Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Iraqi orphans face uncertain future
http://islaamdoon.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 23, 2010
As-Sunnah Newsletter: Issue 1
Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahe wa barakatu, alhamdulillah I have attached the first issue of our newsletter. I was hoping that you guys could print some off in your are and distribute it in the masjid and bookshop. Help us at Masjid as-Sunnah spread the Haqq and your reward lies with Allah, if you wish I will send you the issue every month bi'idnillah so that you can help us promote and benefit the ummah. BaarakAllahu feek
Bismillah ar Rahmaan ar Raheem
Asalamu alaykum,
Alhamdulilah some brothers and sisters from West London have put together a small 12 page newsletter aimed at providing authentic Salafi Da'wah to the "average Jaahil Muslim".
The intention is to provided basic fundamental information on topics including Aqeedah, Manhaj, Fiqh, Akhlaaq etc..
We have tried to make the information easy to digested, non-threatening and interesting. There are sections for all types of people, young, old, men and women so all are included.
You can aid us in this endeavour in the following ways
1 - Spread this via email internet, printing or however else possible (Attached are both single page and double spread (for printing) formats)
2 - Dua. that Allah aids us and guides us and the general Muslims, towards Tawheed and Sunnah and away from Shirk and Bidah.
3 - Donations are welcome and greatly needed. The Magazine costs 30p per issue to print in Black and White via professional printers in A4 size. We aim to print 500-1000 per month which will cost us £150 - £300 and distribute them to shops Masaajid and restaurants in the local area's. You can either donate one off, monthly or even have your business (non Da'wah related) sponsor us (we will put your sponsorship and business logo on the back page if you wish)
4 - Alhamdulilah we have senior brothers and sisters checking over the articles (most of which are just copied from authentic sources) but we are still open to advice and correction if you feel it is needed and we ask that Allah makes us all sincere in both advising and listening to it.
If you need to contact us the please email as-sunnah_newsletter@live.co.uk
We plead that Allah makes this a good deed for all those involved on the day of Account. Ameen
Please make du'a that Allah allows us to continue spreading this authentic da'wa and that He enables people to be sincere in spreading it with us. BaarakAllahu feekum!!!
Asalamu alaykum,
Alhamdulilah some brothers and sisters from West London have put together a small 12 page newsletter aimed at providing authentic Salafi Da'wah to the "average Jaahil Muslim".
The intention is to provided basic fundamental information on topics including Aqeedah, Manhaj, Fiqh, Akhlaaq etc..
We have tried to make the information easy to digested, non-threatening and interesting. There are sections for all types of people, young, old, men and women so all are included.
You can aid us in this endeavour in the following ways
1 - Spread this via email internet, printing or however else possible (Attached are both single page and double spread (for printing) formats)
2 - Dua. that Allah aids us and guides us and the general Muslims, towards Tawheed and Sunnah and away from Shirk and Bidah.
3 - Donations are welcome and greatly needed. The Magazine costs 30p per issue to print in Black and White via professional printers in A4 size. We aim to print 500-1000 per month which will cost us £150 - £300 and distribute them to shops Masaajid and restaurants in the local area's. You can either donate one off, monthly or even have your business (non Da'wah related) sponsor us (we will put your sponsorship and business logo on the back page if you wish)
4 - Alhamdulilah we have senior brothers and sisters checking over the articles (most of which are just copied from authentic sources) but we are still open to advice and correction if you feel it is needed and we ask that Allah makes us all sincere in both advising and listening to it.
If you need to contact us the please email as-sunnah_newsletter@live.co.uk
We plead that Allah makes this a good deed for all those involved on the day of Account. Ameen
Please make du'a that Allah allows us to continue spreading this authentic da'wa and that He enables people to be sincere in spreading it with us. BaarakAllahu feekum!!!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Obituary: President Yar'Adua
Obituary: President Yar'Adua
Yar'Adua: Taciturn, down-to-earth and not to be underestimated
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became the first civilian leader in Nigeria to take over from another after winning controversial polls in 2007.
The former chemistry teacher was also the first Nigerian leader for 40 years to be university educated.
But his academic background appears to have done little to help him on the political stage and mid-way through his first term in office, he was saddled with the nickname "Baba-go-slow".
A reclusive Muslim ex-governor from the northern state of Katsina, he promised a long list of reforms at his inauguration - tackling corruption, reforming the inadequate power sector and the flawed electoral system.
The only point on the to-do list on which he made some progress was tackling the unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
He met militant leaders and convinced them and thousands of their fighters to give up their weapons during a three-month amnesty in 2009, giving hope of peace at last for the poverty-stricken region.
