A group of recent madrasa graduates vandalised the office of Dhaka University (DU) Vice-chancellor (VC) Prof SMA Faiz yesterday spreading panic on the campus.
The vandals were demanding cancellation of the university authorities' decision to not allow admission to students who did not study Bangla and English of 200 marks each in their higher secondary or equivalent courses.
About 200 madrasa students from different city madrasas along with some DU students embarked on the vandalism around 4:30pm, eyewitnesses said.
Six departments of DU this year decided not to allow admission to students who did not study Bangla and English of 200 marks each in their higher secondary or equivalent courses, and the DU committee of deans recently approved the decision.
The attackers vandalised doors, window panes, furniture and other office decorations.
"It was unimaginable what they did here today, such an incident never happened before in the history of the university. They should be arrested for the offence," Prof Faiz told reporters at a news briefing following the vandalism.
He said the attackers started ransacking his office in front of him, when he told them that the university authorities' decision is final and there is no chance of changing it now.
The attackers threatened him saying they will not let the university run normally, if they cannot get admission, the VC added.
Prof Faiz however assured the irate madrasa graduates that the university authorities will discuss the matter in future considering their grievances, but the current decision is final for this year.
The VC expressed his astonishment at the fact that the vandals left the office and the DU campus without any resistance after the vandalism.
"I immediately contacted the police and that was the very first time I ever called them to take action, as it was too much," Prof Faiz added.
When asked whether the attackers were DU students or outsiders, Prof Faiz said, "They came to me as students -- I couldn't specifically identify anybody."
But other DU sources said the attackers were from different madrasas of the city who were accompanied by some DU students who had also studied in madrasas before getting admitted to the university.
Some student leaders however alleged that the attackers were brought in, supported and escorted by Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Muslims an easy target in world Politics,
The reasons & the solution thereof
Be it be Israel, America, UK, or India Muslims have become an easy target and are being used as a tool to achieve all sort of their political goals and Muslims do not understand this persistent campaign of mockery by the paradoxical state of affairs. Some examples are given as under:
Recently some articles were published in HT, on Counter Point, Fake Encounters, etc. by renowned writers like Vir Sanghvi, Barkha Dutt, sagarika ghose, wherein Mr. Vir Sanghvi has indicated the fake parking lot of, Ansal Plaza encounter has posed many questions the citizens mind developed a huge public out cry, similarly the Batala House encounter in Jamia Mr. Vir Sanghvi writes “a couple of weeks ago.” While mourning the death of Inspector Sharma he writes “Even if you dismiss eye-witness accounts as being biased, there are too many anomalies: why does Inspector Sharma not have the bullet wounds that were supposed to have killed him in pictures taken after the shooting? Why was he shot from the back at close quarters if he died in a gun battle? Where are the bullets that killed him? How two terrorists did escape when there was no way for them to have got away? Under such circumstances the truth can ever emerge?
CBI and the Police could not trace several murderers like a simple domestic murder case of Arushi Talwar, till now police have no clue. But in the case of serial bomb blast they catch terrorist as if one catches a mice. They even kill innocent Muslim youths in fake encounter; several examples can be given like encounter specialist Dya Naik of Bombay who is accused of amassing crores through extortions and by functioning as hit-men for hire. It is easer to just pay off police inspectors. They would kill the gangsters, accept the pay off and then receive public service medals.
But still I would say Muslims are to be blamed for this kind of a phenomenon; there are seven reasons to hold Muslims responsible for such happenings:
1- First of all They forgot the very basic meaning of the Word ‘Islam’ the basic meaning of the same is ‘Peace’ through which one should surrender to the will of Allah, and prime will of Allah the Almighty
according to Holy QuraÂ’an: (Chapter Al-Qasas: 28; 83) That House of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not oppression or mischief (Fasaad) on earth: and the End is (best) for the righteous.
The word (fasaad) has a vast meaning it covers all kind corruption in human behavior including misleading, disbelief, mischief, quarrels, disputes and unwanted wars i.e. terrorism. may it be Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir or India. Muslims are involved in, there is no doubt, it is said courtesy begets courtesy, similarly hate begets hate and it multiplies much faster.
