| Islamic World News | |
| 01 Mar 2010, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Peace monitors return to southern Philippines | |
| Pak Punjab Govt. must take measures to curb extremist elements Karadzic Tells UN Court Muslim Bid for Power Led to Bosnian War Barack Obama Sends Indian-American Muslim To Bond With Muslim World Muslims join Hindus to celebrate Holi in Uttar Pradesh Suleiman Slams Israeli Attacks on Palestinians at al-Aqsa Mosque Compound Lawsuit by Moroccan-American Muslim Accuses Police of Bias in Hiring Criticism amidst Danish newspaper apology for Prophet cartoons Iranian Minister: Muslim States Should Have Bigger Share In Global Economy Unnamed Christians Accused after Muslim Attack in Pakistan Muslim Women Fight Segregation in DC Mosque Exhibit at Converse College offers view of Muslim world Pakistan: Christian sentenced to life imprisonment for blasphemy Al-Qaida growing in strength and numbers in Africa Ahmadinejad denounces Israel as 'origin of all wars, terror' Kenya Muslim Heroines Prosecutor and author on religious terrorism Muslim Peacekeepers for Mindanao Ceasefire Somali Islamists ban UN food from rebel-held areas Gilani says Islam has no room for terrorism Nation of Islam's Farrakhan cites earthquake, warns America: 'You will not escape' Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh's ADDRESS TO THE MAJLIS-AL-SHURA Pakistan: Christian accused of blaspheming Islam will appeal Islam and Islamism Today: The Case of Yusuf al-Qaradawi Northern Blend: Female comedian stands up for Islam Senior Taliban commander killed in Swat clash Chinese Man Embraces Islam Why many American Christians really are un-Christian Ramadan Abdullah: Iran's Support for Palestine Advantageous to All Muslims Iran 'not co-operating' says new IAEA chief
Compiled by Aman Quadre ----- Peace monitors return to southern Philippines Monday, March 1, 2010 COTABATO, Philippines — Malaysian-led peace monitors have returned to the troubled southern Philippines for the first time since Muslim rebels launched a wave of deadly attacks in 2008, officials said Monday. The team's work is primarily to ensure a truce holds on the island of Mindanao between the government and the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while the two sides negotiate a peace settlement. "With the redeployment of the International Monitoring Team, the peace talks are back on track," Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who is also the government's chief peace negotiator with the rebels, said in a statement. "It will also strengthen the security monitoring in the area." Malaysia has been brokering the peace talks, which are aimed at ending the MILF's struggle for an autonomous Muslim homeland on Mindanao that has claimed more than 150,000 lives since 1978. The two sides will meet again in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, a member of the government negotiating team, who asked not to be named, told AFP. "Both sides will continue to seek ways to break the impasse in the next meeting," said the negotiator. However, the MILF said after the last talks broke down in January that it was unlikely a deal would be reached with the government of President Gloria Arroyo, who is constitutionally mandated to step down on June 30. The 60-person monitoring team is made up of unarmed military and police personnel, as well as diplomats and representatives of non-government organisations. A Malaysian delegation of 20 landed at Cotabato airport on Mindanao on Sunday night. They joined 10 others from Brunei, eight from Libya and two from Japan. The remaining 20 monitors, from non-government organisations, are likely to arrive this week, the government said. The monitors first came to Mindanao in 2004, following the first major ceasefire between the two sides the previous year. But they pulled out in September 2008 after the MILF launched attacks to avenge a court ruling that outlawed a proposed deal to give the rebels control over what they say is their ancestral land. About 400 people were killed and 700,000 displaced at the height of the fighting, before a new ceasefire was signed last year. Copyright © 2010 AFP. ---- Pak Punjab Govt. must take measures to curb extremist elements: Editorial Monday, March 1, 2010, he government in Pakistan's Punjab province needs to come out of its state of denial on the presence of terror outfits, and take appropriate measures to curb these extremist elements, an editorial in the Daily Times, has said. Criticising the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for audaciously calling itself a 'progressive' party, the editorial says that at best, it can be described as a centre-right party. It laments that the PML-N's decision to pursue such policies should serve as a wake up call for the people of Pakistan. "If we want to rid our country of extremist ideology, our lawmakers should set an example instead of giving official patronage to terror outfits. An appeal to the Punjab government: stop living in denial and take effective measures to make our country safe from extremist elements," the editorial said. It also said that it is a matter of extreme concern that a provincial law minister has been seen pandering to a banned organisation's senior leader. Rana Sanaullah, who happens to be Punjab's Law Minister, took Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) leader Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi on a ride in his car. He also visited the banned organisation's madrassa. The editorial says even if it was for purely electoral purposes, should the law minister have taken along a sectarian leader with him on an election campaign? Being a provincial law minister, Rana Sanaullah should take effective measures to curb extremism and sectarianism in Punjab. Instead he opted for hobnobbing with the leaders of such militant outfits, the editorial claims. Some lawmakers from Punjab had raised this issue in the National Assembly last year as well, protesting that the activities of banned outfits in Jhang were going unchecked. It should be seen as a complete failure of the government that most of these banned groups have renamed themselves before the ink had even dried on the proscription papers, the editorial