Kosovo Debate

Kosovo Debate

On Tuesday morning (21 August), the Council held its quarterly debate on the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The Special Representative and head of UNMIK, Farid Zarif, is set to brief Council members during the open session and present the Secretary-General’s most recent report (S/2012/603). Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić is expected to speak, accompanied by Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić. (In the past, President-elect of the General Assembly and former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić has represented Serbia during these debates.) Kosovo will be represented by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi. It is unlikely that Council members will push for any outcome in the wake of the debate.

Council members seem particularly interested in hearing from Prime Minister Dačić, who assumed his position on 27 July. (The EU-led dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has essentially been on hold in recent months while a new Serbian government was formed.) Council members will be keen to hear the new government’s statements on the problematic implementation of agreements between Serbia and Kosovo, such as the one allowing for the participation of both Belgrade and Pristina in regional meetings.

The Secretary-General’s report of 3 August addresses a number of recurring issues which Council members are likely to consider, some of which were raised in consultations on 17 July. Several Council members have noted that the latest UNMIK report seems to be more critical of the Kosovar authorities than in the past and will be keen to hear Zarif’s analysis of recent developments. For example, in reporting on an incident on the Serbian St. Vitus Day holiday on 28 June, the report indicated that Kosovo police officers may have responded with disproportionate force and that there may have been “deficient operational planning” in a separate incident on the same day. In addition, the report calls into question the Kosovo police’s “institutional capacity” to manage tensions.

Another issue likely to be a focus of Council attention is the role of Pristina’s institutions in northern Kosovo, which is predominantly inhabited by Kosovo Serbs. Since 6 July, an administrative office run by the Kosovo authorities has been operating in north Mitrovica, although many Kosovo Serbs see it as illegitimate. The report observes that outreach by the Pristina institutions towards the population in the north is essential but also expresses concern about UNMIK funds earmarked for northern Kosovo being used to support the office run by Pristina. This matter plays into the wider issue of the end of Kosovo’s “supervised independence” and the Kosovo authorities’ position that Kosovo ought to be treated as other sovereign states.

Traditional divisions in the Council among permanent members are likely to emerge during the debate on Tuesday. Among the elected members, there is again likely to be concern from some about the reported attacks on minorities, particularly against Serbs in Kosovo, and the issue of the apparent reduction in returnee numbers. Others, including those who are involved in the NATO-led Kosovo Force and involved in EULEX, are likely to refute some of the accusations concerning attacks against Serb interests in Kosovo and emphasise the positive and responsible role that EULEX is playing on the ground.

On the recurring issue of organ trafficking, some members might allude to insufficient information on the EULEX Special Investigative Task Force’s investigations (the annex to the latest UNMIK report contains one page on this issue). If the matter is raised, there are likely to be familiar arguments presented on both sides. On one hand, there is seemingly a minority on the Council who believe the matter should come under UN auspices and, on the other, members who consider that these serious allegations are already being appropriately and impartially dealt with and that the ongoing investigation should be allowed to run its course.



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CLASHES IN LEBANON HAMPERING RELIEF OPERATIONS TO ASSIST REFUGEES – UN AGENCY

CLASHES IN LEBANON HAMPERING RELIEF OPERATIONS TO ASSIST REFUGEES – UN AGENCY
New York, Aug 24 2012 11:10AM
The deteriorating security situation in Lebanon this week has made it increasingly difficult to provide assistance to thousands of Syrians seeking asylum in the neighbouring country, the United Nations refugee agency said today.

"Clashes between rival neighbourhoods in Tripoli continue, and this has affected the pace of registration from our newly established centre in the city," a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Adrian Edwards, <"http://www.unhcr.org/503761699.html">told a media briefing in Geneva.


"The registration centre was open until yesterday with reduced staff as about half of them live in areas affected by shooting. Today, however, we've had to close the centre temporarily for security reasons," Mr. Edwards said, adding that UNHCR would continue its operations despite the security challenges.

Syria has been wracked by violence, with an estimated 17,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 17 months ago. According to media reports, fighting between supporters and opponents of the Syrian Government in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has killed more than 12 people this week, and there has been an increase in tensions in other parts of the country, such as the northern city of Tripoli.

The registration of refugees has also been affected in the Bekaa valley, located along the border with Syria in eastern Lebanon, in the wake of recent kidnappings of Syrians in the area. "As a protection measure for the refugees, we are avoiding large gatherings of Syrians at registration and distribution points in some areas though assistance continues in a modified way," Mr. Edwards said.

Some 51,000 Syrians have registered or applied to register with UNHCR in Lebanon. One of the refugee agency's key concerns is to identify and rehabilitate alternative shelters for the growing number of people staying in schools, which are due to resume classes next month.

