US warns Israel on settlements
Thursday, December 28, 2006
washington • Israel’s plan to settle 30 Jewish families on a former army base in the occupied West Bank would violate terms of a US-backed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, the United States said yesterday.
“The establishment of a new settlement or the expansion of an existing settlement would violate Israel’s obligations under the road map,” Gonzo Gallegos, a State Department spokesman, told reporters here.
“The US calls on Israel to meet its road map obligations and avoid taking steps that could be viewed as predetermining the outcome of final-status negotiations,” he said. Washington was seeking an explanation from Israel, Gallegos added.
A US-backed Israeli-Palestinian peace plan known as the ‘road map’ calls for a halt to building Jewish settlements in the West Bank, land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war where Palestinians envision a future independent state.
The families planning to move to the former army base in Maskiot lived in two of the 21 Jewish settlements Israel dismantled in the Gaza Strip in 2005 under a “disengagement plan” promoted by former prime minister Ariel Sharon.
Some 8,500 settlers were pulled out of the Gaza Strip, along with Israeli troops, after 38 years of occupation. The European Union also expressed deep concern about the Maskiot settlement plan. Some 260,000 settlers live in the West Bank, among 2.5 million Palestinians. The World Court has branded Israeli settlements on land captured in the 1967 Middle East war as illegal. Israel disputes this.
Meanwhile, Israel said that it would resume attacks against Palestinian radicals who fire rockets from the Gaza Strip but insisted it remained committed to a month-old ceasefire in the territory.
In a statement that appeared to rule out a major military offensive in Gaza, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office said: “A directive has been given to the defence establishment to take pinpoint action against rocket-launching squads.” The Hamas movement said “there is a risk the calm will be blown away by the wind” if Israel resumes what the Islamic militant group termed assassinations.
Pertinent Links:
1) US warns Israel on settlements
Thursday, December 28, 2006
DAR AL HARB-U.K.: "RESPECT ZONES"=AREAS WITH THE WORST ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, SPECIAL HELP & PROBABLY EXTRA BENNIES...
'Respect zones' criticised as gimmick
Reuters
London: The government was accused yesterday of failing to get to grips with anti-social behaviour after plans were revealed to give 40 areas of England and Wales with the worst social problems special help.
The Home Office's anti-social behaviour advisor Louise Casey said councils would have to agree to introduce "respect zones" to crack down on yobbish behaviour in exchange for extra resources.
The Conservatives dismissed the plan as a gimmick and said it was an admission of failure by Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, which has pledged to tackle delinquency and other anti-social behaviour.
Casey said the areas were selected based on high levels of anti-social behaviour but also on truancy, exclusion from school and other issues indicating deprivation.
"We approached these local authorities and asked if they wanted to become respect areas and now they have signed up for it," said Casey.
The areas, due to be identified next month, will be expected to use the full range of powers available to them to combat their problems. No details about the amount of funding were made available.
"This is an admission of government failure," Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis said of the plan.
"The fact the government is resorting to having to bribe local authorities to sign up to their gimmicks betrays just how unsuccessful they have been.
"The government should ditch the gimmick-led approach and start respecting the public's intelligence."
Anti-social behaviour required simple, practical measures such as putting more police on the streets to catch and deter those who commit anti-social behaviour and a real commitment to tackling the causes of crime, Davis said. Some experts say Asbos, or anti-social behaviour orders, have become a "badge of honour" for youngsters.
Anti-social behavior?!?
Exactly which peeps engage in such anti-social behavior?!?
Will moslems be included in such activities?!?
Will moslem areas be included as well, or will the U.K. government studiously avoid naming them!?!?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) 'Respect zones' criticised as gimmick
Reuters
London: The government was accused yesterday of failing to get to grips with anti-social behaviour after plans were revealed to give 40 areas of England and Wales with the worst social problems special help.
The Home Office's anti-social behaviour advisor Louise Casey said councils would have to agree to introduce "respect zones" to crack down on yobbish behaviour in exchange for extra resources.
The Conservatives dismissed the plan as a gimmick and said it was an admission of failure by Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, which has pledged to tackle delinquency and other anti-social behaviour.
Casey said the areas were selected based on high levels of anti-social behaviour but also on truancy, exclusion from school and other issues indicating deprivation.
"We approached these local authorities and asked if they wanted to become respect areas and now they have signed up for it," said Casey.
The areas, due to be identified next month, will be expected to use the full range of powers available to them to combat their problems. No details about the amount of funding were made available.
"This is an admission of government failure," Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis said of the plan.
"The fact the government is resorting to having to bribe local authorities to sign up to their gimmicks betrays just how unsuccessful they have been.
"The government should ditch the gimmick-led approach and start respecting the public's intelligence."
Anti-social behaviour required simple, practical measures such as putting more police on the streets to catch and deter those who commit anti-social behaviour and a real commitment to tackling the causes of crime, Davis said. Some experts say Asbos, or anti-social behaviour orders, have become a "badge of honour" for youngsters.
Anti-social behavior?!?
Exactly which peeps engage in such anti-social behavior?!?
