PAKISTAN SHAMED!!

By Ghalib Sultan
Area 14/8

The picture on top says it all. A mob in the background and an exultant youth in the foreground with smoke, fire and burning homes all around. This was the scene in the heart of Lahore when Christian homes were set on fire because of alleged blasphemy by a Christian who had already been booked under the Blasphemy Law by the police on the complaint of a Muslim. The mob that went on the rampage looting and burning homes was apparently venting their rage. No one died and no injuries were reported but Pakistan’s image was destroyed beyond repair-collateral damage from the point of view of the bigoted and the intolerant but a mortal blow to Pakistan for those whose heads hung in shame.

Now that the smoke has blown away, compensatory payments made to those who lost everything, the rebuilding process begun and some arrests made a clearer picture is slowly emerging. The Police advised the people to run for their lives hours before the mob arrived and they ran-the men, the women, the aged and the children all ran for their lives in all directions away from their homes leaving everything behind. Why did the police do this-to facilitate looting and burning, to save lives or because they did not want or could not face down the mob to protect lives and property? If the Police had advance information did this information flow upwards and if it did was it ignored? And if it did not then why not?

There are credible reports that the mob came prepared for their grisly task—with sticks, stones, gasoline cans etc. If so then this was no spontaneous venting of rage. This was a well planned event for which a large number of people had been mustered and prepared. If this was planned then who was behind it?- those who wanted the land on which the colony was built?- or those who had political motives and wanted to undermine the political administration in Punjab or was it a combination of both?. The land mafia would have known the consequences of such an atrocity and it is unlikely that they actually believed that the land would fall in their lap after the pillage. The political motive is more plausible and is also borne out by the fact that after the attack on the Christians some apparently counter attacks were organized on the pride and joy of the Punjab government-the new Metrobus system.

The Punjab government moved quickly to limit the damage and to begin rehabilitation work. An inquiry has also been ordered and arrests made. No doubt that there has been political fall-out but on the positive side people have rallied in support of the Christian community and against the forces of bigotry and intolerance that exist in society. There have been many previous incidents of this kind but never has exemplary punishment been awarded to deter such behavior. In the final analysis the blame must also go to people who are ready to undertake such criminal and reprehensible behavior.

Saudi Arabia’s ancient religious sites crumble before Wahabiism

Muslims are often criticised for not speaking out more vocally on key issues that affect their community. Barely a week goes by without the media asking why community leaders aren’t more vocal in condemning button topics such as terrorism or violence against women.

It’s a difficult balance and often the criticisms are unfair. One the one hand ordinary Muslims cannot be expected to answer for everything that is done in their name. But at the same time silence and reticence from a majority simply allows the vocal minority to have disproportionate influence on how Islam is both practiced and perceived by the rest of the world.

One area that you might think would see Muslims speaking out with one voice is the wholesale archaeological and historical destruction of Islam’s birthplace. Over the past twenty years, fuelled by their petro-dollars and intolerant Wahabi backers, the Saudi authorities have embarked on cultural vandalism of breath-taking proportions.

Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam, are being systematically bulldozed to make way for gleaming sky scrapers, luxury hotels and shopping malls. The Saudis insist that the expansion of these two cities is vital to make way for the growing numbers of pilgrims in a rapidly expanded and inter-connected world. And they’re right.

But does it really need to be done in a way where luxury apartments and $500-a-night rooms now overlook the Ka’aba in Mecca, the one place on earth that all Muslims are supposed to be equal?

Most appallingly dozens of early Islamic sites – including those with a direct link to the Prophet himself – have been wiped off the map. The situation is so bad that the Washington based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 percent of the millennium old buildings in the two cities have been destroyed in the past twenty years.

Much of this cultural vandalism is inspired by Wahabism – the austere interpretation of Islam that is the Saudi kingdom’s official religion. Wahabis are obsessed with idol worship and believe visiting graves, shrines or historical sites that are associated with the Prophet encourages shirq (the worship of false gods). The rampant commercialism meanwhile is inspired by something much simpler – greed.

With a few notable exceptions the destruction of Mecca and Medina has largely passed unchallengedMuslim silence on this issue isn’t just cowardly, it’s deeply hypocritical. When an obscure group of foam-at-the-mouth Islamophobes got together in the United States to make an utterly pointless and deliberately provocative film about the Prophet Mohammad, or when a group of Danish cartoonists exercised their democratic right to lampoon a religious leader and the creeping self-censorship of the European press, protests broke out around the world.

At Friday prayers, imams and sheikhs wasted little time in giving rousing speeches about how Islam was being sullied and the Prophet insulted. The mobs came out, people died (mostly Muslims).

How many of those imams have bothered to get animated about what has happened in Mecca and Medina? How many are outraged that the house of Muhammad’s first wife Khadijah was pulled down and replaced with a block of public toilets, or that five of the seven mosques marking the Battle of the Trench outside Medina have been destroyed, or that religious police cheered when a mosque linked to the Prophet’s grandson was dynamited? It’s politically a lot more convenient to blame infidels for disrespecting your religion’s founder than it is to point the finger of blame at your own kind.

But it’s not just the Muslim world that has kept mum. When the Taliban – fuelled by same anti-idol zealotry that burns within Wahabis – blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas the world was incensed. Governments spoke out, academics were outraged and column inches filled up. With a few notable exceptions the destruction of Mecca and Medina has largely passed unchallenged.

Partly that’s down to the enormous influence Saudi Arabia wields. As the gate keeper to the cradle of Islam (since 1986 the Saudi monarchy has modestly awarded itself the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques), it controls who gets to go on the annual Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Muslim countries are terrified that any overly critical statements about what is happening in the Hejaz might lead to a reduction in pilgrim quotas.

Although the Muslim media has been pretty shamefully silent, credit should go to Al Jazeera who did manage to get in and film a documentary last yearabout the archaeological destruction of Mecca.

