Terror at dawn

Arab News Editorial: Terror at dawn

Israel has once again shown its true colors to the world with its murderous piracy in international waters.

What Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has so rightly called "a massacre" saw the death of at least 10 peace activists on board the lead ship of the six-vessel Freedom Flotilla and the injury of scores others, as heavily armed Israeli commandos seized the convoy and sailed it toward their port of Ashdod. Israeli sources put the toll at nine. The full details of this outrage are not yet clear since the Israeli authorities are censoring all reports and used sophisticated jamming technology to halt media broadcasts from the vessels as they were assaulted. The truth will only become known when 700 journalists and peace activists are released and can give their testimony.

Meanwhile, the world is appalled at this blatant and deadly act of piracy. Governments around the globe are demanding an explanation for this crime and a full investigation of what occurred. International fury has only been increased by the threadbare excuses the Israelis have trotted out in an attempt to justify this carnage. According to them, they opened fire in self-defense when they were attacked with sticks and knives and two pistols as their commandos surged aboard the aid ships. Two pistols — against dozens of heavily armed Israeli soldiers who proceeded to shoot at least 19 people dead. What were the peace activists doing — passing the two pistols to each other with their dying breath? This was surely cold-blooded murder on the high seas, an international crime, which demands the highest penalty for those who planned and carried it out.

Israeli spokesmen were yesterday protesting they had to stop the Freedom Flotilla otherwise it would have breached their blockade and reached Gaza carrying weapons for Hamas fighters, as well as the 10,000 tons of aid that activists insist was the convoy's only cargo. Given the news blackout, the Israelis will have plenty of time to ensure that when the ships' holds are inspected, probably with orchestrated publicity, some weapons will indeed be found. Such a "discovery" would provide some sort of smokescreen for the brutal violence of their piracy. However the international community is unlikely to be taken in, even though planted weapons might provide a fig leaf for Washington.

Netanyahu was last night returning to Israel from Canada having canceled his planned White House meeting with President Barack Obama. So far the US administration has said only that it "deeply regrets" the loss of life. This is a completely inadequate response to a brazen crime.

If the Israelis were intent on maintaining their illegal blockade of the 1.4 million Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Ghetto, there were other less deadly ways of stopping the Freedom Flotilla. They had sufficient notice to prepare booms or nets to entangle propellers and immobilize the convoy. They did not have to board with guns blazing and cause such a bloodbath.

This was Israel once again at its most violent and unacceptable worst with vicious behavior that demands utter condemnation as well as real sanctions from the international community.

Sweden: The anti-Catholic cartoon

Sweden: The anti-Catholic cartoon Tvärdrag, the paper of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League (SSU), published a cartoon in their latest edition, portraying the Pope as a pedophile. The Catholic Church in Sweden is not happy, and Johan Ingerö, editor of the liberal magazine Neo, has lodged a complaint about the cartoon to the Chancellor of Justice. This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com Daniel Suhonen, Tvärdrag editor, explains it wasn't meant as an accusation against the Pope, and that there's a political conspiracy against the attacks within the Catholic Church. Suhonen thinks that freedom of speech should be inviolable, but he wouldn't have reasoned the same way if it concerned Muslims and not Catholics. "In Sweden Catholics are not a vulnerable group, but Muslims are a group which is vulnerable to Islamophobia," he says. The Catholics claim in return that they are vulnerable (they're a minority in Sweden made up mostly of immigrants). The cartoon can be viewed here.

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France: Police fear having to enforce veil ban

