[Tolo News] The chairman of Pakistain's National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Awais Ahmed Khan Laghari on Monday said that Pakistain should hand over members of the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network to Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... in an effort to help accelerate the grinding of the peace processor in the war-ravaged country.
"We should not have any problem in handing over the Afghan Taliban or members of Haqqani Network to Afghanistan if this helps the reconciliation process," he told news hounds.
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[Tolo News] The Counter Narcotics wing of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Tuesday in coordinated raids tossed in the clink Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! several major drug distributers in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... . Officials at the ministry have already reportedly received calls from government members requesting some of those apprehended be released.
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[ABCNEWS.GO] Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. on Tuesday was sworn in for another five-year term extending his 25-year autocratic rule, a testament to his ability to survive civil wars, sanctions and an international war crimes indictment.
In his latest maneuver to survive, al-Bashir has switched alliances, joining ranks with 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... , the region's biggest bankroller, after nearly two decades of strained ties. That means moving away from close relations with the kingdom's rival Iran, which has long used Sudan as a transit route for weapons shipments to gangs in the region, particularly Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,.
Shortly before his re-election, al-Bashir threw his support to the Saudi-led coalition waging an air campaign against Iranian catspaws in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... who are allied to Iran. The Sudanese contribution to the campaign is largely symbolic -- but al-Bashir is likely hoping for Gulf financial support that could keep his beleaguered economy afloat.
"Our relations with Arab brothers have witnessed very positive developments lately, by the grace of God," al-Bashir declared Tuesday in a speech in Omdurman, neighboring the capital Khartoum, after his swearing-in. By building on the Arab ties, he expressed hopes of eventually normalizing relations with Western nations as well.
Al-Bashir won re-election in April, though opposition parties boycotted the vote. After his victory with an official landslide of 94 percent of the vote, the opposition said in a joint statement that it will not recognize the results and called on the people to join ranks to "topple" al-Bashir.
In his speech Tuesday, al-Bashir pledged to draft a permanent constitution, combat corruption, improve the economy and end conflicts in at least three war-torn regions -- Darfur in the west, and Kordofan and the Blue Nile in the south and southwest, all of which have armed uprisings against his rule.
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[Libya Herald] The bruising battle in the internationally-recognised Thinni government in Beida in over the position of disputed Interior Minister Omar Sinki shows no sign of ending.
Following a decision by SInki to reinstate several hundred coppers who had retired or been forced to leave the service and also to issue a series of promotions, a statement has been issued ostensibly by the Interior Ministry, or at least part of it, saying that as a former minister he no longer has any official position and that security directorates across Libya should ignore his pronouncement.
Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Thinni announced he had sacked Sinki four months ago after the latter publicly attacked Khalifa Hafter. Sinki then appealed to the House of Representatives which, in a move to demonstrate its authority over the government, said that Sinki was still interior minister. Thinni has since insisted that Sinki was sacked and has been working instead with a parallel structure within the Beida-based ministry, involving Deputy Interior Minster Ahmed Ali Baraka and Under-Secretary Mustafa Dabbashi.
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[Dhaka Tribune] A New York-based non-profit educational, advocacy and research organization has relocated Taslima Nasrin to the United States, countering immediate death threats to the writer.
The step to relocate Taslima has been taken in the wake of the murder of three secular bloggers, Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman, and Ananta Bijoy Das in Bangladesh, reported Times of India.
US-based Center for Inquiry (CIF) took the step after Taslima was recently named as one of the next targets for murder by the faceless myrmidons who killed the three bloggers.
However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... the group said that her safety was only temporary if she cannot remain in the US, adding that they had set up an emergency fund to help her with food, housing and means for her to be safely settled.
An appeal will be sent out on Tuesday to CFI supporters, asking them to donate to this cause, the organization said.
"Taslima is a truly international role model, as her work and her courage inspire people of all ages to question tradition, challenge dogma, and fight for human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. ," said Ronald A Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry.
"We could not stand by while her life was in danger, nor will we turn our backs on the other brave freethinkers in fear for their lives. I know our community will make a strong show of solidarity and give generously to this emergency fund," he added.
The CFI has established an emergency fund to assist freethought activists whose lives are under threat by Islamic holy warriors linked to Al Qaeda in countries such as Bangladesh, where three secular bloggers have been murdered since February.