oncludes. (ANI) http://news.oneindia.in/2010/03/01/pakpunjab-govt-must-take-measures-to-curb-extremisteleme.html ---- Karadzic Tells UN Court Muslim Bid for Power Led to Bosnian War By Jurjen van de Pol March 01, 2010 Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader accused of genocide, told the UN war crimes tribunal that the Bosnian Muslims chose to go to war as they sought full control of Bosnia-Herzegovina. "There were several solutions that could have provided the avoidance of war and the price for war, however there was only one solution that inevitably led to war," Karadzic said today. "The Muslim leadership strictly stuck to this solution which could only lead to war. And this solution was sovereign and independent Bosnia 100 percent." The former president of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb Republic is accused with military commander Ratko Mladic of responsibility for the mass murder of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys in the United Nations-protected Bosnian town of Srebrenica in 1995 and for killings during the 44-month siege of Sarajevo. Mladic, 67, remains at large. Full report at: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-01/karadzic-tells-un-court-muslim-bid-for-power-led-to-bosnian-war.html ---- Barack Obama Sends Indian-American Muslim To Bond With Muslim World 2010-03-01 In an effort to bridge the gaps between America and the Muslim world within and outside America president Barack Obama has sent an Indian-American Muslim to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Rashad Hussain, 31, who joined the White House counsel's office in 2008 to work on national security and new media issues has helped the administration's Muslim outreach efforts. Hussain's parents are immigrant Muslims from Bihar. A Quran Scholar and an ardent fan of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball, Hussain makes the perfect choice of interface between the Modern American society and the orthodox and radical Muslim Society Hussain said that the issue will take a long time to sort out. He said, "The challenge is to continue to communicate that this is a long-term process. Sometimes the challenge becomes that people want to focus exclusively on the political issues, issues that this administration is working very diligently to solve." Hussain's father is a mining engineer, who migrated to America in the late 1960s. Hussain's mother is an obstetrician and his wife Isra Bhatty is a Yale Law School student currently on a Rhodes scholarship. His wife wears a 'Hijab' or a veil like any traditional Muslim woman but is also a Chicago Bears fan. Coming from such a mixed cultural background Hussain is understandably a good choice to bring down the tension and misconceptions prevailing between the radical Muslim society and the rest of the world. Full report at: http://www.india-server.com/news/barack-obama-sends-indian-american-21990.html ---- Muslims join Hindus to celebrate Holi in Uttar Pradesh March 01, 2010 Hindus and Muslims on Monday came together and took out a procession, called a Holi Baraat, in this Uttar Pradesh capital to celebrate the festival of colours amid communal unity. This is a decades old tradition followed by the members of both communities. Hindus and Muslims were seen lost in Holi revelry while taking out the procession that had camels, horses and elephants pulling the decorated small chariots on which the revelers stood tall. They danced to the beat of the drums during the procession in the old city. The procession was led by Lucknow MP and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lalji Tandon, who from an open jeep threw `abir' and `gulal' in the air. "For more than 40 years, the Holi Baraat is being organised in our locality. The baraat holds a special significance as it projects Hindu-Muslim brotherhood," Tandon told reporters in Lucknow. "Being a part of such an exemplary procession is really a matter of pride. Muslims of the locality, who participate in the procession shower rose petals and flowers on us... It's a symbolic welcome for Hindus by their Muslim brothers," he added. The procession that normally starts with small groups, amalgamates into a huge gathering, as more and more people join it as it passes through various localities. "It just feels great. Our Holi Baraat which projects communal unity should be a lesson to those who always attempt to widen the rift between Hindus and Muslims," said Shariq Ameen, a tailor in the Chowk locality. Full report at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/Muslims-join-Hindus-to-celebrate-Holi-in-UP/514177/H1-Article1-514198.aspx ---- Suleiman Slams Israeli Attacks on Palestinians at al-Aqsa Mosque Compound Beirut, 01 Mar President Michel Suleiman on Monday condemned Israel for attacking Palestinians at al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem and called for international action to stop acts that prevent achievement of peace in the region. Suleiman said in a statement that police attacks on Palestinians in and around the fiercely contested holy site were part of Judaization policies adopted by the Jewish state. Israeli police stepped up security around the al-Aqsa mosque compound on Monday after several people were wounded in the clashes that started after Muslim worshippers threw stones at a group of visitors they believed were Jewish extremists. Suleiman also slammed Israel's settlement-building policy and what he called rejection to yield to international demands. http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/209716C25B5F3824C22576D90045C99D?OpenDocument ---- Lawsuit by Moroccan-American Muslim Accuses Police of Bias in Hiring By COLIN MOYNIHAN February 28, 201 As the New York Police Department has initiated and expanded counterterrorism efforts in foreign countries over the last several years, it has also aggressively tried to recruit speakers of Arabic and other languages of countries where Islam holds sway. But a Moroccan immigrant who applied to become a police officer as a result of those efforts is suing the department, charging that he was not hired because he was a Muslim and was born outside the United States. Lawyers for the city filed a motion asking that his claim be dismissed, but on Jan. 29, Judge Richard J. Sullivan of United