France: Police fear having to enforce veil ban If the French parliament approves the law to ban the burka, the police will be asked to enforce it, Justice Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, told Le Parisien. Alliot-Marie said they rely on the police, the French Council of the Muslim Faith and the municipalities to educate those women and explain to them that wearing the veil violates the principles of the Republic. Yannick Danio, national delegate for the Unité SGP-Police union, says it's laughable, and like a number of his colleagues, he wonders how the law would be enforced. This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com While ticketing doesn't pose any particular problem, how to stop the offense? If he asks a veiled woman to remove her veil, it won't pass without incident, he says. Frédéric Lagache, secretary general of the Alliance union also thinks so. The police will be used as scapegoats, he says. Neither can imagine asking a veiled women to remove her veil outside a mosque. And what would he do with women from the Emirates staying over at the Ritz, Yannick Danio asks ironically. Frédéric Lagache insists that the police are there to enforce the law and that they're outside the context of the legislator. In the preceding example, he tried to reassure himself, the woman will end up moving away from the mosque. But Yannick Danio insists that guidelines would be needed. In 90% of the cases, he said, it will lead to a clash. There will be many who refuse, which will degenerate into insults, and so to contempt, which is an offense, followed by police custody, with the families outside the police station. It will take on enormous proportions. Already now, there are guidelines in some areas to hold off to avoid explosions, a policeman told Rue 89. This is what happens in the suburbs (banlieus) with the drug traffickers, clarifies Frédéric Lagache. Provoking public disorder helps them maintain their territory. He says that if the law is passed, women who wear the veil will be manipulated by fundamentalist associations and movements. They will pass a message to create an incident and to deliberately cause trouble. Concerned about the eventual application of such a law, its consequences and the defense of his colleagues, Frédéric Lagache responds with one word: [good] judgment. To protest these women, but also to protect law enforcement agents from possible excessive actions. Source: Le Monde (French)

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Amsterdam: Sharia court now in session

Amsterdam: Sharia court session now open The De Balie center in Amsterdam is organizing a Sharia court session for the public as part of their 'Justice for All' series. The court is supposed to give people insight into the workings of Sharia law. This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com From their site: Sharia courts in the Netherlands are a nightmare for many Dutch. Meanwhile, they're already popping up in the UK and Canada. Is it possible that Sharia would be introduced in the Netherlands? And are Sharia courts really so undesirable or do they deserve a place next to our existing justice system? On June 8th, De Balie will produce a real Sharia court. You could bring cases before the court. The case would then be settled by authorized Sharia judges.

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Israeli military kills 10 on aid flotilla

Israeli military kills 10 on aid flotilla

An Israeli naval security boat, center, secures the entrance to the port of Ashdod in the Mediterranean Sea, southern Israel, Monday, May 31, 2010. The Israeli military says more than 10 pro-Palestinian activists have been killed after attacking naval commandos who were halting an aid flotilla heading toward the blockaded Gaza Strip. The army says dozens of people were wounded, both soldiers and activists, and it is evacuating the casualties from the Mediterranean by helicopter. (AP)

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: May 31, 2010 10:35 Updated: May 31, 2010 16:45

JERUSALEM: Israeli commandos on Monday stormed six ships carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on an aid mission to the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens after encountering unexpected resistance as the forces boarded the vessels.

The operation in international waters off the Gaza coast was a nightmare scenario for Israel that looked certain to further damage its international standing, strain already tense relations with Turkey and draw unwanted attention to Gaza's plight.

The two sides offered conflicting accounts of what happened.

A reporter on one of the boats said the Israelis fired at the vessel before boarding it, and the Israelis said they only opened fire after being attacked by activists with sticks, knives and live fire.

Israeli security forces were on alert across the country.

The activists were headed to Gaza on a mission meant to draw attention to a 3-year-old Israeli blockade of the coastal territory. Israel imposed the blockade after Hamas militants took power there.

"It's disgusting that they have come on board and attacked civilians. We are civilians," said Greta Berlin, a spokeswoman for the Free Gaza movement, which organized the flotilla.

Speaking from the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus, she said she had lost contact with the flotilla at about 3:30 a.m. (0030 GMT).

Israel had declared it would not allow the ships to reach Gaza and had offered to transfer the aid to Gaza from an Israeli port. Israeli naval commandos raided the ships while they were in international waters after ordering them to stop about 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Gaza's coast, according to a pro-Palestinian activist in Greece involved in the aid mission.

A Turkish website showed video of pandemonium on board one of the ships, with activists in orange life jackets running around as some tried to help an activist apparently unconscious on the deck. The site also showed video of an Israeli helicopter flying overhead and Israeli warships nearby.

Turkey's NTV showed activists beating one Israeli soldier with sticks as he rappelled from a helicopter onto one of the boats.

The Al-Jazeera satellite channel reported by telephone from the Turkish ship leading the flotilla that Israeli navy forces fired at the ship and boarded it, wounding the captain.

"These savages are killing people here, please help," a Turkish television reporter said.

The broadcast ended with a voice shouting in Hebrew, "Everybody shut up!" The Israeli military said troops only opened fire after encountering unexpected resistance from the activists.

Activists attacked troops with knives and iron rods, and one activist wrested a serviceman's weapon.

