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Muharram 27,1427/February 26, 2006 #15
Scroll down to very disturbing report about southern Iraq.
Also see letter from a Shia reader.
Women's Rights: How Prophet Muhammad, pbuh,
changed men's attitudes towards women[#2]
by Kaukab Siddique
Men often don't realize the vulnerabilities of women.
Real men, according to Islam, are gentle towards women.
There is no place for wife battering or male-dominant
attitudes in Islam. In his efforts to stop male physical
violence towards women, the Prophet, pbuh, began with changing
the random outward attitudes men have towards women. He went
on to ORDER an end to all physical vioence against women, as
well as an end to psychological oppression. Finally, he ordered
the death penalty for proven rape after proper investigation.
Here is a hadith in which the Prophet, pbuh, uses a metaphor
about women which a man would never forget. A young black man,
probably an Ethiopian, named Unjasha, r.a., was driving with
great gusto a camel on which Umm Sulaim, r.a., and other
blessed women were riding:
From Unas, r.a.: He said: The messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings of Allah be on him, was on a journey and a black
youth who was called Unjasha, r.a., was driving a camel and
singing [thus causing the camel to gallop]. And the messenger
of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, [called out]
to him: Slow down, O Unjasha! Travel as if you are carrying
vessels of glass! [they can break]. {Hadith, Sahih of Muslim,
kitab al-fadail, section 200.}
Vessels of glass! If men are not careful, they can hurt women
without even knowing it, just as careless handling can put a
crack in a glass vessel. The vessel might not break or even
be visibly damaged but it will have been hurt.
BRIEF but Important News:
PAKISTAN: The city of Lahore was under siege by Musharraf's
security forces on February 26 as the regime made sure the
people would not reach Nasir Bagh for a rally against caricatures
of the Prophet, pbuh, in European countries. The government
stopped public transportation to nullify attempts to travel.
Thousands of people were arrested as they attempted to reach
the gathering point. Among the leaders arrested were Hafiz Saeed
[placed under house arrest], Qazi Hussain Ahmad [of JI] whisked
away to an unknown place, and Imran Khan [later released].
Dozens of local leaders of Muslim League [Nawaz Sharif] were
arrested along with Jamiatul Ulema-e-Pakistan leaders. Groups
of youths clashed with police all day. The movement to honor
the Prophet, pbuh, which is supported by all groups,
urged people not to be violent.
"Saudi" Arabia: Arabian mujahideen tried to blow up the
oil facilities at Abiqaiq, 60 miles south east of Dammam,
on February 24. Reports indicate that two mujahideen broke
through the outer line of security but could not breach the
second line. The two assailants were martyred by the Saudis.
The Saudis report three of their security men were killed.
Pakistani reports indicate that Saudi losses were probably
higher as ambulances were seen transferring casualties from
the area. Al-Qaida has taken responsibility for this serious
attack which disturbed international markets. A part of the
facility caught fire, Pak. reports say, but the fire was contained.
Mujahideen who indentify with Osama bin Laden have been
carrying out urban guerrilla warfare in Arabia to put an
end to the Saudi monarchy which is a major ally of the
U.S. in the Middle East.
IRAQ: Fighting between Islamic resistance and U.S. troops
continued even as parts of Iraq were in the grip of
sectarian violence. Five U.S. troops were killed in one
attack, two in another and two in a third, bringing the
U.S. fatality total to 2288 by February 25. Twelve Iraqi
mercenary troops and 4 'insurgents" were killed in another battle.
Afghanistan: There is an ongoing prison uprising in Kabul
where 300 Islamic prisoners, after being subjected to subhuman
treatment, have taken over parts of the prison. Meanwhile, also
in Kabul a car bomb killed 5 people while in Helmand province,
Taliban killed several dozen Karzai troops in an ambush.
Earlier U.S. media reported that 4 U.S. troops were killed in
a Taliban ambush in the deep south but gave no details. Also,
German troops were attacked in the north and one killed.
