mam Ali Zainul Abideen (AS)

Introduction
Name: ‘Ali ibnul Husain
Titles: Az-Zainul Abideen, As-Sajjaad
Kuniya: Abu Muhammad
Birthdate: 15th Jamadi-ul-Awwal 37 A.H. in Madina
Father: Imam Husain As-Shaheed (peace be upon him), 3rd Holy Imam
Mother: Hazrat Bibi Shahr Bano, daughter of King Yazdigard II
(Martyred) Date: 24th Muharram, 95 A.H.
Place: Madina, Arabia
Age: 58 years
Cause: Poisoned by Waleed bin Abdul Malik Marwan
Buried: Madina in Jannatul-Baqi

The holy Imam ‘Ali Zaynu ‘l-’Abideen (AS) is the Fourth Apostolic Imam. His epithet was Abu Muhammad and was popularly titled as “Zaynu’l-’Abidin”. The mother of this Holy Imam was the royal personage, Hazrat Bibi Shahr Banu (SA), the daughter of King Yazdgerd, the last pre-Islamic Ruler of Persia. Imam Zaynu’l-’Abideen (AS) spent the first two years of his infancy in the lap of his grandfather ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) and then for twelve years he had the gracious patronage of his uncle, the second Holy Imam al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (AS). In 61 AH, he was present in Karbala’, at the time of the gruesome tragedy of the wholesale massacre of his father, his uncles, his brothers, his cousins and all the godly comrades of his father; and suffered a heartless captivity and imprisonment at the hands of the devilish forces of Yazid. When Imam Husayn had come for the last time to his camp to bid goodbye to his family, ‘Ali Zaynu ‘l-’Abideen (AS) was lying semiconscious in his sickbed and hence he escaped the massacre in Karbala’. Imam Husayn could only manage a very brief talk with the inmates of his camp and departed nominating his sick son as Imam.

The Holy Imam Zaynu’l-’Abideen (AS) lived for about thirty-four years after his father and all his life he passed in prayers and supplication to Allah and in remembrance of his martyred father. It is for his ever being in prayers to Allah, mostly lying in prayerful prostration, that this Holy Imam was popularly called “Syed-e-Sajjad”. The knowledge and piety of this Holy Imam was matchless. az-Zuhrl, al-Waqid; and Ibn ‘Uyaynah say that they could not find any one equal to him in piety and godliness. He was so mindful of Allah that whenever he sat for ablution for prayers, the complexion of his face would change and when he stood at prayer his body was seen trembling. When asked why this was, he replied, “Know ye not before whom I stand in prayer, and with whom I hold discourse?”

Even on the gruesome day of ‘Ashura when Yazid’s forces had massacred his father, his kith and kin and his comrades and had set fire to the camp, this Holy Imam was engrossed in his supplications to the Lord. When the brutal forces of Yazid’s army had taken the ladies and children as captives, carrying them seated on the bare back of the camels, tied in ropes; this Holy Imam, though sick, was put in heavy chains with iron rings round his neck and his ankles, and was made to walk barefooted on the thorny plains from Karbala’ to Kufah and to Damascus; and even then this godly soul never was unmindful of his prayers to the Lord and was always thankful and supplicative to Him. His charity was unassuming and hidden. After his passing away, the people said that hidden charity ended with the departure of this Holy Imam. Like his grand-father ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), ‘Ali Zaynu’l-’Abideen (AS) used to carry on his own back at night bags of flour and bread for the poor and needy families in Medina and he so maintained hundred of poor families in the city.

The Holy Imam was not only hospitable even to his enemies but also used to continually exhort them to the right path. Imam Zaynu ‘l-’Abideen (AS) along with the Ahlu ‘I-Bayt passed through dreadful and very dangerous times, for the aggressions and atrocities of the tyrant rulers of the age had reached a climax. There was plunder, pillage, and murder everywhere. The teachings of Islam were observed more in their breach. The heartless tyrant al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqaf; was threatening every one who professed allegiance or devotion to the Ahlu ‘I-Bayt; and those caught were mercilessly put to death. The movement of the Holy Imam was strictly restricted and his meeting with any person was totally banned. Spies were employed to trace out the adherents of the Ahlu ‘I-Bayt. Practically every house was searched and every family scrutinized.

Imam Zaynu ‘l-’Abideen (AS) was not given the time to offer his prayers peacefully, nor could he deliver any sermons. This God’s Vicegerent on earth therefore, adopted a third course which proved to be very beneficial to his followers. This was in compiling supplicative prayers for the daily use of man in his endeavour to approach the Almighty Lord. The invaluable collection of his edited prayers are known as as-Sahifah al-Kdmilah or as-Sahifah as-Sajjddiyyah; it is known also as az-Zabur (Psalm) of Al Muhammad The collection is an invaluable treasury of wonderfully effective supplications to the Lord in inimitably beautiful language. Only those who have ever come across those supplications would know the excellence and the beneficial effect of these prayers. Through these prayers the Imam gave all the necessary guidance to the faithful during his seclusion. On the 25th of Muharram 95 AH when he was in Medina, al-Walid ibn ‘Abdi ‘l-Malik ibn Marwan, the then ruler got this Holy Imam martyred by poison. The funeral prayers for this Holy Imam were conducted by his son the Fifth Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir and his body was laid to rest in the cemetery of Jannatu ‘l-Baqi’ in Medina.