States District Court in Manhattan ruled that there was enough evidence for the suit to proceed. The immigrant, Said Hajem, took the police exam in February 2006 and said he scored 85.6, well above the passing grade. That June he received a letter of congratulations from Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and began preparing to enter the Police Academy. Mr. Hajem said he had even decided to delay his wedding, hoping to get married as a police officer. "I started dreaming of becoming one of the Finest," Mr. Hajem, 39, said last month, as he sat in his lawyer's office on lower Broadway, "an important person who is going to save lives and stop terrorism." Full report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/nyregion/01muslim.htmlon did not respond to a request for comment. ---- Criticism amidst Danish newspaper apology for Prophet cartoons Ruqaya Izzidien 1 March 2010 danish_cartoonsAfter the republishing of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2008, the Politiken newspaper has issued an apology to those who were offended by the cartoons. The apology was issued after a lengthy request by several Muslim groups, headed by a Saudi lawyer, which left in its wake an outcry by those who are supposed freedom of speech 'Jihadis', in the mainstream-media sense of the word. That is, those that would sacrifice anything for freedom of speech, including that freedom itself. The newspaper that originally printed the cartoons, Politiken has said "we apologize to anyone who was offended by our decision to reprint the cartoon drawing." From an early age, we are taught to play nicely, and punished if we do not. As we grow older we tend to cast of the shackles of tolerance and jump at the chance to elevate ourselves at the expense of someone else. When I realized this at sixteen, the moment when a war was waged against that enigmatic force that is "terror" and therefore one of my homelands, Iraq, I woke up feeling very disillusioned. Journalist and author Douglas Murray asks "Why should a Danish newspaper apologize for republishing a drawing of a dead tradesman?" His 'article' (and I use that term loosely), published on the Telegraph's website is scattered with "probability"; making loose statements about the alleged descendants of the Prophet Muhammad: Full report at: http://bikyamasr.com/?p=9153 ---- Iranian Minister: Muslim States Should Have Bigger Share In Global Economy February 28, 2010 A huge portion of global economy should be managed by the Islamic countries, Iran's IRNA news agency reported Iranian Minister of Industries and Mines Ali-Akbar Mehrabian as saying here Sunday. "Although Muslim countries enjoy huge energy and mineral resources, they do not have proper share of global economy management," he said. Mehrabian made the remarks at the fifth gathering of working group of the eight developing countries (D8) at the Foreign Ministry's Institute for Political and International Studies here. He cited the huge human and energy resources, water, mines and strategic straits of Muslim countries as vital, adding unity is the main aim of the D8 meeting. The working group of the eight developing countries started two days ahead of the D8's 1st ministerial meeting. The gathering was opened by Mehrabian Sunday. D8's first ministerial meeting will be inaugurated on March 2 by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the participation of around 400 Iranian and foreign guests. Established in 1997 in Turkey, the group consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. It is a group of developing countries with large Muslim populations that have formed an economic development alliance. The combined population of the eight countries is about 60 percent of the Muslim population, or close to 13 percent of the world's population. The objectives of D8 are to improve developing countries' positions in the world economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level and provide better standards of living. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=478616 ---- Unnamed Christians Accused after Muslim Attack in Pakistan Jawad Mazhar March 1, 2010 KARACHI, Pakistan (CDN) — In the wake of an attack this week by 150 armed Muslims on a Christian colony in this city in Sindh Province, police have filed a false First Information Report (FIR) against 40 unnamed Christians and arrested five, Christian leaders said. They said the 40 unnamed Christians in the FIR are accused without basis with beating Muslim men, abusing Muslim women and girls, ransacking Muslim homes and looting expensive items from Muslim homes. The false FIR is designed only to harass the Christian community, they said, adding that the five arrested Christians were visitors to the area - the only ones on the street available for police to summarily round up, as they were unaware of the FIR. Some 150 armed Muslims assaulted the Christian colony of Pahar Ganj in North Nazimabad, Karachi, on Sunday (Feb. 21), damaging two churches, shooting at houses, beating Christians and burning shops and vehicles after a fruit stand vendor attacked a Christian boy for touching his merchandise. Christian leaders said Muslim extremists helped gather and inflame the assailants, but they said the fruit stand vendor upset with the 14-year-old Christian boy for touching plums on his hand-pulled cart initially instigated the attack. The unnamed vendor reportedly had a previous conflict with the boy, whose name was also withheld, and in objecting to the teenager's actions he slashed his hand with a fruit knife and threw an iron weight at him, Christian leaders said. Full report at: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11626871/ ---- Muslim Women Fight Segregation in DC Mosque By Mary Papenfuss March 1, 2010 US fights for Muslim women aboard, cops threaten arrest here In an action they link to Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus in the civil rights movement, American Muslim women are battling against a "men only" prayer section in a DC mosque. Police were called recently to the Islamic Center of Washington when protesting women knelt to pray with men instead of in their special section behind a barrier. The women were threatened with arrest if they failed to comply, reports the Daily