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Disclaimer: Views expressed are not necessarily shared by the editors. New Trend does not endorse violence of any kind. Information on news or views related to violence is for analysis and understanding, not for endorsement. New Trend is against racism, classism, gender superiority, Zionism and Imperialism.
The Qur'an and the authentic Hadith are our foundation.
All views are welcome but only a selection can be published owing to high volume of mail. Anyone criticized in New Trend has the right of reply up to 300 words.
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Ramadan 14,1429/ September 15, 2008, #48
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Scroll way down to Gaza Women's Appeal from Israeli prison
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A good Offering for Ramadan
Peace & Greetings,
We would like to announce to you the official book blog for A Worthy Muslim. This is an interactive reader feedback driven site where you can participate in polls, discuss activist issues, participate in contest giveaways and more.
In honor of RAMADAN (month of fasting), we're offering a prize just for you. The new book blog provides the details.
Peace & Regards
Editorial Staff
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Jamaat al-Muslimeen News [2 items only]
P.O. Box 10881
Baltimore, MD 21234
Pakistani Humanitarian Visitor's U.S. Visa revoked At time of Boarding Plane
September 13, 2008. Just when she was boarding the plane which would have brought her from London to Washington, she was told that her U.S. visa had been revoked. Sis. Amina Masood Janjua is a human rights activist who has organized a movement in Pakistan for the recovery of people, including her husband, who disappeared without trace during General Musharraf's regime. The rallies for missing persons which she has been holding on a ongoing basis in Islamabad have always been peaceful and invoked the Rule of Law.
She was invited to Jamaat al-Muslimeen's International Peace Conference [August 16] but delays in her visa interview resulted in her not getting the visa in time. Then in September she was invited to USA by Amnesty International, with stops in Europe. This time she got the visa. Her trip to Europe was extremely successful with human rights groups of a great variety meeting in Geneva.
She wanted to appeal to American public opinion to help resolve the issue of missing persons. Someone somewhere in the American hierarchy of power acted to revoke her visa. Thus does censorship work in America. The whole world knows that Gerneral Musharraf committed heinous crimes against his own people but the American public is not allowed to know.
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Making it Easier to know Jamaat al-Muslimeen and to join its peaceful struggle
Jamaat al-Muslimeen's own web site is now up.
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Was he a saint or a warped cult figure?
The Tragedy of Imam W.D. Muhammad: He Divided America's Muslims and Supported the White House
New Trend Special Report.
[This report is based on information from those who knew the inner situation of W.D. Muhammad and his group. Anything inaccurate in it should be corrected and we will be happy to publish the correction.--- Ed]
The leader of the Nation of Islam [NOI] Hon. Elijah Muhammad died in 1975. His son, Wallace Muhammad, later to be known as Warith Deen Muhammad, became an orthodox Muslim and many of the followers of Elijah Muhammad joined him and accepted orthodoxy. However, Minister Louis Farrakhan resurrected the Nation of Islam and over the years explained that Elijah Muhammad had been misunderstood and that he was a true follower of Islam. His opposition to White Supremacy was based on the fact of the subjugation and oppression of Black people by the White Power structure.
After Imam W.D. Muhammad became orthodox, he kept up a stance of superiority to the NOI and his group accused the NOI of being the worst offenders against Islam guilty of the sin of SHIRK. All this was answered by Min. Farrakhan in great detail.
Many of the followers of W.D. Muhammad give him credit for bringing them into Sunni Islam and are eternally grateful to him. This attitude goes against the Qur'an because Allah Almighty tells us that only Allah can make Muslims. Not even Muhammad, pbuh, the last messenger of Allah, could make anyone a Muslim. To say that W.D. Muhammad made anyone a Muslim is misguidance and deception.
The most important aspect of W.D. Muhammad's work was that he supported the U.S. government, every U.S. government, be it Republican or Democrat. He also formed close links with Zionist Jews and with Muslim organizations supporting the U.S. government.
A major shock to his followers came when he supported the Gulf War against Iraq. His support for the arrival of the American armada was to the extent that he said he would have sent his own son to fight against Iraq. There was turmoil within his ranks but he successfully squelched the questioning.
[Contrast this with the role of his father, Elijah Muhammad who refused to join the war against Vietnam and spent 4 years in U.S. prison rather than join the American military structure.]