'In the hands of God'
Yet the issue that occupied more column inches than anything else during his time in office was his health.
The 58-year-old had suffered from a chronic kidney condition for at least 10 years.
In the past three years he was twice flown to Germany for emergency treatment and visited hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
In November 2009 he went to a clinic in Jeddah for three months, leaving a power vacuum and intense speculation about the state of his health.
The Niger Delta was the one area in which Mr Yar'Adua made progress
His spokesman said he had pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart.
In his absence, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan became acting leader in February 2010.
Later that month, Mr Yar'Adua was thought to have returned home from Saudi Arabia to Abuja, although there was still no word on his medical condition.
In previous interviews, the president refused to say what he suffered from and repeatedly said that his life was "in the hands of God".
Although he did not prove himself a political mover and shaker, he boasted a political pedigree that dates back to the 1960s when his father was appointed as a minister in the post-independence administration.
His late elder brother - an army general - served as deputy leader when Olusegun Obasanjo was Nigeria's military ruler during the 1970s.
The pair were later imprisoned together after they were accused of plotting a coup against late military strongman Gen Sani Abacha.
Self-confessed Marxist
Mr Yar'Adua's emergence as the ruling People's Democratic Party's (PDP) candidate in the presidential election in April 2007 rested almost exclusively on the support of Mr Obasanjo - then the elected civilian president.
Nigerian presidency sources at the time said Mr Obasanjo used a mixture of inducements and threats of investigation by the anti-graft agency to persuade 10 influential state governors to withdraw from the race and back Mr Yar'Adua.
Analysts said that by backing Mr Yar'Adua to succeed him, Mr Obasanjo had hoped to continue pulling the strings after leaving office.
But it did not turn out this way and Mr Yar'Adua proved to be his own man.
Within months of taking over, he reversed some dubious privatisations of state companies approved by Mr Obasanjo when president - and he also got rid of some key Obasanjo allies in the PDP.
As an undergraduate student in Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, Mr Yar'Adua was a self-confessed Marxist and criticised his elder brother's "capitalist" leanings.
During his seven years as Katsina State governor, critics said contracts had gone to companies with links to his family's vast businesses.
Yet he was one of only a few Nigerian politicians to publicly declare their assets - twice before being sworn in as governor and then again when he became president.
He was a father of nine children - five daughters and two sons with his first wife Turai, the first lady, whom he married in 1975 - and two sons with Hajiya Hauwa, whom he married in the 1990s.
He divorced Ms Hauwa in 1997 before first running for governor.
As a governor he was known to have ignored the advice of aides and bodyguards and walked alone to tobacco kiosks to buy a single cigarette.
Described by his critics as taciturn and not known for his tolerance of opposition, Mr Yar'Adua was sometimes underestimated.
As one commentator put it at the time of his election "because he's quiet, people mistake him for a weakling. But he's someone who knows his own mind".
Controversial Facebook page blocked
Controversial Facebook page blocked
By ARAB NEWS
JEDDAH: The Communications and Information Technology Commission has blocked a controversial Facebook page that lampoons the Islamic ban on depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Facebook as well as groups protesting the page and calling for a Facebook boycott remain accessible in the Kingdom.
The page — entitled "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day!" — is based on a cartoon by Seattle-based illustrator Molly Norris.
The cartoon (which does not depict the Prophet) called for May 20 to be a day to "water down the pool of targets" by having people draw their own images. It was a reaction to a Brooklyn-based group calling itself Revolution Muslim suggested that violence "will likely happen" against Parker and Stone and provided the address for the show's production facility in California.
For her part, Norris recently issued an apology and clarified that "a stranger to me" took her cartoon and created the controversial Facebook page.
On Thursday, the artist's webpage offered a link to the "Against Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" Facebook page, which is accessible inside the Kingdom.
US artist sorry for outrageous Facebook page; Pakistan blocks YouTube as anger boils over
US artist sorry for outrageous Facebook page; Pakistan blocks YouTube as anger boils over
Pakistani Sunni Muslim burn U.S. and Norwegian flags during a protest in Lahore . (Reuters)
By AGENCIES
Published: May 20, 2010 23:54 Updated: May 20, 2010 23:54
WASHINGTON: An American cartoonist whose work inspired the outrageous page about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on Facebook has condemned the effort and issued an apology to Muslims.
Molly Norris, of Seattle, drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the US television channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popular show "South Park" over its offensive depiction of the Last Prophet.
