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Islamic World News ( 12 Oct 2012, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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Taliban Use Islamic Shariah to Defend Malala Attack


 New Age Islam News Bureau

 

12 Oct 2012 

 

  

Pakistan

 Taliban Use Islamic Shariah to Defend Malala Attack

 Fifty Muslim Scholars Belonging To Sunni Ittehad Council Issue Fatwa against Taliban

 Attack on Malala reignites fears of targeted killings in Swat

 Military ‘ready for any sacrifice to eliminate terror’ Top military body

 PPP offers talks to Sindhi nationalists

 Drone strike, bombs kill 41

 Teenager in Hiding after Blasphemy Accusation, Pakistani Police Say

 Attack on teenage activist Malala, a wakeup call: Hina Rabbani Khar

 Malala promised opposition would never deter her

 Pakistanis in US setting up fund for Malala

 K-P government announces Youm-e-Dua for Malala on Friday

 Death in custody: plea against ISI withdrawn after an out-of-court settlement

 Pakistan lodges protest with US against drone strikes

 UK bars entry of Bilour, anti-Islam filmmaker

 Twelve jails on militant hit list: Intelligence report

 National Assembly set to lag on accountability law

 Embezzlement in sale of Pak embassies in Japan, Indonesia

 

South Asia

 Taliban's 'Radio Mullah' sent hit squad after Malala

 Islam not a negative force, says Dalai Lama

 Fight against child marriage in Afghanistan must go on: UN

 Police file case for pricking Ahmadiyya School girls with a pin

 Revised penal code to be sent to Maldivian Majlis

 From Afghan street kid to film star in Buzkashi Boys

 No-confidence motion against Maldives President

 Mother of former Minister sues police for damage to house during Nasheed’s arrest

 “Prosecution’s only objective to ensure I cannot contest next elections”: Nasheed

 37,000 Afghan refugees return home

 Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of violating bilateral transit trade treaty

 

Arab World

 Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chief urges Jihad for Jerusalem

 106 soldiers killed as Syrian rebels go on attack: watchdog

 Saudi Arabia transfer Ukrainian arms to Syria's rebels

 Saudi Govt denies unfair treatment of terror suspects

 Arab Spring Countries Waiting for Promised Aid

 Iraq Al Qaeda Says It Masterminded Tikrit Jailbreak

 Syria’s Islamist rebels join forces against Assad

 Syrian Gets 12 Years in Terror Case

 Hezbollah Says It Flew Iranian-Designed Drone into Israel

 No Foreign Army Bases in Egypt: Army Spokesman

 Egypt’s prosecutor general defies Mursi's order to step down

 Prosecutor refuses release on bail for accused Saudi student in Missouri

 

North America

 US Fort Hood suspect Maj. Hasan's beard raises bias questions against a Military judge

 US military prepares new rules for cyber war: Panetta

 White House Appoints Veteran Retired Diplomat as Envoy in Libya

 Iran still ‘good way away’ from nuclear weapon: Biden

 

Europe

 7 British Royal Marines arrested in Afghan-related murder probe

 Controversial map removed from video game after Muslims protest

 France: 2 Arrested Islamists Were Headed for Syria, Prosecutor Says

 Nobel Peace Prize could go to dissidents, EU, religious leaders

 

Mideast Asia

 Rights activists beaten, raped in Iran: U.N

 Israeli Premier Talked Peace with Syria

 Turkey Says Syrian Plane Carried Russian Munitions

 The West’s Stalwart Ally in the War on Drugs: Iran

 UN Report on Iran: Systematic Violations of Human Rights and a Culture of Impunity

 

Africa        

 No blasphemy clause in Tunisia’s new constitution: speaker

 Islamists in Mali target women, impose Shariah: U.N. official

 Gambia: Islam is a Religion of Peace - Says Dr Omar Jah Snr, As He Meets VP

 Nigeria Crackdown Risks Playing Into Islamists' Hands

 

India

 Experts set to train Kashmir students in disaster management

 India lags behind China, Pak in reducing hunger level: Report

 Search for girl’s home brings Burney to India

 Feroze ran two shops in Pune, parents shocked

 In Delhi, Asad and Imran told neighbours they were students

 IM trio bought detonators from Nehru Place market

 Centre ramps up security in J&K

 SC refuses roving inquiry into all blasts since 2002

 Jawed Habeeb, Babri committee co-founder passes away

 Hawala trail led police to ‘terror’ module

 

Southeast Asia

 Indonesia's Bali Recalls Horror of Bombs 10 Years On

 Philippine Muslim rebels want to keep guns

 

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

Photo: Fifty Muslim Scholars Belonging To Sunni Ittehad Council Issue Fatwa against Taliban

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-use-islamic-shariah-defend/d/8962

 

 

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Pakistan

 

Taliban Use Islamic Shariah to Defend Malala Attack

October 12, 2012


Female peace activists carry photographs of gunshot victim Malala Yousafzai during a protest rally against her assassination attempt, in Peshawar on October 10, 2012.—AFP Photo

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PESHAWAR: The banned militant organisation Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which claimed responsibility of shooting 14-year-old peace activist Malala Yousafzai in the head, issued a statement Wednesday, using Islamic Shariah to defend the attack.

In the statement sent out by TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan from an undisclosed location, the banned outfit said that although they do not believe in attacking women, “who so ever leads a campaign against Islam and Shariah is ordered to be killed by Shariah.”

The assassination attempt on the life of the young National Peace Award winner has drawn widespread condemnation from the government, political parties and civil society groups, terming it a bid to silent voice for peace and education.

The statement says that it is “not just allowed … but obligatory in Islam” to kill such a person involved “in leading a campaign against Shariah and (who) tries to involve whole community in such campaign, and that personality becomes a symbol of anti-Shariah campaign.”

Malala had won international recognition for highlighting Taliban atrocities in Swat with a blog for the BBC three years ago, when the Islamist militants burned girls’ schools and terrorised the valley.

Her struggle resonated with tens of thousands of girls who were being denied an education by the militants across northwest Pakistan, where the government has been fighting the local Taliban since 2007.

The Taliban statement further challenges – with Quranic and religious references – condemnation of the assassination attempt on the tender-aged girl, adding that it is a clear command of Shariah that any female playing a role in “war against mujahideen” should be killed.

“If anyone argues that she was female, and then we can see the incident of killing of wife by a blind companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) because she used to say demeaning words for the Prophet and the Prophet praised that act,” it argues equating the TTP act with that of a the prophet’s companion.

The statement goes on to defend the attack with a reference from the time of Hazrat Khizar, a revered figure in Islamic history who was described as a righteous servant of God and endowed with the qualities of unmatched wisdom and mystic power.

