Term ‘Islamic State’ Is Slur on Our Faith, Say Leading UK Muslims
New Age Islam News Bureau
15
Sept 2014
Photo: China raids Qur'an schools in East Turkestan
Europe
• Term ‘Islamic State’ Is Slur on Our Faith, Say Leading UK Muslims
• London Exhibit Showcases Rare Arab Cinematic Memorabilia, Porn
• UK set to curtail Muslim Brotherhood activities, ban ruled out
• Russia to Provide Military, Other Assistance to Iraq, Syria in Combating Terrorism
• Germany tries first 'ISIL jihadist'
• President of Kyrgyzstan: Rise of religious extremism and infiltration of terrorists in Central Asian countries remain the main problems
• U.N. nuclear chief urges Iran to address bomb concerns
• French jets begin spy flights over Iraq
• France opens Iraq conference urging 'global' fight on jihadists
India
• Sakshi Maharaj Claims Madrasas Offering Cash Rewards for Love Jihad
• Sindhu Sena’s Prescription: Do’s And Don’ts to Tackle “Love Jihad”
• Accused boy in alleged 'Love Jihad’ case turns out a Brahmin
• Telangana government gives Waqf Board more teeth
• Pakistan hiring Sri Lankan Muslims as spies spooks intelligence agencies
Arab World
• 52 civilians killed by PKK in Syria
• Islamic State executes eight Sunnis in northern Iraq
• Islamic State militants destroy Sufi shrines in eastern Syria
• Muslim scholar denounces US-led coalition
• Al Qaeda denies decline, acknowledges 'mistakes' by its branches
• Army Strikes Heavy Blows at Militants across Syria
• Syria's rebels say they need weapons, not training
• Egypt security forces kill 'most dangerous' members of militant group
• Iraqi Jet Fighters Launch Massive Strikes against ISIL Positions in Babel
• Hezbollah Voices Opposition to Lebanon's Partnership in Anti-ISIL Coalition
Pakistan
• Hafiz Saeed Is a Pak National; He Is Free To Roam Around: Pakistan Envoy
• Qadri orders ‘Go Nawaz Go’ currency campaign
• Federal Minister Asks Qadri to Disfigure Canadian Currency First
• Hafiz Saeed wants sit-ins called off
• Four dead as tribes clash in Balochistan
• One killed as militants’ storm Hangu police station
• Polio team attacked in Balochistan, Levies man killed
• Dictatorships as covert attacks on Pakistan's survival: Bilawal
• Musharraf credits army for Punjabi Taliban’s renouncement of violence
• Pakistan envoy summoned over Punjabi Taliban's war declaration in Afghanistan
South Asia
• China Raids Qur'an Schools in East Turkestan
• Pro-democracy activists criticize Afghan parliament
• 4 Afghan soldiers martyred in roadside bomb explosion
• 14 Huji men freshly indicted after revising charges
• Jamaat lobbying against war crimes trials again
North America
• Several Arab countries offer to join air campaign on Islamic State, say U.S. officials
• Attorney General announces plan to combat American militants
• Steve King’s Plan to Defeat ISIS: Spy on Muslim Americans in Mosques
• Egypt 'has key role' in fight against Islamic State – Kerry
• Ex-Marine busted in hate assault of Pakistani family
• White House still seeking coalition in Mideast war
• At 20, CAIR Leads Muslims’ Quest for Justice
Africa
• Splinter group breaks from al Qaeda in North Africa, swears loyalty to IS
• Libyan Haftar Forces Seek Benghazi Port's Closure to Cut off Arms to Extremists
• Libyan PM accuses Qatar of sending planes with weapons to Tripoli
• Uganda detains six terror suspects, seizes explosives
Mideast
• Ankara ‘likely to keep’ stance on ISIL action
• Iran rejected US request for cooperation against ISIL: Khamenei
• Tehran mocks anti-jihadist front without Damascus
• ISIS may target Israelis, Jews abroad, Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns
• Peres: Threat of terror posed to Arab states brings opportunity for Israel to win new allies
• Ya'alon: Israel faced cyber-attacks from an enemy state and from terror groups during Gaza war
• Abbas to seek international support for new political initiative
Southeast Asia
• Malaysia enjoying booming but discreet trade with Israel, says paper
• In Fight against Islamic State, Indonesia to Intensify Surveillance
• Is PAS for or against militancy, asks DAP lawmaker
Australia
• Number of Australians joining jihad in Iraq and Syria would be double had MUMS not reporting them to police
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/term-‘islamic-state’-slur-our/d/99083
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Europe
Term ‘Islamic State’ Is Slur on Our Faith, Say Leading UK Muslims
DANIEL BOFFEY
15 September 2014
Imams call on David Cameron and others to stop using phrase, which they say gives credibility to a terrorist organisation
The prime minister and media should stop legitimising the terror group rampaging through Syria and Iraq by describing it as Islamic State, according to a coalition of imams and organisations representing British Muslims.
Use of the jihadists’ preferred title; they argue today, give credibility to the Sunni militants and slurs the Islamic faith.
Signatories to a letter to David Cameron, including Sughra Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Britain, admit that British Muslims need to do more to dissuade their young men from being misled into taking part in the group’s “hatred and poison”. “We shall take every opportunity to continue to say clearly and loudly ‘not in our name’ and ‘not for our faith,’ ” they write.
The letter’s authors also call for the prime minister to reassess his own language. Cameron, with other senior politicians, has repeatedly made reference to the Islamic State, including during a Commons debate earlier this month.
Signatories including Mohammed Abbasi, from the Association of British Muslims, and Amjad Malik QC, president of the Association of Muslim Lawyers, write: “We do not believe the terror group responsible should be given the credence and standing they seek by styling themselves Islamic State. It is neither Islamic, nor is it a state.
“The group has no standing with faithful Muslims, nor among the international community of nations. It clearly will never accept the obligations that any legitimate state have, including the responsibility to protect citizens and uphold human rights.
“So we believe the media, civic society and governments should refuse to legitimise these ludicrous caliphate fantasies by accepting or propagating this name.
“We propose that ‘UnIslamic State’ (UIS) could be an accurate and fair alternative name to describe this group and its agenda – and we will begin to call it that.”
The intervention marks an intensification of a campaign by prominent British Muslims to deter young men from seeking adventure with the militants. It follows a recent decision by Muslim leaders to issue a fatwa condemning British jihadists.
Six senior Islamic scholars endorsed the fatwa last month, describing Britons allied to Islamic State (Isis) cells as “heretics” and prohibiting would-be jihadists from joining the “oppressive and tyrannical” group in Iraq and Syria. It is feared that as many as 500 Britons have travelled to Syria or Iraq since 2011 to join the group and its affiliates.
In a letter seen by the Observer, the signatories add: “We believe that it would send a powerful message in Britain and around the world if you would join us, as our prime minister, in leading a national debate to seek a suitable alternative way to refer to this group and further challenge its legitimacy and influence.
“This could be especially powerful because everybody at home and abroad can see that you are being asked to do so by British Muslims themselves who want to be clear about why this group is so vehemently rejected.
“We are sure that most British Muslims would agree that ‘UnIslamic State’ is a considerably more fitting label for this poisonous group – and hope that our fellow citizens will join us in that.
“We know that this would be one small, symbolic step and that we must all work together to build the inclusion and integration in British society that would repel these poisonous ideas.”
Dilawar Hussain from the New Horizons in British Islam charity, a group that works for reform in Muslim thought, and one of the 18 signatories of the letter to Cameron, said it was also important for British Muslims to be seen to be speaking out against the extremist views of men such as Anjem Choudary, who was interviewed by the Observer last week.
Choudary, a former lawyer linked to many Britons who have fought in Syria, and who acknowledges Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as “the caliph of all Muslims and the prince of the believers”, claimed that US foreign policy was to blame for the beheading of American journalist James Foley.
Hussain, formerly a commissioner at the Commission for Racial Equality, said: “The risk is that to an unsuspecting public we give the impression that his views actually carry some weight among most British Muslims.
“Choudhary organises rallies to which a handful of people turn up. His views have been roundly condemned by Muslim leaders, imams and citizens up and down the country.
“He says he’d rather live there, in this so-called ‘caliphate’. He’s welcome to. But what we want to make very clear is that Muslims who like living here, in Britain, don’t recognise his views, or those of Isis. That’s not us and it’s not our religion.”
Guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2014
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/blog/2014/09/13/term-islamic-state-is-slur-on-our-faith-say-leading-muslims/
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London Exhibit Showcases Rare Arab Cinematic Memorabilia, Porn
15 September 2014
“Whose Gaze Is It Anyway?”, is a new exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, showcasing a collection of rare Arab film posters and other cinematic memorabilia for the first time in the UK.
Described as “precious works from a golden age” on the ICA website, the display items span from the 1950s to contemporary works, providing a glimpse into the history of Arab popular culture.
“Whose gaze is it anyway?” is an appropriately titled exhibition that attempts to challenge any preconceived notions or expectations of Arab culture through a Western lens and celebrates Arab cultural diversity.
The collection at the ICA, inspired from the vast historical archive of the prolific collector Abboudi Bou Jaoudeh, has been described by critics as “full of surprises”. Sourced from his “underground treasure trove” in Beirut, he is renowned for possessing one of the most sizeable collections of Arab film memorabilia such as rare Arab film posters to cultural magazines published from the 1930s to the present day.
The Londonist publication explains that the showcase of film posters and brochures “seems so far from what we’d expect to see from the Arabian Peninsula today; some of these films almost feel surreal.”
“Rather than trying to make any overt statement around liberalism versus conservatism, Whose Gaze Is It Anyway? is an insightful collection of memorabilia that also acts as a revealing historical record.”
Some of the images on display include couples kissing in bed from the 1960s and 1970s, and there’s even promotional printed material for a pornographic movie. The specially commissioned work by Sophia al-Maria of a promotional poster and sketchbook promoting her film, Beretta, provides a shocking twist in the collection of iconographies on display at the exhibition.
The printed works of the film, marketed as a rape-revenge thriller set in Cairo, illustrates a woman in traditional Arab dress, armed with the berreta weapon.
As well as printed materials, the exhibition also features video footage including Maha Maamoun’s 2009 film Domestic Tourism II. The work makes use of historic film footage of Egyptian pyramids, showcasing their timelessness and examining how such images, that formed the images on tourist postcards, have been re-used and woven into the “complex political, social, and historical moment in urban narratives.” According to the description on the ICA website, the film shows how the pyramids acted as “a nostalgic symbol for a flawed modern country.”
“Whose Gaze Is It Anyway?” is in collaboration by the Arab British Centre and curated by Omar Kholeif. It enables viewers to explore the fascinating formation of the history of recent popular Arab culture. According to ICA: “these works raise pertinent points about how the popular gaze is constructed from within the Arab world.”
This multimedia exhibition is currently running until October 5 at the Fox Reading Room, ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH. It forms the precursor to Safar: The Festival Of Popular Arab Cinema, which runs September 19 - 25.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/art-and-culture/2014/09/15/New-London-exhibit-showcases-rare-Arab-cinematic-memorabilia-porn.html
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UK set to curtail Muslim Brotherhood activities, ban ruled out
15 September 2014
The British government is reportedly planning to curb the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and organisations linked to it in the UK.
However, London is not considering banning the group, a unnamed diplomat said.
Egypt, which outlawed the Islamist group last year, has called on foreign powers to follow suit.
The foreign ministry earlier told Ahram Online that the government was still considering “the implications of the results” of a review into the group commissioned by the British Prime Minister.
Sir John Jenkins, the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, led the review team and has already submitted his final report to David Cameron.
The Telegraph said while it stops short of proposing a ban on the Brotherhood, the report “accepts some of the movement's activity amounts to complicity with armed groups and extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
The British daily quoted a foreign ministry diplomat as saying, “We won't ban the Muslim Brotherhood…There are other things that can be done but not a ban.”
Another “senior British official” was also quoted saying “parts of the report are too sensitive to publish.”
“It's a very comprehensive look at the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in many countries. There have been submissions that have been given to us that are very sensitive. We couldn't go back to those places again if some of this information was put in the public domain," he added.
The government told Ahram Online it was still committed to making “the main findings of the review public.”
It is understood that the review team asked the British Charity Commission to look into the activities of three British-based Muslim Brotherhood charities.
A spokesman for the Commission, which regulates UK-based charity organisations, told the newspaper that Sir John had asked for its findings but would not discuss the nature of the information on the organisations under investigation.
The Egyptian authorities accuse the Brotherhood of using charitable activities to fund terrorist organisations in Egypt and other Arab countries, charges strongly denied by the Islamist movement.
The Telegraph expects broader Brotherhood political activities, including media and propaganda branches in the UK, to face tighter regulation.
Ashraf El-kholy, Egypt's ambassador to Britain, told the newspaper that there was “a danger the group would use its London-based establishment to revive its influence in areas where it has come under pressure.”
"London can be a hub. They are planning activities, such as opening a TV station and newspapers from here that are part of their aims against us," El-kholy said.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/1/110745/Egypt/UK-set-to-curtail-Muslim-Brotherhood-activities,-b.aspx
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Russia to Provide Military, Other Assistance to Iraq, Syria in Combating Terrorism
15 September 2014
Russia will provide military and other assistance to Iraq and Syria in the fight against terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the sidelines of an international conference on Iraq in Paris on Monday.
"We have spoken of our contribution to supporting the Iraqi government in their fight against terrorists, ensuring security of their state. In a similar way we provide military and other kind of assistance to Syria that is also facing a serious terrorist threat, maybe to a lesser degree. We also provide assistance to our partners in Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Jordan. So we have something to contribute to the common efforts," Lavrov said, ITAR-TASS reported.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930624001304
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Germany tries first 'ISIL jihadist'
15 September 2014
An alleged German jihadist went on trial Sept. 15 accused of fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists in Syria, amid calls for tougher action to prevent attacks in Europe by the extremist group.
In the first German criminal proceedings involving ISIL, Kreshnik Berisha, a 20-year-old born in the business capital Frankfurt to a family from Kosovo, has been charged with membership of a foreign terrorist organisation. He could face 10 years in prison if convicted by the city's superior regional court.
The trial opened under tight security amid a Western crackdown on IS over the threat posed by citizens returning home from Syria and Iraq, where they have gained weapons training and combat experience.
Federal prosecutors say Berisha travelled to Syria via Turkey in July 2013 with other Islamists planning to join the fighting to create a "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq.
Soon after his arrival, Berisha allegedly underwent firearms training and was put to work as a medic and a guard.
The heavy-set Berisha, wearing a full beard, a black T-shirt, hoodie and grey sweatpants, sat impassively as proceedings began.
In the six months he spent in Syria, he is believed to have fought in at least three battles on the side of the jihadists against President Bashar al-Assad's troops.
He returned home for reasons that are unclear to German authorities in December 2013 and was arrested at Frankfurt airport.
Prosecutors say there is no evidence he was plotting an attack in Germany. But investigators are hoping for insights into the inner workings of ISIL in Europe before a verdict is announced, probably in late November.
The trial comes with authorities already jittery that jihadist fighters could bring their battle back to European soil. Authorities estimate around 400 German nationals have travelled to Iraq and Syria to battle for the militants.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced Sept. 12 that Germany had outlawed active support of ISIL including the recruitment of fighters and social media propaganda.
"We must prevent radical Islamists bringing their jihad to our cities," he said.
Germany has launched 140 criminal probes against alleged ISIL fighters or supporters, news weekly Der Spiegel reported Sept. 15.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/germany-tries-first-isil-jihadist.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71732&NewsCatID=351
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President of Kyrgyzstan: Rise of religious extremism and infiltration of terrorists in Central Asian countries remain the main problems
15 September 2014
"The growth of religious extremism and threat of infiltration of terrorist groups in Central Asian countries remain the main problems, which countries in the region need to pay close attention to," the President Almazbek Atambayev stated in a closed session of summit of heads of SCO countries.
He stressed that only a high level of interaction, as well as targeted and complex work of SCO member-states can create effective barrier to such phenomena.
Recall, summit SCO member-states is opened in Dushanbe, which was formed in 2001. Permanent members of the organization are the following six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Observers - Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan. Partners - Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
http://www.eng.24.kg/politic/172180-news24.html
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U.N. nuclear chief urges Iran to address bomb concerns
15 September 2014
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog sought to put pressure on Iran on Monday to address concerns about its suspected atomic bomb research, three weeks after Tehran failed to meet a deadline for providing information about the issue.
