Continue reading Police Brutality – Public Service Announcement!

VIEW:Law unto themselves —Yasser Latif Hamdani Ahmad Shah Abdali, the hero of our Pakistani textbooks and a first-class marauder, would have wondered what all the fuss was about when his contemporaries Edmund Burke and Fox took Robert Clive to task in the English parliament for his corruption All England Law Reports — the most reliable record of English case law — date back to 1558. Recorded case law dates back another 400 years prior to that. In 1558, the English began to see the benefit of compiling and publishing case law for easy reference. Institutions like Lincoln’s Inn had already … Continue reading Law unto themselves

COMMENT: The republic of fear —Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain It is this ‘fear’-based environment that allows the terrorists to work their evil so successfully. They realise that the safety and welfare of the average Pakistani is not really the major concern of the ruling elite A few weeks ago I wrote in these pages that one of the major problems in Pakistan is a lack of respect. Respect for each other as well as that for institutions and this lack of respect even extends to how different institutions of state feel about each other. As I have thought more about … Continue reading The republic of fear?

COMMENT: This talk ain’t going nowhere —Shahzad Chaudhry The need for peace in South Asia is as much India’s as it is Pakistan’s. Under a nuclear umbrella and a strategic equilibrium of sorts, there is neither a threat, nor a probability of an insane military mind dreaming of a limited war, or even a conflict “Two roads diverged in a wood. And I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference” — Robert Frost. These Track II dialogues are interesting events. One gets to mingle with all sorts: young, old, the not-so-old diplomats, academics, generals, … Continue reading This talk ain’t going nowhere

No space to counter hate By Huma Yusuf dawn.com In May, YouTube and Facebook were blocked for hosting ‘blasphemous’ and ‘offensive’ content. It is now July, and Tere bin Laden seems fated to be next in the firing line. — Photo by AFP Like most Ali Zafar fans, I hope that members of our culture ministry and Central Board of Film Censors spend the weekend remembering that Pakistanis have a highly developed sense of humour (consider, for instance, how they are ever willing to laugh off the antics of our parliamentarians). If it is upheld, the government’s decision to ban … Continue reading Muslims must have space to counter Mullahs

Champion of UK burka ban declares war on veil-wearing constituents By Andrew Grice, Political Editor Hollobone said the vast majority of Muslim women wore dress allowing people to see their face and claimed no Islamic scholars or clerics said wearing the burka or niqab was a religious requirement. // A Conservative MP says he will refuse to hold meetings with Muslim women wearing full Islamic dress at his constituency surgery unless they lift their face veil. Last night Muslim groups condemned Philip Hollobone and accused him of failing in his duty as an MP. In an interview with The Independent, … Continue reading Philip Hollobone MP and his fixation on womens clothing

Knowledge regained In contrast to their forebears, modern Muslims have a childlike view of science, especially evolution. This needs to change Usama Hasan guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 September 2008 13.30 BST Article history Professor Richard Dawkins recently said that most Muslims were creationists, and their children are taught that the theory of evolution is wrong, which causes a huge problem in schools. He’s largely correct, and the Muslim world desperately needs to debate the matter properly without fear, since science can neither prove nor disprove God. Whereas the Christian world, where Charles Darwin first proposed his thesis, has had a century … Continue reading iSLAM AND EVOLUTION

Police arrest devil-horned suspect When witnesses to a car crime in the United States reported the suspect had devil-like horns, police had little trouble catching up with Jesse Thornhill. telegraph.co.uk Jesse Thornhill, who was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for assault with a dangerous weapon after allegedly attempting to run down his landlord with a car Photo: SPLASH After accosting the 28-year-old, officers noted down on his arrest sheet that his “personal oddities” included “horns, neck tattoos and implant earrings on head”. The arrest came after police were called to a disturbance in Tulsa, Okalahoma, following reports of a late-night altercation. … Continue reading Pigs catch Devil

Darth Vader actor David Prowse banned for ‘annoying’ director George Lucas The British actor who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy has been banned from attending offical fan conventions, it has been claimed. By Rebecca Lefort Published: 9:48AM BST 17 Jul 2010 telegraph.co.uk David Prowse appeared in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi playing baddie Darth Vader Photo: HEATHCLIFF O’MALLEY Actor David Prowse as Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back Friends of David Prowse, 75, say he is being punished after “annoying” George Lucas, the films’ creator. Prowse’s website said he … Continue reading Darth Vader – Persecuted!

I say you want a revolution, Egypt Activists in Egypt should look to the hippy movement of the 60s for a successful model in bringing about long-term social change Osama Diab guardian.co.uk, Saturday 17 July 2010 15.00 BST Article history The hippy movement spread its anti-war message through fashion and culture. Photograph: taken from the NewsroomSince the establishment of the Kifaya (Enough) movement in 2004, the Egyptian political scene has changed dramatically. If this continues, political resistance in Egypt is likely to become much more dynamic than it has been since the 1952 revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and established … Continue reading Want a revolution Egypt?