Religious Seminaries Oppose Pakistan’s Move to Ban Foreign Students
New Age Islam News Bureau
15
Feb 2015
A student at the seminary near Gunj Gate of Peshawar — AFP/File
Pakistan
• Religious Seminaries Oppose Pakistan’s Move to Ban Foreign Students
• 15 militants killed in Kurram check post attack
• Shia Leaders Demand Peshawar Be Handed Over To Army
• Faiz Amn Mela: ‘Mobilise working people to curb religious extremism’
• Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat leader killed in Rawalpindi, central leader attacked in Karachi
• Pak Man kills sister for ‘honour’
• I will fight against terrorists, says Kainat
• FBI's most wanted cyber criminal arrested in Karachi
• Pakistan for meaningful dialogue with India: Sartaj
Africa
• Suicide Bomber Kills 10, Injures 30 in Crowded Northeast Nigerian Bus Station
• 21 Egyptian fishermen kidnapped in Libya
• Dozens of Boko Haram suspects arrested in Niger
Arab World
• Iraqi Army Frees Al-Baghdadi District from ISIL
• Scores Dead In Intensified Fighting In Southern Syria: Monitor
• Yemen crisis: GCC calls for UN action
• Sunni tribal leader assassinated in Iraq
• Jordan sentences senior Brotherhood leader to 18 months in jail
• Lebanon’s Hariri: talking to Hezbollah necessary to ease tensions
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Ulema Council Says Bogor Mosque Attack ‘Pure Crime’
• 2 Abu Sayyaf Militants Killed In Philippine Clash
• Abbott Warns Indonesia of Tough Response to Executions
• Dozens of Indonesian couples Detained for Doing ‘The Nasty Thing’ on Valentine’s Day
India
• India, Pakistan Students Exchanged Letters after Peshawar Attack
• Hizb-ut- Tahrir May Become Dangerous than ISIS: Report
• India Deeply Concerned Over Yemen Situation, Favours Dialogue
• PM Modi’s call to Sharif a ‘gigantic’ step: PDP
South Asia
• PM Sheikh Hasina Calls upon All Muslims to Resist BNP-Jamaat’s Evil Politics
• Terrorism in Disguise of Political Programmes, Says Ctg Human Chain
• Military operations to begin in Helmand
• Japan to give $15mn to fight terror in Mideast, Africa: Report
• Bangladesh HC orders government to stop violence
• Muslim Aid to close Rohingya project
Mideast
• Palestinians Want Role In Probing 'Terrorist' Killings of Chapel Hill Muslims
• Israel’s Likud Claims Vote for Left Will Benefit ISIS
• Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei Sent Obama Secret Letter: WSJ
• Iranian DM Describes Takfiri Terrorists as Israel's Proxy Fighters
• Netanyahu urges Jews to move to Israel after Copenhagen attacks
• Houthis refuse to cede Yemen power in face of 'threats'
North America
• Sex-Abuse Allegations against Chicago Muslim Religious Leader Roils Community
• Pan-Muslim Group Concerned Over ‘Rising U.S. Islamophobia'
• US Congress throws crucial caveat into Pakistan ties
• Muslim group hands out free flowers at South Coast Plaza to promote peace
• US man admits to role in attack on ISI office
• Metro Detroit Muslims call for peace
Europe
• Two Dead in Copenhagen Shootings Labelled ‘Terrorist’ by PM
• UN to urge Houthis to step aside in Yemen
• Nearly 1,000 Arabs, including 24 Egyptians, in British prisons
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religious-seminaries-oppose-pakistan’s-move/d/101532
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Pakistan
Religious Seminaries Oppose Pakistan’s Move to Ban Foreign Students
15 Feb, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The expected move by the government to streamline and restrict the admission of foreign students to religious seminaries has not gone well with the board of religious seminaries belonging to the Deobandi sect.
While Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia has expressed concerns over the proposal to ban the admissions of foreign students in seminaries, the madrasa boards belonging to the Barelvi and Shia sects demanded the government carry out strict regulations in this regard.
In a statement, Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia, the religious board for seminaries of the Deobandis, stated that the government move to ‘shut the doors of religious education on foreign students’ was a conspiracy to sabotage the upcoming negotiations between the government and the seminary boards.
The ministry of religious affairs is set to meet a delegation of five madrasa boards on February 18.
The four boards related to seminaries belong to the Barelvis, Deobandis, Shias, and Ahle Hadis while the fifth board represents the seminaries managed by Jamaat–i-Islami.
The largest network of seminaries in the country belongs to Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia which blamed the government for taking the step at the behest of foreigners.
A statement by the secretary general Wafaqul Madaris, Qari Hanif Jalandhri, said imposing restrictions on foreign students to study in madrasas would widen the trust deficit with the government.
“If there is a complete ban on foreign students in seminaries despite valid documents, it will only add to the image problem of Pakistan,” said Qari Jalandhri.
However, an official of Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunnat Pakistan, the board of seminaries owned by the Barelvis, said they might extend an open support to such a move.
“We have to take a policy decision but the general consensus is that the rules for foreign students in seminaries should be the same as applicable in the formal educational institutions,” the official added.
Similarly, an office-bearer of Wafaqul Madaris al Shia also supported the government proposal to streamline the madrasa education sector.
“There has to be a rule of law and implementation of regulations in the religious sector too,” said Maulana Afzal Haideri, the general secretary.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163707/seminaries-oppose-govt-move-to-ban-foreign-students
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15 militants killed in Kurram checkpost attack
15 Feb, 2015
PESHAWAR: At least 15 suspected militants were killed early on Sunday as security forces repulsed a militant attack carried out in Kurram tribal region from across the border in Afghanistan.
Official sources say that the militants attacked the Shabuk security checkpost in Kurram Agency injuring one soldier.
The security forces responded to the attack with retaliatory firing killing at least 15 attackers while the others fled back to Afghanistan.
Blast kills woman
A woman was killed and 14 others, including children, were injured in a blast near Sadar market in Kurram Agency.
Official sources say that the blast occurred when a toy-like bomb exploded in a house situated in Gula Jan area of Kurram's Pir Qayyum village.
The condition of three wounded was reported as critical.
Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border.
The region was claimed by the military to have been cleared of insurgents during an operation a couple of years ago, however, militants still carry out sectarian attacks and also target security forces occasionally.
Kurram tribal agency is adjacent to North Waziristan region where the operation Zarb-i-Azb is in progress against Taliban and other insurgent groups.
