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Islamic World News ( 23 Jul 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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Witnesses describe scene of terror at Norway camp which killed 92

Man arrested in vicinity of Norway PM with knife: Report

Norway attacks: Queen expresses UK's sympathy

Norway Camp Shooting Is a Mom's Summertime Nightmare

Haqiqi tries to stage comeback; Karachi party feud claims 13 lives

For Fai and Pakistan, Kashmir was a cash cow

Islamic, Western worlds 'still at odds'

Islam not supporting terrorism: Indonesian Ambassador

Australian Muslim women choose to live by own code

Muslims told to shut up or get out! By Australian PM

Hurriyat strike to protest Fai's arrest disrupts normal life in Kashmir

'Fai's ISI links were well known'

Peshawar mosque Ulema refuse to accept Ruet-i-Hilal committee

Osama vs. Obama ‘terror chess’ game big hit among troops in Afghanistan

Asiya Nasir a Christian woman MNA affiliated with Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam JUI

Belgian ban on public burqa-wearing takes effect

The omnipotence of Al Qaeda and meaninglessness of "Terrorism"

I’m a victim too, claims Ahmad’s Killer stepmom in Saudi Arabia

Remove bras to enter Israeli PM's office, guards tell scribes

NATO operation kills 50 militants in Afghanistan

Thousands of Protesters Attacked, 1 Woman Martyred, Many Injured in Bahrain

Pakistani Shia Dr Abid Hussain Martyred by Wahhabi terrorists in Karachi

Three militants killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir

At least 20 militants killed in central Kurram

Six Revolutionary Guards killed in Iran

Militants’ attack on Hamza Baba shrine foiled

Troops patrol Malawi towns after 18 killed in protests

Conscientious Objector Discharge; AWOL after Child Porn Charges

Jordanian Mosque One of Many Named in Honor of Jesus Christ

Libya rebel casualties mount in battle for Zliten

Iran denies shooting down US spy plane

Imran Khan fears revolt in Pak Army

Egypt's Christians Work to Stop Islamic Takeover

Basque ETA leader jailed for 377 years

Headley received 4 'jihadi' videos

Another Abbottabad-like operation will be totally unacceptable: Gilani

Barack Obama urges anti-terror cooperation after Norway attack

Syrian security forces kill four civilians

'Double agent' Manzar may now be in Bangladesh

'Cowardly' Norway attacks trigger widespread condemnation

CIA trains covert Afghan units to fight Taliban

Tiny 2,000-year-old golden bell found in Jerusalem: Israel’s Antiquities Authority

Israeli PM turns to Arab TV in call for peace

Congress' Hussain Dalwai wins Rajya Sabha by-poll

Forbesganj issue: Muslim groups move to Governor as Nitish trashes their request

 ‘Top Lashkar leader asked Headley about Mumbai rush hours’

S. Sudan rebel leader Gatluak Gai shot dead: army

UN points to possible Syrian crimes against humanity

New Jersey Gets Its First Indian American Judge

Man sentenced to death for raping daughter in Pakistan

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/witnesses-describe-scene-terror-norway/d/5089

 

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Witnesses describe scene of terror at Norway camp which killed 92

By BJOERN H. AMLAND

Jul 23, 2011

SUNDVOLLEN, Norway (AP) — The man in the police uniform shouted for the campers to come closer. When they did, he killed them.

The gunman who killed at least 80 people at an island youth camp northwest of Oslo used his disguise to lure in his victims, then shot them twice to make sure they were dead, survivors said in the village of Sundvollen, where they were taken after the massacre.

"I saw many dead people," said 15-year old Elise, whose father, Vidar Myhre, didn't want her to disclose her last name. She just feet away from the gunman when he opened fire in the camp on Utoya island.

Elise said she had just come out from an information meeting in a nearby building when she heard gunshots. She saw a police officer and thought she was safe, but then he started shooting.

"He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water," she said.

Elise said she hid behind the same rock that the killer was standing on. "I could hear his breathing from the top of the rock," she said.

In panic, the girl phoned her parents, whispering to them what was going on.

"They told me not to panic and that everything would be OK." Her parents also told her to get rid of a brightly colored jacket she was wearing to not draw attention to herself.

She said it was impossible to say how many minutes passed while she was waiting for him to stop.

Survivors described a scene of sheer terror at the camp, which is organized by the youth wing of Norway's ruling Labor party. Hundreds of young people were eagerly awaiting a speech the prime minister was to give there Saturday.

Police said the man arrested in the shooting is Norwegian and had set off a bomb that killed seven people outside the prime minister's headquarters in Oslo, about 20 miles (35 kilometers) from the camp.

Several of the survivors seemed calm as anxious parents picked them up at a Sundvollen hotel, but the stories they told were of utter terror.

Dana Berzingi said the fake police officer ordered people to come closer, then pulled weapons and ammunition from a bag and started shooting.

Several victims "had pretended as if they were dead to survive," the 21-year-old said. But after shooting the victims with one gun, the gunman shot them again in the head with a shotgun, he said.

"I lost several friends," said Berzingi, whose pants were stained with blood. He said he used the cell phone of one of his fallen friends to call police.

Emilie Bersaas, identified by Sky News television as one of the youths on the island, said she ran inside a school building and hid under a bed when the shooting started.

"At one point the shooting was very, very close (to) the building, I think actually it actually hit the building one time, and the people in the next room screamed very loud," she said.

"I laid under the bed for two hours and then the police smashed a window and came in," Bersaas said. "It seems kind of unreal, especially in Norway. This is not something that could happen here."

Another camper, Niclas Tokerud, stayed in touch with his sister through the attack through text messages.

"He sent me a text saying 'there's been gunshots. I am scared (expletive). But I am hiding and safe. I love you,'" said Nadia Tokerud, a 25-year-old graphic designer in Hokksund, Norway.

As he boarded a boat from the island after the danger had passed he sent one more text: "I'm safe."

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press.

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Man arrested in vicinity of Norway PM with knife: Report

Jul 23 2011

Oslo : Norwegian police arrested a young man carrying a knife today at a hotel where Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg was visiting survivors of a shooting rampage that left 84 dead, broadcaster NRK said.

The suspect said he was a member of the Labour party's youth wing and that he had a knife in his pocket "because he did not feel safe," an NRK reporter said.

The shooting's victims were all killed by a gunman while attending a summer camp run by the Labour party's youth wing on an island near Oslo.

Stoltenberg was inside a building when the young man was arrested outside the hotel.

The young man was taken to a police car which left the scene.

According to another NRK reporter, the young man, wearing shorts, did not appear threatening and "was smiling when he was put in the police car."

Police could not be reached for an immediate comment on the incident.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/821286/

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Norway attacks: Queen expresses UK's sympathy

Jul 23, 2011

The Queen has written to the king of Norway to express sympathy over the attacks in his country.

She said the thoughts of her and the Duke of Edinburgh were with the Norwegian people.

A bomb attack in Oslo was followed by a gunman opening fire at a youth camp, leaving at least 84 people dead.

Her message to King Harald said: "I am deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic loss of life of so many people on the island of Utoeya and in Oslo."