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Allama Tabatabai writes:
Imam Sajjad (’Ali ibn al-Hussain entitled Zaynu’l-’Abideen and Syed-e-Sajjad) was the son of the Third Imam and his wife, the queen among women, the daughter of Yazdgerd the King of Iran. He was the only son of Imam Hussain (AS) to survive, for his other three brothers ‘Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS), aged twenty-five, five-year-old Hazrat Ja’far (AS) and ‘ Hazrat Ali al-Asghar (AS) or ‘Abdullah who was a suckling baby were martyred during the event of Karbala’. The Imam (AS) had also accompanied his father on the journey that terminated fatally in Karbala’, but because of severe illness and the inability to carry arms or participate in fighting he was prevented from taking part in the holy war and being martyred. So he was sent with the womenfolk to Damascus. After spending a period in imprisonment he was sent with honour to Madina because Yazid wanted to conciliate public opinion. But for a second time, by the order of the Umayyad caliph, ‘Abdu ‘l-Malik, he was chained and sent from Madina to Damascus and then again returned to Madina. The Fourth Imam, upon returning to Medina, retired from public life completely, closed the door of his house to strangers and spent his time in worship. He was in con- tact only with the elite among the Shi’ites such as Abu Hamzah ath-Thumali, Abu Khalid Kabuli and the like. The elite disseminated among the Shi’ah the religious sciences they learned from the Imam. In this way Shi’ism spread considerably and showed its effects during the Imamate of the Fifth Imam. Among the works of the Fourth Imam is a book called Sahifah Sajjadiyyah. It consists of fifty-seven prayers concerning the most sublime Divine sciences and is known as “The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet (SAWW).” The Fourth Imam (AS) died (according to some Shi’ite traditions poisoned by al-Walid ibn ‘Abdi ‘l-Malik ibn Marwan through the instigation of the Umayyad caliph Hisham) in 95/712 after thirty-five years of Imamate.

al-Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Hussain, peace be Upon him, said:

Refrain from lying in all things, big or small, in seriousness or in jest. For when one starts lying in petty matters, soon he will have the audacity to lie in important matters (also).

A man need not fear Allah except on account of his own sins, and should place his hopes only with his Lord. When about something one does not know, one should not be ashamed of having to learn about it. And patience is to faith what the head is to the body; one who does not have patience also lacks faith.

Bomb blasts across the Iraqi capital Baghdad martyrs at least 60 people majority belongs from Shia Muslims in one of the deadliest string of attacks which took its toll on Shia mosques among other places.
According to the Shiite News, The explosions, which ripped through Baghdad on Friday, also injured more than 180 people according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry.
A series of Five car bombs, three during prayers at Shiite Muslims mosques in Baghdad, and other attacks across Iraq martyred about 60 people, days after the government said Al-Qaeda was on the run.

The strikes conjured memories of the bloodshed that once engulfed the capital daily. The deadliest attacks struck near three mosques in Sadr City, the Shia Muslim neighborhood in Baghdad, just as worshippers departed Friday afternoon prayers.

Two car bombs in the impoverished district of Sadr City, one close to a political office of top Shia Cleric Syed Moqtada al-Sadr and another at a market in the area martyred 39 people and wounded 45, a security official said.

A third car bomb that exploded outside a Muslim Shiite mosque in Al-Ameen district in the east of the capital martyred eight people and wounded 13, he said.

Earlier, at Abdel Hadi al-Chalabi mosque, named after the father of former deputy prime minister Ahmed Chalabi, a car bomb killed five people and wounded 14, he added.

At least eight people martyred and 13 were wounded when a car bomb and a roadside bomb detonated outside Muhsin al-Hakim mosque in southeastern Baghdad.

A roadside bomb outside the Sadreen mosque in the Zafaraniya neighborhood in southeastern Baghdad martyred two people and wounded seven. One person was martyred and six were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in an outdoor market in the southern Baghdad district of Dora.

West of Baghdad, in the Anbar province town of Khaldiya, six people were martyred and 10 were wounded when six roadside bombs exploded in a residential area where a police officer and a judge lived. Authorities imposed a curfew.

Friday’s violence came four days after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Al-Qaeda in Iraq was “bleeding” and its leaders “falling” after an Iraqi-US military operation on Sunday purportedly killed its top two leaders.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks in Baghdad but the sequence of car bombings bore the hallmark of Al-Qaeda. “Targeting prayers in areas with a certain majority,” Baghdad security spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said, referring to Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority, “is a revenge for the losses suffered by al-Qaida. “We expect such terrorist acts to continue.”

Pro-Taliban militants have stormed a Shia populated area in northwestern Pakistan, leaving at least four people, including a child, dead and 14 others injured.Senior Pakistani government official Abbas Ali said the militants launched an attack on the Kurram Agency on Friday, using mortar bombs and heavy machine guns.

“They fled from neighboring southern Afghanistan and assembled in the region with the support of local Mangal tribe — a like minded group of Pakistani Taliban and Al-Qaeda,” Ali said. The militants had previously been involved in massacres of the Shia community in Parachinar, Hangu district and much of Kurram Agency.

Local sources say that more than 2,000 Shias have been martyred in the region since the extremists launched a bloody war against the Muslim community in 2007.
Source :ABNA

The martyrdom anniversary of the Eight infallible Imam Reza (AS) is being observed in across the world including Pakistan, Iran, India, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Kastania, Africa, Nigera and other parts of the world.
According to the Shiite News Correpondent, the congregation and procession are being held across the world to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Reza (AS).
In Iran, Concurrent with the anniversary of martyrdom of 8th Infallible Imam of the Prophet of Islam Mohammad (PBUH) Household, Imam Reza (AS), all of the Islamic Iran’s cities are mourning this sad occasion.
Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine in the city of Mashhad, northeastern Iran, is currently host to millions of pilgrims, who are mourning the anniversary of martyrdom of Imam Reza (AS).
The holy city of Mashhad and the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) have been draped in black on the anniversary of martyrdom of Imam Reza (AS), while the Muslim nation of Iran mourns this sad occasion throughout mosques, Husseiniyehs, and other religious sites across the country.

Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her), the grand daughter of God’s Last and Greatest Messengers to mankind, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

She was born on 5th of Jamadi as-Sani in Medina in the year 5 or 6 hijri. At the time of her birth the Prophet was not in Medina, and when her mother Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon her) asked Imam Ali (PBUH) to name the newborn, the proud father said humbly that it is for the Prophet to decide. On his return, as was his habit, the Prophet first went to his daughter’s house, where he was given tidings of the birth of a radiant granddaughter to him and was asked to name the baby girl. He smiled and said it is God Almighty Who would choose the name. Archangel Gabriel descended the very moment saying, the name of the girl in the Eternal Tablet is Zainab, meaning “Ornament of the Father.” After naming the newborn, the Prophet took her in his arms and pressing his cheek to her cheek cried incessantly until his beard was soaked with tears. On being asked by his daughter the reason of grief, he said: Gabriel has just informed me that after you she will suffer from great afflictions. Hazrat Fatema (peace upon her) cried as well and inquired her father about the divine reward for those who would shed tears on the sufferings of Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her). He said they would receive the same reward reserved for those who mourn her brother the immortal Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (PBUH). The Prophet’s exact words as quoted by religious and historical texts are: Whoever cries on the sufferings of this girl is like the one cried for [the sufferings of] her two brothers, Hasan and Husain –peace upon them).”

