting rear-base for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) extremist fighters who launched the Nov. 13 massacres that left 130 dead in Paris, the government has been forced to defend its choices and the actions of investigators. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are demanding an inquiry.

Belgian police and the army have been deployed, sometimes around the clock, at major buildings and sites in the capital in increasing numbers since November, when Brussels went into lockdown over fears that top Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam had returned and was hiding there.

As it turned out, Abdeslam did return, but police did not find and arrest him until March 18, four days before suspects from his network exploded suicide bombs in Brussels.

Belgian investigators have been slammed for not questioning Abdeslam long enough or hard enough after he was shot in the leg during his arrest. Police have also been criticized for taking too long to get to Zaventem airport on Tuesday morning after two suicide bombers blew themselves up there - and left an even bigger third suitcase full of explosives.

"There have been errors," Jambon said Sunday, when questioned by VRT television about his offer to resign.

Jambon and Justice Minister Keen Goens were grilled by lawmakers Friday over how authorities failed to arrest suicide bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui before he blew himself in the packed departure hall at Brussels Airport.

Turkey has said that Bakraoui - whose brother Khalid was the suicide bomber at the Maelbeek subway station on Tuesday - was caught near Turkey's border with Syria in 2015 and Ankara had warned Brussels and the Netherlands that he was "a foreign terrorist fighter." Belgian authorities said they did not know he was suspected of terror-related activities until after he was deported to the Netherlands.

Jambon also said the Brussels subway network had been told to shut off services 20 minutes before the attack in the city's Maelbeek subway station - close to European Union headquarters and the U.S. embassy. He did not fully explain why it was not closed in time, raising more questions about the efficiency of Belgium's security services.

"It serves no purpose looking for polemics, considering the circumstances," Jambon said.

On Sunday, Italian police in the southern city of Salerno said they had arrested an Algerian wanted in Belgium for an alleged false ID crime ring facilitating illegal migration linked to the attacks in Paris.

In the center of Brussels, a "march against fear" planned for Sunday was cancelled after Jambon asked people to stay away since police were too stretched to provide security and were needed for the ongoing investigations into the Brussels attacks.

Instead on early Sunday, numerous members of the Vlaams Belang party, whose primary position is seeking independence for Flanders, the Flemish speaking portion of Belgium, took to the streets outside the old stock exchance in Brussels.

After the Paris attacks, Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration National Front made large electoral gains in France after having spent years staking out a position that plays on fears of terrorism and immigration.

At the Maelbeek subway station, messages of sadness, solidarity and grief left for victims of the bomb attack there were being collected for storage in the Belgian capital's archives.

The messages were being laid out Sunday on absorbent paper to dry after overnight rain and carefully stacked for transport. Those that can't be taken for safekeeping were being photographed.

"We are trying to collect as many documents we can find and they will be preserved," promised head archivist Frederic Boquet.

Marina Queralt, who often walks with her dog by the Maelbeek station, said the public response to the attacks has been spontaneous and focused on peace.

"Every morning, every afternoon, (the site) was packed with people who wanted just one thing: that people stop killing each other," she said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/belgian-peace-march-canceled-but-right-wing-hits-streets/

------

North America

England: Buckinghamshire County Museum to Host Display of Islamic Art

March 27, 2016

Organizers claimed it is the largest display of Islamic art ever seen in public in the county or anywhere in the South East outside the great museums.

Treasures on display include carpets, paintings, furniture, metalwork, jewellery and calligraphy from across Asia as well as one of the largest collections of the Qur'ans in the country.

Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust is organizing the Art of Islam Festival, which runs from today until September 24.

It will be centred at the Bucks County Museum in Aylesbury, but more than 100 associated events are planned across the county in collaboration with mosques, libraries and arts venues.

Events are proposed in Chesham, Aylesbury and High Wycombe and Milton Keynes, and include opportunities for visitors to experience Islamic literature, poetry, ceramics, painting, music, calligraphy and textiles.

The exhibition has been boosted by a grant of £49.950 from the Arts Council which will help fund events around the county.

The exhibits will be borrowed from the British Museum, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, the Horniman Museum in London and from a major private collection owned by renowned UK collector and philanthropist Razwan Baig.

Richard de Peyer, Director of the Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust, said: "At a time like this when there's such stress internationally between Islam and the Western World, such awful issues around terrorism and extremism, we felt we have a social duty as well as a museum duty.