Pakistan Army's announced the grand operation named 'Zarb-i-Azb' against Taliban militants in the stronghold following a Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakisitan-claimed attack on Karachi airport and failure of peace talks between government and Taliban negotiators.
The development also comes amid Operation Khyber I which was launched in Khyber tribal agency on credible information about the presence of militants in parts of Sipah and Akkakhel areas.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163769/15-militants-killed-in-kurram-checkpost-attack
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Shia Leaders Demand Peshawar Be Handed Over To Army
February 15, 2015
KOHAT / PESHAWAR / PESHAWAR: The provincial capital should be handed over to the Pakistan Army as the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has failed to protect its citizens, Shia elders said on Saturday.
Addressing a news conference at the Imamia Mosque in Hayatabad Phase-V—the scene of Friday’s devastating gun and suicide attack which claimed 22 lives—elders struggled to come to terms with the loss of fellow community members. Those present on the occasion included Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWN) leader Allama Syed Jawad Hadi and Maulana Ramzan Tauqir of the Shia Ulema Council among other prominent figures.
Hadi said that apart from giving administrative control to the army, the Shia community also demands deployment of Frontier Constabulary to guard mosques and Imambargahs in the city.
He said the provincial government failed to secure their places of worship despite repeated demands for security and arms licences. Hadi said he met K-P chief minister to ask for increased security at their mosques and Imambargahs after a suicide attack on Madrasa Shaheed Arif Hussaini in Gulshan Colony.
“The government and police officials at the meeting assured heightened security, but no proper arrangements were made despite repeated appeals,” he said. “The results are apparent for everyone to see.”
Hadi vowed to rebuild the mosque by next Friday and remained confident a good number of people would attend the congregation.
Reiterating their demand to handover Peshawar to the army, both Allama Hadi and Maulana Tauqir demanded the K-P government pay compensation for the damages. “To ensure security and restore peace in the city, an operation to crush terrorists must be conducted,” said Hadi. He also demanded posthumous Tamgha-e-Shujaat for Abbas Ali who grabbed one of the suicide attackers and stopped him from detonating his explosives.
Meanwhile, Awami National Party (ANP) General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain visited Imamia Mosque where he said the nation was united against terrorists after the Army Public School attack. He urged the federal and provincial governments to realise that terrorism was the largest problem faced by the country.
Demanding justice
The heirs of seven Kohat natives who were killed in the Imamia Mosque attack held a protest and laid the victims’ coffins on Kohat-Hangu Road.
Amid tight security arrangements by police on Saturday, relatives of DSP Naveed Bangash, Farhan Ali, Riaz Hussain, Muhammad, Mohsin Raza, Zafar Abbas and Gulfam Hussain demanded justice for the brutal killing of their loved ones. The bodies were later taken to the native areas of the deceased and laid to rest. All the victims belonged either to Sher Kot or Usterzai areas of the district. Before the burial, the bodies were taken to Kacha Pakha area on Hangu Road where a demonstration was held against the killing of innocent citizens. The road was already blocked by the police as one of their security measures. Kohat DPO Muhammad Sohaib Ashraf, other police officers and elders of the area took part in the funerals. The road ultimately opened for traffic after being blocked for two hours.
Back in Peshawar, social activists also protested against the attack.
The 16/12 Action Forum and other organisations gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club and demanded justice for the victims.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/838452/shia-leaders-demand-city-be-handed-over-to-army/
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Faiz Amn Mela: ‘Mobilise working people to curb religious extremism’
February 15, 2015
LAHORE: The idea that economic growth through attraction of foreign direct investment will help curb religious extremism is flawed. The country can be rid of extremism only by mobilising working people to guard their rights, academic and activist Taimur Rahman said on Saturday.
He was speaking at a seminar on the political thought and ideology of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and its relevance to religious extremism and class struggle in Pakistan. The seminar was held in connection with Faiz’s 104th birthday celebrations at Al-hamra on the Mall.
He said the link between economic growth and democracy was based on a widespread misconception about the emergence of democratic governments in Western Europe. He said the emergence of democratic governments in the region had owed more to the political activism of industrial workers than the economic activities of merchants.
Singer Jawad Ahmed said the middle classes needed to unite on a single political platform in order to strengthen the movement for the rights of working people. He said this unified front could then educate the people and mobilise them on issues pertaining to workers’ rights.
Women’s rights activist Nighat Saeed Khan reminded the audience about the importance of women’s participation in efforts aimed at expanding the rights of working people. She said one could refer to Faiz’s personal life to underscore the importance of women’s role in workers’ movement. “Alys Faiz was a source of constant support for Faiz,” she said.
Faiz’s grandson Ali Hashmi raised the issue of Faiz’s personal beliefs on religion. He referred to some of Faiz’s poetry and highlighted his association with religion. “It would be wrong to say that Faiz was not religious.
Awami Workers’ Party president Abid Hassan Minto, who was the chief guest, said Faiz’s personal beliefs were not relevant to his political work. He said organisations like ISIL, Al Qaeda and Boko Haram claimed to represent Islam but they had nothing in common with Faiz. “Religion is open to many interpretations. It is everyone’s personal business,” he said. Celebrations for Faiz’s birthday will continue tomorrow with a Faiz Aman Mela at the open air theatre in Lawerance Gardens.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/838578/faiz-amn-mela-mobilise-working-people-to-curb-religious-extremism/
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Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat leader killed in Rawalpindi, central leader attacked in Karachi
15 Feb, 2015
KARACHI: A local leader of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was killed in a targeted attack in Rawalpindi on Sunday while the central president of the party, Aurangzeb Farooqi, escaped a bid on his life in Karachi late on Saturday.
Maulana Mazhar Siddiqui, the spokesperson of the ASWJ's Rawalpindi chapter was targeted on Sunday morning near Pirwadhai More within the precincts of the Rawalpindi's Golra police station.
In another incident, ASWJ's central president was targeted by unknown gunmen near Quaidabad bridge area in Karachi on Saturday night.
The ASWJ leader escaped unhurt in the attack while three of his bodyguard sustained injuries, according to a party spokesperson.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163772/aswj-local-leader-killed-in-rawalpindi-central-leader-attacked-in-karachi
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Pak Man kills sister for ‘honour’
15 Feb, 2015
DERA GHAZI KHAN: A man was arrested after he killed his sister over suspicion of having relations with someone in Shah Sadardin police precinct.
According to the police, Abbas suspected his sister ‘A’, a first-year student, was running an affair and got infuriated.
