Turkey: Islamic Women’s Magazine Sparks Debate over Role of Fashion in Islam

Which do you fear more? Hudud or Islamic state?

Islam convert 'was hour away from finishing DIY pipe bomb'

Anti-Islamic, blasphemous pages appearing on Facebook

What about corruption, isn't that unconstitutional?

NY terrorism suspect is Islam convert

Radical Islam Failing to Take Hold in Central Java ‘Stronghold’: Survey

Donald Trump causes controversy with claims about Islam and Egypt

Erdogan blasts anti-Islam propaganda

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Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/turkey-islamic-women’s-magazine-sparks/d/5975

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Turkey: Islamic Women’s Magazine Sparks Debate Over Role Of Fashion In Islam

By Constanze Letsch

November 22, 2011

The Turkish women’s magazine Âlâ first gained notice in the summer of 2011 by putting the most controversial piece of fabric in Turkey, the Islamic headscarf, on its cover. Four months later, Turkish secularists and traditional Muslims alike are still debating: Can fashion and Islam comfortably coexist?

The brainchild of advertising agency account executives Mehmet Volkan Atay and Burak Birer, Âlâ (Beautiful Lifestyle) targets Turkey’s growing number of observant Muslim women with a monthly selection of clothing advice, interviews with Muslim designers and businesswomen, travel tips and feature stories. It claims that its circulation has quadrupled to 40,000 copies since the first edition hit newsstands last July, and is widely reported by Turkish media already to have surpassed sales of Vogue and Elle.

But don’t tag it as an Islamic Vogue. Âlâ Art Director Esra Sezis asserts that that the notion of Islamic fashion contradicts the Islamic idea of women modestly covering their bodies. “[The magazine] is only meant to be a helping guide for conservative women — where can they shop, what clothes can they combine,’” Sezis said in an August 20 interview with the Turkish daily Sabah. “[I]n short, there cannot be Islamic fashion; just details.”

In online social media forums, critics nonetheless claim that the glossy, high-end monthly tries to “westernize the idea of modest Islamic dress,” and tries to turn veiled women into the prototype of Vogue-reading, spend-thrift fashion victims; concepts contrary to Islamic ideals. The magazine features photos of both professional models and ordinary readers in Islamic garments.

“To try and squeeze modest Islamic dress into fashion patterns is as absurd as trying to squeeze Islam into a Western lifestyle”, writes journalist Aysegül Genç in the monthly Genç Magazine. “If this magazine, already contributing to ongoing degeneration, would like to minimalize the damage it will cause, it has to think as much about how to be a beautiful veiled girl as it has to find answers to the question of how to be a veiled girl with a personality.”

Âlâ editors declined to speak with EurasiaNet.org about the debate over its content.

The chief executive officer of Tekbir Giyim, one of Turkey’s largest textile companies catering solely to veiled women and the first to organize fashion shows with veiled models in 1992, makes the argument, however, that fashion and Islam are not mutually exclusive.

“Our religion and the Koran dictate how to dress modestly and which parts of the body need to be covered up. But that is the only constant: designs and patterns change and evolve, and as long as these changes remain in accord with religious rules, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that,” commented Mustafa Karaduman.

Whether or not, strictly speaking, it covers fashion, Âlâ appears to have found a market. The magazine commands more than 90,000 Facebook followers and has launched an edition in Germany to cater to Turkish readers in Western Europe, too.

In a pre-launch survey run by the magazine with 15,000 Turkish women who wear Islamic head-coverings, the magazine found that “[t]he biggest problem for conservative women was the absence of communication between Islamic textile producers and their target group,” Mehmet Volkan Atay told the Turkish daily Radikal. “They said: ‘Why does nobody get in touch with us?’”

Large Turkish cities, such as Istanbul, are dotted with Islamic clothing stores, but their number depends highly on the neighborhood; more conservative Istanbul districts such as Fatih, for example, offer a variety of boutiques for Islamic women, but non-Islamic-oriented clothing stores easily dominate elsewhere.

Atay underlines, though, that the Islamic clothing market is not an island unto itself. Most covered women interviewed reported not liking to shop in stores selling only Islamic clothing. Younger women, in particular, prefer to mix and match, he said.

Tekbir Giyim’s Mustafa Karaduman asserts that his company answers that demand, as promoted by Âlâ. “Our designers have been interviewed in Âlâ. We are not opposed to designing clothes that appeal to younger veiled women, as long as they correspond with religious rules.”

Now, some non-Islamic-clothing companies appear to be picking up on the trend, too, claimed Atay. “Textile companies outside Islamic clothing started to ask for reports. They will design items that cater to veiled women,” he told Radikal. “They understand that they can no longer ignore the large group of veiled women, all of which are potential customers.” Atay did not provide names of the companies.

Turkish gender studies specialist Feyza Akinerdem, agrees that Âlâ is far from the Vogue of Islamic clothing. What stands out the most about the publication is that the veiled young women featured in its pages “display self-esteem,” she commented in a blog, Erkan’s Field Diary, on Turkey-related issues.

“Even if the women posing for the magazine embrace the culture of consumption, I did not see the terrible feeling of being ‘different’ than everybody else in the streets in their eyes,” Akinerdem wrote.

Arguably, for Âlâ, that means mission accomplished.

Constanze Letsch is a freelance writer based in Istanbul.

About the author:

EurasiaNet

Originally published by EurasiaNet.org. EurasiaNet provides information and analysis about political, economic, environmental, and social developments in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus as well as in Russia, the Middle East and Southwest Asia.Copyright (c) 2003 Open Society Institute. Reprinted with the permission of the Open Society Institute, 400 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019 USA, www.EurasiaNet.org or www.soros.org

http://www.eurasiareview.com/22112011-turkey-islamic-women%E2%80%99s-magazine-sparks-debate-over-role-of-fashion-in-islam/

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Which do you fear more? Hudud or Islamic state?

November 21, 2011

From Jackson Ng, via e-mail

I WAS motivated to write this piece by a news portal reader who wrote this comment: “Malaysians. You choose. DAP works with PAS. MCA works with Umno. So, what’s the difference? The difference is that the MCA is always selling out the Chinese.

“MCA supports BN-Umno’s declaration of Malaysia as an Islamic state. But DAP only harps on hudud which only affects Muslims, not Malaysia. Anything beyond this are all just fears and speculation. You fear Hudud but don’t fear Islamic state? What a load of garbage by BN supporters!”

He or she makes a lot of common sense. We can argue all we want until the cows (Oops! Did I say anything wrong?) come home over hudud and Islamic state and will never reach a consensus because Malaysia is a multi-racial country.

There is much logic and common sense in what the reader wrote. MCA supports Barisan BN-Umno’s declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state. Okay. Malaysia is an Islamic state.

Doesn’t a real 100% Islamic state include hudud, an Islamic criminal law? So, you have it. Are non Muslims in Malaysia still free from hudud under Umno, the dominant force in BN?

And, deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said he is Malay first, Malaysian second and that Malaysia is not yet ready for hudud. This means, Muhyiddin and Umno will implement hudud when the time is right.

Malaysians, wise up. There is no difference in hudud whether under the BN or Pakatan. Hudud is hudud. It is a criminal law for Muslims.

So, logically it does not affect non Muslims. To express fear or otherwise is just speculation and will lead Malaysians nowhere.

But, Muhyiddin’s stand is more dangerous to 1Malaysia than anything else if one is to assess his statement very, very carefully.

Ponder and answer the following questions related to Muhyiddin and Umno yourself:

- “I am Malay first, Malaysian second” – isn’t he a racist? Shouldn’t the DPM and PM-in-waiting be a Malaysian instead of a racist? Has PAS ever called others pendatang? PAS champions Islam, not race. Race and religion are two very different matters;

- “ … Malaysia is not yet ready for hudud” – when is ready? (My reading is that Umno will be ready to implement hudud when it has two-thirds control of Parliament. This also applies to PAS);

- Compare DAP in Pakatan Rakyat and MCA in BN; which is more subservient or subdued in the two coalitions?

For the past year, many sensitive religious and race issues have been engineered by Umno to split Malaysians so that the Malays will only support Umno. PAS and PKR have publicly come to the defence of non Muslims and Malaysians in general when an issue spun by

Umno got too hot and ridiculous, while all other BN component parties had remained mum. You don’t agree?

Actions and facts do not lie. Fabrications cannot stand because they don’t have backbones to support.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/21/which-do-you-fear-more-hudud-or-islamic-state/

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Islam convert 'was hour away from finishing DIY pipe bomb'

By David Gardner

21 Nov 2011

A "lone wolf" terrorist was within an hour of finishing and testing his home-made bomb when police in New York raided his home, US authorities said today.

Jose Pimentel, 27, had learned how to make the pipe bomb on the internet, using alarm clocks, nails and Christmas fairy lights.

"We had to act quickly because he was in fact putting this bomb together," said New York police commissioner Ray Kelly.

He appeared in court in New York accused of plotting to blow up police and US troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Islam convert, from Manhattan, was said to be considering changing his name to Osama Hussein because he was so obsessed with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

According to Commissioner Kelly he was planning to use the bombs on soldiers returning from deployment, police cars, a police station and post offices around the city.

"The suspect was a so-called lone wolf, motivated by his own resentment of the presence of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as inspired by al Qaeda propaganda," said New York mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Dominican-born Pimentel smiled in court last night as he was ordered to be held without bail until his next appearance on Friday. He was charged with conspiracy, first-degree criminal possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism and soliciting support for a terrorist act. It was the 14th plot against New York that the authorities have thwarted since the 9/11 terror attacks.

Despite working alone, Pimentel allegedly got closer than most to carrying his out. However, he was being watched by the security services as he apparently assembled the material to build his bombs from a DIY superstore and a "99-cent" store.

Pimentel had gone from talking about his support for al Qaeda to considering travelling to Yemen to train as a terrorist, police said. He had reportedly been known to detectives for about two years but was allowed to stay free in case he unwittingly led officers to terrorist leaders.

The catalyst for Pimentel finishing his bomb was said to be the September killing by US forces of American-born cleric Anwar Awlaki, a prominent al Qaeda leader. Pimentel maintained his own website, where he encouraged violence against America and posted information about bomb-making. But Pimentel's lawyer, Joseph Zablocki, said that the postings by his client showed he was not trying to hide anything. "I don't believe that this case is nearly as strong as the people believe," he said, adding: "Mr Pimentel has this very public online profile. This is not the way you go about committing a terrorist attack."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24012201-islam-convert-was-hour-away-from-finishing-diy-pipe-bomb.do

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Anti-Islamic, blasphemous pages appearing on Facebook

Islamabad: Facebook once again became a platform of users spreading hatred sentiments against Islam as numerous pages and pictures have been created and uploaded reportedly on the social networking site.