Confirming the findings of a confidential report by the U.N. atomic agency earlier this month, Director General Yukiya Amano said Iran had not carried out two of the five transparency steps it had agreed to implement by Aug. 25.
"In order to resolve all outstanding issues, past and present, it is very important that Iran continues to implement, in a timely manner, all practical measures agreed ... ," he told the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The phrase "past and present" refers to the IAEA's long-running investigation into suspicions, denied by Iran, that the country has worked on designing a nuclear weapon.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/110773/World/Region/UN-nuclear-chief-urges-Iran-to-address-bomb-concer.aspx
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French jets begin spy flights over Iraq
15 September 2014
France has joined Britain in carrying out reconnaissance flights in support of the U.S. air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq, the defense minister said on Monday.
“This very morning, the first reconnaissance flights will be carried out,” Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told French troops, including pilots. According to the minister, the flights are being carried out in agreement with the Iraqi authorities.
Shortly afterwards, two French Rafale fighter jets took off from the base in the Gulf, an Agence France-Presse correspondent reported.
The announcment came as French President Francois Hollande called on Monday for a global reponse to counter ISIS militants, saying the group posed a security threat the world over.
Meanwhile, Paris is hosting an international conference aimed at hammering out a strategy to deal with ISIS, which has seized swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria.
The conference has been given added urgency by the beheading of a third Western hostage, British aid worker David Haines, on Saturday.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/09/15/France-begins-spy-flights-to-back-U-S-Iraq-air-campaign.html
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France opens Iraq conference urging 'global' fight on jihadists
15 September 2014
French President François Hollande called on Sept. 15 for united international action to tackle the threat from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants as he opened a conference on Iraq bringing together members of a U.S.-led coalition.
The United States this week unveiled an outline plan to fight the Islamist militants simultaneously in Iraq and Syria. It believes it can forge a solid alliance despite hesitancy among some partners and questions over the legality of action, notably in Syria where the militant group has a power base.
"What is the threat?" the French leader said as he opened the one-day meeting of officials from some 30 states in Paris.
"It is global so the response must be global ... Iraq's fight against the terrorists is also our fight. We must commit ourselves together - that is the purpose of this conference," said Hollande, who last week travelled to Baghdad to meet members of Iraq's new government.
Iraqi President Fuad Masum said he hoped the Paris meeting would bring a "quick response" to jihadists who have declared a caliphate or Islamic state ruled under Sharia law in the heart of the Middle East.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/france-opens-iraq-conference-urging-global-fight-on-jihadists.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71712&NewsCatID=359
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India
BJP MP Claims Madrasas Offering Cash Rewards for Love Jihad
15 September 2014
Written by Lalmani Verma | Lucknow
Days after Home Minister Rajnath Singh denied any knowledge of “love jihad” and assured the minority communities that there would be no discrimination on the basis of religion or caste, his party MP from Unnao, Sakshi Maharaj, alleged on Sunday that madrasas across the country are imparting “education of terror” and “love jihad”.
He claimed that Muslim youth in madrasas are being motivated for “love jihad” with offers of cash rewards — Rs 11 Lakh for an “affair” with a Sikh girl, Rs 10 Lakh for a Hindu girl and Rs 7 Lakh for a Jain girl.
Education of terrorism is being given in madrasas. They (madrasas)... are making them terrorists and Jihadis....It is not in national interest.
Addressing an event in Kannauj, he also alleged that these madrasas do not hoist the national flag on Independence Day or Republic Day, and the government should stop giving them financial aid. He said he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also raise the issue in Parliament.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/bjp-unnao-mp-sakshi-maharaj-claims-madrasas-offering-cash-rewards-for-love-jihad/
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Sindhu Sena’s Prescription: Do’s And Don’ts to Tackle “Love Jihad”
Express News Service | Posted: September 15, 2014
Don’t wear indecent clothes when you go to the market; don’t cover your faces while riding two-wheelers; use mobiles and two-wheelers only in case of emergency and don’t make male friends on Facebook and WhatsApp, says Sindhu Sena, an organisation working among the Sindhi community of Bhopal, in a list of do’s and don’ts to tackle “love jihad”.
About 60 members of the Sena, whose last movement was seven years ago when a Sindhi girl eloped with a Muslim boy, met Saturday to discuss “love jihad” and came up with the list ahead of the Navratri festival.
Sena members Durgesh Keshwani and Rakesh Kukreja, who presided over the meeting, are members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha but said they were operating as members of the Sindhi community and not in the capacity as activists of the ruling BJP. The BJP, too, has distanced itself from the group saying the party does not endorse its activities.
“Young girls oppose restrictions on clothes but we will make them realise that these are better than wearing a Burqa in future,’’ Keshwani said. He said Sena members will monitor the “friends list” on girls’ Facebook accounts to know if they are in touch with the wrong kind of people.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/a-senas-prescription-for-bhopals-sindhi-girls/#sthash.xJjKDuAT.dpuf
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Accused boy in alleged 'Love Jihad’ case turns out a Brahmin
I P Singh,TNN | Sep 14, 2014
JALANDHAR: Police investigations in the case of disappearance of a 14-year-old Dalit girl with a boy named Pardeep Kumar from Bihar last year, which has now been labelled as a case of 'Love Jihad' by the BJP leaders, have revealed that the boy actually belonged to a Brahmin family.
His father, mother and sister were arrested by the police as their names were also given in the complaint to the police by the girl's father Nirdosh Kumar of village Gohawar near Goraya and the three are out on bail after remaining in jail while the boy has been declared a Proclaimed Offender.
"When they were arrested they were reciting Ram Ram and would repeatedly remember the gods while pleading innocence and also trying to regain their composures," said a police official who was part of the investigators in the case.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Ludhiana/Accused-boy-in-alleged-Love-Jihad-case-turns-out-a-Brahmin/articleshow/42439642.cms
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Telangana government gives Waqf Board more teeth
15 September 2014
For the first time, the State Waqf Board will be given both executive and judicial powers. The Telangana government has taken a decision in this connection and has obtained Cabinet approval too.
This was stated by Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali, while addressing the first batch of Haj pilgrims at the Haj House here on Sunday.
Presently, the A.P. State Waqf Board, which is in the tenth schedule, is not bifurcated yet.
The main purpose of bestowing executive and judicial powers on the Waqf Board is to give teeth to it so that the Waqf property can be effectively protected and developed for the betterment of the community. This will also lead to a manifold increase in its revenue.
“The Waqf Board income is expected to increase by Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000 crore,” Mr. Mehmood Ali said.
Stating that the TRS government was committed to the development of minorities, he said the government would be earmarking Rs. 1,000 crore for the welfare of minorities in its maiden budget.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/ts-govt-gives-Waqf-board-more-teeth/article6410264.ece?homepage=true
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Pakistan hiring Sri Lankan Muslims as spies spooks intelligence agencies
Deeptiman Tiwary,TNN | Sep 15, 2014
NEW DELHI: The arrest of a third Sri Lankan spying on India on behalf of Pakistan in less than 10 months has got intelligence agencies to train their focus back on growing radicalization among Tamil-speaking Muslims in eastern Sri Lanka where Pakistan has been fishing for a long time. Although the latest Pakistani spy in the Indian net, Arun Selvarajan, is a Colombo-based Tamil Hindu, two others arrested since April are Tamil-speaking Muslims belonging to eastern Sri Lanka.
In April, Intelligence Bureau arrested Sri Lankan national Sakir Hussain in Chennai who revealed a Pakistani conspiracy to attack US and Israeli consulates in Chennai with help from two Maldivian nationals. A month later, his associate Mohammed Sulaiman, another Sri Lankan, was arrested in Malaysia on similar charges. Both, like Selvarajan and Chennai-born Pakistani spy Thameem Ansari (arrested in 2012), were recruited by Pakistani diplomat Amir Zubair Siddiqui in Colombo.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Pakistan-hiring-Sri-Lankan-Muslims-as-spies-spooks-intelligence-agencies/articleshow/42488181.cms
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Arab World
52 civilians killed by PKK in Syria
15 September 2014
At least 52 people, including women and children, were killed Sunday in northeastern Syria by a group with links to outlawed terrorist organization PKK , according to a coalition of Syrian opposition groups.
The victims were killed by People's Protection Units, the official armed wing of the Kurdish Supreme Committee, the governing body of so-called Syrian Kurdistan, according to the Syrian Revolution General Commission. The Kurdish Supreme Committee was formed in 2012.
