NTM 1390 | NewTrendMag.org

NewTrendMag.org News # 1390 [ Click on NEWS for back issues ][ OUR BOOKS ][ Previous Issue ]

Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief

Jamada al-thani 26, 1432/ May 30, 2011 # 23

Scroll down for Jamaat e Islami: "Western Powers Closing Cordon on Pakistan"

Scroll to the end for Part II of (Rafidhi) Press TV (Iranian television misreporting on Syria)

Spotlights From Imam Badi Ali
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Shoora, North Carolina

1. All the Muslim regimes are acting as security companies for the West. They serve only the interest of their masters, and not of their people.

2. True leaders are the servants of their nations, but most of the leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries are servants of Shaitan and enemies of Islam and the Ummah.

3. A country is like a ship. Everyone is responsible for his own part�except in the case of the Muslim world, it is like a slave ship.

4. Good leaders do not govern by hitting their people over the heads, or abusing and demoralizing them. That is not leadership, and not government. That is an assault. And that is what's happening in the Muslim world.

5. Most of the leaders of the Arab and Muslim world are leaders by default, or because they cheated and stole government and authority from their people, with the help of the Shaitan and the enemies of the Ummah.

6. Most Muslim and Arab leaders treat the people of their countries like personal property or like an inheritance. They behave as if they inherited a grocery store, and the people are part of their inventory, in need of management. You manage inventory, but you have to lead people.

7. A question to think about: What jobs do you, the reader, think the Arab and Muslim leaders can do? Can you trust them with these jobs? I wouldn't trust Mahmoud Abbas even to run a restaurant for me. I wouldn't trust him as cashier. Or King Abdullah of Jordan. What could he do, besides drinking and being photographed at his exploits? I would not trust these Arab leaders to keep a flock of sheep for me. They will steal the sheep. Or they may even feed them to the wolves themselves.

AIPAC Conference: An Exercise in Arm Twisting and Indoctrination
Zionist Lobby Seeks Billions More in U.S. Tax Dollars
By Nadrat Siddique

The weekend of May 20 - 22 saw the annual conference of the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) at the Washington, DC, Convention Center. It was a grand affair to which the 535 members of the U.S. Congress are "invited." But such an invitation is seen by some as a pressure tactic. Conference attendees are recognized by a "Roll Call," a lengthy public reading of their names. The implication is that no-shows will be noted for their absence in the next election. (According to Jewish Week, May 24, 2011, AIPAC was successful at drawing 10,000 delegates and "honored guests," including 70 U.S. Senators and 270 members of the House to the conference.)

The goals of the conference, listed on the AIPAC website, included inculcating understanding among delegates of "how America and Israel are stronger together when they participate in joint military exercises and exchange intelligence" and "safer together when they share homeland security and counterterrorism techniques."

"AIPAC has succeeded in creating an army of Israel supporters who are mobilised and constantly lobby elected senators," wrote one AIPAC conference participant (Jewish Chronicle, May 26, 2011). Such militaristic lexicon, as well as AIPAC's treatment of dissenters, has raised eyebrows, with some opponents of the lobby going so far as to say the AIPAC conference is a venue for exchanged allegiances among gangsters in Armani suits, the dissemination of Zionist propaganda, and the discussion of coercive and retributive measures to be used against those not willing to take a pro-Israel stance.

Special Session for Christian Zionists

The conference included a special luncheon for Black Zionists (and pro-Zionists), as well as a session for Christians, called "Understanding Christian Support for the Jewish State" geared at examining "the roots of Christian Zionism." The latter targeted the sixty-six pastors in attendance.

Zionist Student Leaders in Attendance

The conference included a special session recognizing student Zionist leaders. One thousand five hundred students, most of them white, attended the conference. These included 215 elected student government presidents (numbers from AIPAC's website). The student government presidents came from campuses including the University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, Columbia, and Vanderbilt. Interestingly, Brigham Young University, a Mormon institution, and Morehouse College, a historically black college, also had Zionist student body presidents in attendance at AIPAC's conference.