In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as day to draw profane cartoons about the Prophet. The page quickly turned up on Facebook but Norris, writing on her website at mollynorris.com, said she had nothing to do with it.
She said her idea was satire but "was taken seriously, hijacked and made viral." "I never started a Facebook page; I never set up any place for people to send drawings to and I never received any drawings," she said.
"I apologize to people of Muslim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off," she said.
The outrageous page has led to Facebook being blocked in Pakistan and sparked angry protests and condemnation from the Foreign Ministry, which denounced the "publication of blasphemous caricatures of our Holy Prophet."
A rival Facebook page started to oppose the caricature page had drawn some 100,000 fans.
Meanwhile, Pakistan blocked YouTube and many other Internet sites on Thursday in a widening crackdown on online content deemed offensive to Islam, reflecting the government's sensitivities to an issue that has ignited protests in the Muslim country. Several thousand activists protested in three cities against the drawings and denounced the West in an expression of outrage that sparked comparisons with riots across the Muslim world in 2006 over drawings published in European newspapers.
"We are ready to die protecting the honor of our beloved Prophet Muhammad," said Aysha Hameed, one of 1,000 women protesters in Multan city.
Pakistan's Internet service providers' association said usage had dropped by about 25 percent since Wednesday.
"Such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said.
The telecommunications authority did not say what material on YouTube prompted it to block the site and more than 450 other unidentified pages, only citing "growing sacrilegious contents." Wahajus Siraj, the head of the Internet service providers' association, said the ban was because the Prophet's images were also cropping up on the video-sharing site.
BlackBerry service was halted for around 10 hours as efforts were made to stop mobile access to Facebook. The government acted against Facebook and YouTube after it failed to persuade the websites to remove the offensive material, the telecommunications authority said.
Sweden said Thursday it had closed its embassy in Islamabad for more than two weeks due to the security situation, refusing to say whether any direct threats had been issued against the mission.
Pakistani Sunni Muslim burn U.S. and Norwegian flags during a protest in Lahore . (Reuters)
By AGENCIES
Published: May 20, 2010 23:54 Updated: May 20, 2010 23:54
WASHINGTON: An American cartoonist whose work inspired the outrageous page about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on Facebook has condemned the effort and issued an apology to Muslims.
Molly Norris, of Seattle, drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the US television channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popular show "South Park" over its offensive depiction of the Last Prophet.
In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as day to draw profane cartoons about the Prophet. The page quickly turned up on Facebook but Norris, writing on her website at mollynorris.com, said she had nothing to do with it.
She said her idea was satire but "was taken seriously, hijacked and made viral." "I never started a Facebook page; I never set up any place for people to send drawings to and I never received any drawings," she said.
"I apologize to people of Muslim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off," she said.
The outrageous page has led to Facebook being blocked in Pakistan and sparked angry protests and condemnation from the Foreign Ministry, which denounced the "publication of blasphemous caricatures of our Holy Prophet."
A rival Facebook page started to oppose the caricature page had drawn some 100,000 fans.
Meanwhile, Pakistan blocked YouTube and many other Internet sites on Thursday in a widening crackdown on online content deemed offensive to Islam, reflecting the government's sensitivities to an issue that has ignited protests in the Muslim country. Several thousand activists protested in three cities against the drawings and denounced the West in an expression of outrage that sparked comparisons with riots across the Muslim world in 2006 over drawings published in European newspapers.
"We are ready to die protecting the honor of our beloved Prophet Muhammad," said Aysha Hameed, one of 1,000 women protesters in Multan city.
Pakistan's Internet service providers' association said usage had dropped by about 25 percent since Wednesday.
"Such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said.
The telecommunications authority did not say what material on YouTube prompted it to block the site and more than 450 other unidentified pages, only citing "growing sacrilegious contents." Wahajus Siraj, the head of the Internet service providers' association, said the ban was because the Prophet's images were also cropping up on the video-sharing site.
BlackBerry service was halted for around 10 hours as efforts were made to stop mobile access to Facebook. The government acted against Facebook and YouTube after it failed to persuade the websites to remove the offensive material, the telecommunications authority said.
Sweden said Thursday it had closed its embassy in Islamabad for more than two weeks due to the security situation, refusing to say whether any direct threats had been issued against the mission.
SUDAN: Key post-referendum issues
SUDAN: Key post-referendum issues
JUBA, 20 May 2010 (IRIN) - Southern Sudan will in early 2011 hold a referendum to determine whether to remain part of a united Sudan or become a separate state. The referendum was a core component of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended decades of conflict between the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Khartoum government.