On 26 February, prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy, was hacked to death while walking through Dhaka with his wife.
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#1
Saudi Pakistan and iran are the main enemies of what the west stands for.
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06/03/2015 3:33 Comments ||
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Excellent story by excellent journalist Bryan Seymour of Channel Seven - more at link
FIRST ON 7: An Islamist group has been accused of sexual discrimination for making women sit at the back of public meetings. The radical political party Hizb ut-Tahrir insists it is their choice, but one woman says she was told to move to the back or leave.
Freelance journalist Alison Bevege took her case to the Anti-Discrimination Board on Wednesday afternoon.
"When I walked in I was immediately directed by one of the representatives of the organisers to sit in the back half of the room," Ms Bevege told 7News. "I just don't want to be told to go to the back of the room because I'm a female, who does that?"
Hizb ut-Tahrir promotes a global Islamic caliphate to govern everyone. The group has been banned in several countries.
At the weekend, 300,000 rallied in Indonesia for their Khalifa Conference. They also hold regular public events in western Sydney, including the one Alison attended in October last year.
#1
Hizb ut-Tahrir are the political wing of Islamic State. They want the same thing: Caliphate through Sharia. But they do it through peaceful methods of persuading people to their cause not through violence. They are big in Britain, and growing in Australia. 300,000 rallied in Indonesia on Saturday -it was like the "Nuremburg rally" for Islamist fascism. 300,000 Caliphate supporters in a huge stadium.
Not all Muslims want segregation. Brave British Muslim Lejla Kuric stood up to them and won, in the UK, forcing them not to be able to gender segregate meetings on campuses. Here is what she wrote on gender segregation:
[RUDAW.NET] A media freedom watchdog has called on The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's president to stop "bullying" journalists after he accused a newspaper editor of espionage and threatened punishment for publishing images of what the paper said were Turkish trucks carrying ammunition to Syrian holy warriors.
In a statement late Monday, the Committee to Protect Journalists condemned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... for threatening legal action against the Cumhuriyet newspaper editor Can Dundar.
Last week, the paper published images from January 2014 when local authorities searched Syria-bound trucks, touching off a standoff with Turkish intelligence officials. Cumhuriyet said the images were proof that Turkey was smuggling arms to rebels -- a claim the government rejects.
The CPJ said: "We call on (Erdogan) to stop bullying journalists ... just because he doesn't like what they report."
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[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has lost control of its borders by opening them to Syrian refugees and been isolated on the world stage by meddling in the affairs of its neighbors, its main opposition leader said in an interview.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), said Turkey's support for what he described as radical opposition groups in Syria had broken a tradition of neutrality and left Turkey exposed.
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[DAWN] As a precondition for returning to their homes, tribespeople who fled because of incessant Taliban violence and military attacks are facing a huge collective fine imposed by authorities in the country's northwestern tribal areas.
Tribal leaders of the Sipah clan in Khyber tribal district say local government officials have asked them to pay the government a large sum before hundreds of displaced Sipah families can be allowed back to their villages, which they left after a local holy warrior leader began a violent campaign 12 years ago.
Authorities want the clan to pay for the attacks attributed to Mangal Bagh ...a former bus driver, now head of the Deobandi bandido group Lashkar-e-Islam and the Terror of Khyber Agency... , a member of Sipah who leads the bad boy faction Lashkar-e-Islam ...a group of Islamic bandidos infesting Khyber Agency. It's headed by a former bus driver.... (LI), which is now closely allied with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP). The two organizations are seen as Pakistain's key jihadist enemies and are still active in Khyber and other parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
Shah Faisal Afridi, a Sipah leader, says the fine is cruel because years of insecurity destroyed their livelihoods and civilian tribespeople were targeted both by LI members and the security sweeps claiming to target them.
"Now the government has imposed a fine of 120 million rupees (roughly $120,000) on the Sipah tribe because Mangal Bagh is one of its members," Afridi told RFE/RL's Gandhara website. "We reject this punishment because we believe we have suffered many more losses than the government in the fight against terrorists."
Afridi says years of insecurity have destroyed his tribe's livelihoods in Bara, a key trading town in Khyber, and the collective fine is an unfeasible burden for families barely surviving in displacement camps or rented houses in the nearby city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. .
"We were banished from our homes, and now we have no sustainable source of income. How can we pay such a huge sum?" he asks.
