Suicide bomber kills 42 police recruits in Iraq
Blast-accused Muslim praises Aseemanand, calls him 'great'
Karachi: Killing of newborn babies on rise
Abdul Kalim who shook the conscience of Aseemanand out on bail
Jihad is the only solution to the Kashmir issue: Sunni Ittehad Council
Jamia Millia Islamia’s minority status to be decided today
Deoband head has MBA, is pro-modern education
Pak Blasphemy Law critic goes into hiding
Iran has hanged 47 people in three weeks, say human rights groups
Taseer death: Indian Muslims question Pak cleric’s silence
Iran suspends Sakineh hanging
France: Muslims Use Halal Food to Spread Sharia
"The Koran commands Muslims to establish Sharia Law all over the world?"
ISI chief attends ZARDARI'S meeting with CIA head
Why only Hindus confessing: RSS
In Afghanistan ‘human maps’ help fight Taliban
What experts of the '92 operation say about Karachi today
Talks back on track? Krishna may meet Qureshi in Thimphu
Prayers at Ajmer for RSS activist Indresh
Kulliyat-e-Gulzar was inaugurated by Vice President Hamid Ansari
High Court hands over 123 Wakf properties to the govt
NCP demands ban on RSS, Abhinav Bharat
Pak Hindus and Sikhs urge India to grant them citizenship
Interlocutors break political deadlock in J&K
Kasab death sentence: HC to announce verdict on Feb 7
Release Muslims implicated in terror strikes: Jamiat
‘Pak did Samjhauta... probe them, Rahul Gandhi, Digvijaya’
Case against Veena Malik's 'Immoral Acts' on Bigg Boss
9 accused in 2006 Malegaon blast case, seek bail
Pak pursuing terror as instrument of state policy: India
Pak court adjourns Saeed's petition to defend him in US court
Ahmadinejad, Medvedev agree to boost ties: Report
Pamela The Proud Kafir. Tellitlikeitis
New evidence Minnesota ‘taxpayer funded Islamic school’ broke law
U.N. concludes probe of Hariri assassination
'Ben Ali's wife picked up 1.5 tonnes of gold before fleeing'
Policeman killed in attack on Iraqi governor
Delhi: HC allows namaz at site of razed mosque
12 Canadians undergoing militant training at Pak camp
Musharraf blames Nawaz Sharif for bloodbath in Karachi
Prosecutors: Guantanamo convict deserves life term
Taliban kill four alleged robbers in Hangu
UN agency warns of shortfall in fight on hunger
Iran firm on N-rights as foreign envoys’ tour ends
Gunbattle at Tunisian presidential palace
I can never even imagine that Pak Army will be against me: Musharraf
In a first for AMU, women run for top posts in students’ union
India: Muslim politics is changing
SC warns agencies against taking illegal actions
MQM bill to cleanse country of illegal weapons
Zardari, Hasina vow to defeat radical mindset
Hundreds of homes occupied in several Libyan cities: Report
Seven receive King Faisal Award
NRIs urged to help end Indian Muslims’ plight
13 Indian fishermen arrested
Tunisia unrest stirs passions across North African Region
Hizbullah backers take to streets after tribunal indictment
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/suicide-bomber-kills-42-police/d/3951
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Suicide bomber kills 42 police recruits in Iraq
Jan 18, 2011
BAGHDAD: The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on Iraqi police recruits in former dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown rose to 42 on Tuesday, with more than 100 people wounded, a provincial official said.
"Who else would it be but al-Qaida, who keep on slaughtering us," said Ahmed Abdul-Jabbar, deputy governor of Salahuddin province. "They are the terrorists."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Suicide-bomber-kills-42-police-
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Blast-accused Muslim praises Aseemanand, calls him 'great'
Jan 18 2011
Hyderabad : Woh bahut great hain. It takes a lot of courage to accept your mistakes, admit guilt. Not everyone can do it. Even when we were in jail together, I felt he was a good man,” Abdul Kaleem, 23, a Mecca Masjid blast accused, said on Monday following his release on bail.
He was referring to Swami Aseemanand who is reported to have confessed to his involvement in the Mecca Masjid blast of May 18, 2007. Kaleem was arrested as a suspect in the case and spent one-and-a-half-years in jail before all charges were quashed by a court and set free.
On October 12, 2010, Kaleem was arrested again at Cherlapally Jail on charges of trying to pass a mobile phone to his jailed brother Abdul Khaja alias Amjad, an alleged terror operative who was arrested from Chennai in January 2010.
“The first time I saw Aseemanand was about a month-and- a-half ago and I was not aware why he was in jail. He was in the cell next to mine, we started talking on and off when we came across each other in the courtyard. A few days later, I came to know that he was arrested in the Mecca Masjid blast case,” Kaleem says.
What did he feel about it? Was he angry? “No. I was not angry with him,” Kaleem says emphatically. “I have realised long back gussa aur nafrat se kuch nahi hota. It does not solve anything. In fact, I used to call him uncle. He asked me once why I was in jail and I told him about both Mecca Masjid case and the second case against me in Cherlapally Jail. He did not say anything at that time. But another time when we discussed this topic, he became emotional and withdrawn. Later, he was impressed that I had got admission in BSc (Medical Lab Technology) and shook his head when I told him that as I was arrested in the blast case, the BSc seat was cancelled,” Kaleem recalls.
“I used to bring his food from the kitchen and get water whenever he needed. Unki tabyat kharab ho to mein dekhbaal karta tha.” When asked if it was due to their friendship that Aseemanand confessed to the Mecca Masjid blast, Kaleem says, “I am not sure. He seemed to be a nice person and maybe he repents what he has done. If it was our friendship that changed him then it is great.”
After getting bail on Monday, Kaleem came out of Chanchalguda prison at 7 pm and ran into the arms of his mother Latifa Begum. They were both taken home in Salimnagar near Malakpet by councillor Amjadullah Khan.
After Kaleem was released from jail in December 2008, he took up an LLB course. “I could not finish it as I was arrested again. Now, I plan to finish that course and become a lawyer. I want to help all those youths who are implicated or wrongly arrested by police,” Kaleem adds.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/blastaccused-muslim-praises-aseemanand-calls-him-
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KARACHI: Killing of newborn babies on rise
Jan 18, 2011
KARACHI: The bodies of two newborn babies were given their final bath before they were buried in Karachi, after they were discovered in the city’s garbage dumps.
“They can only have been one or two days old,” said volunteer worker Muhammad Saleem, pointing at the two small corpses being gently washed by his colleagues at a charity’s morgue.
Infanticide, a crime in Pakistan is on the rise. More than 1,000 infants – most of them girls – were killed or abandoned to die in the country last year, according to conservative estimates by the Edhi Foundation, a charity working to reverse the grim trend.
The infanticide figures are collected only from Pakistan’s main cities, leaving out huge swathes of the rural areas, and the charity says that in December alone, it found 40 dead babies left in garbage dumps and sewers.
The number of dead infants found last year – 1,210 – was up from 890 in 2008 and 999 in 2009, said Edhi Foundation Manager in Karachi, Anwar Kazmi.
