செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை, பிப்ரவரி 5, 2008
நெல்லை: திருநெல்வேலி, பாளையங்கோட்டை கதீட்ரல் ஆலயத்தில் இன்று நடந்த குருமார்கள் ஆலோசனை கூட்டத்தில் சிஎஸ்ஐ பிஷப் ஜெயபால் டேவிட் சராமரியாக தாக்கப்பட்டார். அவரது கார் அடித்து நொறுக்கப்பட்டது. இது தொடர்பாக 3 பேர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர். பதட்டம் நிலவுவதால் போலீசார் குவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.
நெல்லை டயோசீசன் நிர்வாகிகள் தேர்தல் தொடர்பாக ஏடிஜேசி தினகர், வேதநாயகம் அணிகளுக்கு இடையே கடும் மோதல் நடந்து வருகிறது. தேர்தல் தொடர்பாக இரு அணியினரும் பல்வேறு நீதிமன்றங்களில் மாறி மாறி வழக்கு தொடர்ந்துள்ளனர்.
இந்நிலையில் டயோசீசன் அனைத்து சேகர குருமார்கள் கூட்டம் கதீட்ரல் ஆலயத்தில் இன்று நடைபெறுவதாக அறிவிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. இதில் கலந்து கொள்வதற்காக பிஷப் ஜெயபால் டேவிட் காலை 10.30 மணியளவில் அங்கு காரில் வந்தார்.
அப்போது சிலர் கும்பலாக திரண்டு வந்து குருமார்கள் கூட்டத்தை நடத்த பிஷப்புக்கு தகுதி இல்லை. தேர்தல் முறையாக நடத்தப்படவில்லை என்று கோஷம் எழுப்பினர். பின்னர் அவர்கள் கதீட்ரல் ஆலயத்திற்குள் நுழைந்து அங்கிருந்த சேர் மற்றும் மைக்குகளை அடித்து உடைத்தனர்.
இதை தட்டிக் கேட்ட சில பாதிரியார்களும் தாக்கப்பட்டார்கள். அப்போது அங்கிருந்த பிஷப் ஜெயபால் டேவிட்டின் அங்கியை பிடித்து இழுத்து தாக்கினர். அவரது முகத்தில் குத்து விழுந்தது. பின் பக்கம் நின்ற சிலரும் அவரை தாக்கினர். இதில் அவரது அங்கி கிழிந்தது. இந்த கலவரத்தில் ஜெயபால் டேவிட் வந்த கார் அடித்து நொறுக்கப்பட்டது. கார் டிரைவர் பாக்கியநாதனையும் அவர்கள் தாக்கினர்.
இதையடுத்து இரு அணியை சேர்ந்தவர்களும் ஓருவருக்கொருவர் தாக்கிக் கொண்டனர். இதனால் கதீட்ரல் ஆலயம் போர்களம் போல் காட்சியளித்தது. குருமார்கள் சிலர் பிஷப்பை பாதுகாப்பாக வெளியே அழைத்து வந்தனர்.
தகவல் அறிந்ததும் பாளை இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் நாகராஜன், சப்-இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் விஜயகுமார் மற்றும் போலீசார் வந்து கலவரத்தில் ஈடுபட்டவர்களை அடித்து விரட்டினர். அதன்பிறகு அனைவரும் ஆலயத்தை விட்டு வெளியேறினர். இந்த சம்பவத்தால் அங்கு பெரும் பரபரப்பு ஏற்பட்டது.
கலவரத்தில் ஈடுபட்டதாக மேலசெவலைச் சேர்ந்த செல்வராஜ், ஏமன்குளம் குணபால்ஜெசிங், முக்கூடல் பால்பாலசிங் ஆகியோரை போலீசார் கைது செய்தனர். பின்னர் அங்கு குருமார்கள் கூட்டம் நடந்தது. தொடர்ந்து பதற்றம் நீடித்து வருவதால் அங்கு போலீசார் குவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.
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நன்றி தட்ஸ்டமில்
கருணை பொங்குதே என்று கூச்சல் மட்டும்தான் இருக்கும்போல. கருணை அப்புறம் காணாமல் போயிடும் போல.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
அல் அக்தம் :அரபிய தலித்துகளுக்காகவும் குரல் கொடுப்போம்
சாதிக்கொடுமையால் மிகவும் தீவிரமாக கொடுமைப்படுத்தப்படும் அரபியதலித்துகளான அல் அக்தம் ஜாதியினர் தங்கள் உரிமைகளை பெற்று நலமாகவாழவும் குரல் கொடுப்போம்
Minority Report: Yemen's Akhdam "Out-Castes"
They have lived in Yemen for well over a thousand years. They are Arabic-speaking Muslims. And yet they are Yemen's great outcasts. Meet the Akhdam.
The photo at right is a snapshot from one of the Akhdam shanty-towns in Yemen's capital. As one article notes, this street slum lies "virtually in the shadows of the multi-million-dollar presidential mosque, and is made up of squat cinderblock buildings and shacks made from scrap materials. It sits on a waterway that fills up in the winter, turning the pathways into rivulets and dirt floors into muck."
Legend has it that the Black Yemenis, who do not belong to any of the major Arab tribe groups, descend from Ethiopian invaders from the sometime between 100-600 A.D. When the Ethiopian invasion failed, they became slaves and servants. With the abolition of slavery in Yemen (in 1962!), the Akhdam are now all "free" but face widespread discrimination and economic hardship:
They are almost always kept at arms length, and any chance of social integration is next to impossible. Their name, akhdam, is the plural of the Arabic term khadim, which literally means servant, a term far predating their common occupation nowadays as sanitary workers and garbage collectors, and is given to any Yemeni-born person with black skin, especially in the north of the country.
For more on the obstacles faced the Akhdam and proposed reforms, see Huda Seif's report in the Muslim World Journal of Human Rights [excerpt from abstract]:
...the Al-Akhdam are persecuted on account of their being of African-descent in a country with an Arab-majority... The article advocates the protection of the collective human rights of the Al-Akhdam minority and proposes cogent measures for restoring social justice through the implementation of specific actions, including international condemnation of their persecution; official recognition of the violence meted to them; national international recognition and promotion of their rights; cessation of Yemeni government-supported policy of Al-Akhdam forced labor; formal extension of constitutionally-guaranteed economic and social rights and the establishment of a program designed to integrate them into the mainstream of Yemeni society.
November 03, 2005 in Civil Rights Abuses: Minority Rights | Permalink
Minority Report: Yemen's Akhdam "Out-Castes"
They have lived in Yemen for well over a thousand years. They are Arabic-speaking Muslims. And yet they are Yemen's great outcasts. Meet the Akhdam.
The photo at right is a snapshot from one of the Akhdam shanty-towns in Yemen's capital. As one article notes, this street slum lies "virtually in the shadows of the multi-million-dollar presidential mosque, and is made up of squat cinderblock buildings and shacks made from scrap materials. It sits on a waterway that fills up in the winter, turning the pathways into rivulets and dirt floors into muck."
Legend has it that the Black Yemenis, who do not belong to any of the major Arab tribe groups, descend from Ethiopian invaders from the sometime between 100-600 A.D. When the Ethiopian invasion failed, they became slaves and servants. With the abolition of slavery in Yemen (in 1962!), the Akhdam are now all "free" but face widespread discrimination and economic hardship:
They are almost always kept at arms length, and any chance of social integration is next to impossible. Their name, akhdam, is the plural of the Arabic term khadim, which literally means servant, a term far predating their common occupation nowadays as sanitary workers and garbage collectors, and is given to any Yemeni-born person with black skin, especially in the north of the country.
For more on the obstacles faced the Akhdam and proposed reforms, see Huda Seif's report in the Muslim World Journal of Human Rights [excerpt from abstract]:
...the Al-Akhdam are persecuted on account of their being of African-descent in a country with an Arab-majority... The article advocates the protection of the collective human rights of the Al-Akhdam minority and proposes cogent measures for restoring social justice through the implementation of specific actions, including international condemnation of their persecution; official recognition of the violence meted to them; national international recognition and promotion of their rights; cessation of Yemeni government-supported policy of Al-Akhdam forced labor; formal extension of constitutionally-guaranteed economic and social rights and the establishment of a program designed to integrate them into the mainstream of Yemeni society.
November 03, 2005 in Civil Rights Abuses: Minority Rights | Permalink
ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்., அலுவலகத்தில் வெடிகுண்டு வைத்த 3 பேர் கைது
திருநெல்வேலி: தென்காசி ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்., அலுவலகத்தில் வெடிகுண்டு வைத்த மூன்று பேரை போலீசார் கைது செய்தனர்.
தென்காசி ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்., அலுவலகத்தில் கடந்த மாதம் 24ம் தேதி பைப் வெடிகுண்டு வெடித்தது. தொடர்ந்து புதிய பஸ்நிலையத்திலும் குண்டு வெடித்தது. இந்த வழக்கில் விசாரணை நடத்திய போலீசார், குண்டு வைத்ததாக, தென்காசி மலையான் தெரு, ரவி பாண்டியன்(42), செண்பக விநாயகர் கோவில் தெரு, குமார் (எ) கேடிசி குமார் (28), செங்கோட்டை ஆற்றங்கரை தெரு, நாராயணசர்மா (26) ஆகியோரை கைது செய்தனர்.
இது குறித்து தென்மண்டல போலீஸ் ஐ.ஜி., சஞ்சீவ்குமார், டி.ஐ.ஜி., கண்ணப்பன் ஆகியோர் கூறியதாவது:
ரவிபாண்டியனின் சகோதரர்கள் நான்கு பேர் கொலை செய்யப்பட்டனர். இதில், இந்துக்களிடம் போதுமான எழுச்சி ஏற்படவில்லை. இதனால், தென்காசியில் வெடிகுண்டு வைக்க திட்டமிட்டுள்ளனர். ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்., அலுவலகம், பஸ் நிலையத்தில் குண்டுகள் வைத்தால் இரு தரப்பினரும் மோதிக் கொள்வர். கலவரம் ஏற்படும் என எதிர்பார்த்து டைம்பாம் தயாரித்து வைத்துள்ளனர். ரவிபாண்டியன் கேபிள் "டிவி' நடத்தி வருகிறார். அவர் பாலிடெக்னிக் படித்துள்ளார். அதனால் எலக்ட்ரானிக் பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்துவது அவருக்கு எளிதாக இருந்துள்ளது.
ரவிபாண்டியனுக்கு கேடிசி குமார், நாராயணசர்மா மற்றும் சிலர் துணையாக இருந்து டைம்பாம் தயாரித்துள்ளனர். இதில் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள வெடிபொருள் அமோனியம் நைட்ரேட். முதலில் இவர்கள் டைம்பாம் தயாரித்து பாபநாசம் மலைப்பகுதியில் வெடித்து சோதனை செய்துள்ளனர். கடந்த ஆண்டு ஜூன் மாதமே டைம்பாம் தயாரிக்கும் திட்டத்தில் அவர்கள் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர்.
இரும்பு குழாய்க்குள் டெட்டனேட்டர் மற்றும் வெடிபொருட்கள் வைத்து மூடியுள்ளனர். அதில் உள்ள ஒயரில் எலக்ட்ரானிக் போர்டு மூலம் பாட்டரியை இணைத்துள்ளனர். பின்னர் வெடிகுண்டு வெடிக்கும் நேரத்தை குறிக்கும் எலக்ட்ரானிக் டைமரை அத்துடன் சேர்த்து வைத்து வெடிக்க வைத்துள்ளனர். 14 டைம் பாம்கள் தயாரித்துள்ளனர். இவற்றை இரண்டு இரண்டாக சேர்த்து வைத்து வெடிக்க வைத்துள்ளனர். ஒரு செட் டைம்பாமை கைப்பற்றி செயலிழக்க செய்துள்ளோம். இதில் தொடர்புடைய இன்னும் சிலர் கைது செய்யப்பட்ட பின்னர் வழக்கு முழுமை பெறும். இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.
நன்றி தினமலர்
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அமைதிமார்க்கமான இந்துமதத்துக்கு களங்கம் விளைவிக்கும் படி நட்ந்துகொண்ட இந்த இந்து பெயர் தாங்கிகளுக்கு கடும் கண்டனத்தை தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறேன்.
தென்காசி ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்., அலுவலகத்தில் கடந்த மாதம் 24ம் தேதி பைப் வெடிகுண்டு வெடித்தது. தொடர்ந்து புதிய பஸ்நிலையத்திலும் குண்டு வெடித்தது. இந்த வழக்கில் விசாரணை நடத்திய போலீசார், குண்டு வைத்ததாக, தென்காசி மலையான் தெரு, ரவி பாண்டியன்(42), செண்பக விநாயகர் கோவில் தெரு, குமார் (எ) கேடிசி குமார் (28), செங்கோட்டை ஆற்றங்கரை தெரு, நாராயணசர்மா (26) ஆகியோரை கைது செய்தனர்.
இது குறித்து தென்மண்டல போலீஸ் ஐ.ஜி., சஞ்சீவ்குமார், டி.ஐ.ஜி., கண்ணப்பன் ஆகியோர் கூறியதாவது:
ரவிபாண்டியனின் சகோதரர்கள் நான்கு பேர் கொலை செய்யப்பட்டனர். இதில், இந்துக்களிடம் போதுமான எழுச்சி ஏற்படவில்லை. இதனால், தென்காசியில் வெடிகுண்டு வைக்க திட்டமிட்டுள்ளனர். ஆர்.எஸ்.எஸ்., அலுவலகம், பஸ் நிலையத்தில் குண்டுகள் வைத்தால் இரு தரப்பினரும் மோதிக் கொள்வர். கலவரம் ஏற்படும் என எதிர்பார்த்து டைம்பாம் தயாரித்து வைத்துள்ளனர். ரவிபாண்டியன் கேபிள் "டிவி' நடத்தி வருகிறார். அவர் பாலிடெக்னிக் படித்துள்ளார். அதனால் எலக்ட்ரானிக் பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்துவது அவருக்கு எளிதாக இருந்துள்ளது.
ரவிபாண்டியனுக்கு கேடிசி குமார், நாராயணசர்மா மற்றும் சிலர் துணையாக இருந்து டைம்பாம் தயாரித்துள்ளனர். இதில் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள வெடிபொருள் அமோனியம் நைட்ரேட். முதலில் இவர்கள் டைம்பாம் தயாரித்து பாபநாசம் மலைப்பகுதியில் வெடித்து சோதனை செய்துள்ளனர். கடந்த ஆண்டு ஜூன் மாதமே டைம்பாம் தயாரிக்கும் திட்டத்தில் அவர்கள் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர்.
இரும்பு குழாய்க்குள் டெட்டனேட்டர் மற்றும் வெடிபொருட்கள் வைத்து மூடியுள்ளனர். அதில் உள்ள ஒயரில் எலக்ட்ரானிக் போர்டு மூலம் பாட்டரியை இணைத்துள்ளனர். பின்னர் வெடிகுண்டு வெடிக்கும் நேரத்தை குறிக்கும் எலக்ட்ரானிக் டைமரை அத்துடன் சேர்த்து வைத்து வெடிக்க வைத்துள்ளனர். 14 டைம் பாம்கள் தயாரித்துள்ளனர். இவற்றை இரண்டு இரண்டாக சேர்த்து வைத்து வெடிக்க வைத்துள்ளனர். ஒரு செட் டைம்பாமை கைப்பற்றி செயலிழக்க செய்துள்ளோம். இதில் தொடர்புடைய இன்னும் சிலர் கைது செய்யப்பட்ட பின்னர் வழக்கு முழுமை பெறும். இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.
நன்றி தினமலர்
-
அமைதிமார்க்கமான இந்துமதத்துக்கு களங்கம் விளைவிக்கும் படி நட்ந்துகொண்ட இந்த இந்து பெயர் தாங்கிகளுக்கு கடும் கண்டனத்தை தெரிவித்துக்கொள்கிறேன்.
கோயில் இடிப்பு: மன்னிப்பு கேட்கும் மலேசியா!
கோலாலம்பூர்: மலேசியாவின் கிளாங் நகரில் உள்ள இந்துக் கோயிலை இடித்தது தவறு. அதற்காக இந்துக்களிடம் மன்னிப்பு கேட்பதாக மலேசிய துணைப் பிரதமர் நஜீப் துன் ரஸ்ஸாக் கூறியுள்ளார்.மலேசியாவில், ஆளுங்கூட்டணி மீது தமிழர்கள் கடும் அதிருப்தியுடன் உள்ளனர். இந்த அதிருப்தியின் விளைவு, வருகிற பொதுத் தேர்தலில் எதிரொலிக்கக் கூடும் என்ற பயத்தில் ஆளுங்கூட்டணி உள்ளது. இதனால் தமிழர்களை சமாதானப்படுத்தும் வகையில் பல்வேறு நடவடிக்கைகளில் இறங்கியுள்ளது.இதில் ஒரு பகுதியாக கிளாங்கில் உள்ள பழம்பெரும் இந்து கோயில் இடிக்கப்பட்டதற்கு மலேசிய துணைப் பிரதமர் ரஸ்ஸாக் மன்னிப்பு கேட்டுள்ளார்.இதுகுறித்து அவர் கூறுகையில், கிளாங்கில் உள்ள கோவில் இடிக்கப்பட்டது, அதிலும் தீபாவளிக்கு முன்பு இடிக்கப்பட்டது தவறு என்பதை உணர்ந்துள்ளோம். அதற்காக மன்னிப்பு கோருகிறோம். இனிமேல் இதுபோன்ற சம்பவம் நடக்காது என்றார் அவர்.மலேசியாவில் முஸ்லிம்கள் அதிகமாக வாழும் இடங்களில் சுமார் 24 ஆயிரம் இந்து கோயில்கள் உள்ளதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. ஆங்கிலேயர் ஆட்சிக்காலத்தில் இந்தக் கோயில்கள் கட்டப்பட்டன என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
நன்றி தினமலர்
நன்றி தினமலர்
நான் இந்து என்று கூறிக்கொள்வதில் பெருமையடைகிறேன்
மலேசிய இந்துக்கள் போல தமிழக இந்துக்களும் எழும் நாளை எதிர்நோக்குவோம்.
POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Rising Hindu Activism May Upset Poll Calculations
Analysis by Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (IPS) - A new political force -- right wing Hindu activism -- has emerged in multi-ethnic Malaysia adding, in an election year, volatility to the country's already religiously charged politics dominated by the majority Malay Muslims.
Across the country, Indian Tamils are mobilising to protest against alleged socio-economic neglect, under the banner of Hinduism in an awakening that is vocal but disorganised providing an open field for opposition political parties to exploit.
Ethnic Indians, who make up about eight percent of the population of 26 million people, complain that majority Malays have used their political power and special privileges to corner for themselves opportunities in employment, education and business.
The Chinese, who first arrived as labourers to work in the tin mines, now form 25 percent of the population and are economically the most vibrant group -- controlling some 60 percent of the economy.
On Nov. 25, ethnic Indians took to the streets en masse to protest against alleged discrimination that resulted in the indefinite detention of five top leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has acknowledged that the grievances of the Indians, as highlighted by the Hindraf, may dent election prospects for the ruling National Front. ‘’Yes, I think votes will be affected somewhat,’’ he was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star newspaper.
Much of the new ferment is visible in the hundreds of Hindu temples where working class Tamils, mostly youths and young married couples, gather to avoid police harassment and speak out against pro-Malay policies that they say has sidelined them.
"We have been left out of 20 years of progress and development," said Munusamy Marimuthu, 28, a supervisor in a small rubber factory, his two-year-old daughter, Savitri, in tow.
