Taliban Leader Seeks Saudi King’s Help for Peace among the War-Torn Nation’s Warring Factions
New Age Islam News Bureau
17
Oct 2013
People outside the yet-to-be-completed mosque where prayers were held on Wednesday in Nejar
South Asia
• Taliban Leader Seeks Saudi King’s Help For Peace Among The War-Torn Nation’s Warring Factions
• Blast kills 3 policemen in Afghanistan
• PPM council member refuses to withdraw case against Nasheed’s candidacy
• Is Bangladesh On The Verge Of Deadly Political Violence?
• Culture war as the Maldives opens up to backpackers
• ' Toxic bomb' ticks on Maldives rubbish island
• ‘Sign’ of brotherhood: Even lost Chinese Hajis find way home
Pakistan
• Suicide Bomber Kills Pak Law Minister, 7 Others
• Head of state and ruler equal before law in Islam: CJ
• Contemplate over degrading environment issues of Kashmir too: Pakistan think tanks
• Pak ready to take bold decisions to combat terrorism: Nawaz Sharif
Arab World
• ‘Interference in Muslim issues won’t be tolerated’: Saudi King Abdullah
• Suicide truck bomber kills 15 in northern Iraq
• Six alleged militants killed in Egypt’s northern Sinai
• Iraq 'receiving Russian arms' under historic deal
• Abu Dhabi’s Embracing Islam Section reveals initiatives for Muslim converts
• Arab Hero Receives Israeli Holocaust Museum Award
• Islamist, Christian Differences on Display at Conference
• Syrian deputy PM says Geneva peace talks planned for late November
• Amid new attacks, Egypt’s Copts preserve heritage
Mideast
• Turkish military exchange fire with offshoot al-Qaeda group on Syrian border
• Israel settlements in West Bank up 70%
• Report: Turkey revealed Israeli spy ring to Iran
• Iran must be judged by its actions, not words, warns Israel
• Fate of Iran convict who survived hanging in balance
Europe
• ICRC hones in on victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts around the world
• Amnesty Int'l - Security Forces Have Killed 1,000 Boko Haram Suspects
• Arab Spring countries suffer a financial hangover
• Amnesty International calls on Egypt to stop deporting Syrian refugees
North America
• FBI Arrests NY Rabbis Who Forced Jewish Men to Divorce Wives
• CAIR-FL Asks GOP to Drop Anti-Muslim Speakers
• Canada to grant honorary citizenship to Malala Yousafzai
Africa
• Corrupt Mali police blamed as jihadists return to streets
• Uganda’s ethics minister threatens to ban charities for supporting gay rights
• Killings and violence mark Eid in Benghazi
• Nigeria: Eid Feast Bridges Divides
• Suspected Al-Shabaab Recruiters Arrested in Garissa
• Morocco Restricts Mosque Access Between Prayers
• Gunmen kill two Tunisian police
India
• Hindu groups object to Muslims offering prayers at mosque in Nejar
• 'Indian Mujahideen has grown stronger, spread to Pakistan and Afghanistan'
• Pakistan Hindus seek Indian govt's support to stay back
Southeast Asia
• Selective ‘Allah’ ban reveals political plot, says DAP
• Allah ruling ‘unhelpful contribution’ to religious discourse
• Minister suggests Christians can still use ‘Allah’ bibles
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
---------
South Asia
Taliban Leader Seeks Saudi King’s Help For Peace Among The War-Torn Nation’s Warring Factions
Oct 17, 2013
A senior member of the Afghan High Peace Council has made a plea for Saudi Arabia to help negotiate peace among the war-torn nation’s warring factions.
Maulvi Muhammad Hassan, who describes himself as a moderate Taliban, is part of a large group of prominent Afghans invited to perform Haj this year by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The group includes Abdul Rauf Guhari, Kabul University’s vice-chancellor, and Saeed Ahmad Fatimi, dean of Nangarhar University’s Shariah faculty.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News on Wednesday, Hassan said everyone inside and outside Afghanistan and in Pakistan, respects Saudi Arabia and its leadership.
“King Abdullah is revered by all Afghans,” he said. “We all see him as the leader of the entire Muslim world. He is the real Amir-ul-Momineen and we request him to bring all Afghans together for the sake of peace.”
Hassan, a diehard Pashtun from Zaboul in Helmand province, refused to be drawn on his close ties with the Taliban militia and its ideologue Mullah Omar. However, he confirmed that he is a product of a madrasa run by well-known Pakistani religious leader Maulana Sami-ul-Haq. Almost all the Taliban leaders and mid-level commanders graduated from Ul-Haq’s seminaries.
Despite repeated requests, Hassan refused to be photographed in line with the Taleban tradition of not taking pictures of people.
“I am a ‘darmiyani Taleban’ (moderate Taleban),” said Hassan. “The people of Afghanistan are fed up with war, they need peace, they deserve peace, and I am very hopeful that we will have peace in Afghanistan.”
He was optimistic because initiatives are under way to bring President Hamid Karzai’s government and the Taliban to the negotiating table. “Talks are taking place in France, in Qatar, on multiple fronts, all these are good indicators,” he said.
The Peace Council is a body of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program, appointed by Karzai to negotiate with elements of the Taliban. The council was initially chaired by Burhanuddin Rabbani, the former Afghan president, until his assassination in 2011. Rabbani’s son, Salahuddin, chairs the council now.
“On behalf of the Taliban, I assure the Saudi leadership that we will listen to and act upon whatever is said to us by King Abdullah,” he said. He said the Taliban has no connection with Al-Qaeda anymore. “We are beyond that,” he said. “This is a thing of the past.”
Hassan said most of the Afghan people have realized that no single faction can maintain peace in Afghanistan. “No one can claim victory — neither the government nor the Taleban,” he said. “Ninety percent of the people want the war to end, they have paid a heavy price and have seen the futility of it all.”
He said the Karzai government committed many mistakes. “Anybody who was associated with the Taleban were targeted and humiliated, and so they had to escape into the mountains; I myself was a victim,” he said. “The government has realized its mistakes.”
Reiterating his appeal to King Abdullah, he said: “He is a good man, good Muslim, good leader. May Allah help this sagacious leadership rule for 1,000 more years.
The Saudi leadership’s services to Islam, its adherence to Shariah and Islamic principles, its international profile and its political and diplomatic decisions on the world stage are exemplary and extraordinary.”