The Management of the social networking site has dual standards for followers of different religions. Particularly, they don’t care about hatred speeches again Islam and Muslim and allow their subscribers to cross all limits of tolerance.

Facebook policy stated “It does not tolerate hate speech. Targeting people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or disease is a serious violation of our standards and has resulted in the permanent loss of users’ account.”

However, when it comes to different religions particularly for Judaism, they don’t believe in freedom of expression as if they mentioned in their policy “We strongly believe that Facebook users have the freedom to express their opinions, and we don’t typically take down content, groups or pages that speak out against countries, religions, political entities, or ideas.”

The honourable court and the inter-ministerial committee of the Ministry of Information and Technology and Telecommunication should also take this matter seriously.

Earlier, Lahore High Court had imposed a complete ban on Face book over a competition of blasphemous caricatures on May 19, 2010. And the ban was lifted after the social-networking site apologized over the hatred content.

People reacted after the ban and said that the government should block the complete site, rather than the specific pages but some people said the government has to promote awareness about the issue instead to boycott the entire site.

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=186134

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What about corruption, isn't that unconstitutional?

Nov 22, 2011

YOURSAY 'Nazri, don't get me wrong, I don't condone homosexuality, but please do give us a better argument. You are the lawyer, not me.'

Nazri: Homosexuality IS unconstitutional

David Dass: What an extraordinary statement. Homosexuality is against Islam. Islam is the religion of the federation. Ergo, homosexuality is against the constitution. What happened to equality of all and freedom of worship?

This goes beyond homosexuality. Buddhists do not think in terms of God, heaven or hell. They believe in practising the right behaviour leading to Nirvana.

Hindus believe in reincarnation. Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God, that he died and was resurrected. They believe in the Holy Trinity, while the Jews believe in the Old Testament.

There are much in common between the various religions especially when it relates to right and wrong behaviour. But there are many differences of dogma. So it is wrong to equate the constitution with the syariah.

Not all laws have religious root. And not all religious proscriptions become law. All beliefs have to be respected and the human rights of all should be protected.

Ben-ghazi: Gambling is also against Islam, the religion of the federation, so the Genting Casino is unconstitutional. Right or not? Yet, why does the BN government not ban the casino?

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz, your argument does not hold water.

There are many things that are against Islam - like the ISA, where people are arrested and then not charged in court... the list goes on.

So, how about explaining why all these unIslamic practises are allowed in this country. Don't get me wrong, I don't condone homosexuality, but do please give us a better argument. You are the lawyer, not me.

Boon Hor Loy: What about corruption? Isn't it unconstitutional too?

Borg Kinaulu: This is yet another blatant attempt to subvert the constitution of the nation. Malaysia is a secular constitutional monarchy so the constitution is not subservient to any king or religion.

No amount of twisting and turning by any snake or worm will change that fact.

Azizi Khan: Dear Nazri, by your logic, no person who is not of Islamic religion will have constitutional rights in Malaysia because they would be looked at as being against Islam.

Islam may be the ‘official religion' it doesn't mean that Islam IS the constitution. It's like saying if Nike sponsors a sports competition, only people who wear Nike shoes will be allowed to enter.

By the same token, Nazri, Malaysia is not a signatory to any human rights charter, does this mean that Malaysia is an illegal country by United Nations standards?

Milosevic: Is the interest I am getting from my bank unconstitutional? I challenge Nazri to have the guts to declare illegal all interest payments given by Malaysian banks and ban all foreign bonds and accounts held by Malaysian banks and Bank Negara.

Tendentious and selective use of the Constitution is not one quite expects from the law minister. But this is Malaysia. Can we have ministers half the caliber of Singapore or China? We would be a great country but then again, this might be unconstitutional.

Yoong John Yen: Going by this reasoning, it basically makes almost everything being practiced by non-Muslims unconstitutional.

Eating pork is unconstitutional, anything Hindu, Buddhist or Christian (and any other religion) is unconstitutional, the existence of any house of prayer other than the mosque is unconstitutional, democracy is unconstitutional and basically, the very existence of non-Muslims is unconstitutional.

Supercession: Umno is again at work to pervert the constitution for their nefarious ends. Since when must everything, including the constitution, be read through the lens of Umno's version of Islam?

Islam's role is merely ceremonial. Islam does not supersede the secular constitution. Get it?

Pemerhati: Quote from Wikipedia: "Article 3 declares that Islam is the religion of the Federation but it then goes on to say that this does not affect the other provisions of the Constitution (Article 4(3)). Therefore, the fact that Islam is the religion of Malaysia does not by itself import Islamic principles into the Constitution."

But now it looks like ministers such as Jamil Khir Baharom and Nazri are trying to Islamise the secular constitution and turn Malaysia into a theocracy by importing Islamic rules and principles into it.

Chuath: This is yet another proof that there is something wrong with our education and political system that we would end up with someone like Nazri as our de facto law minister.

Hobbes: So now that homosexuality is unconstitutional, what are you going to do about it? Kill them? Jail them? Whip them? Put them on a deserted island?

Assuming you have a child or grandchild who is homosexual, what would be your views be then? Remember they are as human as you are.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakinisubscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/182022

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NY terrorism suspect is Islam convert

November 22, 2011

AP

The suspect in the latest alleged New York City terrorism plot followed a solitary online path to violent radical Islam, family members and law enforcement officials say.

Jose Pimentel, 27, is being held without bail on state terrorism charges after his arrest on Saturday.

Police say he plotted, as an al-Qaeda sympathiser, to use explosives to attack post offices, police buildings and US military-service members.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Pimentel was arrested because he was about an hour away from making a pipe bomb and using it somewhere in the city, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly says.

Pimentel pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Sunday.

His mother, Carmen Sosa, 56, said on Sunday outside her Manhattan apartment, where her unemployed son had lived for the past year, that he spent his days praying "to Allah, reading the Koran".

She was initially sceptical about his conversion from Catholicism four or five years ago.

When Sosa pressed her son on why he chose Islam, he told her, "'It's none of your business,"' she said.

Law enforcement officials said he was a "lone wolf" who wasn't connected to any al-Qaeda affiliate or other terrorist group.

"His social network was online," said Mitch Silber, director of intelligence analysis of the New York Police Department's intelligence division.

Silber, who has studied other cases of homegrown radicalisation cases, said Pimentel was a constant user of the internet and maintained a website.

In a March posting praising Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks, he wrote: "America and its allies are all legitimate targets in warfare. This includes, facilities such as army bases, police stations, political facilities, embassies, CIA and FBI buildings, private and public airports, and all kinds of buildings where money is being made."

A key influence was the writings of Anwar al-Awlaki, the US-born propagandist killed earlier this year by a US drone strike in Yemen, investigators said.

"This is a classic case of what we've been talking about - the lone wolf, an individual, self-radicalised," Kelly said.

"This is the needle in the haystack problem we face as a country and as a city."

Silber said that while some people never go beyond radical rhetoric and get on with their lives, Pimentel "unfortunately wasn't walking away from it".

Sosa said she never saw a violent side to her son. But asked if she thought he was capable of doing what he is accused of, she replied: "My son says he did it. If he says he did it ...," before shrugging her shoulders.

According to the criminal complaint against him, Pimentel said he bought "all of the components of the bomb", took "active steps" to build it and was "about one hour away from completing it".

The complaint charged that he plotted since October with the help of a confidential informant working with the New York Police Department to make pipe bombs from a recipe published in the radical Inspire Magazine.

Pimentel purchased common items like alarm clocks, pipes, Christmas lights and matches at local stores and at a Home Depot in the Bronx, the complaint says.

Pimentel's defence lawyer, Joseph Zablocki, said that Pimentel, who had a minor criminal record for credit card theft wasn't a serious threat.

While the police department kept the FBI informed of the case, a person familiar with the investigation said federal officials were unsure about how much of a threat Pimentel posed and how large a role the informant played in moving him to act.

© 2011 AP

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/ny-terrorism-suspect-is-islam-convert-20111122-1nrir.html

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Radical Islam Failing to Take Hold in Central Java ‘Stronghold’: Survey

Ulma Haryanto |

 November 22, 2011

The teachings of radical Islam do not appear to be taking root in Central Java despite it being home to many hard-line organizations, a survey has found.

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy last month questioned 1,200 respondents living in 13 districts in Central Java and Yogyakarta that are known to be the strongholds of radical organizations.

“In general, it can be concluded that the attitude of the society in general is showing resistance to radical Islamic groups,” Setara researcher Ismail Hasani said on Monday.

He said 94 percent of those questioned were Muslims.

“The survey’s aim was to learn about the public’s perception of the latest dynamics of radical Islamic organizations, as well as to identify the response and configure a way to block the spread of radical organizations,” Ismail said.

Setara’s deputy chairman, Bonar Tigor Naipospos, said that in Central Java — and particularly in Solo — there were several radical Islamic organizations actively spreading their ideas and “struggles.”

“Solo, by many groups, is still considered to be the base, or seedbed, for the regeneration of radical Islam, even terrorism,” Bonar said.

The survey also showed encouraging results from the country’s de-radicalization programs. A majority of respondents (63 percent) said they believed that Islam did not justify radicalism, while 53 percent believed that the term “jihad” should not be identified with violence.

“The most important thing is that the majority, more than 70 percent, were not willing to support radical organizations,” Ismail said. “The majority also agreed that radical organizations ruin the image of Islam.”

Only 25 percent backed the implementation of Islamic Shariah law. While proponents believed Shariah improved society, those against it said that the strict religious laws were no longer compatible with modern conditions.

“The rest agreed that the Republic of Indonesia is not a religious state, and that Pancasila [the national political ideology] is already sufficient,” Ismail said.

“This counters claims from radical organizations that insist their jihad are legitimized by the people and the religion.”

Respondents indicated an awareness of the difference between radical Islam and terrorism, though by a slim margin.

As many as 31 percent believe that radical Islam and terrorism share the same goals, while 22 percent said that both groups have similar ways of reaching their goals. In addition, 27 percent believed that both groups had similar followers.

“It was interesting to see how slim the differentiation was between terrorism and radicalism,” Ismail told the Jakarta Globe.

“This means it is important for the BNPT [the National Counterterrorism Agency] to pay attention to radical organizations.”

Full Report at:

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/radical-islam-failing-to-take-hold-in-central-java-stronghold-survey/479975

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Donald Trump causes controversy with claims about Islam and Egypt

NOVEMBER 22, 2011 ⋅

FILED UNDER DONALD TRUMP

Donald Trump, the US tycoon who continues to flirt with a possible 2012 presidential bid, has waded into the debate about Egypt. Via Twitter, Trump warned that Egypt is becoming a hotbed of ‘radical Islam’, and he suggested that ‘we’ (presumably the US) should never have abandoned former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.

