Sheikh Salman al-Oadah Allah is Forbearing. One of Allah’s names is al-Halīm (The Forbearing One). It follows, therefore, that Allah loves the quality of forbearance. He calls upon us to exhibit this trait and blesses us when we do so. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to Ashajj b. Qays: “You possess two qualities that Allah loves: forbearance and patience.” [Sahīh Muslim (17-18)] Since Allah loves this trait so much, this is why we find that the majority of the Prophets showed almost superhuman levels of forbearance to their people. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the best … Continue reading Cultivating the Quality of Forbearance

The Cream Puff Brigade: How a group of Islamist radicals became the laughing stock of the Taliban… because they missed their mothers By Allan Hall German intelligence sources have revealed a group of fanatical Islamist radicals became the laughing stock of the Taliban because they missed their mothers during a training camp. The nine would-be terrorists have been branded the ‘Cream Puff Brigade’ after they travelled from Germany in 2009 to the camp near Afghanistan. Instead they were laid low by diarrhoea, moaned about food, griped about their training and admitted pining for friends and family. Rigorous: A group of … Continue reading Cream puffs: laughing stock of the Taliban

Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg (C) speaks during a media event at the company’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California October 6, 2010. – Reuters Photo HONG KONG: The founder of global social networking giant Facebook is so determined to make his company a success in China he’s even learning the language. Facebook has over 500 million users worldwide but has been restricted in China since July 2009 after the deadly ethnic unrest in the restive Xinjiang region. In a long question and answer session with an audience at Stanford University, Mark Zuckerberg explained how Facebook is only “not … Continue reading Facebook founder eyes China, faces threats in Pakistan

Headley was US mole in Lashkar-i-Taiba By Anwar Iqbal In this December 9, 2009 file courtroom drawing shows David Coleman Headley, left, pleads not guilty before US District Judge Harry Leinenweber in Chicago to charges that accuse him of conspiring in the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai and of planning to launch an armed assault on a Danish newspaper. — Photo by AP World Indian court to hear appeal by Mumbai attacks gunman Even the peace process has halted WASHINGTON: US federal officials have acknowledged that David Coleman Headley, who confessed to his involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks, … Continue reading Headley was US spy?

I want to put Pakistan football on the world map: Graham Roberts By Tabinda N. Siddiqi “I look at this job as an opportunity to pass on my knowledge and experience to the Pakistani players.” —Photo by M. Arif Ali/White Star   Sport Graham Roberts promises to lift Pakistan football   In an unprecedented turn of events, Pakistan’s football team will have a former English football star at their helm when they participate in the Asian Games next month. Graham Roberts, a former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur defender, has joined the Pakistan Football Federation as a coaching consultant for a … Continue reading Pakistani Football – Can It Succeed?

By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – Pakistani Mohammad Usman was little-known other than for being wanted for the killing of a police officer in 1997 and his connections with prayer leaders at the Taliban-friendly Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad in the early 2000s. His death this week in a United States drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal area along with several other militants therefore made few headlines. In the al-Qaeda camp, however, Usman has been described as “irreplaceable”, his death on a scale of the killings of Mustafa Abu al-Yazid and Shiekh Fateh al-Misri. Misri in May replaced … Continue reading Al-Qaeda takes a big hit ?

By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON – On the ninth anniversary of the United States military intervention in their country, a report released on Thursday finds that Afghans remain deeply distrustful and resentful of the impact and intent of foreign forces there. Based on dozens of interviews and focus group sessions in seven provinces in western, eastern and southern Afghanistan over the past year, the report by the Open Society Foundations (OSF) found that Afghans tend to blame US-led forces as much or more than the Taliban for the country’s continuing violence and instability. “This reflects a growing divide between the perceptions … Continue reading Losing the propaganda war

Egyptian journalist tells poisoner’s tale By Sami Moubayed DAMASCUS – Forty years after his death at the age of 52, president Gamal Abdul Nasser of Egypt still raises plenty of controversy throughout the Arab and Muslim world. There are many theories regarding Nasser’s untimely death in 1970, ranging from heart failure to poisoning at the hands of his Russian masseuse. Nasser was famously wrapping up an Arab summit aimed at ending war in Jordan between King Hussein and Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Liberation Organization. After seeing off his Kuwaiti guest, Prince Sabah Salem al-Sabah, the Egyptian leader collapsed and was proclaimed … Continue reading Nasser was killed by Sadat ?