A total of four soldiers were wounded, including at least one hit by live fire, the army said. Two of the dead activists had fired at soldiers with pistols, the army said.

"They planned this attack," said Israeli military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovitch. "Our soldiers were injured from these knives and sharp metal objects ... as well as from live fire." The ships were being towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod, and the wounded were evacuated by helicopter to Israeli hospitals, officials said. Sporadic clashes were still going on at midmorning.

There were no details on the identities of the casualties, or on the conditions of some of the more prominent people on board, including 1976 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Northern Ireland, European legislators and Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, 85.

Satellite phones on board the ships were turned off, and communication with a small group of reporters embedded with the Israeli military was blocked.

The Free Gaza Movement is an international group of pro-Palestinian activists that claims the blockade, imposed three years ago after the militant Islamic Hamas group overran Gaza, is unjust and a violation of international law.

Organizers included people affiliated with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group that often sends international activists into battle zones, and the IHH, a Turkish aid group that Israel accuses of having terrorist links.

News of the attack sparked violent protests in Turkey, which had unofficially supported the aid mission and has been vocally critical of Israeli military operations against Palestinians in Gaza.

Police blocked dozens of stone-throwing protesters who tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul. The CNN-Turk and NTV televisions showed dozens of angry protesters scuffling with Turkish police and shouting, "Damn Israel." The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli raid and said it was summoning the Israeli ambassador for an "urgent explanation." It says Israel violated international law and will suffer consequences.

The flotilla of three cargo ships and three passenger ships carrying 10,000 tons of aid and 700 activists was carrying items that Israel bars from reaching Gaza, like cement and other building materials. The activists said they also were carrying hundreds of electric-powered wheelchairs, prefabricated homes and water purifiers to the territory's 1.5 million residents.

"We did not want to see confrontation," said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in Ontario at the time of the raid.

"We made repeated offers to the boats that they come to the (Israeli) port of Ashdod unload the humanitarian cargo, and we guaranteed to pass all humanitarian items through the crossings to the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, they rejected our offers and chose the path of confrontation." The head of the Gaza Hamas government, Ismail Haniyeh, condemned the "brutal" Israeli attack.

"We call on the secretary-general of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, to shoulder his responsibilities to protect the safety of the solidarity groups who were on board these ships and to secure their way to Gaza," Haniyeh told The Associated Press.

The violent takeover threatened to deal yet another blow to Israel's international image, already tarnished by war crimes accusations in Gaza and its three-year-old blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory.

The flotilla began the journey from international waters off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday afternoon after two days of delays.

After nightfall Sunday, three Israeli navy missile boats left their base in Haifa, steaming out to sea to confront the ships. Two hours later, Israel Radio broadcast a recording of one of the missile boats warning the flotilla not to approach Gaza.

"If you ignore this order and enter the blockaded area, the Israeli navy will be forced to take all the necessary measures in order to enforce this blockade," the radio message continued.

This is the ninth time that the Free Gaza movement has tried to ship in humanitarian aid to Gaza since August 2008.

Israel has allowed ships through five times, but has blocked them from entering Gaza waters since a three-week military offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers in January 2009.

The latest flotilla was the largest to date.

Israel faces child-abuse claims - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

An international children's rights charity has said it has evidence that Palestinian children held in Israeli custody have been subjected to sexual abuse in an effort to extract confessions from them.

The Geneva-based Defence for Children International (DCI) has collected 100 sworn affadavits from Palestinian children who said they were mistreated by their Israeli captors.

Fourteen of the statements say they were sexually abused or threatened with sexual assault to pressure them into confessions.

Read More:

Israel faces child-abuse claims - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

UK-based TV slammed over sacrilege

UK-based TV slammed over sacrilege  

Monday, May 31, 2010 The Somali armed group al-Shabab has suspended all relations with the London-based Universal TV for showing sacrilegious cartoons disrespecting Islam's Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).  Spokesman for the group Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Raghe criticized Universal TV on Monday for deliberately showing insulting material targeting Islam's prophet, a Press TV correspondent reported.  The measure taken by the UK-based channel is part of a campaign against Islam, the al-Shabab spokesman explained about the Somali language broadcaster which is viewed across Somalia by satellite.  According to Raghe, the Information Section of al-Shabab has made a decision to cease cooperation with the Somali-language television.  The al-Shabab official went on to call on the broadcaster to apologize for the insult.  Somalia has been lacking a functioning central government since warlords toppled President Siad Barre in 1991.  Al-Shabab fighters control large parts of the capital, Mogadishu and have been fighting over the control of southern regions including the port city of Kismayo.

