Where does Amnesty International stand on women’s rights after suspending Gita Sahgal for criticising links with Moazzam Begg? Rahila Gupta guardian.co.uk The Sunday Times last week carried an article in which the head of Amnesty International’s gender unit, Gita Sahgal, was quoted criticising the organisation for its close association with Moazzam Begg. At issue, she says, are his alleged sympathies with the Taliban in Afghanistan and, through the Guantánamo prisoners campaign Cageprisoners, his work on behalf of detained al-Qaida activists. In his defence, a copy of a letter sent to the Sunday Times posted on the Cageprisoners site, Begg distances … Continue reading Double standards on human rights?

I find it hard to justify knives being allowed in schools – be they Sikh ceremonial symbols or otherwise Hardeep Singh Kohli The Guardian What do you know about Sikhism? The men wear turbans. It comes from the north-west of India. It has at its heart the five “Ks”, the kesh (long hair), kara (steel bangle worn on the right hand), kaacha (undergarment), kanga (comb) and kirpan (a ceremonial dagger); all baptised Sikhs are expected to wear the five “Ks” daily. Sikhs are ­regarded as the best dancers in the world. This is all unequivocally true, especially the last part. … Continue reading Mightier than the kirpan?

Continue reading Pussy cats?

THERE has been a veritable raft of statements from the chief of army staff in the very recent past on ‘strategic depth’ for Pakistan in Afghanistan. Variously: “we want a strategic depth in Afghanistan but do not want to control it”; “if Afghanistan is peaceful, stable and friendly, we have our strategic depth because our western border is secure”; and “our strategic paradigm needs to be fully realised”. Inexplicably he also said that ‘it would be a cause of worry for Pakistan if Afghanistan’s projected army developed the potential to take on Pakistan’. The Afghan army’s ‘projected’ development (woefully inadequate … Continue reading The Power lies within us and not in Mullahs

LONDON: From smashing windows to breaking world records, soccer freestyler Dan Magness has enjoyed a bizarre career which has offered him the chance to travel and rub shoulders with big names. The Englishman’s latest exploit was to kick-start a ball relay that will end at the World Cup in South Africa in June. After he was released at the age of 16 by ex-English league side and 1988 FA Cup winnersWimbledon, Magness’s soccer career looked as doomed as his old club, who were dissolved in 2004. “I was always the player in the team where the ball would come to me and … Continue reading Freestyler gets ball rolling to World Cup

Telegraph Continue reading South Korean soldiers make US Marines eat frogs, scorpions and lizards in jungle survival training

A student branded a “wannabe suicide bomber” has walked free after having a terrorism conviction quashed by appeal court judges. Telegraph Mohammed Atif Siddique said he should not have been jailed for “thought crime” and never had the intention of using terrorist materials he had accumulated to hurt anyone. Prosecutors confirmed the 24-year-old, who was Scotland’s first man found guilty of being an Islamist terrorist, will not face a retrial. The Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled last month that Siddique had suffered a miscarriage of justice after the judge in his original trial misdirected the jury. Three senior … Continue reading ‘Wannabe suicide bomber’ walks free

Deeda-e-Beena The menace is growing to awesome proportions while efforts for finding solutions are miniscule. How could we ever win this fight? The Nation is at war and needs to act at war footing as a whole. Post-factum izhar-e-muzzamat is all one hears from those who are responsible to deal with it! You and I can do it too! The Government, the Media and the People themselves – its singular victims, are woefully remiss on what each of them can and should be doing to subvert this mayhem. There is no evidence even of any serious and systematic thinking by all … Continue reading Terrorism and Mullahism: Starting a Search for Solutions