06 Jan 2012, NewAgeIslam.

Com Over 3,000 Killed in South Sudan Brutal Massacres Last Week FIFA Hijab U-turn Draws French IreBurning of Shiite Islamic Boarding School in Indo nesia: Evidence of State Failure in Protecting Freedom of Religion Ignoring the Call to Islam Will Bring JihadAyatollah Khamenei: Woman and f amily matter among top priority national issuesIndonesias Counter Radicalisation P rogramme: Challenges From Radicals AnalysisTwo Boko Haram members arrested in Bor noMullah Omar talking peace with USMalaysia: Hindu temples to have guidelines by e nd-JanuaryHosni Mubarak: Egypt prosecutors seek death penaltySupport for Salafists among Dagestani Youth Reaches Record LevelFailure in Protecting Freedom of Relig ionSyria unrest: Ten dead in Damascus blast, says state TVUS Sentences Pakistani o ver Taliban smiggling plotPak fears economic isolation as relations with US sourNa waz Offers to hot All-party Seminar to solve Balochistan s problemsIs Libya Slidi ng Toward Civil War? AnalysisCanada PM: Iran is world s most serious threatPakista n Taliban free 17 kidnapped youths from BajaurFour TTP militants nabbed in Karach iAfghanistan arrests British contractors with gunsPolice Aman Committee protestors clash in KarachiTurkey Ergenekon plot : Ex-army head Ilker Basbug heldIran Mount s New Web CrackdownScrews tighten on Iran as big buyers shun its oilAMIN tasks Nig erians on toleranceIsrael s 2012 security outlookUK-ASEAN relations for the 21st c enturyComplied by New Age Islam News Bureau Photo: Over 3000 killed in South Sudan massacre URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=630 8 ---------Over 3,000 Killed in South Sudan Massacre AFP Juba South Sudan, Jan 06, 2012, More than 3,000 people were killed in South Suda n in brutal massacres last week in bloody ethnic violence that forced thousands to flee, the top local official in the affected area said on Friday. "There have been mass killings, a massacre," said Joshua Konyi, commissioner for Pibor county in Jonglei state. "We have been out counting the bodies, and we calculate so far that 2,182 women and children were killed and 959 men died." United Nations and South Sudanese army officials have yet to confirm the death t olls and the claims from the remote region could not be independently verified. If confirmed, the killings would be the worst outbreak of ethnic violence ever s een in the fledgling nation, which split from Sudan in July. A column of some 6,000 rampaging armed youths from the Lou Nuer tribe last week marched on the remote town of Pibor, home to the rival Murle people, whom they b lame for cattle raiding and have vowed to exterminate. The Lou Nuer gunmen attacked Pibor and only withdrew after government troops ope ned fire. Over a thousand children are missing, feared abducted, while tens of thousands o f cows were stolen, Konyi added, who comes from the Murle ethnic group. The UN humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan, Lise Grande, said earlier this week that she feared "tens, perhaps hundreds" could have died. "Yes, there have been casualties, but we don t have the details, and can t at pr esent confirm what the commissioner reports," said Jonglei state information min ister Isaac Ajiba. "We are awaiting reports from our (military) forces on the ground," said South S udan army spokesman Philip Aguer. "For the assessment to be credible they must h ave gone into the villages to count all the bodies." Ethnic violence, cattle raids and reprisal attacks in the vast eastern state lef t over 1,100 people dead and forced some 63,000 from their homes in 2011, accord ing to UN reports based on local authorities and assessment teams. http://www.asianage.com/international/over-3000-killed-south-sudan-massacre-902 ----------

FIFA Hijab U-turn Draws French Ire OnIslam & News Agencies PARIS, 02 January 2012 A decision by the footballs governing body to allow Muslim female players to take on hijab on pitch is coming under fierce criticism from feminist groups in France. To accept a special dress code for women athletes not only introduces discriminat ion among athletes but is contrary to the rules governing sport movement, settin g a same dress code for all athletes without regard to origin or belief, three Fr ench groups said in an open letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter cited by the M iddle East Online. The letter was signed by the League of International Womens Rights (LDIF), FEMIXSP ORTS and the French Coordination for the European Womens Lobby. This followed a decision by FIFA to endorse proposals by its executive committee last month to lift a controversial ban on Muslim players to wear hijab on pitch . The change came at a request from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) womens c ommittee to reconsider the ban. FIFA rules ban the wearing of hijab on pitch. In April 2010, FIFA announced that it was planning to ban hijab and other religi ous outings during the 2012 Olympics. Under this rule, the dreams of Irans women football team of playing in the London Olympics were dashed. Under Iranian rules, all women are required to cover their body head to toe. In order to be allowed to function domestically and compete internationally, the women football team play in full tracksuits, headscarves and neck warmers. No Problem The French group ridiculed the FIFA U-turn on hijab on pitch. To pretend that hijab is a cultural and not a religious symbol is not only prepos terous, but untrue, they said, in reference to AFC assertion that hijab was a cult ural rather than a religious symbol. You neither can put aside the fact that the conflict that has opposed FIFA to the Iranian regime is linked to Tehrans will to impose its own religious law to wome ns sport. The feminist groups argued that Iran was seeking to impose a political religious outfit for women, which cover entirely their body. Sport must stay clear of political and religious interfering, the French groups sa id. Its aim also is to eliminate all forms of discrimination. FIFA ruling is about to abandon this noble aim and FIFA will be accountable for that, the organizations said. Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displayi ng ones affiliations. France banned Muslim women from wearing hijab in public places in 2004 and faceveil in 2011. Hijab has never posed a problem for veiled Muslim athletes. In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, half a dozen of veiled Egyptians, three Iranian s, an Afghan and a Yemeni completed in sprinting, rowing, taekwondo and archery. During the games, many hijab-clad athletes made it to the medal schedule, includ ing veiled Bahraini sprinter Ruqaya Al-Ghasara, who made history for Muslim wome n athletes after winning a gold medal at the 2006 West Asian Games. http://onislam.net/english/news/global/455241-french-groups-attack-fifa-for-allo wing-hijab.html ---------Burning of Shiite Islamic Boarding School in Indonesia: Evidence of State Failure in Protecting Freedom of Religion BY THE ASIAN MUSLIM ACTION NETWORK (AMAN) INDONESIA, 06 JANUARY 2012, The present condition relating to freedom of religio n in Indonesia is increasingly moving towards becoming worse. Discrimination aga inst minority groups that re-appeared at the end of 2011 clearly showcases the e ver increasing human rights violations in Indonesia. While the government still