On various occasions, feeling comfortable with his unquestioning followers, W.D. Muhammad revealed that he was working with the U.S. State Department. The oppressor regime in the White House was so pleased with his services that he was given a citation by the State Department lauding his activities. He proudly published the citation in his own paper known as the Muslim Journal [which regularly carries the American flag on its cover and also honored Bush].
A Yes Man for All Occasions: W. D. Muhammad visited the White House repeatedly especially at times when he the U.S. was oppressing Muslims around the world, be it in Palestine or in Iraq. While one million Iraqis, including 500,000 children, died under the U.S. sanctions regime, W.D. Muhammad showed his total support for the White House and had iftar with the American rulers.
The U.S. regime saw him as a willing tool of its policies and used him to neutralize American Muslim responses to its policies. This was all the more necessary because Min. Farrakhan and Jamaat al-Muslimeen were condemning the genocidal actions being committed against Iraqis and Palestinians by the U.S. and Israel.
Within America, W.D. Muhammad came in handy to neutralize the anger of the American Muslim populations [especially African-Americans] when Imam Jamil al-Amin was railroaded. When Imam Jamil declared that there was a government conspiracy against him and he was being oppressed, one of W.D. Muhammad's closest men declared that there was no conspiracy and he did not feel oppressed.
The demand for reparations swept across African-American communities: Against the entire support group of W.D. Muhammad did not support the movement.
With the 9.11 attacks, and the U.S. onslaught on Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. government required that the Muslim population of America should be seen as supporting the government's moves. W.D. Muhammad came in handy for this purpose. His group, along with ISNA, strongly condemned the 9.11 attacks but kept absolutely quiet about U.S. terrorism against Muslim countries. Thus the U.S. successfully formulated the double edged policy that attacks against the U.S. should be considered terrorism but U.S. attacks against Muslim countries should not arouse any adverse comment.
The Last 33 years of his Life: Boring speeches, opaque, rambling and senseless.
Other than serving the causes of the U.S. government, W.D. Muhammad did nothing significant for the last 33 years of his life. It was difficult to sit through his speeches. His staunch supporters confessed that it was difficult for them to stay awake during his long, rambling conversations which lacked a beginning, a middle and an end. He adopted a style which sounded pious yet lacked point and leadership. This helped his cronies to come up with their own interpretations of what he was saying.
His group's gatherings had a carnival appearance. His followers would emerge from all over the country, traveling great distances at their own expense to hear him say that they should be good and behave themselves. In the process he would continue to refer to the events of 1975 when he allegedly brought several thousand of Elijah Muhammad's followers into the "sunnah path." However his group was the farthest from the Sunnah as compared to the rest of the American Muslim community. Increasingly, banqueting, fashion, music and even dancing became the staple of W.D. Muhammad's community activities.
Thus America's Muslims were successfully divided by W.D. Muhammad. The growth of Islam in America was seriously damaged by his insistence that his pro-government activities expressed the genuine spirit of Islam. At the same time, he tried to convey the impression that Min. Farrakhan, who was denouncing American aggression against the Muslim world with all the power of his rhetoric, was not really a Muslim.
Within the ranks of his community, he let loose a blatant hatred of immigrant Muslims, especially of those who opposed the policies of the U.S. government. Activists of Jamaat al-Muslimeen found to their surprise, W.D.'s men launching at them the epithet which usually comes from White racists: "If you don't like it here, go back where you came from." Muslim immigrant behavior has been very poor and hurtful but it is the task of a leader to teach people how to teach Islam rather than to develop a new kind of racism. [Compare this Imam Jamil's teaching that on the Day of Judgment Allah Almighty will not ask you your race but will question you about your Islam.]
On the other hand, he was friendly with the Pope who belittled Islam and recognized Israel. Once when he did seem to come out of his political stupor, he discussed the "rights" of Palestinians but by recognizing Israel and the "two state solution" with open support for Abbas.
His Personal Tragedy: His final years and days were even murkier than his last 33 years of collusion with the U.S He died alone. The teenager whom he had married a couple of years back had a personal tragedy of her own and left for Atlanta for a funeral. Imam W.D. Muhammad died while she was away. He had been dead several days when a woman who had an appointment with him turned up and found that the door was open. She walked in and reportedly found him dead in his jacuzzi [for overseas readers, this is a kind of bubble bath available in the homes of rich Americans].