She added: "Prince Philip joins me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to your majesty and the people of Norway. Our prayers and thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the dreadful atrocity."

The Norwegian embassy in Belgrave Square, central London, was open on Saturday, its flag flying at half mast.

A spokesman said: "We're open for any Norwegians who might need someone to speak to or feel the need to be with someone."

At least seven people were killed in the bombing and scores more are known to have died at the camp for young members of the Labour Party in Utoeya, an island outside the capital.

Police have charged a 32-year-old Norwegian man, Anders Behring Breivik, over both attacks.

The Foreign Office has advised British nationals in Norway to take extra care.

In a statement on its website, the Foreign Office said: "We recommend that British nationals stay indoors for the time being. British nationals are advised to exercise caution, monitor local media reporting and follow advice given by the emergency services."

Diplomats also say they are checking whether any British nationals are affected by the tragedy.

Around 250,000 British tourists visit Norway every year, the Foreign Office says on the Norway travel advice section of its website.

And according to the UK embassy in Oslo, there are also 25,000 to 30,000 Britons resident in the country.

Travel advice

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he was "outraged" by the attack.

He said he has spoken to the country's PM Jens Stoltenberg to express the UK's condolences and offered assistance in tracking down the perpetrators.

Mr Cameron said: "My thoughts are with the wounded and those who have lost friends and family, and I know everyone in Britain will feel the same.

"These attacks are a stark reminder of the threat we all face from terrorism.

"I have called Prime Minister Stoltenberg this evening to express my sincere condolences and to let him know that our thoughts are with the Norwegian people at this tragic time.

"I have offered Britain's help, including through our close intelligence cooperation."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14260281

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Norway Camp Shooting Is a Mom's Summertime Nightmare

Cynthia Dermody

Jul 23, 2011

As I sent my daughter off to swim camp today, I remembered her two bathing suits, a towel, a change of clothes, and a protein packed lunch. Then I worried about the usual things -- whether she remembered to put on enough sunblock and if the lifeguards are paying enough attention to her in the water. But never in a million years would I worry about a gunman firing at her or any of the other children, here or at any of the thousands of other camps around the country. Because it's camp.

I'm sure the moms of the hundreds of teens attending a youth camp off an island in Oslo, Norway, where terrorists also blew up a government building today, didn't either. And right now all of them are shocked and horrified and some may even be grieving at news that their own child was among the 30 victims killed there today by a soulless, worthless terrorist.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/123555/norway_camp_shooting_is_a

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Haqiqi tries to stage comeback; Karachi party feud claims 13 lives

By Imran Ayub

Jul 23, 2011

KARACHI: Bloodshed made its way back into Karachi on Friday with 13 killings as the city, reeling from ethnic and political conflicts that had killed over 100 people earlier this month, saw a new twist in its violent history when the Muhajir Qaumi Movement, better known as Haqiqi, attempted to stage a comeback in strongholds of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

City police chief Saud Mirza said the violence was sparked when “some men of a group entered Khokhrapar area of Malir and targeted their opponents”.

The area remained under siege for over three hours and gunmen were seen strutting about without facing any resistance from police and Rangers.

As the city’s south zone remained under tight security due to the presence of President Ali Asif Ali Zardari at Bilawal House, the law enforcers appeared helpless in controlling the situation in the east district.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/23/haqiqi-tries-to-stage-comeback-karachi-party-feud-claims-13-lives.html

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For Fai and Pakistan, Kashmir was a cash cow

Chidanand Rajghatta

Jul 23, 2011

WASHINGTON: It was during the Presidency of Ulysses Grant, the first prominent US politician to visit India (in 1878, after he demitted office), that the term lobbying entered the American lexicon. The story goes that Grant used to repair to Willard Hotel, next door to the White House, to relax with a cigar and brandy after a hard day's work. Political wheelers and dealers, fixers and nixers, hung around the hotel foyer, hoping to get a word across to him. Lobbying arrived in US, although the term existed across the pond. The word 'lobby' itself is thought to have originated in England from an old Germanic word meaning "leaf," to convey a shelter made of leaves and branches.

Today, Washington DC is the world capital of lobbying; a lobbyist's haven. Most lobbying enterprises are located just four blocks north of Willard on the city's "K Street," now seen as a derogatory metonym for influence peddling, much like Dalal Street in Mumbai and Wall Street in New York City are euphemisms for the financial world. Lobbying, a multi-billion dollar business, has attained a near industry status because it employs some 40,000 people directly (including nearly 20,000 registered lobbyists) and many more indirectly. So pervasive is lobbying in America that the two-mile long K Street has engendered an eponymous HBO TV series. Just to lobby the point one more time: There is even an American League of Lobbyists (ALL) which lobbies on behalf of the lobbying industry.

Into this world arrived Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai sometime in the early 1990s. In a city full of campaigns and causes, issues and interests, from advocacy groups for Armenia (once represented by Bob Dole) to lobbyists for Zambian and Zimbabwean mining interests, he became, over a period of two decades, the face of the ''Kashmir issue" in the US, shilling for the Pakistani viewpoint.

Full report at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/For-Fai-and-Pakistan-Kashmir-was-a-cash-cow/articleshow/9336348.cms

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Islamic, Western worlds 'still at odds'

Jul 23, 2011

WASHINGTON: Attitudes about Muslim-Western relations have become slightly more positive in the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Russia compared with five years ago, although negative views between Muslim countries and the West persist on both sides, a Pew Research Center survey found.

The survey, by Pew's Global Attitudes Project, found most Muslims surveyed in five of six predominantly Muslim countries and Palestine described non-Muslim Westerners as selfish and greedy. In all six Western countries surveyed, fewer than 30 percent of non-Muslims said they consider Muslims respectful of women.

Ten years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Muslims in the Middle East and Asia and non-Muslims, all have worries about religious extremism.

Most Muslims interviewed in the predominantly Muslim nations surveyed were inclined to say relations with people in Western countries are bad. There has been no overall improvement in those views during the past five years.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/world/article476494.ece

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Islam not supporting terrorism: Indonesian Ambassador

Jul 23, 2011

Ahmedabad, Jul 22 (UNI) Asserting that Terrorism has nothing to do with Islam, Indonesian Ambassador to India Lt Gen (retd) Andi M Ghalib has said Islam believes in peace and humanity.

Talking to mediapersons here last night, Mr Ghalib said Indonesia had faced terrorist attacks and it is against such ideas.

Citing history, the Ambassador said Islam was brought to Indonesia from India. ''We were Hindus first and then converted to Islam, but our life style still resembles that of Hindus,' he said.

Ghalib said Asia's two big democracies-India and Indonesia are collaborating on measures to counter terrorism. A secretary level working group on terrorism was formed in 2004. Its second meeting will be held either in New Delhi or in Jakarta later this year.

On Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Ambassador said the people in Indonesia have not forgotton NAM and its founders including first Indian Premier Jawaharlal Nehru, Indonesian President Sukarno and Egypt strongman Abdul Nasser and their contribution in carving out a niche for them in world politics.

