[Tolo News] Despite the Islamic scholars represented at the Loya Jirga in November voting to approve the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), on Friday it was reported that a number of them expressed opposition to the deal and encouraged anti-government sentiment as Kabul and Washington continue to hash out the final details.
"You warn us that if they leave Afghanistan, religious wars will begin, but we assure you that we will stop this trick of yours," an Imam named Said Farooq Hussaini said on Friday during prayer.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella grabbed the cocoanut cream... the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs emphasized that 80 of the total 2,500 participants in the Advisory Loya Jirga were Islamic Scholars, and by an overwhelming majority they gave a positive vote for the security pact, which would ensure a close military patnership between the U.S. and Afghanistan post-2014.
Ministry officials said turban scholars spoke out on Friday, instructed by interests in neighboring countries.
"A number of the Scholars talked against the signing of this agreement, and this is their personal opinion," Deputy Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs Daye-ul-Haq Abedi said. "I am sure that this is due to influence of larger powers, there are a number of scholars influenced by foreign countries where they have studied and have a more fundamentalist view."
In contrast, the Ministry maintained that many scholars are in fact in favor of the accord.
"Eighty of the religious scholars that participated in t the Advisory Loya Jirga had views that were obviously positive," Deputy Minister Abedi said. "In the mosques that we have closely studied, most of the Mullahs were for signing the BSA."
"Afghanistan relations with a number of countries in the world has importance for survival, from security point of view, peace point of view, economic and trade point of view and so on," a religious scholar named Hedaytullah Hedayat said. "Our scholars should talk from a perspective where they should consider the gratification of the ruling system...gratification of the Afghan nation and its betterment; keeping good international relations won't harm Islamic values at all."
Yet over 100,000 mosques are said not to be under the control of the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs. In these places Mullahs can give any speech they like.
There are 160,000 mosques in the country, of which, only 52,000 are registered with the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs. And only 5,000 of those are closely monitored by the Ministry.
According to officials, over 1,000 Mullahs are accused of having relations with the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda network.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan ... served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador Mohammed Magariaf. Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in Geneva after the defection. During the revolution Zeidan served as the National Transitional Council's Europe envoy, and is credited as having played a key role in persuading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the anti-Qadaffy forces... said Wednesday he would soon announce a major cabinet reshuffle, after calls in the assembly for a vote of no confidence in his government.
"There will be a large ministerial reshuffle next week or the week after," Zeidan said at a news conference.
He said the portfolios affected would include that of interior minister, vacant since Mohammed Khalifa al-Sheikh resigned in August, as well as the posts of other ministers who wish to leave government.
Last summer, Zeidan announced "an imminent reshuffle" several times without taking action.
In little over a year in power, his government has come in for regular criticism for failing to restore stability more than two years after the fall of dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...
Several members of Libya's highest political authority, the General National Congress, have been trying to bring down the government, but have not succeeded in securing the number of votes required.
On Tuesday, the GNC failed to agree on what action to take about Zeidan's government, after a censure motion put forward by 72 politicians.
Discussions on the subject were pushed back to Wednesday before being further postponed to next week.
Zeidan said his critics in the GNC are a "minority", but said he would "willingly" leave the post of premier if the assembly chose to replace him.
"I do not want to leave the country in a vacuum," he said.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[Egypt Independent] The Moslem Brüderbund and the Alliance to Support Legitimacy have scheduled anti-regime demonstrations to take place until 25 January to demand the return of ousted President Mohammed Morsy and the 2012 Constitution. The demonstrations would raise the slogan of "You Are Dying Anyway So Die A Martyr."
The group called on its supporters in a statement on Facebook to demonstrate strongly on 14 and 15 January, the dates of the referendum on the Constitution, 25 January, the third anniversary of the revolution, 2 February, the third anniversary of the Battle of the Camel, 11 February, the third anniversary of the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , 6 April, the sixth anniversary of the 6 April Movement, and 30 June, the second anniversary of Morsy's rule.
If the regime has not been toppled by January, the statement urged for demonstrations on 3 July, the day Morsy was deposed, 14 August, the day the Rabaa sit-in was dispersed, and 25 January 2015.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Following allegations that the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Ali Mawloud Hafida, had collaborated with Qadaffy regime, an official linked to the case has told the Libya Herald that charges will be brought against him.
The source said it would take "some weeks" to bring charges against him. The source added that it would take at least ten days to lift the political immunity afforded by Hafida's current position before any further action could be taken.
That would require a decision by Congress.
