Monitors: Taliban cut off fingers of Afghan voters

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KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Making good on a threat of election day violence, the Taliban sliced off the index fingers of at least two people in Kandahar province, according to a vote monitoring group.

After they cast their ballots, the fingers of Afghan voters are stained with ink to prevent them from voting multiple times. The fingers of the two women in Kandahar, a stronghold of the Taliban, were cut off because they voted, said Nader Naderi of the Free and Fair Election Foundation.

The Taliban had vowed to disrupt Thursday’s election and the risk was too great for some Afghans to venture out, especially in the southern provinces that form the heartland of the radical Islamist group.

Just days ahead of the election, U.S. Marines and other NATO forces carried out military operations to clear and hold sectors that have long been in the Taliban grip, and free up the population to vote.

Sporadic attacks on election day killed 26 people and injured scores more. Still, Afghan officials hailed the voting as a success.

On Friday, the European Union echoed those sentiments and congratulated Afghanistan for holding elections under what it called challenging circumstances.

“While deploring the loss of life, we believe that the security measures successfully prevented any major disruptions of the elections,” the E.U. said in a statement.

Preliminary results will be announced on a piecemeal basis from Tuesday to September 5, according to the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan.

NA Speaker congratulates nation on advent of Ramazan

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (APP): Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker National Assembly has congratulated the nation on advent of Ramazan on Sunday August 23. In her message to the nation, the Speaker said that she was pleased to extend warm felicitation to all fellow citizens, many happy return on the occasion of the arrival of blessed month of Ramazan.

She said that this month arrives to purify souls and replenish them with faith, piety and readiness for the life, thereafter. She said that this magnanimous month comes to discipline the souls for tolerance, humanity and shunning of haughtiness. She said that we should all plead to Almighty Allah for compassion and mercy, salvation from misdeeds, strength to recite and understand Quran and teaching of Holy Prophet (PBUH).

The Speaker said that in this holy month, Allah may grant jus all stronger faith, manifest expression of brotherhood, affection, adherence to Islam and philanthropy making us all one entity.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza urged upon all the Pakistanis to share the joys and bounties of this holy month with our brethren in distress of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Swat who have been displaced from their homes due the activities of mislead and deviant elements in the society.

She prayed to Almighty to enable all of us to do what he is pleased with, bless Pakistan with peace, security and stability and eliminate extremism and terrorism from the country.

Hamas congratulates Muslims, calls for supporting Jerusalem

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RAMALLAH, (PIC)– Hamas Movement has congratulated the Palestinian people and the Muslims worldwide on the occasion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, and urged for greater support for occupied Jerusalem.

The Movement in a statement on Saturday hoped Muslims would unite efforts and direct potentials toward supporting Jerusalem and Palestine.

For their part, Hamas detainees in Israeli occupation authority (IOA) jails extended heartfelt felicitations to the Palestinian people and the Arab and Muslim countries over the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.

They urged their people to head to the Aqsa Mosque and to defend its sanctity and to confront the IOA judaization attempts.

The captives also called for forging inter-Palestinian reconciliation after releasing all political detainees and returning civil servants, who were dismissed for their political affiliation, to their jobs.

Iran:Ahmadinejad congratulates Islamic world on Ramadan

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TEHRAN, Aug. 22 (MNA) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here on Saturday congratulated all the world’s Muslims and leaders of Islamic countries on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan.

In his message, the president expressed hope that the Islamic ummah will attain new heights in the world and that Muslims will endeavor to strengthen friendly brotherly ties in a bid to establish global peace and security.

Iran:Doctors Day No job security for physicians

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TEHRAN, Aug. 22 (MNA) — Tomorrow is National Doctors Day, which marks the birth anniversary of Ibn Sina, Avicenna (c. 980 – 1037), a Persian polymath and the foremost physician and philosopher of his time. He was also an astronomer, chemist, geologist, logician, paleontologist, mathematician, physicist, poet, psychologist, scientist and teacher.

According to official figures, there are about 110,000 general practitioners and specialists working across the country. They sometimes earn less than those in occupations requiring lower levels of qualification and expertise, despite the often grueling challenges they face in their work.

Insufficient effort has been made to avert the problems; perhaps people think that doctors have no serious troubles. Unfortunately it seems that they have been consigned to oblivion.

Lack of job security is the greatest dilemma facing doctors.

Speaking to the Mehr News Agency, the director of the Iranian Society of Radiology (ISR) noted that although the science of medicine is rooted in the ancient history of Iran, those who are involved in this branch of knowledge are dealing with legions of problems.

They face an uncertain future, Abd-ul-Rasul Sedaqat said, adding, “They are downplayed and seriously threatened by their patients.”

Blaming the government for this state of affairs, Sedaqat said, if the government behaves in a very responsible and graceful manner towards physicians in society, then no one will be allowed to menace or undermine them.

The director of the Iranian Society of Internists’ also said, “About 20 percent of the country’s 60 thousand general practitioners are not satisfied with their pay.”

Based on the figures of the above-mentioned society, Iraj Khosrow-Nia said, “Five thousand Iranian general practitioners and five thousand specialists are engaged in other activities instead of the medical profession due to the inadequacy of their salaries.

According to him, only 20 percent of general practitioners, 50 percent of specialists, and 65 percent of subspecialists lead a life of luxury, and 30 percent of general practitioners and specialists, and 25 percent of subspecialists just manage to earn a living.

Expressing sorrow for the fact that half of the general practitioners, 20 percent of specialists, and 10 percent of subspecialists are not satisfied with their standard of living, Khosrow-Nia said that in order to earn a decent wage the majority of medics “are bound to take on night shifts at hospitals even in their old age.”

Khosrow-Nia also called for the establishment of a board of directors to solve the problems with which medics are battling.

Muslims in Iceland begin Ramadan today

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Over 1200 Muslims in Iceland will be observing the Islamic month of Ramadan today. Many Muslims in Iceland will be fasting from dawn to sunset, which in Iceland will be nearly 16 hours a day. The sun in Iceland rises at around 3 or 4 in the morning and sets around 9 or 10 at night.

In Iceland there are about 300 Muslims who are native Icelandic and 1200 in total who are either immigrants from Muslim nations or foreign converts in Iceland. Either way, the Muslim community is very international and mostly based in Reykjavik, the capital city. There is a local mosque in Armuli which hosts Friday prayers as well as Taraweeh (Ramadan night prayers). It is also opened daily during morning and evening prayers. Guests are invited during Friday prayers to ask questions.

Member of Kuwait parliament; Shiite clerics are prevented from entering Kuwait due to security restrictions

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Faisal Al-Doisan stressed that, despite the directives of the Emir of the country to renounce sectarianism, but unfortunately there are those who do not want this country to stability across the target for the Shiite community.Unfortunately there are those who deliberately struck Shiite activities under a security status.

He added that Ministry of the Interior is responsible for the development of security restrictions. Ministry of the Interior has to remove security restriction against Shia groups.

He pointed out that this is contrary to the 1962 Constitution that provides freedom for all people without any differences between citizens.

It is noteworthy that these restrictions status created by some radical takfiri Kuwait.