As Holy Qura’an describes (Verse 89 Al-Fajr; 12) “And heaped therein Mischief (on mischief)” (13) Therefore did thy Lord pour on them a scourge of diverse chastisement:
Further it is described in: Holy QuraÂ’an (Verse Al-Asr :103;1-3) By (the Token of) time (2) Verily Man is in loss (3) Except such as have Faith and do righteous deeds and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy.
2- Accordingly: by taking Time as a witness Allah says; ‘entire Humanity is in a loss’. Because Muslims have forgotten three most important features of the above Verse wherein it is described;
Except such who have Faith in the Unseen and do righteous deeds, by exhorting each other and do not deviate from it.
The Truth (HAQUE) is another aspect which is related to Allah; and has been forgotten by Muslims they have become materialistic most rather than realistic resulting into loss of patience.
3- The most important aspect of the verse is patience, They have lost patience and forgot that there are over 32 Verses in Holy QuraÂ’an which describe about Patience and persistence, three of these are given here just for remembrance;
Holy QuraÂ’an describes
· (Chapter: Al-Ma’arij (70.5). But be patient (O Muhammad) with a patience fair to see. And bear with patience what they utter, and part from them with a fair leave-taking.
· (Surah;Al-Muzammil:73;10) And have patience with what they say and leave them with noble (dignity).
· (Chapter: Al-Mu’min) 40; 77) So keep trying in patience! For the Promise of Allah is true: and whether We show thee (in this life) some part of what We promise them or We take thy soul (to Our Mercy) (Before that) (in any case) it is to Us that they shall (all) return.
· Holy Qura’an describes; (Chapter, Al-Imraan: 3; 26) Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty! Thou give sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdraw sovereignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exalt whom Thou wilt and Thou humiliate whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is the good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.
4- In Islam Sovereignty is totally in the hands of Allah, it is no bodyÂ’s business to hold sovereignty of its own until He Himself bestows it to whom He desires or He ordains any nation to invade and rule over it. In fact the concept of government is nowhere in Islam instead Caliph (the Viceroy the world) of Allah the Almighty holds a Caliphate in the name of Allah and he has never been called as Ameer-ul-Mulk, but he is known to be Ameer-ul-MuÂ’amineen. The representative of believers at International level.
But in the present scenario it seems Muslims have either forgotten the above Islamic concept or they just ignore it for their own selfish means and introduced even a new concept that of an Islamic Government. Thus they are trying to become Maalik for a Mulk of their own. For that they are killing innocent peoples for the lust of a very fragile ownership of AllahÂ’s land, they even forgot the beautiful words of a poet who has said;
Khuda-e-Bertur teri Zamien per
Zamien ki khatir yeh jang kya hai
[Oh Lord the great what kind of a war on
Thy own land is there, for the land it self]
5- Holy QuraÂ’an describes; (Chapter As-ShuraÂ’a; 42; 13) Establish the religion, and be not divided therein.
According to this verse Muslims are supposed to establish Deen and not a Mulk (Country) alas Muslims totally ignored the above verse and started establishing Countries. A couplet of a poet narrated in his beautiful words;
Allah ne bkhshi thhi hamain ek hi dharti
Hamne kahein Iran khein tooran bnaya
[Allah had bestowed upon us only one earth
we have made Iran and Tooran else where[
6- Similar is the matter of Jama’atism. Nowhere in Holy Qura’an it is mentioned ‘Establish Jama’at’ (Aqeem-uj-Jma’ah) but there are thousands of Jma’ats established through out the world, creating chaos amongst Muslims. All of them trying to establish superiority over the other. Alas they are unaware that they just pleasing their masters and not the Almighty Allah nevertheless, of course they are pleasing their own masters i.e. Ameer-e-Jama’at only.
These are the seven most disastrous attitudes for which only Muslims are solely responsible, hence they themselves are suffering for that very reason but they perceive not.
7- Chapter – Al-Baqrah :2;269) He granteth (Hikmah) wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom (God given wisdom) is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp the message but men of understanding.
Present day UlemaÂ’a the clerics have changed the word Hikmah for Hakeem A unani Doctor whereas Hikmah is a God given ideology it is such a practical adventure that neither it is politics nor Governance, hikmah is something in between the two, entirely a Sufistic phenomenon, deals in both the aspects of politics & Governance in a very congenial atmosphere.