Reports of a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council in the absence of Hafida to discuss complaints against him surfaced on Sunday. The council discussed a number of allegations that he used his position within the judiciary to suppress the revolution. These complaints came from a number of sources including Zawia Local Council.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... the authorities admit that it is impossible to completely secure Cameroon's longest border. There are also similar ethnic communities in Cameroon's Far North and northeastern Nigeria who have family on either side of the border, speak the same language and share common culture, making undetected cross-border movement easy.
"Our main challenge is safeguarding our borders so that we don't import the Boko Haram problem," said Albert Sidi, who is in charge of economic, social and cultural affairs at the Far North governor's office.
Insecurity has stifled the movement of people and trade between Cameroon's Far North region and northeastern Nigeria -- Boko Haram's stronghold. Northern Cameroon traders have been forced to seek markets in neighbouring Chad or other regions of the country.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A summit of African leaders to discuss the president of the Central African Republic's future is not aiming at "regime change", the secretary-general of the body convening the talks said Wednesday.
"The summit was called because of a deterioration in the security situation," Allami Ahmat, secretary general of the 10-member Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"It's not about regime change, nor changing the transition. It's about taking measures to restore peace and security in Central Africa," added Ahmat.
The aim is to ensure the "deplorable" situation in the country does not spiral out of the "control of the international community," he added.
No official agenda has been drawn up for the summit, called by Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno.
But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the Le Monde daily the leaders were "expected to take decisions" on President Michel Djotodia.
The Central African Republic descended into chaos after rebels from the Seleka movement installed Djotodia in power following a coup in March.
Djotodia disbanded the rebels but has been unable to keep them under control.
Instead, they have embarked on a spree of killing, rape and pillage, prompting Christians to form vigilante groups in response -- resulting in a deadly cycle of Dire Revenge™ attacks.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in the past month alone and nearly one million have been displaced since the coup.
In Bangui, the country's communications minister slapped down any talk of Djotodia's departure, saying it would only make the crisis worse.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[PRIMENEWS.BD] BNP Chairperson the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... would consider cutting ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... , an important member of the 18-arty alliance, when it is necessary.
She came up with the statement at an interview with the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... (NYT), an American daily newspaper on Monday, a day after the controversial national election on Sunday.
Replying to the question whether her party would cut ties with Jamaat, she said Jamaat is not a permanent ally.
However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... it is next to impossible to sever relations with Jamaat at these current circumstances, she said.
Terming the January 5 election a farcical one, she said less than 10 percent voters cast their franchise in the polls.
Over holding dialogue she said BNP is ready to sit for dialogue. But the government has to take the initiative for this, the BNP chairperson said.
The government itself has to create the atmosphere as our big shots remained in jail and the others who are out are on the run.
It is mentionable that in the wake of on-going violence and political crisis, Jamaat is being widely blamed behind the attacks putting a question to the main opposition BNP to cut ties with the Islamist party.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] A special polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... campaign to inoculate the children of 78 'sensitive' union councils of the metropolis has been put off because of lack of security to Jan 20, when a nationwide anti-polio drive is scheduled to kick off, officials said on Tuesday.
The campaign, known as short interval additional dose of polio drops, was to be launched on Monday in the city's 78 UCs bracketed as 'sensitive' because of security reasons. However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... the organisers opted to abandon the plans after the local police rejected their request for security personnel. "We are not going with our plans for the campaign in the 78 UCs as per schedule because of unavailability of security cover for our teams," said Dr Mazhar Khamisani, director of the expanded programme on immunisation, Sindh, told Dawn.
Officials said police did not give specific reasons for their refusal to the immunisation authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[India Express] On October 13, one month after the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in western Uttar Pradesh began, two imams from Haryana's Mewat district -- Hafeez Rashidi and Shahid -- visited the home of Liaquat Ali in Kulehri village near Charthwal Kasbah in Muzaffarnagar.
The headmaster at a government-run junior high school in Jalalabad, Liaquat, 60, had apparently met Shahid in Deoband earlier that month, during the last week preceding Bakr-Id.
"On October 13, in the evening, I got a call from Shahid. He was introduced to me as a holy man in Mewat, who's been doing a lot of good work there. When he called, he said he was coming to Muzaffarnagar and wished to stay the night," Liaquat told The Indian Express.
Shahid came over that night but he was not alone. "A man, who I learnt later was Hafeez, was with him. Shahid told me that he was also from Mewat and the two helped the community together. I had told them that there was tension in the area and it wasn't a good time to come. But they insisted on coming that very night," said Ali.