Mr. Edwards said the refugee agency has identified abandoned schools and hopes to relocate some 500 people in the Bekaa valley in the coming fortnight. "Across Lebanon, UNHCR has been continuing its back-to-school drive and yesterday met with school directors in Halba Public School in the north to identify places for refugee children," he said.

Overall, the total number of Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration with UNHCR currently stands at 202,512.

UNHCR is also continuing its operations in Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Syria, the spokesperson added. In Turkey, the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees, seven new camps are being built, which will bring the total number of camps to 16, with a capacity to hold 130,000 people.

Meanwhile, the influx of refugees continues in Jordan and Iraq, where UNHCR is working on improving conditions in camps to give people access to basic services such as electricity.

In addition, the spokesperson said, the agency continues its work in Syria itself, despite an escalation in military activity in the capital, Damascus, which has restricted staff movements and the ability of refugees to access the UNHCR office.

"Our hotlines continue to operate giving counselling to refugees who enquire about relocation, food distribution, financial assistance, residency issues, registration and resettlement," Mr. Edwards said. "Relief items like hygiene kits and mattresses are being distributed to displaced people via our partners."
Aug 24 2012 11:10AM

The True Bond of Faith

The True Bond of Faith


Author: Commentary by Sayyid Qutb

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent

We had indeed given Moses the Book, so that they might be guided.

And We made the son of Mary and his mother a symbol, and provided for both an abode in a lofty place of lasting restfulness and a fresh spring.

Messengers! Eat of that which is wholesome, and do good deeds: I certainly have full knowledge of all that you do. This community of yours is one single community, and I am your only Lord. Therefore, fear Me alone. But people have divided themselves into factions, each delighting in what they have.

(The Believers, Al-Muminoon: 23: 49-53)

Surah Al-Muminoon makes only brief references to past messengers and how they were received by their peoples. In one instance, the messenger is not mentioned by name, but a brief account, similar in some details to the account given just before it of Noah and the insolent reception his people gave him. We know that in other surahs detailed accounts of earlier prophets and their communities’ reactions to their messages are given, sometimes covering a messenger’s whole history and at others focusing on a particular aspect of the relationship. Each time the account given and the treatment of the story are made to fit the overall theme and objective of the surah in which it occurs. In this surah the accounts we have of the prophets mentioned are all very brief.

The surah mentions Moses and his brother Aaron were sent to Pharaoh and his people. This is followed by a similarly brief reference to Jesus and his mother, highlighting the great miracle in his creation without having a father. Again, those who were bent on denying the truth of God and creation rejected this sign clearly pointing to God’s power: “We had indeed given Moses the Book, so that they might be guided. And We made the son of Mary and his mother a symbol, and provided for both an abode in a lofty place of lasting restfulness and a fresh spring.”

We have different reports about the hill described here as a “lofty place” and its exact location. Was it in Egypt, Damascus or Jerusalem? These were the places where Mary went with her son in his childhood and youth, as mentioned in Christian Scriptures. But knowing the exact location is not of vital importance. It is more important to know that God gave them both a goodly abode where fine plants grow and clear water is plentiful. Thus, they felt that God was taking care of them both.

At this point in the quick references to earlier messengers the surah makes its address to the followers of all messengers, as though they were all gathered together. Thus, the separating gulfs of time and place are shown to be meaningless when compared to the true bond of faith that unites them all: “Messengers! Eat of that which is wholesome, and do good deeds: I certainly have full knowledge of all that you do. This community of yours is one single community, and I am your only Lord. Therefore, fear Me alone.”

The address to the messengers requires them to live as human beings, which is the very thing that those who opposed them questioned: “Eat of that which is wholesome.” Eating is a human need, but choosing only what is wholesome is the aspect that elevates human beings and makes them grow in purity and able to establish a bond with the Supreme Society.

They are also required to “do good deeds.” While taking action is common to all human beings, insisting on doing good is the characteristic of goodly people, providing a measure of control and a clear goal for their deeds. Again such people look up to the Supreme Society when they embark on doing what they want to do.

No messenger of God was ever required to abandon his humanity. What they were asked to do was to elevate this humanity to the highest standard God has made possible for human beings to achieve. Thus, the prophets provided the role model and the ideal which other people should try to emulate. It is left to God to judge their actions according to His own fine measure: “I certainly have full knowledge of all that you do.”

An emphasis is placed on the fact that neither time nor place is of any significance when compared with the single truth that all messengers preached. They all shared a very distinctive nature, were given their messages by the One Creator of all, and worked toward the same goal: “This community of yours is one single community, and I am your only Lord. Therefore, fear Me alone.”

Thus the second passage of the surah ends after having given these short accounts of God’s messengers, stressing the unity of all believers. The third passage begins with showing the state mankind reached after those messengers. This is the state God’s last messenger found them in. They were in dispute over the single truth preached by all God’s messengers in all periods.

