Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation Charity Advisors 'Linked To Muslim Brotherhood'
New Age Islam News Bureau
15
Apr 2014
A Filipino Muslim girl and her sister joins a rally at the Mendiola bridge leading to the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila — AP
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Europe
• Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation Charity Advisors 'Linked To Muslim Brotherhood'
• 25 Birmingham schools inspected over jihadist ‘takeover plot’
• Russia welcomes Turkey’s ‘Montreux assurance’
• Russian space agency to launch new Egyptian satellite
• Briton fined £500 by UK court for attempted sale of smuggled Egypt antiquities
• EU military intelligence chief rules out Russia’s involvement in Ukraine events
• Chemical weapons' exportation from Syria to end by April 27 - OPCW
Arab World
• Syrian Army Units Killed a Big Number of Militants in Homs
• Syria: US, Israel, Turkey to blame for past, future chemical attacks
• Al-Qaeda Militants Close All Water Supply Gates in Fallujah
• Mortar Shells Hit Damascus Schools: Child Martyred, Dozens Injured
• Militant Groups Target Al-Manar Crew in Maaloula in Qalamoun: Three Martyrs
• Warily, Lebanon tackles violent spillover from Syria
• Fingerprinting must for Saudis for passport from April 30
• Syriacs massively fleeing to Turkey urge change of border crossing policy
• Egypt's interim president calls for 'public dialogue' on terrorism draft laws
• Iraq closes infamous prison in Abu Ghraib
• Fines, jail, deportation for Iqama, labor law violations
Mideast
• ‘Israel’: Hezbollah Ready to Launch Commandos Attacks, Other Military Tactics
• Turkey 'aided Islamist fighters' in attack on Syrian town: report
• Hamas praises deadly West Bank shooting
• Al-Qaeda militants kill deputy governor: Yemen
• Palestinian Woman, Israeli Man Killed in West Bank Clashes
• Dozens of Palestinians Protest Israeli Attempts to Desecrate Al-Aqusa Mosque
• Former MP wounded as wife and daughter killed in armed attack in Istanbul
• Turkey and Twitter find ‘common ground’
• Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey passes 900,000
Pakistan
• Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar for seeking guidance from Quran
• Modi won't get tougher on Pakistan: PTI leader
• Govt to seek national consensus on action against Taliban if talks fail
• Talks with Taliban over release of Prof Ajmal, Gilani and Taseer’s sons: Ibrahim
• Split within Taliban comes to surface
• ASWJ, PST workers among 5 killed in Karachi
• ‘Saudi-Pak relations are meaningful, productive’
South Asia
• 7 Taliban militants killed, 6 others arrested in Afghan operations
• Gunmen abduct Afghan deputy minister in Kabul
• Afghan Taliban deny Omar's link to pamphlet on TTP rift
• Afghan villagers rise up against Taliban in Nangarhar province
Southeast Asia
• The Philippines to create autonomous area for Muslims
• 17 Filipino students in Riyadh win scholarship
• Philippine leader receives draft law for Muslim self-rule
• DAP urges Najib to state stand on Shariah-civil clash in custody battle
• No more negotiations, amend the law, interfaith council tells Putrajaya
North America
• Local Muslim Community Bleeds with Boston
• US citizens return over 9,100 antiques to Saudi Kingdom
• Turkish rock singer imam to take stage in New York
• After Iran sanctions, US Treasury team faces new challenges
• Twitter user pulls Al Qaeda terrorist prank on US airline, FBI on alert
• CIA’s Pakistan drone campaign carried out by US air force: Report
Africa
• No real proof of linkage between Al Qaeda, Maghreb and Boko
• Kenya's Muslims decry 'collective criminalisation'
• Libya adjourns trial of ex-Gaddafi officials and sons
India
• We are scared of Narendra Modi, but Rajnath Singh is like Vajpayee, senior Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad says
• RAW agents raced ahead of ISI to nab IM’s Pak operative Waqas in Dhaka
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/tony-blair’s-faith-foundation-charity/d/66564
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Europe
Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation Charity Advisors 'Linked To Muslim Brotherhood'
Apr 15, 2014
A Filipino Muslim girl and her sister joins a rally at the Mendiola bridge leading to the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila — AP
Tony Blair has been accused of an embarrassing hypocrisy after reports emerged that his high-profile multi-faith charity has links to an international Islamist group which he himself dismissed earlier this year.
According to one international watchdog organisation, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation has two senior advisors with close links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood is a pan-Islamic organisation that takes different forms in different countries, yet Mr Blair himself slammed the group in general, comparing it to the Russian Bolshevik party and saying it was “the will of the people” that its democratically-elected Egyptian president was overthrown by the military last year.
Then, the former British prime minister accused the Brotherhood of being in “pursuit of values that contradict everything we stand for”, and “taking the country away from its basic values of hope and progress”.
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation says it exists to “help prevent religious prejudice, conflict and extremism”, and Mr Blair will be embarrassed by the link between its council members and a group he has been so critical of, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
According to the newspaper, Dr Ismail Khudr Al-Shatti, an adviser to the Kuwaiti government and a member of Mr Blair’s advisory council, is a leading member of the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM), the Kuwaiti branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Another adviser, the former Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina Mustafa Ceric, was reportedly tied to the Brotherhood through his membership of the European Council for Fatwa and Research (ECFR), headed by Youssef Qaradawi, considered the Brotherhood’s intellectual leader, and whose extremist views led to his ban from Britain in 2008.
The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Watch (GMBDW), a self-appointed watchdog which claims to have monitored the development of the Brotherhood over the past 13 years, said Mr Blair’s ties to the Brotherhood in light of his own comments cast a shadow over his judgment and work.
Steven Merley, who runs GMBDW, said: “Many groups don’t call themselves Muslim Brotherhood but they are linked to what I call the 'Global Muslim Brotherhood’.
“These individuals have fooled a lot of politicians, like Blair, who should know better. The very presence of people like Shatti and Ceric in the same room as him is a judgment on Blair.”
A spokesperson for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation said it had no knowledge of any link between its advisers and the Brotherhood, and said: “We are grateful for the contribution to our work of Dr Ismail Khudr Al-Shatti and Dr Mustafa Ceric.
“They are great supporters of both the foundation and interfaith dialogue, with long records of commitment to peaceful coexistence.”
The Brotherhood is currently the subject of a controversial British Government review, called for personally by David Cameron, during which its practices and influence in the UK will be investigated by MI5, MI6 and some of the country’s most senior diplomats.