The two imams stayed the night at Liaquat's home. The next day, they said they had to go to the nearest train station. Liaquat, who was on his way to work, offered them a lift in his Maruti car. Liaquat said that while on the way to the Thanabhawan railway station, they stopped for a few minutes at the mosque of Liaquat's moulvi friend Zamiruddin in Jalalabad village in Shamli district.
"Jalalabad is on the way to the railway station and I had called Zamiruddin for some work, and he happened to be in almost the same spot I was. So we met. While we met, I went to relieve myself in the nearby bathroom and the three of them were alone. When I came back...we said our goodbyes and then I dropped them to the railway station," Liaquat said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan Wednesday expressed his satisfaction over the ongoing targeted operation citing "significant decrease" in murders and kidnappings for ransom and hoped that Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... will soon turn into a 'crime-free' city.
"Earlier, around 26 cases of kidnapping for ransom were reported daily. Now, the number has gone down to one or two cases a day. Target killing is also under control. Soon the government will overcome all kinds of crime," he said.
The governor was speaking to participants of National Security Workshop held under National Defence University at the Governor House, said an official statement.
He said that the police and rangers were conducting targeted operations against the snuffies and outlaws even in those areas of the city where no such action had ever been taken in the past.
Public confidence in the law enforcing agencies including Rangers, police and Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) has increased, he said. "Now, they do not hesitate to visit these agencies/institutions for getting their reports/complaints registered," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
"Ishrat"?
That is a Moslem name? And when he was a boy they called him Little Ishrat.
[An Nahar] More than 13,000 families have fled Fallujah in the past few days amid festivities and shelling after the city fell to al-Qaeda-linked hard boys, the Iraqi Red Islamic Thingy said on Wednesday.
"Most of them are now living in schools, public buildings or with relatives," Red Islamic Thingy official Mohammed al-Khuzaie said in a statement.
Khuzaie said the organization had provided humanitarian assistance to more than 8,000 families in the past three days across predominantly Sunni Arab Anbar province.
Fallujah and parts of the Anbar scenic provincial capital Ramadi farther west have been outside government control for days -- the first time forces of Evil have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
The violence in Anbar, which began on December 30 with the removal of a Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp, has killed more than 250 people -- the worst unrest to hit the province in years.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Still leaves a heckuva lot of people in Fallujah. But they have to make a living, I guess, and the AQ have to get tea and bread from somebody.
[Egypt Independent] Reported cases of Christians killed for their faith around the world doubled in 2013 from the year before, with Syria accounting for more than the whole global total in 2012, according to an annual survey.
Open Doors, a non-denominational group supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, said on Wednesday it had documented 2,123 "martyr" killings, compared with 1,201 in 2012. There were 1,213 such deaths in Syria alone last year, it said.
"This is a very minimal count based on what has been reported in the media and we can confirm," said Frans Veerman, head of research for Open Doors. Estimates by other Christian groups put the annual figure as high as 8,000.
The Open Doors report placed North Korea at the top of its list of 50 most dangerous countries for Christians, a position it has held since the annual survey began 12 years ago. Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were the next four in line.
The United States-based group reported increasing violence against Christians in Africa and said radical Moslems were the main source of persecution in 36 countries on its list.
"Islamist extremism is the worst persecutor of the worldwide church," it said.
WAR AGAINST THE CHURCH
Christianity is the largest and most widely spread faith in the world, with 2.2 billion followers, or 32 percent of the world population, according to a survey by the U.S.-based Pew Forum on religion and Public Life.
It faces restrictions and hostility in 111 countries, ahead of the 90 countries limiting or harassing the second-largest faith, Islam, another Pew survey has reported.
Michel Varton, head of Open Doors La Belle France, told journalists in Strasbourg that failing states with civil wars or persistent internal tensions were often the most dangerous for Christians.
"In Syria, another war is thriving in the shadow of the civil war -- the war against the church," he said while presenting the Open Doors report there.
About 10 percent of Syrians are Christians. Many have become targets for Salafist tough guys who see them as supporters of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... .
Nine of the 10 countries listed as dangerous for Christians are Moslem-majority states, many of them torn by conflicts with radical Islamists. Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... is an exception but ranked sixth because of its total ban on practicing faiths other than Islam.
In the list of killings, Syria was followed by Nigeria with 612 cases last year after 791 in 2012. Pakistain was third with 88, up from 15 in 2012. Egypt ranked fourth with 83 deaths after 19 the previous year.