seems to be struggling in providing a good solution for the adherents of the Jem aah Ahmadiyah in Indonesia, now the Shiite community in Sampang-Madura has to exp erience similar violence. A group of people, who claim to belong to Sunni faith burned Shiites homes, school, and places of worship at Nangkernang Shiite hamlet, Karang Gayam village, District Omben, Sampang Regency on Thursday, 29th December 2011. A madrasa, a mosque and three houses were burned down by this group. The group even threatened to kill all the followers of Shiite Islam because this grou p is considered to believe in heretical teachings. Moreover, after 351 people we re evacuated by Shiite Islamist groups to a shelter in GOR Sampang, their belongi ngs left at the site were also looted by the group. Ironically, the police, who are supposed to provide protection to the Shiite Musl ims, instead spread terror among the Shiite refugees and forced them to convert and become Sunnis. Though the government and the police believe that the burning of the Shiite hamlet was because of a family conflict, but media reports over t ime have clearly shown that conflict between Shiites and Sunnis started since 2006 and has in fact turned violent because of prejudice and hatred that has bee n planted by some ulamas since 2004. Instead of being firm and conducting a thorough investigation on the perpetrator s of violence, East Java provincial government together with the Indonesian Ulam a Council (MUI) at district level has proposed a solution that seems unreasonabl e, that, to relocate Shiite followers, who have fled from their village to a tra nsmigration area. People think it is better to separate this group from the rest of society that is Sunni majority. The idea supported by the Deputy Governor, S aifullah Yusuf, Government of East Java, seems to imply that the Shiite follower s should to find a separate place and live their life far from the majority, tha t is, people subscribing to the Sunni faith. It is very obvious that this solution offered by the government is against basic human rights. It is also contradictory with the substance of the 1945 Indonesia n constitution, Article 29, that provides guarantee for people of Indonesia to b elieve and worship according to their religion and belief. It is also obvious th at the relocation was violating the civil rights of citizens as enumerated in Ar ticle 27 of Law no. 39 of 1999, on Human Rights, "Every Indonesian citizen has t he right to freedom of movement and residence within the territory of the Republ ic of Indonesia". In addition, removal or relocation of the community can not be done on the basis of differences in beliefs. In this context, the transfers wer e a form of police and government reluctance to reveal the arsonists responsible and the violence experienced by residents. As an institution that cares for the protection of religious freedom and believe s in creating a harmonious society, and is deeply concerned with the struggle of human values?? of justice and equality , We The Asian Muslim Action Network ( AMAN) Indonesia urge: 1. The Government to carry out their responsibilities in protecting the minority Shi ite Followers from attacks and to uphold their right of freedom of religion . 2. The Police officers to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of violence in accordance with the mechanism of criminal law in Indonesia, as well as ensuring the security of the Shiite Community which may suffer further from the after-eff ects of this violence. 3. Local Government and the Government of East Java Province Sampang must restor e the fundamental rights and guarantee the security of Shiite refugees to return to their village, Nangkrenang, instead of relocating them to another place. By The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) Indonesia http://www.just-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5 054:burning-of-the-islamic-boarding-school-of-shiite-followers-in-sampang-madura -indonesia-evidence-of-state-failure-in-protecting-freedom-of-religion-&catid=45 :recent-articles&Itemid=123 -------Ignoring the Call to Islam Will Bring Jihad by: Clare M. Lopez Conquest through Dawa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Eu

rope, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Dawa. -- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leaderThe Arabic word Daw a means the call to Islam. But do not think that Dawa is the same thing as an invita tion to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad manda tes that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the ji zya tax before it is permissible to attack them. This obligation is compulsory b ecause it is written in the Quran as a divine order.Invite all to the Way of thy L ord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are be st and most gracious. -- Q 16:125So, too, the inevitable consequences for th ose who refuse the Dawa call to Islam are spelled out in the Quran:Who receiveth gu idance, receiveth it for his own benefit; who goeth astray doth so to his own lo ssWhen We decide to destroy a population, We first send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so th at the word is proved true against them: then it is We destroy them utterly. -- Q 17:15-16From thes e Quranic citations, then, it can be seen that Dawa, the invitation to convert or submit, is preliminary to jihad. Jihad will inevitably follow Dawa if the call to convert or submit is ignored. But only after due warning has been given are Mus lim forces free to launch attacks of military conquest. It is written that Muham mad, the Muslim prophet, preached for some thirteen years in Mecca without much success before making the hijra to Medina, from where he launched his first mili tary raids. The Islamic doctrine of Progressive Revelation, as explained in deta il by the Muslim Brotherhood theoretician Sayyed Qutb as well as modern-day spir itual leader, Yousef al-Qaradawi, teaches that, today just as with the early Mus lims, shariah Islam is to be revealed and implemented in stages, gradually. This is so that those non-Muslim kuffar (infidels) in the cross-hairs dont get alarme d too soon, before the campaign is fully ready to overwhelm them.The obligation to issue the Dawa call to Islam before striking is why Usama bin Laden issued not just one, but two separate declarations of war in 1996 and 1998 (which are wide ly mischaracterized to this day as fatwas). It is why Maj. Nidal Hassan screamed Allahu Akbar just before he opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood in 200 9. And it is why the Imam Faisal Rauf wrote a book whose original title was A Cal l to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa in the Heart of Ame rica Post-9/11 even as he worked to raise a triumphalist mosque overlooking Grou nd Zero. Supposing Americans were too deficient in Islamic history to notice tha t his mosque project was part of something Rauf mockingly called The Cordoba Init iative , he was only stopped after a few alert fact-checkers pointed out that Cor doba was the seat of the Iberian Peninsula Caliphate for some 800 years. Faced w ith decades of harsh repression by successive Egyptian regimes, the Brotherhood provides the modern-day example of persevering patiently with Dawa. The Brothers kept their heads down, preaching the message of shariah Islam, until the moment was ripe for violence. Al-Qaeda gave the signal in the July 2010 issue of its onl ine magazine Inspire that it was time for the Ikhwan to turn the page, as it wer e, from Mecca to Medina. The Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood, Muhammad Badie, r esponded with an October 2010 declaration of war (jihad) against the U.S., Israe l, and Western-influenced Arab rulers. Without even waiting for the January 2011 fatwa on offensive jihad from al-Azhar University, the North African revolts br oke out, beginning with Tunisia in December 2010. The long years of Dawa were ove r, the calls and warnings had been issued, and the revolutions began. The object ive of both Dawa and jihad is the establishment of Islamic law (shariah). If a po pulation can be induced to accept shariah through Dawa alone, then violent jihad is unnecessary. This is what Yousef al-Qaradawi means when he talks about conque ring Europe and America by way of Dawa alone. Never mistake, however, the raw thr eat that Dawa represents: it is not just a peaceful call to Islam, but a deadly w arning that violent wars of conquest will follow if the targeted population does not convert or submit. Witness the so-called Arab Spring if in doubt. This is the context for looking at the Dawa activities of imams and preachers in the nonMuslim world, too. Remember that the Islamic term for such lands is Dar al-Harb, the House of War, and it signifies that all such communities are targets, in th e Islamic bulls-eye, for eventual conquest and subjugation to Islamic law. Recall