Zionist students from the U. of Florida were awarded for "developing new models of pro-Israel leadership on and beyond their campus," and for soliciting letters of support for Israel from campus leaders, as well as for lobbying local Congress members on "issues of concern to the pro-Israel community." Additional student leaders at UCLA, Indiana University, the University of Oklahoma, and Liberty University received "Activist of the Year" awards in recognition of their pro-Israel political activity. The question of why they, as American students should expend such energies building support for a foreign power, seemed absent from the dialogue. One group of student Zionist leaders working on blackballing Iran to Congress was given an award. Another group of student Zionists were recognized for their efforts at countering the characterization of Israel as an apartheid state. Both the College Democrats of America and the College Republican National Committee received awards from AIPAC.

Gustafo Tactics Against a Sitting American President?

On May 19, just a few days before the AIPAC conference, President Obama mentioned 1967 borders as a starting point for co-existing Israeli and Palestinian states�a very weak position, and unacceptable to most Muslims who believe in self-determination. But apparently, even the slightest sign of "weakness" was not to be tolerated by the Zionists. On May 20, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Obama for over two hours, and it is speculated, conducted the mafia-style arm twisting necessary to get his whipping boy back in order.

Obama at AIPAC

Then on May 22, Obama reported to the AIPAC conference, meekly telling the Zionist audience, "Israelis and Palestinians will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967." Clarifying his position further, he said, "The bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable, and the commitment of the United States to the security of Israel is iron clad." None in the wildly applauding audience asked the question of why any policy matter in a changing world should be characterized as immutable, nor why the security of a foreign power should be of such paramount importance to the U.S.

Obama further "affirmed U.S. opposition to a Palestinian plan to seek a vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Palestinian statehood in September. He vowed to help Israel defend itself, promising U.S. military assistance on missile defense and pledging to block Iranian nuclear aspirations. And he assailed a recent Palestinian unity agreement that elevated the stature of the Hamas movement, which the United States and Israel regard as a terrorist group." (The Washington Post, May 22)

Netanyahu's pressuring of Obama (if indeed that is what occurred�some would argue that Obama is already so pro-Israel that he needed no pressuring) is similar to AIPAC's pressure on members of the U.S. Congress. As Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia, recently disclosed, every candidate for U.S. Congress must sign a pledge to support Israel, a tactic which changed shape slightly after it was made public. According to McKinney, "They were given a pledge to sign...that had Jerusalem as the capital city. You make a commitment that you would vote to support the military superiority of Israel, and the economic assistance that Israel wants, that you would vote to provide that." (Press TV, May 22).

Obama delivered his address to AIPAC, then retreated to Europe with his tail between his legs. In the meantime, Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress on May 24. He delivered a resounding "No!" to all of the (very compromising) positions put out by "moderate" Palestinians. The speech was characterized by opponents as containing more lies per second than perhaps any other speech in recent memory. In the course of the 50 minute speech, Netanyahu received 26 standing ovations. Opponents protesting the speech were dealt with very brutally (see report from Ali Abunimah).

Following the AIPAC conference and Netanyahu's speech to Congress, thousands of AIPAC lobbyists descended upon Capitol Hill to further the Zionist agenda. According to the AIPAC website, "At the top of the lobbying agenda is U.S. security assistance to Israel�the most tangible expression of American support for the Jewish state. The AIPAC citizen-lobbyists will urge their House and Senate members to support $3.075 billion in aid to Israel for fiscal year 2012 as well as ask for support for the overall foreign aid budget." [Note the double speak in "Jewish state" and "AIPAC citizen-lobbyists" -editor]

"Move Over AIPAC": A Challenge to AIPAC

This year, as the AIPAC conference went forth, things were a little bit different. An entire weekend of activities, including a major conference, called "Move Over AIPAC" was held in Washington, DC, by CODE PINK: Women for Peace. It was endorsed by over 100 peace and justice organizations, including the International Solidarity Movement, Fellowship of the Reconciliation, the Rachel Corrie Foundation, United for Peace and Justice, the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Adalah-NY, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

On May 20, as Netanyahu met Obama, "Move Over AIPAC" conference participants and others protested outside the White House. The following day, May 21, the "Move Over AIPAC" summit was held. The keynote address was delivered by Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of the ground-breaking book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. This was followed by a "writers' salon," featuring Laila El-Haddad and other Palestinian and pro-Palestinian authors. A panel entitled, "Time for a New Foreign Policy" (Phyllis Bennis, Noura Erekat, and others) ensued. Workshops on topics like "Combatting Misused Charges of Anti-Semitism" (Rabbi Lynn Gottleib); "Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: Campaigns that Work!"; Exposing AIPAC: Delving into the Nitty-Gritty of How the Israel Lobby Works"; "Israel, the bomb, and a Mid-east NWFZ (Nuclear Weapons Free Zone); and "Student Divestment Campaigns and the Role of AIPAC on Campus" completed the afternoon.