Kazmi recounts the discovery of the burnt body of a six-day-old infant who had been strangled. Another child was found on the steps of a mosque having been stoned to death on the orders of an imam who has since disappeared, he said.
“Do not murder, lay them here,” reads a sign hanging outside the charity’s Karachi base where it has left cradles in the hope that parents will abandon their unwanted children there, instead of leaving them to die.
“People leave these children mostly because they think they are illegitimate, but they are as innocent and loveable as all human beings,” says the charity’s founder, well-known humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi.
Most children found are less than a week old.
Khair Mohammad, 65, works as a watchman in the charity’s vast graveyard in the city outskirts. It is dotted with tiny unnamed graves.
“We acquired this land to bury children after another plot was filled with hundreds of bodies,” he said.
The death toll is far worse among girls, says manager Kazmi, with nine out of ten dead babies the charity finds being female.
“The number of infanticides of girls has substantially increased,” Kazmi said, a rise attributed to increased poverty across the country.
Girls are seen by many Pakistanis as a greater economic burden as most women are not permitted to work and are considered to be the financial responsibility of their fathers, and later their husbands.
A Pakistani family can be forced to raise more than one million rupees to marry their daughter off.
Edhi said that up to 200 babies are left in its 400 cradles nationwide each year and that it handles thousands of requests for adoption by childless couples.Abortion is prohibited in Islam, except when the mother’s life is at risk from her pregnancy, but advocates say that legalisation would reduce infanticide and save mothers from potentially fatal back-street terminations.
According to the country’s law, anyone found to have abandoned an infant could be jailed for seven years, while anyone guilty of secretly burying a child can be imprisoned for two years. Murder is punishable with life imprisonment.
But crimes of infanticide are rarely prosecuted.
“The majority of police stations do not register cases of infanticide, let alone launch investigations into them,” said lawyer Abdul Rasheed. afp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\01\18\story_18-1-2011_pg7_7
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Abdul Kalim who shook the conscience of Aseemanand out on bail
New Age Islam News Bureau
Jan 18, 2011
Hyderabad: Abdul Kali who was arrested on the false charges of involvement in Makka Masjid and Lumbini Park blasts today got bail from the city court yesterday. It should be recalled that Abdul Kalim is the young man who made Aseemanand accused in the blasts realise his mistakes. Aseemanand was very impressed by the decent behaviour of Abdul Kalim in the jail and decided to disclose all the secrets about the multiple blasts. Aseemanand had been arrested from Hardwar on the charges of Makkah Masjid, Ajmer, Malegaon blasts. Abdul Kalim who spent about one and half year in jail said that the loss of his education could not be compensated but he was grateful to God that he took great service from him. He met Aseemanand during his incarceration. He and other Muslim youth told him how they were arrested without any proof and evidences.
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Jihad is the only solution to the Kashmir issue: Sunni Ittehad Council
New Age Islam News Bureau
Jan 18, 2011
Mirpur/Gujarat: (Press release): Jihad is the only solution to the Kashmir issue but the responsibility lies on the Pakistan government and the army rather on the so-called jihai organisations. The services of the Islamic sufis in Kashmir are unforgettable. These views were expressed by the Central Emir of Almi Tanzeem Ahle Sunnat and the Vice Chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council Pir Muhammad Afzal Qadri while addressing a gathering in the Awami Hall, Mirpur. On this occasion, Allama Bashir Mustafai, Maulana Aslam Naqshbandi, Maulana Hanif Tahir, Haji Ghulam Rasool Tahir and other Sunni activists were present. Condemning the statements of the Pope and the Christian pastors, Maulana Pir Mohammad Afzal Qadri said that if they did not refrain from creating mischiefs only they would be responsible for the repercussions. He said that our rulers were damaging the interests of the Muslims in this world and hereafter by living in corruption, liecentiousness and atheism. There the Muslims of Pakistan and Kashmir should come into the practical field for the revolution of the Islamic state (Nizam-e-Mustafa) and play a role for Pakistan, Kashmir and the Islamic world by joining the Almi Tanzeem Ahle Sunnat and Sunni Ittehad Council. He also said that a national conference of the Sunni Ittehad Council would be held at Minar Pakistan, Lahore on March 23, 2011. Expressing his dismay, he said that some people speak the language of the enemies of Islam despite being Muslims and call the law of Namoos –e- Risalat which has the sanction of the Quran and hadith and became a part of the Pakistani law after the Sharia court approved it on the unanimous demand of the ulema of all the sects, Gen Zia’s law though it is the law of the Islamic Sharia and guards against blasphemy against the Prophet (PBUH). Later in the day he visited the house of the Chairman of Noor TV and Sajjada Nashin of Naiyyarian Sharif Peer Allauddin Siddiquee and expressed his grief at the death of his wife and prayed for her.
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Jamia Millia Islamia’s minority status to be decided today
New Age Islam News Bureau
Jan 18, 2011
New Delhi: Today the court of Justice M S A Siddiquee will decide if Jamia Millia Islamia is a minority institution or something else. According to sources, the head of the National Education Commission for Minority Institutions Justice M S A Siddiquee will decide the fate of Jamia on January 18. In view of the decision to be taken today, the representatives of the Jamia Minority Status Co-ordination Committee were busy doing hectic parleys and the Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid, Tariq Anwar, Abdul Khalique, Md Adeeb, Harish Rawat, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Digvijay Singh and Sultan Ahmad were busy making efforts at their own level. According to reports, the government is in favour of granting Jamia minority status and the stand of the Minority Affairs Salman Khurshi who has been saying that Jamia is a minority institution gives hope. Digvijay Singh has also maintained that not only Jamia but the AMU is also a minority isntitution and their minority status will ultimately be reinstated. Jamia Millia Islamia also has submitted documents consisting of 660 pages claiming that it is a minority institution.
Professor of Jamia, Mr Akhtarul Wassey said that the EC had passed a resolution in 1996-97 that Jamia was a minority institution whose minute was confirmed in the president ship of General Zaki.
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Deoband head has MBA, is pro-modern education
Yagnesh Mehta
Jan 18, 2011
SURAT: Maulana Gulam Mohammad Vastanvi, a cleric who holds an MBA from Maharashtra and has been feted for introducing modern education at a madrassa in Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar, has been elected vice-chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband.
Vastanvi was selected on January 10 after the death of Maulana Marghoob Rahman, who was Mohtamim (vice-chancellor) of the institution for 30 years.
For the first time in the 200 years of Darul Uloom Deoband, a Gujarati has taken the top post. Vastanvi belongs to Vastan village in Surat district and studied at a seminary at Tadkeshwar near Kim. He got his Aalim and Faazil degrees from the Tadkeshwar seminary itself.
Born and brought up in the tribal-dominated and economically backward area of the state, Vastanvi chose to work in tribal areas of Maharashtra. After completing his studies, the cleric taught at Kantharia for nearly a decade before setting up the reputed Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom at Akkalkuwa in Maharashtras Nandurbar district.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Deoband-head-has-MBA-is-pro-modern-
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Pak Blasphemy Law Critic Goes Into Hiding
Jan 18, 2011
Islamabad, Jan. 17: Pakistan’s liberal legislator, Ms Sherry Rehman, has gone underground to save her life after advocating amendments in the blasphemy law.