On the weekend, Marimuthu joined some 800 working class Tamils to pray to Lord Muruga, the sentinel god of the Tamils, at a Hindu temple in Kuala Selangor, a town set amidst oil palm plantations about 70 km east of the capital. They also broke coconuts, a religious act usually associated with seeking divine intervention to resolve woes faced by devotees.
"I am proud to be a Hindu," Marimuthu, a descendent of 19th century Tamil indentured labourers from South India, told IPS. "I feel protected."
"Our politicians have betrayed us… only our energy and our god can protect us now," he said echoing the views of the majority of Tamils in the country caught up in a ‘Makkal Shakthi’ (people power) movement.
The youths were led in their protest prayers by a saffron clad priest from South India chanting in Sanskrit, the ancient language of Hinduism, which few of the congregation could understood but nevertheless the camaraderie was high.
"For the first time we are united and under the banner of our religion," said another protestor Arumugam Chedi, 39, a laborer. "Our religion is under threat but now we are united and can show our anger."
At every such function the protestors also release five pigeons in honour of the five incarcerated leaders of the Hindraf. The five are being held without trial at a political detention camp in Northern Perak state, accused of "developing links" with Sri Lanka’s militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). They have denied the charge.
At the center of the Makkal Sakthi protest are allegations that Badawi has failed to take firm action to "right the wrongs" faced by the Tamils and for the harsh action meted out to the Hindraf leaders in spite of the political support given to the ruling National Front.
Abdullah is blamed for standing by Samy Vellu, longtime president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) which is a partner in Abdullah's National Front coalition government.
"Indian anger is focused on Samy Vellu who is seen as betraying the community by not speaking up for its needs in the government," said parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang. "He should resign because Indians have rejected his inept leadership," Lim told IPS.
Lim, who leads the Democratic Action Party (DAP), has demanded that two of the detained Hindraf leaders, M. Manoharan and B. Ganabathi Rao, be allowed to contest the elections, widely expected in March. Both men happen to be DAP members.
On Jan. 23 Hindus showed their anger and frustration at Samy Vellu and the MIC by boycotting the Thaipusam festival, the biggest event on the calendar for Malaysian Hindus, that is held annually at the Batu Caves temple complex outside the capital.
Typically about 1.5 million devotees and spectators, on average, throng the caves for the festival. But this year only about 300,000 Hindus showed up with most people staying away in support of the boycott and reject Samy Vellu, who traditionally opens the celebration with an early morning speech.
SMS text messages were extensively used by Indian groups that back the Hindraf to persuade Hindus to stay away.
With Abdullah's popularity among Indians plunging and Samy Vellu's leadership discredited Indian voter support for the government is at an all time low.
"We expect the majority of Indians to vote for the opposition this time," said Murugesan Kulasegaran, the only ethnic Tamil opposition lawmaker in parliament. "They can be kingmakers in at least 30 parliamentary constituencies…Their voice will be heard this time," he said.
The opposition Chinese-majority Democratic Action Party and opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim's National Justice Party are potentially the big gainers from the Indian minority votes.
However the rise of Hinduism is also unleashing other potentially divisive forces that pose a potential danger to this fragile multi-ethnic society.
As a counter reaction Malay Muslim support is rising for Badawi, opinion polls show. From about 65 percent a year ago support is now nearing 80 percent and rising.
Another significant sign is that while Tamils are flocking to opposition party rallies, Malay Muslims and Chinese, who form 30 percent of the electorate of 13 million, are conspicuously missing.
Observers say the business-minded Chinese who cherish stability and a strong central government are feeling uneasy with the rise of Hinduism as a political force. "They fear how Muslims would react and the possible implication for stability and growth," a senior University of Malaya lecturer told IPS. "They worry because the multi-ethnic society is already under stress.'
The rise of Hinduism will have an impact on the voting trend among Malay Muslims, who form 60 percent of the voters, the lecturer said, asking not to be named. ‘’They are more likely to side with the government seeing it as better able to 'protect' Islam against a ‘Hindu upsurge’.’’
The net effect, many fear, is that the opposition political parties might end up winning "large chunks" of the smaller Indian vote but lose "large chunks" of the bigger Malay and Chinese votes.
(END/2008)
POLITICS-MALAYSIA: Rising Hindu Activism May Upset Poll Calculations
Analysis by Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (IPS) - A new political force -- right wing Hindu activism -- has emerged in multi-ethnic Malaysia adding, in an election year, volatility to the country's already religiously charged politics dominated by the majority Malay Muslims.
Across the country, Indian Tamils are mobilising to protest against alleged socio-economic neglect, under the banner of Hinduism in an awakening that is vocal but disorganised providing an open field for opposition political parties to exploit.
Ethnic Indians, who make up about eight percent of the population of 26 million people, complain that majority Malays have used their political power and special privileges to corner for themselves opportunities in employment, education and business.
The Chinese, who first arrived as labourers to work in the tin mines, now form 25 percent of the population and are economically the most vibrant group -- controlling some 60 percent of the economy.
On Nov. 25, ethnic Indians took to the streets en masse to protest against alleged discrimination that resulted in the indefinite detention of five top leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has acknowledged that the grievances of the Indians, as highlighted by the Hindraf, may dent election prospects for the ruling National Front. ‘’Yes, I think votes will be affected somewhat,’’ he was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star newspaper.
Much of the new ferment is visible in the hundreds of Hindu temples where working class Tamils, mostly youths and young married couples, gather to avoid police harassment and speak out against pro-Malay policies that they say has sidelined them.
"We have been left out of 20 years of progress and development," said Munusamy Marimuthu, 28, a supervisor in a small rubber factory, his two-year-old daughter, Savitri, in tow.
On the weekend, Marimuthu joined some 800 working class Tamils to pray to Lord Muruga, the sentinel god of the Tamils, at a Hindu temple in Kuala Selangor, a town set amidst oil palm plantations about 70 km east of the capital. They also broke coconuts, a religious act usually associated with seeking divine intervention to resolve woes faced by devotees.
"I am proud to be a Hindu," Marimuthu, a descendent of 19th century Tamil indentured labourers from South India, told IPS. "I feel protected."
"Our politicians have betrayed us… only our energy and our god can protect us now," he said echoing the views of the majority of Tamils in the country caught up in a ‘Makkal Shakthi’ (people power) movement.
The youths were led in their protest prayers by a saffron clad priest from South India chanting in Sanskrit, the ancient language of Hinduism, which few of the congregation could understood but nevertheless the camaraderie was high.
"For the first time we are united and under the banner of our religion," said another protestor Arumugam Chedi, 39, a laborer. "Our religion is under threat but now we are united and can show our anger."
At every such function the protestors also release five pigeons in honour of the five incarcerated leaders of the Hindraf. The five are being held without trial at a political detention camp in Northern Perak state, accused of "developing links" with Sri Lanka’s militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). They have denied the charge.
At the center of the Makkal Sakthi protest are allegations that Badawi has failed to take firm action to "right the wrongs" faced by the Tamils and for the harsh action meted out to the Hindraf leaders in spite of the political support given to the ruling National Front.
Abdullah is blamed for standing by Samy Vellu, longtime president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) which is a partner in Abdullah's National Front coalition government.
"Indian anger is focused on Samy Vellu who is seen as betraying the community by not speaking up for its needs in the government," said parliamentary opposition leader Lim Kit Siang. "He should resign because Indians have rejected his inept leadership," Lim told IPS.
Lim, who leads the Democratic Action Party (DAP), has demanded that two of the detained Hindraf leaders, M. Manoharan and B. Ganabathi Rao, be allowed to contest the elections, widely expected in March. Both men happen to be DAP members.
On Jan. 23 Hindus showed their anger and frustration at Samy Vellu and the MIC by boycotting the Thaipusam festival, the biggest event on the calendar for Malaysian Hindus, that is held annually at the Batu Caves temple complex outside the capital.
Typically about 1.5 million devotees and spectators, on average, throng the caves for the festival. But this year only about 300,000 Hindus showed up with most people staying away in support of the boycott and reject Samy Vellu, who traditionally opens the celebration with an early morning speech.
SMS text messages were extensively used by Indian groups that back the Hindraf to persuade Hindus to stay away.
With Abdullah's popularity among Indians plunging and Samy Vellu's leadership discredited Indian voter support for the government is at an all time low.
"We expect the majority of Indians to vote for the opposition this time," said Murugesan Kulasegaran, the only ethnic Tamil opposition lawmaker in parliament. "They can be kingmakers in at least 30 parliamentary constituencies…Their voice will be heard this time," he said.
The opposition Chinese-majority Democratic Action Party and opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim's National Justice Party are potentially the big gainers from the Indian minority votes.
However the rise of Hinduism is also unleashing other potentially divisive forces that pose a potential danger to this fragile multi-ethnic society.
As a counter reaction Malay Muslim support is rising for Badawi, opinion polls show. From about 65 percent a year ago support is now nearing 80 percent and rising.
Another significant sign is that while Tamils are flocking to opposition party rallies, Malay Muslims and Chinese, who form 30 percent of the electorate of 13 million, are conspicuously missing.
Observers say the business-minded Chinese who cherish stability and a strong central government are feeling uneasy with the rise of Hinduism as a political force. "They fear how Muslims would react and the possible implication for stability and growth," a senior University of Malaya lecturer told IPS. "They worry because the multi-ethnic society is already under stress.'
The rise of Hinduism will have an impact on the voting trend among Malay Muslims, who form 60 percent of the voters, the lecturer said, asking not to be named. ‘’They are more likely to side with the government seeing it as better able to 'protect' Islam against a ‘Hindu upsurge’.’’
The net effect, many fear, is that the opposition political parties might end up winning "large chunks" of the smaller Indian vote but lose "large chunks" of the bigger Malay and Chinese votes.
(END/2008)
ஸ்பெயின் :நீதிபதிகள், வக்கீல்கள் போலீஸ் ஆகியோரை கொல்ல திட்டமிட்டிருந்த இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் என்று அஞ்சப்பட்டவர்களில் 10 பேர் விடுதலை
இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் நீதிபதிகள், வக்கீல்கள், போலிஸ் என்று பலரை கொல்ல திட்டமிட்டிருந்தனர். 30 பேரை இதற்காக கைது செய்தது ஸ்பெயின் போலீஸ்.
இதில் 10 பேர் மீது குற்றம் நிரூபிக்கப்படவில்லை என்று கோர்ட் விடுதலை செய்துள்ளது.
Spain bomb suspects freed before verdictStory Highlights
Spanish court frees 10 charged with plotting to bomb court pending a verdict
Trial started last October and concluded on January 14; judges deliberating
Suspects planned to kill judges, prosecutors and police, court order says
Next Article in World »
By Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish court has ordered the provisional release from jail of 10 of the 30 suspected Islamic extremists charged with plotting to bomb Madrid's anti-terrorism court pending a verdict.
Security at the Spanish National Court in Madrid has since been stepped up.
But five of the 10 will remain in jail on other charges, a court spokeswoman told CNN.
In addition, the five others who will leave jail are under orders to report every Monday to the police station nearest to their home, and to surrender their passports and not leave Spanish territory, according to a copy of the court order viewed by CNN on Monday.
The trial started last October and concluded on January 14. The three-judge panel hearing the case are now deliberating for a verdict that is not expected for at least several weeks, the spokeswoman said.
But the decision to release the suspects does not necessarily mean they will be acquitted, a court source told CNN. The judges decided that the suspects were entitled to be out of jail pending a verdict, the source said.
The alleged terrorists planned to kill hundreds of judges, prosecutors, support staff and police officers who work daily at the National Court, which tries cases of terrorism, according to a prosecution document viewed by CNN.
They also planned to destroy files against other Islamic terrorist suspects, including those linked to the Madrid train bombings, the document added.
In the summer of 2004 -- soon after the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded 1,800 others -- a key suspect in alleged courthouse plot sought to obtain 500 kg (1,100 lbs) of explosives for the courthouse attack, the prosecution document said.
The second court source earlier told CNN that all of the defendants insisted on their innocence at arraignments and other pre-trial hearings.
The trial took place in a secure basement courtroom equipped with bullet-proof glass separating the defendants from the judges and more bullet-proof glass separating the public from the court.
The defendants include 19 Algerians, 5 Moroccans and others from Mauritania, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon and Spain.
Prosecutors base their case on testimony and documentation provided by a Moroccan man operating as a police informant and on wiretaps and intercepted correspondence between some of the suspects, according to the document and the second court source.
Police arrested most of the suspects in October 2004. Many of them had been convicted of other crimes and were serving time in prison, the document said.
At the time of the arrests, an attack on the courthouse "would have been easy," the second court source said. There are streets on three sides of the courthouse, and a main street runs next to the building.
The courthouse has since increased security, installing thick metal barriers to block traffic on the side and back of the building. E-mail to a friend
இதில் 10 பேர் மீது குற்றம் நிரூபிக்கப்படவில்லை என்று கோர்ட் விடுதலை செய்துள்ளது.
Spain bomb suspects freed before verdictStory Highlights
Spanish court frees 10 charged with plotting to bomb court pending a verdict
Trial started last October and concluded on January 14; judges deliberating
Suspects planned to kill judges, prosecutors and police, court order says
Next Article in World »
By Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish court has ordered the provisional release from jail of 10 of the 30 suspected Islamic extremists charged with plotting to bomb Madrid's anti-terrorism court pending a verdict.
Security at the Spanish National Court in Madrid has since been stepped up.
But five of the 10 will remain in jail on other charges, a court spokeswoman told CNN.
In addition, the five others who will leave jail are under orders to report every Monday to the police station nearest to their home, and to surrender their passports and not leave Spanish territory, according to a copy of the court order viewed by CNN on Monday.
The trial started last October and concluded on January 14. The three-judge panel hearing the case are now deliberating for a verdict that is not expected for at least several weeks, the spokeswoman said.
But the decision to release the suspects does not necessarily mean they will be acquitted, a court source told CNN. The judges decided that the suspects were entitled to be out of jail pending a verdict, the source said.
The alleged terrorists planned to kill hundreds of judges, prosecutors, support staff and police officers who work daily at the National Court, which tries cases of terrorism, according to a prosecution document viewed by CNN.
They also planned to destroy files against other Islamic terrorist suspects, including those linked to the Madrid train bombings, the document added.
In the summer of 2004 -- soon after the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded 1,800 others -- a key suspect in alleged courthouse plot sought to obtain 500 kg (1,100 lbs) of explosives for the courthouse attack, the prosecution document said.
The second court source earlier told CNN that all of the defendants insisted on their innocence at arraignments and other pre-trial hearings.
The trial took place in a secure basement courtroom equipped with bullet-proof glass separating the defendants from the judges and more bullet-proof glass separating the public from the court.
The defendants include 19 Algerians, 5 Moroccans and others from Mauritania, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon and Spain.
Prosecutors base their case on testimony and documentation provided by a Moroccan man operating as a police informant and on wiretaps and intercepted correspondence between some of the suspects, according to the document and the second court source.
Police arrested most of the suspects in October 2004. Many of them had been convicted of other crimes and were serving time in prison, the document said.
At the time of the arrests, an attack on the courthouse "would have been easy," the second court source said. There are streets on three sides of the courthouse, and a main street runs next to the building.
The courthouse has since increased security, installing thick metal barriers to block traffic on the side and back of the building. E-mail to a friend
மாலத்தீவு இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் கேரளாவில் ஊடுருவலா?
மாலத்தீவு இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் கேரளாவுக்குள் ஊடுருவலாம் என்று அஞ்சப்படுகிறது.
Overseas militants and security concerns
G. Anand
Thiruvananthapuram: The strife in Sri Lanka and the presence of Islamic terrorist groups in the Maldives have a bearing on Kerala’s security, official sources say.
Militant organisations fighting the Sri Lankan government are believed to be procuring fuel, chemicals such as ammonium nitrate (a fertilizer that could also be used for making bombs), medicines, vehicle parts, welding equipment, tools and metal balls (for possible use as projectiles in improvised explosive devices) and other articles from Kerala.
Official sources say the stuff, procured in bulk through certain business fronts, is ferried in fishing boats to militant-controlled territories in Sri Lanka. The same sea routes are used for smuggling heroin (sourced from across India’s border) to Sri Lanka. So far, there is no evidence of Kerala’s coastline being used for arms smuggling.
Maldivian links
Intelligence officials say there is the possibility of anti-Maldivian government elements, particularly operatives of Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen (a Maldives-based terrorist group) seeking refuge in Kerala or using its territory to plan operations against the island nation’s rulers.
Mooas Inas, a Maldivian national accused of triggering an explosive device in the island nation in September 2007, is suspected to have visited Thiruvananthapuram in 2005 before crossing over to Pakistan to meet leaders of a terrorist outfit. In 2005, the police arrested and deported a 30-year-old Maldivian national, Ibrahim Asif, on the charge of attempting to procure arms and explosives from Kerala.
Intelligence officials are also concerned about the possible presence of foreign terrorist elements in Kerala. In the past 10 years, 41 Pakistani nationals are reported to have gone “out of view” in Malappuram district.
Officials say a majority of them, who had come to visit their relatives, are believed to have left the country without informing the district police. However, at least a few of them could have migrated to the Gulf and other foreign countries after fraudulently procuring Indian passports.
Left extremism
The police are concerned that Left extremists fleeing the ongoing anti-naxalite action in Andhra Pradesh could seek refuge in Kerala.
The CPI (ML) Naxalbari and CPI (Maoist) have been active in Kerala for the past 10 years, allegedly through front organisations such as Porattam and Ayyankali Pada.
However, their pockets of influence are very limited and do not pose a threat to the State security as of now. Some of their activists had tried to exploit the discontent of a section of people in Vypeen island who were distressed over the lack of easy availability of drinking water. But, they could not make any inroads there.
The State police have stepped up their vigil along Kerala’s porous borders. Migrant workers in plantation areas and urban centres are being verified. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said the police will verify people from other regions living in Kerala without intruding into their privacy.
Overseas militants and security concerns
G. Anand
Thiruvananthapuram: The strife in Sri Lanka and the presence of Islamic terrorist groups in the Maldives have a bearing on Kerala’s security, official sources say.
Militant organisations fighting the Sri Lankan government are believed to be procuring fuel, chemicals such as ammonium nitrate (a fertilizer that could also be used for making bombs), medicines, vehicle parts, welding equipment, tools and metal balls (for possible use as projectiles in improvised explosive devices) and other articles from Kerala.
Official sources say the stuff, procured in bulk through certain business fronts, is ferried in fishing boats to militant-controlled territories in Sri Lanka. The same sea routes are used for smuggling heroin (sourced from across India’s border) to Sri Lanka. So far, there is no evidence of Kerala’s coastline being used for arms smuggling.
Maldivian links
Intelligence officials say there is the possibility of anti-Maldivian government elements, particularly operatives of Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen (a Maldives-based terrorist group) seeking refuge in Kerala or using its territory to plan operations against the island nation’s rulers.
Mooas Inas, a Maldivian national accused of triggering an explosive device in the island nation in September 2007, is suspected to have visited Thiruvananthapuram in 2005 before crossing over to Pakistan to meet leaders of a terrorist outfit. In 2005, the police arrested and deported a 30-year-old Maldivian national, Ibrahim Asif, on the charge of attempting to procure arms and explosives from Kerala.
Intelligence officials are also concerned about the possible presence of foreign terrorist elements in Kerala. In the past 10 years, 41 Pakistani nationals are reported to have gone “out of view” in Malappuram district.
Officials say a majority of them, who had come to visit their relatives, are believed to have left the country without informing the district police. However, at least a few of them could have migrated to the Gulf and other foreign countries after fraudulently procuring Indian passports.