Her genealogy is impeccable. Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her) was a blue blood scion of the House of Hashem, the noble leader of the Quraysh tribe who was descended from Prophet Abraham’s firstborn son, Prophet Ishmael. Her father and mother need no introduction. If her maternal grandfather was Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), her paternal grandfather was that protector of infant Islam, the Prophet’s beloved uncle and guardian, Hazrat Abu Taleb (PBUH) – the consanguineous brother of the Prophet’s father Hazrat Abdullah (PBUH). If her maternal grandmother was Umm al-Momineen or the Mother of all true Believers, Hazrat Khadija (peace upon her) the lady also known as Maleekat al-Arab or Queen of Arabia for her fabulous wealth that she all spent for Islam, her paternal grandmother was Fatema bint Asad (peace upon), the lady who had brought up the orphaned Prophet as her own son following the death of his grandfather Abdul-Mutallib and before that of his mother Amena bint Wahb (peace upon them). The merits of Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her), who gave her two youthful sons, Aoun and Mohammad, as sacrifices for the cause of Islam at Karbala, do not end here, in view of the fact that her brothers were Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (peace upon them), the “Leaders of the Youth of Paradise.”

She was married to her first cousin Abdullah, the son of the first migrant in Islam Ja’far at-Tayyaar, whose famous expounding of monotheism and the merits of Prophet Jesus and the Virgin Mary (peace upon them) in the court of Najashi or King Negus of Abyssinia (that is, modern day Ethiopia) when the polytheists of Mecca pursued him there, is recorded in golden letters. Her husband, who on being orphaned in childhood was brought up by the Prophet, was a brave, forthright and virtuous person, in addition to being a successful trader later in life. It could be said that the worship, piety and abstinence of Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her) were on parity with her parents and her grandfather Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). She used to spend the nights in reciting the Holy Qur’an and offering prayers. Throughout her life never did she once leave tahajjud or the late midnight prayer, even during journeys and the period of captivity in the aftermath of Karbala when she and the other members of history’s most heart-rending tragedy were forced to ride on bareback camels and confined to dungeons. The famous words of Imam Husain (PBUH) before he rode out to court martyrdom bear testimony in this regard. While bidding farewell to everyone in the encampment, he turned to her and said: “O Sister! Don’t forget me during the late midnight prayer.”

Her nephew Imam Zain al-Abedin (PBUH) says that never did his aunt neglect tahajjud and the daily nawafel or the supererogatory prayers. She used to perform them while seated because of the hardships of captivity during which the noble captives were bound with ropes and given very little to eat. At times she used to go without food for days by feeding the children with her share of the meagre meals. This is proof of her lofty spiritual status. When Hazrat Zainab (peace upon her) and the noble captives were taken to the palace of Obaidullah ibn Ziyad, the tyrannical governor of Kufa who was the mastermind of the Karbala tragedy, she controlled herself to a great extent despite the insults he hurled on the Prophet’s blessed household. He mocked at the severed heads of martyrs, telling her to see what God had done to her household. Her reply emphasized the justice of God with the famous phrase: “I have seen nothing but the grace – of God,” made the Godless Ibn Ziyad angrier. The daughter of Imam Ali (PBUH) addressing him in one of the most eloquent sermons ever in Arabic exposed the crimes of the Omayyuds and moved the audience to tears:

“O son of Ziyad, we are the sisters of Husain (AS), the grand daughters of Muhammad (SAWA) whom you acknowledge as your prophet. You and the other henchmen of Yazid have, for the sake of worldly gains, flouted all the principles of Islam, have desecrated the dead bodies of the martyrs, despite the fact that it is strictly forbidden by religion, and subjected to us to the worst kind of ill treatment, although the Prophet had enjoined on all believers to treat the captives and particularly the women and the children with sympathy and consideration. Today you are gloating over your success and rejoicing; today you are thinking that you can insult and humiliate us to your heart’s content because there is nobody to say a word to you on our behalf, because you see us in this helpless condition with no one to befriend us, none to protest against the treatment you are meting out to us. But O tyrant! Let me warn you that you will find your success ephemeral and very soon the wrath of God will descend on you and on those whose cause you are espousing. Very soon the nemesis will overtake you and all the others who have ruthlessly killed my brother and other members of my family without the least compunction simply because they stood steadfast in their belief; because they refused to surrender their principles or compromise their ideals; because they refused to accept Yazid, whose stooge you are, as the caliph of Muslims on account of his being a known profligate, who had flouted all principles of Islam, trampled under foot all ethical concepts and reduced all human beings to an abject state.”

How prophetic! Today the golden-domed mausoleum of the lady who nursed back Islam to life, towers magnificently over the capital of her tormentors, attracting the faithful from all over the world. Her birthday continues to be celebrated worldwide wherever the followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt are found while no trace remains of her tormentors, not even their graves, let alone the palaces from which they ruled by terrorizing the people.

Majlis-e-Wahdate Muslimeen (MWM) on Friday alleged that the United States and Israel are involved in the ongoing sectarian killings of Shia Muslims in Pakistan.

This was said by the speakers during the protest demonstration held outside the Noor-e-Eman Mosque in Karachi to denounce the killing of Shia Muslims in Quetta, Karachi, Kohat and Kurram Agency.

According to the Shiite News, The participants of the protest demonstration were chanting the anti-United States and Israel slogans and also denounced the Taliban terrorists.

Addressing the demonstration, MWM Central Leader Maulana Munawar Naqvi said that through killing the Shia community in the country, America and Israel wants to destabilize Pakistan.

He expressed his concern over the silence of Government and Law Enforcement agencies on the killing of Shia community people in Quetta, Karachi, Kurram Agency and other areas.

He demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take immediate notice of the killing of Shia people in Pakistan and activities of banned religious outfits in Sindh province.

MWM Leader appealed to the President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and Army Chief to extend the Army operation against the terrorists on Balochistan and Kurram agency to eliminate the terrorists from these areas, who wants to destabilize the country through their heinous terrorist activities.

He asked the government to forthwith grant the compensation amount to the victims and injured of Ashura and Arbaeen bomb blast incidents in Karachi saying that the families of Ashura and Arbaeen martyrs are still deprived from the compensation amount announced by the government.

