| Islamic World News | |
| 01 Nov 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com | |
| Shah Rukh Khan could be Lashkar target | |
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Muslim-Jewish Reflections: Zuleikha in the Qur'an and in the Bible 'Positive' Ramdev to address moulvis Muslims not monolithic in politics, culture, religion Abdullah Will Quit Afghan Election, Sources Say Fraud surrounds women voters in Afghan election US may grant asylum to battered spouses Vatican flays superstitious Halloween as anti-Christian India protests Pak's ceasefire violation India's fate linked with that of its neighbours: PM PM invites opposition to share dais in J&K Love Jihad: Muslim leaders making clean image for the culprits – BJP From Iraq, Lessons for the Next War 'Hard to believe Pak clueless on Qaida': Clinton Pakistan Ulema term Hillary Clinton's visit successful Clinton Makes Personal Bid to Resume Mideast Talks US in new push for Mid-East peace Indonesia on alert for tsunami drill Bomb kills soldiers in Pakistan Israel levels Palestinian homes Senior Iran MPs Reject U.N. Atom Fuel Plan U.S. Army Sending First Buddhist Chaplain to Iraq The Detroit 'Ummah' and Radical Islam in America 48 arrested in Manchester's anti-Islam demo Hijab should be allowed at work, says Muslim doc Historic mosque in Islamic Cairo undergoes an elaborate renewal Batla encounter: Apex court says no to plea for judicial probe Handler to 26/11 terrorist: Two Pak cricketers in Taj Racketeering counts considered; FBI upsets Muslims No pre-paid mobiles in J&K from Nov 1 British bullets too small to fell 'high' Taliban Pilgrimage to Mecca begins for Muslims Smooth rifts with Indonesians: expert Nawal Saadawi says no to Muslim Brotherhood Panthers' Muhammad, two others out for Sunday Radical Somali-Canadians potential threat: RCMP boss Dearborn Shoot-Out Opens a Window into Home-grown Terror Rally Behind Denmark ByDiana West Compiled by Aman Quadri URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2028 ---------
Shah Rukh Khan could be Lashkar target New Delhi, October 30, 2009 A US government source has said from Washington that the actor "Rahul" mentioned in one of arrested Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley's emails could be Shah Rukh Khan.
The revelation comes as an Intelligence Bureau and Research & Analysis Wing team leaves for the US next week to meet FBI officials in connection with the arrest of the LeT operative. "We do not have many details yet," the source said over the phone, " but we have gathered that the ' Rahul' mentioned in the FBI affidavit could most possibly be Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan. We presume he was codenamed thus because his characters are often named Rahul in many of the movies he has acted in." The affidavit was filed by the FBI in a Chicago court, and mentions that Headley, in an email on July 8, said, " I think when we get a chance we should revisit our last location again and say Hi to Rahul." The email was addressed to a senior LeT leader whose name the FBI merely put as ' LeT Individual A'. Headley had confessed to the FBI that ' Rahul' referred to a "prominent Indian actor" but had not divulged his real name. He even asked the LeT leader he was conversing with whether he should stay in Rahul's city for long, to which the leader responded that it would take around two to four weeks and added he had real estate plans for a place outside Rahul's city. Meanwhile, in New Delhi on Thursday, home minister P. Chidambaram confirmed that the government is "working with the FBI to follow up on what needs to be done in India while they are investigating what needs to be done in the US". He also added that the FBI had shared with India documents, like the complaint and affidavit filed by it in the court, a little while before they were made public. Headley was arrested by the FBI earlier this month at Chicago's O'Hare airport while boarding a flight to Philadelphia scheduled to land in Pakistan. According to the FBI, the 49- year- old alleged LeT operative was also scheduled to visit India soon, presumably to execute the LeT's terror plans, most probably similar to the attacks on Mumbai's prominent locations last November. The FBI affidavit also mentions that Headley's prime contact in the LeT was Ilyas Kashmiri, the chief of Harkat- ul- Jihad- al Islami's ( HuJI) operations in Pakistan- occupied Kashmir. HuJI is a Pakistan- based terrorist organisation alleged to have links with the Al Qaeda. Headley was arrested along with a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin named Tahawar Rana, who owns grocery stores in Chicago. However, Rana's lawyer insists that his client was " duped" by Headley into a plan that included the killing of 74- year- old Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, who drew a cartoon depicting Prophet Mohammed in a local newspaper. He is currently underground and under the protection of the Danish intelligence. Courtesy: Mail Today --- On Taliban hunt, troops find 9/11 link in passport Jane Perlez & Mark Mazzetti 31 Oct 2009 SHERWANGAI: Pakistani forces pushing toward a lair of hard-core Taliban fighters found documents this week linked to a member of the Hamburg cell of al-Qaida that is believed to have planned the September 11 terrorist attacks. In a small village in the dun-coloured hills of South Waziristan, soldiers found a German passport belonging to Said Bahaji, an associate of Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers. The passport was issued in Hamburg in August 2, 2001 and was accompanied by a Pakistani visa dated August 3, 2001. The documents indicated that Bahaji landed in Karachi from Istanbul on September 4, 2001. The apparent presence of Bahaji in the tribal areas of Pakistan is a clear indication that members of the Qaida network — including participants in the 9/11 plot — have taken refuge here, as US officials, like secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Thursday, have charged. There was no indication that Bahaji had left Pakistan, authorities said. Although Bahaji was not a central plotter in the 9/11 attacks, he lived for eight months in Hamburg with Atta and Ramzi bin al Shibh, according to the 9/11 Commission Report. He was described in the report as "an insecure follower with no personality and with limited knowledge of Islam." It added: "Atta and Binalshibh used Bahaji's computer for internet, as evidenced by diskettes seized by German authorities after 9/11." A US counterterrorism official said the documents "appear to be this guy," and that US officials believe "he's in Pakistan and is a senior Qaida propagandist". Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/On-Taliban-hunt-troops-find-9/11-link-in-passport/articleshow/5182292.cms ------ 'Positive' Ramdev to address moulvis New Delhi, Oct. 30: From L.K. Advani and N.D. Tiwari to Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav, they all swear by him. Now yoga guru Baba Ramdev, whose influence stretches across virtually the whole spectrum of Indian politics, will add another feather to his cap. Come November 3, he will address half a million moulvis together at Darul Uloom Deoband along with Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, the duo becoming the first non-Muslim religious leaders ever to speak at perhaps India's most influential Islamic seminary. The occasion is the annual conclave of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, the parent body of the seminary and one of the country's largest Muslim organisations. Sources said 5 lakh moulvis were expected at the general session, to be held on a huge ground in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh. "Baba Ramdev has kindly agreed to address our convention. We wanted him to be part of our programme as he is an important personality in today's India. He wields a lot of positive impact on a number of people. Moreover, he has great respect for Deoband and the Jamiat,'' said N.A. Farooquie of the Jamiat. The Ramdev-Deoband connection began apparently when the seminary issued a fatwa in favour of yoga after Malaysian clerics last year banned Muslims from practising the discipline. The Darul Uloom said it did not find anything objectionable in Muslims practising yoga, preventing the controversy from spilling