In a fit of anger, he opened fire on ‘A’, leaving her dead on the spot. The suspect tried to flee after committing the crime, but the police arrested him.
A murder case was registered against the suspect.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163696/man-kills-sister-for-honour
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I will fight against terrorists, says Kainat
15 Feb, 2015
KARACHI: It was a speech delivered with nothing but purity of the heart. Rape survivor Kainat Soomro lifted the spirits of a large number of people who had gathered to listen to a video message of iconic young woman Malala Yousafzai at an event titled ‘Celebrating the spirit of Malala’ organised by civil society organisations at the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology on Saturday.
The programme was divided into two parts. The first half was dedicated to the memory of Pakistan’s first Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam, and the second half to the second laureate Malala.
Introducing the event to the audience, Anis Haroon said the organisers had been planning it for a long time but incidents like the Dec 16 Peshawar tragedy, the Shikarpur blast and the recent attack on a mosque in Peshawar prevented them from doing so. She then requested everyone to observe a minute’s silence to remember and honour all those killed in terrorist attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163613/i-will-fight-against-terrorists-says-kainat
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FBI's most wanted cyber criminal arrested in Karachi
15 Feb, 2015
KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) cyber crime wing of Karachi on Saturday arrested a high profile cyber criminal wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and counted amongst the top 10 most wanted cyber criminals by the US.
According to the FBI website, Noor Aziz Uddin — who has a bounty of $50,000 on his capture — allegedly compromised computer systems and defrauded victims of amounts in excess of $50 million in November 2008 and April 2012.
The international scheme involved members of a criminal organisation that extended into Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Spain, Singapore, Italy, and Malaysia, among other nations.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163584/fbis-most-wanted-cyber-criminal-arrested-in-karachi
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Pakistan for meaningful dialogue with India: Sartaj
15 Feb, 2015
SLAMABAD: Reacting to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief with “cautious optimism”, Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz has said the goal has to be the meaningful and serious dialogue.
A few hours after the call was made, Sartaj Aziz told Rising Kashmir in an exclusive interview in his office that it is a good start in sort of breaking the ice but whether it will lead to actual resumption of meaningful dialogue that remains to be seen and depends upon the talks between foreign secretaries.
He maintained that he was not a pessimist with regard to this but said “I am cautiously optimistic now that visit has been resumed. Obviously there will be discussion on the agenda scope of the dialogue, modalities and the timeline. Once the dialogue process starts it gathers its own momentum”.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/15-Feb-2015/pakistan-for-meaningful-dialogue-with-india-sartaj
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Africa
Suicide bomber kills 10, injures 30 in crowded northeast Nigerian bus station
Feb 15, 2015
A female suicide bomber blew herself up at a crowded bus station in the northeast Nigerian city of Damaturu on Sunday, killing 10 people and wounded 30, police said, in a region that is frequently attacked by Islamist militants.
Witness Adamu Muhammad said he heard a loud blast and the people at the Damaturu’s central motor park “descended into panic.” He said there were many casualties, though he did not know how many. The Nigerian military was not immediately available for comment.
No one claimed the attack, which bore the hallmarks of Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram. On Saturday, heavily armed Boko Haram militants attacked and attempted to overrun the northeastern Nigerian city of Gombe but were later repelled.
Boko Haram’s violent uprising for an Islamic state has killed thousands, destabilised the northeast of Africa’s biggest economy and is increasingly doing the same to neighbours Cameroon, Chad and Niger. They are now fighting back in a regional effort to crush the militant group.
The insurgency has also cast doubt over the leadership of Oresident Goodluck Jonathan, who is seen as not having done enough to contain it or protect civilians, hundreds of whom have been kidnapped.
Nigeria has postponed for six weeks a presidential election that had been due to be held on February 14, citing the security threat from Boko Haram.
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/bomb-explodes-in-crowded-northeast-nigerian-bus-station-says-witnesses/
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21 Egyptian fishermen kidnapped in Libya
February 15, 2015
“Armed militia” in Libya’s Misrata kidnapped another 21 Egyptians, all fishermen, head of the fishermen’s syndicate told the press on Saturday.
Head of the syndicate in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Ahmed Nassar, urged the authorities to quickly intervene to bring the fishermen back home.
The abduction comes in the wake of increased fears that 21 Coptic Egyptians, kidnapped late last year in Libya’s Sirte, were executed by Islamic State (IS) militants.
Undated photos published in the latest edition of a magazine affiliated to the extremist group showed captive workers handcuffed and wearing orange-colored jumpsuits often donned by Islamic State (IS) prisoners about to be executed by the jihadists.
On Friday, Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab said the fate of the 21 workers remained unknown, but the authorities were doing their best to communicate with all parties in Libya.
The IS fighters claimed the kidnapped Egyptian Christians had been captured to avenge the Muslim women "tortured and murdered by the Coptic Church of Egypt".
Thousands of Egyptians work in Libya, a key destination for Egyptian migrant workers from rural areas, mainly in the construction and craft industries.
In February 2014, seven Egyptian Christians were found shot dead execution-style on a beach in eastern Libya.
Egypt's government has repeatedly warned in recent months against any travel to Libya and advised those residing in the North African country to stay away from areas of tension.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/123048/Egypt/Politics-/-Egyptian-fishermen-kidnapped-in-Libya.aspx
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Dozens of Boko Haram suspects arrested in Niger
Feb 15, 2015
Several dozen people suspected of having links to Nigeria's Boko Haram have been arrested in southern Niger since the start of cross-border attacks by the Islamist group, a local governor said.
"In the region of Zinder, we have a few dozen people whom we arrested for checking. They are suspects," Kalla Moutari told AFP in an interview late Saturday.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/123090/World/International/Dozens-of-Boko-Haram-suspects-arrested-in-Niger.aspx
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Arab World
Iraqi Army Frees Al-Baghdadi District from ISIL
February 15, 2015
Iraqi troops regained the control of al-Baghdadi district, East of Ramadi, from the ISIL terrorists, after inflicting hefty losses on the Takfiri group.
"The security forces managed to fully control al-Baghdadi district in the Western province of Anbar," said Suhaib al-Rawi, an official with Anbar governor.
The strategic district is situated near the Iraqi air base of Ayn al-Asad, which reportedly houses more than 300 US marines.
The liberation came one day after the ISIL terrorists launched an attack on the air base.