On his state visit, he said he was impressed by 'Vibrant Gujarat' and its progress in business and education. Ghalib met Chief Minister Narendra Modi and invited businessmen from the state to attend a CEO summit in Bali, which will be held from December 7 to 8.

http://www.uniindia.com/unilive/unisite.nsf/$All/0D5C1A7DD7B06CE8652578D500324DD3?Opendocument

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Australian Muslim women choose to live by own code

July 23, 2011

WHEN Australian Muslim Frida Dakiz's marriage dissolved she was granted a divorce by her local imam.

The 33-year-old dress shop manager said it was only after she was officially separated by religious law that she considered secular options.

Ms Dakiz is among thousands of Australian Muslims living by a shadow civil code known as sharia law.And despite the arrests this week of three men who police allege carried out a sharia law punishment, Ms Dakiz and 28-year-old friend Rebecca Kay yesterday said their traditions have a place in Australian society.

The sharia is the code of conduct in Islam and its applications cover marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody of children.

The power of an Islamic leader, known as an imam, to settle disputes is not officially sanctioned by the Australian legal system, yet it is happening every day in Sydney's western suburbs.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/australian-muslim-women-choose-to-live-by-own-code/story-e6freuy9-1226100086248

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Muslims told to shut up or get out! By Australian PM

Jul 23, 2011

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Shariah law, were told on Wednesday by the Prime Minister Julia Gillard to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

Separately, Gillard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying she supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote: "IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT.. Take It Or Leave it. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians".

"This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'

"We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, Learn the language!

Full report at:

http://www.theway.co.uk/feature.php?id=8523&this=Austalian_Muslims_told_to_shut_up_or_get_out!

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Hurriyat strike to protest Fai's arrest disrupts normal life in Kashmir

Jul 23, 2011

SRINAGAR: Normal life in Kashmir was hit on Saturday due to a strike called by hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani to protest the arrest of ISI operative and lobbyist Ghulam Nabi Fai in the US.

Shops, business establishments and schools in most parts of Kashmir remained closed due to the strike, officials said.

While most of the public transport remained off the roads, a large number of private vehicles and cabs were plying in the outskirts of Srinagar city.

The inter-district bus services were hit badly and the roads connecting various district headquarters wore a deserted look. The attendance in government offices remained thin due to non-availability of transport services in most parts, the officials said.

62-year-old Fai was arrested on July 19 by the Federal Bureau of Investigations from his house in Fairfax in Virginia on charges of receiving hundreds and thousands of dollars from the Pakistan spy agency ISI and using them for lobbying at the Capitol Hill with the sole objective of moulding the view of American policy makers on Kashmir.

The Hurriyat leader, who is under house arrest since Wednesday, had also asked people to protest the alleged rape of a woman by two army men in Kulgam district earlier this week.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer said the situation across the valley was peaceful and there were no reports of any untoward incident so far.

Large number of police and paramilitary CRPF have been deployed in Manzgam, which witnessed violent clashes yesterday over the rape allegations, and other sensitive areas of Kashmir to maintain law and order, he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Hurriyat-strike-to-protest-Fais-arrest-disrupts-normal-life-in-Kashmir/articleshow/9333983.cms

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'Fai's ISI links were well known'

S Rajagopalan

Jul 23, 2011

As Ghulam Nabi Fai’s many guests (notably Indians) profess “surprise” and “shock” that he was actually the ISI’s front man to push Pakistan’s Kashmir line in the US for two decades, at least one former American diplomat appears amused by the claims.

“Since the KAC (Fai’s Kashmiri American Council) was established in 1990, the year when anti-Indian political upheaval in the disputed state returned the Kashmir issue to world attention, US Kashmir-specialists have assumed that the council’s activities were sponsored and paid for by Islamabad,” says Howard Schaffer.

Schaffer must know. A former US envoy to Bangladesh, he spent the better part of his diplomatic life as a South Asia specialist in the State Department. He has been political counselor at US embassies in India (1977-79) and Pakistan (1974-77), and was twice Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for South Asian affairs.

The “I am shocked” assertions now by many of Fai’s guests brings to Schaffer’s mind “Captain Reynaud’s memorable outcry deploring gambling in the film Casablanca.”

“The allegation that these activities have included small and unpublicized campaign contributions to sympathetic American politicians comes as no particular surprise,” he notes, adding how he and other Kashmir watchers were amazed by the front-page news coverage that Fai was getting for something that they all had “assumed” about the man and his outfit.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/355197/Fais-ISI-links-were-well-known.html

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Peshawar mosque ulema refuse to accept Ruet-i-Hilal committee

By Kalbe Ali

Jul 23, 2011

ISLAMABAD, July 22: Efforts of the Senate`s standing committee on religious affairs to observe Ramazan and Eid on same days throughout the country went futile on Friday when clerics from Peshawar`s Qasim Khan Mosque refused to accept the authority of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

A meeting of the committee was held at the Parliament House to discuss the issue and evolve a consensus on it. It was attended by Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman and a delegation of more than half a dozen ulema of Qasim Khan Mosque, headed by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai.

The committee chairman Senator Maulana Muhammad Saleh Shah Qureshi said it was the responsibility of religious leaders to develop unity and brotherhood among the fellow Muslims.

“But it is being observed that ulema themselves are not united over various issues, including the commencement of Ramazan and the day of Eid. It is unfortunate that we are not able to celebrate the most important festival together.”

Maulana Qureshi`s statement was interrupted by a senior member of Qasim Khan Mosque who said that Ramazan and Eid were not celebrations; these should be addressed as prayers and religious rites.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/23/peshawar-mosque-ulema-refuse-to-accept-ruet-i-hilal-committee.html

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Osama vs Obama ‘terror chess’ game big hit among troops in Afghanistan

Jul 23, 2011

A controversial board game has become famous among Allied troops fighting in Afghanistan.

The traditional pieces in the 'terror chess' game have been replaced with late terrorist Osama Bin Laden and the U.S. President as respective kings - and the World Trade Center towers as rooks.

Several versions of terror chess exist, each modified to appeal to American or British forces, but all games feature Bin Laden as the opposing king.

In the U.S. version of the game, the king is the American president - in some cases George Bush and in others Barack Obama - while the Statue of Liberty is the queen. And in the British version Prime Minister David Cameron is the king, and the Queen Elizabeth is the queen in the chess.

Full report at:

http://www.asianage.com/international/osama-vs-obama-terror-chess-game-big-hit-among-troops-afghanistan-082

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Asiya Nasir a Christian woman MNA affiliated with Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam JUI

Jul 23 2011

Asiya Nasir surfaced in limelight of Pakistani Christian politics when she delivered a speech in National Assembly of Pakistan on assassination of Federal Minority Minister Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti on March 4, 2011. She raised question in house like a true Christian who is facing oppression and persecution in Muslim dominated society of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Her speech touched hearts of Christians and Muslims of Pakistan when she pointed towards portrait of Founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah in parliament and said “Where is your Pakistan?”

