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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief Zulhijja 9, 1428, December 20, 2007. #96

In the next New Trend, we introduce Br. Abu Talib, National Shoora member of Jamaat al-Muslimeen from Brooklyn, New York. ISNA's Siraj Wahhaj is no match for him. Br. Abu Talib embraced Islam via the Nation of Islam and is now extremely active in Jamaat al-Muslimeen.

Also in our next issue, grim news of war in various Muslim countries as well as political action by Jamaate Islami in Pakistan.

Jamaat al-Muslimeen [News] [3 items only]
P.O. Box 10881
Baltimore, MD 21234

Dec. 21: Eid on Correct Date at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen [Baltimore]

Muslims in Maryland were stuck with having to go to Eid prayers on December 19 as the big mosques are controlled by the Saudis through ISNA and related groups.
The correct date according to the Qur’an [sighting of the crescent] and Hadith is December 21. A small gathering will be held at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen, in Baltimore, Maryland, for Eid prayers on December 21 so that those who few who refused to pray on the wrong date can join Eid prayers.
The time will be 10 AM, inshallah.

For directions, call: 443-869-5233
[For a fact sheet on the rules, requirements, process and recommendations for Eid al-Adha, as given in Islamic texts, see important article by Imam Ali Siddiqui [California]. Please scroll all the way down.

Congratulations to our Shia brothers/sisters

Shia organizations in USA announced that they will hold Eid prayers according to the sighting of the crescent and that the correct date is December 21. Well done!

OUTREACH: Jamaat Literature given to 155 People after Eid Prayers: "Free Imam Jamil."

December 19, 2007: A four page Jamaat al-Muslimeen brochure was given to 155 people at the Muslim Community Center [MCC], New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland after Eid prayers. This is a very well-to-do community, mostly from West African countries as well as Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
The Jamaat literature voices the viewpoint of the great majority of America’s Muslims in the form of resolutions passed by the Islamic Shoora of the Jamaat which met at Lincoln University. One resolution demands the RELEASE of Islamic prisoners in the U.S., in particular Imam Jamil, Dr. Omar 'Abdel Rahman, Ahmed Abdel Sattar , Dr. Ali Timimi, Masaud Khan and others.
Another resolution opposes the glorification of adultery and homosexuality on the corporate media. Jamaat also urges the U.S. to bring back its troops from Iraq and to end the occupation of Afghanistan by NATO.
The conclusion of the brochure urges Muslims to speak out against the Jewish community’s invitation to Salman Rushdie and Medeleine Albright thru Villa Julie College, Myerhoff Symphony and WYPR Radio in Baltimore.
The literature was well received and the mosque leaders were not able to stop the distribution.

Allies losing Afghanistan war, Australian minister warns

December 16: SYDNEY (Agencies): Australia's new government has warned NATO and its allies they will lose the war against hardline Taliban forces in Afghanistan unless they urgently change tactics, a report said. The country's new Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon issued the stark warning at a meeting in Edinburgh last week of eight nations engaged in the conflict, including the United States, The Australian newspaper said. The coalition of NATO and allied forces engaged in the conflict since 2001 must overhaul military and civil programmes aimed at fostering stability in the troubled country if they are to win the conflict, he cautioned. The minister's comments to the closed-door gathering were based on classified intelligence assessments prepared for the previous Australian government of John Howard which painted a bleak picture of the Afghan conflict.

"The previous government would have us believe that good progress is being made in Afghanistan. The reality is quite a different one," Fitzgibbon told The Australian after returning from the meeting in Britain. "We are winning the battles and not the war, in my view. We have been very successful in clearing areas of the Taliban but it's having no real strategic effect," he said. Fitzgibbon also told the meeting in Edinburgh, attended by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, that while NATO and its allies had been successfully "stomping on lots of ants, we have not been dealing with the ants' nest". "We need much more than a military response," he said. "This is largely about winning the hearts and minds of the more moderate of the Taliban and other sections of the Afghan community," he said. Fitzgibbon took office two weeks ago after the new centre-left government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was sworn in following its sweeping election victory against conservative Howard, whose government was closely allied to Washington.