Beast. The incident raises troubling issues for Americans battling for basic rights in Islam on American soil, writes Asra Q. Nomani, who was banned from her Virginia mosque after she pointed out that Mohammad did not segregate female worshipers. While US soldiers fight in Afghanistan in part to improve women's rights there, police were dispatched "just a mile from the White House" to boot American Muslim women protesting gender segregation at their local mosque, Nomani notes. http://www.newser.com/story/82062/muslim-women-fight-segregation-in-dc-mosque.html ---- Exhibit at Converse College offers view of Muslim world By Gary Glancy Monday, March 1, 2010 Converse art gallery featuring works inspired by Tunisia At Converse College's Milliken Art Gallery, it's a special three-week exhibition featuring the work of North Carolina artist Ray Cooper and Hamadi Ben Saad from the North African country of Tunisia. For students like Capucine Philson, the name reflects a personal journey experienced through a unique travel-abroad program. Led by Converse professor Cathy West, four students traveled to Tunisia last month for an eye-opening view of a Muslim country and its people. "The images that we see through the media have distorted American minds to think that a Muslim country can be nothing but violence and terrorism, and it's not like that," said Philson, a 37-year-old senior theater student who also participated in last year's trip. "They're very warm, generous, caring people, and they treated us all with so much respect and warmth. I think everyone needs to experience this, because there's been too much negativity surfacing about (these) parts of Africa. It was a beautiful experience for me." West, who lived in Morocco for three years as a child, said she started the program in 2001 after the events of 9/11 and its aftermath. Two months after the attacks, West attended a conference in Tunisia and, "as the daughter of a diplomat," she said, "it was a big inspiration for me." Full report at: http://www.goupstate.com ---- Pakistan: Christian sentenced to life imprisonment for blasphemy Monday, March 01, 2010 Qamar David was in prison since 2006. In the weeks after his arrest police failed to find any concrete evidence against him. Muslim co-defendant acquitted, for lack of evidence. Christian activists: verdict result of "influences and prejudices" and motivated by " external pressures ". Karachi (AsiaNews) - Qamar David, a Christian in the dock on charges of blasphemy, was sentenced to life imprisonment. The basis of the ruling, issued on Feb. 25, the fact that the man "hurt the religious feelings" of Muslims; however, the co-defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence. The police had arrested the man in 2006, although there was no evidence against him. Additional District and Sessions Judge found Qamar David guilty of using blasphemous remarks about the Islamic Prophet and Quran and pronounced the verdict after hearing final arguments from both sides, daily Dawn reported yesterday. According to the verdict, a SIM phone card was found in possession of the convict and the data produced by the cellular company established that messages were sent from the seized phone card, which they claim belonged to the Christian. A contact close to the accused is of the opinion that the facts, evidence and law were in his favour. The evidence against him is said to be based on hearsay, and an accused Muslim in a parallel case was fully acquitted on the same facts. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source described the final judgement as "biased and prejudiced," and believes that external pressure on the court may have played a part in distorting the outcome, a news release issued by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) states. Full report at: http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=122&id=28148&t=Pakistan%3A+Christian+sentenced+to+life+imprisonment+for+blasphemy ---- Al-Qaida growing in strength and numbers in Africa By LOLITA C. BALDOR (AP) March 1, 2010 WASHINGTON — Al-Qaida's terror network in North Africa is growing more active and attracting new recruits, threatening to further destabilize the continent's already vulnerable Sahara region, according to U.S. defense and counterterrorism officials. The North African faction, which calls itself Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), is still small and largely isolated, numbering a couple hundred militants based mostly in the vast desert of northern Mali. But signs of stepped-up activity and the group's advancing potential for growth worry analysts familiar with the region. The rapid recent rise of the al-Qaida group in Yemen — which spawned the Christmas airliner attack — is seen by U.S. officials and counterterrorism analysts as evidence that the North African militants could just as quickly take on a broader jihadi mission and become a serious threat to the U.S. and European allies. The Mali-based militants have yet to show a capability to launch such foreign attacks, but are widening their involvement in kidnapping and the narcotics trade, reaping profits that could be used to expand terror operations, officials and analysts said. Several senior U.S. defense and counterterrorism officials spoke about AQIM on condition of anonymity to discuss internal analysis. Those advances have set off alarms within the counterterrorism community, which watched as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula quickly transformed over the past year from militants preoccupied with internal Yemeni strife to a potent group recruiting and training insurgents for terror missions inside the U.S. That threat was underscored by the failed Christmas airliner attack, which officials say was planned and directed by Yemeni insurgent leaders. Full report at: Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. ---- Ahmadinejad denounces Israel as 'origin of all wars, terror' By Avi Issacharoff Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continued to deliver incendiary rhetoric against Israel yesterday, the second and final day of a Palestinian solidarity conference in Tehran. It is "well-known for all that the Zionist regime's mission is threat, violence and beating [the] drums of war," Ahmadinejad