Dawn Editorial Supporters of a religious group chant slogans during a rally to condemn the twin suicide attacks on the shrine of Sufi Data Ganj Baksh, Saturday, July 3, 2010 in Lahore, Pakistan. – Photo by AP. Pakistan ‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ ‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ Perhaps the only faintest ray of hope one can find in the aftermath of the Data Darbar tragedy is the near-universal condemnation of the attack. Major political parties and civil society groups have always been in the forefront when it comes to remonstration against suicide bombings and other … Continue reading Search for soul

The silence is broken By Asha’ar Rehman Policemen pray inside the Data Darbar, the shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Ali bin Usman Hajweri in Lahore on July 2, 2010, following deadly suicide bomb attacks. — AFP A long queue of people awaited entry to the Data Darbar Complex in Lahore only 13 hours after the shrine of the Sufi saint was attacked by suicide bombers on Thursday. Their face-off with terrorism may lead to many interpretations, but essentially, those who gathered at the Darbar for Friday prayers were there to assert their right to live by a code … Continue reading The silence of Pakistanis is broken?

‘Some ulema reluctant to condemn suicide attacks’ MULTAN: Federal minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi on Sunday said that a majority of ulema do not favour suicide attacks but some of them are reluctant to condemn them unconditionally. Speaking to media representatives in Multan, Kazmi said some families in southern Punjab send their children to seminaries where they are brainwashed and indoctrinated. These children are then used for acts like these, Kazmi said. He further said that suicide bombings are fundamentally suicides and the bombers “will go to hell” for their acts and for trying to spread anarchy in … Continue reading Which Mullahs favour suicide attacks?

Deadly pursuit: The moment diver comes face to face with killer shark Like a rabbit in the headlights, this brave scuba diver faces off against one of the most feared and endangered predators of the deep. With its notably long pectoral fins enabling it to glide like a bird through the water, a 10ft-long, 350lb female Oceanic White Tip shark was photographed by Brian Skerry off the Out Islands in the Bahamas. Swimming inches past Mr Skerry’s long-time collaborator Wes Pratt, the large shark observed the pair for two hours. Fearsome: An Oceanic White Tip shark bears down on marine … Continue reading Shark asks ‘is this like an easy meal?’

Police chiefs ‘waste’ £100,000 on new zip-up shirts for force facing cuts A police force has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after spending £100,000 revamping its officers’ shirts. At a time when public services face deep cuts, West Midlands Police is issuing around 6,900 black and blue shirts because officers found the traditional white ones ‘too restrictive’. It is kitting out all its policemen with black zip-up shirts, while community support officers will wear dark blue versions. What’s all this then? The new blue and black shirts for West Midlands Police officers on patrol – black for police, blue … Continue reading West Midlands Police decide to go on a spending spree – so who would like to question them?

by Joy Victory Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast, I’ve spent the past few months trying to wrap my head around the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent massive oil spill that is now ruining the coastline from Louisiana to Florida. At times, I have to turn off the news, as the images of … Continue reading Support the First Amendment with 1 for All

Burke’s Peerage: Queen Elizabeth II Descended from the Prophet Muhammad Posted on by Juan I was surprised that the writers of comments over at Salon.com did not know the below. It is common knowledge to anyone interested in genealogy. I know that it is hard for people invested in a hard East/ West dichotomy to imagine that the icon of Western civilization, the British royal family, has Arab Muslim antecedents (along with a host of other nationalities of course.) But it does. The Greater Mediterranean got all mixed up over millennia. Most Sicilians (i.e. most Italian-Americans) also have Arab Muslim … Continue reading HM The Queen Descended from the Last Prophet PBUH

How Ritz ‘seller’ tricked top investors out of £1m bbc.co.uk By Marie Jackson BBC News The Ritz, open since 1906, is renowned for its grandeur and opulenceThe scam to sell one of the world’s most famous hotels appeared to be textbook – it was simple, well-targeted and ambitious, said prosecutors. It took one cash-strapped man, bravado and a lot of greed. Anthony Lee chose his targets well. He knew that in the competitive world of secretive multimillion pound deals, people are prepared to take breathtaking risks. The opportunity he presented – a bargain price for London’s five-star Ritz hotel and … Continue reading The Ritz – want to buy?

The Organization of the Islamic Conference Author: Toni Johnson, Staff Writer for CFR.org Introduction The Purpose of the OIC Organization and Influence within the OIC OIC Controversies Islam and U.S. Policy Introduction Comprised of fifty-seven nations spread over four continents, the forty-year-old Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the second largest international body after the UN, and is aimed at protecting Muslim interests worldwide. Some experts say the organization has been ineffectual, but they also note its tremendous potential for addressing the issues facing Muslims. Advocates of reaching out to Muslims see the OIC as an important venue for … Continue reading Organization of the Islamic Conference

Either an idiot or… New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, in his unendingly offensive series of “Letters from Istanbul,” offers up reasons to “wonder” about Turkey, only to indulge us in his propagandistic and arrogant attempt to smear it. By Haroon Moghul, (from altmuslim) Oh Turkey, you amuse me New York, New York In this his second letter from Istanbul, New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman attempts to paint Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a radical, Turkey as an undemocratic Chavezista hotbed and the flotilla incident as something other than what most of the rest of … Continue reading Thomas Friedman – Twitologist!