Ms Rehman had moved a bill in the National Assembly seeking amendments to the blasphemy law. She had also appeared on television channels favouring such amendments which are being vehemently opposed by religious parties and groups in the country.
Punjab governor Salman Taseer was assassinated in January first week by his own bodyguard for “committing blasphemy”. Extremists have also threatened Ms Rehman with the same fate.
Some religious groups had issued fatwa (religious decree) demanding her death.
A joint pamphlet was also issued by all components of the Tahafuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat (protectors of Prophethood’s dignity) against her in Karachi.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/international/pak-blasphemy-law-critic-goes-hiding-731
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Iran has hanged 47 people in three weeks, say human rights groups
Jan 18, 2011
An average of one person every eight hours has been executed so far this year, including two political activists
Iran has hanged almost 50 people during the past three weeks, according to human rights groups.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) said 47 prisoners, or an average of about one person every eight hours, have been put to death since the beginning of the new year. Most of the executions are believed to be related to drug-trafficking crimes, although at least two were of political activists.
The news came as it emerged today that Iranian officials had apparently suspended the sentence of hanging for Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old woman whose sentence of death by stoning for adultery sparked an international outcry.
Full report at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/17/iran-hangs-47-people
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Taseer death: Indian Muslims question Pak cleric’s silence
Mohammed Wajihuddin
Jan 18, 2011
MUMBAI: A group of 50 Indian Muslim intellectuals, students and rights activists have written to Pakistan's Dawat-e-Islami outfit head and questioned his silence over the assassination of a leading progressive politician in Islamabad on January 4.
Mumtaz Qadri, believed to be a member of the group, assassinated Pakistani Punjab governor Salman Taseer for his vocal denunciation of the country's controversial blasphemy law. Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari had pardoned a Christian woman, Asiya Bibi, convicted of blasphemy after Taseer visited her in jail and promised all support.
The letter asked Maulana Ilyas Qadri to ponder over Mumtaz Qadri's action "Did this conform to the teachings of Islam?'' asked the letter. It quoted a poem, praising Prophet Muhammad "salam us par ke jis ney zakhm kha kar phool barsaye (salute to the Prophet who showered flowers even on those who inflicted wounds on him)'' to make the point. The poem is regularly aired on a Dawat-e-Islami-run TV channel in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/-Taseer-death-Indian-Muslims-question-Pak-
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Iran suspends Sakineh hanging
Jan 18, 2011
TEHRAN: Iran has suspended a sentence to hang a woman at the centre of a global outcry about stoning, a member of parliament said.
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's sentence to be stoned for adultery was suspended last year after condemnation from several governments, but she had still faced death by hanging for being an accomplice in her husband's murder . In a letter to Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, the head of parliament's human rights committee, Zohre Elahian, said the hanging, too, had been suspended due to pleas from her children.
"Although the stoning sentence has not been finalised yet, the hanging sentence has been suspended due to pardon ," the letter said, according to news agency ISNA. Ashtiani has been sentenced to 10 years' jail, Elahian said. She was arrested in 2006.
Ex-Brazilian president Lula da Silva offered Ashtiani asylum in July, prompting an embarrassing public rejection by Iran which said he was not in possession of all the facts.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-suspends-Sakineh-hanging
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France: Muslims Use Halal Food to Spread Sharia
Jan 18, 2011
This report deserves careful attention because it demonstrates how the imposition of Islamic rule can take many forms. In France, one battle line has formed up over food, which the French people take very seriously. In one example of resistance, Parisians have organized anti-sharia street parties with wine and sausage to show their hostility to the change that Muslim immigration has brought.
Modern American slaughterhouses stun animals immediately before slaughter to minimize their suffering. In contrast, during halal butchering, the creature’s throat is slit while it is still conscious and an Islamic prayer is recited, so the practice is objectionable from an animal cruelty viewpoint, not to mention religious.
In addition, halal’s hidden taxes supply a source of funds for terror activities.
Once again, CBN is doing some of the best reporting about the dangers posed by hostile Islam.
http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2011/01/17/france-muslims-use-halal-food-to-spread-
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"The Koran commands Muslims to establish Sharia Law all over the world?"
Jan 18, 2011
I've heard quite a few people say this, and I would like to know where exactly does the Qu'ran state that Sharia be implemented all over of the world?
I don't know, last time I checked, the Koran states that we *cannot* convert everyone, and if God wanted to make everyone believers, he could, but he didn't for a purpose, and so we cannot convert everyone:: "And [thus it is:] had thy Lord so willed, all those who live on earth would surely have believed, all of them: dost thou, then, think that thou couldst compel people to believe?,
Nay, no soul can believe, except by the will of God, and he will cast uncleanliness on those who do not understand." (10:99)
Now, please do provide evidence for the assumption that the Koran commands Sharia (while the Koran does not even mention Sharia).
Full report at:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110117141248AAlipLG
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ISI CHIEF ATTENDS ZARDARI'S MEETING WITH CIA HEAD
Jan 18, 2011
Islamabad, Jan 17 |The powerful Inter-Services Intelligence chief attended a meeting that President Asif Ali Zardari held with CIA chief Leon Panetta last week, dispelling a perception that the Pakistan government did not want to involve the military in its dealings with the US.
ISI head Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha sat in on the key meeting held in Washington on Friday, the Dawn newspaper quoted diplomatic sources as saying.Pasha was not in Zardari's entourage that arrived in the US on Thursday.Pasha travelled alone to the US, participated in the President's meeting with Panetta but "stayed away from other activities", the report said.
http://jehlumpost.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3503:isi-chief-
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Why only Hindus confessing: RSS
Jan 18, 2011
NEW DELHI: Raising questions over the role of investigating agencies, RSS has said it found "intriguing" that only those who have been arrested for alleged links to Hindu radicalism were "confessing" to terror acts, whereas convicted militants like Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru appeared to be more "tight-lipped" with them.
"Intriguing that only persons named in alleged Hindu radicalism seem to be making confessions. We have not heard of a Kasab or Afzal Guru or any other captured jihadi, terrorist making such confessions. Are they so tight-lipped," the Sangh asked, in an editorial in its mouthpiece, Organiser.
The RSS editorial referred to the recent alleged "confessions" of Swami Aseemanand, a key accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast that killed nine people, to the CBI. Aseemanand headed the RSS-affiliated Van Vasi Kalyan Ashram, Shabri Dham, in the Dangs, Gujarat.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Why-only-Hindus-confessing-
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In Afghanistan ‘human maps’ help fight Taliban
Jan 18, 2011
CHARKUSAH: “I’m 105 years old,” said Bismiullah, an old man stopped by a patrol in southern Afghanistan as part of military efforts to map the population in the battle against the Taliban.
Asked what he thinks of the US army, the Afghan army and the Taliban, Bismiullah responded: “I like myself and my family, that’s it.”
Questioned who is in charge in the area, he was similarly direct: “Allah is my chief.”
