COMMENT: A foregone conclusion —Dr Mohammad Taqi Only after the disaster in Swat spilled over into Buner and the media spotlight showed the true colours of Sufi Muhammad, did both the military and civilian leadership spring into action The Pakistani parliament’s Special Committee on National Security (SCNS) received a briefing this past week from the Secretary Defence Lieutenant General (R) Syed Athar Ali and Director General ISI Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. An English language daily, reporting on the proceedings at the SCNS, noted that “the members were told in categorical terms that no Punjabi Taliban network exists in any … Continue reading A foregone conclusion

Syria is yet to play its cards President Bashar al-Assad may not be the moderniser the west had hoped for, but his regime shows signs of progress Ian Black guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 July 2010 22.00 BST Article history Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s president, can allow himself a moment of quiet self-congratulation this weekend when he marks 10 years in power. His father, Hafez, was a hard act to follow in a famously tough neighbourhood but Assad the son has gone a fair way in modernising the country after years of isolation. Syria teems nowadays with western tourists who can enjoy boutique … Continue reading Syria shows signs of progress

‘Tere Bin Laden’ fails censorship test tribune.com.pk The censorship board refused to give a clearance certificate to Tere Bin Laden. PHOTO: FILE The censorship board refused to give a clearance certificate to Abhishek Sharma’s latest comedy film Tere Bin Laden. The film was to be screened in Pakistan on the 16th of July, but the censor board banned its screening due to security reasons. The full panel of the censor board watched the film and raised the objection that the film has Osama Bin Laden as a central character, so it cannot be presented in cinemas. The film stars Pakistani singer … Continue reading Pakistan bans Bin Laden Joke Film!

Faisal Shahzad’s video aired by TV channel By AFP The alleged failed bomber promises to avenge the â��wrongsâ�� done to Muslims DUBAI: The man arrested for plotting a car bombing in New York’s Times Square appeared in a video on Al-Arabiya television on Wednesday in which he said he planned to attack the US. “This attack on the US will be a revenge for all the mujahedeen … and oppressed Muslims, including … Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,” the late leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, said Faisal Shahzad. The recording, whose authenticity could not immediately be confirmed, was made in English … Continue reading Faisal Shahzad’s video

NAACP: Tea Party Movement is Racist Posted on 14 July 2010 by Mooneye loonwatch.com NAACP Passes Tea Party Racism Resolution Brian Montopoli The NAACP has passed a resolution condemning racism in the Tea Party movement. The resolution was approved in a vote by more than 2,000 delegates at the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Kansas City. Versions of the resolution condemned “explicitly racist behavior” in the Tea Party movement and called on people to “repudiate” what it described as racist elements of the Tea Party. The final text of the resolution has … Continue reading OFFICIAL: Tea Party Movement is Racist

Racism veiled as liberation Whose ‘way of life’ is France’s lower house protecting? Not the women who wear niqabs Madeleine Bunting guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 July 2010 18.30 BST Article history A woman wearing a burqa. Photograph: John Moore/Getty ImagesIt sends a shiver down the spine. France’s lower house has passed a law banning the wearing of the full Islamic veil – covering the face – in public places. The hope has to be that this extraordinary decision never actually reaches the statute book given that France’s highest constitutional body, the council of state, warned some months ago that a ban … Continue reading Islamophobia as liberation in Sarkozyland (aka Shortzy!)

The job of an ambassador What does a British diplomat overseas actually do? Everything from organising WCs for VIPs to passing on secret messages … Oliver Miles guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 July 2010 13.30 BST Article history When I wrote about the problem of Britain’s blogging ambassadors a few days ago, a reader in the discussion thread challenged me to write “a new article, about the induction process of diplomats and ambassadors … things like ‘dos and don’ts’ lists … what type of scripts they need to follow, and what sort of training they attend to keep them on the narrow … Continue reading What does a British Ambassador actually do?

Calls grow for burka ban in Britain as French outlaw Islamic ‘walking coffins’ By Peter Allen Britain faced growing calls to ban the burka today after French MPs voted overwhelmingly to outlaw full-face veils in public. Politicians in France united yesterday to ban Islamic veils that cover a woman’s face, which some described as ‘walking coffins’. Deputies in the country’s 557-seat lower house, the National Assembly, voted in favour of the ban by 335 votes to one. Support for a ban in Britain has come from Tory backbencher Philip Hollobone and the UK Independence Party. Tory backbencher Philip Hollobone has … Continue reading Philip Hollobone MP – wants to pick on Muslim women…

Busted by YouTube: Video seen by 2m proves police officer who claimed cyclist ran into him was LYING By Mail Foreign Service A former police officer faces jail after an internet video exposed his bid to prosecute a cycling protester for running into him as a lie. Patrick Pogan claimed activist Christopher Long steered into him and knocked him down during a demonstration in New York. But a YouTube video seen by two million people so far has exposed him as a liar. Caught on camera: Still video images show how officer Patrick Pogan knocked over Christopher Long, despite opposite … Continue reading Is this why British Police don’t like their pics taken?