“If anyone argues about her young age, then the story of Hazrat Khizar in the Quran (states that) while traveling with Prophet Musa (AS), (he) killed a child. Arguing about the reason of his killing, he said that the parents of this child were pious and in the future he (the child) would cause a bad name for them,” adds the statement.

Malala Yousufzai, who was also nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by advocacy group KidsRights Foundation in 2011, had raised her voice against the militants’ ban on and threats against education for women in Swat.

The Taliban spokesman defends the education-ban in the statement, saying: “Tehrik-i-Taliban’s crime wasn’t that they banned education for girls. Instead, our crime was that we tried to bring education system for both boys and girls under Shariah. We are against co-education and secular education system, and Shariah orders us to be against it.”

The statement further defends the assassination attempt, blaming the media for spreading “propaganda against Taliban mujahideen with their poisonous tongues.”

“If anyone thinks that Malala was targeted because of education, that is absolutely wrong, and propaganda of media. Malala was targeted because of her pioneer role in preaching secularism and so called enlightened moderation. And whomsoever will commit so in future too will be targeted again by TTP,” it adds.

Zahir Shah Sherazi contributed to reporting for this article.

http://dawn.com/2012/10/10/taliban-use-islamic-shariah-to-defend-malala-attack/

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Fifty Muslim Scholars Belonging To Sunni Ittehad Council Issue Fatwa against Taliban

October 12, 2012

LAHORE: At least 50 Islamic scholars belonging to ‘Sunni Ittehad Council’ on Thursday declared Taliban’s attack on Pakistani children’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai as un-Islamic, Dawn News reported.

Sunni Ittehad Council represents ‘Barelvi‘sect of Islam which is  influenced by Sufism and defends the traditional Sufi practices from the criticisms of Islamic movements like the ‘Deobandi’, ‘Wahhabi’ and ‘Ahl al-Hadith’.

The scholars issued a combined ‘fatwa’ (Islamic ruling) in Lahore which said that the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam was incorrect and was deviant from the actual interpretation of the Shariah.

The fatwa added that Taliban were misguided and their mindset was driven by ignorance.

“Islam does not stop women from acquiring education and by attacking Malala the Taliban have crossed the limits of Islam,” the fatwa added.

“Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had regarded the sanctity of Muslim’s life and property more important than the sanctity of the ‘Kaaba’ (sacred Muslim place),” adding that the fatwa stated, “Murder of one innocent human being is equivalent to murder of entire humanity.”

The Islamic ruling added that United States was the enemy of Islam and Pakistan; any kind of cooperation with the US was not in compliance with the Shariah.

In response to Taliban’s interpretation of killing females for the greater good of the religion, the scholars said that Islam discourages killing of the females. Adding that, they said, “Even apostate women are not allowed to be killed in Islam.”

The assassination attempt on the life of the young National Peace Award winner has drawn widespread condemnation from the government, political parties and civil society groups, terming it a bid to silent voice for peace and education.

The banned militant organisation Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had issued a statement Wednesday, using Islamic Shariah to defend the attack.

Pakistani Taliban had said that although they do not believe in attacking women, “whom so ever leads a campaign against Islam and Shariah is ordered to be killed by Shariah.”

TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had argued that it is “not just allowed … but obligatory in Islam” to kill such a person involved “in leading a campaign against Shariah and (who) tries to involve whole community in such campaign, and that personality becomes a symbol of anti-Shariah campaign.”

Malala had won international recognition for highlighting Taliban atrocities in Swat with a blog for the BBC three years ago, when the Islamist militants burned girls’ schools and terrorised the valley.

Her struggle resonated with tens of thousands of girls who were being denied an education by the militants across northwest Pakistan, where the government has been fighting the local Taliban since 2007.

http://dawn.com/2012/10/11/fifty-muslim-scholars-issue-fatwa-against-taliban/

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Attack on Malala reignites fears of targeted killings in Swat

October 12, 2012

MINGORA: The horrific attack on a Pakistani child rights activist, shot in the head by the Taliban in front of terrified schoolgirls, has raised fears that targeted attacks are on the rise in the Swat valley.

Malala Yousafzai, 14, who won international recognition for a blog about the horrors of life under the Taliban and a campaign for the right to an education, is the highest-profile target of militants in Swat for more than three years.

The army declared the region once known as the “Switzerland of Pakistan” back under control in July 2009, defeating radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah and the Taliban fighters who waged a two-year campaign of terror in the district.

The operation won praise in the United States. It was arguably Pakistan’s most successful offensive to date against the insurgents who have bombed and killed thousands across the country for the last five years.

The Swat of 2012 is unrecognisable from the Swat of 2009. There are no Taliban on the streets. Girls are free to go to school. Shops are bustling, women walk without fear.

But after Malala was shot on Tuesday – by a man who stopped her bus, asked the children to point her out and fired a bullet into her skull – parents are worried.

“It is calm now in Swat but this attack has worried us for our children’s future,” Rahim Khan, a member of Malala’s extended family, told AFP at home in Mingora.

And Malala has not been the only victim.

In the last four months, two businessmen and outspoken anti-militant campaigners have been shot dead and two others wounded, raising fears of a wave of assassinations targeting those who speak out against extremism.

“In the last three or four months, unknown persons have started targeting elders in the area who want peace in Swat,” peace activist Mukhtar Yousafzai told AFP.

“We fear it may be the start of targeted killings.”

All four victims before Malala were senior members of an anti-militancy group. Yousafzai says he too has been threatened several times.

The army claimed to have killed hundreds of Taliban fighters in Swat, but many are understood to have fled to Pakistan’s tribal belt and into Afghanistan.

Fazlullah, under a bounty of 50 million rupeese, has never been captured.

Local residents ask how the attack could have happened and how the perpetrators could have escaped an area with such a visible police and army presence.

Police blame the recent shootings on gunmen who cross the mountains into Swat from the northwest, then melt away without trace.

“It is very difficult to hunt down these people in the valley, a home to more than one million people,” one local police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Malala goes to the Khushal Public School founded by her father Ziauddin, a prominent Swat teacher, in a middle-class neighbourhood of Mingora. Her family never believed she needed special protection.

“It happened in broad daylight. It means some (extremist) elements are still here and it is really disturbing,” said Habibullah Khan, a shopkeeper in the Mingora bazaar.

The shock in Mingora is palpable. Relatives, family friends and well-wishers have visited Malala’s house, where police now stand guard, to express support.

“Our only demand is protection. We need security. The government has completely failed to protect students,” said Ahmad Shah, chairman of the association of private schools that includes Malala’s.

