Dutch parliament, German Chancellor: We're not anti-Islam

 

 Dutch parliament, German Chancellor: We're not anti-Islam

 

The Dutch parliament passed a motion (NL) today saying that the government should 'proclaim in word and deed that fighting Islamization is not a goal of the [gov't] policy." The only parties voting against the motion were the PVV and Christian SGP. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also denies she's anti-Islam. Via The Local: The Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders on Wednesday angered German Chancellor Angela Merkel by provocatively praising her recent attack on multiculturalism. Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had taken "leadership in the area of Islam criticism," Wilders told the Dutch parliament. (...) Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, angrily replied to Wilders' speech by saying that that the Chancellor had in no way expressed "criticism of Islam." "That is not true. You cannot interpret the Chancellor as a critic of Islam because she naturally has respect for an important world religion," Seibert said in Berlin.

 

The Invention of Faisal Roble: The Manipulation of Mind and Media

The Invention of Faisal Roble: The Manipulation of Mind and Media

 

By Mohamed Haji (Ingiriis) Monday,   The great French playwright, Molière, once said, “Un sot savant est sot plus qu'un sot ignorant,” which literally means, “An educated fool is more foolish than an uneducated fool.” The Somali equivalent to this could be borrowed from Timacadde’s “Doqonnimo kugu baahday, baan cidi dabiibeyne; dariiq toosan Soomaaliyey waa lagaa dadaye; dugsi ma leh qabyaaladi waxay dumiso mooyaane.”   Faisal Roble One such Madaale pseudo-intellectual is Feisal Abdi Roble, editor of Wardheer News webpage, who recites what he frames ‘Marxist School of Thought’. Perhaps, my father – to say the least – would not permit me to write this rebuttal to Faisal Roble (I should underline that my Dad was a senior student of Fulbright Scholarship at University of California at Davis in America when Faisal was a junior at University of California at Los Angeles. It was exactly when Dr Abdi Ismail Samatar was also a senior student there).   However, Faisal Roble, once branded ‘Devil Clannish’ by Somali blogger is, among other things, accustomed to discrediting certain individuals by means of clan sentiments. Over the years, I have observed him blemishing highly-reputed personalities, like President Ahmed Silanyo, President of Somaliland; Abdullahi Ahmed Addou, the longest serving Somali Ambassador to the United States; Ahmed Gure, founder of Hiiraan Online and Yusuf-Garaad Omar, Head of BBC Somali, for the sole reason of not hailing from his clan-family.   Needless to say (repeat) what he has written of them, because it is more on personal than on professional damage. In the words of Molière, “A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behaviour is patience and moderation.” On the other hand, Faisal’s other routine work is praising Said Samatar, a Somali scholar; Hussein Abdilkadir Qasim, a former Minister, to mention just a few, for the type of Judge Hurshe’s verdict: “La jiifiyaanna bannaan, la joojiyaanna bannaan!” In his last radio interview, Faisal has narrated what he framed “the biggest clans” against “not-so-big clans.” Where did he obtain on this demographical census?   But by this time, Faisal has not only shaken minds, but body as well. On Saturday morning (October 23rd), inside a so-called Somali Intellectual Forum (transformed its name recently into Talo iyo Tusaale), Faisal Roble attempted to harm the reputation of Dr Ali Jimale Ahmed, Professor of Comparative Literature at the Graduate Centre of the City University of New York. He misled the audience that the title of the book ‘The Invention of Somalia’ by Dr Jimale was ‘plagiarising.’ He was applying with a concept by a Kenyan consultant who emailed me recently: “In Somalia, everyone enjoys to embarrass everyone.”   On the contrary, if truth be told here, there is no ‘plagiarising’ in the title of “The Invention of Somalia” whatsoever.  From the perspective of intellectual property law, the word ‘plagiarising’ is a very serious accusation that must be backed up at least one peace of evidence when it comes to criticising, or discrediting one’s work. In this western world and Africa in particular, there are – merely to enliven Faisal’s mind – a lot of books by the title of ‘The Invention.’   For instance, the title of The Invention of Somalia, as Dr Ali Jimale Ahmed visibly alluded to the preface, was inspired by ‘The Invention of Ethiopia’ by Holcomb and Ibbsa. He even agreed with the respective authors when they wrote in their book, “No available treatment of the history of (Somalia) dealt adequately with the factors that shaped (Somalia), that is, factors that generated the political and economic relations still found there and which account for the conflict currently raging within (Somalia).”   There are, additionally, other books on African Studies entitled with below titles:   1.      The Invention of Africa: Gnosis, Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge by V. Y. Mudimbe. 2.      The Invention of Africa and Intellectual Neo-colonialism by Jedi Shemsu Jewheti. 3.      The Invention of Ethiopian Jewish: Three Models by Steven Kaplan.   Moreover, other numerous international books outside African sphere are:   1.      The Invention of Barack Obama by David Remnick. 2.      The Invention of the Jewish People by Shlomo Sand. 3.      The Invention of Tradition by Terence Ranger and Eric Hobsbawm. 4.      The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. 5.      The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy. 6.      The Invention of Objectivity: Aaron Swatz’s Raw Thought by Robert McChesney. 7.      The Invention of Net Neutrality by Nancy Scola. 8.      The Invention of Lying: A comedy movie by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson.   Consequently, in Faisal’s eyes, are they all exercising a ‘plagiarising’? To be more precise, what about the other books – referenced frequently in African Studies – with the same titles and analogical contents? Below is an example:          I.            The Black Man’s Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation State by David Basildon.     II.            The Black Man’s Burden by Edward D. Morel.  III.            