As violent scenes continue across Egypt due to ongoing disputes about the form the country’s new government should take, the idea of Mubarak’s ousting being a mistake will likely cause raised eyebrows. Many Egyptians are still glad that their former leader has gone, even if they are unhappy about the way that the military junta is ruling the country at present.

The odds of Mubarak returning to power are, at best, non-existant. And while some will likely agree with Trump’s comments, others might question his grasp of the situation that is currently developing in Egypt. The country has many problems, but is radical Islam really the most pressing?

http://100gf.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/donald-trump-causes-controversy-with-claims-about-islam-and-egypt/

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Erdogan blasts anti-Islam propaganda

World Desk

22 November 2011

Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks with head of Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate

Turk has censured anti-Islam propaganda and called on the Muslim world to show solidarity against rising Islamophobia across the Western world, Press TV reports.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there is a vicious propaganda campaign against Islam by some Western circles, Press TV's Ankara correspondent reported.

Erdogan was addressing the Second Meeting of Leaders of African Continent Muslim Countries and Societies which opened in Istanbul on Monday.

“There are those who use some marginal cases, to equate Islam and Muslims with terrorism, clashes, intolerance and poverty,” Erdogan stated.

“A mistake by a member of a religion or society should not be attributed to the religion or society,” he added.

“This means that Islamophobia should be condemned as much as racism and anti-Semitism is [condemned],” the Turkish premier stressed.

The meeting was hosted by Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate and was attended by top state officials as well as religious leaders from many African countries.

According to reports, the Turkish prime minister also said the reason behind all problems in the Muslim world is lack of consultation among Muslim countries.

He noted that unbiased and sincere consultation would be a lasting solution for the issues Muslim countries, nations and the entire Muslim world are facing today.

(Source: Press TV)

http://tehrantimes.com/world/92808-erdogan-blasts-anti-islam-propaganda/

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TAHRIR ERUPTS

By John Bradley

BUT THE ISLAMISTS SEEM TO HAVE STRUCK ADEAL WITH THE MILITARY

THE ARAB Spring is rapidly turning into a winter of chaos and oppression. As protests grip Cairo, and Islamic fundamentalists gain in confidence there and elsewhere across the region, the hopes of western leaders for a new era of democracy across the Middle East have been exposed as hopelessly naïve.

For far from paving the way for freedom and pluralism, the uprisings have led only to more intolerance, authoritarianism and division. The sense of darkening crisis in Egypt this week is a disturbing example of this trend.

In February, the mass demonstrations in Tahrir Square were hailed by many gullible commentators and politicians as an inspirational outbreak of people power — the Arab equivalent of the Berlin Wall’s collapse. But in the period that has followed the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak, the prospects for Egypt have become grim. The economy is worsening. Unemployment is rising, and living standards are plummeting.

Initially, in the wake of the revolution, the Army pledged to give up political control within six months. Now, sparking the current Cairo protests, the Egyptian Army — which cooperated in the overthrow of Mubarak’s despotism — has cynically strengthened its stranglehold on power and demanded that the proposed new parliament will have no oversight on the military’s affairs.

But even though there is widespread disillusion at the military, the fury of the Egyptian public should not be exaggerated.

Political culture in the Arab world is notoriously apathetic, one reason why despots or religious extremists are often able to exert such influence.

For all the excitable TV coverage of the current riots, there are probably only seven or eight thousand demonstrators in Tahrir Square — and the renewed protest movement is essentially divided into two camps. One is made up of progressives who want to see the introduction of democratic freedoms such as political pluralism and a free press. The other, much more sinister force is that of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has a completely different agenda and seeks the creation of an Islamist state.

At the the moment, the progressives make up the vast bulk of the rioters, motivated by genuine anger at the entrenchment of military rule since the fall of Mubarak. For it is no exaggeration to say that the rulers are more autocratic than the disgraced President ever was. A CCORDING to a leading Egyptian NGO, human rights abuses including torture and arbitrary arrest are increasingly common, while in the past eight months more civilians have been tried in military courts than in all the 30 years of Mubarak’s reign. But the Islamists are playing a much more cynical, Machiavellian and long- term game.

The Muslim Brotherhood took little part in the first round of protests earlier this year, for their key aim was to win legitimacy from the military.

So they struck a deal.

In return for keeping their supporters under control, they would see the official ban on the Muslim Brotherhood lifted after years of repression under the pro- Western Mubarak.

Now, having achieved official recognition, the Muslim Brotherhood has been eager to show the military that it will not be pushed around or easily bought off.

At first, participation in the Tahrir Square demonstrations this month was a way for the Brotherhood to flex its muscles.

But few Islamists are now occu-

pying the square.

Unlike the progressives and liberals, they are not seeking a showdown with the military.

What they really want is an accommodation, a compromise that will smooth their way to power. Democracy and liberty have no appeal to them. In fact, they regard them as features of Western, secular decadence.

All their attention is focused on becoming the largest political force in the elections next week. And they are almost certain to achieve this goal, since they are by far the best organised, most well- known political movement in Egypt.

http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=23112011

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Involvement of women in drug pushing rises

November 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Like many other shortcomings in society, a sharp increase is witnessed in form of women drug pushers as 135 cases were brought to district court of the federal capital during last three months under sections 9-A, 9-B and 9-C of Drug Act.

A look into the record of district court of last three months (August-October) 135 women were booked for drug using and selling under section 9-A, 9-B and 9-C (Drug Act, using and selling charas, ganjha, opium and heroin).

The court of Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Yaar Muhammad Gondal received 34 drugs related cases against women registered with different police stations under section 9 of Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997, in which 10 women booked in under section 9-B, 13 women caught in under section 9-A and 11 women has booked under section 9-C.

In the court of former ASJ Kamran Mufti, 16 cases were registered against women to using and selling drugs, in which six women were booked under section 9-A, eight men and under section 9-B and two women booked under section 9-C.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Wajahat Hussain court received 26 such cases against women registered with different police stations under section nine of Control of Narcotic.

As many as 20 cases under section 9 of Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997 reached court of Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Kashif Qayyum while 18 to court of Judicial Magistrate Naeem Shoukat. Civil Judge Rai Liyqat Kharal received 21 drugs relative cases against women.

For Full Report:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg11_1

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Saif Might have Some Dirty Secrets to Tell

By Peter McKay

THERE was always something fishy about the West’s so- called triumph in Libya. For a start, the mission statement — ‘ preventing Gaddafi’s forces from killing civilians’ — was phoney. The aim was to kill the Gaddafis. The UK didn’t have a clue about the character of those who rose against Gaddafi. It pretended that the rebels were simple patriots fighting to end the cruel, 41- year dictatorship. Now it turns out that Tripoli’s new military commander, Abdul Hakim Belhadj, used to train Al Qaeda recruits.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim el- Keib says Gaddafi’s captured son, Saif al- Islam, “ will receive a fair trial under fair legal processes”. In other words — despite helping them get rid of the Gaddafis — the West should keep its nose out of Libya’s affairs.

So, Saif might reveal details of his predownfall friendships with the likes of Tony Blair, Prince Andrew, Peter Mandelson and wealthy banker Nat Rothschild.

In 2003, Tony Blair introduced a UN resolution which lifted sanctions against Libya.

He publicly embraced Colonel Gaddafi in Tripoli. Blair remained in touch with the Gaddafi family even after they came under attack from rebels. Prince Andrew was ultra- chummy with the Gaddafis, making several visits to Tripoli. He is also said to have entertained Saif at Buckingham Palace and Windsor. For all I know, Saif even had tiffin with the monarch herself.

Nat Rothschild entertained Saif in New York, England and at his Corfu villa. Then Business Secretary Lord Mandelson met Saif at the Corfu villa. Bachelor boys who got on famously! Saif may summon senior officials from the London School of Economics ( LSE), where he obtained a PhD. The college’s director, Sir Howard Davies, had to resign after it was disclosed that Saif’s charitable foundation gave the college a £ 1.5 million donation.

Last year — after being invited to give a speech at the LSE — Saif was introduced by Professor David Held ( one of his academic advisers) as ‘ someone who looks to democracy, civil society and deep liberal values for the core of his inspiration’. If he’s allowed to speak, Saif may bring clarification on the mysterious process whereby madman Muammar Gaddafi was embraced by his former enemies in the West after renouncing terror and giving them access to his oil. None of what Saif might say necessarily reflects well on British politicians, the Royal Family, the Americans, Big Oil and the banking sector.

Not forgetting the LSE. The Gaddafis just knew too much. They had to go.

http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=23112011

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Libyan tribes protest at new government line-up

Francois Murphy and Christian Lowe (Reuters)

TRIPOLI -23 November 2011,  Some of Libya's clans said on Wednesday they would not recognise the government, after the unveiling of a new cabinet revived regional rivalries which threaten the country's stability.

Prime minister designate Abdurrahim El-Keib named a cabinet line-up which aimed to placate Libya's patchwork of tribes, regional interests and ideological camps which are competing to fill the vacuum left by Muammar Gaddafi's fall from power.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said during a visit to Tripoli that the trial of Gaddafi's captured son, Saif al-Islam, could take place inside Libya as long as certain conditions were met.

He also told Reuters that he believed Gaddafi's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, like Saif al-Islam wanted for prosecution by the ICC, had not been captured. Libyan officials had earlier said he had been arrested.

There was no immediate sign of dissent over the cabinet from the most powerful interests - in particular the Islamists who were given none of the biggest government posts - but smaller groups complained they had been neglected.

Announcing the government was the latest step in Libya's halting progress towards building new institutions, three months after the bloodiest of the "Arab Spring" uprisings ended Gaddafi's 42-year rule.

About 150 people protested on Wednesday morning outside a hotel in the eastern city of Benghazi where the National Transitional Council has offices, a witness told Reuters.

The protesters held up banners saying: "No to a government of outsiders!", the witness said. The demonstration was led by members of the Benghazi-based Awagi and Maghariba tribes, who were angry their representatives were not in key posts.

A group calling itself the Libyan Amazigh Congress called for a suspension of all relations with the NTC over the formation of the government.

The Amazigh, or Berber, are an ethnic minority which suffered persecution under Gaddafi and which is pressing for greater recognition for its language and culture in the new Libya.

"The temporary freezing will be effective until the NTC reconciles with the demands of Amazigh Libyans," the group said in a statement.

LIBYAN TRIAL

The ICC earlier this year issued a warrant for Saif al-Islam's arrest on charges of crimes against humanity. After talks with Libyan officials, Moreno-Ocampo said the ICC would not insist on his transfer to The Hague for trial.

"My standard, the standard of the ICC, is that it has to be a judicial process that is not organised to shield the suspect. That's it," Moreno-Ocampo told reporters.

"The point is that for Libya, and I respect that, it is very important to do the cases in Libya. This is a right and I have nothing to say. I'm not competing for the case."