“Girl students in particular feel insecure.”

Security analyst Imtiaz Gul, who has written extensively about the tribal belt, suggests that after three years of relative peace, the authorities may be letting their guard drop and enabling Taliban remnants to strike.

“We have to keep in mind that lots of militants are embedded in the population without being detected by security agencies,” he told AFP.

“It is quite possible that complacency within the security services and civilian government encourages them to resume their terror campaign.”

http://dawn.com/2012/10/11/attack-on-malala-reignites-fears-of-targeted-attacks-in-swat/

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Military ‘ready for any sacrifice to eliminate terror’ Top military body

October 12, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Top military body’s declaration on Thursday that it was ready for any sacrifice for eliminating terrorism sparked speculations about the possibility of a major military offensive against Tehrik-i-Taliban and other terror networks operating from tribal areas.

“Participants expressed their satisfaction over the standard of preparedness of Armed Forces to take on the upcoming challenges being faced by the country. It was reiterated that the resolve to fight the menace of terrorism will be kindred and Armed Forces of Pakistan are ready to render any sacrifice therein (sic),” a rather strongly-worded statement from ISPR said after the meeting.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/12/military-ready-for-any-sacrifice-to-eliminate-terror-tough-words-stir-talk-of-final-battle/

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PPP offers talks to Sindhi nationalists

Ikram Junaidi

October 12, 2012

ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: MNA Dr Nafisa Shah, the chairperson of the PPP’s human rights committee, has invited nationalist parties of Sindh to a dialogue to resolve issues related to local government system in the province.

She suggested at a news conference that the nationalist parties should organise a conference “of all parties” to resolve the differences. She claimed that the recent attacks on the homes of the speaker of Sindh Assembly, ministers, MPAs and on Malala Yousufzai in Swat were linked.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/12/ppp-offers-talks-to-sindhi-nationalists/

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Drone strike, bombs kill 41

 October 12, 2012

ORAKZAI AGENCY/QUETTA – A US drone strike in Fata and a string of bomb blasts in various cities of the country on Thursday killed over 40 people.

At least 18 suspected militants were killed and 15 others injured when US drones fired four missiles on a compound at Bulandkhel area in Orakzai Agency on Thursday.

A US spying aircraft fired at least four missiles on a house-cum-seminary owned by Maulana Shakiruall. Resultantly, 18 suspected militants were killed while 15 others sustained injuries in the attack. It has also been learnt that about three houses located near the targeted house have also been destroyed.

Full report at:

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/12-Oct-2012/drone-strike-bombs-kill-41

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Teenager in Hiding after Blasphemy Accusation, Pakistani Police Say

By SALMAN MASOOD

October 12, 2012

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which critics say are often used to intimidate and persecute minorities, have again come under scrutiny, with the police in the port city of Karachi having opened a case against a Christian teenager accused of having sent anti-Islamic text messages, according to local officials and rights activists.

The case follows a highly publicized one earlier this year in which a 14-year-old girl was detained for weeks after being accused of burning pages from a holy book.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/asia/teenager-in-hiding-after-blasphemy-accusation-pakistani-police-say.html?ref=world

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Attack on teenage activist Malala, a wake up call: Hina Rabbani Khar

Oct 12 2012

Washington : Terming it as an wake up call, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, has said that Taliban attack on teenage rights activist Malala Yousufzai, could possibly be a turning point in her country.

“Today, for us (Pakistan), it (attack on Malala) could be possibly a turning point. I would keep my fingers crossed on that.

“And what we have in front of us is a war between two different sets of futures, one that Malala Yousafzai represents, a bright, young, dynamic girl who fought for her right to education and the right to live as a normal citizen,” Khar said in an interview.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/attack-on-teenage-activist-malala-a-wake-up-call-hina-rabbani-khar/1015768/

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Malala promised opposition would never deter her

By Fazal Khaliq

October 11, 2012

SWAT: Days before Malala Yousafzai was targeted, the 14-year-old iconic child activist had stated: “I am not fighting for any award, neither have I struggled to be part of any competition to get nominations in any list. For me, my cause to fight for the education of girls and children’s rights is of supreme importance. And this, I will continue to the end.”

After receiving the National Peace Award from the prime minister, Yousafzai was also Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/449924/responding-to-critics-malala-promised-opposition-would-never-deter-her/

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Pakistanis in US setting up fund for Malala

October 12, 2012

WASHINGTON, Oct 10: US-based Pakistani educationists are setting up a fund to help Malala Yousufzai who may need treatment outside Pakistan to recover from a wound caused by a Taliban bullet.

“Let us all donate money so she can get the best care in the world, gets well and once again resists the forces of darkness,” proposed Mohsin Masood, dean of student affairs at Monmouth College, Illinois.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/11/pakistanis-in-us-setting-up-fund-for-malala/

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K-P government announces Youm-e-Dua for Malala on Friday

 October 11, 2012

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a Youm-e-Dua (Prayer Day) on Friday for the early recovery of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai who was shot by the Taliban.

Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the media on Thursday that all mosques in the province have been requested to hold special prayers for Malala after Friday prayers. The prayers will be held for Malala’s “complete” recovery, he added.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/450146/k-p-government-announces-youm-e-dua-for-malala-on-friday/

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Death in custody: plea against ISI withdrawn after an out-of-court settlement

October 12, 2012

RAWALPINDI, Oct 11: The elder brother of a prisoner, who died in the custody of intelligence agencies on January 21, 2012, has withdrawn his petition filed with a court of law seeking registration of a criminal case against the spymasters after an alleged out-of-court settlement, it has been learnt.

On the petition of Mufti Abdul Shakoor over the mysterious death of his brother Abdul Saboor, the additional session’s judge of Rawalpindi, Naveed Iqbal, had summoned the directors-general of Inter Services Intelligence and the Military Intelligence in July 2012.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/12/death-in-custody-plea-against-spy-agencies-withdrawn/

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Pakistan lodges protest with US against drone strikes

October 12, 2012

ISLAMABAD: A Foreign Office spokesman on Thursday said that a protest had been lodged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the US Embassy here on drone strikes inside Pakistani territory on October 10 and 11.

The Foreign Office spokesman, in a statement, said that the United States Embassy was informed that the drone strikes on Pakistani territory were a clear violation of International Law and Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/11/pakistan-lodges-protest-with-us-against-drone-strikes/

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UK bars entry of Bilour, anti-Islam filmmaker

October 12, 2012

PESHAWAR: Federal Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has been barred by the British government from travelling to the UK in retaliation for the bounty he offered for the murder of a US filmmaker.