The organisation denies any links to extremism, and the Prime Minister’s probe has been slammed in the Lords as a Saudi-influenced attempted to discredit a lawful international movement.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tony-blairs-faith-foundation-charity-advisors-linked-to-muslim-brotherhood--a-group-he-himself-condemned-as-pursuing-values-that-contradict-everything-we-stand-for-9259397.html
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25 Birmingham schools inspected over jihadist ‘takeover plot’
April 15, 2014
Twenty-five schools in Birmingham are now under investigation following 200 complaints received by the council in relation to allegations of Islamist “takeovers”, according to the leader of the city council.
Sir Albert Bore detailed the investigations as he announced the appointment of a new chief adviser to deal exclusively with the fallout from Operation Trojan Horse – a dossier claiming to reveal a plot to “overthrow” teachers and governors in secular state schools in the city and run them on strict Islamic principles.
Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood said 20 headteachers in his Perry Barr constituency alone – “virtually all Muslim heads” – had raised concerns about potential plots.
Despite fears the Trojan Horse document was a hoax, Mahmood said he’d been made aware of similar allegations over the past 12 years and that he was confident there had been concerted attempts to take over Birmingham schools by Islamic fundamentalists from the Wahabi or Salafi sect.
Allegations have also emerged involving schools outside Birmingham, including the Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College in Bradford. It emerged on Monday that Laisterdyke’s entire governing body has been sacked by Bradford council amid concerns over poor performance and a “dysfunctional” relationship between governors, including two city councillors, and management.
Laisterdyke’s female, white headteacher is thought to have complained of coming under pressure to quit by a few influential, hardline Muslim governors who firmly deny trying to oust her.
In a press briefing in Birmingham on Monday, Bore said: “There are certainly issues in Bradford which have similarities with the issues being spoken about in Birmingham.”
Bore also announced that Ian Kershaw, a former headteacher with experience of leading independent inquiries, has been given a six-month contract by the council to “analyse further all Trojan Horse material to enable us to see the whole picture”, according to a statement put out by the council on Monday.
He is currently managing director of Northern Education, a company working in partnership with schools, local authorities and other agencies.
Concerns over how some of the city’s 430 schools were being run first emerged when an anonymous letter known as Operation Trojan Horse was leaked to councils and teaching unions, claiming that a small but radical group of Muslims were pursuing their own agenda in the classrooms, with non-compliant headteachers and governors forced out.
The document, which is unsigned and undated, claimed to have caused “a great amount of organised disruption” in the city, crediting the plan with forcing a change of leadership at four schools.
Since the letter came to light, anonymous whistleblowers, including former staff, have come forward, making claims that boys and girls were segregated in classrooms and assemblies, sex education was banned, and non-Muslim staff were bullied. In one case it was alleged that the teachings of a firebrand al Qaeda-linked Muslim preacher were praised to pupils.
In Bradford, one of the sacked governors from Laisterdyke said on Monday that the governing body had been unfairly removed. Faisal Khan, an independent councillor (formerly with George Galloway’s Respect party), said the head, Jen McIntosh, had refused to take instructions from the governing body and had colluded with the council to get them all sacked after they refused to “rubber stamp” an internal appointment.
Khan said that latterly all but one of the governors at the school were Muslim but denied being part of any Islamist plot. Such allegations, he said, aimed to cause “mischief” and were invented by those who “believe Muslims should not serve as governors”.He said Operation Trojan Horse was an invention by anonymous voices looking to drown out legitimate concerns raised by Muslim governors trying to push standards up at schools.
“I’ve spent the last eight years encouraging members of the community to be part of the ‘big society’, as David Cameron calls it, and become governors. How can I continue doing that given this shoddy behaviour, when Muslim governors are being treated so unfairly?”Mohammed Shafiq, Chief Executive of the Ramadhan Foundation urged calm while allowing authorities to continue their investigations. “The allegations of alleged extremist takeover of schools in Birmingham are very serious however there is a wider concern that this is a witch-hunt against the Muslim community.” he said.
“I am very clear that if these allegations are proven then all stakeholders will need to work together to ensure that it does not happen again but equally this could be a hoax dreamt up without any evidence. It is important that Muslim parents and the wider community who take an interest in schools and education where they represent their children’s interests are not seen as extremist when ensuring their religious needs are being met; this is something that should be encouraged and celebrated. Sadly the events of the past few months will lead to parents being reluctant of coming forward to support schools and it is the children and schools that will suffer.”
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2014/04/14/national/25-birmingham-schools-inspected-over-jihadist-takeover-plot/
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Russia welcomes Turkey’s ‘Montreux assurance’
April 15, 2014
Russia welcomes Turkey’s assurances of commitment to the Montreux Convention, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said April 14 amid the ongoing tension in Ukraine.
“Russia has noted with satisfaction Turkey’s statement that it will continue, just as it has been doing over the past 78 years, to comply with the Montreux Convention, which makes a significant contribution to the security of the Black Sea states,” Lukashevich said in a statement, Russian news agency Itar-Tass reported.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said over the weekend that Turkey “would never allow the violation of the Montreux Convention whatsoever.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had criticized Turkey early April for turning its back on American vessels’ violations of the convention by allowing their stay in the Black Sea longer than 21 days as outlined in the 1936-dated treaty. Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was summoned to the Foreign Ministry last week over Russian officials’ insistent statements on the implementation of the convention.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russia-welcomes-turkeys-montreux-assurance-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65068&NewsCatID=510
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Russian space agency to launch new Egyptian satellite
April 15, 2014
A new Egyptian satellite is scheduled to launch from Russian-owned Baiknour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, reported Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.
According to government spokesman Hossam El-Qawish, the new satellite EgySat aims to support Egypt's "presence in space" and to increase new investment opportunities and enhance developmental project in the Arab region.
The launch is also being used to establish the presence of Egyptian scientists and researchers in outer space, he added during a press conference held at the cabinet's headquarters in Cairo.
Medhat Mokhtar, head of National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Science, said that pictures of the satellite were supposed to have been revealed three years ago, but that the plan was halted, "given what the country is going through".
"Pictures of the satellite will be available soon," Mokhtar added.
Egypt's first satellite was launched in 2007 from the Baikonour. However, it has been lost since 2010.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/99022/Egypt/Politics-/Russian-space-agency-to-launch-new-Egyptian-satell.aspx
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Briton fined £500 by UK court for attempted sale of smuggled Egypt antiquities
April 15, 2014
A UK court has fined a British citizen £500 after he admitted having attempted to sell a number of ill-gotten Egyptian antiquities.