Western countries, which backed the revolt against Gaddafi and have a big stake in seeing his replacements succeed, welcomed the new government, saying it would guide the oil exporting country towards democracy.

The NTC's choices to fill ministerial posts appeared to have put regional affiliation ahead of experience or a track record.

Full Report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle11.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/November/international_November897.xml&section=international

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UAE, India sign Security Agreements

(WAM)

23 November 2011 NEW DELHI - India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed an important “Agreement on Security Cooperation” today, enhancing existing cooperation particularly against terrorism.

The agreement was among the two pacts that the visiting Lt. General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, signed with his Indian host, Home Minister P Chidambaram.

According to an official statement, the two leaders discussed various issues on bilateral security cooperation and decided to “strengthen and develop the existing bilateral framework/ mechanism to enhance security cooperation in the areas such as combating terrorism in all forms, addressing activities of organised criminal groups, drug trafficking, illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition, explosives, etc., and initiatives on training of personnel.”

The second pact, “Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons,” provides “the framework to facilitate the social rehabilitation of sentenced persons in their respective countries by giving citizens of the Contracting States, who have been convicted and sentenced as a result of commission of a criminal offences, the opportunity to serve the sentence in their own society.”

There are about 1200 Indian nationals in UAE jails, and this agreement would facilitate their transfer to India to serve the remaining part of their imprisonment terms. There are hardly any UAE nationals in Indian jails – if any – and this agreement indicates a humane approach by the UAE authorities to expatriates. Notably, most of the Indians in the UAE jails have petty offences, including consumption and movement of liquor.

A Home Ministry official described the discussions as “cordial and very friendly” adding that “both the countries reiterated their commitment for enhanced cooperation in investigation of mutually relevant criminal cases and sharing of relevant information in this regard.”

Sheikh Saif, who arrived here yesterday, thanked and invited the Indian Home Minister to visit Abu Dhabi.

The UAE delegation includes Lt. General Saif Al Sha’far, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Major General Nasser Lakhraibani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and other senior officials.

It may be noted that India and UAE already have a pact of Strategic Cooperation, signed in 2003 when Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces General His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan visited New Delhi.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan has also been to New Delhi a couple of times to renew and strengthen bilateral ties. Discussions have also been held between the think tanks of the two countries, India’s Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and UAE’s Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR).

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/November/theuae_November653.xml&section=theuae

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Yemen’s Saleh in Saudi Arabia to sign power transfer deal

Mohammed Ghobari (Reuters)

23 November 2011,

 SANAA - Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to sign a deal brokered by Gulf states that would ease him out of power, state media said, after 10 months of protests against his rule that have crippled the country.

It was the fourth attempt to wrap up a power transfer accord that Saleh backed out of on three previous occasions at the last minute, fuelling turmoil that has bolstered al Qaeda militants next door to Saudi Arabia, the world’s No. 1 oil producer.

Activists who have entrenched themselves in a central Sanaa square saw the deal as a ruse and demanded that Saleh end his 33 years of rule now. Government troops skirmished with gunmen loyal to a powerful opposition tribal leader in the capital.

“The president ... arrived this morning in Riyadh on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following an invitation from the Saudi leadership, to attend the signing of the Gulf initiative and its operational mechanism,” state news agency Saba said.

The development came after U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar, with support from U.S. and European diplomats, managed to devise a compromise to implement the power transfer deal crafted by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.

Under the GCC plan, Saleh would shift all his powers to his deputy, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who would form a new government with the opposition and call for an early presidential election within three months.

Saleh would keep his title until a successor is elected.

“The accord gives the vice president the power to implement the Gulf initiative,” Benomar told a news conference in Sanaa before he boarded a plane to Riyadh along with Yemeni government officials and opposition leaders to attend the signing ceremony.

Benomar had said on Tuesday that details of the signing of the accord — a stage at which it has fallen apart before — were being hammered out, after an agreement in principle.

A Yemeni official had said on Tuesday that the accord was facing opposition from some senior politicians in Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC).

In a sign of lingering scepticism that the deal was really done, diplomats and opposition officials said GCC Secretary-General, Abdul Latif Al-Zayyani, had refused to fly to Sanaa for the signing ceremony, whereupon Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia. Officials said Zayyani had been embarrassed before when Saleh kept dignitaries in suspense before refusing to sign the accord.

Full Report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/November/middleeast_November586.xml&section=middleeast

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Militancy: Attack on girls’ school kills policeman

REUTERS

PESHAWAR: November 23, 2011 A bomb attack on a girls’ school in Mardan on Tuesday killed a policeman and wounded eight others, police said.

The remote-controlled bomb was planted at the outer wall of the government-run middle school. The bomb exploded after police arrived to investigate complaints about a suspicious plastic bag outside the school, which was closed at the time.

“One policeman was killed and eight other people including five civilians were wounded,” Zeeshan Haider, Mardan police chief, told AFP by telephone.

Three policemen were also wounded but no pupils were hurt. Haider said the target was the school. “The outer wall of the school was also destroyed,” he added.

Militants have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in recent years.

Early Tuesday, insurgents killed two anti-Taliban militia men on the outskirts of Peshawar.

Dilawar Khan, head of the anti-Taliban militia, said that Taliban killed his men and dumped their bodies in Matni, one of the northwestern areas where villagers have raised militias to fight militants.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/295972/militancy-attack-on-girls-school-kills-policeman/

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Neo-Nazis create furor by getting Adopt-A-Highway credit on signs

November 23, 2011

Cedar Grove Road in rural eastern Delaware has become an unlikely First Amendment battleground after state officials approved a neo-Nazi splinter group’s application to “adopt” a 2-mile stretch of the road under the state Department of Transportation’s litter-control program.

Although the wording has been tempered from “Nazi Party” to “Freedom Party,” residents are still riled over a pair of Adopt-A-Highway signs recently erected on the road in Sussex County. But free-speech analysts say that the state transportation agency, known as DelDOT, and the members of the organization are well within their rights.

“Viewpoint discrimination is really not permitted under the First Amendment,” said Charles C. Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum and a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center. The state of Delaware does not have to allow anyone at all to participate in the roadside adoption program, but since it is open to the public, officials “can’t cherry-pick the groups” that get to participate, he said.

Edward McBride III, 24, initially filed an application for the DelDOT Adopt-A-Highway program in July under the name of the “National Socialist Freedom Movement Nazi Party.” Citing concerns that the state could be seen as endorsing a hate group, DelDOT rejected that application and Mr. McBride’s counteroffer for an abbreviated sign with the name “NSFM88 Nazi Party.”

“The bottom line is that we did not deny an individual’s request to collect litter on the roadside as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program,” Geoff Sundstrom, a spokesman for DelDOT, told The Washington Times. “We denied the request to display ‘Nazi Party‘ on a state-owned and maintained sign.”

Similar cases have sprung up across the country, including a 2000 case in Missouri where the local Ku Klux Klan chapter adopted a portion of Interstate 55. The program upheld the group’s legal right to participate, but public outcry and vandalism led the section of the highway to be renamed after civil rights heroine Rosa Parks.

Full Report at:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/22/neo-nazis-create-furor-by-getting-adopt-a-highway-/

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Taliban declare ceasefire in Pak

Nov 23, 2011,

The Pakistani Taliban has declared a ceasefire to encourage nascent peace talks with the government, a senior commander said, a move that appears to show the group's willingness to strike a deal with state.

The commander said the cease-fire has been in effect for the past month and was valid throughout the country. "We are not attacking the Pakistan army and government installations because of the peace process," he said on Monday.

The commander is close to Hakimullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban.

His statement adds credence to recent announcements by anonymous Taliban and intelligence officials that government intermediaries recently met Taliban commanders to talk about a possible peace deal. The government has not officially commented, and on Tuesday the Pakistani army denied it was involved in any talks.

The US wants Pakistan to keep the pressure on insurgents and would likely be concerned about any effort to strike a deal.

Much remains unclear about the nature of the talks and their potential.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/-Taliban-declare-ceasefire-in-Pak/articleshow/10837619.cms

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S Arabia denies report stray bullets killed Shias

November 23, 2011

DUBAI: Three Shia Muslims have been killed accidentally in eastern Saudi Arabia by stray bullets fired by police, a Saudi activist said on Tuesday, but the Interior Ministry denied the report.

Tawfiq al-Saif, an activist, told the government was sending a team to the town of al-Qatif to investigate the deaths, which have angered Shias in the oil-producing Eastern Province ahead of their Ashura holiday. The Interior Ministry, in a statement emailed later on Tuesday, said the report of the deaths was ‘not accurate’. It said one person was found dead after shooting at a police checkpoint on Sunday night, and another person had died in hospital after being taken there on Monday night by ‘unknown people’. The ministry did not say whether security forces had opened fire in the Sunday incident and said the Eastern Province police were investigating both events.

Saudi Arabia has escaped the popular protests that have swept three Arab heads of state from power this year, reacting to the unrest in the region by promising to spend some $130 billion on housing and other social benefits for its citizens. But small-scale protests have taken place in the Eastern Province, where most of the Shia Muslim minority lives. Activists said authorities responded by deploying armed riot police who had set up checkpoints. The Eastern Province is the centre of Saudi Arabia’s oil production facilities and is connected by a 16-mile causeway to Bahrain, where Riyadh sent troops earlier this year to help the fellow-Sunni government crush mainly Shia protests. Saudi Shias complain of systematic discrimination, which the authorities deny. King Abdullah has appointed several Shias to advisory government bodies.

Saif, the activist, said that a 19-year-old technical college student died on Sunday, killed by what police had told his family was a stray bullet fired during a clash between security forces and unknown assailants. The ministry statement, however, said that “on Sunday night the police found one person dead in a construction site after he was involved with others in shooting at policemen trying to investigate burning car tyres at the side of a major street opposite a police checkpoint.” reuters

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_32

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Back to Square one in a million marches to Tahrir

Agencies

23 11 11

A SWELLING crowd of tens of thousands filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Tuesday, answering the call for a million people to turn out and intensify pressure on Egypt’s military leaders to hand over power to a civilian government.

The ruling military council held crisis talks with political parties across the spectrum to try to defuse growing cries for a “ second revolution” as protests in Cairo and other major cities carried on for a fourth day.

About 5,000 people marched in the port city of Alexandria to join 2,000 already demonstrating against army rule outside a military command headquarters, witnesses said. The army council headed by the military head of state, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who was Mubarak’s defense minister of 20 years, held talks with politicians on the crisis, in which at least 36 people have been killed and more than 1,250 wounded since Saturday.

Security forces stayed out of Tahrir itself to lower the temperature.

But there were clashes on side streets leading to the square, the epicenter of the uprising that ousted longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak in February.