On May 22, while Obama addressed AIPAC and throughout the day, "Move over AIPAC" participants, and other friends and supporters of Palestinians protested outside the Convention Center. The protestors, including many Jews, lined up outside the DC Convention center, chanting "Free Free Palestine." A die-in�where activists lay down in the streets, their bodies covered in fake blood to protest Israeli brutality�was held. Activists from the U.S. Boat to Gaza manned a float in the form of a ship, singing pro-Palestinian songs.

Change Comes But not Without Sacrifice and Struggle

As a result of the immense sacrifices of the Palestinian people, followed up by creative and heroic actions by a huge range of human rights and solidarity organizations throughout the world�of which "Move Over AIPAC" is an example�support for Israel is being reconsidered in the U.S., one of the last bastions of Zionist support.

As Jody McIntyre, describing the AIPAC conference, wrote in the Independent on May 24, 2011, "So yesterday, another conference commenced; a celebration of continued US support for Israel. The fact that is being ignored is that, as a wave of uprisings across northern Africa and western Asia are proving, US dominance and influence in the region is on the decline. Just like hundreds of millions of dollars in aid were not enough to keep Mubarak in power in Egypt, all the billions of dollars in aid will not be enough to prop up Israel forever....As Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden until his assassination in 1986, once said, 'Apartheid cannot be reformed, it must be abolished.'"

Protestor who Disrupted Netanyahu in Congress Attacked, Hospitalized, Arrested

Submitted by Ali Abunimah

May 24, 2011

Rae Abileah a CODEPINK activist who disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in the United States Congress this morning was physically attacked, hospitalized and then arrested from hospital according to reports.

According to CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin:

Rae Abileah is in the hospital, after having been assaulted and tackled to the ground by members of the audience in the House Gallery during Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress. Abileah, who is with the group CODEPINK: Women for Peace, interrupted Netanyahu with a banner that said "Occupying Land Is Indefensible" and shouting, "No more occupation, stop Israel war crimes, equal rights for Palestinians, occupation is indefensible."

She rose up to speak out just after the Prime Minister talked about the youth around the world rising up for more democracy. As this 28-year-old Jewish American woman spoke out for the human rights of Palestinians, other members of the audience�wearing badges from the conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee�brutally attacked her. The police then dragged her out of the Gallery and took her to the George Washington University Hospital, where she is being treating for neck and shoulder injuries.

"I am in great pain, but this is nothing compared to the pain and suffering that Palestinians go through on a regular basis," said Abileah from her hospital bed. "I have been to Gaza and the West Bank, I have seen Palestinians homes bombed and bulldozed, I have talked to mothers whose children have been killed during the invasion of Gaza, I have seen the Jewish-only roads leading to ever-expanding settlements in the West Bank. This kind of colonial occupation cannot continue. As a Jew and a U.S. citizen, I feel obligated to rise up and speak out against stop these crimes being committed in my name and with my tax dollars."

Abileah stands in solidarity with the Palestinian and Israeli activists who are routinely jailed and beaten for speaking out for democracy.

These actions were part of a week of protests called Move Over AIPAC.

In a subsequent update on the Move Over AIPAC website, it was reported that Abileah was arrested from George Washington University hospital.

Boycott!
By Kaukab Siddique

Around the Muslim world Nestle is selling bottled water to millions of people in the intense heat of summer. Most Muslims do not know that 50% of Nestle's shares are in Israeli hands.

Please spread the word! Boycott Nestle, be it the water bottles or evaporated milk and milk containers. Remember, Palestine is occupied.

In addition, empty bottles are thrown into the garbage, creating a wilderness of environmental depletion.

Action Alert
Egyptian authorities urge US to return Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman to Egypt

From the Islamic Human Rights Commission

12 May 2011

On 3rd May, 2011, the Egyptian authorities have made an official request to the
US administration for them to return Sheikh Abdulrahman to his native Egypt.
Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman has been imprisoned in solitary confinement in the US
prisons for 18 years. He has repeatedly requested to be returned to Egypt so
that he can spend the rest of his life there.