Australia has withdrawn its troops.
KASHMIR: Weekly reports of Indian atrocities against
Kashmiris have come in. In one incident, Indian troops
opened mortar fire on a village killing a Muslim woman cooking
dinner. India announced that it killed 3 Lashkare Taiba fighters.
Chechnia: Islamic Resistance continues and is growing.
Russia announced that it has lost 3500 troops killed in action
in Chechnia in the last three years. Russian troops have
decimated Chechnia and killed thousands of civilians.
"State of the Black Union"
Black Intellectuals Speak in Houston, Texas
Poweful Speeches by Belafonte, Cornell West and Minister Farrakhan.
New Trend report
It was a feast for the mind and the soul at St. Agnew's Church
in Houston on February 25, 2006 when top leaders spoke on the
"Covenant" they want to espouse to liberate the African-American
people. The program was organized by TV talk show host
Tavis Smiley and included speeches of great power and eloquence.
The entire crowd stood up to applaud when Harry Belafonte,
80 years old now, declared that "George W. Bush is a
terrorist." He has said this before [in Venezuela] but
this time he explained that he wanted to re-define terrorism
very differently from the way the U.S. administration does.
He said the murder of Dr. King was an act of terrorism.
The murder of Malcolm X was an act of terrorism. Referring
to Iraq, he said sending our people out to kill in other
countries is terrorism, and forcing the Black and the poor
to beg for handouts and to deny top quality education to an
entire people is terrorism.
Prof. Cornell West referred to the hijacking of the funeral
of Coretta Scott King by the Bush people. So soon after the
institutional racism displayed by the Bush people after
hurricane Katrina, they turned up at the funeral of Coretta
King as if they love the Black community.
The most powerful speech came from Min. Louis Farrakhan.
Observers say that none in America can speak with such
eloquence. He knows the Bible better than many Christian
ministers and thus can hold the attention of devout Christian
audiences [such as this was], but he also quoted with great
effect from the glorious Qur'an. He called the Bush
administration a "government of lies and deceit." He noted
that the American power structure has a track record of
betrayal and destruction of the people, starting from the
betrayal of Native Americans, the non-delivery of "40 Acres
and a Mule" to African Americans [promised in 1865] and now
the institutional racism seen after hurricane Katrina. Min.
Farrakhan urged the African American people never to believe
that the rulers will fulfill their promises. This country,
he said, is run by bankers and industrialists, not by the
people. The leaders of this country have set this house on
fire. They are going straight to hell and I would like to
give them a push to get there faster, he said. He urged the
people: Don't depend on them [the people in power] but on
God. He concluded that Allah does not change the condition
of a people until they change that which is within them. [The Qur'an.]
Min. Farrakhan got a standing ovation from the crowd. The
entire audience went wild at his words. Some of them were
crying, others stood during his speech to bear testimony to
the truth of his words.
Iraq's Shame/Iran's Game
New Trend analysis based on Shia/Sunni reports and
both pro-and-anti Bush Media [2items]
1. Shias Attacked One Hundred Sunni Mosques After News
of Samara Blast: 200 Sunnis Killed.
Plan to turn Southern Iraq into Shia Republic Tied to Iran?
No curfew for Two Days to allow killing.
During his press conference on February 23, British PM Tony
Blair was asked by an Arab journalist about the Samara shrine
blast. The journalist said that at the time of the blast,
Samara, including the area of the gold domed shrine, was under
curfew. Hence only Ministry of the Interior troops could operate
in the location of the attack. Hence how can Sunni "terrorists"
be blamed? Tony Blair sidestepped the question.
New reports indicate that it would have taken at least 4 hours
to strap demolition charges to the shrine structure.
The point seems to have weight as first reports indicate lack
of any crowd at the shrine which would not be possible at such
a prominent site without a curfew.