Left extremism
The police are concerned that Left extremists fleeing the ongoing anti-naxalite action in Andhra Pradesh could seek refuge in Kerala.
The CPI (ML) Naxalbari and CPI (Maoist) have been active in Kerala for the past 10 years, allegedly through front organisations such as Porattam and Ayyankali Pada.
However, their pockets of influence are very limited and do not pose a threat to the State security as of now. Some of their activists had tried to exploit the discontent of a section of people in Vypeen island who were distressed over the lack of easy availability of drinking water. But, they could not make any inroads there.
The State police have stepped up their vigil along Kerala’s porous borders. Migrant workers in plantation areas and urban centres are being verified. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has said the police will verify people from other regions living in Kerala without intruding into their privacy.
பங்களாதேஷில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகளுக்கு கடும் சிறை
பங்களாதேஷ் அரசாங்கம் 2005இல் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் நடத்திய நாடு முழுவதும் நடந்த பயங்கரவாத குண்டுவெடிப்பில் பலரை கைது செய்து சிலரை தூக்கிலிட்டது.
மீதமுள்ளவர்களுக்கு சிறைதண்டனை வழங்கியுள்ளது.
Bangladesh Court Jails Islamic Militants
4 days ago
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A court in northwestern Bangladesh sentenced seven Islamic militants Thursday to life in prison after finding them guilty of carrying out a series of bombings in 2005, a prosecutor said.
The men were involved in five separate attacks on Aug. 17, 2005, in Chapainawabganj, a town 145 miles west of Dhaka, Prosecutor Jahangir Mohammad Selim said, citing the judge's verdict.
No one was injured in the five bombings.
The men belonged to the Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group, which wants to establish strict Islamic rule in Bangladesh, a nation of 145 million people governed by secular laws.
The group has been blamed for more than 400 small bombs that exploded the same day across Bangladesh, killing two people and wounding dozens, as well as for a string of bombings since then that killed another 24 people and wounded dozens.
No recent attacks have occurred, however, and the government claims it has neutralized the militant group.
Six top members of Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh were hanged last year, including its leader, Shaikh Abdur Rahman, after they were found guilty of carrying out bombings and killing two judges.
On Thursday, five of the defendants were in court while the two others were tried in absentia, Selim said. All can appeal the verdict.
மீதமுள்ளவர்களுக்கு சிறைதண்டனை வழங்கியுள்ளது.
Bangladesh Court Jails Islamic Militants
4 days ago
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A court in northwestern Bangladesh sentenced seven Islamic militants Thursday to life in prison after finding them guilty of carrying out a series of bombings in 2005, a prosecutor said.
The men were involved in five separate attacks on Aug. 17, 2005, in Chapainawabganj, a town 145 miles west of Dhaka, Prosecutor Jahangir Mohammad Selim said, citing the judge's verdict.
No one was injured in the five bombings.
The men belonged to the Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh group, which wants to establish strict Islamic rule in Bangladesh, a nation of 145 million people governed by secular laws.
The group has been blamed for more than 400 small bombs that exploded the same day across Bangladesh, killing two people and wounding dozens, as well as for a string of bombings since then that killed another 24 people and wounded dozens.
No recent attacks have occurred, however, and the government claims it has neutralized the militant group.
Six top members of Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh were hanged last year, including its leader, Shaikh Abdur Rahman, after they were found guilty of carrying out bombings and killing two judges.
On Thursday, five of the defendants were in court while the two others were tried in absentia, Selim said. All can appeal the verdict.
உய்குர் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் சீன ஒலிம்பிக்ஸை தாக்குவார்களா?
சீன ஒலிம்பிக்ஸை உய்குர் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் தாக்கலாம் என்று அஞ்சப்படுகிறது.
The Beijing Olympics and militant groups
As China prepares to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there are concerns that international terrorists, as well as local minority militant groups mainly located in the Xinjiang region, will seize the opportunity to mount attacks or small-scale skirmishes. From RSIS.
Kenneth George Pereire for RSIS (28/06/07)
The Olympics would also be an ideal event for terrorist groups such as al-Qaida to display their intent and capability in full view of the international media and fuel their cause with the oxygen of publicity. There is a precedent: the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The Chinese authorities are not taking any chances. On 11 June 2007, the central bank, the People's Bank of China, issued stringent rules to clamp down on terrorism financing by strengthening state control over the banking system. Local banks and financial institutions are required to report suspicious transactions promptly, and alert the authorities to suspicious funds movement and assets transactions that could be linked to terrorist activity. The financial regulator is ensuring compliance of the new rules by imposing a wide range of penalties that include revoking an institution's operating licence.
Uighur militant groups
Of particular concern to the authorities is the development of minority militant Uighur groups in the Xinjiang region, in particular, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is one of the strongest Uighur militant groups with alleged links to al-Qaida. The Chinese authorities have been vigilant and clamped down hard on the militant Uighur groups to prevent their aggressive pursuit of an independent Islamic state in China. ETIM however continues to survive despite previous clampdowns and arrests.
In January 2007, Chinese police raided an ETIM training camp on the Pamirs plateau, close to the Afghan and Pakistani borders. They managed to seize 22 hand grenades and over 1,500 grenades still in the making after a fierce gun battle. It was reported that one policeman was killed and another injured. Police also captured 17 terrorists. Previous raids and crackdowns by coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan had also yielded a huge weapons cache of thousands of hand grenades, guns, swords, knives, detonators and explosives. However, the most significant discovery was of evidence indicating ETIM's direct linkage with al-Qaida.
The al-Qaida linkage with the ETIM came under the spotlight again in January this year with the release of a 32-minute video, with specific references to making China a Jihad zone. The video comprises two parts. In the first half of the video, a considerable amount of time is dedicated to legitimizing the use of jihad in Eastern Turkestan. Interestingly, the video encourages all jihadis who are keen to learn about the Eastern Turkestan region to refer to a "World Islamic Resistance Book."
In the second half of the video, ETIM showcases its capability with an impressive array of weaponry and explosives, including a demonstration on vehicle bombings. The video emphasizes jihad is the duty of every Muslim in East Turkestan and that all jihadis should first undergo rigorous training to prepare for battle in Eastern Turkestan. The video concludes with an appeal to Uighur Muslims to revolt against state authorities who have neglected their needs. There is also a call for the wider Uighur community to seize key events as platforms to voice their grievances.
Understanding Uighur grievances
The authorities' inattentiveness to the Uighur community's needs could be due to an inaccurate understanding of the nature and scale of the problem, thus resulting in counterproductive solutions when managing Uighur grievances. Amnesty International has argued that, besides political control on their religion and culture, China's ethnic Uighur minority community remains victims of widespread abuses and repression by the non-Muslim Han Chinese immigrants to the region.
Over time however, such repressions and abuses have important implications in terms of defining how the Uighurs decide to deal with their grievances. Presently, the vast majority of Uighurs are moderate, peace-loving Muslims who have no inclination towards violence. What they hope is for the authorities to lift the political restrictions on religious worship and cultural expression; only a very small segment of Uighurs are militants or support the militant Islamist Uighur groups. However, this small pool is growing as a result of exacerbating resentment. What is needed is not more repression but appropriate policies to prevent this pool of militant Uighur groups from expanding their support base among the wider Uighur disapora within China and abroad.
The potential exists for the Uighur grievances in Xinjiang to escalate. Militant groups in Xinjiang, abetted by al-Qaida, may become determined to engage in a violent, bloody struggle against the authorities. The situation in Xinjiang could mirror ethnic conflicts in other parts of the world wherein inappropriate military and non-military approaches worsened the conflict by depriving minority groups of their freedom in religious and cultural expressions.
The larger question
The larger question is whether the ETIM will be capable of posing a credible threat to the Chinese authorities in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics? The sheer quantity of explosive materials gathered at the recent raid in January 2007, coupled with the fact that a fierce gun battle ensued thereafter with the capture of 17 alleged terrorists, is indicative of the ETIM as a credible threat. Furthermore, ETIM's linkage with al-Qaida accentuates the group's potential to become a major force. That said however, the ETIM does face two major stumbling blocks. First, the group faces a serious logistical impediment. It is virtually impossible to covertly transport weaponry and explosives thousands of kilometers from Xinjiang province to Beijing in a populous country like China amidst tight security. Secondly, authorities have been swift in dismantling the terrorist outfit and the discovery of the training facility in the mountains of Pamirs plateau, south Xinjiang, was a severe blow to the militants. Nonetheless, increased attacks within Xinjiang Province are possible as more than 1,000 ETIM members have been trained with al-Qaida.
Self-radicalization
More importantly, the authorities should safeguard the interests and needs of thousands of Uighur migrants who have moved to Beijing and other cities in China. Many Uighurs work as artists, entrepreneurs, food peddlers, students and intellectuals in Beijing, and are concentrated in Ganjiakou and Weigongcun, also known as "Xinjiang Village." The PRC authorities can be expected to act to prevent Islamist radicals from radicalizing the Uighurs in Beijing and minimize any motivation for the Uighurs to self-radicalize. If Muslim Uighurs are deprived of legitimate sources of religious knowledge, they may seek Islamic knowledge on the Internet where virulent Islamist ideas are rampant and be inspired to challenge the state.
Although the internet is heavily censored in China, thus making it difficult for radical Islamist websites to be received, this is not a fool-proof safeguard against preventing radical Islamist ideas from creeping in. It is difficult to police the net. The fact that there are hundreds of radical Islamists websites out there makes it increasingly problematic. Such self-radicalized individuals are more difficult to detect as they are not aligned with established militant groups. The authorities are less likely to track down these individuals as they are unable to monitor group communications and behavior.
It is critical for the Chinese authorities to manage Uighur and other minority grievances sensitively. The spread of Islamist militancy and the ease in which it grafts on existing conflicts between Muslim minority groups and non-Muslim states have been witnessed in several countries. Hence, the potential for the Uighur conflict to radicalize further is something that must not be taken lightly, especially in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth George Pereire is a Research Analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Reprinted with permission from RSIS. Copyright (c) 2007 S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Blk S4, Level B4, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
The Beijing Olympics and militant groups
As China prepares to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there are concerns that international terrorists, as well as local minority militant groups mainly located in the Xinjiang region, will seize the opportunity to mount attacks or small-scale skirmishes. From RSIS.
Kenneth George Pereire for RSIS (28/06/07)
The Olympics would also be an ideal event for terrorist groups such as al-Qaida to display their intent and capability in full view of the international media and fuel their cause with the oxygen of publicity. There is a precedent: the 1972 Munich Olympics.
The Chinese authorities are not taking any chances. On 11 June 2007, the central bank, the People's Bank of China, issued stringent rules to clamp down on terrorism financing by strengthening state control over the banking system. Local banks and financial institutions are required to report suspicious transactions promptly, and alert the authorities to suspicious funds movement and assets transactions that could be linked to terrorist activity. The financial regulator is ensuring compliance of the new rules by imposing a wide range of penalties that include revoking an institution's operating licence.
Uighur militant groups
Of particular concern to the authorities is the development of minority militant Uighur groups in the Xinjiang region, in particular, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is one of the strongest Uighur militant groups with alleged links to al-Qaida. The Chinese authorities have been vigilant and clamped down hard on the militant Uighur groups to prevent their aggressive pursuit of an independent Islamic state in China. ETIM however continues to survive despite previous clampdowns and arrests.
In January 2007, Chinese police raided an ETIM training camp on the Pamirs plateau, close to the Afghan and Pakistani borders. They managed to seize 22 hand grenades and over 1,500 grenades still in the making after a fierce gun battle. It was reported that one policeman was killed and another injured. Police also captured 17 terrorists. Previous raids and crackdowns by coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan had also yielded a huge weapons cache of thousands of hand grenades, guns, swords, knives, detonators and explosives. However, the most significant discovery was of evidence indicating ETIM's direct linkage with al-Qaida.
The al-Qaida linkage with the ETIM came under the spotlight again in January this year with the release of a 32-minute video, with specific references to making China a Jihad zone. The video comprises two parts. In the first half of the video, a considerable amount of time is dedicated to legitimizing the use of jihad in Eastern Turkestan. Interestingly, the video encourages all jihadis who are keen to learn about the Eastern Turkestan region to refer to a "World Islamic Resistance Book."
In the second half of the video, ETIM showcases its capability with an impressive array of weaponry and explosives, including a demonstration on vehicle bombings. The video emphasizes jihad is the duty of every Muslim in East Turkestan and that all jihadis should first undergo rigorous training to prepare for battle in Eastern Turkestan. The video concludes with an appeal to Uighur Muslims to revolt against state authorities who have neglected their needs. There is also a call for the wider Uighur community to seize key events as platforms to voice their grievances.
Understanding Uighur grievances
The authorities' inattentiveness to the Uighur community's needs could be due to an inaccurate understanding of the nature and scale of the problem, thus resulting in counterproductive solutions when managing Uighur grievances. Amnesty International has argued that, besides political control on their religion and culture, China's ethnic Uighur minority community remains victims of widespread abuses and repression by the non-Muslim Han Chinese immigrants to the region.
Over time however, such repressions and abuses have important implications in terms of defining how the Uighurs decide to deal with their grievances. Presently, the vast majority of Uighurs are moderate, peace-loving Muslims who have no inclination towards violence. What they hope is for the authorities to lift the political restrictions on religious worship and cultural expression; only a very small segment of Uighurs are militants or support the militant Islamist Uighur groups. However, this small pool is growing as a result of exacerbating resentment. What is needed is not more repression but appropriate policies to prevent this pool of militant Uighur groups from expanding their support base among the wider Uighur disapora within China and abroad.
The potential exists for the Uighur grievances in Xinjiang to escalate. Militant groups in Xinjiang, abetted by al-Qaida, may become determined to engage in a violent, bloody struggle against the authorities. The situation in Xinjiang could mirror ethnic conflicts in other parts of the world wherein inappropriate military and non-military approaches worsened the conflict by depriving minority groups of their freedom in religious and cultural expressions.
The larger question
The larger question is whether the ETIM will be capable of posing a credible threat to the Chinese authorities in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics? The sheer quantity of explosive materials gathered at the recent raid in January 2007, coupled with the fact that a fierce gun battle ensued thereafter with the capture of 17 alleged terrorists, is indicative of the ETIM as a credible threat. Furthermore, ETIM's linkage with al-Qaida accentuates the group's potential to become a major force. That said however, the ETIM does face two major stumbling blocks. First, the group faces a serious logistical impediment. It is virtually impossible to covertly transport weaponry and explosives thousands of kilometers from Xinjiang province to Beijing in a populous country like China amidst tight security. Secondly, authorities have been swift in dismantling the terrorist outfit and the discovery of the training facility in the mountains of Pamirs plateau, south Xinjiang, was a severe blow to the militants. Nonetheless, increased attacks within Xinjiang Province are possible as more than 1,000 ETIM members have been trained with al-Qaida.
Self-radicalization
More importantly, the authorities should safeguard the interests and needs of thousands of Uighur migrants who have moved to Beijing and other cities in China. Many Uighurs work as artists, entrepreneurs, food peddlers, students and intellectuals in Beijing, and are concentrated in Ganjiakou and Weigongcun, also known as "Xinjiang Village." The PRC authorities can be expected to act to prevent Islamist radicals from radicalizing the Uighurs in Beijing and minimize any motivation for the Uighurs to self-radicalize. If Muslim Uighurs are deprived of legitimate sources of religious knowledge, they may seek Islamic knowledge on the Internet where virulent Islamist ideas are rampant and be inspired to challenge the state.
Although the internet is heavily censored in China, thus making it difficult for radical Islamist websites to be received, this is not a fool-proof safeguard against preventing radical Islamist ideas from creeping in. It is difficult to police the net. The fact that there are hundreds of radical Islamists websites out there makes it increasingly problematic. Such self-radicalized individuals are more difficult to detect as they are not aligned with established militant groups. The authorities are less likely to track down these individuals as they are unable to monitor group communications and behavior.
It is critical for the Chinese authorities to manage Uighur and other minority grievances sensitively. The spread of Islamist militancy and the ease in which it grafts on existing conflicts between Muslim minority groups and non-Muslim states have been witnessed in several countries. Hence, the potential for the Uighur conflict to radicalize further is something that must not be taken lightly, especially in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kenneth George Pereire is a Research Analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Reprinted with permission from RSIS. Copyright (c) 2007 S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Blk S4, Level B4, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
தெற்கு பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகளும் ராணுவமும் மோதியதில் 5 பேர் பலி
பிலிப்பைன்ஸில் இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகள் போலீஸுடன் மோதியதில் 5 பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டனர்.
Fighting leaves five dead in the southern Philippines
AP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES
Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008, Page 4
Soldiers clashed with militants linked to al-Qaeda in the southern Philippines yesterday, leaving three rebels and two soldiers dead just days after a top Indonesian terror suspect eluded a military raid on a nearby island, an official said.
The fighting took place in Maimbung township on the western coast of Jolo island, a stronghold of the Islamic extremist Abu Sayyaf group about 950km south of Manila, while troops were searching for a local businesswoman kidnapped by militants last week, regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batara said.
The bodies of three rebels and an M-16 rifle were recovered from the scene of the clash, Batara said. Two soldiers were killed and five others wounded and transferred to an army hospital, he said.
Batara said troops were on a mission to rescue Rosalie Lao, 45, a Jolo resident who was abducted by the rebels on Jan. 28.
Last week, troops on nearby Tawi-Tawi island shot and killed an Abu Sayyaf commander, Wahab Upao, but missed the Indonesian terror suspect, Dulmatin, one of several operatives of the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah believed to be hiding in the southern Philippines
Dulmatin has been implicated in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people in Bali, Indonesia.
Fighting leaves five dead in the southern Philippines
AP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES
Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008, Page 4
Soldiers clashed with militants linked to al-Qaeda in the southern Philippines yesterday, leaving three rebels and two soldiers dead just days after a top Indonesian terror suspect eluded a military raid on a nearby island, an official said.
The fighting took place in Maimbung township on the western coast of Jolo island, a stronghold of the Islamic extremist Abu Sayyaf group about 950km south of Manila, while troops were searching for a local businesswoman kidnapped by militants last week, regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batara said.
The bodies of three rebels and an M-16 rifle were recovered from the scene of the clash, Batara said. Two soldiers were killed and five others wounded and transferred to an army hospital, he said.
Batara said troops were on a mission to rescue Rosalie Lao, 45, a Jolo resident who was abducted by the rebels on Jan. 28.
Last week, troops on nearby Tawi-Tawi island shot and killed an Abu Sayyaf commander, Wahab Upao, but missed the Indonesian terror suspect, Dulmatin, one of several operatives of the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah believed to be hiding in the southern Philippines
Dulmatin has been implicated in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people in Bali, Indonesia.
தெற்கு தாய்லாந்தில் குண்டு வெடித்து ஒருவர் பலி பலர் படுகாயம்
தெற்கு தாய்லாந்தில் ஒரு இஸ்லாமிய பள்ளிக்கூடத்தின் முன்னால் குண்டுவெடித்து ஒருவர் பலியானார். 12 பேர் படுகாயம் அடைந்தனர்.
தாய்லாந்து ஒரு முஸ்லீம் ராணுவசர்வாதிகாரியின் கீழ் இருப்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
Bombs in Thai South Kill 1
11 hours ago
PATTANI, Thailand (AP) — A bomb exploded Monday outside an Islamic boarding school in violence-wracked southern Thailand, killing one person and wounding 12, police said Monday. A separate bombing wounded six people, in the latest violence attributed to an Islamic separatist rebellion that has entered its fifth year.
Suspected Muslim insurgents in Pattani province's Mayo district detonated a bomb at a pier about 20 yards away from the school, where officials and hundreds of local people were releasing fish into a canal as an act of merit-making, said police Lt. Vacharin Ammapitak.