Rudd was elected on promises to withdraw Australia's combat troops from Iraq but to continue the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan, where Canberra has around 900 troops. In Edinburgh last week, Fitzgibbon expressed frustration that some NATO nations were failing to pull their weight in the fight against the insurgency in southern Afghanistan, where the once vanquished Taliban are resurgent. "We have been frustrated about that for a long, long time," Fitzgibbon said in the Scottish capital, ruling out any increase in Australian troop numbers while some nations, which he did not name, were not pulling their weight. "We believe there is a lack of coherent strategy and, of course, we are frustrated by the fact that some NATO nations, in our view, are not doing enough or making a sufficient contribution to the campaign." Australia's troop contingent in Afghanistan mostly assist a Dutch-led reconstruction operation in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, a former Taliban stronghold.

Fallacy of Terrorism: Role of Canadian Intelligence Agencies to Terrorize Citizens: "Fix Khawaja" [Bush]

Mahboob A. Khawaja, Ph.D.

Do cruelty, falsehood and wickedness have known faces and shapes? Only if you have experienced it, you will know it. If so, would you not strive to seek the protection of law and ultimate goal of justice? The quest for justice itself presupposes injustice. In Western democracies, manufactured "suspicion" and individual opinions, not the facts of life, are fast becoming the criterion of legal provisions to prosecute innocent citizens as alleged terrorist across North America and Europe. Guantanamao Bay could well be identified as the "Abu Ghraib" of America. The American led " war of choice": perpetual war creating perpetual fear contributing to perpetual profits, the mutual alliance of the governments and mass media networks to carve up images of Muslims and Islam as the focused creed of alleged terrorism. Eric Margolis (" The big lie about 'Islamic Fascism’": Aug 28, 2006), a distinguished Canadian journalist quotes the observation of Sir Peter Ustinov: "terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich."

Canadian Maher Arar was the first victim. He was guilty of traveling thru JFK shortly after the 9/11 attacks, but Canadian intelligence agencies identified him as a fundamentalist and security risk. He was suspected to have been involved in something that later on Canadian establishments could not prove except they arranged third party torture and victimized him for long time. The political dictum of "suspicion" was used to imprison Maher Arar in Syria. How conveniently suspicion was transformed into accepted norm to arrest, imprison and torture Muslims throughout the Western world. "Suspicion" became the threshold for police actions, not the societal laws to use force to demonstrate the opinions and preconceived notions of the few minority elite against the citizens.. History was re-enacted not learnt from, when people of Japanese origin were interned in Canada and the US during the 2nd WW. It was suspicion implied as law of the land - a political, moral and legal injustice to the citizens of Canada and America who had no role to play in the making of the WW2. Half century later, both Canada and the US offered apology to those either in graveyards or their succeeding generations kept the harsh memory of sufferings alive. After the Maher Arar tragedy, it was Dr. Khawaja and his family, the next targeted victims of the "War on Terror." According to the Globe and Mail (July 18, 2005), President Bush had instructed Paul Martin to "fix Khawaja." On March 29, 2004, Canadian Intelligence armed brigade attacked the Khawaja family residence in Orleans and at gunpoint arrested his wife. His school children were called out of the classroom under the guise of "bomb making" but police found no evidence to support the accusation. The newspaper Citizen and CBC were instrumental to falsify the information base and articulated fear mongering fictitious episode to misinform the public. While this stunt was staged near the capital, the agency formally requested Saudi Arabia to detain Dr. Khawaja who was teaching in a university. What were the charges against as per the documentary evidence? He is father of accused Momin Khawaja, who since March 2004 is a political prisoner of conscience at a Canadian detention center without a trial on charges of "terrorism" involvement in the UK case of March 2004. The then Security Minister Ms. Anne McClellan denied ever requesting a foreign government to arrest the scholar. The real world events and documentary evidence provide a different picture that the Canadian Government was lying to safeguard its illegal action against its own citizen. Does a political Minister ever lie? Do agents of intelligence services ever lie? The honorable Judge presiding over the Maher Arar investigation clearly pointed out the history of misinformation and lies involving the official intelligence organizations. Consequently, the Chief of the one of the intelligence agency was asked to resign.