Equally, in the West, archaeologists and historians – who should be on the front lines of a no-cultural-destruction-of-Islam protest – keep quiet because they won’t be allowed in to the Kingdom again if they speak up, whilst governments prefer to keep the Saudis onside because of their enormous oil wealth and supposed commitment to the so-called war on terror.

Governments prefer to keep the Saudis onside because of their enormous oil wealthInside Saudi Arabia itself there is a mixture of opinions. The wealthy elite think little beyond the gleaming shopping malls and hotels that keep them supplied with fat profits and luxury goods.

But there is anger among many locals in Mecca and Medina who have looked on with horror at what has happened to their cities, especially among those who have been forcibly evicted from their homes to make way for this brave new world.

The difficulty, of course, is that in a highly autocratic country where women still don’t have the right to drive and opposition to the Saud monarchy is ruthlessly supressed, there are bigger fish to fry. Archaeology and history come second to basic personal freedoms.

But hope is not lost because people do care. When I first started investigating this subject a little over a year ago I wasn’t sure how Muslims would react. Last September we published a piece in which I described how Mecca was turning into a gaudy Las Vegas. Within hours it had gone viral. All across the Muslim world news sites, bloggers and readers were reposting the article. It stayed at the top of our most read list for weeks whilst on Facebook alone it has been reposted 37,000 times. And the response we got was overwhelmingly positive.

Muslims were horrified by what was happening and they wanted to know what they could do. A few months later I was asked to give a talk on my research by the City Circle, a group of mainly young, professional Muslims who meet on a weekly basis. The crowd was as mixed as any London Islamic audience – Salafis in their three quarter length trousers and long beards, hippy looking Sufis, women in headscarves and veils, women without headscarves and beardless men in their pin-striped city suits. I expected the more orthodox members to defend what was happening in Saudi Arabia, instead everyone seemed to be equally upset.

After the talk I remember one young Saudi woman in a black abaya coming up to me with tears in her eyes. “They are literally destroying the birthplace of Islam,” she said. “This is the place where the Prophet lived and prayed. We have to do something.”

Only Muslims will be able to save what little is left of the early Islamic heritage within Mecca and Medina. But I hope for both their own benefit – and the wider world’s – that they are successful.

Recipe for Disaster

By Jennifer Andrews
TACSTRAT

When black people are attacked, they call it Racism. When Jewish people are attacked, they call it anti-Semitism. When Women are attacked, they call it Gender Discrimination. When Homosexuals are attacked, they call it Intolerance. When they attack your Country, they call it Counter- Terrorism. When a Religious Sect is attacked, they call it Hate Speech. But when they attack the dignity of the Prophet of Islam, Prophet MUHAMMAD (P.B.U.H), they call it “Freedom of Expression”-.

Samuel Huntington’s “The clash of Civilizations” planted the thought that Christianity and Islam may be headed for a clash. His idea probably was that thinking minds would work to avert such a catastrophic confrontation but unfortunately there were those who considered such a clash desirable and began work to bring it about. These were the Evangelicals who claimed divine guidance-remember former President Bush flabbergasting the French President by talking of ‘Gog and Magog’? Now with hindsight the progression of events that has brought us to the present day violence can be traced without going back into the ancient history of religious rivalries.

911 was a landmark event but why did it happen? Its origin can be traced to the confrontation between the West and Communism. We have recent revelations (from Brezinski and others) that tell us that the West began arming and funding religiously motivated Muslims for insurgent operations in Afghanistan much before the Soviet invasion of that unfortunate country. In fact it was this covert activity that drew the Soviets into Afghanistan. Once the Soviet Union was in Afghanistan the fig leaf that covered the subversion was removed and armed fighters motivated by jihad were recruited, trained and funded to fight in Afghanistan. This was the seed that later germinated into the Taliban. Once the Russians withdrew and the Soviet Union collapsed the US left Afghanistan to its fate thereby planting another seed that was to grow in to Al Qaeda. These were the people who executed the 911 plan as a protest against the policies of the US in Muslim lands and the dictatorships that the US supported-dictatorships that the ‘Arab Spring’ is now uprooting with the US now switching sides by supporting rebels. If the fate of the US Ambassador in Libya is any indication the US will be the eventual target.

The US response to the criminal terrorist act of 911 was a declaration of war against terror and the use of the word ‘crusades’ by the US President left no doubt in anyone’s mind where and how this war would be fought. A war that need never have been if 911 had been identified as a criminal act and the response had been limited to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. This would have led to an international strangulation of finances and a focused campaign to arrest and prosecute the actual people responsible. The attack into Afghanistan was ostensibly against ‘terror’ but actually to establish bases from where US tries to influence Central and South Asia. Then followed the attack into Iraq on the basis of manufactured intelligence about WMD and links to Al Qaeda-both premises now fully exposed as fabricated. The result is that both Iraqis and Afghans are killing Americans and both the countries are in chaos with the fallout going well beyond their borders.

The covert and overt attempts to create a sectarian divide within Islam has led to much violence but the result is an Iran that feels threatened and reaches out for a nuclear capability and a linkage with Syria, Hezbollah and kurds as well as the movements in Bahrain and elsewhere. The Arab Spring is being slowly taken over by Islamic forces with Egypt as the model. Sensing weakness and an opportunity China and Russia are coming closer and the regional countries are evolving pragmatic policies.

It is in this environment that a film made and shown in the US has stirred anger in the Islamic world and to exploit this anger there is Al Qaeda-in Afghanistan, in Iraq, In the Maghreb , in the Arabian Peninsula and many other places. To brush it off as ‘freedom of expression’ does not help nor do the crazy antics of the mad Koran burning US pastor-is that ‘freedom of action’?