Black Man’s Burden by John Oliver Killens?   Are they too ‘plagiarising’ each other? Indeed, there are a lot of books with the same titles, but just to mention a few must be suffice.   When President Obama added on one of his speeches to this passage, “I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it”, an American blogger wrote an op-ed piece entitled: “Obama and the Invention of the Automobile,” reminding the US President of the veracity that the nation who had invented automobile was Germany, not the United States of America.   If there is a book about Somalia, to my knowledge, that sounds like a work whose name had stolen from other title – whether it is chance or intent – is the book by David D. Laitin and Said S. Samatar entitled “Somalia: Nation in Search of a State,” which was written in 1987. To get the point across, in 1967, Dr Hussein M. Adam, popularly known as Hussein Tanzani, had named one of his two MA Thesis: Somalia: Nation in Search of Transcript at University of Makarere in Uganda (Dr Tanzani later earned his Ph.D. from Harvard – the first Somali who did Ph.D in Harvard).   Nonetheless, The Invention of Somalia, edited by Dr Jimale, is one of the best books that ever written on Somalia. It is a direct theoretical and empirical contribution to Somali Historiography, and that is noticeably what led the authors to write: “The denial of recognition to other Somali freedom fighters and their movements has to be seen as public denial that is directed against the clansmen of the spurned martyrs.”   The first real attempt of The Invention of Somalia, as Dr Jimale summarised, is to identify and analyse the basic assumptions which had informed the construction of the now debunked myth of homogeneity. The authors do not only suggest, as they write, alternative ways of seeing and interpreting existing data, but also initiate and propose new ways of reading Somali past and present.   In John Killens’ Black Man’s Burden, a father tells his bewildered son that stories about various life-and-death struggles between a man and lion will always end like the man beating the lion (or defeating, to add my view) until the lion learns how to write. This lion’s version of what had happened in (Somali) history, to quote from Dr Jimale, has in Somalia and beyond, for a long time, belonged to an underground narrative.   It is here that the two brothers – Dr Mohamed Enow and Dr Abdikadir Enow, both Bantu scholars, whom Faisal also attempted to no avail to discredit their work – deserve my gratitude for having mustered the bravery to re-examine what Dr Jimale portrays ‘the Dervishization’ of Somali Studies. In my viewpoint, this is to confront with the history of oppressed as written by their oppressors, and it shapes the consciousness and psychology of both oppressed and oppressor.   To manipulate History, Amos Wilson warns, is to manipulate consciousness, to manipulate consciousness is to manipulate possibilities, and to manipulate possibilities is to manipulate power. Herein lies how the autocracy had ruled Somalia for two decades. It is a call for the re-conquest of Somali minds and bodies. One Africanist scholar contends, “The most valuable resources (of human-being) are their knowledge of truth and reality of identity, minds, bodies and souls.”   What Enow brothers – with Dr Jimale – are digging for is new thought for Somalia, looking for an invented (or reinvented) Somalia. It appears that Enows dedicated their lives to their people who were never permitted before a place or space, let alone a chapter, for Somali Historiography when myths like a Pastoral Democracy was dominating Somali Studies. Thanks partly to academics like Catherine Besteman, Francesca Declich and Virginia Luling, among others, their history was invented, yet contemporary Somali thought (and theme) seems to be intrinsically a product of the pastoralist proponents. Until very recently, the history of some Somalis among us was persona non-grata in Somali Historiography.   Lee Cassanelli, in The Shaping of Somali Society, came to a comparable conclusion: “Somali Society ought to be regarded as the product of interactions among small groups of herdsmen, farmers, itinerant Sheikhs, and townsmen who came together under diverse circumstances in the past and whose modern sense of national identity derives less from primordial sentiments than from a set of shared historical experiences.”   Alas, there are some new Somali graduates who see Faisal Roble as an intellectual, but the term itself entails to be defined. As they say, “Not every educated is intellectual, but every intellectual is educated.” In Somali way of thinking, an intellectual is simply an ordinary person, not necessarily a tweedy-Kantian. William Finnegan contended in an article on New Yorker that “Somali intellectuals” are “just people with degrees.”   This is how Dr Jimale defines intellectual persona: “An intellectual (of any sort) is the person who, to quote from Gramsci, ‘assumes that the purpose of discussion is the pursuit of truth.’ Such an intellectual is one who attempts to identify problems, reflects on them, and does not shy away from asking hard and unpleasant questions and who suggests, not imposes, some type of solution the problem under scrutiny. An intellectual is also the one who understands the validity of Somali poet… Chinese adage, to know and not to act is not to know. The trouble with Somali intellectuals emanates from what Hisham Sharabi calls ‘a fetishized consciousness’ which manifests itself in both imitation and passivity.”   As for the question of Somali irredentism, which Faisal mentioned, one may enjoy reading BANDITS ON THE BORDER: The Last Frontier in the Search for Somali Unity by Nene Mburu which is a first insider’s analysis of Somalia’s peculiar pursuit of Greater Somalia. I presume many have enjoyed reading Saadia Touval’s Somali Nationalism, so is the one by Mburu. Charles Seymour said, “"We seek the truth, and will endure the consequences." My final amusement to ‘startle’ Faisal must be on those shocking lines: What about your favourite bookNomad Diaries by Yaasmiin Maxamuud, published in 2009? Wasn’t she plagiarised her title by the book with the same title: The Nomad Diaries by Chris Minh Doky, published in 2007, or, is the name emanated from Urban Diaries by Walter Hood and Leah Levy, published in 1997? Pardon me, we need elucidation, man! By Mohamed Haji (Ingiriis) Email: Ingiriis@yahoo.com