SECRETARY-GENERAL 'SHOCKED' BY DEADLY RAID ON GAZA AID FLOTILLA

SECRETARY-GENERAL 'SHOCKED' BY DEADLY RAID ON GAZA AID FLOTILLA
New York, May 31 2010 12:10PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his shock at the deadly raid on boats loaded with relief supplies headed for Gaza, calling on Israel to fully explain its actions.

According to media reports, early this morning in international waters, Israeli forces raided the six-ship aid convoy, also carrying hundreds of activists, with more than ten people having been killed.

"I condemn this violence," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/offthecuff.asp?nid=1433">said from Kampala, Uganda, where he presided over the first review conference of the International Criminal Court (<"http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC?lan=en-GB">ICC).

"It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place," he said. "I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation."

The Security Council is scheduled to meet this afternoon to discuss the incident, and Mr. B
an said that the League of Arab States could also be holding an urgent session on the matter.

Last week, his spokesperson's office strongly urged that "all involved act with a sense of care and responsibility and work for a satisfactory resolution" on the issue of the aid convoy.

The United Nations has repeatedly spoken out against the closure of Gaza and raised concern over the insufficient flow of material into the area to meet basic needs and spur reconstruction. Mr. Ban cautioned in a recent meeting that the closure "creates unacceptable suffering, hurts forces of moderation and empowers extremists."

Also speaking out against today's raid was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, who <"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true">emphasized that "nothing can justify the appalling outcome of this operation."

Calling for a probe into the incident, she underscored the need for accountability.

"I unequivocally condemn what appears to be
disproportionate use of force, resulting in the killing and wounding of so many people attempting to bring much-needed aid to the people of Gaza, who have now been enduring a blockade for more than three years," Ms. Pillay said.

She called on the Israeli Government to heed the "almost unanimous international view that the continued blockade of Gaza is both inhumane and illegal."

The blockade, the High Commissioner pointed out, "lies at the heart of so many of the problems plaguing the Israel-Palestine situation, as does the impression that the Israeli Government treats international law with perpetual disdain."

Without the blockade, she noted, "there would be no need for flotillas like this."

For his part, Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, <"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=10080&LangID=E">said that "Israel is guilty of shocking behavior by using deadly weapons against unarme
d civilians on ships that were situated in the high seas where freedom of navigation exists, according to the law of the seas."

He echoed the calls by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for an investigation into today's incident, stressing that it is "essential that those Israelis responsible for this lawless and murderous behavior, including political leaders who issued the orders, be held criminally accountable for their wrongful acts."

Mr. Falk characterized the blockade of Gaza as a "massive form of collective punishment" that is tantamount to a crime against humanity.

"Unless prompt and decisive action is taken to challenge the Israeli approach to Gaza all of us will be complicit in criminal policies that are challenging the survival of an entire beleaguered community," he said.

May 31 2010 12:10PM

Mental disorders climb in US Army

Mental disorders climb in US Army

New figures released by the Pentagon show a significant spike in the number of US soldiers diagnosed with and treated for serious mental disorders. 

For the first time, more US soldiers are hospitalized for serious mental disorders from their military service than for injuries and battlefield wounds, according to new medical data released by the Pentagon. 

In 2009, there were 17,538 US soldiers put into hospitals for mental health problems compared to 17,354 for battle wounds and injuries sustained during military service. 

The revelation cast a harsh spotlight on the problems that have been simmering for years in Washington since the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan that have left numbers of soldiers frustrated. Many of them, who are now veterans of two wars, have found themselves incapable of even leading a normal life when they come home. 

Numbers head back -- not only with physical injuries from Afghanistan and Iraq but also with psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, drug abuse, depression, anxiety and difficulty readjusting to civilian life, Press TV reported. 

Meanwhile , both the Pentagon and the US Department of Veterans' Affairs have voiced grave concerns over the operating costs of treating those suffering from mental disabilities. The treatment appears to have busted the Pentagon budget with Pentagon chief Robert Gates saying: "it is costing way too much." 

The US Secretary of Defense also admits that the healthcare costs are 'eating the Defense Department alive,' and much of it involves expensive military psychiatrists and psychologists, who have had to be hired to deal with it. 