Will moslems be included in such activities?!?
Will moslem areas be included as well, or will the U.K. government studiously avoid naming them!?!?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) 'Respect zones' criticised as gimmick
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ: AL SADR AIDE, DEAD, THANKS TO A BULLET FROM AN AMERICA G.I....MOSLEM HORDES SEETHING...
Anger in Najaf after US soldier kills Al Sadr aide
Reuters
Najaf: Thousands of supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada Al Sadr marched through the Iraqi city of Najaf in an angry funeral procession after a senior Al Sadr aide was killed by a US soldier yesterday.
Chanting "No to America" and carrying placards decrying US occupation, mourners carried the coffin of Saheb Al Amiri through the streets. Members of Al Sadr's group accused the Americans of provoking a confrontation and demanded a government inquiry.
Al Sadr officials and US military commanders gave conflicting versions of the activities of Al Amiri.
Al Sadr officials said US forces stormed Al Amiri's home at dawn and killed him in front of his wife and children. They said Al Amiri was a lawyer who headed a charity for orphans and the poor.
"What happened was a crime. It comes on top of other crimes committed by occupation forces in Iraq," Nassar Al Rubaei, head of the Al Sadr bloc in parliament, said in Baghdad.
In Najaf, Shaikh Abdul-Razzes Al Malawi, a member of Al Sadr's office, said: "US forces want to drag us into a confrontation, but we won't be dragged into it. However, we promise them there will be a reaction at the appropriate time."
US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said Al Amiri was an "improvised explosive device facilitator" and that he was implicated in a bomb attack on a police chief in October. He said he was shot dead in his home near Najaf, during an Iraqi-led raid, by a US military adviser who saw Al Amiri point an assault rifle at an Iraqi soldier.
The US military advisor would not receive the same type of consideration if their places had been reversed...
Pertinent Links:
1) Anger in Najaf after US soldier kills Al Sadr aide
Reuters
Najaf: Thousands of supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada Al Sadr marched through the Iraqi city of Najaf in an angry funeral procession after a senior Al Sadr aide was killed by a US soldier yesterday.
Chanting "No to America" and carrying placards decrying US occupation, mourners carried the coffin of Saheb Al Amiri through the streets. Members of Al Sadr's group accused the Americans of provoking a confrontation and demanded a government inquiry.
Al Sadr officials and US military commanders gave conflicting versions of the activities of Al Amiri.
Al Sadr officials said US forces stormed Al Amiri's home at dawn and killed him in front of his wife and children. They said Al Amiri was a lawyer who headed a charity for orphans and the poor.
"What happened was a crime. It comes on top of other crimes committed by occupation forces in Iraq," Nassar Al Rubaei, head of the Al Sadr bloc in parliament, said in Baghdad.
In Najaf, Shaikh Abdul-Razzes Al Malawi, a member of Al Sadr's office, said: "US forces want to drag us into a confrontation, but we won't be dragged into it. However, we promise them there will be a reaction at the appropriate time."
US military spokesman Major General William Caldwell said Al Amiri was an "improvised explosive device facilitator" and that he was implicated in a bomb attack on a police chief in October. He said he was shot dead in his home near Najaf, during an Iraqi-led raid, by a US military adviser who saw Al Amiri point an assault rifle at an Iraqi soldier.
The US military advisor would not receive the same type of consideration if their places had been reversed...
Pertinent Links:
1) Anger in Najaf after US soldier kills Al Sadr aide
DAR AL HARB-U.S.A-WASHINGTON D.C.: DHIMMI BIDEN REVEALS HIS PLAN FOR IRAQ...
Democrat senator reveals Iraq plan
AP
Washington: Incoming Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, said he would oppose any effort by President George W. Bush to increase US troops in Iraq as part of a new war strategy.
Biden also announced on Tuesday he has summoned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify before his committee next month to discuss the administration's new plan for Iraq as soon as it is made public.
The Delaware Democrat took advantage of a quiet holiday week to draw attention to his own proposal for Iraq, which includes beginning a drawdown of US forces and finding a political settlement among the various ethnic factions there.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Democrat senator reveals Iraq plan
AP
Washington: Incoming Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, said he would oppose any effort by President George W. Bush to increase US troops in Iraq as part of a new war strategy.
Biden also announced on Tuesday he has summoned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify before his committee next month to discuss the administration's new plan for Iraq as soon as it is made public.
The Delaware Democrat took advantage of a quiet holiday week to draw attention to his own proposal for Iraq, which includes beginning a drawdown of US forces and finding a political settlement among the various ethnic factions there.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Democrat senator reveals Iraq plan
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ & SYRIA: TALABANI TO VISIT ASSAD IN SYRIA...
Talabani to visit Syria next month
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will visit Syria next month for talks with President Bashar Assad on outstanding issues concerning the two neighboring countries.
Earlier this month, Syria restored diplomatic ties that had been severed for 24 years with Iraq following a visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem to Baghdad.
Assad met with Talabani's envoy in Damascus, Fakhri Zanganeh, and the two agreed that the Iraqi president would visit Syria in mid-January.