over into India. "Yoga is a good form of exercise. If some words that are supposed to be chanted while performing it have religious connotations, then Muslims need not utter those. They can instead recite verses from the Quran or praise Allah or remain silent," the Darul Uloom had said. Ramdev too had declared that one could do yoga without pronouncing "Om", substituting for it a prolonged utterance of "Allah" or "God". The yoga guru and the Jamiat have agreed on other issues too. Both had backed Advani's demand earlier this year that the government try to bring back tainted Indian money stashed in Swiss banks. At the conclave, Ramdev is expected to speak on yoga as well as on issues that the Jamiat considers important to Indian Muslims. At the session, the Jamiat is expected to firm up its stand on the proposed Central Madrasa Board, communal rights bill, women's reservation bill and the Liberhan Commission report. Three central ministers —P. Chidambaram, Sachin Pilot and Farooq Abdullah — are expected at the convention and the Jamiat is trying to get Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "Since the Congress is desperately trying to get back its hold over Muslims, we hope the Congress president will come,'' a Jamiat official said. Source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091031/jsp/frontpage/story_11682296.jsp ------ Muslims not monolithic in politics, culture, religion By Margee Ensign October 31, 2009 I wish every American could be with me at this moment. I am in the Dubai airport waiting to make a connecting flight. Located on the Arabian Peninsula, Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Thirty years ago, this desert state produced oil and little else. Now it is a global business hub that boasts having the world's tallest building. As I wait for my plane, thousands of people from every Middle Eastern country are walking by - Saudis on their way to an oil conference being held here in the city, Indians from America going home, and many traveling to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the dozens of countries in the area. For most Americans, the politics, economics, culture and especially religion of this entire area is confusing. The print and online media generally do not help build understanding of this critically important region where the U.S. is engaged in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, sending drone attacks into Pakistan, and trying to broker a peace settlement with Israel and Palestine. Not only is the Middle East misunderstood in the U.S., but also the religion of more than a fifth of the world, Islam, is even more distorted in the press. Think of the terms we hear most frequently and images that we see on television and the Internet referring to Muslims: "Islamic militants, Islamic terrorists, Jihadists and Islamofascism." Full Report at: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091031/A_OPINION0615/910310320/-1/A_OPINION#STS=g1g34tze.dlp ------ November 1, 2009 Abdullah Will Quit Afghan Election, Sources Say KABUL (AP) -- Afghan presidential challenger Abdullah Abdullah plans to boycott next week's runoff against incumbent Hamid Karzai following a breakdown in talks on how to fix the country's electoral crisis, two people familiar with the discussions said. A boycott would severely undermine a vote intended to affirm the Afghan government's credibility. However, an Abdullah spokesman said no final decision had been made on the candidate's pullout, and that Abdullah will announce his decision Sunday morning. It was possible that word of the boycott was a negotiating tactic by the Abdullah camp. The political stalemate in Kabul comes as President Barack Obama has been meeting with his advisers to try to determine U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, including troop levels. A weakened Afghan government will make it harder for Obama to get public support for his efforts. October has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban. The Afghan war has intensified this year as militants have stepped up attacks and more troops have arrived trying to stabilize the country. Abdullah, who was once Karzai's foreign minister, put forward several conditions this week to avoid a repeat of the massive fraud of the August presidential election, including the replacement of the top election official and the suspension of several ministers. He set Saturday as the deadline for his demands to be met. A Westerner close to talks between the two sides said their agenda also included a power-sharing proposal by the challenger and cited both Karzai and Abdullah as saying that talks broke down Friday, prompting Abdullah to decide on a boycott of the Nov. 7 runoff. An Afghan figure close to Abdullah said Saturday that the boycott decision came after a contentious and fruitless meeting Thursday over Abdullah's conditions for a runoff. Both spoke on condition of anonymity, saying that the announcement must come from Abdullah himself. The Afghan said a boycott was certain, and that Abdullah would likely tell his supporters to simply stay home during the vote. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/world/middleeast/01afghan.html?_r=1&ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- Fraud surrounds women voters in Afghan election October 31, 2009 KABUL — One man cast 35 votes for female relatives. Others lugged in sacks full of voting cards they said were from women. And in a village of just 250 people, 200 women supposedly voted in three hours. In Afghanistan's recent presidential election in August, one of the ripest areas for fraud was women's voting. And the same is likely to be true again in the Nov. 7 runoff between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. The stakes are high. The Obama administration, which pushed Karzai to accept the runoff vote, is hoping it will restore legitimacy to a government that has been undermined by blatant ballot-box stuffing and Karzai's long delay in accepting fraud rulings that forced the runoff. Yet the problems of fraud related to women's voting cannot be changed in a few weeks. There's widespread acceptance of proxy voting by male relatives. Many women are reluctant to vote given threats of violence and polling centers swarming with men. And those who do cast ballots are usually uneducated and therefore more easily manipulated. It's unclear how large an impact fraud involving women voters had on the results because Afghan election officials have not released the list of women's polling stations. But many observers have said that women's polling stations were more problematic than men's. In August, men showed up with fistfuls of female voter cards and poll workers allowed them to cast multiple ballots without argument, according to a U.N. report. In some cases, men dragged in sacks full of cards supposedly for female relatives, Afghan monitors said. Empty women's polling stations also provided reams of blank ballots to unscrupulous local officials. Full Report at: http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view.bg?&articleid=1208610&format=&page=2&listingType=intasia#articleFull ------ US may grant asylum to battered spouses Julia Preston 31 October 2009 In an unusually protracted and closely watched case, the Obama administration has recommended political asylum for a Guatemalan woman fleeing horrific abuse by her husband, the strongest signal yet that the administration is open to a variety of asylum claims from foreign women facing domestic abuse. The government's assent, lawyers said, virtually ensures that the woman, Rody Alvarado Pena, will be allowed to remain in the United States after battling in immigration court since 1995. Immigration lawyers said the administration had taken a major step toward clarifying a murky area of asylum law and defining the legal grounds on which battered and sexually abused women in foreign countries could seek protection here. After 14 years of legal indecision, during which several immigration courts and three attorneys general considered Alvarado's case, the department of homeland security cleared the way for her in a one-paragraph document filed late on Wednesday in immigration court in San Francisco. Alvarado, the department found, "is eligible for asylum and merits a grant of asylum as a matter of discretion". Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-may-grant-asylum-to-battered-spouses/articleshow/5182109.cms ------ Vatican flays Halloween as anti-Christian 31 October 2009 LONDON: Alarmed by the rapid spread of Halloween traditions around the world, the Roman Catholic Church has condemned it as anti-Christian, saying it is based on a sinister and dangerous "undercurrent of occultism". Halloween activities played out on October 31 include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires and visiting haunted attractions. The Vatican asked parents to discourage their children from dressing up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, describing Halloween a pagan celebration of "terror, fear and death", the Telegraph online reported. The church, in its official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said Halloween "is anti-Christian". "Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is anti-Christian," Joan Maria Canals, a liturgical expert, said in the newspaper. Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com ------ India protests Pak's ceasefire violation 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan after its army indulged in a `serious' ceasefire violation on Thursday night in a bid to give covering fire to terrorists infiltrating across the Line of Control into Jammu and Kashmir. Interestingly enough, apart from two AK-47 rifles, ammunition, an UBGL (under-barrel grenade launcher), two radio sets and a mobile phone with an Indian SIM card, a Pakistan army identity card was also found on one of the two infiltrators killed in the retaliation by Indian Army in the Keran sector of north Kashmir. "The I-card is of Ayaz Zoheb of Pak army's Punjab Regiment. This has raised suspicion that the infiltrators could actually be Pak army regulars in disguise to bolster militancy in J&K," said an officer. The ceasefire violation took place around 8.30 pm when Pakistani soldiers fired over a dozen 82mm mortar shells at Indian troop positions. In the ensuing gunfight, which saw Indian soldiers retaliate with small arms fire, the two terrorists were gunned down. "Our protest over the incident was conveyed to Pakistan on Friday over the hotline. We have also sought an urgent flag meeting between the sector commanders," he added. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-protests-Paks-ceasefire-violation/articleshow/5181336.cms ------ India's fate linked with that of its neighbours: PM 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh again signalled his desire to re-engage with Pakistan pointing to the need for a leadership in south Asia that was prepared to take a long-term view so that the future was not hostage to the past. Emphasising that India sought peace and progress in the neighbourhood, the PM on Friday said the country's destiny was "intrinsically linked'' with that of its neighbours. Without naming Pakistan, Singh stated India wanted to resolve all outstanding issues with its neighbours through dialogue. "We seek good relations with each one of them. I have repeatedly said we see our security and prosperity in their progress and stability. We sincerely wish to resolve all outstanding issues with neighbours through dialogue and in the spirit of partnership and friendship that should rightly characterise our relations,'' Singh said while addressing a leadership summit organised by a media house. While replying to a question later, Singh noted that Pakistan was faced with many internal problems and wished it success in its fight against terrorism. He added the region needed leadership that could take a long-term view and muster the courage to take bold decisions. "We must not allow our past to limit our future,'' he said, as he outlined his vision for India 2020. In Srinagar on Thursday, the PM had spoken of his preparedness for talks without pre-conditions with Pakistan while adding important riders that this could not happen if terrorist attacks did not stop. In Delhi, he dwelled more on his essential desire to move ahead with Pakistan, bosltering the view that some developments could be on the cards if no big terror strike took place. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indias-fate-linked-with-that-of-its-neighbours-PM/articleshow/5181670.cms ------ PM invites opposition to share dais in J&K 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a quiet, but significant intervention during his two-day visit to Srinagar when he chose to overlook reservations of the state Congress and NC to invite PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to share the dias with him at Vanpoh. The Mufti's presence at the inauguration of the Anantnag-Qazigund rail link was seen as the PM's bid to include as wide a section of opinion on normalising Jammu and Kashmir as he even reached out to separatist groups. This merged with the developmental aspects of the visit which have spelt out specific initiatives for the youth. Singh is fully serious about a dialogue with separatists and is also trying to include mainstream outfits and so took an "above politics" line on the Mufti despite both state Congress and NC being unhappy with the party's role in agitations like the one over shelters for Amarnath yatra pilgrims. There is a view that despite Centre's efforts, separatists are not going to be easy to deal with given their internal divisions and vulnerability to jihadi groups though the PM is keen to reach out to "all stakeholders." There is a sense of satisfaction that Singh sent out the right message on Pakistan, adding important caveats that talks could not be unaffected by terror. In an attempt to keep Jammu and Kashmir's troubled youth off the street and help integrate them with the national mainstream, Singh's package contains a specific initiative for enrolling 8,000 young "volunteers" for public service functions and training at ITIs. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/PM-invites-opposition-to-share-dais-in-JK/articleshow/5181700.cms ------ Love Jihad: Muslim leaders making clean image for the culprits – BJP 31 October 2009 By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent, Kochi: The joint statement issued by the Muslim leaders regarding the love jihad is whitewashing the culprits, accused PK Krishnadas, BJP state president. Tensions are created in the society by those who work behind the 'Love Jihad'. The Muslim leaders are challenging the victims instead of expressing solidarity with them, he accused while speaking at the press club in Alappuzha. He attacked the CPI (M) and the Congress, saying they were keeping silent in order to gain the votes of the minorities. He expressed his hope that a majority in the Muslim community would oppose such 'dangerous trend'. "This is not a matter of religious belief. Every person has the right to accept any religion willingly. But forced conversion is not the right method. Hindus and Christians have been victims to the 'love jihad'. All religions should oppose such trends in unison," he said. He added that the DGP had expressed conflicting opinions in the matter. In another development, the People's Democratic Party spoke accused the RSS in the matter of 'love jihad'. PDP state general secretary KS Naser accused that it was the RSS which began to love girls and then leave them in the streets. The RSS began such activities in the 1980s and the government should conduct probe into the love marriages since that time, he demanded in the press conference held in Alappuzha. "Those who want a probe into the 'love jihad' should actually probe into the activities of the RSS. Muslim organisations responded against abusing the Muslim community through the imaginary organisation called 'love jihad'. Muslims do not encourage love relations on threatening. The BJP president PK Krishnadas has responded without really reading the statement of the Muslim leaders," he said. Mr Naser added that the organisations have also expressed opposition in the Court's mention of the 'love jihad' which is a creation of the Sangh Parivar. Source: http://twocircles.net/2009oct31/love_jihad_muslim_leaders_making_clean_image_culprits_bjp.html ------ November 1, 2009 From Iraq, Lessons for the Next War By ALISSA J. RUBIN I came to Iraq three days after Saddam Hussein fled