The remedy;
There is only one remedy left for them. Now they should adopt a very distinct path of Prophets Sufism, (Not Indian type of Sufism) and for that they will have to withdraw from active politics and should switch to Hikmah (God given Wisdom) Of course the help of God the Almighty will come ultimately. In India Even we Muslims may declare ourselves as second-class citizen of our own country. Other wise CBI and the police are already helping their political masters by taking Muslim youths as a soft target to achieve communal political goals of all political Parties of India, in case we raise our voice we will be declared as anti-national, and no soon we will be behind the bars.
Let there be a Non-Governmental, Non-Political, Non-Territorial Organization as “Empire of faith & Hikmah” under which entire Muslim community can deal with their day-to-day affairs strictly according to Islamic Sufi Shariyah.
#3
The Taliban live by the Deobandi version of sharia, and so they murder any woman who tried to be more than a household slave, any man whose beard is not long enough, any child who flies a kite. The Saudis live by the Wahabbi version of sharia, so no Jews may even enter the country, nor Christians worship there, and the Muttawa, the morals police, beat people in the street whenever they please. But the Ottoman Turks, they lived under Sufi sharia; under their rule the Jews and the Christians lived as sheep for the shearing, as wheat to be harvested at a Muslim's will. Mark Twain wrote of boys beating and old Jew in the middle of the street, and he dared not say them nay, lest worse befall him and his community. Even today in Turkey the government will not allow the installation of a Christian bishop who is not Turkish, but they closed the school that trains Christian priests, so there are none to be made bishop. In the last year in Istanbul several Christians were taken by their neighbors and tortured to death; have they yet been caught and punished?
Sharia law demands that unbelievers be ruled over by Muslims, that they be humiliated and made to pay jizya if they will not convert. This we in the West, who made ourselves free of kings and priest, will not allow, and we will fight until every Muslim is dead if we must, to prevent it. Sharia law requires hard jihad of the sword where it is possible, or soft jihad under the law where it is necessary, and taqiyyah to prevent the unbelievers from realizing it.
Muslims are welcome to come to our nations and become prosperous, but only if they subordinate the laws of sharia to our laws. If Muslims are willing to live in peace, with no privileges and no accommodations, like everyone else, then they are welcome. But if they insist that sharia has precedence over the laws that everyone else lives under, if they continue to engage in soft jihad of the law and continue to plan hard jihad terror attacks, then it will be that in all the world there is no place where Muslims will be safe.
#4
we in the West, who made ourselves free of kings and priest, will not allow, and we will fight until every Muslim is dead if we must, to prevent it.
Humm... TW you got a Lutheran in deh fuel supply somewhere?
#5
Lutherans and Catholics both, .5MT, not to mention atheists. My mother's family has long been ecumenical. I missed the s at the end of oriests, though. My thanks for so gallantly not mentioning it. ;-)
#7
it is humorous to see the blind defense of this semi-murderous weakass cult in response to an article demonstrating them as intolerant, ignorant, and lashing out at any and all that speak truth about them. You can't get admitted, assholes, because you spent your time memorizing the lies of the Quran and head bonking instead of learning the required prerequisites. Your vandalism speaks loudly of that good ol' madrassah education
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2008 9:17 Comments ||
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#8
When you Muzz bastards stop a)hating people just because they won't submit to your 7th Century religion, b)killing people just because they work harder and produce more than your backward cult members, and c)sending your ignorant, brainwashed fools out to blow themselves up in the midst of innocent people, maybe we'll START to think about considering you as humans again. Until then, you're a clear and present danger who should be forcibly deported back to countries of ethnic origin.
#9
If Muzz scum think they can deceive the RB crew, they can't imagine how freakin' wrong they be. What I found encouraging was the piece in WSJ about how the Chicoms are putting a straightjacket on the Muzz infiltrators in their western regions. Only way we can better their actions is to create camps in the desert ( they luv both deserts and camping, don't they) where we detain them until they reach a decision of their own accord to decamp back to the shitholes whence they came. There is nothing in the West compatible with any of their acts or thoughts.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
10/19/2008 18:26 Comments ||
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#2
What the hell kind of prison is that in the photos? It looks like a frigging college dorm room furnished with UK taxpayer money. That looks like a TV remote on the bed and with a window too!
Let's be culturally sensitive here and give them Koran 2.191.
