Mosque Societies are the best places for executing cultural programs


Iran — Hojatolislam Walizadeh in a meeting with the Administrators and liaisons of Art and Cultural Mosques’ Societies of Nehbandan expressed: The next year has been named “Education and Vision” for the Art and Cultural Mosques’ Societies and in the year 1390 we will be witnessed for the growth and transformation in the Societies.

He stated: currently 187 Societies are active all over the province which will pass 200 in next year.
Walizadeh added: presently in South Khorasan province, 150 libraries, 21 Quran centers and 14 kindergarten nurseries and 7 Shabestan News Agency Offices are active.

By referring that in third visit of the Government cabinet, 200 billion Rials have been allocated for the cultural activities, he called on the officials to pay special attention to the mosques.

Saudi Wahhabi Sheikh Demands Demolishing Masjid al Haram


Demolish Masjid Al-Haram, demands Saudi Sheikh

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: A Salfi Saudi cleric on Wednesday March 17 has called for demolishing the Grand Mosque (Masjid Al-Haram) in the holy city of Makkah and replacing it with a new one featuring “20 to 30” floors in pretext of preventing men and women from mingling during pilgrimages (sha’a’er ot-Tawaf was Sa`ee) which has been in Muslim practice since centuries, says a report in daily Akhbar Al Khaleej.

Sheikh Yousaf Al-Ahmed, an Islamic scholar and a teacher in Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, was speaking during a phone-in on a Saudi satellite television show.

A viewer posed video footage of the show on the YouTube website, dubbing the cleric “the new Ibraha” after the tyrant who wanted to demolish the Ka’aba 14 centuries ago.

The present Grand Mosque has three floors and is the largest mosque in the world. It is built around the Kaaba, the most sacred place in Islam.

Earlier, the Saudi government has razed a number of holy sites that belonged to the Prophet Muhammad (s), his holy progeny, wives and companions in the holy cities of Makkah and Medinah etc sending a wave of anger in the Muslim world.

Three Shia martyred in Quetta


Three Shia men were shot dead in Saryab Road area in Quetta on Saturday by the unknown terrorists.
According to the Shiite News Correspondent, Police said that unknown motorcyclists opened fire at a car in Sabzi Mandi (fruit Market) area in suburb of Saryab, Hazar Ghangi.
Three Shia men martyred on the spot while one injured seriously. Injured has been taken to Bolan Medical Complex. Investigation of the incident is underway.

Two terrorists of SSP held in Karachi


Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of Sindh Police arrested the  two terrorists of banned outfit  Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) during a raid conducted in Orangi Town, on Friday.
The sources in SIU claimed that the raid was conducted on Friday morning on a hideout of outlawed terrorist organization militants in Orangi Town Sector 14/C and arrested the terrorists identified as Ishtiaq and Faiz wanted in many cases.
However, The Shiite News Correspondent in his exclusive report informed that the Orangi Town residents on Thursday night caught a cleric of the area and his companion with an explosive device. They later handed him over to the area Police.
The  Police arrested banned Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) terrorists Maulana Ishtiaq Azmi cleric of a Mosque of terrorist group in Orangi Town and his associate Faiz.
The people of the area confirmed that residents of the area heard explosion and rushed to the hilltop of the Orangi Town, where some suspicious people were trying to escape. The brave residents caught both terrorists and later handed them over to the Police.
The Police sources confirmed that Ishtiaq Azmi and Faiz were affiliated with the outlawed terrorist’s outfits of Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and they were testing the explosive device before reaching the target when they were arrested.
It is pertaining to mention here that the terrorist outfit of Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) is restore their activities in the Sindh province as the Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and biased Sindh religious affairs Advisor Mufti Ferozuddin Hazarwi met the defunct outfit SSP chief Ahmed Ludhanvi and assured him about their support to the terrorist banned organization.

1 Shia Martyred and 2 Injured in DG Khan


One shia martyred and two injured in the result of firing by the activists of outlawed terrorist outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba in Dera Ghazi Khan.
According to the Shiite news correspondent, Renowned Shia Social worker Naseem Abbas martyred, his father Ghulam Rasool and relative Matloob Hussain got injured in the firing at Dera Ghazi Khan (Choti Zarreen) by the terrorist of outlawed organization Hafiz Abdullah and his companions. The residents of the areas were shifted the injured to the local hospital for the treatment.
Outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorist group is not only activated in Punjab but its also spread the network of the banned outfit across the country and its sectarian activities have been increased in Sindh province after the Punjab, where the Punjab government has given the free hand to the terrorist organization to perform their activities and restore their network across the Punjab.
The outfit has disguised themselves in the name of Ahle sunnat Jamaat but the question mark is why Government and its so called agencies are quiet and no steps have been taken against such type of sectarian deeds??….

Israel Executes Drill in Gush Dan to Face Hezbollah Missiles!


One month after Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah set a new equation that would shape the next round of confrontation with Israel, the Zionist entity seems to be always perplexed and hesitant…
 
Indeed, Israeli local authorities are preparing a drill that would take the name of “Administrations’ Game.” The drill would take place in Israel’s Gush Dan, or the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area, the region mentioned by the Resistance leader in his latest speech as the heart of the Zionist entity.
 
Gush Dan extends from Netanya in the north to Ashdod in the south at a distance of 90km and from the Mediterranean in the west to Ariel in the east at a distance of 20km. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. The Tel Aviv metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan area in Israel (1,500 km2) and consists an estimated population of over 2 million; more than 1/3 of the Israeli population. This metropolitan area is not equipped with enough shelters and underground emergency exits since it was considered to be an area far from rocket threats.
 
In the past few years, Gush Dan cities witnessed inner migrations from volatile areas near the border with Lebanon. Gush Dan comprises 22 cities and towns: Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Holon, Ramat HaSharon, Ramat Gan, Giv’atayim, Bnei Brak, Herziliya, Or Yehuda, Giv’at Shumuel, Kiryat Ono, Petah Tikya, Ra’anana, Rishon LeZion, Hod HaSharon, Kfar Sava, Yehud, Ramla, Lod, Rosh HaAyin, and Ness Ziona, Rehovot. Gush Dan is also Israel’s technological and industrial center where the Ben Gurion airport is located.
 
According to Israeli daily Yedihot Ahronot, the heads of Israeli local authorities met with Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai and representatives of the Internal Front. They discussed the problems that would be caused by the downfall of Hezbollah missiles in these cities. They also discussed the complicated situation that would be faced by the authorities in case of any confrontation, including problems in infrastructure, services and sanctuaries.
 
The Israeli daily, meanwhile, noted that the mentioned maneuver aims at theoretically working in the face of a situation in which missile fall in the heart of the Zionist entity.
 
At the end of the drill that lasted a few hours, the participants took lessons and concluded results, Yedihot Ahronot said, adding that the Israeli Defense Ministry and the Israeli Army were stressing that the internal front would be the second front in any upcoming war for a long time because the missiles will cover all the Palestinian occupied territories.
 
Meanwhile, Israeli daily Maariv that Israeli is preparing to hold the ‘Turning Point 4’ drill at the end of May. This drill would be Israel’s hugest drill ever, meaning it would be bigger than the ‘Turning Point 3’ drill because it would cover the whole enemy’s entity. All local authorities will take part in the drill alongside the Israeli government’s ministries and some sectors that weren’t present at the time of the previous drill. Even more, and for the first time since the second Gulf War, the warning sirens would be launched in all Zionist cities and settlements while institutions and settlers would be trained on how to deal with such urgent situations from inside their homes.

Pakistani FM Calls on US to Follow Up Words with Action


Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Thursday the need to rebuild trust with the United States was key to upcoming talks and called on Washington to follow up words with action.
 
“My message to the US is that the time has come to walk the talk,” he told a news conference in Islamabad.
 
Qureshi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are scheduled to lead talks in Washington next week aimed at boosting the economy and security of Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda and the long war in Afghanistan. They will chair the March 24 talks on what the State Department says will be economic development, education, agriculture and security.
 
“I believe our forthcoming dialogue will provide a good opportunity to re-build confidence and trust on both sides,” said Qureshi. “We want these talks to be broad based and that is why I am proposing a completely different format for interaction between the two countries.”

‘Summit Won’t Discuss Sadr Issue amid Lebanon’s Absence’


Arab League chief Amr Mussa was on Thursday still hopeful that Lebanon would receive an invitation through the proper diplomatic channels to attend the Arab summit in Libya.
it is pertaining to mention here that due to a row over the disappearance of prominent Shia cleric Ayatullah Musa al-Sadr in Libya in 1978, President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman has decided to not attend an Arab League summit in Tripoli.

During a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami, Mussa denied that he had delivered Lebanon the invitation to attend the summit.
Asked if he believed Libyan leader Moammer Qadhafi would expel the Lebanese community if Beirut decides to boycott the summit, Mussa noted that the issue will be discussed by the Lebanese cabinet. “I don’t want to interfere in it. However, I hope that all Arab countries participate in the summit.”
He denied that the issue of Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s disappearance was on the summit’s agenda. Yet, Al-Shami explained to reporters that a draft resolution issued by Arab foreign ministers ahead of the summit includes an article that calls for “solidarity with the Lebanese Republic.”
The article includes two clauses. The first is on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the second backs efforts to find out the truth about Sadr’s disappearance.
“This is an article in a resolution. It is not an article on the agenda” of the summit, Mussa stressed. He also said Sadr’s issue wouldn’t be discussed if Lebanon decided not to attend the summit.

Laskhar-e-Jhangvi terrorist Akram Lahori acquitted


Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Obaid Ahmed Khan acquitted the former chief of banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) former Chief Akram Lahori in a murder case of Mumtaz Haider for want of evidence. Mohammed Amjad alias Akram Lahori was booked in the murder case of Syed Mumtaz Haider on July 20, 2001 by Brigade police station. He was arrested on July 4, 2002 and was lodged in jail then since. Continue reading

Palestinians in Al-Quds create human cordon around Aqsa Mosque


According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir),  Spokesman for the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands Zahi Anjidat said that the Palestinians of the holy city and the occupied lands managed on Tuesday morning to create a human cordon protecting the Aqsa Mosque.

The spokesman affirmed that a large number of Palestinian men and women from Al-Quds and the 1948 occupied lands were able to create a human shield around the Aqsa Mosque in order to protect it from any possible Israeli break-in.