The Mayo district chief was one of four people seriously wounded by the blast. Eight others were slightly hurt.
The officials had been attending an awards ceremony at the school for the district chiefs and village heads in the area, he said. Making merit by freeing fish or birds is a Thai tradition intended to assure good fortune.
In neighboring Yala province's Muang district, a bomb hidden in the front basket of a motorcycle exploded outside a shop, wounding six people, including three policemen, police said. The others hurt were the shop owner and two high school students.
The insurgency in the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces of Thailand has taken the lives of more than 2,800 people since flaring up in January 2004.
Little progress has been made in curbing the violence despite the presence of nearly 40,000 police and soldiers, as well as several changes of military leadership and strategy.
Many southern Muslims feel unfairly treated by the country's Buddhist majority, and their discontent has fueled separatist movements since Thailand annexed the area a century ago.
தாய்லாந்து ஒரு முஸ்லீம் ராணுவசர்வாதிகாரியின் கீழ் இருப்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
Bombs in Thai South Kill 1
11 hours ago
PATTANI, Thailand (AP) — A bomb exploded Monday outside an Islamic boarding school in violence-wracked southern Thailand, killing one person and wounding 12, police said Monday. A separate bombing wounded six people, in the latest violence attributed to an Islamic separatist rebellion that has entered its fifth year.
Suspected Muslim insurgents in Pattani province's Mayo district detonated a bomb at a pier about 20 yards away from the school, where officials and hundreds of local people were releasing fish into a canal as an act of merit-making, said police Lt. Vacharin Ammapitak.
The Mayo district chief was one of four people seriously wounded by the blast. Eight others were slightly hurt.
The officials had been attending an awards ceremony at the school for the district chiefs and village heads in the area, he said. Making merit by freeing fish or birds is a Thai tradition intended to assure good fortune.
In neighboring Yala province's Muang district, a bomb hidden in the front basket of a motorcycle exploded outside a shop, wounding six people, including three policemen, police said. The others hurt were the shop owner and two high school students.
The insurgency in the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces of Thailand has taken the lives of more than 2,800 people since flaring up in January 2004.
Little progress has been made in curbing the violence despite the presence of nearly 40,000 police and soldiers, as well as several changes of military leadership and strategy.
Many southern Muslims feel unfairly treated by the country's Buddhist majority, and their discontent has fueled separatist movements since Thailand annexed the area a century ago.
ராவல்பிண்டியில் பஸ்நிலையத்தில் குண்டு வெடித்து 10 பேர் பலி 30 பேர் படுகாயம்
ராவல்பிண்டியில் பஸ்நிலையத்தில் குண்டு வெடித்து 10 பேர் பலி 30 பேர் படுகாயம் அடைந்துள்ளனர்.
அவர்கள் ஆத்மா சாந்தியடையட்டும்.
Press Trust of India
Monday, February 4, 2008 (Islamabad)
At least eight persons were feared killed and about 10 injured in a blast near the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi today.
The explosion occurred at 7.15 am outside the gate of the army's National Logistics Cell in R A Bazar, a high security area.
Rescue workers and ambulances rushed to the site soon after the blast and security forces cordoned off the area.
Media and passers-by were prevented from going to the site of the attack as investigators scoured the area for clues.
Geo News channel reported that at least eight persons were killed and 10 injured in the attack.
Security personnel on their way to work pass through the area where the Combined Military Hospital and other army installations are also located.
அவர்கள் ஆத்மா சாந்தியடையட்டும்.
Press Trust of India
Monday, February 4, 2008 (Islamabad)
At least eight persons were feared killed and about 10 injured in a blast near the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi today.
The explosion occurred at 7.15 am outside the gate of the army's National Logistics Cell in R A Bazar, a high security area.
Rescue workers and ambulances rushed to the site soon after the blast and security forces cordoned off the area.
Media and passers-by were prevented from going to the site of the attack as investigators scoured the area for clues.
Geo News channel reported that at least eight persons were killed and 10 injured in the attack.
Security personnel on their way to work pass through the area where the Combined Military Hospital and other army installations are also located.
Monday, February 04, 2008
இஸ்லாமிய ஜாதிமுறை: அல் அக்தம்- அரபியாவில் தீண்டத்தகாத மனிதர்கள் என்று இழிவு
அரபியாவில் இருக்கும் ஜாதிமுறையில் அரபுகள் செல்லும் இடமெல்லாம் கொண்டு செல்லும் ஜாதிவெறியாலும் தினந்தோறும் பாதிக்கப்படும் பெண்களை பற்றியும் ஜாதிவெறியால் நிகழும் இழிவுகளை பற்றியும் தொடர்ந்து பதிந்து வருகிறேன்.
ஏமனில் அல் அக்தம் என்று தீண்டத்தகாத மனிதர்களாக ஏமனின் மக்களே இழிவு செய்யப்பட்டு 500000க்கும் மேற்பட்ட மனிதர்கள் கொடுமைக்கு ஆளாக்கப்படுகிறார்கள்.
நன்றி கவ்ண்டர்கரண்ட்ஸ்
Caste In Yemen
By Marguerite Abadjian
25 April, 2004
Baltimore Sun
SANA'A, Yemen - The walled shantytown near the Old City here makes a
horrifying impression:
Houses made of refuse, families as large as 15 living in one room, children eating what appears to be dirt, pools of disease-laden water, piles of garbage and human waste buzzing with flies, the stench. The scene followed Aisha Sulaiman even after she was far away. She couldn't forget it.
It is a place where children have gotten high snorting crushed glass. They
beg barefoot on the city streets - the soles of their feet callused and evidently immune to the blazing asphalt, fired by the incessant Yemeni sun.
Sulaiman, like many of the shantytown residents, belongs to the lowest
social caste in Yemen, the Akhdam. The Arabic word Akhdam means servants, and for centuries they have felt discrimination and isolation from mainstream society.
Though conditions have improved somewhat over the past few years, many in
mainstream society still stereotype them, considering them lowly, dirty,ill-mannered and immoral.
Even their plates are considered dirty. "Don't eat with the Akhdam because worms come out of their plates," the saying goes.
While there is no official record of the number of Akhdam in Yemen, they are considered to be the country's largest and poorest minority. Unlike all others in Yemen, they do not belong to a tribe. They are poorly educated and are not allowed to marry into higher social castes.
Legends of Akhdam origins abound. The most credible is that they descend from Abyssinian soldiers who stayed in Yemen after a failed invasion in the sixth century AD. The soldiers, from ancient Ethiopia, were so hated they were forced to accept the worst jobs, such as transporting and disposing of human sewage and collecting garbage.
Today, the most common job for male Akhdam is street cleaning. They also work as porters, foot soldiers and shoemakers. Women and children beg.
Sulaiman was considerably better off than most because of her tenacity. Some of her relatives don't believe women should be educated. They think women should sit at home, get married and have children, she says. But Sulaiman resisted and is halfway toward completing a university degree in philosophy. She is also determined not to have a large family that could lead to economic ruin.
Along the way, she has become a human rights trainer and educator, fighting for the rights of other Akhdam women and children who she believes suffer most. Her goal is to help the women become more self-confident and aware of their rights.
Many Akhdam do not share her hope for the future.
Tears come easily to the weathered eyes of Sai'ida Bin Sa'ad Ahmed Souhaib. She, along with five members of her family, lives in a one-room shelter in the Bab Al-Yemen (Yemen Gate) shantytown, one of the largest of 11 shantytowns in Sana'a.
Souhaib, a Yemeni, had a good job and life in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s but was forced to return to Yemen after her country supported Iraq in the Persian Gulf war. This was the fate of countless thousands of Yemenis. She returned, minus a husband who died there, and with no means to support her family.
"Now when I get hungry, I simply go out and beg," she says. "All my children are on the streets."
Souhaib and others in the shantytown say they are treated with contempt
outside their community.
Rawsha Hassan, 20, is another woman who lives in the Bab Al-Yemen shantytown. She, her parents and most of her 13 siblings live in a ramshackle
shelter there.
Hassan's mother is a street sweeper in the center of the city. Her father, a former security guard, can no longer work. He can't see well because of surgery gone wrong, she says.
Hassan's sad, tired eyes peek through her luthma, a black veil revealing only the eyes, worn by most Yemeni women in public. She gazes at her dirty, dreary surroundings in the shantytown. She doesn't want to bring children
into this world, she says.
In the shantytowns, men make important household decisions, even though, in many cases, the women and children bring in most of the income by begging.
Even the poorest families spend a significant amount of their money on qat, an amphetamine-like mild narcotic shrub that is chewed by men and women daily.
Hassan, like her mother, used to sweep the dusty streets of her capital city. But she stopped when a male cousin, also a sweeper, working the night shift was hit by a car whose driver didn't even stop to look. Her cousin is disabled. Hassan now works as a janitor at a human rights organization. Although she makes less than her salary as a sweeper, she is happier.
Hassan would be even more content if she could continue her education. While in fifth grade she stopped because, as she recalls, her father told her school is not for girls. Also, Akhdam children are often rejected in schools for the same reasons adults are rejected in society, because they are considered unclean and immoral. Hassan is trying to get literacy training without her father's knowledge.
Akhdam often have to resort to secrecy. While they are proud of their background among their peers, they usually do not advertise their social caste to outsiders. One successful Akhdam doctor, who has worked in a local hospital for years, does not reveal his social status, afraid he will lose his patients.
Officially, there are efforts to help the Akhdam. The Yemeni government is building a new housing project financed with international aid, says Noor Ba Aabad, assistant to the deputy minister of social affairs and labor.
There have been reports that owners of expensive villas near the housing
project intend to sell out because they don't want to live near the Akhdam.
Ba Aabad, who has worked on women's, children's and poverty issues since
the 1970s, says she thinks the most important way to help the Akhdam is to
integrate them into mainstream society and improve their education.
While mainstream society is becoming more accepting of Akhdam, she says,
Akhdam have low self-esteem. It will take time to erase the effects of centuries of stereotyping, she says.
Society as a whole has to change its beliefs about Akhdam, says Jonathan
Puddifoot, country representative with Care International in Yemen. But the most disadvantaged group in Yemen has to find a way to rise above its
self-perceptions.
"The prejudice keeps them down," he says, "and they keep themselves down as well."
ஏமனில் அல் அக்தம் என்று தீண்டத்தகாத மனிதர்களாக ஏமனின் மக்களே இழிவு செய்யப்பட்டு 500000க்கும் மேற்பட்ட மனிதர்கள் கொடுமைக்கு ஆளாக்கப்படுகிறார்கள்.
நன்றி கவ்ண்டர்கரண்ட்ஸ்
Caste In Yemen
By Marguerite Abadjian
25 April, 2004
Baltimore Sun
SANA'A, Yemen - The walled shantytown near the Old City here makes a
horrifying impression:
Houses made of refuse, families as large as 15 living in one room, children eating what appears to be dirt, pools of disease-laden water, piles of garbage and human waste buzzing with flies, the stench. The scene followed Aisha Sulaiman even after she was far away. She couldn't forget it.
It is a place where children have gotten high snorting crushed glass. They
beg barefoot on the city streets - the soles of their feet callused and evidently immune to the blazing asphalt, fired by the incessant Yemeni sun.
Sulaiman, like many of the shantytown residents, belongs to the lowest
social caste in Yemen, the Akhdam. The Arabic word Akhdam means servants, and for centuries they have felt discrimination and isolation from mainstream society.
Though conditions have improved somewhat over the past few years, many in
mainstream society still stereotype them, considering them lowly, dirty,ill-mannered and immoral.
Even their plates are considered dirty. "Don't eat with the Akhdam because worms come out of their plates," the saying goes.
While there is no official record of the number of Akhdam in Yemen, they are considered to be the country's largest and poorest minority. Unlike all others in Yemen, they do not belong to a tribe. They are poorly educated and are not allowed to marry into higher social castes.
Legends of Akhdam origins abound. The most credible is that they descend from Abyssinian soldiers who stayed in Yemen after a failed invasion in the sixth century AD. The soldiers, from ancient Ethiopia, were so hated they were forced to accept the worst jobs, such as transporting and disposing of human sewage and collecting garbage.
Today, the most common job for male Akhdam is street cleaning. They also work as porters, foot soldiers and shoemakers. Women and children beg.
Sulaiman was considerably better off than most because of her tenacity. Some of her relatives don't believe women should be educated. They think women should sit at home, get married and have children, she says. But Sulaiman resisted and is halfway toward completing a university degree in philosophy. She is also determined not to have a large family that could lead to economic ruin.
Along the way, she has become a human rights trainer and educator, fighting for the rights of other Akhdam women and children who she believes suffer most. Her goal is to help the women become more self-confident and aware of their rights.
Many Akhdam do not share her hope for the future.
Tears come easily to the weathered eyes of Sai'ida Bin Sa'ad Ahmed Souhaib. She, along with five members of her family, lives in a one-room shelter in the Bab Al-Yemen (Yemen Gate) shantytown, one of the largest of 11 shantytowns in Sana'a.
Souhaib, a Yemeni, had a good job and life in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s but was forced to return to Yemen after her country supported Iraq in the Persian Gulf war. This was the fate of countless thousands of Yemenis. She returned, minus a husband who died there, and with no means to support her family.
"Now when I get hungry, I simply go out and beg," she says. "All my children are on the streets."
Souhaib and others in the shantytown say they are treated with contempt
outside their community.
Rawsha Hassan, 20, is another woman who lives in the Bab Al-Yemen shantytown. She, her parents and most of her 13 siblings live in a ramshackle
shelter there.
Hassan's mother is a street sweeper in the center of the city. Her father, a former security guard, can no longer work. He can't see well because of surgery gone wrong, she says.
Hassan's sad, tired eyes peek through her luthma, a black veil revealing only the eyes, worn by most Yemeni women in public. She gazes at her dirty, dreary surroundings in the shantytown. She doesn't want to bring children
into this world, she says.
In the shantytowns, men make important household decisions, even though, in many cases, the women and children bring in most of the income by begging.
Even the poorest families spend a significant amount of their money on qat, an amphetamine-like mild narcotic shrub that is chewed by men and women daily.
Hassan, like her mother, used to sweep the dusty streets of her capital city. But she stopped when a male cousin, also a sweeper, working the night shift was hit by a car whose driver didn't even stop to look. Her cousin is disabled. Hassan now works as a janitor at a human rights organization. Although she makes less than her salary as a sweeper, she is happier.
Hassan would be even more content if she could continue her education. While in fifth grade she stopped because, as she recalls, her father told her school is not for girls. Also, Akhdam children are often rejected in schools for the same reasons adults are rejected in society, because they are considered unclean and immoral. Hassan is trying to get literacy training without her father's knowledge.
Akhdam often have to resort to secrecy. While they are proud of their background among their peers, they usually do not advertise their social caste to outsiders. One successful Akhdam doctor, who has worked in a local hospital for years, does not reveal his social status, afraid he will lose his patients.
Officially, there are efforts to help the Akhdam. The Yemeni government is building a new housing project financed with international aid, says Noor Ba Aabad, assistant to the deputy minister of social affairs and labor.
There have been reports that owners of expensive villas near the housing
project intend to sell out because they don't want to live near the Akhdam.
Ba Aabad, who has worked on women's, children's and poverty issues since
the 1970s, says she thinks the most important way to help the Akhdam is to
integrate them into mainstream society and improve their education.
While mainstream society is becoming more accepting of Akhdam, she says,
Akhdam have low self-esteem. It will take time to erase the effects of centuries of stereotyping, she says.
Society as a whole has to change its beliefs about Akhdam, says Jonathan
Puddifoot, country representative with Care International in Yemen. But the most disadvantaged group in Yemen has to find a way to rise above its
self-perceptions.
"The prejudice keeps them down," he says, "and they keep themselves down as well."
கர்னாடகாவில் 25 சத முஸ்லீம்கள் கிறிஸ்துவர்கள் பாஜகவுக்கு ஆதரவு
லயோலா கல்லூரி பெங்களூர் நடத்திய கர்னாடகா மக்கள் எண்ண வாக்கெடுப்பில், பாஜகவே மிக அதிக ஆதரவு பெற்று ஆட்சி அமைக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளதாக தெரியவருகிறது.
முஸ்லீம்கள் மத்தியில் ஜனதா தளத்தைவிட பாஜகவுக்கே ஆதரவு அதிகம் இருப்பது தெரியவந்துள்ளது. முஸ்லீம்கள் 23 சதவீதம் பாஜகவுக்கு ஆதரவளிக்கிறார்கள். ஜனதா தளத்துக்கு 15 சதவீத அளவே ஆதரவளிக்கிறார்கள்.
கிறிஸ்துவர்கள் மத்தியில் பாரதிய ஜனதாவுக்கு 25 சதவீத ஆதரவு உள்ளது.
மாநிலத்தின் எல்லா பகுதியினரிலும் பாஜகவுக்கு பெருவாரியான ஆதரவு இருப்பதையும் லயோலா கல்லூரி ஆய்வு தெரிவித்துள்ளது.
Assembly polls: survey puts BJP ahead
Special Correspondent
‘Yeddyurappa has good chance of becoming Chief Minister ’
Kumaraswamy emerged as the second favourite, with 37.6 per cent
Another survey planned before elections
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BANGALORE: An opinion poll on the Assembly elections conducted by St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore, and the Centre for People Studies, Loyola College, Chennai has shown the BJP as a clear favourite, and its chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa as having 49.1 per cent chance of becoming Chief Minister again.
Giving details of the survey, leader of the team S. Rajanayagam of the Loyola College said that the study was conducted in 24 districts.
The opinion of 2,580 people was taken, out of which 40 per cent were from urban areas and the rest from rural areas.
Other leaders
The findings put H.D. Kumaraswamy as the second favourite, with 37.6 per cent chances of becoming Chief Minister, followed by S.M. Krishna (5.7 per cent), N. Dharam Singh (4.3 per cent) and Siddaramaiah (1.1 per cent).
In competence level also, Mr. Yeddyurappa scored 45.1 per cent, followed by Mr. Kumaraswamy with 25.8 per cent.
Factors
The survey, which took several factors including the voting in 2004, indicated that the BJP had 78.1 per cent chances of getting the votes of those who supported it in 2004.
The Congress was predicted to get 24.3 per cent of votes and the Janata Dal (S) 33.3 per cent of the votes cast in their favour in 2004.
Among the new voters, 18.9 per cent chose the BJP, 78.4 per cent the Congress and 1.4 per cent the Janata Dal (S).
Of the old voters, 50 per cent preferred the BJP, 25.6 per cent the Congress and 13.8 per cent the Janata Dal (S).
Sixty-two per cent of the respondents indicated that one party with simple majority would be voted to power while only 25 per cent favoured a coalition government and 13 per cent said that one party with external support would be in power.
The BJP was also popular among various sections of respondents.
The section on religion-based voting showed that BJP got 50 per cent support among Hindu respondents while Congress secured 30.7 per cent and the Janata Dal (S) 12.6 per cent.
Among Muslims, 21.7 per cent voted for BJP, 42.2 per cent favoured the Congress and 15.7 per cent the Janata Dal (S).
Among Christians 25 per cent chose BJP, 50 per cent Congress and 25 per cent Janata Dal (S).
Accuracy
Dr. Rajanayagam said the surveys conducted by them during the last elections in Tamil Nadu revealed that their findings were 95 per cent accurate.
He stated that there would be another survey before the elections in Karnataka.