Talking to Dawn on Thursday, Mr Bilour shrugged off the ban and said he stood by his words more firmly now.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/12/uk-bans-bilours-entry/

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Twelve jails on militant hit list: Intelligence report

By Asad Kharal

 October 12, 2012

LAHORE: In case the moats in front of jails were not widened after the Bannu jailbreak, the latest memo from intelligence agencies should be a good reminder.

To release their accomplices, Taliban and al Qaeda affiliated terrorists have finalised plans to carry out attacks on 12 jails across the country, intelligence agencies have warned jail authorities, police and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs), The Express Tribune has learnt.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/450483/twelve-jails-on-militant-hit-list-intelligence-report/

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National Assembly set to lag on accountability law

Raja Asghar

October 12, 2012

ISLAMABAD: With only a day left of its current session, the National Assembly appeared on Thursday to be facing a lag on a new accountability law for holders of public office despite earlier government plans for a quick work.

As it became clear the National Accountability Commission Bill introduced three days ago would not come before the present session ending on Friday because the house standing committee on law and justice failed to complete the scrutiny of the 48-clause draft before adjourning until Oct 18, opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan threatened from outside the chamber that the PML-N would “strongly react” to any bulldozing.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/12/national-assembly-set-to-lag-on-accountability-law/

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Embezzlement in sale of Pak embassies in Japan, Indonesia

 Oct 12 2012

Lahore : Officials of Pakistan's embassies in Japan and Indonesia were allegedly involved in the illegal sale of properties in the two countries, officials said today.

The National Accountability Bureau has formally sought legal assistance from the governments of Japan and Indonesia regarding alleged corruption committed by officers of Foreign Ministry and others in the sale of Pakistani embassy buildings in Tokyo and Jakarta, the officials said.

According to a preliminary report prepared by NAB, which is Pakistan's main anti-corruption agency, the market value of the embassy buildings was ignored during their sale.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/embezzlement-in-sale-of-pak-embassies-in-japan-indonesia/1015885/

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South Asia

 

Taliban's 'Radio Mullah' sent hit squad after Malala

October 12, 2012

One of the Taliban's most feared commanders, Maulana Fazlullah, carefully briefed two killers from his special hit squad on their next target.

The gunmen weren't going after any army officer, politician or Western diplomat. Their target was a 14-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl who had angered the Taliban by speaking out for "Western"-style girls' education.

Tuesday's shooting of Malala Yousufzai was the culmination of years of campaigning that had pitted the fearless, smiling young girl against one of Pakistan's most ruthless Taliban commanders.

Their story began in 2009, when Fazlullah known as Radio Mullah for his fiery radio broadcasts, took over Swat Valley and ordered the closure of girls' schools' including Yousufzai's.

Outraged, the then-11-year-old kept a blog for the BBC under a pen name and later launched a campaign for girls' education. It won her Pakistan s highest civilian honour and death threats from the Taliban.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Taliban-s-Radio-Mullah-sent-hit-squad-after-Malala/Article1-943552.aspx

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Islam not a negative force, says Dalai Lama

12 October 2012

WASHINGTON: Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, warned Wednesday not to generalize Islam as a negative force and called on believers of different faiths to reach out to one another.

On a lecture tour of the United States, the world’s best-known Buddhist monk said that every religion including his own had “mischievous” people and that he has made efforts to reach out to Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/islam-not-negative-force-says-dalai-lama

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Fight against child marriage in Afghanistan must go on: UN

Oct 11, 2012

Kabul: UN agencies in Afghanistan Thursday called for protecting Afghan girls against child marriage, even as the tradition remains rampant in the country.

More than 46 percent of Afghan women are married before age 18, and over 15 percent before age 15, Xinhua quoted the “Afghanistan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010-11? as saying.

Full report at:

http://www.firstpost.com/world/fight-against-child-marriage-in-afghanistan-must-go-on-un-487636.html

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Police file case for pricking Ahmadiyya School girls with a pin

By Mariyath Mohamed | October 10th, 2012

Police said they have completed an investigation and submitted a case to the Prosecutor General (PG) against a man who had been arrested for allegedly pricking girls with a pin.

According to the statement the case was sent to the PG office on September 30.

The 31 year-old man, Hussain Shareef of G Greenland, was charged with harassing a group of girls from Ahmadiyya School by pricking them with a pin in various areas of their bodies, multiple times.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/police-file-case-against-man-for-pricking-girls-with-a-pin-45214

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Revised penal code to be sent to Maldivian Majlis

By Minivan News | October 12th, 2012

Naifaru MP Ahmed Mohamed has told Sun Online that a review of the Penal Code is due to be sent to the Majlis later this month.

The bill – first sent to the Majlis in 2006 – is set to replace the 1961 code, and includes 1204 articles, reported Sun.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-

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From Afghan street kid to film star in Buzkashi Boys

October 12, 2012

By Jessica Donati    

KABUL: Twelve-year-old Fawad Mohammadi made a living on the streets of downtown Kabul selling maps to passing expats to help support his family.

Along with many impoverished children who chased customers while they shopped for rugs and souvenirs, he worked to support his family because his father had died years before.

But he never imagined this would lead him to well-connected film maker Sam French, who would turn him into a movie star.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Film/2012/Oct-12/191136-from-afghan-street-kid-to-film-star-in-buzkashi-boys.ashx#ixzz294c4l8FA

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No-confidence motion against Maldives President

By Ahmed Nazeer | October 10th, 2012

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has submitted a no-confidence motion in parliament against President Dr Waheed Hassan Manik.

According to MDP, the no-confidence motion was submitted to the parliament in response to orders from by Waheed to attack citizens and MDP MPs, and to carry out acts of inhumanity on February 8 which were executed by the army and police.

The MDP alleged that President Waheed had destroyed the sensitive economy of the nation and that his handling of the economy has destroyed foreign investor confidence in the Maldives.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/mdp-submits-no-confidence-motion-against-president-45200

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Mother of former Environment Minister sues police for damage to house during Nasheed’s arrest

By Ahmed Nazeer | October 11th, 2012

Mother of former Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, Rasheedha Mohamed, has sued police for damage caused to her house by police officers during the raid to arrest former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Speaking to Minivan News, Aslam confirmed his mother had filed a case at the Fares-Mathoda Magistrate Court, alleging police had disrespected the privacy of their house as guaranteed to all citizens in the constitution.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/society/mother-of-former-environment-minister-sues-police-for-damage-to-house-during-nasheeds-arrest-45246

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“Prosecution’s only objective to ensure I cannot contest next elections”: former President Nasheed

By Mariyath Mohamed | October 10th, 2012

Former President Mohamed Nasheed in a public speech on Tuesday challenged the Prosecutor General (PG) as to why “such a small charge” was being raised against him while he was being accused of “the much larger crime of having hijacked the entire criminal justice system of the Maldives”.