 

Prophet Muhammad — 22 : Handling explosive situations

Prophet Muhammad — 22 : Handling explosive situations

ArabNews

One thing that stands out when we study the character of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his natural ability to handle explosive situations. When competition is keen, honor is at stake or a feeling of injustice is nurtured, great care should be exercised in order to defuse the situation. Whenever a situation threatened to go out of control, the Prophet displayed cool wisdom that was certain to prevent a potential disaster. This came to him naturally, displayed long before he became a prophet.

A few years before his prophethood, when the people of Makkah pulled down the Kaaba and rebuilt it, a dispute arose as to which of their clans should have the honor of putting the Black Stone back in its position. This was considered a matter of great honor, and each clan wanted it. The whole community attached great importance to every honorable action. Therefore, none of them was ready to allow the others that privilege without first putting a fight for it. Several days of arguments could not settle the matter and tempers rose sharply. The situation threatened to develop into a bloody conflict. However, someone suggested that they should agree on arbitration and the arbiter turned out to be Muhammad (peace be upon him).

When the dispute was put to him, he realized that no one was prepared to give in. Therefore, he sought to satisfy everyone. He placed a robe on the ground and put the Black Stone in the middle. He asked the chiefs of all clans to hold the robe and lift it. As they moved to the right corner, they lifted the robe up to the right level. Muhammad then took the Black Stone and placed it in position. He did so as the arbiter, and as such he was not representing his own clan. Thus, no clan could claim a special honor in the process, none was left out. Another situation occurred on his arrival in Madinah. There were two major Arab tribes in Madinah, the Aws and the Khazraj, each of which included several clans. Rivalry between the two tribes was fierce. Only a few years earlier they went into a five-year war against each other. Moreover, within each tribe, its clans sought to add to what brings it honor and pride. As the Prophet arrived in Madinah, each clan wanted to be his host. What could bring them more lasting honor than to be the hosts of God's messenger? He would be receiving God's revelations in their midst. Therefore, every single clan invited him to be their guest, promising protection and hospitality. Any choice the Prophet made would have delighted some of his supporters and dismayed others. He could not wish to make such a choice at the very beginning of his stay in Madinah, where he was in effect seeking refuge.

The Prophet simply released the reign of his she-camel and told his eager hosts that the camel had its orders. Thus, he moved in Madinah, allowing his she-camel free reign while people cleared the way for her. At one point, she sat down close to a solitary house. The owner, Abu Ayyub, came out, overjoyed and took the Prophet's little luggage inside. The Prophet was to be his guest until he has had suitable accommodation of his own. Thus, no jealousies were allowed to creep in. The Prophet did not favor one clan over another. It was an aspect of the Prophet's wisdom that he would look for whatever was certain to maintain good feelings among people so that there would be no room for rivalry or conflict.

It is through community service that we can be good Muslims’

It is through community service that we can be good Muslims'

By SIRAJ WAHAB, SIRAJWAHAB@ARABNEWS.COM

The toughest thing about interviewing Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud is getting her to talk about herself as at present she is focused on the upcoming Oct. 28 attempt to set the record for creating a human ribbon of thousands of women to raise awareness in Saudi Arabia about breast cancer.

"We are basically creating what we hope to be a momentous event in the Kingdom to gather women to break the Guinness World Book record for the largest human-awareness ribbon," the princess told Arab News in an exclusive interview. "What that means is that it will be in the shape of a ribbon made out of women. The record is about 3,700 plus. Our goal in fact is not just to gather 3,700 plus women but, I hope, 10,000 women."

The daughter of the longtime ambassador to the United States Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Princess Reema's mother is the daughter of the late King Faisal. Raised and educated in Washington, D.C., the princess earned a bachelor's degree from George Washington University. Upon her return to Saudi Arabia in 2002, she partnered in Yibreen, a well-received women's day spa. She now is president and CEO of Alfa International and Al-Hama LLC, two leading luxury retail corporations based in Saudi Arabia. The groups manage brands including Donna Karan and DKNY in the Middle East and operate the Harvey Nichols department store in Riyadh.

She is also a member of the board of advisers of the nonprofit Institute of Civil Leadership, an organization founded to inspire and to educate students to be global leaders, and a founding member of the Zahra Breast Cancer Association, which has provided her recent focus.

"This is the first time that I am organizing an event of this size," she said. "We have been working with some amazing corporate sponsors. This will also benefit the Zahra Association to generate awareness about breast cancer. The event is being held under the patronage of Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Foundation. They have been extremely supportive of our activity. Our main focus is to generate awareness about breast cancer."