Neil Kingsbury, who had previously worked on BBC documentary series about the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and other early archaeological adventures, was arrested after six items were identified in Christie's London antiquities sale last year.
Kingsbury told Christie's that he inherited the items from an uncle who had lived in Egypt for some years after serving in World War II.
However, one of the items – a relief fragment of a Nubian prisoner appearing to originate from the Amenhotep III Temple in Luxor's Thebes – was spotted in Christie’s catalogue of items before the auction sale by Marcel Marée, a curator at the British Museum.
All six items -- which are between 3,000 and 4,000 years old -- were pulled from the sale a few days before it was due to start.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/99060/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/Briton-fined-%C2%A3-by-UK-court-for-attempted-sale-of-s.aspx
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EU military intelligence chief rules out Russia’s involvement in Ukraine events
April 15, 2014
Commodore Georgij Alafuzoff, in charge of EU military intelligence, believes Russian army plays no decisive role in Ukraine’s recent developments, as reported by Finnish Yle broadcaster. As he points out, the protests in Ukraine are mostly centered around local Russian speaking public, deeply disappointed with the situation in the country.
Mr. Alafuzoff added no military operations had taken place in the area so far, but they would be there in case of any side’s attack.
On April 14, Ukraine’s security service made public a recording of some military officers reporting on the success of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk operations, as the towns resisted attacks by Ukraine’s security forces. Kiev suggests the radio transmission was meant to reach Russian intelligence agencies, but was intercepted along the way. It also tells a story of a number of Ukraine’s security service agents having got ambushed the day before.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_15/EU-military-intelligence-chief-rules-out-Russia-s-involvement-in-Ukraine-events-1955/
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Chemical weapons' exportation from Syria to end by April 27 - OPCW
April 15, 2014
The exportation of chemical weapons from Syria is due to end by April 27, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu said in an interview with television station Rossiya 24 that the Syrian government had accepted April 27 as the exportation deadline. Uzumcu said they had to extend the program a bit but the Syrian government had taken full control of the facilities storing chemical weapons and the OPCW was glad to say there was no unauthorized access to those depots. He also said they expected further safe transportation of chemical weapons out of Syria. Uzumcu visited Russia where he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_15/Chemical-weapons-exportation-from-Syria-to-end-by-April-27-OPCW-7161/
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Arab World
Syrian Army Units Killed a Big Number of Militants in Homs
April 15, 2014
Units of the Syrian armed forces on Tuesday killed a big number of militants, among them the leader of an armed group in Homs countryside.
A military source in the province told SANA that the army units destroyed a number of cars equipped with heavy machineguns and a stolen fuel tank.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930126000920
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Syria: US, Israel, Turkey to blame for past, future chemical attacks
April 15, 2014
The Syrian government has blamed various foes of Damascus - including Israel and the US - for the string of reported chemical attacks in the embattled country over the past year along with any that might occur in the future, Syrian state news agency SANA reported Tuesday.
Both the Damascus regime and rebel forces, embattled in a three-year-old civil war, have blamed the other side for sporadic chemical attacks.
The Syrian Foreign Minister has reportedly penned letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council seeking to absolve forces loyal to President Bashar Assad of perpetrating toxic attacks, including one on August 21, 2013 that killed hundreds of civilians in the Ghouta district near Damascus.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Syria-US-Israel-Turkey-to-blame-for-past-future-chemical-attacks-348552
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Al-Qaeda Militants Close All Water Supply Gates in Fallujah
April 15, 2014
Al-Qaeda militants have closed down all gates of Euphrates River dam they control in Iraq in the Iraqi city of Fallujah in Anbar Province.
Iraq damMilitants have “completely closed the gates of the Fallujah dam since yesterday morning,” Water Resources Minister Muhanad al-Saadi said on Tuesday in a statement.
The move blocks a major source of water for central and southern Iraq.
The militants, who seized the dam several weeks ago, had previously cut the flow of water through the dam near the city of Fallujah but reopened it when water accumulated and caused the area to flood.
The US embassy issued a statement on Monday condemning "ongoing terrorist acts" by extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the dam closure in particular.
Full report at:
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=146034&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=24&s1=1
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Mortar Shells Hit Damascus Schools: Child Martyred, Dozens Injured
April 15, 2014
A Syrian child was martyred and dozens were injured as mortar shells hit schools in Bab Touma and al-Dwailaa, in Damascus.
Official news agency, SANA, reported the event, adding that most of the injured are children.School shelling in Damascus
The agency quoted a source at Damascus Police Command as saying that a mortar shell fell over al-Manar elementary school in Bab Touma claiming the life of a child and injuring 36 others.
“Another terrorist mortar shell fell on a gathering of schools near Mar Elias Church in al-Dwailaa, causing the injury of 5 citizens,” the agency added.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=146111&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=20&s1=1
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Militant Groups Target Al-Manar Crew in Maaloula in Qalamoun: Three Martyrs
April 15, 2014
Mohammad Mantash - Hamza Haj Hasan - Halim AllawMilitant groups in Syria opened fire onto Al-Manar crew in the town of Maaloula in Qalamoun, leaving three martyrs: reporter Hamza Hajj Hasan, technician Halim Allaw and photographer Mohammad Mantash.
The crew was broadcasting the Syria army's operations in Maaloula when the terrorists targeted their Press vehicles.
Al-Manar TV announced the martyrdom of the colleagues and offered condolences to their parents, asking Holy God to bless them with His mercy.
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=2&cid=19&frid=21&seccatid=19&eid=145957
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Warily, Lebanon tackles violent spillover from Syria
April 15, 2014
TRIPOLI, Lebanon – For two weeks now, the rifles have been silent along Syria Street in Lebanon’s Tripoli, an area shot up so often that even memorial posters of men killed just a few months ago are speckled with bullet holes.
Soldiers patrol quiet streets where gunmen used to fight day and night - part of the Lebanese authorities’ most serious effort yet to contain spillover from Syria’s civil war since the three-year-old conflict began in its much larger neighbor.
But while many in Tripoli, 30 km (20 miles) south of the Syrian border, have welcomed what they see as an overdue clampdown, they also worry it could falter under renewed political bickering and a backlash by radical Sunni militants.