முஸ்லீம்கள் மத்தியில் ஜனதா தளத்தைவிட பாஜகவுக்கே ஆதரவு அதிகம் இருப்பது தெரியவந்துள்ளது. முஸ்லீம்கள் 23 சதவீதம் பாஜகவுக்கு ஆதரவளிக்கிறார்கள். ஜனதா தளத்துக்கு 15 சதவீத அளவே ஆதரவளிக்கிறார்கள்.
கிறிஸ்துவர்கள் மத்தியில் பாரதிய ஜனதாவுக்கு 25 சதவீத ஆதரவு உள்ளது.
மாநிலத்தின் எல்லா பகுதியினரிலும் பாஜகவுக்கு பெருவாரியான ஆதரவு இருப்பதையும் லயோலா கல்லூரி ஆய்வு தெரிவித்துள்ளது.
Assembly polls: survey puts BJP ahead
Special Correspondent
‘Yeddyurappa has good chance of becoming Chief Minister ’
Kumaraswamy emerged as the second favourite, with 37.6 per cent
Another survey planned before elections
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BANGALORE: An opinion poll on the Assembly elections conducted by St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore, and the Centre for People Studies, Loyola College, Chennai has shown the BJP as a clear favourite, and its chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa as having 49.1 per cent chance of becoming Chief Minister again.
Giving details of the survey, leader of the team S. Rajanayagam of the Loyola College said that the study was conducted in 24 districts.
The opinion of 2,580 people was taken, out of which 40 per cent were from urban areas and the rest from rural areas.
Other leaders
The findings put H.D. Kumaraswamy as the second favourite, with 37.6 per cent chances of becoming Chief Minister, followed by S.M. Krishna (5.7 per cent), N. Dharam Singh (4.3 per cent) and Siddaramaiah (1.1 per cent).
In competence level also, Mr. Yeddyurappa scored 45.1 per cent, followed by Mr. Kumaraswamy with 25.8 per cent.
Factors
The survey, which took several factors including the voting in 2004, indicated that the BJP had 78.1 per cent chances of getting the votes of those who supported it in 2004.
The Congress was predicted to get 24.3 per cent of votes and the Janata Dal (S) 33.3 per cent of the votes cast in their favour in 2004.
Among the new voters, 18.9 per cent chose the BJP, 78.4 per cent the Congress and 1.4 per cent the Janata Dal (S).
Of the old voters, 50 per cent preferred the BJP, 25.6 per cent the Congress and 13.8 per cent the Janata Dal (S).
Sixty-two per cent of the respondents indicated that one party with simple majority would be voted to power while only 25 per cent favoured a coalition government and 13 per cent said that one party with external support would be in power.
The BJP was also popular among various sections of respondents.
The section on religion-based voting showed that BJP got 50 per cent support among Hindu respondents while Congress secured 30.7 per cent and the Janata Dal (S) 12.6 per cent.
Among Muslims, 21.7 per cent voted for BJP, 42.2 per cent favoured the Congress and 15.7 per cent the Janata Dal (S).
Among Christians 25 per cent chose BJP, 50 per cent Congress and 25 per cent Janata Dal (S).
Accuracy
Dr. Rajanayagam said the surveys conducted by them during the last elections in Tamil Nadu revealed that their findings were 95 per cent accurate.
He stated that there would be another survey before the elections in Karnataka.
இங்கிலாந்து அரசாங்க பணத்தை வாங்கி ஜிகாதுக்கு கொடுக்கும் வந்தேறி முஸ்லீம்கள்
இங்கிலாந்து அரசாங்க பணத்தை வாங்கி ஜிகாதுக்கு கொடுக்கும் வந்தேறி முஸ்லீம்கள்
UK terror fund cell live on HANDOUTS
By Mazher Mahmood
A MUSLIM fanatic is funding terrorists killing British troops in Afghanistan while SPONGING off our state benefits, the News of the World can reveal.
Gloating extremist Mohammed Nawaz Raja (above left) runs a network of door-to-door money-raisers collecting thousands for his fake ‘charity'.
But householders who stump up thinking they are supporting a religious school are being duped into buying weapons for the Taliban.
The evil godfather of terror claims to have sent them hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Incredibly Nawaz, who owns a five-bedroom £350,00 house, is himself being funded by the taxpayer.
He pockets £250-a-week in handouts — and boasts: "I'm a British national. The government pays me to live."
And referring to his "charity" he adds chillingly: "We are supporting a lot of jihad (holy war) organisations. They need our support. They have to buy weapons!"
We nailed Nawaz, his ‘treasurer' Mohammed Shakeel Akhtar (above right), and his shifty accountant after a perilous three-month investigation by an undercover team of reporters.
We moved in after being tipped off about the militant cell by a concerned Muslim who prays at a mosque in High Wycombe, Bucks.
Our team infiltrated the extremists by visiting the mosque, in Totteridge Road, which is above the controversial Muslim Education Centre.
Last year researchers from the Tory think tank Policy Exchange discovered books at the centre containing extremist material that encouraged jihad against non Muslims.
Our reporter claimed to be a visitor from Kashmir seeking voluntary work to help Muslim brothers around the world—and was soon put in touch with Nawaz, 55, a leading figure at the centre.
Nawaz arranged to meet our reporter at High Wycombe train station. He turned up in a silver Toyota car and asked our man to get inside.
Bearded Nawaz drove for a few minutes before parking the car along a darkened dirt track. There, he leafed through a copy of the Koran and asked a series of questions to satisfy himself we were genuine.
The ex-mini-cab driver, who is originally from Pakistan but has lived here for over 30 years, then explained how he had set up his small madrassa in Pakistan to provide Islamic education for girls locally and from Britain.
He offered our man a job as one of his fundraising team, saying he could collect £600 a week, £200 of which he could keep.
He handed us leaflets—giving his NatWest bank account and details for one in Pakistan—outlining the work of his madrassa, based in Islamabad, which he said were to be handed to people on the doorstep.
Nawaz told our reporter to grow a full beard to appear more religious when knocking on doors. He then gave detailed instructions on how to raise funds and boasted of his own experience in Slough.
"In just four hours, I collected £150 pounds. If you work for four to five hours a day it is very easy."
Yet his organisation is not registered as a charity in Britain and cannot lawfully seek donations. He falsely uses the charity number 1112702, which is registered to the Thara Welfare Trust, a wholly legitimate charity based in High Wycombe, with no involvement with Nawaz or any terrorist activities.
Our man was given digs in a £35-a-week student house in High Wycombe, and joined the group of fundraisers working for Nawaz.
To maintain his cover, he spent two weeks working as a full-time fundraiser for Nawaz, collecting an average of £50 a day in donations. Other collectors covered the Luton, Slough and Birmingham areas raising cash from unsuspecting Muslim families.
But it wasn't long before Nawaz revealed his secret agenda to another member of our undercover team a journalist posing as a wealthy businessman willing to donate to the cause.
"We have the contacts with the jihadis," he confided. "Both in Kashmir, and with Jaish-e-Mohammed."
Jaish-e-Mohammed, formed by Maulana Masood Azhar in 1994, is a banned terrorist organisation which has direct links with Osama Bin Laden.
Azhar is known to have had meetings with the Al-Qaeda terror boss. The group have been responsible for a series of bombings, and a plane hijacking, and the kidnapping of Western tourists. The group were also implicated in the brutal kidnap and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
"Secret funding for Jaish-e-Mohammed is happening," said Nawaz. "I want brothers who will support us. I use this organisation (the madrassa) as an umbrella to support jihadis. Nobody will know." Jihadis are described as "soldiers of Islam" who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.
Nawaz was keen to boast about his close connections with terrorists.
"In Sadar (Pakistan) I met Jaish-e-Mohammed's Maulana Azhar Sahib. Now I tell you I am secretly giving them money. My friend is sending money on a weekly basis."
Then Nawaz, revealed the ‘treasurer' for the secret money trail to terror—mechanic Mohammed Shakeel Akhtar.
"Although Shakeel is the treasurer, we don't show him as treasurer on papers now, on his request," he explained.
Nawaz added: "In Afghanistan we have a secret link and we send them money there. Money will go inshallah (God willing) direct to Afghanistan and direct to Kashmir.
"We send money via black market through Peshawar. We have transferred hundreds and thousands so far."
Two weeks ago Nawaz travelled to his madrassa in Pakistan taking a hoard of cash with him to pass on to terrorists.
Then, last Saturday Nawaz contacted another of our team, believing him to be involved in terrorism, and asked him to meet in Rawalpindi.
"I have arranged a meeting with a brother who is fighting in Afghanistan against the British and Western non-believers. They need money to buy weapons and armaments," he explained.
"It is also our duty to help the families of those who are becoming martyrs here."
"Bring money with you and you will be able to hand it over. We will travel at night in a jeep to the Pakistan-Afghan border."
On Monday Nawaz instructed our man back in the UK to deliver the money— £40,000 pounds—to Shakeel at an MoT garage in High Wycombe, with instructions for it to be sent out to Pakistan.
Our reporter made it clear what the money was intended for. "It is for our mujahid brothers (religious fighters), the Taliban in Afghanistan," our man told Shakeel.
Secretive Shakeel replied: "He (Nawaz) has just told me that you have some money to give him and when you come I should take you to this guy, and Nawaz will get the money."
But later he said: "It's better that you don't discuss anything with me. If you tell me names and there is action against me, they will force me to tell them. The less people you tell about the system, its better for you and better for me and better for our religious work."
Shakeel said that he would take our man to the contact, adding: "I've already spoken to him. There will be no record of this money. He will do it."
Shakeel then introduced us to the contact, a partner in a firm of accountants.
"This is my friend who sends money. ‘He wants a guarantee that the money will get there,'" Shakeel told him.
The accountant, in his 30s, replied: "No problem we've sent bigger amounts. It'll get to Islamabad."
Since there was no way we would hand him the cash, we told him the money was in Southall, and he was eager to collect it. He exchanged numbers and said: "I'll come and pick it up tonight."
Back in Pakistan, Nawaz reassured us that he would make sure the money went to the right people, though his boast proved taxpayers' cash is going to the wrong person.
"Praise be to Allah I have a car of my own. I have a five bedroom house in High Wycombe. The government is paying me. When I go to Pakistan, my family still gets paid. The system in Britain is that the government pays.
"Take for example a small family with four children, if the husband works he would get £300 to £400 a week. And if he doesn't work the government still pay him around that, so why should he work?
"If he works he gets around £350 a week and if he doesn't he gets £300. For just £50, who would work?" he said.
Terror expert Col Mike Dewar praised the News of the World: "I am full of admiration for your reporters and the risks they have taken to infiltrate what is clearly a very dangerous network.
Threat
"Organisations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Taliban extremists pose a very serious and direct threat to us. Their agenda extends to atrocites here in Britain."
Today is payback time for the terror scrounger and his team. Our dossier including covert video recordings is available to the authorities both here and in Pakistan.
UK terror fund cell live on HANDOUTS
By Mazher Mahmood
A MUSLIM fanatic is funding terrorists killing British troops in Afghanistan while SPONGING off our state benefits, the News of the World can reveal.
Gloating extremist Mohammed Nawaz Raja (above left) runs a network of door-to-door money-raisers collecting thousands for his fake ‘charity'.
But householders who stump up thinking they are supporting a religious school are being duped into buying weapons for the Taliban.
The evil godfather of terror claims to have sent them hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Incredibly Nawaz, who owns a five-bedroom £350,00 house, is himself being funded by the taxpayer.
He pockets £250-a-week in handouts — and boasts: "I'm a British national. The government pays me to live."
And referring to his "charity" he adds chillingly: "We are supporting a lot of jihad (holy war) organisations. They need our support. They have to buy weapons!"
We nailed Nawaz, his ‘treasurer' Mohammed Shakeel Akhtar (above right), and his shifty accountant after a perilous three-month investigation by an undercover team of reporters.
We moved in after being tipped off about the militant cell by a concerned Muslim who prays at a mosque in High Wycombe, Bucks.
Our team infiltrated the extremists by visiting the mosque, in Totteridge Road, which is above the controversial Muslim Education Centre.
Last year researchers from the Tory think tank Policy Exchange discovered books at the centre containing extremist material that encouraged jihad against non Muslims.
Our reporter claimed to be a visitor from Kashmir seeking voluntary work to help Muslim brothers around the world—and was soon put in touch with Nawaz, 55, a leading figure at the centre.
Nawaz arranged to meet our reporter at High Wycombe train station. He turned up in a silver Toyota car and asked our man to get inside.
Bearded Nawaz drove for a few minutes before parking the car along a darkened dirt track. There, he leafed through a copy of the Koran and asked a series of questions to satisfy himself we were genuine.
The ex-mini-cab driver, who is originally from Pakistan but has lived here for over 30 years, then explained how he had set up his small madrassa in Pakistan to provide Islamic education for girls locally and from Britain.
He offered our man a job as one of his fundraising team, saying he could collect £600 a week, £200 of which he could keep.
He handed us leaflets—giving his NatWest bank account and details for one in Pakistan—outlining the work of his madrassa, based in Islamabad, which he said were to be handed to people on the doorstep.
Nawaz told our reporter to grow a full beard to appear more religious when knocking on doors. He then gave detailed instructions on how to raise funds and boasted of his own experience in Slough.
"In just four hours, I collected £150 pounds. If you work for four to five hours a day it is very easy."
Yet his organisation is not registered as a charity in Britain and cannot lawfully seek donations. He falsely uses the charity number 1112702, which is registered to the Thara Welfare Trust, a wholly legitimate charity based in High Wycombe, with no involvement with Nawaz or any terrorist activities.
Our man was given digs in a £35-a-week student house in High Wycombe, and joined the group of fundraisers working for Nawaz.
To maintain his cover, he spent two weeks working as a full-time fundraiser for Nawaz, collecting an average of £50 a day in donations. Other collectors covered the Luton, Slough and Birmingham areas raising cash from unsuspecting Muslim families.
But it wasn't long before Nawaz revealed his secret agenda to another member of our undercover team a journalist posing as a wealthy businessman willing to donate to the cause.
"We have the contacts with the jihadis," he confided. "Both in Kashmir, and with Jaish-e-Mohammed."
Jaish-e-Mohammed, formed by Maulana Masood Azhar in 1994, is a banned terrorist organisation which has direct links with Osama Bin Laden.
Azhar is known to have had meetings with the Al-Qaeda terror boss. The group have been responsible for a series of bombings, and a plane hijacking, and the kidnapping of Western tourists. The group were also implicated in the brutal kidnap and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
"Secret funding for Jaish-e-Mohammed is happening," said Nawaz. "I want brothers who will support us. I use this organisation (the madrassa) as an umbrella to support jihadis. Nobody will know." Jihadis are described as "soldiers of Islam" who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.
Nawaz was keen to boast about his close connections with terrorists.
"In Sadar (Pakistan) I met Jaish-e-Mohammed's Maulana Azhar Sahib. Now I tell you I am secretly giving them money. My friend is sending money on a weekly basis."
Then Nawaz, revealed the ‘treasurer' for the secret money trail to terror—mechanic Mohammed Shakeel Akhtar.
"Although Shakeel is the treasurer, we don't show him as treasurer on papers now, on his request," he explained.
Nawaz added: "In Afghanistan we have a secret link and we send them money there. Money will go inshallah (God willing) direct to Afghanistan and direct to Kashmir.
"We send money via black market through Peshawar. We have transferred hundreds and thousands so far."
Two weeks ago Nawaz travelled to his madrassa in Pakistan taking a hoard of cash with him to pass on to terrorists.
Then, last Saturday Nawaz contacted another of our team, believing him to be involved in terrorism, and asked him to meet in Rawalpindi.
"I have arranged a meeting with a brother who is fighting in Afghanistan against the British and Western non-believers. They need money to buy weapons and armaments," he explained.
"It is also our duty to help the families of those who are becoming martyrs here."
"Bring money with you and you will be able to hand it over. We will travel at night in a jeep to the Pakistan-Afghan border."
On Monday Nawaz instructed our man back in the UK to deliver the money— £40,000 pounds—to Shakeel at an MoT garage in High Wycombe, with instructions for it to be sent out to Pakistan.
Our reporter made it clear what the money was intended for. "It is for our mujahid brothers (religious fighters), the Taliban in Afghanistan," our man told Shakeel.
Secretive Shakeel replied: "He (Nawaz) has just told me that you have some money to give him and when you come I should take you to this guy, and Nawaz will get the money."
But later he said: "It's better that you don't discuss anything with me. If you tell me names and there is action against me, they will force me to tell them. The less people you tell about the system, its better for you and better for me and better for our religious work."
Shakeel said that he would take our man to the contact, adding: "I've already spoken to him. There will be no record of this money. He will do it."
Shakeel then introduced us to the contact, a partner in a firm of accountants.
"This is my friend who sends money. ‘He wants a guarantee that the money will get there,'" Shakeel told him.
The accountant, in his 30s, replied: "No problem we've sent bigger amounts. It'll get to Islamabad."
Since there was no way we would hand him the cash, we told him the money was in Southall, and he was eager to collect it. He exchanged numbers and said: "I'll come and pick it up tonight."
Back in Pakistan, Nawaz reassured us that he would make sure the money went to the right people, though his boast proved taxpayers' cash is going to the wrong person.
"Praise be to Allah I have a car of my own. I have a five bedroom house in High Wycombe. The government is paying me. When I go to Pakistan, my family still gets paid. The system in Britain is that the government pays.
"Take for example a small family with four children, if the husband works he would get £300 to £400 a week. And if he doesn't work the government still pay him around that, so why should he work?
"If he works he gets around £350 a week and if he doesn't he gets £300. For just £50, who would work?" he said.
Terror expert Col Mike Dewar praised the News of the World: "I am full of admiration for your reporters and the risks they have taken to infiltrate what is clearly a very dangerous network.
Threat
"Organisations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Taliban extremists pose a very serious and direct threat to us. Their agenda extends to atrocites here in Britain."
Today is payback time for the terror scrounger and his team. Our dossier including covert video recordings is available to the authorities both here and in Pakistan.
விபச்சாரம் என்றாலும் பரவாயில்லை வேறுஜாதி பையனை திருமணம் செய்யக்கூடாது
வேறு ஜாதி பையனை மகள் மணந்துவிடக்கூடாது என்று பாகிஸ்தானுக்கு அனுப்பி வைத்து அங்கு ஒரு மன நலம் குன்றிய வயதானவருக்கு திருமணம் செய்துவைத்து விபச்சாரத்தில் ஈடுபடுத்தும் இங்கிலாந்தில் வாழும் பாகிஸ்தானிய முஸ்லீம்கள் பற்றிய பிரச்னைகள்...
கொடுமையடா சாமி!
Family of teen Muslim invited men to rape herAbul Taher
A GIRL of 15 was tricked into a "telephone marriage" ceremony to a Sheffield man with a mental age of five in a ceremony recognised by sharia (Islamic law).
When the girl arrived from Pakistan expecting to meet the handsome man she had been shown in a photograph, she found that he was 40 years old, unemployed and disabled.
To make matters worse, her mother-in-law decided to exploit her attractive looks by forcing her into prostitution.
The family invited men to the family home to rape her before she managed to escape to the police by bolting through the front door. She was taken into care and now lives in a refuge.
The case is highlighted in a report by the Centre for Social Cohesion, which has found that policemen, councillors and taxi drivers are turning a blind eye or even conniving in enforcing the Asian community's strict "moral code" on young women.
The girl's marriage last April was not recognised by the Home Office but was approved by the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain. She is typical of the runaway brides at risk of an "honour killing". According to official figures, 10 to 12 women are murdered in Britain in honour killings each year, but the government has been warned by MPs that this is a serious underestimate. Police often record the deaths as cases of domestic violence, while other girls are driven to suicide or taken away to their family's country of origin and never seen again. Many Asian parents would rather resort to violence against their children than see their reputation tarnished by the perceived dishonour of allowing them to become "westernised".