The report spoke of "horrific violence often directed at Christians" in the Central African Republic but said only nine deaths were confirmed last year because "most analysts still fail to recognize the religious dimension of the conflict."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
A Muslim guy here in America that I do business with is a very nice guy. He knew I was Christian. I knew he was a devout Muslim. So when the opportunity arose to where there was no one around and as I was about to leave his office, I went out on the limb and said that since he was one of the nicest people I know, I wanted to give him something, a Bible, and a book by my pastor about a Christian subject of interest. I felt it was a huge gamble for I believe many would be offended. Took me two years to bring myself to do that. I wanted to be very sure he would accept that gift graciously.
My hunch was right. He immediately gave me a hug without hesitation and said, "Pray for me, Brother!" and accepted the books.
#2
Why is the word martyr in scare quotes? If these people were killed for their faith, they are martyrs by definition. As opposed to suicide bombers who are called "martyrs", but only by Muslims.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/09/2014 9:00 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Acting General Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud stated on Wednesday that the corpse of the "emir" of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... Majed al-Majed has not yet been handed over to his family in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , reported the National News Agency.
He told NNA: "The findings of the autopsy report will determine whether he will be returned to his family."
The report is expected to be released on Thursday, he added.
Majed was recently arrested by the Lebanese authorities. He died in military hospital after the really rapid deterioration of his health.
Media reports said that he was suffering from kidney problems.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon has said Hizbullah did not possess some components of supersonic Yakhont rockets as claimed by U.S. officials.
Yaalon told news hounds on Tuesday that as far as Israel knew, Hizbullah did not possess the weapon.
During a tour to the Israeli army's Central Command, he was asked whether Israel's "red line" had been crossed and if Yakhont missiles had "reached Hizbullah."
Yaalon said: "Our red line in terms of what's going on in Syria is very clear. One of them is to not allow the transfer of sophisticated and advanced weapons from Syria to Leb. When that happens, we know what to do and will act accordingly."
The Wall Street Journal has quoted U.S. officials as saying that Hizbullah is smuggling advanced guided-missile systems into Leb from Syria piece by piece.
Some components of a powerful anti-ship missile system have already been moved to Leb within the past year, including supersonic Yakhont rockets, according to previously undisclosed intelligence.
Yet "to make it lethal, a system needs to be complete," said a senior defense official.
As many as 12 anti-ship guided-missile systems may now be in Hizbullah's possession inside Syria, according to U.S. officials briefed on the intelligence.
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01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered on Wednesday the arrest a number of inmates over sectarian threats made from al-Qobbeh, Baalbek, and Roumieh prisons, reported the National News Agency.
He ordered the arrest of five Roumieh prisoners and an undisclosed number of Qobbeh jail inmates. He tasked Judge Sami Sader to follow up on the investigations in the case.
Later on Wednesday, Military Examining Magistrate Judge Fadi Sawan issued arrest warrants against five inmates for their involvement in smuggling drugs in Roumieh prison.
Investigations are underway with a number of other prisoners linked to the case, reported NNA.
Pictures and videos surfaced in recent days in which supposed inmates traded sectarian threats from the prisons of al-Qobbeh, Baalbek and Roumieh. According to MTV,
...they don't do music videos anymore so they had to fill the time...
the incident started at al-Qobbeh prison in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , when Sunni inmates threatened Shiite and Alawite prisoners. The supposed response then came from other inmates who are being held at the Baalbek and Roumieh prisons.
"A number of inmates and coppers have been interrogated and the Baalbek prison does not contain the backdrops that appeared in the videos and pictures," Gendarmerie chief Brig. Gen. Elias Saade commented on Monday.
"None of the masks and clothes (that appear in the video) and no cellphones were found at the Baalbek prison ... and inmates of all sects enjoy positive relations among each other and they support each other," Saade added.
He stated that "the issue seems to be a hoax," noting that no marks of abuse were found on the body of any inmate.
Saade also pointed out that none of the prisoners have complained of abuse by other inmates.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[India Express] On October 13, one month after the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in western Uttar Pradesh began, two imams from Haryana's Mewat district -- Hafeez Rashidi and Shahid -- visited the home of Liaquat Ali in Kulehri village near Charthwal Kasbah in Muzaffarnagar.
[Egypt Independent] Reported cases of Christians killed for their faith around the world doubled in 2013 from the year before, with Syria accounting for more than the whole global total in 2012, according to an annual survey.
North Korea
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