“Traffic is returning, the area is coming back to life,” said Ahmed Qashour, 57, raising his voice as armored vehicles rumbled past the tahini sesame-paste shop where he works on Syria Street, in the north of the Mediterranean port city.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140415201927
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Fingerprinting must for Saudis for passport from April 30
April 15, 2014
RIYADH – The General Directorate of Passports announced that all Saudi men and women who reached the age of 15 or above must have done fingerprinting procedures for the issuance or renewal of passports effective from April 30 (Rajab 1). Maj. Gen. Suleiman Al-Yahya, director general of passports, said that all passport offices in the Kingdom will issue or renew passports to citizens who have registered their biometric data at the ministry’s centralized online system, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “The new step will help the directorate to complete the procedures for providing electronic services while issuing and renewing passports of citizens,” he said.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140415201985
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Syriacs massively fleeing to Turkey urge change of border crossing policy
April 15, 2014
Syriacs are calling on Turkey to let their relatives who have fled from Syria to have a stamp that allows them to migrate to European countries where large Syriac communities are living.
The number of Syriacs fleeing to Turkey, particularly from the border city of Qamishli, has massively increased after the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) spread throughout Northern Syria.
Syriacs mostly transit from Turkey to Europe through illegal routes by paying between five and 10 thousand-euros to smugglers and human trafficking networks. However, countries such as Germany and Sweden refuse the entry of Syriacs from legal routes without an entry stamp to Turkey.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syriacs-massively-fleeing-to-turkey-urge-change-of-border-crossing-policy.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65063&NewsCatID=352
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Egypt's interim president calls for 'public dialogue' on terrorism draft laws
April 15, 2014
Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour sent the draft of two counter-terrorism laws back to justice ministry on Monday.
Mansour asked the cabinet to put the proposed bill up for debate and to look into recommendations from social and political forces before it is ratified, according to the president's constitutional advisor Awad Saleh.
The new legislation, approved by the cabinet on 3 April, was drafted by the justice ministry and revised by the state council following months of discussions concerning a rise in militant attacks against army and police troops.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/99024/Egypt/Politics-/Egypts-interim-president-calls-for-public-dialogue.aspx
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Iraq closes infamous prison in Abu Ghraib
April 15, 2014
Iraq's notorious prison Abu Ghraib, infamous for torture and abuse of prisoners, has been closed, Justice Minister Hassan al-Shimmari announced on Tuesday.
"The Ministry of Justice has completed the evacuation of 2,400 prisoners from the facility. They are convicted of terrorism and will be transferred to prisons located in central and north provinces," Iraqi media cited al-Shimmari as saying.
The prison, located about 20 kilometers from Baghdad in Abu Ghraib, was closed due to security concerns, as it was situated in "a restive area". Abu Ghraib staff and guards will be relocated to other prisons in Baghdad.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_15/Iraq-closes-infamous-prison-in-Abu-Ghraib-3371/
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Fines, jail, deportation for iqama, labor law violations
April 15, 2014
RIYADH – Minister of Interior Prince Muhammad Bin Naif announced on Monday a number of penalties for illegal residents and also for Saudis who violate the rules and regulations in dealing with such foreigners.
The minister said that illegal foreigners who are arrested won’t be released even on bail and they will be deported after serving jail term or paying fines or both. If those against whom penal action was taken have any grievances, they can approach the ministry within 30 days after issuance of the penal action. A permanent ministerial committee has been formed to look into the grievances. The amount of fines against the Saudi violators will be doubled in accordance with the number of illegal residents involved in it. The violators who do not fall under the minister’s order will be treated in line with the penalties mentioned in the iqama (residence permit) law and related decisions and the regulations for Haj and Umrah overstayers, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140415201973
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Mideast
‘Israel’: Hezbollah Ready to Launch Commandos Attacks, Other Military Tactics
April 15, 2014
Hezbollah gained new military tactics in Syria, Hezbollah Fighters including mainly launching commandos attacks, Ynet reported.
The Israeli paper reported that the Zionist army is concerned about the military experience which Hezbollah is gaining from Syria war.
It added that Hezbollah has developed its capabilities in a way that its fighters are able to carry out attacks within its enemy's territories, citing the detonation of the militants' villa in Qalamoun.
In this regard, the paper indicated that Hezbollah fighters moved stealthily at night towards the villa and planted the explosives, adding that when the militants arrived in the morning, the fighters detonated it, killing four car bomb experts.
Full report at:
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=31&frid=31&eid=145946
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Turkey 'aided Islamist fighters' in attack on Syrian town: report
April 15, 2014
Turkey facilitated an attack carried out by Islamist fighters against the Armenian town of Kasab inside Syria, eyewitnesses have told the Telegraph.
According to the report, in an operation that was months in the planning, the Turkish authorities gave rebel groups the mandate they needed to attack, allowing them access through a heavily militarized Turkish border post, whose location was strategically vital to the success of the assault.
"Turkey did us a big favor," said a Syrian activist with the rebel group said. "They allowed our guys to enter from their border post. "We needed to hit the regime from different sides and this was the only way from near the coast, so it was a big help."
Kasab is the ancestral home of the Armenian ethnic minority in Syria, and had remained relatively sheltered from the conflict in Syria.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-aided-islamist-fighters-in-attack-on-syrian-town-report.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65061&NewsCatID=352
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Hamas praises deadly West Bank shooting
April 15, 2014
The prime minister of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has praised an attack that killed an Israeli in the West Bank.
Speaking Tuesday in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh said the shooting a day earlier outside the city of Hebron "brought back life to the path of resistance." He saluted "Hebron and the heroes of Hebron."
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded the slain man's wife and their son as they were en route to a seder meal to mark the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Hamas and Israel are bitter enemies. The sides have engaged in frequent fighting since the Islamic militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007. Israel, along with Egypt, also has imposed a tight blockade on Gaza since Hamas' takeover of the seaside strip.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/99085/World/Region/Hamas-praises-deadly-West-Bank-shooting.aspx
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Al-Qaeda militants kill deputy governor: Yemen
April 15, 2014
A Yemeni security official says suspected Al-Qaeda militants have assassinated the deputy governor of a southern province.
The official says attackers opened fire at Hussein Dayan as he was leaving his home on Tuesday, heading to work in the province of al-Bayda, a militant stronghold.
The official says Dayan was killed instantly and the militants fled. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Yemen's branch of al-Qaida, also known as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is considered to be the most dangerous in the world. It overran much of the south in 2011. Yemen's army, supported by U.S. military experts, pushed them back, but clashes continue.