A Syrian Local Coordination Committee said the protection units captured the Tal Khalil and Hadeyate villages in Kamishli city in northeastern Syria, on the border with Turkey, and executed 52 people.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a coalition of 40 opposition groups, described the incident as a "massacre."
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/144414/52-civilians-killed-by-pkk-in-syria
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Islamic State executes eight Sunnis in northern Iraq
15 September 2014
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State militants publicly executed eight Sunni men in a small northern Iraqi village at the weekend for allegedly plotting against the group, an eyewitness from the village told Reuters on Sunday.
The killing began on Friday night when a pair of masked Islamic State gunmen openly murdered a police officer in al-Jumasah village after the militant group accused him of spying for the Kurdish and Iraqi military forces, the witness said.
The Islamic State fighters gathered local residents to watch the execution in the village, about 120 km (75 miles) north of Tikrit.
“Islamic State members said that this is the fate of anyone who opposes them,” the witness said. “They presented as evidence CDs and copies of the man’s correspondences with the security forces.”
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/islamic-state-executes-eight-sunnis-northern-iraq-134845430.html
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Islamic State militants destroy Sufi shrines in eastern Syria
15 September 2014
REUTERS - Islamic State militants have destroyed several Sufi Muslim shrines and tombs in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zor, a monitoring group said.
The Sunni Muslim group, which enforces a strict interpretation of Islamic law in territories under its control in Iraq and Syria, has destroyed dozens of shrines, tombs and Shi'ite Muslim mosques.
Sites affiliated with the Sufi sect, a mystical school of Islam opposed by puritanical Salafists from which Islamic State draws its members, have been among the group's main targets.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the latest destruction included two shrines and two tombs devoted to Sufi sheikhs, all in Deir al-Zor province, which is almost entirely controlled by Islamic State militants.
Full report at:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.615576
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Muslim scholar denounces US-led coalition
World Bulletin/News Desk
15 September 2014
The chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars has spoken out against the U.S.-led coalition of nearly 40 countries against the ISIL.
Academic Yusuf al-Qaradawi commented: "I have completely different ideas and methods from IS. On the other hand, I do not accept the United States action to fight against them because the US follows its own interests, not Islamic values."
The comments were written in Arabic on Sunday on al-Qaradawi's Twitter account.
A group of nations, including 10 Arab states, have agreed to form a coalition to tackle IS in Iraq and Syria.
Qaradawi's outspoken support for Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood earlier this year contributed to an unprecedented diplomatic rift between Qatar and several of its Gulf Arab allies, who consider the movement a security threat.
An armed group Gulf Arab states pledged to fight at a meeting on Thursday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jeddah, Qaradawi criticised Washington's planned campaign against it.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/muslim-world/144343/muslim--denounces-us-led-coalition
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Al Qaeda denies decline, acknowledges 'mistakes' by its branches
15 September 2014
Reuters) - Al Qaeda dismissed as "lies" a U.S. assessment that it is in decline, but a defiant online message issued by the network on Sunday made no mention of the ultra-hardline Islamic State group widely seen as its rival for the leadership of global jihad.
"Whatever slip-ups or errors (regional branches)...may have committed are limited in number in the midst of mountains of good deeds and successes," said Hossam Abdul Raouf, an Egyptian veteran of the militant group. He said compensation and apologies had been given to unintended victimism but gave no details.
Raouf, who served under assassinated leader Osama Bin Laden, said the group was expanding across the world.
Al Qaeda faces a challenge to its leadership of the radical Islamist struggle with the West by the Islamic State group, and may be seeking to burnish its credentials as its rival girds for a fight to protect land it has seized in Iraq and Syria.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-denies-decline-acknowledges-mistakes-branches-155701292.html
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Army Strikes Heavy Blows at Militants across Syria
15 September 2014
Syrian army on Monday continued its mop-up operations against the foreign-backed militants in many areas across the country.
Army troops targeted the militants' concentration centers in North Sadcop in al-Ramouseh area, killing four militants and wounding others. A militants' car was also destroyed in Hoijina.
A number of cars, some equipped with heavy machine guns, were destroyed in Mayer, Wardian, Khanal-Assal, Deir Hafer, North thermal station, West al-Bab in Aleppo and its countryside.
Other army troops killed and injured militants and destroyed their vehicles in the vicinity of the castle, al-Husamiah, Kafr Naya, Qabtan al-Jabal, al-Hajeb, Banan al-Hos, Kafr Kar, Saif al-Dawlah and Sheikh Said in Aleppo and its countryside.
Meanwhile in Homs countryside, the army killed a number of militants who were trying to infiltrate from Um Sahrij village into al-Shumarieh mountains.
The army also targeted militants' hideouts Northwest of Abu al-Dhour Airport in Idlib countryside, killing and wounding a number of them and destroying four of their vehicles.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930624001229
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Syria's rebels say they need weapons, not training
World Bulletin/News Desk
15 September 2014
As President Barack Obama knits together an international coalition to take its campaign against ISIL from Iraq into Syria, fighters like Ammar al-Wawi could make the difference.
If he had the chance, he says.
He fears that restrictions on the kind of weapons he'll receive and the training he'll get under a $500 million White House proposal to arm Syrian rebels will make his job impossible.
"We don't really need more training. And we have enough soldiers. What we need are quality weapons," said Wawi, a commander in the Free Syrian Army, a loose collection of moderate rebels fighting both the ISIL and Syrian government forces.
"We need anti-aircraft weapons. We need anti-tank weapons. If we don't get those, we can't win, no matter what the United States does."
Under the current legislation in Congress, Wawi is unlikely to get what he wants, highlighting a dilemma for Obama after he authorized last week U.S. air strikes for the first time in Syria and more attacks in Iraq in a broad escalation of a campaign against the ISIL militants who have seized a third of both countries.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/144411/syrias-rebels-say-they-need-weapons-not-training
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Egypt security forces kill 'most dangerous' members of militant group
15 September 2014
Egypt's interior minister said on Sunday that a joint army and police offensive in Suez governorate resulted in the death of seven members of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis militant group, Reuters' Aswat Masriya reported.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said in a press conference that police were tipped off that the Sinai-based militant group took shelter in Suez's Al-Galala Mountain, where they launched their attacks against security institutions and personnel.
Ibrahim added that following a heavy shootout between both sides, security forces ultimately managed to kill the seven members and later identified them via a DNA test.
The minister said these members were "considered to be among the most dangerous elements of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis," adding that they were responsible for the Farafra and Dabaa shootings and also participated in the bombings of Cairo and Daqahliya security directorates.
The minister directed a message to the families of the victims of militant attacks saying "your sons have paved the way to stability, and the security forces will hunt down all those who use religion as a cover to their terrorist attacks."
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/110726/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-security-forces-kill-most-dangerous-members-.aspx
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Iraqi Jet Fighters Launch Massive Strikes against ISIL Positions in Babel
15 September 2014
Iraqi warplanes launched several strikes against the positions of the ISIL terrorists in the Northern city of Babel, leaving 18 members of the Takfiri group dead, including ringleaders.
A military source told Iraqi News that the Air Force carried out the operation in cooperation with Iraq's Intelligence Department.
The Takfiri terrorists currently control parts of Eastern Syria and Iraq’s Northern and Western regions. They have committed heinous crimes and threatened all communities, including Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and Ezadi Kurds during their advances in Iraq.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.
The terrorist group has links with Saudi intelligence, and is believed to be supported by the Israeli regime.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930624000189
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Hezbollah Voices Opposition to Lebanon's Partnership in Anti-ISIL Coalition
15 September 2014
The Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, voiced its opposition to Lebanon's participation in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
"Hezbollah is opposed to Lebanon's presence in the anti-ISIL coalition led by the US and Saudi Arabia and created with the partnership of those countries supporting the Takfiri terrorist groups," the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted a source close to Hezbollah as saying on the condition of anonymity on Monday.
NATO heads of state convened in the Welsh city of Newport on 4-5 September and US Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told foreign and defense ministers participating in the NATO summit that the US was forming a broad international coalition against ISIL.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930624001340
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Pakistan
Hafiz Saeed Is a Pak National; He Is Free To Roam Around: Pakistan Envoy
PTI | Sep 15, 2014
NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday made it clear that there was no case against designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, and he is free to roam in the country.