Baghdad. It was April 12, 2003. At the time, Iraqis bristled when asked if they were Sunni, Shiite or Kurd. It made no difference, they said, they were brothers. And, in the heady aftermath of the war, for a short while it almost seemed true. That mood seems to be upon the country again, and it is most welcome after the last six years of bloody murders between Shiites and Sunnis; between Arabs and Kurds; between Muslims and Christians. Will it last? Or are Americans, as they have been in Kosovo and Bosnia and perhaps now in Afghanistan, turning away from the inconvenient realities of ethnic and religious differences, the depth of animosities, of struggles for power and territory? As the country's attention turns east to Afghanistan, I, too, have made the journey to Kabul, as my new assignment. It is tempting to make analogies between the two troubled places, and there are some, but there are at least as many differences. What are the lessons of Iraq that I carry with me? The cultures are as different as mountains and desert, and for outsiders, there is a familiar struggle to see the place as it truly is, not as we might wish it would be. Back in 2003, the Americans wanted to believe that an age of brotherhood and integration, loosed by American military might, had come to Iraq. Many Iraqis wanted to believe it, too. Thinking too much about the depth of distrust, long latent between sects and ethnicities, would mean acknowledging that a frenzy of violence waited in the wings. They swept into the desert sands the centuries-long struggle of Sunnis and Shiites for dominance in the fertile river basin between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It was as if officials thought that perhaps by saying they were brothers, they would become them. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/weekinreview/01RUBIN.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print
'Hard to believe Pak clueless on Qaida' Chidanand Rajghatta 31 October 2009 WASHINGTON: It was supposed to be a charm offensive, but as the day wore on she put away her charm and went on the offensive. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton's public dressing down of Pakistan during a three-day visit there, including virtually accusing the country of complicity with al-Qaida, has shaken Washington as much as it stunned her hosts. "Her inner voice became her outer voice," Martha Raddatz, a veteran NBC correspondent said on the network. Officials in Washington were trying to keep a straight face, but there were a few gasps, she added. Clinton's blunt remarks came during a pow-wow with half-dozen combative senior Pakistani journalists who harried her about US policy in the region. "Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002", she finally asserted when challenged about Washington's tough prescriptions for Islamabad. "I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to". After having publicly doubted the bona fides of her hosts, she added, as an afterthought: "Maybe that's the case; maybe they're not gettable... I don't know. As far as we know, they are in Pakistan". At one point during the exchanges, when a journalist spoke about all the services rendered by Pakistan for the US, Clinton snapped, "We have also given you billions." Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Hard-to-believe-Pak-clueless-on-Qaida/articleshow/5182276.cms ------ Ulema term Hillary Clinton's visit successful Oct 31, 2009 ISLAMABAD, Oct 31 (APP): Terming the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Pakistan as successful, several ulema have hoped that it would help promote goodwill friendship for US among the Pakistani masses. They expressed these views during a meeting with Chairman Tehrik-e-Akhuwat-e-Islami (TAI), Allama Inayat Ali Shakir here Saturday at his residence, the organization said in a press release. The Ulema said that US Secretary of State's visit to religious and spiritual places gave a positive message about Islam and Pakistan. Talking to the ulema, Allama Inayat Ali Shakir said that basic purpose of the visit was to reach out to the people of Pakistan and remove misunderstandings about the US. He hoped the visit would have positive impact on Pak-US ties and said that it helped remove misgivings regarding Kerry Lugar bill. He felicitated US Secretary of State on and also applauded the endeavors of Ambassador Ann W. Peterson and Political Councilor Mr. Bryan D Hunt. The TAI chairman said the visit reflected President Barrack Obama's postive approach towards relations with Muslim world and towards. He said there was need to promote interfaith harmony to foil nefarious designs of the terrorists. He also said people have taken a sigh of relief after Swat operation and Waziristan operation would also yield positive results. Source: http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88886&Itemid=1 ------ October 31, 2009 Clinton Makes Personal Bid to Resume Mideast Talks ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- U.S. hopes of reviving Mideast peace talks appeared shaky Saturday after a senior Palestinian official said the Palestinians are unlikely to resume negotiations if Israel does not halt Jewish settlement building. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and aides in the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi on Saturday before flying to Israel, where she is expected to meet senior Israeli officials in a push to restart peace negotiations. A top aide to Abbas, Saeb Erekat, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press that Clinton had asked Abbas to allow Israel's government to complete building 3,000 units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and to allow the government to construct public buildings and continue construction in east Jerusalem -- a territory Palestinians hope will be their future capital. Clinton's request would be a major change for the U.S. administration, which previously had demanded Israel halt all settlement building before negotiations could resume. ''This is a nonstarter,'' Erekat said. ''And that's why it's unlikely to restart negotiations.'' U.S. officials did not speak to reporters after the Abu Dhabi meeting. Abbas later told a press conference that he had reiterated his position to Clinton that ''peace must have its commitments -- (that) being the complete halt to settlement building.'' Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/31/world/AP-ML-Clinton.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ---- US in new push for Mid-East peace US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Middle East for talks aimed at unblocking the peace process. She met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the United Arab Emirates before heading to Jerusalem to see Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking earlier to the BBC, Mrs Clinton said a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians remained a "high priority" for the United States. The US remains committed to plans for a two-state solution, Mrs Clinton added. Before Mrs Clinton's arrival in the region, Mr Netanyahu said he hoped for a resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible. However, a key sticking point is Israel's refusal to freeze settlement building on the occupied West Bank. During their talks, Mr Abbas told Mrs Clinton that Palestinians would not agree to re-launch peace talks with Israel without a complete freeze of Jewish settlements, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said on Saturday. 