By caving in to faith schools, the government is at risk of teaching only shame in the classroom The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. After intense lobbying by religious groups, amendments have been made by the government to the children, schools and families bill which is due to come into force in September 2011. This now means that faith schools in Britain have a right to “reflect a school’s religious character” in their interpretation of the new law. Or in other words: faith schools can continue preaching that contraception, abortion and homosexuality are wrong or sinful, even though … Continue reading Sexually confused – by order of Her Majestys Government!

It’s a catwalk, not a battlefield The foreign press act like a few fashion shows in Pakistan are somehow the cultural frontline in the fight against the Taliban Asif Akhtar guardian.co.uk The Pakistan Fashion Design Council (PFDC) kicked off Lahore’s very first fashion week earlier this month amid the glitz, glamour, gloss and beautiful people that come with such events. Although the organisers were eager to provide a showcase for Pakistan’s emerging fashion industry, they were also apprehensive about media coverage. They were well aware of how the Karachi fashion week had been reported by the international media last November, … Continue reading Bruno fights the Taliban!

Dawn It was an unusual gathering at Karachi’s Cantt railway station, where over 100 people from civil society organisations, intellectuals, political and trade union workers, and journalists had gathered for a peaceful cause. Sixty of those gathered, including more than a dozen women, were part of a Peace Caravan that left Karachi on February 13 for Peshawar to express solidarity with people of Peshawar and the Frontier Province. The women participants in particular, mostly trade union activists and labour leaders, were enthusiastic to join the caravan as it offered an opportunity to meet the womenfolk of the area worst affected … Continue reading A journey for peace

By Rafia Zakaria dawn People from Pakistan’s Christian community rally to condemn attacks on their fellows in Gojra.—File photo by AP At least one of three Sikhs who were abducted for ransom about a month ago by the Pakistani Taliban was killed on Sunday, Feb 21. The murdered man, Jaspal Singh, and his fellow kidnap victims were Pakistani citizens who lived in Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley. Their abductors were demanding a ransom payment of Rs30 million, to be delivered by Sunday. The other two in the group are allegedly still being held by the Taliban, although there is some confusion … Continue reading Persecuted by all – time to stand up to the bully Mullahs

Bureau Report – Dawn Teams from the war-hit areas of NWFP and Fata participate in the “Play for peace” tournament at an IDP camp. —APP/File Photo Dawn ISLAMABAD: The federal sports ministry said on Tuesday that training centres for suicide bombers in tribal areas would be converted into playing fields and youth in those regions would be motivated to take part in sporting activities. “Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has given us a slogan, ‘from the battlefield to sports field’, which will go a long way in salvaging the country’s pride,” Federal Sports Minister Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani said at a … Continue reading Suicide centres to be turned into playgrounds – Mullahs must be angry?

By Sadef A. Kully Dawn Irum Farooque speaks to juvenile prisoners during one of her weekly motivational classes at the Youthful Offenders Industrial School – Photo by Sadef A. Kully Media Gallery Prisoners of the mind Prisoners of the mind KARACHI: There is a huge difference between Irum Farooque and the inmates at the Youthful Offenders Industrial School, a juvenile prison in Karachi. But the difference ceases to matter when the message is to help the imprisoned youth. On a weekly basis, a confident Farooque walks into the juvenile prison with her best clothes on, her nails painted in bright … Continue reading Prisons the shackles of the mind

An exterior view of the mosque where Hafiz Saeed, leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa preached every Friday, in Lahore, Pakistan. – AP Dawn LAHORE: Long-haired jihadis toting automatic weapons patrolled a mosque last week as the cleric who heads the militant network blamed for the Mumbai attacks preached inside. The group’s supporters collected funds in the courtyard and later marched through this eastern Pakistani city, calling for the death of those who insult Islam. Pakistan announced a ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa – sealing the group’s offices, freezing assets and rounding up leaders – amid international outrage after the 2008 siege of the Indian … Continue reading Why Jamaat-ud-Dawa easily evades ban…

US London embassy trades Mayfair mansion for futuristic cube in Battersea http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7302771/US-London-embassy-trades-Mayfair-mansion-for-futuristic-cube-in-Battersea.html Continue reading US Embassy to be replaced with Borg cube in London!

The ‘Boneyard’: £22bn ‘military cemetery’ pictured in stunning Google Earth photos The world’s most expensive military cemetery, a £22.6 billion centre dubbed “The Boneyard”, has been pictured in a spectacular series of new high-resolution Google Earth satellite images. By Andrew Hough Telegraph Google Earth Image of the the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group Photo: BARCROFT The site is often called The Boneyard Photo: BARCROFT The ‘Boneyard’ is a 2,600-acre (4-square-mile) facility whose mission is the sustainment of U.S. and allied war planes Photo: BARCROFT Opening in 1946 the storage facility began as the final resting place for WWII B-29 … Continue reading £22bn ‘military cemetery’ pictured in stunning Google Earth photos