Sipah is part of the larger Afridi Pashtun tribe, which straddles the historic Khyber Pass linking Pakistain and Afghanistan. Since his emergence in 2003, Bagh, a former trucker, virtually controlled the lives of more than 200,000 civilians in Bara and surrounding villages.
The state belatedly moved to end his de-facto rule years later when the bad boy leader began extending his control to the outskirts of Peshawar, some 20 kilometers east of Bara. Peshawar also serves as the regional headquarters of a major military formation.
Still, the Political Administration in Khyber says the fine imposed on Sipah is part of re-enacting the collective responsibility clause of the draconian Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR), which is the law of the land in Fata.
This century-old law stipulates that if a person commits a crime, the Political Administration can arrest and punish his family, clan, or even the entire tribe without a transparent judicial process.
Resenting the government's decision of imposing a fine on the Sipah rustics, another tribal elder, Maqbool Khan Afridi, says terrorism is an international issue not limited to Bara.
"We never supported Mangal Bagh or his people. We have always supported the government in its efforts against terrorism," he said. "Our tribe has handed over all the desperados to the authorities. Punishing us now despite all this is total injustice."
Khyber's officials, however, still hold the Sipah tribe equally responsible for the losses inflicted on public infrastructure by bandidossnuffies hailing from the same clan.
Fahad Wazir, an assistant political agent in Khyber, told Gandhara that the use of pressure under the collective responsibility clause of FCR often proves helpful in prompting cooperation at the local level.
"We have resolved several cases and forced several criminals and desperados [to surrender] after exerting pressure on their families under the collective responsibility clause," he said.
Bara residents say it is the government -- not the locals -- that is responsible for taking action against bandidossnuffies and terrorists. "We are the affected party. We can't even afford to move families back to their homes. How can we pay such a huge amount?" asks another Sipah elder, Naseer Afridi.
Lawmaker Malak Nasar Khan, who represents Bara in the National Assembly, says he has already raised the issue with the Political Administration.
Khan now intends to voice his concerns to the governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... .
Tens of thousands of civilians, bad boys, and soldiers have been killed in the decade-old Taliban insurgency across Fata. The fighting has displaced millions of civilians, and more than 1 million civilians from Khyber and other tribal territories remain displaced.
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[DAWN] Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... on Tuesday said India's reaction to the China-Pakistain Economic Corridor (CPEC) project was clear proof that the Indian leadership was not happy to see Pakistain prosper.
An official statement issued from the ministry said New Delhi's reaction had exposed India's real face before the world as it finds its neighbour's progress and development "unacceptable".
Coupled with a recent statement from the defence minister of India ─ who blatantly and unashamedly claimed the credit for terrorism in Pakistain ─ the latest statement of intent by the Indian prime minister clearly showed India's intentions not only to destabilise and hegemonise Pakistain, but to also use any means at its disposal to keep Pakistain backward and underdeveloped, said Nisar.
The interior minister said that the people of Pakistain, and its entire political and military leadership, are united to fight and defeat all themes of terrorism from wherever they may generate.
He said the country is united to carry forward the CPEC to its logical conclusion irrespective of all scheming and conspiring on part of its enemies.
Instead of raising unnecessary and uncalled for objections to this vital project, the Indian leadership should focus on ameliorating the plight of their own people and extricating them from generational traps of abject poverty, hunger, disease and socio-economic backwardness, Nisar concluded.
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[DAWN] RAWALPINDI: Former official of the Inter-Services Intelligence ...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir... (ISI), a key witness in the case, on Monday refused to testify against the suspects of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) being tried in Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... murder case.
Ex-telephone operator of the ISI excused himself from testifying before the court ,saying his life is in danger as he lives in Karak district which is close to tribal areas.
Consequently, the anti-terrorism court (ATC) discarded his earlier statement which he recorded before the team investigating Benazir murder case.
The former official had confirmed to the investigating team that he intercepted the communication between the suspects and TTP terrorists.
Five suspects Aitzaz Shah, Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman and Abdul Rashid are facing trial in the case.
Besides, former president retired Gen Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... , former CPO Rawalpindi Saud Aziz and former SP Khurram Shahzad were also accused in the case.
Besides, refusal of former operator of ISI, another witness, Mark Seigel, could not testify before the court.
The prosecution had informed the court that Seigel could record his statement through video link.