The surah shows people oblivious of the truth the final messenger put before their eyes. In their ignorance, they were totally unaware of the consequences they were bound to face. By contrast, believers worship God alone, do good deeds and remain apprehensive of what lies before them. They are in awe over the fact that they will inevitably be returned to God. The two situations are in perfect contrast: A believer is alert, cautious and heeding the warnings, while an unbeliever is deep in ignorance, unaware of what lies ahead. “But people have divided themselves into factions, each delighting in what they have. So, leave them alone, lost in their ignorance, till a time appointed.”

The passage addresses them in different ways, at times denouncing their attitude, and at others discussing their doubts and providing clear answers to them. The passage also addresses their finer nature, pointing out what encourages people to believe whether it be within themselves or in the universe at large. It also picks up some of what they take for granted, using these as argument against them.

As the passage concludes, it leaves them to their inevitable destiny. It tells the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he should continue his efforts, explaining his message. He should not be in distress over their obstinate rejection. He should repel their evil deeds with good ones, and seek refuge with God against Satan who tries hard to lead mankind along the path of clear error.

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Inching toward the true faith

Inching toward the true faith

ARAB NEWS

Friday 24 August 2012

Margaret Marcus, an ex-Jew, describes how a fellow Jewish classmate accepts Islam. Margaret also embraced Islam later. This is the second part of her story.
IT was in Professor Katsh's class that I met Zenita, the most unusual and fascinating girl I have ever met. The first time I entered Professor Katsh's class, as I looked around the room for an empty desk in which to sit, I spied two empty seats, on the arm of one, three big beautifully bound volumes of Yusuf Ali's English translation and commentary of the Holy Qur'an. I sat down right there, burning with curiosity to find out to whom these volumes belonged. Just before Rabbi Katsh's lecture was to begin, a tall, very slim girl with pale complexion framed by thick auburn hair sat next to me. Her appearance was so distinctive, I thought she must be a foreign student from Turkey, Syria or some other Near Eastern country. Most of the other students were young men wearing the black cap of Orthodox Jewry, who wanted to become rabbis. We two were the only girls in the class. As we were leaving the library late that afternoon, she introduced herself to me. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family, her parents had migrated to America from Russia only a few years prior to the October Revolution in 1917 to escape persecution. I noted that my new friend spoke English with the precise care of a foreigner. She confirmed these speculations, telling me that since her family and their friends speak only Yiddish among themselves, she did not learn any English until after attending public school. She told me that her name was Zenita Liebermann, but recently, in an attempt to Americanize themselves, her parents had changed their name from "Liebermann" to "Lane." 

Besides being thoroughly instructed in Hebrew by her father while growing up and also in school, she said she was now spending all her spare time studying Arabic. However, with no previous warning, Zenita dropped out of class, and although I continued to attend all of his lectures to the conclusion of the course, Zenita never returned. Months passed and I had almost forgotten about Zenita, when suddenly she called and begged me to meet her at the Metropolitan Museum and go with her to look at the special exhibition of exquisite Arabic calligraphy and ancient illuminated manuscripts of the Qur'an. During our tour of the museum, Zenita told me how she had embraced Islam with two of her Palestinian friends as witnesses.
I inquired, "Why did you decide to become a Muslim?" She then told me that she had left Professor Katsh's class when she fell ill with a severe kidney infection. Her condition was so critical, she told me, her mother and father had not expected her to survive. "One afternoon while burning with fever, I reached for my Holy Qur'an on the table beside by bed and began to read and while I recited the verses, it touched me so deeply that I began to weep and then I knew I would recover. As soon as I was strong enough to leave my bed, I summoned two of my Muslim friends and took the oath of the "Shahadah" or Confession of Faith."
Zenita and I would eat our meals in Syrian restaurants where I acquired a keen taste for this tasty cooking. When we had money to spend, we would order Couscous, roast lamb with rice or a whole soup plate of delicious little meatballs swimming in gravy scooped up with loaves of unleavened Arabic bread. And when we had little to spend, we would eat lentils and rice, Arabic style, or the Egyptian national dish of black broad beans with plenty of garlic and onions called "Ful".

While Professor Katsh was lecturing thus, I was comparing in my mind what I had read in the Old Testament and the Talmud with what was taught in the Qur'an and Hadith and finding Judaism so defective, I was converted to Islam.
My increasing sympathy for Islam and Islamic ideals enraged the other Jews I knew, who regarded me as having betrayed them in the worst possible way. They used to tell me that such a reputation could only result from shame of my ancestral heritage and an intense hatred for my people. They warned me that even if I tried to become a Muslim, I would never be accepted. These fears proved totally unfounded as I have never been stigmatized by any Muslim because of my Jewish origin. As soon as I became a Muslim myself, I was welcomed most enthusiastically by all the Muslims as one of them. I did not embrace Islam out of hatred for my ancestral heritage or my people. It was not a desire so much to reject as to fulfill. To me, it meant a transition from parochial to a dynamic and revolutionary faith.