The new wave of protests has thrown Egypt’s politics into chaos less than a week before landmark parliamentary elections were to begin. “ If the elections don’t happen, there could be a clash between the army and the people. That’s what we’re afraid of,” protester Mustafa Abdel- Hamid said. He said he wanted a clear timetable for the transfer of power.

Egyptian politicians say the military has moved up the date for transferring power to a civilian government to July 1, 2012.

But the people want it advanced. About 30,000 people were in Tahrir by late afternoon and the crowd was growing steadily — the numbers typically peak at night after everyone gets off work. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the 18- day uprising that toppled Mubarak, with jubilation over the large turnout mixed with the seething anger directed at the military.

In a sign it was struggling over how to respond to the fast changing events, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that rules the country still had not responded to the resignation offer by Tuesday.

The office of leading proreform activist Mohamad ElBaradei said the Nobel Peace Laureate was in touch with the military.

ElBaradei prefers to continue to act as the link between the military council and the protesters until the crisis is resolved, his office said.

Clashes between protesters and police and soldiers continued on streets leading to Tahrir.

The police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and the protesters responded with rocks and firebombs.

http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=23112011#

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Seif Gaddafi betrayed by his desert guide

Nov 23 2011

Seif al-Islam Gaddafi was betrayed to his captors by a Libyan nomad who says he was hired to help Muammar Gaddafi’s son escape to neighbouring Niger on the promise that he would be paid one million euros.

Seif was captured during the weekend. Yussef Saleh al-Hotmani said that he contacted revolutionary fighters in Libya’s south to inform them when Seif’s two-car convoy would be passing through the area on the night of November 18. “I made Seif believe that I trusted him,” he said Tuesday in Zintan, where Seif is being held.

On the night of Seif’s capture, Hotmani said he was travelling with the younger Gaddafi’s personal guard in the first car of their convoy. “I had agreed with the fighters (who captured Seif al-Islam) that the best place for the ambush would be in a part of desert that was surrounded by high ground,” he said.

Ten fighters from Zintan and five from Hotmani’s own tribe, al-Hotman, were waiting at the decided location. “Seif al-Islam jumped out of the car, tried to run, but was captured,” says Hotmani.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/seif-gaddafi-betrayed-by-his-desert-guide/879378/

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Gaddafi son a sex addict: Ex-wife

Nov 23, 2011

LONDON: Saif al-Islam was a womanizer who often indulged in domestic violence, according to a Ukrainian woman who claims to be a former wife of the captured son of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Nadia claims to have met Saif, now 39, when she was working as a stripper at a Moscow nightclub, and says that as she prepared for marriage to him, she had to fly to Paris to have an operation to "restore" her virginity. "The doctor proved my innocence in the presence of Saif 's aunt. Then I embraced Islam. I tried to have a normal family, but Saif wanted to live as single man with lovers and orgies," the Daily Mail quoted her as telling a Ukrainian newspaper.

"My husband tried to make me a submissive Eastern woman and I couldn't stand that attitude. Saif took drugs and he couldn't control himself when he was under narcotics.

"He had certain sexual perversions in sex, for example , he liked to do it in public. I understood that we couldn't live together."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Gaddafi-son-a-sex-addict-Ex-wife/articleshow/10837776.cms

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Egypt protest: Military accepts Cabinet's resignation

Nov 23, 2011,

CAIRO: Egypt's ruling military council has accepted the resignation of the entire cabinet tendered the day before, after violent clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square between police and protesters, a cabinet source said.

Meanwhile, The head of the ruling military council said on Tuesday, "The army would quit power immediately if the people voted for it in a referendum and a presidential election will be held by mid-2012."

In a speech announcing concessions to protesters who massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square to demand the army withdraw from power, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi said the council accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet.

"The armed forces, represented by their Supreme Council, do not aspire to govern and put the supreme interest of the country above all considerations," Tantawi said in the televised address.

He said the army was "completely ready to hand over responsibility immediately, and to return to its original mission to protect the nation if the nation wants that, via a popular referendum, if need be."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Egypt-protest-Military-accepts-Cabinets-resignation/articleshow/10834597.cms

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Jihadists launch hate-India campaign in Pak

By Afnan Khan

 November 23, 2011

 Anti-peace jihadists have launched a hate campaign against India across the provincial metropolis to sabotage the ongoing peace process between the two countries and convince the people that India deserved a holy war no matter what they do to help Pakistan or how far would they extend the hand of friendship towards us.

India has recently supported Pakistan’s bid for the United Nations Security Council’s non-permanent seat, which, according to the Pakistani ambassador to the UN, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, would not have been possible without the support of India.

India not only voted for Pakistan in election but also campaigned for it despite the fact that the closest allies in the war on terror campaigned against the country. In a recent interview with Daily Times, Haroon said, “We cannot have thought about winning this election without the Indian support and Pakistan owed to India for this nice favour.”

The recent diplomacy between the Pakistani and Indian envoys in the UN as well as multiple meetings between the heads and ministers of both the states have taken both countries very close to each other for the first time in the history, he said.

Both the governments even decided liberlise trade and visa policy after recent meetings, and the dream of free travelling across the borders seems materialising.

The rights activists believe that this kind of negative campaigning against India was not possible without the support of the extremist elements in Pakistani establishment because even wall chalking was a crime across the city and it was weird that an organisation was mentioning its name after writing inflammatory slogans. The slogans were written on different walls, mainly in Model Town and canal areas. The slogans urge citizens to launch a jihad against India. One of the slogan translated into English reads, “India deserved only one treatment; al-jihad, al-jihad.”

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg13_1

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Former minister Sherry Rehman named Pakistan's new envoy to US

Nov 23, 2011,

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday appointed lawmaker and former information minister Sherry Rehman as the country's new ambassador to the United States, an official said.

The appointment came just hours after Gilani asked envoy Husain Haqqani to resign as the government investigates claims that he sought US help, allegedly at the president's behest, to limit the power of the Pakistani military.

"The Prime Minister has appointed Sherry Rehman as Pakistan's ambassador to the US," his press secretary Akram Shaheedi said.

He said Rehman met Gilani in Islamabad on Wednesday morning, without giving any further details.

Rehman, a lawmaker for the main ruling Pakistan People's Party and a confidante of President Asif Ali Zardari, is considered one of the most liberal politicians in the country.

Last year, she sparked fury among the conservative religious right by lodging a private member's bill seeking to abolish the death penalty for blasphemy after a Christian mother was sentenced to death.

 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Former-minister-Sherry-Rehman-named-Pakistans-new-envoy-to-US/articleshow/10841402.cms

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Egyptian protesters struggle to throw off army rule

CAIRO: Egyptians frustrated by army rule battled police in Cairo streets again on Tuesday as the military struggled to cope with a challenge to its authority that has jolted plans for the country’s first free election in decades.

Thousands of people defied tear gas wafting across Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the hub of protests swelling since Friday into the biggest crisis yet for the generals who took over from Hosni Mubarak and who seem reluctant to relinquish their power. Some protesters hanged an effigy of Field Marshal Muhammad Hussein Tantawi, the 76-year-old army chief, from a lamppost.

Ahmed Shouman, an army major who gained fame as the first officer to join protests against Mubarak, returned to Tahrir to join the demonstrations. Ecstatic protesters carried him on their shoulders. Shouman was acquitted in a military court after his defection in February, but was suspended from service.

About 5,000 people also marched in the port city of Alexandria to join 2,000 already demonstrating against army rule outside a military command headquarters, witnesses said.

The army council headed by Tantawi, who served as Mubarak’s defence minister for two decades, held talks with politicians on the crisis, in which at least 36 people have been killed and more than 1,250 wounded since Saturday, medical officials say.

State television said Tantawi would address the nation later in the day. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s cabinet has resigned, but the army council has yet to say whether it will accept this.

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_5

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Death toll in new Syria violence hits 33: NGOAFP

November 23, 2011

28 civilians were killed on Tuesday by security force gunfire, in addition to the five defectors. - File Photo

NICOSIA: The death toll from a fresh surge of violence in Syrian flashpoints has risen to 33, rights activists said on Wednesday, adding that among the dead are six children and teenagers and five army defectors.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement received in Nicosia that 28 civilians were killed on Tuesday by security force gunfire, in addition to the five defectors.

The Britain-based rights group had previously given a toll of 17 dead on Tuesday, including five boys in the flashpoint central province of Homs and a 12-year-old in the east.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/death-toll-in-new-syria-violence-hits-33-ngo.html

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Bomb kills three Afghan civilians

November 23, 2011

JALALABAD: Three civilians were killed and three others, including a woman and child wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, police said. The bomb was planted under a bridge in Alingar district of Laghman province before it ripped through a civilian van, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang told AFP. “The van was hit by a roadside bomb on a bridge in Alingar, killing three men and wounding three other people, including a woman and a child,” he said. Roadside bombs are, frequently, planted by insurgents but there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. According to the United Nations, the number of civilians killed in violence in Afghanistan rose by 15 percent in the first six months of this year to 1,462. afp

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_10

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Militant hideouts pounded in Kurram; dozen killed

November 23, 2011

Four hideouts of militants were distroyed during the operation, said sources.—AP photo

PARACHINAR: Helicopter gunships attacked militant hideouts in Kurram, a northwestern tribal region on the Afghan border, killing around a dozen militants and wounding 14, local officials said.

Four hideouts were destroyed, they said. On Tuesday night, at least 11 militants were killed and six soldiers wounded in clashes the same region.

There was no independent confirmation of the death toll. Militants often dispute the government’s version of events.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/militant-hideouts-pounded-in-kurram-dozen-killed.html

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Activist of banned outfit among five killed in Karachi violence

November 23, 2011

KARACHI: Five people, including an activist of a banned outfit, were killed in separate acts of violence in different parts of the metropolis on Tuesday.

An activist of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was shot dead at his house in Wahid Colony within the limits of North Nazimabad police station. The incident took place at Block B, North Nazimabad, Wahid Colony. Qari Zafar, 36, son of Mohammad Ramzan, was sitting at his house when unidentified armed men entered it and opened fire on him, resultantly he received a bullet in his head and died on the spot. After committing the crime, culprits managed to flee from the scene. Police reached the scene after getting information and moved the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) for medico-legal formalities.

SHO Malik Ayub said Zafar used to teach at Ashraf-ul-Madaris situated in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and hailed from Rahim Yar Khan. He said initially police revealed that it was a target killing, while police had started interrogation into the case. The SHO said the victim belonged to Deo Band sect, so the sectarian killing might be motive behind the murder. ASWJ spokesman, formerly known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Maulana Taj Hanfi said the victim was unit incharge of party’s Wahid Colony area and it was the part of series of target killings of their activists and leaders. Police have registered a case against unidentified men and initiated probe.