Should the south choose to separate, the two sides will have to negotiate over various key issues:
Borders - Five major border areas are in dispute. The first, and perhaps most potentially explosive, is around the oil-producing region of Abyei. The region will decide in a separate referendum also in January whether to join the south or the north. The borders were outlined in a July 2009 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, but demarcation has stalled. At the same time, the northern Misseriya community, largely drawn out of Abyei under the new borders, has denounced the ruling.
According to SPLM secretary-general, Pagan Amum, four other areas are in dispute: the northern-most border separating Renk county in Upper Nile from the north's White Nile state, the borderline running north-south between the south's Unity state and the north's Southern Kordofan (this will determine who controls the Heglig oil field), whether the Bahr al-Arab river forms the exact border between the south's Bahr el-Ghazal and Darfur in the north, and which river forms the exact western-most dividing line between Western Bahr el-Ghazal and Southern Darfur.
Oil - An estimated 82-95 percent of the oil fields are in the south (depending on where the border is drawn). Oil revenue accounts for 98 percent of Southern Sudan's government revenue, and 60 percent of the national budget (according to 2008 figures). The sole export route for the landlocked south is a pipeline running to the north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Under the CPA, the two sides divide proceeds from oil pumped in the south. They will have to negotiate how to share oil revenue, as well as any user fees levied against the south for using the pipeline and refineries. The two parties must also negotiate how to honour current oil contracts.
Water - Under a 1929 agreement between Egypt (which had control over Sudan) and Britain, and a 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan, they control up to 90 percent of the water. Will Southern Sudan recognize these old treaties, or will it work with Nile basin countries in eastern Africa to work towards a "fair" accord? If it honours the colonial pacts, as it has indicated to the Egyptians, the south must then negotiate with Khartoum over what percentage of the 18.5 cubic metres of water designated to Sudan it can claim.
Nationality - The fate of southerners living in the north and northerners living in the south has to be negotiated. Questions of citizenship and rights will have to be addressed, as well as ease of travel between the two. Egypt and Sudan have signed a "Four Freedoms" agreement, granting Egyptians and Sudanese free movement, residence, work, and ownership in either of the two countries. Could something similar be decided between the north and south?
Debts and Assets - The south's share of Sudan's sizeable national debt - estimated by the International Monetary Fund in 2008 at US$34 billion - will be another issue. Analysts say the north will want a seceding south to take on a portion of its public debt burden. SPLM officials have rejected such suggestions, often accusing the north of using that borrowed money to wage war against southerners. There is also the question of national assets and the properties of state-owned companies in the south.
Currency - After the CPA, Sudan's official currency, the dinar, was replaced with the Sudanese pound. If the south secedes, will the north and south continue under the pound? A newly independent south could choose to create its own currency, or switch for a period to an established foreign currency such as the US dollar. Analysts say a decision to maintain the Sudanese pound on both sides could bond the two economies together.
International agreements - A state enters pacts every year with other countries on a variety of matters. Southern Sudan would have to decide whether to honour international agreements reached by Sudan, or whether to transfer or scrap some.
Security - The two parties must agree on what happens to key aspects of national security. They will have to decide how to demobilize the Joint Integrated Units, what would happen to the southern portion of Sudan's national intelligence apparatus, police and special security forces.
ab/eo/mw
[END]
JUBA, 20 May 2010 (IRIN) - Southern Sudan will in early 2011 hold a referendum to determine whether to remain part of a united Sudan or become a separate state. The referendum was a core component of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended decades of conflict between the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Khartoum government.
Should the south choose to separate, the two sides will have to negotiate over various key issues:
Borders - Five major border areas are in dispute. The first, and perhaps most potentially explosive, is around the oil-producing region of Abyei. The region will decide in a separate referendum also in January whether to join the south or the north. The borders were outlined in a July 2009 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, but demarcation has stalled. At the same time, the northern Misseriya community, largely drawn out of Abyei under the new borders, has denounced the ruling.
According to SPLM secretary-general, Pagan Amum, four other areas are in dispute: the northern-most border separating Renk county in Upper Nile from the north's White Nile state, the borderline running north-south between the south's Unity state and the north's Southern Kordofan (this will determine who controls the Heglig oil field), whether the Bahr al-Arab river forms the exact border between the south's Bahr el-Ghazal and Darfur in the north, and which river forms the exact western-most dividing line between Western Bahr el-Ghazal and Southern Darfur.