Posted by: ed ||
10/19/2008 19:33 Comments ||
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The number of British military personnel discharged from the armed forces following a 'nervous breakdown' has risen by 30 per cent since the start of the Afghan war. More than 1,300 have been medically discharged since 2001 when operations first began against the Taliban, new figures reveal. Of these, 770 belong to the army, which has borne the brunt of overseas operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But the greatest increase in those leaving the military because of 'mental and behavioural disorders' belongs to the air force, with cases more than doubling from 20 in 2001 to 50 last year. By comparison, 115 left the army last year, only slightly up on the 105 discharged seven years ago.
The rising numbers of service personnel leaving for psychological reasons will fuel concerns that thousands of soldiers face being traumatised by their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. Health charities claim that as many as one in 10 soldiers will develop a mental health problem from the horrors of combat. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'The MoD recognises mental illness as a serious condition, but one that can be treated. Robust systems are in place to diagnose and treat mental illness.'
PTSD and related problems are well-recognized in time of war, and the personnel affected by it need help and effective treatment. Let's hope these folks get it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Doesn't appear to Steve, they're just thrown into the NHS over there. As much as our VA gets hammered, they at least get 'focus' when stuff drops and it becomes public. Over there, when its dumped into a system that 'dropped' is SOP, then they're screwed. In the bright socialist future for us all, you can probably bet on the same thing evolving here. Change you can count on.
#2
Curious that the largest group affected is the air force. I would have expected grunts on the ground to be more stressed. Maybe the fly guys have more time to sit around thinking about their home country going to hell in a handbasket while they themselves are in a war zone. Or is the British air force undergoing Royal Navy-like budget cuts that affect maintenance?
#4
The Misguided Children and Navy medicine have been working on it. We've a pilot program that deals with returning combat tours. Lots of first hand experience with what happpens post-deployment.
It's working. It's kept the suicide rate down.
rhodesiafever - it's historically been called 'battle fatigue' and a host of other terms. There's documented cases going back to the U.S. Civil War. It occurs sometimes immediately after the instigating event(s), but it also can manifest itself years later.
#6
There's a large article in my local fishwrap this morning about five soldiers that have committed murder since returning from combat deployments overseas. While I'm sure their deployment had something to do with their behavior, I wonder how much more could be blamed on the twisted society in the United States that they come from. A couple of the people arrested were probably not the best people to trust with weapons to begin with, but some of their behavior defies an easy explanation.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/19/2008 14:07 Comments ||
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#7
concerns that thousands of soldiers face being traumatised by their experiences in Iraq
what about the ones who are being traumatized by their experiences since arriving home?
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
10/19/2008 22:52 Comments ||
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The Bush administration is seeking to recall a military jury that gave a light sentence to Osama bin Laden's driver in one of the first trials at Guantanamo Bay, arguing that the judge improperly credited the defendant for time he had already spent in the detention facility.
Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a 40-year-old Yemeni captured in Afghanistan in November 2001, was sentenced in August to 66 months for providing material support to terrorism. The judge, Navy Capt. Keith J. Allred, credited the defendant with 61 months and eight days for time he had been detained at the U.S. military prison in Cuba, leaving Hamdan with an effective sentence of 142 days. Prosecutors had sought a 30-year term.
The government argues that Hamdan was not entitled to any credit for his pretrial detention because he was not held at Guantanamo Bay "in connection with the charges for which he was tried, but was independently detained under the law of armed conflict as an enemy combatant," according to motions filed with the military court and released this week.
According to military prosecutors, that distinction also allows the government to hold any detainee even after he has been tried, convicted, sentenced and has served his time. The government said in court papers that prosecution for violations of the laws of war is an "incidental fact" to a detainee's "wartime detention as an enemy combatant."
The August decision by the jury of six officers also left the Bush administration with a looming dilemma: either release a man it insists is still dangerous on Dec. 31, or risk a further backlash against the controversial war trials system in Guantanamo Bay by continuing to hold him on the grounds that he remains an enemy combatant.