Although I wanted to become a Muslim as far back as 1954, my family managed to argue me out of it. I was warned that Islam would complicate my life because it is not, like Judaism and Christianity, part of the American scene. I was told that Islam would alienate me from my family and isolate me from the community. At that time my faith was not sufficiently strong to withstand these pressures. Partly as the result of this inner turmoil, I became so ill that I had to discontinue college long before it was time for me to graduate. For the next two years I remained at home under private medical care, steadily growing worse. In desperation from 1957 - 1959 my parents confined me both to private and public hospitals where I vowed that if ever I recovered sufficiently to be discharged, I would embrace Islam.
After I was allowed to return home, I investigated all the opportunities for meeting Muslims in New York City. It was my good fortune to meet some of the finest men and women anyone could ever hope to meet. I also began to write articles for Muslim magazines.

When I embraced Islam, my parents, relatives and their friends regarded me almost as a fanatic, because I could think and talk of nothing else. To them, religion is a purely private concern which at the most perhaps could be cultivated like an amateur hobby among other hobbies. But as soon as I read the Holy Qur'an, I knew that Islam was no hobby but life itself!

— To be continued
— Courtesy of www.islamreligion.comhttp://MuslimWindow.blogspot.com/

Obama Rabbis Must Disavow Anti-Zionist

Obama Rabbis Must Disavow Anti-Zionist

Jonathan S. Tobin | 

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/08/23/rabbis-for-obama-must-disavow-anti-zionist-lynn-gottlieb/ 

Given that the majority of American Jews are loyal Democrats, it is neither surprising nor unusual that the Obama campaign would be able to assemble a large list of rabbis who endorsed the president’s re-election. But the Obama campaign, which has been falling over itself in the last several months to try and prove the dubious assertion that the incumbent is Israel’s best friend ever to sit in the White House, now finds itself in an embarrassing position as it turns out that a prominent member of the “Rabbis for Obama” who are being heralded by Democrats as truly representing Jewish opinion is an advocate for a well-known anti-Israel group.

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb is a member of the advisory board and rabbinical council of Jewish Voices for Peace, a nice-sounding title for a far-left radical group that opposes Israeli self-defense, supports the boycott of Israel (and by this, they mean all of Israel, not just the settlements) and promotes an idea of peace in which Arab refugees may swamp Israel consistent with its indifference to the survival of it as a Jewish state. Obama’s partisan opponents at the Republican Jewish Coalition are making a meal of Gottlieb’s inclusion in the Obama list. But that leaves the rest of the rabbis for Obama with a tough question. Do they really want to include among their number someone who is opposed to Zionism and outside even the parameters of what the left-wing lobby J Street would consider “pro-Israel?”



Gottlieb, who can be viewed endorsing the boycott of Israel here, previously earned the opprobrium of the Jewish community by speaking at a 2007 dinner in New York for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Anti-Defamation League lists Jewish Voices for Peace as one of the “top ten anti-Israel groups” in the nation.

Of course, Rabbis for Obama is free to offer membership to anyone it wants. But if it is going to be used by the president and his party as a prop in their effort to persuade wavering Jewish voters that they can rely on Obama to stick by Israel, then its roster ought to consist of rabbis who actually do support the Jewish state. If a notorious anti-Zionist like Gottlieb is a member in good standing of Rabbis for Obama, it raises the question of what exactly the group stands for? How can it put itself forward as proof of the American Jewish community’s trust in President Obama as a faithful friend of the Jewish state when it is willing to embrace a leader of the movement to vilify Israel?

The point here is that even those who call for inclusion of left-wing groups that often protest Israeli policies like J Street in community councils, understand that Jewish Voices for Peace is beyond the pale. Any group that includes it or its leaders can’t be considered pro-Israel. Is that the message Democrats want to be putting out about its rabbinical front group?http://MuslimWindow.blogspot.com/

Assad's Aleppo backers abandon him, some shift support, cash to rebels in risky gamble

Assad's Aleppo backers abandon him, some shift support, cash to rebels in risky gamble

More ByTucker Reals, Khaled Wassef-cbsnews


A Syrian rebel sits in a van in Aleppo, Aug. 19, 2012. (Credit: Getty)

(CBS News) LONDON - Eighteen months after anti-Assad street protests spiraled into all-out civil war, sources inside Aleppo tell CBS News that many of the business leaders, scholars and other prominent figures in Syria's largest city, who have backed President Bashar Assad and his family for decades, no longer see a future under his rule.