said, according to a translation released by the Islamic Republic News Agency. The International Conference on National and Islamic Solidarity for Future of Palestine included representatives of the most influential Palestinian militant factions, including Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal, Islamic Jihad chief Ramadan Shallah and Ahmed Jibril, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. "Supporters of the Zionist regime who are shouting slogans of human rights and anti-terrorism support systematic crimes of the occupying regime," Ahmadinejad said, adding that "everybody knows that the regime is seeking hegemony over the world." Israel is the "origin of all the wars, genocide, terror and crimes against humanity," he said, and a "racist group not respecting the human principles," IRNA reported. "With God's grace and thanks to the Palestinian resistance, the occupying Zionist regime has lost its raison d'etre," Ahmadinejad said. "The only way to confront them is through the Palestinian youths' resistance, and that of the regional nations." Meanwhile, a leading commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards issued a stern warning to Europe while addressing Basij militiamen in the southeastern city of Kerman. "Iran sits on 50 percent of the world's energy [supplies] and if it wants, Europe will spend the winter in a chill," Hossein Salami said, according to the Fars News Agency. Salami also issued a warning against Iran's regional enemies. "Our missiles are now able to target any spot in which the conspirators are in, and the country is making advances in all fields," he said. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1153016.html ---- Kenya Muslim Heroines By Abdullahi Jamaa Feb. 28, 2010 She wore an ankle-length sequined gown and her crown of veiled head frames a no non-sense face, but also a gentle one that glitters with hope and determination. Mrs. Dekha Ibrahim Abdi is a veteran of years of civil right activism and a community peace builder from the marginal Muslim region of Northeastern Kenya, a region devastated by years of inter-clan conflicts. And because of her aspirations to rid wars and conflict she had recently received international recognition after wining the Hessen 2009 peace award in Germany. "I think it is electrifying in the sense that I was getting recognition from the world as a person and above all as a Muslim woman who has contributed to peace building in contemporary times," she told IslamOnline.net. "It has never been an easy venture to preach peace in our province, but all the while we had to rise above all obstacles to realize sanity." The award that she had received comes together with a whooping 25,000 euros and is one of the most prestigious appreciations in recognition to persons advocating for stability in the world. "I believe my efforts were recognized because of being a Muslim peacemaker." In her years of community service, Mrs. Abdi has spoken about every issue affecting her predominantly pastoral Somali community, but addressing peace was her priority. Two decades ago when, she first started setting her pace towards peace building, much of her region was groaning under the weight of protracted conflict fueled by scarcity of resources such as water and pasture. Full report at: www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1235339969236&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout ---- Prosecutor and author on religious terrorism March 1, 2010 Georgene Rice of KPDQ-FM, Portland interviews Andrew McCarthy, author of Willful Blindness, a memoir of Jihad to help understand why this war is a war and why we have no choice but to fight it and win it. Andrew McCarthy was a top prosecutor against several terrorists in the '93 bombing of the World Trade Center. He helped launch the 9-11 investigation. GEORGENE: Years had passed since the World Trade Center was first bombed in 1993. I think everyone was surprised because they thought our government had it under control. Then 9-11 happened. McCARTHY: It was an interesting evolution for me. I had no familiarity with Islam and Islamic motivated terrorism before the '93 bombing. I wanted to believe all the admirable things that were said about Islam. I believed when the government said it was important in terms of our reputation in the world that we show the civility through our legal system of how we treat our enemies in contrast to how they treat us. Going through a trial like that showed me the naivete' of that thinking. By '98 we should have known it was something far bigger than we thought in the beginning. And the criminal justice system was not an adequate way of dealing with the challenge we were up against. After 9-11 no one sat behind a table and said, "Was this a war or a crime". GEORGENE: When would you say the "War on Terror" in this country first began and should have thought more critically about what we were facing. Full report at: http://oregonfaithreport.com/2010/03/prosecutor-and-author-on-religious-terrorism/ ---- Muslim Peacekeepers for Mindanao Ceasefire Mar. 1, 2010 Peace monitors from three Muslim countries start on Monday, March 1, a mission to oversee a ceasefire agreement in the southern Philippines, ahead of a new round peace talks this week. "With the deployment of the International Monitoring Team, peace talks are back on track," Rafael Seguis, head of the government's peace panel, said after the arrival of Malaysian troops in Mindanao. The 17 unarmed peacekeepers will join 20 monitors from Brunei and Libya who had stayed on in Mindanao despite the breakdown in peace talks last year, reported Reuters. "(Their presence would) strengthen the security, civilian protection and ceasefire monitoring in the conflict areas," said Seguis. Two Japanese aid workers also arrived to join the monitoring team. Norway and Indonesia also offered to send soldiers to join the monitoring team but both have yet to send their troops. Full report at: www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1235339982074&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout ---- Somali Islamists ban UN food from rebel-held areas By KATHARINE HOURELD (AP) Mar. 1, 2010 NAIROBI, Kenya — Militants in Somalia are preventing food from reaching more than 