"Hafiz Saeed is a Pakistani national so he is free to roam around. So what is the problem ... he is a free citizen so there is no issue as far as Pakistan is concerned," Pakistan high commissioner to India Abdul Basit said when asked why Saeed was working alongside Pakistan army very close to Line of Control.
"Courts have already exonerated him. There is no case pending against him," he told reporters after an event here.
India has maintained that Saeed is the mastermind behind Mumbai terror attack in 2008, conspiracy for which was hatched, planned and executed out of Pakistan. 166 people were killed in the terror strike. New Delhi has also protested the delay in the on-going trial of the case in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hafiz-Saeed-is-a-Pak-national-he-is-free-to-roam-around-Pakistan-envoy-Abdul-Basit/articleshow/42531073.cms
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Qadri orders ‘Go Nawaz Go’ currency campaign
15 September 2014
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri on Sunday whipped up his anti-government movement by directing his supporters to write “Go-Nawaz-Go” slogan on currency notes.
Addressing his workers at the sit-in, the enraged Qadri said, “We are launching a new campaign from today (Sunday). Write ‘Go Nawaz Go’ on currency notes and circulate them. Whatever you buy, pay for it with notes bearing this slogan. This will be your vote.” He said he was starting this campaign “over the brutalities of police against his followers” and urged that “Go-Nawaz-Go” is the motto of this movement and advised his workers to write it on each currency note they use for purchase of various items.
He said the protest demonstration should continue “till the complete elimination of oppression from the country”. “Our protest is not only for the Model Town incident but for whole country,” he asserted. Meanwhile, the State Bank of Pakistan has warned that any such move will render the currency note in question invalid. The bank said that writing a political slogan on a currency note will waste it. It said that no bank, including the State Bank, will accept such a currency note. Qadri accused PM Nawaz Sharif of giving Rs 2.75 billion to IB to restrict the “Inqilab March”. He said people of Pakistan are deprived of their basic rights.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/15-Sep-2014/qadri-orders-go-nawaz-go-currency-campaign
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Federal Minister Asks Qadri to Disfigure Canadian Currency First
September 15, 2014
ISLAMABAD
Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Sunday asked Dr Tahir ul Qadri that he should first disfigure the Canadian currency notes by writing slogans and get them encashed.
The Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief, he said, would not do so as he knew that the Canadian banks would not accept such notes.
The minister, in a statement, said writing anything on currency notes rendered them valueless as per law. Thus the scribbled currency notes, he added, were not legal tender and could not be deposited in banks for transactions. He said PTI Chairman Imran Khan was making false statements in his speeches at the sit-in and then driving to his residence at Bani Gala leaving his supporters at the mercy of weather. He made claims in his speeches that he would make big disclosures the next day, but failed to do so, he added.
He said Imran Khan was not giving so-called deadlines with the presence of only 2,000 supporters at the sit-in. “Neither independence nor revolution has occurred,” he added. Pervaiz Rashid said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid workers were attending sit-ins of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and PAT as paid protestors.
Full report at:
http://nation.com.pk/islamabad/15-Sep-2014/pervaiz-asks-qadri-to-disfigure-canadian-currency-first
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Hafiz Saeed wants sit-ins called off
15 September 2014
KARACHI: Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed has asked people staging sit-ins in Islamabad to call off their protest and reach flood-hit areas to help the affected communities.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, he said the situation called for unity among all sections of society.
Criticising the ongoing dharna, he said that during a calamity such as floods people rushed to provide relief to the affected areas but this time they were sitting at home every evening waiting for some ‘news’ from Islamabad.
Hafiz Saaed held India responsible for the flooding, saying it had released great amount of water from its controversial dams so that Pakistani crops and cities and towns were damaged.
He claimed that India in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty had built 4,000 dams since 1980, including 62 in held Kashmir.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1131873/hafiz-saeed-wants-sit-ins-called-off
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Four dead as tribes clash in Balochistan
15 September 2014
QUETTA: At least four people were killed and six others injured during an armed clash between two groups in Balochistan's Naseerabad district on Monday, police said.
Amir Muhammad, the Deputy Superintendent of Police told Dawn that the two armed groups clashed over distribution of water in Baba Kot area of Naseerabad district.
He confirmed that four people were killed and six injured during an exchange of fire between the two warring tribes.
"Exchange of fire continued for more than one hour," Muhammad added.
The injured were rushed to district headquarter hospital Naseerabad for medical treatment where an emergency was imposed to deal with the bodies and injured being admitted.
More policemen were called into Baba Kot to bring the situation under control.
"Both groups fought over distribution of water in the area," the DSP stated. "We are investigating the incident," he added.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1132118/four-dead-as-tribes-clash-in-balochistan
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One killed as militants storm Hangu police station
15 September 2014
PESHAWAR: One policeman was killed and three others injured early on Monday as heavily armed militants stormed Tall police station in Hangu, police sources said.
Hangu police control centre confirmed that a suicide bomber was among the attackers, who either had been shot dead or had blown himself when stopped by security forces.
The police further said that the explosion in the police station caused damage to the building.
The Ansarul Mujahdeen militant faction claimed responsibility for the attack.
The relatively less known militant group is based in the tribal region. The militant factions and al-Qaeda linked groups have led a bloody campaign against the state in recent years, carrying out hundreds of attacks on security forces and government targets, concentrated largely in the northwest tribal region.
Hangu borders the northwestern tribal region of Orakzai, one of Pakistan's seven lawless districts on the Afghan border considered to be the hub of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1132107/one-killed-as-militants-storm-hangu-police-station
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Polio team attacked in Balochistan, Levies man killed
15 September 2014
QUETTA: The first day of a fresh polio vaccination campaign in Balochistan saw a Levies man killed as armed men attacked a polio team in the Pishin district on Monday, officials said.
A Levies official who requested anonymity told Dawn that armed men opened fire at a polio team in Pishin's Karbala area and killed a Levies man.
"The Levies man was guarding the polio workers when they came under attack by militants," he said, adding that the polio workers survived the attack.
The assailants made a quick escape as they drove away on a motorcycle soon after the attack.
Police and Levies personnel reached the site of the incident and cordoned off the area.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
The Health Department of Balochistan in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF launched an anti-polio campaign in Quetta, Killa Abdullah and Pishin last week.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1132129/polio-team-attacked-in-balochistan-levies-man-killed
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Dictatorships as covert attacks on Pakistan's survival: Bilawal
15 September 2014
KARACHI – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that dictatorships were in fact covert attacks on the survival of Pakistan, fully devoted to following its founder’s mission and shine in future as a model democratic Muslim nation.
According to a statement here on Monday, in his message on the occasion of International Day of Democracy, Bilawal said that Egyptian or Bangladeshi models were the perils roaming the minds of those who lack foresights. He said that unable to attract peoples aspiration thus sure not be chosen by the masses, these elements then weaken democracy and hit at its roots through not-so-secret conspiracies.
The PPP chairman said that Pakistan lost its popular and charismatic elected former prime ministers late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, late Benazir Bhutto and thousands of democratic workers in its war for democracy. He said that Pakistanis had sacrificed more than many nations in their struggle for democracy, this showed their commitment and appetite form democratic order, which ensures equal rights for every segment of the society.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/15-Sep-2014/dictatorships-as-covert-attacks-on-pakistan-s-survival-bilawal
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Musharraf credits army for Punjabi Taliban’s renouncement of violence
15 September 2014
KARACHI: All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief and former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has welcomed the decision of the Punjabi Taliban to renounce militancy and termed it a big success of the Pakistan Army.
Talking to APML General Secretary Dr Amjad on phone, Musharraf said the efforts of the Pakistan Army to end terrorism in the country through operation Zarb-e-Azb were commendable. He said improved law and order will improve foreign investment in the country which will help improve economy.
The APML chief said the government should also strengthen the hands of the Pakistan Army and work seriously for political stability. He said the government should not torture peaceful protesters and create a Model Town-like incident.
He said depriving the PTI and PAT activists of the right to peaceful protests in the name of Section 144 was an example of worst civilian dictatorship. He said even the sound operator of the PTI and personal guards of PAT chief Tahirul Qadri have been arrested “which shows the rulers’ authoritarian mindset”. Musharraf said the government was employing different tactics to prolong the deadlock “to hide its inefficiencies”. Musharraf said the government was also creating difficulties for the mediators. Referring to the PML-N government the APML chief said “the nation should understand that those sticking to power for the last 35 years cannot see anything beyond Raiwind and Lahore”.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/sindh/15-Sep-2014/musharraf-credits-army-for-punjabi-taliban-s-renouncement-of-violence
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Pakistan envoy summoned over Punjabi Taliban's war declaration in Afghanistan
September 15, 2014
KABUL- Afghanistan's foreign ministry summoned Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires over recent declarations by Punjabi faction of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) regarding declaration of war in Afghanistan.