CBS News has learned that at least 48 of Aleppo's elite, calling themselves the "Front of Aleppo Islamic Scholars" (FAIS) - which has a Facebook page established just last year - have hand-picked a provisional city council to take over Aleppo when Assad loses his grip on the country - and they are gambling on one of the many rebel groups fighting in the city to become its eventual protectors.

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A document obtained by CBS News details the various duties of the provisional administration's 18 members. This city government-in-waiting includes doctors, engineers, tradesmen and university professors, each tasked according to their knowledge and experience.

"The main objective for forming such a government is to fill in the administrative vacuum in the city and unite the efforts of revolutionary forces," says the document, indicating that while Assad ostensibly may still be in charge of Syria, his government is no longer able to run Aleppo to the satisfaction of its civic leaders.

The document, provided to CBS News by a trusted opposition source, lays out the new 18-member council, listing some of its members by name, others only by initials. Many of them will have been ardent supporters of the Assad regime, and with the fight for the city so far from over, some may still be backing his rule, in their official capacities, at least.

The defenders of Aleppo

Crucially, the document from FAIS states that one of the rebel factions fighting in the city, the al-Tawheed Brigades, has been entrusted with Aleppo's security. According to the document, the brigades' task now is to unite the other factions across the city to beat Assad's forces out of Aleppo, and then keep the city secure once they're gone.

"The management of the military operations goes to the leader of al-Tawheed Brigades, as the most prominent fighting group," reads the document, which has not been disseminated publicly. "As soon as all the other fighting factions are united, the management of the military operations would then be transferred to the higher military command."

FAIS has placed a great deal of faith in the hands of the Tawheed Brigades, perhaps because the scholars see no better option, but tapping the faction to act as the defenders of Aleppo is a decision which comes with baggage, and possible ramifications down the road.

The Brigades is comprised of smaller rebel fighting groups, including a significant number of former pro-Assad militias (shabiha) which have switched sides having seen their payment from the regime dry up. The Tawheed is one of about five large rebel factions fighting in Aleppo.

It is undoubtedly the group with the biggest public profile, having produced virtually all of the online videos to emerge from the city, which often depict fighters marching defiantly through the streets after apparent victories or crouching behind walls to take aim at unseen regime forces.

The Tawheed is also the best-connected of Aleppo's rebel armies. They come from the rural districts to the north of the city - the districts through which the vast majority of the weapons, ammunition and money from abroad reach Aleppo via Turkey. The group has alleged connections to Turkish intelligence.

They are also strong in number - claiming to be the largest of the factions fighting in Aleppo. With the only available evidence - the many videos the Tawheed Brigades produce - seeming to back this claim, and with their control over the supply route from Turkey, they may have been the logical choice for FAIS.

An opposition united, for now


A commander from another of Aleppo's rebel groups, however, based in the east of the city, tells CBS News that the Tawheed Brigades' claims are exaggerated. He says the brigades make up just 15 to 20 percent of the rebels in the city, and that men from its ranks are to blame for the looting and crime which has left many local residents distrustful, even disdainful, of the rebels on the whole.

Asked about those allegations, Abu Majid, a Tawheed Brigades commander in Aleppo, tells CBS News "there have been acts of looting and pillage in Aleppo, but those were individual incidents and not a general trend, and they are not limited only to Tawheed Brigades."

"Tawheed Brigades enrolled many fighters when it moved into the city from the northern provinces; We had to do that in order to be able to cover the large areas of the city. But in doing so, we couldn't carry out the necessary checks on the background of each group of fighters."

Majid said the issue was being addressed with the formation of a security committee, "tasked with policing the various fighting groups on the ground and making sure that criminal activities are stopped."

the commander from the other rebel group also says the Brigades - which, according to its own leaders and according to the document composed by FAIS,should be acting as distributors of ammunition and weapons to the other groups as the clashes with their common enemy flare up around the city - is cooperating only on its own terms.

He tells CBS News that a fight to maintain a foothold in the Salaheddine district earlier this month was lost to Assad's forces because the Tawheed Brigades would not heed requests from the local rebel group for more ammunition. He says the local group even offered to hand over their positions in Salaheddine to the Brigade to continue the fight, but they declined.

His account is lent credence by rebel fighters who told a CBS News crew as they left the Salaheddine battle that they had to abandon the fight when ammunition ran out.

The loss was called a tactical retreat by rebel leaders, but it served the Assad regime a fresh propaganda victory to show they were reclaiming territory in the vital city.

The Tawheed brigade is composed largely of farmers and other men from the rural northern districts of Aleppo. Other factions are made up of more religiously motivated subgroups. Each has its own identity and motivations. Right now, they appear to be working more or less in unison against Assad's forces, but it's clear the various groups will not always see eye-to-eye.