To poison the mindset of soft-hearted Canadian public thru the media screen, young Momin was chained to show the public that he is abnormal and dangerous to public interest, not that he has done anything wrong or illegal. Four years later, his case has not gone to trial because the government has no tangible evidence to prove the accusation in a public court. The prosecution uses dogmas, not facts that a secret trial should be conducted to protect the interest of the state. In a democratic valued society as Canada is, how ridiculous it seems that if the prosecution is sure of its claim, why not have an open public trial? Why to look for escape from the real world? After all, what is so secret about political terrorism? Does it mean that informed public will no longer trust in the official version and realize that it was a political trial, not a criminal case to start with? Consequently, the masses will point finger at the continuing failure of the intelligence services to use "suspicion", and not the law of the land to prosecute its own citizens.

Now the prosecution insists on a secret trial of Momin Khawaja whereas public opinions are questioning the official dictum. For Four years, Momin has been imprisoned for unproven allegations under the law of suspicion to have participated in some conspiracy to bomb making theory. The defense lawyer Mr. Greenspon argues to have access to secret files on terror suspect and clarifies that "MOMIN KHAWAJA IS AT RISK OF BEING WRONGLY CONVICTED…and "THAT HE COULD BE WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED FOR LIFE IF THE GOVERNMENT INSISTS ON WITHHOLDING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IT ADMITS IS RELEVANT TO HIS DEFENCE AGAINST TERRORISM CHARGES." Contrary to this, the prosecution claims that an open trial would harm the national security and relations with foreign governments. To defy logic and facts, the prosecution contends two distinct orders of TRUTH. Truth is One, not many, that it is a political trial as it is being identified by the Canadian Justice Department to be mindful of "security policy" and relations with foreign governments - as the reasoning to hold the secret trial.

In democratic governance, the official opinion is flawed, secret trials are a negation of liberty, human rights, freedom and justice - justice delayed is justice denied. Momin and his family continue to be punished, not because they are guilty of any crimes except on suspicion; they are being treated as guilty of crimes without committing any crimes. In several communication, Dr. Khawaja asked the Federal Minster, why he and his family are being systematically victimized? The Minister would only reply with "no comments." Amnesty International asked the Canadian Government the same question but got abstract reply. Would the new Progressive Conservative Canadian Government review its policy and take initiative to apologize to the innocent victims of its inherited policy on terrorism? Would it free Momin Khawaja after four years of harsh ordeal at a detention center? Would the current Minister of Security with first-hand knowledge of the issues initiate action and facilitate measures to deliver justice and compensate the Khawaja family for the state sponsored terrorism against its own citizens? After all President Bush is leaving the White House soon and perhaps Canada needs to see its own policy interest and national priorities rather than blindly follow the American adventures to undo the world peace and harmony. Eric Margolis sheds more light on the media created images fostered by the governmental policy sponsorship: " In the Western world, hatred of Muslims has become a key ideological hallmark of rightwing parties. We see this overtly in the United States, France, Italy, Holland …and most lately Canada."

End cannot be assumed based on the notion of "suspicion", and dogmas cannot replace truth to explain the facts of human life. When facts live in denial, dogmas construct dark illusions to assert the political agenda for encroachment of human rights, dignity and real freedom. The Canadian intelligence apparatus enjoys history of flawed record to victimize people under the "war on terror." Given the obvious public mistrust, they seem to be overwhelmingly occupied in building castles over moving sand. British author and producer Adam Curtis ("Power of Nightmares re-awakened" BBC), made attempts to re-awaken the human conscience that the myth of international terrorism is a misleading political phenomenon to embark on American ambitions of global hegemony. Michael Meacher, MP and former UK Minister of Environment of Blair’s Cabinet points out to the same agenda ("This War on Terrorism is Bogus:"): "It seems that the so called "war on terrorism" is being used largely as bogus cover for achieving wider US strategic geopolitical objectives." On the part of targeted victims of this war of choice is similar to those cases of the 2nd WW internment of people of Japanese, German and Italian origins in North America. The search for justice itself implies the pr-existence of injustice. Justice and societal harmony cannot be preached in the name of illegal detentions and systematic torture of the citizens. Targeted victims look to human conscience to stop the continued political cruelty, violations of human rights and travesty of justice. Those whose lives have been destroyed by the false official claims of terrorism, do ask the living and THINKING People of the globe, could there be two distinct orders of truth? Is there any legal stipulations in Canada to prosecute state sponsored terrorism and wickedness?