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa also met with Zanganeh on Wednesday and the two discussed the situation in Iraq, according to the official Syrian news agency.
Visits to Iran, visits to Syria, visits everywhere...
Pertinent Links:
1) Talabani to visit Syria next month
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will visit Syria next month for talks with President Bashar Assad on outstanding issues concerning the two neighboring countries.
Earlier this month, Syria restored diplomatic ties that had been severed for 24 years with Iraq following a visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem to Baghdad.
Assad met with Talabani's envoy in Damascus, Fakhri Zanganeh, and the two agreed that the Iraqi president would visit Syria in mid-January.
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa also met with Zanganeh on Wednesday and the two discussed the situation in Iraq, according to the official Syrian news agency.
Visits to Iran, visits to Syria, visits everywhere...
Pertinent Links:
1) Talabani to visit Syria next month
DAR AL ISLAM: IRAN & LIBYA SIGN AGREEMENTS...
Iran, Libya sign agreements
Iran and Libya here on Wednesday evening inked two agreements and a letter of understanding on expansion of bilateral cooperation.
The two agreements on 'tourism and cultural heritage' and 'encouraging investment' were signed by Iran's Minister of Housing and Urban Development Mohammad Saeedi-Kia and Secretary of the General's Committee for Planning of Libya al-Tahrir al-Hadi al-Juhaymi while, the letter of understanding was inked by al-Juhaymi and Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davoud Danesh-Jaafari.
Addressing the meeting, Saeedi-Kia expressed hope the agreements would lead to further expansion of Tehran-Tripoli cooperation.
Al-Juhaymi, for his part, called for materialization of the agreements reached between the two sides and called for further activation of the two countries' chambers of commerce, particularly in the area of investment and trade.
Pertinent Links:
1) Iran, Libya sign agreements
Iran and Libya here on Wednesday evening inked two agreements and a letter of understanding on expansion of bilateral cooperation.
The two agreements on 'tourism and cultural heritage' and 'encouraging investment' were signed by Iran's Minister of Housing and Urban Development Mohammad Saeedi-Kia and Secretary of the General's Committee for Planning of Libya al-Tahrir al-Hadi al-Juhaymi while, the letter of understanding was inked by al-Juhaymi and Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Davoud Danesh-Jaafari.
Addressing the meeting, Saeedi-Kia expressed hope the agreements would lead to further expansion of Tehran-Tripoli cooperation.
Al-Juhaymi, for his part, called for materialization of the agreements reached between the two sides and called for further activation of the two countries' chambers of commerce, particularly in the area of investment and trade.
Pertinent Links:
1) Iran, Libya sign agreements
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAN: UNSC RESOLUTION WILL HAVE ZERO IMPACT ON IRAN'S DRIVE FOR 'THE BOMB'...
UNSC resolution will have no impact on Iran nuclear program, Velayati
Supreme Leader's Advisor on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said on Thursday that the UNSC anti-Iran resolution will have no impact on national nuclear program.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA, he said the resolution was not unexpected for Iran adding that the fate of national nuclear program has nothing to do with issuance or non-issuance of such resolutions.
"The resolution cannot prevent us from our research and development (R&D) program and we will go ahead with science and technology," he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) UNSC resolution will have no impact on Iran nuclear program, Velayati
Supreme Leader's Advisor on International Affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said on Thursday that the UNSC anti-Iran resolution will have no impact on national nuclear program.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA, he said the resolution was not unexpected for Iran adding that the fate of national nuclear program has nothing to do with issuance or non-issuance of such resolutions.
"The resolution cannot prevent us from our research and development (R&D) program and we will go ahead with science and technology," he said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) UNSC resolution will have no impact on Iran nuclear program, Velayati
DAR AL HARB-LEBANON: HIZ B'ALLAH COUP WILL ARRIVE IN TIME...
Jumblatt warns of 'Coup in Due Time' in Lebanon
Thursday, 28 December, 2006 @ 12:56 AM
Beirut- PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt has warned that government supporters will encounter the alleged Hezbollah-led "coup" in due time.
"We have many steps (to undertake), and everything will be (carried out) in due time," Jumblatt told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Tuesday.
"Then, we will see who will achieve victory? The evil forces or the forces of love and good," Jumblatt added.
He said that his talks with Siniora focused on the confrontation of the "political, economical and cultural coup that has been imposed on us by the Syrian regime through its tools." In reference to Hezbollah and their allies including General Michel Aoun.
"We must not forget the security coup and the Syrian regime never had or never will have mercy on us," Jumblatt complained.
He said the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has succeeded in its steadfastness and world-wide support has "helped us confront the world of darkness, the Syrian-Iranian axis."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Jumblatt warns of 'Coup in Due Time' in Lebanon
Thursday, 28 December, 2006 @ 12:56 AM
Beirut- PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt has warned that government supporters will encounter the alleged Hezbollah-led "coup" in due time.
"We have many steps (to undertake), and everything will be (carried out) in due time," Jumblatt told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Tuesday.