Oil - An estimated 82-95 percent of the oil fields are in the south (depending on where the border is drawn). Oil revenue accounts for 98 percent of Southern Sudan's government revenue, and 60 percent of the national budget (according to 2008 figures). The sole export route for the landlocked south is a pipeline running to the north to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Under the CPA, the two sides divide proceeds from oil pumped in the south. They will have to negotiate how to share oil revenue, as well as any user fees levied against the south for using the pipeline and refineries. The two parties must also negotiate how to honour current oil contracts.
Water - Under a 1929 agreement between Egypt (which had control over Sudan) and Britain, and a 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan, they control up to 90 percent of the water. Will Southern Sudan recognize these old treaties, or will it work with Nile basin countries in eastern Africa to work towards a "fair" accord? If it honours the colonial pacts, as it has indicated to the Egyptians, the south must then negotiate with Khartoum over what percentage of the 18.5 cubic metres of water designated to Sudan it can claim.
Nationality - The fate of southerners living in the north and northerners living in the south has to be negotiated. Questions of citizenship and rights will have to be addressed, as well as ease of travel between the two. Egypt and Sudan have signed a "Four Freedoms" agreement, granting Egyptians and Sudanese free movement, residence, work, and ownership in either of the two countries. Could something similar be decided between the north and south?
Debts and Assets - The south's share of Sudan's sizeable national debt - estimated by the International Monetary Fund in 2008 at US$34 billion - will be another issue. Analysts say the north will want a seceding south to take on a portion of its public debt burden. SPLM officials have rejected such suggestions, often accusing the north of using that borrowed money to wage war against southerners. There is also the question of national assets and the properties of state-owned companies in the south.
Currency - After the CPA, Sudan's official currency, the dinar, was replaced with the Sudanese pound. If the south secedes, will the north and south continue under the pound? A newly independent south could choose to create its own currency, or switch for a period to an established foreign currency such as the US dollar. Analysts say a decision to maintain the Sudanese pound on both sides could bond the two economies together.
International agreements - A state enters pacts every year with other countries on a variety of matters. Southern Sudan would have to decide whether to honour international agreements reached by Sudan, or whether to transfer or scrap some.
Security - The two parties must agree on what happens to key aspects of national security. They will have to decide how to demobilize the Joint Integrated Units, what would happen to the southern portion of Sudan's national intelligence apparatus, police and special security forces.
ab/eo/mw
[END]
DAWLADA PAKISTAN IYO WADAMA BADAN OO MUSLIM AH AYAA MAAMNUUCAAY ISTICMAALKA FACEBOOK IYO YOUTUBE
DAWLADA PAKISTAN IYO WADAMA BADAN OO MUSLIM AH AYAA MAAMNUUCAAY ISTICMAALKA FACEBOOK IYO YOUTUBE
Sabtidii ayaa Dawlada Pakistan Gabi ahaanba aay Mamnuucadaay Isticmaalka aalada facebook, iyo youtube kadib markii la soo geliayaay nebi muxumed oo cartoon lagu sameyaay iyo sawraan, hadaba iyada aay hadana ku beegnaayd maalintaani, aay ku beegan tahaay markii la sameyaay sawir lagu aflagadeeynaayo Nebi muxumed ayaa hadana waxaa la soo dhigaay Aalada facebook iyo youtube sawiraan iyo karatoon lagu aflagadeeynaayo, nebi muxumed NN kHH, hadaba qaybta Telecommunicationka Pakistan iyo wadama badan oo Islam ah ayaa xayiraay gebi aahanba aalada facebook, iyo youtube iyaga oo aan haba yaratee shaacin Inta aay qaadanaayso Mudada aay xidhnaanayaan, Khuram Ali mehran oo wax laga wediyaay, sababata loo xidhaay facebook kana shaqeeya Telecomincation ka Pakistan ayaa wuxuu sheegaay, in la soo geliyaay sawraan lagu qoraay Magaca nebi muxumed, waana sababta loo xidhaay ayuu yidhi facebook iyo Aalada youtube.
Mr Ibraahim Hooper oo ah afhayeenka Golaha xidhiidhka islaamka ee dalka maraykanka ayaa sheegaay in Fikrada ka danbaaysaah, in facebook la soo geliyo sawraan lagu aflagadeeynaayo nabiga aay tahaay
mid islaamka lagu waxyeelaynaayo, waanu rumaaysanahaay, muhamed, moses iyo jesus ba
lakiin waxaa ka danbeeyn kara dadka caabuda Asnaamtah, hadaba dawlada Pakistan ayaa xayirtaay dhamaan isticmaalka Aaladahan, iyada oo aan la garanaayn inta aay qaadaanaaysooh, lakiinse hadii raali galin laga bixiyo waxaa laga yabaah in dib loo furo, Inkastoo Mulkilayaasha Aalada facebook aay shegeen inaay 2cisho ee aay ka xidhnaayd wadamada islaamka qaarkood oo aay Pakistan ku jirto aay ku qasareen lacag gaadhaaysaa, 2million Euro.