Backing from FAIS will channel more funding - local funding from Aleppo's business elite who are keen to ensure their interests are protected in the post-Assad era - directly to the Tawheed Brigades. But other groups in the city are still fighting independently, still managing to rearm, and they won't necessarily be eager to embrace the Tawheed as their new commanders when the common enemy is defeated.

The battle for control of Aleppo may rage on, even after Assad falls.

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Syria: Medecins Sans Frontieres's secret hospital

Syria: Medecins Sans Frontieres's secret hospital
Medecins Sans Frontieres has been secretly operating a field hospital in Syria for the last two months, with doctors performing hundreds of life saving operations on those caught up in the conflict, the organisation disclosed.

Medical personnel from Medecins Sans Frontieres operating on a patient in Syria Photo: REUTERS



By Ruth Sherlock

8:00PM BST 21 Aug 2012



The state-of-the-art medical centre, which is equipped with an emergency room, operating theatre, and resuscitation area, was built in a rebel-held area in the country’s north. It opened its doors in late June after many months of planning and difficult missions to smuggle the medical equipment into the country


A team of seven MSF medics, including surgeons and anaesthetists, together with 50 Syrian staff, has been working there to provide emergency medical care to casualties of the war raging in Syria’s second city of Aleppo — the focus of the country’s civil war — and the surrounding provinces.


The complex is disguised so that from the outside, it looks no different to a civilian home. Its precise location is being kept secret amid fears it could be targeted by regime forces.


MSF however, decided to go public about its existence yesterday to highlight what the charity described as the “desperate” health situation in Syria and to appeal for help to end the conflict there.


“Really, enough is enough. Both [the Syrian regime and the opposition] are increasingly relying on violence to achieve their aims,” said Brian Moller, an emergency room coordinator and anaesthetist nurse for MSF, who led the hospital team for the month of July.

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“The health situation in Syria is desperate. We need to open up humanitarian access routes, especially to Aleppo. It is time to speak up and say we need a political solution.”

The centre, which has been declared illegal by the Syrian regime, has so far carried out 150 operations on wounded rebel fighters and civilians, including women and children. Wounds inflicted on victims of the violence have worsened since the July rebel bomb attack that killed members of President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle.

The charity, also known Doctors Without Borders, said it was seeing more injuries from tank shelling, aerial bombardment and heavy artillery than at any other time during the 17-month conflict, which has already killed 18,000 people.

“The natures of the injuries [that we are seeing] are horrific,” Mr Moller added. “This is not your Hollywood gunshot wound through the shoulder. We have victims of tank fire, cannon shells, aerial bombardments.”

Many of the deaths in Syria have been the result of poor access medical care, with patients often having to make the gruelling journey across the Syrian border into neighbouring countries for treatment.

“Both the civilians and Free Syrian Army rebels that I spoke to in Syria want to know where the world is,” continued Mr Moller. Even in terms of medical response there has been almost no intervention. “MSF is the only foreign aid agency that has maintained a presence on the ground in Syria,” he said.

US officials yesterday said that the Syrian conflict had turned Syria into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, exacerbated by attacks on aid workers.

“There are 2.5 million people in need of aid now inside Syria, and 1.2 million have been displaced from their homes,” said a senior State Department official.



http://MuslimWindow.blogspot.com/

Six million foreign pilgrims performed Umrah

Six million foreign pilgrims performed Umrah



Crowds fill the Grand Mosque during Eid prayer. (AN photo by Ahmad Hashad)





JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS

Around six million foreign pilgrims have traveled through the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah during this year to perform Umrah, said Abdul Hameed Abalarry, director of the airport, yesterday. “One hundred Umrah flights have departed from the Haj Terminal daily since 27th of Ramadan till last Saturday and this number will rise up to120 during the coming three days,” Abalarry said. He spoke about the coordination between the Haj Ministry and the General Authority of Civil Aviation in dispatching pilgrims to the airport, saying the ministry has agreed not to send any pilgrim to the airport without confirmed booking. GACA officials at the Haj Terminal’s entrance make sure that only those pilgrims with confirmed booking are allowed to enter the airport in order to avoid overcrowding of passengers. Various government departments such as police, traffic and aviation are working together for the smooth departure of pilgrims.

“The pilgrims from GCC countries are leaving through the airport’s North and South Terminals,” one official said. This will reduce the rush at the Haj Terminal, he added.
Meanwhile, Al-Madinah Arabic daily reported yesterday that a huge number of pilgrims have thronged the Haj Terminal awaiting for their return flights. The paper carried photos of pilgrims sitting and lying in the premises of the airport. It said many pilgrims had expressed their dissatisfaction over the delay in return flights. Essam Fouad Noor, executive director of KAIA, said that the number of pilgrims departed from the airport reached 78,765. KAIA is one of the biggest airports in the Kingdom, which receives flights from all over the world. It is the main gateway of pilgrims coming for Haj and Umrah.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian Airlines said it would operate 384 flights to transport returning Umrah pilgrims. “Saudia’s top management gives utmost importance to the transportation of pilgrims. It has introduced an independent sector for Haj and Umrah service,” said Walid Al-Oloumi, acting EVP for public relations at the airlines.
He said the new department would conduct studies on markets that send a large number of pilgrims for Haj and Umrah and set out strategies to improve services to pilgrims by operating more flights. Al-Oloumi said the completion of KAIA’s expansion within the next two years would bring about dramatic improvement in Saudia’s services. He said the airline has set out a big plan for the peak Umrah season during Ramadan. “We have mobilized all our resources to serve the guests of God,” he added.