, too, the role that taqiyya (deceit and dissimulation) plays in the Dawa campaig n. Lying to the enemy (the infidel or kuffar) is permitted and even encouraged u nder shariah if it serves the purpose of advancing the cause of Islam. So, when representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Muslim chaplains in the U.S . military, mosques, prisons, and universities preach that Islam is a religion o f peace, or that there is no compulsion in religion, or that shariah is complete ly compatible with the U.S. Constitution, its best to do some independent researc h. Due diligence invariably will lead to the concepts of Progressive Revelation (telling the whole truth about Islam and jihad gradually), Dawa as warning before the attack, and ultimately, jihad (warfare to spread Islam). Clare M. Lopez, a senior fellow at the Clarion Fund, is a strategic policy and intelligence expe rt with a focus on Middle East, national defense, and counterterrorism issues. Conquest through Dawa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Eu rope, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Dawa. -- Yousef alQaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word Dawa means the call to Islam. But do not think that Dawa is the same hing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctri ne of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Is lam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them. This obligatio n is compulsory because it is written in the Quran as a divine order. Invite all to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. -- Q 16:125 So, too, the inevitable consequences for those who refuse the Dawa call to Islam are spelled out in the Quran: Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit; who goeth astray doth s o to his own lossWhen We decide to destroy a population, We first send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet tr ansgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then it is We destroy th em utterly. -- Q 17:15-16 From these Quranic citations, then, it can be seen that Dawa, the invitation to co nvert or submit, is preliminary to jihad. Jihad will inevitably follow Dawa if th e call to convert or submit is ignored. But only after due warning has been give n are Muslim forces free to launch attacks of military conquest. It is written t hat Muhammad, the Muslim prophet, preached for some thirteen years in Mecca with out much success before making the hijra to Medina, from where he launched his f irst military raids. The Islamic doctrine of Progressive Revelation, as explaine d in detail by the Muslim Brotherhood theoretician Sayyed Qutb as well as modern -day spiritual leader, Yousef al-Qaradawi, teaches that, today just as with the early Muslims, shariah Islam is to be revealed and implemented in stages, gradua lly. This is so that those non-Muslim kuffar (infidels) in the cross-hairs dont g et alarmed too soon, before the campaign is fully ready to overwhelm them. The obligation to issue the Dawa call to Islam before striking is why Usama bin L aden issued not just one, but two separate declarations of war in 1996 and 1998 (which are widely mischaracterized to this day as fatwas). It is why Maj. Nidal Hassan screamed Allahu Akbar just before he opened fire on his fellow soldiers at Ft. Hood in 2009. And it is why the Imam Faisal Rauf wrote a book whose original title was A Call to Prayer from the World Trade Center Rubble: Islamic Dawa in t he Heart of America Post-9/11 even as he worked to raise a triumphalist mosque o verlooking Ground Zero. Supposing Americans were too deficient in Islamic histor y to notice that his mosque project was part of something Rauf mockingly called T he Cordoba Initiative , he was only stopped after a few alert fact-checkers point ed out that Cordoba was the seat of the Iberian Peninsula Caliphate for some 800 years. Faced with decades of harsh repression by successive Egyptian regimes, the Broth erhood provides the modern-day example of persevering patiently with Dawa. The Br others kept their heads down, preaching the message of shariah Islam, until the moment was ripe for violence. Al-Qaeda gave the signal in the July 2010 issue of its online magazine Inspire that it was time for the Ikhwan to turn the page, as it were, from Mecca to Medina. The Supreme Guide of the Brotherhood, Muhammad B

adie, responded with an October 2010 declaration of war (jihad) against the U.S. , Israel, and Western-influenced Arab rulers. Without even waiting for the Janua ry 2011 fatwa on offensive jihad from al-Azhar University, the North African rev olts broke out, beginning with Tunisia in December 2010. The long years of Dawa w ere over, the calls and warnings had been issued, and the revolutions began. The objective of both Dawa and jihad is the establishment of Islamic law (shariah ). If a population can be induced to accept shariah through Dawa alone, then viol ent jihad is unnecessary. This is what Yousef al-Qaradawi means when he talks ab out conquering Europe and America by way of Dawa alone. Never mistake, however, t he raw threat that Dawa represents: it is not just a peaceful call to Islam, but a deadly warning that violent wars of conquest will follow if the targeted popul ation does not convert or submit. Witness the so-called Arab Spring if in doubt. This is the context for looking at the Dawa activities of imams and preachers in the non-Muslim world, too. Remember that the Islamic term for such lands is Dar al-Harb, the House of War, and it signifies that all such communities are target s, in the Islamic bulls-eye, for eventual conquest and subjugation to Islamic law . Recall, too, the role that taqiyya (deceit and dissimulation) plays in the Dawa campaign. Lying to the enemy (the infidel or kuffar) is permitted and even enco uraged under shariah if it serves the purpose of advancing the cause of Islam. S o, when representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military, mosques, prisons, and universities preach that Islam is a re ligion of peace, or that there is no compulsion in religion, or that shariah is completely compatible with the U.S. Constitution, its best to do some independent research. Due diligence invariably will lead to the concepts of Progressive Rev elation (telling the whole truth about Islam and jihad gradually), Dawa as warnin g before the attack, and ultimately, jihad (warfare to spread Islam). Clare M. Lopez, a senior fellow at the Clarion Fund, is a strategic policy and i ntelligence expert with a focus on Middle East, national defense, and counterter rorism issues. http://www.radicalislam.org/content/ignoring-call-islam-will-bring-jihad ---------Ayatollah Khamenei: Woman and family matter among top priority national issues Tehran, Jan 5, IRNA Hundreds of intellectuals, think tanks, seminary and varsity professors and scientific works authors here Wednesday night exchanged viewpoint s on a most fundamental issues from viewpoint of IRI, women and family, in prese nce of Supreme Leader. According to the internet website of the Supreme Leaders Office, the objective of the former two Strategic Thoughts of Islamic Republic of Iran Conferences, titl ed Islamic Paradigm, Iranian Advancement and Justice, like the third one, has been e stablishment of a scientific, end expert level atmosphere for exchange of ideas and viewpoints leading to decision making over strategic and essential national level issues. During the meeting that lasted four hours ten thinkers presented their viewpoint s in accordance with their presented research papers which were chosen from amon g 188 papers presented to the secretariat of the conference, and selected as the top works, each elaborating on their viewpoints and hypotheses. After listening to the scientific comments by their authors, Ayatollah Khameneie addressed the distinguished audience elaborating on the objectives of Strategic Thoughts of Islamic Republic of Iran Conferences with the elites and the think tanks of the country. His eminence said, Exchanging scientific ideas aimed at providing an appropriate atmosphere for taking advantage of the various scientific viewpoints and achievi ng a sound and comprehensive shared viewpoint as a disciplined program that can be turned into a work plan are the objectives of these sessions. The Supreme Leader emphasized, The outcome of these meetings, which are held on m ajor issues and would continue to be held, must be noble, deep, sustainable, pre sentable, and defendable. Full Report at: http://www.irna.ir/ENNewsShow.aspx?NID=30749645