He said this was his first Haj. “It is the wish of every Afghan and every Muslim to come and visit this great Islamic Kingdom and see with our own eyes the greatest Islamic country of our times,” he said. “At Arafat, I prayed for King Abdullah and beseeched Allah to grant our leaders the same wisdom and leadership qualities.”
http://www.arabnews.com/news/467979
---------
Blast kills 3 policemen in Afghanistan
Oct 17, 2013
Three policemen were killed in a blast in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan on Thursday.
The blast occured when a police car was passing by, said police officer Said Mir Ahmadzey.
Two other policemen were heavily injured in the blast.
Taliban assumed responsibility for the attack, claiming to have killed nine people.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=120889
---------
PPM council member refuses to withdraw case against Nasheed’s candidacy
By Daniel Bosley | October 16th, 2013
Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) council member Ibrahim ‘Wadde’ Waheed has refused to withdraw a case filed at the Supreme Court challenging the candidacy of opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate and former President Nasheed, local media has reported.
The Supreme Court petition filed on October 10 states as grounds for stripping Nasheed’s candidacy his “outright criticism towards Islam and imposing Islamic Sharia’ in the Maldives” and his criticism of the judiciary.
The lawyer’s determination to proceed with the attempt to bar Nasheed from all future elections comes in spite of condemnation, including from within Wadde’s own party.
Shortly after the case was filed last week by Wadde and President of the ‘Madhanee Iththihaadh’ (Civil Alliance), Sheikh Mohamed Didi, President Dr Mohamed Waheed strongly criticised the litigation.
“[President Waheed] believes this is not the time to engage in efforts to obstruct or bar candidates from going through the electoral process. It will not help resolve the already volatile political situation in Maldives,” read a President’s Office statement.
Senior leadership from within Wadde’s PPM were also critical of the move, with State Foreign Minister Dhunya Maumoon saying the party was negotiating with Wadde to have the case withdrawn, arguing that he had not consulted with the party leadership.
The UK’s Bar Human Rights Committee has also expressed concern regarding this specific case, as well as the Supreme Court’s decision to annul the first round of presidential election on October 8.
MDP Spokesperson Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy has previously described the petition as a “very dirty” attempt by their rivals to invalidate a candidate who had the demonstrable support of at least 45 percent of the people.
Inthi told Minivan News today that he believed the case alleging criminal wrongdoing did not belong in the Supreme Court.
“But the SC has been acting like some freak of nature, so anything is possible,” he added.
“Cynical attempt”
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to hold a repeat first round – scheduled for October 19 - an additional ruling was made insisting that the EC’s re-registration process be started anew with fingerprinted forms.
An MDP press release following this decision, claimed that the new ruling had come as a response to a complaint filed by the PPM.
“The MDP fears that the PPM is seeking to delay the elections and also disenfranchise overseas and resort-based voters, who will now likely have to re-register and who tend to vote overwhelmingly in favour of President Nasheed,” read the statement.
MDP Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor also described the move as a “cynical attempt by the PPM and the Supreme Court to prevent elections from taking place next week.”
During a PPM press conference held with its ally, the Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA), yesterday (October 16) the PPM accused the EC of violating the electoral guidelines stated in the Supreme Court’s verdict, therefore jeopardising the ability to hold the presidential election Saturday.
“We believe that the security forces need to step in and take action against this,” MDA Deputy Leader MP Ahmed Amir was quoted as saying.
The hurried re-registration drive was further hindered on Sunday (October 13) as supporters of the PPM and MDA accused the EC of foul play after a system crash.
The EC subsequently accused the parties’ supporters of “threatening officials, inciting discord, and obstructing EC officials’ ability to work”.
The Supreme Court issued yet another ruling on October 14 that ordered the EC to address the complaints of any individual who has the right to stand for election, “including the verification of fingerprints on re-registration forms through the Department of National Registration.”
PPM presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen this week told local Haveeru that it “would be hard” for him to approve the voter registry – another recent requirement from the Supreme Court – should the EC not verify fingerprints.
The commission accepted complaints submissions until 6pm today and, as of this afternoon had processed over 52,000 of the estimated 65,000 re-registration forms for individuals voting outside of their permanent residences.
http://minivannews.com/politics/ppm-council-member-refuses-to-withdraw-case-against-nasheeds-candidacy-68732
---------
Is Bangladesh On The Verge Of Deadly Political Violence?
By Ishak Mia
15 October, 2013
There is growing anxiety all around, within Bangladesh and beyond as politics are becoming increasingly violent, fuelled predominately by sharp disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties over the framework of polls-time government. The ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance wants to hold the next general election under supervision of the present government as per the constitution. On the other hand, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 18-party opposition alliance demands for arranging the polls under a non-party and neutral administration. Otherwise, they would not participate in the election. At the same time, the opposition threatened to foil the election if it is held under any party government.
The crisis over election-time government began with the Supreme Court verdict on May 10, 2011 that declared caretaker government system illegal. Although the court kept a scope of practicing the system for two more parliamentary elections due to the conflicting nature of politics, the incumbent Awami League government abolished its provision from the constitution through an amendment in June 2011. The CG system is a type of government that rules the country for three months to oversee general elections after a ruling government finishes its five-year term. An advisory council consists of ten members lead by the most recently retired chief justice of the Supreme Court is appointed to run the government. It was constitutionally introduced in 1996 to prevent the sort of fraud and violence that often marred voting. In fact, the system was successful in holding three consecutive credible national elections and generally worked well in keeping the peace during interim periods.
The lack of trust in party government to organize a free and fair election for peaceful transfer of power had essentially given birth to the concept of caretaker government in the mid-1990s. In that regard, the Awami League, then in opposition, played a pioneer role. The same party, now in government, is opposing the idea. However, the necessity of applying such concept for fair polls has not been exhausted yet as mistrust between Awami League and BNP widens further. In view of the past experiences, all parliamentary elections held under the partisan governments were marked by vote-rigging, corruption and violence that favored the ruling party. That’s because the civil administration, police and other law enforcement authorities couldn’t play a neutral role to ensure a level playing field for the contending parties. Considering these, it is unlikely that the upcoming general election would be held impartially if current government remains in office.