She said she hopes the event will help women to better protect themselves against breast cancer, which has been a difficult subject for many women to talk about. "I would just like to have the word breast cancer mentioned so that women can check themselves, think about it and talk about it in any way they can so that we can generate that conversation," the princess said. "Perhaps it will reach one woman who has never heard of breast cancer and has never checked herself up. If that happens then we can take immense comfort."

She praised governmental and health-sector efforts to promote awareness about breast cancer but acknowledged that the Kingdom's vast area and diversity created special challenges.

"The efforts of the Health Ministry in conjunction with private clinics and charities such as Zahra Breast Cancer Association have made great strides in generating awareness on breast cancer. Where we are today obviously is not where we should be, which means we have a very long road ahead of us," said Princess Reema. "Our point of view is that no woman should die of breast cancer. The way to stop the spread of breast cancer is through early detection because if a woman detects it in Stage 1 or Stage 2 it is curable. Unfortunately, the farther out you go from the larger cities the less aware the ladies are. That is what makes the work of foundations like Zahra very important because we are women going out and talking to women. This is always the most acceptable way to get the message out just because of the sensitivity of this particular subject."

Princess Reema said the private sector and the government have been very supportive of the foundation's breast cancer awareness initiative. "The public and nonpublic response and support for our cause has been immense. Mobily has been extremely supportive of us along with Avon, MBC, Almarai, Riyad Bank, Burger King, The Jeddah Hilton, Napco, Donna Karan and DKNY — there is a long list," she said. "I cannot thank the companies that have supported us enough. Without their support it would not have been possible for us to come this far nor would we be able to do the activity we are doing. The Health Ministry also has been extremely supportive, and the Ministry of Social Affairs has extended us all help."

She also noted the enthusiasm of young Saudis in moving the initiative forward. "If you take a look at our Facebook page — honestly, that is the way all of the young people seem to communicate — the response is overwhelming," said Princess Reema. "We have had encouraging words not only from the young people within the Kingdom but also from people outside of the Kingdom. The numbers of those who have visited our site and responded to the call are honestly astounding. The goal is to create awareness and to let people know that breast cancer doesn't know a country; it doesn't know a race; it doesn't know a religion. It is a disease that affects people across the world. If we are able to make an impact on people at the other end of the globe in making them aware of breast cancer, honestly, that is a phenomenal experience."

There is a broader message that people can take away from the campaign, and Princess Reema hopes to send a message to many women and young people across the country.

"Be aware of your health, and be aware of the health of those around you," she said. "Spread the word about breast cancer — talk about it. Think about it because it is something that is easily curable if found out in the early stage. We would be very happy to receive every woman to come and stand with us on Oct. 28. We look forward to seeing everybody in Jeddah. My whole family will be there, from my mother to my daughter, to my sister, my friends and I hope many, many of my countrywomen."

The location of the event was somewhat sensitive, as many Saudi women would be uncomfortable were probing eyes allowed to gaze upon them. Princess Reema said at the Ministry of Education Sports Compound in Jeddah's Al-Rawdah district near the H Bridge satisfied those requirements. "You know, here in the Kingdom privacy is extremely important for the ladies, so we wanted to host it in a location that would enclose a large number of ladies and one that was not surrounded by high buildings," she said.

When asked where she got the motivation to get so involved in nonprofit, community-service work, Princess Reema said it was a family tradition — from both sides of the family. "This inspiration to be proactive in the community is one that I learned from both my parents and my grandparents on both sides. It is a part of the ethics with which we were raised as Muslims, as Saudis and as Arabs. It is in our nature. It is nothing unique or particular to my family. It is in our nature. It is through such acts that we can be good Muslims."

SUDAN: Noor El Sham, "It is not okay for a man to abuse me"

SUDAN: Noor El Sham, "It is not okay for a man to abuse me"

NYALA, 28 October 2010 (IRIN) - Survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Darfur not only suffer the psychological consequences but also have to contend with a weak judicial system. A culture of impunity means survivors are reluctant to speak out and can find themselves ostracized from their communities.

 There is little access to medical and psycho-social support following the expulsion of international NGOs in early 2009. A State Committee on Sexual and Gender-based Violence has also done little to provide care because of a lack of funds, and numbers of female police are inadequate.

 Noor El Sham, 25, from El Fir Dos village east of the South Darfur capital, Nyala, was subjected to domestic violence and jailed after killing her husband in self-defence. El Sham shared her experience with IRIN:

 "I was 14 when I got married and did not know much of what I was getting myself into; my family decided who I was to marry.

 "My husband was a lot older than me and from the start of our relationship he used to beat me, often for no reason, or none strong enough to justify how brutal he was. I tried speaking to my family about my husband's abuse but was told to stop complaining, to consider myself lucky for having a husband.

 "Divorcing him was not an option. If I had gone to court or if I had reported him to the police, no-one would have believed me anyway. They would have said I was probably either a bad wife or worse, guilty of adultery.

 "Two years after we got married, when I was only 16, he tried to strangle me. I stabbed him to death with a knife defending myself. I hated him for what he had done to me but I did not want to kill him.