---------Indonesias Counter Radicalisation Programme: Challenges from Radicals Analysis By V. Arianti and Nur Irfani Saripi THE INDONESIAN government has realised the importance of winning hearts and mind s of the public and educating them on the dangers of extremist ideology. This aw areness is evident in the establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Agency , better known by its Indonesian acronym: BNPT (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Te rorisme) whose responsibility includes organising public education programmes. H owever, BNPTs programme is facing strong counter-campaigns from radicals; BNPT ma y need to revise its approach to achieve its objectives. Indonesia Since November 2010, BNPT has organised at least a dozen seminars on deradicalis ation within the Muslim community in Indonesia. BNPT cooperated with the Indones ian Ulama Council (MUI) a semi-government body that comprises representatives of various Muslim organisations in Indonesia at the national level and with other Muslim organisations and non-governmental organisations. Radicals Responses The radicals have responded cleverly to the governments campaign against them. Wi thin a week of BNPTs deradicalistion seminar, Islamic Ummah Forum (Forum Umat Isl am/FUI) swiftly organised a counter seminar. MUIs branch in Solo, which does not share the stance of MUI at the national level, even published a book on counteri ng BNPTs deradicalisation programme and has pledged to organise a series of count er seminars in every city where BNPT had previously held seminars. The series of seminars held by MUI Solo invited speakers from different backgrounds including BNPT, academicians and also prominent Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) figures such as Abu Rusydan. These seminars were held in university campuses, thus giving credibility to its programmes. Furthermore, BNPTs deradicalisation seminars are also heavily critici sed in various radical study groups, websites, banners, and even JI-linked magaz ine, An-Najah (The Success), which carried a special edition on Indonesias deradi calisation programme. Since BNPT deradicalisation seminars highlight the Chairman of BNPT Ansyaad Mbai , a retired top police officer, while not resorting much to the presence of Musl im clerics, the radicals question his credential to speak on Islamic concepts su ch as al-wala wal bara (loyalty and enmity), jihad (struggle) and baiah (oath of al legiance). BNPT is also portrayed as an anti-Islam institution. Such attacks cou ld eventually further undermine BNPTs credibility in carrying out the counter rad icalisation programmes. The concerted response from the radicals should not be u nderestimated as they had garnered up to 5,000 participants in one of its semina rs, outnumbering the participants in BNPTs seminar. Recommendations For BNPT Full Report at: http://www.eurasiareview.com/06012012-indonesia%E2%80%99s-counter-radicalisation -programme-challenges-from-radicals-analysis/ --------Deoband fatwa against selling of firecrackers January 05, 2012, PTI Muzaffarnagar:Jan 6, 12, Leading Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has issued a fatwa against manufacturing and selling of firecrackers, saying it was agains t Sharia law. Manufacturing and selling of firecrackers is against Sharia law, and bursting of crackers is misuse of money, the fatwa said, adding that men who misuse money a re the "brothers of devil." The fatwa was issued on a query from a man involved in the business of manufactu ring firecrackers. A large number of Muslims are involved in manufacturing firecrackers in the coun try. http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/deoband-fatwa-against-selling-of-firecracke rs_750541.html

-------Two Boko Haram members arrested in Borno By Our Reporter Jan 6, 2012 Two suspected members of the Boko Haram sect have been arrested in Maiduguri, th e Borno State capital, after they killed two people, the military said yesterday . Their arrest followed increased surveillance and crackdown on members of the dre aded Islamic sect. President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in two northeastern st ates of Borno and Yobe with some local government areas in Plateau and Niger sta tes on December 31, last year. The sect is agitating for the implementation of the Islamic Sharia law across th e country. An official of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on security in Borno State, Col. Victo r Ebhemele, confirmed the arrest. He said: We have arrested two of the Boko Haram members who killed a man and his son in Dala on Wednesday night. They left behind their handsets through which we were able to trace them. Dala is a ward in Maiduguri, a remote dusty region which sits on borders with Ca meroon, Niger and Chad. These borders have been closed as part of Jonathans emerg ency rule measures. Ebhemele said there were three bomb blasts in Maiduguri on Wednesday evening but there were no casualties. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a series of bomb attacks across Nigeria on Christmas Day, including one at St. Theresas Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger S tate. Thirty-seven people were killed in the suicide attack and 57 were wounded. http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/32332-two-sect-members-arre sted-in-borno.html ---------Mullah Omar talking peace with US IANS Kabul, Jan 06, 2012, The elusive Afghan Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad O mar, who had called on his warriors in 2011 November to continue the war against NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, has now confirmed having opened peace talks wit h the US authorities, Geo News reported. The one-eyed Omar, who has escaped the US manhunt since his regime was ousted in late 2001, made two demands - release of Afghan prisoners from Guantanamo Bay d etention facility and complete pullout of US-led forces from Afghanistan, the re port added. The US State Department, however, said that no decision has yet been made on rel easing the Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison. "A total of 1,462 Afghan civilians had been killed in the first half of 2011, up 15 percent over the same period in 2010," the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanis tan (UNAMA) said in mid-year report released in July, 2011. Last year, in mid-December, a Dawn news report said US officials confirmed that they had held talks recently with Taliban representatives in Qatar and Germany. The US also supported the step of opening a political office by Taliban in Qatar , which would serve as an outpost for the outlawed insurgent movement. Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban movement, has been in hiding since 2001 when the US-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled his Islamist fundamentalist regi me. The US officials earlier claimed that Mullah Omar was one of the original planne rs of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, it added. http://www.asianage.com/international/mullah-omar-talking-peace-us-886 --------Malaysia: Hindu temples to have guidelines by end-January MYT PETALING JAYA, January 6, 2012: All Hindu temples in the country will have guide lines by the end of this month, Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) president R.S. Moha