What justification the ruling Awami League made for arranging the next polls in keeping the cabinet active is that all local government elections including five city corporation mayoral elections were carried out largely in a transparent and non-violent manner under its stewardship. And the candidates backed by the opposition alliance scored major victories in these elections. Such pleas of the government couldn’t convince the opponents simply because victory in local elections does not allow a political party to attain state power and therefore, the governing party refrains itself from electoral rigging, even at the risk of losing. But as change of government is likely to occur through general elections, the ruling party does everything to manipulate the result. Looking at past Bangladesh national polls held under partisan governments in 1973, 1979, 1986, 1988 and 1996, the experience is really unpleasant – the ruling parties used force, intimidation and state-owned media to win elections. On the contrary, no government has ever won a successive term after non-partisan caretaker government had been formed in 1996. Thus it would be quite impossible to ensure a free, fair and credible election while any particular party is still in power. If even BNP-led opposition alliance participates in the upcoming election under present Awami League government, certainly there will be violence in both the pre- and post-election periods. This why fixing the nature of an election-time government has appeared to be a crucial factor in Bangladesh politics.
But Instead of looking for possible ways to prepare a format of such interim government, both sides remain hardened on their stance. In a recent press conference, Prime Minster Sheik Hasina cleared her government’s position, telling everyone that she will not budge an inch on poll-stance and constitutional procedure will be followed to run the election at any cost between October 25, 2013 and January 24, 2014. In response, the opposition leader Khaleda Zia said a wind of protest will blow away the government if the constitution is not amended by October 24 to reinstate the caretaker government system. This conflicting position between the two major political parties has made the general people awfully scared of what will happen on October 25 when the constitutional tenure of the present government ends. Not just common people of the country, Dhaka-based foreign diplomats, the US, the EU (European Union) and others also expressed concern over the looming danger of political confrontation. The Nobel peace laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus recently warned that the nation will have to suffer badly in any case of turmoil over the forthcoming national election. He urged the ruling and opposition parties to hold dialogue for peace. In separate letters to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, the United States Secretary of State John Kerry made the same request, urging both of them to sit for positive dialogue as early as possible.
As part of UN efforts to maintain global peace and security, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon phoned both leaders on 23 August 2013 to settle the current dispute over the mode of an election-time government through discussions. The opposition BNP claimed that Ban Ki-moon took personal initiatives to mediate the dialogue at UN headquarters and urged the ruling and opposition parties to send two representatives from each side during the 68th session of the General Assembly. But the ruling Awami League didn’t respond to his call. Even, efforts by foreign diplomats over the past 2-3 months to mediate a dialogue between the two political parties seem to be failing. Neither the ruling coalition nor the opposition alliance is really serious about reaching a compromise over interim government’s framework. Perhaps, violence is inevitable. The gestures of the senior leaders of both parties literally convey the same message. Given the current situation, political analysts and civic group leaders in Bangladesh expect a lot of bloody violence in the coming months. They even see no light at the end of the tunnel. Local media reported that trade in illegal firearms has gone up sharply in recent days in the wake of ongoing pre-election political turmoil. The available data showed about 50 per cent of the illegal arms are controlled by political party cadres. If the ruling and opposition parties don’t reach a consensus before 24th October and violence is erupted soon afterwards, it might go beyond the control of law enforcement authorities forcing the country into chaos.
Ishak Mia is a Dhaka-based Independent Analyst in International Affairs - the conflict staff, mostly. He previously worked at the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI), Finland. Ishak Mia holds an International MA Degree in Peace, Conflict and Development Studies from the Universitat Jaume-I,Spain. email: peaceishak@yahoo.com
http://www.countercurrents.org/mia151013.htm
---------
Culture war as the Maldives opens up to backpackers
Oct 17, 2013
The Maldives is one of the world’s most exclusive holiday destinations but it has quietly opened up to backpackers in the last five years with a reform that has upset religious hardliners.
Most visitors arrive at the country’s airport island, take a speed boat or seaplane to their expensive coral-fringed private resort and spend the next week relaxing in blissful ignorance of the country around them. It has been this way for decades, the result of a deliberate policy of keeping the wealthy holidaymakers, mostly Westerners and often newly-weds, on uninhabited islands separate from the local Muslim population.
The Islamic Republic applies different laws for both: travelers are free to drink alcohol, eat pork, and for those not on their honeymoon, enjoy pre-marital sex. Elsewhere, Maldivian women can be flogged in public for fornication.
“Since Maldives is a Muslim country, we have always supported the idea that the tourism industry should be separate from the inhabited islands,” says Mauroof Hussain, vice president of the conservative Adhaalath Party, which has been a minority partner in successive governments since 2008. While the archipelago is still far from the hippy trail, the sight of backpackers wandering around Male and the nearby island of Maafushi is growing thanks to a new policy to attract budget travelers.
“Things like nudity are not acceptable in a place where people are living,” adds Mauroof. “The people complain that they are praying in the mosque and just outside there are tourists in bikinis.” Since a reform under the country’s first democratically-elected president Mohamed Nasheed in 2009, Maldivians have been allowed to open their own guesthouses on populated islands.
Accomodation for $30 a night
While fundamentalist interpretations of Islam imported from the Gulf and Pakistan are progressively taking root in the Maldives, Mauroof’s views lie far outside the mainstream and are ridiculed by many.
What started as a trickle of guesthouses has become a torrent with entrepreneurs like 25-year-old Ibrahim Mohamed converting properties and profiting from what is the islands’ biggest business and foreign exchange earner.
“The Maldives can’t hide from the world anymore.” Mohamed stresses that the guesthouse policy is also “a good system to get money to the people instead of to wealthy businessmen.”
A handful of well-connected resort owners who prospered under the 30-year autocratic rule of strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom continue to control the Maldives economy and are active in politics.
These oligarchs have united against Nasheed, who was ousted in February 2012 following a mutiny by security forces which he branded a “coup.” His efforts to return to power through the ballot box have since been thwarted with the country wracked by protests and uncertainty after the Supreme Court annulled elections he won on Sept. 7.
The court order came in response to a legal challenge from the third-placed candidate Gasim Ibrahim, one of the country’s wealthiest tycoons who is in alliance with the Adhaalath Party.
A re-run of the polls has been ordered for Oct. 19, with the British government warning travelers to avoid demonstrations and take precautions in the capital. If re-elected, Nasheed has promised in to expand the guesthouse policy as part of his ambitious social and economic reform program.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/culture-war-as-the-maldives-opens-up-to-backpackers.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56313&NewsCatID=379
---------
'Toxic bomb' ticks on Maldives rubbish island
New Straits Times,AFP
Oct 17, 2013
MALE, Maldives : Descending by plane into the Maldives offers a panoramic view of azure seas and coral-fringed islands, but as the tarmac nears, billowing smoke in the middle distance reveals an environmental calamity.
Thilafushi Island, a half-hour boat trip from the capital, is surrounded by the same crystal clear waters and white sand that have made the Indian Ocean archipelago a honeymoon destination for the rich and famous.