Mahad Nuux Muumin
Pakistan Islamabad
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A WOMAN ripped an Islamic veil off the face of a fellow shopper
A WOMAN ripped an Islamic veil off the face of a fellow shopper in Europe's first known case of BURKA rage.
Both were arrested after the lawyer compared the Muslim woman to a DEMON and the face-off descended into a scrap at a French clothes store.
Racial tensions have been growing as France — home to 5,000,000 Muslims — prepares to introduce an outright ban on wearing the burka in public.
While in the shop on Saturday afternoon the woman said the ban couldn't come soon enough.
A police source said: "The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible."
The 26-year-old Muslim convert was in the store in Trignac, near Nantes, in the western Loire-Atlantique region, when she overheard the lawyer, 60, making snide remarks about her headwear.
The lawyer is believed to have linked her appearance to Belphegor, a demon thought to haunt the Louvre museum in Paris where he frequently hides his hideous features behind a mask.
As their shouting match descended into a full-blown brawl the lawyer's daughter joined in.
The police officer added: "The shop manager and the husband of the Muslim woman moved to break up the fighting.
"All three were arrested and taken to the local gendarmerie for questioning."
The warring parties have accused each other of offences — the Muslim of common assault and the lawyer of racial and religious assault.
It comes as the French parliament is set to consider a motion which describes burkas as an "affront to the nation's values".
The image of the burka in French society hasn't been helped by terrorists and criminals who some accuse of using the veil as a disguise.
A ban — which includes all religious forms of dress covering the face — is personally endorsed by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
It could be brought in as early as the autumn making France the second country to do it behind Belgium.
Breaching the law could earn Muslim men, widely thought to often force their wives to wear the burka, a year in prison or a fine of up to £14,000.
Women would get a smaller fine of around £100 because they are often seen as victims with no choice in what they wear.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2977400/First-case-of-burka-rage.html#ixzz0oL25Fh6G
Arab-Muslim discoveries and inventions on display
Arab-Muslim discoveries and inventions on display
By K.S. RAMKUMAR | ARAB NEWS
Published: May 19, 2010 00:04 Updated: May 19, 2010 00:04
JEDDAH: A global traveling exhibition showcasing Arab and Muslim discoveries and inventions enriched by Saudi Arabia is to open in Canada on Wednesday.
The exhibition — titled Sultans of Science — has been created by Dubai and Cape Town based MTE Studios and is to be showcased at the TELUS World of Science in Edmonton, Canada.
Researched and manufactured by MTE Studios, the exhibition celebrates the contribution of Arab and Muslim scholars to science and technology during the first Golden Age of the Islamic World and the influence of their discoveries and inventions on contemporary society. The exhibition covers Arab and Muslim scientific endeavors in architecture, the arts, astronomy, engineering, exploration, flying, mathematics, medicine and optics.
Visitors will be able to see numerous inventions brought to life through more than 40 interactive exhibits and giant functional replicas that use cutting-edge technology to recreate the ingenuity of a golden age.
MTE Studios has also played a major role in the design, manufacture and installation of numerous interactive exhibits at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. Recently, the multidisciplinary team delivered a turnkey museum on Islamic science for the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
"It's a unique exhibition, which not only provides visitors with an insight and rediscovery of missing history, but also sends a powerful and positive message to the world about the way we evaluate history, bridge cultural gaps and realize the need to embrace multicultural knowledge," said MTE Studios CEO Ludo Verheyen.
"We are delighted to host Sultans of Science in Alberta," said George Smith, president and CEO of TELUS World of Science, Edmonton.
"Our many members and visitors always respond well to high-quality exhibitions that engage them on many levels, and this one certainly fits that bill. It shines a light on both a region and a time of rich scientific development that many of us are unaware of, and helps us realize how interconnected our histories and our cultures really are."
In addition to the design of galleries and the development, design, prototyping and manufacture of exhibitions, MTE Studios also offers operational planning and training for science centers and museums. Sultans of Science has traveled to global venues including the MTN Sciencecentre in Cape Town, South Africa; the Liberty Science Center, New Jersey, USA and the Ontario Science Center.