As the news of the explosion came out, Shia leader Sistani
called for (peaceful) demonstrations. However, on the ground,
the Shias were not peaceful. It appears that organized Shia
forces, including troops of the U.S.- installed Shia regime,
went on a spree of attacks on Sunni mosques. More than 100
Sunni mosques were attacked. Most were damaged to a greater
or a lesser degree. At least 6 were set on fire. One was
blown up in Basra.
The Shia forces also carried out systematic executions. At
least count 132 Sunnis were killed, including 60 whose bodies
were found in southern Baghdad. Those slaughtered include
five Sunni IMAMS. A process of anti-Sunni genocide seemed to
be underway seemingly aimed at removal of the entire Sunni
population from southern Iraq. [By February 25, the number
of dead rose to 200, in spite of the curfew.]
In Basra, Shia security forces entered a prison, took out 12
Sunni prisoners, including a "foreigner," and executed them.
Observers say, this widespread terrorism is meant to convey
a message to Sunnis: leave southern Iraq.
Within that context, the role of Muqtada al-Sadr is interesting.
It appears that he joined the U.S.-Iraqi-Shia forces. One
indication of this change is his ability to move in and out
of Iraq by AIR. At the time of the Samara blast, he had flown
out to Beirut. When the news came, he flew right back to
Baghdad. As is well known, Baghdad airport is in U.S. hands.
Flights out of Tehran require a long journey on poor quality
roads and a quick flight out of Iraq and back has to be from
Baghdad airport under U.S. supervision.
Both Muqtada al-Sadr and U.S.-installed leader Jaafari issued
good statements for amity and unity, but it was not relevant
to the situation on the ground. Al-Sadr's people were also
involved in the killings.
Also interesting is the role of the Shia fighting force known
as the BADR BRIGADES. These are troops trained in Iran. For
the last six month, they have been involved in killing Sunnis
in Iraq. Every week, ten to 15 Sunnis are killed and their
bodies dumped in the desert. Thus the "cleansing" of Sunnis
from southern Baghdad in particular and southern Iraq in
general has been going on for some time.
In 2005, there were discoveries of centers of torture under
Shiia supervision where opponents of the occupation were
being stripped of their humanity. The U.S. claimed to be
surprised but evidently, the torture was part of the war
against "terrorism."
Conclusions: After the Samara blast, curfew was not imposed
for almost two days. In the interim, sectarians across the
south attacked Sunni mosques and slaughtered Sunnis. An
element of deliberation seems to be part of this delay.
Instead of calling for investigation, the Shias took it for
granted that Sunnis [or even al-Qaida] had done it and went
on an organized rampage. The purpose seems to be to create
a Shia state possibly linked to Iran.
The bottom line: Shias and Sunnis in Iraq have started treating
each other as enemies and as kuffar [rejectors of Islam]. When
the U.S. armada attacked, desecrated and demolished dozens
of mosques in Fallujah, Tal Afar and 5 other western towns,
the Shias did not protest or show any concern. In fact Shia
troops joined the Americans in hunting "terrorists" in these
Sunni areas. In turn the Sunnis think that the Shia imams
are mythic figures, particularly the two related to the Samara
shrine. They seriously doubt the Shia claim that the 12th imam
[a child of 12] who went into "occultation" in Samara 1000
years back will re-emerge as the "mahdi."
To top it all, President Bush is siding with the Shias. That
is enough for most Muslims to see Shias in a negative light.
With such great divergence, communication and dialogue is
extremely urgent and important before the divide become so
deep that reconciliation is no longer possible.
2. IRAN'S ROLE: The Correct Rhetoric: Rehabilitation
of Shi'ism After Collaboration with the U.S.
After the Samara blast on Feb.22, Iran's spiritual leader
Ayatollah Khamen'ei and President Ahmedinejad took the
position that the U.S. and Israel are behind the blast. Of
course the message thus given is extrememy popular in the
Muslim world, and it might actually turn out to be correct.