The elderly man was stopped by a US-Afghan patrol in the village of Charkusah in the Zahri district of Kandahar, the southern Afghan province seen as the heart of the Taliban insurgency.
Troops in the region and across Afghanistan are gathering photographs, fingerprints and employment details as well as canvassing opinions from local residents to find out what they want for the war-racked province.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/17/in-afghanistan-%E2%80%98human-
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What experts of the '92 operation say about Karachi today
January 18, 2011
ISLAMABAD: As demand for a ruthless operation in Karachi mounts, the veterans of previous operations launched in mid-90s, which almost eliminated such killings, say an effective crackdown against criminals is only possible through the appointment of a brave and politically-neutral police chief.
Likewise, the police force involved in such an operation, they say, should be provided security guarantee that unlike the past when 83 police officers as well as 217 personnel who took part in the previous operations were eliminated by 500 suspected criminals arrested during the operation but released by the second Nawaz Sharif government without trial.
These experts, one still in government service and the other on a top job, were reluctant to come on record to discuss the Karachi situation but in background discussions gave their views freely.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=9633
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Talks back on track? Krishna may meet Qureshi in Thimphu
Jan 18, 2011
NEW DELHI: Foreign minister, S M Krishna, may have a "pull-aside" meeting with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in Thimphu on the sidelines of a Saarc foreign ministers' meeting.
Sources said the meeting could happen on February 8 after a meeting of top officials. The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan — Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir — are scheduled to meet on February 6-7. This will be a first meeting, where the two sides will have a structured official exchange after the disastrous meeting in Islamabad in July, 2010. The addition of the foreign ministers' meeting, even if it is an informal "pull-aside", is significant. Among other things, the meeting could set the ground rules for a forthcoming visit to India by Qureshi over the next couple of months.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Talks-back-on-track-Krishna-may-meet-Qureshi-
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Prayers at Ajmer for RSS activist Indresh
Jan 18, 2011
AJMER: A delegation of Muslim leaders from BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, led by the state's Haj committee chairman Saleem Raj, offered prayers at Ajmer dargah for Indresh Kumar, a senior RSS leader who is a suspect in 2007 terror attack on the dargah.
Saleem came to dargah with a delegation that included former chairman of Rajasthan waqf board Salawat Khan and offered a "chadar" at the mausoleum. Minutes after offering prayers, they told reporters that allegations against Kumar in the chargesheet were false and that the Khwaja's divine powers would expose this.
Saleem said the "chadar" offered by them was given by Kumar, a member of RSS executive committee, who has been interrogated by CBI for his role in Mecca Masjid and Malegaon blasts. Three people were killed and 15 injured in the Ajmer attack. Khadims, the dargah's caretakers, said this was "politicization" of the 12th century sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisty's resting place.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Prayers-at-Ajmer-for-RSS-activist-
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Kulliyat-e-Gulzar was inaugurated by Vice President Hamid Ansari
New Age Islam News Bureau
Jan 18, 2011
New Delhi: The poetry collection of the renowned senior poet of Urdu Gulzar Dehlvi was inaugurated by the Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari at the India Islamic Cultural Centre yesterday. Mr Hamid Ansari said that Gulzar Dehlvi expresses his views and feelings in poetry and he has been gifted with great creative imagination. He has written on all the important personalities of India including Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. The collection is named Kulliyat-e-Gulzar (Vol I). Mr Ansari said that we are waiting for Kulliyat-e-Gulzar (Vol II) impatiently.
Speaking on the occasion Shahid Mehdi, said that Gulzar Dehlvi does not represent only the Delhi culture but also Delhi-Kashmir culture. He said that Gulzar Dehlvi was a living archive.
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High Court hands over 123 Wakf properties to the govt
New Age Islam News Bureau
Jan 18, 2011
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has dismissed the stay issued on the petition filed by the VHP in 1986 in connection with 123 Wakf properties leased to the Wakf Board by the government of India in 1976 on the Barni Committee recommendations. The Court has issued orders to the central government to remove illegal possession on the said properties within 6 months. Handing over the said properties to the government, the Court said that after freeing the properties from illegal possessions, the government should decide whom to transfer them. The Minister for Minority Affairs, Salman Khurshid said that the Court orders would be executed within the prescribed time. He further said that no injustice would be done to anybody as the government was committed to the court and the law.
The General Secretary of the LJP has demanded that the government should transfer the properties to the Wakf Board. He said that if there is any hindrance with regard to any property, the government should pay compensation or hand over a land of the proportionate market value at some other place.
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NCP demands ban on RSS, Abhinav Bharat
Jan 18, 2011
NEW DELHI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – a key UPA ally — on Monday demanded ban on the RSS and Hindu extremist group Abhinav Bharat for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities in the country.
The demand was put forward by NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar during his meeting with Union home minister P Chidambaram here. He also demanded that the Muslims arrested in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blast case should be released immediately.
"They (Muslims) should be released immediately as there is ample proof of Hindu radicals carrying out the Malegaon blasts," Anwar told reporters after the meeting.
Referring to the confessional statement made by Swami Aseemanand about involvement of Hindu radicals in a number of blasts in the country, Anwar said he also asked the home minister to constitute a task force headed by either a sitting Supreme Court or high court judge to have a re-look into all the bomb blasts that took place since 1994 and conduct a fair inquiry.
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NCP-demands-ban-on-RSS-Abhinav-
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Pak Hindus and Sikhs urge India to grant them citizenship
Yudhvir Rana
Jan 18, 2011
AMRITSAR: Sixty three years after the partition of the subcontinent, India and Pakistan continue to deal with the repercussions of the divide. A delegation of about sixty Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs on Monday urged the authorities to grant them Indian citizenship and not deport them to Pakistan.
The Pakistani delegation met Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu and submitted a memorandum urging to grant them Indian citizenship.
Around 450 to 500 Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs live in different colonies of Chheherata area of Amritsar. They have been living here for the last several years, mostly on extended residential permits. Every year a few families from Pakistan arrive here and add to their number.
All India Hindu Shiv Sena president Surinder Kumar Billa who led the delegation told TOI that these families had left Pakistan fearing torture, extortion and forceful conversions at the hands of Islamists and didn't want to return to Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pak-Hindus-and-Sikhs-urge-India-to-grant-them-
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Interlocutors break political deadlock in J&K
Randeep Singh Nandal
Jan 18, 2011
SRINAGAR: J&K's opposition People's Democratic Party, which has stayed away from meetings with any ruling National Conference leader, including chief minister Omar Abdullah, has ended its standoff.
Its leader Mehbooba Mufti's decision to share a platform with Omar in the next few days is perhaps the result of repeated pressure by the team of Kashmir interlocutors, who have pushed for the reconciliation.
"The principal secretary recently called to invite me to an upcoming meet on technology, I will attend it," said Mehbooba, who hasn't met with any government leader after the killing of protesters last summer. Mehbooba refused to attend an all-party meet called by Omar in August 2010. PDP extended this to a boycott of even development-linked meetings.