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_26

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Policeman killed, eight injured in Mardan blast

November 23, 2011

MARDAN: A police constable was killed and eight people were injured in an explosion in front of a school on Tuesday morning. Unidentified terrorists had planted explosive materials at two different spots in front of the main entrance of the Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School Par Hoti. One of the devices was defused while the second planted in a garbage dump went off with big bang resulting in the death of one constable Allah Nawaz on the spot while eight others including police personnel sustained injuries. The seven injured were rushed to District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) while one critically injured was shifted to Peshawar. The explosion was so severe that its voice was heard in the whole city. The injured police constables have been identified as Bahadar, Atif and Jawad while four passersby included Salman, resident of Par Hoti Mardan, Fayyaz, resident of Kacha Sarak, Torab Ali, resident of Shahbaz Ghari, and Tahir, resident of Shah Dhund Baba and a watchman, Hazrat Hayat. District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Zeeshan Raza, SSP (Operations) Ehsanullah Khan, SSP (Investigation) Sirajul Hassan and DSP City Abdul Samad Khan along with a heavy contingent of police rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area and started a search operation. Syed Zeeshan Raza visited the District Headquarters Hospital and inquired after the health of the injured. Later, the funeral of martyred police constable Allah Nawaz was held in Police Lines, which, beside a large number of people, was attended by the Mardan DIG and other senior police officials. app

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_2

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Attack on police station near D.I. Khan; two killed

November 23, 2011

Two police officers were killed in the incident

PESHAWAR: Militants armed with rockets and grenades attacked a police station before dawn on Wednesday, killing two officers and wounding seven others, police said.

The assault came in Darbaan Kalan, 30 kilometres (20 miles) west of Dera Ismail Khan, a flashpoint for sectarian violence in the northwest as Taliban commanders claim to have begun initial peace talks with Pakistani authorities.

“They killed two policemen and injured seven others,” district police officer Sohail Khaliq told AFP.

“There were around 10-12 militants, who came in vehicles and used grenades, rockets and firing during the attack. They fled in the same vehicles when police resisted,” Khaliq added.

Niaz Ahmed, duty officer at the targeted station, confirmed the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and no militants were killed.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/attack-on-police-station-near-d-i-khan-two-killed.html

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Zardari for further enhancing Pak-UK strategic ties

November 23, 2011

President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday urged the need for further enhancing strategic and co-operative ties between Pakistan and UK on shared interests and mutual respect.

He said that Britain and Pakistan needed to work closely to further enhance their partnership in diverse areas with a view to eliminate terrorism and promote peace and security of the region and the world.

The president expressed these views during the meeting with UK National Security Adviser Sir Peter Ricketts, who called on him at the Presidency on Tuesday night.

The UK National Security Adviser was accompanied with UK Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Mark Sedwill and High Commissioner in Pakistan Adam Thomson.

From the Pakistani side, those who attended the meeting, included Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar.

Briefing the media persons about the meeting, Farhatullah Babar said that matters relating to Pak-UK bilateral relations with focus on enhanced strategic dialogue, regional security situation, emerging situation in Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism were discussed during the meeting.

The president said that Pakistan believed that the National Security Dialogue with UK, comprising political, military and intelligence tracks, would lead to creating a better understanding in bringing about clarity on issues of global, regional peace and security.

Discussing Afghan situation, the president said that Pakistan, due to its geo-strategic location was a major stakeholder and regional player in promoting regional stability and peace.

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C11%5C23%5Cstory_23-11-2011_pg7_18

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Need for independent local media in Tribal Areas stressed

November 23, 2011

PESHAWAR: Key stakeholders for tribal areas’ progress, including political parties, lawyers, media and civil society representatives, emphasized Tuesday the need for independent local media in FATA.

In a roundtable conference titled, “Can political reforms happen in FATA without media reforms?” participants endorsed extension of fundamental rights, including freedom of expression as enshrined under the Article 19 and 19A of the constitution, to FATA.

“We the stakeholders in FATA’s progress emphasize equal rights for the region’s people, as enshrined in the Constitution, as well as their enforcement through facilitative mechanisms, including and especially freedom of expression and right to information as promised in Articles 19 and 19A, as political reforms cannot be brought to fruition without media reforms in FATA”, read the formal declaration endorsed by participants at the end of the meeting.

The roundtable on mainstreaming FATA into Pakistani media legal framework, also attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information Mian Iftikar Hussain who presented a comparative analysis on the state of media freedoms and information access in mainstream Pakistan and the tribal areas.

Aside from exploring legal perspectives on why citizens in FATA “fare poorly” in terms of indicators of freedom of expression and access to information, the roundtable explored how could media reforms be part of political reforms in FATA to strengthen the voice of the residents of the region and to guarantee their rights.

“Recent steps have been taken to introduce political reforms to bring the region into mainstream Pakistan and extend the same rights to the region’s citizens as granted to and exercised by the rest of the country. However, media reforms are not part of these important political reforms, which is a significant mistake in terms of the rights of FATA residents,” said a press release of Intermedia Pakistan, a national media development organization that conducted the roundtable dialogue.

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_19

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Civil society demands free quality education for all

November 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Large number of civil society activists including children on Tuesday staged a protest demonstration in front of National Press Club demanding of the government to ensure free quality education for all, irrespective of gender, religion and class differences.

The participants in aegis of Pakistan Coalition of Education (PCE), a non-governmental organization (NGO) staged a protest demonstration carrying placards and umbrellas inscribed with ‘education is my right’, ‘education guarantees for better future’, and ‘let us forward’.

The participants were also chanting slogans right of education for all. To express their commitment with their cause, they also lit candles on the occasion. The umbrella organization has been active since 2005 for the improvement of quality of education in the country with the support of Commonwealth Education Fund-Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, PAE Coordinator Zahra Arshad called on government and all stakeholders in the education sector to pay attention on issues concerning children education in the country.

“Under Article 25 – A, the 18th amendment to the constitution, education is a fundamental right for children 5-16 years. However, government is doing nothing despite a lapse of one year in this regard, Arshad lamented, adding government should make necessary legislation besides taking all stakeholders on board for ensuring free education for children.

She also emphasized to enhance mother’s literacy rate as a literate mother helps in educating the whole family.

Representatives of other provinces also addressed the gatherings in their local languages urging the government to pay heed on education that could promote peace, tolerance, democracy and justice among the masses.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_20

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Sindh seeks Canadian help in training of policemen

November 23, 2011

KARACHI: Government of Sindh is keen to seek assistance of Canada in training of its police force and impart them education on modern security gadgets their utility.

“Pakistan has made similar request for cooperation on training of police with the United States and the United Kingdom,” said Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wasan while talking to Canadian High Commissioner Ross Hynes who called on him at his residence on Tuesday.

The home minister briefed the high commissioner about the overall law and order situation in the province and particular mentioned that the local police lack training on modern which was a matter of concern for the government. The Canadian high commissioner appreciated the role of Sindh Home Department for improved law and order situation in the province and particularly in Karachi, which he said, was also economic hub of the country.

He also assured the minister that his government would extend all cooperation to Pakistan in all fields and particularly in upgradation of the performance of police force. Honorary Consul General of Canada in Karachi Behram D Avari was also present. app

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_23

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Suicide jacket defused near secret agency’s office in Pak

November 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Police on Tuesday recovered and defused the suicide jacket found near office of a secret agency close to `Shakarparian’, adjacent to Kashmir Highway and also issued the sketch of the suspected person whose movement was observed in the area.

According to police official, at noon, security personnel saw a suspected person in front of the office main entrance located in Shakarparian area who later fled into woods abandoning the jacket.

Teams of security agencies including police arrived the scene on report regarding the presence of a suicide vest in Shakarparian and cordoned off the entire area.

Bomb disposal squad was soon called in by the police on the spot, which soon defused the device along with other explosive material found from the site.

According to police spokesman, special directions were made by SSP Islamabad Muhammad Yousuf Malik to all SPs and SDPOs for enhanced patrolling, search operation and vigilance in their respective areas to ensure foolproof security before the advent of Muharram ul Haram.

Search of that person is underway who is being told as a young man with fair complexion, curly hair and of minor height. Islamabad police have appealed the citizen to contact at 051-920333 0r 051-9204830 in case of observing any suspected element in connection with this case as the name of informer will be kept secret. IGP Islamabad Bani Amin Khan has appreciated this performance of City Zone police and said Islamabad Police is committed to ensure protection to the lives and property of citizens. He said several attempts of mischievous elements have been foiled by Islamabad police in past and efforts would remain continue to ensure more safety to citizens.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg11_2

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Bomb defused in Landikotal bazaar, NATO tankers attacked

November 23, 2011

LANDIKOTAL: A bomb was defused in Landikotal bazaar on Tuesday, while unidentified terrorists fired on two NATO oil tankers in Khyber near Charwazgai, which broke the wind glasses of the oil tankers. However, no human loss or damage to the NATO oil tankers was reported, Khasadar Force sources said. They said that the drivers of the oil tankers escaped after the firing from the roadside. Later on, some other drivers were called to drive the oil tankers to a safe place, the sources said. The bomb had been placed near a medicine shop in the main bazaar of Landikotal, which was disposed off by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), the administration sources said. sudhir ahmad afridi

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_8

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Blast damages several shops in Quetta

November 23, 2011

QUETTA: Several shops were partially damaged in an explosion near Tariq Hospital area of Sariab Road in Quetta on Tuesday. According to the police, unidentified people planted explosive material on the outer wall of a grocery shop near a private hospital in Sariab Mill which, on explosion, damaged windowpanes of four shops. No casualty was reported in the blast. According to the Bomb Disposal Squad, about two kilogrammes of explosive was used in the blast. The Sariab police are investigating the incident. staff report

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_6

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US could’ve averted Mumbai attacks?

Nov 23, 2011,

WASHINGTON: The 26/11 Mumbai attacks could have been averted if the then Bush administration had taken seriously the warning and threat perception of Lashkar-e-Taiba's global operations by renowned French judge, a media report said.

Jean-Louis Bruguiere met officials of the Bush administration in 2007 to inform them about the LeT's threat and Pakistan's double game, but US officials were not convinced by his argument , reported PBS's Frontline and ProPublica in a report released on Monday.

Bruguiere argument was based on his investigation of French LeT terrorist Willie Brigitte, who after being caught had confessed to involvement in a foiled bomb plot in Australia.

During his investigation, the judge found that Brigitte's handler LeT handler was Sajid Mir, one of the key architect of the Mumbai terrorist attack. "When Bruguiere questioned Brigitte, the links between Lashkar-e-Taiba, Sajid Mir and Pakistan's intelligence service ISI began to unravel," the report said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-couldve-averted-Mumbai-attacks/articleshow/10837672.cms

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‘2 fidayeen have left for Ahmadabad... they and Javed aim to kill Modi’

Wed Nov 23 2011

The original FIR filed by the Detection of Crime Branch, Ahmadabad, after its men shot dead Ishrat Jahan and three others on June 15, 2004, projects its officers as heroes who had trailed the four and waylaid their car, faced gunfire from one of them and shot back in “self-defence” to kill all four “terrorists”.