Asiya Nasir born in Quetta city of Balochistan province of Pakistan in 1971 was selected as Member of National Assembly on reserved Christian seats by Islamic Alliance called Muthida Majas-e-Amal MMA in 2002. She was recommended on Christian reserved seats by one Islamic Party called Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam (JUI Fazal Ul Rehman group) being a component of MMA. The Islamic Alliance disintegrated on issues of implementation of Islamic laws before national general elections of 2008, but JUI (F) entered in elections but failed to secure share in distribution of selection right on reserved minority seats and selected Asiya Nasir on general women seats in National Assembly. It is second term as Member National Assembly of Asiya Nasir but with distinction that she was selected on reserved seats for minorities in 2002, by MMA, while in her second term she was selected on women seats allocated for Balochistan in National assembly but her party remained Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam JUI (F).

Full report at:

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=2948

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Belgian ban on public burqa-wearing takes effect

Jul 23, 2011

A Belgian law banning the wearing of burqa-style dress in public goes into effect on Saturday, but a lawyer hopes to get the law suspended next week pending a hearing.

Belgian lawmakers approved the ban on grounds of security. But Ines Wouters, a lawyer representing two women who sometimes wear the burqa, said on Friday she had taken the case to the country’s constitutional court, and would request a suspension.

Wouters said the law conflicted with freedom of religion, the right to privacy, freedom of expression and equality between men and women.

She said police officers can ask people for their identification. But, she said, “Security in Europe does not mean you can be identified and controlled by anybody at any time.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/July/international_July1096.xml&section=international&col=

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The omnipotence of Al Qaeda and meaninglessness of "Terrorism"

BY GLENN GREENWALD

Jul 23 2011

For much of the day yesterday, the featured headline on The New York Times online front page strongly suggested that Muslims were responsible for the attacks on Oslo; that led to definitive statements on the BBC and elsewhere that Muslims were the culprits.  The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin wrote a whole column based on the assertion that Muslims were responsible, one that, as James Fallows notes, remains at the Post with no corrections or updates.  The morning statement issued by President Obama -- "It's a reminder that the entire international community holds a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring" and "we have to work cooperatively together both on intelligence and in terms of prevention of these kinds of horrible attacks" -- appeared to assume, though (to its credit) without overtly stating, that the perpetrator was an international terrorist group.

But now it turns out that the alleged perpetrator wasn't from an international Muslim extremist group at all, but was rather a right-wing Norwegian nationalist with a history of anti-Muslim commentary and an affection for Muslim-hating blogs such as Pam Geller's Atlas Shrugged, Daniel Pipes, and Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch.  Despite that, The New York Times is still working hard to pin some form of blame, even ultimate blame, on Muslim radicals (h/t sysprog):

http://www.salon.com/news/terrorism/?story=/opinion/greenwald/2011/07/23/nyt

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I’m a victim too, claims Ahmad’s  Killer Stepmom in Saudi Arabia

Jul 23, 2011

TAIF: The woman charged with the killing of her four-year-old stepson Ahmad Al-Ghamdi accused her husband of apathy and abuse, while claiming that she turned her anger on her husband vicariously on Ahmad.

She was relating her side of the story to Al-Watan newspaper more than 30 days after committing the crime.

“My husband (Ahmad’s father) was preoccupied with his laptop and had no time for me. He also physically abused me,” Al-Watan quoted the stepmother on Friday after talking to her in a Taif prison.

The newspaper said she did not retract nor contradict her story. “I loved the child and did not intend to kill him,” she said during the interview while in the same breath called the child a retard.

“I was pressured to marry Ahmad’s father (her second husband) more than four years ago, and two months ago, I gave birth to a baby boy. We named him Thamir,” she said, adding that her husband paid more attention to his computer than her.

The woman said on the day of the crime, Ahmad urinated on her while his father was busy in another room with his laptop.

Full report at:

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article476461.ece

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Remove bras to enter Israeli PM's office, guards tell scribes

Jul 23, 2011

JERUSALEM: Foreign journalists on Friday spoke of their distress after being asked to remove their bras for a security check before being allowed into the offices of Israel's prime minister.

The three women were told by security personnel to undress and take off their bras for x-ray in two separate incidents at the Jerusalem offices of PM Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week.

All three complied with the request, despite the distress it caused, in an incident denounced by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) as "unnecessary, humiliating and counterproductive".

Each of the women was taken behind a curtain in the lobby of the entrance hall and patted down before being told to undress, then their bras were passed out in full view of male and female colleagues and security personnel, to be put through an x-ray machine. Their personal effects were also emptied out in public view and put through the machine. "The Foreign Press Association strongly condemns the continued harassment of journalists attending media events at PM's office," a statement from the Tel-Aviv based group said. "This treatment is unnecessary, humiliating and counterproductive."

Sara Hussein, who works for AFP, described the incident as utterly humiliating. "I can only describe the experience as among the most humiliating in my life," she wrote in a complaint to FPA. "I have covered meetings of presidents at the White House and not been subjected to anything similar."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Remove-bras-to-enter-Israeli-PMs-office-guards-tell-scribes/articleshow/9331635.cms

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NATO operation kills 50 militants in Afghanistan

Jul 23, 2011

KHOST, Afghanistan — More than 50 militants were killed in a major Afghan and foreign operation against the Haqqani network in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Friday.

The 48-hour air and ground operation was conducted in the rugged terrain of Paktika province, known to be a hub of activity for the Taliban-linked Haqqani network, on the frontier with Pakistan.

The Haqqani network is thought to have safe havens in Pakistan’s lawless border tribal areas.

“In Sar Rowzah district, Paktika province, security forces including Afghan special forces killed more than 50 insurgents during a security clearance of a known Haqqani network foreign fighter encampment site”, ISAF said Friday.

It said in a statement that the Haqqani network used the camp as a staging area for fighters brought over the border to carry out attacks across the war-torn country.

Combined international and Afghan forces pushed the insurgents out of the area but were intermittently engaged by them throughout the day, it added.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/July/international_July1099.xml&section=international&col=

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Thousands of Protesters Attacked, 1 Woman Martyred, Many Injured in Bahrain

Jul 23, 2011

Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked anti-government protesters in a village near the capital, killing one woman and injuring several others, but the news about the killing a woman not confirmed yet.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Saudi-backed Bahraini forces have attacked anti-government protesters in a village near the capital, killing one woman and injuring several others, but the news about the killing a woman not confirmed yet.

Some witnesses say an elderly woman died from asphyxia after regime forces fired teargas to break up a protest rally in the village of Bani Jamra near Manama on Friday.

Two of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters took to the streets across Bahrain following the Friday Prayers, demanding an end to the rule of Al Khalifa dynasty.

The demonstrators also condemned the Saudi occupation of their country and called for the immediate withdrawal of KSA troops from Bahrain.

Meanwhile, thousands of Bahrainis marched in the village of Diraz outside Manama in support of al-Wefaq's decision to withdraw from the government-led national reform talks earlier this week.

Full report at:

http://abna.co/data.asp?lang=3&Id=255139

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Pakistani Shia Dr Abid Hussain Martyred in Karachi

Jul 23, 2011

The armed terrorists of Wahhabi organization on Friday gunned down a Shia Muslim Dr Abid Hussain in Tesar town Surjani.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The armed terrorists of Wahhabi organization on Friday gunned down a Shia Muslim  Dr Abid Hussain in Tesar town Surjani.