"The exhibition has had an overwhelming response from visitors at the previous venues in the United States. We have had tremendous interest from museums and science centers across the globe including Europe and Asia and we envision the exhibition traveling all around the world," added Verheyen.
IRAN NUCLEAR FUEL DEAL COULD BE A POSITIVE STEP, SAYS BAN
IRAN NUCLEAR FUEL DEAL COULD BE A POSITIVE STEP, SAYS BAN
New York, May 18 2010 6:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the initiative by Brazil and Turkey regarding nuclear fuel for an Iranian reactor could be a positive step, and underscored the need for bolstered transparency to help resolve concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme.
His comments come on the same day that members of the Security Council are holding closed-door talks on imposing new United Nations sanctions against Iran.
Under the agreement brokered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Iran will ship its low-enriched uranium out of the country in exchange for high-enriched uranium for use at a civilian nuclear research site in Tehran, media reports say.
Iranian authorities hold that the country's activities are for peaceful purposes, while some nations contend they are driven by military ambitions. In 2003 it was discovered that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA) has repeatedly stated that it cannot confirm that all Iran's nuclear material is for peaceful activities because the country has not provided the necessary cooperation.
Mr. Ban, according to his spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, believes that enhanced openness is crucial in alleviating concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, with the new deal possibly helping build confidence about its nuclear activities if also followed by broader engagement with the IAEA and with the international community.
The IAEA has received the text of the Joint Declaration signed yesterday by Iran, Brazil and Turkey, and the Agency is awaiting written notification from Tehran that it agrees with the relevant provisions in the agreement.
The Secretary-General, Mr. Nesirky said, looks forward to the IAEA's assessment on the substantive elements of the Declaration.
"He also urges once again that Iran comply fully with the relevant Security Council resolutions and provide cooperation to the IAEA to the fullest extent to resolve all the outstanding concerns over its nuclear programmes."
This development comes as more than 100 nations are continuing their five-yearly review conference of the NPT to discuss how to further full implementation and enhance the universality of the pact.
On the first day of the gathering, Mr. Ban personally urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to restore international trust in the peaceful nature of his country's nuclear programme by adhering to the resolutions of the Security Council and the IAEA.
At a meeting requested by Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Secretary-General urged the resumption of talks between Iran and a group of six countries – China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.
In his opening remarks to the NPT conference, Mr. Ban stressed that it was up to Iran to take the initiative. "Let me be clear: the onus is on Iran to clarify the doubts and concerns of its programme," he said.
In response, Mr. Ahmadinejad told the conference no credible proof had been provided that Iran had anything but peaceful intentions.
The Security Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iran, including a ban on all items which could contribute to the country's enrichment of uranium, a necessary step for both peaceful and militaristic uses of nuclear energy, and arms sales and a freeze on assets.
Last October, a draft agreement on fuel for a civilian nuclear research site in Tehran was put forward in which Iranian low-enriched uranium would be shipped for further enrichment to Russia and then on to France to be fabricated into fuel, but Iran has yet to approve the deal.
May 18 2010 6:10PM
New York, May 18 2010 6:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the initiative by Brazil and Turkey regarding nuclear fuel for an Iranian reactor could be a positive step, and underscored the need for bolstered transparency to help resolve concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme.
His comments come on the same day that members of the Security Council are holding closed-door talks on imposing new United Nations sanctions against Iran.
Under the agreement brokered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Iran will ship its low-enriched uranium out of the country in exchange for high-enriched uranium for use at a civilian nuclear research site in Tehran, media reports say.
Iranian authorities hold that the country's activities are for peaceful purposes, while some nations contend they are driven by military ambitions. In 2003 it was discovered that Iran had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA) has repeatedly stated that it cannot confirm that all Iran's nuclear material is for peaceful activities because the country has not provided the necessary cooperation.
Mr. Ban, according to his spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, believes that enhanced openness is crucial in alleviating concerns over Iran's nuclear programme, with the new deal possibly helping build confidence about its nuclear activities if also followed by broader engagement with the IAEA and with the international community.
The IAEA has received the text of the Joint Declaration signed yesterday by Iran, Brazil and Turkey, and the Agency is awaiting written notification from Tehran that it agrees with the relevant provisions in the agreement.
The Secretary-General, Mr. Nesirky said, looks forward to the IAEA's assessment on the substantive elements of the Declaration.
"He also urges once again that Iran comply fully with the relevant Security Council resolutions and provide cooperation to the IAEA to the fullest extent to resolve all the outstanding concerns over its nuclear programmes."