The Interior Ministry says attacks, mostly by Al-Qaeda militants, killed 41 Yemeni troops in the first three months of 2014.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/99074/World/Region/-AlQaeda-militants-kill-deputy-governor-Yemen.aspx
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Palestinian Woman, Israeli Man Killed in West Bank Clashes
April 15, 2014
Palestine: Zionist occupation forcesViolence has erupted in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip between Zionists and Palestinians after peace talks hindered following a Zionist refusal to uphold its side of a prisoner release agreement.
A Palestinian woman, Noha Qatamesh, 45, died of Zionist teargas on Monday during clashes between occupation forces and Palestinian protesters in the Aida refugee camp near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, a medical source said.
According to eyewitnesses, Zionist forces used teargas canisters and rubber bullets during the clashes with Palestinian protesters.
Meanwhile, one 'Israeli' was killed and two others were injured in a Monday shooting near an army checkpoint in the West Bank, a Zionist military spokesman said.
Full report at:
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=146089&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=23&s1=1
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Dozens of Palestinians Protest Israeli Attempts to Desecrate Al-Aqsa Mosque
April 15, 2014
Dozens of Palestinian staged sit-ins in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Monday, protesting Israeli attempts to desecrate al-Aqsa Mosque during the Passover.
On Monday morning Israeli occupation police limited Palestinian access to the holy mosque.
Male residents of al-Quds, who age 50 and over are only allowed to pray in the compound, according to the Israeli measures.Israeli measures around al-Aqsa mosque
Occupation forces also detained Palestinian youth Mesbah Abou Sobaih as he was demonstrating, along with other protesters, against the Israeli measures in the area near the gates of al-Asbat and al-Hatta in the Old City.
Full report at:
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&frid=23&eid=145924
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Former MP wounded as wife and daughter killed in armed attack in Istanbul
April 15, 2014
Three people were killed in an attack on the car of former Motherland Party (ANAP) deputy Adnan Yıldız, in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district, on April 15.
The former deputy’s wife and daughter, who were traveling in the car, were both killed in the shooting, while Yıldız and his son were injured and rushed to hospital.
One of the assailants was also killed after the former deputy and his son returned fire. The second assailant, who was also injured, has been detained by police.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/former-mp-wounded-as-wife-and-daughter-killed-in-armed-attack-in-istanbul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65060&NewsCatID=509
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Turkey and Twitter find ‘common ground’
April 15, 2014
Twitter officials have accepted Turkey’s demand to act “more quickly and in a more sensitive manner” regarding rulings by Turkish courts, the semi-official Anadolu Agency has reported.
Turkish officials urged executives from Twitter to open an office and start paying Turkish tax on April 14 in the first direct talks following a two-week ban that was imposed on the site amid government efforts to prevent damaging corruption revelations from reaching the public.
“Common ground has been found between Turkey and Twitter,” the semi-official Anadolu Agency said.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that Twitter’s head of global public policy, Colin Crowell, was holding two rounds of talks in Ankara with the aim of opening up a better channel of communication. He described the first meeting as “positive.”
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-and-twitter-find-common-ground.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65018&NewsCatID=338
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Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey passes 900,000
April 15, 2014
The number of Syrian refugees that have taken shelter in Turkey has passed 900,000, according to the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD).
Fuat Oktay, the president of the agency, said yesterday that everything is fine with regard to the refugee camps, but the agency is focusing on meeting the needs of refugees living outside of the camps and minimizing their problems. In order to do so, they are coordinating with civil society organizations. The number of refugees living inside the camps is 224,000.
Oktay said most of the refugees who fled the civil war have been living in border provinces. “International aid has totaled $200 million and so far the agency has spent $2.5 billion,” Oktay said, calling on the international community to share the burden.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/number-of-syrian-refugees-in-turkey-passes-900000.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65072&NewsCatID=341
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Pakistan
Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar for seeking guidance from Quran
2014-04-15
MIRAMSHAH: Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has called for seeking guidance from Holy Quran to resolve differences between two rival factions of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan amid reports of rifts widening between the groups.
A pamphlet in Pashto carrying the name of Mullah Omar issued in Miramshah (North Waziristan) on Monday said there were serious differences among Mujahideen of Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan and asked them to recite verses from Quran to end hostilities.
“There are none worthy of worship besides You (God). Glorified are You. Surely I am from among the wrongdoers,” say the verses quoted in the pamphlet.
Mullah Omar said it was binding upon every Muslim to recite these verses 100 times a day.
Clashes between the Khan Said and Sheheryar groups leave a large number of militants dead and injured.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1100006/mullah-omar-for-seeking-guidance-from-quran
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Modi won't get tougher on Pakistan: PTI leader
April 15, 2014
LAHORE - Former Foreign Minister and PTI leader Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri has said that BJP leader Narendra Modi, if comes to power, will not adopt a tough policy against Pakistan.
Addressing a meet the press programme at the Lahore Press Club, Kasuri who is also chairman of PTI Task Force on Kashmir Affairs said: “The stance of Imran Khan and mine on the Kashmir problem is the same as both of us want its solution through negotiations. He said China wanted to make investment in Pakistan, but it was reluctant to do so due to extremist elements in the country. He noted there was a general impression that Narendra Modi would be next Indian prime minister, but, he said, nothing could be predicted with certainty about the election results there.
“It is presumed that Narendra Modi’s government will be different from Vajpayee’s. But he knows well that Pakistan is also a nuclear power,” Kasuri said.
The event was also attended by LPC President Arshad Ansari, Secretary Shahbaz Mian, governoring body members and senior journalists.
http://www.nation.com.pk/lahore/15-Apr-2014/modi-won-t-get-tougher-on-pakistan-kasuri
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Govt to seek national consensus on action against Taliban if talks fail
2014-04-15
WASHINGTON: The government will seek a national consensus on what action to take against the Taliban if talks with the outlawed TTP failed, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said here on Monday.
Talking about the impact of terrorism on the national economy, he said this was a matter of national importance and that’s why the government had stayed in touch with all institutions and political parties on this issue, even those who were not in parliament.
“If the talks fail and other actions are to be exercised, then the whole nation will be united in supporting such an action,” he said.
Briefing the Pakistani media on his visit to Washington, Mr Dar said he had held more than 47 meetings with the US, IMF and World Bank officials and his counterparts from other countries during his week-long stay in the US capital. “And all of them agreed that the reforms introduced by the current government had put the national economy back on track,” he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1100005/govt-to-seek-national-consensus-on-action-against-taliban-if-talks-fail
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Talks with Taliban over release of Prof Ajmal, Gilani and Taseer’s sons: Ibrahim
April 15, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Taliban committee member Professor Ibrahim said talks are being held with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the release of Professor Ajmal, Haider Gilani and Shahbaz Taseer.