A Ramadan Story Of Two Faiths Bound In Friendship

It’s Ramadan, the month-long holiday when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk as a way to cleanse the soul and reflect on their relationship with God. The faithful usually flock to their local mosques for prayer during the holiday, but last year, the Muslims of Cordova, Tenn., just outside Memphis, didn’t have a place to go.

Members of the Memphis Islamic Center pray at Heartsong Church in Cordova, Tenn., last year.

That’s when Pastor Steve Stone put an unusual sign outside his church.

“It said, ‘Welcome to the neighborhood, Memphis Islamic Center,’” he laughs. “It’s been seen all over the world, now.”

Stone invited the Muslim community to celebrate their holiday inside his church while their own cultural center was under construction nearby. It was the beginning of an unusual alliance that’s still strong a year later.

“Obviously we were taken aback, but in a very positive way,” says Danish Siddiqui, a board member of the Memphis Islamic Center. “Muslims, we tend to think of ourselves as good neighbors,” he tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Laura Sullivan, “but Steve beat us to the punch and put up that sign – and all we had to do was knock on the door and introduce ourselves.”

The Muslim community was building a new mosque, but it was a delicate time. Proposed Islamic centers were kicking up controversy from New York to Murfreesboro – another Tennessee town just 200 miles away from Cordova.

“We were looking at some close-by halls and rental spaces and none of them were available,” Siddiqui says. They asked Stone if they could borrow a small space inside his Heartsong Church. “He said, ‘No. You’re going to pray in our main worship space.’”

“We were so honored to be asked, because we knew that if they ever had any thought that we would say no, they would not have asked us,” Stone says.

Not everyone was as thrilled as Stone however. He received criticism from colleagues – and even members of his own church – who felt that he was blending Christianity and Islam. Ultimately, 20 members left his church, out of a congregation of 550.

“We had tried to work with them and think their way through it,” Stone says, “but at the end of the day, if they really believed what they said they believed, we’re kind of glad they left, because we didn’t want them going out into the community and saying, ‘We have these hateful feelings and we go to Heartsong Church.’”

Although the Memphis Islamic Center is now complete, the Muslim community keeps a strong relationship with Stone and Heartsong’s members. Once a month, they get together to help the homeless in their neighborhood, and there are also plans to build a new park that would sit on both congregations’ property.

“We have different faith traditions,” Siddiqui says. “But at the same time, we know that we can get along, we know that we can work together. And we have respect for one another, because we are people of faith.”

Spirit of tolerance in Islam

Pakistan Daily

What is tolerance? Literally the word “tolerance” means “to bear.” As a concept it means “respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of the world’s cultures, forms of expression and ways of being human.” In Arabic it is called “Tasamuh”. There are also other words that give similar meanings, such as “Hilm” (forbearance) or “‘`Afu” (pardon, forgiveness) or “Safh” (overlooking, disregarding). In the Persian and Urdu languages, we use the word “rawadari” which comes from “rawa” meaning “acceptable or bearable” and “dashtan” meaning “to hold”. Thus it means to hold something acceptable or bearable. Intolerance is on the increase in the world today, causing death, genocide, violence, religious persecution as well as confrontations on different levels. Some times it is racial and ethnic, some times it is religious and ideological, other times it is political and social. In every situation it is evil and painful. How can we solve the problem of intolerance? How can we assert our own beliefs and positions without being intolerant to others? How can we bring tolerance into the world today?

Tolerance is a basic principle of Islam. It is a religious moral duty. It does not mean “concession, condescension or indulgence.” It does not mean lack of principles, or lack of seriousness about one’s principles. Sometimes it is said, “people are tolerant of things that they do not care about.” But this is not the case in Islam. Tolerance according to Islam does not mean that we believe that all religions are the same. It does not mean that we do not believe in the supremacy of Islam over other faiths and ideologies. It does not mean that we do not convey the message of Islam to others and do not wish them to become Muslims. The Holy Qur’an speaks about the basic dignity of all human beings. The Holy Prophet (PBUH), spoke about the equality of all human beings, regardless of their race, color, language or ethnic background. Shari’ah recognizes the rights of all people to life, property, family, honor and conscience. Islam emphasizes the establishment of equality and justice, both of these values cannot be established without some degree of tolerance. Islam recognized from the very beginning the principle of freedom of belief or freedom of religion. It said very clearly that it is not allowed to have any coercion in the matters of faith and belief. The Holy Qur’an says, “There is no compulsion in religion.” (Al-Baqarah: 256).

If in the matters of religion, coercion is not permissible, then by implication one can say that in other matters of cultures and other worldly practices it is also not acceptable. In Surat Ash-Shura Allah says to the Prophet (PBUH), “If then they turn away, We have not sent you as a guard over them. Your duty is but to convey (the Message).” (Ash-Shura: 48) In another place Allah says, “Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. Your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.” (An-Nahl:125). Further, Allah says to the Believers, “Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and beware (of evil): if you do turn back, know then that it is Our Messenger’s duty to proclaim (the Message) in the clearest manner.” (Al-Ma’idah: 92). One can also cite Allah’s words: “Say: ‘Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger: but if you turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on right guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to preach the clear (Message).”(An-Nur:54). All these verses give note that Muslims do not coerce people; they must present the message to them in the most cogent and clear way, invite them to the truth and do their best in presenting and conveying the message of God to humanity, but it is up to people to accept or not to accept. Allah says, “And say, ‘The truth is from your Lord, so whosoever wants let him believe and whosoever wants let him deny.” (An-Nahl: 29). The question then comes: If Allah gave choice to

believe or not to believe, then why did He punish the people of Prophet Nuh, the ‘Ad, the Thamud, the people of Prophet Lut, the people of Prophet Shu’aib and Pharaoh and his followers? The answer is in the Holy Qur’an itself. Those people were not punished simply because of their disbelief. They were punished because they had become oppressors. They committed aggression against the righteous, and stopped others to come to the way of Allah. There were many in the world who denied Allah, but Allah did not punish every one. Ibn Taymiyah, the outstanding Muslim scholar, said, “The states may live long inspite of their people’s unbelief (kufr), but they cannot live long when their people become oppressors.” Another question is raised about Jihad. Some people say, “Is it not the duty of Muslims to make Jihad?” But the purpose of Jihad is not to convert people to Islam. Allah says, “No compulsion in religion.”(Al-Baqarah: 256). The real purpose of Jihad is to remove injustice and aggression. Muslims are allowed to keep good relations with non-Muslims. Allah says, “Allah does not forbid you that you show kindness and deal justly with those who did not fight you in your religion and did not drive you out from your homes.” (Al-Mumtahinah: 8). Islam teaches that fighting is only against those who fight. Allah says, “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors.” (Al-Baqarah:190).