'Little urgency' Mrs Clinton's visit is part of a weekend of discussions to try to restart the stalled peace process. Full Report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8335211.stm ---- Indonesia on alert for tsunami drill By Karishma Vaswani Indonesians are still reeling from the devastating 7.6-magnitude earthquake which struck off the coast of Sumatra last month, killing at least 1,100 people and injuring many more. However, as efforts shift from rescuing survivors to rebuilding the provincial capital, Padang, and outlying villages, some people have already begun to discuss whether the country is sufficiently prepared for another natural disaster. Now a tsunami drill being held on Wednesday in 18 countries around the Indian Ocean rim aims to test the responses of local authorities and the public. "We urgently need systems in place to test the public's response to disasters like this, to see how they will react " Fauzi Indonesian Seismological Agency Experts are agreed that another powerful earthquake could hit the area anytime in the near future. But they are unsure if the Indonesian emergency response teams are equipped to react quickly and effectively to a crisis on a similar scale. The country's National Disaster Management Agency has acknowledged that it was too slow to respond to the Sumatra earthquake, which brought down hospitals, schools and shopping malls, cut power lines and triggered landslides. Full Report at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8305829.stm ---- Bomb kills soldiers in Pakistan At least seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb blast in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan, officials say. The vehicle was travelling in Pakistan's Khyber region on Saturday when it was struck about 15km west of the city of Peshawar. "Seven paramilitary soldiers were killed and 11 were wounded in the remote-control bomb attack," Shafirullah Khan, the chief administrative official of Khyber tribal district, told the AFP news agency. Khyber is on the main supply route through Pakistan to Afghanistan, where international military forces are fighting the Taliban. The bomb blast came as Pakistan's military continued its offensive against Taliban fighters in South Waziristan, in the country's northwest. Ongoing offensive Pakistani fighter jets bombed three suspected Taliban positions in the Orkazai tribal region on Saturday, the Associated Press news agency reported. At least eight fighters were killed and several others wounded, the news agency cited intelligence officials as saying. The military launched the offensive two weeks ago, pitting about 30,000 Pakistani troops against an estimated 10 to 12,000 members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Full Report at: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/10/2009103173228537551.html ---- Israel levels Palestinian homes Israeli authorities have torn down several Palestinian houses in occupied east Jerusalem, defying international calls to halt the demolitions in the disputed city. Gidi Schmerling, a Jerusalem municipality spokesman, said the houses in the Shuafat, Zur Baher, Silwan and Jabel Mukabar neighbourhoods were pulled down on Tuesday because they had been built illegally. "All the houses were demolished in accordance with a court order," he said in a statement to the AFP news agency. Palestinians say that the municipality discriminates against them, making it virtually impossible for them to get legal permits for new homes or extensions to existing ones. As a result, thousands of effectively illegal structures have been built in recent decades with Israel responding by destroying dozens of houses each year. Construction crackdown Nir Barkat, the mayor of Jerusalem, had vowed to crack down on illegal construction in the city, including east Jerusalem, whose fate is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the United Nations on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to all forced evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the area, which was seized by Israel in the 1967 war. "Such actions run counter to international law and have a serious and long-term negative impact on Palestinian families and communities," the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. Full Report at: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/10/200910282211496109.html ---- October 31, 2009 Senior Iran MPs Reject U.N. Atom Fuel Plan TEHRAN (Reuters) - Senior Iranian lawmakers voiced opposition on Saturday to a U.N.-drafted nuclear fuel deal, casting further doubt on a proposal aimed at easing international tension over Tehran's atomic activities. Under the U.S.-backed plan, Iran would send most of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for further processing to turn it into more refined fuel for a Tehran research reactor. The West's priority is to reduce Iran's LEU stockpile to prevent any danger that the Islamic Republic might turn it into the highly enriched uranium needed for a nuclear bomb. But politicians in Iran, which says its nuclear programme is a peaceful drive to produce electricity, have voiced deep misgivings about the idea of parting with the bulk of what is seen as a strategic asset and a strong bargaining chip. Several MPs have said Iran should buy the reactor fuel it needs rather than send its own uranium out of the country. "We are completely opposed to the proposal on delivering uranium with 3.5 percent enrichment in exchange for uranium with 20 percent enrichment," said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of parliament's national security and foreign policy committee. "There is no guarantee they would give us fuel with 20 percent enrichment in exchange for our delivered LEU," ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. The committee's spokesman, MP Kazem Jalali, echoed that view, saying "the demand that we should deliver all enriched nuclear material to other countries ... is completely out of the question," ILNA news agency reported. On Friday, diplomats said Iran had told the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it wanted fresh fuel for the Tehran reactor before it would agree to ship most of its enriched uranium to Russia and France. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/10/31/world/international-uk-iran-nuclear-mp.html?ref=global-home&pagewanted=print ----- U.S. Army Sending First Buddhist Chaplain to Iraq Friday, October 30, 2009 By Lauren Green Chaplain Thomas Dyer is the first Buddhist chaplain in the U.S. Army's history. He will be commissioned to Iraq in December. All Army chaplains wear the same uniform, and all of them answer to the same calling: to provide comfort and to relieve the suffering of American soldiers. But one chaplain stands out from the crowd. Thomas Dyer is the first and only Buddhist chaplain in the history of the U.S. Army. Dyer will be deployed to the Middle East in December along with the 278th Armored Calvary Regiment. Although his faith is grounded in pacifism, the 43-year-old Dyer says war has become a necessary part of peace. "My teacher has concluded that without the military, without civil protection, the world would enter into a very dark place very quickly," Dyer told Fox News. "There aren't that many caves to run to, there aren't that many mountains to go to anymore. And if we don't have protection, we suffer greatly." A former Baptist preacher, Dyer found his new faith a few years ago through the practice of intense meditation. Born in Nashville, Tenn., he says his Christian background gives him an advantage in meeting the demands of a military with diverse spiritual needs. "It has made me kind of like someone who is bilingual, where they can speak two languages, or bicultural," he said. "I am kind of like a bi-religious person, so I am able to make connections with soldiers in a way that is very familiar to them, so I don't look so scary or ... strange." Full Report at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,570499,00.html?test=faces ------ The Detroit 'Ummah' and Radical Islam in America Friday, October 30, 2009 Full details about the FBI's arrest in Detroit yesterday of a group of radical Muslims, during which their leader was killed in a shootout, are yet to become available, and it is too early to judge the real significance of these events. Nonetheless, what we already know is sufficient to make some general observations on the growing threat that home grown radical Islam poses to America. It's a question that is generally absent from both government discussions and media coverage, even though all the American wannabe terrorists recently exposed by the authorities were radicalized in this country long before seeking contacts with al-Qaeda abroad. Media spin already has it that the group was just a bunch of bumbling African-American ex-con converts who engaged in some heated Islamist rhetoric but were guilty of little more than petty criminal activity. They had nothing to do with terrorism, it is being argued, and are certainly not representative of either African-American