 "I was sentenced to jail but could have been released after paying a 5,000 SDG [US$2,112] fine but I had no money.

 "I was in jail for about seven years and had no doubt I would have been there for the rest of my life. But one day I received visitors from UNICEF [the UN Children's Fund] and the Ministry of Information and Culture. I did not know who they were but they had heard about me and wanted to hear my story.

 "After some time they came to see me again and told me they wanted to help me. They had started collecting money to pay the bail and soon I would be out of prison.

 "When I first got out of jail I was happy but lost. I did not know what to do with my life and there was no one to take care of me.

 "UNICEF and the Ministry of Health officials offered me an opportunity to attend one of the midwifery schools they support. I was registered at the school in Nyala in June 2009 and graduated in July 2010.

 "Before, I had never thought I would need to learn something; I learnt how to read and write in jail.

 "Providing me with an education was not a priority for my family. We are girls, why do we need to go to school if all we need to do is get married, have children and take care of the house?

 "Now, I can have a job with which I can make myself useful to other people and provide for myself.

 "I thought a woman should accept everything from a man because without them we are nothing. I did not know better but now I understand how wrong this is.

 "I was lucky to be given a second chance and will now prove to myself and others it is okay to take care of myself and it is not okay for a man to abuse me."

 cp/mw

[END]

Food as Medicine

Food as Medicine

HEADACHE?   EAT   FISH!   
Eat   plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent  headaches. 
So  does ginger, which  reduces inflammation and pain.   

HAY   FEVER?   EAT   YOGURT! 
Eat   lots of yogurt before pollen season.  
Also-eat honey from  your area (local  region) daily. 

TO   PREVENT STROKE   DRINK   TEA!   
Prevent   build-up of fatty deposits on artery walls  with regular  doses of tea.  (actually,   tea suppresses appetite and keeps the  pounds from  invading.....Green tea is great  for our immune  system)!  

INSOMNIA   (CAN'T SLEEP?)   HONEY!   
Use honey as a tranquilizer and  sedative.  

ASTHMA?   EAT   ONIONS!!!!   
Eating   onions helps ease constriction of  bronchial tubes.  (onion   packs place   on chest   helped   the respiratory ailments and actually made   breathing   better).

ARTHRITIS?   EAT   FISH, TOO!!   
Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines  actually  prevent arthritis.  (fish   has omega oils, good for our immune   system)  

UPSET   STOMACH?    BANANAS   - GINGER!!!!!   
Bananas   will settle an upset stomach. 
Ginger  will cure morning  sickness and nausea.  

BLADDER   INFECTION?   DRINK   CRANBERRY  JUICE!!!!   
High-acid   cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.   

BONE   PROBLEMS?   EAT   PINEAPPLE!!!  
Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be  prevented by the  manganese in pineapple.  

MEMORY   PROBLEMS?   EAT   OYSTERS!   
Oysters   help improve your mental functioning by  supplying  much-needed zinc.  

COLDS?   EAT   GARLIC!   
Clear   up that stuffy head with garlic.  (remember,   garlic lowers cholesterol,  too.)

COUGHING?   USE   RED PEPPERS!!   
A substance similar to that found in  the cough syrups is  found in hot red  pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper  with  caution-it can irritate your tummy.   

BREAST   CANCER?    EAT   Wheat, bran and  cabbage   
Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy  levels.  

LUNG   CANCER?   EAT   DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND  VEGGIES!!!  
A   good antidote is beta carotene, a form of  Vitamin A found in  dark green and orange  vegetables..  

ULCERS?   EAT   CABBAGE ALSO!!!   
Cabbage contains chemicals that help  heal both gastric  and duodenal ulcers.  

DIARRHEA?   EAT   APPLES! 
Grate   an apple with its skin, let it turn brown  and eat it to cure  this condition.  (Bananas   are good for this  ailment)

CLOGGED   ARTERIES?   EAT   AVOCADO!   
Mono   unsaturated fat in avocados lowers  cholesterol.   

HIGH   BLOOD PRESSURE?   EAT   CELERY AND OLIVE  OIL!!!   
Olive oil has been shown to lower  blood pressure.  
Celery contains a  chemical that lowers pressure too.   

BLOOD   SUGAR IMBALANCE?   EAT   BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!!  
The   chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps  regulate insulin and  blood sugar.  

Kiwi:   Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of  potassium,  magnesium, Vitamin E &  fiber. It's Vitamin C content is  twice  that of an orange.  

Apple:   An apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Although an apple has  a low Vitamin C  content, it has antioxidants &   flavonoids which enhances the activity of  Vitamin C thereby  helping to lower the  risks of colon cancer, heart  attack &  stroke.. 

Strawberry:   Protective fruit. Strawberries have the  highest total  antioxidant power among  major fruits & protects the body  from  cancer causing, blood vessels clogging   free radicals. (Actually,   any berry is good for you..they're high in  anti-oxidants and  they actually keep us  young..........blueberries are the best  and  very versatile in the health field........they  get rid  of all the free-radicals that  invade our  bodies)

Orange :   Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 - 4 oranges a  day may help  keep colds away, lower  cholesterol, prevent  & dissolve kidney  stones as well as lessen the risk  of colon  cancer. 