However, countrywide demonstrations were organized by Majlis-e-Wahdate Muslimeen (MWM) in Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gilgit, Baltistan, Quetta, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jhang, NMawabshah, MirpurKhas, Larkana, Jaffarabad, Azad Kashmir and others areas of the country to denounce the genocide of Shia Muslims in Pakistan including Quetta, Kurram Agency, Kohat and Karachi.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the US threat to use atomic weapons against Iran in fact show change in its “fox-like literature to a wolf-like literature”.
The nation will “force those who make threats to surrender,” he said in a meeting with a group of nurses from across the country, IRNA reported.
On April 6 Barack Obama released a new US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) in which he restricted use of nuclear weapons against countries that might attack the US by deploying biological and chemical warfare but which are members of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), with the exception of Iran and North Korea.
The Leader stressed that real power of the Iranian people and country emanates from faith not advanced weapons or military equipment. “The nation has advance in all areas and in the wake of its increasing faith and insight will overcome all threats and challenges,” he noted.
Elaborating on the issue, he added “The nation has moved forward also in the defense equipment sector…But the power and prowess lies in faith. It is for this purpose that after 30 years of sanctions, military attack, political and security threats the nation has developed and moved forward beyond conventional norms.
“Making a nuclear threat will not affect the people.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the use of air-conditioners at the government offices would not be allowed before 11am, Geo News reported Thursday.

He said while talking to a media briefing that the shops and commercial centers would be closed after 8pm except necessary businesses like pharmacy and bakeries etc..

The power supply to billboards would be cut off immediately, he said adding 50 percent less lights would be used in the government offices including those of the President and the PM.

Government offices would have two weekly offs, he announced adding the industries would announce alternative weekly offs.

The decision regarding two weekly holidays will applicable till July 31, he clarified.

The power quota to Karachi from Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) has been slashed by 300 Megawatts from 650 MWs, he said adding now Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) will receive only 350 MWs.

No officer below 20 grade would be entitled to use air-conditioner, he said adding if someone does so, he would be grilled.

The marriage halls would be allowed to have function for only three hours, he said.

The electricity would not be provided to agricultural sector in peak hours.

At least 1300 MWs would come into system by the end of the year, he said.

ISLAMABAD

2 Weekly holidays announced in govt offices,where as

industrial unit shall observe alternative holidays.

“Minster RAJA ASHRAF “

BELFAST: At first glance these objects look like they are in motion, almost like every object is falling down, especially the “strawberry blanket”. In reality they are actually natural materials, like feathers, fruits and flowers, attached to nylon threads. Sculptor Claire Morgan from Belfast is the creator of this magnificent art work. She has among other things achieved a first class degree in Sculpture from Northumbria University.

Since graduating she has pursued a career solely as a visual artist. She has exhibited internationally, with solo shows, residencies and commissions across the UK, as well as group exhibitions in Europe.

TOKYO: A cup of green tea a day may keep the dentist away. That`s the conclusion of a new study published in Preventive Medicine.

Green tea contains antimicrobial molecules called catechins that may promote dental health, researchers claim.

“Green tea may have bactericidal effects, which would affect teeth, but only if you drink it without sugar,” said Alfredo Morabia, of Columbia University in New York and editor of Preventive Medicine, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new research.

WASHINGTON – U.S. and Iraqi forces zapped Al Qaeda’s top two goons in a safehouse, the top American general in Iraq boasted Monday.

Army Gen. Raymond Odierno confirmed that Iraqi Security Forces “supported by U.S. forces” blew away Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Umar al-Baghdadi in an Al Qaeda in Iraq safehouse a few miles southwest of ex-dictator Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.

“The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to Al Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency,” said Odierno, who commands all U.S. troops and is President Obama’s point man leading the American drawdown in Iraq.

One American soldier was killed when a helicopter crashed, the U.S. military said.

A military statement described al-Masri, “the Egyptian” also known as Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir, as AQI’s “military commander.” He was the terror group’s top leader and stepped in to reassert control on behalf of Osama Bin Laden after Jordanian thug Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was blown to bits by a U.S. airstrike in 2006.

Bin Laden’s deputy, Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri, had criticized the Sunni Muslim Zarqawi’s brutal tactics and his war on Iraq’s Shi’a Muslims.

Al-Masri joined Egyptian Islamic Jihad — which later merged with Al Qaeda — in 1982, and was a protege of its leader, Zawahiri.

Al-Baghdadi, the Iraqi “Prince of the Faithful” whose real name is Hamid Dawud Muhammad Khalil al Zawi, was the face of the insurgency as leader of the “Islamic State of Iraq.” Al-Baghdadi was long thought to be a fictitious figure – but al-Masri was always viewed as the real leader of the insurgency.

Odierno said American special operations forces had conducted a series of raids in the past week with help of intelligence officers and Iraqi troops, which ultimately led to the safehouse where both AQI leaders were hiding.

“There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists,” Odierno said.

End item/ 129

Lebanese Shia television psychic sentenced to death for “sorcery” in Saudi Arabia was granted a stay of execution on Friday, his lawyer told The BBC.

Until he was arrested in 2008 while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Ali Sabat was the host of a satellite television program in which he promised to give “advice and predictions about the future,” to callers from around the Arab world to his studio in Beirut, as Britain’s Channel 4 News explained in a report on his case on Thursday. (That report, embedded above, includes scenes from Mr. Sabat’s show and of his televised confession which was broadcast in Saudi Arabia.)

The television psychic was popular in Saudi Arabia and was reportedly recognized by members of the country’s religious police — officially known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

According to Amnesty International, Mr. Sabat was sentenced to death in Medina in November, “after secret court hearings where he had no legal representation or assistance.” The human rights group also reported that “on March 10, a court in Medina upheld the death sentence. The judges said that he deserved to be sentenced to death because he had practiced ’sorcery’ publicly for several years before millions of viewers.” The court added that his execution would act as a deterrent to what it called the increasing number of “foreign magicians” coming to Saudi Arabia.

May al-Khansa, a lawyer working for Mr. Sabat in Lebanon, raised an alarm about Mr. Sabat’s possible execution this week when she said on Wednesday that she had been told he would be beheaded “within 48 hours.” On Friday, though, Ms. Khansa told The Associated Press that Lebanon’s justice minister had informed her that Mr. Sabat “would not be executed in Saudi Arabia today — the day executions are typically carried out in the kingdom after noon prayers.”