The FIA prosecutor told the court that interior secretary was in contact with the Foreign Office and the officials of the Pakistain embassy in the US to contact Mr Seigal and arrange video link facility for him in the embassy.
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[DAWN] RAWALAKOT: 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... (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq ...current head of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Siraj was born in 1962 and entered politics shortly after that... on Monday announced Rs1 billion reward for anyone who arrests Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a gathering in Azad Jammu and Kashmire (AJK)'s Rawalakot region, the JI chief said that India has failed to arrest Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin despite keeping a reward on his arrest.
"I want to say to Modi that you and your agents cannot arrest Salahuddin. And you say whoever will arrest Salahuddin, we will give him Rs 50 crore. I too say that whoever arrests Modi, we will give him Rs1 billion," he added. That's supposed to be an inside joke, I think, since Syed Salahuddin lives in Pakistain.
The JI chief was also critical of federal government for granting India the status of 'Most favoured nation (MFN)'.
"Unless Kashmire issue is resolved, anyone who tries to befriend India is a traitor to both Pakistain and Kashmire," he said, adding that, "If you want the friendship of Hindustan, then go to Hindustan, to Delhi and to Mumbai, there is no place for you in Islamabad."
Haq blamed Modi for killing hundreds of civilians in Jammu and Kashmire and Gujrat and slammed the government for not paying heed to Indian atrocities in Jammu and Kashmire.
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[DAWN] While chairing an All Parties Conference (APC) in Quetta on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... said that enemies of Pakistain want to divide the nation.
"There are some who wish to make us fight amongst ourselves," said the premier.
PM Nawaz said that he was happy that all parties had agreed on the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
"I want to congratulate the Pak leadership for owning it."
PM Nawaz also heaped praise on the Pak leadership for moving towards mature politics.
"We made decisions about the National Action Plan (NAP) and military courts during which the country's leadership stood together. What bigger example than this of national unity?"
NAP -- the 21-point counter-terrorism strategy -- was put in place through a strong political consensus after the Dec 16 Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. school tragedy.
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#1
Pakistan is its own worse enemy
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06/03/2015 3:36 Comments ||
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[RUDAW.NET] After over a millennium, the Zoroastrian faith is returning to its original habitat. The Ministry of Religion in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil has registered the religion, locally known as Zardashti, and suggested to the Kurdish government the ancient faith should be given its own directorate general and its believers be allowed to build new temples.
"Now it's time," says Nouri Sharif, one of the initiators of the movement that established a Zoroastrian organization in Europe in 2006 and in March announced in Erbil its official return to Kurdistan. In April, a Supreme Council of Zoroastrians in Kurdistan was founded.
Already active in Iran and India, the movement claims to have some 100,000 followers in Iraqi Kurdistan. This is mainly a reaction to the violence committed by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , according to Sharif during an interview in a café in Kurdistan's second city Sulaimani.
"People see something is imposed on them. They have witnessed suffering from another belief. Now it is the time for our destiny, because we are exhausted. We haven't seen any good deeds from Daesh, it only gives us death and violence," he said using Daesh, the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
Zoroastrians follow Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra or locally as Zardasht, who probably lived in the 6th century BC. He was not a prophet like those known in Islam and Christianity, Sharif stressed.
"He was not sent by God as his representative. He was contemplating existence and the universe. Zardasht was a human being full of wisdom. For me he is a prophet, but he brings a philosophy he found himself," he said.
He pointed to the little green book in front of him on the table. "This book is a summary of his thoughts. A hundred questions that he raised on existence, religion, God and the universe. It's not God's word, but that of humans," Sharif continued.
Sharif returned five years ago to Sulaimani from Germany to start work on bringing back the religion to Kurdistan, and printed a selection of thoughts to be used for this task. They are taken from the main book of the faith, Avesta.
"Zardasht was one of the first to have called for worshipping one god, the Ahura Mazda... creator of existence," he said.
An important aspect for attracting people to the faith is the fact that its founder was a Kurd. Not a lot is known about him, Sharif said, apart from that he was born in Urmia (now Iran) and died aged 77 in a fight. "During his life there was opposition," Sharif said. "Later we were conquered by Alexander the Great, but we regrouped after that, until the total Islamic conquest."
Already the Zoroastrians have centers in India and in Kerman in Iran.