Watermelon:   Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92%  water, it is also  packed with a giant dose  of glutathione which helps boost  our  immune system..  They are also a key source  of  lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant.   Other  nutrients    
Found in watermelon are Vitamin  C  & Potassium. (watermelon   also has natural substances [natural SPF  sources] that keep  our skin healthy,  protecting our skin from those darn UV   rays)


Guava   & Papaya:   Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the  clear winners for  their high Vitamin C  content. Guava is also rich in fibre  which  helps prevent constipation.  

Papaya   is rich in carotene, this is good for your  eyes.  (also   good for gas and  indigestion)  

Tomatoes   are   very good as a preventative measure for  men, keeps those  prostrate problems from  invading their  bodies......GOOD   AS MEDICINE.

IRAQ: LEAKED FILES POINT TO SERIOUS BREACHES OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW – UN RIGHTS CHIEF

IRAQ: LEAKED FILES POINT TO SERIOUS BREACHES OF HUMAN RIGHTS LAW – UN RIGHTS CHIEF

Leaked classified United States documents on the war in Iraq point to serious breaches of international human rights law, including summary executions of a large number of civilians, as well as torture and ill-treatment of detainees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said today.

The files, according to a statement by Navi Pillay's office, indicate that the US knew about the widespread use of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by Iraqi forces, but proceeded with transferring thousands who had been detained by US forces into Iraqi custody between early 2009 and July 2010.

They also allegedly include information on many undisclosed instances in which US forces killed civilians at checkpoints and during operations.

US and Iraqi authorities, Ms. Pillay said, should take necessary measures to investigate all allegations made in these reports and to bring those behind unlawful killings, summary executions, torture and other serious rights abuses to justice in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (<"http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm">ICCPR), to which both nations are parties, and other obligations.

She called on Iraq to ratify the Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol, which gives a UN committee the right to visit all places of detention and examine the treatment of detainees.

The official also urged the Iraqi Government to facilitate visits of human rights teams with the UN mission in the country, known as <"http://www.uniraq.org/">UNAMI, to monitor the rights situation in detention facilities so that advice and assistance can be given to Iraqi authorities.

Saddam aide Tariq Aziz sentenced to death

Saddam aide Tariq Aziz sentenced to death

Tariq Aziz, former Iraqi foreign minister and deputy prime minister. (AP)

By AHMED RASHEED | REUTERS

Published: Oct 26, 2010 12:49 Updated: Oct 26, 2010 22:33

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s high tribunal on Tuesday passed a death sentence on Tareq Aziz, once the international face of dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, over the persecution of Islamic parties, the court said.

The death sentence was the first to be handed down to Aziz, who was well known in foreign capitals and at the United Nations before Saddam’s downfall. He rose to prominence at the time of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the 1991 Gulf War, when he was foreign minister.

“The court today issued the death sentence on Tareq Aziz and four others for committing crimes against humanity. The charge of elimination of religious parties was classified as crimes against humanity,” Judge Mohammed Abdul-Sahib, a spokesman of the Iraqi High Tribunal, told Reuters.

“The nature of the crimes is wilful killing, torture and the enforced disappearance of persons.”

Last year, Aziz was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the killings of dozens of merchants in 1992 and to a further seven years for his role in the forced displacement of Kurds from northern Iraq during Saddam’s rule.

He surrendered to invading US forces in April 2003 but was handed over to Iraqi prison authorities this year. In August he accused US President Barack Obama in a jailhouse interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper of “leaving Iraq to the wolves” because of US plans to withdraw.

Aziz’s Amman-based lawyer, Badie Arif, said the decision was politically motivated.

“It is a political verdict and not legal. He (Aziz) expected that, especially when the US administration handed him over to the Iraqi government,” Arif told Reuters by telephone from Amman.

 

Right to appeal

Sahib said Aziz, as well as four other defendants in the case who were also sentenced to death, were expected to appeal the decision. Iraqi law provides for an automatic appeal for all death-sentence and life-imprisonment cases, even if the defendants do not lodge an appeal themselves.

The four other defendants sentenced to death were former interior minister and intelligence chief, Sadoun Shakir, Abed Hamoud, a former private secretary to Saddam, Saddam’s half brother Sabawi Ibrahim Al-Hasan and, a former top Baath party official, Abdul Ghani Abdul Ghafour.

An official in the court’s media office said the evidence provided to court and the statements of witnesses had proved sufficient to convict them.

During Saddam’s rule, only the Baath party was allowed to exist. The Sunni dictator crushed attempts to establish rival political organizations, and in particular carried out constant campaigns against Islamic parties.

Their leaders were assassinated, imprisoned or forced into exile. One of his main targets was the Islamic Dawa party of current Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, a Shiite Muslim.

 

Somalia's New PM must resign

Somalia’s New PM must resign: The TFG is hanging from the cliff by its nails  By Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh  Oct. 26, 2010

It is evident from the conduct of the two top leaders and their constituents that the infighting frenzy of the TFG has no end in sight. The president and the speaker of the parliament are trading accusation and counter accusations through the media which exposes how wide and far reaching their political divide is, especially when you reach the closing stages of the response from the speaker’s office – a plea for AMISOM forces to secure the Wednesday’s venue and to be extra vigilant during the business day coupled by a warning to Mogadishu mayor to stick to within the bounds of his job. This is the first time that members at the top echelons of the TFG feared for their lives not from the Islamists, but from within their faction.
  