"In the museum's collection we have virtually nothing to represent the Muslim world and yet if you look around Buckinghamshire maybe 8 to 10 percent of the whole population is Muslim.

"We are hugely excited by this exhibition. It's one of the biggest and most ambitious we have organized and the exhibits are simply stunning.

Details of the other festival events have not yet been fully announced but include schools activities in drama and graphic art, arts award workshops for geometric design, talks, garden events and entertainments with an Islamic theme.

http://en.abna24.com/service/europe/archive/2016/03/27/743491/story.html

-------

Canadian Muslim: Imam Reza Holy Shrine is manifestation of Islamic history, culture

March 27, 2016

“Razavi Holy Shrine is the manifestation of Islamic history and culture and Shiites must be grateful to this magnanimous Imam” a Canadian Muslim said.

"Shabnam Senasra", among a gathering of 22 non-Iranian Muslim pilgrims from Canada in the vicinity of the Razavi Holy Shrine said, “I am a Muslim teacher from Canada, I teach in elementary school and the chance for Samen al-Hujaj (A.S.) pilgrimage has been given to me for the first time”.

“In the few days that we have been in Mashhad, acknowledging the presence of this magnanimous Imam and recourse and resort to his sacred realm has given all members of our group strength and spiritual power” he stated, satisfied with services provided to the pilgrims in the illuminated Razavi Shrine.

“Imam Reza (A.S.) Shrine in terms of religious status has a special position and I have traveled to Mashhad as a lover of the household of the Apostle of God (S.A.W.) to visit this magnanimous Imam” the Canadian lady continued.

“Islamic art and architecture used in porticoes and courtyards of the of Imam Reza (A.S.) Shrine are noteworthy and impressive” the Canadian pilgrim said.

“Mashhad is a fine city for tourism and traveling, and historical sites and mosques of this city are very remarkable” he said, expressing satisfaction with the visit to Mashhad and pilgrimage of Imam Reza (A.S.) and also acknowledging the hospitality and affableness of Mashhad people.

“Four years ago, I had the chance to visit the Shrine of Imam Hussein (A.S.) and Hazrat-e Abbas (A.S.) and now I’m visiting Imam Reza (A.S.)” he stated.

“When returning to my country, I would tell about interesting places, history, architecture art and mirror work, porticoes and courtyards of the Shrine, as well as people cordial behavior to my relatives and acquaintances” he stated.

http://en.abna24.com/service/iran/archive/2016/03/27/743488/story.html

---

US Islamic Centre in Arizona Hosts 'Meet a Muslim' Event

March 27, 2016

It was an opportunity for non-Muslims to learn more about Islam and what it means to be Muslim.

Shahir Safi of Why Islam said, "Our efforts here are more educational. To say, 'hey, look, American Muslims are 5 to 7 million strong. There are over 50,000 here in the metro Phoenix area. They're your doctors; they're your engineers; they're your acccountants; your fellow neighbors; your teachers; and what have you. And we are parts of society and the fabric of what make America great.'"

Fredrik Bouw, who attended the event, said, "To me was the respect, the reverence given to the Jewish and the Christian prophets like Adam, Moses, Abraham and Jesus as the foundation for Islam. In addition to Mohammad [PBUH] being the last messenger. I think that was much more of an understanding I got by being here."

The event was put on by a group called "Why Islam."

Members of the group aim to provide accurate information about their religion.

http://en.abna24.com/service/america/archive/2016/03/27/743473/story.html

Ted Cruz has already won: His absurd plan to police Muslims is already happening

Cruz and Donald Trump came under fire for awful plans to over-police Muslim communities. There's just one problem

March 27, 2016

Only hours after the Belgium attacks, Ted Cruz stated, “We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”

The Republican presidential hopeful, trailing only Donald Trump, recommended specialized police forces be assigned to areas densely populated with Muslims. In essence, he suggested that the terror realized in Brussels — which claimed the lives of 34 innocents and injured scores more — mandates greater vigilance to prevent similar horror in the United States, in the form of special “Muslim Police” units.

Cruz’s “Muslim Police” proposal spurred immediate alarm within the media and criticism from law enforcement leaders. For many, the very notion that specialized law enforcement manpower and resources could be exclusively dedicated to patrolling Muslim neighbourhoods seemed absurd in modern America, and more specifically, a patent infringement of core civil liberties protections.