He pointed out that extremist Jewish groups declared their intention to storm the courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque following the opening ceremony of the ruin synagogue in order to initiate another ceremony for the building of the alleged temple of Solomon.

In the same context, violent clashes broke out Tuesday morning in different Al-Quds areas especially in the vicinity of the Old City and the Aqsa Mosque, while the Israeli occupation forces are still besieging the holy city for the fourth consecutive day and prevent thousands of Palestinians from reaching the holy Mosque.

The IOF troops used batons and tear gas and flashbang grenades as well as mounted policemen and dogs to suppress the Palestinian protesters.

Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib, the deputy head of the Islamic Movement in occupied lands, and Sheikh Ali Abu Sheikha, a senior Islamic Movement official were among those who were physically assaulted.

In light of the Israeli restrictions imposed on the entry of men into the Aqsa Mosque, dozens of Palestinian women were able to enter it as they were chanting slogans in response to the voices of Israeli settlers who gathered in Al-Buraq plaza in preparation for launching a sudden attack on the holy Mosque.

15 Million Pilgrims Visit holy Qom Annually


 Speaking at the “Morning of Revolution” program aired on TV’s Channel 3, Mohammad Hossein Musapur said that the holy city has been a hub for fostering the culture of Ahl-ol-Bayt (AS) for 13 centuries.

Hazrat Fatemeh Masumeh (SA), the daughter of the seventh Shia Imam (AS) passed away and was buried in Qom in 201 Hijri (816 A.D.) while traveling to visit her brother Imam Reza (AS) in Khorasan. The city has been a pilgrimage destination ever since.

“It has also been a scientific center in the Islamic world in the past 80 years, since the establishment of Qom Seminary School,” Mr. Musapur said, adding that currently some 60,000 Iranian and 10,000 expatriate students are studying religious sciences in the holy city.

Stressing the importance of Qom, he noted that the movement leading to the Islamic Revolution also originated in the holy city.

Qom lies 156 kilometers southwest of Tehran

Ayatollah Khomeini a role model for Muslims: Geelani


The chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat (G), asserting leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini a role model for Muslim world, said that the cancer of sectarian extremism would not be allowed to take root here at any cost.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that the negligence of the government was a factor in the damage to life and property in the Kongamdara-Hagarpora villages during group clashes earlier this month between the two sects, and blamed pro-India parties for exploiting such incidents to expand their vote banks.

Speaking at a Shi’a-Sunni amity gathering in the area, Geelani asked people to be cautious against “political chameleons” and not allow them to create divides in the name of religion.

“Such people don’t have the remotest link with religion,” Geelani said.

Turning visibly emotional, Geelani said that it was the height of estrangement from religion that one Muslim should attack the life, honour and property of another Muslim on the grounds of sect.
“People involved in this great sin should turn to the Almighty in repentance, and put the bitterness behind them to live in amity again,” he said.

Describing Ayatollah Khomeini (P) and Allama Iqbal as role models for the Muslim world, Geelani said that fanning sectarian hatred in their name was the worst form of ignorance and savagery

Enemy’s crimes incentive for Islamic unity


Speaking on the sidelines op the 6th Damascus Islamic Unity Conference, Ayatollah Mohammad-Ali Taskhiri added in an interview with IRNA, “The enemy’s criminal acts should also increase the Islamic Ummah’s will for resistance against that enemy.”

The two-day scientific gathering was sponsored by the Syrian Endowments Organization, cosponsored by the IRI Cultural attaché in Damascus, attended by the Secretary General of the WFPIST Ayatollah Taskhiri and a number of Islamic countries’ elites and Islamic personalities, and held at the Syrian National Library, called Maktabat ul-Assad.

Taskhiri added, “The enemy’s criminal acts should provide an incentive for our greater solidarity aimed at encountering the oppressors’ plots against the culture identity and entire entity of this Ummah. The Ummah should act solidly aimed at materializing unity and solid stand taking.”
He added, “All these events show that the Islamic Ummah would move towards solidarity and unity in spite of the current unfavorable conditions, because the Ummah would reach a shared fate in the course of the history.”

Lebanon to snub Arab summit because of Musa Sadr unknown fate


Due to a row over the disappearance of prominent Shia cleric Ayatullah Musa al-Sadr in Libya in 1978, President of Lebanon Michel Suleiman will not attend an Arab League summit in Tripoli.

A senior government official was quoted by AFP as speaking on condition of anonymity: “President Michel Suleiman will not take part in the summit in Libya based on a request by speaker of parliament Nabih Berri.”

Imam Musa al-Sadr, the founder of the Amal movement, went missing with two of his companions, Mohammed Yaqoub and Abbas Badreddin, while on an official visit to Libya in August 1978.

Sadr, who was scheduled to meet with officials from the government of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, is widely believed in Lebanon to have been kidnapped and killed on the orders of senior officials in Tripoli.

In 2008, Lebanon issued an arrest warrant for Gaddafi over the disappearance of the revered spiritual leader. But Gaddafi has so far managed to ignore Lebanese calls for more information on the case, never officially visiting Lebanon since 1978.

Several Lebanese politicians including Berri — who leads Sadr’s Amal party — had called for Lebanon in February to boycott the Libya summit scheduled for March 27-28.

During an interview, Suleiman said Beirut wishes to strengthen its ties with Tripoli but is also “determined to learn the fate” of Sadr and his companions.

The Higher Shia Council also called Lebanon’s probable participation in the 22 member strong summit a “catastrophe,” saying Beirut’s only condition for participating in the summit was that Sadr’s case be discussed publicly in the opening session and before the media.

Libya denies any involvement in Sadr’s disappearance, saying the trio left the country for Italy.

Italy has always denied the cleric ever arrived there; however, in 2004 Italian authorities returned a passport found in Italy belonging to the imam.

Iraqi PM al-Maliki leading in Iraqi elections, sweeps votes in Baghdad


Partial results of Iraqi Elections, now in from all Iraqi provinces, shows Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s bloc State of Law Coalition is leading in the parliamentary elections.
According to the Shiite News Correspondent, With more than 60 percent of the votes counted from 18 provinces of Iraq, Shiite Islamic Dawa Party’s leader Maliki’s State of Law alliance is ahead in seven key provinces including Basra and Karbala. His bloc is also ahead in the capital Baghdad.

His lead is followed by the Shia parties Iraqi National Alliance and former Secular Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc.
Iraqiya is leading in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk and Anbar province.
No single bloc is expected to get the majority of the votes to form a government.
However, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has swept the vote in the country’s largest province, Baghdad, early results from parliamentary elections show.
With 60 percent of ballots counted, the prime minister’s State of Law Coalition bagged 518,203 votes, with the Iraqiya bloc of secular ex-premier Iyad Allawi coming in second with 453,028, AFP reported Monday.
The Iraqi National Alliance (INA), a coalition of Shia religious groups, was in third place with around 323,975 votes, according to the report.
More than 6,200 candidates from six major coalitions and several other tribal and minority groups contested the parliamentary elections on March 7.  The leader within the State of Law’s Coalition Adnan al-Saraj said that discussions are being held now among leaders from the Iraqi National Alliance and the Kurdistani Alliance as well as the Iraqiya Slate in Kurdistan Region after announcement of the initial results of the elections.

Mian Iftikhar: No place for terrorism in Islam


PESHAWAR – Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Inter Provincial Coordination Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that Islam is a religion of peace, brotherhood and tolerance and there is no place for extremism and terrorism in Islam.
He expressed these views while addressing a provincial Seerat-un-Nabi (SAW) conference in the Audatrium of Auqaf at Peshawar on Saturday.
Provincial Auqaf Minister Namroz Khan Khankhel addressed the conference as a chief guest. Other speakers of the function were Provincial Chief Khateeb Qari Roohullah Madni, Mufti Ghulam-ur-Rahman, Syed Liaqat Ali Shah Gilani and Syed Abid Shakiri.
The information minister maintained, “It was need of the hour to get guidance of the teachings of our Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW and adopt His strategy to come out of the present critical situation.
He called upon the ulema to come forward and play their due role in combating terrorism and extremism from the society. He underscored the need for sensitising the society about the menace of terrorism and stop more bloodshed in this land. He regretted that anti-state elements were acting on the agenda of enemies and presented the Muslims as terrorist in the world.
He said that it was the duty of ulema and intellectuals to present true picture of the Muslims before the world and identify the elements who were defaming Islam.
Mian Iftikhar declared that the life threat could not deviate him from his mission and Jehad against terrorism and extremism would continue till its complete elimination.
Those who afraid of death, will die again and again therefore he would preferred for a life of honour and dignity but would never bow down before the terrorists, he added.

Five detained Shia youths released


Five detained Shia persons on Sunday night released by the Law Enforcement Agencies Personnel from their illegal custody.
According to the Shiite News correspondent, the five Shia youths had arrested by the law enforcement agencies personnel from the various shia localities of Karachi two days ago and shifted them to the unknow places.
The sources close to the families of shiite youths informed that all the five persons detained by the Police have released on Sunday night and they have safely reached their homes.
It may be noted here that the five innocent Shia youths apprehended by the Law Enforcement Agencies personnel on Friday from their homes  on unknown allegation from various shia localities of the metropolis, including Soldier bazaar, Kharadar, Incholi, Old Rizvia Society and Orangi town.
The well known Shiite leader of the metropolis Mustafa Kirmani,  Abbas Ashoor,  Samad abbas, Hassan Mehdi, and Kalim Abbas.
However, Insiders informed that still a shia person named Qasim Abbas was in the detention of law enforcement agencies and they have assured the family of detained youth that they will release him on Monday night after conducted investigation.