"We plan to open a third one in Sulaimani. Seminars were held in different towns across Kurdistan, where many people participated," Sharif said. "Amongst Kurds there is a great level of enthusiasm to go back to the roots; from various levels in the community; professors, politicians and normal people. Hundreds of thousands are interested and this is increasing."
Sharif said councils have been established in the big cities, but his group is waiting for the licensing process to finish so it can open a center for people to visit.
Temples will be opened too, or in the vocabulary of the faith "attashga," which means fire house, as fire is considered holy.
"They should be opened on the original locations, like in Darbandighan, Shaklawa, Soran, Chami Rezan, Qishqapan--the king that was buried there was a Zardashti," Sharif claimed. "We have history to guide us, and will renovate old places."
But for the moment the group is focused on culture and heritage. "We don't want to start with the commitments of the religion, binding people to a certain number of prayers per day," he said.
Even though reviving this pre-Islamic religion and convincing people to leave Islam might enrage Moslems who consider this to be prohibited, Sharif and his group have decided to work out in the open.
"Kurdistan has passed the era of secret practice. We follow the rules and legislations. If we are supported by law, hopefully it will protect us. All the religions have the right to call for worship," he said.
Even so he knows it could be dangerous.
"We have made our decision, and this cause demands sacrifices. They can only kill and commit violence," Sharif said referring to Moslembully boyz like ISIS. "They could bring arguments, but they do not have the wisdom, that's why they resort to killing. We are not afraid of them. Their religion is backward."
Sharif expects that even though the vast majority of Kurds are Moslem, they can live together in peace. "We believe in peaceful coexistence. There is no violence in the origin of our culture. This is another wisdom by Zardasht, who says: 'I will not draw my sword in troubled times, but light a candle.'"
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[RUDAW.NET] The military campaign to recapture Anbar has become a controversial issue in Iraqi media with political parties blaming each other for the fall of Ramadi and some Sunni groups denouncing the inclusion of Shiite militias as fanning sectarian tensions.
"Those who call the Anbar military campaign sectarian are those who oppose the participation of the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) in the battle for Anbar, and they want ISIS to stay there. Without the Hashd al-Shaabi, no place can be liberated from ISIS," Iraqi MP Abbas Bayati told Rudaw Monday.
Since the Anbar campaign began, Iraqi forces have not achieved a significant victory. The Anbar scenic provincial capital Ramadi is still held by ISIS. This comes despite reports Iran has strengthened its power in the region by providing heavy weapons to the Hashd al-Shaabi and the presence of its military advisers in Iraq.
"It has been argued that Iranian advisers have taken an active part in the fight against ISIS in Iraq by providing heavy missiles to the Iraqi army to use in the battle for Anbar," Abdul Wahab Ali, a Kurdish MP in the Iraqi Parliament, told Rudaw Monday. "Other neighboring Sunni countries such as Jordan and 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... are not happy."
According to information obtained by Rudaw, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called on the US to intensify its Arclight airstrikes against ISIS in Ramadi along with sending Iraq fighter jets to defeat the group.
But even as attention has shifted to Ramadi, preparations to recapture djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... have not begun. Now the two largest provinces are held by ISIS and political analysts believe if the ongoing political disputes between Shiites and Sunnis continue, another sectarian conflict in Iraq will emerge.
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The State Department's got 99 problems with Iran, but a 20% increase in their nuclear stockpile ain't among them, according to Marie Harf. Pressed by the media for an answer on a New York Times story about the sharp increase in material during the Obama administration's negotiations, Harf pronounced herself and her team "perplexed" at the concern. "There are some real issues, serious ones that we have to resolve in these talks," Harf responded yesterday, "but this just isn't one of them."
So these are the things we've learned from Harf:
The State Department considers concern over a 20% increase in Iranium nuclear stockpiles "absurd"
The entire team is "totally perplexed" why the New York Times would report on it.
However, it's apparently true, even while being "totally inaccurate," because it's "absurd" to think the State Department wasn't already aware of it
Harf keeps repeating herself over and over to convince people that it doesn't matter
A 20% increase in stockpiles during a negotiation isn't "manufacturing a concern," it's a concern over manufacturing. Iran wants to manufacture nuclear weapons, and an increase in manufacturing the material needed to eventually make it should concern those who claim Iran is a trustworthy partner in negotiating an end to their weapons program. What Harf is doing is manufacturing a case that (a) the Iranians are misunderstood and (b) the State Department is smarter than everyone else, including the IAEA and the actual data.