"Then, we will see who will achieve victory? The evil forces or the forces of love and good," Jumblatt added.
He said that his talks with Siniora focused on the confrontation of the "political, economical and cultural coup that has been imposed on us by the Syrian regime through its tools." In reference to Hezbollah and their allies including General Michel Aoun.
"We must not forget the security coup and the Syrian regime never had or never will have mercy on us," Jumblatt complained.
He said the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has succeeded in its steadfastness and world-wide support has "helped us confront the world of darkness, the Syrian-Iranian axis."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Jumblatt warns of 'Coup in Due Time' in Lebanon
DAR AL ISLAM-SAUDI ARABIA: THE UMMAH SHOULD SUE ANYONE & EVERYONE THAT ABUSES ISLAM & OLD MO'...
MWL Wants Lawsuits for Abuse of Islam and the Prophet
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 28 December 2006 — A two-day conference organized by the Makkah-based Muslim World League yesterday called for a consultative commission in order to take legal action against those who abuse Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islamic sanctities, at local and international courts of justice, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The conference titled “In Defense of the Prophet” called upon Islamic countries and governments to stand united to defend the Islamic faith and its Prophet. It denounced the smear campaigns to tarnish the image of the Prophet and urged Muslims to make all-out efforts to project the true picture of Islam and the great divine teachings of the Prophet.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who presided over the conference, called upon Muslims to follow the Prophet’s teachings.
“Our enemies are exploiting Muslims’ weak adherence to the Prophet’s Sunnah,” said Al-Asheikh. “We should not be ashamed of implementing his Sunnah. On the other hand, all Muslims must observe his teachings in all walks of their life.”
MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki said the attack on the Prophet was an expression of enmity toward Islam.
“The whole Muslim Ummah, including its leadership, scholars and ordinary people was outraged by such attacks and this again shows the lofty position the Prophet has in their hearts,” he said in reference to the Muslim response to cartoons depicting the Prophet.
MWL plans to launch an international program to introduce the Prophet and the conference called for setting up a fund to support the program. “The anti-Islam campaign also intends to trigger a cultural conflict between the Islamic world and the West and create a situation of clash and conflict in place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence,” the MWL chief said.
Al-Turki called upon Western countries to protect human rights of Muslim communities and take action against those who create unnecessary fear about Islam by linking it with terrorism and violence.
“The creation of such fears will lead to violating human rights of Muslims and threats to their freedom and security,” he said. “It will also have other long-term negative impacts.”
Jamal Badawi, a Canadian-Muslim expert on Islam, spoke about the Prophet’s outstanding influence on human history.
“There is no other personality who has made such a positive impact on history,” he told the conference.
Additional story concerning this topic:
Defending Islam 'is chief objective of every Muslim'
By Abdunabi Shaheen, Correspondent
Makkah: While inaugurating the seventh conference organised by Muslim World League (MWL) on defending Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia said defending the Prophet against the slanderous attacks by enemies of Islam is the chief objective of every Muslim.
He said the belief in Islam rests on obeying the Prophet in his words and deeds and to love him more than one loves oneself, one's sons, parents and people.
Shaikh Al Shaikh said Muslims cannot prevent unbelievers from attacking Islam but they should keep defending it by peaceful means.
The conference aims to create awareness among Muslims about the importance of cooperating among themselves to face peacefully all the stereotyped campaigns directed against Islam to distort its image.
Addressing the conference, Dr Abdullah Bin Abdul Mohsen Al Turki, MWL Secretary General, said: "Western media is distorting the image of Islam by depicting it as a religion of terrorism. But the world is fully aware of the fact that Islam always advocates tolerance, peace, moderation and coherence."
Meanwhile, Dr Jamal Badewi, chief of the Islamic Organisation in Canada, said: "Throughout human history, the Prophet was the very first to take out the humanity from the darkness of ignorance, anarchy, idolism and barbarism to the light of monotheism, peace and justice. Islam taught international brotherhood, but alas how abhorrent it is that the West is inculcating hatred against Muslims and Islam.
"It is instilling in the minds and masses that Muslims are the enemy and the Prophet of humanity is the Prophet of the enemy."
Dr Ahmad Nafea Al Muwarri, a professor at Um Al Qurra University in Makkah stated in a presentation: "Defending Islam is an obligation, thus all Muslims should defend the faith.
"After 9/11, the Western media started campaigning against Muslims and Islam to the extent that they targeted the Prophet by publishing caricatures ridiculing him and showing him as a prophet of terrorism."
He called upon all Muslims to face these attacks by unifying their ranks and collectively defend the faith, stressing that Islamic teachings never allow Muslims to attack others religions.
Pertinent Links:
1) MWL Wants Lawsuits for Abuse of Islam and the Prophet
2) Defending Islam 'is chief objective of every Muslim'
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 28 December 2006 — A two-day conference organized by the Makkah-based Muslim World League yesterday called for a consultative commission in order to take legal action against those who abuse Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islamic sanctities, at local and international courts of justice, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The conference titled “In Defense of the Prophet” called upon Islamic countries and governments to stand united to defend the Islamic faith and its Prophet. It denounced the smear campaigns to tarnish the image of the Prophet and urged Muslims to make all-out efforts to project the true picture of Islam and the great divine teachings of the Prophet.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, who presided over the conference, called upon Muslims to follow the Prophet’s teachings.