Muslims or American Muslims more generally. Both points are true to a degree, but they serve to obscure a larger reality. None of these people had committed a terrorist act yet, at least to our current knowledge, but people who believe in violent jihad against their fellow citizens and train in the use of firearms are just a small step from becoming terrorists. After all, the shariah law that they dreamed of imposing on the ummah that they fancied gives only three options to infidels: Convert to Islam, submit to Muslim rule and discrimination, or be killed. It is true that most American Muslims hold views that are far from the radical mindset governing the Al-Haqq mosque. Yet it is also true that radical Islam has become the dominant idiom in the American Muslim establishment, particularly among African-American Muslims. For instance, the slain leader of this group, Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, was a high official of the top national organization of African-American Muslims, the Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA), a group founded and led by radical Islamists such as the notorious Brooklyn imam Siraj Wahhaj. Full Report at: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YTQ0Y2IyOGQ3N2Y1ZDBlYjVkZDkzNWJlZGM5MDRkZmU= ------ 48 arrested in Manchester's anti-Islam demo By Elham Asaad Buaras 30 October 2009 Forty eight man have been arrested after 2000 demonstrators took to the streets ahead of rival protests by the English Defence League (EDL) and Unite against Fascism (UAF) in Manchester. Most have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. Very few Muslims turned up at the demonstration. Trouble flared as the EDL, which is opposed to what it calls 'radical Islam', were met by activists from UAF in Manchester city centre on October 10. The groups were separated by a heavy riot police line in Piccadilly Gardens. Police imposed a lockdown around the area where an estimated 2,000 protesters gathered. The perimeter of Piccadilly Gardens was blockaded by Greater Manchester Police. A small group of EDL protesters walked among the throng of shoppers chanting, "We love our country." Small-scale disruption took place on the streets of the city centre, causing riot officers wearing hard helmets and carrying batons to go running after suspects. James carter, 23, from Chorlton, Manchester, said, "I'm down here to stop the Nazis. I think the turnout on this side (UAF) symbolises the perception of Manchester and how we feel about racism." Full Report at: http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=4347 ------ Hijab should be allowed at work, says Muslim doc October 31, 2009 DALLAS -- A Muslim doctor interviewing for a job at a suburban Dallas medical clinic says officials there told her she couldn't wear her headscarf in the workplace. Dr. Hena Zaki of Plano, Texas, said Friday that she was shocked when CareNow officials told her that a no-hat policy extended to her hijab. The 29-year-old doctor wants an apology and a change in CareNow's policy. However, CareNow President Tim Miller says he sees nothing wrong with the policy and feels no need to apologize. In a statement, his company says it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin in employment decisions. The Council on American-Islamic Relations calls CareNow's policy "a blatant violation" of federal law. Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1857312,CST-NWS-scarf01.article ------ Historic mosque in Islamic Cairo undergoes an elaborate renewal By Joseph Freeman October 31st, 2009 14th century Cairo mosque restored to glory CAIRO — Developers unveiled the restoration of a 650-year-old mosque in Cairo's old city, part of an effort to revitalize the impoverished district and boost tourism to the country's treasure trove of Islamic sites. The three-year, $1.4 million project restored the Aslam al-Silahdar Mosque, built in 1344-1345 by Aslam al-Bahai, an amir or nobleman who rose to the position of "silahdar," or "swordbearer" for Sultan al-Nasir Mohammed, one of the most powerful of Egypt's Mamluk rulers. It is tucked into Cairo's al-Darb al-Ahmar district, a dense warren of narrow, dusty alleyways. Many of its 92,000 inhabitants are among the poorest in Egypt, living on less than $1 a day, according to the Canadian Development Agency, which works in the community. The neighborhood is also packed with antiquities — an Islamic monument about every 20 yards (meters), ranging from Cairo's early days in the 11th century to more modern times. The area is "comparable to Rome" in terms of monuments, said Luis Monreal, the general manager of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, which directed the renovation of the Aslam Mosque, unveiled on Wednesday. Full Report at: http://blog.taragana.com/n/historic-mosque-in-islamic-cairo-undergoes-an-elaborate-renewal-213560/ ------ Batla encounter: Apex court says no to plea for judicial probe Oct 31, 2009 New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition seeking a judicial probe into the controversial Batla House encounter on Friday, observing that any such direction "will adversely affect the morale of the police". In response to the petition by the non-governmental organisation, Act Now For Harmony and Democracy, the Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan took strong exception to the argument that the encounter of September 18, 2008, shook the faith and confidence of a particular community. "This is the problem," the Court said, "you must not identify any section of the society. Criminals are criminals, why do you identify a community (with it)?" The Bench, also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, refused to entertain the plea for an independent inquiry as well. "Thousands of police officers are being killed by criminals and terrorists," the Bench said. "It will adversely affect the morale of the police." Representing the NGO, advocate Prashant Bhushan had appealed against the Delhi High Court's clean chit to the Delhi Police. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), too, had refused to order an independent judicial inquiry. The Court said acceding to the plea and ordering such an inquiry will also lead to embarrassment. "It is all so unfortunate that people including a police officer were killed. But anything can happen in the encounter," the Court said to Bhushan's submission that it was impossible to have four bullet holes on the forehead of one of the suspected militants. In its petition, the NGO had alleged that the NHRC probe was based only on the police version and as such, cannot be said to have been conducted on expected lines. The NHRC, it said, had overlooked its own guidelines for the inquiry by not taking the help of an independent agency and relied on the version of the Deputy Commissioner of Police who was entrusted with the case. ------ Handler to 26/11 terrorist: Two Pak cricketers in Taj Mustafa Plumber Posted online: Saturday, Oct 31, 2009 at 0935 hrs Mumbai: The Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists who attacked the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on 26/11 were told by their handlers in Pakistan that there were two Pakistani cricketers staying there and the gunmen planned to eliminate them, according to intercepts of their phone conversations presented in court today. But Mumbai Police said they had since probed this information and found that no Pakistani cricketers were at the hotel during the attack. The intercepts, considered crucial evidence in the trial, were submitted to the Special Sessions Court by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The conversations reveal that the four attackers seemed scared at times despite their rigorous training and had to be motivated by their handlers to hold their positions at the hotel. The handlers, apparently monitoring TV coverage of the attack, constantly passed on specific instructions — from telling the gunmen that the Taj was the media's most-watched site to briefing them on the killing of the top police brass. The following is the conversation that refers to the Pakistani cricketers: • Handler: "Do Pakistani cricket khelne waale bhi hain aapke paas" (You have two Pakistani cricketers with you). • Terrorist: "Bas ab aagey se nahi khelenge cricket, Insha Allah" (Now they won't play cricket in the future, God willing) The intercepts also reveal that the Pak-based handlers had instructed the terrorists to "blackmail" relatives of hostages to speak to the police and get them to stop the counter-terror operation. In an indication of how closely the TV news coverage of the attack was being monitored by the Pakistan-based handlers to guide the terrorists, the intercepts show that real-time inputs were passed on about the positions of the police. Full Report at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/handler-to-26-11-terrorist-two-pak-cricketers-in-taj/535552/ ------ Racketeering counts considered; FBI upsets Muslims Jim Lynch October 31. 