(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja, the author is a political scientist with interests in strategic studies and comparative cultures and civilization of Muslims and the West, and author of several publications including: Muslims and the West: Quest for Change and Conflict Resolution and "Pakistan: Enigma of Change.")

Eid al-Adha - the Festival of Sacrifice
© Imam Ali Siddiqui, 1982

EID-AL-ADHA - the Festival of Sacrifice is celebrated on the tenth day of Zdil-Hijjah, the 12th and the last month of the Islamic calendar. It is a very joyous day like Eid al-Fitr; it is a feast of self-sacrifice, commitment and obedience to Allah. It commemorates the great act of obedience to Allah by Prophet Ibrahim in showing his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael (pbuh). Allah accepted his sacrifice and replaced Prophet Ismael with a lamb.

Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. The five-day long rituals of Hajj are performed during this month culminating on 9th of Zdil-Hijjah. Even the month is named after Hajj. Many rituals of Hajj are the enactment of the struggle of the family of Prophet Ibrahim (as) specially his second wife Hajirah (as) and her son Prophet Ismael (as).

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EID:

Unas (ra) reported that when Prophet Muhammad (saw) migrated from Makkah to Madinah, the people of Madinah used to have two festivals. On those two days they had carnivals and festivity. Prophet Muhammad (saw) asked the Ansaar (Muslims of Madinah) about it. They replied that before Islam they used to have carnivals on those two joyous days. Prophet Muhammad (saw) told them: 'Instead of those two days, Allah has appointed two other days which are better, the days of Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha.' (Hadith)

THE SUNNAH OF EID:

1. Wake up early.
2. Offer Salat-al Fajr.
3. Prepare for personal cleanliness take care of details of clothing, etc.
4. Take a Ghusl (shower) after Fajr.
5. Brush your teeth.
6. Dress up, putting on the best clothes available, whether new or cleaned old ones.
7. Use perfume (men only).
8. Do not eat breakfast on Eid al-Adha until after the Salat al-Eid.
9. However, if you are offering a sacrifice, do not eat breakfast even after Salat al-Eid. Wait until you have offered the sacrifice and have the cooked meat of the sacrificial animal as part of the breakfast.
10. Go to the prayer ground early.
11. Offer Salat-al-Eid in congregation in an open place except when weather is not permitting like rain, snow, etc.
12. Use two separate routes to and from the prayer ground.
13. Takbirat for Eid al-Adha: Recite the following Takbir starting after Salatul Mughrib on the 9th Zdil-Hijjah and continue for four (4) days until after the Salatul Asr on the 12th Zdil-Hijjah:
Allaho-Akber, Allaho-Akber. La ila-ha ill-lal-lah. Allaho-Akber, Allaho-Akber. Wa-lilahill hamd. (Allah is greater. Allah is greater. There is no god but Allah. Allah is greater. Allah is greater. And all praises are for Allah). (There is also a longer version of Takbirat.) 14. Go to the slaughter house to offer sacrifice.

HOW TO OFFER SALAAT-AL-EID:

Ibn Abbass (ra) reported: 'I participated in the Salat al-Eid-al-Fitr with the Messenger of Allah (saw), Abu Bakr (ra), Umar (ra) and Uthman (ra), and all of them held Salat-al-Eid before Khutbah, and then the Prophet Muhammad (saw) delivered the Khutbah (sermon)'. Hadith, Muslim
WHO SHOULD GO TO THE PRAYER GROUND AND OFFER SALAAM-AL-EID:
Umm Atia (ra) reported: 'The Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded us to bring out on Eid al-Fit and Eid al-Adhere, young women, Hijab-observing adult women and the menstruating women. The menstruating women stayed out of actual Salaat but participated in good deeds and Dual (supplication)'. I (Umm Atia) said to the Holy Prophet (saw): 'O! Messenger of Allah, one does not have an outer garment.' He replied: "Let her sister cover her with her garment." Hadith Muslim.

On the Eid day, every believing man, woman and child must go to the prayer ground and participate in this joyous occasion.

