No more war songs —Salman Tarik Kureshi Wars do not ever end, they spread. If victories of one side over another do occur, these victories themselves become the seeds of further conflicts down the road “Afghanistan, Bananistan!” said President Truman. Like most of his countrymen, he did not imagine that the distant Durrani Kingdom could ever impact on the lives and fortunes of American citizens. Even well into the 1960s and beyond, Americans thought of Afghanistan as a place for hippy backpackers to lose themselves in a haze of marijuana smoke before trekking further on towards a Nepalese Nirvana. But, … Continue reading “Afghanistan, Bananistan!”

Hobnobbing with terror Legal eye Babar Sattar The writer is a lawyer based in Islamabad. What are the irresistible compulsions of power politics that forced the PML-N to jump into bed with the proscribed Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and its head Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi to win the provincial assembly seat in Jhang this week? Is this simply a case of reprehensible electoral politics with the PML-N stooping low to mix with hate-mongers in order to defeat the PPP in a heated election contest? Is this a reflection of the PML-N’s political ideology that has traditionally pandered to the politics of the religious … Continue reading Jumping into bed with terrorist mullahs again?

Posted by Nadeem F. Paracha  Three vignettes revealing how religion really imbues the public sphere. Sticking out Ever since the 1980s, stickers asking people to pray have become a common sight, especially in buses, and on rickshaws. Of course, there is certainly nothing wrong in asking a person to say his prayers, just as there is nothing wrong if that person chooses not to heed this advice. It’s a matter between the individual and God, simple as that. Of course, the latter part of this suggestion does not bode well with most of my fellow Muslims. Religious and sectarian plurality … Continue reading Paradise pulp

Dawn Correspondent At the Senate Armed Services Committee, experts told US lawmakers that while the militants viewed westernisation as a threat, they were not averse to modernisation. –Photo by Reuters WASHINGTON: Muslim militants do not see modernisation as a threat as many of them are highly competent in using modern techniques, the US Senate was told. At a special hearing on violent extremism at the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday evening, experts told lawmakers that while the militants viewed westernisation as a threat, they were not averse to modernisation. “Westernisation is a threat? The answer is yes. Modernisation a … Continue reading US Congress urged to engage with Muslims nationally and internationally

No parrot joke A Pennsylvania woman is suing Bank of America after a contractor mistakenly confiscated her beloved pet parrot. Luke, a blue macaw, was separated from his owner, Angela Iannelli, for over a week after debt collectors wrongly repossessed her home. Mrs Iannelli suffered such ?emotional distress? at her separation from Luke that she was forced to take prescription medication for anxiety. After the beep… Government employees still working despite Monday’s strike were told to ‘imitate answer machines’ to cope with calls from the public. Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions in Carlisle said they were given … Continue reading And finally…bizarre real life stories!!!

Bibi’s snub to Biden may backfire Intentional or not, the announcement of new settlements in East Jerusalem may push the US into a tougher stance towards Israel Simon Tisdall guardian.co.uk US vice-president Joe Biden, on a visit to Israel, has condemned the plans for new homes in East Jerusalem Photograph: Ariel Schalit/AFP/Getty Images It’s not the first time that Israel has stiffed Barack Obama over his attempts to kick-start Middle East peace negotiations. But the sudden, highly inflammatory announcement of plans to build an additional 1,600 homes in occupied East Jerusalem, in the midst of a visit to Israel of … Continue reading Is the United States beginning to take a more fairer stance between the Israeli and Palestinian people?

Posted by Kalsoom Lakhani  There has never been a shortage of fatwas. These legal rulings or opinions made by religious authorities address a wide array of issues concerning politics and social norms, and have both justified and widely condemned the use of violence. In 1998, Al Qaeda ideologues Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a fatwa “to kill the Americans and their allies.” However, since then, a number of imams and scholars have issued fatwas against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.  In November 2008, for example, more than 6,000 Muslim clerics in India signed a fatwa against terrorism, … Continue reading A fatwa vs. suicide bombings -what is really needed?

Kidnapped schoolboy tortured with hot iron and boiling water by gang for £20,000 ransom By Daily Mail Reporter A gang who kidnapped and tortured a schoolboy by burning him with a hot iron to gain a £20,000 ransom have been jailed for a total of 40 years it was confirmed today. The 16-year-old had boiling water poured over his legs during the five-hour ordeal in a bid to blackmail his family as part of a ‘drugs debt’. Shaheed Rahman and Syed Ahmed, both 24, admitted conspiring to kidnap the boy and blackmail at Leeds Crown Court yesterday. The gang, which … Continue reading What can British Asians do tackle the increase of crime in the UK?

So, who’s laughing now? The moment a clamper got clamped himself By Andrew Levy In the natural world, it’s known as the hunter becoming the hunted. On the mean streets of Britain, it is poetic justice. This was the moment a clamper got a taste of his own medicine when his vehicle was impounded by council parking wardens. The white Renault van was spotted without a valid tax disc and clamped before being loaded onto a flatbed lorry and driven away. The boot’s on the other foot: The clamper stands beside his clamped white van Unable to contain his fury, … Continue reading Clamper Pimp gets PIMPED!

By Irfan Husain Dawn.com Indians born on the bottom rungs of the social hierarchy suffer a legacy of caste bigotry, rural servitude and class discrimination, Randeep Ramesh wrote in his article. –Photo by AFP Every now and then, I get an email from one irate Indian reader or another, demanding to know why Jawed Naqvi, Dawn’s erudite and irreverent New Delhi correspondent, is so critical of India. Invariably, I reply that they should ask Jawed about his views. I also point out that just as I am often critical about Pakistan, he has every right to point out his country’s … Continue reading Don’t shoot the messenger