The report, Crimes of the Community, claims the problem is no longer an issue of first-generation migrants importing attitudes from "back home" but is "indigenous and self-perpetuating" because it is sustained by third and fourth-generation immigrants.
The study reveals the case of Saamiya, a 16-year-old girl from Birmingham, whose parents were so angry when they discovered she had a boyfriend that they flew her to Pakistan and told her they had arranged a marriage two hours before the ceremony.
"During the Islamic ceremony my dad was standing behind me with one hand on my shoulder and with his other hand he had a gun which was pointed at my back so that I didn't say 'no'," Saamiya said.
"To everyone else it looked natural — he was just standing there stroking my shoulder — but just before he had told me that he would shoot me if I didn't go through with it."
She was rescued from Pakistan by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's forced marriage unit and now lives in a refuge in the Midlands, but has been told that she will be murdered by her brothers. The girl told investigators: "I haven't been back home since then. My brothers say that they want to take me back to Pakistan so they can kill me basically. They'll just pay the police there to keep quiet... I don't want to be killed. I'm only 16. I want to live my life."
The think-tank's report comes after Gordon Brown, the prime minister, said last week that he was extremely concerned that too little was being done to prevent honour crimes.
The study criticises the police and schools for failing to take action in a misguided attempt to avoid offending cultural sensibilities.
Karma Nirvana, a support group in Derby, claims it asked local schools last year to display warning posters produced by the forced marriage unit. It said the schools refused.
Derby council last week denied that the group had made the requests, but the prime minister has pledged to investigate reports that the government unit cannot get its advice posters into schools for fear of upsetting local opinion.
According to the report, women who go to the authorities to seek protection have been tracked down through their mobile phones or even by leaks of confidential information from government databases.
Jasvinder Sanghera, director of Karma Nirvana, said that police who find girls who have escaped from their families often simply return them to their parents where they face further abuse, with some Asian officers actually colluding in crimes. Sanghera is taking a case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission of a girl who fled her family but was kidnapped by relatives and held prisoner. She claims that a police officer tipped off the family where the girl was staying.
"Police have a long way to go before they get on top of honour crime. There is a lingering fear among officers of being dubbed racist for probing cultural issues. We've got to shake off that myth," she said.
கொடுமையடா சாமி!
Family of teen Muslim invited men to rape herAbul Taher
A GIRL of 15 was tricked into a "telephone marriage" ceremony to a Sheffield man with a mental age of five in a ceremony recognised by sharia (Islamic law).
When the girl arrived from Pakistan expecting to meet the handsome man she had been shown in a photograph, she found that he was 40 years old, unemployed and disabled.
To make matters worse, her mother-in-law decided to exploit her attractive looks by forcing her into prostitution.
The family invited men to the family home to rape her before she managed to escape to the police by bolting through the front door. She was taken into care and now lives in a refuge.
The case is highlighted in a report by the Centre for Social Cohesion, which has found that policemen, councillors and taxi drivers are turning a blind eye or even conniving in enforcing the Asian community's strict "moral code" on young women.
The girl's marriage last April was not recognised by the Home Office but was approved by the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain. She is typical of the runaway brides at risk of an "honour killing". According to official figures, 10 to 12 women are murdered in Britain in honour killings each year, but the government has been warned by MPs that this is a serious underestimate. Police often record the deaths as cases of domestic violence, while other girls are driven to suicide or taken away to their family's country of origin and never seen again. Many Asian parents would rather resort to violence against their children than see their reputation tarnished by the perceived dishonour of allowing them to become "westernised".
The report, Crimes of the Community, claims the problem is no longer an issue of first-generation migrants importing attitudes from "back home" but is "indigenous and self-perpetuating" because it is sustained by third and fourth-generation immigrants.
The study reveals the case of Saamiya, a 16-year-old girl from Birmingham, whose parents were so angry when they discovered she had a boyfriend that they flew her to Pakistan and told her they had arranged a marriage two hours before the ceremony.
"During the Islamic ceremony my dad was standing behind me with one hand on my shoulder and with his other hand he had a gun which was pointed at my back so that I didn't say 'no'," Saamiya said.
"To everyone else it looked natural — he was just standing there stroking my shoulder — but just before he had told me that he would shoot me if I didn't go through with it."
She was rescued from Pakistan by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's forced marriage unit and now lives in a refuge in the Midlands, but has been told that she will be murdered by her brothers. The girl told investigators: "I haven't been back home since then. My brothers say that they want to take me back to Pakistan so they can kill me basically. They'll just pay the police there to keep quiet... I don't want to be killed. I'm only 16. I want to live my life."
The think-tank's report comes after Gordon Brown, the prime minister, said last week that he was extremely concerned that too little was being done to prevent honour crimes.
The study criticises the police and schools for failing to take action in a misguided attempt to avoid offending cultural sensibilities.
Karma Nirvana, a support group in Derby, claims it asked local schools last year to display warning posters produced by the forced marriage unit. It said the schools refused.
Derby council last week denied that the group had made the requests, but the prime minister has pledged to investigate reports that the government unit cannot get its advice posters into schools for fear of upsetting local opinion.
According to the report, women who go to the authorities to seek protection have been tracked down through their mobile phones or even by leaks of confidential information from government databases.
Jasvinder Sanghera, director of Karma Nirvana, said that police who find girls who have escaped from their families often simply return them to their parents where they face further abuse, with some Asian officers actually colluding in crimes. Sanghera is taking a case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission of a girl who fled her family but was kidnapped by relatives and held prisoner. She claims that a police officer tipped off the family where the girl was staying.
"Police have a long way to go before they get on top of honour crime. There is a lingering fear among officers of being dubbed racist for probing cultural issues. We've got to shake off that myth," she said.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
வடகிழக்கு மாநிலங்களில் பாஜகவின் எதிர்பாராத வளர்ச்சி
வட கிழக்கு மாநிலங்களில் ஏராளமான பிரச்னைகளுக்கு காங்கிரஸே காரணம் என்று பாஜக குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளது. கிறிஸ்துவ மெஜாரிட்டி உள்ள நாகாலாந்து மாநிலத்தில்கூட பாஜக தனியாகவே நின்று ஏராளமான வளர்ச்சியையும் மாநில சட்டமன்றத்தில் இடங்களையும் பிடித்துள்ளது.
Cong to blame for NE problems: BJP
From Our Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 27 – As the countdown to elections in three north-eastern States begins, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has upped its ante, with the party’s national president, Rajnath Singh, today holding the Congress Party responsible for all the problems plaguing the region. “Congress, which was in power for a long time at the Centre and in the States has paid no attention after the independence for development and internal and external security of the North-eastern region,” he thundered, delivering his inaugural address at the party’s National Executive here this morning.
“Today, about a crore of Bangladeshis have infiltrated the region. Anti- India forces have changed the social structure in many districts and activated terrorist outfits in this region,” charged Singh.
The three-day national executive got underway here today. The meeting is being presided over by Opposition leader LK Advani for the first time. Former Central minister Bijoya Chakravarty and Rajen Gohain, MP, are members of the National Executive.
The timing of the meeting is critical and comes shortly after the party announced its decision to get into the poll mode. The focus of the meeting obviously is on giving final touches to the party’s electoral strategy for Lok Sabha elections next year.
A detailed plan to effectively project Advani as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate is scheduled to be chalked out in the meeting. With the NDA already endorsing the move, the BJP is now likely to pull out all stops.
Meanwhile, encouraged by the growth of its organisation in the North-east, including States like Nagaland, a Christian-majority State, the BJP national president dwelt at length on the problem of NE.
“The entire region of North-east not only presents unique beauty of nature but also represents a proud historical tradition. Great persons like Raja Bhagadutta, Ghatotkacha, Lachit Barphukan, ChilarRai, and Srimanta Sankardeva were born in the North-east. The region is today in the grip of violence, hatred and anti-national elements. It is extremely unfortunate,” he commented.
The BJP president then referred to the violence unleashed by ULFA against the Hindi-speaking settlers. “The artisans and labourers from Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and other States were brought to work in the tea gardens. But today anti-national forces are planning to expel these people brought from other States from Assam,” Singh said.
“It is because the Bangladeshi infiltrators would then find avenues of employment and control over the economic resources. It is unfortunate that the Bangladeshi infiltrators are living comfortably in Assam, while the original inhabitants are leading a life of helplessness and insecurity,” he alleged.
“The Congress Government at the Centre and in Assam in place of stopping them, appear to be in their support,” he alleged.
Then switching gears, he accused and said UPA Government continued to work in an authoritarian manner. Whether the issue was of nuclear deal with US or Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh, the UPA failed to present its viewpoint on the issues.
The UPA remained inactive even on the Supreme Court verdict on the IM (DT) Act related to Bangladeshi infiltration, he charged.
About the ensuing polls in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura next month, the BJP president said he has complete faith that in these States people would be relieved of the incompetent administrations.
In Nagaland, where Democratic Alliance of Nagaland was in power of which BJP is a constituent, was wrongly removed before completion of its tenure. “The people of Nagaland would give a fitting reply to this injustice in the elections and our alliance will again get victory,” he said.
Most recently, the UPA Government imposed President’s rule in Nagaland, after dismissing the elected government there. The Nagas are extremely agitated by this undemocratic and unconstitutional step, he said.
The Congress was ousted from power in 2003. After the imposition of President’s rule, Congress is indulging in misusing the administrative machinery in Nagaland. When NDA was in power, a special package was given to Nagaland, but when UPA came to power it is imposing President’s rule. “We hope to defeat Congress here again,” he said.
“In Meghalaya, no single party is in majority now. One leader who was made Chief Minister by Congress has left Congress and joined UDP. Common people are in miserable condition here under UPA rule. We got two seats here in the last elections; we will try to increase our tally,” he said.
Tripura is the only State in the North-east where Leftists are in power. The people here are also fed up with the corruption of the ministers and oppression by the Leftists. The law-and-order machinery has collapsed. The government is itself involved in financial scams. Leftists are divided into different factions. BJP will fight the elections with full force in Tripura, he said.
Cong to blame for NE problems: BJP
From Our Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 27 – As the countdown to elections in three north-eastern States begins, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has upped its ante, with the party’s national president, Rajnath Singh, today holding the Congress Party responsible for all the problems plaguing the region. “Congress, which was in power for a long time at the Centre and in the States has paid no attention after the independence for development and internal and external security of the North-eastern region,” he thundered, delivering his inaugural address at the party’s National Executive here this morning.
“Today, about a crore of Bangladeshis have infiltrated the region. Anti- India forces have changed the social structure in many districts and activated terrorist outfits in this region,” charged Singh.
The three-day national executive got underway here today. The meeting is being presided over by Opposition leader LK Advani for the first time. Former Central minister Bijoya Chakravarty and Rajen Gohain, MP, are members of the National Executive.
The timing of the meeting is critical and comes shortly after the party announced its decision to get into the poll mode. The focus of the meeting obviously is on giving final touches to the party’s electoral strategy for Lok Sabha elections next year.
A detailed plan to effectively project Advani as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate is scheduled to be chalked out in the meeting. With the NDA already endorsing the move, the BJP is now likely to pull out all stops.
Meanwhile, encouraged by the growth of its organisation in the North-east, including States like Nagaland, a Christian-majority State, the BJP national president dwelt at length on the problem of NE.
“The entire region of North-east not only presents unique beauty of nature but also represents a proud historical tradition. Great persons like Raja Bhagadutta, Ghatotkacha, Lachit Barphukan, ChilarRai, and Srimanta Sankardeva were born in the North-east. The region is today in the grip of violence, hatred and anti-national elements. It is extremely unfortunate,” he commented.
The BJP president then referred to the violence unleashed by ULFA against the Hindi-speaking settlers. “The artisans and labourers from Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and other States were brought to work in the tea gardens. But today anti-national forces are planning to expel these people brought from other States from Assam,” Singh said.
“It is because the Bangladeshi infiltrators would then find avenues of employment and control over the economic resources. It is unfortunate that the Bangladeshi infiltrators are living comfortably in Assam, while the original inhabitants are leading a life of helplessness and insecurity,” he alleged.
“The Congress Government at the Centre and in Assam in place of stopping them, appear to be in their support,” he alleged.
Then switching gears, he accused and said UPA Government continued to work in an authoritarian manner. Whether the issue was of nuclear deal with US or Chinese incursions in Arunachal Pradesh, the UPA failed to present its viewpoint on the issues.
The UPA remained inactive even on the Supreme Court verdict on the IM (DT) Act related to Bangladeshi infiltration, he charged.
About the ensuing polls in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura next month, the BJP president said he has complete faith that in these States people would be relieved of the incompetent administrations.
In Nagaland, where Democratic Alliance of Nagaland was in power of which BJP is a constituent, was wrongly removed before completion of its tenure. “The people of Nagaland would give a fitting reply to this injustice in the elections and our alliance will again get victory,” he said.
Most recently, the UPA Government imposed President’s rule in Nagaland, after dismissing the elected government there. The Nagas are extremely agitated by this undemocratic and unconstitutional step, he said.
The Congress was ousted from power in 2003. After the imposition of President’s rule, Congress is indulging in misusing the administrative machinery in Nagaland. When NDA was in power, a special package was given to Nagaland, but when UPA came to power it is imposing President’s rule. “We hope to defeat Congress here again,” he said.
“In Meghalaya, no single party is in majority now. One leader who was made Chief Minister by Congress has left Congress and joined UDP. Common people are in miserable condition here under UPA rule. We got two seats here in the last elections; we will try to increase our tally,” he said.
Tripura is the only State in the North-east where Leftists are in power. The people here are also fed up with the corruption of the ministers and oppression by the Leftists. The law-and-order machinery has collapsed. The government is itself involved in financial scams. Leftists are divided into different factions. BJP will fight the elections with full force in Tripura, he said.
கேரளா சர்ச் பிரச்னையை சுமுகமாக தீர்க்க பாஜக யோசனை
கேரளாவில் மலங்காரா சர்ச் பிரச்னை மிகவும் தீவிரமடைந்து இரண்டு மலங்காரா பிரிவினர் ஒருவரை ஒருவர் அடித்துக்கொள்ளும் சூழ்நிலை வருவதால், அந்த பிரச்னையை சுமுகமாக தீர்க்கவேண்டும் என்று பாஜக கேரளா சிறுபான்மை பிரிவு கோரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளது.
BJP moots adalat to solve church feud
Staff Reporter
KOCHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Miniority Morcha has volunteered to evolve a solution to the feud between the two factions of the Malankara Church with the help of an adalat acceptable to both factions.
A.N. Radhakrishnan, general secretary of the State BJP, and K.V. Sabu, president of the Minority Morcha, said at a press conference here on Thursday that the feud between the two factions of the Malankara Church had acquired the proportions of a social disaster.
Even court interventions had not yielded a permanent solution to the problem, they said.
They said the BJP Minority Morcha wished to intervene in the matter in an apolitical manner, taking into consideration the church dispute as a social problem.
They said the key to finding the solution was the formation of an adalat that would be chosen with the consent of both the factions of the Malanakara Church.
The help of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Indian Christian Movement would also be sought, the BJP leaders said.
They said the Morcha had got in touch with the former Governor of Maharashtra P.C. Alexander; Prof. M. V. Pylee; the former judges of Kerala High Court K.T. Thomas, J. M. James and Hariharan Nair; and the former Additional Chief Secretary Babu Paul.
BJP moots adalat to solve church feud
Staff Reporter
KOCHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Miniority Morcha has volunteered to evolve a solution to the feud between the two factions of the Malankara Church with the help of an adalat acceptable to both factions.
A.N. Radhakrishnan, general secretary of the State BJP, and K.V. Sabu, president of the Minority Morcha, said at a press conference here on Thursday that the feud between the two factions of the Malankara Church had acquired the proportions of a social disaster.
Even court interventions had not yielded a permanent solution to the problem, they said.
They said the BJP Minority Morcha wished to intervene in the matter in an apolitical manner, taking into consideration the church dispute as a social problem.
They said the key to finding the solution was the formation of an adalat that would be chosen with the consent of both the factions of the Malanakara Church.
The help of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and the Indian Christian Movement would also be sought, the BJP leaders said.
They said the Morcha had got in touch with the former Governor of Maharashtra P.C. Alexander; Prof. M. V. Pylee; the former judges of Kerala High Court K.T. Thomas, J. M. James and Hariharan Nair; and the former Additional Chief Secretary Babu Paul.
வக்பு நிலங்களை தனியார் அபகரிப்பதை எதிர்த்து பாஜக ஊர்வலம்
ஆந்திர பிரதேசத்தில் வக்பு நிலங்களையும் சொத்துக்களையும் தனியார் அபகரிப்பதை எதிர்த்து பாஜக சிறுபான்மை பிரிவு போராட்டம் நிகழ்த்தியது.
BJP rally on Wakf properties
Staff Reporter
ANANTAPUR: Activists of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday took out a half-naked procession demanding protection of Wakf properties. The party’s minority ‘morcha’ activists took out the protest procession from their party office in Aravind Nagar to the Collectorate.
Speaking at a protest demonstration in front of the collectorate, district president of the party M.S. Parthasarathi demanded that the government come out with a white paper on Wakf properties.
BJP rally on Wakf properties
Staff Reporter
ANANTAPUR: Activists of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday took out a half-naked procession demanding protection of Wakf properties. The party’s minority ‘morcha’ activists took out the protest procession from their party office in Aravind Nagar to the Collectorate.
Speaking at a protest demonstration in front of the collectorate, district president of the party M.S. Parthasarathi demanded that the government come out with a white paper on Wakf properties.
50 பகாய் மதத்தினர் தங்கள் மதத்தை பற்றி பேசியதற்காக ஈரானில் கைது
50 பகாய் மதத்தினர் தங்கள் மதத்தை பற்றி பேசியதற்காக ஈரானில் கைது
More than 50 Bahá’ís get prison terms for talking about their faith
Three Bahá’í are sent to prison; 51get a suspended sentence if they attend indoctrination courses. In Iran the persecution of the Bahá’í faith is systematic since 1979. Some Bahá’ís are jailed just for teaching their children about their faith.
Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Iran yesterday sentenced three Baha'i to four years in jail for security offences after being convicted of propaganda against the political system and proselytism in the southern city of Shiraz under the pretext of helping the poor. Another 51 were given a year in prison with suspended sentences handed condition they attend courses by state propaganda officials, judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi said.
The Bahá’í religion was founded in 1863 by a Persian aristocrat who came to be known as the Bahá'u'lláh and who saw himself as a new prophet along the lines of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. This was in direct violation of the Islamic claim that Muhammad was the last of the prophets.
Bahá’ís are the largest religious minority in Iran with some 300,000 members, but under the Iranian constitution only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism are recognised.
The Bahá’í faith is considered heretical by Iranian authorities and has been banned since the advent of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
More than 200 Bahá’ís have been executed or murdered since then; hundreds have ended up in jail, tens of thousands have been thrown out of their jobs, denied pensions or prevented from going into business.
All Bahá’í institutions have been closed—all their sacred places, cemeteries and properties have been seized by the government or destroyed (see in the photo the destruction of their shrine in Shiraz).
Many Bahá’ís have been sent to prison simply for teaching their children about their faith. Their youth have been denied the right to go to university unless they identify themselves as Muslims.
On 18 December 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution expressing very “serious concern” for the systematic violations of human rights in Iran, which include the use of torture, flogging, amputation, stoning, public executions and repression of minorities, especially Bahá’ís.
The resolution calls on the Iranian government “to eliminate, in law and practice, all forms of discrimination and other human rights violations.”