Full report at:

http://minivannews.com/politics/%E2%80%9Cprosecutions-only-objective-to-ensure-i-cannot-

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37,000 Afghan refugees return home

 October 11, 2012

PESHAWAR: After the start of the war in Afghanistan, more than three million refugees migrated from the country to Pakistan, where they were welcomed generously by the local population and provided shelter.

Once peace was restored in Afghanistan, these immigrants started to go back home, but the process remains extremely slow paced.

However, the process has picked up speed now and nearly 37,000 immigrants have returned home this year.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/450072/37000-afghan-refugees-return-home/

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Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of violating bilateral transit trade treaty

October 12, 2012

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan accused Pakistan of violating the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement 2010 (APTTA) as the Afghan authorities blamed that Islamabad was denying its cargo, access to Wagah border and seaports.

The issue was raised on Thursday during a meeting of the Transit Trade Coordination Authority – a body established to settle disputes arising out of implementation of bilateral transit trade treaty.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/450307/blame-game-afghanistan-accuses-pakistan-of-violating-bilateral-transit-trade-treaty/

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Arab World

 

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chief urges Jihad for Jerusalem

11 October 2012

The supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Egypt’s President Mohammed Mursi emanated, called on Thursday for a jihad (holy war) to liberate Jerusalem from Israeli rule.

“Jerusalem is Islamic ... and nobody is entitled to make concessions” on the Holy City, said Sheikh Mohammed Badie in his weekly message to supporters.

“The jihad for the recovery of Jerusalem is a duty for all Muslims,” he said, stressing that the liberation of the Holy City “will not be done through negotiations or at the United Nations.”

Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, has watched with concern as Islamists were catapulted to the forefront of politics following a popular uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak last year.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/11/243221.html

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106 soldiers killed as Syrian rebels go on attack: watchdog

October 12, 2012    

BEIRUT: Syrian rebels killed 14 soldiers in an attack on an army post in Daraa province on Friday, a watchdog said, a day after the army suffered 92 losses, the highest daily total of the 19-month conflict.

Six rebels were also killed in Friday's attack on the army checkpoint at Khirba in the southern province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that fighting also raged in the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo.

The Britain-based watchdog said Thursday had marked one of the deadliest days of fighting since an anti-regime revolt erupted in March last year, with at least 240 people killed across the country, including the 92 soldiers, 67 rebel fighters and 81 civilians.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Oct-12/191143-106-soldiers-killed-as-syrian-rebels-go-on-attack-watchdog.ashx#ixzz294c1Ckxo

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Saudi Arabia transfer Ukrainian arms to Syria's rebels

By C. J. CHIVERS

October 12, 2012

Earlier this week, the BBC published a report documenting the apparent hand of Saudi Arabia in the transfer of Ukrainian arms to Syria's rebels. The report was accompanied by a photograph of a wooden munitions crate bearing a label showing that the crate had been packed at a factory listed as LCW, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, and then shipped to Saudi Arabia.

The BBC report said the crate was one of three containers its journalists found in Aleppo that bore labels from the same manufacturer.

Full report at:

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/what-a-crate-in-syria-says-about-saudi-help-to-the-rebels/?ref=middleeast

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Saudi Govt denies unfair treatment of terror suspects

12 October 2012

RIYADH: The Ministry of Interior has denied unfair treatment of convicted terrorists or terror suspects on trial. The ministry was reacting to allegations made in video clips circulating online.

“Fabricated videos are circulated on the Internet and other media outlets to falsify facts with the aim of inflaming sentiment and spreading subversion. The videos are made in short and small gatherings organized in public places to demand the release of culprits,” a statement released by the ministry said yesterday.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/govt-denies-unfair-treatment-terror-suspects

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Arab Spring Countries Waiting for Promised Aid

By SARA HAMDAN

October 12, 2012

After uprisings swept across North Africa and the Middle East last year, donors from around the world were quick to pledge aid to the so-called Arab Spring countries to help them reconstruct their economies.

A year later, securing the pledged aid has proved difficult, and many of the recipient countries — particularly those in the midst of political transition, like Egypt — are still waiting for the promised funds to arrive.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/business/global/arab-countries-waiting-for-promised-aid.html?ref=world&gwh=1DEEA4E420CF7ACC831817C7D84BB8F5

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Iraq Al Qaeda Says It Masterminded Tikrit Jailbreak

October 12, 2012

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's branch of al Qaeda said it masterminded a jailbreak in the northern city of Tikrit last month and smuggled weapons to inmates, according to a statement posted on militant websites.

Dozens of prisoners, many of them convicted members of al Qaeda on death row, fought their way out of the jail, killing 16 members of the security forces in ensuing clashes.

Al Qaeda issued a statement saying it planned the mass escape with prisoners, sent them arms and detonated a car bomb outside the prison gate to give them a chance to flee, according to SITE, a group which monitors militant Islamist websites.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/12reuters-iraq-qaeda-jailbreak.html?hp

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Syria’s Islamist rebels join forces against Assad

October 12, 2012

BEIRUT: Powerful Syrian Islamist brigades, frustrated at the growing divisions among rebels, have joined forces in what they say is a ‘liberation front’ to topple Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

Mistrust and miscommunication have been a feature of the rebel campaign against Assad. Differences over leadership, tactics and sources of funding have widened the rifts between largely autonomous brigades scattered across Syria.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\10\12\story_12-10-2012_pg7_25

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Syrian Gets 12 Years in Terror Case

By BENJAMIN WEISER

October 12, 2012

Jamal Yousef, a former member of the Syrian military who pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to provide material support to a Colombian terrorist organization, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday in Manhattan. Mr. Yousef, 54, became ensnared in an international sting operation run by the Drug Enforcement Administration; an indictment charged that he had agreed to provide weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in exchange for hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/syrian-gets-12-years-in-terror-case.html?ref=world&_r=0

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Hezbollah Says It Flew Iranian-Designed Drone Into Israel

By ANNE BARNARD

October 12, 2012

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah, declared Thursday that his fighters had assembled and piloted a drone that flew 35 miles into Israel on Saturday, calling the flight an unprecedented achievement in “the history of the resistance.”

In a televised, 50-minute speech, Mr. Nasrallah said the drone, which was shot down by Israeli forces, had been designed in Iran and assembled by Hezbollah experts in Lebanon.