ISO Pakistan is a patriotic organization, Government resolve all the concerns of Shia community, Rehman Malik telephonic conversation with Abbas Kumaili


Imamia Students organization Pakistan (ISO) is a patriotic organization, this statement was given by the Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik in his telephonic conversation with the President of Jaffria Alliance Pakistan (JAP) Allama Abbas Kumaili.
According to the Shiite news correspondent, Rehman Malik assured the Allama Abbas Kumaili that he will issue the clarification of his statement with create misconception about the ISO in the country.
Mr Malik said that Imamia Students Organization is a patriotic organization saying that all the student organizations of the country were serving for the stability and development of the country.
On the occasion, Jaffaria Alliance President Allama Abbas Kumaili expressed the shia community of Pakistan deep concern over the irresponsible statement of Rehman Malik against the ISO. He said that ISO was the only student organization of Millat-e-Jafaria Pakistan saying that they would not accept any statement against the ISO, which defame the credibility of the Shiite organization.
He further said that ISO is a student organization, which has been working since 1972 with an agenda to promote the unity amongst all the Muslim sects.
He assured the Federal Minister Rehman Malik about the support of shia community of the country for the stability and prosperity of the country.
He demanded of the Federal Minister to immediately released the detained shia youths of Karachi arrested by the Agencies.
It may be noted here that a couple of days ago Federal Minister Rehman Malik given the irresponsible statement outside the parliament house Islamabad, in which he holds outlawed terrorists organization Sipah-e-Sahaba, Sipah-e-Mohammad and ISO responsible for sectarian violence in Karachi and included ISO name with the banned organizations.
In the reaction of Rehman Malik irresponsible statement, Imamia Students Organization and other Shiite organizations of the country addressed press conferences across the country and protest demonstrations and denounced the statement of Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
Collective & Aggressive response from all factions of Millat e Jafferiya throughout the country have compelled the Interior Ministry to take back their statement and declare that all student organizations especially ISO are patriotic organization of the country

US Incites against Hezbollah under Slogan of… Human Rights!


Day after another, the United States spares no effort to incite against the Resistance in Lebanon and seek to direct Lebanese people against their “brothers”…

On Thursday for instance, US Vice President Joe Biden didn’t hesitate to express his “love” to Israel and expressed fears because the Resistance in Lebanon was a “threat” to the Zionist entity. And to complete the “scenario,” he called for the implementation of the international resolution 1701 with the “aim” of “disarming” Hezbollah!

In the same day, the United States a new report on “human rights” in Lebanon, a report in which the American “democracy” would find easy to criticize Lebanon because it didn’t succeed in disarming Hezbollah, in a complete harmony with Biden and his Israeli friends’ aims.

According to the report, UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions 1559 and 1701 call upon the government to take effective control of all Lebanese territory and disarm “militia” groups, including Hezbollah.

The report goes on to claim that despite the presence of Lebanese and UN security forces, “Hezbollah retained significant influence over parts of the country, and the government made no tangible progress toward disbanding and disarming armed militia groups,” in a clear reference to the American “discomfort” at the national-unity government in Lebanon.

The report also claimed that although the country held parliamentary elections international observers deemed generally free and fair, there were limitations on the right of citizens to change their government peacefully.

The American critiques also targeted the security forces. “Security forces arbitrarily arrested and detained individuals. Torture of detainees remained a problem, as did poor prison conditions, lengthy pretrial detention, and long delays in the court system. The government violated citizens’ privacy rights, and there were some restrictions on freedoms of speech and press, including intimidation of journalists. The government suffered from corruption and lack of transparency. There were limitations on freedom of movement for unregistered refugees,” the report said.

While noting the intimidation generated by a series of unresolved political assassinations by unidentified assailants beginning in 2004, the report, of course, didn’t pay attention to the Israeli daily threats against the country and to the Israeli spying networks discovered throughout the whole country…

Yes, in the US, nothing is politically motivated!

Bosnia indicts Serb over killings of Muslims in Srebrenica


Bosnia’s state prosecutor on Saturday indicted a former Serb police commander suspected of taking part in the killing of thousands of Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995, Europe’s worst massacre since World War Two.

Nedjo Ikonic, 45, has been in detention since his extradition to Bosnia in January from the United States, where he had been arrested on an international arrest warrant.

According to the indictment, Ikonic was a commander of a special police brigade operating within the Serb Republic interior ministry during the Bosnian 1992-95 war that claimed 100,000 lives.

“As the commander of the special police unit, Ikonic is charged with taking part in a joint criminal enterprise that aimed to kill men and boys from Srebrenica in July 1995,” the office of the prosecutor Milorad Barasin said in a statement.

It added that Ikonic took part in the arrest of several thousand Muslim men and boys who tried to escape the eastern Bosnian town through the woods and were detained in a warehouse in the nearby village of Kravice.

“Ikonic is charged with ordering, overseeing and abetting the execution of more than 1,000 Muslims who were detained in Kravice,” the office said.

Bosnian Serb forces, commanded by general Ratko Mladic, killed about 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys after the eastern town, which was a United Nations-protected safe zone, fell into their hands in 1995.

Most were killed while trying to escape through the woods, and were either shot or arrested and taken to places of execution before burial in mass graves.

The U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague has sentenced seven Bosnian Serbs for the Srebrenica massacre. Nine more are on trial.

Mladic is still on the run, 14 years after he was indicted. Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic, who is on trial at the Hague-based court, denies 11 counts of war crimes relating to the Bosnian war, including the genocide at Srebrenica.

The Bosnian war crimes court, set up in 2005 to relieve the burden on the Hague-based tribunal, has put dozens of Bosnian Serbs on trial over Srebrenica. Twelve have been jailed, seven acquitted and seven are still being tried.

Hezbollah slams Israeli Judaization bid in WB


Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has condemned the new Israeli plan to build 1,600 new Jewish homes in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

The movement warned that the project seeks demographic changes in the occupied territories.

“The scheme is yet another part of a Judaization campaign that targets the holy city of al-Quds and a provocation of Muslim feeling, “the Shia political party said in a statement released on Friday.

Hezbollah also accused the US of supporting Israel’s expansionist policies on Palestinian lands.

“The Zionist plan to construct hundreds of homes in al-Quds truly shows American cover to it.”

Israel’s interior ministry on Tuesday said it had approved the construction of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in the mainly Arab eastern sector of al-Quds.

The announcement sparked swift condemnation from the International community including Turkey, Lebanon, Brazil, China, Russia, and even the US and UK.

There are currently 121 Israeli settlements and 102 Israeli outposts built on Palestinian land occupied by Israel in 1967.

These settlements and outposts are inhabited by a population of approximately 462,000 Israeli settlers. Some 191,000 Israelis are living in settlements around al-Quds and an additional 271,400 are spread throughout the West Bank

Saudi Shia Muslims at risk of torture and ill-treatment


The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula
( CDHRAP )

According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA),  In an attempt to consolidate the political and religious dictatorship on the multi-confessional people of the Arabian Peninsula , the Saudi regime has being using the methods of repression and the governmental terrorism to vilify the adherents of the other Islamic schools of jurisprudence that differ from the official interpretation of Islam , particularly the Shiites, who estimate of 25 percent of the population of the Arabian Peninsula .

The Saudi security authorities routinely use torture and ill-treatment in Saudi prisons and detention centers with the prisoners during the period of interrogations to extract confessions from them or to punish them , or to suppress of their religious faiths .

Despite the Saudi government’s assurances that the prisoners were protected by law , but the practices of the enforcement authorities against the prisoners violate the article 2 of the criminal procedure code which states that ” an arrested person shall not be subjected to any bodily or moral harm” or to “any torture or degrading treatment”, and also violate the Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that :
” No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

The ” Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ” also requires states parties to prohibit torture and does not allow derogation from this prohibition at any time.

Saudi regime , as a state party to this convention , is obliged not to impose any punishments that amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The poor Saudi record of human rights is full of many evidences of using torture and there were a lot of torture victims still have the marks , evidence and the signatures of Saudi torturers .

The Saudi torture for example did not exclude the forgotten prisoners who were rearrested in 1996 following the bombing of the US military base in al-Khobar in 1996.

The forgotten prisoners had been exposed to severe physical torture and ill-treatment which was directed at degradation of personality by destroying basic human dignity.

Hussain Yousif al-Harbi at risk of torture and ill-treatment

Reliable sources informed the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula that the Shi’a citizen Hussain Yousif al-Harbi , 22 years , from the town of Rumaila in Al-Ahsa , who was arrested on 31 January 2010 has been exposed to torture and remained detained without charge or trial .

Al-Harbi was detained under the accusation of provoking other Shi’a youths to fix Ashura banners and signs on the streets of the town of Rumaila in the occasion of Shi’a holiday of Ashura .

The banners and signs were previously removed by the Saudi security forces , then insensibility burned them in front of people .

Hussain Yousif al-Harbi was first detained on 8 August 2009 because of participation of religious activities during the Islamic month of Mohrram , and on 11 November 2009 , due to participation of  the annual celebration of Imam Mahdi and Imam Hassan birthdays during the Islamic months of Ramadan and Sha’ban , then he was released after 15 days.

On 15 December 2009 , he was  arrested for one week imprisonment under the charge of hindering the traffic during  the celebration of the celebration of Imam Hassan birthday, then he released after,.

Al-Harbi , expressed of his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion which guaranteed by the international human rights covenants and treaties .

CDHRAP considers al-Harbi to be a prisoner of conscience held solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of religion and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula calls the international organizations and local human rights to put pressure on the Saudi regime to release Hussain Yousif al-Harbi and his mates from Rumaila of Al-Ahsa and addresses to the Saudi authorities responsible to maintain his safety.

Shia Muslim Businessman arrested on a sectarian backgrounds

Saudi authorities detained a prominent business man and social activist in Al-Hassa as attendees in a religious festival used the side walks around a worship house that is under his custody.

Sources informed Rasid that Sauid authorities detained the business man Hajji Abdulrasool Al-A’mer as attendees in the over crowdedAl-Ja’farya Husainya were forced to use the sidewalks around it during a religious lecture in Ashura.

The incident dates back to December end of last year when thousands of Saudi Shia commemorate the tragic battle of Ashura.

Saudi authorities forced a stringent ban on all sorts of festival that Saudi Shia commemorate around the year.

It is customarily that worship houses (Hussainya) are full with hundreds of worshippers which force that late comers to use the sidewalks and alleys around the worship house.

This is Al-A’mer’s second arrest since his last in 2004 for similar charges.

Al-A’mer is well known for his care and attention to many worship houses and mosques in Al-Hassa which makes him a target for frequent arrests.

Four innocent Shia youths detained in Karachi by the law enforcement agency.