“Our enemies are exploiting Muslims’ weak adherence to the Prophet’s Sunnah,” said Al-Asheikh. “We should not be ashamed of implementing his Sunnah. On the other hand, all Muslims must observe his teachings in all walks of their life.”
MWL Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki said the attack on the Prophet was an expression of enmity toward Islam.
“The whole Muslim Ummah, including its leadership, scholars and ordinary people was outraged by such attacks and this again shows the lofty position the Prophet has in their hearts,” he said in reference to the Muslim response to cartoons depicting the Prophet.
MWL plans to launch an international program to introduce the Prophet and the conference called for setting up a fund to support the program. “The anti-Islam campaign also intends to trigger a cultural conflict between the Islamic world and the West and create a situation of clash and conflict in place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence,” the MWL chief said.
Al-Turki called upon Western countries to protect human rights of Muslim communities and take action against those who create unnecessary fear about Islam by linking it with terrorism and violence.
“The creation of such fears will lead to violating human rights of Muslims and threats to their freedom and security,” he said. “It will also have other long-term negative impacts.”
Jamal Badawi, a Canadian-Muslim expert on Islam, spoke about the Prophet’s outstanding influence on human history.
“There is no other personality who has made such a positive impact on history,” he told the conference.
Additional story concerning this topic:
Defending Islam 'is chief objective of every Muslim'
By Abdunabi Shaheen, Correspondent
Makkah: While inaugurating the seventh conference organised by Muslim World League (MWL) on defending Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia said defending the Prophet against the slanderous attacks by enemies of Islam is the chief objective of every Muslim.
He said the belief in Islam rests on obeying the Prophet in his words and deeds and to love him more than one loves oneself, one's sons, parents and people.
Shaikh Al Shaikh said Muslims cannot prevent unbelievers from attacking Islam but they should keep defending it by peaceful means.
The conference aims to create awareness among Muslims about the importance of cooperating among themselves to face peacefully all the stereotyped campaigns directed against Islam to distort its image.
Addressing the conference, Dr Abdullah Bin Abdul Mohsen Al Turki, MWL Secretary General, said: "Western media is distorting the image of Islam by depicting it as a religion of terrorism. But the world is fully aware of the fact that Islam always advocates tolerance, peace, moderation and coherence."
Meanwhile, Dr Jamal Badewi, chief of the Islamic Organisation in Canada, said: "Throughout human history, the Prophet was the very first to take out the humanity from the darkness of ignorance, anarchy, idolism and barbarism to the light of monotheism, peace and justice. Islam taught international brotherhood, but alas how abhorrent it is that the West is inculcating hatred against Muslims and Islam.
"It is instilling in the minds and masses that Muslims are the enemy and the Prophet of humanity is the Prophet of the enemy."
Dr Ahmad Nafea Al Muwarri, a professor at Um Al Qurra University in Makkah stated in a presentation: "Defending Islam is an obligation, thus all Muslims should defend the faith.
"After 9/11, the Western media started campaigning against Muslims and Islam to the extent that they targeted the Prophet by publishing caricatures ridiculing him and showing him as a prophet of terrorism."
He called upon all Muslims to face these attacks by unifying their ranks and collectively defend the faith, stressing that Islamic teachings never allow Muslims to attack others religions.
Pertinent Links:
1) MWL Wants Lawsuits for Abuse of Islam and the Prophet
2) Defending Islam 'is chief objective of every Muslim'
DAR AL ISLAM-INDONESIA: THE PLAYBOY JIHAD CONTINUES...
Hardline Muslims theaten to break down doors of Playboy editor trial
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The trial of Playboy Indonesia's editor-in-chief was closed to the public Thursday, angering dozens of Islamic hard-liners who threatened to break down the courtroom doors if they are not granted access to the proceedings.
...
The very first and only post concerning Playboy and the reaction to it can be found at link #2...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hardline Muslims theaten to break down doors of Playboy editor trial
2) Playboy accepts its DHIMMI STATUS with barely a whimper
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The trial of Playboy Indonesia's editor-in-chief was closed to the public Thursday, angering dozens of Islamic hard-liners who threatened to break down the courtroom doors if they are not granted access to the proceedings.
...
The very first and only post concerning Playboy and the reaction to it can be found at link #2...
Pertinent Links:
1) Hardline Muslims theaten to break down doors of Playboy editor trial
2) Playboy accepts its DHIMMI STATUS with barely a whimper
DAR AL HARB-AUSTRALIA: NO WE DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT ISLAM INTO OUR WESTERN SOCIETIES...
Sheik stirs fears over Muslims
Paul Mulvey
December 28, 2006 12:00am
IN September, an elderly Muslim man told some of his peers that scantily clad women were not unlike uncovered meat.If they expose themselves, who's to blame the cat for devouring them?
Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilaly, Australia's senior Muslim cleric, thought his sermon at the Lakemba mosque, in suburban Sydney, was for his followers' ears only.
But he was the one devoured when his comments incited a firestorm of protest.
Many Muslims called on him to quit as their mufti. But his faithful supporters were strengthened in an "us and them" siege mentality alienating them from mainstream Australia.
And all Muslims were once again under the spotlight as their religion's role in our Western democracy was questioned.
Australian Muslims were often synonymous with bad news this year: the sheik, gang rape trials, terrorism suspects, Melbourne schoolboys urinating on the Bible, and a Young Australian of the Year recipient caught up in drug raids.
Even good news soured. When the RSL offered a place in the 2007 Anzac Day march to a 17-year-old Muslim convicted of burning an Australian flag during the Cronulla riots, a flood of outrage, led by talkback radio, forced it to retreat from this act of forgiveness.
Cronulla also prompted the far-Right Australia First party to decide to stand a candidate in that electorate, on an anti-immigration platform, in next year's NSW election.
Many fear that these divisions could tear our society apart.
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser hit out at the incumbent, John Howard, for creating discord and using fear of Islam as a potential 2007 election ploy.
"There are already suggestions that this next election will be a 'Muslim election', as a while ago it was the 'Tampa election'," Mr Fraser has said.
"It would create a terrible and unnecessary divide between Islam and the rest of the community."
Kuranda Seyit, director of the Forum on Australian Islamic Relations, also holds such fears.
"The signals are there that they are going to use the Islamic integration question as a ploy to create fear in the community," he said. "I think next year is going to be an even more turbulent period for Australian Muslims.
"John Howard is the master of manipulating public opinion. It could be as Malcolm Fraser warned: Islam will be the next Tampa," he said.
"I'm torn between optimism and a gloomy forecast for the next couple of years. In five to 10 years, it will be better."
But Australia First's candidate, John Moffatt, can only see things becoming worse.
"No, I don't hold much optimism. It's an intransigence," Mr Moffatt said.
"There are two groups so diametrically opposed in every way you can think of. You're going to have my view proliferating like a bushfire."
But Mr Seyit is encouraged by reactions to his anti-racism and anti-violence workshops in Sutherland Shire, in southern Sydney.
"There has definitely been some heartwarming experiences in the last year between Muslim Australians and (others)," he said.
"I've sat there and seen some really good friendships formed and an improvement in attitudes on the part of young Lebanese boys and the young European Australian boys.
"Boys who came into the room who didn't want to look at each other ended up all huggy and friendly and talking about surfing and stuff young boys talk about."
He believes that with more education and more exposure to each other, young Australians of Muslim and non-Muslim origins can lead the next generation towards more harmonious relations.
Stepan Kerkyasharian, chairman of the NSW Community Relations Commission, agrees.
"There's a desire from all concerned to improve that relationship," he said.
Surf Life Saving Australia has made a concerted effort to recruit Muslims. And the Rural Fire Service has also embarked on a campaign to attract Muslim volunteers.
But Mr Kerkyasharian says it's not all about Muslims embracing typical Australian values: mainstream Australia must also embrace Islam.
"The fundamental key is that we separate Islam as a religion and the Australians who profess that religion," he said.
"If a Christian Australian president of a community organisation speaks, we don't say that person is speaking as a Christian.
"But we must also accept that Islam is now part and parcel of Australian society." AAP
NO WE DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT ISLAM IS A PART OF OUR SOCIETIES...
Pertinent Links:
1) Sheik stirs fears over Muslims
Paul Mulvey
December 28, 2006 12:00am
IN September, an elderly Muslim man told some of his peers that scantily clad women were not unlike uncovered meat.If they expose themselves, who's to blame the cat for devouring them?
Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilaly, Australia's senior Muslim cleric, thought his sermon at the Lakemba mosque, in suburban Sydney, was for his followers' ears only.
But he was the one devoured when his comments incited a firestorm of protest.
Many Muslims called on him to quit as their mufti. But his faithful supporters were strengthened in an "us and them" siege mentality alienating them from mainstream Australia.
And all Muslims were once again under the spotlight as their religion's role in our Western democracy was questioned.
Australian Muslims were often synonymous with bad news this year: the sheik, gang rape trials, terrorism suspects, Melbourne schoolboys urinating on the Bible, and a Young Australian of the Year recipient caught up in drug raids.
Even good news soured. When the RSL offered a place in the 2007 Anzac Day march to a 17-year-old Muslim convicted of burning an Australian flag during the Cronulla riots, a flood of outrage, led by talkback radio, forced it to retreat from this act of forgiveness.
Cronulla also prompted the far-Right Australia First party to decide to stand a candidate in that electorate, on an anti-immigration platform, in next year's NSW election.
Many fear that these divisions could tear our society apart.
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser hit out at the incumbent, John Howard, for creating discord and using fear of Islam as a potential 2007 election ploy.