Dictatorship within the group: W.D. would not allow any critical discussion of himself within his group. As a result those who could think for themselves left him. Only the blind supporters stayed with him. The internal state of affairs can be judged by looking at his paper Muslim Journal. There was no column in it for critical letters or commentary however mild. Anyone who questioned him became a non-person. It appears that many close to him revered him for a reason not publicly disclosed: that he was the "son of the messenger" and [more openly] that he was a mujaddid [God forbid] who had the right to explain what Islam in America should be like
We hope and pray that W.D. Muhammad's followers will become the followers of Allah and His messenger [pbuh]. All these years they kept quiet when Muhammad of Arabia [pbuh] was being insulted by European cartoonists. The only time they would react was when W.D. was criticized [even in the slightest]. They made an idol out of him who could do no wrong.
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W.D. Muhammad mourned by Jews and Rabbis: Visited Israel Repeatedly [Source JTA]
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What Does Islam say? [In the context of Imam W.D. Muhammad.]
Qur'an and Hadith on Cooperation with Oppressors
by Kaukab Siddique
Associate Professor of English & Mass Communication
Are Bush and the American power structure not the biggest oppressors and exploiters in the world? Let alone Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Kashmir, Chechnia, think of what is happening right here in America. How can any persons claim to be Muslim in America and not have these cases of oppression at the center of their program:
- Imam Jamil al-Amin, America's Imam, given a life sentence on fake charges.
- Dr. Omar 'Abdel Rahman, the blind Shaikh, railroaded by a Zionist judge to life in prison on ridiculous conspiracy charges when the only witness was an FBI agent.
- Lynne Stewart, leading U.S. human rights attorney convicted on "terrorism" charges, a blow aimed at client-attorney privilege which is a major plank in the rule of law in the U.S.
- Ahmed Abdel Sattar convicted of speaking to people opposed to the Hosni Mubarak tyranny.
- The innocents of Virginia given obscene prison terms for visiting Pakistan and talking to Islamists.
- The innocents of Lackawanna [Yemenis] imprisoned for attempts to travel to Afghanistan.
- The endless imprisonment of Jose Padilla without charge
- USA has the largest number of prisoners in the world.
- Thousands of Muslim immigrants arrested, mistreated, humiliated and deported just because they were Muslims.
- I won't go into the terrible atrocities committed against Muslims in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan.
- The power structure is racist and is built on 400 years of slavery and before that the Holocaust of American "Indians" [Native Americans].
Can there be any doubt that this is a government of oppressors? What does the Qur'an say about cooperation with such people?
" ...Stand firm as you are commanded, you and those with you: turn [unto Allah], and transgress not (from the path), for He sees well all that you do. And INCLINE NOT towards those who oppress, or the Fire will touch you, and ye [shall] have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped." [The Qur'an 11:112-113]
Scholars have noticed that these verses are condemning not only cooperation with oppressors but even an INCLINATION towards oppressors. Classical commentaries on the Qur'an discuss the depth of meaning in the Arabic text of this verse "wa la taraknu" [do not incline or bend or have the slightest positive feeling] for oppressors.
Commentators as varied as Zamakhshari and Beidawi agree that "wa la taraknu" is about the stage before actual physical cooperation takes place. The desire to bend slightly towards the oppressors becomes punishable by the Fire.
Qurtubi, another classical scholar, points out that this "inclination" includes dependence and a LIKING for the oppressors. These meanings are supported by the comments of Ibn Abbas, r.a., one of the companions of the Prophet, who was the earliest mufassir of the Qur'an. He says that this verse also implies that one should not keep quiet when one observes oppression being carried out. [Such as in our times the destruction of Fallujah during Ramadan or the degradation of the great scholar of Islam, Shaikh Omar 'Abdel Rahman, or the 'cavity search' of Imam Jamil and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui]
Qatada and 'Ikrima, of the first generation after the Sahaba [companions of the Prophet, pbuh] say that such inclination towards oppressors also implies obedience to them [such as the happiness of these "leaders" that they were called to meet Bush and rushed to meet him].
Imam 'Auzai, from the first generation of Islam after the sahaba, says that his understanding of hadith on these verses is that NOTHING IS MORE CONDEMNABLE WITH ALLAH THAN A PERSON WHO CLAIMS TO BE AN IMAM [or 'Alim] BUT MEETS AN OPPRESSOR, be it a king or his functionaries. In the Arabic there is a play on the words 'Alim [Islamic scholar] and 'Amil [functionary].