Multiple deployments of the troops and heavy pressure upon the forces in places, in which the population is not very friendly, are all contributing to the spike in mental health disorders, according to the Pentagon medical report. 

"People don't want to concentrate on the stress, this shows the logical result of that years-long policy", Carl Osgood of the Executive Intelligence Review told Press TV correspondent Mike Kellerman in Washington. 

Pentagon figures also indicate that one out of every 10 US Marines is hospitalized for mental disorders with similar numbers in the Navy and Air Force. 

Ten percent of those returning soldiers will end up in medical treatment centers for mental problems; those are the lucky ones that don't kill themselves. 

"There will be more soldiers this year to commit suicide than did last year, and last year was the worst year since the Army started tracking the statistics, so that is just the most serious marker of the overall decline of the mental health situation." Carl Osgood added. 

The US Army, which has undertaken the bulk of the ground missions in Afghanistan and now has nearly 140, 000 of its troops in Afghanistan and Iraq , had 10,222 mental health hospitalizations last year, which added up to 90 percent of all army hospitalizations. 

The rising number of mentally unstable former soldiers is playing havoc with their social life when they come home. 

"This has been the reason for the number of murders committed by veterans, because they basically went off the deep end" said Mr. Osgood. 

The latest suicide rate figures in the US military are the highest since the closing days of the Vietnam War in the mid 1970s. 

Mental health care accounted for 40 percent of all the days spent in hospitals last year by members of the US military and 5 percent of those stays lasted more than a month. 

The US military has recently complained about the $ 3000 a day cost to treat a mentally wounded soldier. 

The Pentagon hospital bill has mushroomed to a level never seen before. 

HA/TG/MB
Tue, 18 May 2010 07:55:59 GMT
New figures released by the Pentagon show a significant spike in the number of US soldiers diagnosed with and treated for serious mental disorders. 

For the first time, more US soldiers are hospitalized for serious mental disorders from their military service than for injuries and battlefield wounds, according to new medical data released by the Pentagon. 

In 2009, there were 17,538 US soldiers put into hospitals for mental health problems compared to 17,354 for battle wounds and injuries sustained during military service. 

The revelation cast a harsh spotlight on the problems that have been simmering for years in Washington since the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan that have left numbers of soldiers frustrated. Many of them, who are now veterans of two wars, have found themselves incapable of even leading a normal life when they come home. 

Numbers head back -- not only with physical injuries from Afghanistan and Iraq but also with psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress syndrome, drug abuse, depression, anxiety and difficulty readjusting to civilian life, Press TV reported. 

Meanwhile , both the Pentagon and the US Department of Veterans' Affairs have voiced grave concerns over the operating costs of treating those suffering from mental disabilities. The treatment appears to have busted the Pentagon budget with Pentagon chief Robert Gates saying: "it is costing way too much." 

The US Secretary of Defense also admits that the healthcare costs are 'eating the Defense Department alive,' and much of it involves expensive military psychiatrists and psychologists, who have had to be hired to deal with it. 

Multiple deployments of the troops and heavy pressure upon the forces in places, in which the population is not very friendly, are all contributing to the spike in mental health disorders, according to the Pentagon medical report. 

"People don't want to concentrate on the stress, this shows the logical result of that years-long policy", Carl Osgood of the Executive Intelligence Review told Press TV correspondent Mike Kellerman in Washington. 

Pentagon figures also indicate that one out of every 10 US Marines is hospitalized for mental disorders with similar numbers in the Navy and Air Force. 

Ten percent of those returning soldiers will end up in medical treatment centers for mental problems; those are the lucky ones that don't kill themselves. 

"There will be more soldiers this year to commit suicide than did last year, and last year was the worst year since the Army started tracking the statistics, so that is just the most serious marker of the overall decline of the mental health situation." Carl Osgood added. 

The US Army, which has undertaken the bulk of the ground missions in Afghanistan and now has nearly 140, 000 of its troops in Afghanistan and Iraq , had 10,222 mental health hospitalizations last year, which added up to 90 percent of all army hospitalizations. 

The rising number of mentally unstable former soldiers is playing havoc with their social life when they come home. 

"This has been the reason for the number of murders committed by veterans, because they basically went off the deep end" said Mr. Osgood. 

The latest suicide rate figures in the US military are the highest since the closing days of the Vietnam War in the mid 1970s. 