But no holidaymaker sets foot here and none could imagine from their plane seats that the rising smoke is the waste from residents and previous visitors being set alight by men like 40-year-old Fusin.
Full report at:
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/toxic-bomb-ticks-on-maldives-rubbish-island-1.378035#ixzz2i1OcyUX7
---------
‘Sign’ of brotherhood: Even lost Chinese Hajis find way home
Oct 17, 2013
This was one group of Chinese pilgrims who could not fall back on the rapid strides made by their country in technology, and instead, they had to rely on sign language to get to their lodging.
While more than 1.5 million pilgrims were removing their ihrams on Tuesday after finishing the grand day of Arafat standing, 35 Chinese pilgrims found themselves lost when their guide went missing, and they do not speak Arabic or English. They resorted to the sign language to get directions to the place they wanted to go.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/467989
---------
Pakistan
Suicide Bomber Kills Pak Law Minister, 7 Others
Omer Farooq Khan, TNN | Oct 17, 2013
PESHAWAR: A suicide bomb attack in north-western Pakistan killed at least eight people, including a provincial law minister, and injured 28 others on the first day of Eid-ul-Zuha.
The attack happened on Wednesday evening when law minister Israrullah Gandapur was exchanging Eid greetings with people at his residence in Kullachi town of Dera Ismail Khan, bordering the country's volatile tribal regions.
According to police officials, the attacker first killed the guard at the house and then blew himself up inside the guest room of the minister's residence.
"The suicide bomber was on foot and entered the Hujrah (male guest house) of law minister for Eid greetings. Law minister Israrullah Gandapur and seven others were killed in the attack while 28 others were injured," said Shah Farman, information minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Suicide-bomber-kills-Pak-minister-7-others/articleshow/24275119.cms
---------
Head of state and ruler equal before law in Islam: CJ
South Asian News Agency (SANA
Oct 17, 2013
DESKA, (SANA): Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has said that rule of law is one of the important attributes of Islamic principles where head of State is never considered to be above the law and is considered equal to common man before the law.
Addressing the Bar Association Daska on the occasion of inauguration of the New Judicial Complex, Daska, the chief justice said, “Our Constitution and laws derive inspiration from the holy Quran and the traditions of the Prophet (PBUH). All the stakeholders involved in the administration of justice are duty bound to uphold the supremacy of rule of law and Full report at:
http://www.sananews.net/english/head-of-state-and-ruler-equal-before-law-in-islam-cj/
---------
Contemplate over degrading environment issues of Kashmir too: Pakistan thinktanks
Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Oct 16, 2013
ATTARI: While candidly admitting that the media was more or less towing the line of security establishments and their policies while reporting contentious issues of Kashmir, Pakistani thinktanks opined that there were more to reports beyond demographic and territorial issues especially those concerning with the fragile environment of valley that had always remained unnoticed but has now become a global issue.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Contemplate-over-degrading-environment-issues-of-Kashmir-too-Pakistan-thinktanks/articleshow/24265457.cms
---------
Pak ready to take bold decisions to combat terrorism: Nawaz Sharif
Oct 17 2013
Lahore : Pakistan government will take "bold" decisions to tackle terrorism and restore law and order in major Pakistani cities, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said.
Addressing PML-N parliamentarians and party workers after Eid-ul-Azha prayers at his ancestral home in Raiwind, Sharif said, "We are going to take bold decisions for the sake of restoring peace and maintaining law and order in Karachi and everywhere in the country."
He said that eradication of terrorism and other crimes were key to restore peace in Karachi and other parts of the country in order to improve investment climate and end economic dependency.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/pak-ready-to-take-bold-decisions-to-combat-terrorism-nawaz-sharif/1183832/
---------
Arab World
‘Interference in Muslim issues won’t be tolerated’: Saudi King Abdullah
Oct 17, 2013
In his annual Haj message, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah urged Muslims to stand together and be tolerant with each other and the rest of the world.
However, he also warned that the Ummah would not allow others to interfere in their affairs, undermine their security and disrespect Islam.
Crown Prince Salman delivered the King's speech at the annual reception for leaders of Islamic countries, dignitaries, guest pilgrims of the king and heads of Haj missions at Mina Palace on Wednesday.
The king urged Muslims to unify and deal with others “with a forgiving humanity that does not reject others just because they believe in different religions.”
He said Muslims should honor agreements based on Islam's values, ethics and principles. “What we disagree on, the decisive words (on this) is stated in the Holy Qur'an: 'To you be your way, and to me mine.'”
Full report at:
whoever tries to manipulate us with their narrow views or interests.”
http://www.arabnews.com/news/467991
---------
Suicide truck bomber kills 15 in northern Iraq
17 Oct 2013
MOSUL, Iraq, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives blew himself up in a village in northern Iraq, killing at least 15 members of the country's Shabak minority early on Thursday, police said.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but Sunni Islamist militants have in the past targeted Shabaks, who are predominantly Shi'ite, and warned them to leave the area.
Full report at:
http://www.trust.org/item/20131017065945-kdpqg/?source=hpbreaking
---------
Six alleged militants killed in Egypt’s northern Sinai
Oct 17, 2013
Security forces killed Thursday six alleged militants who were preparing an attack against a security checkpoint near Al-Arish Airport, in North Sinai, eyewitnesses told state news agency MENA.
Two local residents were injured amid the attack and transferred to Al-Arish General Hospital, MENA said.
The assailants were getting ready for the attack in an area located behind Al-Arish Airport when they drew the attention of security forces who opened fire on them.
Militants have stepped up their attacks against security forces since Islamist president Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the military 3 July following mass protests calling for his departure.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/84124/Egypt/Politics-/Six-alleged-militants-killed-in-Egypt%E2%80%99s-northern-S.aspx
--------
Iraq 'receiving Russian arms' under historic deal
Oct 17, 2013
A top Iraqi official said Thursday that Baghdad had begun receiving arms from Russia under a historic $4.3-billion deal it signed last year but then scrapped amid corruption allegations.
The October 2012 agreement promised to make Russia into Iraq's second-largest arms supplier after the United States.
It also heralded Moscow's return to a lucrative Middle East market it dominated in the Soviet era but where it suffered more recent reverses with the loss of allies in countries such as Libya.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iraq-receiving-russian-arms-under-historic-deal.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56387&NewsCatID=359
----------
Abu Dhabi’s Embracing Islam Section reveals initiatives for Muslim converts
Haneen Dajani
October 15, 2013
ABU DHABI // Prisoners who convert to Islam will no longer have to authenticate their new faith in court, under reforms by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
The initiative by the department’s Embracing Islam Section removes the need for prisoners to suffer the embarrassment of appearing in court in handcuffs to make their conversion official.