366,000 people who need it, a World Food Program spokesman said Monday, following a statement by Islamists that aid agencies were helping "apostates" in the war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation. Trucks carrying food aid have not been allowed to pass through a checkpoint in the Afgooye corridor near the capital of Mogadishu for the past two weeks, WFP spokesman Peter Smerdon said. Afgooye has the largest concentration of displaced people in the country. It is nominally controlled by the insurgent group Hizbul Islam but allied Islamist group al-Shabab also operates roadblocks there. On Sunday, al-Shabab prohibited WFP from distributing food in areas under its control because it says the food undercuts farmers selling recently harvested crops. "Somali farmers are having a hard time selling their produce because WFP distributes food aid across the regions and that is demoralizing," an al-Shabab statement said. "The organization has been completely banned." It also accused the agency of handing out food unfit for human consumption and of secretly supporting "apostates," or those who have renounced Islam. Full report at: Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press ---- Gilani says Islam has no room for terrorism March 1, 2010, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has attacked terrorists for portraying a distorted picture of Islam, which had no room for terrorism. However, he pledged to fight the nefarious design of terrorists that was aimed at destabilizing Pakistan. "No which sector of the society you belong to, whether you are in opposition or in power, whether you are in the parliament or outside, you all have to move forward to defend the country. We have to weed out terrorism from the country," The Nation quoted Gilani, as saying at the closing ceremony of 44th Urs of Hazrat Syed Ismail Shah Bokhari at Hazrat Karmanwala Sharif on Sunday. He urged Ulema to continue preaching the true values of Islam while advocating love, fraternity, peace and tolerance. He said it were the saints and not the army generals, who spread Islam in Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries. The first ever Hadith in Hindustan was introduced by Sheikh Abdul Haq Mahaddith Dehlvi, who was a disciple of Hazrat Musa Pak (RA), he added. He pointed out that while Pakistan is facing a long list pf problems, his government was committed to eradicating these challenges. "Today we are awfully entangled in the quagmire of price hiking, unemployment and terrorism. The PPP govt is spending all available resources to counter the challenges and to raise the iving standard of the people," he said. (ANI) http://news.oneindia.in/2010/03/01/gilanisays-islam-has-no-room-for-terrorism.html ---- Nation of Islam's Farrakhan cites earthquake, warns America: 'You will not escape' By Manya A. Brachear, Tribune reporter March 1, 2010 Nation of Islam leader tells faithful to prepare Calling this weekend's earthquake in Chile a divine precursor to his planned speech, controversial Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan predicted on Sunday that America will face its own imminent disaster and must prepare. Delivering a message titled "The Time and What Must Be Done," Farrakhan addressed thousands at Chicago's United Center as part of an annual celebration of Saviours' Day, marking the birth of W. Fard Muhammad, who founded the faith 80 years ago. "It's not an accident that a great earthquake took place in Chile," Farrakhan, 76, said an hour into his three-hour address. "It (precipitated) what I have to tell you today of what's coming to America. You will not escape." "I will speak to the kings and rulers of the world. I will speak to the pope and the religious leaders because you have to know that your time has come," he said. "I desire to guide you and warn you of things that are coming that you must try to prepare yourselves for because we are absolutely living in the change of worlds." Though some of Farrakhan's past remarks have been labeled anti-Semitic and racist, his supporters say he has been misunderstood and misrepresented by the media. In his speech Sunday, he recounted events in the 1980s where he was barred from hotels and other destinations after declaring support for Libya, implicated at the time in acts of state-sponsored terrorism. On Sunday, he blamed the international cold shoulder on the "reach of the Zionists." Full report at: www.chicagotribune.com/news/religion/ct-met-savioursday-20100301,0,5100454.story ---- The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh ADDRESS TO THE MAJLIS-AL-SHURA March 01, 2010 The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, addressed the Majlis-Al-Shura at Riyadh today. Following is the text of the Prime Minister's address on the occasion: "I am deeply grateful and privileged to have this opportunity to address the Majlis Al-Shura. This august body has come to symbolize participative governance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Members of the Majlis Al-Shura have among them some of the best minds in the Kingdom, representing different segments of Saudi Arabia's rich culture and society. I am, therefore, deeply conscious of the honour done to me and to India by inviting me to address this august House. Saudi Arabia is the cradle of Islam and the land of the revelation of the Holy Quran. I have come to this ancient land with a message of peace, brotherhood and friendship. I bring to you the fraternal greetings of the people of India. India regards Saudi Arabia as a pillar of stability in the Gulf region. Under the enlightened and sagacious leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Kingdom has taken rapid strides towards modernization. Its influence today extends far beyond the region. As I stand before you, I am conscious of the wealth of history behind us, and the promise of a new partnership ahead of us. We are two nations linked by the waterways of the Indian Ocean. Over 5,000 years ago, ships made with teak from Kerala freely traversed the waters of the Indian Ocean and linked the people of Sindh, Gujarat and Malabar with the different ports of the Gulf and the Red Sea, going up to Basra and Alexandria. Full report at: http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=58618 ---- Pakistan: Christian accused of blaspheming Islam will appeal By Aftab Alexander Mughal March 01, 2010 A Christian who was sentenced to life imprisonment on February 25 under Pakistan's laws penalizing blaspheming Islam will appeal against the court's verdict, according to his lawyer. Qamar David, a Christian, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) Jangu Khan in Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, under blasphemy laws; Sections 298, 295-A and 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), while a co-accused, Munwar Ahmed, a Muslim, was acquitted. Kamran Khan, a Christian leader from Karachi, said that acquittal of the co-accused on grounds of benefit of doubt rise to doubts about the impartiality of the trial. Christians of Pakistan have denounced the judgment. A group of Christian protestors organized a protest rally outside Karachi Press Club on Feb. 28 in protest against the court's verdict. The protest rally was organized by the Save the Churches' Property Welfare Association and the United Church of Christ. David's wife, Tabassum, was also among the demonstrators. The protestors were holding placard bearing slogans denouncing blasphemy laws, especially Section 295-C, PPC, a law against insulting Muhammad - the founder of Islam. Full report at: www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=122&id=28143&t=Pakistan%3A+Christian+accused+of+blaspheming+Islam+will+appeal ---- Islam and Islamism Today: The Case of Yusuf al-Qaradawi By Samuel Helfont, Mar. 1, 2010 Building on the background obtained from the research for his two books — Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Islam and Modernity and The Sunni Divide: Understanding Politics and Terrorism in the Arab Middle East — Samuel Helfont dissects a piece of the Islamic political puzzle, a puzzle that continues to confound Western analysis. Qaradawi, born in Egypt, received a doctorate from al-Azhar University. He became an activist in the Muslim Brotherhood and his teaching reflects much of the political ideology of the Brotherhood. Having been arrested earlier in a purge of the Muslim Brotherhood by President Abdul Nasser, Qaradawi took refuge in Qatar. A quick leaner, Qaradawi hitched early onto the fledgling Al-Jazeera, establishing himself as an Islamic "televangelist" with a wide audience for his sermons on the daily problems in living an Islamic life. He also launched two Islamic web sites popular throughout the Muslim Sunni world (his ridicule of the Shi'a's excludes them), and became known as a centrist eschewing the Wahhabis and westernizing reformists. Helfont makes the point that Qaradawi is a modern Islamic scholar in that he brings Islam into the context of living in a vastly changed world from the time of the Prophet. His influence can be attributed to his understanding of modernity and the issues Muslims face in maintaining their Islamic identity. Full report at: http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/item/2010/0103/iar/iar_islamtoday.html ---- Northern Blend: Female comedian stands up for Islam March 1, 2010 Tissa Hami knows something about being hijacked. Her budding career fell victim to cratering public opinion toward people of Middle Eastern descent in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks. Hami is essentially American, having lived in the United States most of her life. But she was born in Iran to Iranian parents and lived there until she was 5. She grew up in predominantly white, suburban Boston and was on a scholarly path — her father holds a Ph.D. in computer science and her mother is a dentist — until all career options suddenly went sideways. After earning a master's degree in international affairs at Columbia University, she spent a stint in Paris. "I came back to the United States on Labor Day weekend 2001," Hami says. "A week-and-a-half later 9/11 happened. Two Ivy League degrees, and I could not get a job." She remained unemployed for more than a year. Hami came to realize her career would likely not pan out as she'd dreamt. "I thought maybe it's time to take a chance, a risk to do something I'd never do," she says. "I was really motivated to find a way to speak up and speak out after 9/11." Hami had never given comedy any serious thought, but her friends often told her she should try stand-up. So her platform would be the stage. "To me, that was outside the bounds of what a good little Iranian girl from a good little Iranian family would do," she says. "They expected me to have a serious profession, and I expected it, too." Full report at: www.greeleytribune.com/article/20100301/NEWS/100309996/1002&parentprofile=1001 ---- Senior Taliban commander killed in Swat clash Monday, 01 Mar, 2010 PESHAWAR: A senior Taliban commander has been killed in a clash with security forces in Pakistan's Swat valley, where the military claims to have quelled an uprising, officials said Monday. Mohammad Alam Binouri, who had a 10-million-rupee (117,000-dollar) reward on his head, was killed with another militant in the gun battle in the town of Madyan in the mountainous northwestern region late Sunday, local police officer Islam Jan said. Army and paramilitary soldiers acting on a tip-off surrounded a house in the town, but the men resisted and Binouri was killed in an exchange of fire, a military official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP. "The bodies of the insurgents were placed in the main bazaar of Madyan, where the residents identified the pair," said the police officer, Jan. He said Binouri was a close aide of fugitive Swat Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah. Binouri was killed along with fellow-commander Shankoo Mullah, while three other wounded militants were captured alive, the military official said. The bodies were taken to Swat's main town Mingora, where the wounded insurgents are being interrogated. Fazlullah, who has a 50-million-rupee bounty on his head, remains at large. ---- Chinese Man Embraces Islam by Ain' 1 March 2010 Tutong - A conversion ceremony for a Chinese man was held at the Tutong Dakwah Department's office. The guest of honour was Haji Daud bin Haji. Duraman, Pengerusi Lembaga Bandaran Tutong. The ceremony started with the recital of al-fatihah. The converting officer of the department guided the recital of dua kalimah syahadah by See Wei Huat. See chose his new Muslim name as Muhammad Khairul Afandi bin Abdullah See. Also present during the event were his family members and close friends. A gift for the new convert was presented by Haji Daud bin Haji Durahman: The ceremony ended with the reading of doa selamat by Muhd Rosli bin Haji Muhd Yusof, Imam of Kampung Penabai Mosque. The Tutong Dakwah Department said all new converts will attend the course on the introduction of Islam, which will be conducted by the department. They will be taught prayers, fasting, haj and others. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin ---- Why many American Christians really are un-Christian By Selwyn Duke March 1, 2010 In this age of media insolvency and newsroom job cuts, I sometimes think that restaurant reviewers are doubling as religion writers. After all, both today seem to treat their subjects as matters of taste. In fact, I expect to soon open a modern newspaper's religion page and read something akin to the following: The steeple was sufficiently impressive, although there were obvious stress cracks in the paint. As I entered the church, I was greeted by an all too obsequious usher whose fawning attempts to please were rendered quite unwelcome by his dollar-store shoes, mismatched tie and sport coat, and noticeable dandruff. I was secondly accosted by the aroma of incense, which, although vaguely reminiscent of a potpourri, was overpowering and gratuitous. I entered a pew and found it had been finished with a dark stain wholly ill-suited to the pine of which it was constructed. My kneeler rotated easily on its hinges but emitted a perceptible squeak, and, more egregiously, its cushioning would probably be found wanting by someone suffering from patella tendonitis or another debilitating physical condition. Certainly, if your spirit is willing but your flesh weak, this may not be the church for you... What brings this to mind is an article I stumbled across today about Tiger Woods, his Buddhism and his reaction to Brit Hume's January recommendation that the golfer explore Christianity to remedy his woes. It was penned by David Gibson, a "religion" writer who says that he is, as I am, a convert to Catholicism. If I seem suspicious of his Catholicity — of, in fact, his religiosity — it's because I am. His biography states, "Gibson won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, the top honor for journalists covering religion in the secular press. In November he will receive the top prize for opinion writing from the American Academy of Religion," and both are quite fitting. His writing seems more secular than religious and reduces Truth to opinion. That is to say, Gibson seems to embrace the relativism that defines our age. I have read two articles he has written on the Hume/Woods story, and in neither one does he exhibit the slightest understanding of the concept of Absolute Truth. I'll explain. I know a man who is an orthodox Jew. He walks the walk, following all of the 613 Judaic laws he must and praying at the appointed times of the day, regardless of where he finds himself. Now, because he is authentic, he believes his religion contains the full deposit of faith. Full report at: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/duke/100301 ---- Ramadan Abdullah: Iran's Support for Palestine Advantageous to All Muslims 2010-03-01 TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's support for resistance in the Palestinian territories against the crimes of the Zionist regime is beneficial to all Islamic countries, Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Abdullah Shallah reiterated on Monday. "Iran, in fact, defends all Muslim countries against the danger of the Zionist regime and the measures of the western countries through its support for the Palestinian resistance groups," Abdullah said, addressing a gathering of Iranian students at the Tehran University. Shallah and a number of other Palestinian resistance leaders are visiting Tehran to attend an international conference on 'National and Islamic Solidarity for the Future of Palestine' held on February 27-28. Noting that the western countries and the Zionist regime are seeking to sow discord among Muslims and divide the world into the two parts of Arab and Islamic, he stressed that Israel views resistance forces and the Islamic Republic of Iran as serious dangers posed to its existence and materialization of its plots. Abdullah further underlined that Iran's progress in the field of peaceful nuclear technology and Tehran's support for the Palestinian and Lebanese groups are the main two factors which have caused Israel's opposition and animosity towards the Islamic Republic. Full report at: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8812101454 ---- Iran 'not co-operating' says new IAEA chief 1 March 2010 Iran is not co-operating with the UN nuclear watchdog's investigation into the country's nuclear programme, the new head of the agency has said. Iran's insistence its nuclear programme was peaceful could not be confirmed, Yukiya Amano told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. Mr Amano is taking a more critical line than his predecessor, analysts say. The news is likely to strengthen calls for sanctions on Iran. Iran's foreign minister has rejected Mr Amano's claim. "The agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran, but we cannot confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities because Iran has not provided the agency with the necessary co-operation," Mr Amano said. He was speaking at a 35-nation board meeting of the IAEA in Vienna, the first since he took over as the head of the organisation in December. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rejected Mr Amano's statement. "We have fully co-operated with the agency. This co-operation will continue," he told journalists. Sanctions call Full report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8543401.stm URL of this Page: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=2521
| -- Asadullah Syed |
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Peace monitors return to southern Philippines
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