Four innocent Shia youths detained yesterday night (Friday night) by the law enforcement agency and transferred to unknown place. According to the Shiite news correspondent four innocent Shiite youths were detained by the law enforcement agencies on unknown allegation from shia localities, Soildier bazaar, Kharadar, Incholi and Orangi town. According to our correspondent well known Shiite leader Mustafa Kirmani was arrested from his dwell at 3 am from Kharadar whereas Abbas Ashoor from Soilder bazaar, Samad abbas from Incholi and Kalim Abbas from Orangi town. Government has again started crack down against Shiite instead of arresting those terrorists who were involved in the bloodshed of mourners of Imam Hussain (a.s) they have started detaining Shiite who already have beared the loss of 70 lives in the past three months. Government has become failure in tracing and detaining the terrorists of incident of Ashoora and Arbaeen and instead of being ashamed they have start arresting innocent Shiite youths this act of Government shows their sectarian approach and hatred towards the Shiite community.

Hezbollah slams Israeli Judaization bid in WB


Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has condemned the new Israeli plan to build 1,600 new Jewish homes in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

The movement warned that the project seeks demographic changes in the occupied territories.

“The scheme is yet another part of a Judaization campaign that targets the holy city of al-Quds and a provocation of Muslim feeling, “the Shia political party said in a statement released on Friday.

Hezbollah also accused the US of supporting Israel’s expansionist policies on Palestinian lands.

“The Zionist plan to construct hundreds of homes in al-Quds truly shows American cover to it.”

Israel’s interior ministry on Tuesday said it had approved the construction of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in the mainly Arab eastern sector of al-Quds.

The announcement sparked swift condemnation from the International community including Turkey, Lebanon, Brazil, China, Russia, and even the US and UK.

There are currently 121 Israeli settlements and 102 Israeli outposts built on Palestinian land occupied by Israel in 1967.

These settlements and outposts are inhabited by a population of approximately 462,000 Israeli settlers. Some 191,000 Israelis are living in settlements around al-Quds and an additional 271,400 are spread throughout the West Bank.

Tehran Friday Prayer Sermons


Tehran’s interim Friday Prayer Leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani has criticized the dual approach of western states in confronting terrorism.

Addressing Friday prayer worshippers in Tehran, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani pointed to the release of the PJAK terrorist ringleader by German authorities and said that the opponents of the Islamic republic of Iran freed the PJAK leader, Rahman Haji Ahmadi only because of conducting terrorist operations against Iranian citizens.

Tehran’s Friday prayers leader also added that this terrorist ringleader who directed PJAK’s terrorist operations from Germany has on so many occasion claimed responsibility for bloody terrorist operation in Iran’s western Kurd regions.

Ayatollah Kashani further reiterated that the enemies of the Islamic republic of Iran have accused and detained Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting journalist who served as a journalist for 17 years in Italy for no reason and in order to put a lid on such inhumane act.

Tehran’s Friday prayers leader also condemned the obstructionisms of arrogant and hegemonic powers in Iran’s peaceful nuclear program and said that the west accuses Iran of trying to build atomic weapons in order to prevent Tehran from gaining access to scientific and industrial advancements.

Iraq not to be run by one party, says al-Hakim


The head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) Syed Ammar al-Hakim pointed out that “We do not support the principle of the political majority since Iraq can not be run by a single man or single party.”

According to the Shiite News a statement by the SIIC, quoted Hakim as saying “We need a strong and united government to represent all constituents of the Iraqi spectrum.”
“We are looking for a government that believes in actions rather than slogans,” he added, noting that “We will put the people’s interests ahead of political interests.”
“The elections came to sustain the principle of democracy in Iraq,” according to Hakim.
Hakim also appreciated the role of the religious authorities which supported the political process.
It is worth mentioning that some blocs expressed their wishes to form a political majority government.
Ammar al-Hakim meets Grand Ayatullah Sistani in Najaf
Meanwhile, The head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, Syed Ammar al-Hakim visited the Higher Religious Authority Ayatollah Ali Sistani in his office in Najaf on Thursday.
Informed source statedthat  “Hakim is the first political figure to meet Sistani after the elections.”
Ammar al-Hakim has arrived in Najaf on Thursday morning.

Maliki’s State of Law Coalition holds narrow lead in Iraq election


Iraqi Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition holds the lead in Iraq’s legislative election, closely followed by rival Shias Iraqi National Alliance amid allegations of fraud from Saudia Arabia backed Saddam loyalists Al-Iraqiya.
Partial results from Iraq’s tight election race coming out on Friday indicated Maliki’s State of Law coalition sets the pace with the powerful Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of major Shia parties, on its heels with only 16 percent behind.
The initial results for five provinces have been released so far, leaving the race too early to call as figures have yet to be announced for 13 other provinces. This is while the result is really difficult to foresee in key areas such as Baghdad, where the city’s 6-million strong population incorporate diverse ethnical and religious communities.
The parliamentary poll held amid highly tightened security on March 7 — the second such vote since the 2003invasion of the country by US-led forces — is viewed as a landmark test of democracy for the Iraqi government seven years after the ouster of former dictator Saddam Hussein.
The picture is, however, becoming increasingly more tainted by complaints of serious fraud from former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s secularist alliance, the al-Iraqiya List, which swept a noticeable majority of votes in two Sunni majority provinces in the north.

But the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) dismissed charges of serious fraud from Allawi’s camp, including reports that ballots were discovered in the garbage and more than 200,000 soldiers’ names were missing from voting lists.
“The process of counting and sorting ballots is going well, with the presence of observers from political parties and under international supervision,” Reuters quoted Hamdiya al-Hussaini, a top IHEC official, as saying.
Five days after the election was held in Iraq, UN officials acknowledged the counting is taking longer than expected, but defended IHEC officials who have been citing a complicated system set up to thwart fraud.
Adding to the confusion in the counting process are technical challenges the IHEC suffered regarding the computer system used to enter polling data.

The system was slowed or was taken offline intermittently for maintenance, UN officials said. IHEC officials have, however, assured the problem was fixed now and that more initial results from at least another three provinces would be published on Friday.
On Thursday, Hussaini said the electoral commission had received some 1,000 complaints over the vote, without providing further detail.

Rahber Khemenei donates rls 200m to needy people


Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday donated rls 200 million in cash ….

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday donated rls 200 million in cash to needy people who are covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee.

The Supreme Leader’s donation was part of programs marking the annual Charity Festival.

Mahmood Ahmadinejad: Iranians show world how to fight terrorism


President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that Iranians have shown the world how to fight against terrorism.

He made the remarks in his address to the local residents of this southern provincial capital city where he is visiting during the third round of his tours of Iranian provinces.

Referring to the arrest of the notorious terrorist ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi by Iranian security forces late in February, the president said, ”A wicked terrorist who was supported by three powerful intelligent services of corrupted powers was arrested at the lowest human and financial costs.”

Rigi headed a terrorist group responsible for many cases of terrorist attacks and assassinations in southeastern Iran.

He confessed after his arrest that he was supported by the intelligent services of some Western states including the US.

“A number of countries that keep on claiming to be in war against terrorism, have broadcast images of this savage terrorist’s crimes and claimed that his action was the only way to bring democracy to Iran,” said the president criticizing certain states’ support for the notorious ringleader.

He also criticized the hegemonic powers for tackling restoration of jsutice and security to the world nations.

The president further stressed that the people of Iran favored peace, security and progress for all nations.

President Ahmadinejad is in this southern province, along the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, on a two-day visit during which he is to meet with local elites, clerics and members of the families of war veterans and war-time martyrs.

Would Jaffar al-Sadr be unexpected next Premier?


Political sources expected possibility of nominating Islmic Dawa Party leader, Jaffar al-Sadr for the Premier post of Iraq to be the unexpected figure highlighted by foreign diplomatic personalities.”

According to the Shiite News, Jaffar al-Sadr is the son of the Higer religious authority Shaheed Ayatullah Syed Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr who was executed by the former Military dictator Saddam Hussain on April, 9, 1980.

Jaffar is a Youngman in the forties of age and a candidate within the State of Law’s Coalition headed by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is also the leader of Islamic Dawa Party.

Some politicians and diplomatic figures expected to nominate Jaffar al-Sadr to replace Nouri al-Maliki in case some blocs rejected nominating Maliki for another term.  Sadr trend Political party led by Noted Iraqi Cleric Syed Muqtada al-Sadr also against the nomination of Iraqi Prime Minister Nour al-Malkik for another term.
The State of Law Coalition (SLC) denied these reports when the spokesperson of the SLC Hasan al-Sineid stated “The SLC adheres to nominate Maliki for the Prime Minister post.”

Some politicians believe that Jaffar al-Sadr represent a compromise since the Iraqi National Alliance and the some other groups do not wish to nominate Maliki for another term due his style of ruling.

Jaffar finished his higher religious education and then turned to study law to get the M.A. in international law.

Later, he decided to leave his religious fashion and wear the modern suit, and stated several times that he wishes to “establish a modern civil state in Iraq.”

It is expected that “Regional pressure would be practiced on political blocs to form the cabinet as soon as possible, because delay will result in a political void that would negatively affect the citizens.”
However, Early results from Iraq’s parliamentary elections show State of Law Coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the lead. Local officials said Maliki’s political bloc was so far leading in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces.
Official final results are not due until the end of March and, after that, it is likely to take months before a new government is formed as no political bloc is set to emerge dominant from the vote.

Tauqeer Abbas of District Layyah, Martyred


The injured of 7th Rabiul Awal firing incident at Layyah Distrcit, Tauqeer Abbas (24) was matryed in Nishtar Hospital Multan on Wednesday.
He was seriously injured in firing on 7th Rabi-al-Awal (22nd Feb 2010) in Basti Gharkal (Pronounced as Jharkal) Tahsil Kahrore District Layyah. Shaheed Tauqeer Abbas got two bullets, his nervous system was damaged and because of improper arrangement for treatment he can not survived and surrendered his life.
Tauqeer was sole earner of his family, was working in a factory in Faisalabad. He was very dignified and a true Azadar-e-Imam Hussain (A.S), about one and half month ago same culprits who murdered him, attacked on Imambarah. That’s why Tauqeer lodged report against them. Therefore he was unbearable for same terrorist group known as Amin Guddu Group.
Amin Gudu Group is a wing of notorious terrorists outlawedparty Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Sipah-e-Sahaba). This Gudu Groups is involved in so many murders, dacoity, robbery and ransom cases. According to some sources its main command is shifted to Karachi now.
The supprot of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) mainstream leadership including Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah to outlawed terrorit group of Sipah-e-Sahaba are given the free hand to the terrorists of the outalwed organization to perform their henious crimes across the Punjab provice. Recent killing of Tauqeer Abbas in Distrcit Layyah and attacks on Eid-e-Miladun Nabi (SAWW) holy processions showed that these terrorits were expand their activities in the country with the support of PML-N and someother politicial parties.
Our country is deeply victim of terrorism, people belong from all walk life are sufferer these group’s violence. It’s time for government of Pakistan to grip all terrorist activities and get rid off extremist groups for the greater cause of our country. Peace and sovereignty must be supreme for our beloved land

‘US might manipulate Iraq election results’


A member of Iraq’s National Alliance (INA) has warned that the US is possibly attempting to manipulate the results of the country’s general elections as the release of the vote tally was postponed again.