The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control a shrinking part of Syria and Iraq. They have threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Ezadi Kurds and others, as they continue their atrocities in Iraq.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The ISIL has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be indirectly supported by the Israeli regime.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931125000751
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Scores dead in intensified fighting in southern Syria: Monitor
Feb 15, 2015
Intense clashes in southern Syria have killed scores of pro-government and insurgent fighters in the past week, a group monitoring Syria's war said on Sunday, forecasting even fiercer violence as the weather clears.
Syria's army and allied combatants from Lebanon's Hezbollah launched a large-scale offensive in the region last week against insurgent groups including al Qaeda's Syria wing Nusra Front and non-jihadist rebels.
The battle is significant because it is one of the last areas where mainstream rebels opposing President Bashar al-Assad have a foothold. Such groups have lost ground to hardline Islamist militants in the four-year conflict.
More than 50 rebels have been killed in the fighting, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rami Abdulrahman said 43 members of the Syrian army and allied groups had also died, including 12 officers.
"Now the weather is better there will be Syrian air strikes. With the air strikes they will move forward," he said.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123091/World/Region/Scores-dead-in-intensified-fighting-in-southern-Sy.aspx
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Yemen crisis: GCC calls for UN action
February 15, 2015
An emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) here on Saturday expressed deep concerns over the worsening political and security situation in Yemen and asked the United Nations to intervene immediately.
Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Attiyah, who chaired the extraordinary meeting, called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council (UNSC), to solve the crisis in Yemen.
Al-Attiyah said: “The will of the Yemeni people should be honored in line with the GCC-sponsored initiative for peace and its executive mechanism, as well as the recommendations of the national dialogue.”
The GCC ministers mulled a proposal to formulate a common strategy to respond to the crisis.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, deputy foreign minister, led the Saudi delegation to the meeting.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/704681
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Sunni tribal leader assassinated in Iraq
February 15, 2015
BAGHDAD: A Sunni tribal leader and at least seven other people were killed in Baghdad in an attack that could further inflame sectarian tension in Iraq, offxicials said Saturday.
Unidentified gunmen attacked a two-car convoy carrying Sheikh Qassem Sweidan al-Janabi and his nephew, lawmaker Zeid al-Janabi, late Friday, officials and security sources said.
Janabi was later released but the tribal leader as well as his son and at least six other people, mostly bodyguards, were killed.
"Gunmen manning a fake checkpoint stopped the convoy carrying MP Janabi and kidnapped all who were on board," a senior member of the lawmaker's staff said.
"They moved them to Sadr City, where they released the MP, then took the others and killed them. Their bodies were found next to Al-Nida'a mosque in northern Baghdad," he told AFP.
Sadr City is a vast Shiite neighbourhood in the north of the capital from which Iraq's Shiite militias draw many of their recruits.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/704571
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Jordan sentences senior Brotherhood leader to 18 months in jail
February 15, 2015
A Jordanian court sentenced a senior Muslim Brotherhood official to 18 months in prison on Sunday for criticising the United Arab Emirates on social media, a judicial source said.
The military court found Rushaid, who was the first major opposition figure to be arrested in Jordan in recent years, guilty of souring ties with a foreign country.
Rushaid, the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, had criticised the UAE for designating the pan-Islamic movement as a terrorist group.
The UAE is one of Jordan's main financial backers and the two countries are close political allies.
Rushaid was arrested in November after writing that the UAE's rulers lacked popular legitimacy and served Israeli interests by playing a leading role in a crackdown on political Islam.
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's biggest opposition party, has operated legally for decades and has substantial grassroots support.
It has ideological ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which Cairo authorities banned in December 2013, but the two groups are not directly affiliated.
Rights activists had criticised Rushaid's arrest, saying the authorities are eroding freedom of expression and putting dissidents on trial in courts they described as unconstitutional.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123071/World/Region/Jordan-sentences-senior-Brotherhood-leader-to--mon.aspx
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Lebanon’s Hariri: talking to Hezbollah necessary to ease tensions
Feb 15, 2015
Former prime minister Saad al-Hariri, speaking on a rare visit marking the 10th anniversary of his father’s assassination, said dialogue with Hezbollah was necessary to ease sectarian tensions in Lebanon.
Five members of Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah have been indicted by an international tribunal over the 2005 killing of Rafik al-Hariri, who was commemorated on Saturday in the Lebanese capital.
The group has denied any involvement in the murder, which pushed Lebanon to the brink of civil war and still stirs emotions 10 years later. The killing deepened a sectarian divide in Lebanon’s politics that still affects it to this day.
His son Saad, Lebanon’s most influential Sunni politician who is backed by Saudi Arabia, criticized Hezbollah on Saturday for its involvement in the Syrian conflict and said he would not allow the group to drag Lebanon further into the civil war next door.
But he also backed talks between his Future Movement and Iran-backed Hezbollah that started in January to contain tensions in Lebanon that have been exacerbated by Syria’s conflict.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/14/Lebanon-s-Hariri-talking-to-Hezbollah-necessary-to-ease-tensions.html
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Ulema Council Says Bogor Mosque Attack ‘Pure Crime’
15 Feb, 2015
Bogor. The Bogor chapter of Indonesian Ulema Council, or MUI, has described an attack on a local mosque by a group claiming to represent Shiite Muslims as “pure crime” and it should not be linked with religion.
Council chairman Mukri Aji has appealed for calm after Wednesday’s incident, in which at least 30 people stormed the Muammar Qaddafy Mosque in the Bukit Az-Zikra neighborhood of Sentul, Bogor, in an attempt to confirm if there was a banner mocking Shiite Muslims. Security guard Faisal Karim, 43, was beaten in the confrontation.
Mukri said people should have faith in the police, who were investigating the incident.
“I ask all the Muslims to not be provoked by linking the incident with religious affairs,” he said. “This is pure crime and I trust the police to handle it well.”
Bogor Police on Friday arrested 34 suspects involved in the minor sectarian incident.
Syaifuddin Ahmad Syuhada, a leader at Muammar Qaddafy Mosque mosque, said that residents from a nearby housing complex had set up two banners rejecting Shiite Muslim.
The banners, which measured one by four meters each, were hung at the gate of mosque and near the path leading to the mosque.
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesian-ulema-council-says-bogor-mosque-attack-pure-crime/
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2 Abu Sayyaf militants killed in Philippine clash
15 Feb, 2015
Two members of an al-Qaeda-linked group were killed in clashes with troops in the southern Philippines today, a military spokeswoman said.