STRUCTURE OF EID AL-EID:
Salaat-al-Eid is wajib (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory). It consists of two Rakat (units) with six or thirteen additional Taskbars. It must be offered in congregation. The Eid is followed by the Khutbah. The Khutbah is part of the worship and listening to it is Sunnah. During the Khutbah, the Imam must remind the community about its responsibilities and obligations towards Allah, fellow Muslims and the fellow human beings. The Imam must encourage the Muslims to do good and ward off evil. The Muslim community must also be directed to the state of the community and the Ummah at large and the feelings of sacrifice and struggle for Allah should be aroused in the community.

At the conclusion of the Salat the Muslims should convey greetings to each other; give reasonable gifts to the youngsters and visit each other at their homes. Muslims should also take this opportunity to invite their non-Muslims neighbors, co-workers, classmates and business acquaintances to Eid festivities to expose them to Islam and Muslim culture.

QURBANI, UDHIYAH, SACRIFICE AND EID AL-ADHA:
Requirement: Those who have enough wealth to pay Zakat must offer the sacrifice for Allah. It is the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim (as) and a strongly recommended Sunnah.
A lamb, sheep, goat, cow, buffalo, or camel can be offered as the sacrifice. There are seven shares in a cow, buffalo and camel. The sacrifice should be accomplished by slaughtering the animal after Salat-al-Eid. The sacrifice also called Udhiyah or Qurbani. It lasts for three days from 10th Zdil-hijjah until the sunset of 12th Zdil-hijjah.
The meat should be divided into three shares: one for the family the second for the relatives and friends and the third share is for the poor and the needy.

(©Imam Ali Siddiqui, 1982)
You can find additional information from the books of Hadith including Bukhari , Muslim, Riadus-Salahin, and Mishkat-al- Masabih.
About the author
Imam Ali Siddiqui with 35 years of service, is a Friday Khatib, Islamic teacher, Muslim Chaplain, youth advisor, family counselor, educator, poet and writer with a vision who has been involved in the teaching Islam, history, comparative religion, contemporary issues to Muslims and non-Muslims. He is actively involved in the community service including spiritual/education al development, service to the sick and the incarcerated. He has been on speaking tours to the Belgium, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, India, Iran, Pakistan, and across the USA. He frequently presents Islamic Prospective and Muslim Point of View on current affairs to Non-Muslims and Muslims. He has been very active in organizing seminars, workshops, conferences, and teach-ins to promote Islamic awareness and inter-faith understanding. He has received numerous commendations for his work, service, and scholarship. Presently, Imam Siddiqui is the President of California Muslim Institute; Vice Chair/Director, Peace with Justice Center of the Pomona Valley; and member of the Board of Directors: Corona-Norco Interfaith Association, and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, Los Angeles. For additional information about author’s involvement, please Google: "Imam Ali Siddiqui";
onenationforall.org.

Contact information: Imam Siddiqui, President, California Muslim Institute, 951-734-4599, siddiqui@aol.com

Eid al-Adha - the Festival of Sacrifice
(Permission is given to any individual/organization to use this material for teaching, Tabligh and Dawa and publication with proper credit to the writer)

South African Team's Pioneering Relief Work in Bangladesh Areas Stricken by Cyclone Disaster

NON PROFIT HUMANITARIAN AID ORGANISATION (NGO)
P.O. BOX 481, ESTCOURT, KZN, 3310, SOUTH AFRICA
E-MAIL: info@alimdaad.com
WEBSITE: www.alimdaad.com
NPO No.: 041-400
CALL CENTRE: 0861786243
TEL: +27 (0) 36 3521557
FAX: +27 (0) 36 3524114

The AL IMDAAD emergency response team left on Monday, 3rd December 2004 for Dhaka, Bangladesh. The following is a report back by Qari Ziyaad Patel, who headed the delegation that returned on 12th December 2007:

Prior to our departure, we were interviewed by Radio 786 and Voice of the Cape. Listeners were briefed on the mission of the team, how relief programmes were being executed and the current situation in Bangladesh. The interview lasted several minutes and all other relief activities of the foundation were also discussed. Upon reaching Dhaka, Bangladesh, we were received by Dr. Altaaf Husien Sharief, an ophthalmologist, and other members of Al-Markazul Islami, who acted as our implementing partners and we were hosted by them.