INA candidate, Entifadh Qanbar told press TV that the United States might try to intervene in the process of vote counting through the High Electoral Commission.

“The concern is that how the ballots from each voting center are going to be processed in the computer center inside the Electoral Commission,” Qanbar said.

“The reason we are insisting on this issue is that we are afraid there is some sort of American intervention inside the Electoral Commission in processing these numbers and may be altering these numbers,” he added.

Qanbar said that his alliance would not “accept any election results without putting the ballots out to prove that the ballots have been processed and entered in the computer system in a proper way.”

The Election Commission has postponed until Thursday the announcement of the preliminary results of the country’s parliamentary elections with reports suggesting that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s the State of Law Coalition is ahead.

Meeting with vote-counters at the Independent High Electoral Commission on Wednesday, top United Nations envoy Ad Melkert called on election officials to release the results as soon as possible, AP reported.

“Now we hope, that as soon as possible, preliminary results can be made public because Iraqis have the right to know as soon as possible what is the outcome of their choice of the Election Day,” Melkert said.

Election Commission officials also withdrew an earlier announcement that the preliminary results would be released Wednesday night.

According to Qassim al-Aboudi, a senior member of the panel, initial results would likely be released on Thursday.

Hezbollah: Disarming Resistance Not in Lebanon's Interest


Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations aim to legitimize the Israeli occupation instead of liberating the Palestinian territories.
 
Speaking during a ceremony held by Hezbollah in Baalbeck, Sheikh Qassem called a heresy the belief that Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness and diplomatic relations, adding that this outlook has been dropped and replaced with one that states that Lebanon’s strength is in its Resistance, army, people and diplomatic ties.
 
Efforts are being made to strengthen the Resistance and the army by supplying both with more weapons and recruits, his eminence said, adding that the Lebanese people are being reinforced through consensus building and preparations to confront Israeli threats.
 
For his part, Hezbollah Minister Mohamad Fneish said that Lebanon should benefit from the Resistance, the army as well as diplomatic efforts.
 
Speaking to News Website ‘NowLebanon’, Fneish noted that parties should not focus on the Resistance’s arms. “Whoever discusses disarming the Resistance does not want to defend Lebanon,” he said.
 
According to Fneish, the summit meeting that joined Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Damascus last month was a “clear warning to Israel.”

MP Fadlallah Reveals Agreement Signed between Lebanon, US


The head of the Media and Telecommunications parliamentary committee MP Hasan Fadlallah announced on Wednesday that an agreement on security cooperation was signed between Lebanon and the United States at the time of Fouad Saniora’s cabinet, adding that MPs need more time to study and assess the mentioned agreement.
 
Speaking to reporters following the committee’s meeting, Fadlallah said that the committee continued studying the 2009 US request to the Internal Security Forces (ISF) Directorate General for information on Lebanon’s communications grid.
 
According to Fadlallah, the request was an attempt to violate Lebanon’s sovereignty. “We are keen on preserving the country’s security and are following up on the matter,” he said.  Some believe the US request is dangerous while other think it is regular, he added.

Imam Khamenei's View of Women's Role and Rights in Society


The Supreme Leader’s View of Women’s Role and Rights in Society

Part one: The role of women in society

The role of women in a human community

The issue of women and how they are treated in different communities is an issue which has been discussed among different communities and civilizations for a long time. Women always constitute half of the world’s population. Life in this world is as much dependant on men as it is on women. Naturally, women shoulder the greatest responsibilities in the world. They do essential things such as giving birth to and educating children. Therefore, the issue of women is an important issue and has been discussed in societies among intellectuals for a long time.

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Having an appropriate view of women

One should have a high regard for women in order to understand their rights and freedoms. In order to understand women’s rights and freedoms, one should look at them as human beings who can be a resource for society by helping to educate moral humans. Women should be looked upon as the main element in the formation of a family. Although families are made up of both men and women, and both men and women play a role in the formation of a family, the peaceful atmosphere inside a family is due to the existence of women and their womanly nature. One should have such a view of women in order to understand how women can move towards perfection and what their rights are.

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Historical oppression against women

Throughout history, women have been oppressed in different societies. This is due to the ignorance of human beings. Whenever there is no use of force, the more powerful people tend to oppress the weaker ones. This force may come either from within humans – strong faith – which is very rare, or from outside – force that is exerted by the law. This is part of the nature of ignorant humans.

Unfortunately, women have always been oppressed throughout history. This is mainly due to not recognizing the true position of women. Women should find their true position, and they should not be oppressed just because they are women. This is something very bad. Women have been oppressed in many ways. Sometimes certain things have been done in regard to women which may not be called oppression, but they are in fact a type of oppression. A case in point would be directing women towards luxury, consumerism, wearing make-up, extravagance, and becoming an object for use. This is a great oppression against women. One can possibly claim that this is the greatest oppression against women because it will completely prevent women from achieving their goals and ideals and will lead them towards petty and worthless goals.

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The issue of women in the world

Despite all its claims, all the efforts made by committed and sympathetic people, and all the cultural activities that have been done in regard to the issue of women, humanity has so far failed to find an appropriate solution to the issue of women – as a result of which the issue of men is raised too.

In other words, extremist measures, deviations, and lack of proper understanding of the issue have resulted in oppression, violation of rights, psychological shortcomings, family problems, and problems about the way men and women should interact with each other. These are among the problems which humanity has so far failed to solve. In other words, human beings who have made numerous discoveries in materialistic issues, in astronomy, and in the bottoms of the seas and who claim to have in-depth knowledge in the field of psychology and social and economic issues – they have truly made progress in many of these fields – are unable to solve this problem.

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The role of hijab in society

In Islam, there is a distance between men and women. This does not mean that women live in a different world than that of men. This is not the case. Men and women live together in society and in workplace. They interact with each other in many places. They solve social problems together. They solve the problems of war together. They manage families and bring up children together. But that distance is maintained outside home and the family environment. This is the main point in an Islamic model. If this point is not observed, the same corruption which is prevalent in the west will happen here too. If this point is not observed, women will no longer be the pioneers of moving towards values – as they are in Islamic Iran.

The issue of hijab is not intended to isolate women. Those who have such a perception of hijab are mistaken. The purpose of hijab is to prevent men and women from interacting with each other without observing any boundaries. Such an interaction would be detrimental to society and both men and women – particularly women. Hijab helps women reach the lofty moral position they deserve and prevents them from moral deviation.

Any effort to defend women should be based on safeguarding women’s morality. Morality is a means which brings about honor and respect for women in the eye of others, even in the eye of licentious men. Morality brings about respect for women. Islam stresses the issue of women’s morality. Of course morality is important about men too. It is not limited to women only. Men should also maintain their morality.

In places where women are encouraged to ignore hijab and immodest clothes are encouraged, women’s security will be undermined in the first place. Then the security of men and youth will be undermined too. Islam has introduced the issue of hijab to help men and women carry out their duties in society.

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The role and duties of women

In an Islamic society, men and women enjoy sufficient freedom. Islamic works which exist in this regard and the equal social duties which Islam has assigned to men and women bear testimony to this fact. Prophet Muhammad (s.w.a) said: “One who spends a night without caring about the affairs of Muslims is not a Muslim.” What the Holy Prophet (s.w.a) said is not limited to men only. Women should also feel responsible towards the affairs of Muslims, the Islamic society, the world of Islam, and everything that happens in the world. This is an Islamic duty. Hazrat Fatimah (s.a) was present in all the events which happened in Medina – which was the center of all political and social events of that time – after the Holy Prophet (s.w.a) immigrated from Mecca to Medina. This is a model for women to follow and is indicative of the role of women in an Islamic system.

According to an ayah in Sura Al-Ahzab [ayah 35], men and women are equal in regard to being faithful, obeying God, being humble and truthful, fasting, being patient, guarding their morality, and remembering God. Women’s activities in society are completely appropriate and acceptable. They should be active in society by observing Islamic limits. Women constitute half of society’s work force. When both men and women are educated, the number of society’s educated people will be doubled compared to when only men are educated. When women are also involved in teaching professions, the number of teachers will be doubled in society. There is no difference between men and women with regard to construction and economic activities and in planning the affairs of a country, city, village, group, or family. Everyone is responsible and should play a role in these fields.

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The basis of women’s social movements

Every social movement will only succeed if it is based on wisdom, thought, and logical and appropriate bases. Similarly, every movement that is intended to defend the rights of women should be based on the same criteria. That is, every movement should be based on wisdom and understanding of the realities of this world – understanding the nature of men and women, duties and responsibilities of men and women, and what can be shared by both men and women. Nothing should be based on imitation. Every movement that is based on imitation or blind decisions will be harmful.

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The role of women in national development

If a country intends to engage in reconstruction in the true sense of the word, it should focus its attention on its human resources. When one speaks of human resources, it has to be noted that half of every country’s population and human resources is comprised of women. If there is a misconception about women, reconstruction cannot be done in the true sense of the word or in a comprehensive manner. Women should be aware of the issue of women from an Islamic perspective in order to be able to defend their rights on the basis of Islamic principles. Similarly, men as well as all other members of society should be aware of the viewpoints of Islam in regard to women, their presence in different arenas of life, their activities, their education, their working, and their social, political, economic, and scientific activities. They should be aware of the role of women both inside and outside the family.

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The necessity of acquiring knowledge

Women can receive academic education. There are some people who think that girls should not receive education. This is a wrong belief. Girls should study in fields which are useful for them and which they are interested in. Society needs educated girls in the same way it needs educated boys. Of course the atmosphere in which they study should be healthy. Ignoring the moral principles about the relationships between men and women is not a prerequisite for education. Rather, it is possible to acquire knowledge and reach high positions by observing these principles.