Three soldiers and two militants were wounded in the fighting that erupted before dawn in the jungles of Basilan island, Captain Rowena Muyuela told AFP.
Today's encounter was part of continuing offensives to dislodge Abu Sayyaf extremists from the island, she said.
The Abu Sayyaf, set up with seed money from al-Qaeda in the early 1990s, has been blamed for many of the deadliest militant attacks in the Philippines, including the 2004 firebombing of a ferry on Manila Bay that claimed more than 100 lives.
The group, mainly based in Muslim-populated areas of the south, has also been involved in high-profile kidnappings of foreign tourists and Christian missionaries.
In a separate operation elsewhere in the south, 44 police commandos were killed in clashes with other Muslim guerrilla groups last month. They were on a mission to catch two top militants, Malaysian Zulkifli Hir and Filipino Abdul Basit Usman.
The FBI has said DNA analysis indicates Zulkifli was probably killed. Usman escaped.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/2-abu-sayyaf-militants-killed-in-philippine-clash#sthash.eyuDvn8O.dpuf
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Abbott Warns Indonesia of Tough Response to Executions
15 Feb, 2015
Sydney. Millions of Australians are “sickened” by the imminent execution of two of its citizens by Indonesia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday, warning of a tough diplomatic response.
His comments came as the families of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran made emotional last-gasp pleas to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
“I beg him [Joko] again and again to please forgive them and give them, both of them, a second chance,” Sukumaran’s tearful grandmother Edith Visvanathan told reporters.
A statement from the Chan family said Andrew Chan “continues to pray.”
“While there is life, there is hope. Let them live,” it said.
No date has been set for their killing, but Indonesia has said governments with citizens on death row have been invited to talks at the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Monday.
Chan, 31, and Sukumaran, 33, are facing execution by firing squad as early as this week as ring leaders of the so-called Bali Nine group trafficking heroin from Indonesia’s island of Bali into Australia.
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/abbott-warns-indonesia-tough-response-executions/
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Dozens of Indonesian couples Detained for Doing ‘The Nasty Thing’ on Valentine’s Day
15 Feb, 2015
Jakarta. Dozens of Indonesian couples suspected of doing “the nasty thing” have been detained in Valentine’s Day raids in several major Indonesian cities.
Uptight authorities, concerned about residents’ morality, staged raids in Surabaya, Pontianak and Malang on Saturday, barging in on lovers during hotel room trysts.
In Surabaya, where Mayor Tri Rismaharini has declared war on Valentine’s Day, police and members of the public order agency, or Satpol PP, swooped on 22 hotels and detained 189 unmarried lovers by 7 p.m.
“The mayor instructed [residents] not to use Valentine’s Day to do the nasty thing,” Irvan Widyanto, chief of Surabaya Satpol PP, told Detik.com. “We will send the detainees to Social Center in Keputih.
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/lovers-beware-dozens-detained-nasty-thing-valentines-day/
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India
India, Pakistan students exchanged letters after Peshawar attack
Feb 15, 2015
Hundreds of school children from India and Pakistan exchanged letters and postcards of solidarity in the aftermath of the terror attack on a Peshawar school last year that shocked people everywhere.
“Papa se kehna ab mujhe school lene na aayen, Dekh nahin paoonga unhe mera janaza uthate (Don’t tell papa to pick me up from school; I won’t be able to see him lift my coffin),” lamented one of the postcards from Pakistan.
Responding to the message of grief from across the border, an Indian student wrote back, “I felt very sad after hearing about the incident. We Indians are always with you. I being a child know how important I am to my parents. Miss you friends.”
Such poignant correspondences between children of the two countries were exchanged in the aftermath of the brutal terror attack at an Army-run school in Peshawar on December 16 of last year, which left over 120 children dead.
The exchange of letters and postcards was undertaken as part of a student exchange programme jointly organised by Indian NGO Route2Roots and Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP), under which 30 students from 15 schools in Pakistan are currently visiting India.
“The students from both sides were selected on the basis of a 15-month correspondence exercise. While that selection process was going on, the attack in Peshawar took place. And students from both sides continued to write to comfort and solace each other,” Route2Roots co-founder Tina Vachani said.
“While out of hundreds of candidates, we finally selected only a few, the letters, postcards and collages they made, we collected them all as part of the programme ‘Exchange for Change’,” she said.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-pakistan-students-exchanged-letters-after-peshawar-attack/99/
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Hizb ut-Tahrir may become dangerous than ISIS: Report
PTI | Feb 15, 2015
WASHINGTON: Radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which cleverly avoided global scrutiny while spreading its ideology, may become a more dangerous terrorist group than the ISIS and its presence in South Asia should be a cause for concern for India, according to a report.
"While ISIS runs amok in Syria and Iraq, demanding media attention through acts of barbarous cruelty, HuT (Hizb ut-Tahrir or the Party of Liberation) is quietly building a global infrastructure of radicalized youth and deep-pocketed Arab support in preparation for the global Khilafat," said the report published in the latest edition of CTX Journal.
The group has cleverly avoided any intense global scrutiny while spreading its ideology and support base in nearly 50 countries, said the report.
The group commands a base of over one million members worldwide. This is far higher than what ISIS claims to have.
Citing reports, the journal said HuT has an armed wing called Harakat ul-Muhojirinfi Britaniya that is training its cadres in chemical, bacteriological, and biological warfare.
"HuT, therefore, has the potential to become an even more dangerous terrorist group than ISIS," said the journal from US-based Global Education Community Collaboration Online.
Founded in Jerusalem in 1952 and headquartered in London, the group has branches in Central Asia, Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, where it has managed to garner great influence.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hizb-ut-Tahrir-may-become-dangerous-than-ISIS-Report/articleshow/46251663.cms
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India deeply concerned over Yemen situation, favours dialogue
Feb 15, 2015
India on Saturday said it was “deeply concerned” about worsening political and security situation in Yemen and asked all parties there to amicably resolve their differences through the process of dialogue and consultations.
It also asked the parties to fully abide by relevant UN resolutions, the terms of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement and the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference.
“India hopes that the ongoing UN-mediation efforts would assist the people of Yemen in finding a consensus-based solution to the current political impasse,” the Spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry.
As a longstanding friend of Yemen with close historical and people-to-people linkages, India has been extending all possible bilateral assistance to the country, he said.