However, there is something very unreal, even surreal, about
this message. Iran did not condemn the Shias who are
cooperating with the U.S. at the ground level in Iraq. Do
we hear any message from Iran calling on the Shias of the
world not to cooperate with the U.S.? No, absolutely not.
Do Iran's Shia allies in Iraq see the U.S. and Israel as the
forces behind the attack? If so, why would the Shias in Iraq
be attacking Sunnis while they [the Shias] are certainly not
fighting U.S. forces. Either Sistani and Khamen'ei have
totally opposing positions on what happened [a view which
is not credible], or Iran is as usual playing its rhetorical
game of self-styled champion of Islam.
Iran's leadership realizes that Shias have gained a name
as collaborators of the U.S. in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shia leaders have been calling the occupation of Iraq as
"liberation" and demanding the execution of President Saddam
Hussain, the leading opponent of Israel in the Middle East.
Syria, Iran's close ally, withdrew from Lebanon as soon as
the U.S. ordered it to do so. The Syrian rulers have been
as strict in protecting Israel from Islamic attack as the
King of Jordan has been.
In Afghanistan, Iran helped the U.S. destroy the power of
the Taliban. Iran's position on Kashmir is the same as that
of the U.S.: 'neutrality' with friendship for India. On
Chechnia, Iran is 'neutral' because it has an important
relationship with Russia.
Within that context, Iran suddenly started debunking the
'holocaust' of the Jews and gained rapid popularity in the
Muslim world. When members of the UN Security Council
objected, Iran told them that Ahmedinejad had been misquoted.
Similarly, there was an attempt to latch on to the Muslim
world's protests about the caricatures of the Prophet, pbuh.
Iran is facing difficulties from the U.S. owing to its
nuclear program. Most of this has to do with the Israeli
attempt to whittle down its new competition in the
Middle East, which is Iran.
It should be seen as rivalry between two regional powers,
with nothing really happening at ground level. There has not
been EVEN ONE Iranian attack on Israel in the last 25 years.
Similarly with the U.S. Are there any Iranians among the
Islamic "terrorists" the U.S. is holding in its prisons?
Again, the answer is ZERO.
Once the nuclear issue is settled, Iran-U.S. relations will
improve. In the meantime, Iran is rapidly rehabilitating its
image in the Muslim world, even posing as the champion of Islam.
INTRODUCING AFRICA:
Uganda, East Africa: A country worth Visiting
by Mahmoud Sserunjogi, New Trend's rep in Kampala
Despite her position right on the equator, Uganda's weather
is as friendly as that of the European summer. It is incredibly
comfortable, with no scorching heat. The land is generally a
plateau with favourable height above the sea level. Mt. Rwenzori,
also known as the Mountain of the Moon, is about 17,000 ft.
above the sea level, with snow covered peaks all year round.
Estimated to be the size of Britainn or Ghana, about one third
of Uganda is covered with fresh water. This comprises a range
of rivers, like the Nile and lakes, like Victoria. The soil is
fertile that almost everything grows with ease. Uganda is
endowed with mineral resources.
Unfortunately, our country has gone thru thick and thin; it
has experienced political and economic upheavals. Our flag
has three colours; BLACK stands for black Africa, YELLOW for
the tropical sunshine and RED for the brotherhood (and
sisterhood) of mankind. Therefore, the
Ugandans are open, friendly and welcoming.
Uganda is endowed and blessed with a unique and abandant
wealth of fertile land, fresh water bodies, mineral, vegetation,
flora and fauna, a rich cultural heritage and unmatched beauty
that the world recognises her as the "Pearl of Africa."
David Irving: His Research Ability was Deadly for Jewish Power
by Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
Associate Professor of English
The British media are gloating over the imprisonment of historian
par excellence David Irving. Be it the Independent or
the Telegraph, they are showing a meanness of spirit which they
reserve only for their personal enemies. The claims Irving's
detractors make are ridiculous for one who has read the scholar's
works. His enemies don't want their audiences to know what Irving
wrote. They write of him as if he is a writer of little or no
importance, that he is a racist, or that he proclaimed himself
a historian when he is not.