Harf herself refutes (b) in this rambling, substance-free whining about the New York Times story. This dismissive, flip attitude about Iranian nuclear stockpiles -- hey, no worries, we like totes got this! -- makes the arrogance and naĂŻvetĂŠ of this State Department and White House effort all too clear. Not exactly a confidence builder in smart power here.
Does someone have to remind her to breathe? Read her whole reply at the link. Astounding.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
06/03/2015 12:15 ||
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#1
Harf herself refutes in this rambling, substance-free whining about the New York Times story
I've noticed that, confronted with actual facts, liberals tend to ramble on and on, hoping to annoy you enough so that you give in.
I just sit/stand there calmly and smile at them without saying anything. After a while, they're usually unnerved by that enough and shut their pie-holes.
I remember someone telling me once that an idiot will try to get you down to his/her level and then they can beat you with 'experience'. The trick is to stay on the higher plane and on track. It discombobulates them completely.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
06/03/2015 15:47 Comments ||
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#2
Thank you for leaving the reply out; it truly is something which shouldn't be sprung on a person.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Leb's two main Christian politicians held their first meeting in years on Tuesday, an effort to find common ground among civil wartime enemies whose rivalry has helped obstruct the election of a new president.
Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... and Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... , who fought each other in the dying years of the 1975-90 civil war, are both candidates for the Lebanese presidency that has been vacant since Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... 's term expired a year ago.
The post is reserved for a Maronite Christian according to the country's sectarian power-sharing system.
Their meeting at Aoun's house in Rabieh north of Beirut seems unlikely to yield a breakthrough: agreement on a new
president is widely seen as requiring a broader deal backed by rival regional states Iran and 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... .
The leaders issued a joint statement calling for the election of "a strong president" accepted by the Christian community and capable of reassuring Leb's other sects.
The presidential vacuum is part of a wider crisis fuelled by the war in neighbouring Syria that has paralysed much of the state and triggered spasms of deadly violence.
A government formed in February 2013 with Saudi-Iranian blessing has spared Leb from a complete vacuum in the executive arm. But that government has struggled to take even basic decisions. Parliament barely functions.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/03/2015 00:00 ||
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[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Fajr al-Tawhid, Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... unit, said 1000 fighters had finished their three-week training south of Syria, posting photos of the graduation ceremony via social media.
Abu Mohammed al-Akhtaboot, training coordinator of Fajr al-Tawhi in Daraa province, said we hope to build up a paramilitary units, well-trained and organized.
Al-Khatboot says the training is taking place on the Syrian territory not in Jordan as some claim.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/03/2015 00:00 ||
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[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Russia Tuesday urged a U.S.-led coalition fighting against ISIS to coordinate their air raids with the Syrian government, warning that jihadis could go "very far" if not stopped.
"It is absolutely clear to me it was a mistake - still is - not to coordinate the air strikes with the activities of the Syrian army. That's what we believe must be done," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Bloomberg Television in an interview.
"And that is what unfortunately our American colleagues cannot accept for ideological considerations."
Lavrov spoke as the Western coalition gathered for Gay Paree crunch talks involving Iraq to discuss the advance of ISIS jihadis who have declared an Islamic caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq they now control.
Moscow's top diplomat whose country is among the main backers of the Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... , warned that the ISIS murderous Moslems could go "very far, very far" if not stopped.
"They already make a lot of progress in Iraq, in Syria. They just took the Idlib province," he said, noting that the murderous Moslems were expanding into Libya.
"And even in northern Afghanistan which is very close to Cental Asia which is next door to Russia."
Asked if ISIS could take over all of Syria, Lavrov declined to answer directly, adding however he was not optimistic about the future of the region if things remain as they are.
"If people continue to acquiesce with what is going on, and continue to acquiesce with those who categorically refuse to start the political process until Bashir al-Assad disappears then I am not very optimistic for the future of this region," he said.
"Because these people put the fate of one person whom they hate on top of the fight against terrorism," Lavrov said.
"We have been through this repeatedly. Saddam Hussein was the one person after whom the United States went and they ruined the country."
"Qadaffy is the same," he said, referring to Libya's fallen dictator.
Asked if Russia would support ground troops in the Middle East, Lavrov declined a direct response.