More than 50 Bahá’ís get prison terms for talking about their faith
Three Bahá’í are sent to prison; 51get a suspended sentence if they attend indoctrination courses. In Iran the persecution of the Bahá’í faith is systematic since 1979. Some Bahá’ís are jailed just for teaching their children about their faith.
Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Iran yesterday sentenced three Baha'i to four years in jail for security offences after being convicted of propaganda against the political system and proselytism in the southern city of Shiraz under the pretext of helping the poor. Another 51 were given a year in prison with suspended sentences handed condition they attend courses by state propaganda officials, judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi said.
The Bahá’í religion was founded in 1863 by a Persian aristocrat who came to be known as the Bahá'u'lláh and who saw himself as a new prophet along the lines of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. This was in direct violation of the Islamic claim that Muhammad was the last of the prophets.
Bahá’ís are the largest religious minority in Iran with some 300,000 members, but under the Iranian constitution only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism are recognised.
The Bahá’í faith is considered heretical by Iranian authorities and has been banned since the advent of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
More than 200 Bahá’ís have been executed or murdered since then; hundreds have ended up in jail, tens of thousands have been thrown out of their jobs, denied pensions or prevented from going into business.
All Bahá’í institutions have been closed—all their sacred places, cemeteries and properties have been seized by the government or destroyed (see in the photo the destruction of their shrine in Shiraz).
Many Bahá’ís have been sent to prison simply for teaching their children about their faith. Their youth have been denied the right to go to university unless they identify themselves as Muslims.
On 18 December 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution expressing very “serious concern” for the systematic violations of human rights in Iran, which include the use of torture, flogging, amputation, stoning, public executions and repression of minorities, especially Bahá’ís.
The resolution calls on the Iranian government “to eliminate, in law and practice, all forms of discrimination and other human rights violations.”
நைஜீரியாவில் ஷாரியா போலிஸ் காபிர் ஏரியாவில் நுழைவால் கடும் பதட்டம்
நைஜீரியாவில் அரசாங்கம் காபிர் ஏரியாவிலும் ஷரியா நிறைவேற்ற போலீஸ் அனுப்புவதால், அந்த முஸ்லீம் போலீஸ் கிறிஸ்துவ நைஜீரியர்களை அடிப்பதாலும் அவர்களது விடுதிகள் வீடுகளை அழிப்பதாலும் கடும் பதட்ட்டம் நிலவுகிறது
Tension Mounts in Kano as Govt Enforces Sharia
From Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano, 02.02.2008
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Tension was rife in Kano following moves by the state�s sharia police against brothel, hotels and cafes situated in non-Muslim sections of the Sabon Gari area of the metropolis.
The sharia police numbering about two hundred were seen at night patrolling in seven open vehicles that carried dangerous weapons including bows, arrows, sticks and cutlass. They attacked a civil service club at Magajin Rumfa Road, and all the hotels that are located in Sabon Gari, an area where most of its inhabitants are Christians.
The Sharia Police, otherwise called, Hisbah Police, earlier turned down summons by the Kano State Police Command, which had cautioned them about their unconstitutional activities. �We�re operating our duties based on law of the state, and shariah must be complied with by anyone residing in Kano� a top official of the Hisbah said following the police summons.
When THISDAY visited the office of the Hisbah Police yesterday, about 70 females were found in cells, put there over allegations of prostitution, while one lady was in chains for declining to render relevant information.
Following the series of attacks on the Ibrahim Shekarau-led administration over alleged non-implementation of Islamic law in the state, the state Hisba Board tactically adopted means of enforcing the law in some part of the state.
Efforts to reach the state�s Hisba commander-general, Sheikh Ibrahim M. Maibushra at the time of this report failed as he was said to be in a meeting.
But a source in the board, who pleaded for anonymity, described the reports of arrests as untrue, adding that it was unnecessarily exaggerated.
The source, who was reacting to a publication in one of the national newspaper (not THISDAY), said the Hisba Board had its hands tied since they it was taken to court. he, however noted that the board has managed to reduce the inflow of alcoholic drinks to the state by intercepting them on the highways.
Admitting that alcohol is still sold in some parts of the state, said all efforts are being made by the board to bring the sale to it minimum, but quickly added that they have no intention to have any confrontation with the state police command or any other security operatives in the state.
The source confessed that the board has been under pressure to practically enforce the Islamic law in every parts of the state as declared by the state government, but lamented that the board does not have the power to really implement the law to the later, as the police still have upper hand than them.
�Hisba is handicap, even though we have been empowered by the state assembly to carry out our function, which is enforcement of Sharia law. We have a lot of limitations which why Hisba has not been able to impose the law in some parts of the state�, the source added.
The source also denied the speculations that the board is plotting on how to invade Sabon gari area in Fagge local government, which is sole dominated by over 90 percent of non indigenes resident in Kano state, said the board is concern about the nefarious activities in the areas, but they cannot take law into their hand.
However, THISDAY gathered that last Thursday Hisba members fasted and prayed against what they described as plots against their activities by enemies who wants to cause disharmony between them and state security operatives.
THISDAY gathered that the Hisba board who gave the directive had in a press statement titled �Hisbah and Police again� which was published in the Thursday, 31 st January, 2008 of the state newspaper �The Triumph�,
Alleged that they were kept for hours a d served with a petition purported to have been written by the Association of Hoteliers and Liquor sellers and a female divisional officer.
In the statement, the statement, jointly signed by the commander general and director general of the board, Sheikh Ibrahim M. Maibushra and Dr. Sa�idu Ahmad Dukawa respectively, also said they though they filled suspect form, yet after waiting for six hours they were informed that the police commissioner, Cp Mohammed Yesufu could not see them until the next day.
The statement further stressed that Hisbah which was established largely to curb the spread of vices in the state in accordance with Sharia implementation, which has been embraced by the larger public in the state.
It added ��People are trooping to our office on daily basis seeking for intervention into conflicts, filing petitions over worrisome public issues or reporting on places of criminal activities.
The statement added that it is in response to some of the public complaints that the board directed its corps to mount night patrols in some trouble spots of the state metropolis; said permission is sought from the resident divisional police officer before embarking on such patrols
Tension Mounts in Kano as Govt Enforces Sharia
From Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano, 02.02.2008
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Print This Article
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Tension was rife in Kano following moves by the state�s sharia police against brothel, hotels and cafes situated in non-Muslim sections of the Sabon Gari area of the metropolis.
The sharia police numbering about two hundred were seen at night patrolling in seven open vehicles that carried dangerous weapons including bows, arrows, sticks and cutlass. They attacked a civil service club at Magajin Rumfa Road, and all the hotels that are located in Sabon Gari, an area where most of its inhabitants are Christians.
The Sharia Police, otherwise called, Hisbah Police, earlier turned down summons by the Kano State Police Command, which had cautioned them about their unconstitutional activities. �We�re operating our duties based on law of the state, and shariah must be complied with by anyone residing in Kano� a top official of the Hisbah said following the police summons.
When THISDAY visited the office of the Hisbah Police yesterday, about 70 females were found in cells, put there over allegations of prostitution, while one lady was in chains for declining to render relevant information.
Following the series of attacks on the Ibrahim Shekarau-led administration over alleged non-implementation of Islamic law in the state, the state Hisba Board tactically adopted means of enforcing the law in some part of the state.
Efforts to reach the state�s Hisba commander-general, Sheikh Ibrahim M. Maibushra at the time of this report failed as he was said to be in a meeting.
But a source in the board, who pleaded for anonymity, described the reports of arrests as untrue, adding that it was unnecessarily exaggerated.
The source, who was reacting to a publication in one of the national newspaper (not THISDAY), said the Hisba Board had its hands tied since they it was taken to court. he, however noted that the board has managed to reduce the inflow of alcoholic drinks to the state by intercepting them on the highways.
Admitting that alcohol is still sold in some parts of the state, said all efforts are being made by the board to bring the sale to it minimum, but quickly added that they have no intention to have any confrontation with the state police command or any other security operatives in the state.
The source confessed that the board has been under pressure to practically enforce the Islamic law in every parts of the state as declared by the state government, but lamented that the board does not have the power to really implement the law to the later, as the police still have upper hand than them.
�Hisba is handicap, even though we have been empowered by the state assembly to carry out our function, which is enforcement of Sharia law. We have a lot of limitations which why Hisba has not been able to impose the law in some parts of the state�, the source added.
The source also denied the speculations that the board is plotting on how to invade Sabon gari area in Fagge local government, which is sole dominated by over 90 percent of non indigenes resident in Kano state, said the board is concern about the nefarious activities in the areas, but they cannot take law into their hand.
However, THISDAY gathered that last Thursday Hisba members fasted and prayed against what they described as plots against their activities by enemies who wants to cause disharmony between them and state security operatives.
THISDAY gathered that the Hisba board who gave the directive had in a press statement titled �Hisbah and Police again� which was published in the Thursday, 31 st January, 2008 of the state newspaper �The Triumph�,
Alleged that they were kept for hours a d served with a petition purported to have been written by the Association of Hoteliers and Liquor sellers and a female divisional officer.
In the statement, the statement, jointly signed by the commander general and director general of the board, Sheikh Ibrahim M. Maibushra and Dr. Sa�idu Ahmad Dukawa respectively, also said they though they filled suspect form, yet after waiting for six hours they were informed that the police commissioner, Cp Mohammed Yesufu could not see them until the next day.
The statement further stressed that Hisbah which was established largely to curb the spread of vices in the state in accordance with Sharia implementation, which has been embraced by the larger public in the state.
It added ��People are trooping to our office on daily basis seeking for intervention into conflicts, filing petitions over worrisome public issues or reporting on places of criminal activities.
The statement added that it is in response to some of the public complaints that the board directed its corps to mount night patrols in some trouble spots of the state metropolis; said permission is sought from the resident divisional police officer before embarking on such patrols
ராஜு பால் எம்பியை கொன்றதற்காக அட்டீக் அகமது எம்பி தேடப்படுகிறார்
ராஜு பால் BSP எம்பியை கொன்றதற்காக அட்டீக் அகமது SP எம்பி தேடப்படுகிறார்
India MP held over rival's death
Mr Ahmad was expelled by his party
Police in the Indian capital, Delhi, say they have arrested a member of the national parliament who is charged with murder.
Atiq Ahmad, formerly with the Samajwadi Party, was expelled by his party after he was charged with killing a rival politician, Raju Pal.
Police had been looking for Mr Ahmad for the past six months.
Mr Ahmad has denied the charges. He is expected to be handed over to Uttar Pradesh police soon.
Mr Pal belonged to the Bahujan Samaj Party.
India MP held over rival's death
Mr Ahmad was expelled by his party
Police in the Indian capital, Delhi, say they have arrested a member of the national parliament who is charged with murder.
Atiq Ahmad, formerly with the Samajwadi Party, was expelled by his party after he was charged with killing a rival politician, Raju Pal.
Police had been looking for Mr Ahmad for the past six months.
Mr Ahmad has denied the charges. He is expected to be handed over to Uttar Pradesh police soon.
Mr Pal belonged to the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
பாகிஸ்தான் கொடிகள், இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாத பயிற்சி முகாம்.. கர்னாடகாவில்
பாகிஸ்தான் கொடிகள், இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாத பயிற்சி முகாம்.. கர்னாடகாவில் காடுகளில் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது பலத்த அதிர்ச்சியை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. ரியாசுதீன் நஸிர், அஸதுல்லா அபுபகர், முகம்மது ஆஸிப் ஆகிய இஸ்லாமிய பயங்கரவாதிகளை கர்நாடகாவில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டதும் அதன் பின்னர் நடந்த விசாரணைகளும் திடுக்கிடும் தகவல்களை வெளி கொணர்ந்துள்ளன.
Terror camps, Pak flags in Karnataka jungles
2 Feb 2008, 0009 hrs IST,MANU AIYAPPA,TNN
Print Save EMail Write to Editor
Pakistani flags in Karnataka woods surrounded by religious shrines (TOI Photo)
KALGHATGI (DHARWAD): Terrorist training camps may be closer to home than the distant mountains in Pakistan.
This chilling evidence came to light during the interrogation of three Islamist radicals arrested recently - Riyazuddin Nasir alias Mohammed Ghouse, Asadullah Abu Bakar and Mohammed Asif.
The investigators have unearthed a thick forest area bordering Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka, which was used to train terrorists in the use of firearms. The three youths arrested by anti-terror police in Hubli and Davanagere a fortnight ago allegedly received weapons training in these woods which are surrounded by religious shrines.
Sources said this could well be the first time that a terrorist camp used by self-proclaimed Islamist fundamentalists has been detected in southern India, where a spate of terror attacks in the last few years, such as the ones in Hyderabad's Mecca mosque and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, have sensitized police to Islamist terrorism. It exposes a serious chink in the country's intelligence armour but also opens the door to getting answers on why and how Bangalore engineer Kafeel Ahmed transformed into the Glasgow bomber and his brother, Dr Sabeel Ahmed, joined in the UK terror plot.
Investigations led by DSP S V D'Souza revealed that the radicals were taking camping trips to the woods for "initial training as terrorists". During a raid, the officials noticed Pakistani flags flying and had them removed.
The details of the camp have been passed on to Central intelligence agencies. "The existence of the camp and the fact that the likes of prime suspect Mohammed Ghouse allegedly worked for a terror organization in Pakistan through intermediaries is of vital importance for intelligence agencies," an investigating official said.
Not only does it prove that the terrorist network is wider in southern India than imagined, it also establishes links between various terror attacks across the country, including the sensational strikes at IISc in Bangalore, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid of Hyderabad.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, the police are keeping investigation details a secret. Sources said that investigators have spent the last few days trying to establish who was running the camp and who were the men being trained. They are also trying to establish the operation for which these people were being trained.
A local police officer said the three accused revealed that they had established base in Kalghatgi and were preparing for a jihadi strike. Ghouse and his accomplice Abu Bakar frequently visited Kalghatgi along with Asif, a MBBS student. Here they met about 20 young radicals who were being taught the use of small arms and double barrel guns.
Terror camps, Pak flags in Karnataka jungles
2 Feb 2008, 0009 hrs IST,MANU AIYAPPA,TNN
Print Save EMail Write to Editor
Pakistani flags in Karnataka woods surrounded by religious shrines (TOI Photo)
KALGHATGI (DHARWAD): Terrorist training camps may be closer to home than the distant mountains in Pakistan.
This chilling evidence came to light during the interrogation of three Islamist radicals arrested recently - Riyazuddin Nasir alias Mohammed Ghouse, Asadullah Abu Bakar and Mohammed Asif.
The investigators have unearthed a thick forest area bordering Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka, which was used to train terrorists in the use of firearms. The three youths arrested by anti-terror police in Hubli and Davanagere a fortnight ago allegedly received weapons training in these woods which are surrounded by religious shrines.
Sources said this could well be the first time that a terrorist camp used by self-proclaimed Islamist fundamentalists has been detected in southern India, where a spate of terror attacks in the last few years, such as the ones in Hyderabad's Mecca mosque and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, have sensitized police to Islamist terrorism. It exposes a serious chink in the country's intelligence armour but also opens the door to getting answers on why and how Bangalore engineer Kafeel Ahmed transformed into the Glasgow bomber and his brother, Dr Sabeel Ahmed, joined in the UK terror plot.
Investigations led by DSP S V D'Souza revealed that the radicals were taking camping trips to the woods for "initial training as terrorists". During a raid, the officials noticed Pakistani flags flying and had them removed.
The details of the camp have been passed on to Central intelligence agencies. "The existence of the camp and the fact that the likes of prime suspect Mohammed Ghouse allegedly worked for a terror organization in Pakistan through intermediaries is of vital importance for intelligence agencies," an investigating official said.
Not only does it prove that the terrorist network is wider in southern India than imagined, it also establishes links between various terror attacks across the country, including the sensational strikes at IISc in Bangalore, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid of Hyderabad.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, the police are keeping investigation details a secret. Sources said that investigators have spent the last few days trying to establish who was running the camp and who were the men being trained. They are also trying to establish the operation for which these people were being trained.
A local police officer said the three accused revealed that they had established base in Kalghatgi and were preparing for a jihadi strike. Ghouse and his accomplice Abu Bakar frequently visited Kalghatgi along with Asif, a MBBS student. Here they met about 20 young radicals who were being taught the use of small arms and double barrel guns.
இந்துக்கள் மீதான வன்முறையை எதிர்த்து இந்துக்கள் தேர்தல் புரக்கணிப்பு முடிவு
இந்துக்கள் மீதான வன்முறையை எதிர்த்து இந்துக்கள் தேர்தல் புரக்கணிப்பு முடிவு செய்துள்ளார்கள். தொடர்ந்து பலுச்சிஸ்தான் இந்துக்கள் கடத்தப்படுவதும் கொல்லப்படுவதும் இந்துக்களை கோபம் கொள்ள செய்திருக்கிறது. அவர்கள் பாகிஸ்தான் தேர்தலை புறக்கணிக்க முடிவு செய்துள்ளனர்
Baloch Hindus threaten poll boycott and emigration
* Protest abduction of four Hindus in one week
* Hindu leader says threats not religiously motivated
By Malik Siraj Akbar
QUETTA: Hindus, the largest religious minority in Balochistan, threatened to boycott the February elections or “migrate to safer places” if the government did not protect them.
The warning came after four Hindus were kidnapped in two incidents within a week.
“We feel extremely insecure,” said Hindu leader Basant Lal Gulshan, a former member of Balochistan Assembly. “There is widespread concern among the Hindus of Balochistan. The government has taken no action so far to recover the kidnapped Hindus.”
The Sindh-Balochistan Hindu Panchayaat threatened to boycott the February elections but Gulshan and other leaders opposed the measure.
Four men with weapons abducted a 13-year-old boy Ravi Kumar from his father Herpal Das’ rice mill on January 30 in Dera Allah Yar area of Naseerabad district. The boy was a student in Quetta and had returned home for a vacation.
Two days earlier, three Hindus were kidnapped from a passenger van in Jaffarabad district. One of them, Kundan Das, is a doctor, and the others, Dilip Kumar and Parkash Lal, are businessmen.
“If our men are not recovered, we will convene a grand conference of Hindus living across Balochistan,” said Hari Chand, the former secretary general of the Hindu Panchayat. “We will consider all options of protest.” But he said any protest by the Hindus would be legal and peaceful.
Kishor Kumar, the vice president of Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Hindus had been peacefully living in Balochistan for centuries and had made significant contributions to local business. But he said they now felt insecure because of “repeated attacks on the community”. He said the government had not addressed their problems.
“The government must protect Hindus,” Basant Lal Gulshan said. “Otherwise, at a time when the international observes are coming to Pakistan to monitor the general elections, such incidents will send a very negative message about the state of minority rights [in Pakistan],” he added.
Not religiously motivated: “We do not suspect anyone,” he said, but added that the violence against Hindus was not religiously motivated. “We believe it is the local outlaws,” he said. “They want us to leave our homes as some people did in 1992 after the demolition of the Babari Masjid.”
“If we are denied protection, we will be compelled to migrate to somewhere safer,” he said.
He said he had told former Balochistan chief minister Jam Muhammad Yousaf about the abductions and Yousaf had taken up the issue with the Balochistan Police inspector general (IG). “But the IG never contacted us,” he said. “No one from the provincial government has met us to say a word of sympathy.” He made an appeal to President Pervez Musharraf to intervene and take notice of “the discrimination” and the threat to their lives and property.
Baloch Hindus threaten poll boycott and emigration
* Protest abduction of four Hindus in one week
* Hindu leader says threats not religiously motivated
By Malik Siraj Akbar
QUETTA: Hindus, the largest religious minority in Balochistan, threatened to boycott the February elections or “migrate to safer places” if the government did not protect them.