Mogadishu municipality is implicated to have stepped in to the business of the TFG government by staging one sided public demonstrations and dispatching hooligans to terrorize the MPS who refused to go along the line of the president. Mr. Tarzan, the mayor of the city, is accused by many MPs such as, Mr. Ahmed Omer Gaagaale, that he is threatening MP’s from some clans that they will be killed if they refuse to vote for the president’s motion – the MPs and other members of the government are offended by the wild actions of the cowboy policies of Mr. Mohamoud Ahmed Nur known as Tarzan.

The TFG’s mandate expires in August and the current renewed in fight is not helping at all a government that failed to go beyond the barracks of the AMISOM forces despite relatively generous funding from the international community. Minority of the Somali elite – majority is wrong most of the time - is of the opinion that the new PM should spare his political career for another day. The newly nominated PM has seen firsthand the status of the colleagues he ought to work with in order to turn around the tarnished image of the TFG and is fully conversant in the international community’s unambiguous expectation that is engraved in stone that even the blind can read – to deliver efficient, effective, strong, accountable, transparent and small government is the term of office of the new PM.

When two persons are in charge of one horse it is bound to get thin

The new PM appreciates that the task ahead is a gigantic one that can be tamed only by a God send team that are committed to the achievement of common strategic goal and are willing to move mountains and are keen to sacrifice so much to attain it. The TFG government is populated by members who have no cohesive ideology but lumped together for nothing more than a personal greed for power and wealth. To the unsuspecting eyes, the political impasse that delayed the confirmation of the new PM appears as just an exercise of democracy in which the president is intervening in the parliamentary procedures but the real juice is about who, the president or the speaker, would dictate for the PM the names of the forth coming government – they are both in agreement that the PM should serve as a dummy for their wishes.

The question of whether the MPs cast their vote in secret or in the open has also nothing to do with TFG charter or the parliamentary by laws as so often mentioned, but is more geared towards auditing the value of the money that changed hands. The MPs’ votes are always on sale and goes to the highest bidder in matters that are trivial let alone approving or dismissing a PM which attracts the highest rates. The president invested so much in buying the votes of the MPs and is resolute to clearly see the hands that collected the money from his camp are raised. Some of the MPS who received cash from both camps are adamant to hide under the cloak of secret balloting scheme which all of a sudden strengthened the wily hand of the speaker.

The president and the speaker were the closest allies in the whole TFG institution and their friendship was erroneously believed to be unwavering- politics is a dirty game that makes a brother bite his own twin brother where it hurts most.  

Their friendship was killed by the always crafty Ethiopian PM through the scheme he christened as the power sharing agreement between Ahlu – Sunna and the TFG, which saw the ouster of many powerful Wahabi Allies of the president for which, as consequence, the president blamed on Premier Sharmarke -The ex Premier was forced to resign   of course with a golden handshake. Both Sheriffs (president & the Speaker) are aware that phase two of Meles Zenaw’s secularisation of the TFG is to start in earnest on the first day the new PM assumes office and that explains why his confirmation became an uphill struggle. 

This current conflict has the propensity to hang around for a long time as it is difficult to pinpoint a reasonable compromise that can make both contented, because President Sharif is sure that the Ethiopian PM favours to see this time the backs of the two Wahabi ministries that were not booted out during  premier Sharmark’s last reshuffle.  

The speaker enjoys the support of the Ethiopian prime minister who is designated by the US to oversee the transitional government on behalf of the international community. Most if not all of the major cabinet members of the TFG are in the Ethiopian camp and all the militias that are fighting against the Islamists are formed, controlled and equipped by Ethiopia – Ahlu Suna of Abdi Wal, Hiiraan land of Aden Dabageed,  Ahlu Sunna of Barre Hiiraale, Gal Mudug of Abdishakur and the list goes on - Puntland and Somaliland were firmly in the hands of Ethiopia for the best part of the last two decades. The president’s armed wing   was systematically frustrated and disbanded - the last division was the Darvish which was shrewdly incorporated in to the so called TFG army. Most of the president’s men under arms either rejoined the insurgent Islamists or retired all together from active duties.

The chance for the new PM to secure the seal of confidence from the Parliament could be enhanced if he defects to the side of the Speaker which is not unethical in the world of the politicians but even then his role will still be that of a subservient fake.  Even If the new PM is confirmed on Wednesday still there is no guarantee that the in fighting will subside but on the contrary the prospect is that it will intensify making him impossible to have a free hand on the selection of his government on the one hand and also the parliament and the media are bracing themselves to volunteer to give him a bumpy ride that distracts him from his agenda on the other hand. 

The speaker is being prepared by Premier Meles Zenawi to take the president’s office as a care taker after the current president is shown the door prematurely due to his lack of vision and leadership. The international community needs to create chaos now to buy time to put together a project that can extend the life of the TFG for at least another three years as Djibouti TFG failed to deliver any of its undertakings. What name and mandate the forth coming replacement one will be accorded in the light of the new American policy of engaging the regions remains to be seen – the international community can’t afford to abandon the TFG but will most probably use it as a bulwark to halt the march of the Islamists towards Puntland and Somaliland.