IHRC requests that its campaigners send letters to the UN High Commissioner, the
UN Special Rapporteur on Heath, and the Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary
Detention.

Background

Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman, a 73 year old religious scholar from the prestigious
al-Azhar institute in Egypt, was convicted in 1995 for the 1993 New York World
Trade Centre bombing and other New York attack plans. He was tried under
Sedition Laws, last used during the American Civil War, two centuries ago. There
is a high chance that he may die soon, and his family have requested for him to
be able to spend his last moments with them in Egypt.

The Egyptian authorities have made an official request to the US administration
for them to return Sheikh Abdulrahman to his native Egypt.

The Grand Imam of al-Azhar institute Dr Ahmed al-Tayeb has written a statement
to the US Ambassador in Cairo, Margaret Scobey, in which he called for the
return of the Sheikh.

The family of Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman has last week submitted a request to the
US Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. His case has prompted demonstrations in Egypt, UK,
Denmark and other countries around the world.

The US Administration has not responded to the request of the family or to the
official request of the Egyptian government. We therefore urge you to write to
the UN to take action for the release of Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman and impose
pressure on the US to provide him compensation for the long years he spent in
solitary confinement.

Action required

IHRC urges all of its campaigners to help ensure that Sheikh Abdulrahman is
returned safely to Egypt. Write to the UN High Commissioner, UN Special
Rapporteur on Heath and Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention; urging them
to investigate his case and call upon the US to return him to Egypt.

Sample letter

A sample letter is given below for your convenience. Please note that model
letters can be sent directly or adjusted as necessary to include further
details. If you receive a reply to the letter you send, we request you to send a
copy of the letter you sent and the reply you received to IHRC. This is very
important as it helps IHRC to monitor the situation with regards to our
campaigns and to improve upon the current model letters. It is preferable that
letters be sent via post, or otherwise by fax and/or email.

Ms. Navanethem Pillay is UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, an email can be
sent to: InfoDesk [at] ohchr [dot] org

[Your name]
[Your address]

Ms. Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),
Palais Wilson,
52 rue des P�quis,
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland.
Telephone: +41 22 917 9220

[Date]

Dear Ms. Pillay

Re: Call for the safe return of Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman to Egypt

I am deeply concerned about the health and detention of Sheikh Omar Abdulrhman,
a blind 73 year-old religious scholar that has been imprisoned under solitary
confinement for 18 years, and denied his visitation rights.

The Egyptian Authorities have recently addressed the US Administration, calling
for his immediate return to his native Egypt, where he would serve the rest of
his sentence. His family have also submitted requests to the US Ambassador to
Egypt, which urges the US administration to fulfil this request.

Sheikh Omar Abdulrhman was arrested in 1995 for the 1993 New York World Trade
Centre bombing and other New York attack plans. He was tried under Sedition
Laws, last used during the Civil War, two centuries ago.
The status of his health has deteriorated considerably over the years, and the
Sheikh now requires extensive special care. There is a significant chance that
he may die soon, and his family have requested for him to be able to spend his
last moments with them in Egypt.

Sheikh Abdulrahman has protested about the conditions he has been forced to
endure during his time at the Butner Federal Correctional Institution, North
Carolina. His family have spoken out against the way in which he has been denied
the basic rights that other prisoners enjoy, such as visitation, correspondence
and even being able to communicate with other prisoners.

I urge you to investigate the case of Sheikh Abdulrahman, and call for his
transferral to Egypt. His treatment at the Butner Federal Correctional
Institution, North Carolina, should also be further investigated and he should
be compensated for the long years he spent in solitary confinement.

I look forward to your reply regarding this urgent matter.