Islam teaches tolerance on all levels: individual, groups and states. It should be a political and legal requirement. Tolerance is the mechanism that upholds human rights, pluralism (including cultural pluralism), and the rule of law. The Holy Qur’an says very clearly: “To every People have We appointed rites and ceremonies which they must follow, let them not then dispute with you on the matter, but do invite (them) to your Lord: for you are assuredly on the Right Way. If they do wrangle with you, say, ‘God knows best what it is you are doing.’ ‘God will judge between you on the Day of Judgment concerning the matters in which you differ.’”

Hollow promises of Barack Obama

By Brig Asif Haroon Raja

In September 2001, the whole world comity was behind USA. The UN had authorized US call to invade Afghanistan and combat terrorism so as to make the world peaceful. The world response to invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was different. Millions came out in the western world to dissuade George W. Bush and Tony Blair from undertaking the venture. Today very few support US imperial pursuits and majority wish termination of war on terror at the earliest. Desire for peaceful resolution of the conflict through political settlement among all stake holders has overshadowed the voices of those wishing continuation of war. This change in perceptions has occurred on account of the belated realization that neither Taliban can be defeated nor terrorism curbed. The world instead of becoming peaceful has become more insecure.

George W Bush the crusading son of cautious father of Bush senior and his team of neo-conservatives like Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Armitage, Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Kagan, Lewis Scooter Libby, John R Bolton, Eliot Abrams, James Woolsey, Douglas J Feith, Richard Perle are responsible for waging crusade against the Muslims under phony charges and giving false hopes that the world will be made free of the curse of terrorism. Tony Blair, the poodle of Bush was most vocal among the crusading bunch.

When the neo-cons managed to enter the corridors of power in January 2001, they actuated their long drawn plans. Although war against terrorism was named as global war on terror so as to entice greater number of allies, counter terrorism was Muslim specific. Bush had described the war as ‘the struggle against Islamic radicalism…the great ideological conflict of the early 21st century’. To weaken the citadel of Islam, Islamists in Afghanistan and Iraq were targeted. Attacks on sovereign states were justified under the pretexts of teaching virtues of democracy, freedom and human rights to the uncivilized and uncouth.

Massive military force was applied to capture Afghanistan, one of the most impoverished states of the world where it was alleged that the mastermind of 9/11 Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda were located and where women were being tyrannized by monstrous Taliban. Iraq was also invaded and occupied under fake charges of WMDs. Pakistan also became victim of terrorism because of fallout effect of Afghanistan and covert war launched by CIA and its allied intelligence agencies. Bigoted key figures of Republican Party led by Bush stand accountable for initiating clash of civilizations and are fit cases for trial on charges of war crimes for committing immense crimes against humanity. .

Mindful of the deep rooted revulsion evoked against USA in the Muslim world in particular and the world in general, a black half Muslim Barack Obama was pushed into White House for the first time. His selection was a strategic deception to mislead the Muslims and make them hate al-Qaeda instead of USA. Obama made many alluring promises during the presidential campaign in 2008 in his bid to washout the ill-effects of reviled Bush era and to win the confidence of Muslims. He promised to put an end to US interventionist policy, wrap up war in Iraq that was being condemned by all and sundry, find a democratic solution to Afghanistan, help in energizing Middle East peace process towards settlement of chronic Palestinian dispute, and in finding amicable solution to Kashmir issue.

He also made a commitment to close down dreadful prison in Guantanamo Bay and stressed that the US would abide by international law. In his bid to reach out to the Muslims and remove their sense of alienation, he stated in Cairo in June 2009 that the US did not have any enmity with the Muslim world. Efforts were made to de-link al-Qaeda from the folds of Islam terming it both terrorist and criminal. Hearing him, it was wishfully assumed that Obama would put a stop or at least scale down atrocious policies of his predecessor against Muslim countries.

It is over two years since he took over reins of power; so far all his tall promises have proved hollow. His words have not matched his actions. Though he has deceptively changed the title of ‘global war on terror with war against al-Qaeda, and terms like Islamic radicalism are avoided, in practical terms nothing has changed on ground. Since the Muslims continue to remain the main targets, the old phrase of ‘war on terror’ remains in common use by affected countries including Pakistan. Instead of curbing he has accelerated practice of death and destruction. He considers use of drones legal and morally just.

Although he has scaled down US troop level in Iraq to 50,000 only, the occupied country remains messy. Prospect of withdrawal of left over troops by end 2011 is uncertain due to fragile political situation under government of Maliki installed by Washington. Afghanistan is being continuously brutalized with a vengeance where the situation has become more volatile. He intensified covert operations and sprinkled more oil on the raging war on terror to make it ominous. Afghanistan provides an excellent base to CIA-Mosad-RAW-MI6 nexus to unleash clandestine operations all over Middle East, Horn of Africa and Central Asia as well as Philippines, Colombia, Pakistan and Iran. Latter was constantly threatened to be invaded. Guantanamo Bay is still functional and so are several CIA run detention centres infamous for torture.