The armed terrorists of Wahhabi organization Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lasjkar-e-Jhangvi and Taliban terrorists gunned down a Shia Doctor Abid Hussain (35) s/o Qadir Bux in surjani town.

Noted that martyred Dr Abid Hussain was injured on last night. His funeral prayers performed at local mosque at surjani and buried in local graveyard of surjani town Karachi.

http://abna.co/data.asp?lang=3&Id=255109

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Three militants killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir

Jul 23, 2011

SRINAGAR: Three militants were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday.

The gun battle broke out after troops of 21 Rashtriya Rifles and police launched a cordon and search operation in Bagh-e-Hakhar in Handwara, 90 kms from here, in Kupwara, official sources said.

In the ensuing exchange of fire, three militants have been killed.

The operation was still in progress when reports last came in.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Three-militants-killed-in-encounter-in-Jammu-and-Kashmir/articleshow/9335509.cms

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At least 20 militants killed in central Kurram

Jul 23, 2011

PESHAWAR: At least 20 militants were killed and many were injured in the Masood Zai area of central Kurram on Saturday during clash between the militants and the locals, DawnNews reported.

Fifteen members of the local anti-Taliban militia were also injured in the clash. The Associated Press quoted at least 13 militants being killed in the clash.

Encouraged by Islamabad, the tribesmen recently formed the militia to kill or evict Taliban militants and their supporters from the region.

They have killed 25 insurgents in clashes this week.

Kurram is located near Afghanistan. The Pakistani military also has carried out several offensives against Taliban who are hiding in the area after escaping last year’s offensive in the nearby Orakzai tribal region.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/23/at-least-20-militants-killed-in-central-kurram.html

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Six Revolutionary Guards killed in Iran

Jul 23, 2011

At least six soldiers of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, including a senior officer, have been killed in clashes with ethnic Kurdish fighters on the border with Iraq, the semi-official Fars news agency says.

Reuters  mentions General Abbas Kasemi as the most senior commander of the Guards in the important holy city of Qom in southwestern Iran.

"General Kasemi of the Qom branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed along with five of his comrades in clashes with terrorist rebels of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan in the Sardasht area," Fars said on Friday, without giving any further details.

 A statement from the Guards confirmed Kasemi's death in an explosion.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/07/23/53609812.html

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Militants’ attack on Hamza Baba shrine foiled

By Ibrahim Shinwari

Jul 23, 2011

LANDI KOTAL, July 22: The Khasadar Force on Thursday night thwarted an attempt by militants to blow up the shrine of renowned Pashto poet Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari, commonly known as Hamza Baba.

Mohammad Ikram, the caretaker of the shrine, told Dawn that some two dozen armed militants attacked the shrine around midnight with hand grenades, damaging the boundary wall of the shrine and a kiosk outside the building.

“They wanted to scale the boundary wall in order to plant explosive around the shrine but we resisted them till the security forces arrived on our call,” Mr Ikram said. Though the gun battle with the attackers continued for almost 30 minutes, he said, the mausoleum and the library inside the shrine complex remained safe.

However, the militants managed to escape after hurling two hand grenades and planting some explosives along the boundary wall of the compound.

Assistant Political Agent Landi Kotal along with a contingent of Khasadar Force also visited the shrine soon after the attack and assessed the damage to the building.

The Complex was constructed with monetary assistance from the federal government in 2003, some nine year after the death of Hamza Baba.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/23/militants-attack-on-hamza-baba-shrine-foiled.html

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Troops patrol Malawi towns after 18 killed in protests

Jul 23, 2011

BLANTYRE: Shops were closed and Malawi troops patrolled streets in major urban areas on Friday after rare protests against President Bingu wa Mutharika this week left 18 people dead in the destitute south African state.

The United States and Britain condemned the violence by Malawi authorities and their crackdown on private radio stations trying to report on the violence. ‘In light of continued rioting and rumors of retaliation, we urge restraint from both sides,’ the US embassy in Pretoria said in a statement. Such unrest is almost unheard of in Malawi, ruled for decades after independence in 1964 by the iron-fisted Hastings Banda, and echoes popular uprisings that have engulfed north Africa and the Middle East over the last seven months.

Full report at:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\23\story_23-7-2011_pg4_5

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Conscientious Objector Discharge; AWOL After Child Porn Charges

BY R. CORT KIRKWOOD

Jul 23, 2011

The Army has given a Muslim soldier conscientious objector status, permitting him a discharge, and now the Islamic GI has gone AWOL after being charged with possession of child pornography.

Army Pvt. Naser Abdo, a 20-year-old member of the storied 101st Airborne Division, received CO status because he claimed that Shariah law will not permit him to kill fellow Muslims. Writing in the Washington Times, retired Adm. James A. Lyons says the Army’s decision implicitly concedes that Sharia law trumps the Constitution and the oath a soldier takes to defend the United States against all enemies. CO status for Abdo, he argues, sanctions sedition.

The Case

After Abdo refused to deploy to Afghanistan and declared himself a conscientious objector, the Army deferred his deployment to investigate the case. The Army permitted Abdo to hide in the burqa because it was worried he would endanger his life or the lives of his fellow soliders, the Associated Press reported, adding,

Full report at:

http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/8306-muslim-gi-conscientious-objector-discharge-awol-after-child-porn-charges

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Jordanian Mosque One of Many Named in Honor of Jesus Christ

Jul 23, 2011

"The Mosque of Jesus Christ" is the exact name given to a mosque in the city of Madaba, south of the Jordanian capital Amman, founded in 2008.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - "The Mosque of Jesus Christ" is the exact name given to a mosque in the city of Madaba, south of the Jordanian capital Amman, founded in 2008.

This mosque is presently being hailed by the international news media as the first an only mosque in the modern Arab world to ever be named after Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).

In fact, it is not the only -- or even the first -- mosque in the Arab world to be named in Christ's honor. There is the Isa Bin Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) Mosque in Tripoli Lebanon, the famous Jesus Mosque in Giza Egypt, and countless other small mosques carrying the name without any claim to fame.

This is not to mention a number of mosques named "Jesus" in reference to the mosque's founder, since Jesus is a common first name for Muslims throughout the Arab world.

It may be true, however, that the mosque in Jordan is the first in the Arab world to be specifically called the "Jesus Christ Mosque" (Masjid Isa al-Maseeh), since it is more common for Muslims in Arab countries to refer to Christ as Isa Bin Maryam (Jesus the Son of Mary).

Full report at:

http://abna.co/data.asp?lang=3&Id=255170

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Libya rebel casualties mount in battle for Zliten

Jul 23, 2011

TRIPOLI — Sixteen rebel fighters have been killed and another 126 wounded in two days of fierce fighting for control of Zliten, the last coastal city between insurgent-held Misrata and the capital, rebels said on Friday.

The news came amid reports that rebels had infiltrated Tripoli and as strongman Moamer Kadhafi again ruled out talks with them — even as they boast gains in the east and in the west — saying theirs is a “lost cause.”

And in Madrid, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero urged the rebel National Transitional Council to start preparing for a “new political era,” in a meeting with senior NTC figure Mahmud Jibril.