One of the basic things that should be done is to encourage women to read books. An innovative way should be figured out to encourage housewives to read books. Books are a source of knowledge for humans which help them think about and understand matters better. They also help us introduce innovations and adopt better positions.

Knowledge is a valuable thing. I support the idea that in an Islamic society there should be female scientists in all fields. There were some women who thought that women should only study gynecology and childbirth. This is not the case. Women should pursue their studies in different technical fields of medicine – cardiology, internal medicine, neurology, etc. This is both a religious and a social duty.

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Women’s employment

Islam is not opposed to women’s employment. Not only is Islam not opposed to employment of women, it considers it as necessary as long as it does not prevent women from fulfilling their most basic duty which is educating children and safeguarding the family. No country can afford to dispense with women’s services in different arenas.

There are some people who have extremist views. There are some women who believe that they should not engage in social activities because it will prevent them from caring for their husband and children and dealing with household affairs. There are also some women who believe that they should not care for their husband and children because they prevent them from engaging in social activities. Both beliefs are wrong. They should not miss any of the two for the sake of the other.

Of course the issue of employment is not of primary importance for women. Although Islam is not opposed to the employment of women – except in specific cases, which may or may not be agreed upon by all Islamic jurisprudents. The main issue regarding women is what has now been completely destroyed in the west, that is, the feeling of peace and security and having an opportunity to show their talents without being oppressed in society, in the family, or by their husbands and fathers. Those who are active in the field of women’s affairs should make efforts in this regard.

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Part two: The role of women in the family

Islamic education of women

If an Islamic society can educate women according to an Islamic model, women can reach their true position. If women can acquire knowledge and gain the moral and ethical virtues which Allah the Exalted has specified for all humans – both men and women – they can educate their children better and the family atmosphere will become warmer and more pleasant. Also in this case, society will make more progress and problems of life can be solved more easily. Therefore, men and women will have a prosperous life together. Islam does not intend to pitch men against women. The purpose of Islamic teachings is not to cause a fierce competition between men and women. The goal of these teachings is to help women reach the same position as men by doing the same things as they do. In Islam, this is possible and has been done before.

One of the most important things is to teach women the right methods of treating their husband and children. There are some very good women who are very patient. But they do not know the right methods of treating their husband and children. These methods are tried and true. Over the years, these methods have improved as a result of the experience of humans in this regard. There are some people who possess useful experience in this regard. The ground should be prepared so that these people can instruct women in these fields.

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The right to choose one’s husband

As a spouse, women have been given special attention by Islam from various perspectives. Firstly, it is the issue of choosing a husband. From an Islamic perspective, women are free to choose their husband and no one can impose his or her opinion on women in this regard. This means that even a woman’s brothers or her father – let alone the more distant relatives – have no right to impose their opinion on a woman in regard to who she should marry.

Of course there have been some wrong habits in Islamic communities over the years. But what some ignorant Muslims do should not be attributed to Islam. These are wrong habits. Ignorant Muslims do certain things based on their wrong habits which have nothing to do with Islam and its holy principles.

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Two examples of ignorance in marriage

If anyone forces a girl to marry her cousin, they have done something wrong. If a boy prevents her cousin from marrying another person because she did not marry him, he has done a haraam act, and those who help him also do a haraam act. These acts are against Islamic Sharia and there is no difference of opinion among Islamic jurisprudents in this regard.

If two tribes decide that a girl from one of the tribes should marry someone from the other tribe in order to settle a dispute and they do not ask for the girl’s consent in this regard, they have done a haraam act. Of course if they ask for the girl’s consent, then there is nothing wrong with doing that. There might be a girl who is willing to marry a boy from another tribe and to solve a dispute too. In this case, there is nothing wrong with doing so. But if the girl is made to marry someone, the act is haraam from an Islamic perspective.

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A place for peace

Peace is one of the most important things which humanity needs. Humans need to be away from anxiety and emotional turmoil in order to achieve prosperity. Peace is a feeling which one can only get from his family. This is the case for both men and women. There is a Quranic verse which says: “And of His signs is this, that He created mates for you from yourselves.” This means that God created men for women and women for men. “From yourselves” here means that men and women are the same as one another. They have the same position. They are the same entity and have the same nature.

Of course men and women are different with regard to some of their characteristics. This is because they have different responsibilities. Then the verse continues: “That you might find quiet of mind in them”. This means that the creation of two sexes among humans is aimed at a lofty goal, which is to bring about peace of mind for them. This is to help women find peace beside their opposite sex in the family. For men, living in the calm atmosphere of a family beside a kind, loving, and sincere wife is a means for finding peace. For women, having a man who loves them and whom they can rely on is a type of prosperity. It will bring about a sense of peace and prosperity to them. A family can bring about this feeling for both men and women. Men need women to find peace in the family and women also need men in the family to find peace. “That you might find quiet of mind in them.” Men and women need each other in order to find peace.

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The importance of women in a family

In fact, it is women who manage the family. Women, and not men, are the main element in a family. There might exist a family without a man. If in a family, the man is not present or has passed away, the woman can maintain the family if she is wise and cares about her family. But if the woman is taken away from a family, the man cannot maintain the family. Therefore, it is the woman who maintains the family.

The reason Islam has stressed the role of women in a family is that if a woman is committed to her family, cares about the education of her children, breast-feeds them, brings them up under her support, and feeds them with cultural food – Islamic principles, Quranic and instructive stories – as well as food for the body, then the different generations of that society will become successful. This is a special skill for women and is not in contradiction to education, teaching, working, entering politics, and similar things.

In all social plans, the family should be considered as the basis. The issue of being a mother or a wife as well as the issue of the family are very basic and vital issues. This means that if a woman is the greatest expert in any field but is not a good wife at home, then this is considered a weakness for her. The woman should be like a master in the house. This is a principle. If we are allowed to make an imperfect comparison, a woman can be likened to a queen bee.

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Natural influence of women

Women naturally have a special influence on their husbands, except in special cases. Of course this does not mean that if a woman is dominant on her husband, we could say that she is influential on him. What I mean is their God-given power. Ultimately, I consider women to be stronger than men. This is my belief. In a confrontation – if the confrontation lasts for sometime – the person who wins will be the woman. This means that women will use the tools and powers which God has given to them and will overcome men. This is one of the beauties and mysteries of nature. Apart from their role in society, women can also play a role in encouraging men to fulfill their roles.

Men prefer to let their wife and children stay at home and fight alone. For instance, we were present on the battlefields, but we did not like to take our wives with us. We told them to stay and that we would go to the battlefields alone. But when women go to a battle, they take their husband with them and send them ahead. Women are like this. This characteristic, natural influence, and prominent role in the battlefields should be preserved.

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The center of kindness

The divine nature of men and women cause a relationship between them which is based on kindness and love.

A good relationship between men and women should be based on kindness, love, and friendship. They should like each other, show love towards each other, and treat each other kindly.

A family is a place where kindness and emotions should be promoted. Children should be treated with kindness. The husband, who is a man, and is in certain cases more fragile than women needs his wife’s kindness. This is the only thing that will soothe a man. Sometimes even a mother’s kindness is not as influential. For an adult man, his wife does what a mother does for her baby. And women who are accurate know this point. If these emotions and feeling were not dependant on the existence of a main element in the family – which is the woman – then the family would be a meaningless unit.

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Sharing the duties

Men and women have got different natural characteristics. Inside the family, women should not be expected to do the same things that men do or to have the same characteristics as men. Similarly, men should not be expected to have the same characteristics as women either. Men and women have each got different natural and emotional characteristics. It is to the benefit of humanity and society that the emotional characteristics of men and women be taken into consideration in the family. If these characteristics are observed, both men and women will feel happy. But men and women do not have the right to oppress or try to dominate each other. There are some men who think that women have to do all the things that are related to them. Of course in a family a man and a woman who love each other will quite willingly do anything for each other. But doing things willingly is different from feeling or acting in a way as if women have to act like a servant in the house. Such a notion does not exist in Islam.

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Prioritizing the housework

There are some women who work outside the house. They do surgeries, visit patients, do scientific jobs, develop plans, and teach at universities. They do all these things. But they should think of the housework too. Of course like all other things, the quantity of the housework can be sacrificed at the cost of its quality. This means that the quantity of the housework can be reduced. The presence of women at home twenty four hours a day is one thing. It is quite another thing if the number of hours is reduced but the quality is increased. If women feel that working outside home has a negative effect on their household duties, they should do something about it. This is a basic and important issue, unless in exceptional cases. In all cases, there are necessities which are outside the scope of rules and what is common. For women, the most important thing is educating children and raising the spirits of their husband for entering important arenas.

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Educating children

Educating children is one of the duties of women in a family. Women who avoid giving birth to children because of their activities outside home act against the human nature and their womanly nature. God will not be pleased with doing such a thing. Those who give up their duties towards children, educating children, breastfeeding children, and bringing them in an atmosphere of kindness and passion in order to do things that are not dependant on them are doing something wrong. The best way to bring up children is by showing them motherly affection. Women who deprive their children of this God-given gift do something wrong. This is harmful to themselves, their children, and society. Islam does not allow such acts. One of the most important duties of women is to bring up their children with kindness and educate them properly and carefully so that they are emotionally healthy when they grow up and do not suffer from any emotional complexes or the problems which currently afflict European and western youth.

Because western women did not care about the education of their children, western societies have now reached a position where millions of corrupt teenagers are now involved in criminal acts in European countries and the US under the shadow of their materialistic civilization, their tall palaces, atomic bases, multi-story skyscrapers, and their scientific and technological advances. There are thieves, assassins, drug dealers, and addicted people among their teenagers. What is the reason? This is because western women did not value the family.

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The story of the flower and the gardener

From an Islamic point of view, men are supposed to protect women like a flower in the family. There is tradition which says: “Women are flowers”. This is not related to political and social arenas or the arena of acquiring knowledge. This is related to inside the family. “A woman is a flower and not a servant at home”. By saying this, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a) has falsified the claim made by those who think that women have to work like a servant at home. Women are like a flower which needs to be taken care of. If you wrestle with a flower, its leaves will fall off. If you treat a flower like a flower [delicately], it will bring about beauty and will be noticed. Women who are emotionally and physically delicate should be viewed in this way.