The best comment comes from a classical Hadith scholar of the first era, Muhammad ibn Maslama, that:
"The approach of one who recites the Qur'an to the door of oppressors is WORSE THAN the likeness of the FLY WHO SITS on SHIT."
In our own tmes, Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani, the Islamic teacher of Mohomed Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, wrote the following note on 11:113 in his tafseer:
"Do not be inclined or attracted to the oppressors [those who have broken the bounds of Islam) in the slightest. Do your best to stay away from their friendship and companionship, refrain from respecting and honoring them, praising or exalting them, looking like them in appearance, jointly working with them, in short everything to do with oppressors, otherwise the fire will envelop you and you will find that you have no helper and Allah will no longer help you."
The learned Maulana then points to the solution for Muslims, given in 11:114, which we have not quoted, which is to incline towards Allah and to worship Allah morning and evening ..
The Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, too has given us clear Hadith not to cooperate with oppressors. These are general teachings, in addition to the specific verses from the Qur'an:
From Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, r.a. the Prophet, pbuh, said: ...."By him in whose hand is my life, you will not achieve salvation unless you stop the oppressor and give the oppressed their right." [Hadith, Jami Tirmidhi, Abwab tafseer al-Qur'an]
From Abu Bakr Siddiq, r.a. .....I heard the messenger of Allah, pbuh, say, When people see an oppressor and do not stop him with both their hands, sooner or later the punishment of Allah will overtake them [the passive ones] too. [Hadith Jami Tirmidhi, Ibid.]
When such are the rules for non-cooperation with "Muslims" who become oppressors, there is absolutely NO BASIS in Islam for cooperation with oppressors who in addition to being oppressors are also kuffar.
I would urge the misled 'leaders': repent, do Tawba, do not become snitches and tools of the oppressors. If you are going to go ahead in any case, then stop claiming to be Muslims. In that case you are spies, hiding among the Muslims, and no more.
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India Police break up Peaceful rallies in Occupied Kashmir: Sept. 12
[This is the way it was reported in the Times of India, September 14, 2008
SRINAGAR: Street protests continued in the Valley for the second consecutive day on Saturday against the killing of two "pro-azadi" protesters on Friday. The two were killed when police opened fire at separate rallies in Shopian and Baramulla. The rallies are part of separatists' month-long protests to press for the implementation of UN resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir.
An official said an indefinite curfew remained in force in Baramulla and Shopian while angry youth forced a bandh across many localities in Srinagar. A police officer said scores of youth took to streets at Maisuma, Gaw Kadal, Lal Chowk and Hari Singh High Street areas of Srinagar and tried to stage a "pro-freedom" rally. "However, security forces dispersed the mobs by resorting to baton charge and teargas shelling," he said and added protesters retaliated by pelting stones. "The pitched battles continued till late in the day," he said.
Reports from north Kashmir town of Kupwara said life remained crippled as the the area observed a bandh against the Friday killings. Shops and business establishments remained closed while traffic was off the roads. Educational institutions wore a deserted look while government offices, too, remained closed.
Lawyers, too, boycotted work to protest against the alleged manhandling of one of their colleagues by the CRPF. Raising pro-freedom slogans, a lawyer said the boycott was also to lodge a protest against the "criminal silence" over the killing of innocent Kashmiris. "We condemn killing of two people who were part of a peaceful procession and demand an immediate action against the CRPF troopers responsible for the excesses," he said.
["Bandh" is a strike move meant to close down businesses.-editor]
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On September 13, there were bomb attacks in three upscale areas of New Delhi, India, in which 18 people were killed and 42 wounded. Indian media are blaming Lashkare Taiba which could mean it was revenge for Indian terror in Kashmir. Indian Muslims think it is provocation by Hindu extremists to blame the Muslim population. No one knows for sure.
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Does Islam permit Hired Imams or is this a haram practice?
In the time of Mohammed (s.a.w), the five times prayers were conducted by Mohammed (s.a.w) and then as Islam grew and people from different places accepted Islam, Rasool (s.a.w) appointed Imams to conduct the prayers, he said:
Let those who know most of Quran lead the prayers, if there are many equal who know the Quran, then let those who know most of the Sunnah lead people in Prayer; and if there are many equal who know the Sunnah, then let those who were the first to make Hijrath lead=2 0the people in prayers, if there are many equal in making the Hijrath; then let those who are the eldest among them lead the prayers, and let not anyone hamper with others leadership....