Since Saudi authorities do not always give notice of executions, and have not responded to requests for comment from foreign media organizations, the apparent delay in Mr. Sabat’s execution has yet to be confirmed.

Ms. Khansa told a BBC radio program that she had been told that he was still alive on Friday, “But after that I don’t have an answer as to if he will be alive or not. Time is passing and if they don’t kill him this Friday maybe next Friday.” In a television interview with the BBC, she appealed to Saudi Arabia’s king to recognize that “Ali Sabat is not a criminal.”

In Beirut, Meris Lutz of The Los Angeles Times wrote that the case might be more about Saudi politics than law.

One Lebanese legal expert who is familiar with Saudi law and politics described the case against Sabat as a “muscle show” by conservatives who may be seeking to embarrass reformist leaders such as King Abdullah.

“I don’t know on what grounds they arrested him, since he didn’t commit [the crime] in Saudi, he’s not a Saudi citizen, and it wasn’t directed against Saudi, and usually one of these criteria must be fulfilled,” the expert said, asking that her name not be published because she travels to Saudi Arabia.

Ms. Lutz added that the legal expert suggested that Mr. Sabat might have been given the harshest possible sentence because he is a Shiite Muslim.

The second anniversary celebration of Udyavar Muslim Unity (UMU), UAE was held at Foodland Restaurant’s Party Hall here, recently.

UMU general secretary Janab Abdul Khaliq Hyder welcomed the gathering followed by Holy Quran recitation done by unity member Janab Arfan Palli. UMU advisor Janab Ansar Aziz presided. UMU president Janab Khaiser Mohammed Abu, chief treasurer Janab Nayaz Shabuddin T and UMU vice-president Janab Ashraf Sattar was also present.

Janab Ashraf Sattar delivered the welcome speech. UMU treasurer Janab Sameer Sherief Pande read out the annual report and UMU auditor Janab Khalil Khairullah presented the audit report for the past year. Janab Ansar Aziz appraised the achievements and dedication of its members. A lucky dip which had nearly fifteen prizes concluded the super day of entertainment. The gifts were distributed among children on the special occasion by wife of Ansar Aziz.

Janab Asif Khader proposed the vote of thanks. Janab Abdul Khaliq Hyder compered the programme.

According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), Yemeni security officials claimed late on Friday that Houthis had killed a soldier, Namran Suleiman Jaber Hadshan, who was also a bodyguard to a member of parliament, and dumped his body in a well.

In a statement posted on their website on Saturday, the Houthis said the soldier had fallen down a well “at least 20 days earlier” and died as a result of his injuries.

“There was no involvement or link whatsoever on our part to what happened,” the Houthis said in the statement.

Also on Friday, officials said Houthis had a day earlier opened fire on a military plane flying above Saada, one of the most serious breaches of the truce.

The aircraft, which state media said was carrying military and government officials, was not hit. Yemeni media said the Houthis denied involvement in the incident.

The Yemeni government, struggling to stabilise a fractious country where Al-Qaeda is trying to strengthen its influence, agreed a truce in February with the northern Shias to halt fighting that has raged on and off since 2004 and displaced 250,000 people.

Twin Blasts in a Shia refugee camp near Kohat happened, 40 martyred and more than 100 people injured. Some of them are in critical condition and the numbers of martyrs will likely  increase.
        
It was learnt that the Shia people were completing the registration process when the yazidi forces victimized them.
  
Shortly afterwards when the rescue activities were on, another blast rocked the scene, further complicating the situation.
  
This is not a new tactic that yazidi forces are resorting to ,as earlier similar incidents of attacks in quick succession occurred in D.I.Khan,Karachi and most recently in Quetta(yesterday).
  
It is worth mention that in the last day of Holy month of Ramadan in the last year, an explosion occurred in the same area and as a result of that 43 of Shia people martyred.