“It is our right to send other drones whenever we want,” Mr. Nasrallah said, noting that Israel frequently violated Lebanese airspace. “It was not the first time and it will not be the last.”

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/hassan-nasrallah-says-hezbollah-

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No Foreign Army Bases in Egypt: Army Spokesman

October 12, 2012

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has no foreign military bases on its soil and has no plans to downsize its armed forces, said the military spokesman, rejecting media reports claiming so.

Military aid from the United States of $1.3 billion per year allows Egypt to reduce its defense procurement related costs, Colonel Ahmed Ali said in response to reports Egypt's army contracted with U.S.-based security companies.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/12reuters-egypt-army.html?ref=middleeast

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Egypt’s prosecutor general defies Mursi's order to step down

MAGGIE MICHAEL

12 October 2012

CAIRO: Egypt’s prosecutor general on Thursday defied his president’s order to step down to defuse public anger over acquittals in a case of brutality against protesters during last year’s uprising that topped the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Critics charged President Muhammad Mursi with exceeding his mandate.

Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud was quoted by Egypt’s official news agency as saying that he will remain in his post. His brief statement came just hours after Mursi ordered him to leave his position as prosecutor general and become the ambassador to the Vatican.

In a comment to a news website, The Seventh Day, Mahmoud said, “I am upset” over Mursi’s order.

Full report at:

http://www.arabnews.com/egypt%E2%80%99s-prosecutor-general-defies-mursis-order-step-down

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Prosecutor refuses release on bail for accused Saudi student in Missouri

 11 October 2012

A Saudi aviation university student, who has been accused of incitement to murder of first degree and armed criminal acts, appeared on Tuesday at the second hearing session at Johnson court in Warrensburg City in the state of Missouri, in presence of his lawyer John Osgood.

This was the second hearing session that Ziyad Obeid attended, after the one that was held on Sept. 26, while the third session is scheduled for Nov. 13, at the same time of his American colleague Reginald Singletary.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/11/243210.html

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North America

 

US Fort Hood suspect Maj. Hasan's beard raises bias questions against a Military judge

 Oct 12 2012

FORT BELVOIR, Virginia: An Army appeals court on Thursday questioned whether a military judge exceeded his authority in ordering the suspect in the 2009 shooting rampage that killed 13 people at a Texas army post to remove his beard or be forcibly shaved.

Judges on the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals in northern Virginia also delved into a claim by Maj. Nidal Hasan's lawyers that the military judge who issued the order is biased and should be replaced. The American-born Muslim psychiatrist claims he grew his beard for religious reasons.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/us-fort-hood-suspect-maj.-nidal-hasans-beard-raises-bias-questions/1015816/

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US military prepares new rules for cyber war: Panetta

October 12, 2012

WASHINGTON: The United States faces a growing threat of a “cyber-Pearl Harbor” and has drafted new rules for the military that would enable it to move aggressively against digital attacks, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said late on Thursday.

The amended rules of engagement underline the need to defend Defence Department computer networks, “but also to be prepared to defend the nation and our national interests against an attack in or through cyberspace,” he said.

Full report at:

http://dawn.com/2012/10/12/us-military-prepares-new-rules-for-cyber-war-panetta/

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White House Appoints Veteran Retired Diplomat to Serve as Senior Envoy in Libya

By MICHAEL R. GORDON

October 12, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said on Thursday that it had recalled a veteran diplomat, Laurence Pope, who retired from the Foreign Service 12 years ago, to serve as the senior American envoy in Libya.

Mr. Pope has been appointed as the chargé d’affaires, and arrived in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, on Thursday. His appointment comes one month after the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens in an attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi. The White House has yet to nominate a new ambassador, and Mr. Pope will be the top ranking American diplomat in Libya until that post is filled.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/africa/laurence-pope-appointed-to-envoy-post-in-libya.html?hp

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Iran still ‘good way away’ from nuclear weapon: Biden

 12 October 2012

Iran is still “a good way away” from acquiring a nuclear weapon, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday, insisting the United States would stop Tehran before it was too late.

President Barack Obama’s number two came under attack during testy exchanges on Iran with Republican opposite number Paul Ryan in a one-off vice presidential election debate less than four week from election day.

“When Barack Obama was elected, they had enough nuclear material to make one bomb. Now they have enough for five. They’re four years closer toward nuclear weapons capability,” Ryan said.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/12/243269.html

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Europe

 

7 British Royal Marines arrested in Afghan-related murder probe

Oct 12, 2012

LONDON: British military police on Thursday arrested seven members of the elite Royal Marines on suspicion of murder in Afghanistan in 2011, the ministry of defence (MoD) announced.

"The incident followed an engagement with an insurgent - there were no civilians involved," said an MoD spokesman.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/7-British-Royal-Marines-arrested-in-Afghan-related-murder-probe/articleshow/16775681.cms

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Controversial map removed from video game after Muslims protest

 October 10, 2012

Game developer Activision has removed the ‘Favela’ multiplayer map from their popular game Modern Warfare 2 after receiving complaints from Muslim gamers recently, video games website IGN reported.

A video recorded in-game, uploaded on September 27 shows a picture with a quote, attributed to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), saying ‘Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty’ in Arabic, according to a translation by Islam Today. The quote is inscribed on a picture frame and can only be read once players zoom into it through scoped weapons available in the game. The frame is hung over a toilet in the map.

Full report at:

http://tribune.com.pk/story/449698/controversial-map-removed-from-video-game-after-muslims-protest/

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Nobel Peace Prize could go to dissidents, EU, religious leaders

12 October 2012

The Nobel Peace Prize Committee announces its 2012 laureate on Friday with prize watchers favouring east European dissidents, the European Union itself or religious leaders working on Muslim-Christian reconciliation.

"The long term trend is that the world is indeed getting more peaceful," said Geir Lundestad, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. "Still, every year (picking the winner) is difficult."

Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, often thought to have strong sources, said there would be a single winner this year, unlike 2011 when three women won, and the prize could go to the EU or to activists in Russia, Belarus or Mexico.

Full report at:

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=41583

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France: 2 Arrested Islamists Were Headed for Syria, Prosecutor Says

By STEVEN ERLANGER

October 12, 2012

At least 2 of the 12 French Islamists arrested in raids on Saturday were planning to join jihadists fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and to recruit others to do so, a French prosecutor said Thursday. Five of the 12, all born in France and between the ages of 19 and 25, were released Thursday, but seven were kept in detention as the counterterrorist police continued to investigate a cell of Islamists that tried to blow up a kosher grocery store last month in Paris and had munitions, bomb-making equipment and a list of Jewish organizations in their possession. The prosecutor, François Molins, who called the group “extremely dangerous,” said two of them had visited Egypt and Tunisia recently, and said of the grocery bomb, “The intent was to kill.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/europe/france-2-arrested-islamists-were-headed-for-syria-prosecutor-says.html?ref=world&gwh=3C60EA56F154AE4FF3DB213C7D4E8175

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Mideast Asia

 

Rights activists beaten, raped in Iran: U.N

By Michelle Nichols

12 October 2012

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Human rights activists in Iran are subjected to beatings with batons, mock hangings, rape, sleep deprivation, and threats that family members will be raped or killed, a U.N. rights investigator said in a report released on Thursday.