The relationship between Abdullah and Mufti families has always been one of political rivals. Things reached a new low during the summer protests, when NC frequently accused PDP of supporting stone pelters and PDP charged Omar's government of targeting its partymen.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Interlocutors-break-political-deadlock-in-
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Kasab death sentence: HC to announce verdict on Feb 7
Shibu Thomas
Jan 18, 2011
MUMBAI: In a record time of three months, the Bombay high court on Monday concluded the confirmation hearing in the 26/11 terror attack case, involving Pakistani gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab. A division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice Ranjit More reserved its order in the case for February 7.
Kasab, who had boycotted proceedings after the HC turned down his request to be brought to the court, failed to make an appearance on the last day. Kasab was provided the facility of viewing the court proceedings through a video conference link at his high security Arthur Road prison cell. While he attended the hearing initially, after a couple of days, he turned violent , spitting at the camera and demanding that he be sent to the United States.
The prosecution was led by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and additional public prosecutor Shahaji Shinde. Nikam had opened his arguments and sought the death penalty for Kasab, arguing that the 26/11 attacks were not carried out by some indoctrinated men, but was "statesponsored terrorism."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kasab-death-sentence-HC-to-announce-verdict-
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Release Muslims implicated in terror strikes: Jamiat
January 18, 2011
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Monday expressed concern over the “emergence of new face of terrorist groups belonging to majority community” and demanded suitable compensation and immediate release of the Muslims “falsely implicated” in terror strikes, which have now reportedly been owned up by RSS leader Swami Aseemanand.
JUH general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Maulana Mahmood Madani said, “Current state of affairs created serious apprehensions and needed to be dealt with wisely. This (Aseemanand’s confession) might widen the gap between the minority and majority communities and may move away the nation from the path of development if not dealt with in proper manner.”
“In view of Aseemanand’s confession, there remains no viable reason to continue detention of those belonging to the minority community implicated on the same charge,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/311408/Release-Muslims-implicated-in-terror-strikes-
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‘Pak did Samjhauta... probe them, Rahul Gandhi, Digvijaya’
Vandita Mishra
Jan 18 2011
Indresh Kumar began going to the RSS shakha when he was 10; he is seen as one of its most influential office-bearers today. He is a member of the RSS’s national executive and founder-mentor to several RSS-supported outfits working in the area of “national security”. The spotlight veered to him recently after his name came up during investigations into the “Hindu terror” network, most recently in the confession said to have been made to the CBI by Aseemanand. Indreshji, as he is referred to, was called for questioning by the CBI in December; a joint CBI-NIA questioning is reportedly imminent. In an interview with Vandita Mishra, he talks about his work for the RSS and takes on questions of his alleged involvement in the terror conspiracy. Excerpts:
Recently, after your name came up in the context of “Hindu terror”, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari spoke out in your defence. How close are you to him and have there been meetings between the Sangh and the BJP on how best to deal with the allegations?
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/738849/
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Case Against Veena Malik's 'Immoral Acts' on Bigg Boss
January 18, 2011
A case has been filed in a Lahore court against Pakistani actress Veena Malik for committing "immoral and un-Islamic acts" during her appearance on the Indian reality TV show Big Boss.
Mian Muhammad Iqbal, a resident of Baghbanpura in Lahore, filed the case in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Mehr Muhammad Yousaf.
Iqbal contended that Malik's "immoral" acts on the television show were reported in the Pakistani press and police should register a case against her.
After hearing initial arguments, the court today sought a response from the chief of Shalimar police station by January 24.
Iqbal had named the Lahore DIG, the chief of the Shalimar police station and Malik as respondents in his petition.
Malik was one of two Pakistani participants in the latest season of Big Boss.
http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?id=ENTEN20110167019&keyword=television§ion=Movies&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&cp
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9 accused in 2006 Malegaon blast case, seek bail
January 18, 2011
Nine persons arrested in connection with the 2006 Malegaon blasts on Tuesday moved a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court, seeking bail in the wake of Swami Aseemanand's confession pointing to a right-wing group's involvement in the case. "From the confession it is clear
that those responsible for the 2006 Malegaon blasts are persons far removed from the current accused," they said in the bail plea.
Further the accused have said that they have been in jail for past four years and 'there is no direct evidence of their involvement in the said offence and was only based on forcibly taken confession statement'.
Aseemanand, who was arrested in November 2010 for his alleged role in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts, in his confession, recorded before the magistrate in December, had said that a right-wing group was responsible for the 2006 blasts, which killed 37 people and injured more than 100.
Full report at:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/mumbai/9-accused-in-2006-Malegaon-blast-
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Pak pursuing terror as instrument of state policy: India
Jan 18 2011
New Delhi : India has hit out at Pakistan for pursuing terrorism as an "instrument of state policy", saying such a strategy was "flawed and self-defeating".
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, who is likely to meet her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir in Thimphu on the margins of a SAARC Committee meeting, said "Some countries presume that they can pursue terrorism as an instrument of state policy without risks to themselves or to their standing in the international community.
"This is a flawed and self-defeating presumption as the war on terrorism cannot be selective. We have always maintained that a stable and prosperous Pakistan is in India's interest. Pakistan must turn away from using terror-induced coercion as an instrument of policy against India."
Rao, who was delivering a speech at a seminar on 'Asian Security Challenges' asserted that "the epicentre of global terrorism is located in our neighbourhood".
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-pursuing-terror-as-instrument-of-state-policy-
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Pak court adjourns Saeed's petition to defend him in US court
January 18, 2011
Lahore: A Pakistani court adjourned hearing on a petition filed by Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Muhammed Saeed seeking legal aid from the government to defend him in a US lawsuit filed by relatives of two Jewish-American victims of the Mumbai attacks following a request from the petitioner.
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the Lahore High Court put off the matter after Saeed's counsel informed the court that he intended to move an application for placing the petition before Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry as he had headed a bench that decided a related matter in the past.
Saeed, blamed by India for masterminding the Mumbai incident, had last week filed a petition in the High Court asking it to direct the federal government to appoint a counsel to defend him in a lawsuit filed in a Brooklyn court by relatives of two Jewish victims of the 2008 attacks.
Full report at:
http://www.zeenews.com/news681273.html
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Ahmadinejad, Medvedev agree to boost ties: Report
Jan 18, 2011
TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev have agreed to boost ties between their countries in a telephone conversation, state media reported today.
The call came after Russia snubbed Iran's invitation to visit two atomic sites in the Islamic republic that were thrown open to a group of foreign diplomats at the weekend.
It was also ahead of key talks between Iran and the world powers in Istanbul on Friday and Saturday.
Iran and Russia must always be "friends and colleagues," state television quoted Ahmadinejad as telling Medvedev. "The Islamic republic of Iran welcomes an increase of ties in all areas between the two countries."
Its website said Medvedev echoed the Iranian hardliner's views.
Medvedev, according to the report which did not give a date for the call, said the two long-standing allies could boost ties in energy, fuel, transportation and other commercial areas.
"Russia is ready for all cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Medvedev was quoted as saying.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Ahmadinejad-Medvedev-agree-to-
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Pamela The Proud Kafir.. Tellitlikeitis
Jan 18, 2011
Exposing true Islam is my target...Telling it like I see it is my way.