Yours sincerely,

[Your signature]
[Your name]

Additional sample letters to other U.N. officials, as well as the complete report on Egypt's request can be seen here:
http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/alerts/9680-egyptian-authoities-urge-us-to-return-of-sheikh-omar-abdulrahman-to-egypt
Islamic Human Rights Commission
PO Box 598
Wembley
HA9 7XH
United Kingdom

Telephone (+44) 20 8904 4222
Fax (+44) 20 8904 5183
Email: info [at] ihrc [dot] org
Web: www.ihrc.org

The IHRC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

New Trend Funnies
"Try demonstrating in Gaza, then see what happens."
--Benyamin Netanyahu, whose government has killed scores of Palestinians, to a group of Pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupting his speech to the U.S. Congress

Elderly Nation of Islam Representative Arrested in Guyana
Released without Charge or Explanation

By New Trend Staff

CNN reported on May 20, 2011, that Imam Akhbar Muhammad, the international envoy of the Nation of Islam, was arrested by Guyanese authorities on suspicion of terrorism and drug trafficking. According to a detailed report in the Final Call, the Nation of Islam's newspaper, the 69-year old imam was arrested at 1:30 AM in his hotel room, by four Guyanese police officers, who threatened to break the door down. He said one of them told him they were contacted by the CIA, saying he was a terrorist. As he was being arrested, he saw two white men who appeared to be with the police, standing in the hallway. (Final Call, May 24, 2011).

No charges were brought, and the imam was released after spending nearly two days in a filthy, overcrowded, mosquito-infested Guyanese prison, but not before corporate media reports around the world spewed headlines saying a Muslim cleric suspected of terrorism had been arrested in Guyana. His release came on the heels of a phone call from Min. Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam, to Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo. Imam Akbar, who said the aim of his visit was to talk with children about the dangers of drugs, is demanding a formal apology from Guyana.

According to an article in the May 24, 2011 Final Call, the incident inspired Imam Muhammad to further speak out on behalf of Muslims who have endured harassment in airports and other places. "This is happening to too many Muslims. Many (Muslims) have suffered this and have been harassed and detained and don't say anything, so they continue to do it. So what we have to do is that when this happens, we have to make some noise and let the world know that because I am a Muslim, I am being harassed like this and they just have to cease and desist. Anybody with a Muslim name can be accused of anything," he told the NOI paper.

The Guyanese government is a good friend of the U.S. New Trend deplores all such arrests on suspicion�often at the behest of the U.S.�by U.S. proxy governments, whether in Guyana, Pakistan, or elsewhere.

Letter
Condolences to Hodari Ali

Assalamu alaikum. It is with a heavy heart that we read about the death of Br Hodari Ali. He was a star attraction in Empower India Conference, organised by Popular Front of India in Bangalore. He also visited Kerala, our native state. Convey our deep condolence and prayers to his wife and children.

Prof P. Koya
Thejas Daily
Calicut, India

Letter
Rafah entrance to Gaza Open

Assalamu alaikum

Rafah is open!
This is the best news so far this year.

It seems the rebels are winning in Libya with the Western bombing campaign.
I hope their allies do not kill many more children before they are through.

Br. Richard
Omaha, Nebraska

Ratko Mladic Captured

May 26, 2011 - The Associated Press reported that Ratko Mladic was captured in northern Serbia after 16 years on the run. He is charged with war crimes stemming from the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre, where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were butchered. The BBC reported that Serbian President Tadic said the arrest brought the country and the region closer to reconciliation, and opened the doors to European Union (EU) membership for Serbia. EU member status, long sought by Serbia, had Mladic's arrest as unwritten precondition. Apparently, turning in resident war criminals is a prerequisite to membership in civilized society. However, with the killers of millions of Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans still at large, it is clear that not all war criminals are created equal. And the treatment of Mladic is striking in another respect: As accused killer of vast numbers of Muslims, he was not assassinated, nor was his body thrown into the sea.

Asif Zardari's Father Dies
Sufi Site Refuses Burial

May 24, 2011 - The Associated Press reported that Hakim Ali Zardari died in a hospital in Islamabad. The 81-year old was a veteran member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, known for its harsh policies against Afghan refugees during the years of the Soviet occupation. On May 26, janaza (funeral prayers) for the elder Zardari were offered outside of the Data Darbar Complex, according to the Nation (Pakistani news source). Lahore's Data Darbar, where an 11th century sufi saint is said to be buried, is one of the oldest Muslim shrines on the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent. As such, it is a popular destination among Muslim visitors from around the nation and the world. Janazas are held there from time to time. But this time, the local administration disallowed PPP activists from conducting the ceremony inside.