Not far behind Trump in both delegates and rhetorical bluster, Cruz’s “Muslim Police” proposal was expectedly derided by elements on both sides of the political divide. However, closer inspection of prevailing national security strategy — and specifically, the Department of Homeland Security’s expansion of counter-radicalization policing, also dubbed “countering violent extremism,” reveals that Cruz’s “Muslim Police” idea is hardly the brainchild of a polemicist on the far right, but a program already piloted by the Obama administration.

The “Muslim Police” are not only coming, but firmly patrolling and monitoring Muslim neighbourhoods in several cities across America. Cruz’s post-Belgium attack idea is hardly unprecedented — it is already installed policy.

In “Policing Radicalization,” a critical study outlining the structure and strategy of American counter-radicalization policing, Ohio State law professor Amna Akbar writes, “Radicalization and counter-radicalization are primarily if not almost exclusively concerned with Muslim communities.” Radicalization theory contends that the more steeped in religion a Muslim becomes, the more he or she is likely to adopt an extremist ideology.

Therefore, Islamic piety is the signal of radicalization. Nothing else, whether it be racist ideology or the militant nativism and xenophobia we see sweeping throughout the country, is linked to radicalization. Mirroring Cruz, DHS believes radicalization is a purely Muslim phenomenon, unfolding in Muslim neighborhoods.

Counter-radicalization policing, piloted in Boston, Los Angeles and Minneapolis in 2014, seeks to prevent this process, particularly in Muslim-concentrated neighborhoods, mosques, community centers and virtual spaces. In conjunction with DHS, which provides resources and direction to city police departments, counter-radicalization seeks to build relationships with informants within Muslim American communities. In turn, this has empowered interlocutors within Muslim neighborhoods to patrol and police members of their mosques, community organizations and city blocks. It has extended the role of Muslim Police beyond just official city policemen and -women, but also private citizens residing within Muslim neighborhoods.

But what specifically are “Muslim neighborhoods”? What what do they look like?

A 2011 study by the Pew Research Center, titled “Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation of Support for Extremism,” found that 45 percent of the Muslim American population has a household income less than $30,000 per year. This figure was 9 percent higher than the figure for the general public, which stood at 36 percent, and counters the prevailing stereotype that Muslim Americans are a generally upwardly mobile, comfortably middle class community. While segments of the population fall within that status, roughly half are dangerously close to the poverty line or firmly working class.

The vast majority of “Muslim neighbourhoods,” as posited by Cruz, are predominantly indigent and working class. This is true of East Dearborn and Hamtramck, two densely populated Muslim communities on the outskirts of Detroit. Muslim enclaves in New York City, most notably Astoria and several neighbourhoods in Brooklyn, are overwhelmingly indigent to working class, and since the early 2000s, subjected to NYPD surveillance before the formal piloting of counter-radicalization policing. NYPD surveillance also spilled over into nearby New Jersey.

Therefore, NYPD outrage over Cruz’s proposal was rather surprising, considering that the Department was not only a pioneer of counter-radicalization policing in the United States, but one of its principal architects.

Additional Muslim American enclaves in Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and the West Coast, particularly Los Angeles – a counter-radicalization policing pilot city – are home to indigent and working class African American and immigrant Muslim communities, who are subject to disproportionate scrutiny and surveillance. Being Muslim, poor and a resident of a concentrated Muslim neighbourhood markedly enhances the prospect of counter-radicalization policing, and the civil liberties perils associated with it.

In cities where counter-radicalization policing is currently being practiced by law enforcement, and in metropolitan areas where the the program is on the horizon, poor and working class Muslim neighbourhoods are primary targets of surveillance. In the process, it has endangered the free exercise of religion and privacy rights of the most vulnerable segments of the Muslim American population.

While much of the country was alarmed by Cruz’s proposal, the reaction within Muslim American neighbourhoods was radically different. “He’s not saying or proposing anything new,” observed Asha Mohamood Noor, 25, a Somali American racial justice advocate in Detroit. “Starting with U.S. Patriot Act after 9/11, and now with CVE policing, federal and now local police are prominent within many of our communities.”

Following in the campaign footsteps of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, Cruz’s brazen rhetoric against Islam captures headlines and mobilizes voters. However, his latest bit of rhetoric is already reality, suggesting that concerned Americans should redirect their alarm to existing counter-radicalization policing programs, which have already deployed “Muslim police” units in a Muslim neighborhood near you.