Instead, officers from the section will visit the inmates to finish the procedure at their jail.
“We receive around five or six inmates a month,” said Asmaa Al Zaabi, the head of the section.
“We can have an employee transfer there to make it easier for them, so they don’t have to come in shackles to do it.”
Other initiatives include an agreement under which the names of new Muslims are automatically transferred to the Zakat Fund. Converts are eligible for Zakat.
The initiatives have all been approved and should be introduced within months.
They reflect the growing stature and confidence of the Embracing Islam Section, which has come a long way since its inception in 2003.
Full report at:
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/prisons/abu-dhabis-embracing-islam-section-reveals-initiatives-for-muslim-converts#ixzz2i0uIA7E8
---------
Arab Hero Receives Israeli Holocaust Museum Award
Oct 17, 2013
Every delay is for the best, says the Arab proverb, but Egyptian Dr. Mohamed Helmy would have likely been happy to have been recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" in his lifetime. Helmy died 31 years ago, and only recently — thanks to documents found in an archive in Germany — was it revealed how he saved Jews during World War II. Perhaps there's comfort in the belated revelation. Helmy is the first and only Arab who has received this recognition so far.
Coincidentally, this recognition comes 40 years after the October 1973 War and at a time when the cooperation between the Israeli and Egyptian governments is growing stronger. The recognition of the good doctor, even for deeds that occurred in a different reality, provides a warm note for the relations between the two neighbors.
Full report at:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/mohamed-helmy-arab-righteous-among-the-nations-holocaust.html#ixzz2i14vIyeb
---------
Islamist, Christian Differences On Display at Conference
Oct 17, 2013
Islamists were in heavy attendance at the conference titled “Eastern Christians in Light of the Arab Spring,” which was held in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on Sept. 27-29 and attended by Al-Monitor. Islamists of various stripes came from several countries of the Arab East, including Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Iraq. The attendees were looking forward to a genuine discussion between them and their Christian compatriots. At first, the Islamists kept silent, listening and observing. But the sensitivity of the issues that were raised forced them to break their silence.
Full report at:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/islamists-middle-east-christians-conference-amman.html#ixzz2i155cCab
---------
Syrian deputy PM says Geneva peace talks planned for late November
17 October 2013
Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil said on Thursday that Geneva II, an international conference aimed at seeking an end to the country’s civil war, is scheduled to be held between Nov. 23-24, reported Reuters.
Jamil announced the dates at a news conference in Moscow when asked whether the discussions would be pushed back from mid-November to late November or December this year.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/10/17/Syrian-deputy-PM-says-Geneva-II-planned-for-Nov-23-24.html
---------
Amid new attacks, Egypt’s Copts preserve heritage
17 October 2013
The Associated Press, Egypt
Locked inside a 6th century church in a desert monastery are some of the jewels of early Christianity - ancient murals in vivid pinks, greens and reds depicting saints, angels and the Virgin Mary with a baby Jesus, hidden for centuries under a blanket of black soot.
Italian and Egyptian restorers are meticulously uncovering the paintings, some of the earliest surviving and most complete examples of early Coptic Christian art. But the work, in the final stages more than a decade after it started, is done quietly to avoid drawing attention - and there's no plan to try to attract visitors, at least not now.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2013/10/17/Amid-new-attacks-Egypt-s-Copts-preserve-heritage-.html
---------
Mideast
Turkish military exchange fire with offshoot al-Qaeda group on Syrian border
Oct 17, 2013
The Turkish Armed Forces have exchanged fire with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaeda offshoot group also known as the ISIS.
According to a statement issued by the Turkish Armed Forces, a mortar was fired yesterday from Syria’s Azaz region to Turkey’s southeastern province of Kilis. The mortar shell had not exploded. Following the attack, Turkey then fired four bombs within the Azaz region, where militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant were believed to be present.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-military-exchage-fire-with-offshoot-al-qaeda-group-on-syrian-border.aspx?pageID=238&nID=56352&NewsCatID=341
---------
Israel settlements in West Bank up 70%
Oct 17, 2013
A new report says Israeli settlement construction on the Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank has increased by about 70 percent.
Israeli organization Peace Now said on Thursday that the Tel Aviv regime began the construction of 1,708 new settler units in the West Bank between January and June of 2013, compared with 995 units during the same period in 2012.
The organization also stated that the new illegal settlement activities were “drastic,” and that some 50 percent of the new construction projects were started in “isolated settlements.”
Full report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/10/17/329801/israel-settlements-in-west-bank-up-70/
---------
Report: Turkey revealed Israeli spy ring to Iran
17 October 2013
Reuters, Jerusalem
Turkey deliberately blew the cover of an Israeli spy ring working inside Iran in early 2012 and dealt a significant blow to Israeli intelligence gathering, according to a report in the Washington Post on Thursday.
There was no immediate comment from Israel or Turkey, but Israeli ministers have accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of adopting an anti-Israeli stance in recent years to bolster his country’s standing in the Muslim world.
Once-strong relations between Turkey and Israel hit the rocks in 2010 after Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists who were seeking to break Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2013/10/17/Turkey-revealed-Israeli-spy-ring-to-Iran-report.html
---------
Iran must be judged by its actions, not words, warns Israel
Oct 17 2013
Jerusalem : The world must judge Iran's intentions by its actions and not by its "presentations" at the latest talks on its disputed nuclear programme, a senior Israeli official said Thursday.
"Iran will be judged by its actions and not by its presentations," the official said on condition of anonymity, in remarks just hours after world powers wrapped up two days of talks which the United States described as showing a new level of "seriousness".
But Israel was quick to pour water on the upbeat tone emanating from Geneva, where the talks were held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iran-must-be-judged-by-its-actions-not-words-warns-israel/1183823/
-----------
Fate of Iran convict who survived hanging in balance
AFP | Oct 17, 2013
TEHRAN: Iran's judiciary chief, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, faced competing calls on Thursday whether to spare a convicted drug trafficker who survived the gallows.
The prisoner, identified only as Alireza M, 37, was pronounced dead by the attending doctor after spending 12 minutes hanging from the noose suspended from a crane in a jail in northeastern Iran.