“Sixteen of our fighters have fallen as martyrs and 126 more have been wounded in fighting with loyalist troops in Zliten,” said a rebel statement, with clashes said to be particularly heavy in the suburb of Souk al-Thulatha.

The insurgents have been trying for several weeks to take Zliten, 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the capital.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/July/international_July1093.xml&section=international&col=

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Iran denies shooting down US spy plane

Jul 23, 2011

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard denied Friday that it shot down an unmanned US spy plane over a uranium enrichment site, saying Friday that its air defenses had only hit a test target.

The statement carried on the official IRNA news agency was in response to a claim earlier this week by Iranian lawmaker Ali Aghazadeh Dafsari, who said the US drone was shot down as it was flying over the Fordo facility near the holy city of Qom in central Iran. He claimed that the drone was trying to gather information on the underground site.

“What caused the spread of the news was related to the hitting of a test air target by the Guard’s air defense unit in the general region of Qom province,” IRNA quoted the statement as saying.

The Guard, the country’s most powerful military force, claimed that U.S. spy planes are unable to penetrate Iran’s air space.

Iran is locked in a dispute with the U.S. and its allies over Tehran’s disputed atomic program, which the West believes is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusations, saying its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity and producing isotopes to treat medical patients.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July487.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Imran Khan fears revolt in Pak Army

Jul 23 2011

Lahore : Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said that a "revolt in the Pakistan Army" is likely to take place at any time because of the policies of the army and the PPP-led government, including their participation in the war on terror.

"The army is fighting America's war. Now on its order, the Pakistan Army is set to launch an operation in North Waziristan, where according to the US 5,000 Taliban are hiding.

"Will the Pakistan Army strike against 350,000 people living there to hunt down 5,000?" Khan said while explaining his claim that there would be a revolt in the army.

"The operation will certainly cause massive casualties among innocent people," Khan, who heads the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party, told a gathering in Lahore yesterday.

He questioned how a handful of terrorists engaged some 1,500 security personnel during the attack on a naval airbase in Karachi in May.

"Even Rambo could not have done this. It shows there is resentment among army officials, who are against fighting with their own men," said Khan, who had once offered to mediate between the government and the Taliban.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/821259/

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Egypt's Christians Work to Stop Islamic Takeover

By Gary Lane

Jul 23, 2011

CAIRO, Egypt - In Egypt, protestors are once again in the streets calling for change.

They fear the revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubark has stalled and is in danger of being taken over by Islamists.

"It's good news to go to the streets again to protect their revolution. The Muslim Brotherhood and the military council [have] hijacked the revolution," said Magdy Khalil, spokesman for Coptic Solidarity.

Khalil and other Egyptians believe the ruling military council has made a political deal with radicals, moving Egypt toward an Islamic state no different than Mubarak's corrupt regime.

"They are looking to protect their positions, so who can accept this position? The Muslim Brotherhood, because the Muslim Brotherhood plans to control the whole of Egypt," Khalil explained.

He says the Brotherhood is ignoring high level corruption in exchange for power and control.

That's why Egypt's parliamentary elections were moving on a fast track. Originally planned for September, the military council now says elections will be delayed until November.

But some Christians and secularists still believe more time may be needed to overcome the political advantage of the better organized Muslim Brotherhood.

If the election moves forward as planned, chances are the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties will win a majority of the seats in the parliament.

Full report at:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/July/Egypts-Christians-Work-to-Stop-Islamic-Takeover/

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Basque ETA leader jailed for 377 years

Jul 23, 2011

A court in Madrid has jailed Garikoitz Aspiazu, a former military leader of the Basque separatist group Eta, for 377 years.

Aspiazu, arrested in France in 2008 and moved to Spain in May, was convicted of a role in the attempted assassination of a mayor in 2002, the Spanish news agency Efe reports.

More than 820 deaths have been blamed on Eta over 40 years. Garikoitz Aspiazu was captured in a pre-dawn raid on a rented apartment in the French spa resort  in November 2008.

http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/07/23/53606924.html

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Headley received 4 'jihadi' videos

Jul 23, 2011

WASHINGTON: David Headley, who has confessed to his involvement in the Mumbai attacks, had received four 'jihadi' videos from LeT's Pasha as part of the terror group's efforts to indoctrinate him.

During his interrogation, Headley recalled watching videos on Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten's controversial cartoons on Prophet Mohammad; military attack on Islamabad's Red Mosque where militants were holed up; and Afghan fighting, according to fresh court documents unsealed by the US Attorney office at the direction of the Chicago court this week.

"Headley first watched the cartoon video with Pasha (also known as Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed), when he returned to Pakistan, from Denmark, in January 2009. When Headley returned to Chicago in July 2009, he gave the Jyllands-Posten Cartoons and Red Mosque videos to Tahawwur RANA and told Rana that these were more jihad videos and described the content," federal prosecutors said in the documents submitted to the court.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Headley-received-4-jihadi-videos/articleshow/9331548.cms

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Another Abbottabad-like operation will be totally unacceptable: Gilani

Jul 23, 2011

LONDON: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has warned that another Abbottabad-like operation in Pakistan by the US would further aggravate public opinion against America and jeopardise the global war on terror.

But, contradicting public claims by US officials who have said a repeat cannot be ruled out, Gilani said here that US secretary of state Hillary Clinton had assured him personally that there will be no more unilateral raids.

Gilani's remarks came in an interview to the Guardian newspaper at a time when relations between Pakistan and the US are at a low following a series of disagreements in the wake of Osama bin Laden's killing in a covert US military operation in Abbottabad on May 2.

Gilani's contention of assurances contradict assertions by top American officials, including President Barack Obama and Clinton, that US forces would not shy from a repeat action against other al-Qaida leaders if necessary.

Gilani said on Friday that any repeat of the Abbottabad raid would be "totally unacceptable".

"Public opinion would further aggravate against the United States and you cannot fight a war without the support of the masses. You need the masses to support military actions against militants," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

He said another raid would damage "not only our relationship, but also our common objective, to fight against militants. We are fighting a war and if we fail that means that it's not good for the world. We can't afford losing".

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Another-Abbottabad-like-operation-will-be-totally-unacceptable-Gilani/articleshow/9326014.cms

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Barack Obama urges anti-terror cooperation after Norway attack

Jul 23, 2011

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Friday offered condolences to Norway after deadly twin attacks and urged countries around the world to step up cooperation in anti-terrorism efforts.

Speaking during a meeting with New Zealand's PM John Key, Obama called the attacks "a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring.

"We have to work cooperatively together on intelligence and in terms of prevention of these kinds of horrible attacks," Obama said.

Obama, who visited Oslo in 2009 to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, fondly recalled his welcome in the Nato ally and said he "wanted to personally extend my condolences to the people of Norway."

"Our hearts go out to them and we will provide any support we can to them," said Obama, who earlier received a briefing on the attacks from his top anti-terrorism adviser John Brennan.

A blast tore through government buildings and a gunman opened fire at a youth meeting of the ruling party, killing at least 11 people.

State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke Fulton called the attacks "despicable" and said the embassy in Oslo has urged all US citizens to avoid the center of the Norwegian capital.