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/26/ted_cruz_has_already_won_his_absurd_plan_to_police_muslims_is_already_happening/

----

Obama condemns attempts to "stigmatize" Muslims in wake of Brussels attacks

March 27, 2016

With at least one Republican candidate for the White House endorsing patrols of U.S. Muslim neighbourhoods in the wake of this week's deadly bombings in Brussels, President Obama is cautioning against such approaches, saying any such proposals would "stigmatize" Muslim-Americans.

"As we move forward in this fight, we have to wield another weapon alongside our airstrikes, our military, our counterterrorism work and our diplomacy," the president said in a video released Saturday. "That's the power of our example."

Mr. Obama called on the U.S. to "reject any attempt to stigmatize Muslim-Americans, and their enormous contributions to our country and our way of life."

"Such attempts are contrary to our character, to our values and to our history as a nation built around the idea of religious freedom," he said.

While he did not name Texas Sen. Ted Cruz specifically, he alluded to the GOP presidential contender's plan to police pockets of Muslims in the U.S., which Cruz has defended despite widespread criticism from members of his own party.

The president noted that such actions are a "counterproductive" approach to defeating extremists abroad because it "plays right into the hands of terrorists who want to turn us against one another, who need a reason to recruit more people to their hateful cause."

Just a day after the Pentagon announced the death of a key leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the president touted the administration's achievements.

"We've been taking out ISIL leadership," Mr. Obama said, using a different acronym for the group. "A relentless air campaign -- and support for forces in Iraq and Syria who are fighting ISIL on the ground -- has allowed us to take approximately 40 percent of the populated territory that ISIL once held in Iraq."

He also outlined U.S. efforts in Brussels, where a team of FBI agents is supporting Belgium's investigation into the bombings.

"ISIL poses a threat to the entire civilized world," the president said. "That's why we've been leading a truly global coalition that will be vital to our success."

In a separate Republican video, a state representative from Oklahoma's legislature spoke about the need for national leaders to hear from those who are not "a familiar face in Washington."

Shortly after House Speaker Paul Ryan called for civility in American politics earlier this week, Lisa Johnson-Billy, the Republican floor leader of Oklahoma's statehouse, seemed to do the same, touting her own biography as a study in bipartisanship.

"From a young age, I took an interest in public service," Johnson-Billy said in the video released Saturday. "I served two terms in the Chickasaw Nation Legislature -- alongside my dad -- before I was elected to the statehouse. And today, I work with legislators of both parties to make sure we're passing on a confident America to our children."

Solid results, Johnson-Billy added, would continue to inspire Americans' "confidence" in their elected officials.

"When government fulfills its responsibilities, that's what allows the people to create opportunity - the opportunity to learn more, to find a job, to start a business," she said. "What opportunity ignites is hope. That's what pushes people through difficult times.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-condemns-attempts-to-stigmatize-muslims-in-wake-of-brussels-attacks/

----

Arab World

FSA Drives out Rival Terrorists from Key Region in Dara'a Province

Mar 26, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants took control of an important region from a terrorist group affiliated to the ISIL in the Western part of Dara'a province.

The FSA drove out Al-Mosana Movement terrorists from Tal al-Saman (al-Saman Hill) in Western Dara'a.

Scores of militants from both sides were killed and wounded in the battle over control of Tal al-Saman.

In a relevant development on Thursday, field sources in the Western parts of Syria's Dara'a province revealed intense infighting between a-Nusra Front terrorists and the ISIL-affiliated Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade group in the area.

During the clashes that have been underway all throughout the last week in the town Ain al-Zekr, both groups sustained significant casualties.

Also in another development in Dara'a, heavy clashes were reported between the two groups of the Free Syrian Army and Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade in Zizun and Tal Shahab.

In another development in Dara'a province, Jeish al-Islam terrorist group claimed on its pages in the social media that it has killed 40 ISIL militants during the clashes in al-Midrib West of Dara'a province.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950107000324

-------

Syrian Army Pushes Back ISIL Further, Comes Very Close to Palmyra Airport

Mar 26, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army and popular forces won a series of tough battles with the ISIL terrorist group near the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Homs province and are now only 1 kilometre to Palmyra airport, field sources announced on Saturday.

"The Syrian army forces have already fortified their military positions near Palmyra airport after they won full control over Syriatel heights to monitor the ISIL terrorists' movements on their supply route between Palmyra city and Lattakia province," the sources said.