Sahih Muslim Hadith
Hadith 1420 Narrated by
AbuMas'ud al-Ansari
So being the case, everyone in the Masjid should be able to lead the people in Prayer. If the best amongst them is absent ,then the next best should lead the people in prayer, and if that person too is absent then the next ... and so on till everyone in the Masjid should be able to lead people in congregational prayer. In doing so, everyone become well versed in conducting the prayers, and also well versed with the laws of our religion, and they make sure they know the Quran and Hadees so as not to make mistakes; and one would feel really ashamed to say that he does not know to lead the people in prayer. Thereby two things are achieved once they become familiar with the conducting the congregational prayer, and also with the rules and regulations of the religion.
But what a pity – The people are left to be ignorant, without knowing anything about Quran and Hadees as today people hire imams to conduct prayers in the Masjid. Will not Allah ask these hired imams " you took money for your 5 times prayers so what do you expect from me???". Allah says in the Quran:
Therefore (O! People) fear not men but fear Me(Allah) and sell not My Signs(verses of the Quran) for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed they are (no better than) unbelievers .
Quran – ( 5 : 44 )
Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w) has said in a hadees:
Read the Quran, understand it, but do not ever seek material wealth, or eat by it.
Books: Ahmed; & Tafrani.
In another Hadees:
When Imran came upon a story-teller who was reciting the Qur'an and then asking for payment he first uttered the words, " to Allah We belong and to Allah do we return" and then told that he had heard Allah's Messenger say, "When anyone recites the Qur'an, let him ask a reward for it from Allah, for people will arise who will recite the Qur'an and ask a reward for it from men."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadees No: 2216
Narrated By – Imran ibn Husayn
I taught some persons of the people of Suffah writing and the Qur'an. A man of them presented to me a bow. I said: It cannot be reckoned property; may I shoot with it in Allah's path? I must come to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) and ask him (about it). So I came to him and said : Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him), one of those whom I have been teaching writing and the Qur'an has presented me a bow, and as it cannot be reckoned property, may I shoot with it in Allah's path? He said: If you want to have a necklace of fire on you, accept it.
Sunan Abu-Dawood Hadith 3409
Narrated by – Ubaydah ibn as Samit.
When Allah says do not sell My Revelations (Quran), He does not mean selling the bound copies of the printed Quran, He means reciting the Quran and taking a price for it; so also Rasool (s.a.w) has said read the Quran and understand and follow it, but do not use it to make a living by reciting it and taking money for it; or for teaching it and taking a salary for it. Arabic is different; its a language and you can teach Arabic and take what ever salary you want for it and for looking after the children as warden or deputy warden number 1, 2, 3 and so on you can legally take a salary, but for reading the Quran or teaching it, it is HARAAM to take money for it. Allah and His Rasool have made it so. Quran and Hadees (Religion) should be taught to people only in the name of Allah and not for worldly gains. Every Alim, who take money for this knows it but they do not reveal it to the common people for Allah repeats this "Do not sell my verses for a miserable price" many times in the Quran.
Who can conduct five times prayer without reciting the Quran in it, and if for this they want money then they are committing a Haraam and those who knowingly follow this Imam in prayer are also contributing to his sins, and those who are paying him the salary are also incurring an equal sin. Mohammed (s.a.w) has said : when you see a wrong (sin) try to stop it with your hands, and if you can't, then at least tell the person it is a sin to do such a thing, and if you cannot do even this, then you have only an atom's eeman left in you and if you want to save this, understand that what is being done is wrong- a sin, and abstain from it; (i.e) do not become a partner to it, and do not join in the people's sinful act. Also remember that he is indeed a stupid fool who makes HALAAL of what Allah and His Messenger have made as HARAAM. For some of the namesake Alims and Ulamas try to rationalize this Sinful act of theirs and convince people that it is HALAAL, thereby, destroying all the deeds (amals) of their followers who follow them in the congregational prayers.
Allah says in the Quran:
It is not fitting for a Believer man or woman when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Apostle to have any option about their decision: if anyone disobeys Allah and His Apostle, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.
Quran-33:36
Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls).