2009 Detroit --Federal officials say they may levy more charges against members of a mosque whose leader was killed in a gunbattle with the FBI, amid criticism that authorities are injecting religion into the case. During a hearing Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Oberg said federal agents could add racketeering charges against some or all of the 11 charged in the case involving the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit. The majority faces charges of conspiracy to sell stolen goods, which are punishable by up to five years. Racketeering carries a 20-year sentence. Oberg insisted the case isn't about religion, but a 45-page complaint accused the mosque's leader, Luqman Ameen Abdullah, of leading a radical Sunni sect that advocated violent jihad. He was shot and killed in a warehouse in Dearborn during raids Wednesday. Muslim groups calling for an investigation into his death say they're offended the FBI is linking religion to a stolen goods case. "Unless the FBI has evidence linking the criminal allegations to the religious affiliation of the suspects, we ask that federal authorities stop injecting religion into this case," the American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections said in a statement Friday. "The unjustified linkage of this case to the faith Islam will only serve to promote an increase in existing anti-Muslim stereotyping and bias in our society." A lawyer for Abdullah's son, Mujahid Carswell, 30, of Detroit made similar arguments during a detention hearing Friday. Conspiracy charges against him would net a first offender no more than three years, said attorney Jill Leslie Price. Late Friday, Carswell was set to be released on a $100,000 bond and wear an electronic tether. But it was unclear whether he could be arraigned in time to attend his father's 10 a.m. funeral at the Muslim Center in Detroit. ------ No pre-paid mobiles in J&K from Nov 1 31 October 2009 NEW DELHI: Pre-paid mobile connections are banned in Jammu and Kashmir from November 1 and the government may decide to extend the ban to the northeast sooner rather than later. The move comes as the government found that such connections were being given out without verification in the insurgency-hit areas. Home minister P Chidambaram said pre-paid connections were banned because they were ``prone to misuse''. He added that service providers were in the loop and any individual who was capable of paying for his connection in advance (pre-paid) should be able to do so later in the month as well. Asked if the security situation in the northeast lent itself to a similar ban, the home minister said, ``Not yet. But it may be necessary to do the same in NE also.'' The ban in J&K is likely to affect 38 lakh subscribers. The ministry has ordered that no fresh pre-paid mobile connections be issued and that existing pre-paid SIM cards not be renewed in the state after November 1. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-pre-paid-mobiles-in-JK-from-Nov-1/articleshow/5182237.cms ------ British bullets too small to fell 'high' Taliban 31 October 2009 LONDON: The bullets used by British forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan has been dubbed too small, because soldiers claim that it requires at least five direct hits to bring down the militants who are high on opium. According to a report, British soldiers in Afghanistan use small 5.56mm calibre rounds also tail off after 300 metres and can easily be blown off the target. Half of all fire fights in Helmand are fought between 300 and 900 metres. Meanwhile, Taliban marksmen use powerful 7.62mm ammunition for their AK47 machine guns, the Sun reports.The report calls for guns that take larger ammunition to replace all standard-issue SA80 rifles — which many believe were exposed as inadequate in Iraq in 2003. Report co-author Nicholas Drummond, a strategy consultant and ex-Welsh Guards officer, secretly questioned more than 50 soldiers who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. "A British soldier's rifle is not much more useful than a peashooter. He can't attack with any certainty that if he hits the enemy he will kill or incapacitate him," he said. One soldier in 2nd Battalion, the Rifles in Helmand, shot a Taliban fighter five times and he still got up to dive for cover, researchers were told. The study claims car doors easily stop the ammunition. It added that Javelin anti-tank missiles — at £100,000 apiece are often fired at lone gunmen. Just one in four British, US and German troops has been issued with guns using 7.62mm ammo. ------ Pilgrimage to Mecca begins for Muslims October 31. 2009 THE flight with 332 passengers took off at 3:30pm yesterday from Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, marking the start of Chinese Muslims' pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year. Until November 18, about 12,700 Muslims will go to the holy city in 41 chartered flights from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions, Gansu, southwest China's Yunnan Province and Beijing. The number of pilgrims is 700 more than last year. Male Muslims wore gray robes and white hats, while the women were in traditional scarves and blue vests. Each of them had a symbol of China's national flag embroidered on their clothes. As average age of the Muslims was 60 and they lacked experience in traveling abroad, training programs had been offered before their departure, said Xiao Yuchuan, head of the Gansu religion bureau. Gao Zhanfu, vice president of the China Islamic Institute, said the Muslims were lucky. "This year, more than 12,000 people have the chance to visit Mecca, while 10 years ago, the number was just 3,000," he said. Full Report at: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=418057&type=National ------ Smooth rifts with Indonesians: expert DELLARAM JAMALI AND HARI RAJ October 31, 2009 CULTURAL links between Australia and Indonesia must be improved if they are to avoid further problems such as the stand-off over asylum seekers, a regional political scientist and historian says. Dr Farish Noor, whose many roles include teaching at universities in Singapore and Indonesia, said the squabble over the fate of 78 Sri Lankans on a customs vessel showed how quickly conflicts could flare up. ''What you have to do when you have a climate of distress and misunderstanding is to re-emphasise the humanity of the other,'' Dr Noor said. ''These Sri Lankan refugees have been publicly dehumanised. They are the commodity; the buck is being passed from one table to the other. Neither side has taken into account the humanity of the people involved.'' Visiting Melbourne this week for discussions on South-East Asia's influence on modern Islam, Dr Noor said the asylum-seeker stand-off also highlighted a wider cultural rift between Australia and Indonesia. ''There is a misunderstanding that Indonesia is a land of beaches, foot massages, Balinese dancing and occasionally the odd terrorist or two who spoils your holiday,'' he said. ''That really has to be contextualised, and it has to go beyond that level of trivialities. ''One has to understand the history of violence in Indonesia, and its very painful and laborious struggle towards democracy.'' Full Report at: http://www.theage.com.au/national/smooth-rifts-with-indonesians-expert-20091030-hpwb.html ------ Nawal Saadawi says no to Muslim Brotherhood Bikya Masr 31 October 2009 Nawal el-SaadawiCAIRO: Prominent Egyptian feminist and writer Nawal al-Saadawi criticized what she called "the unclean coalition" of some political movements that have allied with the Muslim Brotherhood under the pretext of fighting against the succession of power from President Hosni Mubarak to his younger son, Gamal. Her comments come only weeks after dozens of political groups and leaders formed a coalition to combat Gamal's move to power, including the Islamic Muslim Brotherhood. She told Egyptian newspaper al-Youm al-Saba'a that the political movements in Egypt do not have enough popularity compared to the Muslim Brotherhood and that the Islamic group has been working and gaining much respect on the streets since the 1970s. She said that these movements "circumvent [other groups] to establish such coalitions with the MB because they lack popularity." In a way, she argued, the opposition is using the Brotherhood to get their legitimacy with the people increased, but this will lead to coercion by the Brotherhood. Full Report at: http://bikyamasr.com/?p=5362 ------