According to the sources, the Syrian army has launched attacks on ISIL's military positions after winning back Palmyra Castle on Friday. "The Syrian government troops are just one kilometer away from the city airport."

The ISIL militants have sustained heavy casualties and losses in fierce clashes with the Syrian army in recent days.

The Syrian army has made considerable advances in the areas near Palmyra city and taken full control of a strategic ancient castle near the Palmyra city.

In a relevant development on Friday, the Syrian government forces and Desert Falcons fighters gained control over a strategically important height near Palmyra.

The Syrian Army and Desert Falcons on Friday won another battle in Eastern Homs after hours of fierce clashes with the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.

Earlier on Saturday, the Syrian army and popular forces managed to take full control over the important supply line to the West and Southwest of Palmyra city.

The army units took full control of ISIL's Quaryatayn-Palmyra supply route in a bid to prevent flow of supplies to the ISIL terrorists in the Western and Southwestern parts of Palmyra.

The ISIL's logistic and supply routes from the West and Southwestern parts of Palmyra are disconnected now.

The Syrian army also managed to disconnect Quaryatayn and Palmyra from each other by taking full control over the Quaryatayn-Palmyra highway.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950107000439

---

Clamouring for War: Belgium Airstrikes Cannot Remove ISIL

Mar 26, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Finding a "renewed purpose and a unifying threat,” Belgium has confirmed plans to carry out airstrikes on ISIL targets in Syria as part of the US-led coalition after the Brussels deadly attacks earlier this week, which claimed the lives of at least 31 people and injured over 300.

In the words of Prime Minister Charles Michel: "In the framework of the agreement with the Netherlands, we will resume the mission of our F-16s, we will hold a debate in the parliament and the government to decide whether it is possible to expand the mandate of F-16s."

This is while the terrorist group of ISIL in its current shape and form is here to stay. Despite all the vehement talk in Brussels, it is never too late to eliminate the terrorist group of ISIL, its mean PR imagery, and its vast sleeper cells in the heart of the European continent. However, that has to be done the right way:

The only meaningful resolution to the global geo-political turmoil the War Party in Washington and its coalition of regime changers are causing is changing the course, reconciliation with Syria, and dissociation with terrorist outfits and sectarian demons. Likewise, the West must cease seeking to destroy governments, convulse cultures, and manipulate Muslim nations through military means and ethnic-sectarian warfare.

Into the argument, the rise of ISIL, which has nothing to do with Islam, should no longer be explained in the West as a natural outcome of “Islamic Fundamentalism” when it could be better described as an intended collusion and predictable consequence of disastrous US foreign policy in the Middle East under the (botched) Joe Biden Plan that sought to divide the region on ethnic-sectarian lines and protect Israel. If not, Belgian Prime Minister Michel can rest assured that surgical airstrikes cannot remove ISIL and its medieval ideology – “admittedly” flush with Saudi cash, American weaponry, and eager European recruits.

The powerful reason why Europe in general and Belgium is particular are in such persistent disarray is that the War Party and its club of regime changers refuse to stop funding and arming proxy armies under the false-flag name of “moderates” in Syria. Moreover, the Pentagon and the Military-Industrial Complex want eternal Global War on Terror, which is beyond European dispute and control. Tragic enough, it’s a bitter fact that Prime Minister Michel cannot bring himself to face, which is why he is clamoring for war.

Regardless, the failed war on Syria is destined to endure, because the “Empire of Chaos” and its coalition of regime changer refuse to learn from their past mistakes. Quite the opposite, and as maintained by Prime Minister Michel, they plan to redeem themselves by bringing their military power fully to bear on ISIL in Syria and beyond.

Under the circumstances, if European governments can clear their heads of American influence, they might realize that in dealing with ISIL and its eager European recruits they only need to accentuate the positive (International Law) and eliminate the negative (Double Game): End the doomed war on Syria and join the counter-terror Alliance of Iran, Syria, Russia and Hezbollah in the real war on all manners of terrorism and extremism in Syria. After all, “Fragmented Europe” has nothing left to lose.

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950107000657

SIL Terrorists, Families Fleeing Palmyra

Mar 26, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Military sources reported on Saturday that a large number of terrorists and their families are fleeing the ISIL stronghold city of Palmyra (Tadmur) as the Syrian army troops alongside popular forces are only inches away from a major conquest and winning the ancient city.