Comment from New Trend's Pakistan observer: Zardari's father's death follows upon the heels of the killing of Osama bin Laden. The Darbar administration is very much aware of the growing hatred among the populace to the corrupt Pakistani rulers, who opened the door to the raid in which Osama was killed. The site is open to people of all faiths, and they have allowed prayers on site in the past. Judging from the tears at the janazas-in-abstentia held for Osama in Pakistan, he was viewed as a father by many. So the thinking may be: If he was not allowed a proper burial, why should the father of the treacherous ruler of Pakistan, who opened the door to international killing and assassination, be accorded a janaza at a site of such high repute as the Darbar.

Pakistan and Conspiracy Theories

From our Pakistan observer

Pakistanis in many cases are confused about what goes on in Pakistan. The most recent problem is posed by the mujahideen attack on the naval headquarters in Karachi on May 23. Six Taliban held off 1,500 of Pakistan's forces for 18 hours. They destroyed expensive aircraft sold by the US to its Pakistani allies. At least 12 Pakistani forces were killed and scores wounded.

A retired naval officer told our reporter that it was an attack by America! Our reporter reminded him that America is working very closely with Pak military forces and has given millions in aid to the Pakis. Why would it destroy its own planes? The flabbergasted officer then jumped to the next best: It must be India then, he said!

A Pakistani officer killed in the fighting at the base was publicized as a hero and martyr. How did he become a martyr when he was fighting Muslims (six of them!) and was one of 1,500 Pakistani forces?

No one knows. He was a bad choice as a hero because he is also a Shi'ite. Thus the Shi'ite minority is being used by the rulers to create a rift in Pakistan.

War News
Pakistan
May 13, 2011 - At least 80 people were killed and another 120 wounded in Shabqadar, Charsadda district. The attack was on the Frontier Constabulary, a paramilitary force academy. Sixty-six of the dead were said to be newly trained cadets to be used to police the regions bordering Pakistan's tribal areas. The attackers came in waves of first one motorcycle, then another. Both perished in the attack. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility and said the attacks were in retaliation for the killing of Osama Bin laden. (Source: BBC News, May 13, 2011)

May 14, 2011 - Six people were killed and several others wounded when a roadside bomb hit a passenger bus near Kharian, a town southeast of Islamabad. Kharian is a garrison town. (Source: The Nation, May 14, 2011)
Editorial note: Since Kharian is a garrison town, one cannot discount the possibility that it is that the bus may have been carrying Pakistani soldiers.

Afghanistan
Taliban attacker in Police Uniform Breaches Highly Secured Takhar Governor's Compound, Northern Afghanistan Police Commander Killed, Top NATO General Wounded

May 28, 2011 - The commander of Afghan police forces for northern Afghanistan, Mohammad Daud Daud was killed in a Taliban attack on the provincial governors' compound in Takhar. The provincial police chief Shah Jahan Nuri, a secretary to the governor, and one of Daud's bodyguards were also killed. Governor of Takhar province, Abdul Jabar Taqwa, was wounded. The head of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Northern Afghanistan, General Markus Kneip, a German, was wounded. Two German soldiers were killed. The attacker, in police uniform, died in the attack. (Source: BBC, May 28, 2011)
Editorial note: Daud was the former commander of the Northern Alliance. As such, he may have been complicit in the December 2001 massacre Deisht-i-Leili massacre of thousands of Taliban who had surrendered to General Dostum after the Siege of Kunduz in November of that year.

Eight U.S. Troops killed by Roadside Bomb
May 26, 2011 - Reuters reported that eight U.S. troops were killed in Southern Afghanistan. It was the deadliest single attack on foreign forces in a month.

NATO Tries to Hit Back Against Attack on U.S. Marine Base, Kills 14 Civilians in Airstrike
May 29, 2011 - Twelve children and two women were killed in a NATO airstrike in Helmand province, reported the Associated Press, citing Dawood Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial Afghan government. The airstrike was reportedly in retaliation for an attack earlier in the day on a U.S. Marine base in Helmand's northwest district of Nawzad. He said NATO hit two civilian houses, killing five girls, seven boys and two women. (Source: Associated Press, May 29, 2011)

Taliban seize half of Nuristan District
May 24, 2011 - The Associated Press reported that the western half of Duab district of Nuristan province was in Taliban control. Nuristan is in eastern Afghanistan. According to the provincial governor, Jamaludin Badr, the Taliban overran the district compound�a government building�using heavy weaponry like mortars and rocket propelled grenades against the lightly armed Afghan police. Three Afghan police officers were killed in the process. (Source: Seattle Times, May 24, 2011)

Western Powers closing the Cordon Around Pakistan: Syed Munawar Hasan Warns

LAHORE, May 26: The Jamaat e Islami chief, Syed Munawar Hasan, has said the US President Obama and British Premier Cameron's resolve to wipe out terrorism from this region and check nuclear proliferation was an open challenge for Pakistan.