As a sequel to his Af-Pak policy, the US military and its allies got heavily involved in Afghanistan and Pakistan, turning Pak-Afghan border region into single war zone. Purpose was to accelerate ground operations in Pashtun inhabited regions in Afghanistan and to step up invisible covert war in Pakistan. Clandestine operations were padded up with aerial violations, hot pursuits and intensified drone attacks against suspected targets in FATA. Brutalization of Afghanistan and Pakistan together with ruthless persecution of Kashmiris by Indian security forces in Indian occupied Kashmir has given rise to extremism and has made the whole region unstable and explosive. Things have gone from bad to worse for occupation forces in the last two years. In their desperate bid to arrest the resurgence of power of Taliban and regain initiative, ISAF has stepped up air blitz which in turn has increased casualty rate of civilians.

Middle East process instead of making progress has retrogressed due to Israeli intransigence and Obama’s visible inclination towards Tel Aviv. Like his predecessors he remains subservient to Israel and beholden to American Jews who were instrumental in his victory in elections. Obama feel no compunction in openly supporting Israel’s aggressive and unjust policies in the region. He not only looked the other way to Israeli invasion of Gaza in December 2008-January 2009 but justified it. He refused to condemn Israeli raid on Peace Flotilla off Gazan Coast and its illegal settlements in occupied territories.

Obamahas distanced himself from Kashmir under Indian pressure and his conspicuoustilt towards India is no secret. Gross human rights abuses by Indian security forces against hapless unarmed Kashmiris in disputed occupied Kashmir are being ignored by Washington but it is quick to point fingers at a Muslim country at the sound of a single bullet fired. The US dubs counter actions by security forces against separatist elements in Balochistan or against terrorists in Swat as violation of human rights, but anti-separatist operations of Indian security forces in several parts of India for over fifty years and application of inhuman laws and using rape as a weapon to suppress freedom movement evoke no response.

Concerted efforts were made by Christian powers to separate oil-rich southern Sudan from the mainland. For all practical purposes, Sudan stands divided but its woes are not over. In oil producing Darfur region of Sudan, rebellious forces are being supported by foreign powers. Besides the oil factor, application of Sharia laws by President Bashir and his softness towards Islamists are the main reasons of concern for the western world. While Sudanese President is demonised through media war and International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared him a war criminal, the ICJ, the UN and the civilized western world are tight lipped about the war crimes of George Bush and his squad of neo-cons. No voice is raised on use of drones by CIA against US ally Pakistan killing maximum innocent civilians and very few militants.

Somalia’s pirates were purposely instigated to make Somali coast and Gulf of Aden prone to sea piracy so as to provide an excuse for international naval force to fish in troubled waters. Drone war was extended to Yemen to fight rebellious forces in south and in the north of the country as well as Al-Qaeda so as to save its ally President Saleh. AFRICOM was created with mala fide intentions against African continent rich in mineral resources. Congo is a victim of US intrigues where insurrectional war is raging in the mineral heavy eastern region.

It is suspected that ongoing turbulence within the Arab world was engineered by CIA to get rid of aging puppets and replace them with younger ones more subservient to Washington so that oil could be monopolised. The US-UK-French forces have now physically intervened in Libya thus activating third battlefront. The latest intervention is in line with his predecessor’s plan to reconfigure the map of Middle East. Ignoring the killing spree of US-NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama hypocritically justifies air strikes in Libya on the false pretext of saving Libyans from the wrath of Qaddafi’s forces trying to quell foreign inspired rebellion.

USA and western powers have their eyes transfixed on Libyan oil and are least concerned with the safety of Muslims in Libya. Aerial attacks and cruise missiles have caused more deaths and destruction in Libya than what forces loyal to Qaddafi have incurred. If we take into account the massacres in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen, the figure of deaths come to well over two millions. Paul Craig Roberts rightly says that the sole super power prefers to murder Muslims in order to enhance profits of its defence industrial complex.

In line with US policy of subjugating Southern America, a coup was engineered in Honduras in 2009 to overthrow popularly elected ruler and to replace him with vicious dictator. Korean Peninsula was made turbulent and made into a flashpoint. Iran was subjected to heavy sanctions and repeatedly threatened to desist from pursuing nuclear program. CIA poured in million of dollars and indulged in subversive activities to affect a regime change. It patronised Jundullah terrorist group to destabilize Siestan Balochistan.

Obama is in his third year of rule but his popularity at home has sunk down substantially since his achievements on the domestic front are far from satisfactory. His external policies are widely criticized since he has neither been able to culminate the unpopular war on terror nor defeated al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan. He has so far not been able to spell out a clear cut strategy as to how he intends to play the endgame which enables safe and honorable return of foreign troops from Afghanistan. He has taken no steps to win the shattered confidence of the aggrieved Muslims and to bring down the rising graph of anti-Americanism and restore the lost image and credibility of USA. The US economy is in the melting pot while its chief rival China’s economy is surging. He has been unable to curtail debts and fiscal deficit due to ever rising expenditure on defence, security and covert war. With these minuses, his chances of re-election are getting slim, but who so ever returns to power in January 2013, he will also pursue old policies favoring the west, Israel and India and disfavoring the Muslims world.

Germany Will Become Islamic State, Says Chancellor Merkel

SIOE

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germans have failed to grasp how Muslim immigration has transformed their country and will have to come to terms with more mosques than churches throughout the countryside, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.

“Our country is going to carry on changing, and integration is also a task for the society taking up the task of dealing with immigrants,” Ms. Merkel told the daily newspaper. “For years we’ve been deceiving ourselves about this. Mosques, for example, are going to be a more prominent part of our cities than they were before.”

Germany, with a population of 4-5 million Muslims, has been divided in recent weeks by a debate over remarks by the Bundesbank’s Thilo Sarrazin, who argued Turkish and Arab immigrants were failing to integrate and were swamping Germany with a higher birth rate.