The U.N. special Rappporteur on human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, said in a report to the U.N. General Assembly that Iranian authorities undermined press freedoms, watched some journalists constantly and detained and persecuted others unfairly.

Full report at:

http://news.yahoo.com/rights-activists-beaten-raped-iran-u-n-225852666.html

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Israeli Premier Talked Peace with Syria

October 12, 2012

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli newspaper reports Israel's prime minister secretly talked peace with Syria through an American mediator, but negotiations ended with the unrest in Syria.

Yediot Ahronot reports that during the talks, from late 2010 to early 2011, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to return the Golan Heights to Syria. Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast war.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-

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The West’s Stalwart Ally in the War on Drugs: Iran

By THOMAS ERDBRINK

HIRMAN, Iran — Sitting next to the half-open door of a Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopter, the general who leads the Islamic Republic’s antinarcotics department pointed toward the rugged landscape of Iran’s volatile southeast, where its border meets those of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

“This is where the drug convoys for years crossed into our country, almost with impunity,” Brig. Gen. Ali Moayedi said in Persian. Below him, sharp-edged mountains gave way to desert lands scarred for mile after mile by trenches nearly 15 feet deep and concrete walls reaching a height of 10 feet.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/iran-fights-drug-smuggling-at-borders.html?_r=1&ref=world&pagewanted=print

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UN Report on Iran: Systematic Violations of Human Rights and a Culture of Impunity

October 11, 2012

UN Special Rapporteur Calls for Immediate Release of All Political Prisoners and Prisoners of Conscience, and a Moratorium on Executions.

(October 11, 2012) Cataloguing “a wide range of human rights violations,” UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed released his third report today. The Iranian government has thus far failed to cooperate with the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and to address the issues raised in his two earlier reports.

Full report at:

http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2012/10/shaheed_report/

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Turkey Says Syrian Plane Carried Russian Munitions

October 12, 2012

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday a Syrian passenger plane forced to land in Ankara was carrying Russian-made munitions destined for Syria's armed forces, ratcheting up tension with his country's war-torn neighbor.

Damascus said the plane had been carrying legitimate cargo and described Turkey's actions as an act of "air piracy", while Moscow accused Ankara of endangering the lives of Russian passengers when it intercepted the jet late on Wednesday.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/12/world/middleeast/12reuters-syria-crisis.html?ref=middleeast

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Africa

 

No blasphemy clause in Tunisia’s new constitution: speaker

 12 October 2012

By AL ARABIYA WITH

A controversial blasphemy clause proposed by the ruling Islamist party will not be included in Tunisia’s new constitution, the speaker of the National Constituent Assembly told AFP.

“There will certainly be no criminalization,” Mustapha Ben Jaafar said.

“That is not because we have agreed to (allow) attacks on the sacred, but because the sacred is something very, very difficult to define,” he added.

Tunisia under the dictatorial reign of ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali saw the dominance of ultra-secularists who did not allow women to don the Islamic headscarf.

But late last year, Tunisia’s moderate Islamist Ennahda party won the country’s first democratic elections after the Arab Spring uprisings.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/12/243289.html

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Islamists in Mali target women, impose Shariah: U.N. official

 11 October 2012

A senior U.N. official who just returned from Mali says radical Islamists who now control about two-thirds of the country are targeting women - demanding that they cover their heads, restricting their ability to work, and compiling a list of women who are pregnant or have children but are not married which has raised fears of punishment.

Ivan Simonovic, the assistant secretary-general for human rights, said the Islamists have imposed an extremist form of Islamic law known as Shariah in northern Mali with drastic punishments including the stoning death of a couple accused of adultery, eight amputations, three public executions and a number of floggings.

Full report at:

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/11/243109.html

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Gambia: Islam is a Religion of Peace - Says Dr Omar Jah Snr, As He Meets VP

12 October 2012

The chairman of the Sheikh Mass Kah Islamic Foundation has said that Islam is a religion of peace, and that peace can only prevail if we understand our religion, which Allah sent to guide man on this earth.

Dr Omar Jah Snr was speaking during an interview with reporters Wednesday at State House shortly after meeting the vice president and minister of Women's Affairs, Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy. The renowned Islamic scholar was at the Presidency to brief VP Njie-Saidy about the forthcoming inauguration of a mosque that his Foundation constructed as well as some other activities they had undertaken since inception. He said the mosque was exclusively financed by the Foundation, without external funding from any institution.

Full report at:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201210120240.html

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Nigeria Crackdown Risks Playing Into Islamists' Hands

October 12, 2012

LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - A military crackdown across Nigeria has hobbled Boko Haram for now, but as the army campaign intensifies it is likely to fan popular anger in the impoverished north that could ultimately make the Islamist sect's 3-year-old rebellion stronger.

The group, which wants to carve an Islamic state out of Nigeria, remains the top security threat to Africa's leading oil producer, and Western powers are worried about its growing links to more fiercely anti-Western jihadist groups in the region.

At least 2,800 people have died in fighting since the insurrection began, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/10/12/world/africa/12reuters-nigeria-

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India

 

Experts set to train Kashmir students in disaster management

Ashiq Hussain, Hindustan Times

October 11, 2012

Seven years after a deadly earthquake hit Kashmir, a galaxy of earth scientists will be training several thousand students and scholars to prepare them for an informed response should a similar quake jolt the valley. The training will be given to over 2000 students and scholars from

various schools and colleges of the valley at a three day workshop at Kashmir University in collaboration with National Disaster Management Agency(NDMA) of New Delhi and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, government of India from October 13.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Srinagar/Experts-set-to-train-Kashmir-students-in-disaster-management/Article1-943144.aspx

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India lags behind China, Pak in reducing hunger level: Report

Oct 11, 2012

NEW DELHI: India lags behind neighbouring China, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in reducing hunger level, says the 2012 Global Hunger Index (GHI) released by US-based International Food Policy and Research Institute.

India is ranked 65th out of 79 countries in GHI, behind China at 2nd place, Pakistan at 57 and Sri Lanka at 37.