Panthers' Muhammad, two others out for Sunday Friday, October 30, 2009 Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Carolina Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad is out for Sunday's contest at Arizona with a knee injury. Muhammad did not practice at all this week despite having played in all six of Carolina's games this season. Also set to miss the game are safety Charles Godfrey (ankle) and tight end Dante Rosario (knee). Listed as questionable for the game are linebackers Thomas Davis (hamstring) and Landon Johnson (shoulder), and running backs Brad Hoover (back) and Jonathan Stewart (heel). Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/scorecard/nflnews.asp?articleID=266921 ------ Radical Somali-Canadians potential threat: RCMP boss By Ian MacLeod October 31, 2009 Islamic radicalization of Canada's Somali community is becoming a national security concern, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Friday. The potential of Somali-Canadians adopting the extremist ideology of the Islamist insurgency ravaging the failed state is on an evolving list of national security issues and threats Elliott outlined in a sobering speech to an Ottawa conference of security intelligence specialists. Despite recent successes such as thwarting the Toronto 18 and Momin Khawaja terrorism plots, he said the current threat environment remains severe, from a resurgent al-Qaeda and fugitive Tamil Tigers to nuclear technology smuggling and border concerns. Success in countering the dangers will require police to take on more of national security role and, "put more terrorism cases before the courts and more terrorists in jail." That includes possibly arresting people involved in the trafficking and use of Afghan heroin, a major source of Taliban revenue, and charging them under Canada's terrorism financing laws, he said. "The Taliban survives, and is able to continue to kill Canadian soldiers, because it is funded by the Afghan drug trade," he said. Arresting those involved in Canada, "would help send a strong message to the world that we are serious about prosecuting accomplices to terror." While disrupting credible and imminent threats without sufficient evidence to justify criminal charges is sometimes necessary, he said, "counter-terrorism measures based exclusively on intelligence that falls short of the evidentiary threshold are fraught with danger and difficulty." Full Report at: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Radical+Somali+Canadians+potential+threat+RCMP+boss/2168117/story.html ------ Dearborn Shoot-Out Opens a Window into Homegrown Terror by Robert Knight October 30, 2009 Luqman Ameen Abdullah, who was the Imam of the Masjid Al-Haqq mosque in Detroit, died in a shoot-out on Wednesday after firing on FBI agents during a raid in Dearborn, Michigan. Another seven Muslims were apprehended and various weapons seized. Arguing with Idiots By Glenn Beck "We're not any fake terrorists, we're the real terrorists," Abdullah (aka Christopher Thomas) once bragged to an undercover informant, according to an FBI affidavit. Abdullah, 53, was a disciple of none other than H. Rap Brown. If you ever wondered what had become of the'60s Black Panther leader, well, he converted to Islam while in prison in the 1970s. And he apparently has not changed his mind about what he'd like to do to America. Famous for saying, "Violence is necessary. It's as American as cherry pie," he goes by the moniker Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, and runs a Sunni group called Ummah ("community"). The Black Muslim organization's goal is to establish an Islamic regime with Sharia Law within the United States. Brown is doing this from his prison cell at the ADX Florence supermax federal prison in Colorado, where he's serving a state-imposed sentence for shooting two black police officers in Fulton County, Georgia in 2000. In Wednesday's raid, the agents targeted a Dearborn warehouse and two Detroit homes after a two-year investigation of the Ummah offshoot. A total of 11 Muslims (three were still at large) were charged with various conspiracy felonies involving stolen goods and firearms. Speaking of conspiracies, Abdullah is on tape saying that the FBI was behind Timothy McVeigh's 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. The 43-page criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court by the U.S. Attorney's Office, and which contains eyewitness accounts, says that boys as young as 7 were beaten "severely" (p. 24) and that Abdullah encouraged his followers to "pick up guns and do something." (p. 3) He also said, "If they are coming to get me, I'll just strap a bomb on and blow up everybody." (p. 10) He also said while watching a TV show featuring a nuclear bomb that he would like to acquire a "little bomb" and target Washington, D.C. (page 18). Full Report at: http://townhall.com/columnists/RobertKnight/2009/10/30/dearborn_shoot-out_opens_a_window_into_homegrown_terror?page=2 ------ Rally Behind Denmark Diana West October 30, 2009 Pakistani jihad death squads were much in the news this week. In Peshawar, Pakistan, they bombed a marketplace, claiming more than 100 lives, and in Chicago, they were thwarted, according to an FBI affidavit, from carrying out a planned attack on a newspaper in Denmark to kill two Danish journalists, cartoonist Kurt Westergaard and cultural editor, Flemming Rose. Arguing with Idiots By Glenn Beck It's important to link these events to put them into proper perspective. According to the FBI, the Danish operation -- busted in Chicago with arrests of David Coleman Headley (aka Daood Gilani) and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, both of Pakistani origin with American and Canadian citizenship, respectively -- was planned in conjunction with Pakistani jihadists. One is identified as Individual A, a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the jihadist group behind the 2008 Mumbai massacre, among other atrocities. The other is identified as Ilyas Kashmiri, operations chief of Harakat-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI). Bill Roggio of the Long War Journal writes that Kashmiri is "considered by U.S. intelligence to be one of Al Qaeda's most dangerous commanders." Roggio further notes that LeT and HUJI, along with several other Pakistan jihadist groups, including Laskhar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed, have merged with Al Qaeda in Pakistan and operate under the name Brigade 313. While the triggermen behind the Peshawar carnage have not been identified yet, it is highly likely, to say the least, that they come from this same jihad network. So, let's probe a little. Let's think beyond the scenes of the Pakistani market-turned-charnel-house and the newspaper office in Denmark spared a similar fate. Let's think beyond the "terror" to the point of the terror -- a place we as politically correct multiculturalists are never supposed to go: The point of Islamic terror is to assert Islamic law. Period. Full Report at: http://townhall.com/columnists/DianaWest/2009/10/30/rally_behind_denmark?page=1 ------ URL: http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamUrduSection_1.aspx?ArticleID=2028
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Sunday, November 1, 2009
Shah Rukh Khan could be Lashkar target
On Taliban hunt, troops find 9/11 link in passport
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