Quran-13:11
It is not a very difficult task for the people of a Mouhalla (area) to collectively select their Imams from their area. They can choose as to which of them is to lead the people in Prayer, and in his absence who else could lead the prayer and in his absence who else and so on; so that everyone gets a chance to lead the Prayer and everyone takes an interest in the knowledge of the Quran and Hadees and becomes well versed in it.
Amr bin Salama was only a lad of six to seven years old, when Prophet Mohamed (s.a.w) appointed him as Imam to lead his people in prayer, for he was the one who knew most of the Quran.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
Hadith 5.595 Narrated by
Amr bin Salama
Oh Muslims! Unless and untill we unite as Muslims, we will not be able to abolish this sinful Practice. Don't only think that contributing help to a person drinking liquor or gambling or Prostitution is Haraam, but also contributing to this evil practice of keeping hired Imams in Masjids and praying behind them is also equally HARAAM. Please understand that there is no difference between one Haraam and another Haraam, they are all acts of Satan; and all HARAAMS are acts prohibited by Allah and His Prophet(s.a.w), and equally sinful. Just as Quran, a holy revelation from Allah, is such a wonderful miracle and you earn tremendous amount of virtues for reciting and following it, but when the same Quran or verses of the Quran are used as an AMULET (Tavees) - it amounts to shirk – with no difference between worshiping an idol and wearing the Quran as an amulet – both are equally sinful - a sin which amounts to be one of the greatest of sins; and the person wearing it do not get a single virtue for their good deeds done, however great the good deed be. So, also praying behind an Imam who takes payments for conducting prayers, nullifies ones Prayer done behind that Imam.
May Allah Guide us and Help us to follow and keep Allah's religion in the PURE state as it was revealed; And may Allah bring forward People who would TEACH HIS RELIGION for Allah's sake alone without accepting any worldly gain for it; and May Allah protect each and every atom of our amal (deeds) without it being wasted or done in vain ( ameen ).
And Please forward this message to as many Muslims as Possible.
JAZZAKALLAH KHAIRAN
Love and regards
A.H.Nazeer Ahmed [India]
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Pakistan: 2 items
Pak Military says: Will not Tolerate U.S. Attacks: Pak Jet Fighters bomb Bajaur, kill 60: Bomb Mohmand, kill 13. Bomb Swat, kill 13
Pakistan's military chief General Kayani issued a hardline statement after a series of U.S. attacks inside Pakistan. Will Pakistan's military retaliate next time U.S. forces enter Pakistan? It remains to be seen. Some observers still think [or hope] that there is a core Pakistan military segment which will draw the line at any foreign force entering Pakistan.
Meanwhile on September 13, Pakistan sent its jet fighters into action in Bajaur. It reported that 60 "suspected Taliban" had been killed in the action and 25 wounded. The attacks from the air continued forcing the Pakistani Taliban to withdraw from Loe Sam which they had defended so successfully against the Frontier Corp. Pakistani forces emerged from Khar under cover of the air offensive and captured adjoining areas.
People leaving for Mohmand agency were bombed and 13 were killed. Similar bombings by Pak forces killed another 13 in Swat. Pak heavy artillery was once more in action in the Darra Adam Khel area. An Islamic school [medressa] was shelled by the army. The outflow of refugees continues as the Pak forces continue to use the heaviest weapons available to them
In the Parachinar area, after several weeks of exchanges of fire between Shi'as and Sunnis, the Sunnis seemed to be gaining the upper hand and also getting support from Afghan Taliban. The Shi'as are reported to be getting help from Iran. [A Shi'a group in the U.S. has contacted the U.S. Congress to get support for the Shi'as. Parachinar straddles the Afghan border and the Shi'as there have made support for Taliban fighters difficult if not impossible.
In Darra Adam Khel, militants captured 41 Pak policemen and killed 5 of them
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Famous Afghan Mujahid Haqqani's Family wiped out in U.S. Attack in Pakistan: No one from Al-Qaida was hit.
22 people, mostly women and children, killed, 25 seriously injured: 6 Hellfire Missiles used in terror attack
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
by Mushtaq Yusufzai [Excerpts from report in the Post.]
"... tribal as well as family sources of the Afghan commander denied reports that al-Qaeda Pakistan chapter commander Abu Haris was among several other foreigners killed in the air attack on one of Haqqani's houses at Danday Darpakhel village near Miramshah.