The colonial powers were closing their cordon against this country while the rulers and military leadership were the US allies in its war against this country, he deplored, in his address at a special workshop for provincial and district heads of the JI held at Mansoora on Thursday.

Syed Munawar Hasan expressed grave concern over the Abbotabad and Naval base attacks and said that if the nation did not free itself from the clutches of the US slaves, it would lose its independence and sovereignty. He said these two incidents showed worst security failure which had not only created a sense of insecurity among the people but also shaken their faith in these institutions.

He said, the resolutions adopted by the joint sessions of the parliament were not given any weight and there was no indication that the rulers would give up their policy to sell out national interests on US dictates. However, he declared that the JI would foil all anti-Pakistan designs of the slavish rulers with the public support.

Syed Munawar Hasan said that the current wave of terrorism in the country was part of the agenda of US, India and Israel against this country. He said the intelligence agencies were showing complete indifference about the security of national assets and sensitive installations, the situation was alarming but the national security institutions were shifting the responsibility to one another.

He said in Karachi, those busy in the politics of dead bodies and bloodshed had joined hands once again after rapprochement and the port city should get ready for more bloodshed and extortion. He however remarked that in this bloody game, neither the heirs of those killed in target killings had been compensated nor justice had been done to their families.

He was sure that if there was free and fair elections in Karachi, the JI would sweep. He clarified that the doors of the JI were open to all.

Continued from New Trend's May 22, 2011 edition

(Rafidhi) Press TV
By Shahin

Here is another item from Press TV of an interview with another pro Baathist mouthpiece

'Syria moves in line with people'

Interview with George Jabour, political analyst, Damascus.

Syria has abolished a 48 year emergency law in the aftermath of the recent protests in the country, also passing a bill to allow peaceful protests.

Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:16AM

Press TV has interviewed George Jabour, a political analyst in Damascus, regarding the government reaction to protests and about the legitimacy of the demands of the protesters.
Press TV: How important are the new developments for Syrians especially the decades-long emergency laws?

George Jabour: It is a very important development. For 48 years we have had that emergency rule. And it really started back in 1959 with intermittent lifting of the emergency law for a few months.

We must congratulate the people and the ruler of Syria for the lifting of the state of emergency.

Press TV: Despite the reforms that have been announced there have been fresh protests. Who are the anti-government protesters? How legitimate do you think their demands are?
George Jabour: President Bashar al-Assad alluded to national dialogue and there will be a project for the political life in Syria what is called 'the law of political parties' and there will be a space for national dialogue on this law. Then, when we see a national dialogue on the law of political parties, it means there will be some national debate also on some articles of the constitution.

Press TV: Do you think with the current situation that these protests are gradually reducing in their numbers and their extent in light of these reforms? Do you think that the situation now is going back to normal?

George Jabour: This will be the logical development in what we are witnessing now. It means that there will be less and less tension and more and more calm with dialogue to a more peaceful transition to reforms. This is logic and this is rationality.

Then, if there are conspiracies; if there is money or arms coming in from outside; if there are certain people who would like to seize the rule of Syria by force this means there will be new logical development and logical sequence of the reformist steps taken by the president and the government.

Press TV: So in your view you are saying that at least in some part of these protests they are being financed by forces outside of Syria?

George Jabour: I don't have this information, but the statement by the Ministry of the Interior alluded to it. Anyway, I believe the majority of the protesters are protesters of goodwill who want Syria to be reformed in many ways; that will be supporting the measures taken by the government and will express themselves clearly and nicely over the coming days

Conclusions

Press TV has taken upon it self to sell the Syrian regime's story that the popular protests in Syria are being organized by 'Salafis' i.e. Sunni Muslims and foreigners. The reality is that even members of Syria's ruling Alawite sect have joined the protests as this report from Al Jazeera shows:

"Ali, an Allawite, the sect from which the Assad family and much of the ruling elite hail, was captured by secret police during a small protest in Mezze, a suburb of Damascus.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ali said the beating began as soon as he was on the bus to prison. "You are Alawite and you don't like Bashar?" the police officer screamed at him. "Are you with the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood?"