On the 5 December 2007, we proceeded on an 11 hour journey by road, boat and ferry, with our medical team headed by Dr Altaaf Husein Sharief, comprising of doctors, pharmacists, medical personnel and volunteers in a convoy of 5 vehicles to the affected regions. We had also taken with us a vast supply of medication to treat various sicknesses, in particular, diarrhea, dehydration, dysentery etc. We first proceeded to Bagerhat, then to Morelong and stayed the night in Kodomtola. The conditions were quite harsh and indeed, it reminded us of the Tsunami hit areas of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. There was no clean drinking water to be found and everywhere, there were massive puddles and small lakes of dirty water caused by the tidal surge.

At early dawn, on Thursday the 6 December 2007 we set up our clinic early so that maximum patients could be attended to at a village called Tafalbarj. Alhamdulillah, some 1100 patients were attended to. Whilst at our makeshift clinic in Tafalbarj, Cii and Radio Islam were also contacted and briefed with the activities of the day. The local media and television crew also visited us at our clinics. News articles were also written by local reporters confirming that ours was the only SOUTH AFRICAN relief mission working in the country. Whilst our medical teams were rendering emergency aid, another team accompanied by members of Al-Markazul Islami proceeded to our various distribution points. We distributed food aid at two completely devastated areas, Rajapur and Southkhail. At another distribution point in Kodomtola, baby food was also distributed.

One must note that not many NGO's are operating in these areas as access into these areas by road is difficult due to vital infrastructure being washed away by the massive tidal surge which flooded and ripped the region. Alhamdulillah, our team managed to travel into these areas and distributed much needed emergency kits and food. On the afternoon of the 6 December 2007, after handing out our relief packages, we visited the worst hit villages of Rayenda, Chalitabunia, Bogi and Terabeka (Mangrove Forests) by motorcycle. We were totally shocked to witness extensive widespread devastation and found it difficult to understand as to why the international donor community has not yet responded. Later that afternoon, we handed over Shallow Tube Well installations at Kodomtola for clean drinking water. At nightfall, we headed for the region of Pirojpur.

We began the next day, 7th December 2007 after sunrise and headed for the areas worst hit by the tidal surge, namely Tushkhali and Chhoto Machhua. The aim of this visit was to do an assessment of the devastation and review the immediate needs of the communities affected. Here we experienced extreme devastation due to the area being so close to a massive Baleswar River. From this village, we gave a live interview to Cii on Ebrahim Gangat's programme-Sabahul Khair for approx. 25 minutes. An urgent appeal was made on air for further funding as no other NGO's could be found in this devastated village.

Thereafter we proceeded to the areas of Mottbaraiu and Pathoroghata. From all the affected areas, these two regions were worst hit. Many homes and dwellings were totally washed away and our visit to the very remote areas by motorcycle confirmed, once again, the widespread destruction and the lack of assistance rendered to these people. Locals of the area indicated that no NGO's, media, government official etc. had even come to assess the damage or their needs and that our team was the first to visit them. Emergency aid distributed includes tents, blankets, tarpaulins, medical supplies, food hampers, collapsible UNHCR approved jerry cans, plastic sheetings, etc. The needs of the people are urgent. Help us to restore the shattered lives of a devastated community.

Statistics as at 14 December 2007

The Government of Bangladesh seeks US$2.2billion for cyclone rehabilitation as well as to provide long-term disaster protection programmes.

Earlier this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that over 8.5 million people are now estimated to have been affected by the category four storm - about 1.5 million more than originally thought.

Estimates of the material damage caused have also been rising: nearly 564,000 homes have been completely destroyed, 200,000 more than the number estimated in earlier reports. A further 885,280 houses have been damaged.

OCHA said at least 1.25 million livestock had been confirmed killed, more than twice the previous estimate, while the area of cropland damaged had risen to 2 million hectares. Food, shelter and cash remained the three highest priority areas for emergency assistance, according to the latest UN humanitarian assessments, but sanitation, drinking water, electricity and livelihood assistance were also seen as critical, it said, adding that more money could be required as more information comes in about needs.

Al Imdaad Foundation
www.alimdaad.com
Press Release

2007-12-20 Thu 19:36:43 cst
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