“Although several countries have produced and stockpiled nuclear weapons that could lead to commission of a major nuclear crime and have seriously threatened world peace, only one government has committed the ultimate nuclear offence, the United States of America,” Imam Khamenei said.
I wish to welcome the honourable guests that have gathered here for this conference. It is a source of pleasure for the Islamic Republic of Iran to be the host for this international disarmament conference. I hope this occasion will be an opportunity to yield enduring and important results from your dialogues and discussions for the whole humanity.
Atomic and nuclear sciences are among the greatest achievement of humankind and must be at the service of welfare and advancement of all human societies. The application fields of nuclear science cover a wide spectrum of medical, energy and industrial uses, each being of essential importance. For this reason, we can rightly say that nuclear technology occupies a prominent position in our economic life and its importance will only rise as we move forward. As the needs of industry, the health and energy sectors grow, so do the efforts to make more use of nuclear energy. The nations of the Middle East, like other nations of the world, are thirsting for peace, security and progress. They have the right to ensure the economic position and prosperity of the future generations. Most likely, one of the reasons behind efforts to cast clouds of doubt on the peaceful nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to hold back the nations of the region from paying serious attention to this natural and important right of theirs.    
The deceptive ploy by the sole nuclear offender that falsely claims to be advocating non-proliferation of nuclear arms, while doing nothing substantive for this cause, will never succeed. If the campaign by the United States were not fictitious, could the Zionist regime refrain from accepting the rules of international law, especially the non-proliferation regime, and turn the occupied land of Palestine into an arsenal with huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons?
The word “atom” implies as much the advancement of human knowledge, as it does remind us of the most appalling event in history, the most dreadful genocide, and the gravest exploitation of scientific achievements of humankind. Although several countries have produced and stockpiled nuclear weapons that could lead to commission of a major nuclear crime and have seriously threatened world peace, only one government has committed the ultimate nuclear offence, the United States of America.  The innocent people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were attacked by atomic bombs in an unequal and cruel war.
From the time of the first explosion of an atomic weapon by the government of the United States in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that caused human catastrophe with colossal proportions, the security of the entire humankind has been threatened and there has been a global consensus on the need for complete elimination of these weapons. The use of nuclear weapon not only caused massive loss of lives and destruction, but was also totally indiscriminate toward military and civilian population, young and old, women and men. Its ruthless consequences crossed political and geographical boundary lines and even wreaked irreparable losses on the next generations. As a consequence of these devastating effects, any use of or even threat to use nuclear weapons is a serious and material violation of indisputable rules of humanitarian law and a cogent example of a war crime.  After a few countries acquired these weapons, it has been proven beyond any doubt that there is no winner in a nuclear war and entering such a war is irrational and inhuman. Nevertheless, despite these simple moral, rational, humane and even military facts and justifications and emphatic and repeated desire of the international community for the total elimination of these weapons, a small number of governments that have built their illusion of security on the insecurity of others continue to ignore this global call.  
The insistence of these governments on holding on and increasing the destructive powers of these weapons will have no use but to serve as a tool for collective intimidation and terror and to create a false sense of security based on deterrence resulting from assured destruction and perpetuation of the global nuclear nightmare.  Colossal amounts of resources have been spent in this irrational arms race, so each superpower could have this illusion and power to imagine that it is able to destroy its rivals and other inhabitants of the planet Earth, even their own population,  many times over. It is for good reason that the deterrent strategy based on “mutually assured destruction” is referred to as MAD.
Over the recent years some government have gone beyond the “mutually assured destruction” deterrence doctrine in facing other nuclear powers. They have gone so far that their nuclear strategy emphasizes on maintaining nuclear choice in countering conventional threats by violators of NPT, while the greatest violators of NPT are those powers that, in addition to violating their commitments under article 6 of NPT on nuclear disarmament have even taken over others in the race for vertical and horizontal proliferation. They have played a direct role in proliferating these weapons by helping to arm the Zionist regime with nuclear weapons and supporting the policies of this regime. This is contrary to their undertaking under article 1 of NPT, and poses a serious threat to the Middle East region and beyond. The bullying and aggressor regime of the United States is leading these efforts.
It behooves this international conference on disarmament to review and examine  the perils resulting from production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons in the world, and to present sensible and practical  ways and solutions to counter this threat against humanity so, serious steps could be taken toward protecting world peace and security. 
We believe that other weapons of mass destruction, in addition to nuclear weapons, such as chemical and biological weapons, also pose a serious threat to humanity. The people of Iran were themselves victims of the use of chemical weapons and are better aware of the dangers of production and stockpiling of these weapons. We are prepared to make resources available to us to counter this threat.
We regard the use of these weapons to be illegal and haram, and it is incumbent on all to protect humankind from this grave disaster.

Seyyed Ali Khameni
27 Farvardin 1389
1 Jammadi al-awal 1431

Najwa Malha, who was born is Spain to Moroccan immigrants, has been excluded from classes at the state-run Camilo Jose Cela School in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo after being told that her hijab was in violation of school dress code.

The decision has sparked debate in Spain where there are no clear guidelines over the wearing of Islamic headdress in state schools.

The enforcement of dress codes is left up to individual school boards but previous cases of exclusion have been overturned by the state with the argument that the constitutional right to an educational overrides the school’s right to determine its own policies.

“I feel totally discriminated against,” said Miss Malha, who said she began wearing the hijab two months ago as an expression of her religious belief. Her father, Mohamed, told Spanish newspaper El Pais that he had originally objected to his daughter wearing the hijab to school.

“I asked her to reconsider […] because I figured it would cause her problems,” he said.

Last November, a Muslim lawyer was ejected from Spain’s national court, where she was defending a client, because she refused to remove her headscarf.

Vice head of the Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdul Amir Kabalan, said, during the Friday sermon he delivered today, that the national dialogue parties ought to shed particular light on people’s needs and remain away from tensions. He accordingly highlighted the necessity of closing ranks in face of Israel.

“Israel keeps staging threats for we own Iranian and Russian missiles. Yet it is to note that these weapons are deemed a strong point against the enemy. Lebanon’s strength lies in its people, army, and Resistance”, he said.

Kabalan also underscored the role of the spiritual and religious references in uniting people and in spreading serenity and love values among the citizens.

Loyalty to the Resistance Parliamentary bloc minister said on Friday that whether or not they have acquired scud missiles is none of Israel’s business.
 
Minister Hussein Haj Hassan says the group was always arming and preparing itself but he refused to confirm or deny Israeli allegations that the Lebanese resistance group has acquired Scud missiles.
 
Israeli president Shimon Peres earlier this week directly accused Damascus of providing the scud missiles, a charge Syria denied.
 
The U.S. State Department responded to the allegations on Wednesday by saying that if they were true, “it would put Lebanon at a significant risk.”
 
Haj Hassan, meanwhile, told Al-Manar TV that since Israel possessed all kinds of weapons, it’s only natural for Lebanon to have the means to defend itself against an Israeli attack.
 
On Tuesday, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai Al-Aam reported that Syria had shipped ballistic Scud missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The White House said it has raised concerns with Syria about the report.
 
Israeli officials say the introduction of Scuds could alter the strategic balance with Hezbollah. Scud missiles have several times the range and explosive firepower of Katyusha rockets and would pose a much more serious threat.
 
In Washington, the Syrian Embassy dismissed the allegations of shipping scud missiles and accused Israel of trying to divert attention from questions about Israel’s nuclear program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear arms, though it does not confirm nor deny this.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday said it was more concerned with peace in society than a person’s fundamental right to freedom of speech and upheld a Maharashtra government ban on a book titled “A Concept of Political World Invasion by Muslims”.

Petitioner R V Bhasin had challenged the state government’s 2007 decision four years after the publication of the book to ban it on the ground that it perpetrated hatred against Muslims, promoted enmity between communities and on the apprehension that it would breach harmony in society.

The Bombay High Court had said that the state government committed no wrong by banning the book. “The way this sensitive topic is handled by the author, it is likely to arouse the emotions and sensibilities of even strong minded people. We have held that criticism of Islam is permissible like criticism of any other religion and the book cannot be banned on that ground…But the author has gone on to pass insulting comments on Islam.”

Dismissing the appeal against the HC order, an apex court Bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and H L Dattu said it agreed with the HC that a person’s freedom to expression permitted him to criticise a religion, but it could not be at the cost of public interest and public peace.

“We should not allow this kind of book to be read by citizens. You are entitled to criticise a religion. But, if an ordinary citizen reads your book, then there could be some misconception leading to clash between communities,” the Bench said refusing to entertain the appeal.

