Vengeful new militant group emerges in Pakistan dawn.com The Ghazi Force was behind most of the deadliest attacks in Islamabad during the last three years. — Photo by AP ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities now believe a dangerous new militant group, out to avenge a deadly army assault on a mosque in Islamabad three years ago, has carried out several major bombings in the capital previously blamed on the Taliban. The emergence of the Ghazi Force was part of the outrage among many deeply religious Pakistani Muslims over the July 2007 attack by security forces against the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, … Continue reading Ghazi Force – Vengeful new militant group!

COMMENT: Baptism of blood and seawater —Amjad Ayub Mirza The roots of Turkey’s non-admittance to the European Union seem to lie in the bias that Christian-dominated Europe has against Muslim-dominated countries entering the European elite business club. By ignoring Turkey’s application to join the EU, the former has been forced to look elsewhere for economic and strategic alliances All the hard work of the 19th century British secret service agent T. E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, regarding the break-up of the Ottoman Empire and pitching the Arab tribes against the Turks, seems doomed by the acts of Israeli state … Continue reading Turkey via Baptism of blood and seawater!

IslamToday / Agencies 30 June 2010 The International Union of Muslim Scholars General Assembly is being held at the Grand Cevahir Congress Center in Istanbul Turkey. Its inaugural address, which took place on Tuesday, 29 June, was attended by more than 600 scholars, scientists and intellectuals from all over the world. Today’s session opened under the chairmanship of Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah. One of the major tasks of the General Assembly is to elect the president and vice-president of the Union for the next for years, as well as develop its mission and vision for the future. The current president … Continue reading General Assembly of International Union of Muslim Scholars Convenes in Istanbul

Sheikh Salman al-Oadah We find the name al-Mutakabbir (the Supreme) in the verse: “He is Allah, besides whom there is no God, the King, the Holy One, Peace, the Giver of Security, the Guardian, the Compeller, the Supreme.” [Sūrah al-Hashr: 23] This name is also found in the following sermon of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): The Prophet, standing at the pulpit, recited the verse: “No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him. The whole Earth shall be in His grip on the Day of Resurrection and the heavens rolled up in His … Continue reading Allah is al-Mutakabbir – (the Supreme)

Pakistan history, distorted by the literalists by Dr.Shams Hamid tribune.com.pk Literalists have always invented Islam depriving it of universalism Recently released, the Brookings Institute report claims that the real cause of militancy in Pakistan is the public education system, and not religious schools (madrssas) because the majority of Pakistani students attend public school whereas only ten per cent attend madrassas. It states that Pakistani public schools disseminate militancy, hatred, jihad and distort history. Until 1970, despite bureaucratic and military dictatorships, the Pakistani educational curriculum and textbooks, for example, had included the history of the Maurya and Gupta dynasties of the sub-continent … Continue reading Pakistan, distorted by the mullahs and their worshippers?

by Hussain Dada tribune.com.pk . We shudder when they approach, cringe when they touch and breathe a sigh of relief when they walk away History – or Pakistan Studies – has taught us many things; most of which we know because it was stuffed down our throats. While retaining only the fourth of the founding father’s fourteen points is no profound achievement, it is a rejoinder that the mainstream education system still thrives on rote. And for that, it deservedly gets thrashed. Alas, not all the thrashing handed out in this land of the pure tends to be deserved. Corporal … Continue reading Where eunuchs aren’t allowed to party

Bollywood makes Osama bin Laden spoof dawn.com “Tere bin Laden” (Without you, Laden), is a story set in Pakistan about a young reporter who seeks to migrate to the United States in search of fame and fortune. MUMBAI: India’s Bollywood cinema, known for its exuberant song-and-dance sequences and romantic plots, is to explore new territory with a satire on Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. The movie, “Tere bin Laden” (Without you, Laden), is a story set in Pakistan about a young reporter who seeks to migrate to the United States in search of fame and fortune. The reporter, played by … Continue reading Ali Zafar and Al Qaeda!

SINOGRAPH Propaganda, stir-fried and roasted By Francesco Sisci BEIJING – Ideas and good writing may be fun, good music can be soothing, the cinema and theater are certainly entertaining, and sports and video games are heart-racing. All that is good and well, and all are the flesh and blood of the soft power that many countries try to build and whose management the United States has possibly mastered. Still, all these forms of influence on people’s minds and souls come to nothing if compared to the old, solid conduit to the deeper recesses of the spirit, touching directly the deeper … Continue reading Propaganda, stir-fried and roasted

By Peter J Brown The shakeup in the senior command of the United States military in late June from the surprise resignation of General Stanley McChrystal could not have been predicted. Another change in command, involving US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, will come as no surprise, though the exact date Gates plans to step down remains a mystery. In a television interview aired on Fox News Sunday in late June, anchor Chris Wallace tried unsuccessfully to get Gates to specify whether he would be leaving his post in late 2010 or would remain until 2011. Gates would not commit … Continue reading Gates open on departure

BP in the Gulf – the Persian Gulf By Stephen Kinzer To frustrated Americans who have begun boycotting BP: Welcome to the club. It’s great not to be the only member any more! Does boycotting BP really make sense? Perhaps not. After all, many BP filling stations are actually owned by local people, not the corporation itself. Besides, when you’re filling up at a Shell or ExxonMobil station, it’s hard to feel much sense of moral triumph. Nonetheless, I reserve my right to drive by BP stations. I started doing it long before this year’s oil spill in the Gulf … Continue reading BP – Enemy of Iran and America