n Shan said Friday. He said the guidelines would comprise the suitable rules and regulations that a temple should practise in order to preserve rituality. "So far, there are no suitable guidelines for temples to follow, and they are fr ee to do all kinds of programmes at any time they wish. "We are going to bring out the guidelines on how a temple should be positioned, which temple to conduct which celebration, and how to manage a temple," he said. The guidelines, among others, would encourage all the temples in the country to start providing community service, he said, adding that the management of temple s should also think of the community, and not just religion and rituals. "The guidelines will be prepared by a religious advisory board involving all Hin du association presidents and also religious experts," he said. So far, Mohan Shan said, only 2,000 of the 3,300 Hindu temples in the country ha ve registered under the MHS. "We are asking all our local council members to approach the temples to become m embers of the MHS as we are the only organisation that deals with temple issues, " he said. - Bernama http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/6/nation/20120106185914&sec=na tion --------Hosni Mubarak: Egypt prosecutors seek death penalty 5 January 2012 Prosecutors at the trial of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak have demande d the death penalty for him. Mr Mubarak is being tried in Cairo on charges of ordering the killing of demonst rators during unrest which led to his overthrow last year. The demand also applies to former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly and six other former security chiefs. More than 800 protesters were killed during an 18-day revolt before Mr Mubarak w as ousted on 11 February. "Any fair judge must issue a death sentence for these defendants," prosecutor Mu stafa Khater said, according to AFP. "He [Mubarak] can never, as the head of the state, claim that he did not know wh at was going on," chief prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman told the court. "He is responsible and must bear the legal and political responsibility for what happened", he added. Full Report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16429694 --------Support for Salafists among Dagestani Youth Reaches Record Level Jan 6, 12 A survey in Dagestan has found that 20 percent of the republics youth consider th emselves moderate Salafis. Only 10 percent of the respondents referred to themse lves as Sufis traditionally the main Muslim branch in Dagestan. The most educate d among those who identified themselves as moderate Salafis said they were in fa vor of mimicking the experience of such countries as Brunei, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman in bringing norms of sharia into governance in Dagestan. The survey also fo und that 12 percent of the respondents favor the radical methods of struggle ado pted by the North Caucasus militants. It is especially striking that young peopl e openly stated support for rebels in the republic. According to a Dagestani exp ert on Islam, Ruslan Gereyev, the survey was conducted only in cities, and suppo rt for the rebels would have been even higher had the interviews been conducted in rural areas of the republic (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, December 9). The survey was carried out in Dagestans largest cities Makhachkala, Kaspiisk, Kha savyurt, Derbent, Izberbash and Kizilyurt among 6,000 respondents, including hig h school teens and university students. All of those surveyed described themselv es as religious believers. Gereyev told the Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasian Knot) webs ite that a widening gap between rich and poor, rampant official corruption and d iscrimination against Muslims leave radicalization as the only attractive option for some young people. If two years ago the insurgency consisted mainly of peop

le aged 25 to 40, today the insurgents range in age from 18 to 30 years old, alt hough some independent experts say the age range is from 14 to 45, Gereyev asser ted. The time has come when we need to struggle for the youth, he said. In essence, there is an undeclared war going on for the young generations minds (www.kavkaz-u zel.ru, December 9). One can understand why the government is losing this battle for young peoples minds if all it is doing is trying to scare them into submissi on without providing career and other life opportunities. An expert with the Russian Muftis council, Rinat Mukhametov, pointed to the parad ox that better religious education was likely to prevent the radicalization of y oung people. According to Mukhametov, although there is no direct link between e ducation and radicalization, there are no people highly educated in Islam among the militants. If in Ryazan [in central Russia] people under duress escape into t heir personal inner selves, as a rule starting to drink vodka, in the Caucasus p eople protest, sometimes including unruly protest beyond any thinkable limits, Mu khametov said (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, December 9). In addition, increasingly there is a cultural dimension in the North Caucasus that tends to put the government a t loggerheads with the people. As Moscow tries to keep the Russian Federation as unified as possible, developments on the ground and the rise of Islam contradic t the central governments efforts and a clash becomes inevitable if Moscow fails to adjust its policy. In November 2010, the Dagestani state commission for the adaptation of militants to civilian life was created and by November 2011 it claimed to have won over 4 0 former militants who had surrendered (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, November 18). Howeve r, one of the commissions members, Abbas Kebedov, noted: It needs to be understood that not a single real militant from the forest has gone through the commission. The problem is that we do not have the necessary power [to pardon rebels]. Today we simply ask the relevant authorities to take into account that a person went through our commission. Thats it. I dont want to take every persons case for the co mmissions consideration, because I cant be the guarantor of his safety and legal s tatus. If a militant comes through the commission and tomorrow is killed, who wi ll be held responsible for his death? In a republic where even its leader says h e does not know who abducts people, no one can be worry-free (http://www.kavkaz-u zel.ru/articles/197442/, December 11). On December 13, the Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee hailed the killing of a leader of the Khasavyurt rebels, 25-year-old Yusup Magomedov. He was kille d along with two other rebels, 28-year-old Shamil Nutsalkhanov and 25-year-old S hamil Makhmudov, on December 12 during a counterterrorism operation near the vil lage of Karlanyurt (http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20111213/515545095.html, Decemb er 13). The Russian security services regularly claim that slain militants are h igh-ranking figures in the insurgency but rarely substantiate their claims. A cab driver named Gabibula Shabkhanov was kidnapped by police on December 7 and remains in custody. Shabkhanovs lawyer said his client was badly beaten up and t ortured with electric shocks applied to his fingertips. According to Kavkazsky U zel, at least 28 kidnappings took place in Dagestan alone in January-November 20 11. Earlier, the prosecutor generals office in Dagestan said the agency received 29 complaints about kidnappings in January-October 2011. Thirteen of these cases were not confirmed, but 16 others are pending (http://www.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articl es/197404/, December 11). Given the situation in Dagestan, it sounded ironic that the Russian leadership c ame out in support of the Dagestani governments application to host the 2018 Yout h Olympic Games in the republic. Russia and Azerbaijan are expected to apply joi ntly to host the games in 2018 (http://dagestan.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/197505/, December 12). While it is still unclear whether the Sochi Olympics will take pl ace as planned in 2014, due to project management issues and security concerns, it is hardly feasible to attract any significant international audience to Dages tan because of its persistent volatility. The government, it seems, remains inte nt to substitute substantive policy reforms in the North Caucasus with glistenin g shows in the hope of impressing the local population. However, without first d oing their homework on the political and economic issues in Dagestan, the situat ion in that volatile republic is unlikely to improve tangibly, particularly when