The Chancellor’s remarks represent the first official acknowledgement that Germany, like other European countries, is destined to become a stronghold of Islam. She has admitted that the country will soon become a stronghold.

In France, 30% of children age 20 years and below are Muslims. The ratio in Paris and Marseille has soared to 45%. In southern France, there are more mosques than churches.

The situation within the United Kingdom is not much different. In the last 30 years, the Muslim population there has climbed from 82,000 to 2.5 million. Presently, there are over 1000 mosques throughout Great Britain – - many of which were converted from churches.

In Belgium, 50% of the newborns are Muslims and reportedly its Islamic population hovers around 25%. A similar statistic holds true for The Netherlands.

It’s the same story in Russia where one in five inhabitants is a Muslim.

Muammar Gaddafi recently stated that “There are signs that Allah will grant victory to Islam in Europe without sword, without gun, without conquest. We don’t need terrorists; we don’t need homicide bombers. The 50 plus million Muslims (in Europe) will turn it into the Muslim Continent within a few decades.”

Dreams of India to turn Pakistan a compliant state dashed

By Asif Haroon Raja

India has kept USA and western world netted to its frequency since 1991. In the aftermath of 9/11 when the US and its western allies declared war against the Muslims, India got very close to the west and like Israel was made a strategic partner. Its grievances and allegations against Pakistan were listened to sympathetically, its counsels heard attentively and information shared taken as gospel truth.

Although Pakistan too was made an ally and a frontline state to take the major brunt of terrorism, its complaints against India were contemptuously brushed aside and it was snubbed for leveling false allegations. Pakistan was compulsively made a tactical partner to serve short term interests of USA. Discriminatory behavior of USA and other western countries kept Indian leaders in exhilarating and festive mood. Each allegation cooked up by Indo-US-Israeli spin doctors resulting in Pakistan bashing by US officials’ thrilled India the most.

RAW was given a free hand to carryout subversive activities and every successful move made to joggle Pakistan was lauded by the master coordinator. The band of six with champagne glasses in their hands would dance with joy from sunset till dawn. Pains of Pakistan became the delight of the sadistic gang. At the close of each month, head of RAW in Kabul would proudly highlight achievements made in the roundtable conference attended by CIA, Mossad, MI-6, BMD, RAAM and US-NATO senior military officials. They would laugh their heart out how Pakistani leadership had been duped and how they were able to put the strings of the trap around Pakistan’s neck effortlessly. India was profusely rewarded without having contributed anything towards curbing terrorism. Rewards were in recognition of its strenuous efforts to soak Pakistan in blood.

As the flames of terrorism reached every nook and corner of Pakistan in 2008 and internal situation became chaotic, it added to the cheerfulness of plot makers that their plans were proceeding smoothly and ultimate goal of stealing nukes was within grasping reach. They knew that once Pakistan was deprived of its nuclear strength, rest was easy. Anticipating that the noose had been sufficiently tightened, in their exuberance to go for the final kill they intensified their subversive activities coupled with browbeating tactics, drone attacks and propaganda war in 2009. Other than spate of suicide bombings in major cities, series of well coordinated group attacks were organized. Even an attempt was made on the GHQ so as to intensify fear and insecurity. 2009 was the bloodiest year in which 130 suicide attacks took place resulting in loss of 1800 lives. In 2010, so far 35 suicide attacks have occurred.

Their merriment turned into anguish when Pak Army turned the tide of foreign supported militancy in Malakand Division and Swat and then overpowered South Waziristan where the detractors were cocksure that the Army would get snared for good. Bajaur and other dens of militants within FATA were successfully disabled. Above all, Indian military support to militants got thoroughly exposed.

These outstanding successes in quick succession and that too in very short timeframe took the wind out of the sails of propagandists coming out with never ending allegations to defame the Army and institutions of Pakistan and suddenly catapulted Pakistan to a position of strength. Hollow propaganda snipes that Pak Army was incapable of fighting the militants or was linked with them and that it was not in a position to protect nuclear assets fell like ninepins. Propagandists had to chew the garbage they had heaped on Pakistan.

During the last eight years Pakistan had to confront and defeat chain of dangerous plots, each one deadlier than the previous one. Other than divine help which frustrated evil designs of our adversaries, a lot of credit goes to Gen Kayani and his team for overcoming series of obstacles skillfully and boldly. He neither has a magic wand or spiritual powers, or he is more visionary and knowledgeable than his predecessor Gen Musharraf. What he has in plenty is his down to earth practical and professional approach, qualities of a dynamic leader who leads from the front, honesty and sincerity of purpose, fear of God, humility and deep sense of commitment to safeguard national and Army’s interests.

Apolitical and morally sound, he has maintained personal contact with soldiers in the field. Soon after taking over he declared 2008 as the year of the soldier and dished out a highly attractive welfare package for lower ranks, which besides many benefits made them eligible for plots and houses as in case of officers. It had an electrifying impact and helped in invigorating their pride and inculcating in them sense of belonging. By appointing subedar majors at all tiers of command from battalion to COAS Secretariat he has his fingers on the pulse of the whole army. His frequent visits to forward areas amidst raging battles has eliminated communication gap and inspired newfound confidence among all ranks. They eagerly look forward to meet him and interact with him freely. After 1965 war, the Army was never seen in such roaring animal spirits as it is today. Strangest thing is that no officer or soldier fears death. Heavy fatalities of all ranks have made no dent in their tenacity to free the country of the menace of terrorism and to beat back all conspiracies hatched against integrity of Pakistan. There is not a single case of psychological trauma among combatants. It is this phenomenal level of motivation that enabled the brave hearts to enter the den of lions in South Waziristan, smash the age old myth by ousting the foreign supported militants last October and hold the captured ground with absolute firmness. Desperate efforts of the militants to retake the lost space have been thwarted.