The FIR, which is against all four, names Zeeshan Johar alias Janbaaz alias Abdulgani of Pakistan; Amjadali Akbarali Rana alias Salim alias Chandu alias Rajkumar, also of Pakistan; and Javed (Sheikh) of Pune. Ishrat is described as a “woman terrorist whose name and address were not known” (an identity card later helped establish that she was Ishrat Jahan of Khalsa College, Mumbai).

The supposed encounter, which a three-member Special Investigation Team appointed by the Gujarat High Court has unanimously concluded as fake, and the events leading to it are described from the first “tip-off” to the killing. The complainant in the FIR (I-CR No 08/2004) was J G Parmar, then a DCB police inspector and now possibly set to become an accused.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/2-fidayeen-have-left-for-ahmedabad...-they-and-javed-aim-to-kill-modi/879235/

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'Kayani refused to confiscate 26/11 accused Lakhvi's phone in jail'

Nov 23, 2011,

Lakhvi, an accused in the Mumbai attacks case, continues to direct the LeT operations from a jail in Rawalpindi.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani refused an American request to confiscate the cell phone of jailed LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi being used to direct the group's operation from the Rawalpindi jail, reflecting connection between the country's powerful military and the terrorist outfit.

"Kayani rejected a US request that authorities take away the cell phone Lakhvi was using in jail, according to the memo to secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the National Security Council," said the investigative news report which was telecast by PBS's Frontline and posted on the website of ProPublica on Tuesday.

As a result of this Lakhvi continues to direct the LeT operations unhindered from the safe confines of a jail in Rawalpindi.

According to the PBS/ProPublica joint investigation, during a meeting overseas last summer, a senior US official and Kayani, the chief of Pakistan's armed forces, discussed a threat that has strained the troubled US-Pakistani relationship since the 2008 Mumbai attacks blamed on the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group.

The senior US official expressed concern that Lakhvi, a terrorist chief arrested for the brutal attacks in India, was still directing Lashkar operations while in custody, according to a US government memo viewed by ProPublica.

Kayani responded that Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), had told prison authorities to better control Lakhvi's access to the outside world, the memo said.

Full Report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Kayani-refused-to-confiscate-26/11-accused-Lakhvis-phone-in-jail/articleshow/10841269.cms

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US, allies slap more stringent sanctions on Iran, EU to follow

22 NOVEMBER 2011

The United States, Britain and Canada have slapped more stringent sanctions against Iran, with the European Union slated to approve similar measures on Thursday to confront Tehran over its nuclear push.

In a coordinated response following the recent warning from the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the Obama administration announced new actions to “significantly increase pressure on Iran to comply with the full range of its international obligations”

Washington’s new measures include expanding sanctions to target the supply of goods, services, technology or support to Iran connected with the petroleum and petrochemical industries.

“Iran has chosen the path of international isolation. As long as Iran continues down this dangerous path, the United States will continue to find ways, both in concert with our partners and through our own actions to isolate and increase the pressure upon the Iranian regime,” President Obama said after signing an executive order imposing the new round of sanctions.

Significantly, the US Treasury Department has for the first time named the Central Bank of Iran and the entire Iranian banking industry as “a primary money laundering concern” under Section 311 of the USA Patriot Act.

“The message is clear: If Iran’s intransigence continues, it will face increasing pressure and isolation,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in remarks, jointly with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

As Geithner put it, “If you are a financial institutions anywhere in the world and you engage in any transaction involving Iran’s central bank or any other Iranian bank operating inside or outside Iran, then you are at risk of supporting Iran’s illicit activities: its support - its pursuit of nuclear weapons, its support for terrorism, and its efforts to deceive responsible financial institutions and to evade sanctions.”

Under the new steps, 11 individuals and entities have also been designated under Executive Order 13382 for their role in Iran’s WMD programme.

Speaking of new evidence that Iran’s leaders continue to defy their international obligations and violate international norms, including the recent plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in Washington, Clinton said: “There have to be consequences for such behaviour.”

Full Report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/22361-us-allies-slap-more-stringent-sanctions-on-iran-eu-to-follow.html

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Not holding negotiations with Taliban: Pak Army

TUESDAY, 22 NOVEMBER 2011

The Pakistan Army on Tuesday said it was not engaged in any secret negotiations with the Taliban or other militants groups and such parleys would have to be handled by the civilian government.

The statement by a spokesman for the Inter-Services Public Relations came a day after Western news agencies quoted unnamed Taliban commanders as saying that they were holding exploratory peace talks with authorities.

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'Iran won’t give up nuclear ambitions'

(AFP)

23 November 2011,

TEHERAN  - Iran will not back down from its nuclear ambitions despite new Western sanctions announced this week, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech broadcast on state television.

“The Iranian nation will not back down an iota, and will not allow the slightest move to encroach on the nation’s rights,” he told a crowd in the town of Pakdasht, east of Tehran.

Referring to the United States, Britain and Canada, which Monday unveiled the sanctions against Iran’s financial sector, he said: “I advise them to cease these tantrums, and stop thinking that baring their claws and fangs will stop the Iranian nation.”

Ahmadinejad reiterated that, contrary to Western claims Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons, “we do not need an atomic bomb.”

“They ask us to prove that we do not have an atomic bomb... How can we prove something that does not exist? It is as if someone asks another person to prove that he is healthy... Sickness is proveable,” he said.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle11.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/November/middleeast_November584.xml&section=middleeast

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Egypt's latest uprising has a more violent feel

Nov 23 2011,

Not everyone was pleased when people in Tahrir Square revived chants of ''Peaceful! Peaceful!'' that were heard nine months ago during the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

A group of young men, their eyes and noses red from tear gas fired at rock-throwing protesters nearby, shook their heads.

''Enough 'peaceful' already!'' one said Tuesday.

The latest demonstrations against the military leaders who replaced Mubarak are more explosive and violent than those in January and February -- something that pro-democracy activists had warned might happen as the ruling generals stumbled in carrying out sweeping reforms.

Protesters hurl rocks and firebombs. Security forces fire tear gas, rubber bullets and bird shot. The number of wounded piles up at an average of 80 per hour. Angry cries of ''thuggery'' and ''dirty government'' echo among the buildings. The death toll has risen steadily.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/egypts-latest-uprising-has-a-more-violent-feel/879551/

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Vehicle damaged in landmine blast in Dera Bugti

November 23, 2011

QUETTA: Personnel of a private oil and gas company, BGP, escaped unhurt in a landmine explosion in Pat Feeder area of Dera Bugti on Tuesday, however, their vehicle was partially damaged. According to the senior official, the BGP vehicle was on its way to Dera Bugti when it hit the landmine, which exploded with a big bang. It was planted by unidentified people in the most sensitive area of Pat Feeder. All the passengers of the vehicle remained. The law enforcement agencies and police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area before launching a manhunt for the culprits. staff report

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_7

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LEAs arrest nine suspects, recover arms in Karachi

November 23, 2011

KARACHI: The law enforcement agencies (LEA) have arrested nine suspects and recovered weapons from their possession on Tuesday.

LEAs apprehended four suspects over target killing of PIA CBA Unity president Amir Shah. The suspects were taken into custody during separate raids and were shifted to undisclosed location for further questioning. The suspects include Sajjad, Ahmed Ali, Bilal Gotia and Shareef.

According to sources, the suspects were said to be the paid killers and the investigators were trying to ascertain the motive behind the incident.

Police had foiled a terror activity plan for coming Muharram as they arrested a terrorist from North Nazimabad within the jurisdiction of Paposhnagar police post on Tuesday. According to police, the arrest was made near Ashraf Community Centre after an encounter. Police also claimed to have recovered a TT pistol and a commando jacket from his possession. They alleged that terrorist was identified as Haseeb Ullah alias Asif Ullah. He hailed from Afghanistan and had planned a terror activity during Muharram days.

SHO Asim Siddiqui said terrorist had linked with Taliban. Police have registered an FIR (553/11) against Haseeb Ullah and started further investigation.

Korangi police claimed to have arrested a bank robber after an encounter at the link road area within the jurisdiction of Korangi police station. Police officials said they had arrested Adnan alias Arsalan from the link road area, Sector 33-E, Korangi after an encounter and recovered a TT pistol from his possession. They said arrested accused was involved in a bank robbery in Gulshan-e-Jamal, Sharah Faisal area in 2011. Police have registered an FIR (360/11) against him. Further investigation was in progress.

Khawaja Ajmair Nagri police claimed to have arrested three criminals after an encounter in Sector 5 A4, North Karachi. DSP Altaf Hussain said police arrested Nasir, Rehmat Ullah and Jamal and recovered two TT pistols and a motorcycle snatched from Nazimabad area. Police have registered an FIR (496/11) against them and started further investigation.

Home

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_11

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ECP urged to ensure women’s access to by-polls in Kohistan

November 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take pro-active measures against any informal agreements among candidates and other local stakeholders to prevent women from voting in the by-election for PK-61, Kohistan-1, in violation of the Constitution, election laws, and international legal obligations.

The ECP has responsibility to keep all female polling stations and booths open as mentioned in the polling scheme. Media reports suggest that for the by-election in PK-61 on November 24, as in some locations in earlier elections, candidates are conspiring to prevent women from voting.

Election Commission of Pakistan has an opportunity now, as reforms and preparations are underway for the next general elections, to demonstrate its commitment to addressing these illegal practices and to enforce the fundamental rights of citizens.

Based on experiences during the 2008 elections and international law and best practice standards protecting equal voting rights, FAFEN, a network of 42 civil society organizations working to foster democratic accountabilities in Pakistan has repeatedly recommended that the ECP should ban announcement of results for constituencies where women are prevented from voting in any polling station. Either the vote counts from those polling stations should be excluded from the compilation of the official result or re-polling should take place in those stations.

Pakistan ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 2010 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1996.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_13

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Agreement on power transfer in Yemen reached: UN envoy

November 23, 2011

* Yemen troops, tribesmen kill 14 al Qaeda suspects

* Gunmen kidnap two foreigners, security officials

SANAA/ ADEN: A UN envoy, on Tuesday, said a deal on power transfer in Yemen had been reached and details on signing the accord were being worked out, but three previous deals looked wrapped up before President Ali Abdullah Saleh backed out at the last minute.

A Yemeni official said a notable obstacle to signing the pact was coming from senior politicians in Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) strongly opposed to signing the accord.

“We have an agreement. We’re working out the signing,” United Nations envoy Jamal Benomar, who has been shuttling between the two sides, told reporters in Sanaa.

A Western diplomat confirmed an agreement on power handover has been reached but said Benomar was still discussing details related to its signing. He was expected to meet Saleh later on Tuesday to hammer out.