local support for Salafism continues to grow. It is rather ironic that more tha n a decade after the Russian intervention in its rebel republic of Chechnya, whi ch was touted as an effort to subdue extremism in the North Caucasus, support fo r Salafist groups in neighboring Dagestan among the local population is now at a n all time high and that this volatile republic is now the epicenter of a region al insurgency. Valery Dzutsev -------Protecting Freedom of Religion BY THE ASIAN MUSLIM ACTION NETWORK (AMAN) INDONESIA, 06 JANUARY 2012, The present condition relating to freedom of religio n in Indonesia is increasingly moving towards becoming worse. Discrimination aga inst minority groups that re-appeared at the end of 2011 clearly showcases the e ver increasing human rights violations in Indonesia. While the government still seems to be struggling in providing a good solution for the adherents of the Jem aah Ahmadiyah in Indonesia, now the Shiite community in Sampang-Madura has to exp erience similar violence. A group of people, who claim to belong to Sunni faith burned Shiites homes, school, and places of worship at Nangkernang Shiite hamlet, Karang Gayam village, District Omben, Sampang Regency on Thursday, 29th December 2011. A madrasa, a mosque and three houses were burned down by this group. The group even threatened to kill all the followers of Shiite Islam because this grou p is considered to believe in heretical teachings. Moreover, after 351 people we re evacuated by Shiite Islamist groups to a shelter in GOR Sampang, their belongi ngs left at the site were also looted by the group. Full Report at: http://www.just-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5 054:burning-of-the-islamic-boarding-school-of-shiite-followers-in-sampang-madura -indonesia-evidence-of-state-failure-in-protecting-freedom-of-religion-&catid=45 :recent-articles&Itemid=123 -------Syria unrest: Ten dead in Damascus blast, says state TV 6 January 2012 At least 10 people have died in a suicide attack on a district in central Damasc us, Syrian state media say. State TV showed pictures of the blood-spattered streets of Midan district follow ing the attack, which it blamed on "terrorists". Two weeks ago 44 people died in similar blasts the authorities also blamed on te rrorists. Opposition activists accused the government of staging them. Arab League monitors are in Syria on a month-long observer mission. They are trying to ensure compliance with a peace plan, but activists say a Syri an government crackdown has continued, with scores of people killed. Opposition activists supplied pictures of anti-government protests in Midan two days ago A resident of Midan - the scene of reported anti-government protests in recent w eeks - told Reuters news agency that ambulances were in the area. Most foreign correspondents have been barred from reporting within Syria itself. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16437865 -------US Sentences Pakistani over Taliban smiggling plot AFP WASHINGTON, January 6, 2012 : A Pakistani man convicted on terrorism charges has been sentenced to more than four years in jail in the United States over a plot to smuggle a member of the Pakistani Taliban into the country. Irfan Ul Haq, 37 who last September pleaded guilty along with two other Pakistan is to conspiracy to provide support to a terror organization was sentenced to 50 months in jail by a US federal judge in Washington on Thursday. The other two men were sentenced last month to 40 months and 36 months in prison over the same plot, carried out between January and March 2011. All three men h ave agreed to return to Pakistan following their sentences. Haq conspired with others to smuggle into the United States an individual who was

believed to be a member of a foreign terrorist organization, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said in a statement. Such conduct presents a serious threat to our national security. The US Justice Department said undercover law enforcement agents had directed con fidential sources to contact the three men then residing in Ecuador to request he lp in smuggling a fictitious individual, said to be a member of the Pakistani Ta liban, into the United States. Haq, according to the court documents, told the sources it was not their concern w hat the men want to do in the United States hard labor, sweep floor, wash dishes in a hotel, or blow up. That will be up to them. It said the three men accepted payment for the operation, without specifying how much, and that they produced a false Pakistani passport. The sting operation was carried out by the US Department of Homeland Security, t he Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Ecuadorian national police, the Justice Department said. The three men, who were arrested in Miami on March 13, had faced a maximum sente nce of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. http://tribune.com.pk/story/317429/us-sentences-pakistani-over-taliban-smuggling -plot/ ---------Pak fears economic isolation as relations with US sour Omer Farooq Khan, TNN ISLAMABAD: Jan 6, 2012, Pakistan s deteriorating relations with the United Stat es may bring it international isolation on the economic front, Pakistan s financ e minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh on Friday told the parliamentary committee tasked by the government to review bilateral terms with the US. Pakistan-US relations steadily declined in the beginning of 2011 after CIA contr actor Raymond Davis killed two Pakistani nationals in Lahore. This was followed by the US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad in May. The NATO-ISAF i ncursion in November in the Mohmand tribal region which killed 24 Pakistani sold iers brought the ties to an all-time low with Islamabad freezing the visa regime and transit facilities and the US freezing the military aid to Pakistan. "There are some shocks Pakistan can absorb but there are others it can t," Abdul Hafeez Sheikh was quoted as telling members of the Parliamentary Committee on N ational Security (PCNS). "A single incident must not determine our relations with the US," Sheikh said wh ile referring to the steps taken by the government following the Nato aerial str ikes. "Any decision should be taken while keeping in mind the multidimensional p aradigm of security, prosperity of the country and economic diplomacy," he said. Full Report at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-fears-economic-isolation-a s-relations-with-US-sour/articleshow/11387901.cms ---------Nawaz Offers to hot All-party Seminar to solve Balochistan s problems QUETTA, January 6, 2012: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif offer ed to host an all party seminar in Islamabad to discuss the problems being faced by Balochistan. While addressing the leaders of the National Party in Quetta today, Nawaz said t hat the whole country needs to work together and find solutions to Balochistans t roubles. If we work together, we can bring Balochistan in the mainstream again, he stressed . Nawaz Sharif arrived in Quetta earlier today. Upon his arrival he was greeted by Balochistan Provincial Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri , Sardar Yaqub Khan Nasi r and other party members. While addressing the gathering, Nawaz said that it was high time that something was done about the hurt sentiments of the people of Balochistan. Nawaz said that Balochistan should be given its rights and that target killings and kidnappings should stop. He added that the focus should be shifted to improv ing the health and education facilities in the province.

Full Report at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/317422/nawaz-offers-to-host-all-party-seminar-to-sol ve-balochistans-problems/ ----------Is Libya Sliding Toward Civil War? Analysis By Charles Recknagel January 6, 2012 Its been more than two months since antiregime fighters captured and killed former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. But the National Transitional Council (NTC) that now rules Libya has yet to be a ble to consolidate its hold over the fractious militias that toppled the old reg ime. Just how restive conditions in Libya remain was highlighted this week when membe rs of two militias fought over territory in Tripoli. The clash on January 3 reportedly left two dead as the gunmen battled using mach ine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and antiaircraft guns in the heart of the c apital. ??The clash shocked the citys residents and signaled how far Libya still has to g o to become peaceful again. This happened after the revolution but not before, a relative of one of the men ki lled in the fighting said. They said there will be a government and order. Twenty -three fighters came to claim territory and to kill young boys. They killed youn g boys for territory. But if ordinary residents of the city were worried by the clash, the government seemed even more so. Full Report at: http://www.eurasiareview.com/06012012-is-libya-sliding-toward-civil-war-analysis /?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eurasiareview%2FVs nE+%28Eurasia+Review%29 ---------Canada PM: Iran is world s most serious threat By JPOST.COM STAFF 01/06/2012 Harper says he is sure Tehran seeking to develop nuclear weapons, international response needed to counter threat. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Iran poses the "world s most serious threat to international peace and security," and opined that a coordinated inte rnational response is requisite to confronting Tehran s nuclear ambitions. "In my judgment, [Iran] is the world s most serious threat to international peac e and security," Harper said on Calgary radio station CHQR. Harper said he was sure Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons. "The is a regime that wants to acquire nuclear weapons," he said. The Canadian prime minister said his country was working with its allies to impo se strict sanctions on the Islamic Republic in an attempt to counter their bid f or nuclear armament. He insisted that Iran s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, an important passa ge for global oil, underlined the success of Western sanctions. Iran s threats w ere a response to the crippling effect of sanctions, he continued. "That s why the regime is lashing out from time to time," he explained. Harper said sanctions were the right course of action for tackling the Iranian t hreat, but that a coordinated international response would prove more effective. He insisted that even Russia and China, two countries that are large consumers o f Iranian oil and generally apprehensive about adopting international resolution s regarding the Islamic Republic, agreed that the Iranian nuclear issue is perti nent. Tensions simmered between the Islamic Republic and Canada this past week, as Teh ran chastised the Canadian charge d affaires in Tehran, Dennis Horak, over Canad a s treatment of its aboriginal people. A Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson called the Iranian criticism absurd, say ing it was "regrettable that the regime in Tehran is choosing not to address its