"The US has reached out to the Norwegian authorities to offer assistance, but there have been no specific requests from the Norwegians thus far," Fulton told AFP.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Barack-Obama-urges-anti-terror-cooperation-after-Norway-attack/articleshow/9329075.cms

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Syrian security forces kill four civilians

Jul 23, 2011

Four civilians were killed on Friday when Syrian security forces and regime agents used violence to disperse anti-regime protesters, human rights activists said.

“One demonstrator was stabbed to death in front of the Amneh mosque in Aleppo by pro-regime militiamen who entered the compound and attacked” the faithful, said Abdel Karim Rihawi of the Syrian League for Human Rights.

He said that dozens more were wounded or arrested. In the central city of Homs, “one protester was shot dead by security forces who dispersed a demonstration in the Al-Khalidiyeh district,” he added.

Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said: “Two protesters were killed by security force fire and others were wounded” at Mleiha in the Damascus region.

The activists said security forces also fired on protesters at Idlib in the northwest, wounding several people.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/355114/Syrian-security-forces-kill-four-civilians.html

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'Double agent' Manzar may now be in Bangladesh

Jul 23, 2011

Highly-placed sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs have claimed that Indian Mujahideen suspect Manzar Imam Ali, who is missing for the past one month, was an informer to Intelligence Bureau.

The National Investigation Agency had raided his home as well as that of another suspect Danish Riyaz in Bariatu police station area in Ranchi in connection with Mumbai terror blasts late last Thursday.

Intelligence sources said that Manzar has crossed over to Bangladesh via Farraka barrage the day the NIA team raided his house.

According to Manzar’s father, the Intelligence agency did land up in April at his house to interrogate his son and then give him a clean chit. The nabbing of Indian Mujahideen ‘think tanks’ started close on the heels of this meeting.

Abul Faizal, Ikrar Shek and Riyaz were caught but Manzar, whose name had been on the list of terrorists released by the MHA a year ago, was left mysteriously untouched.

If sources from the MHA are to be believed, Manzar Imam Ali has been in the good books of Intelligence agencies following his arrest a year ago. Sources said that Manzar gave regular inputs to the agencies on activities planned by Indian Mujahideen. It was on his lead that Danish Riyaz and the others were nabbed. However, since these arrests, he cannot be traced by the agencies and police.

Full report at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/355301/Double-agent-Manzar-may-now-be-in-Bangladesh.html

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'Cowardly' Norway attacks trigger widespread condemnation

Jul 23, 2011

Western governments lined up to condemn Friday's twin attacks in Norway, saying the ‘cowardly’ perpetrators who killed at least 11 people had demonstrated a complete lack of humanity.

With Norway involved in both the Afghan and Libya campaigns, NATO's chief said the alliance stood united against the ‘heinous’ acts of violence.

The US government meanwhile said that President Barack Obama had been briefed about the attacks by John Brennan, his top adviser on counter-terrorism, which Washington described as ‘despicable.’

"On behalf of NATO, I condemn in the strongest possible terms the heinous acts of violence in Norway," said Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"Our solidarity with Norway remains steadfast. NATO countries stand united in the battle against these acts of violence."

Norwegian combat jets have conducted bombings in the air war against Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Libya, but the country is withdrawing the warplanes at the end of the month.

The Norwegian military said in May that it had been the victim of a serious cyber attack at the end of March on the day after its jets for the first time carried out bombings in Libya.

Norway also has around 500 military personnel in Afghanistan, primarily in Kabul and in the north.

Full report at:

http://www.asianage.com/international/cowardly-norway-attacks-trigger-widespread-condemnation-117

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CIA trains covert Afghan units to fight Taliban

Jul 23, 2011

KABUL – Covert forces of Afghans have been trained by CIA to keep the war against the Taliban on the track as US troops are leaving the country.

But a senior official in Karzai’s Office expressed unawareness about the forces.

According to an Afghan based TV, the members of one shadowy group of some 400 men in southern Kandahar province have given The Independent insight into their training and secret operations against militants.

A senior member of the 400-man shadowy force has said that they were taught hand-to-hand combat by foreign military advisors, were delivered to targets by US Black Hawk helicopters and have received a thank-you note from President Hamid Karzai for their work.

“These forces are the most shadowy and the most unaccountable in the country and it’s a serious problem that nobody’s taking responsibility for,” Rachel Reid, a senior policy advisor to the Open Society Foundation, said.

Full report at:

http://dailymailnews.com/0711/23/FrontPage/index.php?id=7

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Tiny 2,000-year-old golden bell found in Jerusalem: Israel’s Antiquities Authority

Jul 23, 2011

JERUSALEM — A tiny golden bell which was lost in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago during the Second Temple period has been found among ruins near the Old City, Israel’s Antiquities Authority said on Friday.

The bell, which is thought to have been an adornment which was sewn onto the garments of a senior official, was uncovered during excavation work on a drainage channel in the City of David, an area in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan just south of the Old City walls.

“It seems the bell was sewn on the garment worn by a high official in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period,” an IAA statement said.

The bell was found inside the main drainage channel taking rainwater from different parts of the city to the pool of Siloam, which is mentioned several times in the Bible.

“Apparently, the high official was walking in the Jerusalem street in the vicinity of Robinson’s Arch and lost the gold bell that fell from his garment into the drainage channel beneath the road,” it said, noting that Jewish high priests were known to have bells sewn onto their robes.

“It is impossible to know for certain if the bell did indeed belong to one of the high priests; however, the possibility should not be entirely discounted.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July482.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Israeli PM turns to Arab TV in call for peace

Jul 23, 2011

JERUSALEM — With a September deadline looming, Israel’s prime minister turned to the Arabic media Thursday for the first time since taking office two years ago in an attempt to lure the Palestinians back to peace talks, saying “everything is on the table.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s interview with the Al-Arabiya satellite channel reflects Israeli concerns over Palestinian plans to seek UN recognition of their independence this fall. But it also highlights Netanyahu’s new strategy of engaging directly with the Arab public.

Netanyahu has fielded questions from Arabs before on YouTube and even made a recorded plea to Arab viewers to submit questions. But the face-to-face Al-Arabiya interview is his first of its kind. Netanyahu’s office called the move “the beginning of a new era” and promised more such interviews in the near future.

The interview, which aired Thursday evening, comes as Israel is scrambling to counter the Palestinian U.N. initiative this fall. Israel fiercely opposes the move, saying a Palestinian state should be formed through negotiations and not by unilateral steps.

Peace negotiations have been stalled since 2008, and the Palestinians have refused to negotiate while Israel continues to build homes in Jewish settlements.

Although the vote will be largely symbolic, the Palestinians hope to isolate Israel and put pressure on it to make concessions.

Full report at:

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/July/middleeast_July474.xml&section=middleeast&col=

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Congress' Hussain Dalwai wins Rajya Sabha by-poll

Jul 23, 2011

Mumbai : Hussain Dalwai of the Congress Friday won the by-election to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra, trouncing the combined opposition candidate Bal Mane.

Dalwai, formerly with the Samajwadi Party, secured 176 votes against Mane's 104 votes of the 282 votes cast by legislators who form the electoral college.

Two votes were declared invalid, five legislators remained absent, and one seat is vacant following the death of a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) member last month.