"There are already suggestions that this next election will be a 'Muslim election', as a while ago it was the 'Tampa election'," Mr Fraser has said.
"It would create a terrible and unnecessary divide between Islam and the rest of the community."
Kuranda Seyit, director of the Forum on Australian Islamic Relations, also holds such fears.
"The signals are there that they are going to use the Islamic integration question as a ploy to create fear in the community," he said. "I think next year is going to be an even more turbulent period for Australian Muslims.
"John Howard is the master of manipulating public opinion. It could be as Malcolm Fraser warned: Islam will be the next Tampa," he said.
"I'm torn between optimism and a gloomy forecast for the next couple of years. In five to 10 years, it will be better."
But Australia First's candidate, John Moffatt, can only see things becoming worse.
"No, I don't hold much optimism. It's an intransigence," Mr Moffatt said.
"There are two groups so diametrically opposed in every way you can think of. You're going to have my view proliferating like a bushfire."
But Mr Seyit is encouraged by reactions to his anti-racism and anti-violence workshops in Sutherland Shire, in southern Sydney.
"There has definitely been some heartwarming experiences in the last year between Muslim Australians and (others)," he said.
"I've sat there and seen some really good friendships formed and an improvement in attitudes on the part of young Lebanese boys and the young European Australian boys.
"Boys who came into the room who didn't want to look at each other ended up all huggy and friendly and talking about surfing and stuff young boys talk about."
He believes that with more education and more exposure to each other, young Australians of Muslim and non-Muslim origins can lead the next generation towards more harmonious relations.
Stepan Kerkyasharian, chairman of the NSW Community Relations Commission, agrees.
"There's a desire from all concerned to improve that relationship," he said.
Surf Life Saving Australia has made a concerted effort to recruit Muslims. And the Rural Fire Service has also embarked on a campaign to attract Muslim volunteers.
But Mr Kerkyasharian says it's not all about Muslims embracing typical Australian values: mainstream Australia must also embrace Islam.
"The fundamental key is that we separate Islam as a religion and the Australians who profess that religion," he said.
"If a Christian Australian president of a community organisation speaks, we don't say that person is speaking as a Christian.
"But we must also accept that Islam is now part and parcel of Australian society." AAP
NO WE DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT ISLAM IS A PART OF OUR SOCIETIES...
Pertinent Links:
1) Sheik stirs fears over Muslims
DAR AL HARB: A MUST SEE VIDEO
I am not sure what is on this video, since it is not working for me but it has been suggested that I link to it, so here it is:
MUST SEE VIDEO LINK
MUST SEE VIDEO LINK
DAR AL ISLAM-MALAYSIA: RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF POLYGAMY ON THE MOSLEM FAMILY...
Malaysian group to research polygamy's effects on Muslim families
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Opponents of polygamy in Muslim-majority Malaysia said Thursday they will spearhead a rare survey to prove their claims that the practice throws families into emotional and economic turmoil.
Researchers hope to interview 6,000 members of polygamous households over the next 10 months in what could be the most comprehensive survey ever conducted on polygamy in a Muslim society, said Zainah Anwar, director of Sisters In Islam, a Malaysian women's rights group.
"We need evidence-based material to strengthen our advocacy for awareness and reforms, rather than merely use stories or assumptions about polygamy," Zainah told a news conference.
Islam allows a man up to four wives. But the practice of polygamy has sparked debate in Malaysia, where nearly 60 percent of the nation's 26 million people are Muslim, because activists say some polygamous husbands neglect their responsibilities to wives and children.
Government statistics recorded 13,516 polygamous marriages between 1995 and 2004, representing 1.4 percent of all Muslim marriages, said Norani Othman, a sociologist at the National University of Malaysia involved in the survey project.
However, activists believe the true number is higher because many men fail to report their second or third marriages in order to keep them a secret from their primary families. There is no official estimate of the total current number of polygamous marriages.
The upcoming survey is significant because existing research on Muslim polygamy in other countries has only scrutinized a small number of respondents and focused on legal issues. As such, there has been a failure to understand the financial and social impact of polygamy, Norani said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Malaysian group to research polygamy's effects on Muslim families
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Opponents of polygamy in Muslim-majority Malaysia said Thursday they will spearhead a rare survey to prove their claims that the practice throws families into emotional and economic turmoil.
Researchers hope to interview 6,000 members of polygamous households over the next 10 months in what could be the most comprehensive survey ever conducted on polygamy in a Muslim society, said Zainah Anwar, director of Sisters In Islam, a Malaysian women's rights group.
"We need evidence-based material to strengthen our advocacy for awareness and reforms, rather than merely use stories or assumptions about polygamy," Zainah told a news conference.
Islam allows a man up to four wives. But the practice of polygamy has sparked debate in Malaysia, where nearly 60 percent of the nation's 26 million people are Muslim, because activists say some polygamous husbands neglect their responsibilities to wives and children.
Government statistics recorded 13,516 polygamous marriages between 1995 and 2004, representing 1.4 percent of all Muslim marriages, said Norani Othman, a sociologist at the National University of Malaysia involved in the survey project.