A statement released by MoFA said the government of Afghanistan conveyed its deep concerns to Pakistani Charge d'Affaires Mr. Muazzam Shah regarding the war declarations by Punjabi Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
The statement further added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the declaration by Punjabi Taliban militants to wage insurgency activities in Afghanistan. Abdul Samad Samad, head of the political affairs in the ministry of foreign affairs of Afghanistan insisted that such remarks and movements by Punjabi Taliban are clear conspiracies against the stability and security of Afghanistan. Mr. Samad alleged that Afghanistan had been suffering from terrorist groups which were funded, equipped and trained by Pakistani intelligence agencies.
He said numerous Pakistani militants were killed or arrested during the recent clashes in various parts of the country. Mr. Samad also insisted that use of terrorism as a political tool is not in the interest of any nation.
http://nation.com.pk/national/15-Sep-2014/pakistan-envoy-summoned-over-punjabi-taliban-s-war-declaration-in-afghanistan
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South Asia
China Raids Qur'an Schools in East Turkestan
World Bulletin / News Desk
15 September 2014
Chinese authorities in the autonomous region of Xinjiang have conducted a number of raids on Qur'an schools in the regional capital Urumqi, arresting a total of 35 people.
According to Chinese media sources, 190 children were 'rescued' from 26 'secret' Qur'an schools set up by and for the native Muslim Uighur community.
The raids come as China continues to crackdown on 'radical and separatist' groups in the region, which seemingly targets Uyghurs who consider their homeland, which they call East Turkestan, to be under Chinese occupation.
Xinjiang has been troubled with increasing violence between ethnic Uyghurs, who are a Turkic-speaking people, and Han Chinese settlers.
Uighur groups have blamed increasing tensions on the Chinese communist government, which has suppressed Uighur culture and religion in the region.
In the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the local authorities outlawed fasting and forced Muslims to eat and drink during the day.
Religious education and public display of religion is also outlawed by the communist regime.
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/144417/china-raids-quran-schools-in-east-turkestan
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Pro-democracy activists criticize Afghan parliament
Sep 15 2014
Hundreds of Kabul residents participated in a rally to pay tribute to International Day of Democracy which falls on 15th September.
Rally participants chanted “Support to Democracy in Afghanistan” and “We want accountable parliament members” during a gathering near the parliament house.
They also urged the lawmakers to consider programs for public awareness regarding democracy and the International Day of Democracy should be widely celebrated every year.
A civil society activist, Rahmatullah Ahmadi, said the parliament of Afghanistan was supposed to pay tribute to International Democracy as parliament is one of the democratic institutions where lawmakers have been appointed with the power of vote of people.
Ahmadi said the parliament has unfortunately remained silent on such an important day despite being a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union which urges it’s members to take necessary steps for public awareness regarding democracy.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/pro-democracy-activists-criticize-afghan-parliament-8652
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4 Afghan soldiers martyred in roadside bomb explosion
Sep 15 2014
At least four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred following an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion.
Defense ministry spokesman, Gen. Zahir Azimi said the four Afghan Naional Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred during the past 24 hours.
He did not disclose further information regarding the exact location where the incident took place.
In the meantime, Gen. Azimi said at least 21 militants were killed and 14 others were injured during operations by Afghan National Army (ANA) forces during the past 24 hours.
He said Afghan national army soldiers also confiscated 40 rounds of improvised explosive device (IED) along with some weapons and ammunition during the operations.
According to Gen. Azimi, the operations were conducted by Afghan armed forces in three different provinces.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the reports so far.
http://www.khaama.com/4-afghan-soldiers-martyred-in-roadside-bomb-explosion-8649
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14 Huji men freshly indicted after revising charges
15 September 2014
A Dhaka court has freshly indicted chief of banned Islamist outfit Huji Mufti Abdul Hannan and 13 others in the explosives case filed over blasting bombs during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations at Ramna Batamul in 2001.
Judge Shahed Nur Uddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal 1 reframed the charges yesterday following a prosecution petition.
In the petition filed on August 7, special public prosecutor Abu Abdullah Bhuiyan mentioned that the Huji men had earlier been charged in the case under a wrong section of law.
After the framing of charges under sections 3 and 6 of the Explosive Substances Act, the court has fixed September 21 for further trial of the case.
So far, seven witnesses have testified in the case. The court said on September 21 it would decide on whether to recall the seven witnesses or continue deposition of the other witnesses.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-rights/2014/sep/15/14-huji-men-freshly-indicted-after-revising-charges#sthash.WS4wq4HA.dpuf
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Jamaat lobbying against war crimes trials again
15 September 2014
Jamaat-e-Islami, many of whose top leaders have been convicted for 1971 crimes, has once again launched a campaign to influence US policymakers against the ongoing trial of war crimes in Bangladesh, spending thousands of dollars.
In March and April this year, two pro-Jamaat organisations based in the USA hired two lobbyist firms to work for engaging the US Congress in condemning the actions of the war crimes tribunal and raise public awareness among the US public.
One of the organisations is called the “Organisation for Peace and Justice.” According to a news report aired by Bangladeshi private broadcaster Maasranga Television last week, the Organisation for Peace and Justice is located at 252A Lake Avenue in Staten Island of New York.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2014/sep/15/jamaat-lobbying-against-war-crimes-trials-again#sthash.fNygpilu.dpuf
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North America
Several Arab countries offer to join air campaign on Islamic State, say U.S. officials
15 September 2014
PARIS (Reuters) - Several Arab countries have offered to join the United States in air strikes against Islamic State targets, U.S. officials said on Sunday, indicating a possible widening of the air campaign against militants who have seized parts of Iraq and Syria.
The officials declined to identify which countries made the offers. But they said they were under consideration as the United States begins to identify country roles in its emerging coalition against jihadists who have declared a caliphate or Islamic state ruled under Sharia law in the heart of the Middle East.
The addition of Arab fighter jets could strengthen the credibility of the American-led campaign in a region skeptical of how far Washington will commit to a conflict in which nearly every country has a stake, set against the backdrop of Islam's 1,300-year-old rift between Sunnis and Shi'ites.
“I don’t want to leave you with the impression that these Arab members haven’t offered to do air strikes because several of them have,” a senior U.S. State Department official told reporters in Paris.
Full report at:
http://news.yahoo.com/several-arab-countries-offer-join-air-campaign-islamic-141425227.html
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Attorney General announces plan to combat American militants
15 September 2014
WASHINGTON—Attorney General Eric Holder announced a strategy Monday aimed at attempting to disrupt American extremists from joining terrorist groups, including those drawn to conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
"We have established processes for detecting American extremists who attempt to join terror groups abroad,'' Holder said in a video message on the Justice Department's website. "And we have engaged in extensive outreach to communities here in the U.S. – so we can work with them to identify threats before they emerge, to disrupt home-grown terrorists, and to apprehend would-be violent extremists.''
Holder said Justice was joining the White House, Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Centre to help local community leaders — public safety and religious leaders — identify those who may be seeking to join jihadist movements abroad.
U.S. officials estimate that more than 100 Americans have attempted to join fighting in the Syrian civil war, many of them aligned with the so-called violent ISIS group, who have claimed responsibility for the decapitations of two American journalists in recent weeks and have threatened to launch strikes against U.S. interests.
Full report at:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/15/holder-american/15655069/
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Steve King’s Plan to Defeat ISIS: Spy on Muslim Americans in Mosques
15 September 2014
Muslim Americans are fighting back against Rep. Steve King’s (R-IA) suggestion on Thursday that the U.S. government should spy on mosques to stop the recruitment of fighters into the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“The radical Islamists have 1.3 or more billion Muslims to work with,” the Iowa congressman said on The Steve Deace Show. “Now they aren’t all supporters… but that is a huge population to draw from,” he continued, suggesting that recruiters are “certainly in the United States,” particularly in mosques in Virginia and Minneapolis. “So they have a network that they flow in. And it isn’t that all Muslims are a supporter of ISIS but the network that flows through the mosques is certainly the communications centres. We ought to be looking at this dot to dot. And we ought to have people sitting in those mosques watching to see what’s going on,” he explained.