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Eid in Pakistan, India on Monday

Eid in Pakistan, India on Monday

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/eid-in-pakistan-india-on-monday-2012-08-18-1.471919

Eid Al Fitr in Pakistan and India will be celebrated on Monday as Shawal moon was not sighted on Saturday evening.

According to moon sighting committees, there was no evidence of moon today so Sunday, August 19, will be 30th Ramadan and first Shawal will be on Monday, August 20.

Eid in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other Arab countries will be celebrated on Sunday. Muslims in Europe and the US will also celebrate Eid Al Fitr on Sunday.

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Millions offer Juma, Khatm prayers

Millions offer Juma, Khatm prayers



Thousands of faithful had to pray outside the Grand Mosque on Friday. (AN photo by Ahmed Hashad)

MAKKAH/MADINAH: ARAB NEWS

More than 3 million worshippers offered Juma prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. An equal number of the faithful attended Khatm Al-Qur’an prayers (conclusion of the Qur’an recitation) at the Two Holy Mosques on Thursday night.
Both mosques were packed with worshippers and the courtyards as well as the surrounding streets leading to them were overflowed. The faithful experienced their exalted spiritual moments in an atmosphere of tranquility, serenity, peace and security provided by the Saudi authorities.
More than 2 million worshippers attended Juma prayers at Islam’s holiest mosque in Makkah. Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam and khateeb of the mosque, led the prayers.
In his Friday sermon, Al-Sudais urged the worshippers to uphold the sublime values and the spirit of the fasting month in all walks of life in the rest of the year, too. Highlighting the significance of fostering Islamic unity and solidarity, he hailed the recently concluded Makkah solidarity summit.
Al-Sudais, who is also head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, noted that when Muslims bid Ramadan goodbye, tragedies of Islamic Ummah make them cry because wounds still bleed in Palestine, Syria and Myanmar. At this difficult time, he said, the Makkah summit came as warmth to the hearts of Muslims, showering coolness in their eyes. Al-Sudais hoped that the outcome of the summit would dissipate the darkness of sorrow engulfing the Ummah and enable it to regain its past glory.
He lauded the endeavors being made by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to achieve the unity and solidarity of the Ummah as well as to eschew sectarianism, discord and division in the Islamic world.
The mosque was overcrowded with worshippers, including hundreds of thousands of Umrah pilgrims, who began to stream into the mosque since the early hours of the day. The mosque’s upper floors and basement were packed to their capacity. Hundreds of thousands of worshippers prayed in the courtyards, terraces of residential buildings and hotels, as well as along streets around the mosque. They prayed under a scorching sun.
More than 2 million worshippers attended the prayers to mark the end of the recitation of the holy book during taraweeh and qiyamullail prayers at the mosque on Thursday night. Al-Sudais led the Khatm Al-Qur’an prayers.
The Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, various government departments and agencies, as well as security forces made elaborate arrangements and preparations to enable pilgrims and worshippers to do their rituals in ease and comfort. They mobilized all their manpower and other resources to facilitate a smooth flow of the faithful. More than 20,000 security men were on duty to ensure safety and comfort of worshippers.
The Haram Security Force, in coordination with the presidency, deployed its members at some 176 gates and doors leading to the mosque. Members of the force prevented worshippers from sitting along passages or on mataf (area for circumambulation around Kaaba) to make way for Umrah performers.
Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Ghamdi, commander of the special forces for Haj and Umrah security, said that about 3,000 members of the forces had been deployed in the eastern courtyard of the mosque, and that the courtyard was overcrowded half an hour before the call for Isha prayers on Thursday.
Col. Khalaf Matrafi, director of Civil Defense in Makkah, said there were no accidents or casualties reported among the worshippers.
More than 750 cameras have been installed inside the mosque to monitor the movement of the faithful. The traffic department joined the security forces in preventing traffic congestion and ensuring smooth movement of vehicles in the city. The municipality made unprecedented arrangements to keep the central Haram area neat and tidy around the clock. The presidency has readied more than 100 Fatwa offices at the mosque in order to clear doubts of the faithful with regard to their rituals.
In Madinah, more than one million worshippers attended Friday prayers and Khatm Al-Qur’an prayers. Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Qassem, imam and khateeb of the Prophet’s Mosque, led Juma prayers. In the Friday sermon, he urged the faithful to continue pract