Under a plan crafted by Yemen’s six Gulf Arab neighbours, Saleh would transfer his powers to his deputy, AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi, ahead of an early election.

However, Saleh has repeatedly failed to sign the deal, which aims to end months of protests that have paralysed the country and engendered chaos that has bolstered al Qaeda militants next door to Saudi Arabia, the world’s number 1 oil exporter.

The Yemeni official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Saleh was trying to reassure officials in his party to get them to drop opposition to the accord and to “convince them that the GCC plan is the best way forward”.

Under the accord, Saleh would keep the title of president after handing all of his powers to Hadi, who will form a new national unity government with the opposition and call an early presidential election within three months.

More than 10-month of protests aimed at ending Saleh’s 33-year rule have rekindled conflicts with militants and separatists during the political deadlock, threatening anarchy.

Those fears are shared by Saleh’s erstwhile US backers, who made him a cornerstone of their campaign against al Qaeda, and have brokered negotiations on implementing the Gulf plan.

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_28

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Saudi activists sentenced to long prison terms

November 23, 2011

DUBAI: A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced 17 men to prison sentences of up to 30 years on Tuesday for sedition and other offences, a lawyer for some of the defendants said. “Myself, their families and judges whom we know on the bench are all shocked,” defence lawyer Bassim Alim told reporters. He added that the judge had promised a written verdict in two to three weeks, at which time a 30-day window for lodging appeals would be open to the accused – who have been described by Amnesty International as proponents of peaceful reform. Justice Ministry spokesmen were not available for comment. Most of the group of activists, academics and lawyers were detained in 2007 after they met in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah to discuss potential political change in Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy. Amnesty International described the men in its 2011 annual report as “advocates of peaceful political reform”. They were charged, among other crimes, with attempting to seize power, incitement against the king, financing terrorism, electronic crimes, money laundering and trying to set up a political party, Alim said before the sentencing. Suleiman al-Rashudi, a retired judge, was sentenced to 15 years, Saud Mukhtar was sentenced to 30 years, Musa al Qurni to 20 years, Walid al Amri to 25 years, Abdulrahman Sadiq to 20 years and Abdul-Aziz al Khariji to 22 years, Alim said. Reuters

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_29

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Syrian SNC says discussing post-Assad with Arab League

November 23, 2011

NICOSIA/AMMAN: The opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) said on Tuesday it is organising a conference with the Arab League to prepare for a “transitional period” after the fall of President Bashar al Assad’s regime.

Assad is under mounting pressure from Syria’s neighbours to step down over his regime’s eight-month crackdown on protests that the United Nations says has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March. “The SNC in cooperation with the Arab League, will organise a national conference to prepare for the transitional period in Syria,” it said in a statement received by reporters in Nicosia.

The SNC, the largest and most representative Syrian opposition grouping, said it was in talks with activists and dissidents to prepare for the transition “in accordance with the Arab League initiative”. “It was determined that the conference will issue a memorandum concerning the post-Syrian regime phase,” it said, adding this would ensure “inclusivity and the participation of all political forces in Syria.”

On Monday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged the Syrian opposition to unify to become stronger as he held his first meetings with their representatives in London.

France’s foreign minister, Alain Juppe, issued a similar call last week, saying “the SNC must get organised” before it can win recognition from the French government. The SNC has so far only been officially recognised by the new post-Gaddafi Libyan authorities.

Jordan’s foreign minister has said dozens of Syrian army defectors have “illegally” entered the neighbouring kingdom, but his assertions were denied by the government spokesman in comments published on Tuesday.

“Some Syrians, including former members of the armed forces, have entered Jordan illegally ... not through border posts,” Nasser Judeh said in an interview with the state-run Jordan Television on Monday night.

“They sought refuge in Jordan, but they are only dozens. There are no camps designed to host Syrian refugees.”

Full Report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\23\story_23-11-2011_pg7_33

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Rehman Malik arrives in Oman on day long visit

APP

November 23, 2011

Interior Minister Rehman Malik — Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik on Wednesday said Pakistan attached great importance to its ties with Oman and efforts would be made to further enhance and broaden bilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest.

The Minister said this upon his arrival at Muscat Airport where Deputy Minister for Interior of Oman, Syed Muhammad Bin Sultan and other senior officials received the distinguished guest.

uring his day-long visit, Rehman Malik would hold talks with his Omanese counterpart to discuss issues relating to mutual interest and of Pakistani prisoners in Oman.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/rehman-arrives-in-oman-on-day-long-visit.html

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Romney on Afghanistan: US cannot ‘cut and run’AFP

November 23, 2011

WASHINGTON: Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney on Tuesday said the US military should not “cut and run” in Afghanistan, as such a move could jeopardize the massive US investment in the region.

Romney, battling to stay ahead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the face of a surging Newt Gingrich, said a sizeable US force needed to remain for intelligence gathering and special forces operations.

“We can’t just say good-bye to all of what’s going on in that part of the world. Instead we want to draw them towards modernity,” Romney said at a Republican debate on national security.

Full Report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/romney-on-afghanistan-us-cannot-cut-and-run.html

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IMF sees “challenging” outlook for Pakistan Reuters

November 23, 2011

WASHINGTON: The outlook for Pakistan’s economy for the current year ending June 2012 is “challenging,” with global investors more risk averse, the IMF said on Tuesday, adding that ongoing security concerns are likely to limit capital inflows.

The country’s authorities have expressed commitment to implement reforms in an attempt to enhance growth and create jobs, the International Monetary Fund said in a statement after discussions with Pakistani officials.

The meeting was part of an annual economic discussion between the International Monetary Fund and Pakistan, whose $11 billion IMF loan programme ended in September after the country failed to meet fiscal and other targets.

Pakistan’s current account deficit stood at a provisional $220 million in October, compared with a deficit of $1.034 billion in the previous month, the central bank said.

For the July-October period, the deficit stood at a provisional $1.555 billion, compared with $541 million in the same period last year, according to data from the State Bank of Pakistan.

“Pakistani authorities and the mission agreed that containing the budget deficit in 2011/12, a cautious monetary policy, and a responsive exchange rate would reduce vulnerabilities, contain inflation and protect Pakistan’s international reserves,” the IMF statement said.

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $17.03 billion for the week ending November 11, down from a record $18.31 billion in the week ending July 30.

The IMF said discussions focused on reform measures to remove barriers affecting the energy sector and ways to improve expenditure in areas of health, education and infrastructure.

In addition it urged the country to continue steps to broaden access to finance and to reinforce financial sector stability.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/imf-sees-%E2%80%9Cchallenging%E2%80%9D-outlook-for-pakistan.html

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US Republicans bash Pakistan in debate Agencies

November 23, 2011

Republican presidential candidates (L-R) former US Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), US Representative Ron Paul (R-TX), Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, businessman Herman Cain, former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), US Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN), and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman wave after their introductions during the CNN GOP National Security debate in Washington, November 22, 2011. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: The Republican presidential hopefuls criticised US policy toward Pakistan and called for placing sanctions on Iran’s central bank in a lively and substantive foreign policy debate on Tuesday.

Newt Gingrich, a former House of Representatives speaker, gave a composed performance in the first debate since he surged to the top of polls.

He backed an overhaul in immigration policy that would include a guest-worker program similar to plans condemned by conservatives in the past.

The debate, the second on foreign policy in the last 10 days, featured sharp exchanges on a broad range of issues, including anti-terrorism laws, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Republicans ganged up on Pakistan and questioned whether the United States could trust it.

Full Report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/23/us-republicans-bash-pakistan-in-debate.html

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Prof. R.G. Harshe says new media contributed much in Arab uprising

November 22, 2011

Aligarh : Former Vice Chancellor of the Allahabad University, Prof. R.G. Harshe pointed out that the region of middle east has strategic importance because it has oil and gas reservoirs and has gave birth to three major religions of the world, Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

He said that a question is raised that Islam is democratic or not? Prof. Harshi said that it is an absurd question because Islam was always democratic. He was addressing national seminar on "The Arab Spring and Peace in West Asia" organized by the Centre of West Asian Studies, Aligarh Muslim University. Prof. Harshi said that rising unemployment, modern communication system like internet and facebook and ever increasing education have contributed much in Arab uprising. He said that we have to see the effects of Arab uprising as heavy interest of America are involved.

Presiding over the seminar, AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis said that after first and second world war, the western powers had divided the Arab world considering their own interests. Whatever is happening today, is the outcome of that fictitious re-mapping of Arab world. Prof. Azis said that this seminar should deliberate on the creation of Israel on the Arab world. He pointed out that first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had established functional relations between India and Arab world. Prof. Azis said that India has strong historical relations with Arab nations and hoped that recent developments will be productive to Arab nations.

Dr. Gulshan Dietel of Jawaharlal Nehru University said that the recent uprising is negative or positive will be known after some time but it's a fact that America practices selective democracy. It supports or oppose democratic movements according to its own interests.

Earlier, Chairman of the Department Prof. Shamir Hasan welcomed the delegates and guests. Coordinator of the seminar Prof. Mohd. Gulrez elaborated on the topic. The seminar was conducted by Prof. Nazim Ali and the vote of thanks by Prof. Shamir Hasan.

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Mehanna’s father grew worried, witness says

By Milton J. Valencia

 NOVEMBER 23, 2011

ELISE AMENDOLA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tarek Mehanna (above) told his associates that his father, Ahmed Mehanna (left, with attorney J.W. Carney Jr.), lashed out at him over his trip in Yemen and called the trip suspicious, a witness testified yesterday in US District Court.

Tarek Mehanna had told a friend in 2006 that his father prohibited him from giving any more sermons at Friday prayers after he delivered a controversial speech at a Sharon mosque, according to testimony yesterday in Mehanna’s terrorism trial in US District Court in Boston.

His father also told Mehanna to refrain from visiting questionable Islamic websites and to pack up certain books because, “apparently, they fuel my ideas,’’ Mehanna told the friend, Daniel Spaulding.

This came after a board member at the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon told Mehanna’s father, Ahmed, that, “If we didn’t know he was your son, we would say he was a member of Al Qaeda,’’ according to the testimony of Spaulding.

The sermon was based on Mehanna’s vehement opposition to a report by the RAND Corp., a US think tank, that suggested promoting the beliefs of moderate Muslims. Mehanna had said, according to witnesses, that Muslims should not be classified and should remain committed to their faith.

Prosecutors hoped the testimony would show that Mehanna had grown so radical in his views of Islam that others recognized it, and yet he still tried to impress his beliefs on others.

Full Report at:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2011/11/23/witness-terror-suspect-tarek-mehanna-father-worried-about-his-extreme-views/kfxeRzlt54XItoQogXyxfK/story.html

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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/turkey-islamic-women’s-magazine-sparks/d/5975