Mental health care accounted for 40 percent of all the days spent in hospitals last year by members of the US military and 5 percent of those stays lasted more than a month. 

The US military has recently complained about the $ 3000 a day cost to treat a mentally wounded soldier. 

The Pentagon hospital bill has mushroomed to a level never seen before. 

HA/TG/MB

Saudi officer in World Cup terror 'plot'

Saudi officer in World Cup terror 'plot'

Mon, 17 May 2010 17:19:26 GMT

F

Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassem Atta holds up an image of Abdullah al-Qahtani.

A high-ranking army officer from Saudi Arabia has been accused of planning an attack during the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, an Iraqi official says. 

Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta said Monday Colonel Abdullah al-Qahtani participated in the planning of a terrorist act in South Africa. 

Iraqi police arrested Qahtani two weeks ago. He was also in charge of security for the terror network in Baghdad, General Atta said. 

He declined to give more details on the plot, AFP reported. 

The Saudi national entered Iraq in 2004 and was involved in militant operations in the northern towns of al-Qaim and Husayba. 

In 2007, Qahtani was detained by the US military under the false name Muzawar al-Shammari and was released last year. 

He also took part in the planning of a series of attacks on Baghdad hotels in January, which killed 36 people, and in the organization of blasts in December that killed 127 people in the Iraqi capital, the report added. 

AGB/MD/MMN

West is unfair to Iran: Erdogan

West is unfair to Iran: Erdogan

Sun, 30 May 2010 02:01:46 GMT

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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (r) and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that the approach the West has taken over the Tehran declaration is not fair and sincere. 

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency on the sidelines of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, Erdogan criticized Western leaders for backpedalling from conditions they had set for Iran after Turkey and Brazil secured those terms in the accord and for their silence about the undeclared nuclear arsenal of Israel. 

Erdogan said he and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would maintain diplomatic efforts to gather support for the nuclear fuel swap declaration. 

He went on to say that he would most probably discuss the issue with US President Barack Obama during the G-20 summit in Canada next month. 

Erdogan hit back at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said on Thursday that the Brazilian-Turkish mediation effort's effect of "buying time for Iran… makes the world more dangerous, not less." 

"The step that we took is not one that puts the world in danger. On the contrary, it is a step to prevent attempts to put the world in danger," AFP quoted Erdogan as saying. 

"We have said it from the very beginning — we do not want nuclear weapons in our region," he added. 

The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed a declaration in the Iranian capital on May 17 that commits Tehran to deposit 1,200 kilograms (2,640 pounds) of its low-enriched uranium in Turkey that would be exchanged for 120 kilograms of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel for the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment. 

Iran, which is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, says its nuclear activities are totally peaceful and International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have never found any evidence of diversion in Iran's nuclear program. 

And Tehran has always emphasized that access to civilian nuclear technology is the inalienable right of all IAEA members and all NPT signatories. 

AS/MTM/HGL 

Pakistan's Facebook ban drives minister to Twitter

Pakistan's Facebook ban drives minister to Twitter

Pakistani protesters in Hyderabad on Wednesday burn US, Israeli and Danish flags during a rally to condemn a page on social networking website Facebook that encourages users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan will restore access to YouTube but will block videos offensive to Muslims that are posted on the video-sharing site, the government said Wednesday. (AP)

By CHRIS ALLBRITTON | REUTERS

Published: May 26, 2010 21:22 Updated: May 26, 2010 21:23

ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan banned Facebook in a bid to stop it hosting "blasphemous" pictures of Prophet Mohammad, the country's interior minister found a new way to get his online fix. He jumped on Twitter.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said his son told him that if he couldn't get on Facebook, where he has his own page which hosts pictures of dignitaries and has 691 fans, he should Tweet.

"Only a few days back I came in (as a Twitter user). I like it," Malik told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "There are lot of questions, are you real, are you fake?"

Malik already has more than 270 followers, according to his page (including this correspondent), far less than the "countless" ones he said he had after only a few days. Many people writing to him question if indeed the account is real (it is) or complain that he should be governing instead of tweeting. Malik's tweets give no hint the digital hecklers bother him. He calls for unity in the face of violence in Karachi and comments on how nice it is to meet so many women parliamentarians from around Asia. He also freely engages with his followers, an unusual practice in Pakistan's stratified political culture.

"Thank you for your appreciation," Malik wrote to one well-wisher. "I will hunt the terrorists to their demise."