The warning came after four Hindus were kidnapped in two incidents within a week.
“We feel extremely insecure,” said Hindu leader Basant Lal Gulshan, a former member of Balochistan Assembly. “There is widespread concern among the Hindus of Balochistan. The government has taken no action so far to recover the kidnapped Hindus.”
The Sindh-Balochistan Hindu Panchayaat threatened to boycott the February elections but Gulshan and other leaders opposed the measure.
Four men with weapons abducted a 13-year-old boy Ravi Kumar from his father Herpal Das’ rice mill on January 30 in Dera Allah Yar area of Naseerabad district. The boy was a student in Quetta and had returned home for a vacation.
Two days earlier, three Hindus were kidnapped from a passenger van in Jaffarabad district. One of them, Kundan Das, is a doctor, and the others, Dilip Kumar and Parkash Lal, are businessmen.
“If our men are not recovered, we will convene a grand conference of Hindus living across Balochistan,” said Hari Chand, the former secretary general of the Hindu Panchayat. “We will consider all options of protest.” But he said any protest by the Hindus would be legal and peaceful.
Kishor Kumar, the vice president of Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Hindus had been peacefully living in Balochistan for centuries and had made significant contributions to local business. But he said they now felt insecure because of “repeated attacks on the community”. He said the government had not addressed their problems.
“The government must protect Hindus,” Basant Lal Gulshan said. “Otherwise, at a time when the international observes are coming to Pakistan to monitor the general elections, such incidents will send a very negative message about the state of minority rights [in Pakistan],” he added.
Not religiously motivated: “We do not suspect anyone,” he said, but added that the violence against Hindus was not religiously motivated. “We believe it is the local outlaws,” he said. “They want us to leave our homes as some people did in 1992 after the demolition of the Babari Masjid.”
“If we are denied protection, we will be compelled to migrate to somewhere safer,” he said.
He said he had told former Balochistan chief minister Jam Muhammad Yousaf about the abductions and Yousaf had taken up the issue with the Balochistan Police inspector general (IG). “But the IG never contacted us,” he said. “No one from the provincial government has met us to say a word of sympathy.” He made an appeal to President Pervez Musharraf to intervene and take notice of “the discrimination” and the threat to their lives and property.
Friday, February 01, 2008
பெண்களுக்கும் குழந்தைகளுக்கும் உரிமைகளை மறுக்கிறது அரபு சார்ட்டர்- ஐநா குற்றச்சாட்டு
மனித உரிமைகள் அரபு சார்ட்டரில், குழந்தைகளுகும் பெண்களுக்கும் உரிமைகள் மறுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன என்று ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் சபை குற்றம் சாட்டியுள்ளது
UN: Arab rights charter fails to meet global standards
New York, 31 Jan. (AKI) - The Arab charter on human rights contains provisions that do not meet international standards, to protect women and children, the United Nations human rights chief said.
UN high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour criticised the charter for upholding the application of the death penalty for children and equating of Zionism with racism.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour issued a statement saying her office “does not endorse these inconsistencies [and] we continue to work with all stakeholders in the region to ensure the implementation of universal human rights norms.”
The Arab charter was issued earlier this month after seven countries ratified the text.
Arbour said while human rights are universal, regional systems of promotion and protection can further help strengthen the enjoyment of human rights.
She said her office had concerns about the incompatibility of some provisions with international standards.
“These concerns included the approach to death penalty for children and the rights of women and non-citizens," Arbour said in a statement.
"Moreover, to the extent that it equates Zionism with racism, we reiterated that the Arab Charter is not in conformity with the general assembly resolution, which rejects that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.”
UN: Arab rights charter fails to meet global standards
New York, 31 Jan. (AKI) - The Arab charter on human rights contains provisions that do not meet international standards, to protect women and children, the United Nations human rights chief said.
UN high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour criticised the charter for upholding the application of the death penalty for children and equating of Zionism with racism.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour issued a statement saying her office “does not endorse these inconsistencies [and] we continue to work with all stakeholders in the region to ensure the implementation of universal human rights norms.”
The Arab charter was issued earlier this month after seven countries ratified the text.
Arbour said while human rights are universal, regional systems of promotion and protection can further help strengthen the enjoyment of human rights.
She said her office had concerns about the incompatibility of some provisions with international standards.
“These concerns included the approach to death penalty for children and the rights of women and non-citizens," Arbour said in a statement.
"Moreover, to the extent that it equates Zionism with racism, we reiterated that the Arab Charter is not in conformity with the general assembly resolution, which rejects that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.”
இஸ்லாமை விட்டு யாரும் வெளியேற முடியாது - எகிப்து தீர்ப்பு
இஸ்லாமை விட்டு வெளியேற முடியாது. இஸ்லாமிய ஷாரியா நடைபெறும் நாட்டில், எந்த ஒரு முஸ்லீமும் ம்தம் மாற முடியாது என்று எகிப்து நீதிமன்றம் தீர்ப்பளித்துள்ளது.
TESTING THE FAITH
'No one leaves Islam,' judge rules
Egyptian court bans convert to Christianity from changing ID card
Posted: February 1, 2008
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
Egypt
No one ever leaves Islam, according to a judge in Egypt who has cited Islamic religious law in rejecting a request from a Muslim convert to Christianity to be allowed to change his religious affiliation on his national identification card.
In a decision that forecasts more and more decisions being based on Shari'a, Islam's religious law, Judge Muhammad Husseini has concluded it violates the law for a Muslim to leave Islam.
According to a report from Compass Direct News, the judge found that the convert, Muhammad Hegazy, "can believe whatever he wants in his heart, but on paper he can't convert."
The report said Husseini cited Article II of the Egyptian constitution, making Islamic religious law the "source" of Egyptian secular law, as the basis for his conclusion.
Since Islam is the "final" and "most complete" religion, Muslims already have full freedom of religion and are not allowed to return to the "less complete" Christianity or Judaism, the ruling said.
It's a new peak in the rise of Islam in Egypt, which The Middle East Review of International Affairs said began with Anwar Sadat's tenure in power.
"He then initiated what one could, in hindsight, term 'the Great Islamic Transformation' of Egypt. The first step was to stipulate in the Second Article of his new Constitution, promulgated in 1971 (long before Khomeini embarked on his Islamic revolutionary campaign), that the Principles of Islamic Shari'a were 'a main source' of legislation. In May 1981, the 'a' was replaced with 'the,' making Shari'a the term of reference for the entire constitution, meaning all other articles were to be interpreted in that light," the organization said.
"The curricula of public schools, established by the Ministry of Education, ignore the Coptic era in Egypt's history. Courses glorifying Islam (the 'Only True Religion') and its history, while vilifying the crusaders (i.e. Christians) and the Jews, are imposed on all students," the group said.
"In the case of a father of a Christian family converting to Islam, his minor children are forced to follow suit: The mother's custody rights – a well established legal principle – are ignored in this case, as children, according to typical court rulings, are supposed to follow the 'better (or 'more noble') of the two religions,'" the group said.
On the pro-freedom website called Sons of Apes and Pigs, a commentary noted that the Egyptian court decision "went on and issued a very explicit warning to Muhammad Hegazy, his wife and their lawyer, that going against the tide would provoke civil unrest and exacerbate emotions in the Egyptian society."
"Freedom of religion doesn't mean getting in and out of Islam to another religion, but only means that each person is free to practice his own religious rites, and not playing games with Islam or contradicting Shari'a law," the website said the judge concluded.
The website, which said it took its name from Quranic descriptions of Christians and Jews, said Westerners don't realize the significance of having a national ID card listing the carrier as Muslim.
"If you get caught going to a church while your religion on your ID is Muslim, that could get you arrested, questioned and tortured," the commentary said. "The latest victim was a 27-year-old woman, Mrs. Sherreen, mother of two children from Alexandria, Egypt. She died at the police station on Jan. 3, 2008, after five hours of torture for refusing to renounce her Christian faith and come back to Islam."
The website noted in Egypt, children of parents with Muslim IDs automatically are Muslims, and they are required to follow mandatory Islamic indoctrination classes, and Muslims cannot marry non-Muslims.
It also said to apply for any job, an applicant must provide the state-designated religious affiliation.
The website also noted according to multiple media reports, Hegazy's father issued a statement that, "when I'll meet my son, I will discuss with him the reasons and circumstances that 'forced' him to leave Islam, and will offer him the opportunity to come back to Islam, but in case he refuses, I will kill him immediately."
Press reports say Hegazy's case was the first time someone had sought to make a change from Islam in the religious designation on an official national ID card.
Hegazy has reported he was studying various religions, and found he was not consistent with Islam.
"The major issue for me was love. Islam wasn't promoting love as Christianity did," he said.
As a result of his conversion he's reported being arrested and tortured several times, but it's opened wide the eyes of observers, the Apes and Pigs website said.
"Muhammad Hegazy's case dynamited the Islamic mountain of lies, propaganda and false pride," the commentary said. "Not only in Egypt, but all over the Arab world. Exposed to the world [was] the deception of the Islamic governments, Egypt in particular … [of] 'no compulsion in religion.'"
According to the Compass Direct report, Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, whose lawyers have been representing the convert, said that he was disappointed with the verdict.
"The judge didn't listen to our defense, and we didn't even have a chance to talk before the court,” Eid said.
Meanwhile, death threats have forced the couple, whose new daughter is only a month old, into hiding.
Compass also reported that at least partly because of the case, lawyers in Egypt now are trying to force the government to outlaw conversion from Islam in secular law as well as religious law.
WND previously has reported on a ruling from a U.S. federal court that an Egyptian Christian who had fled his home nation "most assuredly has a right not to be tortured." The ruling allowed the Egyptian Christian to remain in the United States.
The court pointedly concluded that "diplomatic assurances" of his religious rights "by a country known to have engaged in torture" weren't reassuring.
A report from the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights concluded Coptic Christians in Egypt have been harassed, tortured and killed by Muslims for 1,400 years.
"They have been subjected to all kinds of hate crimes including, the abduction of young Coptic girls, the killing of Coptic women and children and the destruction of their places of worship," the report said.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an agency created by Congress, also lists Egypt on its watch list of countries, noting it had "a poor overall human rights record."
In addition, Egyptian authorities have threatened two young boys who were ordered to take training to be Muslims, but refused, stating they are Christian.
TESTING THE FAITH
'No one leaves Islam,' judge rules
Egyptian court bans convert to Christianity from changing ID card
Posted: February 1, 2008
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
Egypt
No one ever leaves Islam, according to a judge in Egypt who has cited Islamic religious law in rejecting a request from a Muslim convert to Christianity to be allowed to change his religious affiliation on his national identification card.
In a decision that forecasts more and more decisions being based on Shari'a, Islam's religious law, Judge Muhammad Husseini has concluded it violates the law for a Muslim to leave Islam.
According to a report from Compass Direct News, the judge found that the convert, Muhammad Hegazy, "can believe whatever he wants in his heart, but on paper he can't convert."
The report said Husseini cited Article II of the Egyptian constitution, making Islamic religious law the "source" of Egyptian secular law, as the basis for his conclusion.
Since Islam is the "final" and "most complete" religion, Muslims already have full freedom of religion and are not allowed to return to the "less complete" Christianity or Judaism, the ruling said.
It's a new peak in the rise of Islam in Egypt, which The Middle East Review of International Affairs said began with Anwar Sadat's tenure in power.
"He then initiated what one could, in hindsight, term 'the Great Islamic Transformation' of Egypt. The first step was to stipulate in the Second Article of his new Constitution, promulgated in 1971 (long before Khomeini embarked on his Islamic revolutionary campaign), that the Principles of Islamic Shari'a were 'a main source' of legislation. In May 1981, the 'a' was replaced with 'the,' making Shari'a the term of reference for the entire constitution, meaning all other articles were to be interpreted in that light," the organization said.
"The curricula of public schools, established by the Ministry of Education, ignore the Coptic era in Egypt's history. Courses glorifying Islam (the 'Only True Religion') and its history, while vilifying the crusaders (i.e. Christians) and the Jews, are imposed on all students," the group said.
"In the case of a father of a Christian family converting to Islam, his minor children are forced to follow suit: The mother's custody rights – a well established legal principle – are ignored in this case, as children, according to typical court rulings, are supposed to follow the 'better (or 'more noble') of the two religions,'" the group said.
On the pro-freedom website called Sons of Apes and Pigs, a commentary noted that the Egyptian court decision "went on and issued a very explicit warning to Muhammad Hegazy, his wife and their lawyer, that going against the tide would provoke civil unrest and exacerbate emotions in the Egyptian society."
"Freedom of religion doesn't mean getting in and out of Islam to another religion, but only means that each person is free to practice his own religious rites, and not playing games with Islam or contradicting Shari'a law," the website said the judge concluded.
The website, which said it took its name from Quranic descriptions of Christians and Jews, said Westerners don't realize the significance of having a national ID card listing the carrier as Muslim.
"If you get caught going to a church while your religion on your ID is Muslim, that could get you arrested, questioned and tortured," the commentary said. "The latest victim was a 27-year-old woman, Mrs. Sherreen, mother of two children from Alexandria, Egypt. She died at the police station on Jan. 3, 2008, after five hours of torture for refusing to renounce her Christian faith and come back to Islam."
The website noted in Egypt, children of parents with Muslim IDs automatically are Muslims, and they are required to follow mandatory Islamic indoctrination classes, and Muslims cannot marry non-Muslims.
It also said to apply for any job, an applicant must provide the state-designated religious affiliation.
The website also noted according to multiple media reports, Hegazy's father issued a statement that, "when I'll meet my son, I will discuss with him the reasons and circumstances that 'forced' him to leave Islam, and will offer him the opportunity to come back to Islam, but in case he refuses, I will kill him immediately."
Press reports say Hegazy's case was the first time someone had sought to make a change from Islam in the religious designation on an official national ID card.
Hegazy has reported he was studying various religions, and found he was not consistent with Islam.
"The major issue for me was love. Islam wasn't promoting love as Christianity did," he said.
As a result of his conversion he's reported being arrested and tortured several times, but it's opened wide the eyes of observers, the Apes and Pigs website said.
"Muhammad Hegazy's case dynamited the Islamic mountain of lies, propaganda and false pride," the commentary said. "Not only in Egypt, but all over the Arab world. Exposed to the world [was] the deception of the Islamic governments, Egypt in particular … [of] 'no compulsion in religion.'"
According to the Compass Direct report, Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, whose lawyers have been representing the convert, said that he was disappointed with the verdict.
"The judge didn't listen to our defense, and we didn't even have a chance to talk before the court,” Eid said.
Meanwhile, death threats have forced the couple, whose new daughter is only a month old, into hiding.
Compass also reported that at least partly because of the case, lawyers in Egypt now are trying to force the government to outlaw conversion from Islam in secular law as well as religious law.
WND previously has reported on a ruling from a U.S. federal court that an Egyptian Christian who had fled his home nation "most assuredly has a right not to be tortured." The ruling allowed the Egyptian Christian to remain in the United States.
The court pointedly concluded that "diplomatic assurances" of his religious rights "by a country known to have engaged in torture" weren't reassuring.
A report from the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights concluded Coptic Christians in Egypt have been harassed, tortured and killed by Muslims for 1,400 years.
"They have been subjected to all kinds of hate crimes including, the abduction of young Coptic girls, the killing of Coptic women and children and the destruction of their places of worship," the report said.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an agency created by Congress, also lists Egypt on its watch list of countries, noting it had "a poor overall human rights record."
In addition, Egyptian authorities have threatened two young boys who were ordered to take training to be Muslims, but refused, stating they are Christian.
மகன் முஸ்லீமானால், அவனது தாய் என்று சொந்தம் கொண்டாட முடியாது- மலேசியா தீர்ப்பு
ஒரு இந்து பெண்ணின் மகன் முஸ்லீமாக ஆனதால், அந்த மகன் இறந்த போது அந்த மகனது பெயரில் இருந்த இன்சூரன்ஸ் பணத்தை தாய் பெற முடியாதாம்.
அநீதி இழைக்கப்பட்ட இந்து தாய்க்கு நீதி மறுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது மலேசியாவில்
Hindu woman fights for dead Muslim son’s insurance
Associated PressPosted online: Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 2326 hrs
KUALA LUMPUR, January 30: A Hindu woman has spurned an offer by Malaysia’s Islamic authorities to settle a dispute over her dead Muslim son’s insurance policy in a case that highlights growing conflicts over religious rights, a lawyer said on Wednesday.
The Federal Territory Islamic Council offered on Tuesday to give Rukumony Muthiah two-thirds of the 56,300 ringgit ($17,400) death insurance of her son, a Muslim convert who died in 2000, Rukumony’s lawyer Darshan Singh Khaira said.
In his insurance policy, Rukumony's son, Ragu Ellaiappan, whose Muslim name was Mohamed Redzuan Abdullah, named Rukumony as his beneficiary, Darshan said. But Islamic authorities have argued in court that under the country’s religious laws for Muslims, a non-Muslim cannot claim inheritance from a Muslim, he said.
“Our federal constitution guarantees equality so how can you say a non-Muslim cannot inherit from a Muslim, but a Muslim can inherit from a non-Muslim?” Darshan said. Islamic council officials familiar with the case could not be reached.
The council’s lawyers made the offer in the High Court in northern Penang state on Tuesday, but Darshan said it was a “fairy tale offer” that was unacceptable.
Rukumony, a 61-year-old ethnic Indian widow, is willing to settle for 80 per cent of the total sum, Darshan said. The court scheduled to hear the case March 14.
His death certificate says he died of a brain infection at the age of 23, but the family believes there could be more suspicious causes linked to his stint as an army ranger because they have not been shown the post-mortem results, he said.
Malaysia’s non-Muslim minorities say a spate of court cases in recent years, involving disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims, have usually ended with the Muslim side winning.
அநீதி இழைக்கப்பட்ட இந்து தாய்க்கு நீதி மறுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது மலேசியாவில்
Hindu woman fights for dead Muslim son’s insurance
Associated PressPosted online: Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 2326 hrs
KUALA LUMPUR, January 30: A Hindu woman has spurned an offer by Malaysia’s Islamic authorities to settle a dispute over her dead Muslim son’s insurance policy in a case that highlights growing conflicts over religious rights, a lawyer said on Wednesday.
The Federal Territory Islamic Council offered on Tuesday to give Rukumony Muthiah two-thirds of the 56,300 ringgit ($17,400) death insurance of her son, a Muslim convert who died in 2000, Rukumony’s lawyer Darshan Singh Khaira said.
In his insurance policy, Rukumony's son, Ragu Ellaiappan, whose Muslim name was Mohamed Redzuan Abdullah, named Rukumony as his beneficiary, Darshan said. But Islamic authorities have argued in court that under the country’s religious laws for Muslims, a non-Muslim cannot claim inheritance from a Muslim, he said.
“Our federal constitution guarantees equality so how can you say a non-Muslim cannot inherit from a Muslim, but a Muslim can inherit from a non-Muslim?” Darshan said. Islamic council officials familiar with the case could not be reached.
The council’s lawyers made the offer in the High Court in northern Penang state on Tuesday, but Darshan said it was a “fairy tale offer” that was unacceptable.
Rukumony, a 61-year-old ethnic Indian widow, is willing to settle for 80 per cent of the total sum, Darshan said. The court scheduled to hear the case March 14.
His death certificate says he died of a brain infection at the age of 23, but the family believes there could be more suspicious causes linked to his stint as an army ranger because they have not been shown the post-mortem results, he said.
Malaysia’s non-Muslim minorities say a spate of court cases in recent years, involving disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims, have usually ended with the Muslim side winning.
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