But the following day, staff at the mortuary in the city of Bojnourd where his shrouded body was taken discovered to their shock that he was still breathing. He is now recovering in hospital while jurists argue over whether the law requires that he be taken to the gallows a second time.
Amnesty International called for an immediate stay of execution for Alireza M and for all other death row prisoners in Iran, which carried out more executions last year than any other country bar China.
"The horrific prospect of this man facing a second hanging, after having gone through the whole ordeal already once, merely underlines the cruelty and inhumanity of the death penalty," the watchdog's Middle East and North Africa programme director Philip Luther said. "The Iranian authorities must immediately halt Alireza M's execution and issue a moratorium on all others," he added.
Iranian jurists were divided over what should be done. One high-ranking judge, Nourollah Aziz-Mohammadi, told the Iran newspaper the law required that the convict be put to death, and that he should be taken to the gallows a second time.
"When a convict is sentenced to death, he must die after the sentence is carried out," Aziz-Mohammadi said. "Now that he is alive, we can say the sentence was not carried out and must be repeated," he added.
But other lawyers signed a petition to the judiciary chief appealing for a stay in the exceptional case.
"In our law, nothing has been said about a person who survives hanging after 24 hours," one signatory, Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, told the paper. "Since the sentence was carried out, there is no reason to repeat the sentence," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Fate-of-Iran-convict-who-survived-hanging-in-balance/articleshow/24299275.cms
-------
Europe
ICRC hones in on victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts around the world
17 Oct 2013
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The International Committee of the Red Cross is stepping up its focus on victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts around the world, an issue the humanitarian agency says needs to be better understood and funded.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says more needs to be done to improve the documentation of sexual violence and the psychological support and healthcare given to victims of sexual violence and rape.
A key challenge in gauging the extent of the problem is the taboo and stigma surrounding sexual violence and the lack of justice for victims. This means victims are often reluctant to come forward and the crime remains underreported.
Full report at:
http://www.trust.org/item/20131016051331-xia6u/?source=hpeditorial
---------
Amnesty Int'l - Security Forces Have Killed 1,000 Boko Haram Suspects
BY OLAOLU OLADIPO, 16 OCTOBER 2013
The international watchdog, Amnesty International (AI), has indicted the various security agencies in the country of engaging in extrajudicial killings of 1,000 suspected members of the Boko Haram sect.
In a report culled from the website of the agency by LEADERSHIP yesterday, covering the activities of the numerous security agencies in their fight against insurgency in the country, AI said some 1,000 members of the sect died in several detention camps across the country.
Amnesty International's deputy director (Africa), Lucy Freeman, who endorsed the document, wrote in the report that the federal government must put in place needed measures to stem the tide.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201310160076.html
---------
Arab Spring countries suffer a financial hangover
BY ERIK BERGLOF AND SHANTA DEVARAJAN
Oct 17, 2013
LONDON – The turmoil following the Arab Spring uprisings has all but decimated the affected countries’ economies. Political assassinations and polarization in Tunisia, civil unrest and a military coup in Egypt, terrorist attacks in Yemen, an institutional vacuum in Libya, and civil war in Syria have contributed to a sharp fall in investment, tourism, exports, and GDP growth, aggravating macroeconomic imbalances. For example, Egypt’s fiscal deficit now stands at 14 percent of GDP, with public debt approaching 100 percent of GDP.
Worse, most of the Arab Spring countries lack buffers to withstand further economic shocks. But such shocks are likely, given that, beyond the removal of individual autocratic leaders, few of the problems that fueled the uprisings have been addressed.
Full report at:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/10/15/commentary/arab-spring-countries-suffer-a-financial-hangover/#.UmBWptK-rXA
---------
Amnesty International calls on Egypt to stop deporting Syrian refugees
17 October 2013
Amnesty International slammed Egypt on Thursday for unlawfully arresting and deporting hundreds of Syrian refugees, including women and children.
“Instead of offering vital help and support to refugees from Syria, the Egyptian authorities are arresting and deporting them, flouting human rights standards,” Sherif Elsayed Ali, Amnesty’s head of refugee and migrants’ rights said in a statement, carried by Agence France-Presse.
“Most refugees lost their homes and livelihoods when they fled Syria. Failing to help and protect them is a stain on the reputation of Egypt and could seriously damage its image as a key stakeholder in the region.”
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/10/17/Amnesty-International-calls-on-Egypt-to-stop-deporting-Syrian-refugees-.html
---------
North America
FBI Arrests NY Rabbis Who Forced Jewish Men to Divorce Wives
WEDNESDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2013
Three rabbis and seven other men allegedly conspired to kidnap and use cattle prods, among other methods, to force Orthodox Jewish men into divorcing their wives, authorities said. In Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, Mendel Epstein made a name for himself as the rabbi to see for women struggling to divorce their husbands. Among the Orthodox, a divorce requires the husband’s permission, known as a “get,” and tales abound of women whose husbands refuse to consent.
While it’s common for rabbis to take action against defiant husbands, such as barring them from synagogue life, Rabbi Epstein, 68, took matters much further, according to the authorities.
Full report at:
http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5579:fbi-arrests-ny-rabbis-who-forced-jewish-men-to-divorce-wives&catid=112:new-york&Itemid=295
---------
CAIR-FL Asks GOP to Drop Anti-Muslim Speakers
Oct 17, 2013
(PEMBROKE PINES, FL, 10/16/2013) -- The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today called on Republican leaders in that state to drop anti-Muslim speakers Pamela Geller and Tom Trento, who are scheduled to appear Thursday at a "hate fest" hosted by GOP groups at a middle school in Pembroke Pines,Fla.
CAIR-FL is urging the event's sponsors, the Davie/Cooper City Republican Club and the Southwest Broward Republican Organization, to disassociate their party from the anti-Muslim bigotry routinely espoused by the speakers.
Full report at:
---------
Canada to grant honorary citizenship to Malala Yousafzai
Reuters | Oct 17, 2013
OTTAWA: Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for girls' education, will be granted honorary Canadian citizenship, the Canadian government announced on Wednesday.
She will join an elite group of foreign honorees who include South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi.
"Canada recognizes the courageous and inspiring example set by Malala Yousafzai in risking her life promoting education for young women," the government said in a speech setting out its priorities for the next two years.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Canada-to-grant-honorary-citizenship-to-Malala-Yousafzai/articleshow/24274925.cms
---------
Africa
Corrupt Mali police blamed as jihadists return to streets
Oct 17, 2013
Gao (Mali) (AFP) - The city of Gao is once again under attack by Islamists, but Malians' anger is increasingly directed at allegedly corrupt security services and a government failing to address grinding poverty.