The circulation of the Thesis of the PM over the net gave a lot of ammunitions to his enemies and paralysed the efforts of his friends. The thesis was used by his nemesis to make the PM the enemy of a number of clans and for warlord Qanyare to label the PM as sick tribalist can’t be taken lightly. The damage to his reputations as a fair minded Somali has taken a dent so realistic that most of the common people took it serious. The president went on the offensive to water down  the undesirable angry uproar that the PM’s thesis has generated in the streets of Mogadishu –sizable number of the populace deem the PM as an already wounded man that can hardly assert his agenda. For the record no other PM ever came to power in a political environment as rotten as this and that sheds light on the gloomy reception that this PM received from Somalia.

If you can’t do what you want, do what you can!

Despite its poor performance the TFG has an acute structural problem that puts the PM in an untenable position –   to serve two masters who are often at war with each other.  Premier Geedi was kicked out by President Abdilahi Yusuf and Premier Nur Ade was used by the international community to unseat President Abdilahi Yusuf. What goes around comes around - Premier Sharmarke was booted out by Sheikh Sharif and the new PM after confirmation is bound to be used by the same forces to deliver President Sharif’s premature departure in a silver platter. 

It is said that sometimes it needs more courage to decline to jump a fence in the face of a large field, than to go for it and break your neck. The new PM  I hope is under no illusion that he can’t save the failed TFG from its destiny but can make history by resigning while he can before he is forced to resign in humiliation – history will remember him kindly if he chooses to resign now in the face of definitive failure.

Abdikarim Buh
Political analyst and WardheerNews contributor
E-mail:abdikarimbuh@yahoo.com

Courtesy: WardheerNews.com

Tony Blairs sister-in-law Lauren Booth reverts to Islam LIVE at the GPU ...

the beauty of Islam

THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT WORLD

THIS WORLD AND THE NEXT WORLD

    One day we will understand the truth and our life will come to an end. This is a terrifying fact. In light of this truth, what does life really mean? A person does not deserve to be a human who does not think about what death means. Therefore, the primary purpose of being human is to learn and know what life means, why we exist on the earth, and what exists beyond death.

    Could there be anyone who knows why we have been sent to this earth better than the master of life? Like all existence, our lives belong to Allahu ta'ala. Janab-i Haqq states in the Qur'an al-karim: "I created human beings only to make them aware of My Supremacy and to have them worship Me. "

    Let's try to imagine what percentage of human beings today know this fact and practice it. We certainly know that most of them do not know this fact and the ones who know simply underestimate or ignore this reality. And this brings us to the starting point of ruination. It is the greatest catastrophe, disaster and misfortune (particularly for a Muslim) not to know this fact or not to act in accordance with it despite knowing and furthermore to know but not believe in it. This is so because Janab-i Haqq informs us by means of His Holy Book that He will certainly throw into the Hell-fire, eternally, those who don't believe in His commandments, and the ones who believe but don't practice will be sent to Hell as long as He wills.

    He, unlike human beings, does not lie. He will certainly punish the ones who don't consider His commandments important. His penalty is quite severe. It will be a great pity for the ones who don't protect themselves from His punishment. Could it be the business of a rational man to barter the endless life of the Hereafter for this short-termed worldly existence?

Malmö : Police warn immigrants to watch their back

Malmö : Police warn immigrants to watch their back Via The Local: Police in Malmö issued a warning on Thursday urging residents with immigrant backgrounds to be extra careful when out alone at night or in the evenings. The warning comes following information released by the police on Wednesday indicating that residents with immigrant backgrounds have been targeted in a number of recent shootings, up to 15 of which the police believe may be related. Police also cautioned members of the public not to try to intervene if they witness a new shooting. "You shouldn't give chase. The first think you should think about is your own safety, then call the police," J-B Cederholm of the Skåne County police said at a Thursday press conference, according to the Kvällsposten newspaper.

 

Robert Fisk: Israel comes face to face with the man who would wipe it off the map

 

He looks like a shepherd, but he might have been the Shah. And there he was last night, the President of Iran, one of the triple pillars of the "Axis of evil", scarcely two miles from the border of that holy of holies which every American president must support – the State of Israel, or the "Jewish State of Israel", as its government claims it to be. The Shia Muslim crowds loved Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They adored him. For weeks, they had been told he was coming. Shah-like was his welcome.

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Germany: Eight charged for terrorist propaganda

Germany: Eight charged for terrorist propaganda Via CBS News: German federal prosecutors said Tuesday they have charged eight people with supporting al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations by allegedly spreading propaganda on the Internet. The suspects, aged between 17 and 30, were members of the German section of the Global Islamic Media Front, the federal prosecutors said. The charges were filed in a Munich court on Sept. 22. There was no immediate word on when a trial might open. Authorities say the group used blogs and Internet forums to spread propaganda, some of which was aimed at securing new members or supporters for al-Qaida. The alleged offenses were committed between August 2006 and March 2008. Four of them - German citizens identified only as Tarek Alexander H., Daniel P., Renee Marc S. and Jonas T. - face charges of supporting al-Qaida, al-Qaida in Iraq and Ansar al-Islam, and membership in a criminal organization.