The fist landed square in his face as Ali tried to explain that the protesters were not fundamentalist Salafi Muslims."
Clearly, Iran is stoking sectarianism by blaming Sunni Muslims when the reality is that protesters include Alawites and Christians.

Press TV has been emphasizing the official line that the Syrian President has promised reforms while at the same time ignoring news of deaths, mass arrests and the new refugee crisis created by large numbers of people fleeing into Lebanon. For example Press TV ignored the Syrian army besieging the town of Deraa by cutting off all communication, electricity, food and water supplies e.g. shooting at water tanks on the roofs of houses.

Where there have been credible reports of the regime's sectarian Alawite gangs shooting at protestors; Press TV has on the same day aired high quality Syrian state TV footage of "unnamed gunmen" shooting at protestors when this footage has all the hallmarks of a staged event.

Press TV aired Syrian state TV footage of staged 'confession's of foreigners who allegedly fired at protestors and security forces. Yet none of the passports of these so-called foreigners were shown or any proof of their actual identity. One of those who confessed was an Egyptian but Press TV did not bother to give his name or where he even came from in Egypt!

On 15 May 2011 I saw on Al Jazeera, footage of Syrian tanks firing into civilian areas of Deraa. On the same day, Press TV showed Syrian regime supporters throwing flowers at these tanks!! This was a slap in the face of all people with a functioning brain.

Press TV has not bothered to interview human rights activists or sent reporters in to interview any of the demonstrators. I have not seen on Press TV funerals of people killed by the regime or of ends and relatives of people shot and arrested by the Syrian regime. Whereas by comparison, I saw an Al Jazeera, TV crew and journalist go right into a crowd of protestors who lifted the cameraman onto their shoulders to get a wide angle shot of the huge numbers who were out demonstrating.

Al Jazeera showed footage of wounded Syrian soldiers who were shot by the regime for refusing to fire on unarmed protesters. Press TV reported that these soldiers had been shot by "unknown gunmen". Arabic speakers heard these wounded soldiers say on camera it was the regime that shot them and they were being cared for by the very civilians who they were ordered to shoot at!

For Press TV to even suggest that thousands of people braved bullets, tear gas, mass arrests and torture because they were paid or influenced by foreigners is risible and beyond belief.

When that is contrasted to the minute detail they have lavished on the suffering of their fellow Shia in Bahrain it only means that Press TV is pursuing an Anti Sunni agenda. I recall on one day when 40 people were shot to death by the Syrian regime, Press TV gave detailed coverage of the funeral of an elderly gentleman who died from tear gas inhalation after some of it wafted into his house. This is one death in Bahrain is tragic, but yet Press TV ignored the deaths of 40 innocent Sunnis shot to death by Iran's ally on the same day.

I have seen on Al Jazeera interviews of human rights activists in Bahrain and extensive film footage of human rights abuses committed by the Bahraini regime against Shia.

Press TV's disgraceful coverage of events in Syria has made a mockery of any claims their reporters might have to being called 'journalists'. They are a travesty of the term including the celebrity white converts on their payroll. Press TVs coverage of Palestine is effectively propaganda to hide their sectarian agenda against Sunnis e.g. when they ignored the sectarian massacres of Sunnis perpetrated by their ally, the Mahdy Army, in Iraq.

The anti-Israel pro Palestine card has been used for decades by every filthy, repressive regime in the Middle East e.g. Gaddafi, Syria, and the Al Saud. It's now a busted flush and people see it for what it is - just a fig leaf to hide the crimes of Middle Eastern regimes - including Iran.

I have stopped watching Press TV.

Three years at the Islam Expo I was told by a Press TV employee that they cannot compete with Al Jazeera because they lack the funds. The fact is that Al Jazeera has one asset which costs nothing in terms of money but which Press TV lacks, and that is integrity.

2011-06-02 Thu 05:06:23 cdt
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