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UN AND ARAB LEAGUE APPOINT VETERAN DIPLOMAT TO TAKE OVER ANNAN’S ROLE ON SYRIAN CRISIS

UN AND ARAB LEAGUE APPOINT VETERAN DIPLOMAT TO TAKE OVER ANNAN'S ROLE ON SYRIAN CRISIS
New York, Aug 17 2012  2:10PM
Veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will be the new Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and League of Arab States for the crisis in Syria, taking over the peace-facilitation role played over the past several months by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a spokesperson for the world organization <"http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6253">said today.

Mr. Brahimi is expected to assume his duties following the expiration of Mr. Annan's mandate on 31 August 2012.

"The Secretary-General appreciates Mr. Brahimi's willingness to bring his considerable talents and experience to this crucial task for which he will need, and rightly expects, the strong, clear and unified support of the international community, including the Security Council," a UN spokesperson said at a media briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

He added that both Secretary-General Ban, and his counterpart at the League of Arab States, Nabil El Araby, were pleased to make the announcement of the appointment.

"Diplomacy to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Syria remains a top priority for the United Nations," the spokesperson said. "More fighting and militarization will only exacerbate the suffering and make more difficult the path to a peaceful resolution of the crisis which would lead to a political transition in accordance with the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people."

Mr. Annan was appointed Joint Special Envoy for the crisis in Syria in late February to provide good offices on behalf of the UN and Arab League, with the aim of bringing an end to all violence and human rights violations in Syria, and promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Syria has been wracked by violence, with more than 17,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 17 months ago. Over recent days, there have been reports of an escalation in violence in many towns and villages, as well as the country's two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.

As part of his efforts, Mr. Annan put forward a six-point peace plan. It called for an end to violence, access for humanitarian agencies to provide relief to those in need, the release of detainees, the start of inclusive political dialogue, and unrestricted access to the country for the international media.

Despite initial signs of acceptance of the six-point plan, repeated calls from international officials and the deployment of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) to monitor a ceasefire, there was little in the way of the plan's implementation by the parties to the conflict.

Due to that lack of progress, UNSMIS' mandate is expected to be allowed to expire this coming Sunday by the Security Council, while that body is at the same time working with Secretary-General Ban to keep a UN presence on the ground, through a liaison office that will continue to support the Special Representative's efforts.

"The Secretary-General takes this opportunity to reiterate his deepest gratitude to former Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his selfless efforts and contributions to the search for peace in Syria," the spokesperson added.

Mr. Brahimi, an Algerian national, has served the United Nations in various high-level roles over in the past two decades, including heading the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), serving as an advisor on a range of issues, and chairing an independent panel on peacekeeping operations which released its keynote findings, known as the "Brahimi Report," in 2000.  Also, as an Algerian diplomat, Mr. Brahimi served with the League of Arab States from 1984 to 1991.
Aug 17 2012  2:10PM

Ramadan Daily Hadith and Ayat, 18-08-2012

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
As-salamu-alaikum your daily hadith from ahadith.co.uk
Ramadan Mubarak To Everyone! From ahadith.co.uk, May Allah (swt) accept our good deeds, Suplications, shower his Rahmah on this Ummah, grant us victory and Unite us under the Khilafah in this Month. (thumma ameen!)

Daily Hadith, 18-08-2012

Narrated: Ibn Umar
Allah's Apostle, Abu Bakr and Umar used to offer the two Eid prayers before delivering the Khutba.
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Ayat of the Quran

Verse No: 18

مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَنْ نُرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَدْحُورًا

Whoso desireth that (life) which hasteneth away, We hasten for him therein what We will for whom We please. And afterward We have appointed for him hell; he will endure the heat thereof, condemned, rejected.
Al Isra (The Night Journey) »
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Daily Remembrance

الْحَلِیمُ
Al-Halim: The Clement One
Meaning: The Forebearing, The One who delays the punishment for those who deserve it and then He might forgive them.
Found In Quraan Ayah(s): (2:235)(17 :44)(22:59 )(35:41)
View All Names Off Allah »

Selected Hadith Commentary

Narrated: Abdullah bin Masud
Hadith No: 14, who said: The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, said: "The blood of a man who is a Muslim is not lawful (i.e. cannot be lawfully shed), save if he belongs to one of three (classes): a married man who is an adulterer; life for a life (i.e. for murder); one who is a deserter of his religion, abandoning the community." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Read Commentary On This famous Hadith »

After I finished my Umra.mp4

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FINISHED SA'YI AND GOING NEAR THE KAABA

MURSI IN AZHAR MOSQUE-1 JIMCE 17082012