With Dalwai's election, a Muslim will enter the upper house from Maharashtra for the first time in over a decade, according to a senior Congress leader.

In the last Lok Sabha elections (2009), not a single candidate belonging to the Muslim community was elected to Lok Sabha from Maharashtra.

The by-poll was necessitated after Prithviraj Chavan resigned last November to take over as the Maharashtra chief minister.

Full report at:

http://twocircles.net/2011jul22/congress_hussain_dalwai_wins_rajya_sabha_bypoll.html?

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Forbesganj issue: Muslim groups move to Guv as Nitish trashes their request

By Mumtaz Alam Falahi

Jul 23, 2011

Patna: He may change his gesture and posture towards the Muslim minority around next election in 2014 (Lok Sabha) or 2015 (Assembly), but right now he is little bothered about the concerns of the community. He is in Patna and has time to inaugurate a mall, a multiplex and even some smaller programs, but he has no time to meet a delegation of top Muslim organizations on the Forbesganj firing issue.

Full two weeks ago (on 7th of July), top Muslim organizations had jointly sought appointment from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar so that they could apprise him of their concerns over the brutal firing which claimed four lives including of an infant and a pregnant woman in Bhajanpur village of Forbesganj on 3rd of June 2011. But till today (22th of July) they have got no response from the office of the CM.

The Muslim organizations which had sought appointment included Imarat Shariah, Idarah Shariah, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulama, Bihar Rabeta Committee, Momin Conference, Bihar and many others. These groups wanted to apprise the CM of the feelings of the Muslim community about the police killings in Forbesganj. They also wanted to present him a memorandum of their demands over the incident.

Full report at:

http://twocircles.net/2011jul22/forbesganj_issue_muslim_groups_move_guv_nitish_trashes

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 ‘Top Lashkar leader asked Headley about Mumbai rush hours’

Jul 23 2011

Washington : Weeks before the Mumbai attacks, LeT commander Sajid Mir had sought to know from an on-vacation David Headley the peak rush hours at the train station where the Pakistani-American had conducted surveillance, fresh court documents have said.

Headley had taken his wife and kids on a vacation during which he received several text messages from Mir seeking to know the peak hours at Mumbai stations.

“While Headley was with his family he received numerous text messages from Sajid regarding the train station in India where Headley had conducted surveillance,” it said. Headley provided the details to Mir. “Headley believed this was in about August of 2008,” the FBI said.

“Sajid wanted to know the busy and slow times at the train station. Headley said he provided the information asked why Sajid wanted to know. Sajid did not provide an explanation,” the FBI said.

Full report at:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/top-lashkar-leader-asked-headley-about-mumbai-rush-hours/821108/

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S. Sudan rebel leader Gatluak Gai shot dead: army

Jul 23, 2011

KHARTOUM: South Sudan rebel leader Gatluak Gai was shot dead in Unity state on Saturday, the army and a rebel source said, just a week after agreeing to a ceasefire and as the newly independent country renewed its amnesty offer.

It was unclear how Gai was killed, with the SPLA, the army of the south, insisting he was shot by his own men after reneging on the agreement, and a rebel source saying he was “murdered” by the SPLA.

“He was not killed by the SPLA; he was killed by his own men,” army spokesman Philip Aguer told AFP.

South Sudan, which declared independence from the north on July 9, faces a host of truly daunting challenges.

Among the greatest of these is the threat posed by at least seven militia groups within its borders, with more than 1,800 people killed in violent conflict so far this year, many between the army and the rebels in states across the country.

Aguer said Gai, a renegade militia commander who rejected an amnesty offer from the southern government last year, signed a ceasefire last week after months of negotiations with Unity state Governor Taban Deng Gai.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/23/s-sudan-rebel-leader-gatluak-gai-shot-dead-army.html

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UN points to possible Syrian crimes against humanity

Jul 23, 2011

DAMASCUS: UN officials have said Syrian security forces may have committed crimes against humanity in their crackdown on protesters, as at least eight more civilians were killed in massive protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

The UN concerns were expressed in a statement late Friday by Francis Deng, special adviser to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the prevention of genocide, and Edward Luck, the special adviser on the responsibility to protect.

“Based on available information, the special advisers consider that the scale and gravity of the violations indicate a serious possibility that crimes against humanity may have been committed and continue to be committed in Syria,” the joint statement said.

The two called for an “independent, thorough, and objective investigation” of the events in Syria.

They echoed calls by Ban to the Syrian government to allow humanitarian access to areas affected by the unrest and to facilitate the visit of the UN Human Rights Council-mandated fact-finding mission to the country.

“Without these steps, it will be very difficult to defuse existing tensions and to prevent the escalation of violence,” they said.

Full report at:

http://www.dawn.com/2011/07/23/un-points-to-possible-syrian-crimes-against-humanity.html

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New Jersey Gets Its First Indian American Judge

By SUNITA SOHRABJI

Jul 23, 2011

The state of New Jersey got its first Indian American Superior Court judge June 30, as Sohail Mohammed, a former engineer from Hyderabad, took his oath of office.

Following contentious confirmation hearings in the New Jersey State Senate, Mohammed, 47, who became interested in law after serving jury duty, began working July 1 in Passaic County Superior Court’s Family Division.

“I am deeply, deeply honored to be representing the two greatest democracies in the world: India and the U.S.,” Mohammed told India-West, adding that he hoped to create a process in his courtroom that left people’s dignity intact, regardless of whether they had won or lost.

Mohammed, who earned his law degree in night school at Seton Hall University while working for GEC-Marconi Electronic Systems, said he has already ruled on a number of adoption cases.

“You see the kids in court, and there are such smiles on their faces. They are already saying, ‘This is my mommy; this is my daddy,’” related Mohammed, who emigrated from India with his parents when he was 10.

“One kid asked to touch the gavel. I lifted him up and he gave the gavel a loud bang. It was such a moving experience,” he said.

Full report at:

http://www.indiawest.com/readmore.aspx?id=3718&sid=1

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Man sentenced to death for raping daughter in Pakistan

Jul 23, 2011

LAHORE: A Pakistani court has awarded the death sentence to a man for raping his 15-year-old daughter.

Additional session’s judge Tahir Khan Niazi handed down the capital punishment on Friday after the charge against Khalid Amin was proved.

Khan's ex-wife Parveen Bibi filed a first information report at Kahna police station in Lahore, accusing her former husband of raping their daughter for a month in 2009.

Amin divorced Parveen in 2008 and the couple's two daughters and four sons were living with the father.

The girl testified in court that her father raped her for at least a month.

"My father threatened he would kill my brothers if I disclosed his act to anyone," the girl told the judge.

The girl told her cousin about the assault, and the cousin later informed Parveen.

Perveen quizzed her daughter, who confirmed that she was raped by her father.

A few persons tried to hit Amin while he was taken out of the court but policemen protected him.

The persons called him a "savage" and demanded that he should be hanged at a public spot to make an example of him.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Man-sentenced-to-death-for-raping-daughter-in-Pakistan/articleshow/9333558.cms

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/witnesses-describe-scene-terror-norway/d/5089


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