The United States government estimates that more than 100 Americans are already fighting in Syria’s civil war and dozen of whom are part of ISIS.
But American Muslims view ISIS as an abomination to Islam and the group itself has little regard for the fundamental tenets of Islam, blowing up copies of the Qur’an, killing fellow Muslims, and slaughtering innocent youth and using rape and sexual slavery as a weapon.
Full report at:
http://thinkprogress.org/home/2014/09/13/3567190/muslim-americans-respond-to-steve-kings-suggestion-that-mosques-should-be-spied-on-its-reprehensible/
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Egypt 'has key role' in fight against Islamic State - Kerry
15 September 2014
Egypt has a key role to play in countering Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on a visit to Cairo.
He said Egypt could "publicly renounce" IS ideology, reaffirming US support for Egypt's battle against Sinai militants.
Foreign fighters crossing Sinai en route for Syria are advising local militants there, US officials say.
Mr Kerry is on the last leg of his Middle East tour as he tries to form a broad coalition to tackle IS militants.
He has already enlisted the support of 10 Arab states so far but he has ruled out Iran joining the US-led coalition.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29186686
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Ex-Marine busted in hate assault of Pakistani family
15 September 2014
A Pakistani family was allegedly attacked by a violent former Marine during an afternoon stroll to the park — at least the second anti-Muslim hate crime in Brooklyn in as many weeks, the Daily News has learned.
Shabana Chaudhry, 29, who’s nine months pregnant, was walking to a playground with her two-year-old son in a stroller, not far from her Marine Park home on Sept. 6, when they were allegedly accosted by Andrew Laina.
“What are you doing in my neighborhood? Get out, Arab,” he yelled at the woman, who was wearing traditional garb, court papers charge. He then decked her husband Muhammad Rizwan, 29, who immigrated to the U.S. just a month ago, and tried to grab their son, Talha.
“It was really scary,” Chaudhry said, adding the offender was persistent and clearly intoxicated.
“He wasn’t fighting with anyone else, but he wouldn’t leave us alone,” she said.
“I didn’t expect something like this,” said Rizwan, who was thrown to the ground but escaped without injuries.
Full report at:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/exclusive-ex-marine-busted-hate-assault-pakistani-famly-article-1.1938648
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White House still seeking coalition in Mideast war
AP | Sep 15, 2014
WASHINGTON: The White House said it will find countries willing to send combat troops to fight Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq, but it's too early to identify them.
White House chief of staff Denis McDonough signalled on Sunday that the state department in coming days will name allies that will pledge ground troops to fight the Islamic State group, something the United States does not plan to do. Meantime, McDonough said, US personnel will train and equip Iraqi forces and moderate Syrian rebels to combat the extremist group, also known as ISIS and ISIL.
President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday that the United States will ramp up air strikes and try to build an international coalition to degrade and eventually destroy the group. The Islamic State group released a video late on Saturday showing a militant beheading a British aid worker. It was similar to recent beheadings of two American journalists.
Facing strong public opposition to sending US troops back into the Middle East, Obama said he doesn't plan to do so. But he said ground troops of some form are essential, a point McDonough was asked about on several talk shows Sunday.
McDonough repeatedly declined to name any nations willing to provide ground forces, and he was cautious in suggesting what might develop.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/White-House-still-seeking-coalition-in-Mideast-war/articleshow/42525793.cms
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At 20, CAIR Leads Muslims’ Quest for Justice
15 September 2014
WASHINGTON – As the US largest Muslim civil rights organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has made great strides to further the cause of justice for American Muslims, while facing enormous challenges during its 20-year history, including battling Islamophobia and negative Muslim stereotypes.
“I believe we’ve managed to give (Muslims) a national and local face both in front of the general public and in policy-making circles, which is something we did not have before,” Nihad Awad, who has served as CAIR’s national executive director since the group’s inception, told OnIslam.net.
CAIR celebrates on Saturday, September 27, its 20th birthday in a ceremony that will gather hundreds of Muslims from all walks of life.
Since its founding in 1994 by Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad, CAIR has worn many hats as an advocacy group and a defender of Muslims’ rights including religious accommodation in workplace.
Full report at:
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/americas/477423-at-20-cair-leads-muslims-quest-for-justice.html
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Africa
Splinter group breaks from al Qaeda in North Africa, swears loyalty to Islamic State
15 September 2014
A new armed group calling itself the Caliphate Soldiers in Algeria has split from al Qaeda's North African branch and sworn loyalty to the radical breakaway group Islamic State fighting in Syria and Iraq.
A breakaway of key Algerian commanders from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, known as AQIM, would show deepening rivalry between al Qaeda's core command and the Islamic State over leadership of the transnational Islamist militancy.
In a communique, AQIM central region commander Khaled Abu Suleimane, whose real name is Gouri Abdelmalek, claimed leadership of the new group, joined by an AQIM commander of an eastern region in Algeria, where the al Qaeda wing has its base.
"You have in the Islamic Maghreb men if you order them they will obey you," Suleimane said in reference to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. "The Maghreb has deviated from the true path."
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/110724/World/Region/Splinter-group-breaks-from-al-Qaeda-in-North-Afric.aspx
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Libyan Haftar Forces Seek Benghazi Port's Closure to Cut off Arms to Extremists
15 September 2014
Forces loyal to retired Libyan General Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi threatened to bomb the Eastern city's port unless authorities there closed it to cut off arms supplies to extremists, a senior commander said on Monday.
Haftar's forces are fighting extremist groups including Ansar al-Sharia for control of the port city, which is the main entry point for wheat and other food imports into Eastern Libya, Reuters reported.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930624001269
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Libyan PM accuses Qatar of sending planes with weapons to Tripoli
15 September 2014
CAIRO, Egypt: Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni said on Sunday Qatar had sent three military planes loaded with weapons and ammunition to a Tripoli airport controlled by an armed opposition group.
“Unfortunately they (the planes) reached (Tripoli) Matiga airport,” he told UAE-based Arab TV channel Sky News. “We will consider... breaking off relations if this interference into Libya’s internal affairs continued.”
“We confirm that we have official reports that these war planes carried weapons and ammunition,” he said
Thinni also repeated accusations against Sudan, saying Khartoum had tried sending a military plane loaded with ammunition to Matiga, an airport controlled by an armed opposition group which seized the capital Tripoli last month.
The oil producer is divided between a government and elected parliament, which have relocated to the far east since an armed group from the western city of Misrata took over the capital. The Misrata force has helped set up a rival assembly and government, part of a broader anarchy gripping the country three years after the ousting of Muammar Qaddafi.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/news/630541
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Uganda detains six terror suspects, seizes explosives
15 September 2014
At least six terror suspects were arrested over the weekend in a raid on an al-Shabaab cell that was apparently plotting an attack in this East African country, a Ugandan military spokesman said Monday.
Explosives were seized from the suspects, all of whom are of Somali origin, said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda.
“This is a controlled operation. There could be more arrests,” he said, offering no more details.
Abdullahi Hassan Roble, who heads an association of Somalis in Uganda, told The Associated Press Monday that more than a dozen men were arrested at two locations deep inside a slum in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. He said security officials on Saturday raided a hotel and a flat in the Kisenyi slum, which is known for its large Somali population, in an operation that appeared to target Somalis who had recently moved into the slum.
“These were new people,” he said of the people who were arrested. “I never knew them.”
Ankunda, the Ugandan military spokesman, said Ugandan police and intelligence officials are interrogating at least six suspects still in custody.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/africa/2014/09/15/Uganda-detains-six-terror-suspects-seizes-explosives.html
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Mideast
Ankara ‘likely to keep’ stance on ISIL action
15 September 2014
The international conference to be held under French leadership in Paris on Sept. 15 is unlikely to change Turkey’s position vis a vis the international military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), according to a Turkish official.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who will represent Turkey at the conference, will underline the need for “absolute elimination of ISIL’s root causes,” citing the formation of an inclusive government in Iraq and the toppling of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria as necessary priorities to achieve this end.
In the event that participants in the Paris conference agree on an action plan outlining the division of labor among the coalition countries, including which country will carry out airstrikes or whose country’s airbases and military facilities will be used, Çavuşoğlu will not make any commitment on behalf of Turkey, according to the Turkish official speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News.