However, activists believe the true number is higher because many men fail to report their second or third marriages in order to keep them a secret from their primary families. There is no official estimate of the total current number of polygamous marriages.
The upcoming survey is significant because existing research on Muslim polygamy in other countries has only scrutinized a small number of respondents and focused on legal issues. As such, there has been a failure to understand the financial and social impact of polygamy, Norani said.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Malaysian group to research polygamy's effects on Muslim families
DAR AL HARB-GERMANY: EAST BERLINS FIRST MOSQUE, PEOPLE DON'T WANT IT BUT THEY CANNOT OR WILL NOT SAY WHY...
The is the 2nd story I am posting concerning this mosque...
The Muslims Are Coming!
By Michael Scott Moore and Jochen-Martin Gutsch in Berlin
A citizens' group in Berlin turned out this week for a candlelight vigil to protest plans for a new mosque in their neighborhood. It will be the first to be built in the former East Berlin, where almost no Muslims live -- but no one can quite explain why it shouldn't be there.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) The Muslims Are Coming!
The Muslims Are Coming!
By Michael Scott Moore and Jochen-Martin Gutsch in Berlin
A citizens' group in Berlin turned out this week for a candlelight vigil to protest plans for a new mosque in their neighborhood. It will be the first to be built in the former East Berlin, where almost no Muslims live -- but no one can quite explain why it shouldn't be there.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) The Muslims Are Coming!
DAR AL HARB-USA-OHIO: AMERICANS CONVERTING TO ISLAM DESPITE THE 'PROPAGANDA'...
Islam gaining converts despite distortions
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Many black and white Americans continue to adopt Islam as their religion of choice in spite of the fact that the present U.S. government, the churches and the news media have left no stones unturned to project Islam and the Quran as evil and to associate Islam with terrorism. Even the local libraries keep Islamic literature in the section dealing with terrorism.
The most striking thing in Islam is the differentiation between the creature and the creator.
Jesus is described in the Quran as a special human miraculously created in Mary’s womb. This concept appeals to many people more than the Christian belief that he is the son of God or the Jewish belief that he was an illegitimate child.
The Jews believe that they killed Jesus and the Christians believe that Jesus died to expiate people’s sins, while the Muslims believe he was raised by God alive and will return before the Day of Judgment.
While America offers freedom of religion, it’ll be common to see more Americans becoming Muslims and forming a backbone for Islam, regardless of the negative propaganda and prosecution by anti-Islamic groups.
AHMED TASHFEEN
Blacklick
Pertinent Links:
1) Islam gaining converts despite distortions
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Many black and white Americans continue to adopt Islam as their religion of choice in spite of the fact that the present U.S. government, the churches and the news media have left no stones unturned to project Islam and the Quran as evil and to associate Islam with terrorism. Even the local libraries keep Islamic literature in the section dealing with terrorism.
The most striking thing in Islam is the differentiation between the creature and the creator.
Jesus is described in the Quran as a special human miraculously created in Mary’s womb. This concept appeals to many people more than the Christian belief that he is the son of God or the Jewish belief that he was an illegitimate child.
The Jews believe that they killed Jesus and the Christians believe that Jesus died to expiate people’s sins, while the Muslims believe he was raised by God alive and will return before the Day of Judgment.
While America offers freedom of religion, it’ll be common to see more Americans becoming Muslims and forming a backbone for Islam, regardless of the negative propaganda and prosecution by anti-Islamic groups.
AHMED TASHFEEN
Blacklick
Pertinent Links:
1) Islam gaining converts despite distortions
DAR AL HARB-USA-FLORIDA: WE APOLOGIZE, PROFUSELY, FOR MAKING YOU GET NEKKID DURING A STRIP SEARCH...
Muslim woman gets apology after airport detention
TAMPA - Homeland Security officials have apologized to a woman who was strip-searched after being detained at Tampa International Airport.
Safana Jawad is a Spanish citizen who was born in Iraq and flew to the U-S in April to visit her then-16-year-old-son.
But federal agents said Jawad was suspicious. They denied her entry and took her to jail, where she was strip-searched and held in a maximum security cell for two days.
Forty-five-year-old Jawad was later deported.
The US Homeland Security Department has sent an apology letter to Jawad, though it only expresses regret for the strip search.
Officials won't say why they found Jawad suspicious or whether they believe she was rightfully detained.
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim woman gets apology after airport detention
TAMPA - Homeland Security officials have apologized to a woman who was strip-searched after being detained at Tampa International Airport.
Safana Jawad is a Spanish citizen who was born in Iraq and flew to the U-S in April to visit her then-16-year-old-son.
But federal agents said Jawad was suspicious. They denied her entry and took her to jail, where she was strip-searched and held in a maximum security cell for two days.
Forty-five-year-old Jawad was later deported.
The US Homeland Security Department has sent an apology letter to Jawad, though it only expresses regret for the strip search.
Officials won't say why they found Jawad suspicious or whether they believe she was rightfully detained.
Pertinent Links:
1) Muslim woman gets apology after airport detention
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