own internal shortcomings before resorting to the ridiculous and engaging in th is type of preposterous PR stunt." Canada, meanwhile, has joined Western nations including the United States in cas ting sanctions on Iran, including prohibiting financial transactions with the co untry. http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=252487 -------Pakistan Taliban free 17 kidnapped youths from Bajaur 5 January, 2012 The Taliban have freed 17 young men from north-west Pakistan who they seized fou r months ago, officials say. About 30 youths were abducted in early September after they inadvertently straye d across the Afghan border. Several managed to escape over the past few months. At least eight more are stil l being held by the militants, an official in Bajaur tribal area said. The Taliban said they kidnapped members of the Mamund tribe because it supported the Pakistani government. Over the past few years, influential members of the Mamund tribe have sided with the Pakistani military and raised private militias to fight the Taliban. The Pa kistani government says the co-operation has helped clear the area of Taliban in fluence. The youths, reportedly ranging in age from 10 to about 30 years old, were at a p icnic to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid and had mistakenly crossed the bor der from Bajaur to take a bath in a spring, when the militants seized them. At the time of the kidnap there were reports that the militants had demanded Tal iban prisoners be released. But local administration officials told the AFP news agency that the 17 youths had been "freed unconditionally". Two boys who escaped in October spoke extensively to the media about their ordea l. Securing the long, porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has long posed a major challenge to the authorities. The Pakistani government says that many militants have based themselves across t he border in Afghanistan s eastern province of Kunar, from where they are known to have carried out attacks in north-western Pakistan. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-16427823 ---------Four TTP militants nabbed in Karachi By Atif Raza KARACHI: Jan 6, 2012, Crime Investigation Department (CID) police on Thursday c laimed to have arrested four top militants affiliated with banned Tehreek-e-Tali ban Pakistan (TTP), including its Karachi Ameer, besides recovering live suicide jackets, rockets and missiles from their possession. Additional IG CID Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh, while addressing a press conference at the CID Civil Line Complex, disclosed the arrest of four top Taliban operatives, including one of the chiefs of TTP, Abdul Qayyum Mehsud besides Muhammad Sharif Mehmand, Usman Mehsud and Wali-ur-Rehman Mehsud. Qayyum Mehsud, also the former gunman of Baitullah Mehsud, is involved in severa l cases of militancy within the country. He was dispatched to Karachi by the TTP leadership with some high profile targets on his list. Qayyum said that he had served as a gunman to Baitullah Mehsud for four months in 2004. Full Report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\06\story_6-1-2012_pg7_11 --------Afghanistan arrests British contractors with guns KABUL, Jan 6, 2012: Afghan police arrested two British private security contract ors and two Afghan colleagues and ordered their company closed down after findin g a cache of weapons in their vehicle, an official said on Thursday. They are be ing held for investigation into illegal arms transport. Their detention spells the latest trouble for Afghanistans dozens of private secu rity companies that guard supply convoys, development projects and private busin

esses. President Hamid Karzai has ordered all the protection companies shut down by March, to be replaced by a unified government-run protection force. Police w ho stopped the contractors vehicle at a Kabul checkpoint on Tuesday, found more t han two dozen AK-47 rifles in a metal box covered by a blanket, Interior Ministr y Spokesman Sediq Sediqi told a press briefing. All 30 weapons had their serial numbers scratched off, and the men had no permit s for them, so police arrested all four men on suspicion of illegal arms transpo rt, Sediqi said. He said the case has been sent to Afghanistans attorney general for investigation. Full Report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\06\story_6-1-2012_pg7_2 -------Police Aman Committee protestors clash in Karachi KARACHI, Jan 6, 2012: A rally of protestors led by the Peoples Aman Committee has been stopped near Shaheen Complex, to proceed further on Friday, Express News r eported. A heavy contingent of law enforcers was deployed to prevent them from reaching B ilawal House and the police have also fired tear gas shells to disperse them. Roads leading to the Bilawal House are blocked by containers and a number of arr ests have been made, while there are reports of multiple injuries in the ongoing clashes. According to Express News, no efforts were made by authorities to conduct talks with the protestors to address their issues. The traffic in the area is at standstill and the residents are unable to get out . As reported earlier, the Peoples Aman Committee had earlier announced that it wil l organise a protest in front of Bilawal House on January 6, in order to voice i ts anger at the fact that authorities concerned had not taken any substantial st eps to catch suspects involved in the targeted killing of two football players a bout a month ago. Zafar Baloch had claimed that though Lyari had become a stable neighbourhood, th e targeted killing could disrupt the tranquility prevailing in the area. He had pointed out that the investigation committee formed by the Home Minister had not made true on its promise to produce results within 48 hours. The leader of the Peoples Aman Committee had also said that the people who repre sent Lyari in the Sindh Assembly were part of a conspiracy to malign the neighbo urhood and its residents. http://tribune.com.pk/story/317452/police-aman-committee-protestors-clash-in-kar achi/ ----------Turkey Ergenekon plot : Ex-army head Ilker Basbug held 6 January 2012 A former head of the Turkish armed forces has been remanded in custody to face c harges over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. Gen Ilker Basbug, who retired in 2010, is the highest-ranking officer to be caug ht up in a widening probe into the so-called Ergenekon network. Prosecutors say in 2003 the hardline nationalist group tried to bring down PM Re cep Tayyip Erdogan s government. Gen Basbug rejects the allegations. Some 400 suspects are already on trial. "We can say it is really tragicomic to accuse somebody who commands such an army of forming and directing a terrorist group," Turkey s NTV network quoted Gen Ba sbug as telling prosecutors. The Ergenekon trial is one of several involving accusations of anti-government p lots by the military and secular establishment. Some military officers already charged in the case have said they acted in a cha in of command. Full Report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16436743 -------Iran Mounts New Web Crackdown