"Do you believe that the American troops are the only troops who can do the trick? They've been to Afghanistan, they've been to Iraq and look where Afghanistan and Iraq are now."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/03/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
A) Are the Russians flying air support for Syria?
B) Which side of the red line would such activity fall?
#3
Friend and I were discussing Syria last night. We are not Assad backers, but it occurred to us that Syria is the only one fighting ISJV - no disrespect to the Kurds it is they are fighting but underequipped. If Syria falls then all those ISJV units and experience can be deployed elsewhere. We were wondering if the Syrian redeployment of forces was a spring for counterattack, a trap, or last stand. That Russia is sending feelers for assistance or preparing the reasoning of a Syria collapse is ominous.
[ABCNEWS.GO] British actor Michael Enright, who starred in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," has reportedly left the glitter of Hollywood to join the Kurdish People's Protection Units in the fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Syria.
In an interview with the Dubai-based channel Al Aan TV, Enright said he had decided to join the fight after seeing videos of the Jordanian pilot being burned alive by the Islamic group and the beheading of U.S. journalists.
What was even worse, Enright said, was that it was an Englishman who did it. The actor, who lives in the United States, said he felt a debt to America and the need "to help right a wrong."
"They need to be wiped off completely from the face of this earth," Enright, 51, said, adding that he was ready to die for the cause. "I didn't come here to run, I came here to fight and if I have to die, then I die. I didn't come here to play games."
Enright reportedly did not tell any of his Hollywood friends or his family about leaving for Syria. Once there, however, he wrote to them to say he loved them and might not see them again.
While in Kurdistan, the actor says he has learned about Islam and changed his name to Mustafa Michael Ali.
He has no military background and little experience with firearms, according to his biography on the Internet Movie Database, or IMDB.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/03/2015 00:00 ||
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#3
Apparently more of a TV actor than big screen - POTC he is listed as deckhand by IMDB. Some of the TV shows I even recognized.
I understand the motivation, but I am not sure how a 51 year old c-list hollywood sugar puff can help. Is it saying he converted, or is the name change for the locals?
[Ayepee] Congress approved sweeping changes Tuesday to surveillance laws enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, eliminating the National Security Agency's disputed bulk phone-records collection program and replacing it with a more restrictive measure to keep the records in phone companies' hands.
Two days after Congress let the phone-records collection and several other anti-terror programs expire, the Senate's 67-32 vote sent the legislation to President Barack Obama, who signed it Tuesday night.
"This legislation will strengthen civil liberty safeguards and provide greater public confidence in these programs," Obama said in a statement. Officials said it could take at least several days to restart the collection.
The legislation will revive most of the programs the Senate had allowed to lapse in a dizzying collision of presidential politics and national security policy. But the authorization will undergo major changes, the legacy of agency contractor Edward Snowden's explosive revelations two years ago about domestic spying by the government.
In an unusual shifting of alliances, the legislation passed with the support of Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, but over the strong opposition of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell failed to persuade the Senate to extend the current law unchanged, and came up short in a last-ditch effort Tuesday to amend the House version, as nearly a dozen of his own Republicans abandoned him in a series of votes.
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.
[Libya Herald] The bruising battle in the internationally-recognised Thinni government in Beida in over the position of disputed Interior Minister Omar Sinki shows no sign of ending.
[Dhaka Tribune] A New York-based non-profit educational, advocacy and research organization has relocated Taslima Nasrin to the United States, countering immediate death threats to the writer.
[RUDAW.NET] A media freedom watchdog has called on 
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] 
Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz 
Pervez 
[DAWN] RAWALAKOT: 
"I want to say to Modi that you and your agents cannot arrest Salahuddin. And you say whoever will arrest Salahuddin, we will give him Rs 50 crore. I too say that whoever arrests Modi, we will give him Rs1 billion," he added.
[DAWN] While chairing an All Parties Conference (APC) in Quetta on Tuesday, Prime Minister 
The State Department's got 99 problems with Iran, but a 20% increase in their nuclear stockpile ain't among them, according to Marie Harf. Pressed by the media for an answer on a New York Times story about the sharp increase in material during the Obama administration's negotiations, Harf pronounced herself and her team "perplexed" at the concern. "There are some real issues, serious ones that we have to resolve in these talks," Harf responded yesterday, "but this just isn't one of them."
Michel Aoun
Samir Geagea
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