Which Party are you? Do you GET IT when it comes to ISLAM or not? We must WAKE UP those who make excuses for ISLAM, if we are to save America!
The problem with America is it is so divded into two groups when it comes to Islam. One Party GETS IT about Islam and the other Party makes excuses for it...If all Americans would just learn the basics about Islam, they would never defend it!
The Party of Makes excuses for it...They draw arguments from what few Moslems they may know and what they are told about Islam. They use the voice of Moslems to repeat apologies for Islam without ever giving a look at the QURAN or at what Moslems do around the globe. The Party of Makes excuses for it is always attacking the members of the Party that GETS IT..almost like they think if defending Islam will save their infidel lives in the long run...that shows you they do not GET IT about islam..lol
Full report at:
http://pameladeanne.blogspot.com/2011/01/which-party-are-you-do-you-get-it-when.html
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New evidence Minnesota ‘taxpayer funded Islamic school’ broke law
Jan 18, 2011
Sarah LeMagie writing in the Star Tribune, Lawsuit finds new evidence in TiZA charter school case.
Trying to wash their hands of a lawsuit over alleged promotion of Islam at a Minnesota charter school, state officials said in court filings this month that the school misled investigators looking into complaints against the K-8 academy.
The state education commissioner, asking to be dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, wrote that some evidence that Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TiZA) broke the law emerged only after the suit was filed. Those findings range from documents with forged signatures to an impermissible Arabic language curriculum, according to lawyers for the state.
For its part, the school now argues that the ACLU of Minnesota lacks authority to sue because the organization was dissolved by the secretary of state nearly five years ago.
Those arguments and more are contained in a flurry of new court filings in which the education commissioner, the school and various school officials have all asked a federal judge to dismiss the ACLU’s claims.
Full report at:
http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/new-evidence-minnesota-taxpayer-
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U.N. concludes probe of Hariri assassination
By Colum Lynch and Leila Fadel
January 18, 2011
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. prosecutor Monday submitted a sealed indictment against suspects in the 2005 assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister, concluding an investigation that has cast suspicion on top Syrian leaders and Hezbollah militants and contributed to the collapse this month of Lebanon's pro-Western government.
Daniel Bellemare, the U.N. tribunal's Canadian prosecutor, filed the indictment under seal late Monday before the court's pretrial judge, Daniel Fransen. It could be several weeks before the identities of the suspects are known and about a year before a trial would be held.
The case has roiled Lebanese politics, with anticipation that the prosecutor would name members of Hezbollah in connection with the bombing attack that killed the former prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, and 22 others.
Hezbollah has denied involvement. Hasan Nasrallah, head of the Hezbollah movement, has said he would not allow Hezbollah members to be arrested.
Full report at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
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'Ben Ali's wife picked up 1.5 tonnes of gold before fleeing'
Jan 18, 2011
Paris: The wife of ousted Tunisian president Zine el-Abidine ben Ali collected 1.5 tonnes of gold from the central bank before fleeing the country, the French newspaper Le Monde reported Monday.
Leila Trabelsi visited the bank in Tunis and is thought to have taken the gold bars worth some $60 million along when departing on board a plane bound for Dubai, according to the report.
The head of the bank had reportedly not wanted to hand over the gold at first, but after the 53-year-old contacted her husband telephonically, she was given the gold bars.
The 74-year-old longtime president had initially also resisted instructing the bank to do so, Le Monde said.
Ben Ali's second wife and her relatives have a reputation for being money and power hungry. The Trabelsi clan is regarded as corrupt and widely believed to be involved in racketeering.
After Ben Ali was ousted Friday, angry Tunisians looted the couple's villa in a posh suburb of the capital Tunis.
Imed Trabelsi, a businessman and nephew of the president's wife who for many was a symbol of corruption, was stabbed to death.
http://www.ummid.com/news/2011/January/17.01.2011/ben_alis_wife_ran_with_gold.htm
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Policeman killed in attack on Iraqi governor
Jan 18, 2011
A policeman was killed and five people were injured Monday in a car bombing targeting the governor of Iraq's central Anbar province, media reports said.
Qassem Mohammed Abed's convoy was travelling in the provincial capital Ramadi when the bomb exploded, al-Sumaria news site reported.
The governor was unharmed. Two of the five people injured in the attack were policemen.
http://www.saudinewstoday.com/article/44506__Policeman+killed+in+attack+on+Iraqi+go
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Delhi: HC Allows Namaz At Site Of Razed Mosque
Jan 18, 2011
The Delhi high court on Monday ordered the DDA to allow ten devotees to offer namaz for the next two months at the site of a mosque demolished last week.
“DDA will complete the construction of boundary wall (at the site where the illegal mosque was demolished) and leave a gate of 2.5 feet to allow 10 persons of the
community, whose names would be furnished to the DDA and the police, to offer namaz for a period of two months...,” Justice G.S. Sistani said, adding that the devotees must vacate the space soon after the prayers.
“In this period, the DDA or the petitioner will not press for further application. There is to be no obstruction in the boundary wall construction, neither by any local politicians or local people over there,” said the court.
Taking into records the submissions made by the lawyers representing Noor Charitable Society, which used to run the illegal mosque and the Delhi Wakf Board, the court asked them that its order would be respected.
Full report at:
http://www.asianage.com/delhi/hc-allows-namaz-site-razed-mosque-783
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12 Canadians undergoing militant training at Pak camp
Jan 18, 2011
Kuala Lumpur : A group of 12 Canadians are reported to be undergoing militant training at an al-Qaeda camp in Pakistan's lawless North Waziristan in apparent plots to carry out terror attacks back home.
The Canadians, who may have converted to Islam, were helped to reach the Darpakhel areas of the lawless tribal belt after joining radical Egyptian group Jihad al-Islami, Hong Kong based Asia Times reported.
Their presence in the camps in Pakistan's tribal belt comes close on the heels of intelligence warnings that al-Qaeda is training armed cadres from several European
countries, including Germany, in such camps.
Arab intelligence agencies have already warned that foreign recruits are being trained to carry out terror attacks in European mainland triggering a continent-wide alert.
"The Canadians went to Afghanistan in February 2010; there were 12 of them. After nine months, al-Qaeda's leaders decided to send them to North Waziristan and they reached Darpakhel in November last year," Arif Wazir, a local militant of Darpakhel, was quoted as saying in the report.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/12-canadians-undergoing-militant-training-at-pak-
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Musharraf blames Nawaz Sharif for bloodbath in Karachi
Jan 18, 2011
London : Former president Pervez Musharraf has blamed Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif for the current violent situation in Karachi, saying that he had ignored the military's advice and tried to corner the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Altaf faction).
Speaking at the launch of the APML’s London chapter, Musharraf said he had advised Nawaz against his policy of cornering the Altaf-led MQM, but the PML-N leader did not pay heed to his words of caution and pushed the party against the wall, thinking that the original MQM's breakaway faction, MQM-Haqiqi, would prevail.