By FARNAZ FASSIHI Iran is mounting new clampdowns on Internet expression, including rules that wil l impose layers of surveillance in the country s popular Internet cafes, as Tehr an s political establishment comes under increasing strains from economic turmoi l and threats of more international sanctions. Until now, Iran s cybercafes have been a youth-culture mainstay of most towns an d neighborhoods, used not only by activists but also by other Iranians who belie ve the security of their home computers is already compromised. Iranian users also have reported more blocked sites this week, as well as new ba rriers to accessing social-networking services. Internet connections, too, have bogged down. The network slowdown likely heralds the arrival of an initiative Iran has been r eadyinga "halal" domestic intranet that it has said will insulate its citizens fr om Western ideology and un-Islamic culture, and eventually replace the Internet. This week s slowdown came amid tests of the Iranian intranet, according to dome stic media reports that cited a spokesman for a union of computer-systems firms. He said the intranet is set to go live within a few weeks. Full Report at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513604577142713916386248.html?m od=googlenews_wsj ---------Screws tighten on Iran as big buyers shun its oil Reuters TEHRAN (Iran), Jan 06, 2012, Iran faced the prospect of cutbacks in its oil sale s to China and Japan as new measures to block Tehran s crude exports over its nu clear program appeared to be driving its economy to the wall. The developments in Asia on Thursday followed news 24 hours earlier that EU lead ers had agreed to halt European purchases of Iranian crude. China, Iran s biggest trade partner, had already cut its purchases of Iranian oi l by more than half this month and would extend the cuts to February, a Beijingbased trader who deals with Iranian oil said. Japan would consider cutbacks in its Iranian oil purchases to secure a waiver fr om new U.S. sanctions signed into law on New Year s Eve by President Barack Obam a, a government source said. Between them, China, the EU and Japan buy about half of Iran s exports of 2.6 mi llion barrels of oil per day. Full Report at: http://www.asianage.com/international/screws-tighten-iran-big-buyers-shun-its-oi l-835 ---------AMIN tasks Nigerians on tolerance 06 January 2012 The Assembly of Muslims in Nigeria (AMIN) has joined others to condemn the spate of bombings in Nigeria and called for religious tolerance based on justice and fairness. The Chairman of AMIN, Sheik Ibrahim Saleh, in a statement in Abuja, condemned an y form of attacks on any places of worship or the Nigerian people under any guis e. The Assembly of Muslims in Nigeria (AMIN) hereby, wishes to call the attention of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, religious leaders of both Is lam and Christianity to deal with the issue at hand with caution and maturity he said. Quoting various portions of the Quran, the Assembly denounced the Christmas bomb attacks and killing of innocent souls under any guise, saying Islam has prohibit ed any assault on souls, organs and bloodshed. Islam also ordains the protection of the brain, ones dignity, lineage, properties as well as protection of the environment where all creatures live together. The recent bloody bombardments are unacceptable in all religions and faiths. There i s no compulsion in religion, he said. AMIN called on all stakeholders to fear Allah in everything they do as Allah wou

ld punish people for their bad intentions. The Assembly also advised both religious and political leaders to avoid inflamma tory statements capable of worsening the already tensed situation in the country . AMIN applauded the security measures and awareness taken by the Federal Governme nt especially on the state of emergency in some local governments in the country and urged it to step it up. http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/islamic-news/33901-amin-tasks-nigerians-on-toler ance --------Israel s 2012 security outlook 01.05.12, There is no doubt that the wave of uprisings that swept through the Arab world i n 2011 changed the rules of the game in the region and created potential old-new threats for Israel. With most of them we already successfully contended in the past for example, the Egyptian army s deployment in the Sinai or terror on our b orders with Jordan and Syria. Yet alongside the substantive and potential threat s piling up at the outset of 2012, mostly in the short term, we can see quite a few positive developments that may improve Israel s strategic position in the me dium and long range. For example, the blow to be sustained by the "Iranian axis of evil" should Assad s regime in Syria be toppled; or the determination and actions of Sunni Gulf st ates in contending with Iran s strategic threat using all means political, econo mic and military. Even the political rise of Islamic movements as result of the regional uprisings is apparently much less menacing and dangerous for Israel tha n it seemed. Full Report at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4171989,00.html --------UK-ASEAN relations for the 21st century 6/01/2012 Today the idea of a developed West and developing rest is all but irrelevant. Pu t simply, the world has changed and Britain must too, if we are to prevent our r ole and influence in international affairs from declining. Key to this challenge will be making the most of the opportunities presented by a new international paradigm in which economic power and influence is moving eas t and south. Britain is doing this by shifting our diplomatic weight to reflect these changes and by working hard to build up significantly our relationships wi th the emerging powers. We know that these relationships will be increasingly vi tal both for forging important agreements on the international stage and for boo sting trade and investment that will support Britain s prosperity. Southeast Asia epitomises the rationale for this approach. The 10 countries of t he Association of Southeast Asian Nations are already more populous than the Eur opean Union or the Arab world, have a larger economy than India and absorb more UK exports than China. They hold substantial geopolitical significance, with imp ortant influence on neighbouring major powers China, India and Japan. This means that they should be, and are, key partners for Britain on issues rang ing from climate change to non-proliferation. Their considerable prosperity and significant future economic potential is also vital to our interests. Average gr owth forecasts for Asean members over the next four years are around 6% and plan s to establish an economic community by 2015 hold even further promise. We know full well from our own experiences of the European Single Market the benefits ma rket integration can bring. The region therefore deserves serious attention from global partners. The United Kingdom is fortunate to be able to draw on a foundation of existing relationshi ps and we already enjoy multi-billion-pound trade and investment links with the Asean countries; our largest businesses in finance, energy, life sciences, food and drink are establishing a regional foothold and more of our retailers, such a s Boots and Tesco, are becoming household names, especially in Thailand. Full Report at:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/273890/uk-asean-relations-for-the-21st-cen tury URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=630 8

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COMMENTS 1/6/2012 3:08:37 PM Ghulam Mohiyuddin While it is good to hear that Indonesia has set up a Counter Radicalisation Prog ramme, it is worrisome to see how strongly the radicals have reacted with wide r anging programs of their own to fight the government s program. The way radical ideologies catch fire in the Muslim Ummah should be a matter of concern for all of us.

1/6/2012 2:57:48 PM Ghulam Mohiyuddin Yousef al-Qaradawi, Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader, says, "Jihad will inev itably follow Dawa if the call to convert or submit is ignored. But only after du e warning has been given are Muslim forces free to launch attacks of military co nquest." These are frightening words, especially since they come from a man who was descr ibed in another article in this website as "the most influential Muslim scholar of the past few decades." It seems we are back in the days of Sayyed Qutb and Ma ulana Maududi, and we should expect more Osama bin Ladens to arise! The words ar e particularly ominous because the Muslim Brotherhood recently won a majority of seats in Egyptian elections. Such supremacist and coercive doctrines must be co ndemned and fought. What happened to the principle that there is no compulsion i n religion?