The government said the judge erred in awarding credit, a decision Allred communicated to the jury when its members queried him. The defense insists the issue of credit was agreed upon at trial, when prosecutors expected a long sentence. But the government said it entered a standing objection before the judge briefed the jury.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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(APP): President Asif Ali Zardari has said that eradicating cultivation of poppy from which opium is produced is the key to fighting terrorism. "It is one of the major problems because it finances terrorism," the President said in an interview to China Daily. He said, "People who grow poppy should be persuaded to grow something else." Poppy is mostly grown in various areas in Afghanistan. President Zardari said farmers in those regions should plant corn to take advantage of rising prices sparked by the burgeoning US ethanol industry. He said planting corn could give them the same returns they get from opium.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Corn may be just as profitable, but opium is a much more compact product and can be distributed illegally in boxes and on the backs of donkeys or goats or whatever they use. Probably those bling-bling trucks they are so fond of, too. Hard to fund terrorist operations if your product has to be shipped and tracked legally.
Spray the f'in poppies already and be done with it. No money == no payroll == no fighters.
#2
Guys growing and distributing poppies deserve to be treated like pirates. Point fingers all you want on who is responsible for heroin addiction, these guys are in the critical path. No sympathy here.
#4
Yes, bman, thanks to government meddling in the market. If Obama wins, we can expect even more meddling. I'm sure Obama will expect our farmers to share the wealth in addition to feeding the world. At least those who aren't drafted into the Peace Corps and sent to Zimbabwe.
#5
How kind of President "Mr. Benazir Bhutto" Zardari to tell the Afghans what they must do to stop terrorism in Pakistan. Wiser, perhaps, were he to suggest the two countries work together to eradicate a joint problem. But the quality of thought is a seamless whole: corn grown in Afghanistan for the American market would have to be trucked through the mountains to Pakistani ports, whereas wheat could be used to alleviate the flour shortage in Pakistan that we read about yesterday. Or sold to the returned refugees within Afghanistan, leaving nothing at all for the Land of the Pure.
The gentleman spouted his inanities while trying unsuccessfully to beg a loan from China. He is lucky the price of petroleum keeps falling -- his country may now have currency reserves enough to get through 2 1/2 months before going bankrupt, instead of only two months.
#6
Don't worry, tw, I'm sure Zardari has enough banked away in foreign countries to withstand both wheat shortages and the fall of Pakistan. He will do well as long as he doesn't take a bomb to the limo chasis or a bullet to the head. Of course the ISI probably takes a pretty good cut from the Taliban's opium trade, so he better wear his helmet.
(AKI) - A UN refugee agency report released on Friday shows that the number of Iraqis seeking asylum in industrialised countries dropped in the first six months of 2008, but they were still by far the top asylum seekers.
According to the asylum trends report, the number of claims made by Iraqis (19,500) during the first six months of 2008, was higher than the combined number of asylum claims submitted by citizens of Russia (9,400) and China (8,700), the second and third most important source countries.
Other important countries of origin of asylum seekers were Somalia (7,400), Pakistan and Afghanistan (6,300 each).
Compared to the previous six months, however, the number of Iraqi asylum seekers fell by 18 percent and by 10 percent compared to the first half of 2007.
In spite of this downward trend, Iraqis still accounted for 12 percent of all asylum applications lodged in the industrialised world.
Sixty percent of all Iraqis claimed asylum in only four countries: Sweden (20 percent), Germany (18 percent), Turkey (14 percent) and the Netherlands (12 percent).
One in five of all applications by Iraqis were submitted in Sweden (3,900), which has been the main destination country for Iraqi asylum seekers for some time.
Arrivals in Sweden, however, have seen a recent drop following a change in Swedish decision-making on Iraqi asylum claims, which has resulted in fewer Iraqis submitting applications.
At the same time, applications by Iraqis have gone up in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
Germany, for example, received 3,400 Iraqi asylum claims in the first half of 2008, the same level as in the preceding six months, but four times more than in the first half of 2007.
Overall, an estimated 165,100 asylum claims were submitted by all nationalities in the industrialized countries during the first half of 2008.
The United States remained the largest single recipient of new claims by asylum seekers of all nationalities during the first six months of 2008.
An estimated 25,400 individuals submitted asylum applications in the US, representing 15 percent of all applications lodged in the 44 industrialised countries covered by the report.
Canada ranked second country of destination with 16,800 applications by asylum seekers of all nationalities during the first six months of 2008, followed by France, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
The number of asylum claims submitted in industrialised countries in 2007 rose by 9 percent compared to 2006.