The Spokesperson further said India remains committed to a stable, peaceful and democratic Yemen, which is in the interest of global peace and security.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-deeply-concerned-over-yemen-situation-favours-dialogue/
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PM Modi’s call to Sharif a ‘gigantic’ step: PDP
Feb 15, 2015
People’s Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to his Pakistani counterpart was a “gigantic” step and a good “omen” which could lead to peace and stability in the region.
“We appreciate the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach out his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and resuming the Foreign Secretary-level talks,” PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said here on Saturday.
He said this is a gigantic step to set a new agenda for reconciliation and resolution between the two countries.
In a statement, the PDP leader said that SAARC formatting of the initiative was a very constructive approach which could augur well for realising the economic potential of the South Asian region.
Mufti said the initiatives taken by the Prime Minister on his swearing in ceremony by inviting the SAARC leaders including Sharif had set the right tone for India’s leadership role in the region but the calling off the secretary-level talks soon after had “blunted its potential”.
“The resumption of talks and the Prime Minister’s telephonic conversation with Sharif have come as a major intervention to revive the stalled peace process between our country and Pakistan,” he said.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/pm-modis-call-to-sharif-a-gigantic-step-pdp/
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South Asia
PM Sheikh Hasina Calls upon All Muslims to Resist BNP-Jamaat’s Evil Politics
15 Feb, 2015
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged all the Muslims, including Islamic scholars, to resist the evil politics of BNP-Jamaat as they are undermining Islam through their heinous acts of burning people to death.
She also called upon the Muslims, Including Pir, Mashayekh and Aalims, to come forward to play a strong role in bringing back those to the true path who are doing politics in the name of Islam, misguided by the BNP-Jamaat.
The prime minister made the call while addressing the inaugural function of the daylong International Sufi Conference 2015 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
Islamic scholars from home and abroad, including India, Germany, England and Russia, are participating in the conference organised by Bangladesh Tarikat Federation.
Referring to the vandalism, killing and setting fire to vehicles by BNP-Jamaat clique before the last general election, the prime minister said they are again out there on the streets to kill people hurling petrol bombs and burning innocent citizens to death in the name of politics.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2015/feb/15/pm-calls-upon-all-muslims-resist-bnp-jamaat%E2%80%99s-evil-politics#sthash.NCSDUgsK.dpuf
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Terrorism in disguise of political programmes, says Ctg human chain
15 Feb, 2015
Speakers at a human chain before Chittagong Press Club yesterday opined that BNP-Jamaat activists have been running criminal activities across the country under the guise of political activities.
Protesting the countrywide sabotage acts and violence, a human chain and a protest rally organised by Chittagong Union of Journalists (CUJ) were held, where Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) President Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul was present as the chief guest.
“Innocent people got killed by petrol bombs in the dark of nights. Human rights are being violated in the name of their (political parties) voting rights. We cannot accept this as a professional and conscious citizen of the country,” said Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul.
He also said: “We are not against the politics. But the parties who are conducting violence in the name of their political programme have to take the responsibilities of the violence. We have to tear out the ugly politics.”
The other speakers said the countrymen were taking streets protesting the ill political motive of BNP-Jamaat.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/feb/15/terrorism-disguise-political-programmes-says-ctg-human-chain#sthash.bb01N8EJ.dpuf
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Military operations to begin in Helmand
15 Feb, 2015
Sediq SediqqiAfghan National Security forces (ANSF) to begin anti-terrorism operations in Helmand.
Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior told a news conference in Kabul today that the operations are aimed to clear the target areas from the presence of the terrorists and make the areas more secured.
He said “These are special operations which will be independently carried out by the Afghan National Security Forces”.
Sediq Sediqqi said that the Afghan National Security Forces are ready to defend the country at any cost, adding that they have the ability to defend the country.
After the end of NATO’s combat mission in 2014, this is the 1st large scale operation of Afghan National Security forces (ANSF) that is going to be conducted independently.
On January 1, 2015 Afghan National Security Forces took full security responsibility of the country with some 350, 000 soldiers.
At the end of 2014 NATO winded up its military role in Afghanistan which had started since the ousting of Taliban from power in 2001.
3,485 death toll of NATO was recorded until the end of 2014 in its 13 years of combat mission in Afghanistan.
NATO is now leading a Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan which is aimed at providing further training, advice and assistance to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and institutions.
http://www.khaama.com/military-operations-to-begin-in-helmand-29065
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Japan to give $15mn to fight terror in Mideast, Africa: Report
February 15, 2015
Japan, reeling from the murder of two nationals by Islamic State extremists, will offer an extra $15 million in aid to fight terrorism in Middle East and Africa, a report said Sunday.
Japan hopes to demonstrate its resolve not to cave in to terrorism with the fresh assistance, which will be announced at a global counter-terrorism conference starting on Wednesday in Washington, the Sankei Shimbun said.
It said the money would be distributed through international organisations to affected regions, including countries bordering Syria and Iraq. Large parts of those countries are controlled by Islamic State militants.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has come in for criticism over the timing of an earlier $200 million Japanese pledge to help refugees fleeing IS-controlled areas, and the comments he made.
Abe announced the $200 million aid in Egypt on January 17, saying Japan would "help curb the threat" of IS and give the money "for those countries contending with" the militants.
The announcement was followed by the hostage drama, with the militants demanding the same sum in exchange for a captured Japanese contractor and a journalist.
The militants later changed their demand to the release of a death row inmate from a Jordanian prison.
Tokyo pressed Jordan for its help, but the militants eventually announced the killing of the pair as well as a Jordanian airman, along with photos and videos.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/123049/World/International/Japan-to-give-mn-to-fight-terror-in-Mideast,-Afric.aspx
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Bangladesh HC orders government to stop violence
Ahmed Zayeef
15 Feb, 2015
The High Court has ordered the government to take effective steps to stop violence that has been taking place across the country in the name of blockade and hartal.
A HC bench of Justice Kazi Reza-Ul Haque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman passed the order on Sunday afternoon.
The order came after partial hearing of a writ petition filed by businessperson Shahinur Islam, hailed from Keraniganj of Dhaka.
Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Home Ministries, Inspector General of Police and Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh made respondents to the writ.
The court also asked the respondents to explain why the hartal and blockade would not be announced illegal and unconstitutional.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/feb/15/hc-orders-government-stop-violence#sthash.ARrBM5Bv.dpuf
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Muslim Aid to close Rohingya project
Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
15 Feb, 2015
Muslim Aid, a UK-based non-government organisation, is going to close down its Rohingya project in Teknaf in phases as European Union has stopped funding it.