Speaking to media, Professor Ibrahim said there was no deadlock between the government and Taliban committees. He added that difference between the Taliban had been eliminated.
Professor Ibrahim told the media that the Taliban committee was waiting to be contacted by the government committee and this was expected in the next few days.
The professor was critical of the Pakistan Peoples Party saying that their chief should be asked why he cannot control his statements.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-144628-Talks-with-Taliban-over-release-of-Prof-Ajmal,-Gilani-and-Taseers-sons
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Split within Taliban comes to surface
April 15, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Differences between two groups of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have come to the forefront.
According to a private TV channel, spokesman of TTP’s Hakimullah Mehsud group, Haji Daud said on Monday that Khan Saeed Sajna wanted to seize control of South Waziristan. Daud added that he was opposed to Sajna’s steps. The TTP Hakimullah group spokesman further said he had complete confidence in TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah and would accept his decision about the next amir (chief) of South Waziristan. In a recent statement TTP shura member Maulana Azam Tariq downplayed the infighting between the Taliban groups. Azam Tariq said the issue was hyped up by the media, and misgivings between the two groups had been removed.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/15-Apr-2014/split-within-taliban-comes-to-surface
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ASWJ, PST workers among 5 killed in Karachi
April 15, 2014
KARACHI - At least five people including the ASWJ and PST workers were gunned down in various parts of Karachi on Monday.
According to details, three persons affiliated with the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat were gunned down in an attack at Cantt Bazaar within the premises of Shahr-e-Faisal Police Station. SHO Aslam Pervaiz said that at least four armed men on two motorbikes reached on the spot and resorted indiscriminate firing on the victims. He said that the assailants managed to flee from the scene while the victims were transported to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. But all three victims identified as Amjad Farooqui, Shahid Qadri and Saleem Qardri succumbed to injuries. Police termed the incident as a result of sectarian killing. The ASWJ spokesman condemned the incident, demanding the government to arrest the culprits on immediate basis.
Full report at:
http://www.nation.com.pk/karachi/15-Apr-2014/aswj-pst-workers-among-5-killed-in-karachi
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‘Saudi-Pak relations are meaningful, productive’
April 15, 2014
JEDDAH — Dr. Abdullah Omer Naseef, chairman of World Muslim Congress (WMC) and recipient of Hilal-e-Pakistan, said: "Our organization WMC is an example showing harmony between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan's government and the people."
Naseef's statement was part of his presidential address in the "First Saudi - Pakistan friendship program" jointly organized by Naseef and Consul General of Pakistan Aftab Ahmed Khokher on the occasion of 74th Pakistan Resolution Day at the Ismail Abu Dawood hall of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce (JCCI) recently.
"The WMC was established 70-80 years ago. Since then the secretary general has always been from Pakistan and the president from Saudi Arabia. So we enjoy that partnership in order to serve the Ummah," Naseef said.
Full report at:
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140415201980
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South Asia
7 Taliban militants killed, 6 others arrested in Afghan operations
Apr 15 2014
At least seven Taliban militants were killed and six others were arrested during military operations by Afghan security forces in the past 24 hours.
The operations were conducted by Afghan national police in cooperation with the Afghan national army and Afghan intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) operatives, interior ministry said following a statement.
The statement further added that the operations were conducted in Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kandahar, Maidan Wardak, Logar and Paktia provinces.
Interior ministry said Afghan national security forces also confiscated various types of weapons and explosives during the operations.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/7-taliban-militants-killed-6-others-arrested-in-afghan-operations-3581
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Gunmen abduct Afghan deputy minister in Kabul
Associated Press | Kabul | April 15, 2014
Gunmen abducted the Afghan deputy public works minister in Kabul on Tuesday, officials said, a grim reminder of the insecurity plaguing Afghanistan as most foreign troops prepare to withdraw from the country at the end of the year.
Ahmad Shah Wahid was on his way to work when five gunmen ran his car off the road in northern Kabul, dragged him into their 4-wheel-drive vehicle and sped away, said Gul Agha Hashim, the city’s police chief of investigations.
The armed men shot and wounded Wahid’s driver when he tried to drive away to safety, said public works ministry spokesman Soheil Kakar.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the abduction. Kakar said there has so far been no ransom demand.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/gunmen-abduct-afghan-deputy-minister-in-kabul/
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Afghan Taliban deny Omar's link to pamphlet on TTP rift
2014-04-15
PESHAWAR: Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid on Tuesday denied that any pamphlets had been distributed by the group in the name of their leader Mullah Mohammad Omar that had called for seeking guidance from the Holy Quran to resolve differences between two rival factions of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
In an email, Mujahid said there was no truth in the association of the pamphlet with Omar, adding that the leadership of the Afghan Taliban had no knowledge of it.
He said the pamphlets appear to have been taken out by local group(s) and had no association with the Afghan Taliban leadership.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1100058/afghan-taliban-deny-omars-link-to-pamphlet-on-ttp-rift
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Afghan villagers rise up against Taliban in Nangarhar province
Apr 15 2014
Dozens of local residents in Hesarak district of Nangarhar province have started armed campaign against the Taliban militants.
According to local government officials, heavy clashes were reported between the two sides since early Tuesday morning.
Hesarak district Chief Abdul Khaliq Maruf said the uprising started around 3:00 am local time in various parts of Hesarak district and dozens of local residents have participated in the campaign.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/afghan-villagers-rise-up-against-taliban-in-nangarhar-province-3583
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Southeast Asia
The Philippines to create autonomous area for Muslims
April 15, 2014
Agence France-Presse
MANILA, (AFP) – Philippine President Benigno Aquino yesterday formally received a draft law representing a crucial step towards the creation of an autonomous area for the country’s Muslim minority, following a historic peace deal.
Aquino received the Bangsamoro Basic Law from a special transition committee headed by representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), once the main Muslim rebel group in the majority-Catholic Philippines, his aides said.
The law will speed up the process of creating the autonomous region as part of a peace process to end decades of fighting that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Just last month, the MILF signed a landmark pact to end one of Asia’s longest and deadliest conflicts, promising to give up their arms for an autonomous homeland in the southern Philippines. As part of this accord, a transition committee was formed that drafted the “basic law” for the autonomous area.
Full report at:
http://www.aquila-style.com/focus-points/the-philippines-to-create-autonomous-area-for-muslims/63368
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17 Filipino students in Riyadh win scholarship
15 April 2014
The Manila-based Overseas Welfare Administration (OWWA) has announced that 17 students from different schools in Riyadh have qualified for the OWWA scholarship for the current year.