Assuming that current patterns remain unchanged during the next six months, UNHCR expects the number of asylum claims lodged during the whole of 2008 to reach up to 360,000, or 10 percent higher than in 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Saturday it was time for the leaders of Iraq and the United States to make up their minds on a draft agreement on the future of U.S. troops in the country. "It is time to take decisions. It is difficult to reopen the text," Zebari said at a media briefing, referring to the months-long negotiations for an accord.
Zebari said parliament had now either to ratify or reject the draft accord. "There is no hidden agenda. There is no permanent military presence. It is only for three years. The next days are very crucial for Iraqi leaders to decide," Zebari said.
The agreement would replace a UN mandate which is the legal basis for the U.S. military presence in Iraq, and also set in motion a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces by the end of 2011.
The text of the agreement, portions of which were published in the American press Saturday, reportedly states that Iraq would have the "primary right to exercise judicial jurisdiction" over "premeditated and gross felonies ... committed outside the agreed facilities and areas and when not on a mission."
Democrat lawmakers expressed concern about ceding authority over U.S. troops to the Iraqi government. "I am very concerned about reports that US service personnel may not have full immunity under Iraqi law," said House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton of Missouri, the Washington Post reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday called on Iraq's Parliament to reject a U.S.-Iraqi security pact as tens of thousands of his followers rallied in Baghdad against the deal.
The mass public show of opposition came as U.S. and Iraqi leaders face a December 31 deadline to agree on the deal to replace an expiring U.N. mandate authorising the U.S.-led forces in Iraq. Mr. Al-Sadr's message was addressed to the crowd as well Iraqi legislators and read by his aide Sheikh Abdul-Hadi al-Mohammadawi in Baghdad before a huge crowd of mostly young men waving Iraqi and green Shia flags and chanting slogans, including "No, no to the agreement" and "Yes to Iraq."
"The Iraqi government has abandoned its duty before God and its people and referred the agreement to you knowing that ratifying it will stigmatise Iraq and its government for years to come," he said.
"I am with every Sunni, Shia or Christian who is opposed to the agreement ... and I reject, condemn and renounce the presence of occupying forces and basis on our beloved land."
Mr. Al-Sadr, who is living in Iran, also cast doubt on the Iraqi government's argument that the security pact is a step toward ending the U.S. presence in Iraq. The deal would require U.S. forces to leave by December 31, 2011 unless Iraq asked some of them to stay. "If they tell you that the agreement ends the presence of the occupation, let me tell you that the occupier will retain its bases. And whoever tells you that it gives us sovereignty is a liar," he said in his message, adding: "I am confident that you brothers in Parliament will champion the will of the people over that of the occupier ... Do not betray the people."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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#3
note that he sent a message to a minion, he still hasn't come out of his Iranian-controlled/protected hole. I call coward, p*ssy, and generally smelly POS
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2008 19:08 Comments ||
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#5
because he was/is ineffective? Sometimes leaving a pesky yet castrated (Iranian) tool in place is better than getting an effective opposition replacement.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2008 20:43 Comments ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Shiite cleric Sayyed Abdelaziz al-Hakim on Saturday called for transparency when signing any agreements provided that they would not violate the Iraqi constitution, referring to the proposed Iraq-U.S. long-term security agreement. "Al-Hakim, during a meeting with U.S. ambassador in Baghdad Ryan Crocker, stressed that transparency and equality are required in any agreement," according to a release issued by Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) as received by Aswat al-Iraq. "This should be in the interest of the two countries, and to preserve the unity of Iraq, in addition to avoid violating the Iraqi constitution," read the release.
Hakim is also the head of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) bloc that occupies 83 out of 275 seats in Iraq's Council of Representatives (parliament).
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency
Iraqi Sunni and Shia clerics have spoken out against a spate of deadly attacks on Christians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
The recent series of killings, which has been widely blamed on al-Qaeda in Iraq, are said to be a result of the Christian community's stepped up lobbying efforts to ensure Christian representation in upcoming provincial elections.
Shia cleric Sadralddin al-Qubanji said Friday he disapproved of the attacks in "letter and spirit,'' adding that the violence represented a "malicious scheme against Christians and all Iraqis.''