Something is hurting these British who usually claim that
they believe in freedom of expression. The real issue is their
loyalty to Israel and the Jews of the world.
This fact is let slip by the Scotsman paper in its
latest [February 26] issue. It states as part of its excuse
in denigrating Irving as follows: "It is impossible to
understand the case for the state of Israel without an
awareness of the persecution that the Jewish people have
suffered."
In other words, if the concept of the suffering of Jews is
diminished in any way, the legitimacy of Israel will be in
doubt. Hence the furor.
One man, David Irving, was about to destroy the empire of
self-pity and victimization the Jews have built for themselves.
The supporters of Israel cannot face the massive blockbuster
of Irving's research on the war. Hence they imprison him.
Letter:
Shia Viewpoint on the Samara Shrine Bombing
Today, the tomb of the 10th and the 11th Imams (as) were bombed.
The target was the tomb of the 11th Imam, Imam Hasan Al Askari,
but also damaged the tomb of the 10th Imam,
Imam Ali al-Hadi also.
The tomb itself can be rebuilt, but the lives cannot be brought back.
HOWEVER, Imam Hasan al-Askari (as), though not considered the
"Imam" by Sunnis, was/is still a figure of respect, both for
being of the Prophet's progeny and also for his knowledge. What
does the attack on the building symbolise in the broader scope
of things?
Whoever did this, SURELY, knew what the result would be
(Shia reaction, mainly being taken out on other Iraqi Sunnis).
Whoever did this INTENDED to cause divisions between Sunnis
and Shias of Iraq, and of the world. The US government and
its think-tanks have actively advocated causing divides between
Sunnis and Shias to the advantage of US foreign policy. Within
the context of the war in Iraq, the only ones to benefit would
be the occupying forces. If the Sunnis and Shias are fighting each
other, no one will be confronting the occupiers. If would also
allow the US and its allies to pass the blame and failure of
this miserable project onto the Iraqis themselves.
May Allah have Mercy for those affected by the blasts.
May Allah guide us Muslims and allow us to see through
darkness and the plots of our times.
May Allah hasten the rise of our Imam to give us Justice
and Righteousness.
rab rakha,
fahd
Indian Forces Crush Peaceful [non-Muslim] Demonstrators in Assam:
13 killed, including 3 Girls
Assam Watch(UK) wishes to file a distressing Human Rights
violation report that has taken place at Kakopathar, Assam;
today the 10 February 2006.
It has been reliably learnt that Indian security forces
opened fire on at least fifteen thousand unarmed
demonstrators demonstrating on the National Highway 52
demanding punishment of the guilty officers and the
withdrawal of the Army from the region after the murder
of an innocent person Ajit Mahanta on the night of 5
February after he was picked up by Indian soldiers
from his home.
Indian security men used live bullets killing 10 persons,
3 of them are girls.
Assam Watch(UK) condemns this wanton killings on unarmed
civilians expressing their democratic rights. We at Assam
Watch(UK) perceive this as a wilful massacre by the Indian
State, as safer method of crowd control which could be used,
but, has not been applied in this instance, normally done in
civilised democracies.
Assam Watch(UK) request all human rights organisations to
voice appropriately against this savagery of the Indian
authorities so that such violations are not repeated again.
We would also urge you to consider forwarding this alert call
to all you contacts.
Dr. M. Hazarika
Co-Ordinator
Assam Watch(UK)
A voluntary non-profit making human rights organisation.
10 February 2006
Ref. AW/IA/06/001
Addendum: filed at 09:31 Hrs(GMT) 11/02/2006
Since the above report was filed it has been learnt that
the death toll has risen to thirteen as a result of the
Indian security operations in Kakopathar and Makum in Assam.
Assam Watch(UK)
2006-02-26 Sun 20:02:27 cst
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