In Islam, the womanly nature of women, on which all the needs and emotions of women are dependant, has been taken into consideration. That is, women are not forced to think, work, and act like men while they are women. This means that the womanly nature of women which is a natural characteristic of women and the basis of all their emotions and efforts has been taken into consideration by Islam. In the mean time, according to Islam, women are free to be present in such arenas as gaining knowledge, spirituality, piety, and politics. Islam has also encouraged women to acquire knowledge and be present in different social and political arenas. Islam has also ordered men that they do not have the right to impose their will on women or to ignorantly force them to do anything. This is the Islamic perspective on women.

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Oppression to women in the family

Throughout the world, women suffer from numerous incurable problems. Women generally suffer from problems on two fronts: Inside the family and in society. These problems are prevalent in European countries, the US, and countries which follow their model. These problems are more severe in some places as compared to others. In families, the rights of women are violated. That is, men sometimes oppress their wives. The greatest oppression towards women on the part of men is that they do not consider women as their partners in life. They do not allocate all their emotions and time to women. Outside home, men pursue their carnal desires. Inside home, there is a cold atmosphere which lacks kindness. This is sometimes accompanied by a bad temper and different kinds of pressure. The most important point in a family is the point of interaction between a woman and her husband. One brings up a girl by tolerating many hardships and by showing her kindness and affection and teaching her to be kind towards her parents. That girl reaches her youth, and while she is still considered a child by her family, she gets married. Then they expect her to understand everything and to be able to do everything. Therefore, once she makes a small mistake, she gets criticized. This should not be the case.

If men have a feeling of possession in the family and look upon women as servants, then they have oppressed women. Unfortunately many men oppress women in this way. This is true about outside the family too. It is a type of oppression against women if they are not provided with a secure atmosphere for studying, working, earning money, and resting. It is a type of oppression against women if they are not allowed to receive education and gain knowledge. It is a type of oppression if women cannot focus on their ethics and faith due to work pressure or other kinds of pressure. It is a type of oppression if women cannot use what they possess freely and in the way they like. It is a type of oppression if a husband is imposed on a woman, that is, if the woman has no role in choosing her husband. It is a type of oppression if women are not allowed to benefit emotionally from their children either when they are living with their family or when they are divorced from their husband. If women are not allowed to show their talent – for instance a scientific, political, or social talent or a talent for making discoveries – then this is a type of oppression too.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki led State of Law coalition emerge as Iraq vote frontrunner


Votes counting is underway in Iraq’s elections, with preliminary results expected in several days.

Turnout in the election was reported much higher than expected but the polls were marred by voilence, with doznes killed in bomb and mortar attacks.

However, the official sources told the Shiite News that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, chief of Shia Dawa-party’s, State of Law Coalition emerged Monday as a front-runner in the country’s general elections.  The Maliki’s State of Law Coalition is widely expected to win the most seats.

Though, the final official results will not be declared until the end of March, though preliminary results are expected in two or three days. But unnamed Iraqi officials said that Mr Maliki is leading in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces.

The key estimates from the Baghdad region, which could swing the results of Sunday’s poll, were not yet available.  Millions voted, braving rocket, mortar and bomb attacks that killed 38 people to cast their ballots in the second parliamentary election since the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Maliki’s State of Law Coalition was ahead in Shiite regions while Saudi and US backed Iyad Allawi, an ex-premier who heads the secular Al-Iraqiya, was leading in Sunni areas, said unofficial estimates AFP obtained from officials across the country. But early indications were looking good for Maliki.

The other leading list is the Iraqi National Alliance of Shia parties led by the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council Syed Ammar al-Hakim and the Sadr’s movement led by senior cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

It may be noted here that the Iraqi’s were voted to elect 325-member parliament, about 19 million Iraqi’s are eligible voters out of 28 million.

The 6,200 candidates were contesting the election from 86 factions and Six main alliances platforms.

Shan-e-Alamdar (AS) awards distributed among the 52 alamdars of Ashura procession


Islamic flags-bearing teenagers and youths were awarded medals on Saturday for their steadfastness and unwavering commitment to Azadari-e-Imam Hussain (AS) that they continued lifting the ‘alams’ of Hazrat Abbas (AS) (Islamic flags) despite a huge blast on Ashura mourning procession of Shia Muslims.

Around 72 mourners are believed to have been killed in that blast on December 28, 2009 but bodies of only 43 were identified and others torn-apart bodies were lying in cold-storage.

Nasiran-e-Imam Foundation (AS) had hosted the program at Catholic Ground to eulogize the astonishing and unbelievable act of the “alamdars” (flags-bearers). Thousands of Shia Muslims including youths and children, mothers and sisters and elderly persons participated in the ceremony.

According to the Shiite News Correspondent, Eminent scholars were: Maulana Aqeel Moosa, Sadiq Taqvi, Maulana Mohammad Ali, Maulana Aqeel Sajidi, Maulana Mohammad Hassan Raeesi. Divisional President of Imamia Students Organization Karachi Zain Ansari and mayor of Imamia Organization also participated.

As a matter of fact, Hazrat Abbas (AS), younger brother of Imam Hussain (AS), was flag bearer of his group that had to fight a war imposed on the true followers of Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW), the last apostle of Allah and Prophet of Islam (PBUH).

Hazrat Abbas (AS) had set an example that he didn’t quench his thirst and preferred other thirsty followers including children and in particular 6 year old daughter of Imam Hussain. The army of Umayyad ruler Yazid had occupied the Euphrates river near Karbala, the only source of water to drink and bath, disallowing the followers of Imam Hussain (AS) to use water. Hazrat Abbas Alamdar, suffered from immense thirst, broke the siege, and filled his “mashk” (water-skin) and on way to reach the tents of children. The army of the Umayyad regime equipped with swords, arrows and spears (lances) cut his arms in a bid to foil his attempt.

Hazrat Abbas (AS) continued lifting of the flag and mashk but arrows hit the water-skin and finally, he was murdered. However, he kept Islamic flag up otherwise it would have been considered a defeat had he allowed the flag to fall down.

Following the footprints of Hazrat Abbas (AS), the alamdars of Ashura procession also kept the flag up. Some of their colleagues in scouts were martyred and many bodies were lying torn-apart but they shouldered their responsibility. A vast majority of the Ashura mourners peacefully continued their procession as usual, let alone the alamdars.

Shia Muslims host the Ashura procession to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) and his followers who were ferociously assassinated in Karbala (IRAQ) by the brutal army of tyrant Umayyad regime of Yazid. Imam Hussain (AS) was the maternal grandson of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), Prophet of Islam and the last apostle of Allah. Umayyad regime, founder of an un-Islamic dynastic-rule had forced the progeny and true followers of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) for allegiance in a bid to gain legitimacy. Imam Hussain (AS) and his followers had refused to bow to illegal and unjust rule and that cost them dearly.

Ashura or Azadari as a whole is not a sectarian ritual. Factually speaking, almost all the freedom-loving persons participate in azadari (the Islamic mourning) that is part of Shia Islam’s recommended and sometimes obligatory ritual. Sunni Muslims who had joined the mourning with Shia Muslims also fell victims alongside their Shia brothers because of terrorism in Ashura blast.

Hindus and Christians also pay respect to Imam Hussain (AS). Imam Hussain (AS) is a non-controversial leader of freedom-seekers all over the world and he is source of inspiration for all the oppressed people who want freedom from the yoke of Imperialism, and unjust financial systems mainly Capitalism.

Police foil terror bid in Quetta Imam Bargah, killed terrorist


Quetta police killed a man who opened fire on an Imambargah in the Kashmirabad area near Sariab Road in Quetta, on Monday. According to the Police sources, the attacker identified as Noorul Haq (26) was firing at the Imambargah when the police arrived. “Seeing police, he also opened indiscriminate fire on the police to which they retaliated, and he was gunned down,” police sources said. His body was shifted to city morgue for an autopsy. A case has been registered and the police have started further investigations.

The sources claimed that terrorist want to attack the Shia worshipers gathered in the Imam Baragah to offer prayers but the Police were successfully foiled the bid of terrorism.

According to the Shiite News correspondent, An armed terrorist was trying to barge into the Imambargah and opened fire on one of the caretakers ( Custodian) of the ImamBargah.

The gunman was killed in retaliatory fire by the cops deployed at the prayer place.

DIG operations said the man wanted to enter the Imambargah, adding that another man accompanying him fled when police started firing.

Following the shootout, heavy contingents of police and Frontier Corps reached in the spot while the body of the alleged attacker, identified as Noorul Haq (26) was shifted to a local hospital for autopsy. Eye witnesses said a pistol was also recovered from his possession.

Baghdad Holds Key as Iraq Awaits Initial Vote Results


Iraq awaited initial results Tuesday from polls touted as a test of its young democracy, with Baghdad holding the key as the prime minister’s list.

Thirty percent of votes were due to be counted by the evening, giving Iraq’s complex range of political blocs their first official indication of how they fared in the second general election since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki emerged Monday as the front-runner, according to estimates AFP obtained from officials across the country. But he could yet face a tough battle to cling to power after the vote on Sunday that saw millions defy bomb, mortar and rocket attacks which killed 38 people to cast their ballots.

Estimates of early trends in the Baghdad region, which with its 70 parliamentary seats could swing the result of the vote, are not yet available. However, officials said on Monday that Maliki’s political bloc was leading the count in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces.

His State of Law Alliance was ahead in Muslim Shiite regions, while United States and Saudia Arabia backed Saddam loyalist Iyad Allawi, a former premier who heads the Baathist Alliance al-Iraqiya list, led in Five Sunni Province, according to estimates AFP and other news agencies obtained from officials across the country.

The complete results will be announced on March 18 and the final official results – after any appeals are taken into account – will come at the end of the month. Months of horse-trading are then likely before a new government is formed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition has claimed it is leading in the country’s parliamentary election, according to preliminary results.

The State of Law’s representatives say the coalition had come up trumps in Baghdad and the Shia south, the coalition’s Abbas al-Bayati was quoted as saying by the Associated Press early on Tuesday morning.

“We think that the State of Law coalition will shoulder the task of forming the next government,” he said.

The other leading Alliance is the Shia parties Iraq National Alliance, dominated by two Shiite religious parties – the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the movement of leader Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, who led two uprisings against US occupation troops. Overall voter turnout on Sunday was officially given at 62.4 percent.

Hezbollah: Disarming Resistance Not Subject for Discussion


Hezbollah officials reiterated during the weekend that the Resistance, and only the Resistance, was able to put an end to the Israeli ongoing threats and to be a true challenge for the Israeli enemy, rejecting “claims” that the national dialogue roundtable was seeking to find a way for “disarming” the Resistance in Lebanon.
 