Sunni cleric Abdul-Sattar Abdul-Jabar also called for respect for a religious group that has "coexisted with us since the emergence of Islam 1,400 years ago.''
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf said last week that the Iraqi government is taking new measures to protect Mosul's Christians, including an increased police presence in their neighborhoods and more checkpoints and patrols near churches.
"We don't deny that hostile acts occurred, but we have the ability to stop such acts and the situation is under control,'' he said.
Iraq's parliament on September 24 approved a long-delayed provincial elections law that allows provincial elections to take place, but lawmakers scrapped a key clause, known as Article 50, that would have guaranteed seats for Christians and other minorities at the provincial level. In the Iraqi National Assembly they are guaranteed seats.
Christians have strongly opposed the decision to eliminate the article and the Iraqi government has asked parliament to restore the quotas.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq
#3
WAFF.com > KURDS KILL THREE MEMBERS OF IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS; + TOPIX > IRAN. HIZBULLAH ORDER WITHDRAWAL OF PERSONNEL FROM SYRIA, in lieu of recent spate of assassinations and attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces wants to charge for the emergency gas masks that have always been distributed to citizens free of charge. A draft proposal suggests charging every citizen NIS 200 every 20 years. Political sources said the cabinet is unlikely to approve such a measure.
Some two years ago, the Defense Ministry started collecting the gas masks from people's homes. In April this year, the cabinet decided to redistribute the renovated masks and approve a NIS 220 million annual budget for new ones, as only 70 percent of the population has suitable masks.
Over the past three years, the budget for gas masks has been NIS 150 million.
Ten months after the cabinet's decision, the defense and finance ministries have still not reached an agreement on financing the project.
Deputy defense minister MK Matan Vilnay, who is conducting the talks with the treasury, fears that in the absence of an agreement, the gas masks' redistribution will be delayed and will begin in the second half of 2009 at the earliest.
IDF General Staff officers are convinced that the masks must be redistributed to the population due to the threats by terrorist groups and neighboring states.
In the absence of financing, the Home Front suggested charging citizens for the project. The precedent for this was the reinforced room, which is required by law in new buildings, as one of the lessons of the first Gulf War in 1991.
Home Front Command studies show that the gas mask must be replaced every 22 years, which means that in general, each person must pay about NIS 10 a year. However, the annual cost per family is higher, especially with small children who need a different mask every few years.
Military sources say that in view of the fluctuations in the budget for gas masks, stemming from the changing perception of the threat to the population, there may be no escape but to charge citizens for the masks.
The Home Front Command distributed questionnaires to citizens asking if they would be prepared to pay for gas masks and would be willing to pay more if the mask were delivered to their home, rather than sold in a shop or supermarket.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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especially with small children who need a different mask every few years.
Members of an organization devoted to the release of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit are threatening to block the entry of supplies to the Gaza Strip during a protest scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border with Gaza.
Gilad Shalit has been held against his will in the Gaza Strip since he was kidnapped over two years ago during a cross border raid by Hamas gunmen near Kerem Shalom in June 2006.
Talks have been underway between Israel and the rulers of the Gaza Strip, Hamas, under Egyptian mediation, to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit's release.
Hamas wants Egypt to release Ayman Nofal, a senior military operative arrested in Egypt on suspicion he was planning to attack targets there.
But Hamas leader Youssef Farhat told a rally of hundreds of Hamas supporters on Friday that Egypt could not play a mediation role as long as it held him. "We have put the file of Shalit in the fridge and it will remain frozen unless Ayman Nofal is freed," Farhat said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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"he's dead, Jim"
Posted by: Frank G ||
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A WEALTHY supporter of the Bali bombers wants to create a jihadi cemetery for the three men and other "holy warriors".
Cecep Hermawan, a businessman and activist in Indonesia's radical Islamist movement, says he wants it to become a site where "pilgrims" can pay their respects to "those who fought for the existence of Islamic sharia, those that paid with their life". He has offered a hectare of land in the city of Cianjur, West Java.
He has discussed the proposal with the bombers on death row - who killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, when they bombed Bali's tourist strip six years ago - during his regular visits to them.
"The families said they are OK with that. Their only complaint is about the distance, especially for the families of Amrozi and Mukhlas because they live in East Java. The family of Imam Samudra has no problem as it is not far from their home town."