Lashing out at the Sharif brothers, the APML leader called them ‘closet supporters’ of extremism and sectarian groups, and said both could not be differentiated, as none of them was taking any stand against extremism and hard-line forces.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/musharraf-blames-nawaz-sharif-for-bloodbath-in-
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Prosecutors: Guantanamo convict deserves life term
Jan 18, 2011
NEW YORK: The first Guantanamo detainee to be convicted in a civilian court is an “evil” force who helped Al-Qaeda members bomb two US embassies in Africa in 1998, boosting the profile of Osama bin Laden and enabling terrorists to carry out other acts of destruction, federal prosecutors in New York said.
In seeking a life sentence for Ahmed Ghailani at a sentencing hearing next week, prosecutors urged a federal judge to consider how the Tanzanian left a middle class life with a loving family to join hands with terrorists who were determined to carry out a mass killing. The twin bombings in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
“The defendant traded away everything in his life. His family, his friends, his job, his country, his name – all for a chance to kill as many people as possible,” the prosecutors wrote in a submission late Friday. “This was an appalling choice to make. The man who would make it is evil.”
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/prosecutors-guantanamo-convict-deserves-life-
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Taliban kill four alleged robbers in Hangu
Jan 18, 2011
PARACHINAR: Taliban fighters shot dead four suspected robbers that authorities were also chasing in northwest Pakistan, police said.
Police official Islamuddin said the four bodies were found Tuesday along a road in Hangu district.
A note identified the men and said they had confessed to their crime.
Islamuddin said police had confirmed that the four were suspected robbers that their officers had been seeking.
Taliban militants in northwest Pakistan frequently flog, execute or otherwise punish alleged criminals in a bid to gain public sympathy by imposing order in a largely lawless area.
Hangu is located near the Orakzai tribal region, where Pakistan’s army is waging an offensive against militants.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/taliban-kill-four-alleged-robbers-in-hangu.html
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UN agency warns of shortfall in fight on hunger
Jan 18, 2011
RAMALLAH: The World Food Programme is nearly $3 billion short this year in its fight against global hunger, and the gap is likely to grow if food prices keep rising, the head of the UN agency said in an interview Monday.
Josette Sheeran said the shortfall amounts to almost half of what the agency needs.
Sheeran spoke to The Associated Press after touring the Palestinian city of Hebron, where she inspected an electronic food voucher project meant to streamline distribution of food to the needy.
The system was first tried out in the West Bank in 2009 and has since been introduced in several other places.
“Part of why I have come to the Palestinian territories is to send the message to the world that we are in a funding crisis,” Sheeran told the AP. The UN’s front line agency against hunger relies on voluntary contributions from governments, corporations and individuals.
The agency needs about $6 billion this year, but is about $2.8 billion short, Sheeran said.
“When people are hungry, they only have three options – they revolt, they migrate or they die,” she said, adding that it’s more cost effective to prevent hunger than to deal with its consequences.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/un-agency-warns-of-shortfall-in-fight-on-hunger.html
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Iran firm on N-rights as foreign envoys’ tour ends
January 18, 2011
Iran’s nuclear negotiator on Monday said that Tehran will steadfastly pursue its atomic rights as he prepared for a face-off with world powers in Istanbul over the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive.
Saeed Jalili’s hardline reiteration of Iran’s nuclear policy came in comments made to the group of foreign envoys who ended a tour of the country’s nuclear facilities, including its main uranium enrichment plant.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not retreat one iota from its (nuclear) rights,” Jalili told the envoys, according to State television’s website.
“In defending its rights, the Islamic republic of Iran is defending the rights of all members of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty).”
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/311328/Iran-firm-on-N-rights-as-foreign-
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Gunbattle at Tunisian presidential palace
January 18, 2011
Tunisian authorities struggled to restore order on Monday, arresting top Presidential security chief and trying to stop gunfights that erupted across the capital. One clash broke out around the deposed President’s palace on the Mediterranean shore, another near the headquarters of the main Opposition party.
Observers worldwide were looking to see which way the North African nation would turn as its new leadership sought to tamp down the looting, arson and random violence that has taken place since autocratic President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The nation was in the midst of an unprecedented power shift for the Arab world.
Tensions appeared to be mounting between Tunisians buoyant over Ben Ali’s departure and loyalists in danger of losing major perks.
Tunisian Police made dozens of arrests, some for drive-by shootings on buildings and people in the capital, Tunis.
Full report at:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/311327/Gunbattle-at-Tunisian-presidential-palace.html
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I can never even imagine that Pak Army will be against me: Musharraf
Jan 18, 2011
London : Former president Pervez Musharraf, who launched his own political party last year in a bid to return to Pakistan politics, has said he can “never even imagine” that the army will stand up against him.
When asked if he expected support from the army, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) head said the military was not supposed to become involved in politics.
“However, having said that, I have been in this army for over 40 years ... the troops and the whole army knows me ... I can never even imagine that this army which I have served for 40 years will be against me,” The News quoted Musharraf, as saying.
"I am very sure they will be supportive, but if you are meaning active support against other political parties, no, I am not expecting that; it would undermine the whole process," he added.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/738498/
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In a first for AMU, women run for top posts in students’ union
Deepu Sebastian Edmond
Jan 18 2011
Aligarh : When Naheed Mustafa, running for the post of honorary secretary, stepped up to the podium, there was wild applause all around. After all, it had taken 126 years for a woman to stand on the balcony of the office of the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union and look at the crowd below.
The clapping and whistling never stopped. And then a pebble whizzed past. Something was amiss.
Eyes welling with tears, Naheed finished her speech and then summed it up: “They had their eyes closed; they had their hands over their ears.”
For the first time in the history of AMUSU, women are contesting all the three top posts — president, vice-president, honorary secretary. Zohra Naqvi’s 1951 cabinet member post remains the highest representation by a woman in the AMUSU.
On Wednesday, AMU students will vote for a students’ union after four and a half years. Other than the three top posts, they will elect 10 cabinet members and 11 representatives to the university court.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/738886/
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India: Muslim politics is changing
Aditya Menon
Jan 18, 2011
IF THERE is one development that took place in 2010 that has the potential of significantly altering equations in Indian politics with reference to the Muslim community, it is the spectacular victory of the Nitish Kumar led National Democratic Alliance in the assembly elections in Bihar.
There are important lessons in Mr Kumar’s victory for the Congress, as well as for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The support that Bihar’s Muslims — who account for 16.4 per cent of the state’s population — gave the NDA shows that forces like the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal cannot continue to take the ‘ Muslim vote’ for granted by playing on the community’s insecurities.
Moreover, the fact that the Muslim support wasn’t restricted to the ‘ secular’ Janata Dal ( United), but also extended to the BJP, at least in some pockets, shows that the community as a whole may not consider the saffron party an untouchable.
Full report at: Mail Today
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SC warns agencies against taking illegal actions
Jan 18, 2011
ISLAMABAD: In a solemn but assertive mood, the Supreme Court reminded the authorities, including intelligence agencies, on Monday that they were bound to trace the people who had been missing for years, and said that state organs should refrain from taking actions which were illegal.