French President François Hollande initiated the conference as the last stop of week-long international traffic driven by the United States, including a meeting in Jeddah with members of the anti-ISIL coalition group. French diplomats say the conference could bring up an action plan with a clear division of labor, but it is not yet clear whether the meeting will fulfill this expectation.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ankara-likely-to-keep-stance-on-isil-action.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71701&NewsCatID=510
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Iran rejected US request for cooperation against ISIL: Khamenei
15 September 2014
Iran rejected a U.S. request for cooperation against the jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group early in its advance in Iraq and Syria, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sept. 15.
"Right from the start, the United States asked through its ambassador in Iraq whether we could cooperate against Daesh (Arabic acronym for ISIL)," Khamenei said in a statement on his official website.
"I said no, because they have dirty hands," said Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state in Iran.
"Secretary of State (John Kerry) personally asked (Iranian counterpart) Mohammad Javad Zarif and he rejected the request," said Khamenei, who was leaving hospital after what doctors said was successful prostate surgery.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iran-rejected-us-request-for-cooperation-against-isil-khamenei.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71729&NewsCatID=359
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Tehran mocks anti-jihadist front without Damascus
15 September 2014
Tehran ridiculed an international conference on the jihadist threat that opened in Paris on Monday, insisting the Islamic State cannot be defeated without the support of its ally Damascus.
Neither Iran nor Syria were invited to the meeting in the French capital, despite the Damascus government's involvement in almost daily military action against IS.
"The best way of fighting IS and terrorism in the region is to help and strengthen the Iraqi and Syrian governments, which have been engaged in a serious struggle against terrorism," deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told a visiting French lawmaker.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has not been waiting for the formation of an international coalition -- it has been carrying out its obligations," he told foreign affairs committee chairwoman Patricia Adam, the ISNA news agency reported.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/110761/World/Region/Tehran-mocks-antijihadist-front-without-Damascus.aspx
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ISIS may target Israelis, Jews abroad, Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns
15 September 2014
The National Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Bureau released a biannual travel advisory on Monday, ahead of the High Holy Days, warning that Western Europe may become the scene of Islamic State terror attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets.
"During this period, the potential threat has grown," the Counter-Terrorism Bureau warned.
The Bureau referred to the May 4 deadly shooting attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels, in which a French-Muslim gunman killed four people – two of them Israelis. The gunman had returned from Syria, where he fought alongside radical rebel groups.
"There are concerns about additional attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, with an emphasis on Western Europe, by global jihadi elements (including the Islamic State), particularly by veterans of Syria and Iraq who return to their countries," the Bureau stated. Recent combat in Gaza has also led to a rise in anti-Israel demonstrations, it added.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/ISIS-global-jihadi-elements-may-target-Israelis-and-Jews-abroad-Counter-Terrorism-Bureau-warns-375380
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Peres: Threat of terror posed to Arab states brings opportunity for Israel to win new allies
15 September 2014
Terrorists pose a greater threat to Arab countries than Israel does today, offering the Jewish state a chance to work with new allies, former president Shimon Peres said Monday.
Speaking at the fourth annual International Cybersecurity Conference at Tel Aviv University on Monday, Peres said that making regional peace is a goal that is nearer than people think.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Peres-Threat-of-terror-posed-to-Arab-states-brings-opportunity-for-Israel-to-win-new-allies-375362
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Ya'alon: Israel faced cyber-attacks from an enemy state and from terror groups during Gaza war
15 September 2014
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said Monday that Israel had faced multiple cyber-attacks during Operation Protective Edge from an enemy state, terrorist organizations and individual hackers.
Speaking at the fourth Annual International Cybersecurity Conference at Tel Aviv University, Ya'alon said that, despite the large number of attacks, no serious damage was done because Israel knows how to defend itself against such threats.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Yaalon-Israel-face-cyber-attacks-from-an-enemy-state-and-from-terror-groups-during-Gaza-operation-375361
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Abbas to seek international support for new political initiative
15 September 2014
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is slated to ask French President Francois Hollande to recognize Palestine as a state in a meeting next Friday, before the PA chief heads to New York for the UN General Assembly.
According to the the PA Foreign Minister Dr. Riyad al-Malki who spone to the Ma'an news agency, the move will be the first step in a broader effort to drum up international support for a new initiative to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The plan envisages a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines within three years.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Abbas-to-seek-international-support-for-new-political-initiative-375360
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia enjoying booming but discreet trade with Israel, says paper
15 September 2014
Despite Putrajaya's pro-Palestine stance, Malaysia has a "booming but very discreet" trade partnership with Israel, a country which it had no diplomatic ties with, the Times of Israel reported today.
The report said that while Malaysia was in public, clearly anti-Israel and supportive of Palestine, it was importing more and more products from Israel.
It noted that in 2013, when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made a visit to Hamas-ruled Gaza, he had expressed support for the Palestinian people, whom he said were "suppressed and oppressed".
"It was crystal clear which side he was on. Yet all that time, his country was importing more and more Israeli products – but not talking about it much, certainly not in Gaza," the Times of Israel said.
"Official data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) tells of a booming, but very discreet, trade relationship that is blossoming between the two countries, despite a hawkish prime minister in Jerusalem and (Najib) Razak’s Islamist and proudly pro-Palestinian government in Kuala Lumpur."
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-enjoying-booming-but-discreet-trade-with-israel-says-paper#sthash.Ft2YjuYF.dpuf
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In Fight Against Islamic State, Indonesia to Intensify Surveillance
15 September 2014
Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wants to increase state monitoring of Indonesians and foreigners alike to prevent the spread of the Islamic State terrorist group in the country, after four foreign terror suspects were arrested over the weekend.
“[The president] instructed the related offices to prevent Indonesians from departing to the Middle East to join the Islamic State or ISIS,” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto told a press conference at the presidential office on Sunday.
Yudhoyono held a limited cabinet meeting on Sunday afternoon in the State Palace following the arrest of four presumed Uyghurs with fake Turkish passports for alleged ties to a terrorism network in Poso, Central Sulawesi.
To halt the spread of IS in Indonesia, Yudhoyono asked the Justice and Human Rights Ministry Right to tighten controls as part of the issuance of passports to Indonesians looking to travel to the Middle East, especially Syria and Turkey. Turkey is a prime destination for people wanting to join militant groups active in Iraq and Syria, and Indonesians can enter Turkey with a visa obtained on arrival.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/fight-islamic-state-indonesia-intensify-surveillance/
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Is PAS for or against militancy, asks DAP lawmaker
15 September 2014
PAS should be steadfast with its principles, especially against violence, instead of sending out conflicting messages, a DAP lawmaker says today.
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng was referring to statements from several PAS leaders who had expressed their admiration for the late Lotfi Ariffin (pic), who had died fighting in the civil war in Syria.
Following reports of his death, PAS central committee member Nik Abduh Nik Aziz described Lotfi as a “martyr”, according to The Star.
Nik Abduh, the son of PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, paid tribute to Lotfi on his Facebook page.
"When Lotfi revealed his involvement with the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq forces, PAS wasted no time in expelling him from the party," Lim said.
"Furthermore, the Islamic party issued a statement saying it did not condone its members getting involved in armed activities.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/is-pas-for-or-against-militancy-asks-dap-lawmaker#sthash.qJCej267.dpuf
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Australia
Number of Australians joining jihad in Iraq and Syria would be double had MUMS not reporting them to police
15 September 2014
Women in the Muslim community are reportedly responsible for preventing their family members from joining the fight currently raging in the Middle East.
Many of them have tipped off authorities in a bid to prevent the young members of their families from travelling to Syria and Iraq to join Jihadi forces.
Police, ASIO and immigration officials have been alerted to people of interest by members of the Australian Islamic community, The Australian reported.
'A considerable number of people have been precluded from leaving the country', Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, the parliamentary secretary in charge of multicultural affairs, told the newspaper.
Describing the young Australians who were attempting to travel overseas and join extremist Islamic State forces as 'disaffected', Senator Fierravanti-Wells drew parallels between religious radicalisation and other forms of youth rebellion such as drug-taking.
She also said that parents and other members of the community are extremely concerned and are turning to authorities for help and support, and that many young people were highly influenced
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2755405/Muslim-women-preventing-young-Australians-fighting-IS.html#ixzz3DN3PpZnt
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/term-‘islamic-state’-slur-our/d/99083