In the latest spate of attacks, jihadists wounded two civilians when they blew up a bridge a week ago, a day after shelling the town and injuring a soldier.
But while the residents of Gao have become used to living under fire, many say they were unprepared for the jihadists acting with near-impunity, regularly let back on the streets by police for the sake of a small bribe.
Ousmane Maiga is a member of "We won't move", a youth group that sprung from two recent demonstrations against a lack of security and an absence of political will from the central government in Bamako, where President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was elected in August on a platform of national unity.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/corrupt-mali-police-blamed-jihadists-return-streets-111333154.html
---------
Uganda’s ethics minister threatens to ban charities for supporting gay rights
17 Oct 2013
Ugandan State Minister for Ethics and Integrity Simon Lokodo has revealed he wants to shut down all non-governmental organisations who support LGBT rights, saying that “they want this country to be in tatters”.
In an interview with Ugandan newspaper The Independent, Lokodo said he believed that the Western ideals of NGO’s were promoting “beastiality” in his country. “Human rights are not absolute and you cannot impose your own way of seeing things into another culture”, he said.
“I don’t admire a number of NGOs which come with an intention of promoting the social, economic development of this country but inject in wrong cultures from the west such as homosexuality and pornography”.
Full report at:
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/10/16/ugandas-ethics-minister-threatens-to-ban-charities-for-supporting-gay-rights/
---------
Killings and violence mark Eid in Benghazi
Oct 17, 2013
BENGHAZI — The bloodletting in Benghazi has not stopped, even for the Eid.Two army soldiers were murdered in the east of the city Tuesday morning in an attack, reportedly by militants. According to Benghazi Joint Operations Room spokesman Abdullah Zeidi, the two had their throats slit while they were sleeping at the battalion’s base at Ras Al-Mingar.
Naming them as Abdelfattah Al-Amari and Tariq Alaguri, he said they were members of the Mushaa Infantry Brigade. The others were wounded in the attack but survived, Zeidi added.
In a separate incident slightly later, a parcel bomb exploded at a flower stall next to the private Marwa Hospital shattering all the glass frontage of the building. Remarkably no one was hurt, almost certainly because it is Eid and few people were around. Normally there area would have been crowded.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20131017183846
--------
Nigeria: Eid Feast Bridges Divides
BY HEATHER MURDOCK, 16 OCTOBER 2013
Abuja — On Eid al-Adha, Muslims slaughter an animal for their supper but most of the meat is required by Islam to be distributed to relatives, friends and the poor.
In Kaduna, Nigeria, a city known for hostilities between Christians and Muslims, some clerics are celebrating the holiday and trying to bridge the divide by distributing the meat together to the disabled.
At one residence, about 200 Muslims are dining on a cow, slaughtered properly by a Muslim for Eid al-Adha -- the sacrifice holiday -- and delivered by a Christian pastor.
All of the diners are either disabled or the children of the disabled. They live on a remote government compound in Kaduna with dirt floors and no sewers. Ordinarily on this day, they would be on the streets begging.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201310170160.html?viewall=1
---------
Suspected Al-Shabaab Recruiters Arrested in Garissa
16 OCTOBER 2013
A man believed to be a top al-Shabaab recruiter was arraigned at a Garissa court Tuesday (October 15th) along with two other suspected recruiters, Kenya's The Star reported.
Aden Mohamed Maalim, 38, denied the charges against him, as did the two others, Juma Waziri Suleiman, 22, and Mohamed Abdalla Kamau, 21.
Anti-terror police arrested Suleiman and Kamau at the weekend at the Tana Bridge police checkpoint aboard a bus going from Mombasa to Garissa. They had reportedly travelled to Garissa to link up with Maalim for transportation to Somalia.
Full report at:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201310170232.html
---------
Morocco Restricts Mosque Access Between Prayers
Oct 17, 2013
Prayers had just ended at Morocco’s largest mosque [in Casablanca] and most of the worshippers had left. A lone sheikh was the only one to stay, before being asked by one of the mosque’s caretakers to leave. The mosque was then closed.
As the sheikh sat in the outer courtyard, he saw foreigners entering the mosque through a side door. When he asked about this, the caretaker said that foreigners paid $30 to visit the Hassan II Mosque, and that he — the sheikh — could enter for free during prayer time.
Mosques are closed between times of prayer. This has been going on in Morocco for years now. Meanwhile, Egypt is witnessing a heated debate after the Ministry of Religious Endowments decided to cancel Friday prayers in specific mosques and impose conditions for itikaf (an Islamic practice involving a period of retreat spent in a mosque). The ministry also stipulated that Friday prayer will only be held in mosques or premises with a surface area exceeding 80 square meters [262 square feet]. Additionally, the ministry annulled the permits of 55,000 imams, which are to be renewed. Therefore, this will subject the imams to short-listing. The ministry will also employ 3,000 imams who graduated from al-Azhar.
Full report at:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/10/moroccan-state-clamps-down-on-mosques.html#ixzz2i13sNon7
---------
Gunmen kill two Tunisian police
Oct 17, 2013
Gunmen killed two Tunisian policemen in clashes on Thursday in the northeastern city of Goubellat, a security source told Reuters.
On Wednesday night, gunmen also attacked a police station in Ghar Dimaou near the Algerian frontier but fled without causing any casualties.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=120893
---------
India
Hindu groups object to Muslims offering prayers at mosque in Nejar
October 17, 2013
Tension prevailed in Nejar village, around 8 km from Udupi, when about 100 members of the district units of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and Hindu Jagran Vedike staged a rasta roko for some time at the Kallianpur-Kemmannu Junction objecting to prayers being offered at a mosque.
While activists of the Hindutva organisations charged that there was no permission for construction and running the mosque, the mosque authorities refuted it. Meanwhile, prayers were offered at the mosque; work on which building is yet to be completed.
A platoon of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and a unit of the District Armed Reserve (DAR) police have been deployed in and around Nejar. The police force was also deployed at Kallianpur-Kemmannu Junction and near the mosque.
Baikady Suprasad Shetty, president of the district unit of VHP, said that the Kallianpur Gram Panchayat or the Town Planning Authority had not issued permission for the construction of the mosque.
“Let the mosque authorities take proper permission for it. We have asked the district authorities to solve the problem, failing which we will launch an agitation,” he said.
The gram panchayat was controlled by Congress supporters till 2010, and thereafter it came under the control of the BJP. Gram panchayat elections are not fought under the banner of political parties or under party symbols.