Sullen faced India felt nonplussed over these setbacks and saw its years of efforts crumbling like house of cards. It relapsed into bout of despair and depression to notice a change in US-NATO attitude. The US military and civil officials and NATO commanders are now paying lesser heed to India’s advices and have started to see Pakistan with respect and admiration. As if this jolt was not enough, India was ignored by all the neighbors of Afghanistan and Pakistan was welcomed at Tehran, Istanbul and Shanghai summits. NATO conference in Brussels in which Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani glibly put forward facts and figures helped in making the participants understand Pakistan’s point of view and in removing their misperceptions. London Conference attached no importance to India and went ahead with its plan to recon ciliate with the Taliban and to find a political solution. They lent receptive ears to Pakistan’s suggestions and gave weight to what it said how to go about solving the Afghan tangle. Hamid Karzai too bent over backwards to win back cooperation of Pakistan. These fast track developments in 2010 led to Pak-US strategic dialogue promising a new beginning in relations based on mutual respect and trust.

Although the US has no intention to abandon India or reduce its status, it has belatedly and grudgingly begun to listen to Pakistan’s complaints and grievances more dispassionately and shown willingness to address some if not all of them. This welcome change has occurred due to fast evolving geo-strategic realities in Afghanistan, which is turning into another graveyard for USA. The US has acknowledged Pakistan’s key role in helping ISAF to stabilize Afghanistan and in quitting the country with grace. Growing influence of Russia over Central Asian States, as is seen in Kyrgyzstan has further limited options of USA and increased its dependence on Pakistan. These events are unpalatable for India and have dashed her dreams of making Pakistan a compliant state.

The insidious Indian propaganda

By Dr S.m. Rahman

The internet has become a vehicle to fan preposterous propaganda by the agencies in India, in order to promote ‘Hindutva’ sensibility to raise scare and trepidation among the Hindus that Pakistan in collusion with Bangladesh and Indian Muslim are now planning for a second partition of the subcontinent to carve our a much bigger chunk of territory out of India, which they have named as ‘Mughalstan’ that will comprise Pakistan, Bangladesh, including all of North and Eastern India. The so-called Mughal Muslim state will merge Pakistan and Bangladesh through a large corridor of land running across the Indo-Gangetic plain – the heartland of India. Jinnah’s Pakistan was envisaged to have the whole of Bengal and the Punjab – besides a corridor which could provide land links between the ‘west’ and the former ‘East Pakistan’. The moth-eaten Pakistan was accepted only ‘temporarily’ as Jinnah thought it expedient to accept what was made available, under the exigencies of the circumstances, but the idea of ‘Greater Pakistan’ was shelved for an appropriate time, as a necessary outcome of the partition, which the Hindu India had to reconcile with.

For propaganda message to appear credible a source had to be identified. It was deemed expedient to select Bangladesh, where this idea of Mughalstan was conceived and covertly planned at Jahangirnagar University, jointly supported by the ISI of Pakistan and DGFI (Director General Forces Intelligence of Bangladesh). In propaganda parlance, this is called ‘Black Propaganda source’, which is based on total distortion as the real originators are operating from somewhere else. It is for our intelligence agencies to find out as to from where such “hate propaganda” is being disseminated. They have also concocted an organisation called Mughalstan Research Institute (MRI) at Jahangirnagar University. The objectives of the propaganda are focused on the following themes so that Indian Hindus see the so-called vicious game the Muslims are playing to further divide Bharat, and that they are not content with the creation of Pakistan – an Islamic Republic and Bangladesh though apparently ‘secular’ nourishes deep Islamic ethos:

Ø The Punjabis pronounce Mughalstan, i.e. what is against the usual Urdu pronunciation Mughalistan. This is to establish that the ISI (Punjabi dominated organisation of Pakistan) is the contributor of the name. Such little details are meant to establish the credibility.

Ø The Islamic jihadis in India are being funded and organised by the Muslim countries, like Saudi Arabia and others.

Ø Osama bin Laden is behind the concept of ‘Greater Pakistan’ to liberate the Muslims of India from the domination of Hindus. The Mumbai bombings of 1993 was led by Karachi-based Dawood Ibrahim (a fugitive who is very much wanted by India for the crimes he committed), besides Jamat-i-Islami, Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Jaish-i-Muhammad and Hizbul mujahideen all are involved in planning a greater Islamic country in the subcontinent. The Indian mujahideen are also involved and the students of Islamic Movement in India (SIMI) are partners in this mission.

Ø Hindus are declared enemies by Lashkar-i-Tayyaba and Jaish-i-Muhammad, and besides liberating Kashmir they have vowed to hoist the Islamic flag atop the historic Red Fort after capturing Delhi and the rest of India.

Ø Establishment of an Islamic caliphate is the objective of SIMI (Students Islamic Movement of India) and as such they have launched jihad in the Indian States, as secularism, democracy and nationalism – the keystone of the Indian statehood, are antithetical to Islam. The Indian mujahideen have claimed responsibility for bombings in Lucknow, Vanarsi and Faizabad, Banglore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and New Delhi in 2007 and 2008. Their role models are Muhammad Bin Qasim, Muhammad Ghouri and Mahmood Ghaznavi. They consider ‘Hindu blood’ as the cheapest of all mankind, and taunt Hindu history as full of subjugation and humiliation.

Ø Muslims population is steadily rising in the UP state, as it has risen to 18 percent and in Bihar 17 percent. A vast number of mosques are disproportionately growing through excessive funding by Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Ø Muslim Banghbhoomi comprises various districts along the Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bangladesh borders. Bangladesh is craving for Taliban type militants and madrassas are teaching that the Muslims are the best in the world and that the non-Muslims are “to be converted, beaten, killed and their women are to be raped as maal-e-ghaneemat.” Atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh can be seen from the fact that there is no single woman between the ages of 7 to 70, who has not been raped.