"I do not devise economic or monetary policy," he replied to another, questioning an increase in fees and taxes.

While he declined to criticize the decision to ban Facebook and other websites, he said he hoped that a solution could be worked out soon that pleased most people.

"I think we should be open-minded," he said.

Pakistan last week blocked the popular social networking site Facebook indefinitely because of an online competition to draw Islam's prophet. Any representation of the Prophet Mohammad is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous by Muslims. YouTube and about 1,000 other sites have been blocked for the same reason.

The publications of cartoons of the prophet in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked deadly protests in Muslim countries. About 50 people were killed during violent protests in Muslim countries in 2006 over the cartoons, five of them in Pakistan.

Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad in 2008, killing six people, saying it was in revenge for publication of the caricatures.

History is in the hands of our future

History is in the hands of our future

The Qur'anic text in the above painting reads: "O ye who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you..." (Surat Al-Nisa: 59)
1 of 2

By MARRIAM MOSSALLI, MARRIAM.MOSSALLI@ARABNEWS.COM

Published: May 26, 2010 19:05 Updated: May 26, 2010 19:05

Tajammul Hussain is not just an artist; he is an illuminator, in all sense of the word. While his masterpieces shed light on the sacred words of the Holy Qur'an, he sheds light on the academic significance of art in our history and future.

"The difference between history, legend and myth is historical evidence," reveals Tajammul. "If you wipe out this evidence, then you wipe out history. Consequently, history becomes legend and legend turns into myth."

Tajammul stresses that the Islamic world needs to look ahead and realize the importance of conserving our history. "It is the same way that Ibn Muqla in the 10th century systemized calligraphy based on the 'sacred geometry,'" explains Tajammul. "He was far-sighted." Ibn Muqla saw that over years, the script could potentially be manipulated to the point where the words could be misread and thus misinterpreted. Therefore, rules were needed to ensure uniform understanding and consistent respect to the subject.

Tajammul's techniques are of the old masters, yet his juxtaposition of styles is anything but. "My work is timeless because it is rooted in tradition, yet it is very contemporary," he adds. "It is an act of devotion and glorification of the sacred word."

Tajammul hopes that his work will inspire the youth of today and inject the Holy Qur'an into our daily lives. "My work is to be meditated on. There is a reason behind each color and each symbol. It's not just aesthetics; there is a scholarly purpose behind them."

For example, his painting, "Iqra" (which means "read") depicts the four Arabic letters painted in blood-red with shell gold leaf mountains in the background. "The moment Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw the apparition of Gabriel was not a calm or pleasant one," explains Tajammul. "According to the Qur'an, (Surat Al-Qalam), the Prophet thought he was going mad. So I depicted this moment through the illumination of the words and the colors and symbols used."

The Middle East needs incentives that educate individuals on the traditional techniques as well as the historical purpose behind each symbol and color. "Incentives in this traditional school of illumination are needed, as it reveals so much of our history and heritage," states Tajammul.

The Barakat Trust, a UK registered non-profit organization, is one example. Since 1987, the Barakat Trust has been providing financial support to individuals so they may pursue the study and research of both material and visual cultures of the Islamic world. This assistance is granted to enable students and scholars to continue to add to the body of Islamic scholarship while enhancing the possibilities of cross-cultural understanding and tolerance.

"Unfortunately, the majority of knowledge on Islamic art is held by Western specialists, and sometimes, they make mistakes because they are not of this tradition," reveals Tajammul. "Western institutions, including auction houses, are telling the world what they should like or not like. And, quite often, Arabs look to the West for validation, when this shouldn't be the case since Westerners are promoting commercialized and 'Westernized' Arab art."

The Arab world needs to increase its patronage of traditional art. It is a way of keeping our history and passing it onto future generations. Some of the world's biggest financial institutions own some of the most elaborate art collections, yet the Arab world — except for perhaps Qatar — have yet to catch onto this trend. Even Qatar spends millions of US dollars on contemporary art that the Western world has labeled valuable, often ignoring the Islamic artists who specialize in traditional modes of expression.

There are only a handful of experts from the Islamic world, and Tajammul hopes the new emerging generation continues to inquire about and research its artistic heritage and history. "I hope they will pick up the torch from where we have left off," states Tajammul. "We all have a responsibility."