“The NGO has dubious operation in Teknaf and the government has requested the EU not to fund it,” said a senior official of the Foreign Ministry.
When contacted, the European Union embassy in Dhaka through an email confirmed that from February this year, their contract with Muslim Aid expired.
The government in 2008 allowed Muslim Aid to manage a make-shift camp for undocumented Rohingyas in Teknaf. The government scrapped its permission in 2012 but did not force the NGO to get out from Teknaf.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/feb/15/muslim-aid-close-rohingya-project#sthash.Pv8NzTgY.dpuf
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Mideast
Palestinians want role in probing 'terrorist' killings of Chapel Hill Muslims
Feb 15, 2015
The Palestinian government condemned as "terrorism" the killings of three young Palestinian-Americans in North Carolina and called on U.S. authorities to include its investigators in the probe.
Police have charged a neighbour with Tuesday's shooting in the town of Chapel Hill of Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha, 19, saying the incident followed a dispute over parking.
But investigators said they were also looking into whether the suspect, Craig Stephen Hicks, was motivated by hatred toward the victims because they were Muslim.
Branding Hicks "an American extremist and hateful racist", the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said the incident suggested a rise in dangerous discrimination against American Muslims.
"We consider it a serious indication of the growth of racism and religious extremism which is a direct threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of American citizens who follow the Islamic faith," the ministry said in a statement.
It called for "a serious investigation and the involvement of Palestinian investigators to clarify the circumstances of these assassinations and premeditated murders" in Chapel Hill.
On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised U.S. President Barack Obama for "staying silent" over the murders, which have garnered international attention and left some American Muslims feeling concerned about their safety.
"This has hate crime written all over it," said the slain women's father, Mohammad Abu-Salha.
On Friday, Obama issued a statement describing the incident as "brutal and outrageous" and said no one in the United States should be targeted for their religion.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123028/World/Region/Palestinians-want-role-in-probing-terrorist-killin.aspx
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Israel’s Likud claims vote for left will benefit ISIS
15 February 2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party claims in a contentious new campaign ad that a vote for the left in Israel's March election would benefit ISIS jihadists.
The ad drew fire from the left-wing coalition opposing Likud, the Zionist Union, which accused Netanyahu of "colossal" security failures.
The ad features actors portraying jihadists driving in a white pick-up truck with two standing in the rear carrying the black flag of ISIS, the extremist Sunni Muslim group that has seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.
The truck pulls up next to a car driven by an Israeli and one of the "jihadists" asks: "Which way to Jerusalem brother?"
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/15/Israel-s-Likud-claims-vote-for-left-will-benefit-ISIS-.html
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Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei Sent Obama Secret Letter: WSJ
15 Feb, 2015
Washington DC. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has responded to overtures from US President Barack Obama amid nuclear talks by sending him a secret letter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Citing an Iranian diplomat, the paper said the Iranian cleric had written to Obama in recent weeks in response to a presidential letter sent in October.
Obama’s letter suggested the possibility of US-Iranian cooperation in fighting Islamic State if a nuclear deal was secured, the paper said, quoting the diplomat.
Khamenei’s letter was “respectful” but noncommittal, it quoted the diplomat as saying.
Both the White House and the Iranian mission at the United Nations declined to comment on the report.
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/iranian-leader-ayatollah-khamenei-sent-obama-secret-letter-wsj/
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Iranian DM Describes Takfiri Terrorists as Israel's Proxy Fighters
February 15, 2015
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said the Takfiri terrorist groups are serving Israel's interests and security by fighting a proxy war in the region.
"The Takfiri stream operating in the region is fighting a proxy war for Israel and it is currently at the service of that regime's security," Dehqan told reporters in Tehran on Sunday.
He appreciated the regional states' resistance against the terrorist groups, and said, "The Syrian government and people are confronting their enemies through cooperation with each other and of course, the Israelis are attempting to suppress the resistance current by any means."
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931126000831
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Netanyahu urges Jews to move to Israel after Copenhagen attacks
February 15, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday urged European Jews to move to Israel after a Jewish man was killed in an attack outside Copenhagen's main synagogue.
"Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe," Netanyahu said in a statement, repeating a similar call made after bloody attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris last month that killed 17 people, including four Jews.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123086/World/Region/Netanyahu-urges-Jews-to-move-to-Israel-after-Copen.aspx
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Houthis refuse to cede Yemen power in face of 'threats'
February 15, 2015
The Shiite militia that seized power in Sanaa said Sunday it will not cave in to "threats" after Yemen's Gulf neighbours urged the UN to act forcefully against its takeover.
"The Yemeni people won't cede power in the face of threats," spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said, quoted by the official Saba news agency, which the Shiite Huthi militia now controls.
Abdulsalam insisted that Yemenis were "engaged in a process of self-determination free of any (foreign) tutelage".
Yemen's Gulf neighbours on Saturday urged the international community to act forcefully over the deteriorating security situation in the Arabian Peninsula country, including possible military intervention.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution on Sunday urging the Houthis to step aside, release government officials and begin UN-brokered negotiations, diplomats said.
Calling for the Houthis to act "immediately and unconditionally," the draft resolution demands they "withdraw their forces from government institutions... and relinquish government and security institutions".
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123068/World/Region/Houthis-refuse-to-cede-Yemen-power-in-face-of-thre.aspx
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North America
Sex-Abuse Allegations against Chicago Muslim Religious Leader Roils Community
15 Feb, 2015
Allegations of sexual abuse by the long-time president of a leading Chicago-area Islamic school have roiled the region’s Muslims and raised questions about the reporting of sexual abuse in a close-knit religious community.
The allegations that Abdullah Saleem of the Institute of Islamic Education in Elgin, a Chicago suburb, sexually abused an adult female school employee surfaced in December, when a leading Muslim scholar referred to them in a blog.
Elgin police confirmed Saturday that they are conducting a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the school, but spokesman Cmdr. Ana Lalley said she could provide no further details.
Saleem, who has been a respected Muslim leader in Chicago for decades, has not been charged with any crime.
Mohammed Kaiseruddin, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago , the region’s most influential Muslim umbrella group, said Saleem has resigned from his post and been replaced by his son. He said Saleem left for his native India after the allegations surfaced, and he did not know if he had returned.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/sex-abuse-allegations-against-chicago-muslim-religious-leader-roils-community/2015/02/14/7cbfe639-093e-4c7c-b88b-a8dab3b76f6e_story.html
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Pan-Muslim group concerned over ‘rising U.S. Islamophobia'
Feb 15, 2015
A pan-Muslim body condemned the murders of three Muslim students in the United States by a neighbor who espoused anti-religious views, voicing concerns over what it said was increased “Islamophobia” in the country.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister Razan, 19, were shot dead on Tuesday in the North Carolina university town of Chapel Hill.