“No government functionary or any officer is competent or can possibly detain, arrest or pick up any citizen unless there is sufficient evidence leading this court or the judicial commission on missing persons to take an appropriate action,” a bench comprising Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali said in an order issued after lengthy proceedings on a number of cases relating to the missing people.
Usually Justice Javed Iqbal heads the three-judge bench, but he has been in Lahore since the tragic murder of his parents last week.
The court hinted at summoning of ISI Director General Lt-Gen Shuja Pasha, saying it had no other option but to summon him.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/sc-warns-agencies-against-taking-illegal-actions.html
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MQM bill to cleanse country of illegal weapons
Jan 18, 2011
ISLAMABAD: Although a law to make the country weapons free already exists, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) submitted to the National Assembly secretariat on Monday a bill seeking to cleanse the country of illegal weapons and ammunition.
It calls for a countrywide ban on the manufacturing, possession and use of illicit weapons.
The bill has been submitted at a time when Karachi is suffering its worst waves of target killings and lawlessness, prompting the government to call a multi-party meeting to resolve the issue.
Reacting immediately to the proposal, the Awami National Party which is now perceived to be the main adversary of the MQM in Karachi termed the proposal an `eyewash` and called for a ban on all weapons.
It reiterated its demand for a military operation in Karachi and said it was the only way to restore peace in city.
ANP leader Bashir Bilour said the situation in Karachi required immediate de-weaponisation first in the city.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/mqm-bill-to-cleanse-country-of-illegal-weapons.html
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Zardari, Hasina vow to defeat radical mindset
18 January 2011
ABU DHABI – President Asif Ali Zardari and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid on Monday underlined the need for defeating the radical mindset to root out the menace of terrorism in the name of religion.
During a meeting at the Emirates Palace on the sideline of World Future Energy Summit, both leaders pledged to work together for eradicating the extremist thoughts. The two sides showed their keen desire to further cementing bilateral ties in all spheres of interest.
President Zardari said that Pakistan greatly values its relations with Bangladesh, which are based on mutual respect, common religion, history and culture.
“Our nations share the same aspirations and hopes, and it is our sincere desire to build on these relations and to give a fresh impetus to them,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/January/
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Hundreds of homes occupied in several Libyan cities: Report
Jan 18, 2011
TRIPOLI: Libyan citizens occupied hundreds of homes at the end of last week that are still under construction and ransacked the offices of foreign contractors that are building them, online newspaper Oea reported.
Libya has been struggling to meet a rapid rise in housing demand from younger citizens who are embracing modern lifestyles and (many of whom, not all of them) no longer want to live with their parents.
Oea said housing projects under construction in several cities had come under a “wave of occupation” late on Thursday and early Friday. Some were looted and in a number of cases occupiers sold on the houses for giveaway prices.
The newspaper said security forced had arrested “criminal groups” that had robbed the offices of foreign firms executing the projects.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article237240.ece
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Seven receive King Faisal Award
Jan 18, 2011
RIYADH: Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former prime minister of Malaysia, has been declared the winner of the King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Service to Islam for 2011. A panel of judges chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, picked Badawi — a social worker and poet — as winner of the prestigious prize.
The KFIP winners were announced at a crowded news conference addressed jointly by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also the director of the King Faisal Foundation, and Abdullah Al-Othaimeen, secretary-general of the prize.
In the Islamic studies category, Khalil Ibrahim Inalcik of Turkey and Muhammad Adnan Bakhit Al-Sheyyab of Jordan, were declared co-winners. James A. Thomson of the United States and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan were named co-winners in the medicine category.
In the science category, George Whitesides and Richard Zare, both from the United States, shared the prize.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article237105.ece
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NRIs urged to help end Indian Muslims’ plight
Jan 18, 2011
RIYADH: Indian Muslims living in the Kingdom can contribute in many ways to uplift the community in the country, said a prominent Muslim leader from the western state of Maharashtra.
“Those living here are financially sound and better placed than their counterparts back home. I thank the Saudi leadership for hosting around 2.5 million Indians in the Kingdom with open arms,” said Abu Asim Azmi, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and a former member of the Indian Parliament.
“This is a huge number. So whenever and wherever they get a chance they should try to raise Muslim issues. They should raise their concerns loud and clear as they remit billions of dollars in foreign exchange,” he said.
“I feel that for most Indians, the Kingdom has become their second home. In this regard, I must thank Saudi Arabia as well as its Consul General in Mumbai Abdullah Al-Essa, who is always available to assist hundreds of thousands of Indians who come here through Mumbai,” he said.
Full report at:
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article237053.ece
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13 Indian fishermen arrested
Jan 18, 2011
KARACHI, Jan 17: The maritime security agency (MSA) has arrested 13 Indian fishermen and seized their four boats for fishing in Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone.
An MSA press release issued here said that during a routine patrol MSA personnel seized the boats and arrested their 13 crew members on Monday.
Around 200 Indian fishermen are currently languishing in Pakistani jails.
It was asserted in the statement that the Indian fishermen continued to intrude into Pakistan’s rich Indus delta region to catch high-quality fish.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/13-indian-fishermen-arrested.html
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Tunisia Unrest Stirs Passions Across North African Region
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Jan 18, 2011
TUNIS — Passions unleashed by the revolution in Tunisia continued to resonate across the region on Tuesday as a man in Cairo was reported to have set himself ablaze, the latest apparent imitation of the self-immolation that set off the uprising here a month ago.
On Monday, an Egyptian and a Mauritanian became the fifth and sixth North Africans to burn themselves. On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported from Cairo, security officials said an Egyptian man, apparently inspired by events in Tunisia, set himself on fire outside the prime minister’s office in the center of the Egyptian capital. The man’s medical condition, identity and motives were not immediately clear. A day earlier, Abdo Abdel Moneim, a 50-year-old Egyptian restaurant owner, poured a gallon of gasoline over his head and set himself ablaze outside the Parliament building on Monday morning in downtown Cairo. Around the same time in Mauritania, Yacoub Ould Dahoud was setting fire to himself in his parked car near Parliament in Nouakchott.
Full report at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/world/africa/19tunis.html?_r=1
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Hizbullah backers take to streets after tribunal indictment
By JPOST.COM STAF
01/18/2011
BEIRUT — Hizbullah supporters gathered in the streets of Beirut early Tuesday after a UN tribunal filed indictments in the assassination of a former prime minister, prompting several schools to close as nervous parents pulled their children from class.
Associated Press reporters saw at least four gatherings of up to 30 people each, dressed in black and carrying hand-held radios. One gathering was about 400 meters (1,300 feet) from the Grand Serail, the seat of government in downtown Beirut, and security officials closed the roads leading to the building.
Lebanese security officials confirmed the gatherings, which dispersed by late morning and appeared to be a show of force in the hours after a long-awaited indictment was released Monday evening in the death of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of Hezbollah's political bureau, said he is not aware of such gatherings.
"I cannot comment," he said.US President Barack Obama has welcomed the first indictment in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
In a statement Monday, Obama called the indictments by the UN tribunal an important step toward ending the era of impunity for murder in the country and achieving justice for its people.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=204124
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/suicide-bomber-kills-42-police/d/3951