“We are not against your right. But, we are more for public interest and public peace in the country,” the Bench said, adding that it was satisfied that the HC had considered the matter threadbare before upholding the ban.

According to JAFARIA NEWS – Keds, a brand of canvas shoe with rubber soles, has produced new sneaker which printed the holly sentences of “لا اله الا الله” there is no God except Allah and “محمد رسول الله” the Holly prophet is the messenger of Allah on them!

This is an obvious insult to the sacred of more than one billion Muslims, angers several people.

Following to these shoes production, Muslim Internet users mail each other and want to boycott the production of Keds.

Hezbollah lawmaker Nawaf Mousawi has warned the US about interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs ahead of the country’s municipal elections.

Mousawi accused the US embassy of impeding national reconciliation in Lebanon, the Lebanese daily Naharnet reported on Monday.

He said the US embassy in Awkar, Lebanon is “harming” national reconciliation efforts “through the policy of sabotage and fragmentation it is adopting in Lebanon and the region.”

“The Awkar den is also harming national dignity by turning its intelligence into tools to slaughter the Lebanese any time it wants,” he added.

He also said any US intervention in Lebanon is tantamount to direct Israeli intervention in Lebanon.

Increasingly, the moderate elements in Islam are coming to the front, arguing an anti-terror case.

Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority issued a fatwa (edict) denouncing all acts of terrorism and criminalising its financing, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported today.

The Council of Supreme Scholars declared “any act of terrorism, including providing financial support to terrorists, a crime,” regardless of where it takes place, the London-based newspaper said.

According to the fatwa, the financier of acts of terrorism will be considered a “partner” in the crime, the newspaper said.

The council did not specify a penalty to the act of financing terrorism, leaving that decision for the Islamic courts to determine, the newspaper said.

Berlin’s Martin-Gropius Building is displaying masterpieces of Islamic art, including rare copies of the Holy Qur’an.

The Berlin exhibition shows some of the most important works of art from the Muslim world, including pages from ‘Shahnameh’ (Grand Book), a magnum opus by renowned Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi. They are among the most remarkable in the world.

The exhibition also includes the oldest known Arabic manuscript of the ‘Canon of Medicine’ by Avicenna (980-1037), the Iranian physician and most influential Muslim philosopher-scientist, Mehr News Agency reported.

Also on show is a double page of the ‘Blue Qur’an’ from 9th century. The blue parchment sheets are inscribed with gold letters in Kufic script and are among the most valuable and elaborate Qur’anic manuscripts in the world.

Running from March to June, the exhibition is arranged under two main sections. First, ‘The Word of God’ consists of Qur’anic manuscripts, illustrated sheets and artifacts that deal with pilgrimage to Mecca or Islamic mysticism which have inspired many artists and architects. Second, ‘The Route of the Travelers’ takes visitors on a journey through the Muslim world.

The artworks on display, namely the paintings, drawings, book illustrations, manuscripts, inscriptions, metalwork, ceramics and wood carvings, reveal the extraordinary variety and overwhelming richness of Islamic culture.

Scotland Yard has bowed to Islamic sensitivities and accepted that Muslims are entitled to throw shoes in ritual protest — which could have the unintended consequence of politicians or the police being hit.

News of the concession has come to light amid a series of trials of more than 70 mostly Muslim demonstrators who were charged with violent disorder after last year’s Gaza protests outside the Israeli embassy in London.
Aquib Salim, 21, an IT student at Queen Mary, London University, who was involved in a shoe-throwing incident, is almost certain to avoid a prison sentence as a result.

Chris Holt, Salim’s solicitor, said he was likely to get a suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of throwing a stick at police lines. “The court accepted that the earlier shoe-throwing incident was simply a ritual form of protest and therefore not a criminal act of violence,” Holt said.

Judge Denniss agreed that the act of shoe-throwing should not be considered in a charge of violent disorder against the student because it was “a symbolic” gesture.

The concession has already been taken up enthusiastically by Muslim demonstrators, who pelted Downing Street with shoes in protest at the Israeli bombing of Gaza last year.

The secretary general for the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri said religious scholars from all Islamic schools have a key role in helping prevent discord among Muslims.

Speaking at a meeting with Indian Muslim scholars in Tehran on Tuesday, Taskhiri stressed the need for unity among the Ummah and said “The holy Qur’an has equated differences and discord with adversity and affliction,” WFPIST’s public relations office reported.

Scholars, theologians and preachers should know that “Enemies [of Islam] are trying to sow discord among Muslims” and that it is their obligation to prevent divisions in the ranks of Muslims.

During the meeting prominent Indian Muslim scholars, including Dr. Qalb Sadeq and Abdul Wahab Khalaji , emphasized the need for Muslims to help the oppressed and downtrodden, close ranks and strive for the unity of Ummah.

American Muslims say following the September 11 terror attacks in the US, their rights have often been violated in the name of national security.

Muslim Americans complain that in the aftermath of the 9/11 incidents the definition and face of a terrorist became distinctly Muslim, making some followers of the faith targets of hateful words and acts, while making it difficult for others to keep jobs, go to school or even board a plane.

“9/11 made things worse. It added a lot on our shoulders. It brought stereotypes and bad policies in front and there were already bad policies in the past,” Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told Press TV’s Erin Connors.

CAIR moved this week to ask the US Department of Justice to close loopholes that allow for profiling individuals based on their religion and national origin, something that some officials describe as ‘the way to a secure America’.

“The government has to act on active intelligent intelligence, not on racial religious profiling. It has shown over time to be ineffective and counterproductive,” Nihad emphasized.

Many observers maintain that acts of terrorism take place by members of other religions and ethnicities as well, but they are seldom labeled after their ethnic identity.

“It’s the act that defines what is illegal not the person or action,” said Sahar Aziz, who is on the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to support national security, not in everyone’s interest to support racial profiling as a means to do so, it’s not effective,” she said.

American and Israeli elements believe that Syria has transferred long and medium range surface-to-surface Scud missiles to Hezbollah which could target most of the Zionist entity’s territory, the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper reported.
 
According to the report, which is based on American sources in Washington, Israeli and Western intelligence services have discovered that the Syrian army has been training Hezbollah operatives on how to operate a line of missiles from Syria’s weapons arsenal including anti-aircraft and medium-long range Scud missiles.
 