The families of the Bali bombers are fielding requests from Indonesian Islamists who want to bury their bodies together. Achmad Cholid, the lawyer for the Bali bombers, said Mr Hermawan was only one of about five people wanting to fund a joint burial plot. Mr Cholid said the bombers and their families would wait until they knew the time of the execution before deciding which, if any, offer to accept.
Last week, a spokesman for Indonesia's Attorney-General, Hendarman Supandji, said he would announce the time and date of the execution on Friday. Under Indonesian regulations, he can do this only after death by firing squad has taken place.
That prompted widespread reporting that the executions were imminent but Mr Supandji later clarified those remarks, saying he would only foreshadow the month of the executions. He said they would occur this year and rejected suggestions that the killings were being repeatedly delayed for political reasons.
The Bali bombers have warned of a violent backlash if they are put to death.
A clear majority of Indonesians have no sympathy for the men. Even so, in a mainly Muslim country of more than 220 million people there is a significant fringe who regard them as slightly misguided heroes and accept the conspiracy theories that the murders were a CIA plot.
Gayle Dunn, whose 18-year-old son was killed in the attack, said the proposed shrine was inappropriate. She was not hopeful of the Australian Government's ability to intervene but hoped it would object. "I think something should be done to stop it," she said. "It sends a message to everybody that says it's OK."
Yvonne Iliffe, who also lost a son in the attack, said she was beyond caring whether the bombers were celebrated in death.
"It's just been six long years of one thing after the other," she said. "The day that I wake up and they're dead, I will be happy. They can build the biggest shrine they like and I wouldn't care."
(AKI) - A report in a Kuwaiti newspaper claims that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas delivered a secret letter from US President George W. Bush to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad offering Israel's withdrawal from the disputed Golan Heights
In exchange for Israel's withdrawal, Syria would have to end the 'Syrian-Iranian' alliance once and for all.
Abbas reportedly delivered the letter to Assad during his recent visit to Damascus, reported Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoting Kuwaiti daily al-Jarida on Friday.
"In the letter, Bush suggested finalising the agreement within several weeks, before the US presidential elections, in order to push the Middle East peace process, an achievement the president will be able to proudly present before leaving the White House in January."
Al-Jarida added that the delegation accompanying Abbas on his visit to Syria "was unaware of the letter or its details, and the US insisted that this be carried out secretly and far away from the official channels."
Following the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured the Syrian territory of the Golan Heights and annexed it to its territory in 1981.
Syria and Israel have been technically at war ever since.
Last May, Israel and Syria launched peace talks aimed at a comprehensive peace agreement, under the auspices of Turkey.
Talks reached a stalemate in September and have now been postponed.
Prior to May, the last time both countries initiated peace negotiations was in 2000, when both sides failed to reach an agreement over the fate of the Golan Heights plateau and the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which the Golan Heights overlook.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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Bush doesn't get to make commitments for other countries to third parties. This is one of those Palestinian imaginary realities.
Iran has identified intolerance of its independent positions by the West as the reason for its failure to win a seat on the UN Security Council. "Obviously the structure of the Security Council is such that it must be said in practice a few special countries make decisions there and impose ideas," Iranian Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee told IRNA.
Khazaee added, "It is natural that these countries are disinterested in independent ideas or the entry of states that believe in the necessity of re-examining its structure."
Iran's UN ambassador reiterated that some do not have the tolerance to hear an independent voice in a structure incompatible with today's world's needs.
In a vote on Friday for an Asian seat on the 15-seat Council, Tokyo secured 158 votes from the 192-member assembly for the seat at the Council for two years starting in January. Iran had 32 votes.
The 10 non-permanent seats are filled by the General Assembly, with five countries elected each year to two-year non-renewable mandates. To secure a seat, a candidate nation has to win two-thirds of votes cast.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2008 00:00 ||
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perhaps if Iran weren't so intolerant. Just saying
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2008 4:11 Comments ||
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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.
A group of recent madrasa graduates vandalised the office of Dhaka University (DU) Vice-chancellor (VC) Prof SMA Faiz yesterday spreading panic on the campus. 
Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday called on Iraq's Parliament to reject a U.S.-Iraqi security pact as tens of thousands of his followers rallied in Baghdad against the deal. 