Tajammul will be discussing how illumination is a language and not merely a decoration in his one-hour lecture titled "Language of Illumination through the Centuries of the Qur'an" on May 29 at Athr Gallery at 11 a.m. He will be speaking on the usage of pattern, color and design to reaffirm and illustrate the complexity and depth of the Qur'anic Verses. The lecture will also highlight key symbols like the shamsah, shujairah, five, six and eight-pointed stars and their meanings, development and usage from the Othmanic codices in 650 A.D. to modern times.

For more information:

Contact Athr Gallery on 02-2845009 or 056-8658888

or e-mail them at info@athrart.com

Kingdom-born foreigners demand citizenship

Kingdom-born foreigners demand citizenship

By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: A group of non-Saudi nationals who were born in the Kingdom have come together to launch a new Internet site to demand citizenship or permanent iqamas and express their love and loyalty to the Kingdom.

"Our commitment to the Kingdom is eternal. We have become part of the Saudi social fabric," say the founders of www.Mawaleed.net.

The youngsters say they consider themselves "an integral part of Saudi society," speak fluent Arabic and have adopted local culture and customs. "What ties us to the Kingdom is more stronger than what ties us to our original homes from which our fathers and grandfathers came," said the founders in a statement on the site.

The founders describe their forum as "a tree" under which they meet to express their love and commitment to Saudi Arabia, the country where they were born, grew up in and studied.

"The forum was established in response to calls by a number of foreigners born in the Kingdom to present their case and talk about their concerns," the statement said, adding that foreigners born in the Kingdom represent a huge chunk of Saudi society and are very Saudi in their attitude and behavior.

"Our wish to remain in the Kingdom goes beyond the tenure of the iqama. Though we do not have citizenship papers, we feel like real citizens of this great country. We believe that citizenship is a feeling of belonging and not confined to identity papers," the statement said.

The site has been established through private efforts and does not receive any financial support from anywhere. The founders also called on members to firmly commit themselves to Saudi laws.

AZERBAIJAN: UN RIGHTS EXPERT ON DISPLACED PERSONS URGES PROGRESS IN PEACE PROCESS

AZERBAIJAN: UN RIGHTS EXPERT ON DISPLACED PERSONS URGES PROGRESS IN PEACE PROCESS
New York, May 28 2010  3:10PM
Progress is needed in the ongoing peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region so that internally displaced persons (IDPs) can find a durable solution to their predicament, an independent United Nations human rights expert has said.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which was an autonomous region during Soviet times, has been at the centre of a dispute between the neighbouring countries since they became independent in the early 1990s.

"Despite efforts to improve conditions, internal displacement in Azerbaijan has lasted too long," Walter Kälin, the Secretary-General's Representative on the Human Rights of IDPs, said in a statement issued on Tuesday in the capital, Baku. "It is necessary to come to a peace agreement to restore the human rights of internally displaced persons.

"I urge the international community to actively renew and strengthen their efforts to facilitate the speedy adoption of a peace agreement, and to ensure that in this process the human rights of internally displaced persons are addressed, in particular their right to voluntary return in safety and dignity," he said after wrapping up an official visit to Azerbaijan – his first to the Caucasus country since 2007.

"This protracted displacement of more than 18 years that has now affected several generations – and, which despite Government efforts, is continuing to cause much human suffering – has no place in Europe," the Secretary-General's Representative stressed.

During his visit to Azerbaijan Mr. Kälin met with President Ilham Aliyev as well as a series of senior Government ministers, the national ombudsperson, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and representatives of the international community. He also visited locations where IDPs are living, such as Baku, Beylagan and the Lachin winter grounds in Aghjabedi.

Mr. Kälin said Azerbaijan had made important achievements in housing for IDPs, the construction of educational facilities for them and improving their access to health care in rural areas.

"I commend the authorities for their commitment and encourage them to continue and reinforce their efforts, with particular focus on improving the very difficult living conditions in urban collective centres."

Mr. Kälin also noted that the Azerbaijani Government was moving to build new apartments in urban areas for IDPs.

However, he added that he was concerned about the risk of future evictions in urban areas, particularly as a result of privatization or public construction works.

"It is key that internally displaced persons be provided with adequate notice, housing alternatives and assistance in such situations."

In addition, Mr. Kälin emphasized the need for appropriate assistance to vulnerable groups, such as female-headed households, the elderly and the disabled, and for greater job opportunities for IDPs.
May 28 2010  3:10PM
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