The US sources told the paper that Israel has warned Syria, via Turkey and Qatar, of its intention to bomb Lebanese and Syrian targets should the missiles cross the border and reach Hezbollah. The Syrian ambassador to Washington was summoned for a talk.
 
The al-Rai paper further reported that US Senator John Kerry met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, who denied the reports. However, Assad did not convince the Americans, who fear that the transfer of missiles would lead to a regional war, especially if Israel should decide to act on its threat.
 
Ynet commented on the report saying that it should be noted that the Scud shipment has not changed the military balance as Hezbollah already possess long and medium range missiles and rockets which could go as far as Beersheba. However, the transfer bears a symbolic significance boosting the resistance group’s confidence since the only bodies which hold surface-to-surface ballistic missiles are sovereign states.
 
“Hezbollah has therefore become the only non-governmental organization in the world to hold such weapons. One can assume had the missiles been “tie-breaking weapons,” the Israeli army would have already taken action. It should also be noted that Israel is currently abstaining from taking any step which would divert international focus from Iran sanctions,” Ynet added.
 
The Scud missile is designated to hit population centers in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan area or Haifa. According to the Kuwaiti report, the missiles transferred to Hezbollah are not state-of-the-art and are apparently stationed deep inside Lebanon for fear of an Israel Air-Force strike.
 
Moreover, Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday accused Syria of supplying Scud missiles to Hezbollah while publicly talking peace. “Syria claims it wants peace while at the same time it delivers Scuds to Hezbollah whose only goal is to threaten the state of Israel,” Peres told public radio.
 
“Syria believes it need do nothing more than let itself be courted by the world, while saying one thing and doing the opposite,” Peres said amid Israeli media reports of rising tensions.
 
He made the comments just hours before flying to Paris, where he is expected to discuss the issue with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
 
Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai declined to go into details of the alleged Scud shipments but said that “Hezbollah’s firing capacity has significantly improved.”
 
In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Lebanon of allowing Hezbollah to develop its stockpile of weapons.
Israel estimates Hezbollah’s arsenal at some 40,000 rockets, a significant rise from the group’s 14,000 rockets in 2006.
 
Vilnai said that Israel would again conduct military exercises this year to prepare for possible rocket attacks by Hezbollah.
 
SECOND LEBANON WAR LESSONS
It was reported last month that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak discussed the transfer of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah during his Washington visit. It is likely that Barak, who fears a “tie-breaking weapon” in Lebanon, was referring to anti-aircraft systems which Hezbollah is after, having drawn lessons from the Second Lebanon War.
 
At the time, the group was armed with light shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles which were unable to seriously target the IAF. Hezbollah is therefore interested in obtaining heavy, sophisticated and long-range anti-aircraft systems such as radar detectors, radar-guided missile batteries and cannons which could damage the IAF’s aerial and intelligence freedom in Lebanon.
 
Arab and Western media recently reported that Hezbollah operatives have been training in Syria on using SA-8 man-portable anti-aircraft batteries which can target jets and helicopters at low and medium altitude.

Noted Shia Cleric Maulana Raja Nasir Abbas has been elected the first General Secretary of Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) for the next three years.

Hujatul-Islam Maulana Raja Nasir Abbas has elected the first General secretary of MWM after securing majority votes of 61 percent from all five provinces of the county and Azad Kashmir.

It may be noted here that this was the first party convention of Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) after its formation in April 2008 in Punjab. More than 300 representatives of Central executive council of MWM from 90 districts and six provincial structure of MWM including Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan, Azad-Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan were elected the new secretary general of MWM.

The Iraqi premier’s Rule of Law alliance has filed an official complaint over what it calls massive vote rigging in the March general elections.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition secure 89 out of 325 parliamentary seats in the March 7 vote, two seats shy of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya Party.

A spokesman for the Rule of Law said on Sunday that up to 750,000 votes have been manipulated through fraud and that the coalition was seeking a recount in five provinces or at least in Baghdad — the most populous of Iraq’s 18 provinces which accounts for 68 seats, just over a fifth of parliament.

“We believe the amount of manipulation in the votes in these five provinces could reach 750,000 votes … this is a huge number and possibly could change enormously the elections results,” coalition spokesman Hachim al-Hasani told reporters.

“This is why we presented this appeal and we hope that the judicial appeal panel will do its duty … and look into it seriously,” he added.

He said most of the votes affected by fraud would otherwise have gone to the Rule of Law coalition.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei slams US President Barack Obama for implicitly threatening Iran with a “nuclear attack.”

In a meeting with top military commanders on Sunday Ayatollah Khamenei said certain powers reply on their strength out of pride and therefore lose their authority.

“An example of this is the recent remarks by the US president who implicitly threatened the Iranian nation with the use of nuclear arms.”

“These remarks are very strange and the world should not ignore them because in the 21st century, the century of claiming to advocate human rights and fight terrorism, the head of a country has threatened [to launch] a nuclear attack,” he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei said such comments are not in the interest of the US, adding, “These remarks mean that the US government is a wicked and unreliable government.”

“In recent years, the Americans made many efforts to show that the Islamic Republic of Iran is unreliable in the nuclear issue…it is clear now that the governments that have atomic bombs and shamelessly threaten to bomb others [countries] are the unreliable ones. Therefore the US president’s remarks are scandalous.”

The Leader said that the strength of an establishment is dependant on its faith, resilience, and strong will. “After 30 years, the Iranian nation is more resilient and strong and has shown it has the ability to withstand any form of animosity.”

Ayatollah Khamenei urged Iran’s Armed Forces to adopt necessary strategies to promote the country’s defense capabilities.

“The Armed Forces should always be on full alert and ready to counter any threats by… taking their training seriously,” he said.

Hezbollah says Iran’s nuclear program is in the best interests of Muslim nations.

Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Saturday that the United States is an oppressive and colonialist power in the region that has dealt numerous blows to the Mideast.

“The US administration seeks to deter Iran from its nuclear development program by means of pressure and tough sanctions. It calls on Tehran to give assurances that its nuclear activities are of a civilian nature, even though it has done so,” Qassem added.

He went on to say that even if Iran presents hundreds of pieces of evidence proving its nuclear program is peaceful, the US and other Western countries will reject it all.