According to the sources, 22 people, mostly women and children belonging to the Haqqani family and some Afghan guests were killed. They said 25 people belonging to the Haqqani family reportedly sustained critical injuries when a US drone fired six hellfire missiles on their house.
The wounded were shifted to various hospitals in Miramshah where three of them succumbed to injuries. Residents of Danday Darpakhel village said the incident occurred in the morning and some of the bodies were retrieved later in the evening due to lack of proper equipment.
They said a portion of the two-storey cemented house of Afghan commander, which was reserved for male guests, was razed to the ground.The villagers and tribal militants who rushed to the spot to take part in rescue work faced trouble with recovering the bodies and injured as some of them were lying under the heavy rubble of the collapsed roof of the building.
The dead were laid to rest later in the evening near Miramshah as it took time to the fasting villagers to dig over two dozens graves within a short time of time. According to family sources of the Afghan commander, the dead included elder sister of Jalaluddin Haqqani, his three daughters-in-law, grandsons, granddaughters and some girls of the villagers who would come there for learning the holy Qura'an and other Islamic teachings.
The family sources also admitted that some of the guests who had come from Afghanistan also died in the attack.The family, however, denied reports that senior al-Qaeda commander with a name of Abu Haris and a few others including Qasim, Musa were killed in the attack on their house.
There were reports that US forces were targeting Sirajuddin Haqqani, the 28-year old son of Taliban commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, who according to his family, along with other male members of the family was staying in Afghanistan.
However, the sources said one of Haqqani's several young sons, Yahya Haqqani, was seriously injured in the attack and was admitted to a hospital."Besides several women, the family has lost over a dozen small children in the attack," remarked sources close to the Haqqani family, adding that several other children were still battling for life.
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New PPP-MQM Alliance has brought Karachi to the old Days where Murder of Opponents is Unchecked
Photo shows protest rally by Jamaate Islami against murder of three Islamic student leaders with no arrests of suspected murderers. [September 12.]
Inset shows JI speakers at the rally: Shaikh Rafiq, Hafiz Naeem, Laeeq Khan, Nasrullah Shuji'h. Jamaate Islami is a peaceful movement and does not retaliate against violence.
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Palestine: 2 items
Mahmoud Abbas Preparing to Give Away Palestinian Right of Return
What does International Law say? [Statement from al-Awda Movement in California: Excerpted.]
*President Mahmud Abbas' statement as reported in the Ha'aretz interview is at complete variance with the Palestinian people's inalienable, natural, legal, historical, individual and collective right to return to their homes and lands of origin, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Law and UN Resolutions 194 and 3236.
*According to international law, no agreement, negotiations or parties which purport to trade away the right to return or any other inalienable rights can have any legal basis and cannot bind or compel the Palestinian people to end the struggle for the fulfillment of their rights.
*Any attempt to abrogate the rights of Palestinian refugees would set a disastrous precedent in international human rights law. It would provide a clear signal that any invaders who expel civilians from their homes, steal their property, and prevent them from returning for long enough can expect to have their illegal territorial conquests blessed with international legitimacy.
*Implementation of the right to return as spelled out in UN resolutions is the core to a just resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
*Mr. Mahmoud Abbas should resign as president of the PA and chairman of the PLO forthwith. His statement as reported in the Ha'aretz, and which he has not denied to date, is outrageous and disregards the rights of 7.2 million Palestinians living in forced exile.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Gaza female prisoners in Israeli jails appeal for allowing family visits |
| September 8, 2008 |
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RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Gaza female prisoners in the Israeli occupation jails have appealed to the concerned institutions to pressure the Israeli occupation authority to allow family visits to them similar to West Bank prisoners.
Prisoner Fatema Al-Zak told the Palestinian prisoner's club lawyer that she was psychologically depressed because of inability to see her offspring and relatives. She asked the lawyer to appeal for her case. She said that her child Yousef could not see his father, brothers and relatives ever since his birth in captivity. The 8-month-old Yousef is the youngest prisoner. Two other prisoners, Wafa Al-Bis and Rawda Habib, also from the Gaza Strip, voiced similar appeals during the meeting with the same lawyer. In another context, Ahmed Al-Kurd, the minister of labor and social affairs in the PA caretaker government, said that 150,000 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip were living below the poverty line and were in need of aid. ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, write UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line and click on SEND. -------------------------------------------------------------- |