GP chief’s view
Satish Naik, president of Kallianpur Gram Panchayat, said that the panchayat had given permission for construction of the mosque in 2004. But following objections from some Hindutva organisations, it was withdrawn a few months later. The matter then went to the lower courts and finally to the High Court of Karnataka.
The High Court had, about two or three years ago, directed the gram panchayat to allow construction of the mosque subject to certain conditions which included permission from the Town Planning Authority, conversion of land for non-residential purpose, registration in the name of a trust and no-objection certificate (NoC) from people in a 100-metre radius. “If these conditions are fulfilled, we have to give permission as per court orders,” he said.
Trust’s stand
However, Zafarulla, treasurer of Al-Ameen Trust, said that there were eight to 10 Muslim houses in Nejar in 2004. A landlord donated 10 cents of land for the construction of the mosque to the trust so that the Muslims could pray there. The gram panchayat gave permission for the mosque and work went on for about nine months.
“But owing to change of government or other reasons, the gram panchayat secretary came and put up a notice at the site that construction should be stopped. They did not give any notice to the trust. We twice approached the High Court on this issue and the orders came in our favour. But the gram panchayat came up with new objections over some documents. We have submitted all the documents to the panchayat, which is simply harassing us,” he alleged.
As there were more Muslim houses now, there was no space to offer prayers. Hence, a mosque was needed, Mr. Zafarulla said.
“We approached district in-charge Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, Deputy Commissioner M.T. Reju, and Superintendent of Police M.B. Boralingaiah some days ago. All of them said that we could offer prayers. But Mr. Sorake pointed out that no repair or construction should be taken up as there was a dispute. We agreed to it. So, we have been offering prayers in this mosque for the last 15 days,” he said.
The gram panchayat president and Panchayat Development Officer inspected the spot on October 15, Mr. Zafarulla added.
‘Situation peaceful’
Superintendent of Police M.B. Boralingaiah said that the situation was peaceful at Nejar and Kallianpur.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/hindu-groups-object-to-muslims-offering-prayers-at-mosque-in-nejar/article5243235.ece
-------
'Indian Mujahideen has grown stronger, spread to Pakistan and Afghanistan'
Oct 17 2013
New Delhi : A threat analysis carried out by security agencies on the basis of details provided by Yasin Bhatkal and aide Akhtar Asadullah, nabbed on the Indo-Nepal border in the last week of August, has revealed that the Indian Mujahideen (IM) has become stronger and more lethal despite the arrest of over 100 of its cadres.
The group has branched out to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where its cadres are fighting alongside the Taliban.There are now three factions of the IM and Amir Reza Khan alias ‘Rizwan’ is no more its chief. He has set up another group and continues to enjoy the patronage of the ISI.
Full report at:
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-im-has-become-stronger-spread-to-pakistan-afghanistan-/1183524/
-------
Pakistan Hindus seek Indian govt's support to stay back
Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Oct 17, 201
ATTARI: Despite Pakistan government's repeated assurances of instilling a sense of security among its minority communities, the Hindus there continue to bear the brunt of fundamentalists and are still being persecuted on basis of their religion. Though majority of them are tightlipped upon arriving in India fearing repercussions back home for criticizing their government, a few prefer to vent their anger against being targeted.
Daulat Ram, fed up with daily humiliation at the hands of fundamentalists in Pakistan, is willing to migrate to India if he finds a business opportunity here. He is one among 150-strong jatha (group) of Hindus that reached India via Attari border on Wednesday to pay obeisance at various temples in Indore, Amritsar and Delhi. "Nothing is well there. We are forced to live like animals and told to keep our mouths shut," he said, adding that fundamentalists come to their homes and workplaces carrying Kalashnikovs and rob whatever they have. "They take ornaments of our women and harass them. There is no one to listen to us," said Daulat. Asked about forced conversions of Hindu women to Islam in Pakistan, he said, "Puchho mat ke kya kya hota hai (Don't ask what happens)."
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-Hindus-seek-Indian-govts-support-to-stay-back/articleshow/24277964.cms
---------
Southeast Asia
Selective ‘Allah’ ban reveals political plot, says DAP
Oct 17, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Banning “Allah” to non-Muslims in peninsular Malaysia but allowing such usage in Sabah and Sarawak revealed that Barisan Nasional (BN) was “exploiting” the potentially explosive matter for political gain, the DAP alleged today.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today pointed out how the government has “surprisingly” yielded and allowed “Allah” to be accessible to Christians in the two Borneo states despite fiercely insisting against it here.
“Clearly this Cabinet decision shows that the Home Ministry’s decision to ban the use of the word 'Allah' in the Catholic publication, 'The Herald', is not based on protecting the sanctity of Islam,” Lim said in a statement today.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/selective-allah-ban-reveals-political-plot-says-dap#sthash.Wf42tqjO.dpuf
---------
Allah ruling ‘unhelpful contribution’ to religious discourse
Oct 17, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — The appellate court judgment barring non-Muslims from referring to God as “Allah” has thrown up another obstacle in the inter-religious engagement between two of the world’s largest faiths, The Economist said.
The international current affairs magazine noted that, as it was, devout followers of both Abrahamic faiths are inclined to disagree that they worship the same God, and that arguments by monotheists over the question could lead to impassioned debate or even violence on the streets.
“A fresh, unhelpful contribution came from a Malaysian appeals court which has just affirmed that non-Muslims must not use the world ‘Allah’ when referring to God in any public context,” The Economist wrote in an opinion piece titled “Malaysia and monotheism: In the name of Allah”, published yesterday.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/the-economist-allah-ruling-unhelpful-contribution-to-religious-discourse#sthash.gCSEkD2m.dpuf
---------
Minister suggests Christians can still use ‘Allah’ bibles
Oct 17, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The Court of Appeal’s ruling that the word “Allah” is exclusive to Muslims should not affect Putrajaya’s 10-point solution on the Al-Kitab, Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili said today.
The energy, green technology and water minister pointed out that the 10-point solution, which was issued by the Najib administration in 2011, allows Christians in East Malaysia to use the Arabic word to describe their god.
“The outcome of the Appeal Court’s ruling should in no way affect this decision,” Ongkili said in a statement from Korea today, where he is attending the 22nd World Energy Congress.
“I hope every Malaysian will continue to maintain the spirit of unity and stability in this country, and not let this issue divide the people,” added the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/minister-suggests-christians-can-still-use-allah-bibles#sthash.zjLdpTgA.dpuf
---------