Ø Bangladeshis have succeeded in infiltrating into Maripur, Mizoram, Meghalaya. Arunchal Pradesh and Tripura. In other words, they are responsible for fanning fissiparous trends in many of the states of India.

The message, therefore, is loud and clear that Hindus must rise to stop this grandiose plan of the Muslims. Mughalstan is not a question of “If” or “but”, but “when”, unless we, “Hindus” stand up to counter the treacherous plan. Undoubtedly, all this implicitly carries a message of coercive policies against the Indian Muslims, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The ostensible purpose of the propaganda is to malign both Bangladesh and Pakistan. The whole propaganda is motivated by a typical Kautalian sensibility to use deception, duplicity and deceit to fan hatred against the Muslims. It is also aimed at frustrating all the attempts to bring peace and cooperation between Pakistan and India through much dramatically publicised Aman Ki Aasha. One should interpret the outlandish proclamation by the Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor that India was capable of defeating both Pakistan and China within 96 hours. Stereotyping Muslims justifies all actions to destabilise Pakistan and even to launch a war if necessary.

The hate against Muslims is a combined strategy of the US, Israel and India. Thus, the so-called War on Terror has a covert design to suppress the Islamic resurgence and undermine its identity through a well-orchestrated plan. Pakistan should not dismiss it as a ‘whimsical idea’. There’s a method in the madness. They have killed around 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir alone notwithstanding regular communal riots like the one in Gujrat, where Muslims were cut into pieces like vegetables. Besides Muslims, Sikhs have been killed to the tune of 250,000 in the operation against the Golden Temple. A significant number of Christians have also been slaughtered only in Orissa. Dalits are being most brutally treated at the hands of Hindus, and yet the propaganda is to whitewash the Hindu propensity for violence.

Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was indeed a man of great foresight. He saw through the game, the Hindus were playing that they were the true inheritors of the British Empire and everyone else was to be left high and dry.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world is uncritically accepting the Indian propaganda that it is a vibrant democracy, quite oblivious of the reality that India is notoriously following its apartheid repressive policy against its religious minorities. They are covertly planning to destabilise through subversion in Balochistan, tribal areas and extending it to Punjab and Karachi.

George Orwell said very rightly: “In time of universal deceit, telling to truth is a revolutionary act.” The truth must be heeded to and our countrymen must rise against Indian machinations.

The writer is secretary general, FRIENDS.
Email: friendsfoundation@live.co.uk

France moves closer to banning full Muslim veil

Critics argue proposed move would be violation of basic rights

Faiza Silmi, a 32-year-old Moroccan, walks in a Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis, France, on Tuesday. Silmi was refused French citizenship for what authorities said was her failure to assimilate into French culture.

LA VERRIERE, France – The man she married is French, her four children were born in France and she speaks French with only a trace of her native Arabic tongue. Faiza Silmi contends her clothes – a head-to-toe robe and filmy tissue covering her face – are the reason France has denied her citizenship in her adopted land.

The 32-year-old Moroccan may soon be facing an even fiercer blow. A top French lawmaker submitted a draft law this week that would ban such Islamic dress anywhere in public, a measure that would set a European precedent and trap thousands of women between their religious convictions and the law of the land.

“They say I’m too attached to my religion,” Silmi told The Associated Press at an empty restaurant near her home southwest of Paris, her large eyes peering from a slit in her veil. “Lots of Christians live in Morocco and we don’t make them wear scarves.”

Unlike Muslim headscarves, full-body, face-covering robes are a rare sight in the streets of France, home to an estimated 5 million Muslims, the largest such population in western Europe. France’s main Muslim leaders have declared that Islam does not require women to cover their faces with niqabs or burqas.

In a country whose national emblem is Marianne, a bare-chested woman, there is deepening concern over the all-encompassing garb, often black or brown and worn with gloves, attire typical in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Here, it is widely viewed as a gateway to radical Islam, an attack on gender equality and other French values, and a gnawing away at the nation’s secular foundation.

‘Not welcome’

President Nicolas Sarkozy opened the door to a possible ban in June, telling a parliament session in Versailles that such dress “is not welcome” in France. A parliamentary panel set to work in July on a six-month mission gathering information on the garments.

On Tuesday, the head of Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party in parliament’s lower house, Jean-Francois Cope, jumped the gun before the panel’s report was finished, and filed draft legislation on a ban. “No one may, in spaces open to the public and on public streets, wear a garment or an accessory that has the effect of hiding the face,” the draft text reads.

The document cites public security concerns, thus includes all face-covering clothes, in a bid to head off challenges from those who might claim such a law would violate constitutional rules on individual rights – a major concern along with how such a law would be enforced. It foresees fines for those who break the law.

The initiative, unlikely to go to debate before spring, would be the second time France targets Muslim dress. A 2004 law born in acrimony bans Muslim headscarves and other “ostentatious” religious symbols in the classrooms of French public schools. Sarkozy’s party dominates parliament and the president reiterated Wednesday his wish for a law on full veils, though it’s too early to say whether it will pass.

Tension

Europe’s growing Muslim population has bred tension across the continent. Wariness is pervasive since deadly attacks in Madrid in 2004 and in London in 2005 by Islamic radicals living in Europe. And some non-Muslims sense a threat by a foreign culture to their way of life. It took only four minarets on Switzerland’s 200 mosques to push the Swiss to vote “no” to minarets in a November referendum.

However, France, which wants an Islam tailored to the West, would be the only western European country to target the all-enveloping robes and niqabs, the cloth hiding the lower face. “We’re going to become the laughing stock of democracies” should France ban the clothing, said Raphael Liogier, a sociology professor who runs the Observatory of the Religious in Aix-en-Provence.

He is among critics who say a ban would be a violation of basic rights and “transgression of the fundamental principles of our republic.”