"India has lagged behind in improving its Global Hunger Index (GHI) score despite strong economic growth. After a small increase between 1996 and 2001, India?s GHI score fell only slightly, and the latest GHI returned to about the 1996 level," International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) said in the latest report.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-lags-behind-China-Pak-in-reducing-hunger-level-Report/articleshow/16772425.cms

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Search for girl’s home brings Burney to India

By Vikas Kahol

October 12, 2012

PAKISTAN’S former federal minister for human rights Ansar Burney will visit India on Friday to search for the family of an Indian girl who had strayed into Pakistan over a decade ago. The girl cannot speak or hear.

Burney, who is on a peace mission, will reach India through the Wagah- Attari land route around noon. He would stay in India for around a week.

Fahad Burney — vice- chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International — said on Thursday that Ansar Burney will bring pictures and videos of the girl named Geeta alias Guddi to facilitate her identification.

Full report at:

Mail Today

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Feroze ran two shops in Pune, parents shocked

SushantKulkarni

Oct 12 2012

Pune: IM men held Feroze was in Delhi to facilitate Haj trips, says father; he has been trapped, says mother.

Sayyed Feroze (38), one of the three Indian Mujahideen suspects arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the low-intensity blasts in Pune, ran two garment shops — both named ‘Options by Feroz’ in Pune Camp.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/feroze-ran-two-shops-in-pune-parents-shocked/1015610/

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In Delhi, Asad and Imran told neighbours they were students

Ananya Bhardwaj

Oct 12 2012

New Delhi: The two alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives whose arrest was announced on Thursday had told neighbour in Pul Prahladpur that they were students. Asad Khan and Imran Khan stayed at the Southeast Delhi house for five to six days, police said.

Neighbours told Newsline that one of them had a beard and usually carried a rucksack. “They did not talk to us and kept to themselves. Among them was a man with a heavy built, bushy beard and moustache. He once told me that he was a student at a nearby institute,” said Ajay Kumar, a resident.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-delhi-asad-and-imran-told-neighbours-they-were-students/1015613/

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IM trio bought detonators from Nehru Place market

Karn Pratap Singh and Jatin Anand

October 12, 2012

Originally recruited for the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) before being relegated to the home-grown Indian Mujahideen (IM), the three terrorists were sitting on a dozen ready-to-use Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at their south Delhi hideout. They have been arrested for allegedly executing the

August serial blasts in Pune.

Asad Khan, 33, and Imran Khan, 31, had been holed up in Uttar Pradesh since early June this year. They then reached Roorkee and finally Delhi with nothing but a local contact - one Raju Bhai's mobile phone number - along with several kilos of ammonium nitrate, sources said.

"Fayyaz Qagzi, an LeT commander, gave them Raju's mobile number and instructed them to call him only from a PCO. Asad contacted Raju and fixed the first meeting at south Delhi's Nehru Place," said an officer.

Full report at:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/IM-trio-bought-detonators-from-Nehru-Place-market/Article1-943265.aspx

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Centre ramps up security in J&K

 Oct 12, 2012

NEW DELHI: Amid rising security concerns of panchayat members who have been facing consistent threats from militants in Jammu & Kashmir, the Centre has rushed additional 7,000 CRPF personnel to the state and will deploy more paramilitary forces in near future if required.

The fresh deployment — made during the past fortnight on the state government's request — will increase the strength of the CRPF to the extent of 75,000 personnel, reversing the policy of reducing footprints of paramilitary forces in the state.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Centre-ramps-up-security-in-JK/articleshow/16775497.cms

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SC refuses roving inquiry into all blasts since 2002

 Oct 12, 2012

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking an inquiry into all bomb blast cases to find out whether Muslim youth have been falsely implicated in the light of similar findings relating to Samjhauta train and Malegaon blast cases.

A bench of Justices T S Thakur and Fakir M I Kalifulla said it was not inclined to constitute a panel headed by a retired SC Judge to probe all blast cases since 2002 as it would result in making "a roving inquiry into the various criminal proceedings so far lodged in connection with cases of bomb blasts all over the country."

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-refuses-roving-inquiry-into-all-blasts-since-2002/articleshow/16775027.cms

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Jawed Habeeb, Babri committee co-founder passes away

Oct 12 2012

New Delhi : Jawed Habeeb, founder-member of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, died on Thursday afternoon in Delhi at his residence in Zakir Nagar.

A firebrand leader in his heydays, Habeeb, born in 1948 in Tonk, Rajasthan, was the president of the Aligarh Muslim University’s Students’ Union in 1977-78, when it was seen as a significant launch pad into politics. He was never in electoral politics directly, but played a role in a key pressure group, influencing it in different ways, especially since his involvement in the campaign to save the Babri Masjid when it became the centre of the Ayodhya movement led by the VHP and BJP.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/supplement/

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Hawala trail led police to ‘terror’ module

Prawesh Lama

Oct 12 2012

New Delhi : Alleged Indian Mujahideen operative Sayyed Feroze gave himself and his colleagues away when he used the services of a hawala operator from Pune to procure Rs 3 lakh after the August 1 serial blasts in that city, sources close to the investigation said.

The hawala operator was on the radar of intelligence agencies, and he squealed on Feroze. Investigators soon got on the trail of all members of the module, and tracked them through several cities for over two months.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hawala-trail-led-police-to--terror--module/1015624/

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Southeast Asia

 

Indonesia's Bali Recalls Horror of Bombs 10 Years On

October 12, 2012

KUTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Worshippers at the Ar-Rahmat mosque in the Indonesian town of Kuta have prayed every night for the past 10 years for the victims of bombs that blew up in their tourist town on Bali island in 2002.

"We will pray for the rest of our lives," said Usman, a Kuta resident, wearing a white gown and skullcap that mark him out as a Muslim on the mostly Hindu Indonesian island.

Usman heard the explosions on October 12, 2002, when two Islamist suicide bombers set off explosives at nightclubs packed with tourists killing 202 people, including 88 Australians and one of Usman's close friends, whose remains were never found.

Full report at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/13/world/middleeast/syria.html?hp

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Philippine Muslim rebels want to keep guns

October 12, 2012

By Jason Gutierrez  

SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines: After watching two of his brothers die during four decades of fighting in the southern Philippines, Muslim rebel Abdulhamid Ganalan feels a planned peace deal could be surrender.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders are set to sign an accord with the government on Monday that will aim to end the rebellion by 2016, but the guerrilla said he and his subordinates did not want to give up their arms.

Full report at:

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Oct-12/191132-philippine-muslim-rebels-

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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-use-islamic-shariah-defend/d/8962

 

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