Successful examinees will receive financial assistance of up to 60,000 pesos (SR5,000) per year.
The results of the examinations were released through the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh (POLO-Riyadh), which in turn relayed the information to local schools.
Successful examinees from Future Generation International School (FUGEN) include Manuelle Kristian T. Bitong, Hannah Grace R. Dimapilis, Jacob L. Eisma, Grenadine Mae R. Labrador, Jernie T. Merla and Ericka Lynne S. Nava.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/news/555876
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Philippine leader receives draft law for Muslim self-rule
2014-04-15
MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Monday formally received a draft law representing a crucial step towards the creation of an autonomous area for the country's Muslim minority, following a historic peace deal.
Aquino received the Bangsamoro Basic Law from a special transition committee headed by representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), once the main Muslim rebel group in the majority-Catholic Philippines, his aides said.
The law will speed up the process of creating the autonomous region as part of a peace process to end decades of fighting that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Just last month, the MILF signed a landmark pact to end one of Asia's longest and deadliest conflicts, promising to give up their arms for an autonomous homeland in the southern Philippines.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1100021/philippine-leader-receives-draft-law-for-muslim-self-rule
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DAP urges Najib to state stand on Shariah-civil clash in custody battle
APRIL 15, 2014
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should declare the government's stand on the abduction of a child in the custody battle involving a Hindu mother and her former husband who has converted to Islam, said DAP national vice-chairman Teresa Kok.
Kok said Najib should not remain silent on this issue, following the incident last week when Izwan Abdullah forcibly took away his son Mithran from his mother S. Deepa, who was awarded the custody of their children by the Seremban High Court.
Kok reminded that the Cabinet had in 2009 taken a stand on the religion of minors arising from one of their parents' conversion to Islam.
"The Cabinet made a fair decision in April 2009 that children be raised in the common religion at the time of marriage should one of their parents convert," she said in a statement.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dap-urges-najib-to-state-stand-on-shariah-civil-clash-in-custody-battle
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No more negotiations, amend the law, interfaith council tells Putrajaya
APRIL 15, 2014
Putrajaya has been urged to relook two memorandums submitted 10 years ago by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) to address the on-going problems on conversion issues plaguing non-Muslims.
The interfaith council's president Jagir Singh said the memorandums contained proposed amendments to the law to deal with conversion issues.
Putting it bluntly, Jagir said negotiations between non-Muslim and Muslim groups are not going anywhere.
"Parliament must amend the laws to deal with conversion cases," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Jagir said the council had submitted the memorandums in 2005 and 2007 following the decision of the Federal Court that Lina Joy, a former Muslim, must get permission from the Shariah Court before the state could recognise her as a Chrisitan.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/no-more-negotiations-amend-the-law-to-deal-with-conversion-issues-interfait
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North America
Local Muslim Community Bleeds With Boston
April 15, 2014
The Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and ranks as one of the largest and most popular events of its type worldwide. Tragedy struck this grand event last year when two bombs went off near the finish line, killing three and injuring around 275 others.
Condolences and condemnations poured in from all around the world. American communities joined hands in expressing their sympathies with the families of those killed or injured. Was this a terrorist plot against America or the act of crazy individuals acting on their own? Why would anyone want to attack innocent bystanders and participants at a sporting event? As questions were raised, Boston remained in deep shock.
What followed was a display of great police and intelligence work that culminated in our nation's largest manhunt at home. Tamerlan, the younger of the two Tsarnev brothers subsequently implicated in these attacks, admitted being influenced by "radical Islam." He reportedly stated that the bombings were undertaken as a payback for attacks on Muslim lands. He claimed to be influenced by Anwar Awlaki, the same al Qaeda cleric who inspired the Times Square bomber three years prior. Though no direct link to a foreign terrorist organization was found, it was concerning enough that the Boston tragedy was carried out by men who were suspected to have shared the same radical ideology as those behind 9/11.
Full report at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kashif-n-chaudhry/boston-we-bleed-boston-bombing_b_5141015.html
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US citizens return over 9,100 antiques to Saudi Kingdom
April 15, 2014
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has regained a total of 9,139 antique pieces from a number of American citizens who worked for Saudi Aramco in Dhahran before returning home, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has announced.
The commission held its regular 35th meeting in Riyadh on Sunday under its chairman Prince Sultan Bin Salman.
The prince said the pieces were returned through cooperation with the Foreign Ministry, the Saudi Embassy in Washington and Aramco.
He said 11 new parcels containing various historical pieces were received in February.
The prince said the pieces will be classified and reports will be written about them. He thanked all American citizens who willingly returned the antiquities.
SCTA’s figures are correct as of October 2013.
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20140415201954
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Turkish rock singer imam to take stage in New York
April 15, 2014
Ahmet Muhsin Tüzer, who has become one of the most famous imams in Turkey because of his rock music career, will give a concert in the United States in April.
Tüzer has been invited to sing at the Ultima Festival in New York by composer Catherine Christer Hennix, who is the founder of the “Choros(s)san Time-Court Mirage” concert.
The concert will take place on April 23 during the festival’s opening ceremony at the Issue Project Room, where Tüzer and his band will recite the call to prayer and Quranic verses, accompanied by drone music.
Tüzer has stated that Amir ElSaffar, Amir ElSaffar, Robin Hayward, Paul Schwingenschlögl, Hilary Jeffery, Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, Stefan Tiedje will take place in the orchestra for his performance.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-rock-singer-imam-to-take-stage-in-new-york.aspx?pageID=238&nID=65031&NewsCatID=383
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After Iran sanctions, US Treasury team faces new challenges
April 15, 2014
WASHINGTON - This is what the modern American war room looks like: the clocks on the wall show the times in Kabul, Tehran and Bogota. The faces around the conference table are mostly young. There is talk of targets, and of middle-of-the-night calls to Europe.
But the meeting one recent morning convened deep within the Treasury Department, not the Pentagon. The weapons at hand were not drones or cruise missiles, but financial sanctions, aimed with similar precision at US rivals' economic interests.
Before discussing possible next steps against Russia over its annexation of Crimea, Adam Szubin, the slim, boyish-looking director of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), thanked his team for putting in a string of sleepless nights to devise sanctions against senior Russian officials and associates of President Vladimir Putin.