The head of Hezbollah Executive Council Sayyed Hashem Safieddine warned against the dangers of the American domination in the region, stressing that it wasn’t acceptable to allow the United States do whatever it wants in victorious and resisting Lebanon.
 
“We have always been highlighting and bringing to attention American influence in Lebanon, and recent talk about American influence in information and security penetration in Lebanon being the greatest threat facing Lebanon after the Zionist security threat, is because we believe that whatever America possesses is definitely and inevitably available to Israel also,” Sayyed Safieddine said during a religious ceremony held in the southern suburb of Beirut.
 
“Victorious resistant Lebanon which imposed its will and equation on the Israelis will not allow the US to enjoy comfort or ease at the political and security penetration level, but we must demand through all available media and political means possible to understand the nature of this US security penetration,” his eminence added.
 
For his part, Hezbollah Official in South Lebanon Sheikh Nabil Qawouk said that Resistance has been able, through its new equation and strategy of defense and liberation, to put an end to the Israeli threats against the country and consolidate its abilities and power despite all international pressures.
 
Sheikh Qawouk noted that all Arab League summits do not deter a single Israeli aggression. “The Israeli enemy is not afraid of resolutions and Arab speeches. Only the resistance has proved viable and successful against such challenges,” Sheikh Qawouk emphasized.
 
Meanwhile, Administrative and Reform Minister Mohamad Fneish said that disarming the Resistance in Lebanon was not a subject for discussion. “Some have implied that the dialogue session seeks to establish when Hezbollah will be disarmed,” Fneish said. “This issue is not a subject for discussion and will not be debated at the dialogue sessions,” he added.

Pakistan minister believes Taliban leaders are killed


Pakistan ‘s Interior Minister Rehman Malik Saturday said he believes deputy of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Maulvi Faqir Muhammad and two other top commanders have been killed in a military strike

On Friday official sources said that Faqir was among 30 militants killed in Mohmand tribal region near Peshawar , the capital of North West Frontier Province .

Qari Zia-ur-Rehman, who is an Afghan national but was leading militants in Pakistan ’s Bajaur tribal region, was also believed to be killed when gunship helicopters shelled a militants’ hideout.

Malik told reporters in Peshawar he would be surprised if Faqir and Zia-ur-Rehman survived the attack, saying that both had been in the compound with other militants at the time of the shelling.

Taliban have not reacted to the minister’s statement.

Maulvi Faqir was based in Bajaur tribal area and is believed to have moved to Mohmand agency after the security forces took control of Bajaur near the Afghan border.

Both Maulvi Faqir and Qari Zia were wanted by the Pakistani government.

Malik confirmed the death of senior TTP commander Fateh in the same strike and said his body has been recovered. However he said that bodies of Faqir and Zia-ur-Rehman have not been recovered so far. He said the situation would be clear in a couple of days.

Analysts said that it would be a serious blow to the Pakistani Taliban if the death of Faqir and Zia-ur-Rehman is confirmed.

On Thursday too, Pakistani security forces had also killed 30 militants in Mohmand agency.

The army announced on Wednesday that they had cleared Bajaur tribal region, bordering Afghanistan, from the militants.

Last month Faqir conceded that the militants have lost their strongholds in Bajaur and asked his fighters to stop fighting against the Pakistani forces.

Local tribesmen believe that Faqir had also reached a secret understanding with the government.

Faqir had declared himself as the head of the TTP days after Taliban confirmed the death of Baitullah Mehsud who was killed in a U.S drone strike in South Waziristan tribal region in August last year. Taliban later nominated Hakimullah Mehsud new leader whose fate is also uncertain after a U.S drone strike in mid-January. Officials believe he was killed but Taliban deny the claim.

Larijani calls for unity of Islamic states


IRI’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said the brutal raid of the Zionist regime on prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday once more showed the aggressive nature of the regime

IRI’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said the brutal raid of the Zionist regime on prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday once more showed the aggressive nature of the regime.

He said after the terrorist act in Dubai, the new attack is a warning alarm for the Arab and Islamic countries to put an end to their political lassitude.

Larijani referred to remarks of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei who stressed unity among Islamic ummah in all fields, the Palestinian issue in particular.

Given the conditions, he asked, should we wait for more deceiving peace plans of America?

The top parliamentarian further said as the Palestinian groups have announced in their meeting last week in Tehran, resistance is the only way for confronting the criminal regime in the Middle East.

Rigi arrest revealed West’s hypocrisy on terrorism


Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar says the apprehension of the ringleader of the Jundallah terrorist group exposed the hypocrisy of the West on the issues of human rights and terrorism

Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar says the apprehension of the ringleader of the Jundallah terrorist group exposed the hypocrisy of the West on the issues of human rights and terrorism.

The arrest of Jundallah ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi revealed the emptiness of the claims of so-called human rights groups and showed the world who the real supporters of terrorism are, Mohammad-Najjar told senior security officials in Tehran on Saturday.

“The captured terrorist mentor of the Jundallah group, Abdolmalek Rigi, has confessed to receiving unlimited military assistance and funding to wage an insurgency against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Without the strong support of Western intelligence agencies, terrorism in the region would not have survived,” he added.

Mohammad-Najjar said, “Rigi’s arrest revealed the true colors of Western rights organizations. The enemies of Islam have resorted to sowing discord among Muslims as their main strategy to implement their fiendish plans. We must exercise the necessary alertness in this regard.”

On February 23, the leader of the Jundallah terrorist group was on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan when he was tracked down by Iranian security forces.

Rigi and one of his deputies were captured after Iranian security forces forced their plane to land at an airport in the Persian Gulf city of Bandar Abbas.

Iranian security forces said he was at a US base in Afghanistan 24 hours before his capture.

According to some sources, Rigi had planned to meet US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke at the Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan for talks on launching terrorist attacks in Iran.

The Iranian interior minister also emphasized the need for constant vigilance in regard to the plots hatched by the arch-foes of the Islamic Republic.

“Over the past three decades, the belligerent enemies of the nation have been looking for a golden opportunity to deal a blow to the Islamic system, but every time they have been driven to desperation thanks to the people’s astuteness,” he stated.

Mohammad-Najjar also said that Iran is currently at the peak of its power and prosperity and guaranteed that the country would continue on the path of progress.

24 Iraqis killed in terror attacks since polls opened


At least 24 Iraqis have been killed and dozens of others wounded in Baghdad as rains of mortar and rocket attacks started hitting the country since polling stations opened early Sunday.

At least 24 Iraqis have been killed and dozens of others wounded in Baghdad as rains of mortar and rocket attacks started hitting the country since polling stations opened early Sunday.

Sixteen people were killed when two buildings in the capital were blown up in what appeared to be dynamite, AFP reported.

Four more were killed by mortar attacks in Baghdad and four others by bombs that wounded 40, the officials said.

Roadside bombs also wounded two individuals in the capital and three others near the City of Tikrit.

Fallujah, Baquba, Samarra and other cities across the country were also hit by mortar rounds or bombs, many of them exploding near polling stations.

However, there were no immediate reports of casualties on the latter cases.

Some 200,000 Iraqi police and soldiers are on duty in Baghdad alone, and the country’s borders and its airports have been shut for the day with all vehicles banned from the streets.

On Friday, Iraqi insurgents threatened to kill voters during the elections.

Iraqi Baathists, whose Saddam-linked party candidates were banned by the Iraqi authorities but backed by the US, as well as the anti-Shia al-Qaeda militants, are believed to be behind the bombing attacks during today’s elections.

Almost 20 million voters are eligible to turn out for the elections, only the second vote for a full term of parliament since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Dr Mohammad Ali Naqvi Central martyrdom anniversary program held in Lahore


The 15th martyrdom anniversary of the great leader of Millat-e-Jaffria, Shaheed Dr. Mohammad Ali Naqvi was held in Pakistan. Dr. Mohammad Ali Naqvi, the founder of several leading shia organizations in Pakistan, was martyred by the American agents terrorist of outlawed terrorists organization at Lahore on 7th March 1995.
According to the Shiite news correspondent, The Central program to commemorate the services of Dr. Mohammad Ali Naqvi was held at his grave situated at Thokar Niaz Baig, suburbs of Lahore.
The important thing in this program was that the presence of former Head of Iranian Baseej force and teacher of Qom Seminary Iran, Agha Ali Raza Panhiyan. In his speech Agha Ali Raza Panhiyan said that martyrdom is given to whom, who wants martyrdom. He said that in eight years war between Iran and Iraq we observed that those solders that made their will and were sure of martyrdom got the martyrdom during the holy war adding that this was indicated that martyrdom is given by the Allah to those who want themselves to be sacrificed in the path of almighty Allah.
Agha Panhiyan further said that Shaheed Dr. Mohammal Ali naqvi surely was the true soldier of last Shiite Imam, Imam-e-Zamana (ajtf) therefore he got the medal of martyrdom from Allah.
He pay condolence to the family of Shaheed Dr. Mohammad Ali Naqvi and prayed for rest of the departed soul of late Dr Mohammad Ali Naqvi.
ISO Central President Adil Bangash, Leading religious scholars, clerics, and ISO former President addressed the public meeting and highlighted the sacrifices and role of Dr Mohammad Ali Naqvi for the supremacy of Islam-e-Nab (the real Islam). Large Numbers of Ulema’s. ISO formers, activists of ISO from across the country and thousands of were present.
Earlier, Imamia Scouts had a parade on his tomb to salute his untiring efforts and work for the Shiite stabilization in Pakistan.

High turnout in Iraq elections despite violence


Iraq’s parliamentary elections have witnessed a notable voter turnout, with Iraqis going to polling stations despite the ongoing violence in the country. 

Almost 20 million Iraqis cast their ballots before the polling stations closed Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, violent attacks claimed the lives of 38 people and injured 110 others on the day, Shiite News Correspondent reported. 

Iraqi Baathists, whose Saddam-linked party candidates were banned by Iraqi authorities as well as al-Qaeda militants, have been linked to the bombing attacks during today’s elections. 

More than 6,200 candidates from six major coalitions and several other tribal and minority groups vied in the event for the 325 seats in the Council of Representatives. 

According to the United Nations, partial results will not be announced until Thursday, with full results expected on March 18.