A 46-year-old neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, has been charged with three counts of murder over the killings, which sparked outrage among Muslims worldwide.
Police said they are investigating what may have been a parking dispute gone wrong, but have not ruled out a hate-based crime.
Relatives of the victims say they are convinced they were targeted because of their faith.
“This gruesome crime has left Muslims worldwide in a state of shock and has raised concerns of the growing feelings of hatred towards Muslims and the increase of acts linked to Islamophobia in the United States,” said Iyad Madani, secretary general of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/14/Pan-Muslim-group-concerned-over-rising-U-S-Islamophobia.html
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US Congress throws crucial caveat into Pakistan ties
February 15, 2015
The US Congress is arguing against treating Pakistan as a strategic partner until the country agrees to sever its alleged ties with ‘terrorist outfits’.
In a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel said the US should pursue a different approach with the Pakistani government, the BBC reported.
“We urge you to consider implementing travel restrictions, suspending portions of assistance, and sanctioning Pakistani officials that maintain relationships with designated terrorist groups,” the letter said.
It said the government of Pakistan has taken some steps to dismantle the infrastructure of al Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), but has not done enough to combat other ‘designated foreign terrorist groups’ such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Jaish-e-Muhammad.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/838607/us-congress-throws-crucial-caveat-into-pakistan-ties/
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Muslim group hands out free flowers at South Coast Plaza to promote peace
15 Feb, 2015
Representatives of the Muslim Women Network of Southern California were at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Saturday to hand out free Valentine's Day roses.
The idea was to promote peace, unity, diversity and freedom, the group said.
"There are too many misconceptions about Islam," Shalizeh Afatbi, a member of the Muslim Women Network, said in an email. "Unfortunately, usually the media … don't display the life of real Muslims, and mostly they talk about the people that hijacked the name of Islam."
http://www.dailypilot.com/news/tn-dpt-me-0215-roses-20150214,0,7888284.story
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US man admits to role in attack on ISI office
15 Feb, 2015
WASHINGTON: A Pakistani-American has pleaded guilty to financing the 2009 terrorist attack on the ISI office in Lahore, US officials said.
Reaz Qadir Khan, 51, has admitted to “providing advice and financial assistance” to those who carried out the attack, the United States Attorney’s Office in Portland, Oregon, announced on Friday.
The bombing killed approximately 30 people, mostly ISI employees, and injured 300 more. Khan’s main contact, Maldivian Abu Jaleel, was also killed in the suicide bombing.
Khan is a naturalised US citizen who lived in Portland and worked at a water treatment facility. He is an NED graduate and also has a master’s degree in engineering from a US university.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1163726/us-man-admits-to-role-in-attack-on-isi-office
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Metro Detroit Muslims call for peace
15 Feb, 2015
Muslim-Americans are unnerved by recent incidents they fear are part of a trend of anti-Islam attacks. Several vigils held in metro Detroit for three Muslim students shot dead in North Carolina.
The shooting deaths of three students in North Carolina and other incidents last week have sparked alarm in metro Detroit's sizable Muslim communities, prompting several prayer vigils and calls for peace.
From Bloomfield Hills to Detroit to Ann Arbor, Muslims have gathered to speak out against anti-Islam attacks, which they fear are increasing with their faith often in the headlines this year. An alleged assault against a Muslim man at a Kroger store in Dearborn on Thursday has added to their anxiety.
Full report at:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/02/15/muslims-metro-detroit-alarmed-chapel-hill-shootings/23428931/
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Europe
Two Dead in Copenhagen Shootings Labelled ‘Terrorist’ by PM
15 Feb, 2015
Copenhagen. Denmark was on high alert on Sunday after two people were killed and five wounded in gun attacks on a Copenhagen cafe hosting a freedom of speech debate and a synagogue, raising fears the Nordic country had fallen victim to militant violence.
The first attack, in broad daylight on Saturday, targeted a cafe attended by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who has been threatened with death for his cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
Also attending a debate at the cafe was French ambassador Francois Zimeray who praised Denmark’s support for freedom of speech following the January attack in Paris on the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo that killed a dozen people.
Witnesses said that barely had the envoy finished an introduction to the meeting, than up to 40 shots rang out, outside the venue, as an attacker tried to shoot inside.
Police said they considered Vilks, the main speaker, to have been the target.
A 55-year-old man died as a result of that shooting, police said early on Sunday. Police said earlier the victim was a 40-year-old man.
“We feel certain now that it was a politically motivated attack, and thereby it was a terrorist attack,” Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt told journalists, speaking on Saturday close to the site of the cafe.
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/one-dead-shooting-danish-meeting-artist-drew-mohammad/
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UN to urge Houthis to step aside in Yemen
February 15, 2015
The UN Security Council is due to adopt a resolution Sunday urging the Shiite militiamen behind a power grab in Yemen to step down, release government officials and negotiate, diplomats said.
Calling for the militia, known as Houthis, to act "immediately and unconditionally," the council's 15 member states will demand the group "withdraw their forces from government institutions... and relinquish government and security institutions," according to a draft of the resolution.
Yemen has descended into chaos since the Huthis seized Sanaa in September, sweeping into the capital unopposed from their northern stronghold. Despite a UN-brokered deal, they have refused to withdraw their fighters from the city.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123052/World/Region/UN-to-urge-Houthis-to-step-aside-in-Yemen.aspx
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Nearly 1,000 Arabs, including 24 Egyptians, in British prisons
February 15, 2015
The number of Arab and Egyptian nationals in British prisons reached nearly 1,000 last year, the British justice ministry has announced.
The ministry added that the number of foreign nationals in prisons in England and Wales has doubled in the last 10 years, reaching 10,503 and now representing over 14 percent of the total prison population.
Among of these foreign prisoners, there are 943 Arabs, including 24 Egyptians.
Meanwhile, the ministry confirmed foreign prisoners, including Arabs, have the option to be transferred to their countries of origin.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/123046/World/Region/Nearly-,-Arabs,-including--Egyptians,-in-British-p.aspx
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/religious-seminaries-oppose-pakistan’s-move/d/101532