This development comes as more than 100 nations are continuing their five-yearly review conference of the NPT to discuss how to further full implementation and enhance the universality of the pact.
On the first day of the gathering, Mr. Ban personally urged Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to restore international trust in the peaceful nature of his country's nuclear programme by adhering to the resolutions of the Security Council and the IAEA.
At a meeting requested by Mr. Ahmadinejad, the Secretary-General urged the resumption of talks between Iran and a group of six countries – China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.
In his opening remarks to the NPT conference, Mr. Ban stressed that it was up to Iran to take the initiative. "Let me be clear: the onus is on Iran to clarify the doubts and concerns of its programme," he said.
In response, Mr. Ahmadinejad told the conference no credible proof had been provided that Iran had anything but peaceful intentions.
The Security Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iran, including a ban on all items which could contribute to the country's enrichment of uranium, a necessary step for both peaceful and militaristic uses of nuclear energy, and arms sales and a freeze on assets.
Last October, a draft agreement on fuel for a civilian nuclear research site in Tehran was put forward in which Iranian low-enriched uranium would be shipped for further enrichment to Russia and then on to France to be fabricated into fuel, but Iran has yet to approve the deal.
May 18 2010 6:10PM
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
NY man said to use computer skills to aid Al-Qaeda
NY man said to use computer skills to aid Al-Qaeda
By BASIL KATZ | REUTERS
NEW YORK: A New York man accused of helping Al-Qaeda with computer systems and cash was denied bail on Monday in a New York court.
Sabirhan Hasanoff, 34, a dual US and Australian citizen who owns a home in Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on April 30 and charged with conspiracy to provide material support to Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, according to a US District Court indictment.
Another New York man, Wesam El-Hanafi, was arrested and charged in the same indictment, and is currently detained pending an appearance in Manhattan federal court later this week. Both men are accused of pledging allegiance to Al-Qaeda and using their computer expertise to aid the group.
After hearing from prosecutors and Hasanoff's attorney Anthony Ricco, US Magistrate Judge James Francis placed Hasanoff in detention without bail, deeming his "level of sophistication" too big a risk.
Hasanoff pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Al Qaeda was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that included strikes on the World Trade Center in New York with hijacked airliners that killed almost 3,000 people. Another hijacked plane hit the Pentagon in Washington and a fourth was brought down in a Pennsylvania field.
Prime asset
Ricco said his client, an accountant, had been a group chief financial officer for a Dubai-based company for 3-1/2 years and that his extensive travel was strictly business.
Assistant US Attorney John Cronan argued Hasanoff "turned to Al-Qaeda in this very city where he lived and embraced its extremist ideology and radical goals."
Prosecutors said they had a witness who would testify against Hasanoff if the case goes to trial.
Hasanoff's "advanced computer knowledge," as well as his two passports, made him a prime asset to the radical network, Cronan said.
Among Cronan's accusations were that Hasanoff held coded online chats with El-Hanafi discussing fighting overseas, bought e-mail encryption software and watches intended to be used as explosives timers, made international wire transfers to Al-Qaeda militants, traveled to Yemen in 2008 where he met Al-Qaeda members and agreed to work for the group.
He visited Yemen, Syria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey among other places, Cronan said.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sudan arrests Islamist opposition leader Turabi
Sudan arrests Islamist opposition leader Turabi
By REUTERS
KHARTOUM: Sudanese security forces arrested Islamist opposition leader Hassan Al-Turabi at his home, a month after Africa's largest country held its first open elections in 24 years, party officials said on Saturday.
"The security authorities came to his house and they took him," Turabi's deputy Ibrahim el-Senoussi told Reuters. "We want to know why."
Turabi, who was close to President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir before a bitter power struggle and split in 1999/2000, has been in and out of jail since he formed his Popular Congress Party.
"They were armed - they came with at least three armed vehicles and other cars - we could not see them all," his daughter Salma Hassan told Reuters. "They left the house here at half past midnight (2130 GMT)."
The arrest could raise tensions post elections. Turabi's party was one of the few opposition groups which participated in the vote, which many others boycotted over fraud concerns.
After the vote Turabi accused Bashir's ruling National Congress Party of rigging the vote.
Also on Saturday tensions rose in Darfur after a government offensive ousted Darfur's most militarily powerful rebel group from their West Darfur stronghold Jabel Moun, killing 108 rebels and taking 61 prisoners, according to the army.
The insurgent Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) dismissed reports saying they had vacated the area days earlier to spare civilians.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)