Full report at:
http://www.jpost.com/International/After-Iran-sanctions-US-Treasury-team-faces-new-challenges-348535
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Twitter user pulls Al Qaeda terrorist prank on US airline, FBI on alert
April 15, 2014
A Twitter user has pulled an al-Qaeda terrorist prank on a US airline and the FBI is sure to be on guard because of the tweet. "Sarah" was playing it out to be an al-Qaeda affiliate determined to "do something really big" in a tweet made out to American Airlines. The firm made a pledge to get in touch with the FBI as Sarah said she was just a 14-year-old "white girl" and apologized for her stupid joke. Hello my name's Ibrahim and I'm from Afghanistan," Sarah wrote on Sunday, as stated by New York Daily News, then she added, "I'm part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I'm going to do something really big bye."
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_04_15/Twitter-user-pulls-Al-Qaeda-terrorist-prank-on-US-airline-FBI-on-alert-6570/
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CIA’s Pakistan drone campaign carried out by US air force: Report
April 15, 2014
LONDON: A report published in ‘The Guardian’ reveals that a US air force unit in the Nevada desert is flying the CIA’s drone strike programme in Pakistan.
The report published in ‘The Guardian’ is based on a documentary ‘Drone’ in which former drone operators claimed that personnel from the US air force were flying the CIA’s Predator missions in Pakistan.
The documentary identifies the 17th Reconnaissance Squadron operating from a secure compound in Creech air force base in the Mojave Desert as the unit conducting CIA drone strikes in Pakistan.
Full report at:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-144634-CIAs-Pakistan-drone-campaign-carried-out-by-US-air-force:-Report
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Africa
Kenya's Muslims decry 'collective criminalization'
April 15, 2014
Muslims are complaining of the perceived "criminalization" of their entire community within the context of Kenya's ongoing fight against terrorism, with thousands of Muslims rounded up in recent days.
"Without [the] slightest proof, people suspected to be terrorists have been detained illegally," Siraj Mahmoud, 36, told Anadolu Agency outside a Nairobi mosque.
"Where is the law here?" he asked.
Following a recent spate of attacks in Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenyan authorities have launched a wide-ranging operation aimed at restoring public security.
The operation has seen thousands of people detained for screening, mostly thought to be Muslims from the capital's Eastleigh district, which is home to an estimated 50,000 Somali refugees.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/133777/kenyas-muslims-decry-collective-criminalization
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No real proof of linkage between Al Qaeda, Maghreb and Boko
April 15, 2014
According to local government administrator, the insurgents attacked the village of Amchaka and nearby villages on Sunday morning. They hurled improvised explosive devices into homes and set them on fire. After that they went on a shooting spree, opening fire on confused residents as they tried to flee. Last Thursday, the gunmen attacked the village of Kala Balge, also near the Cameroon border. The attack left 60 people dead.
In a separate assault last Wednesday, insurgents killed eight people at a teacher training college in the remote village of Dikwa. The Voice of Russia talked to Doctor Akinyinka Akinyoade, Senior Researcher at the African Studies Center. Witnesses of the attacks had no doubt that the insurgents belonged to Boko Haram, an Islamist jihadist militants group based in the north of Nigeria. This organization wants to put an end to Westernization of Nigeria and turn it into a pure Islamic state ruled by sharia law. Since launching an uprising in the northeast of Nigeria four and a half years ago, the group has killed thousands of people.
The group exerts influence in the northeast of Nigeria. The country’s authorities have declared the state of emergency in that region.
Full report at:
http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_04_14/Boko-Haram-is-consistently-hitting-at-a-soft-target-commercial-transportation-schools-8560/
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Libya adjourns trial of ex-Gaddafi officials and sons
April 15, 2014
Libya opened the trial of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi's sons and dozens of his ex-officials on Monday in a test of its transition to democracy, but it was quickly adjourned as some of the investigations had not been completed.
Neither son, Saadi Gaddafi and Saif al-Islam, was in court at Tripoli's Al-Hadba prison, but the late ruler's spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi was among the former senior aides sitting in blue jumpsuits behind a fenced-off section.
The defendants face charges ranging from corruption to war crimes related to deaths during the 2011 uprising against Gaddafi, who went on the run for months before being captured and quickly killed by rebels.
Full report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/headlines/133691/libya-adjourns-trial-of-ex-gaddafi-officials-and-sons
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India
We are scared of Narendra Modi, but Rajnath Singh is like Vajpayee, senior Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad says
Arunav Sinha, TNN | Apr 15, 2014
LUCKNOW: Days after senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and party candidate from Kanpur Murli Manohar Joshi created a storm, saying that there is no Modi wave, but BJP wave in the entire country, Modi critics both within the BJP and outside the BJP have got another reason to target the BJP's prime ministerial candidate — Narendra Modi.
The latest blow comes from Lucknow — the capital of the most populous state, with prominent Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad not only showering heaps of praises on BJP president Rajnath Singh, but also comparing him to former Prime Minister and five-time MP from Lucknow Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has set a benchmark for the voters of this prominent parliamentary constituency.
"We are scared of Narendra Modi, but Rajnath Singh has the acceptability of Vajpayee," the cleric told NDTV. Jawwad, on this occasion, also made it categorically clear that no political "fatwa" or diktat would be issued to Muslims voters, but he would "present his views" before the community. Besides Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, Rajnath Singh on Tuesday also met other prominent religious leaders like Maulana Kalbe Sadiq and Maulana Khalid Rasheed.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/lok-sabha-elections-2014/news/We-are-scared-of-Narendra-Modi-but-Rajnath-Singh-is-like-Vajpayee-senior-Shia-cleric-Maulana-Kalbe-Jawwad-says/articleshow/33783064.cms
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RAW agents raced ahead of ISI to nab IM’s Pak operative Waqas in Dhaka
TNN | Apr 15, 2014
NEW DELHI: A small mistake on part of the ISI in preparing passport for Indian Mujahideen's (IM) Pakistani operative Zia-ur Rehman alias Waqas landed him in the net of Indian agencies. Waqas had been hiding in Bangladesh and was supposed to leave for Pakistan via Nepal when he was apprehended by India's external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
According to sources in the security establishment, though there had been some information about the possibility of Waqas being in Bangladesh, Indian agencies were clueless about his exact location. However, their sustained interest in the ISI agent who had been loaned to IM made Waqas's handlers in Pakistan's spy agency worried that their asset had been exposed and needed to be brought home.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RAW-agents-raced-ahead-of-ISI-to-nab-IMs-Pak-operative-Waqas-in-Dhaka/articleshow/33754708.cms
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/tony-blair’s-faith-foundation-charity/d/66564